The following article was researched and written by Jean Hudon the Network Coordinator for Earth Rainbow
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com
It’s a very fascinating read demonstrating how many extreme weather conditions are occuring and being reported at the same time throughout the world.
Pause for thought.
SPECIAL EXTREME WEATHER FEATURE
After several days of extreme cold in Florida last week (see Frosty Florida sets record low temperatures) now it’s going to be the turn of the whole West Coast, and particularly California to be battered with a 2-week bout of extreme weather. This was brought to my attention when reading the following articles – even the US military is moving assets east out of the way ahead of this storm… Check at http://www.weather.com/newscenter/stormwatch
/ for the latest in the developing weather.
URGENT – BIG WINTER STORM WARNING (USA)
This was forwarded to us from a friend – a retired fireman. I have no idea how true this is or will be, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to warn you to be careful. We certainly can use the rain, let’s just hope the storms are not as strong as predicted here…………
Some of you may know that climate modeling is a hobby of mine (a terrific challenge for computer hardware and software). Well, we are about to get hit with what may be the strongest storm system in known California history starting Sunday night. If you want full details, you can read the warning below. I’ll give you the summary version of several reports here.
The jet stream that is going to hit Southern California is as powerful as has ever been recorded on this planet before, over 230 mph. The jet is at an extremely unusually low altitude, not 30,000 to 60,000 feet, but coming as low as 8,000 feet. This jet will be traveling over the unusually warm El Nino waters of the eastern pacific, and will be carrying freakish amounts of energy and moisture. A huge series of storms is going to slam into Los Angeles and the surrounding areas just one after another for day after day for up to two weeks.
The initial storms will be very cold, with snow levels as low as 3,000 feet. Heavy rain and snow will be hitting California from San Diego to Eureka. Next week, the driest places will see at least 3 inches of rain, the Los Angeles basin and northern parts of the county and Ventura will see 6 to 10 inches. The wettest areas and cells within the system will hit with up to 20 inches of rain. Snowfall in the Sierras will be measured in the TENS of feet. Powerful winds will be associated with this storm–like a powerful Santa Ana but blowing in the opposite direction, west to east. Gusts up to 80 mph are forecast.
[I remember Sierra snowfall around 20 feet once, maybe in the '70's or early '80's - it was very striking when driving to Tahoe...Steve]
But it gets worse. For the first time that I’m aware of, ALL of the various models are in agreement about the second week of the storm. Normally, beyond a week, the models diverge. But due to the extreme strength of the weather producing factors, this time all of the models produce the same results for the 8-14 day period.
For the week of the 24th, we will be hit with a powerful and WARM series of storms, as strong as any we’ve seen. This heavy warm rainfall will fall onto the newly laid snowpack and what will be totally saturated ground, especially in the burn areas of LA and will produce tremendous melting and runoff, and the potential for record flooding.
Due to the low altitude of the jet stream, 200+ mph winds will slam directly into the Sierras, producing tornado strength winds over a 200 mile wide front. DON’T head to Mammoth for skiing when you hear about the huge snow fall in the first week.
Planes and helicopters are migrating out of the coastal bases and into the interior bases of Arizona and Nevada. They’re taking this very seriously. A friend of Scott’s is a Navy weather forecaster and he told Scott that the military is moving assets east out of the way ahead of this storm.
This may sound alarmist, but websites I check related to weather modeling are using the word “Biblical” for this system. If you can work from home or commute by train, please plan on doing so. The LA freeway system is going to be a mess for the next week or two.
