7.3 Earthquake in Japan

The northeast coast of Japan was hit with a 7.3 earthquake Friday. The earthquake resulted in a one meter (three foot) tsunami. Last year this same area was hit with a much larger earthquake and tsunami that caused a nucular crisis and killed thousands. This earthquake was farther out to sea, about 22 miles from Tokyo.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/07/world/asia/japan-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Earthquake in Guatemala

On Wednesday a 7.4 earthquake was reported 15 miles offshore of Guatemala. So far the death toll is at 45 people. The earthquake caused landslides. These landslides have cut off highways in the western portion of the country. It is expected to take 24 hours to get roads ready for travel, until then citizens are encouraged not to travel and avoid tall buildings.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/photos-earthquake-rocks-guatem/1236750

Brutus... Snow in West and Midwest

In the western portion of the country, winter storm Brutus is brewing.

With this storm there will be snow and wind on the cold side and a warm sector with potential sever weather.
Currently there is a strong low pressure system over the Rockies and a strong high pressure zone in Canada. These two coming together will create wind driven snow.
Montana is expected to get hit with the worst of it. There are already blizzard warnings going through Saturday. Parts of Montana and North Dakota are expected to get over a foot of snow.

Into the weekend, the storm will move into the Plains and Midwestern states. As it does this it will come in contact with warm air coming from the Gulf of Mexico. The cold front going into the warm air will create a lot of energy in the upper atmosphere. This then has the potential for severe thunderstorms stretching from Minneapolis to Dallas.

This storm is something to keep an eye on because it could be affecting us here in Wisconsin. We could be receiving some thunderstorms with damaging winds.

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-brutus-snow-blizzard

Huge plugs could have spared subway flooding...

The federal government is creating inflatable plugs to protect subway tunnels from terrorist attacks. The cool thing about these plugs is that they could also be used to protect the subways from flooding during natural disasters.
In January a plug was successfully tested by the Department of Homeland Security using pressurized water. Another test is scheduled for next week for the Resilient Tunnel Project.
Only one plug has been manufactured so far and it will be a couple years before the product is ready to be marketed to the nation's transit and highway authorities.
Greg Holter of the Pacific Northwest National Labority said "If we would have had these things installed in the right places (New York), they could have made a terrific difference. The problem is we don't have a stock of things that we could put in place. It's not like we have a bunch of these sitting in a warehouse. It's a little frustrating really that we weren't at a better stage at this thing."
The plugs are like inflatable balloons that fit to the shape of the tunnel. Team members working on the project say these plugs could have prevented flooding in some tunnels under New York's East River, but not in the porous subway stations. Plug would be made to fit the specific dimensions of the tunnels with the ability to expand or contrast at less than 1%. It is estimated to be cheaper than installing floodgates at $400,000 and with the possibility of being cheaper if manufactured in quantities.
This new technology could be part of future security and prevention.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/31/us/new-york-subway-plugs/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
There is a video on the webpage that shows the plug being inflated.

Food Distribution Disrupted by Sandy

"Thousands of truckloads of food that were headed for stores in the Northeast are stuck on roadsides and in warehouses following the crippling blow Hurricane Sandy dealt to the nation's food distribution system."

Hurricane Sandy has halted the distribution of food to affected areas, but no one is concerned about major short-term food shortages.
One main issue is that businesses are out of power and have not reopened their doors. Preparations made before the storm have many grocery stores and warehouses stocked with a couple weeks worth of food, these places are equipped with back up generators. Ed Chouinard of Perishable Distribution Solutions (PDS) says "...people don't shop much for food if they've got no power. There's more likely to be a surge in demand when the power comes back on, because then everyone is restocking. But there wont be a shortage."
97 grocery stores were forced to close in New Jersey and now some have reopened and according to one New Jersey resident they were stocked with firewood and ice, along with food.
Charles Wilson, VP of corporate communications at Sysco, said they worked prior to the storm to make sure their clients had enough supplies in advance, until they could get back on the roads. He also said they have been working with disaster relief agencies to make sure we are one of the first responders and we're ready to go back in as soon as it's safe."
Prolonged power outages are a problem for perishable foods and the spread of food born illnesses. Making sure food is kept cold enough so bacteria does not spread is important for stores, businesses, and individuals.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/hurricane-sandy-disrupts-food-distribution_n_2049778.html?1351703911

Hurricane Sandy and Mitt Romney's FEMA Problem

During the primary elections Mitt Romney made comments about cutting funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and now with Hurricane Sandy he has been dodging questions about his previous comment. Romney was quoted as saying
"Every time you have an occasion to take something from the Federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that's even better"

Hurricane Sandy has shown why having the federal government help is important in massive disasters that cover many states. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, on the Today show said "The federal government's response has been great. I was on the phone at midnight again last night with the president, personally; he has expedited the designation of New Jersey as a major disaster area ... the president has been outstanding in this. The folks at FEMA, Chris Fugate, and his folks have been excellent."
The federal government is doing their job to help out states and citizens at a time when they need it. Romney has said it's immoral to have disaster relief, but that just doesn't work. Citizens should be able to rely on their governments to get back on their feet.

In 2013 tax cuts will expire and there will be automatic spending cuts made to almost all programs, including FEMA. Congress' inability to reach an agreement threatens the impacts of disaster relief.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/30/hurricane-sandy-exposes-mitt-romney-s-self-made-fema-problem.html

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/10/30/pmt-chris-christie-barack-obama.cnn

High Waves.. Surfing in Chicago

Winds from superstorm Sandy reached out hundreds of miles to Chicago causing near-record high waves on Lake Michigan. These waves sent a few brave surfers out into the cold waters despite warnings from city officials. The waves were getting up to 20 feet high, coming close to the 23 foot record. The National Weather Service said winds were blasting up to 54 mph in the area. The waves brought some fun for the surfers, but cargo ships were brought to a standstill and took refuge in harbors.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/winds-from-outer-edge-of-superstorm-sandy-mean-near-record-high-waves-good-surfing-in-chicago/2012/10/30/d079f6f4-22cd-11e2-92f8-7f9c4daf276a_story.html