On Dec. 16, 1811 the first of these quakes struck what is now the location of Memphis, Tennessee, at a level nine intensity - and the impacts were felt as far away as Washington and Ohio. By the time the final quake occurred on Feb. 7, 1812 in New Madrid, Missouri, the shaking had forced sand to erupt at the surface, triggered landslides and caused large areas to be uplifted or dropped down in elevation. Since then, communities along the fault zone have experienced explosive growth in both population and infrastructure. Another series of earthquakes with the magnitude of the 1811 earthquakes could prove catastrophic to the region.
FEMA and its federal partners, non-governmental organizations, and state and local officials will collaborate on a series of outreach efforts, partnerships and events over the next year, including Earthquake Preparedness Month in February, the Great Central U.S. Shakeout in April, and the 2011 National Level Exercise. These events are designed to educate Americans on what they can do to be better prepared for earthquakes, as well as other catastrophic events.
for every morning a soul is born anew,
and I do not permit the diappointments of today
or yesterday to reflect on the possibilities of tomorrow.**
Sam Stone
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.3 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.2 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.6 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.3 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
Yesterday -
12/21/10 -
6.0 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
5.0 MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.7 JAVA, INDONESIA
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.2 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.3 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.3 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.2 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.5 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.3 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.3 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.2 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.3 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.1 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.6 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
7.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.2 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
JAPAN - A 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck in the Pacific Ocean off southern Japan. The epicentre of the earthquake was 155km (95 miles) off the Bonin Islands, some 1,000km south-east of Tokyo. It struck at a depth of some 15km at 0220 (1720GMT), sparking local tsunami warnings which were later lifted. Local TV broadcasts warned coastal inhabitants to seek safety on higher ground, but the quake only prompted a swelling of waves around 30cm (1ft) high. The Bonin archipelago comprises some 30 tropical or sub-tropical islands, only two of which are populated. They are inhabited by around 2,500 people. Japan is well-prepared for quakes which often hit the seismically active area. There were no reports of casualties or damage from the latest earthquake. (map)
TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical cyclones.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
HAWAII - Forecast calls for rain through Christmas. Heavy showers and isolated thunder storms are forecast and more rain is likely to greet President Obama's Christmas homecoming when Air Force One is expected to touch down at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam tomorrow night. All islands remain under a flash flood watch. Tropical Storm Omeka, which had been sitting north of the main Hawaiian islands, was downgraded to a remnant low. But an even bigger system is unleashing rain today that will likely continue through Christmas. "The front to the north will keep us under the threat of wet conditions pretty much through Christmas. It's unlikely that we'll have normal trade conditions until after Christmas."
CALIFORNIA - An UNUSUAL confluence of two storm systems — a tropical storm and a northern one — has resulted in the most intense rainfall to hit Los Angeles since the El Nino storms of 2005, posing an array of challenges to local firefighters. The rains, which started last Friday, flooded the streets of Eagle Rock with water — and Fire Station 42 with calls from hapless residents. "On Sunday, there were four car crashes in two hours, we had a flooding on Colorado, an oak tree fell on a house and a gentleman slipped at the Super A Market on Yosemite. Today we had a lot of leaky roofs and our work load has doubled from four to five calls a day to about eight to 10." Since the rains began, firemen had dealt with everything from "infrastructure failure, wires down and trees down, to residential problems, leaking, floods and auto accidents, both street and freeway."
One of the particularly vexing problems was the proliferation of downed power lines throughout Northeast Los Angeles. Not only have lines been falling faster than ever over the last few days, firefighters have also had to work their way through deciphering just which lines belong to which power company. In addition to downed power lines, the call load has also been boosted by residents taking unsafe measures to cope with the cold and damp weather. "It's colder and wetter outside; people are turning on their heaters, burning a lot of wood, putting their clothes on heaters in order to dry them more quickly. It's causing a problem."
There's also been a steep increase in flooded basements throughout N.E.L.A., which has already exhausted the Highland Park station's supply of emergency sandbags. However, while people inside their homes are trying to compensate for the cold and wet weather, it is still business as usual out on the roads. "People are driving way too fast."
HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
AUSTRALIA - Wintry weather brings snow to Australia in midsummer . Australia normally experiences temperatures of 86F (30C) at this time of year, but the chances of a rare white Christmas have increased after plunging temperatures and snow swept across the east of the country. Freezing winds from Antarctica, blown up to Australia by a low-pressure system in the Southern Ocean, gave the country a taste of the conditions that are causing havoc across Europe. Some 11 inches of snow fell at the ski fields in New South Wales, raising the prospect that parts of the country could experience a white Christmas. At the ski fields, children in Father Christmas hats, who would usually be sunning themselves on the grassy slopes, made snowballs and rode on sleds. Such a large amount of snow was UNUSUAL for early December, normally the peak of the wild flower season in the mountainous region. In one part of the state temperatures dropped as low 39.2F (4C), the COLDEST DECEMBER MORNING IN 54 YEARS. Further south in the state of Victoria, Mt Hotham had four inches of snow and Mt Buller up to two inches.
The cold blasts even blew into Sydney, where the temperature fell to an unseasonably cold 55F (13C), and dipped to 49.6F (9.8C) in the city's west while winds of up to 62 miles an hour swept along much of the state's
coastline. Extreme weather in other parts of the country caused the WORST FLOODING IN 50 YEARS. In the isolated the town of Carnarvon, 560 miles north of Perth, swiftly rising waters led to widespread damage to crops and cattle stations.
HEALTH THREATS -
Terrorists plotted to poison restaurant food - Federal officials warned executives in the hotel and restaurant industries that terrorists might try to poison food with ricin and sodium cyanide. The plot, uncovered earlier this year, called for putting the two poisons in salad bars and buffets at many locations on one weekend. The plotters are believed to be tied to al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the same group that tried to blow up cargo planes over the East Coast in October. Al Qaida for years has stated its intention to try to attack with unconventional weapons.
The Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak strain that has sickened eight people in four states has been identified in a sample of Sally Jackson raw milk cheese. On Dec 17, Sally Jackson Cheese, based on Oroville, Wash., recalled its artesian soft raw milk cheeses after an investigation into the illnesses with the same outbreak strain suggested links to the products. An FDA inspection of the Sally Jackson facility found sanitation problems related to employees, equipment, utensils, and the building and its maintenance.
