Monthly Archives: October 2012

Amateur Radio, FEMA, Global Emergency, Weather Event

Sandy still very dangerous as a Post – Tropical Storm

[warning]Sandy is still dangerous as a post-tropical storm.  Be aware of local evacuations and listen to the authorities.[/warning]

 

Global Emergency

Google Public Alerts

Google Public Alerts is Google’s new platform for disseminating emergency messages such as evacuation notices for hurricanes, and everyday alerts such as storm warnings. We aim to show relevant weather, public safety and earthquake alerts from the US National Weather Service, and the US Geological Survey (USGS) when you search on Google Search, Google Maps, and when you activate Google Now on your Android device.

Google Public Alerts is a project of the Google Crisis Response team, supported by Google.org, which uses Google’s strengths in information and technology to build products and advocate for policies that address global challenges. We hope Google Public Alerts provides the public with information it needs to make informed decisions in times of crisis.

While we can’t guarantee that you’ll see every alert when using Google services we’re doing our best to show what’s important when you need it, and hope that Google Public Alerts is a useful additional source of information. We’re working hard to improve what you see and would appreciate your feedback, which you can provide using the “Feedback” links on the alert details pages and on www.google.org/publicalerts.

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From http://support.google.com/publicalerts

[notice]http://www.google.org/publicalerts/?hl=en&gl=US#q&v=65.769365,-40.338297,18.318913,-175.689859&z=4 to see current  public notices[/notice]

Local Earthquakes, News Articles, Public Safety

Haida Gwaii After Shocks

From the Times Colonist

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Earthquakes continue to rumble the Pacific Northwest coast Sunday, after a strong earthquake near Haida Gwaii set off tsunami warnings as far south as Victoria and Hawaii.
A 3.9-magnitude earthquake shook Los Angeles this morning around 8:24 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit 97-kilometres south of Sandspit at 9:17 a.m and a second one hit at 11:54 a.m. This time it was magnitude 6.4. There are no tsunami alerts issued.

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/Earthquakes+continue+rumble+West+Coast+after+quake+tsunami+warnings+Saturday/7459644/story.html#ixzz2Adjo9dCF

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Local Earthquakes, Public Safety, USGS Bulletin

6.3 Mwp – QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS REGION

6.3 Mwp – QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS REGION

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 6.3 Mwp
Date-Time
  • 28 Oct 2012 18:54:21 UTC
  • 28 Oct 2012 11:54:21 near epicenter
  • 28 Oct 2012 10:54:21 standard time in your timezone
Location 52.633N 132.701W
Depth 8 km
Distances
  • 245 km (152 miles) SW (222 degrees) of Prince Rupert, BC, Canada
  • 286 km (178 miles) S (178 degrees) of Hydaburg, AK
  • 287 km (178 miles) SSW (195 degrees) of Metlakatla, AK
  • 766 km (476 miles) WNW (303 degrees) of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Location Uncertainty Horizontal: 18.4 km; Vertical 6.5 km
Parameters Nph = 281; Dmin = 317.3 km; Rmss = 1.32 seconds; Gp = 84°
M-type = Mwp; Version = 8
Event ID us b000dg06

For updates, maps, and technical information, see:
Event Page
or
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

National Earthquake Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/neic/

News

Haida Gwaii Earthquake – Were you ready to evacuate?

Did you have a family evacuation plan?

  • Visit http://www.getprepared.gc.ca to learn how to make an evacuation plan for your family.
  • Practise the plan so that everybody understands how to stay calm and make the plan work.

Do you know the route to take to get to higher ground?

 

 

 

 

