Monday, March 31, 2014

[californiadisasters] Take a tour of the 'doomsday Disneyland'



Take a tour of the 'doomsday Disneyland'

By Jason Evans, CNN
updated 7:15 AM EDT, Mon March 31, 2014

(CNN) -- Guardian Centers may be a place to practice how to respond to a disaster, but that doesn't mean real danger is nonexistent.

When we headed over to see its mock subway station, complete with eight cars donated from Washington's Metro system, we were told we had a limited window to view it. The reason -- they were going to be pumping actual toxic gas into the building to simulate a chemical attack.

As smoke rose from chunks of concrete representing an obliterated building, Chris Schaff put it this way: "As soon as you come in here, the pretend goes away."

He's a fire and rescue battalion chief with Fairfax County, Virginia, and his words carry a lot of weight. His elite team of urban search and rescue operatives has been deployed to numerous disasters, including Hurricane Sandy, the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and the 2010 Haiti quake.

Luis Fernandez, a two-decades-plus veteran of disaster response, agreed the Perry, Georgia, facility passes muster.

"The temperature extremes, the building extremes, the noises, the environment, are incredibly lifelike," said Fernandez, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue chief of staff and.a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The brotherhood of Disaster City

From the aforementioned subway station, to a mock bridge with crushed cars, to a devastated structure made to look like the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, Guardian Centers' 830-acre site is designed to allow a variety of responders to do a variety of drills in one location.

This kind of "doomsday Disneyland" owes its vision to Geoff Burkart, a telecommunications executive who was in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. During Katrina, he saw "what was being done there, and what was not being done."

From there the idea was born, and a former Cold War missile plant became the location.

The subway station is especially convincing, fashioned from an elongated building originally designed to be an assembly line for the weapons.

Training for tragedy in 'Disaster City'

Open for less than two years, the Centers facility has changed the game for disaster response training. Clients can tell Burkart's team what their specific needs are. If it's a group from the Pacific Northwest, they can request the ground be saturated to simulate the region's heavy rainfall.

Many agencies have "script writers" that work with Guardian Centers on specifications, from smoke to rebar.

"We're primarily just a tool, and we want to be the best tool," Burkart said.

He doesn't want to slight government training facilities but points out the advantages to being privately run.

"We can adapt and provide everything the client needs almost on demand," he said.

And by being able to provide a number of different training types in one place, Burkart says, he's saving the taxpayers money.

Still, the process to create such scenarios takes time. A recent weeklong earthquake response drill for FEMA and the U.S. Agency for International Development took months to plan, according to spokespeople.

And things must always be changed up. A pair of dog handlers from a New Mexico search and rescue team pointed out that the animals are smart enough to remember where the holes in the rubble are.

As for Burkart, he hopes his vision will extend well beyond the rolling hills of central Georgia.

"If we can make this entire campus successful, we would like to put one of these in (each of) the four corners of the United States," he said.

Source: www.cnn.com/2014/03/30/us/guardian-center-disaster-response-training/index.html



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[Geology2] La Habra Quake Probably Not On Puente Hills Fault



Earthquake: How aftershocks help scientists map fault lines

Sanden Totten | March 31st, 2014, 5:18pm

There have been over a hundred aftershocks since Friday's magnitude 5.1 quake.

While these lesser jolts can be unnerving, they also help geologists map the fault responsible for the shaking, says Kate Hutton with the US Geological Survey.

"The aftershocks occur along where the fault rupture was," Hutton said.

Related: Get the latest on earthquakes with KPCC's Earthquake Tracker

Each aftershock is logged on a map and by drawing a line through them, a picture of the larger fault emerges.

In this case, Hutton said it's becoming clear Friday's quake did not occur on the potentially dangerous Puente Hills Thrust Fault that runs under downtown Los Angeles. But the fault responsible was close by, she said.

"It’s perpendicular more or less from the Puente Hills fault," she said.

Like many of the smaller faults in the region, Hutton said this new fault doesn’t appear to have been mapped yet.

If the quake ruptured to the surface, Hutton said her team could trace it much more accurately.

She said seismologists will continue gathering evidence on this new fault over the next few days.

Source: http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/03/31/43183/earthquake-how-aftershocks-help-scientists-map-fau/



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[californiadisasters] Cal Fire at Peak Staffing as Wildfire Activity Remains High, Drought Conditions Persist



Cal Fire at Peak Staffing as Wildfire Activity Remains High, Drought Conditions Persist

By Andrew Lopez
|  Monday, Mar 31, 2014  |  Updated 6:14 PM PDT

Cal Fire officials have moved to peak staffing as extreme drought conditions continue to cripple California and wildfire activity remains high.

