Natural Disasters
- Effects of Natural Disasters
- The 2008 Hurricane Season
- Dust Storms Prevent Hurricanes
- U.S. Tsunami Warning System
- Amateurs Monitoring Earthquakes
- Update on Kilauea Volcano
- Lightning Does Strike Twice
- Tornado Safety Rules Have Changed
- US City With the Most Tornadoes
- Hurricane Relief Fund Scams
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
In some cases, the foolishness of man may have been the cause.
When writing my article on the Top Ten U.S. Natural Disasters, I realized that ignorance or greed played a role in some of the worst disasters that occurred in America.
The city of Galveston is an island on the open water of the Gulf of Mexico. The city officials knew that Galveston needed a breakwater for protection. They didn’t build one and huge waves during the Galveston Hurricane submerged the city.
New Orleans was in need of reinforcing their levees. They didn’t do it and the levees easily broke when Hurricane Katrina hit and flooded 80% of the city.
The Johnstown flood was caused by man. Some big investors from New York City decided to enlarge the lake in order to create a resort for wealthy families. They had to make the South Fork Dam higher but they used weak material like mud, straw and rocks. In addition, they closed up the vents used for spillways. After a few days of heavy rain, the new part of the dam easily gave way.
The Dust Bowl in the 1930s could have been averted if farmers wouldn’t have plowed up all their land. They cut down trees and left very little of the natural grass that keeps the soil intact. A severe drought caused the topsoil to blow away.
In the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, many parts of the city were bulldozed. The debris was dumped into the bay and new buildings were constructed on top of this landfill. This soil was very unstable and when the next big earthquake hit San Francisco in 1989, these buildings in the Marina District crumbled.
Let’s hope that man has learned his lesson from these past mistakes.
The city of Galveston is an island on the open water of the Gulf of Mexico. The city officials knew that Galveston needed a breakwater for protection. They didn’t build one and huge waves during the Galveston Hurricane submerged the city.
New Orleans was in need of reinforcing their levees. They didn’t do it and the levees easily broke when Hurricane Katrina hit and flooded 80% of the city.
The Johnstown flood was caused by man. Some big investors from New York City decided to enlarge the lake in order to create a resort for wealthy families. They had to make the South Fork Dam higher but they used weak material like mud, straw and rocks. In addition, they closed up the vents used for spillways. After a few days of heavy rain, the new part of the dam easily gave way.
The Dust Bowl in the 1930s could have been averted if farmers wouldn’t have plowed up all their land. They cut down trees and left very little of the natural grass that keeps the soil intact. A severe drought caused the topsoil to blow away.
In the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, many parts of the city were bulldozed. The debris was dumped into the bay and new buildings were constructed on top of this landfill. This soil was very unstable and when the next big earthquake hit San Francisco in 1989, these buildings in the Marina District crumbled.
Let’s hope that man has learned his lesson from these past mistakes.
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
The incident of hurricanes is predicted to be well above average in the upcoming 2008 season.
According to Science Daily, scientists at the Colorado State University forecast team have amended their early season hurricane forecast. Their findings were announced at the Bahamas Weather Conference held on April 10th 2008.
Their predictions are based on conditions in the Atlantic Ocean and here are their findings which support their prediction of an active season.
The 2005 season was 275% above normal and scientists predict the 2008 season will be 160% above average.
Here are their other predictions:
More details on their forecast can be found at the Colorado State website.
Their predictions are based on conditions in the Atlantic Ocean and here are their findings which support their prediction of an active season.
- The Atlantic sea surface temperature continues to remain warm due to a positive phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO).
- A weather condition known as the Azores High is predicted to produce weak trade winds this year.
- Weak La Nina conditions are predicted for the Pacific which calls for warmer than normal weather.
The 2005 season was 275% above normal and scientists predict the 2008 season will be 160% above average.
Here are their other predictions:
- 69% chance of one major hurricane making landfall in the U.S.
- 45% chance of a hurricane making it’s landfall on the U.S. East Coast, including the Florida peninsula
- 44% change of a hurricane making landfall on the Gulf of Mexico
More details on their forecast can be found at the Colorado State website.
Dust Storms Prevent Hurricanes
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
The dust storms in Africa may have an effect on the North American hurricane season.
Hurricanes that hit North America are formed in the Atlantic along the coast of Africa and then move westward across the ocean. The waters have to be very warm in order for a storm to form. The hurricane season in North America is during the winter months because the sun is closer to the Southern Hemisphere.
