February 27, 2010 Maule, Chile 8.8

TALCA, Chile — One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded tore apart houses, bridges and highways in central Chile on Saturday and sent a tsunami racing halfway around the world. Chileans near the epicenter were tossed about as if shaken by a giant, and the head of the emergency agency said authorities believed at least 300 people were dead.

The magnitude-8.8 quake was felt as far away as Sao Paulo in Brazil – 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) to the east. The full extent of damage remained unclear as dozens of aftershocks – one nearly as powerful as Haiti's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake – shuddered across the disaster-prone Andean nation.

President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in central Chile but said the government had not asked for assistance from other countries. If it does, President Barack Obama said, the United States "will be there." Around the world, leaders echoed his sentiment.

In Chile, newly built apartment buildings slumped and fell. Flames devoured a prison. Millions of people fled into streets darkened by the failure of power lines. The collapse of bridges tossed and crushed cars and trucks, and complicated efforts to reach quake-damaged areas by road.

At least 214 people were killed and 15 were missing as of Saturday evening, Bachelet said in a national address on television. While that remained the official estimate, Carmen Fernandez, head of the National Emergency Agency, said later: "We think the real figure tops 300. And we believe this will continue to grow."

Bachelet also said 1.5 million people had been affected by the quake, and officials in her administration said 500,000 homes were severely damaged.

In Talca, just 65 miles (105 kilometers) from the epicenter, people sleeping in bed suddenly felt like they were flying through major airplane turbulence as their belongings cascaded around them from the shuddering walls at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. EST, 0634 GMT).

A deafening roar rose from the convulsing earth as buildings groaned and clattered. The sound of screams was confused with the crash of plates and windows.

Then the earth stilled, silence returned and a smell of damp dust rose in the streets, where stunned survivors took refuge.

source

February 27, 2010 Maule, Chile 8.8

(Best Syndication News) President Barack Obama said Saturday that the United States is ready help after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck the South American country of Chile (see list of the largest recorded earthquakes below). The initial quake was so large that Argentina felt some of the smaller aftershocks.

Last week the US Geological Survey (USGS) was warning of more earthquakes in the Caribbean Sea. “The threat of additional damaging earthquakes in Haiti will remain for the next year,” their report stated on Tuesday. A powerful earthquake rocked Japan on Saturday (Friday in the US) and an even larger quake hit southern Chile the next day sending Tsunami warnings across the Pacific from Australia to Russia. The warnings in Hawaii and Australia have now been canceled.

The earthquake in Chili struck at 3:34 AM local time (10:34 PM Friday PST) and was felt 200 miles away in Santiago. Some say it lasted about 45 seconds while the official report stated it lasted about 3 minutes.

The epicenter was on the “Pacific Ring of Fire” which stretches in an upside-down U from the Samoan Islands to Japan over to Alaska and back down to Chili (see map below). Over 80 percent of the largest and nearly 90 percent of all the world’s earthquakes strike this region.

The death toll has already exceeded 200, but it could have been much higher if not for the stringent building codes. Since a 9.5 quake struck Valdivia Chili in 1960, the country has made an effort to bring codes up to new earthquake standards. That quake was the largest earthquake since 1900.

By: Dan Wilson

Here is a list of the largest earthquakes by magnitude:





Rank Date Location Magnitude
1 May 22, 1960 Valdivia, Chile 9.5
2 December 26, 2004 Off west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia 9.3
3 March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA 9.2
4 November 4, 1952 Kamchatka, USSR 9.0
5 January 26, 1700 Cascadia subduction zone, Canada and USA 9.0 *
6 November 25, 1833 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.8–9.2
7 February 27, 2010 Maule, Chile 8.8
8 January 31, 1906 Ecuador–Colombia 8.8
9 February 4, 1965 Rat Islands, Alaska, USA 8.7
10 November 1, 1755 Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal 8.7 *
11 March 28, 2005 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.6–8.7 1
12 March 9, 1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA 8.6
13 December 16, 1920 Ningxia–Gansu, China 8.6
14 August 15, 1950 Assam, India – Tibet, China 8.6
15 October 27, 1969 Bosnia and Hercegovina – Banja luka 8.5
16 December 16, 1575 Valdivia, Kingdom of Chile 8.5
17 September 12, 2007 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.5
18 October 16, 1737 Kamchatka, Russian Empire 8.3


http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=20100227...re_rankings.htm

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif.