News

Experiences of Haida Gwaii Earthquake Witnesses

  • “It wasn’t a big shake — it just was a continuing rolling feeling that went on for … perhaps a minute.” — Robin Rowland, Kitimat, B.C.
  • “It almost felt like a massive wind was making the whole home shake.” — Leisha Grebinski, Prince Rupert, B.C.
  • “It started off with just a small rumble … and then things started to shake a little, and then things started shaking a lot.” — Peter Mark, Masset, B.C.
  • “[I] was sitting on my couch, with the laptop, when I started to feel motion that made me feel queasy. Noticed that our heavy swag lamp was swaying back and forth. Stood up and could feel the motion through the carpeting. We live in a basement suite and I think that the motion lasted about 15 to 20 seconds, perhaps.” — Leslie Allen, Prince George, B.C.
  • “Felt a ‘swoon’ — at the same time everything hanging started to sway so strongly that it took 30 minutes plus for them to settle back into equilibrium.” — Sharon MacKenzie, Quadra Island, B.C.
  • “The whole house was flexing and oscillating. The lights went out and the shaking continued and I could hear all kinds of crashing.” — Nick Finley, Tlell, Haida Gwaii, B.C.
  • “The house seemed to be moving — plants, light fixtures, sun catchers in the window swayed and clattered … About 10 minutes before they stopped swaying.” — Marion Lawson, Kamloops, B.C.
  • “The whole house swayed for over a minute. My wife said it felt like she had sea legs. Phones were out for a short time but we never lost power.” — Ken Newman.
News

M7.7 – 139km S of Masset, Canada

From http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000df7n#summary

M7.7 – 139km S of Masset, Canada

2012-10-28 03:04:10 UTC

Canada
52.769°N, 131.927°W
Depth: 17.5km (10.9mi)

Event Time

  1. 2012-10-28 03:04:10 UTC
  2. 2012-10-27 20:04:10 UTC-07:00 at epicenter
  3. 2012-10-27 20:04:10 UTC-07:00 system time

Location

52.769°N 131.927°W depth=17.5km (10.9mi)

Nearby Cities

  1. 139km (86mi) S of Masset, Canada
  2. 202km (126mi) SSW of Prince Rupert, Canada
  3. 293km (182mi) SW of Terrace, Canada
  4. 556km (345mi) NW of Campbell River, Canada
  5. 635km (395mi) SSE of Juneau, Alaska

Tectonic Summary

The October 28th, 2012 (October 27 at the location of the epicenter) M 7.7 earthquake south of Masset, Canada, occurred as a result of oblique-thrust faulting near the plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates. At the location of this event, the Pacific plate moves approximately north-northwest with respect to the North America plate at a rate of approximately 50 mm/yr.

This earthquake is likely associated with relative motion across the Queen Charlotte fault system offshore of British Columbia, Canada. Studies of tectonics in this region suggest plate motions are taken up by strike slip faulting parallel to the plate boundary, accompanied by lesser amounts of thrust motion to accommodate the oblique nature of the plate motion vector between the two plates with respect to the orientation of the main plate boundary fault structure. This oblique component of plate motion may involve either underthrusting of the western edge of the Pacific Plate beneath North America, or be taken up on crustal faults within the North America plate. The October 28th earthquake is consistent with either scenario.

This region of the Pacific:North America plate boundary has hosted 7 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater over the past 40 years – the largest of which was a M 6.6 earthquake in 2009, 80 km to the south east of the 2012 earthquake. In 1949, a M 8.1 earthquake occurred closer to the Pacific:North America plate boundary, likely as a result of strike-slip faulting, approximately 100 km northwest of the October 28th earthquake, near the northern extent of Haida Gwaii region (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands).

News, Public Safety

Winter Weather is Here!

Get your car ready for winter driving conditions by:

  • Make sure your tires are in good shape and are rated for the conditions.  Check your spare tire too.
  • Carry chains where required by law.  Learn how to install the chains properly before you need them.
  • Have all belts, hoses, brakes, and steering components checked by a licensed mechanic.
  • Change your wind-shield wipers.
  • Top up all fluids to the proper levels.  Carry extra wind-shield fluid.
  • Check your safety kit for blankets, water, food, extra medication, first aid supplies, and road markers

Keep care of yourself by:

  • Not driving when sleepy, or under the influence.
  • Not driving in poor conditions when it is not necessary.
  • Planning your trip carefully and sharing your route with friends and family.
  • NOT TEXTING or TALKING on a cell phone.  Pull over safely when using a phone.

Learn more about road safety at the RCMP Road Safety Tips page.

[notice]

If your are travelling in B.C. be sure to follow https://twitter.com/DriveBC & https://twitter.com/wxnetwork_BC for current conditions.

Check out the BC Highway Cameras at http://www.drivebc.ca/ and plan your route accordingly.

DriveBC Map

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