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rand0M aXiS

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  1. Posted · Report reply

     

    Posted Image

    <font size="2" FACE="arial,geneva">NISQUALLY - by KOMO-TV News, Seattle

     

     

    PIERCE COUNTY - First it was a lahar.

     

    Then it wasn't.

     

    Then it was a glacial outburst.

     

    Wrong again.

     

    Geologists Wednesday pinpointed the source of a gush of water from a Mount Rainier glacier that sent rocks and trees rushing into the Nisqually River.

     

     

    They said it was a plain old debris buildup that gave way, not anything geological, seismological, volcanic or otherwise extraordinary.

     

    No Injuries, Damage

     

    No injuries or serious damage was reported from the Tuesday night event, but it sent emergency officials scrambling to gauge the severity of the event at the 14,410-foot mountain. The fear was that a lahar, a potentially deadly flow of mud and debris, might be coming down the river.

     

    Mount Rainier is an active volcano, and its glaciers feed rivers that run through some of the most populous regions of the state.

     

    "Reports are still coming in, but we're lucky at this point," said Jody Woodcock, spokeswoman for Pierce County Emergency Management. "This isn't the big one we've been practicing for."

     

    Surge Came Down

     

    The surge of water sent water and debris rushing into the Nisqually and its tributaries, and left some mud and rock on a park road, said Maria Gillett, spokeswoman for Mount Rainier National Park. Despite initial concerns, it had little effect downstream, where the Nisqually showed no indication that it would overflow its banks.

     

    Nevertheless, the rising water scared campers at several locations within the park, which receives more than 1.2 million visitors a year. The road to Paradise, where the park's main visitor center and hotel are located, was closed briefly as a precaution, but all facilities were open Wednesday morning, Gillett said.

     

    Some campers left, but no evacuations were ordered, she said.

     

    Mud and debris was left on the road to Paradise near Christine Falls, just above where Van Trump Creek enters the Nisqually River, but the mess was cleared by dawn Wednesday, said park spokeswoman Alisa Lynch.

     

    A helicopter with geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey plus park and Pierce County officials flew Wednesday by the glaciers high on the mountain's southern flank to look for melting, she said.

     

    Better Safe Than Sorry

    People in nearby communities were asked to stay away from the river, just in case. Tuesday night, Gillett and several of her neighbors in Ashford, site of the park's headquarters just outside the park's southwest entrance, took survival supplies and left their homes.

     

    "I grabbed my pack, grabbed a cell phone and a park radio, and went and grabbed an elderly neighbor who I wasn't sure would know what was going on," Gillett said. "We drove up what's basically a logging road and ran into several of my neighbors up there."

     

    The rushing water apparently came from the Van Trump or Kautz glacier on the volcano's south side, officials said.

     

    Officials have been particularly sensitive to potential eruptions of Mount Rainier following a recent computer simulation that showed the region isn't prepared for one. The simulation, done in May with the help of the federal government, showed that as many as 5,000 people could be killed in an eruption.

     

    An electronic sensor on the mountain, designed to warn of impending eruptions or mud flows, was tripped Tuesday night, apparently by the rushing water and debris. It sounded an alarm at the Pierce County dispatch center, said Sheriff Paul Pastor.

     

    Orting Police Chief Ron Emmons said no siren was sounded in the town, as might have happened if the flow had been into the Carbon or Puyallup rivers. Still, roads above Orting were closed.

     

    "Everything here is fine," Emmons said Tuesday night. "Probably it was a pretty good drill, but we don't like those kinds of things, at night especially."

     

    Common Event On The Big Mountain

     

    Glacial outbursts are among the most common types of events a volcano like Mount Rainier can produce, said Bill Steele of the University of Washington seismology center in Seattle.

     

    "It's a hot summer, a dry year," Steele said. "The water builds up, gets trapped under the glacier and then can burst forth suddenly, causing a flood down the channel which can be quite dangerous if you're near the river."

     

    The rising water level was noticed at about 10 p.m.

