Friday, March 1, 2013

**We tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing.
And a wonderful method it can be for creating
the illusion of progress
while producing inefficiency and demoralization.**
Petronius (65 A.D.)


LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)

This morning -
5.4 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION

Yesterday -
2/28/13 -
5.0 PAPUA, INDONESIA
5.7 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6.9 KURIL ISLANDS
5.9 VANUATU

Magnitude 6.9 Pacific quake near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula caused no casualties or damage.

Magnitude-6.1 quake sways buildings in South Pacific nation of Vanuatu - A strong earthquake has shaken the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu without causing major damage. The magnitude-6.1 [5.9] quake struck Thursday afternoon. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warning.

VOLCANOES -
Volcano Webcams

TROPICAL STORMS -
No tropical storms.

Australia - Far north warned to remain cyclone ready. The weather bureau says far north Queensland residents should be prepared for cyclones until the end of April.
Ex-cyclone Rusty causes Pilbara flooding - The remnants of tropical cyclone Rusty are causing major flooding in the Pilbara catchment areas and river levels are expected to remain high for days. Around 4pm yesterday, two hours after all cyclone warnings were cancelled, emergency services said minor to major flood levels had been reached in the Nullagine, Oakover, Coongan and De Grey rivers, with further peaks possible in coming days.

Indonesia - Extreme Weather Leaves Thousands Without Power. The extreme weather of tropical cyclone Rusty has damaged the power infrastructure in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), leaving thousands without electricity, officials said on Thursday.
The proximity of cyclone Rusty, which passed over the Indian Ocean just south of the province, has led to extreme weather across NTT in the past few days. Fallen trees and high winds have led to power outages in almost all districts. Kupang suffered a power blackout on Tuesday evening after the storm damaged the electricity cable network and forced the shutdown of a local power station.
In West Manggarai district on Flores island, fallen trees obstructed roads and hit cables and electricity poles in Bambor village, some 40 kilometers from Labuan Bajo. Heavy rains and strong winds felled a large tree in Bambor that blocked the road and disrupted the local electricity network. Local officials and residents were trying to clear the debris. The work was hampered by heavy rains.

Tropical Cyclone Haruna Wreaks Havoc in Madagascar - Haruna hit Madagascar on February 24. It was a category 2 cyclone that packed winds reaching a speed of 125 mph or 200 kph. The tropical cyclone left a large part of the island devastated, with lives and crops lost, including rice fields.

HEALTH THREATS -

RECALLS & ALERTS

- United Pet Group, Inc. has voluntarily withdrawn a limited quantity of the products "Ultra Blend Gourmet Food for Parakeets," "eCotrition Grains and Greens Nutritional Supplement for Parakeets," "eCotrition Grains and Greens Nutritional Supplement for Canaries and Finches," and "eCotrition Grains and Greens Nutritional Supplement for Cockatiels." These products contain small quantities of dried parsley flakes which have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
- Zachary Confections, Inc., announced a recall of certain production lots of its Zachary Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Eggs because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.