Archive | September 17, 2016
MAGNITUDE 5.2 SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND REGION
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=531427
Subject To Change
Depth: 10 km
Distances: 2963 km SE of Montevideo, Uruguay / pop: 1,271,000 / local time: 15:00:35.2 2016-09-17
3095 km SE of Buenos Aires, Argentina / pop: 13,077,000 / local time: 15:00:35.2 2016-09-17
3880 km SE of Santiago, Chile / pop: 4,838,000 / local time: 15:00:35.2 2016-09-17
State Of Emergency Declared Due To Oil Spillage Of 250,000 gallons In Alabama and Georgia, USA
At least 250,000 gallons of gasoline have spilled following a pipeline rupture in central Alabama. Emergency responders are working to repair the spill, while Alabama and Georgia have declared a state of emergency due to possible fuel shortages.
The spill, equivalent to 6,000 barrels, took place in a rural area southwest of Helena, Alabama, and was first noticed Friday. A spokesman for Colonial Pipeline said the spill has affected an area about two acres in size, Birmingham’s WBRC-TV reported.
According to local media, the spill is located near Lindsey’s Crossing in Shelby County, about 28 miles southwest of Birmingham.
Over 600 responders have been sent to the area and are working around the clock to locate the leak’s origin and repair the pipeline, Colonial spokesman Bill Berry said. Most of the spill has been contained in water retention ponds, and there is no concern for public safety, the spokesman said.
“It’s not safe for our workers to recover much product off of the pond due to gasoline vapors,” Berry added. “It’s a challenge for us to do much because the vapors are not at safe levels for human health. So that presents a challenge to say how much has been released.”
Environmental Protection Agency personnel at the site said that local residents were not in danger and that the spill was unlikely to contaminate the nearby Cahaba River, which is home to a number of endangered species, AL.com reported.
Federal authorities have imposed a no-fly zone above the affected area, to “protect responders, personnel and public,” and closed a nearby shooting range as a “precaution.” Local authorities are also blocking vehicles from accessing the trails near the leak site.
The 5,500-mile long pipeline runs from Houston, Texas to New York City and normally carries 1.3 million barrels of refined gasoline and other petroleum products a day. It has been shut down since last Friday due to the spill, which may impact the fuel supplies in a number of states.
“Based on current projections and consultations with industry partners, parts of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina will be the first markets to be impacted by any potential disruption in supply,” Colonial Pipeline said in a statement.
Georgia and Alabama have already declared a state of emergency in response to the spill, seeking to keep the gas prices from skyrocketing.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, this is the largest gasoline spill for Colonial Pipeline since the 1996 disaster, when 22,800 barrels spilled into Reedy River near Simpsonville, South Carolina. Between that and six other spills, Colonial was fined $34 million in 2003, the largest civil penalty in EPA history.
Courtesy of rt.com
MAGNITUDE 5.1 NEAR N COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=531394
Subject To Change
Depth: 40 km
Distances: 1087 km NW of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea / pop: 284,000 / local time: 00:34:11.0 2016-09-18
50 km N of Jayapura, Indonesia / pop: 135,000 / local time: 23:34:11.0 2016-09-17
MAGNITUDE 4.4 SHAANXI, CHINA
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=531380
Subject To Change
Depth: 10 km
Distances: 272 km W of Taiyuan, China / pop: 2,723,000 / local time: 20:32:54.5 2016-09-17
45 km SW of Yulin, China / pop: 90,900 / local time: 20:32:54.5 2016-09-17
Typhoon Gener intensifies as it moves toward northern boundary of PAR
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Saturday warned that Typhoon Gener (international name: Malakas) has intensified further as it moved toward the northern boundary of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
In a severe weather bulletin issued at 11:00 a.m., PAGASA said moderate to heavy rains are expected within the 450-kilometer diameter of the typhoon.
At 10:00 a.m., the eye of typhoon was located at 460 km North of Basco, Batanes (24.5°N, 122.8°E).
It had maximum sustained winds of up to 175 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 210 kph. The typhoon was said to be moving northward at 16 kph.
The Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal has been lifted over Batanes Group of Islands.
The typhoon is expected to exit PAR between 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
By Sunday morning, the typhoon is expected to be at 780 km North Northeast of Basco, Batanes, outside of PAR.
Courtesy of gmanetwork.com
China on yellow alert for Typhoon Malakas
CHINA’S meteorological authority issued a yellow alert for Typhoon Malakas on Saturday, forecasting strong winds and heavy rain.
Malakas, the 16th typhoon in 2016, was observed 135 kilometers off Taiwan’s east coast at 10 a.m. Saturday, bringing winds of up to 50 meters per second as it moved northwest, and it is expected to enter the East China Sea Saturday afternoon, the National Meteorological Center said.
Heavy rain will sweep parts of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces on the Chinese mainland as well as the central and north parts of Taiwan from Saturday to Sunday with up to 120 millimeters of rain expected, the center said.
Typhoon Malakas came hot on the heels of Typhoon Meranti, which has left at least 14 people dead and another 14 missing in southeast regions of China since it landed in Fujian Thursday morning.
China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Courtesy of shanghaidaily.com
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