SO TO BE SURE IT WAS FOR REAL, I CHECKED THE NEWS FOR THE WEST COAST AND THEN, OUT OF CURIOSITY, FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD AND DISCOVERED THAT FREAKISH WEATHER EXTREMES ARE BEING OBSERVED WORLDWIDE, BUT ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHER HEMISPHERE. SEE FOR YOURSELF…
Very stormy pattern for California; flooding possible
http://weatherwest.com/current_weather/?p=396
The long-advertised major shift to a much more active pattern over the far West Coast has arrived. Storms are lining up off the coast, and a powerful 200+ kt zonal jet will slam into California beginning Sunday and persisting for all of the coming week (at least). There are strong indications that precipitation may be very heavy in many places, especially across Central and Southern California. (…) Given such large liquid equivalent, snowfall will be extremely heavy in the high Sierra, with some local areas possibly seeing 10-15 feet of new snow (maybe even more). (…) Flash flooding and earth movements (mudslides) are-unfortunately-essentially unavoidable in Southern California during a pattern such as this one. If the higher end of the rainfall estimates come to fruition, there could even be some mainstem river flooding.
There is also a risk of flooding in Northern California, though this may be a little more dependent on higher-end rainfall estimates to occur. All bets are off, however, if the scenario depicted by the ECMWF pans out. And even the GFS solutions would bring an eventual flood risk to all of CA; the risk in NorCal would simply be reduced until the second (and warmer) wave arrives in 10+ days.
This is a pattern to watch closely, in any case. Potential impacts may be large, and there are no indications that a significantly drier regime will take over anytime soon. Stay tuned!
Very stormy period developing for all of California; potential for major flooding
http://weatherwest.com/current_weather/?p=386
Anyone who ever said that winter weather in California was boring has never experienced a pattern like the one we’re headed for over the next several weeks. (…)
For the first time in at least several years, a powerful southern stream branch of the jet stream over the Pacific is expected to roar across CA for at least the next two weeks, potentially bringing a tremendous amount of precipitation and frequent strong wind events.(…)
Between this Sunday and the following Sunday, I expect categorical statewide rainfall totals in excess of 3-4 inches. That is likely to be a huge underestimate for most areas. Much of NorCal is likely to see 5-10 inches in the lowlands, with 10-20 inches in orographically-favored areas. Most of SoCal will see 3-6 inches at lower elevations, with perhaps triple that amount in favored areas.This is where things get even more interesting, though.
The models are virtually unanimous in “reloading” the powerful jet stream and forming an additional persistent kink 2000-3000 miles to our southwest after next Sunday. This is a truly ominous pattern, because it implies the potential for a strong Pineapple-type connection to develop. Indeed, the 12z GFS now shows copious warm rains falling between days 12 and 16 across the entire state.
Normally, such as scenario out beyond day seven would be dubious at best. Since the models are in such truly remarkable agreement, however, and because of the extremely high potential impact of such an event, it’s worth mentioning now. Since there will be a massive volume of freshly-fallen snow (even at relatively low elevations between 3000-5000 feet), even a moderately warm storm event would cause very serious flooding. This situation will have to monitored closely.
Even if the tropical connection does not develop, expected rains in the coming 7-10 days will likely be sufficient to cause flooding in and of themselves (even in spite of dry antecedent conditions). An ominous “Pineapple Express” connection, GFS modelIn addition to very heavy precipitation, powerful winds may result from very steep pressure gradients associated with the large and deep low pressure centers expect ed to begin approaching the coast by early next week.
Though it’s not clear at the moment just how powerful these winds may be, there is certainly the potential for a widespread damaging wind event at some point, and the high Sierra peaks are likely to see gusts in the 100-200 mph range (since the 200kt jet at 200-300 mb will essentially run directly into the mountains at some point). The details of this will have to be hashed out as the event(s) draw closer.In short, the next 2-3 weeks (at least) are likely to be more active across California than any other 2-3 week period in recent memory.
The potential exists for a dangerous flood scenario to arise at some point during this interval, especially with the possibility of a heavy rain-on-snow event during late week 2. In some parts of Southern California, a whole season’s worth of rain could fall over the course of 5-10 days. This is likely to be a rather memorable event. Stay tuned.
