Despite Texas drought, Hunting still high

Texas was gripped in a year-long, record-setting drought that included a summer of record heat.  Drought and heat had scorched the landscape, hurting vegetation crucial as cover and forage for deer, in addition to water sources drying up. Hunters, wildlife managers and landowners shared an uneasiness about the drought's impacts on Texas' deer herd.  Almost all hunters and wildlife managers expected the drought's effects on deer to be readily apparent and maybe even slim. Most went into the season with diminished expectations. 

Overall, deer are in surprisingly good shape, especially in places where deer densities are moderate and landowners manage their habitat.  The deers body condition has been better than expected.  They're not necessarily rolling in fat, but they are in good body condition.  Thankfully, this environmental hazard hit the Lone Star State very hard, yet these animals were able to adapt to their environment and strenuous conditions.

Article Here:
http://www.chron.com/sports/outdoors/article/Tompkins-Despite-record-drought-Texas-deer-2404096.php

Is the amount of natural disasters increasing? 2011 proves heavy

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) believes that 2011 will be a year that is remembered by its disasters. This year’s weather was the most extreme on record, at least financially, with 12 natural disasters causing $1 billion or more in damage each . That’s more billion-dollar catastrophes in one year than the U.S. saw in the entire decade of the 1980s, even if you factor in inflation.  Outside the U.S., 2011 was equally disastrous. Japan faced an earthquake and tsunami of devastating proportions. New Zealand had a giant quake, the worst natural disaster in 80 years. Australia had a biblical flood while the worst drought in Africa in 60 years endangered millions of lives. Turkey’s quake was followed by an unusual cold, and Thailand in parts is still flooded.

And the disasters are taking a hefty body count with them — 646 people died in the U.S. from natural disasters this year.  In addition to urging better government regulation, the NOAA advises that we all get a disaster plan, be it buying batteries or water or better understanding how the infrastructure around us works.

Here, we are questioning if the amount of natural disasters is actually increasing over time, or if we're developing better technology and media systems to monitor these events.  Also, what kind of regulated system should we have for a response code dealing with natural disasters?  Plus, who will provide this service, the government?  It is something to consider, because more than likely this money will be coming from taxpayers.

Article Here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/was-2011-the-year-of-disasters/2011/12/08/gIQADnKzrO_blog.html

~*Where do we get our data?*~ NASA uses aircrafts for Fire Data

(An example of NASAs fire data)

For a lot of labs we've worked with in class, fire data has been an important factor for analysis.  However, it is important to think how all this imperative data was taken.  NASA has started a new program where fire data is recorded.  obtaining this data and having the ability to use it quickly can provide the ability to save lives and structures like houses. For the 2011 wildfire season, NASA and Carnegie Mellon University’s Silicon Valley Campus teamed up to test new approaches to managing and obtaining information about these disasters using aircraft and a next-generation emergency operations center.

Information that once took one to two hours to get to fire commanders, now takes just 10 to 15 minutes.  The idea behind using unmanned aircraft for damage assessments and information gathering during and after an emergency isn’t new, but it’s constantly improving as researchers understand what’s needed most by decision-makers working in the field.  This is important because this new technology cuts cost and makes obtaining data much more efficient, plus using the data quicker cuts on the risk of damages.

Article here:
http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/NASA-Aircraft-Fight-Fire-With-Data.html

Earthquake in Mexico City shakes all the way to Acapulco

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck in Mexico's western state, shaking buildings and causing panic in the nation's capital and the Pacific resort of Acapulco. Officials said at least three people died, but there were no reports of widespread damage.  The USGS said the quake occurred at 6:47 p.m. Saturday at a depth of 40.3 miles. Mexico City's mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, reported by Twitter that no major damage had been reported. He said power failed in some parts of the city.  


Here is a video showing the detail numbers from the USGS and other maps.  Also, enjoy the sweet music.

New age technology is a way to spread the word of natural disasters that some people might now know of.  For example, the Mayor tweeted about things should be carried out after the disaster and what procedures to take.

Article Here:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jadZgyqqQNcJKq_BjoXBOaoxr2OQ?docId=257731d33c19415b89d3fb834f94fd7d

Failed efforts to stop Landslides in U.S. cost big

Efforts to stop landslides on the problem-plagued U.S. 20 realignment have failed, with costs nearing $230 million and no end in sight.

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The landslide mitigation and earlier fines for pollution caused by erosion added about $76 million to the original $153 million cost and set the original completion date of October 2009 back by what was expected to be about two years.  These landslides are constantly in a state of movement, and the mitigation efforts involved moving about 700,000 cubic yards of earth.
This confirms idea that many different factors can easily stir up a landslide, even if the threat seems low.  Builders in this area are unfortunate to deal with such unpredictability, and the only hope is to build defense mechanisms from the engineering paradigm.


Article here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/11/oregon_highway_officials_lands.html

High Winds pose threat in Southern California

Southern California felt strong winds up to 100mph last weekend that causes power outages and a mass amount of damage for nearly 200,000 residents.  An additional 94,000 L.A. Department of Water and Power customers were without electricity.  Winds did reach above 50 mph in some mountain areas, such as east of Lake Castaic, and strong gusts are expected to pick up as the sun rises and into the morning, then fade into the afternoon. 

In Pasadena, where officials had declared a state of emergency because of wind, schools remained closed Friday, but city libraries and parks were scheduled to reopen.  This relates to the mass movement topic we've discussed in class, because high winds in the mountains can cause the land to move in malleable, susceptible lands.  My only fear is that this will affect the Rose Bowl.  Go Badgers.

Article Here:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/winds-substantially-weaker-friday-morning.html

San Francisco receives grant for earthquake early warning research

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has awarded $6 million to three West Coast universities to create a prototype earthquake early warning system for the Pacific Coast of the United States.

Here is an example of what the program will look like:

The grant, in collaboration with the USGS, will allow seismologists in larger cities to learn about the science of earthquakes and the best way to capture and analyze seismic data. The goal is to give schools, utilities, industries and the general public as much time as possible, most likely seconds to several minutes, before the ground begins to shake.  A warning system has the potential to save thousands of lives and millions of dollars in the event of an earthquake, andit is important to resolve any scientific questions that could stand in the way of implementing such a system. 

The technology and scientific expertise exist to create a sophisticated West Coast earthquake early warning system even more advanced than Japan’s now four-year-old system, which functioned well after the magnitude 9.0 Tohoku quake earlier this year.  This is a great way to implement proper preventive mitigation measures.  Since the technology is constantly changing, Americans have developed a better system, so accurate that people will know the exact minute or second they will need to find rescure.  This will cut down on the "golden hour" and increase the chance of survival after an earthquake.


Article Here:
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/11/29/moore-foundation-awards-6-million-for-earthquake-early-warning-research/