Meteorologists keep a watchful eye for any storm forming in that area. At least we know in advance when a potential hurricane is forming.
The last two Atlantic hurricane seasons have been non-events compared to 2004 and 2005 when we saw the destruction of Charlie and Katrina and a host of others. It seemed for a while that I was watching the hurricane broadcasts on CNN almost every two weeks.
Why are some hurricane seasons worse than others?
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) have found an interesting correlation. In years when there is an increase of dust storms in Africa, there is a reduction of hurricanes.
These dust storms travel off the continent of Africa and westward out to the Atlantic where they cause a dense cover over the water. If the water is not getting full sun, then it will not warm up to the point where a storm is formed. Just one dust storm will not prevent warming but there has to be a series.
So as long as the dust blows in Africa, the winds won’t blow in North America.
Story Source: Science Daily
Meteorologists keep a watchful eye for any storm forming in that area. At least we know in advance when a potential hurricane is forming.
The last two Atlantic hurricane seasons have been non-events compared to 2004 and 2005 when we saw the destruction of Charlie and Katrina and a host of others. It seemed for a while that I was watching the hurricane broadcasts on CNN almost every two weeks.
Why are some hurricane seasons worse than others?
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) have found an interesting correlation. In years when there is an increase of dust storms in Africa, there is a reduction of hurricanes.
These dust storms travel off the continent of Africa and westward out to the Atlantic where they cause a dense cover over the water. If the water is not getting full sun, then it will not warm up to the point where a storm is formed. Just one dust storm will not prevent warming but there has to be a series.
So as long as the dust blows in Africa, the winds won’t blow in North America.
Story Source: Science Daily
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) completes their project of upgrading the U.S. tsunami warning system.
After the devastating Asian Tsunami hit the Indian Ocean on December 26 2004, NOAA came to the conclusion that the existing tsunami warning system in the U.S. needed to be upgraded.
Part of the project was the installation deep-ocean assessment and reporting of tsunami (DART) stations. They are buoys equipped with the latest technology for reporting real-time events through pressure sensors anchored on the ocean floor. The sensor broadcasts activity up to the buoy on the surface and then the date is relayed by satellite to NOAA.
On March 2008, the final two detection buoys were deployed near the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. At one time, there were only six buoys located in the Pacific. Through this project, there are now 39 DART stations situated in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific.
According to Science Daily, other components of this project done by NOAA included:
Part of the project was the installation deep-ocean assessment and reporting of tsunami (DART) stations. They are buoys equipped with the latest technology for reporting real-time events through pressure sensors anchored on the ocean floor. The sensor broadcasts activity up to the buoy on the surface and then the date is relayed by satellite to NOAA.
On March 2008, the final two detection buoys were deployed near the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. At one time, there were only six buoys located in the Pacific. Through this project, there are now 39 DART stations situated in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific.
According to Science Daily, other components of this project done by NOAA included:
- Upgraded/installed 49 tide gauges.
- Upgraded/installed 8 seismic stations.
- Developed 26 forecast models
- Implemented a new Tsunami Warning System
- Extended the operation of the warning centers to 24/7
- *Created an awareness system for tsunami-prone communities.
- Assisted Indonesia and Australia with the installation of their coastal tsunami warning systems.
Amateurs Monitoring Earthquakes
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
A project developed by a seismologist in California enlists the help of laptop owners for monitoring and predicting earthquakes.
At UC Riverside Earth Sciences, seismologist Elizabeth Cochran has developed a program whereby the public can help monitor earthquakes on their laptop computers. It is called “Quake-Catcher Network”.
Most new laptops contain a safety device called an accelerometer which is a motion sensor and the earth’s motion can be picked up. Using a built-in feature like this will enable no extra cost for anyone interested in joining this project.
The laptop owner installs the program which transmits data to a central server. When unusual or intense activity is detected, it sends warnings to earthquake monitoring systems and to other laptops. With the speed of the Internet, the warnings should be faster than the traditional underground sensor stations.
This network is planned to be available world-wide. Not only will it be able to alert areas where the quake is about to hit, it will enable scientists to further their studies on seismic activity.
The more laptops that join the network, the better the activity can be pinpointed because there will be more readings available in specific areas when seismic activity occurs. Monitoring can be done in areas where traditional sensors are not installed.
