Win a War

ummagumma.co:

Don't Fuck with Mother Nature

She will get you every time.

Think Progress:

A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) team has found that a sharp jump in earthquakes in America’s heartland appears to be linked to oil and natural gas drilling operations.

As hydraulic fracturing has exploded onto the scene, it has increasingly been connected to earthquakes. Some quakes may be caused by the original fracking — that is, by injecting a fluid mixture into the earth to release natural gas (or oil). More appear to be caused by reinjecting the resulting brine deep underground.

Last August, a USGS report examined a cluster of earthquakes in Oklahoma and reported:

Our analysis showed that shortly after hydraulic fracturing began small earthquakes started occurring, and more than 50 were identified, of which 43 were large enough to be located. Most of these earthquakes occurred within a 24 hour period after hydraulic fracturing operations had ceased.

In November, a British shale gas developer found it was “highly probable” its fracturing operations caused minor quakes.

Then last month, Ohio oil and gas regulators said “A dozen earthquakes in northeastern Ohio were almost certainly induced by injection of gas-drilling wastewater into the earth.”

Now, in a paper to be deliver at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America, the USGS notes that “a remarkable increase in the rate of [magnitude 3.0] and greater earthquakes is currently in progress” in the U.S. midcontinent. The abstract is online. EnergyWire reports (subs. req’d) some of the findings.

Think Progress concludes:

It’s time go beyond mere research and start developing national standards to minimize these earthquakes.

No. It's time to ban fossil fuels and their deadly extraction methods, along with their deadly production and refining methods, deadly electricity-generating methods, deadly waste-dumping methods, deadly worker-killing methods, deadly community-destroying methods, deadly air/water/land polluting methods ....

And way past time for supposed progressives to stop mealy-mouthedly recommending "standards to minimize."

Earthquake Awareness Month

If you've lived in Kentucky for any length of time, you've probably experienced the tremors. A little shaking, a thud like a car hit the house, window glass shivering.

More intriguing than frightening, but make no mistake: they are tiny reminders that we live in the shadow of the biggest earthquake mother on the continent.

From the Kentucky Department of Emergency Management:

Beginning in February, Kentucky and states located in the New Madrid Seismic Zone are recognizing the bicentennial anniversary of the one of the largest known earthquakes in United States history. The first quake struck Dec. 16, 1811, near present day Memphis, Tenn., with subsequent quakes and aftershocks continuing through Feb. 7, 1812, the last occurring in New Madrid, Mo.

Historians report the Mississippi River was said to have run backward, Reel Foot Lake was formed and shaking was so violent it was felt as far away as South Carolina and Pennsylvania, causing church bells to ring. A similar earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone today would impact not only Kentucky, but several surrounding states and would devastate Memphis and St. Louis, causing major infrastructure damage and loss of life throughout this region.

Steve Oglesby, Kentucky Division of Emergency Management (KYEM) Earthquake Program Manager said, "Unlike the weather, which can be forecast and warned of in advance, scientists cannot predict an earthquake! The possibility of a major earthquake affecting Kentucky cannot be taken for granted. We should not prepare on the notion of if we have an earthquake, but rather when we have one. The bottom line is we live in a very active seismic zone, and as a potential victim of an earthquake, you need to prepare yourself, your home and workplace as much as possible."

An Earthquake Outreach Tour consisting of federal, state and local officials will hold an educational and information sharing town hall meeting in Paducah, Ky., Feb. 9, 2011, at Western Kentucky Community College, 10a.m. - Noon CDT.

SNIP

KYEM, its federal partners, non-governmental organizations, state and local officials will collaborate on a series of outreach efforts, partnerships and events over the coming months, including Earthquake Preparedness Month in February, the Great Central U.S. Shakeout in April, and the 2011 National Level Exercise, which will be held in May. These events are designed to educate Americans on what they can do to be better prepared for earthquakes, as well as other catastrophic events.

Individuals and their families can take the following steps to prepare for earthquakes:

Get an emergency supply kit;

Make a family communications plan;

Stay informed of the risks in your community;

Check for hazards in the home;

Identify safe places indoors and outdoors; and

Educate yourself and family members.

For more information on preparing for an earthquake and other emergencies, please visit www.kyem.ky.gov/programs/earthquake/ and www.Ready.gov.

Katrina/Rita/Levees Times 100

The U.S. Coast Guard arrived in Haiti this morning, and this is what they found:



Read about the Coast Guard's first-on-the-scene rescue effort here.

U.S. rescue efforts, from Agence France-Press.

From CNN:

The earthquake's power matched that of several nuclear bombs, said Roger Searle, a professor of geophysics in the Earth Sciences Department at Durham University in England. He said the combination of its magnitude and geographical shallowness made it particularly dangerous.

About 3 million people -- one-third of Haiti's population -- were affected by the quake, the Red Cross said. About 10 million people felt shaking from the earthquake, including 2 million who felt severe trembling, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated.

Talking Points Memo has constant updates here.

Kentuckians are trying to reach friends and family in Haiti, as are Americans everywhere.

Digby has the best list of organizations on the ground in Haiti needing your help.

I'll second the recommendation for Partners in Health. If you're looking for a Haiti-founded, Haiti-focused group that does the most for the worst-off, PIH is the one.