Earthquake

Relief organizations on Saturday began to move Haitians from tent camps that are in danger of flooding to new camps on the perimeter of the city, part of a larger plan to decentralize the population after January's devastating earthquake. After a heavy rain the night before, buses carried 62 people from a bedraggled camp on a defunct golf course to a barren field 10 miles northwest of the city. Aid workers helped Romaine Vincent Donal, 44, load her belongings in wheelbarrows.

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked the Northern California city of Eureka on Saturday, snapping power lines, toppling chimneys, knocking down traffic signals, shattering windows and prompting the evacuation of at least one apartment building. There were no reports of major injuries, but the temblor, which struck at 4:27 p.m. about 33 miles southwest of the coastal city of 26,000, was powerful enough to send people running into the streets, some fearing a tsunami. Centered offshore about 13 miles deep, the quake was felt as far north as central Oregon, as far south as Santa Cruz and as far east as Reno, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

NASA released the first satellite images of post-earthquake and -tsunami flooding in northeastern Japan on Saturday. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured contrasting views of Japan's Sendai region at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Feb. 26. Water appears black or dark blue and a thin, green line outlines the shore, which is above water, presumably preventing the floodwater from returning to sea. The "flood" label shows how far inland floodwaters extended.

Those of us who live in California can get a little snarky about earthquakes. Maine had a 4.0 earthquake? Oh, that's tough, quake-nonchalant Californians might be tempted to say.  Heard of Loma Prieta, 1989? San Fernando, '71? San Francisco, 1906? But, Californians, here's something you should know: Earthquakes are  different on the East Coast.  A 4.0 back East might jolt more people over a much wider area and, by some measures, could be a much more intense experience. "On the East Coast and in the Midwest, where they have an earthquake that they feel once every seven or eight years, it 's a big deal to them," California state geologist John Parrish told the Los Angeles Times in an interview Wednesday.

Strong aftershocks from New Zealand's deadly quake, plus a drifting ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Chile, disrupted flights, temporarily closed airports and stranded travelers in Australia and New Zealand on Monday. South American travelers also continued to be delayed. New Zealand tourism officials are warning travelers to the Christchurch area to be prepared for more aftershocks after a pair of strong earthquakes Monday caused more damage to the city center, already devastated by the deadly quake in February.

With devastating images still coming from Japan following the earthquakes and tsunamis, earthquake safety and preparedness is on the top of Californians' minds. Although we may think we know what to do in the event of a strong quake, we may not be thinking clearly when the earth starts to shake. Here's what to do--and what not to do--in the event of an earthquake: If you're indoors, the American Red Cross advises you to drop, cover and hold on. Duck under a sturdy table or desk and hold onto a leg in case the table moves.

Natural disasters – such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan – are horrible events any way you slice them. But sometimes there’s a small silver lining: The medical personnel who respond to these emergencies often learn valuable lessons that they can pass along to others who may tend to the victims of future disasters. This week, a team of doctors from the Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps shared some of what they learned about crush syndrome after treating 126 patients who suffered from it as a result of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Earthquake damage to Tokyo was light compared with the devastated swaths of northeastern territory, but the record 8.9 temblor brought the Japanese capital to a standstill after authorities closed off highways, halted rail traffic and idled Narita International Airport. Tokyo's subway system, the world's busiest carrying 8 million passengers each day, was closed for six hours after the worst earthquake in the country's recorded history struck the island nation just before rush hour at 2:46 p.m. local time Friday.

An earthquake measured at 3.9 rumbled through Maine early Wednesday, but no injuries or damages were reported, officials said.

San Francisco's plans for Treasure Island (Jan. 9) sound great, but I'm concerned that the only mention of earthquake safety is buried near the end of the article. Treasure Island is man-made, the worst possible place to build in a seismic zone. Much of the earthquake damage that occurred during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was on man-made land near the bay. And the Marina District, site of extensive damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, was built on landfill from debris from the 1906 earthquake.