At the present time, only Apple laptop owners can participate but the program developers are working on a portable accelerometer that can be hooked up to a USB port on desktops and PC laptops.
The software is undergoing final testing and will be available this summer as a free download through a website called BOINC. At the present time, it is being tested on a limited basis.
Elizabeth Cochran plans to allow access to the data gathered on the sensors to the public and to researchers.
This will be a fantastic project for classrooms and anyone interested in earth sciences.
Source: Science Daily
Most new laptops contain a safety device called an accelerometer which is a motion sensor and the earth’s motion can be picked up. Using a built-in feature like this will enable no extra cost for anyone interested in joining this project.
The laptop owner installs the program which transmits data to a central server. When unusual or intense activity is detected, it sends warnings to earthquake monitoring systems and to other laptops. With the speed of the Internet, the warnings should be faster than the traditional underground sensor stations.
This network is planned to be available world-wide. Not only will it be able to alert areas where the quake is about to hit, it will enable scientists to further their studies on seismic activity.
The more laptops that join the network, the better the activity can be pinpointed because there will be more readings available in specific areas when seismic activity occurs. Monitoring can be done in areas where traditional sensors are not installed.
At the present time, only Apple laptop owners can participate but the program developers are working on a portable accelerometer that can be hooked up to a USB port on desktops and PC laptops.
The software is undergoing final testing and will be available this summer as a free download through a website called BOINC. At the present time, it is being tested on a limited basis.
Elizabeth Cochran plans to allow access to the data gathered on the sensors to the public and to researchers.
This will be a fantastic project for classrooms and anyone interested in earth sciences.
Source: Science Daily
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
On March 19, 2008 Kilauea volcano in Hawaii had an eruption of noxious gases.
Am I psychic or what? I wrote an article on Kilauea on March 15th and it erupted 4 days later!
After many years of very slow lava flow, an eruption occurred in the Halema‘uma‘u Crater in Kilauea. This area of the volcano has not been very active and the last eruption was in 1924.
Since January 1983, the daily flow of lava has been on the eastern side of Kilauea in the East Rift Zone.
According to Science Daily, a small explosion occurred just before 3:00am and it was passed off as a mild earthquake. This report was dismissed once evidence of an explosion was detected. Rock fragments were found in an area of about 75 acres from the crater.
The observation deck and parking lot in at Halema‘uma‘u were covered with debris and to a lesser degree on Crater Rim Drive. Most of the fragments were quite small (less than 1 inch) but a large block of 35 cubic feet was found.
The vent is located 230 feet below the crater rim but the exploding gas was able to propel rocks a fair distance. Strangely enough, no lava was found.
Sulfur dioxide gas continues to emit and the sounds of breaking rock can be heard. Scientists say that future explosive activity is possible and Kilauea is being carefully monitored by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
The emission of sulfur dioxide has increased to a level that could be hazardous for areas downwind of the crater.
We will have to wait and see what happens next.
After many years of very slow lava flow, an eruption occurred in the Halema‘uma‘u Crater in Kilauea. This area of the volcano has not been very active and the last eruption was in 1924.
Since January 1983, the daily flow of lava has been on the eastern side of Kilauea in the East Rift Zone.
According to Science Daily, a small explosion occurred just before 3:00am and it was passed off as a mild earthquake. This report was dismissed once evidence of an explosion was detected. Rock fragments were found in an area of about 75 acres from the crater.
The observation deck and parking lot in at Halema‘uma‘u were covered with debris and to a lesser degree on Crater Rim Drive. Most of the fragments were quite small (less than 1 inch) but a large block of 35 cubic feet was found.
The vent is located 230 feet below the crater rim but the exploding gas was able to propel rocks a fair distance. Strangely enough, no lava was found.
Sulfur dioxide gas continues to emit and the sounds of breaking rock can be heard. Scientists say that future explosive activity is possible and Kilauea is being carefully monitored by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
The emission of sulfur dioxide has increased to a level that could be hazardous for areas downwind of the crater.
We will have to wait and see what happens next.
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
The world record holder for being struck by lightning was known as the Human Lightning Rod.
Roy C. Sullivan was employed as a park ranger at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and was struck by lightning seven times! He survived them all.
In Page County Virginia, there is a roadside plaque on Tanner’s Ridge in remembrance of Roy Sullivan. The Guiness World Exhibit Halls in New York City and in South Carolina have two of Sullivan’s burnt ranger hats on display.
