Tsunami, Hurricanes, Floods and Earthquakes....

[NOV]

What is happening? Why is there a sudden influx in natural disasters?

First it was the Tsunami of late last year which cost 250,000 human lives. Then came the China floods, Indian floods, Katrina, Stan and now Pakistan earthquake.

Conspiracy theories aside, is the human factor responsible for these disasters. Besides Global warming, are there hidden hands working behind the scene?

Read Sidney Sheldon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark." Many countries are actually working towards controlling Earth's weather, in secret.

[pavalamani pragasam]

In the Katrina thread I had mentioned Michael Crichton's "State of Fear". A foolish but possible cause: Nature is angry at man trespassing into her private parts, probing, reseearching sacredly untouchable fields!

[NM]

NOV - do you really think so, that the possible reasons for the disasters after disasters are actually due to human activities?? Like side effects of wanting to do something rite'?? :roll:

[NOV]

PP, you are assuming that Nature is a thinking entity? I think man is the most dangerous being walking on Earth today. Not satisfied with clearing forests and wildlife, and then depleting its resourses, man today for very selfish reasons, wants to control nature too. :evil:

NM, I am open-minded about this. It could be side effects or worse still, it could be pre-planned or just plans gone awry. Whatever the cause, tens of thousands have become victims.

[Sandeep]

There is a school of thought that believes grobal warming as the reason of more hurricanes. Sea is getting warmer hense hurricanes generated through cold and warm water/air movement

But there doesnt seem any relation between Earth quake and any of mans activities.

[pavalamani pragasam]

Nov, Nature, if it were a thinking entity, only my foolish supposition, it has every reason to be outraged by all the unwanted tinkering done in the name of research. And since Nature undoubtedly is immensely more powerful than man it goes berserk in infinite wrath. May be it is threatening man with these warning signals, goading him to rethink! Just my poetic imagination!

[NOV]

paavam oru pakkam, pazhi oru pakkam...

The victims of these disasters, unfortunately, are not the designers of such rape of the Earth. If you notice, it is only the poorer segment of society that faces the biggest hazards.

But strangely, the poorest and most under-developed continent, AFRICA, seems to be immune to these disasters!

[pavalamani pragasam]

So advancement of science & technology has some correlation?! :shock:

[Anoushka]

NOV: Very interesting topic, have been discussing this in the past few months!

From seeing too much of NGC (National Geographic channel), what I get is that while hurricanes, rising of see level, melting of the polar ice cap, etc are due to global warming, earth quakes are more because of trees being chopped and huge buildings (which require massive foundations) being built. For e.g. the Petronas towers in KL has to have a very deep foundation (world's deepest foundation at 120 meters) to hold such a tall building! And then we go around digging tunnels in the sea (The tunnel between Dover & Calais) and through mountains (the tunnels through the Alps), to make life easier for us.

Are we not disturbing mother earth when doing all this? If some one keeps poking me I will tend to atleast shrug, I guess that is what is happening!

And as for Africa, the whole of Africa is sitting on one huge tectonic plate though the border of the plate on the north is closer to land. I guess this is one reason why it does not get affected!

PS: I might completely be wrong but this is my opinion!

[Shakthiprabha.]

There is a prediction that INDIA is becoming lil more prone to natural disaster. Now with URI quake and other recent calamities sounds more like it! :(

Katrina and Rita would probably be renamed Rekha and
Rupa!!

Jokes apart, can anyone analyse with such scenario at end, how feasible it is to make quake proof buildings? Is the construction industry such preventive measures into concern?
With the increasing pressure on moving to flats constructed
higher up, would we be inviting danger upon ourselves?

All instructions to flat residents is DO NOT TAKE LIFTS to escape the quakes. Please run down...to save ur head.
On the otherhand If someone is residing in 16th floor (which is becoming QUITE COMMON HERE in bangalore) before he gets down, he would crashed down to death.

Is it possible to have.....Accidents proof world?
Natural calamities proof world?

hmmmm what am I taking about? :? :roll:

[sivajayan]

On the otherhand If someone is residing in 16th floor (which is becoming QUITE COMMON HERE in bangalore) before he gets down, he would crashed down to death.


Then you should opt for underground bulidings :lol: They will for sure not crash down.

[ssanjinika]

On the otherhand If someone is residing in 16th floor (which is becoming QUITE COMMON HERE in bangalore) before he gets down, he would crashed down to death.


Then you should opt for underground bulidings :lol: They will for sure not crash down.
Yup thats true..you wont be "under ground" after the quake..you'll be there before :lol:

[sivajayan]

On the otherhand If someone is residing in 16th floor (which is becoming QUITE COMMON HERE in bangalore) before he gets down, he would crashed down to death.


Then you should opt for underground bulidings :lol: They will for sure not crash down.
Yup thats true..you wont be "under ground" after the quake..you'll be there before :lol:
:thumbsup:

[svasu_ani]

now the floods in TN, Karnataka and andhra...

blore "The highest ever rainfall recorded in a month is 522 mm in October 1956. Presently, the City, has received 504 mm starting from October 1 to 24.

Only an additional 18 mm rainfall is needed to set a new record"

[ssanjinika]

Yes it does look like an unusually active monsoon season for the south.

[NOV]

Eastern U.S. braces for dangerous superstorm


The Associated Press
Associated Press

NEW YORK — From Washington to Boston, big cities and small towns Sunday buttoned up against the onslaught of a superstorm that could endanger 50 million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the nation, with forecasters warning that the New York area could get the worst of it — an 11-foot wall of water.

“The time for preparing and talking is about over,” Federal Emergency Management Administrator Craig Fugate said as Hurricane Sandy made its way up the Atlantic on a collision course with two other weather systems that could turn it into one of the most fearsome storms on record in the U.S. “People need to be acting now.”

Forecasters said the hurricane could blow ashore tonight or early Tuesday along the New Jersey coast, then cut across into Pennsylvania and travel up through New York state on Wednesday.

Airlines canceled more than 5,000 flights, and Amtrak began suspending train service across the Northeast. New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore moved to shut down their subways, buses and trains and said schools would be closed today. Boston also called off school. And all non-essential government offices closed in the nation’s capital.

As rain from the leading edges of the monster hurricane began to fall over the Northeast, hundreds of thousands of people from Maryland to Connecticut were ordered to evacuate low-lying coastal areas, including 375,000 in lower Manhattan and other parts of New York City, 50,000 in Delaware and 30,000 in Atlantic City, N.J., where the city’s 12 casinos were forced to shut down for only the fourth time ever.

“We were told to get the heck out. I was going to stay, but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” said Hugh Phillips, who was one of the first in line when a Red Cross shelter in Lewes, Del., opened at noon.

“I think this one’s going to do us in,” said Mark Palazzolo, who boarded up his bait-and-tackle shop in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., with the same wood he used in past storms, crossing out the names of Hurricanes Isaac and Irene and spray-painting “Sandy” next to them. “I got a call from a friend of mine from Florida last night who said, ‘Mark, get out! If it’s not the storm, it’ll be the aftermath. People are going to be fighting in the streets over gasoline and food.”’

Authorities warned that the nation’s biggest city could get hit with a surge of seawater that could swamp parts of lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels and cripple the network of electrical and communications lines that are vital to the nation’s financial center.

Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph as of Sunday evening, was blamed for 65 deaths in the Caribbean before it began traveling northward, parallel to the Eastern Seaboard. As of 8 p.m., it was centered about 485 miles southeast of New York City, moving at 15 mph, with hurricane-force winds extending an incredible 175 miles from its center.

Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph as of Sunday evening, was blamed for 65 deaths in the Caribbean before it began traveling northward, parallel to the Eastern Seaboard. As of 8 p.m., it was centered about 485 miles southeast of New York City, moving at 15 mph, with hurricane-force winds extending an incredible 175 miles from its center.

It expected to hook inland today, colliding with a wintry storm moving in from the west and cold air streaming down from the Arctic.

Forecasters said the combination could bring close to a foot of rain in places, a potentially lethal storm surge of 4 to 11 feet across much of the region, and punishing winds that could cause widespread power outages that last for days. The storm could also dump up to 2 feet of snow in Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Louis Uccellini, environmental prediction chief for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Associated Press that given Sandy’s east-to-west track into New Jersey, the worst of the storm surge could be just to the north, in New York City, on Long Island and in northern New Jersey.

Forecasters said that because of giant waves and high tides made worse by a full moon, the metropolitan area of about 20 million people could get hit with an 11-foot wall of water.

“This is the worst-case scenario,” Uccellini said.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned: “If you don’t evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you. This is a serious and dangerous storm.”

New Jersey’s famously blunt Gov. Chris Christie was less polite: “Don’t be stupid. Get out.”