The around-the-clock staffing in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties comes just weeks after a strong storm system pounded Southern California but did little to relieve the threat of potential fire danger.

“Even with rain in March, our fire activity has remained 200 percent more over average statewide,” said Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott in a news release.

Nearly 2,300 acres have been charred in wildfires so far in 2014, up from only about 1,000 last year. The overall number of fires is up as well, reaching more than 800 compared to last year’s 275 during the same time period.

During peak staffing, all fire equipment and facilities will be available to fight wildfires.

The focus on wildfire danger comes days after a U.S. Drought Monitor report stated that about 72 percent of the state had reached Extreme or Exceptional drought conditions.

A storm system was expected to bring some rain to Southern California from late afternoon Monday through Wednesday. 

Source: www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/Cal-Fire-at-Peak-Staffing-as-Wildfire-Activity-Remains-High-Drought-Conditions-Persist-253297151.html



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[californiadisasters] Orange County School Closed for Quake Damage Inspections



Inspectors are checking for structural damage after Friday's magnitude-5.1 quake and a weekend of aftershocks

By Jacob Rascon and Jonathan Lloyd
|  Monday, Mar 31, 2014  |  Updated 3:57 PM PDT

An Orange County elementary school might be closed for two weeks as authorities investigate damage after an earthquake Friday night that rattled a widespread area of Southern California.

School officials announced during the weekend that Fanning Elementary School would be closed Monday as inspectors assess damage. The superintendent of Brea Olinda Unified School District told NBC4 Monday morning that the school might be closed for two weeks because of damage related to Friday's magnitude-5.1 quake and aftershocks.

Authorities are investigating whether the shaking loosened protective coating on asbestos -- exposure to the mineral fiber used in building construction materials increases risk of developing lung disease. Once the Air Quality Management District accepts the district's cleanup plan, the classroom buildings will be fenced off during a process that might take two weeks, according to district officials.

"The site is being assessed for safety, including air quality," school officials said in a note to families.

Standalone rooms have been deemed safe, allowing some students and staff to return Tuesday. But the main building will be closed for the remainder of the week and "potentially longer," according to the school.

Changes to classroom assignments were outlined in the letter to parents.

Books were shaken from shelves and school supplies, light fixtures, ceiling tiles and other items ended up on floors inside the 500-student school. Inspectors Monday are attempting to determine whether there is structural damage to the building.

The magnitude-5.1 earthquake near La Habra Friday evening was followed by a series of aftershocks that left six homes in the area red-tagged as inspectors attempted to determine whether they were structurally safe.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that a series of aftershocks rumbled  through the area on Saturday. One was magnitude-3.4, centered about a mile south of La Habra, at 9:02 a.m. Another one, magnitude 4.1, was centered about  one mile southeast of Rowland Heights at 2:32 p.m. A magnitude 3.3 earthquake  hit at 10:51 p.m. one mile south-southwest of La Habra, and a magnitude 3.1  aftershock, at 11:17 p.m., was centered one mile south-southeast of La Habra.

No serious injuries were reported as a result of the earthquake on  Friday, which struck at 9:09 p.m. and ruptured water mains and gas lines,  damaged homes and businesses, sent store merchandise crashing to the floor and  caused a rockslide in Brea.

Source: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Brea-School-Closed-Earthquake-Quake-Damage-253217501.html?_osource=Newltr_Station_Hdlines_LA

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[californiadisasters] Flood alert level raised for Colby Fire burn areas ahead of rain



Flood alert level raised for Colby Fire burn areas ahead of rain

March 31, 2014

GLENDORA, Calif. (KABC) -- The city of Glendora raised the flooding alert level for Colby Fire burn areas ahead of possible thunderstorms this week.

The alert level was raised to yellow from green due to a storm that could bring between half an inch to 1 inch of rain Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Colby Fire burned nearly 2,000 acres, destroyed five homes and damaged 17 other homes on Jan. 16. The burn impact area includes homes north of Sierra Madre between the western city boundaries of Azusa and Glendora to the eastern boundary of homes on the west side of the Little Dalton Wash, near Loraine Avenue.

Parking restrictions are in effect and residents are asked to remove trash cans and other obstacles from the street. No evacuation orders are in effect yet.

Source: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=9486598

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[Geology2] Washington Landslide: Completely Foreseeable



Washington Landslide: Completely Foreseeable

By March 25, 2014

The large, deadly landslide that struck near the town of Oso, Washington on March 22 was a slow-motion tragedy. The first few days were the worst part of it—emergency responders were working without rest to find survivors, yet much of the ground was too dangerous to step on. The anxiety and frustration must have been terrible. So I grant slack to the weary manager of the county's emergency management department, who told the press, "The area was mitigated very heavily. It was considered very safe. This was a completely unforeseen slide. This came out of nowhere." Many people who don't know geology think that way. To geologists, what he said was mostly incorrect.

This is an area of large, well-mapped landslides. Washington geologist Dan McShane writes a blog, Reading the Washington Landscape, where he's been pulling up background information on the slide and its neighborhood. (I've had it in my Washington Geology resource list for some time.) The landscape has landslides written all over it. As McShane put it on the day of the slide, "Landslide wonks knew exactly where this slide was as soon as it made the news." Later he posted lidar maps of the area, showing the landscape with all trees and buildings removed. Take a look.

Oso slide lidar map

Outlines in red, made by McShane from county data, show some of the landslide areas. The area of last weekend's slide is the one on the right. That is to say, the latest slide was in the scar of an older one. In fact, the lower part of that older slide moved again in 2006, pushing the river southward. The area of the 2006 slide is the part that was "mitigated very heavily," meaning that the ground was drained and wreckage cleared up. Such steps can stabilize small landslide deposits, but they can't stop unstable mountainsides from collapsing over and over.

I have no doubt that the geotechnical engineers and geologists who dealt with that 2006 slide knew the overall situation perfectly well. But scientists, for better or worse, aren't in charge of things, and people determined to do what they want can't easily be made to understand the risks they're taking. Until the ideal world arrives, people need to learn on their own.

The technology that could help is easily envisioned. Sprinkle a bunch of RFID chips (or even just distinctive reflectors) on hillsides like this and map them regularly with GPS and lidar. The premonitory signs of landslides like this can be detected and warnings can be issued with good data behind them. The largest non-volcanic landslide in North American history happened just last year, inside the massive open pit of a copper mine in Utah. But because the pit was closely monitored, the workers cleared out 7 hours beforehand and not a soul was injured. The technical details were published January in the open-access journal GSA Today.

On the other hand, it would be cheaper just to keep housing away from danger zones.

Background:
About landslides and mass wasting
8 landslide types in photos
The Landslide Handbook, free from the U.S. Geological Survey
Annotated lidar image from Dan McShane

http://geology.about.com/b/2014/03/25/washington-landslide-completely-foreseeable.htm



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Re: [Geology2] USGS Preliminary Report Shows Ancient Landslides Near Oso



I hate to sound like a Marxist historian.... but just "follow the money".... on that much they are correct.


On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 5:33 PM, Lin Kerns <linkerns@gmail.com> wrote:
 

Yes... and even more than that... geologists knew beforehand that this one was going to happen. Greedy real estate developers sold the land there and never passed that info along.


On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 7:11 PM, Kim Noyes <kimnoyes@gmail.com> wrote:
 

In other words... it had happened in that area many times before, including one slide much larger than the Oso Slide.


On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 2:40 PM, Lin Kerns <linkerns@gmail.com> wrote:
 

To download the report, click the title link below:

USGS Preliminary Report Shows Ancient Landslides Near Oso
March 30, 2014 | USGS

“High-resolution topographic surveys allow fairly precise mapping of landslide deposits and their relative ages. [...] The Tulalip Tribes, in partnership with the Puget Sound Lidar Consortium, acquired a high-resolution lidar survey of the North Fork Stillaguamish River valley in 2013. This report presents a preliminary interpretation of the topography of this area using the lidar data at a scale of 1:24,000.” Quoted from the USGS Preliminary Interpretation.



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Re: [Geology2] USGS Preliminary Report Shows Ancient Landslides Near Oso



Yes... and even more than that... geologists knew beforehand that this one was going to happen. Greedy real estate developers sold the land there and never passed that info along.


On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 7:11 PM, Kim Noyes <kimnoyes@gmail.com> wrote:
 

In other words... it had happened in that area many times before, including one slide much larger than the Oso Slide.


On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 2:40 PM, Lin Kerns <linkerns@gmail.com> wrote:
 

To download the report, click the title link below:

USGS Preliminary Report Shows Ancient Landslides Near Oso
March 30, 2014 | USGS

“High-resolution topographic surveys allow fairly precise mapping of landslide deposits and their relative ages. [...] The Tulalip Tribes, in partnership with the Puget Sound Lidar Consortium, acquired a high-resolution lidar survey of the North Fork Stillaguamish River valley in 2013. This report presents a preliminary interpretation of the topography of this area using the lidar data at a scale of 1:24,000.” Quoted from the USGS Preliminary Interpretation.



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Re: [Geology2] USGS Preliminary Report Shows Ancient Landslides Near Oso



In other words... it had happened in that area many times before, including one slide much larger than the Oso Slide.


On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 2:40 PM, Lin Kerns <linkerns@gmail.com> wrote:
 

To download the report, click the title link below:

USGS Preliminary Report Shows Ancient Landslides Near Oso
March 30, 2014 | USGS

“High-resolution topographic surveys allow fairly precise mapping of landslide deposits and their relative ages. [...] The Tulalip Tribes, in partnership with the Puget Sound Lidar Consortium, acquired a high-resolution lidar survey of the North Fork Stillaguamish River valley in 2013. This report presents a preliminary interpretation of the topography of this area using the lidar data at a scale of 1:24,000.” Quoted from the USGS Preliminary Interpretation.



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[californiadisasters] Resource to talk with children about unconfirmed deaths



 

In light of the disappearance of flight MH 370 and the landslide in Washington I thought I would share one of our resources with you.  Coping with Unconfirmed Death: Tips for Caregivers of Children and Teens  http://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/assets/pdfs/Coping_with_Unconfirmed_Death.pdf

 

In addition, although the resources on this page discuss helping children cope with an earthquake they would be of use when talking with children about the landslide.

http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types/natural-disasters/earthquakes#tabset-tab-5

 

 

Cathryn

 

Cathryn Chiesa, MLS
Resource Librarian
UCLA-Duke University Center for Child Traumatic Stress, Leading the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
411 West Chapel Hill Street, Suite 200
Durham, NC  27701
p. (919)613-9857
f.  (919)613-9898
reply to: cathryn.chiesa@duke.edu
NCTSN website: www.nctsn.org

NCTSN Learning Center: http://learn.nctsn.org

Follow Us: http://twitter.com/nctsn

Find Us: http://facebook.com/nctsn





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[Geology2] USGS Preliminary Report Shows Ancient Landslides Near Oso



To download the report, click the title link below:

USGS Preliminary Report Shows Ancient Landslides Near Oso
March 30, 2014 | USGS

“High-resolution topographic surveys allow fairly precise mapping of landslide deposits and their relative ages. [...] The Tulalip Tribes, in partnership with the Puget Sound Lidar Consortium, acquired a high-resolution lidar survey of the North Fork Stillaguamish River valley in 2013. This report presents a preliminary interpretation of the topography of this area using the lidar data at a scale of 1:24,000.” Quoted from the USGS Preliminary Interpretation.



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[Volcano_Vista_HS] VVHS Announcements--Monday, March 31, 2014



Any student interested in being a class officer next year or in senate please stop by the activities office at lunch to pick up an application. All applications are due at lunch by Wednesday April 2nd.

Prom tickets are on sale today and tomorrow, April 1st for $20.00. The price increases to $25 on April 2. Juniors and Seniors may purchase tickets in the Activities Office during lunch. You must have your ID to purchase a ticket. It is your responsibility to read the rules on the back of your ticket. They are also up online and in your agenda.

It is Prom spirit week:

  • Tuesday is Jester Day, also April Fool's Day (dress like a clown)

  • Wednesday is Fairy Tale Day, dress like your favorite fairy tale character

  • Thursday is Dreams Come True Day- dress as what you want to be in the future

  • Friday is Fancy Friday.

Please remember that you need to be in dress code each day.

ATHLETICS:

  • Dance Team took­  6th Place at State

  • Cheer Team took­  5th Place at State

  • Baseball ­– Had a win over Albuquerque High and lost to Eldorado – Play at Valley on Tuesday and host Clovis on Saturday.

  • Softball ­ - The softball team beat Piedra Vista In a double header this weekend. The team won 5 to 3 and 15 to 12.  Homeruns were hit by: Rayeanne Garduno, Taylor Chavez, Lauren Wilmert, Celina Sullivan, and Tori Castro.

  • B. Tennis ­– Wins over Albuquerque High and lost to Eldorado and Sandia – Host Manzano Tuesday and at Del Norte on Thursday.

  • G. Tennis ­– Lost to Sandia, Eldorado and Albuquerque High - Play at Manzano Tuesday and host Del Norte on Thursday.

  • G. Track ­- On Saturday at Rio Rancho Invite at UNM

  • B. Track ­– On Saturday at Rio Rancho Invite at UNM

  • Golf - Boys 4th – Girls no Score – Compete Today at Desert Greens

And remember . . .

As always . . .

It's Great to be a Hawk



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For more information, go to our web site: http://www.volcanovistahawks.com




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