Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Tsunami Drill on March 23

Well what can I say the drill as always was not taken seriously by many people. I have been monitoring certain frequencies to get some information on what's happening but nothing. Here in my hometown of Yabucoa we didn't heard not a single siren or warning except the one from the SJ Weather Service. The frequency used by the Emergency Management Office here in Yabucoa is completely silent. The warning was receive by my Yaesu VX-7R and the tsunami drill began. I must say that the state police is participating in the drill and I just heard some type of exercise on their frequency not sure what they were suppose to do.

More info on the Tsunami Drill:

Caribbean tsunami drill planned for March 23 — UNESCO news release: 
Full-scale simulated tsunami alert in Caribbean
              Paris, 17 March – Following the devastating tsunami that struck Japan, 33 countries* are preparing to participate on 23 March in the first full-scale simulated tsunami alert exercise in the Caribbean. The goal is to test the Tsunami and other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions, which was established in 2005 by the countries of the region in collaboration with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
            According to the scenario developed by the organizers** of the exercise, countries in the Caribbean will receive an alert on 23 March concerning a fictitious earthquake of 7.6 magnitude off the coast of the American Virgin Islands. Bulletins will be issued by the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (United States) for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Ewa Beach (Hawaii, US) for the rest of the area.
            The exercise, named Caribe Wave 11, does not involve communities. It aims to test the effectiveness of alert, monitoring and warning systems among all the emergency management organizations (national focal points for tsunami alerts, weather forecast offices, national coast guard, etc.) throughout the region. The test is designed to determine whether Caribbean countries are ready to respond in the event of a dangerous tsunami.
            Previous experience underlines the crucial importance of rapid transmission of information. It has also shown that national authorities must take risk into account at all levels, including education about hazards in schools, urban planning in coastal zones, modification of building codes and materials, evacuation plans for communities and organization of effective emergency services.
            Over the last 500 years, 75 tsunamis have occurred in the Caribbean. This figure represents about 10% of the entire number of oceanic tsunamis in the world during that period. Tsunamis – caused by earthquakes or landslides, or of volcanic origin – have killed more that 3500 people in the region since the mid-19th century (source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA). In recent decades, an explosion in population growth and the number of tourists in coastal areas have further increased the region’s vulnerability.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Earthquake Preparedness

Lately here in Puerto Rico the earth is shaking more than it usually does. Since may 2010 there have been 4 earthquakes of a 5.0 magnitude or more. I have personally felt three of them and let me tell you this is not a common occurrence here in the island. Usually we felt one every two or three years but this series of earthquakes has got me thinking about what to do in case of an emergency. Let me ask you. Are you prepare for a strong earthquake? how about a tsunami? A tsunami wave in Japan destroyed everything six miles inland and I only live about 1.2 miles from the coast. So there is the possibility that  my home town can be hit by a tsunami in the future so I decided not to wait and I already started preparing. Here is a list of things I have done already.

1. I have a Bug Out bag ready one for my wife and one for me.
2. I have already developed an scape route with three possible roads.
3. A way to communicate with each other.
4. Where to meet in case of an emergency.

This is a list so far but I will update soon.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Radiation detected at U.S. Airports

WBBM Newsradio 780 in Chicago is reporting that radiation has been detected at Ohare Airport on passengers arriving from Tokyo. The passengers triggered radiation detectors while being screened by Customs.
The Chicago Aviation Department said they are adding additional screening procedures as a precautionary measures.
Homeland Security would not comment on the situation in Chicago but officials at California’s LAX said that DHS is stepping up screening efforts. Radiation was also detected on passengers arriving at Dallas-Fort Worth. The aircraft’s cabin filtration system also tested positive for radiation.

Friday, March 4, 2011

This is just great! Oil continues to climb.


Want to know what emergencies are happening around the world?

This is the most complete website I have found on the net so far. It's called RSOE EDIS (The National Association of Radio Distress-Signalling). This page is has every bit of information bout every part of the world. 
Enjoy!