Good thing Roy never met up with a widow in Bulgaria. Her first husband was killed by lightning and same with her second husband. She went to her doctor for treatment of her depression. She married the doctor and he was killed by lightning!
- 1942: struck by lightning the first time when he was in a fire lookout tower. The bolt hit him in the leg and he lost a toenail on his big toe.
- 1969: hit by lightning while driving his truck on a mountain road. He was knocked unconscious and his eyebrows were burned.
- 1970: struck by lightning while walking across his front yard. It burned his left shoulder.
- 1972: hit while in the ranger station. Sullivan’s hair caught fire and he decided he should carry a pitcher of water from now on.
- 1973: struck while on patrol in the park. He was blown out of his vehicle and his hair caught fire. Good thing he had the water.
- 1974: hit while checking out a campground. He claimed a cloud was chasing him and he ran away. Sullivan broke his ankle.
- 1977: struck by lightning while out fishing. He was hospitalized for burns on his stomach and chest.
In Page County Virginia, there is a roadside plaque on Tanner’s Ridge in remembrance of Roy Sullivan. The Guiness World Exhibit Halls in New York City and in South Carolina have two of Sullivan’s burnt ranger hats on display.
Good thing Roy never met up with a widow in Bulgaria. Her first husband was killed by lightning and same with her second husband. She went to her doctor for treatment of her depression. She married the doctor and he was killed by lightning!
Tornado Safety Rules Have Changed
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
Some of the established safety rules and procedures prescribed when a tornado approaches have now proved to be dangerous.
Readers of my topic must be wondering why I’ve written several articles on tornadoes. Reason being; the tornado season is now upon us.
Read my articles on Tornado Myths Explained and Tornado Myths Exposed in order to minimize injury or loss of life*.
How does misinformation get passed around? Many new studies have been done only in the past few decades and people aren't aware of the revisions. Other theories are urban legends or fuzzy logic.
I was a victim of old theories. Research has now proved them to be wrong.
I grew up in the Canadian end of Tornado Alley in Windsor Ontario. When attending elementary school, we were taught what to do in the event of a tornado. We were sometimes sent home if there was a tornado warning which means funnels have been sighted somewhere. A tornado watch means there are prime conditions for a tornado.
If caught in the classroom, we were taught to crawl under our desks to avoid flying debris. Sheltering from debris is correct but new theories prove the worst place to be is near windows. Each classroom had windows. Using new theories, we should have been ushered into the hallway in the middle of the building.
We were taught to go into the southwest corner of the basement at home. No longer true. The safest place is in the middle of the basement away from windows and under a mattress or table for protection from flying debris.
We were told to keep our windows open in order to equalize pressure. Tornadoes strike fast so there’s no time for equalization. Windows are broken by flying debris.
Hundreds of tornadoes are sighted every year. Hoping the 2008 season is tame!
* had to publish two articles due to word count restrictions.
Read my articles on Tornado Myths Explained and Tornado Myths Exposed in order to minimize injury or loss of life*.
How does misinformation get passed around? Many new studies have been done only in the past few decades and people aren't aware of the revisions. Other theories are urban legends or fuzzy logic.
I was a victim of old theories. Research has now proved them to be wrong.
I grew up in the Canadian end of Tornado Alley in Windsor Ontario. When attending elementary school, we were taught what to do in the event of a tornado. We were sometimes sent home if there was a tornado warning which means funnels have been sighted somewhere. A tornado watch means there are prime conditions for a tornado.
If caught in the classroom, we were taught to crawl under our desks to avoid flying debris. Sheltering from debris is correct but new theories prove the worst place to be is near windows. Each classroom had windows. Using new theories, we should have been ushered into the hallway in the middle of the building.
We were taught to go into the southwest corner of the basement at home. No longer true. The safest place is in the middle of the basement away from windows and under a mattress or table for protection from flying debris.
We were told to keep our windows open in order to equalize pressure. Tornadoes strike fast so there’s no time for equalization. Windows are broken by flying debris.
Hundreds of tornadoes are sighted every year. Hoping the 2008 season is tame!
* had to publish two articles due to word count restrictions.
US City With the Most Tornadoes
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
Located in the heart of Tornado Alley, there have been 117 tornadoes recorded in Oklahoma City since 1890.
