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Maureen K. Fleury's BlogPosted by Maureen K. Fleury I just returned from a 3-week trip to I’m not a disabled person but I did see people with disabilities trying to make the best of their environment. Here are some of my observations:
I didn’t see anybody on the streets in wheelchairs. It’s plain to see why. Be thankful our governments in Posted by Maureen K. Fleury It’s around I’ve been watching the broadcast on CNN since this afternoon. The split screen on my TV is showing the number of miles Gustav is away from On Saturday, Gustav slammed My thoughts turn to the devastation of Katrina that happened just over 3 years ago on August 29, 2005. They recently had a memorial to Katrina on its third anniversary this past week. With the approach of Gustav, interviews with residents are showing a resurgence of bad memories. I’m pleased to see that there were improved evacuation procedures in I certainly hope that a lesson was learned from Katrina in terms of emergency preparedness. Gustav is expected to land in about 10 hours from now. The winds have already started to blow in My heart goes out to the people on the Posted by Maureen K. Fleury Studies done on making buildings withstand strong earthquakes have usually concentrated on the lateral (side-by-side) movement of buildings. Now scientists are considering the vertical acceleration that occurs during an earthquake. When an earthquake hits, there is side by side swaying but that is combined with up and down movement. It’s all to do with how columns and beams are reinforced. Scientists have discovered that masonry can handle downward force but does not do well when being forced upward. Here is what scientists have suggested and buildings have implemented for minimizing the damage from movement in all directions.
I felt this multi-directional movement when a mild earthquake hit Vancouver in early 2001. I was sitting at the kitchen table and while I was being jiggled from side to side, I was also being raised up and down. Reminded me of pictures I see of people riding bucking broncos. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury On TV, we see programs where there are convoys of storm chasers driving around Tornado Alley. Tour operators are busy every spring escorting people from all over the world in hope of seeing a tornado touch down. In addition to offering guided tours, professional storm chaser Warren Faidley offers positions to people who want to be a volunteer tornado chaser. He is already advertising positions for the 2009 season and people can sign up at his website Storm Chaser. This is not the normal tornado tour passenger trip. The volunteers become part of the team and will participate in the morning briefing, check maps, work the radios and ride in Warren’s official team vehicles. There is also another type of volunteer position where people can rent a vehicle or bring their own vehicle and be part of Warren’s convoy. There is a required donation in order to become a volunteer but the proceeds are going to Warren’s educational and charitable projects including the Storm AngelTM Foundation Fund for Children and the Storm Spotter's Emergency Fund. Warren also offers customized tours, private instruction and safety consulting during the off season. Participants learn all about storm and tornado chasing plus train for spotter and Skywarn certification. People receive instruction on photography, videography, meteorology, logistics and other technical aspects plus receive hands-on training in a chase vehicle. This is a fantastic opportunity for serious weather watchers who want to be trained by one of the finest in the business. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury In researching my latest article How to Survive a Rip Current, I came across a notification page at the National Ocean Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) web site. There are standard daily forecasts for the following locations: Atlantic Boston, MA Miami, FL Melbourne, FL Jacksonville, FL Charleston, SC Wilmington, NC Morehead City/Newport, NC Upton, (NYC) NY Wakefield (Norfolk), VA Philadelphia/New Jersey GulfCoast Tallahassee, FL Tampa, FL Mobile, AL Brownsville, TX PacificCoast Los Angeles, CA San Diego, CA Honolulu, HI Guam Rip Current Outlooks Surf Zone Forecasts use the following, three-tiered set of qualifiers:
For people who do not live near the ocean, rip currents are things that are reported in the news when someone drowns. Many people don’t even know what they are. Let me tell you this, they can be dangerous and read my article to find out how they form and what to do if caught in one. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury In a recent news story in Science Daily, five months have gone by since the last sign of eruptive activity at Mount St. Helens so scientists have removed the ‘advisory’ status and change it to ‘normal’. Since late January 2008, nothing has developed since scientists detected a spine of hot lava poke through the bulging crater floor. In addition, the growing lava dome has not increased since that time. According to Cynthia Gardner, Scientist-in-Charge at U.S. Geological Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO), "We know that Mount St. Helens will erupt again in the future in some mix of renewed dome building and more explosive behavior. However, at this point, we can't forecast when the next eruption will begin". Here are the levels of activity classifications according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Since the big eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, the lava has refilled about 7% of the crater which was created by the landslide during the eruption. Some hazards are still apparent even though the eruption has ended. The lava dome on Mount St. Helens can produce avalanches and small explosions and ash fallout. The falling rock from the walls of the crater can create dust clouds in dry weather. Heavy rains and fast snowmelt can cause debris to flow into the Pumice Plain on the north side of the crater. My article on the Eruption of Mt St. Helens has more details on the events leading up to the eruption plus what happened before and after. The USGS provided some awesome pictures! Posted by Maureen K. Fleury So far, there have only been four named storms this season and two have reached hurricane status: Bertha skimmed the coast of Bermuda, but was not a direct hit and then dissipated over the Atlantic. On July 23, 2008 Hurricane Dolly made landfall on South Padre Island Texas as a Category 2 storm at 1 p.m. local time. Sustained winds were clocked at 100 mph when Dolly came ashore. It quickly downgraded to Category 1 after it made its way inland. Luckily, Dolly steered south of most of the rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, which are off the East Texas and Louisiana shores. There was anticipation this week of rising gas prices if the rigs were hit. For safety reasons, the rigs were evacuated. Another concern was the levees that hold back the Rio Grande could fail and cause massive flooding. Thankfully, Dolly meandered 35 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border just before coming ashore. At the time of writing, not all the damage reports are in. So far, on South Padre Island, an apartment complex roof partially collapsed and power was knocked out. Power was knocked out to more than 13,000 customers in Cameron County, where Brownsville is located. There were 11 power poles downed near the Port of Brownsville and transformers were popping downtown. On CNN, there was a report of a person who fell off the 7th floor of a building and he has minor injuries. The southern tip of Texas is fortunate in that it lacks much commercial development on the coast, which is largely occupied by Padre Island National Seashore. Both Brownsville and Matamoros sit about 20 miles inland which is far enough to avoid the storm surge. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury According to Science Daily, New Jersey School of Architecture professor Rima Haher says “building design and construction can be significantly improved to reduce wind pressures on building surfaces”. She goes on to explain that buildings which are square or hexagonal or octagonal are good at reducing wind loads. The style of roof makes a difference too. The best one is a four-sloped hip roof, rather than a gable roof with two slopes Wind has a tendency to lift up roofs so it is important to have your roof securely fastened to your house with nails and not staples Florida has already banned stapled connections to roofs. To prevent wind from lifting up roofs, do not have large eaves or overhangs. For wind, it’s a matter of not allowing it to get into or under your house. It is a myth to open your windows during a tornado in order to equalize pressure. It is also essential to have your house strongly connected to its foundation. In areas that are prone to flooding, an open foundation with an elevated structure is good. hI watched a TV program where architects and scientists researched the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in order to design a tsunami-friendly house. Rather than resisting the water, the house has saloon-type doors at both ends. The pressure from the water hitting the house will cause the doors to open and the water will run through the house. Source: New Jersey Institute of Technology (2008, July 13). Architect Professor Advocates Best-building Practices For High Wind Regions. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 18, 2008/releases/2008/07/080709110842.htm Posted by Maureen K. Fleury History tells us that the people in New England thought Judgment Day had arrived because the day turned as black as night. There were stories of families eating lunch by candlelight and flowers folding their petals and animals behaving strangely. Based on journals and diaries, there were reports of this darkness occurring along the southern coast of New England plus all of Maine. The highest intensity was in southern New Hampshire, southwest Maine and northeast Massachusetts. It is interesting to note that George Washington recorded the day of darkness in his diary. The Revolutionary War was still going on when this happened. Researchers at the University of Missouri have now proven that there was not an eclipse or the sun taking a strange turn or Armageddon. Through studies made on tree rings, it shows that there were wildfires raging in Canada. The rings showed a charcoal formation and then resin where the bark fell off from the tree. Tree studies were conducted in Algonquin Park in Ontario and at other locations. All the trees revealed the same ring pattern and dating back to the same year. The thick smoke from the wildfires was carried into the upper atmosphere and then emerged in New England. With no effective means of communication, nobody in New England knew what was happening in Canada. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury In my recent article on the Great Lakes Storm of 1913, I described a monster storm that was one of the worst in history. This gale was also called the Big Blow. It is hard to believe that 11 freighters and 1 barge that sank into the depths of the angry lakes during this four-day fiasco. Lake Huron was the worst hit with eight shipwrecks. Most of the ships were located in the southern half of the lake. With strong winds blowing from the northwest, bodies of the sailors and pieces of the ship started washing ashore on the Ontario side of Lake Huron. The locals in Ontario soon discovered which ships sank because the names of the boats were stamped on the life jackets. It must have been a horrible site to see many bodies being washed up on shore. Then there was the gruesome task of trying to identify the bodies. The most famous shipping disaster on the Great Lakes was the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10th, 1975. It was caught in the heavy snow and wind of a November gale. Many of these boats were on their last trip of the 1913 season before docking over the winter. The forces of nature never gave these boats a chance to reach a safe harbour. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury Professor Yan Xiao, who is an expert of structural design, has been experimenting with bamboo in construction applications. Not too long ago, he successfully constructed a bamboo truck bridge, the first of its kind in the world. The day after the earthquake in China, he went to the Sichuan province and then went back to Hunan University to design a prototype of a bamboo house that would be cheap and easy to build. His house is made out of processed bamboo veneer sheets and is earthquake resistant. It can accommodate a family of four and has provision for a stove or bath plus windows and fans. These modular units are joined by bolts and can be assembled by a crew in four to six hours. The estimated cost of each house is approximately $50 - $70US. Because bamboo is widely available in China, it is much cheaper to build than the normal relief housing that is made out of lightweight steel. The bamboo house is much better than tents because it is insulated for heating and residents can lock up their possessions. Bamboo is also fireproof and soundproof. These 240-square foot homes will be able to provide comfortable shelter until permanent houses are rebuilt. With the widespread damage from the earthquake, it may be a long time before people are back in their homes. The first batch of 20 houses has been donated by Hunan University and is expected to be shipped out soon. After a story was published in the China Press, donations have been coming in for financing the construction of more units. With the ingenuity of Professor Yan Xiao, homeless people will be able to have decent temporary housing. Source: Science Daily Posted by Maureen K. Fleury I’m not a person to keep up with the latest news, unless it’s a natural disaster - of course. Yesterday, I was walking by the “yellow M” and saw a signs posted all over the place reassuring customers that they are not serving tomato products at the present time. I thought to myself that maybe there was a bad batch distributed in Western Canada. Not until I was looking up a news story for my blog, I saw the saga of the tomatoes with salmonella poisoning. This is an international alert and not limited to my little corner of the world. Outbreaks have been reported in 17 states and New Mexico and Texas have been hit the hardest. As of May 27, 2008 there have been 167 cases of salmonella poising and 23 people had to be hospitalized. The search for the culprit is difficult because the tainted tomatoes have not been isolated to any specific restaurant or grocery store. The cause of the current outbreak has been identified as a less common type of bacteria called Salmonella Saintpaul. The most vulnerable people are the elderly, infants and those with weakened immune systems. The symptoms of fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain generally appear within 12 to 72 hours of eating tainted food. Salmonella infections are caused by eating food that has been contaminated by animal feces. U.S. Investigators have narrowed down the source of tainted tomatoes to Mexico and South and Central Florida. If it’s not too late this spring, people who are tomato fanatics better start to grow their own because they know where they came from. Source: News Daily Posted by Maureen K. Fleury In my articles about Hurricane Hazel, Hurricane Katrina and the Galveston Hurricane; I mentioned a storm surge. If you watch live hurricane broadcasts on networks such