Heavy rain, possible flooding forecast for West Coast (January 18, 2010) http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/weather/01/18/west.coast.storms/index.html
(CNN) — Heavy rain and snow were falling over California on Monday, the first round in a series of storms poised to pummel the West Coast this week, bringing potential flooding and mudslides. The El Niño-type storms forecast for the West could dump up to 6 inches of rain in some areas, according to CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano. Rain began falling Sunday night and was continuing Monday. A second round was expected later Monday night and Tuesday, with a third coming late Tuesday and into Wednesday. CLIP
Flood warnings issued as heavy rains forecast (Jan. 16, 2010)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/flood-warnings-issued-as-heavy-rains-forecast/article1431853/
It was a soggy day along the southwest coast of British Columbia, with flood warnings issued for central and eastern Vancouver Island, and severe rain warnings. The B.C. River Forecast Centre issued a formal flood warning for the Port Alberni area yesterday afternoon – the highest of a three-stage flood-alert system. Environment Canada also issued a severe-rain warning for the region, forecasting up to 150 millimetres of rain in 24 hours.”We are barricading certain localized areas that typically flood in heavy rains,” said Guy Cicon, a city engineer in Port Alberni. Adding to the already swollen rivers, the highest tide since November will hit the east coast of Vancouver Island at 7 a.m. today.
Environment Canada also issued a severe rain warning for metro Vancouver yesterday, forecasting 60 to 80 millimetres of rain in a 24-hour period.”Typically for the month of January, Vancouver gets 140 millimetres of rain for the entire month,” said Matt MacDonald, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.”This is an El Nino year, and we’re experiencing another Pineapple Express. The jet stream is dragging moisture and heat from the tropics and dumping it onto the southwest coast of B.C.,” he said.
Flood warnings: be prepared (18 January 2010)
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_184214
Flood warnings were in place today in nine areas of England and Wales. The Met Office has also warned of widespread rain or snow due to fall in England and Wales on Wednesday. Read on to find out how you can plan ahead to cope with flooding in your area.
Flood warnings issued after heavy rain and snow thaws (17 January 2010)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8463887.stm
Melting snow, heavy rain and frozen ground have caused flooding in much of England, Scotland and Wales. There are no severe flood warnings in force in the UK. There are 21 flood warnings in England and two in Wales. CLIP
Terrifying deluge which has Arklow residents in fear (January 18, 2010)
http://www.herald.ie/national-news/terrifying-deluge-which-has-arklow-residents-in-fear-2018649.html
DAMAGE: Thousands without water across country
Storms in Mideast kill British tourist, 6 others
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_mideast_weather
CAIRO - Rare torrential rains across the Middle East swept away homes, marooned resort towns and killed seven people Monday, including a British tourist, in what officials are calling the worst flooding in at least a decade. The flooding along Egypt’s Red Sea coast, the border with Israel and in the south left six people dead. It also damaged the roads leading to the resorts in the Sinai desert and brought down telephone and power lines.
Israel temporarily closed its southern border crossings with Egypt and Jordan, while Jordanians were warned off the streets after nearly a dozen accidents in one area. Rains of this magnitude, which began Sunday night, are rare in this largely arid region and where heavy precipitation can result in sudden and deadly flash floods.
Major Flooding Concerns in the Middle East (Jan 18, 2010)
http://www.wifr.com/weather/headlines/82010097.html
Palestinians hit by flash floods are evacuated from their homes in the blockaded Gaza Strip. — Heavy rains across the Middle East on Monday (January 18) flooded some areas of the central Gaza Strip, forcing residents out of their homes. Rescue services gathered at the site making their way through the flooded streets toward people stranded in the water.Hussein Assuboh, a resident, said he saw no major injuries, but some people in the area did lose much of their livestock. CLIP
Rains cause flooding and mayhem in Tabuk – Arab News (19 January 2010)
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=131455&d=19&m=1&y=2010
JEDDAH: Civil Defense teams in Tabuk rescued over 75 people stranded in a number of valleys across the region following heavy rains and floods on Monday. Around 27 people were injured as a result of the rains, which caused schools to close and delayed commuters from reaching work.