In 1991, researchers at the National Weather Service office in Norman Oklahoma began a project to update the list of tornadoes that have struck Oklahoma City. They found that records kept prior to 1950 did not track weak tornadoes. For some reason, there were less stringent records maintained in the late 1970s to the very early 1990s.
In addition to using data from the Weather Service Forecasting Office in Oklahoma City, they relied on books written by Tom Grazulis who is a weather historian. In his two books “Significant Tornadoes 1680 – 1991” and “Significant Tornado Update 1992-1995”, Tom has recorded over 50,000 tornadoes occurring in the US.
In the end, the research team recorded 117 tornadoes, their path, their strength, time and date they struck, death toll and the damage sustained.
Here are some interesting discoveries they made about tornadoes that hit Oklahoma City:
Tornadoes don’t strike Oklahoma City every year. There was a 5 year and 8 month reprieve from October 8 1992 to June 12 1998 with two 2-year and 3-year breaks to 2003.
Bad News:
When the 5 year tornado-free period ended, there were 11 tornadoes that hit Oklahoma City over the next 11 months.
Hats off to the brave people of Oklahoma City who live in the Tornado Capital of the World!
In addition to using data from the Weather Service Forecasting Office in Oklahoma City, they relied on books written by Tom Grazulis who is a weather historian. In his two books “Significant Tornadoes 1680 – 1991” and “Significant Tornado Update 1992-1995”, Tom has recorded over 50,000 tornadoes occurring in the US.
In the end, the research team recorded 117 tornadoes, their path, their strength, time and date they struck, death toll and the damage sustained.
Here are some interesting discoveries they made about tornadoes that hit Oklahoma City:
- Tornadoes frequently hit in a period starting mid-afternoon to early evening with the most violent storms hitting between 6:00pm to 7:00pm.
- A higher number of tornadoes passed through the south end of Oklahoma City.
- Approximately two thirds of all tornadoes struck during the months of April through June with April being the peak month.
- No tornadoes have been recorded in December and January.
- The highest of number of tornadoes in a single day was June 8, 1974 where 5 tornadoes were recorded.
Tornadoes don’t strike Oklahoma City every year. There was a 5 year and 8 month reprieve from October 8 1992 to June 12 1998 with two 2-year and 3-year breaks to 2003.
Bad News:
When the 5 year tornado-free period ended, there were 11 tornadoes that hit Oklahoma City over the next 11 months.
Hats off to the brave people of Oklahoma City who live in the Tornado Capital of the World!
Posted by
Maureen K. Fleury
Maureen K. Fleury
People who illegally obtained money through relief funding or bogus charities from Hurricane Katrina are still being taken to court.
The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force was formed in September 8, 2005 after discovering that people and organizations were illegally obtaining funds from Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Rita.
According to the US Department of Justice, “The Task Force will combat all types of fraud relating to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, with an initial emphasis on charity fraud, identity theft, insurance fraud, and procurement and government-benefit fraud.”
In a progress report dated August 30, 2007, over 768 people have been charged with fraud. Here are examples of what these people tried to pull off:
The Department of Justice is still accepting submissions of suspected fraudulent activity.
According to the US Department of Justice, “The Task Force will combat all types of fraud relating to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, with an initial emphasis on charity fraud, identity theft, insurance fraud, and procurement and government-benefit fraud.”
In a progress report dated August 30, 2007, over 768 people have been charged with fraud. Here are examples of what these people tried to pull off:
- A man submitted multiple claims for bogus addresses using birthdates, social security numbers and other personal data obtained through his workplace.
- Another man claimed he lived in Louisiana and Texas when Katrina and Rita hit. He is a resident of Florida.
- FEMA was paying law enforcement officials extra money for working overtime and two police officers submitted false reports of hours worked.
- A lady made 40 claims using different names and residential addresses. She was caught because she used the same mailing address for the checks.
- Several home repair companies and contractors winning bids for federal projects collected money for jobs they did not complete.
- A fraud ring was uncovered whereby recruiters would get a kickback on FEMA checks cashed by their recruits. Employees of a check cashing company were part of the plan in order to cash the checks with no hassle.
- A debris removal company submitted slips for reimbursement but the trucks were not in operation at the time and nothing was delivered to the dump site.
- A man in prison received money for a claim he made on an unknown address.
The Department of Justice is still accepting submissions of suspected fraudulent activity.
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