as CNN, you will also hear about storm surge. What is a Storm Surge? According to the National Hurricane Center: It is water that is pushed toward the shore by the force of the winds swirling around the storm. This advancing surge combines with the normal tides to create the hurricane storm tide. It can increase the water level 15 feet or more. In addition, wind driven waves are superimposed on the storm tide. This rise in water level can cause severe flooding in coastal areas especially when the storm tide coincides with the normal high tides. Why is a Storm Surge Dangerous? Because much of the United States Atlantic and Gulf coastlines lie less than 10 feet above mean sea level, the danger from storm tides is tremendous. Why are Some Storm Surges Worse than Others? The level of surge in a particular area is also determined by the slope of the continental shelf. A shallow slope off the coast will allow a greater surge to inundate coastal communities. A steeper continental shelf will not see as much surge but large breaking waves can still present major problems. Storm tides, waves, and currents in confined harbors can severely damage ships, marinas, and pleasure boats. Some people think it’s only the wind from hurricanes that does the damage, but the storm surge is just as bad or worse. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury According to CNN, with the recent killer tornadoes that broke out in the Midwest on May 26th, the death toll is quickly catching up to 1953 where there were 519 deaths recorded. In recent years, the average death rate has been 62. The 2008 death toll is currently the highest since 1998. Scientists predict that 2008 may not be a quiet year for tornadoes. In a news story from Time on May 27th, scientists dispute the rumor that global warming is causing more tornadoes. If this was true, there would be more twisters in the far north and this is not the case. Earlier this year, the influence of La Nina which is opposite to El Nino brought in cool air from the Pacific Ocean. This caused a rash of tornadoes in February. For the month of May, scientists believe that the cooler air at high altitudes is colliding with warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. Meteorologists say that it is much harder to predict tornadoes than hurricanes. Hurricanes start out over the ocean and can be tracked for days. Tornadoes are caused by local weather conditions that can quickly change from day to day. In addition to the short lead-time in detecting tornadoes, the atmospheric conditions must be precise for a tunnel cloud to form. Another reason for a higher death toll is the increase in people living in mobile homes. In 1970, only 3% lived in mobile homes and now it is 7.6 % with even a higher rate in Tornado Alley and in the Southeast. We certainly hope that the predictions are not true and 2008 will turn out to be a quieter year for tornadoes.
Posted by Maureen K. Fleury Noises, rumblings and small tremors have been heard from Chaiten along with belches of hot ash and molten rock. Another phenomenon that comes with hot ash is lightning. You can imagine this is quite a sight to see. Since the first eruption on May 2nd 2008, Chaiten has been shooting ash and lahar has been flowing down its slopes. In the initial eruption, the ash column rose as high as 20 miles but it has reduced by 75% to about 4 miles. The reduction of ash has not mean much because a volcano can change at any time. There was a sizeable eruption on May 7th which was 5 days after the first eruption. Four days after the initial eruption, 4000 people were evacuated from the towns of Chaiten and Futaleufo. In fact, anybody within a 30 mile radius of Chaiten has been forced to leave. Not only is there a danger of lava and noxious gases, the flow of rock and mud (lahar) are a concern. This has already happened at Chaiten where it caused the flooding of the rivers in the area. CU-Boulder geological sciences department Professor Charles Stern has concerns about Chaiten. He compares Chaiten to Pompeii where Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. and all residents were buried alive by volcanic material. Thank goodness there has been a mass evacuation. There have been no deaths reported. The flood waters have receded but deposits of mud, ash and debris remain. The area around Chaiten has been declared off limits for the next three months. With the recent tremors and noises at Chaiten, we will have to see if this period will be extended. Chile's National Emergency Office, ONEMI is very concerned and is closely monitoring the activity at Chaiten. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale has caused extensive damage and loss of life especially in the Sichuan province of China. The epicenter was located was located 60 miles northwest of Chenqdu which is a large city of 3.75 million people. It struck shortly before 2.30 pm local time and according to the USGS, the quake was at depth of approximately 5 miles. The current report from the official Xinhua News Agency says 8,533 people have died in Sichuan province and more than 200 others were killed in three other provinces. The news agency also reported that 80% percent of the buildings collapsed in Sichuan province's Beichuan County after the quake. The death toll should increase because rescue efforts are still underway. Because children were still at class, there will be many deaths concentrated in schools. There has been confirmation of 900 deaths in a high school that collapsed in Dujiangyan. During the earthquake, a toxic chemical leak occurred. There were additional deaths and injuries when two primary schools were destroyed in Chongqing. I n other reports, a chemical plant in Shifang city has caved in resulting in the burial of hundreds of people and spilling more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia. I n Beijing, the earthquake did not damage any of the Olympic venues that have been built for the upcoming Summer Olympics. In 2003, the last serious earthquake struck China. It was a 6.8 magnitude earthquake and it killed 268 people in Bachu County. The most deadly earthquake in China was in Tangshan on July 1976 where 240,000 people were killed. The earthquake was felt throughout Southeast Asia including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Hanoi and Taipei. This is not the final death toll and updated reports are expected. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury 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. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury 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.
These factors are similar to what occurred in active seasons in the past. Higher than normal warm water and warm air creates the perfect conditions for increased hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin. The 2005 season was 275% above normal and scientists predict the 2008 season will be 160% above average. Here are their other predictions:
The Prediction Team will issue further forecasts on June 3, Aug. 5, Sept. 2 and Oct. 1. More details on their forecast can be found at the Colorado State website. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury 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 Posted by Maureen K. Fleury 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 data 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:
* The TsunamiReady™ program was created by NOAA for educating the public on what to do when a tsunami warning is issued. State and local communities in coastal areas are encouraged to participate in the program. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury 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 Posted by Maureen K. Fleury 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. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury 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.
Tragically, Roy Sullivan passed away in 1983 but not due to being hit by lightning. He committed suicide over the loss of a woman. 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.
Posted by Maureen K. Fleury 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.
We were taught to go into the southwest corner of the basement at home. No longer true.
We were told to keep our windows open in order to equalize pressure.
Hundreds of tornadoes are sighted every year. Hoping the 2008 season is tame! * had to publish two articles due to word count restrictions.
Posted by Maureen K. Fleury 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:
Good news: 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 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:
Want to report someone? The Department of Justice is still accepting submissions of suspected fraudulent activity. Posted by Maureen K. Fleury According to the weather records maintained by Environment Canada, Windsor Ontario is 3rd and 6th on their list of the worst tornadoes in Canada. In case you are wondering, the worst tornado was the Regina Cyclone which occurred in 1912. The tornado that placed Windsor 3rd on the list occurred on June 17th, 1946 with a rating of F4 on the Fujita Scale. There were 17 people killed and hundreds injured. It was named the “Windsor to Tecumseh Tornado” because the tornado’s path continued to the town of Tecumseh located 5 miles east. Over 400 homes and 150 farms were damaged or destroyed. At the time, the estimated damage was $1.5 million. I wonder how much that would be in today’s economy? The next tornado to hit Windsor, which is 6th on the list, occurred on April 3, 1974 with a rating of F3. There were 9 people dead and 30 injured. This was part of the Super Tornado Outbreak which broke all records for the highest number of tornadoes occurring in the US in a 2 day period. The 9 people killed were in a bonspiel at the Windsor Curling Club when the roof blew off and the walls caved in. The estimated damage was $1.8 million. The path of this tornado was only about 1 mile from the 1946 tornado. I grew up in Windsor Ontario (moved away 3 months before the 1974 tornado) and the summers are very hot and humid. I remember hearing thunder before the dark storm clouds were in view. As the clouds overtook the sky, this horrible shadow was cast over us. There would be an eerie calm before the storm as if a vacuum had been created. Then the forces of nature would lash out! |
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