According to the news , they barely felt the 'quake in Japan on Wednesday (Thursday there—no, wait ...) before tsunami warnings got everyone to safety. Then, the tsunami traveled all the way from Asia to California and —WHAM!—struck Crescent City , wrecking docks and sinking a boat. One local said he was not aware of the tsunami until he heard about it from others. "We're only three blocks from the harbor," he said to the San Francisco Chronicle. "We didn't know it was coming."

Meanwhile, half a world away in North Carolina, a tornado upended Riegelwood  and killed eight people. "There was no warning. There was no time," one victim said in the AP report. "It just came out from nowhere."

I searched the National Weather Service for "warning system" and got a full page  of links to their procedures and policies.

So why are warnings not received? Is it fiscal trouble in counties? What's our weak link here?

Posted by Charles at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Earthquakes, Get Involved, Natural Disasters, Participate, Tornadoes, Tsunamis, Wells Fargo Bank

Were you there?

There was a 6.7 earthquake in Hawai'i over the weekend . The media were abuzz with the story. The focus was not just the damage or the unnerved residents, but also on the threat of tsunamis .

Nevertheless, everything is OK on the Big Island, even as authorities comb for tragedy. According to the USGS (your top earthquake and volcano resource), this alarm is founded in fact —guided by history, if I may. A 1946 quake in Chile sent 55-foot waves to Hilo, causing extreme damage. This event prompted the Tsunami Warning System  that still operates today.

Most Hawaiians are cool about the whole thing, as you'd expect. Will Kyle details his day , one of three historic earth-broncos he's busted. He also writes about the potential for continent changing: The science he invoked gave me a jolt, by golly.

Just another day for Hawai'i, although a more interesting one, to be sure. And at the end of each Hawaiian day is that one-of-a-kind sunset and some cultural magic .

Aloha.

Posted by Charles at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Earthquakes, First-hand Accounts, Natural Disasters, Tsunamis, Wells Fargo Bank

The National Weather Service has a pretty benign set of warnings  today. Watch out for fires in the Northwest and in the Plains, it’s hot in central regions, and there are thunderstorms expected in many areas. All in all, just another day across our continent .

So why prepare?

The obvious is, well, obvious. You can save your own life by having the right implements and the right knowledge. The right tools and supplies  will get you through the days without access to food, water and shelter. First Aid  is critical if trauma happens and access to care is impeded because of disaster conditions. You prepare to get through The Big One.

Keep in mind, though, that preparation lasts longer than the event and its aftermath. Preparedness is an important feature in community response to crisis. When you are prepared, and prepared as a group, your community gets through it better and recovers faster.

New Orleans might never get back on track, or take a long time getting there, but it will be only because of physical changes to the place. Many people have returned after a long year away and those who have not returned are still part of that city. "Voices of Katrina" from the New Orleans Times-Picayune  displays letters of support and affection between neighbors far and wide. The spectrum runs from bittersweetness  to dogged persistence , but it’s all the same thing. A city getting its life back.

Posted by Charles at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Home, At Work, Earthquakes, Events, Fires, Floods, Hurricanes, Natural Disasters, Prepare, Tornadoes, Tsunamis, Wells Fargo Bank