There were also power outages in several areas across the province. Gen. Suleiman Al-Huwaiti, head of the Civil Defense in Tabuk, said heavy rains flooded all of the province’s valleys. “The Civil Defense rescued over 75 people and rescue operations are ongoing. The Civil Defense issued warnings on Sunday asking people to be careful. Many people did not take the warnings seriously. I wish people would take heed in the future,” he added. CLIP
Two more districts struck by floods in Sabah (January 19, 2010) IN MALAYSIA
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/19/nation/5500272&sec=nation
KOTA KINABALU: Continuous heavy rain overnight has resulted in more widespread flooding around Sabah with six districts now reported to be inundated. The number of evacuees rose from about 2,600 to over 3,300 on Monday as two more districts – Pitas and Beluran – reporting widespread flooding.A total of 159 people were placed at flood evacuation centres in Pitas as of late Sunday as another 126 villagers in Beluran were moved to relief centres.The largest number of flood evacuees was, however, in the northern Kota Marudu district where some 1,671 villagers remained at relief centres. CLIP
Kilosa floods: Humanitarian challenge and life-changing experience (18TH JAN 2010)
http://www.thisday.co.tz/?l=10565
FOR thousands of Kilosa District residents it was a rude Boxing Day awakening. It had not rained from the sky, but devastative flash floods abruptly brought a long spell of drought to an end.Village after village, everything was awash. Everybody was running to nowhere looking for protection. Even adults sought somebody to take them under their wing. They lost most of their possessions in the mud flow as their shelters tumbled.Downpours in the distant Ukaguru Mountain range had overfilled upstreams feeding into River Mkondoa which then burst its banks on Kilosa plains.
The floodwater not only inundated the crop fields and pasture land but also washed away everything on its way, turning thousands of people destitute. Two weeks later, at about noon, a group of journalists from Dar es Salaam made it to the floodplains of Kilosa. Under the scorching sun, hundreds of flood victims were camped and crammed in the small buildings of Kilosa Town Primary School. Literally speaking, nature had turned against mankind and forced these people into an intolerable situation as internally displaced persons. The sight brought to mind the images of conflict victims frequently shown by the media from war-torn and disaster-struck countries around the world. CLIP
China’s Red Cross Offers Donation to Flood-hit Albania (2010-01-18)
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2010/01/18/2001s543426.htm
China’s Red Cross on Monday donated 30,000 U.S. dollars to Albania to support relief work in the country’s flooded northwestern region. After being notified about widespread flooding in northwest Albania, the Chinese Red Cross decided to extend a helping hand to the victims, Chinese Ambassador to Albania Wang Junling said. (…) The floods, caused by heavy rainfall, have forced about 5,000 people to flee their homes.Government statistics show that some 10,000 hectares of farmland and 2,400 houses have been flooded.
North Qld on alert for possible cyclone (January 19, 2010)
Heavy rain is expected in Queensland’s far north from a low pressure system that could develop into the state’s first cyclone of the season. Rain associated with the system has already fallen across the north of Cape York Peninsula. And heavy falls are likely to continue to develop in the Cairns area over the next 24 hours as the low moves offshore. CLIP
Disaster funding extended to flooded Qld (January 13, 2010)
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/disaster-funding-extended-to-flooded-qld-20100113-m6og.html
Disaster funding is now being offered to 22 Queensland communities after flooding rain that cut off towns and damaged infrastructure. Joint state and federal-funded natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements were extended to eight more communities on Wednesday. Acting Emergency Services Minister Andrew Fraser said the money could now be accessed to help rebuild damaged public infrastructure at Burke, Carpentaria, Cloncurry, Diamantina, Doomadgee, McKinlay, Mornington and Mount Isa. The 22 local governments now included in the arrangements cover 984,085 square kilometres – comparable in size to South Australia.
