Archive | February 8, 2015
MAGNITUDE 4.0 FYR OF MACEDONIA
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=426404
Subject To Change
Depth: 2 km
Distances: 37 km W of Skopje, FYR of FYR of Macedonia / pop: 474,889 / local time: 18:40:05.3 2015-02-08
3 km SE of Brvenica, FYR of FYR of Macedonia / pop: 16,267 / local time: 18:40:05.3 2015-02-08
4 km N of Miletino, FYR of FYR of Macedonia / pop: 1,820 / local time: 18:40:05.3 2015-02-08
Possible New Deadly Virus Outbreak In Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s health minister stated that rampant seasonal flu in Hong Kong and the recent strain of bird flu detected in poultry could together give rise to a deadly new virus
The rampant seasonal flu in Hong Kong and the recent strain of bird flu detected in poultry could together give rise to a deadly new virus, Hong Kong’s health minister said Sunday.
“If a person contracts two viruses, a gene recombination is likely to happen,” Ko Wing-man was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post, adding that the mutation could lead to a more contagious virus.
According to the newspaper, Hong Kong has recorded 140 deaths and 241 patients in intensive care related to the seasonal influenza outbreaks in the region as of Saturday.
While in January, Hong Kong health officials culled thousands of chickens from mainland China after tests found the bird flu virus in the poultry.
The seasonal outbreak has overwhelmed public hospital which already experience staff shortages. Ko also warned people not to rely on flu vaccines which would be out of stock until April.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong leader Leung Pak-ying said there will be an appeal for private doctors to work part-time in the public hospitals, as reported by the newspaper.
Courtesy of Sputnik News
MAGNITUDE 2.5 LONG VALLEY AREA, CALIFORNIA, USA
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=426398
Subject To Change
Depth: 9 km
Distances: 403 km N of Los Angeles, United States / pop: 3,792,621 / local time: 08:13:49.3 2015-02-08
184 km SE of Carson City, United States / pop: 55,274 / local time: 08:13:49.3 2015-02-08
92 km E of Mariposa, United States / pop: 2,173 / local time: 08:13:49.3 2015-02-08
3 km E of Mammoth Lakes, United States / pop: 8,234 / local time: 08:13:49.3 2015-02-08
MAGNITUDE 2.7 LONG VALLEY AREA, CALIFORNIA
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=426383
Subject To Change
Depth: 7 km
Distances: 403 km N of Los Angeles, United States / pop: 3,792,621 / local time: 05:22:31.0 2015-02-08
184 km SE of Carson City, United States / pop: 55,274 / local time: 05:22:31.0 2015-02-08
92 km E of Mariposa, United States / pop: 2,173 / local time: 05:22:31.0 2015-02-08
3 km E of Mammoth Lakes, United States / pop: 8,234 / local time: 05:22:31.0 2015-02-08
MAGNITUDE 5.2 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=426389
Subject To Change
Depth: 40 km
Distances: 295 km N of Makassar, Indonesia / pop: 1,321,717 / local time: 23:09:09.4 2015-02-08
62 km E of Mamuju, Indonesia / pop: 938,254 / local time: 23:09:09.4 2015-02-08
Guatemala volcano eruption prompts evacuations
A volcano has erupted in southern Guatemala closing the capital’s international airport and forcing the evacuation of at least 100 residents from their homes.
Guatemala’s national disaster agency said the Fuego Volcano located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of the capital, Guatemala City, erupted on Saturday.
The agency added that the volcano blasted smoke and ashes “to an altitude reaching 5,500 meters (18,000 feet) above sea level.”
Officials issued instructions urging residents near the volcano to take shelter and wear masks or wet clothes to protect themselves against breathing contaminants. In addition, residents were advised to cover water tanks and be aware of evacuation routes.
Following the eruption, the international airport in the capital was closed, with reports saying operations were expected to resume later on Sunday.
The Fuego Volcano stands 3,763 meters (12,343 feet) above sea level and is one of Central America’s most active volcanoes, according to the Smithsonian Institute’s Global Volcanism Program.
In September 2012, Guatemalan authorities evacuated thousands of residents from the area after Fuego began blasting large volumes of lava and ashes.
Courtesy of Press TV
Mega snowstorm lasting days bears down on New England, USA
As more flakes fell on winter-weary New England and forecasters predicted several days of heavy snowfall, all Michelle Currie could do was post on her Facebook page a photo of a weather map showing up to 18 inches of fresh snow that may fall on her home.
“I have to laugh because otherwise I may cry,” said Michelle Currie of Dracut, Massachusetts, a mother of five whose kids have already missed several days of school.
Light snow began falling Saturday in Dracut, less than an hour’s drive north of Boston, and what forecasters are calling a “long duration” storm is expected to intensify on Sunday night. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings on Saturday night for central New York, the western Catskills and much of New England through early Tuesday.
By Monday night, 12 to 18 additional inches of snow could fall on a large swath of southern New England, which is still coping with the aftereffects of storms that hit over the last couple of weeks and dumped record-high snowfall totals in some places.
The snow is likely to cause problems for commuters on Monday, though it’s not expected to accumulate as rapidly as in some of the earlier storms, including a record-busting late January blizzard. There also is little risk seen of significant coastal flooding, a problem during last month’s winter blasts.
Boston’s transit system, the nation’s oldest, has been particularly hard hit. The buildup of snow and ice on trolley tracks combined with aging equipment has stalled trains in recent days, delaying and angering commuters. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority general manager Beverly Scott said Saturday that crews were doing everything they could, including deploying massive jet-powered snow blowers, to clear tracks before the next storm.
Gov. Charlie Baker acknowledged on Friday that the MBTA was handed an extraordinary situation with old equipment but said the system’s overall performance was unacceptable.
In many New England communities, the obvious problem is where to put the next batch of snow.
David Lombari, public works director for West Warwick, Rhode Island, told the Providence Journal his town was already clogged with snow piles several feet high and school buses were parked in the usual snow storage lot.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do yet,” Lombari said. “It’s tough trying to find a place that meets all the proper (environmental) criteria.”
A worker uses a front-end loader to remove piled snow Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, from a street in Marlborough, Mass. A long duration winter storm was forecast to begin Saturday night and remain in effect..(Associated Press)
State snow disposal guidelines require that communities use locations that won’t harm environmental resources and have barriers that prevent contaminants from seeping into groundwater when the snow melts.
Adding injury to insult perhaps, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency warned that potentially record cold temperatures and wind chills are expected to move into the region later in the week after the storm.
Not everyone was dreading the blast of winter.
Business has been brisk at Charles Street Supply hardware in Boston, where owner Jack Gurnon sells shovels, salt and sleds. He drove to Portland, Maine, to stock up so he’d be able to meet demand when the next storm came.
“We actually have a lot of supply right now, and we’re lucky because the big box stores, they’re scrambling around, and I’m sitting on a whole bunch right now,” Gurnon said.
But an increase in sales isn’t all he is looking forward to. “I also love to ski, so as soon as this next mess is over with, I’m taking off and going north,” he said.
Courtesy of Newser News
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