     

    Pastor noted the water surge occurred in "a very isolated part of the county -- a wilderness area."

     

    Pierce County activated its emergency operations center and called out its search and rescue personnel and swift water rescue teams, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

     

    For More Information:

     

     

    What's a Lahar? - volcanoes.usgs.gov/Products/Pglossary/lahar.html

     

     

    Lahar Warning System - volcanoes.usgs.gov/About/Highlights/RainierPilot/Pilot_highlight.html

     

     

    Mt. Rainier Web site - www.nps.gov/mora/

     

     

  2. Posted · Report reply

    I just caught this on the KATU Channel 2 local news out of Portland, Oregon. It's not up on their website as of yet.

     

    Areas around Mount Hood, east of Portland, Oregon are being closed for fear of a glacier outburst as happened recently on Mount Rainier. The Deschutes, Sandy, White, Salmon, Zigzag, Bull Run and Hood Rivers are all in danger of debris flows and flash flooding. The towns of Troutdale, Sandy and Hood River, along with surrounding areas are under flood warnings. Check the link for a map of the area. Portland is not threatened.

     

     

    Map of the Mount Hood area

     

     

  3. Posted · Report reply

    <h3>President, PM extend Janmashtami greetings</h3>

     

    Indraprasth, Aug. 11 (PTI) - President K R Narayanan, Vice-President Krishan Kant and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today extended their greetings to the people on the eve of 'Janmashtami' and said Lord Krishna's message of spiritual enlightenment was relevant to society even now.

     

    ''On the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami, may Krishna's Song Celestial inspire us to follow the path of 'Nishkama karma' and strengthen the moral foundations of

    our society,'' the President said in his message.

     

    Kant said Krishna personifies, in his life and teachings, the sublime and eternal values of life and abides in the popular consciousness as the peerless saviour of mankind.

     

    ''Bhagwad Gita, expounded by him, is a timeless beacon, which illuminates our path. Janmashtami reminds us of the greatness of Shri Krishna's birth and his teachings,

    which have the power to rid us from evil and provide us spiritual solace,'' the Vice President said.

     

    Vajpayee said Lord Krishna epitomises the ''supreme ideals of human life in all its facets. The message of spiritual enlightenment as unfolded in the Gita by Lord

    Krishna holds good for the society even today.''

     

     

  5. Posted · Report reply

    5.5 Magnitute Quake Jolts Calif.

     

    The Associated Press

    Friday, Aug. 10, 2001; 4:56 p.m. EDT

     

    PORTOLA, Calif. –– A magnitude-5.5 earthquake shook part of Northern

    California on Friday, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of

    injuries or damage.

     

    The quake hit at 1:18 p.m., said Pat Jorgenson of the U.S. Geological

    Survey in Menlo Park. It was centered near Portola in Plumas County, but

    was felt 50 miles away in Reno, Nev., and in Sacramento.

     

    Leslie Tigan, the Portola city clerk, said the quake rattled the city hall but

    produced no damage.

     

    "It was like nothing I have ever felt before, but I am from southern New

    Jersey, she said.

     

    James Gruwell, 24, said he was in his room on the 23rd floor of the Circus

    Circus hotel casino in Reno when the earthquake hit.

     

    "I literally just checked in 10 minutes ago," he said. "The whole building was

    swaying. Everything on the walls was rattling. I called the front desk and

    asked them if their building always shakes like this."

     

    The same area had a 4.8 magnitude earthquake in 1997, and 4.1 quakes in

    1997 and 1995.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Originally posted by Bhakta Shakta:

     

    Thanks Random Axis (BB). I will research that one. So how is my Y2k-bug friend doing. Whatever happened. You seemed preety sure that their would be world-wide disaster. Nothing happened. Get that brain checked dude. Watchout for the CAT scan. It might have a malignant chip!

    I made a fortune off of y2k consulting! I'll never have to work another day in my life. And I'm still eating basmati and dahl from the stash.

     

    When you can hack chips, you don't worry about them, dude.

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