Flooding rains bring rare waterfalls to Australia’s Uluru (Jan 16, 2010)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100116/wl_asia_afp/australiatourismenvironmentuluru
SYDNEY (AFP) - Heavy rains which flooded parts of Australia’s vast desert centre have brought rare waterfalls spilling from the iconic monolith Uluru, or Ayers Rocks, officials said Saturday. The deluge, which swept across much of the continent’s east after a tropical cyclone last month, prompted a wave of green in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, home to the giant red rock. CLIP
Three dead following flooding in south-central Andes (January 18, 2010)
http://www.peruviantimes.com/three-dead-following-flooding-in-south-central-andes/184592
Strong rains in Peru’s south-central Andes have left three people dead, two missing and 150 people homeless after the flooding of the Huayanay river, located in the Acobamba province in Huancavelica. The president of Huancavelica, Federico Salas, told Radio Programas Peru that some residents had built homes in unsuitable areas, making them more susceptible to flooding. Salas adds that his administration is coordinating with civil defense, or Indeci, to provide shelter, lamps and other materials for families affected by the flooding. They have also contacted the National Food Assistance Program, or Pronaa, to receive aid for the population. Rains and storms over the weekend have caused damage to other communities in Peru’s southern Andean highlands. On Saturday, Radio Programas Peru reported that one person was killed and another 10 injured from a rock and mudslide caused by rains in Huancavelica city. Regional President Salas recommended travelers postpone trips to the area highways in and out of the city were flooded. In Cusco, 50 houses were flooded when a rain and hail storm on Sunday flooded the Sipaspuqllo river.
Severe Snow Storm Hits China (January 17, 2010)
http://www.keyc.com/node/32658
Meteorologists in northwest china are urging people to stay at home after another snow storm hits. Although there were warnings of severe snow and freezing temperatures, Residents still were out on the streets this weekend. The area was hit hard by a previous storm just last week.And the extreme weather is affecting coal and gas supplies…. Many fearing another blackout. Authorities ordered hundreds of factories in central china to shut down to ensure sufficient power to heat homes.
China sends disaster-relief teams to snow storm hit regions (2010-01-14)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/14/content_12805609.htm
BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese authorities started to quickly deploy disaster relief teams to regions hit hard by snow storms, the civil affairs ministry said late Wednesday. The ministry and the National Disaster Reduction Commission decided to immediately begin the level-IV national disaster emergency response to assist local relief work, as heavy snows and cold snap continue to grip the northern regions. Across 12 regions including Beijing, Inner Magnolia and northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 4.67 million people have been affected, six died, and 13,000 were relocated, shows the latest statistics. The storms brought down 4,000 homes and damaged another 27,000, causing economic losses estimated at 1.4 billion yuan (205 million U.S. dollars). CLIP
Beijing sees heaviest daily snowfall in nearly six decades (2010-01-04)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/04/content_12751924.htm
Extreme Cold Affects Millions in Northwest China (January 19, 2010)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/19/world/AP-AS-China-Snow-Deaths.html
BEIJING (AP) — Closed roads and delayed flights left thousands of travelers stranded Tuesday following blizzards and extreme cold that killed four people and affected 1.6 million others in northwestern China, a government spokesman said. Snowstorms delayed 122 flights in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang region, on Monday, leaving more than 4,000 passengers stranded, and blocked roads from nine avalanches stranded more than 1,000 passengers in the region, according to a Urumqi government spokesman surnamed Wang. Like many Chinese officials he declined to give his full name. Four people had died because of the bad weather, Wang said Tuesday. He did not give details. Rescue workers were evacuating thousands of rural residents to safer ground at lower altitudes because of the latest storm front, expected to last through Wednesday and plunge temperatures to minus 45 degrees (minus 43 Celsius), Wang said. In neighboring Mongolia, an official appealed for help from the international community as his country battles the most severe winter it has seen in three decades. Storms in China’s far western Xinjiang flattened or damaged about 100,000 homes, and more than 15,000 head of livestock were killed by the cold front that began on Sunday night, according to Xinjiang Meteorological Station forecaster Wei Rongqing. Snow was falling in the region’s Altay district, where accumulations had already risen to 3 feet (94 centimeters), Wei said. Altay lies in China’s extreme northwestern corner, 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers) northwest of Beijing, the capital.”Livestock raising has been hit hard. Both wild animals and livestock haven’t been able to find food, but now forage has been allocated by the central government,” Wei said. Some 1.6 million people in total were affected by the harsh weather, according to Wang CLIP
Ice and snow storm creates havoc in central France (January 13th, 2010)
http://www.self-catering-breaks.com/news/68221545.html
Paris was braced for an epic snow storm on Wednesday. The conditions forced authorities to ban trucks from motorways and numerous flight cancellations were expected as some of the worst weather experienced in northern Europe in decades translated into treacherous travel. The authorities operating the road networks in France road issued a formal ban for all heavy commercial road traffic beginning at midnight until noon on Wednesday in eight departments surrounding the French capital because of a fresh storm threatening the city. Icy sheets were causing concern due to their hazardousness. In both northern and central France, fifty-eight departments received the orange alert from Meteo France. CLIP
Snowstorm brings parts of Germany to a standstill; longest cold snap in 3 decades grips UK (Jan 9, 2010)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iFz0xPvE7AovjVwgYzedf-C_NTOg
Snowstorms wreak havoc in Bulgaria (Jan 19, 2010)
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Snowstorms_wreak_havoc_in_Bulgaria_999.html
Snowstorms wreaked havoc in northeastern Bulgaria Tuesday, prompting authorities to call a state of emergency in at least six small municipalities, the civil defence service said.
