Earthquake in Chile: Are you all OK?

[Biomiast]

This is also on Snopes.com. I'd like to quote the text but for some reason the page won't let me highlight the text in order to copy/paste it. Basically, due to the building code differences, the American Red Cross claim that very few US buildings collapse or pancake, so Doug Copp's recommendations may not work as well inside US buildings. The Snopes article paints Copp as some sort of self-proclaimed expert guru under investigation by the US Department of Justice Fraud unit. But then again, Snopes cannot always be trusted.

Hi Nathan,

I am not sure the expertise of Doug Copp changes the fact that this is a useful information.

When the earthquake happened in Turkey at 1999, there was a strong campaign lead by scientists to inform people how they should act in the case of an earthquake. What Doug Copp says is exactly what they said in the past years. This is basic knowledge, not something a guru just made up.

I don't know about American building system, but would it hurt to do this methods? I don't think so.

Besides, the collapse of a building is not the only danger in the case of an earthquake. What about bookshelves fall onto your head? What about wardrobes? When an earthquake happened in my home city in 1998(magnitude 6.3) our television fell to the ground. So there is always danger coming from your surroundings and in such a case triangle of life can save you.

I personally think it is a useful and essential knowledge no matter what type of building you are in. Even if this person isn't an "expert" he tells the truth, so I don't see any point not to follow his advice. :)

Just my two cents, fwiw.

 

[pentagram13]

Just reported by the Associated Press: Tsunami Spares U.S., Takes Aim at Japan
.
It was still possible that the tsunami would gain strength again as it heads to Japan,

was the japan earthquake not so "relevant" because there were no reported injuries? I hear about the tsunami warning whice i believe was lifted! :)

 

[pete02]

First off let me say that I'm grateful our members in Chile have reported in and are doing well.

Secondly let me add that I'm like 90% positive that this is another man-made tragedy. Thats totally my opinion on this but I've got a strong feeling in me that these psychos are just flexing their muscle to coerce others that may be unwilling to follow along with the 'plans' anymore. Then I read about how the wave headed towards Russia and Japan. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think either one of these countries is very happy with the US right now and a possible tsunami goes racing in their direction?

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Tsunami waves of up to 0.8 meters hit Russia's east coast on Sunday following a major earthquake in Chile, but no damage was reported.

World | Russia | Natural Disasters

A series of waves hit the Kamchatka Peninsula, northeast of Japan, peaking at around 80 cm (2 ft 7 in), an official at the Sakhalin Tsunami Center said. Waves were continuing to hit the nearby Kuril islands, she said.

The tsunami alert was lifted on the Kamchatka Peninsula, a spokeswoman for the region's Emergencies Ministry said. "No damage has been reported," she said.

The volcanic Kamchatka peninsula is Russia's easternmost region, nine time zones east of Moscow. Heavily militarized during the Soviet Union, it is now a center for mining of platinum, copper, gold and nickel.

Dozens of people were evacuated from coastal homes on the Kuril Islands, the state-run RIA news agency reported, quoting a local official. Most of the residents of the islands live on high land, the official said.

The remote archipelago of sparsely inhabited islands stretches northeast from Japan to the Kamchatka peninsula. Japan claims four of the islands, and the territorial dispute has soured relations with Russia since the Second World War.

A number of boats left ports to take refuge from the waves in the open sea to the west of the islands, an official from the regional administration told RIA.

Japan evacuated hundreds of thousands of people over fears that 3 meter waves could hit. The tsunami was racing across the Pacific from Chile where the 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday, killing more than 300 people.

(Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Alison Williams)

These guys are playing with their toys and killing endless people with no regret!

When the earthquake happened in Turkey at 1999, there was a strong campaign lead by scientists to inform people how they should act in the case of an earthquake. What Doug Copp says is exactly what they said in the past years. This is basic knowledge, not something a guru just made up.

I don't know about American building system, but would it hurt to do this methods? I don't think so.

I must agree here. These maneuvers sounds like good advice to me and should work just fine in American buildings as well. Many thanks to Laura for posting this. There was some things in there I never thought about before and could one day save my life! ;)

 

[Oxajil]

I'm glad you guys are okay in Chile!

All the sincere people around the world who are suffering will be in my prayers tonight.
I hope the damage is not too bad..

