Disaster Girl's - The Disaster Caster

The Growing Ebola Crisis

2014-10-10T00:00:00.003-04:00

WHAT'S HAPPENED THUS FAR

The Ebola Crisis began in late December of 2013 in Guinea, and later spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal. [New England Journal of Medicine] It has since spread to Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. [WHO]
Patient Zero (the first to contract this version of Ebola) is thought to be a 2 year old boy who contracted the disease in early December of 2013, in an area of Guinea that also borders Sierra Leone and Liberia. [NY TIMES]
As per the CDC, Ebola symptoms manifest between two and twenty-one days after exposure, with the average being eight to ten days. The symptoms include: Fever, Severe Headache, Muscle Pain, Weakness, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Abdominal Pain, and Unexplained Bleeding and Bruising. [CDC] What seems to be special about how Ebola kills is that the virus doesn't kill you, your immune system going into full attack mode actually does. [NPR]
Recent calculations have shown that the disease could infect over a million people by January, if more effort isn't put into fighting it. [CDC/USA Today] Calculations just a month prior by the World Health Organization (WHO) were at 20,000, which shows how much can change with the disease in a small amount of time. [Washington Post]
Early in August of 2014 WHO declared Ebola an international health emergency [BBC], also citing that the disease was spreading too quickly and a greater effort would be needed to fight the spread of the highly contagious disease. [BBC] The CDC raised the Ebola crisis to its highest level emergency (Level 1) in early August of 2014, calling for 'all hands on deck' in West Africa. [AFP] Upon inspection in late August, the CDC also admitted the infection and spread was far worse than it appeared, and that a global effort would be needed to stop it. [AJC]
Genetic studies over the course of the crisis have shown that the virus is mutating rapidly, in most cases at twice the rate of animal infections, which could hinder efforts in trying to develop a vaccine for the disease. [Reuters] Five of the papers co-authors, which was published in Late August of 2014, have already died from the disease. Since the outbreak began Ebola has killed over 120 health workers in Africa. [USA Today]
As reported in Late September of 2014, the death toll sat around 3,000. [NY TIMES/WHO] [Huff Post] By October 10th, it had risen to over 4,000. [ABC] In one months time the death toll has practically doubled- on August 27th it sat just above 1,700. [CBS]
While the disease comes from bats, other animals (such as pigs) appear to be carriers for the disease as well. Dogs in Liberia who had eaten the corpses of Ebola victims appeared asymptomatic, and could possibly be transferred to humans if they receive a bite and/or lick from an infected animal. [CBS]
To date two Americans had been infected in Africa and were flown back to the US for isolation treatment. [CNN] The first survivor was given an experimental drug to cure the disease, and recovered. The second infected American had also been receiving treatment, including blood transfusions from the first survivor, and was released on September 25th 2014. [CNN] [ABC] A third American patient is believed to have contracted the disease sometime in September, although the patient information has yet to be released yet. [Washington Post]
In Late August the National Institute of Health and GlaxoSmithKline announced that they were beginning human trials on an Ebola vaccine, while they remain hopeful this has not been the first Ebola vaccine to make it to human trials. [NPR] Thousands of experimental Ebola vaccines are expected to become available in the coming months. [Huff Post] Out of desperation in September of 2014, a Liberian doctor began giving some Ebola infected patients an HIV drug, which although not in a controlled study setting, seemed to bring the mortality rate of the disease from 90% down to a small 7%. [CNN]
In 2012, there was a study published that warned the spread of Ebola could be airborne. In a study that housed infected pigs and uninfected monkey's, keeping them in the same room but never allow any physical contact, all monkey's had become infected with the virus within eight days time. [BBC] In 2013 scientist announced that they believed they had found a protein that inhibited the growth of Ebola on a cellular level. [Sci-News]
Although there are many efforts being undertaken to stop the spread of the disease and help the infected, the epidemic continues to worsen as of late September 2014. [NY Times]
The CDC confirmed their first case (diagnosed) within country borders on September 30th, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. [Fox] Since they confirmed that someone in the US tested positive for Ebola they have also stated that as many as 100 people may have been exposed to the deadly virus since US Patient Zero's arrival in the country. [Reuters] Patient Zero's family has also been quarantined since the diagnosis. [US Today] On October 8th, 2014, US Patient Zero - Thomas Eric Duncan, became the first US casualty of the disease and his body was cremated. [NBC] His family, some quarantined and some isolated, still have not shown signs or symptoms of the disease to date. [The Star] A police officer who may have had contact with Duncan is being monitored, although tests show he did not contracted the disease. [NBC] [ABC]
Since the first US patient was diagnosed with Ebola, there have been two incidents on US airlines. On October 5th, Newark International Airport in New Jersey had to quarantine a flight when a passenger who was traveling with his daughter began vomiting on board. The passenger was later cleared, testing negative for the disease. [Gothamist] On October 8th, a passenger joked about having Ebola on a US Airways flight to the Dominican Republic, causing the plane to be isolated on the tarmac until a Hazmat team could clear the situation. [USA TODAY] Since the scares US airlines and airports across America have begun taking extra precautions. [Wired] [Yahoo] [Washington Post]

MAPPING THE CRISIS

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

Face-to-Face with Ebola - Personal Story

Ebola Virus Epidemic - WIKI

Survival & Disaster Kit Recommendations - Fire Starting Supplies & Techiniques

2014-09-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Disaster Girl's Kit Recommendations

Bonus items you should add on top of items listed in previous survival kit article.

FIRE STARTING SUPPLIES & TECHNIQUES

WIND & WATERPROOF MATCHES

Retail Value: $7.00 + S&H

MAGNESIUM FIRE STARTER

Retail Value: $6.16 + S&H

UST's Trekker Stormproof Lighter

Retail Value: $28.73 + S&H

But.. What if I don't have any of those things available?

xoxo disaster girl

Abandoned by the World - Apocalypse Now Photo Series - Part 5

2014-08-30T00:00:00.002-04:00

Apocalypse Now

Previous Segments of the Apocalypse Now Photo Series

[ Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 ].

About a year ago I discovered Reddit and as any good Redditor will tell you- I've lost so much time because of it. So much time, gone. The wealth of information on reddit is incredible, and the daunting need to see it all is virtually insatiable. I am constantly finding new favorites on the site, but my two favorites will always be r/ShowerThoughts and r/AbandonedPorn. Before I found r/AbandonedPorn I used to have to scour the interwebs for new pictures for this photo series, but now.. I'm drowning in them. Now Reddit has this thing about Buzzfeed always stealing their content for articles (I've seen the picture, Buzzfeed.) so I've decided to fully admit my 'borrowing'. These photos ( & the forum itself) are amazing, and need to be seen by the world. For those of you who haven't visited reddit yet.. I'm sorry. You'll understand later.

So once again let's look at some more abandoned places of the world, some near and some far but all equally as breathtaking. If you have an abandoned place in your area, or know of a cool location please feel free to submit via the contact tab above. Below are five more places that the world has forgotten but r/AbandonedPorn has found, some recent- some very old. You can look for Part 6 of the Apocalypse Now Photo Series in early fall of this year.

Abandoned Mine in the Ural Mountains, Russia

Reddit Thread in r/AbandonedPorn

Deserted Movie Set in Alabama used to film 'Big Fish'

Reddit Thread on r/AbandonedPorn

The skeletal remains of a sugar barrons grand mansion, torched during WWII in the Philippines.

Reddit Thread on r/AbandonedPorn

Blue Spiral Staircase - Abandoned European Castle - Location Unknown

Reddit Thread on r/AbandonedPorn

The Haunted Miranda Castle in Belgium

Reddit Thread on r/AbandonedPorn

xoxo disaster girl
u/disaster_girl

Atlantic Tropical Update - Post Tropical Cyclone Cristobal - 8/29 9PM

2014-08-24T15:31:00.000-04:00

Post-Tropical Cyclone Cristobal

Hurricane Cristobal - Cat 1

Max Ssd.Winds: 75 MPH ↓

Moving: NE at 44 MPH ↓

Min Pressure: 980 MB ↑

Overview: FINAL ADVISORY

Last Updated: 8/29/14 9 PM

CURRENT STORM WATCHES & WARNINGS ISSUED:

NONE CURRENTLY ACTIVE

xoxo disaster girl

The Digital Archaeologists of the Future

2014-08-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

THE DIGITAL ARCHAEOLOGISTS OF THE FUTURE

New technology is unveiled everyday and because of this old technology eventually becomes a thing of the past. With the release of Google Glass and smart watches it is becoming increasingly apparent that one day we will use the internet in a very different way than we do today. What ever that internet is will likely be entirely different from its current form, and far beyond what we can currently dream. People born between the 1970's and 1990's (more notably the late 80's babies) will eventually be known as the Children of the Internet, because they grew up while it grew up. Today's children, while completely able to use the internet in extraordinary ways, never grew up learning the framework behind at all- after all it was already here when they arrived. Eighties babies were forced to learn basic HTML coding skills to do much of the 'fun' things in the earlier days of the internet. AOL pages and profiles birthed html coded AIM designs, which eventually birthed the intense HTML coding of MySpace, Xanga, LiveJournal (or its alter-ego DeadJournal). If you told a ten year old in 2000 that their AOL page could be pink with white text, that their images could scroll and flash, that music could be playing in the background- they wouldn't click different features in an app to set it up, they would code it. Coding became a staple in growing up in the late 90's and early 21st century, but eventually it was lost to easier usage and a commercially wider user base. Nowadays the web does the work for you but the Children of the Internet will always have this ability embedded deep in them, and when the need is gone and human coding becomes obsolete- they will be the few that remember.

If you would have said to me when I was 5 years old and got my first computer that in a couple of years I'd be writing jumbled text into a window and it would create my own personal work of web art- I probably would have asked if you meant drawing it in Paint. I was naive, but my foot was already in the door. I fell in love with code- it was simple yet complex, it was obvious but elusive. With the stroke of a key; text was here and then it was there- shining brilliantly in various interchangeable colors as it streaked across my screen. It was the first time I was introduced to idea of personal customization and it was fantastic. Eventually though all those things faded away and those features were replaced, but I never stopped. I still write code as often as I can nowadays even though it's viewed as "doing things the hard way, and for no good reason"- and it truly saddens me to think of a day when there is no more coding. Like when our TV's recently transitioned to all digital- a day will come when we aren't able to code anymore. A drop down list will replace my coding and customization freedom forever.

The 80's babies watched the internet grow, watched it morph into something that dreams are made of. I once asked an older friend what they did before the internet came out in 1991, and she said they had door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. You can't change the color and font on that, and you certainly can't target search for relevant information either. I was lucky because when I grew up the internet grew up. Suddenly a computer wasn't just a machine anymore- it was a way of life. If I had a question, it had an answer. If I had a problem, there was always a solution. If I needed to find the unfindable, all I had to do was dig a little harder. Eventually though the internet would out grow me; changing into more than one person could ever have asked or hoped for. It would also become things that than none of us ever really wanted, but even in its darkest times the light of the magic behind it all shined bright.

Once you have a basic gist of coding you can understand and manipulate its usage, and I had been doing that since day one. There comes a time in each 'coders' life that you start to realize that every backdoor leads you to more information and more know-how; so the idea of stopping becomes unfathomable. The internet, at its base, is an open source of information available to everyone- to change, add, remove, control, and command. Nowadays, much like what coding has changed to, these abilities are a whole lot easier than they used to be. One day in the future though, it will all be a thing of the past. Much like a historian analyzes both old and new history, people will work in fields that document and analyze every aspect of the early internet and how it once worked. For that reason the Children of the Internet are likely already at the top of a career platform that doesn't even exist yet. Below are the Children of the Internet's tools, and what became the tools of the modern day Digital Archaeologist.

TOOLS OF THE DIGITAL ARCHAEOLOGIST

Targeted Searches: The Digital Archaeologist can immediately recognize that you're not well-versed by watching your web searches. Typical people, ones without the understanding of the inner workings of the internet, simply type a word when they're searching for something. When you understand how the machine works you can use much narrower boundaries when on an internet hunt. The use of coding will allow you to find things lost long ago. There is nothing that Google can't answer, and in fact the search engine has only disappointed me on one occasion- after which I submitted the answer to the internet for further documentation. If you can't find something you know exists on the internet, I'm sorry to say you're not using it right. Here's an overview of what you can really do with Google.
The WayBack Machine: Very few things actually disappear from the internet even when they are deleted by the owner/hoster. The WayBack Machine has been working tirelessly since 1996 to make sure of that, and their archive is quite extensive. Even The Disaster Caster hasn't escaped the endless archiving, and if you search for it you can see all the website changes over the last four years. Want to know what The Huffington Post looked like at its inception? Or how about WhiteHouse.gov? Just type in the web address, and you are transported back in time to an older version of any website of your choosing. It really is that simple, and it has proved to be a truly irreplaceable tool in recent years. Click here for a look at the history of The Disaster Caster.
Digital Fingerprints: The internet is stealing bits of information from you but you probably already knew that. The constant IP tracking can be traced back to you, the geolocation tools embedded throughout most websites can find where you are, and the bouncing of messages and calls off of your cellphone can determine your location within a few hundred feet. With newer technology like that deployed in Camden NJ in recent years- the police state of tomorrow has already arrived. It's just not "Out, loud & proud" yet. Governments aren't the only ones who have these types of technologies or know-hows to get information from you. Hackers can use viruses and back-end log ins to trace your every keystroke and location. Your personal information, bit by bit, travels to places you couldn't possibly even fathom. Open that email and a hacker in Western Europe can shadow your PC, granting them access to everything you'd probably thought you were keeping quiet. Click here to read more about your Digital Fingerprint.
Reverse Image Searching: The use of this always starts out with the most mundane of intentions, you find an image and you need it in another size so you click a simple link that says "Other sizes". Within a half a second Google has taken the direct image URL and has cross referenced it with millions of other images. If that image exists anywhere else on the internet you will find it. Worried about that picture you sent someone making its round on r/gonewild? Search it. Worried that the person you met online might be lying about who they are? Search it. Want to see if someone is stealing your pictures and using them for their own purposes? If it exists Google will find it, you just have to know how to look. For more information on this tool, please click here.
Social Networking: The rise of social networking birthed a far worse habit in humanity; over sharing. Social networking at times can account for the majority of information available about you on the internet. It also accounts for everything you can find about everyone else. You would be surprised what information you can find when you really start digging. That petition you signed? Found. The old photo bucket album from your less than admirable high school days? Check. Any accounts associated with your telephone number? Cake. Mixed in with the incessant need to tell all your facebook friends every single detail of your life, as it plays out in real time, there is a recipe for situations you could not imagine. So if your security question on your accounts is your favorite football team, you probably shouldn't be tweeting about them every five minutes. *Ahem* Click here to find out how much information is too much.
Exif Data: This is the information buried inside each photo you've ever taken. This information can tell you what camera was used, when the photos were exactly taken, which settings were used, and whether the file has been changed or altered in anyway. While seldomly useful, it still proves handy to have in a various slew of situations. Click here to get better acquainted with this type of data.
Back-End Hacking: The majority of the internet you deal with on a daily basis is just the front end of it. When you start to think about the actual framework behind its operational functions, you reach the backend. Hackers exploit this often through coding, sliding their way through the public access wormhole. With the death of websites and the birth of Web Applications, this doorway becomes more and more apparent as developers and security professionals fail to forge an active partnership to stop it. Click here to read: I Don't Speak Your Language: Frontend VS. Backend.
Freedom of Information / Public Records: The wealth of personal information available on pay per use websites is astronomical. From background checks and arrest records, to addresses and known associates- the information is endless. Any blanks left after scouring the list above usually are completed using this step. Whether by the use of companies that gather the individual information for you for a fee, or whether you're requesting and digging for the information yourself- if it ever exists in public records you will find it on the internet. Click here for one of the many Public Records tools available.

It is with with a 'heavy' heart that I give out this information, and in all honesty this took me several months to actually sit down and write. In the wrong hands, this information could be disastrous or it could be enlightening. Listed above are the tools to lift the veil, to find the truth, and to expose a more accurate but often times less picturesque reality. Its possibilities are endless. No where listed in there though is how you should deal with the knowledge you may find; as the age old saying goes "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis a folly to be wise." I can not tell you how to deal with those feelings, and even though I can deal with them it's still a mystery to me as to exactly how I'm doing so.

Use Wisely.

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for Curious
WIKI - Digital Archaeology
WIKI - The History of the Internet
WIKI - The First Websites of the Internet
The Way Way Back Machine - The Internet Archive
The Digital Archaeology Project
The Invention of the Internet

Hawaiian Tropical Update - Hurricane Iselle & Hurricane Julio- 8/9 11PM

2014-08-03T15:43:00.000-04:00

HAWAIIAN THREATS

Hurricane Julio

Hurricane Julio - Category 2

Max Ssd.Winds: 100 MPH ↓

Moving: WNW at 16 MPH -

Overview: LAST UPDATE -

Last Updated: 8/9/14 - 11 PM

CURRENT STORM WATCHES & WARNINGS ISSUED:

NO WARNINGS CURRENTLY ACTIVE

Post Tropical Storm Iselle

Post Tropical Storm Iselle

Max Ssd.Winds: 35 MPH ↓

Moving: West at 14 MPH ↓

Overview: LAST UPDATE - - -

Last Updated: 8/9/14 - 11 PM

CURRENT STORM WATCHES & WARNINGS ISSUED:

ALL WARNINGS NOW DISCONTINUED.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Post Tropical Storm Bertha

Post Tropical Storm Bertha

Max Ssd.Winds: 50 MPH -

Moving: NE at 31 MPH ↑

Min Pressure: 1006 MB ↓

Overview: Now Extratropical

Last Updated: 8/6/14 - 2 PM

Hurricane Bertha is not currently forecasted to have any US land impacts. Rough waters off the Eastern US seaboard will be expected this week. Bertha strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane between 8/3 & 8/4 2014. As of 8/6 Bertha was categorized as a post tropical storm and was moving out to sea. 8/6 2PM will be the last update for this storm.

xoxo disaster girl

Disaster Kit Recommendations - Deep Breaths & Don't Forgets

2014-07-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Disaster Girl's Disaster Recommendations
Deep Breaths & Don't Forgets

For more please see: previous disaster kit articles.

There are so many things to be thought of during moments of disaster, and often times you don't have much time to think about what to do. In situations where you can look back and obviously see that seconds were a deciding factor in a time of crisis, it's helpful to put the effort in before something actually does happen. The world's militaries, schools, and business do it- and you should really conduct drills and practice runs before a disaster too. Here's a list of things commonly forgotten during disaster and times of crisis:

DEEP BREATH

I'll keep this one short because you're probably tired of hearing it, but you really do need to stay calm. Someone panicking and screaming at the top of their lungs in an erratic manner while crying, flailing, and generally acting like a temper tantrum prone child never helped anyone, ever. You can practice this in your everyday life. While it seems minuscule learning to control your actions in mini 'disasters' whether it be someone getting injured unexpectedly or roadside flat in the middle of a thunderstorm it will begin to condition your brain into going into 'fight' mode rather than 'flight' mode. It will help you make better decisions, and think more clearly in situations it can difficult to think in.

FILL BATHTUBS & OTHER CONTAINERS

This is useful in most disaster situations. A bathtub can hold a lot of water which can be used for various things in the event that the water does go off. You can flush a toilet with no power, as long as you have water. If the water goes out for a week a family of three will need around 65 gallons of water just for drinking. Fill everything you can fill, and use the water purification methods listed here for drinking water.

SHUTTING OFF UTILITIES

Sure, we'd all like to ride through a hurricane with the TV on, while making some food on the stove with plans of a hot shower in the mix. While doing all three may seem 'moronic' its fairly common for people to do at least one or two of these things during a disaster. In disaster situations that have slow escalations (I.E. hurricane with a week heads up, severe storms, blizzards) and even ones that happen abruptly (I.E. earthquakes, mudslides, etc) it is important to shut your water, electricity, and gas off- especially when evacuating. While these utilities are pretty safe on their own, mixed with a disaster they can cause more problems than the conveniences they offer.

MONEY & BARTERING

If the power goes out, the credit card machines do too. And if the apocalypse ever does end up happening, having extras of things people may need will be quite handy. You need to have money (preferably in smaller bills & different forms- you don't want to end up paying fifty bucks or a whole gold coin for a loaf of bread), lots of change/coins, and stuff that you're able to barter with (several small bottles of high grade alcohol come to mind). Also, never keep everything together- if you get robbed or even lose something you don't want to lose it all at once.

EXTRA UNDERWEAR

Do I need to go into detail about why this may be useful? You answered 'No.' right?
But I'd be willing to wager that you didn't have any in your disaster kit.

IMPORTANT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Extended family members names, addresses, phone numbers- laminated on a card is incredibly useful. You should have your immediate family's birth certificates, social security cards, IDs, list of credit cards, the deed to the house, your will, any court agreements, all of your car information, and really anything of great importance in a waterproof envelop as well. Primary physicians info, lists of health problems and/or medications taken are also great adds.

THE USEFULNESS OF A PORTABLE TOILET

Luggable Loo
$28.95

Because, when it comes down to it- no one wants to use the bushes.

A GOOD PAIR OF BROKEN IN SHOES

For all the miles you may have to walk. If your car tire gets a flat. If you can't get to the highway because the traffic is at a standstill. For the moments all you can do is run, and just keep running. Oh dear, I sound like a Nike commercial. Those shoes may be the only ones you have for a while so choose wisely. I'm inclined to recommend a skating sneaker brand, as they are so heavily padded.

DISPOSABLE WATERPROOF CAMERAS

The power may go out and your phone battery may die, and in the aftermath of a disaster a digital camera may not be as handy as you would like it to be. You should always have at least one disposable waterproof camera in your disaster kit. You may need to take pictures of the damage afterwards of your house, car, street, etc for insurance and documentation purposes.

COMMUNICATION / SAFE & WELL LIST

If you have internet access after a disaster you can report that you're safe to the American Red Cross Safe & Well List. Alternatively you should also have one extended family member who doesn't live in your geographical region act as a outlet for notifying the rest of the family of your well being. Always remember that during a disaster you will have better luck sending out a text message rather than making a phone call.

_________________________________________________________________________

* * * * *

I'm totally starting to get why so many 'Preppers' devote entire basements, and in some cases even separate houses to storing all this stuff. The list of what you may need is really never ending, with new tools being made or discovered daily. It's the 'hobby' that keeps on giving.

xoxo disaster girl

Atlantic Tropical Update - Hurricane Arthur - 7/4 11PM Update

2014-07-01T13:00:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Arthur

Hurricane Arthur - Cat 1

Max Ssd.Winds: 80 MPH -

Moving: NE at 28 MPH ↑

Min Pressure: 976 MB ↓

Overview: Holding Strong -

Last Updated: 7/4/14 11PM

Tropical Storm Arthur formed in the last couple of days just off the coast of the Eastern coast of Florida. Arthur is currently forecasted to continue up the Eastern of the US and the current five day models show it strengthening to hurricane intensity between Thursday July 3rd and Friday July 4th. Tropical Storm Arthur strengthened to a category one hurricane late Wednesday night. Hurricane Arthur is expected to make a second landfall in Canada. This information will be updated as all necessary information comes in.

CURRENT STORM WATCHES & WARNINGS ISSUED:

NO WARNINGS CURRENTLY ACTIVE

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

( ACTIVE / DISCONTINUED )

7/2 - Tropical Storm Watches Issued in Florida from Flagler Beach to Port St Lucie
7/2 - Red flags were flown in several States today (Florida, Georgia), other states that will likely be flying red rip current flags will likely be South Carolina, North Carolina, and parts of Virgina in the coming days.
7/2 - Dare County, North Carolina - State of Emergency Declared

7/2 - Hattara's Island, North Carolina - Mandatory Evacuation Starting at 5AM on July 3rd

7/2 - Hyde County, North Carolina - Voluntary Evacuation Orders Issued

7/3 - Pender County, North Carolina - State of Emergency Declared
7/3 - Hurricane Watches Issued for Coastal/Island areas in Massachusetts
7/3 - Several tornado warnings have been issued and continue to be issued
7/3 - Hurricane Arthur made landfall at 11:15 PM at Cape Lookout and Beaufort North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane with wind speeds of 100 MPH.
7/4 - Hurricane Arthur moves away from the North Carolina coast, the next area it is expected to directly affect is coastal Rhode Island and Massachusetts areas before moving on to Canada.
7/4 - All warnings/watches cancelled for North Carolina. Beaches Reopen, damage minimal, no casualties reported.

xoxo disaster girl

Interesting Videos: Scientists tell Congress Intelligent Life is Out There

2014-06-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

Scientists to Congress: Alien Exist!

"Congress decided to spend some time figuring out whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe, and they learned that yes, it does. Two top astronomers, Dan Werthimer from the University of California and Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute, testified before congress there is a near 100 percent certainty aliens exist. Intelligent life existing in Congress, however, is less likely." - RT America

xoxo disaster girl

Worldwide Weather Modification Projects

2014-06-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

KNOWN WEATHER MODIFICATION PROJECTS

Inactive & Active

Project Cirrus - USA - 1947-Unknown - The first hurricane modification project was run jointly by G.E., Army Signal Corp, US Air Force, and the Office of Naval Research on a hurricane that had been heading out to sea. The experiment involved dropping 180 pounds of dry ice by airplane into the rain bands of the hurricane, in an effort to weaken the system. The storm changed directions and ended up hitting Savannah Georgia, public outcry and several lawsuits forced the cancellation of the program shortly after.

Project Cumulus - EUROPE - 1949-1952 - A weather modification project run by the UK Government, possibly with the help of the Royal Air Force. In an Air Ministry meeting they highlighted what motivated them into pursuing weather modification with the following: 1. Hindering the enemy. 2. Changing rivers to their advantage during conflicts. 3. Clearing fog from airfields. The 1952 Lynmouth flood is thought to be one of the reasons for its closure.

National Hurricane Research Project - USA - 1955-1964 - What started out as a project that conducted more weather research and measurements rather than experimentation and modification, during the early 60s the NHRP was involved with Project Stormfury. They helped seed at least one hurricane in 1963, and shortly thereafter changed names. (Renamed Project Next).

National Hurricane Research Laboratory (Renamed Project) - USA - 1964-Present - While the NHRL boasts a mission of only studying hurricanes to make better forecasts, it was involved with several weather modification projects over the years. Most of the people who worked on weather modification programs in it's previous forms were sent to other agencies after Project Stormfury was cancelled. In recent years they have conducted flights through hurricanes, although it is not known if they seeded the hurricanes as well.

Project BATON - USA - 1962-1971 - Working jointly with Project Stormfury, this division handled the science behind thunderstorms and modification of thunderstorms by releasing condensation chemicals and than dry ice to form ice crystals within the clouds in an effort to both study and modify them.

Project Stormfury - USA - 1962-1983 - A tropical cyclone modification operation conducted on storms by releasing silver iodide by cloud seeding methods. The hypothesis was later deemed incorrect as they found there wasn't enough supercooled water in a tropical storm for the silver iodide to attach to. It is however credited with providing valuable research data into hurricane tracking and forecasting.

Project Skywater - USA - 1961-1988 - A cloud seeding operation aimed at increasing rainfall in the southwestern United States when needed, during summer/low rainfall times and also used in winter months to increase snow pack. This project also had several sub-projects all across the continental United States.

Operation Popeye - ASIA - 1967-1972 - This was the first well known example of weather modification being used for warfare purposes. During the end years of Vietnam War, this project was tasked with prolonging the East Asian monsoon season in the Gulf of Tonkin area, for the benefit of the U.S. . There is argument over which U.S. leaders were responsible for the ordering of the projects, although very little argument over whether the project actually took place or not.

Beijing Weather Modification Office - CHINA - 1995-2008 ( - Present?) - Part of China's nationwide weather control programs, this office controls the weather around Beijing and other outlying areas. It is heavily thought that this office uses rainfall to 'wash the air' of pollutants in the heavily polluted city of Beijing. The projects are mostly aimed at creating rainfall and preventing hail. The agency also managed the weather during the 2008 Summer Olympics.

2008 Sum mer Olympics - CHINA - 2008 - The Beijing Weather Modification office boasted that it had kept the weather clear during the 2008 Olympics by strategically seeding clouds headed in the events location- causing the rain to drop before the clouds actually reached the location. While there is much argument as to whether their methods were successful or not, there is consensus on the fact that they did in fact try.

Weather Modification, Inc. - WORLDWIDE - 2010-Present - This is pretty much self explanatory, so check it out. This business sells cloud seeding services all over the world and lists twenty countries as regulars. Notable US clientele includes: U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Hurricane Center, and the Naval Service Warfare Center.

As well as many, many other ongoing projects worldwide.

Mother Nature or Big Brother?

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious
How Cloud Seeding Works
WIKI Weather Modification

Controlling the Weather & H.A.A.R.P.

2014-06-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

PAST/PRESENT DAY SCENARIO #1: The beginning markers of a strong tornado appear on radar at the National Weather Service headquarters just after 6PM on a dull Tuesday night. The storm quickly intensifies into a devastating EF-5 tornado as it heads out of Topeka, KA making a beeline for Kansas City, Missouri. In the room people are working tirelessly to update local weather stations and issue warnings for all of the surrounding areas. Seconds are not spared as every single one counts in ways these meteorologists are all too familiar with. The average door takes approximately 1.5 seconds to close, and that door could very well be on a storm shelter located in the heart tornado alley. In the aftermath of the EF-5 tornado, hundreds are killed and a NWS meteorologist is left racking his brain on whether a coffee spill just before the storm touched down was a distinguishing factor in loss of life.

PRESENT/NEAR FUTURE SCENARIO #2: Early in the week National Weather Service models start forecasting a midweek uptick in storms surrounding the Kansas area due to a cold and warm front colliding. The National Weather Service calls its lead agency the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( or NOAA for short) to notify them of the models and ask to submit a formal request for atmospheric intervention in the area. After review NOAA approves such intervention and the missions are sent to the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP for short) in Alaska and local cloud seeding companies just to the West of the areas of interest. Once the first markers favoring tornadic development come up on screen at the NWS headquarters, all programs are initiated. Within minutes rockets carrying silver iodide, a chemical now commonly used in weather modification programs, shoot up into the sky and disperse into clouds of interest. H.A.A.R.P. has already begun injecting negative energy into the area, hoping to break apart the thick plasma in the ionosphere directly above the borders in question. Thursday morning all missions are discontinued after forecast models indicate that Kansas is no longer an interest. No severe storms occur.

At least that's what we hope they are trying to do..

Wake up. 99% of the stuff listed the Present/Future Scenario listed above are already factual. Cloud seeding has been around since the late 40's, H.A.A.R.P.'s been injecting energy into the atmosphere for the last twenty years or so, NOAA does get all final decisions on weather modification projects, and a coffee spill probably indirectly caused a death or two somewhere.

Every day all over the world weather modification projects are used to increase rain to prevent drought, get rid of foggy conditions at airports, clear the air in heavily polluted areas, prevent hail from raining down, and cherry-picking rain locations. And that's just the stuff that's widely known about. I mean come on, when was the last time a government project aimed at controlling things actually stayed completely on task? And do we honestly believe they've been doing the same experiments for over 60 years? These are questions that answer themselves when you think about other projects that the government has worked on in recent years. The answer is error-proof when you consider the fact that H.A.A.R.P.'s main focus has always been radio communications and surveillance. Yea, it's probably completely harmless project- not aimed at control at all. Except wait, they actually admitted it.

See Below

...............

H.A.A.R.P is old news though. The program has been active for over twenty years, but only publicly known and widely discussed in recent years. Government Agencies have been experimenting with weather modification for much longer than that. Weather intervention techniques are deployed daily all over the world.

So why write about this now? Well, after 20+ years the H.A.A.R.P. facility will be closing its doors sometime later this summer. Sounds like a good thing right? Well, maybe not so much. Did you happen to catch that bit in the video above about the program being successful and them moving on?

Because success means what they were trying to do worked, and moving on from a successful endeavor usually means upping the ante and working on something bigger. More successful ways of controlling radio waves. More successful ways of conducting surveillance. And most likely more effective ways of controlling the ionosphere. (Ironically in the last ten years more and more studies have come out that link the ionosphere to both Earth & Space weather- something that science has always thought to be incorrect.)

Whether or not H.A.A.R.P. does have weather controlling capabilities, whether the documents seized from Tesla about weather control fall into play here, whether the chemtrail/contrail conspiracies are as innocent as the government would like you to believe- none of it matters. Don't get stuck in the conspiracies riddled with speculation, just stick to the facts. Weather modification is a very real service all over the world. As the video stated above said, H.A.A.R.P. does inject energy into the ionosphere. There are planes flying through the air injecting chemicals into the clouds. And as you saw on that map & list- they're doing it all over the world. But yea, it's totally harmless and you shouldn't be the slightest bit worried about what the next step will be.

Riiight.

xoxo disaster girl

DISTANT FUTURE SCENARIO #3: War is replaced with weather control. When boots hit the ground in territories they aren't supposed to be in blizzards, tropical storms, and tornadoes are used to deter enemy action. Weather has changed from Mother Nature to Big Brother, and every time it rains someone asks 'Who dun it?' The people of the world quickly discover that when you can't truly figure out who caused what- everyone becomes the enemy. Eventually Earth starts to feel the effects of the constant and ill-purposed weather fluctuations and probably has a hissy fit.

P.F.S. Links for the Curious
WIKI - High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program
Study: Earth and Space Weather Connected
WIKI - Beijing Weather Modification Office
HOW STUFF WORKS - Cloud Seeding
WIKI - Cloud Seeding
WIKI - Weather Modification

5 More Abandoned by the World - Apocalypse Now Photo Series - Part 4

2014-06-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Apocalypse Now

I was having so much 'fun' finding places that I got a little ahead of myself with this series and decided to continue it way earlier than expected, for the previous parts to the Apocalypse Now Photo Series please visit the following links [ Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 ]. The ruins of yesteryear exist everywhere in the world, and sometimes they're even in your own backyard. If you have an abandoned place in your area, or know of a cool one please feel free to submit via the contact tab above. Below are five more places that the world has forgotten about, some recent- some very old. You can look for Part 5 of the Apocalypse Now Photo Series in late summer of this year.

Pollepel Island, Hudson River, New York

Pollepel Island, NY

Six Flags, New Orleans, Louisiana

Abandoned Six Flag After Hurricane Katrina

Hashima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

Hashima Island

Roll Acres Mall, Akron Ohio

Rolling Acres Mall

Ross Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Ross Island

xoxo disaster girl

Hurricane Season Begins! 2014 Storm Names & Season Outlooks / Website Changes

2014-05-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

WEBSITE CHANGE NOTE: Hurricane/Tropical Storm coverage has been moved. It now has its own tab listed in the toolbar, and will remain the first tab during hurricane season. Once hurricane season has ended 'The Latest' (other articles) will be reverted back to the first tab. All other articles can still be found under 'The Latest' at any point during the year, or by using the pull down menu located on the right sidebar of this page. Thank you.

TROPICAL OUTLOOKS &

2014 STORM SEASON OUTLOOKS

Colorado State University Tropical Outlook Report - BELOW AVERAGE

The Weather Channel Tropical Outlook Report - BELOW AVERAGE

Tropical Storm Risk 2014 Tropical Outlook Report - BELOW AVERAGE
Wunderground.com 2014 Tropical Outlook Report - BELOW AVERAGE
CPC / NWS Weekly 2014 Tropical Outlook Report - BELOW AVERAGE
N.O.A.A. / N.H.C. 2014 Tropical Outlook Report - BELOW / AVERAGE

SPECIAL NOAA NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER NOTE:

THE NHC WILL BE CHANGING THE LAYOUT OF THEIR STORM TRACKS THIS YEAR. THIS WILL
MAKE THE MAPS LOOK A WHOLE LOT MORE COMPLICATED AND WILL HIGHLIGHT EVEN SMALL
DEVELOPMENTS SO THAT 'FOLKS CAN STAY BETTER PREPARED'. BELOW IS A SAMPLE OF WHAT
THE NEW NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER'S MAPS WILL LOOK LIKE STARTING JULY OF THIS YEAR.

NEW NHC POTENTIAL STORM SURGE MAPS:

This will be a new section on the NHC's website (experimental, will be around for at least 2 years), it will be
updated just like the tracks are (every 6/12 hours, as needed) and will be found on NHC starting June 1st.

Link to NHC Statement on New Surge Maps

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

NHC's 2013 End of Year Tropical Report

American Red Cross - Disaster Preparedness Apps - On the Go Survival

2014-05-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

NEW APPS AND RESOURCES

APPS AT A GLANCE

GET YOURS TODAY THROUGH THE APP STORE OR THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE!

I personally recommend downloading the following apps: Red Cross First Aid, Red Cross Team, Red Cross Pet First Aid,

Red Cross Hurricane, Red Cross Tornado, Red Cross Flood, Red Cross Earthquake, Red Cross Wildfire.

xoxo disaster girl

Hurricane Katrina - What They Didn't Want You to See

2014-04-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

HURRICANE KATRINA

What They Didn't Want You To See

WARNING: THE PHOTOS BELOW CONTAIN GRAPHIC MATERIAL INCLUDING

BUT NOT LIMITED TO BLOOD AND GORE - VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

After the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami I realized that American media didn't really openly cover the grisly reality of Hurricane Katrina (and other US natural disaster as well). Yet ironically when a disaster strikes off of US land the 'corpse coverage' reigns in quite high in US media. Granted, Hurricane Katrina hit the US very hard and highlighting these areas tends to make FEMA and the US response to the storms toll even worse (it was already pretty bad, and they didn't need any extra icing on that 'cake'). Alas, years later the photos surfaced of the horrifying conditions that New Orleans natives had to endure is quite unsettling- and knowing that help didn't arrive for days is heartbreaking.

"I remember the riots in Watts. I remember the earthquake in San Francisco. I remember a lot of things. I have never seen anything as badly handled as this situation in New Orleans. Where the hell is the water for these people? Why can't sandwiches be dropped to those people in that Superdome down there? It's a disgrace. And don't think the world isn't watching." - James Cafferty - CNN News

[People walk by a dead body on a street in New Orleans, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2005.Thousands of area residents still remain in the besieged city but military assistance has improved and people are being evacuated by air and bus. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)]

[Members of the 82nd Airborne walk past the body of a dead man on Union in downtown New Orleans Wednesday, Sept.7, 2005. Law enforcement officials were uncertain of the cause of death. . (AP Photo/The Times, Greg Pearson)]

[Chickasaw Nation Search and Rescuer, Casey Kelley, looks on as his rescue boat makes it's way past a home with a dead body floating in the front yard in New Orleans, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Barbara Davidson)]

[Patricia Jefferson Joseph cries after viewing A dead body at left just outside the historic French Quarter in New Orleans, La., Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)]

[A blue quilt covers the body of a Hurricane Katrina flood victim underneath Interstate 10 in New Orleans on Friday, Sept. 9, 2005. (AP Photo/Ric Francis)]

[The body of a man lies less than a quarter of a mile from the French Market in New Orleans Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005. Louisiana State Police say it appeared the white male was strangled. (AP Photo/The Times, Greg Pearson)]

[A body lies on the corner of Washington Avenue and S. Carrollton Avenue Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Irwin Thompson)]

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

Cryptome's Eyeballing Katrina's Dead

The Guardian - Why did help take so long to arrive?

Disaster Kit Recommendations - Weapons Without Machinery

2014-04-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

Disaster Girl's Survival Kit Recommendations

Bonus items you should add on top of items listed in previous survival kit article.

WEAPONS WITHOUT MACHINERY

Somewhere between Breaking Bad & The Walking Dead it became apparent that perhaps the stealthiest weapons are the ones you wouldn't traditional carry. Let's face it, guns require quite a bit of maintenance compared to knives and they also make a lot of noise. Weapons that don't advertise your location will be the most useful to have in apocalyptic scenarios, and although I don't condone the use of them in disaster scenarios sometimes you just don't know what cards you will be dealt. As the movie Aftershock kindly (& graphically, might I add) pointed out- you never know what a natural disaster can cause. If there is a devastating natural disaster looters WILL be found, and prisons may experience breaches- so it never hurts to be prepared.

BOW & ARROWS

BEAR ARCHERY BRAVE III COMPOUND BOW

Retail Price: $49.95 + S&H

Via Sierra Trading Post

CROWBAR

LARGE CROWBAR

Retail Price: $11.50 + S&H

Via eSafety Supplies

MACHETE

GERBER GATOR MACHETE

Retail Price: $13.99 + S&H

Via Fleet Farm

PICK AXE

NEW CHINESE MILITARY SURPLUS PICK AXE

Retail Price: $14.99 + S&H

Via Sportsmans' Guide

It's always a good idea to have weapons that aren't guns!

xoxo disaster girl

Disaster Girl Comic! - Part Two

2014-04-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

xoxo disaster girl

(Disaster Girl Comic have a permanent home at the bottom of the 'Meet Disaster Girl' page)

Boyan Slat's Impressive 5 Year Plan

2014-04-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Boyan Slat's Impressive
5 Year Plan

"Millions of tons of plastic debris are polluting world's oceans.

Plastic reaches the oceans mostly from land through rivers and waterways, and then accumulates in 5 areas of high concentration, called gyres.

Not only does it directly kill hundred-thousands or even millions of aquatic animals annually, its fouling may spread harmful algae and other invasive species, and furthermore serves as a transport medium for pollutants (including PCB and DDT), accumulating in the food chain.

Plastic pollution costs governments, companies and individuals millions of dollars in damages per year, due to loss in tourism, vessel damages and (inefficient) beach clean-ups.

The ultimate solution to plastic pollution is clear; we need to close the tap, by ending our reliance on disposable plastic items/packaging, we need proper waste management globally, and we need to become aware of the problems our garbage is creating.

It will require drastic changes on legislative, industrial and individual levels of society.
However, even if we close the tap, we need to get out what's already trapped by the currents of the gyres.

We'll need a combination of both worlds, and we'll need them soon." - Boyan Slat

THE OCEAN ARRAY PLAN

USE YOUR ENEMY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

Problem: The plastic is not static, it moves around.
Solution: Why move through the oceans, if the oceans can move through you?
Fix the sea water processors to the sea bed, and save vast amounts of funds, manpower and emissions.

SMART USE OF BOOMS
Problem:Oceanic 'Garbage Patches' are huge, and cleaning them up would result in huge amounts of by-catches.
Furthermore there is a huge variety in debris sizes.
Solution: By using floating booms instead of nets, much larger areas will covered.
No mesh means that even the smallest particles will be diverted and extracted. No mesh - together with its low speed - will result to virtually no by-catch.
Although this hypothesis still has to be tested, even the planktonic species - due to their density being close to that of the sea water - may move under the booms along with the water flow.

COMBINING TECHNOLOGY WITH THE ENVIRONMENT

Problems: A clean-up operation would generate significant emissions. Besides that, in high seas much plastic would escape.
Solution: The platforms will be completely self-supportive, receiving their energy from e.g. the sun, currents and waves.
And by letting the platforms' wings sway like an actual manta ray, we can ensure contacts of the inlets with the surface, even in the roughest weather.

FINANCIALLY PROFITABLE

Problem: Conventional clean-up ideas have never been financially realistic, let alone remediation of millions of square kilometers.
Solution: This concept is so efficient, that we estimate that by selling the plastic retrieved from the 5 gyres, we would make in fact more money than the plan would cost to execute. In other words; it may potentially be profitable.

Hopefully Boyan's plan will see fruition soon!
(The plan is still undergoing testing.)

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

Boyan Slat

Disaster Kit Recommendations - Forcasting Weather Without Technology

2014-03-28T00:00:00.001-04:00

Disaster Kit Recommendations
TIPS FOR FORECASTING WEATHER

WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY

Generally speaking clouds that are high and white colored mean good weather, whereas clouds that are dark and low indicate bad weather.

Clouds that are visibly moving in different directions (I.E. Some moving West to East VS East to West) means bad weather is coming.

High wispy like clouds (Cirrus) usually mean bad weather within the next thirty-six hours.

If there is dew in the grass in the early morning it's not likely that it will rain that day, whereas if there isn't dewy it means it will likely be cloudy and may rain.

A red sky in the morning usually means rain on the way, whereas a red tinged sky at night means the weather will be nice.

If you see a rainbow in the western sky, rain is likely on the way, to the east- it has already passed you.

If birds are flying high, good weather is present. If the birds start flying low, or perching it usually means low pressure system is on the way.

Chances are if you smell and/or hear the outdoors more than you normally do, rain is on the way.

If smoke moves straight up, good weather will stay. If the smoke moves up and then gets pushed down or sideways a storm is likely approaching.

Any storm systems in the west have likely not made it to you yet and will. Whereas storms that lie to the east have likely already passed you by.

If there's a ring around the moon, there's moisture in the air.

Leaves that are facing upwards (with the darker side facing the sun) mean good weather, whereas if the lighter side was visible you should expect some rainy/windy weather.

You can tell the temperature by counting a crickets chirps. Count the chirps for 14 seconds and then add 40 to the number, the temperature should be right within a couple of degrees.

A late night temperature rise usually means a storms approaching.

Wind blowing east to west mean an approaching front and winds blowing west to east mean good weather.

Wood and natural materials tend to swell before a storm arrives.

Cloud cover on a winter night means a milder morning, whereas clear nights often give way to cooler mornings.

Clouds can tell you a great deal about

what kind of weather to expect:

Cumulonimbus/Altonimbus/Nimbus/Mammatus/Nimbostratus clouds means bad weather.

Cirrus/Altocumulus clouds mean bad weather in the next couple days.

Cirrus/Altocumulus clouds in the same day means bad weather tomorrow.

Cumulus clouds usually mean good weather.

Stratus clouds usually mean a chance of rain/snow.

Happy Forecasting!

(&& Remember not be be as hard on yourself as you are on the Weather Man ;)

xoxo disaster girl

Threat Still Looms for New Madrid Seismic Zone

2014-03-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

Threat Still Looms for New Madrid Seismic Zone,

USGS Says

In a study published in late January of 2014 in both Science Mag and through the USGS Newsroom, two USGS Seismologists Morgan Page and Susan Hough argue that the recent activity in the New Madrid Seismic Zone is not aftershocks but in fact new earthquakes building new pressure. This isn't a new threat though, the USGS publicly released an article on the New Madrid Seismic Zone still being a concern way back in 2009- 5 years ago. That threat has not gone away.

Rolling Under New Madrid

"During 1811–1812, the New Madrid Seismic Zone experienced a sequence of three large intraplate earthquakes and at least one comparably sized aftershock. There have been no earthquakes of similar magnitudes since then. Using a combination of historical data dating back to the original large events and an epidemic-type aftershock sequence model, Page and Hough (p. 762, published online 23 January) found that the current low seismicity is not part of an aftershock sequence. Instead, despite low observable deformation rates, there is ongoing accumulation of strain, leaving the potential for large earthquakes in the region." -Editor's Summary of The New Madrid Seismic Zone: Not Dead Yet

USGS

USGS

"Roadways in the Mississippi Valley of Arkansas and Missouri (such as Interstate 55) could become impassable because of bridge failures and fissuring of road surfaces. Venting of large quantities of water, sand, and mud as a result of liquefaction could flood fields and roads and disrupt agriculture for weeks to months. Flooding of farmland, where agricultural chemicals are stored onsite, could contaminate rivers and streams. Failure of levees, especially during high water, would contribute to flooding, and failures of riverbanks could make the Mississippi River and its tributaries difficult to navigate for many weeks. The City of Memphis and the surrounding metropolitan area of more than one million people would be severely impacted. Memphis has an aging infrastructure, and many of its large buildings, including unreinforced schools and fire and police stations, would be particularly vulnerable when subjected to severe ground shaking. Relatively few buildings were built using building codes that have provisions for seismic-resistant design. Soil liquefaction and related ground failures are likely to occur in downtown Memphis along the Mississippi River and along the Wolf River that passes through Memphis. The older highways and railroad bridges that cross the Mississippi River, as well as older overpasses, would likely be damaged or collapse in the event of a major New Madrid earthquake. Some of the bridges and pipelines crossing the Wolf River might be damaged or destroyed. Although Memphis is likely to be the focus of major damage in the region, St. Louis, Mo., Little Rock, Ark., and many small and medium-sized cities would also sustain damage." -USGS

"I don't agree that this area is dying out," said Morgan Page, lead study author and a geophysicist with the USGS in Pasadena, Calif. "It's not going to go off anytime soon, but we do have evidence that more stress is being built up now. Eventually, that energy will have to be released in a large earthquake." -Thanks to Active New Madrid Fault Zone, Midwest Earthquake Risk Still Looms - "Even though we can't predict earthquakes, we can predict the rates of aftershocks over time," Page explained. "The frequency of aftershocks — smaller quakes that follow the big earthquake — decreases with time, known in seismology as Omori's Law. And in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, the aftershocks aren't following Omori's Law."

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

Threat of Earthquakes Occurring in Central United States Still Alive
New Madrid Seismic Zone Wiki
Missouri DNR Facts about New Madrid
USGS New Madrid

Cali's Water Crisis - Drought Begins Setting the Stage for the Future

2014-03-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

California's Drought & Water Crisis

Drought Begins Setting the Stage for the Future

Facts / Events

-US Department of Agriculture declares 3 Bay Area cities 'Disaster Areas' because of drought
-On January 24th of 2014 Governor Brown declared a Drought Emergency in California
-California is already in its 3rd straight year of below average rainfall
-US Department of Agriculture's January 23rd order implemented statewide water conservations campaigns and water shortage contingency plans
-Exceptional Drought covers almost a tenth of the state.
-Officials at the State Water Projects announced that come Spring they will not be releasing any water, in an effort to preserve what is left for the rest of the year, and possible future years.
-The drought has reduced carry over water storage to the lowest levels seen since 1977
-Several records (at least 5) have been hit with record low monthly rainfall numbers
-California snow pack water content is currently 33% of the normal average
-Rivers and reserviors including the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin Rover are already below the record lows
-Mandatory Water Restrictions in the following areas: LINK TO INTERACTIVE DROUGHT MAP
-Fines and warnings have already been issued to residents and businesses, totaling well over 500
-City officials have proposed a 2.1 Million Dollar plan to bring water to the state to ease the pain of drought
-NOAA's drought forecast for Winter-Spring of 2014 doesn't look promising for change either - Report
-As of March 4th 2014 91% of the State of California remained in Severe Drought under the Drought Monitor
-While the recent rain and snow has definitely added to the water and snow pack levels, experts fear its too little, too late

California's drought may just be the beginning, in 2009 a ABC TV movie titled 'Earth 2100' highlighted the worst case scenario. Its quite a show stopper, see the movie below!

Hopefully we'll change our ways..

xoxo disaster girl

Let's Look at FEMA's new ad, 'The Day Before'

2014-03-02T00:00:00.003-05:00

'The Day Before'

FEMA DEBUTS NEW AD

"The "The Day Before" TV spot captures the day before the largest earthquake in the Bay Area on October 17,1989, which appears to be just like any other day. The campaign illustrates the importance of preparing today to help reduce the consequences of a disaster tomorrow through real people and emergencies across the country." -Leo Burnett Worldwide

Commercial Screenshot #1

Commercial Screenshot #2

If we look past the fact that this commercial is incredibly boring, it does have a valid point. Not one person on Earth can guarantee that disaster won't strike in your life tomorrow, so it's best to be prepared today. You should always have supplies on hand in case of an emergency, and most importantly know what steps need to be taken in the event that something does happen. Have a plan, stick to it, and make sure that everyone in your family- young and old - knows exactly what their part in that plan is.

xoxo disaster girl

The Torino Impact Hazard Scale & NEO's

2014-02-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Torino Impact Hazard Scale

& Near Earth Objects (NEO's)

The Torino Impact Scale isn't that old. First thought of by Professor Richard P. Binzel of MIT in 1995, and officially adapted and adopted by the UN in 1999- the scale is used to measure hazards caused by NEO's such as asteroids, meteors, and comets. So far we haven't had any noteworthy impacts here on Earth, even the 2013 Russian Chelyabinsk meteor which actually hit the Earth measured a Zero on the scale. It certainly makes you wonder what a 3 would be like. Below is the impact scale, and more resources that are available to monitor events such as these in the future. The next blip that comes up on the Earth's scale will occur in June of 2048, but at the moment has a Non-Zero rating - 2007 VK184.

You can track Near Earth Objects on

www.SpaceWeather.com

(Scroll to bottom of page, below is a screenshot:)

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

NASA Torino Impact Scale

Torino Scale Wiki

NOAA's Space Weather Scales - Geomagnetic, Solar Radiation & Radio Blackouts

2014-02-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

Space Weather Scales

Geomagnetic, Solar Radiation & Radio Blackouts

Every 11 or so years the Sun goes through her 'angry phase' or the solar maximum, in which she spits out a whole lot of energy and radiation. Solar storms cause many different things to happen including the widely known Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis (or Northern & Southern Lights), weather changes, geomagnetic storms, radiation storms, and radio blackouts. In rare cases a solar storm can even cause an Solar Flare EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse / Solar Flare) which can knock down electricity grids and more. See: Solar Storm 1859 - The Carrington Event.

The sun can be monitored at www.SPACEWEATHER.com which has a variety of different features which can help you in keeping track of what the sun is spewing at us. The next solar maximum can occur between 2018 and 2023, so you have a bit of time to figure it all out :)

Below are the hazard scales for space weather, separated into 3 cateogories:
Geomagnetic, Solar Radiation, and Radio Blackout.

Fun Fact:

The largest solar flare happened on November 4th, 2003 and measured a huge X45!

For more information on solar flare classification see:

Solar Flare Classification

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

NOAA Space Weather Scales

The Worst Places in the World Infographs!

2014-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Worst Places in the World

Covering: Average Life, Deaths, Murders, GDP, Water Sources & Pollution

Submitted By: Aldo Baker

NEW LINKS ADDED IN THE RESOURCES SECTION!
Don't Miss Out!

xoxo disaster girl