Weather: Rising degree of separation (Jan 19, 2010)
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Weather–Rising-degree-of-separation/569024
If India is seeing one of its severest winters ever, we are not the only ones. Countries across the world are experiencing extreme weather this season:EUROPEIndications that this winter wasn’t really going to be pleasant for Europeans came early. English experienced their wettest November, with an average of 217.4 mm of rain, since 1951. Their cousins up north, the Scots, were soaked deeper. They got 256.7 mm of rain, more than the 244.8 mm recorded in November 1938. On the other end of the continent, in Russia, thermometers seemed to have forgotten that winter had arrived. On the second afternoon of December, thermometers in Moscow read 8.5 degrees Celsius, 1.4 degrees higher than the previous record set in 1898. Usually at this time of the year, Alexey Lyakhov, director of the city’s weather bureau, told the ABC, the average temperature was -6.1 degrees C. The weather in the rest of the continental Europe wasn’t much different. And just when it appeared Europeans wouldn’t get to make snowmen on Christmas, the skies opened up. Heavy snow blanketed the ground, halted trains and flights and turned cars into snails. The accompanying cold wave sent people shivering inside their homes and killed several people, including 80 in Poland alone. Avalanches and skiing accidents, AFP reported, killed at least 10 more in the Alps. In January, Russia was 4-5 degrees C colder than the January average of the past 30 years. Floods caused extensive damage in Italy and southern Spain.
AND THEN TO ADD THE ICING ON THE CAKE, HERE IS WHAT I ALSO FOUND
Larger Magnitude Quakes Trend Up (January 17, 2010) http://standeyo.com/NEWS/10_Earth_Changes/100117.EQs.up.html
Over the last nearly four decades, the number of larger magnitude earthquake events has increased. To be objective in this count, we use only higher magnitude quakes. (…) Either Earth is flushing out seismic tension early, or it’s going to be a busy year. It will be interesting to see if quake activity kicks up in California after the “unrelenting rain” forecast for next week. Not only does massive moisture promote landslides, it’s also known to “lubricate’ earthquake faults and add weight on underlying rock.
126 small earthquakes this past week in the Yellowstone National Park http://www.seis.utah.edu/req2webdir/recenteqs/Maps/Yellowstone_full.html
Where Will the Next Five Big Earthquakes Be?
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1930622,00.html
Quakes can’t be predicted with the same accuracy as the weather, but a look at global fault lines and the geologic record suggests some places are due for a rumble.
- Los Angeles – Earthquakes have always been part of Los Angeles’ past – and its future. In 1994 a 6.7-magnitude quake hit the Northridge area of the city, badly damaging freeways, killing more than 70 people and causing $20 billion in damages. But those numbers could be dwarfed by a major quake in the future. The geologic record indicates that huge quakes occur roughly every 150 years in the region – Los Angeles lies along the southern end of the San Andreas Fault – and the last big quake, which registered a magnitude 7.9, happened in 1857. Los Angeles has done a lot to beef up its building codes and emergency response in the 15 years since the Northridge quake and may be better prepared than any other major U.S. city, but its sheer size ensures that the next Big One will be bloody.