 

[Green_Manalishi]

If earthquakes are going off, that means that stuff is happening under the ocean, too. And that stuff - oozing of many cubic miles of magma - can heat the oceans which then heat the lower atmosphere giving the false impression of warming. Because, meanwhile the upper atmosphere, being loaded with dust, as we know from noctilucent clouds and other upper atmospheric formations, is getting colder. That means more precipitation and, depending on where it is, it can be in the form of more snow... which means lots of ice forming...

This is off topic, but since Laura mentioned it i will leave it here.
Very bad weather in the island of Madeira on the 20/02

_http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/disasters/21-02-2010/112311-madeira_calamity-0

Freak torrential rains – 185 litres per square metre – have caused flooding and mudslides in the Portuguese Isle of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, killing at least 42 people, injuring 70, leaving around 250 homeless and vast swathes of the island devastated. The Regional Government of Madeira has proclaimed a State of Emergency and has appealed to the European Union for emergency funding.

Lying 500 km into the Atlantic from the North African coast and 900 km from the European mainland, this Autonomous Region of Portugal is used to torrential rain and much of the deluge which fell on the island early on Saturday morning flowed through irrigation channels, bearing the water from the top of this mountainous island.

However, the intensity was such that trees were uprooted, huge boulders were sent hurling down the mountainsides, power cables were torn down and landslides tore through remote villages, destroying roads and leaving the population of some areas cut off.

For this reason the casualty figures (40 dead, 70 injured) are a first estimate based upon local media reports. Eye witnesses in the capital city, Funchal, have told PRAVDA.Ru that there is an eerie silence reigning across the island after a storm which left vast areas looking like a war zone.

The President of the Autonomous Region, Joao Jardim, said “There is no point in dramatising the situation too much” but has nevertheless called a State of Emergency and appealed to the European Union for emergency funding. Meanwhile, the Portuguese Interior Minister, Rui Pereira, has declared that he will ask the E.U. to declare a public calamity.

Freak weather conditions

The quantity of rain that fell on Madeira between 5.00 and 11.00 on Saturday morning was twice the level which activates a red alert. During these six hours, 111 mm of precipitation fell, and 52mm of these in just one hour, between 9.00 and 10.00.

Given the island’s location, frequently visited by columns of warming and cooling air which create extreme, unstable weather conditions, it is surprising that it does not have a radar system which warns in advance as to probable precipitation levels. In recent years, the search for space for construction blocked streams which would have channelled the rainwater away, although the irrigation channels built by the Regional Government probably staved off a worse disaster in this case.

And in continental Portugal and Galiza this weekend also very bad weather, especially rain and strong winds, making the Portuguese Civil Protection issue the highest alert possible for the northern regions.

 

[Windmill knight]

First off let me say that I'm grateful our members in Chile have reported in and are doing well.

Yes, but have we heard from IronFloyd yet? His last post was on Februrary 4th.

Secondly let me add that I'm like 90% positive that this is another man-made tragedy. Thats totally my opinion on this but I've got a strong feeling in me that these psychos are just flexing their muscle to coerce others that may be unwilling to follow along with the 'plans' anymore. Then I read about how the wave headed towards Russia and Japan. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think either one of these countries is very happy with the US right now and a possible tsunami goes racing in their direction?

My hypothesis was that if this was man made, it could be part of a 'damage control' campaign, so to speak. In other words, if there are many earthquakes around the world in random places, people will be less likely to think that they are man made and the assertion that the one in Haiti was artificial will be less credible. I do believe that 'they' are capable of murdering a few thousand more just for the sake of public relations.

Another hypothesis is that it was not man made, but a reaction of the planet to having earthquakes induced artificially. Who knows how 'Mother Earth's system is interconnected?

But at this point, who knows, really?

 

[Chu]

Below is an update on the situation in Chile. I wonder if the looting is going to lead to more control exerted by the Chilean authorities. For the moment, there doesn't seem to be signs of a foreign invasion (sorry, I meant to say intervention ;)):

Hundreds dead after Chile earthquake

Officials say more than 300 killed in 8.8-magnitiude quake and warn death toll expected to rise

Jonathan Franklin in Santiago, Adam Gabbatt and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 28 February 2010 11.09 GMT

A collapsed motorway near Santiago after a huge earthquake hit Chile, killing more than 300 people.

Photograph: David Lillo/AP

More than 300 people have been killed after a huge earthquake struck Chile yesterday, destroying tens of thousands of homes and sparking fears of a tsunami in the Pacific.

Pacific nations have been bracing themselves for a tsunami following the 8.8-magnitude quake – with waves reaching Japan, Russia and Pacific islands – although the damage has so far been small.

The Chilean authorities said the official death toll in the country was 214, but they believed the true number was more than 300 and would increase.

"We think the real [death] figure tops 300 ... we believe this will continue to grow," Carmen Fernandez, the head of the National Emergency Agency, said.

Fernandez said 1.5 million Chileans were affected by the disaster, with 500,000 homes severely damaged.

The country's president, Michelle Bachelet, who leaves office on 11 March, declared a "state of catastrophe" in central Chile.

"It was a catastrophe of devastating consequences," she said.

Gordon Brown said Britain stands ready to help, while Barack Obama promised that the US will be there if Chile asks for aid – a sentiment echoed by leaders around the world.

Bachelet said yesterday that the country had not asked for help, and the Chilean ambassador to the UK said it was prepared to manage on its own.

In Japan, hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from shorelines after the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued alerts, but the waves were smaller than expected and did not cause significant damage.

Fears that Pacific island countries, such as Hawaii and Tonga, where nine people died when the Samoa tsunami struck last September, could be devastated proved unfounded, with early warnings enabling tens of thousands of people to flee to high ground.

The warning centre has since lifted its warnings for all countries except Russia and Japan. Officials said the centre had overstated its predictions of a tsunami threat.

"We expected the waves to be bigger in Hawaii – maybe about 50% bigger than they actually were," Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist at the centre, said. "We'll be looking at that."

The National Disaster Office in Tonga said waves of up to 6.5ft (2m) had hit a small northern island, but there were no indications of any damage.

A 6.5ft wave also hit New Zealand's Chatham Islands early today, officials said.

The full extent of the quake damage in Chile remains unclear, with dozens of aftershocks continuing to ripple across the nation.

In Concepción – Chile's second largest city, 70 miles from the epicentre – nurses and residents pushed the injured through the streets on stretchers.

Survivors wrapped in blankets walked around in a daze, some carrying children in their arms. A 15-storey building collapsed, leaving only a few floors intact.

"I was on the eighth floor and all of a sudden I was down here," Fernando Abarzua, who escaped from the wreckage, said.

He said a relative was still trapped in the rubble six hours after the quake, "but he keeps shouting, saying he's OK", he said.

Chilean state television reported that 209 inmates had escaped from a prison in the city of Chillan after a fire broke out, while the president-elect, Sebastien Pinera, reported seeing some looting while flying over damaged areas.

He vowed "to fight with maximum energy looting attempts that I saw with my own eyes".

The earthquake was the strongest to hit Chile in 50 years and one of the strongest ever measured. The quake shook buildings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was felt as far away as São Paulo, in Brazil – 1,800 miles to the east.

The historic town centre of Talca, just 65 miles from the epicentre, largely collapsed. The weakest buildings, made of mud and straw, were mostly commercial premises and were not inhabited at the time. Neighbours pulled at least five people from the rubble.

Robert Williams, a geophysicist at the US Geological Survey, said the Chilean quake was hundreds of times more powerful than the earthquake which devastated Haiti last month, although it was far deeper underground, and appears to have claimed far fewer lives.

The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile on 22 May 1960. The 9.5-magnitude quake killed 1,655 people and made 2 million homeless.

Yesterday's earthquake matched a 1906 quake off the Ecuadorean coast as the seventh-strongest ever recorded.

To me, this earthquake doesn't sound man-made. Notice that it was far deeper underground according to that article. But a possibility perhaps is that whatever was done in Haiti led to these earthquakes. Atreides and I were looking and tectonic plate maps yesterday, and thought that maybe a movement in the plate around Haiti created shifts in the plates that are now being affected. Is that too crazy for a hypothesis? Check this map to see how the plates connect to each other.

 

[rylek]

Very glad and grateful to hear that the members in Chile are alright.

I wonder if this was another "man" made earthquake?

I was wondering the same. Lets have eye on casualty numbers. At the moment <100.

Some latest numbers on the death toll:

Chile earthquake: nation in shock as death toll climbs

The death toll from the massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on Saturday has reached 300 and is expected to climb further as authorities estimate two million people were affected by the disaster and half a million homes were severely damaged or destroyed.


The country is in shock after the most powerful earthquake in a century hit 200 miles southwest of the capital Santiago.

The number of dead is expected to exceed 300 and the country’s president has declared a “state of catastrophe".


Following the earthquake, Chileans fearful of strong aftershocks - one as powerful as the devastating Haiti quake of Jan 12 - camped outside on the streets, as officials struggled to grasp the scale of the damage to the country’s transport, energy and housing infrastructure.

The earthquake tore apart houses, bridges and motorways, and Chileans near the epicenter were thrown from their beds by the force of the temblor, which was felt as far away as Sao Paulo in Brazil — 1,800 miles to the east.

"We think the real (death) figure tops 300 and we believe this will continue to grow,” said Carmen Fernandez, head of the National Emergency Agency.

President Michelle Bachelet, said that officials were still trying to evaluate the “enormous quantity of damage.” She asked foreign nations to delay sending aid until the extent of the crisis became clear.

"The power of nature has again struck our country,” she said, declaring six of Chile’s 15 regions “catastrophe zones".

Shortly after the quake hit, waves exceeding seven feet high crashed into the Chilean coast and tore out into the Pacific, killing at least five people in the remote Robinson Crusoe islands.

Among the population of the Andean nation, confusion reigned. In Santiago, dozens of people slept on the streets, believing it safer to be out in the open.

Close to the epicentre, witnesses saw survivors with broken bones and dead bodies lying in the streets.

As well as the human toll, the damage has almost crippled the wealthy nation’s infrastructure.

Santiago’s airport was closed and its subway shut down. Chile’s main seaport, in Valparaiso, was closed while damage was assessed. Work was halted at two oil refineries and the state-run Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, stopped work at two of its mines, but said it expected them to resume operations quickly.

The earthquake presents a daunting challenge for billionaire Sebastian Pinera, who was elected Chile’s president in January and who will assume office in two weeks.

"We’re preparing ourselves for an additional task, a task that wasn’t part of our governing plan: assuming responsibility for rebuilding our country," he said.

"It’s going to be a very big task and we’re going to need resources.”

Robert Williams, a geophysicist at the US Geological Survey, said the Chilean quake was hundreds of times more powerful than Haiti’s magnitude-7 quake, though it was deeper and cost far fewer lives.

The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile on May 22, 1960. The magnitude-9.5 quake killed 1,655 people and made 2 million homeless. Saturday’s quake matched a 1906 temblor off the Ecuadorean coast as the seventh-strongest ever recorded in the world.

The United States and Europe vowed to come to Chile’s aid as relief workers rushed to the western hemisphere’s second enormous earthquake in seven weeks.

But the country appealed for foreign donors to wait until the scale of the task is clear.

"We are very grateful for people’s good intentions, but let’s let the (Chilean) emergency office get its very specific report on needs done," Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez said.

Chile does not want “aid from anywhere to be a distraction” from disaster relief, he said. “Any aid that arrives without having been determined to be needed really helps very little.”

UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s office said he was “very closely monitoring developments” including the risk of Pacific Basin tsunamis. A Pacific-wide tsunami alert was lifted, but Japan evacuated 320,000 people.

Unlike impoverished Haiti, which was pulverized by an earthquake last month, Chile is one of Latin America’s wealthiest countries.

Nevertheless international aid charities said they were dispatching experts to Chile, while predicting that the devastation would be far less than in Haiti, where the January 12 quake killed 200,000 people.

Oxfam said it was sending five water engineers and logistics experts.

The World Bank said it stood ready to “draw on its considerable expertise in catastrophe management and reconstruction".

 

[Laurentien2]

Something is definitely moving, we experimented a 3.8 earthquake last night here in Quebec. The epicenter was some 20 km from where we live and was for me the first time since I moved in the region 15 years ago. This not unseen but quite a rare phenomenon, I have felt earthquake in Indonesia and couldn't believed it last night went the tremor came. Something is definitely happening underground,Earthquake Alert for Mexico, California and Alaska http://newsblaze.com/story/20100228061112ianb.nb/topstory.html, maybe they should enlarge the alert or change the tittle to earthquake alert for the entire world .

I'm glad to read that every forum member in Chile are safe, please be careful everyone.

 

[Username]

Thanks everyone for your concern. I hope Ironfloyd will report soon. Right now the news are reporting in extense the lootings in Concepcion (560 km south of Santiago). The possibility of declaring martial law there is being insinuated.

P.S.: Last report in the news: 350 dead only in the city of Constitución (300 km south of Stgo)!!!

 

[rylek]

This was the first thing I saw when I got up this morning and went looking for news.

Actually during the night at about the time the quake happened I had a dream where I was running out of a collapsing high rise building. I'm guessing my subconscious picked up what was happening in Chile.

 

[Vulcan59]

Actually during the night at about the time the quake happened I had a dream where I was running out of a collapsing high rise building. I'm guessing my subconscious picked up what was happening in Chile.

Yeah, I had trouble sleeping too. Usually I fall asleep pretty quick but that night I was tossing and turning and couldn't get to sleep till well past midnight.

 

[mamadrama]

I personally think it is a useful and essential knowledge no matter what type of building you are in. Even if this person isn't an "expert" he tells the truth, so I don't see any point not to follow his advice.

As we say, knowledge protects, so it is worthwhile to gather as much data as possible.

In researching Copp's article, there are a few things that he fails to address. The Red Cross responded to Copp's article with the following information:

http://www.bpaonline.org/Emergencyprep/arc-on-doug-copp.html

We contend that "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" indeed SAVED lives, not killed people. Because the research continues to demonstrate that, in the U.S., "Drop, Cover, and Hold On!" works, the American Red Cross remains behind that recommendation. It is the simplest, reliable, and easiest method to teach people, including children.

The American Red Cross has not recommended use of a doorway for earthquake protection for more than a decade. The problem is that many doorways are not built into the structural integrity of a building, and may not offer protection. Also, simply put, doorways are not suitable for more than one person at a time.

The Red Cross, remaining consistent with the information published in "Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Messages," (visit http://www.disastereducation.org/guide.html ) states that if you are in bed when an earthquake happens, remain there. Rolling out of bed may lead to being injured by debris on the floor next to the bed. If you have done a good job of earthquake mitigation (that is, removing pictures or mirrors that could fall on a bed; anchoring tall bedroom furniture to wall studs, and the like), then you are safer to stay in bed rather than roll out of it during the shaking of an earthquake.

Also, the Red Cross strongly advises not try to move (that is, escape) during the shaking of an earthquake. The more and the longer distance that someone tries to move, the more likely they are to become injured by falling or flying debris, or by tripping, falling, or getting cut by damaged floors, walls, and items in the path of escape. Identifying potential "void areas" and planning on using them for earthquake protection is more difficult to teach, and hard to remember for people who are not educated in earthquake engineering principles. The Red Cross is not saying that identifying potential voids is wrong or inappropriate. What we are saying is that "Drop, Cover, and Hold On!" is NOT wrong -- in the United States. The American Red Cross, being a U.S.-based organization, does not extend its recommendations to apply in other countries. What works here may not work elsewhere, so there is no dispute that the "void identification method" or the "Triangle of Life" may indeed be the best thing to teach in other countries where the risk of building collapse, even in moderate earthquakes, is great.

Another article points out that getting down low on shins and knees rather than in the fetal position as Copp recommends (so there is some control of movement) is preferable. It also points out that vehicles are at risk of flipping over so that laying beside them may not be preferable. As with anything, the details are important and each circumstance has its variables.



http://www.earthquakecountry.info/dropcoverholdon/Petal_on_Copp.pdf

 

[Lauranimal]

It would seem that the area I live in is due for a pretty severe quake. 2 years ago we had a quake that woke me up when a bottle fell from a ledge above my window and hit me in the head (fell asleep on the couch. I try not to do that anymore.). I live on the 3rd floor of a 17 storey, turn of the century (last century) building. I'm thinking that the structure and materials of this building are pure pancake material. Hope I am not at home when it happens.

Sending out a hopeful prayer for Ironfloyd and all the other people of Chile. As it seems that the earth changes have begun in earnest... I truly hope we can all stay grounded in knowledge and being.

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=193095137&blogId=527026798

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Shake, Rattle and Roll


On January 12, 2010, the Caribbean island nation of Haiti experienced an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude, claiming between 100,000 and 200,000 lives.


Earthquakes are not new to Haiti. In 1751, a quake destroyed every masonry building (except one) in Port-au-Prince. Twenty years later, a 7.5 magnitude quake again leveled Port-au-Prince, killing 200 people. In 1842, a quake on northern Haiti killed 10,000 people. In 1946, a magnitude 8.0 quake produced a tsunami that killed 1,800 people.


Earthquakes are not new to the USA either.


New Madrid, Mo., is on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about a hundred miles upstream from Memphis, across the river from the Kentucky and Tennessee state lines, just above the Missouri boot heel. The population in 2010 is approximately 3,200.


On December 16, 1811, the 400 people who lived in New Madrid were awakened by a powerful earthquake. It was the largest seismic event east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States, over 8.0 in magnitude.


The tremor lasted from three to five minutes. The ground visibly rolled and most buildings were completely destroyed. Large areas of land sank, new lakes were formed and over 150,000 acres of forest were decimated. It also caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards for several hours and changed the course of the river.


The shake was felt as far north as Quebec City, Canada, and it rang church bells in Boston, Mass., over 1,000 miles away. The towns of Point Pleasant and Little Prairie, both in Missouri, located on points of land jutting out into the Mississippi River, were completely swept away without a trace.


During the next few weeks, there were 2,000 aftershocks, including three more quakes in the 8.0 range.


This event became known as the Great New Madrid Earthquake of 1811-1812 because its epicenter was in a sparsely populated area near New Madrid. The New Madrid Fault system extends 120 miles south-southwest from the area of Cairo, Ill., through New Madrid, down to Blytheville, Ark., all the way down to Marked Tree, Ark.


The New Madrid Fault averages some 200 measured events per year (1.0 or greater). About once every 18 months, there is a shock of 4.0 or more, causing minimal local damage. On Thanksgiving of 1996, there was a 4.3 quake which was felt by people in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi.


An earthquake of 6.0 or greater could cause serious damage to structures, particularly older masonry buildings, from St. Louis to Memphis. This occurs about every 80 years. The last event was in 1895.


The New Madrid Fault is overdue for a jolt.


An earthquake of 7.5 or greater would be felt throughout the entire United States and would cause damage in 20 or more states. This happens once every 200-300 years or every 500-600 years, depending on which seismological study one chooses to believe. The last such event occurred in 1812.


Earthquake prediction is not an exact science. Most experts believe there is about a 90% chance of a quake of 6.0 or greater by the year 2040. Some experts believe there is a 3% chance of a major earthquake (7.5 or greater) along the New Madrid Fault by 2040, while other experts believe there is a 25% chance by 2040.


The Earth's surface is made up of a series of tectonic plates, much like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle. These plates are in constant motion, traveling a few inches per year. As these plates build up stress over time, energy is occasionally released in the form of an earthquake.


It's not a question of "if" there will be another massive earthquake along the New Madrid Fault, but "when." And when it occurs there will be catastrophic destruction, particularly in southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, western Kentucky, western Tennessee and southern Illinois.


We live on a very precarious planet. Besides dealing with the injustice inflicted upon others by evil people, we must also contend with natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes, fires, floods, mudslides, droughts, meteors, extreme temperatures, pandemics, crop failures and so on.


And you can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.


Beyond the folly of politics and the nefarious manipulations of global elitist greed-heads, human destiny is primarily a series of unforeseen events guided by invisible forces. Whatever happens tomorrow is meant to happen and there's nothing you can do about it.


If you live anywhere near the New Madrid Fault, don't despair -- just stock up on beans and ammo, and live life to the fullest.


The future is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you're going to get.

___________


Quote for the Day -- “Those who survived the San Francisco earthquake said, ‘Thank God, I’m still alive.’ But, of course, those who died, their lives will never be the same again.” U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Cal)

___________


Bret Burquest is an award-winning columnist and author of four novels. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and where the New Madrid Fault, a two-hour drive to the east, awaits patiently for the right moment to cause a ruckus. His blogs appear on several websites, including www.myspace.com/bret1111

___________

 

[Laurentien2]

Actually during the night at about the time the quake happened I had a dream where I was running out of a collapsing high rise building. I'm guessing my subconscious picked up what was happening in Chile.

Yeah, I had trouble sleeping too. Usually I fall asleep pretty quick but that night I was tossing and turning and couldn't get to sleep till well past midnight.

Same for me.

To follow on the quake here last night, I needed some xylitol today to bake Laura is dates bread so I went to the health store and met with a friend, who is the only person so far that I met here (in town) that as knowledge of our situation here on earth. She is visiting the forum occasionally, went her schedule permit, and recognize the deep knowledge exchange in this forum. Her experience with last night tremor left me wondering a lot. She was in bed and sleeping when it happened but woke up because of very high heat sensation in the solar plexus and abdomen area. To describe it, she first thought that she had a menopause like symptom but it was way more stronger. More, her cat was all exited when she woke up suddenly and at the same moment that the tremor was felt. I'm curious, as anyone feel some unusual sensation that could have been created prior or during the earthquake.