New York called off school today for the city’s 1.1 million students and announced it would suspend all train, bus and subway service Sunday night. More than 5 million riders a day depend on the transit system. The New York Stock Exchange announced it will shut down its trading floor Monday but continue to trade electronically.

Officials also postponed today’s reopening of the Statue of Liberty, which had been closed for a year for $30 million in renovations.

In Washington, President Barack Obama promised the government would “respond big and respond fast” after the storm hits.

“My message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need, we will be there, and we will cut through red tape. We are not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules,” he said.

He also pleaded for neighborliness: “In times like this, one of the things that Americans do is we pull together and we help out one another And so, there may be elderly populations in your area. Check on your neighbor, check on your friend. Make sure that they are prepared. If we do, then we’re going to get through this storm just fine.”

The storm forced the president and Mitt Romney to rearrange their campaign schedules in the crucial closing days of the presidential race. And early voting today in Maryland was canceled.

Despite the dire warnings, some souls were refusing to budge.

Jonas Clark of Manchester Township, N.J. — right in the area where Sandy was projected to come ashore — stood outside a convenience store, calmly sipping a coffee and wondering why people were working themselves “into a tizzy.”

“I’ve seen a lot of major storms in my time, and there’s nothing you can do but take reasonable precautions and ride out things the best you can,” said Clark, 73. “Nature’s going to what it’s going to do. It’s great that there’s so much information out there about what you can do to protect yourself and your home, but it all boils down basically to ‘use your common sense.”’

In New Jersey, Denise Faulkner and her boyfriend showed up at the Atlantic City Convention Center with her 7-month-old daughter and two sons, ages 3 and 12, thinking there was a shelter there. She was dismayed to learn that it was just a gathering point for buses to somewhere else. Last year, they were out of their home for two days because of Hurricane Irene.

“I’m real overwhelmed,” she said as baby Zahiriah, wrapped in a pink blanket with embroidered elephants, slept in a car seat. “We’re at it again. Last year we had to do it. This year we have to do it. And you have to be around all sorts of people — strangers. It’s a bit much.”

Before leaving their home in Atlantic City, John and Robshima Williams of packed their kids’ Halloween costumes so they could go bunk to bunk trick-or-treating at a shelter. Her 8-year-old twins are going as the Grim Reaper and a zombie, while her 6-year-old plans to dress as a witch.

“We’re just trying to make a bad situation good,” the mother said. “We’re going to make it fun no matter where we are.”

http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x1400204735/Eastern-U-S-braces-for-dangerous-superstorm

[kugan98]

Dear NOV anneh I was very sadden to read about the E.U.S.
Let us all pray that the Almighty saves all from all the disaster.
Our special prayers for Meera and family, and also Priyasri family.
Also to all our friends who are in S. U.S.A.
Take care of them dear Lord.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8134800622_a3946373ab_z.jpg

[NOV]

Latest information on Hurricane Sandy (as of 8am ET, next update at 11am):

• LOCATION: 36.8N 71.1W (425 miles SE of Atlantic City, NJ)
• WIND: Max sustained winds at 85 miles per hour (140 km/h)
• MOVING: Northwest at 20 miles per hour (22 km/h)

Local information: (updated regularly)

• NEW YORK: Mandatory evacuation in Zone A. MTA suspends subway and bus service. Public schools closed on Monday. NYSE suspends operation on Monday, likely Tuesday as well. Pres. Obama declares state of emergency.
• NEW JERSEY: NJ transit shut down across the state. Schools closed in over 250 counties. Barrier islands evacuated (evacuation routes). Pres. Obama declares state of emergency.
• PENNSYLVANIA: SEPTA suspends services. Flights in, out of Philadelphia Int'l Airport cancelled for Monday. Pres. Obama declares state of emergency.
• DELAWARE: Level 2 driving restriction starts Monday at 5am ET, bans anyone from driving on the road except "essential personnel" (read more).
• DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Public schools closed. Federal offices closed to public. Metro service canceled for Monday. Pres. Obama declares state of emergency.
• MARYLAND: Early voting shut down for Monday.
• CONNECTICUT: Mandatory evacuation along the coast. Pres. Obama declares state of emergency.
• MASSACHUSETTS: Some schools closed (see closings here).
• RHODE ISLAND: Pres. Obama declares state of emergency.

[NOV]

NEW JERSEY, Oct 30 — Sandy, one of the biggest storms ever to hit the United States, roared ashore with fierce winds and heavy rain yesterday near the gambling resort of Atlantic City, New Jersey, after forcing evacuations, shutting down transportation and interrupting the presidential campaign.
High winds and flooding racked hundreds of kilometres of Atlantic coastline, while heavy snows were forecast farther inland at higher elevations as the centre of the storm marched westward.

More than 2 million customers already were left without power by early evening and more than a million people were subject to evacuation orders. Many communities were swamped by flood waters.

The National Hurricane Centre said Sandy came ashore as a “post-tropical cyclone”, meaning it still packed hurricane-force winds but lost the characteristics of a tropical storm. It had sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (129 kph), well above the threshold for hurricane intensity. Sandy previously had been characterized as a hurricane.

The storm’s target area includes big population centres such as New York City, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Trees were downed across the region, untethered pieces of scaffolding rolled down the ghostly streets of New York City, falling debris closed a major bridge in Boston and floodwater inundated side streets in the resort town of Dewey Beach, Delaware, leaving just the tops of mailboxes in view.

In Washington, President Barack Obama appealed to the tens of millions of people in the hurricane’s path to follow directions given to them by authorities.

“If the public’s not following instructions, that makes it more dangerous for people, and it means that we could have fatalities that could have been avoided,” Obama said at the White House, adding that people should expect long power outages and idled transportation systems.

Governors up and down the East Coast declared states of emergency. Maryland’s Martin O’Malley warned there was no question Sandy would kill people in its way.

Sandy made landfall just south of Atlantic City, about 193km southwest of Manhattan.

Casinos in Atlantic City had already shut down. — Reuters

[NOV]

http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/523451_10151121878712756_129241901_n.jpg

[NOV]

Pals, join me for prayers - most of the parts In NJ, USA has no power - Strong winds and Rain reported everywhere. Feeling tensed and helpless - Counting on you, God! Wishing the normalcy back soon.

Arun Vaidyanathan is the director of Achamundu Achamundu

[NOV]

Not that many people got newspapers in Manhattan this morning. Here's what @nytimes looked like. pic.twitter.com/xYw7Kmj9

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A6eSKjJCcAA97cn.png:large

[aanaa]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/10/30/canada-sandy-storm.html

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

அமெரிக்காவை தலைகீழாக்கிவிட்டுச் சென்ற சான்டி! வித்தியாசமான சில காட்சிகள்!! http://viruvirupu.com/2012/10/31/34341/ இதுக்கு முன்பு நீலம் ஒண்ணுமே இல்ல!

[San_K]

Idhanaal thaangal koora vizhaivathu ?

[NOV]

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/560799_552908514735377_655617725_n.jpg

Chennai, Marina Beach, last night....

[NOV]

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/297141_10151153694386871_43142452_n.jpg


Besant Nagar last night

[venkkiram]

அமெரிக்காவை தலைகீழாக்கிவிட்டுச் சென்ற சான்டி! வித்தியாசமான சில காட்சிகள்!! http://viruvirupu.com/2012/10/31/34341/ இதுக்கு முன்பு நீலம் ஒண்ணுமே இல்ல!

http://viruvirupu.com/2012/10/31/34321/

"நியூ ஜெர்ஸி, ஹொபொகின் பகுதியில், மஞ்சள் டாக்ஸிகள் நிறுத்தப்பட்டிருந்த பார்க்கிங் லாட், வெள்ளத்தில் மூழ்க, டாக்சிகள் மிதக்கின்றன."

இந்த இடம்தான் நான் வேலை பார்க்கும் இடம். 20,000 to 25,000 people stranded in. It would take one more week to bring back the city from Sandy's devastation. Just got the electricity at home after 48 hours and going to work from home till Hoboken resumes back. In our apartment community, we rely on power for cooking too. So, had a tough time with the cold weather without heating facility at home. Its kind of some one explicitly pressed the Ctrl+Alt+Del into your life. Witnessed 1.5 mile length of cars queued up in nearby Gas Station and first time I saw around 500 people carrying cans to buy Gasoline.

[sakaLAKALAKAlaa Vallavar]

Take Care Venki :) Hope the situation comes to normalcy soon!

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Take care Venki :|

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Hurricane Nilam is heading towards Chennai after damaging SL

[littlemaster1982]

Paramu,

Nilam inga netthe vandhuttu poyiduchu :huh:

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Paramu,

Nilam inga netthe vandhuttu poyiduchu :huh:

Oh BBC la sonnanga ennum pOgalinu? BTW any serious damage?

[littlemaster1982]

Not much, compared to the previous cyclone in the same region.

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Ok ..

[NOV]

civilian action in the aftermath of sandy

http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/69179_4167845827837_2104738326_n.jpg

[NOV]

Tens of thousands flee as cyclone half the size of India threatens east coast


KALINGAPATNAM/BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - Tens of thousands fled their homes in coastal areas of eastern India and moved to shelters on Friday, bracing for the fiercest cyclone to threaten the country since a devastating storm killed 10,000 people 14 years ago.

Large waves were already pounding beaches in the state of Andhra Pradesh over a day before Cyclone Phailin was due to hit. Villagers were evacuated to schools in the north of the state and in neighbouring Odisha, while panic buying drove up food prices.

Satellite images showed Phailin some 500 km (310 miles) off the coast in the Bay of Bengal and likely to make landfall on Saturday evening, with widespread flooding expected from surges.

The images showed the storm covering an area roughly half the size of India. Some forecasters likened its size and intensity to that of hurricane Katrina, which devastated the U.S. Gulf coast and New Orleans in 2005.

Some 260,000 people were moved to safer ground and more were expected to be evacuated by the end of the day, authorities in the two states said. Not everybody was willing to leave their homes and belongings, and some villagers on the palm-fringed Andhra Pradesh coast said they had not been told to evacuate.

"Of course I'm scared, but where will I move with my family?" asked Kuramayya, 38, a fisherman from the village of Bandharuvanipeta, close to where the hurricane is expected to make to landfall, while 3.5-metre (12-foot waves) crashed behind him. "We can't leave our boats behind."

The Indian Meteorological Department said Phailin would hit between Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and the major port of Paradip in Odisha state and predicted flooding from expected storm surges of about three metres (10 feet) above normal tides.

SUPER CYCLONE?

There was disagreement about the power packed by Phailin although most forecasters expected it to weaken upon reaching the coast. The Indian Meteorological Department described it as a "very severe cyclonic storm" with wind speeds of 210-220 km per hour (130-135 mph) and resisted upgrading it to a stronger "super cyclone."

But the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre predicted gusts of up to 315 kph.

London-based storm tracking service Tropical Storm Risk said Phailin was a super cyclone and placed it in the most intense Category 5 of powerful storms, evoking memories of the devastating 1999 storm when wind reaching speeds of 300 kph winds battered Odisha for 30 hours. Odisha officials agreed.

"Phailin will be no less than the 1999 super cyclone," Odisha state's Special Relief Commissioner, Pradeep Kumar Mohapatra, told Reuters. He said half a million people were expected to move to shelters in the state.

This time, however, the state government said it was better prepared. It broadcast cyclone warnings through loudspeakers and on radio and television as the first winds were felt on the coast and in the state capital, Bhubaneswar.

Indian authorities warned of extensive damage to crops, village dwellings and old buildings, as well as disruption of power, water and rail services. Shelters were being stocked with rations, and leave for government employees was cancelled.

"Within 12 hours of the cyclone strike, we will try to clear all the roads. Within 24 hours we will try to restore water supply and electricity," Mohapatra said.

Paradip stopped cargo operations on Friday, port chairman Sudhanshu Shekhara Mishra told Reuters. He said all vessels were ordered to leave the port, which handles coal, crude oil and iron ore. An oil tanker holding about 2 million barrels of oil, worth some $220 million (137.7 million pounds), was among those moved, an oil company source said.

India's largest gas field - the Reliance Industries-operated D6 natural gas block - lies in the Cauvery Basin further down the east coast. The company said it was not expecting to be hit.

Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf coast on August 29, killing about 1,800 people, including many in New Orleans where levees failed to hold back storm surges.

It was one on the six biggest hurricanes - also known as cyclones and typhoons - ever recorded and caused $75 billion worth of damage.

(Additional reporting by Nita Bhalla, Nidhi Verma and Ratnajyoti Dutta; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Nick Macfie)

[irir123]

There is tons of data in geological history of bigger hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes etc - we have had 5 major extinctions - while it is extremely difficult to predict the future, or even natural calamities (despite the fact that our knowledge about them is far more advanced today than anytime in the past), climate change is definitely attributed to be the cause behind some percentage of events like extreme weather patterns (NOT quakes et al)

[PARAMASHIVAN]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-34830452