As residents dig out, mayor seeks federal help for mudslide clean-up
February 07, 2010 20:48 EST

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (AP) -- Volunteers armed with shovels helped residents of one Southern California neighborhood dig out from the weekend's destructive mudslides.

Forty-three homes in the La Canada Flintridge area were damaged and 500 more evacuated yesterday after rain-triggered mudslides swept through the area. Residents returned home today to survey the damage.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the area, saying the mud needs to be removed as quickly as possible. More rain is in Tuesday's forecast.

The mayor of La Canada Flintridge says the federal government should pay to help remove the mud that flowed down from federal land. She adds the city has received no assurances of help from federal authorities.

[url="http://www.wgme.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/20d97423-www.wgme.com.shtml"]source[/url]

news updates on the aftermath of a 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti.

(CNN) -- Tuesday, January 19

11:05 a.m. -- As of Monday, charities had raised more than $210 million in donations for Haiti earthquake relief, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a newspaper covering nonprofit organizations. The estimate is based on a survey of 25 charities contributing the largest amounts of money to Haiti. How you can help

10:23 a.m. -- Several helicopters from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division landed Tuesday on the grounds of the ruined presidential palace in Port-au-Prince. It was not immediately clear what their mission was.

Share your earthquake stories
Gallery: Relief efforts focus on water, food, medicine
Gallery: Devastation from Haiti earthquake
RELATED TOPICS

* Haiti
* Earthquakes
* Port-au-Prince

9:58 a.m. -- A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck off the coast of the Cayman Islands, 600 miles west of Haiti, on Tuesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. There were reports of weak to light shaking on Grand Cayman Island, according to the USGS.

9:50 a.m. -- About 50 Haitian orphans, including infants, arrived Tuesday at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, airport and will be taken to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where adoptive parents are expected to greet them. The children were accompanied on the flight by Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, several doctors and a few members of Congress. Read more

9:20 a.m. -- Haiti's fledgling tourism industry was showing glimmers of promise before the earthquake struck. Story

7:36 a.m. -- The American Red Cross and UNICEF's United States Fund raised about $7.3 million in donations from 8 p.m. to midnight, while "Haiti: How You Can Help," a special "Larry King Live," aired on CNN.

7:13 a.m. -- Nearly 500,000 people have encamped in a tent city in the Champs de Mars square in downtown Port-au-Prince, the largest of numerous tent cities scattered throughout the ruined city.

iReport.com: Looking for loved ones

6:02 a.m. -- About 50 orphans who survived last week's earthquake are expected to arrive in Pennsylvania aboard a military transport plane at 9 a.m. ET. In Florida, where evacuees have been ferried in since Saturday, more flights from Haiti are scheduled for Tuesday. Officials at Orlando Sanford International Airport expect arrivals for the next two weeks.

Look here for news updates on the aftermath of a 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti. All times are Haiti local time, which is the same as Eastern Standard Time in the U.S. and five hours behind GMT.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/...sday/index.html

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

A POWERFUL PACIFIC STORM WILL MOVE ONTO THE COAST TODAY. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE THIS MORNING. WINDS WILL PEAK AROUND MIDDAY AND THEN BEGIN TO SUBSIDE BY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED NEAR THE COAST... PARTICULARLY COASTAL AREAS SOUTH OF SAN FRANCISCO. ...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON... A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON. * TIMING: SOUTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS MORNING. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED FROM THIS MORNING AND THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. * WINDS: SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH. * IMPACTS: WINDS THIS STRONG CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE. DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES MAY RESULT IN POWER OUTAGES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE. &&

Area: SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULA COAST-NORTHERN MONTEREY BAY-SOUTHERN MONTEREY BAY AND BIG SUR COAST-

Affected Counties or parts of: San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Marin, Monterey, Contra Costa, Napa, San Benito, Sonoma, Santa Clara, Alameda

Sent: 2010-01-18T04:52:27-08:00

Original Sender: KMTR@nwws.oes.ca.gov

From: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA