According to CBC News World, “The storm hit Haiti's rural western tip hard, flooding the refugee-camp homes of quake survivors.” (2010). The storm was actually downgraded from hurricane to tropical storm but still caused massive flooding with the vast amount of rain and mudslides that were rampant. The country also has a long history of earthquakes dating back to 1564. The most recent in this list is the 2010 earthquake close to Port-Au-Prince. The nation is located in a region seismic activity due to the movement of the Caribbean tectonic plate, which is compared with which a finger shoving away against two larger plates, the North American and South American.
8 H October 26, 2012 1886 Charleston Earthquake In Charleston August 31, 1886, a devastating earthquake shocked millions throughout the country. Not only was this earthquake reported in South Carolina, but in distant places such as Boston, Massachusetts, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chicago, Illinois, Cuba, Bermuda, and many more. Why so many places? The earthquake recorded a 7.4 on the Richter scale. This tells us that it’s a powerful earthquake, reaching and being felt by farther away places.
The great earthquake broke loose some 20 to 25 seconds later, with an epicenter near San Francisco. Violent shocks punctuated the strong shaking which lasted some 45 to 60 seconds. The earthquake was felt from southern Oregon to south of Los Angeles and inland as far as central Nevada. The earthquake changed California forever but now The California Geological Survey’s Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (SMIP), which studies the effect of earthquake shaking on structures and soil to help guide engineering practices and protect public safety, (CA.Gov) has been honored as one of the top seismic programs of the 20th century by the Applied Technology Council. This is what helps to protect all of our homes, businesses, and churches in the event of an earthquake.
Crisis Management: An Analysis of the 1947 Texas City Explosion Kevin K. Rice Columbia Southern University Abstract Texas City became the site of the worst industrial catastrophe in United States history when two merchant ships, the SS Grandcamp and SS High Flyer, carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded on the 16 and 17 April 1947. The Texas City disaster remains the worst industrial accident in US history. This disaster occurred prior to the realization that government entities needed to have emergency management plans. Since this major accident, major improvements have been made in emergency management ;however, the possibility of a disaster is always relative to the seriousness of the threat. This paper is a recounting of the events surrounding the accident, both before, during, and after.
Claims were filed by thousands of families who believe the trailers issued by FEMA are substandard and possibly caused some health issues. As a result, the first case was set to trial in Louisiana federal court recently. Kunzelman stated, “For the first time since Hurricane Katrina left tens of thousands of families living in FEMA trailers, a federal jury heard allegations Monday that the government-issued shelters exposed Gulf Coast storm victims to hazardous formaldehyde fumes.” (Kunzelman, M., 2009) Formaldehyde is a chemical that could possibly cause breathing problem and is commonly found in construction materials. This chemical is classified as a carcinogen. According to Kunzelman, “U.S.
How the 1906 Earthquake Marked the Dawn of Understanding Earthquakes And the Study of the San Andreas Fault in California On the morning of April 18, 1906 at approximately 5:12 in the morning, the city of San Francisco was awoken to one of the most devastating earthquakes in the history of California. The earthquake and subsequent fires caused an estimated 3,000 deaths and over half of the city’s residents were left homeless, and the once wealthiest and most important cities on the Pacific Coast was turned to ashes and ruins (Zoback). Before 1906, little was known or understood about earthquakes, how and where they occurred, or the risk they posed. Although the 1906 earthquake manifested a groundbreaking and tragic event in California,
"Preparing for Tyranny: 67th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack." Preparing for Tyranny. http://pft2009.blogspot.com/2011/12/67th-anniversary-of-pearl-harbor-attack.html (accessed January 27, 2012). "Attack At Pearl Harbor, 1941." EyeWitness to History - history through the eyes of those who lived it.
Essay of “The American Plague” The term “American Plague” was once commonly used to describe an epidemic illness that included a large part of North America and Cuba that was settled by the Europeans. The epidemic was actually a series of outbreaks occurring for over a century. This series of events is well described by Molly Caldwell Crosby in her book “The American Plague. ”The first chapters cover the epidemic nature of this disease in the Americas, and focus on the huge epidemic in 1878, especially its effect on Memphis, the city most stricken by the disease. The cause of the disease and its way of spreading were not known at the time.
More than 2,000 killed, 3,000 injured and $550 million damage in Chile; seismic sea wave caused 56 deaths, $75 million damage in Hawaii; 138 deaths and $50 million damage in Japan; $500 thousand damage to west coast of the United States. From ISC Bulletin, The International Seismological Summary. The following table lists particulars reported by the Survey for the larger shocks of the series of destructive earthquakes in central and southern Chile which began on May 21 and which is still continuing as of this writing in mid-August. The
Old San Juan retains many elements of colonial times, such as cobblestone paving, inner patios and courtyards, overhanging balconies, and religious shrines. Its most impressive features remain, as they have for 400 years, the old fortifications that once guarded the city. Questions map 2 1- The main fort should have been located near el Morro to protect it from attacks by sea. The ships will usually come from that area because it has deep waters. To protect it from land, the main fort should have been constructed around San Juan.