MidnightWatcher's Blogspot

Luke 21:10-11, “Then He said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven …’”

Romans 8:22, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

A truck navigates around a buckled section of California’s Highway 12. Photograph: Peter DaSilva/EPA

The Guardian – “A hospital in the city of Napa, in California’s northern Bay Area, has treated more than 70 patients so far after a strong earthquake hit at around 3.30am on Sunday, causing widespread damage.

The Napa city government reported two serious injuries resulting from what it called a 6.1 magnitude quake. Four mobile homes were destroyed and two were still on fire in the northern part of the city, it said, and there were 50 gas main breaks, 30 water main leaks and damage to historic buildings as well as to commercial properties.

Napa fire chief Darren Drake said the quake caused six significant fires.

Vanessa DeGier, spokeswoman for Queen of the Valley hospital in Napa, told the Associated Press most of those treated had cuts, bumps and bruises. DeGier said the facility had also treated a hip fracture and heart attack, but it was unclear if it was related to the earthquake.

There were no reports of any fatalities, Barry Martin, public information officer for Napa, said. He said he did not have details on the injuries.

The earthquake struck about 10 miles northwest of American Canyon, which is about six miles southwest of Napa in California wine country, Leslie Gordon of the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. It was the largest earthquake to shake the Bay Area since the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta quake in 1989, the USGS said.

Unreinforced masonry buildings in downtown Napa including the historic courthouse and library suffered major damage, city officials said.

‘There’s collapses, fires,’ said Napa fire captain Doug Bridewell, standing in front of large pieces of masonry from a turn-of-the-century office building where a fire had just been extinguished. ‘That’s the worst shaking I’ve ever been in.’

Bridewell, who said he had to climb over fallen furniture in his own home to check on his family before reporting to duty, said he was starting to see more reports of injuries.

‘Everything was just shaking, the hanging lamps waving back and forth,’ said Omar Lopez, 24, night clerk at a small inn in St. Helena, 15 minutes outside of Napa. ‘Guests came into the front desk after the quake and they said the swimming pool looked like a bunch of people had jumped in at the same time.'” Read more.

Flashback: California: Earthquakes Are Increasing, But Scientists Aren’t Sure What It Means – “No, it’s not your imagination: The Los Angeles area is feeling more earthquakes this year. After a relatively quiet period of seismic activity in the Los Angeles area, the last five months have been marked by five earthquakes larger than 4.0. That hasn’t occurred since 1994, the year of the destructive Northridge earthquake that produced 53 such temblors. Over the next two decades, there were some years that passed without a single quake 4.0 or greater. Earthquake experts said 2014 is clearly a year of increased seismic activity, but they said it’s hard to know whether the recent string of quakes suggests that a larger one is on the way.” Read more.

By Mark Thiessen, The Associated Press – “A magnitude-8.0 earthquake was widely felt in communities along Alaska’s sparsely populated Aleutian Islands on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

Natasha Ruppert, a seismologist with the Alaska Earthquake Center, said the communities that would have suffered damage are also under tsunami warnings, so people may not have been able to get out and check for damage yet.

The earthquake recorded at 12:53 p.m. local time was initially reported with a magnitude of 7.1, but Ruppert says that was upgraded to 8.0. The quake was centred about 13 miles southeast of Little Sitkin Island.

It was recorded at a depth of 60 miles, which is relatively shallow for an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands. The shallower the quake, the more likely it will be felt.

The National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas between Nikolski to Attu, on the Aleutian Islands. A warning means significant inundation is possible or occurring. Residents are being warned to move inland toward higher ground.

A tsunami advisory was also issued for coastal areas stretching from Nikolski to Unimak Pass. An advisory means strong currents or dangerous waves are expected, but widespread inundation isn’t likely.” Source – CTV News.

By Becky Oskin, LiveScience – “Mile for mile, there are almost as many earthquakes rattling Oklahoma as California this year. This major increase in seismic shaking led to a rare earthquake warning today (May 5) from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oklahoma Geological Survey.

In a joint statement, the agencies said the risk of a damaging earthquake— one larger than magnitude 5.0 — has significantly increased in central Oklahoma.

Geologists don’t know when or where the state’s next big earthquake will strike, nor will they put a number on the increased risk. ‘We haven’t seen this before in Oklahoma, so we had some concerns about putting a specific number on the chances of it,’ Robert Williams, a research geophysicist with the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program in Golden, Colorado, told Live Science. ‘But we know from other cases around the world that if you have an increasing number of small earthquakes, the chances of a larger one will go up.’ [Watch 2500+ Oklahoma Earthquakes Since 2012 (Video)]

That’s why earthquakes of magnitude 5 and larger are more frequent in states such as California and Alaska, where thousands of smaller temblors hit every year.

This is the first time the USGS has issued an earthquake warning for a state east of the Rockies, Williams said. Such seismic hazard assessments are more typically issued for Western states following large quakes, to warn residents of the risk of damaging aftershocks, he said.

The geological agencies took action after the rate of earthquakes in Oklahoma outpaced that of even California for the first few months of 2014. (California regained the lead in April.)

‘The rate of earthquakes increased dramatically in March and April,’ Williams said. ‘That alerted us to examine this further and put out this advisory statement.'” Read more.

Quake downgraded to 7.2 by the USGS …

Associated Press – “A powerful magnitude-7.2 earthquake shook central and southern Mexico on Friday, sending panicked people into the streets, where broken windows and debris fell, but there were no early reports of major damage or casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey said it was centered northwest of the Pacific resort of Acapulco, where many Mexicans are vacationing for the Easter holiday.

It was felt across at least a half-dozen states and Mexico’s capital, where it shook for at least 30 seconds. Around the region, there were reports of isolated and minor damage, such as fallen fences, trees and broken windows. Chilpancingo, capital of the southern state of Guerrero, where the quake was centered, reported a power outage, but service was restored after 15 minutes.

In Acapulco, 59-year-old Enedina Ramirez Perez was having breakfast, enjoying the holiday with about 20 family members, when her hotel started to shake.

‘People were turning over chairs in their desperation to get out, grabbing children, trampling people,’ the Mexico City woman said. ‘The hotel security was excellent and starting calming people down. They got everyone to leave quietly.’

The quake struck 170 miles (273 kilometers) southwest of Mexico City, where people fled high rises and took to the streets, many in still in their bathrobes and pajamas on their day off.

‘I started to hear the walls creak and I said, `Let’s go,” said Rodolfo Duarte, 32, who fled his third-floor apartment.

‘This is really strong,’ said Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez Chavez, 45, an apartment building guard in central Mexico City. ‘And I’m accustomed to earthquakes.’” Read more.

By Carey Gillam, Reuters – “Earthquakes rattled residents in Oklahoma on Saturday, the latest in a series that have put the state on track for record quake activity this year, which some seismologists say may be tied to oil and gas exploration.

One earthquake recorded at 3.8 magnitude by the U.S. Geological Survey rocked houses in several communities around central Oklahoma at 7:42 a.m. local time. Another about two hours earlier in the same part of the state, north of Oklahoma City, was recorded at 2.9 magnitude, USGS said.

Those two were preceded by two more, at 2.6 magnitude, and 2.5 magnitude, that also rolled the landscape in central Oklahoma early Saturday morning. A 3.0 magnitude tremor struck late Friday night in that area as well, following a 3.4 magnitude hit Friday afternoon.

Austin Holland, a seismologist with the Oklahoma Geological Survey who tracks earthquake activity for the USGS, said the earthquake activity in the state is soaring.

‘We have had almost as many magnitude 3 and greater already in 2014 than we did for all of 2013,’ Holland said.

Last year’s number of ‘felt’ earthquakes – those strong enough to rattle items on a shelf – hit a record 222 in the state. This year, less than four months into the year, the state has recorded 253 such tremors, according to state seismic data.

‘We have already crushed last year’s record for number of earthquakes,’ Holland said.

Most earthquakes occur naturally. But scientists have long linked some small earthquakes to oil and gas work underground, which can alter pressure points and cause shifts in the earth.

Oil and gas exploration has increased in recent years across the country, spurred by U.S. efforts for energy independence. Modern hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is one particularly controversial technique.

For bigger quakes, so far this year the state has recorded 106 at 3.0 magnitude and above, according to Holland. For all of last year the state had 109 at 3.0 and above.” Read more.

Fox News – “An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck Saturday morning off Japan’s east coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Japan’s emergency agencies declared a tsunami warning for the region that includes the crippled Fukushima nuclear site.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency raised a 3-foot tsunami warning for a long stretch of Japan’s northeastern coast, including Fukushima. It put the magnitude of the quake at 7.1. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not post warnings for the rest of the Pacific.

The quake hit at 2:10 a.m. Saturday Tokyo time about  170 miles off Fukushima. Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the Fukushima plant, ordered workers near the cost to move to higher ground.

The tremor was felt in Tokyo, some 300 miles away.” Read more.

Flashback: Yale Professor: Fukushima Is ‘A World-Wide Disaster Of The Most Epic Proportions Just Waiting To Happen’ – “A Yale Professor is compelling the world to wake up from its nuclear slumber and face some cold-hard facts, ‘All of humanity will be threatened for thousands of years’ if the Fukushima Unit 4 pool can’t be kept cool. Your worries about eating cesium-contaminated fish from the Pacific Ocean are grounded in fact, but this is a world-wide disaster of the most epic proportions just waiting to happen.” Read more.

Flashback: Worst Nuclear Storm The World Has Seen Is Just An Earthquake Away, Health Consequences ‘Are Beyond Where Science Has Ever Gone Before’ – “More than a year after a devastating earthquake and tsunami triggered a massive nuclear disaster, experts are warning that Japan isn’t out of the woods yet and the worst nuclear storm the world has ever seen could be just one earthquake away from reality. The troubled Reactor 4 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is at the centre of this potential catastrophe… A magnitude 7 or 7.5 earthquake would likely fracture that pool, and disaster would ensue …” Read more.

BBC News – “At least 93 people have been reported dead after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the central Philippines.

The quake happened at 08:12 (00:12 GMT) on a national holiday. The US Geological Survey said it struck below the island of Bohol, where officials reported most casualties.

People were also killed in the province of Cebu.

Historic churches were among the many damaged buildings, and stampedes were reported in two cities.

At least 69 of those confirmed dead were from Bohol, according to reports citing disaster management officials.

Fifteen people are known to have been killed in Cebu, and another was reported dead on the neighbouring island of Siquijor.

Dozens of others are also being treated for injuries.

Search and rescue operations are being conducted, with rescuers finding themselves hampered by damaged roads.

At least five people died when part of a fishing port collapsed in Cebu, and two others were also reported dead when a roof fell at a market.” Read more.

Nearly 100 Killed, Thousands Displaced, Billions In Damage – “More than  9,000 people living on Bohol island are displaced due to earthquake… The death toll increased to 97. Most of the casualties have been reported from Bohol (the island of the epicenter) The number of dead in Bohol alone has reached 87. In Cebu, 9 have died, while one fatality was reported in Siquijor…” Read more.