- Tokyo – Roughly the same size as California, Japan shares the Golden State’s precarious plate tectonics. The nation’s four main islands get hit regularly with earthquakes of varying strength. But while California has about 36 million people, Japan’s population is nearly 4.5 times as large, and most Japanese live in extraordinarily dense cities. That puts more people squarely in a danger zone – nowhere more so than in the capital of Tokyo, which has a population of 13 million. A major quake struck the city and its surroundings in 1923, killing as many as 150,000 people. Although Japan has vastly improved its infrastructure since then and has the strictest building codes in the world, a similar temblor – which seismologists believe is almost inevitable – could kill more than 10,000 people and cause more than $1 trillion in damages.
- Tehran – All of Iran lies within a major earthquake zone, and the country has suffered terrible temblors before – most recently in 2003, when a 6.8-magnitude quake leveled the ancient city of Bam and killed more than 30,000 people. But a similar quake in the congested capital of Tehran – where more than 7 million people live – would be a shattering catastrophe. Unlike building codes in other endangered cities such as San Francisco and Tokyo, Tehran’s are relatively lax, and many residents live in the sort of unreinforced-concrete houses that turn into death traps in the event of a strong quake. The Iranian Health Ministry once estimated that a 7-magnitude quake would destroy 90% of the city’s hospitals. Tehran is so threatened that there has been periodic talk about moving the capital.
- Pacific Northwest - The rain-drenched residents of the Cascadia region – roughly from Oregon to southern British Columbia – probably assume that earthquakes are something for their neighbors in California to worry about. But Cascadia sits on top of major faults, and although it doesn’t get hit very often, the region has seen massive quakes before. The most recent one was in 1700, when a megathrust earthquake that may have been as severe as 9.2 on the Richter scale struck the region. The geologic record indicates that a catastrophic quake hits Cascadia only about every 500 years, but the cities of the Pacific Northwest, like Seattle and Vancouver, are far less prepared than San Francisco and Los Angeles for a major earthquake, so when the next powerful temblor comes around, the region could suffer.
- Indonesia – It’s called the Ring of Fire, a semicircle of violently shifting plates and volcanoes that runs along the edges of the Pacific Ocean, from New Zealand to Chile. The most seismically active region on the planet, the Ring of Fire has triggered countless quakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 230,000 people, mostly in Southeast Asia. That tsunami was set off by a 9.3-magnitude quake near the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, a region that has been hit repeatedly by massive temblors, most recently a 7.6 earthquake in September that killed more than 1,000 people. Sadly that’s a relatively small quake death toll by Indonesian standards – and seismologists expect more to come in the future.
Tsunami-generating quake possible off Indonesia: scientists (Jan 17, 2010)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100117/sc_afp/sciencequaketsunamiindonesia
PARIS (AFP) – A huge wave-generating quake capable of killing as many people as in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami could strike off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and the city of Padang is in the firing line, a team of seismologists said on Sunday.The group — led by a prominent scientist who predicted a 2005 Sumatran quake with uncanny accuracy — issued the warning in a letter to the journal Nature Geoscience. The peril comes from a relentless buildup of pressure over the last two centuries on a section of the Sunda Trench, one of the world’s most notorious earthquake zones, which runs parallel to the western Sumatra coast, they said. This section, named after the Mentawai islands, “is near failure,” the letter warned bluntly.”The threat of a great tsunamigenic earthquake with a magnitude of more than 8.5 on the Mentawai patch is unabated. (…) There is potential for loss of life on the scale of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.” The letter gave no timeframe for this event but warned starkly of the danger for Padang, a city of 850,000 people that lies broadside to the risky segment. “The threat from such an event is clear and the need for urgent mitigating action remains extremely high,” it said.
From: Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com
