H5N1

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits Qingbaijiang district in Chengdu, Sichuan initiates a three-level response

Now it's not only coronavirus and H5N1, but also an earthquake. Via Sina News, a report from the Sichuan government website: A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits Qingbaijiang district in Chengdu, Sichuan initiates a three-level response (including video). The Google translation:

According to the official measurement of the China Seismological Network, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred at 0: 5 on February 3 in Qingbaijiang District (30.74 degrees north latitude, 104.46 degrees east longitude) in Chengdu, Sichuan, with a focal depth of 21 kilometers. 

After the earthquake, the Provincial Emergency Management Department immediately initiated a three-level response, quickly dispatched Chengdu to verify the disaster situation, and sent a working group to the epicenter to verify the disaster situation and guide the earthquake relief work.

Puerto Rico governor declares emergency after new 6.4 earthquake

Via The New York Times: Puerto Rico Governor Declares Emergency After New 6.4 Earthquake. Excerpt:

MIAMI — The strongest tremor yet in a week of heavy seismic activity rocked Puerto Rico early on Tuesday morning, knocking out power to much of the island, seriously damaging homes and buildings and leaving at least one person dead. 

The governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez, declared a state of emergency throughout Puerto Rico and activated the National Guard. 

“In 102 years, Puerto Rico had not experienced anything like this,” she said.  

The 6.4-magnitude quake, which struck five miles southwest of Tallaboa on Puerto Rico’s southwestern coast, was recorded at 4:24 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was the second consecutive day that an earthquake hit the island before dawn, terrifying residents scared about the cumulative effect on older buildings that may be unsafe. 

The governor warned that the seismic activity is expected to continue in the coming days, as most of the island struggles with the massive power outage. A power plant in the south suffered significant damage, she said. The outage also left nearly a third of the island without running water.

The governor warned people whose houses do not meet building codes to seek shelter. About 255 people were already staying in shelters on Tuesday.  

“There is nothing to indicate from the experts who know these types of disasters that this is going to be bigger than what we have seen so far, but yes we will have repetitions and tremors that we will be feeling,” Ms. Vázquez said. “This is going to be happening for the next few days. How long? We cannot predict.”

Indonesia: 7.4-magnitude quake in Banten causes panic in Jakarta

Via The Jakarta Post: 7.4-magnitude quake in Banten causes panic in Jakarta. Excerpt:

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolted the southern coast of Banten on Friday evening, with shocks felt in Jakarta and Bandung, West Java. 

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the earthquake was recorded 147 kilometers southwest of Sumur, Banten, at a depth of 10 km. The agency issued a tsunami alert minutes after the earthquake.  

A Twitter user with the handle @bapakcahill shared a video showing the situation on a road in Sumur, Banten, near the epicenter of the quake. People are seen rushing along the road.     

According to a report from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the quake was felt for five to 10 seconds in Pandeglang, Banten—located roughly 85 km from the earthquake’s center. Residents exited the buildings during the earthquake. 

The earthquake was as strong as the one that devastated Palu, Central Sulawesi, last year, in which 2,000 people were killed after a tsunami. People in Jakarta and Bandung also said they felt the earthquake. 

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) in its announcement mentioned that the quake was of 6.8-magnitude.

California braced for more aftershocks after 7.1 magnitude earthquake

Via The Guardian: California braced for more aftershocks after 7.1 magnitude earthquake. Excerpt:

Emergency officials in southern California’s high desert are braced for strong, potentially dangerous aftershocks from a major earthquake that damaged buildings, ruptured gas lines and sparked numerous fires near its remote epicenter.

The magnitude 7.1 tremor rocked the Mojave desert town of Ridgecrest near Death Valley National Park as darkness fell on Friday, jolting the area with eight times more force than a 6.4 quake that struck the same area 34 hours earlier. 

California governor Gavin Newsom requested federal assistance and placed the state Office of Emergency Services (OES) on its highest alert.  

“We have significant reports of fires, structural fires, mostly as a result of gas leaks or gas line breaks,” OES director Mark Ghilarducci told a late-night news conference. 

The quake caused water main breaks and knocked out power and communications to parts of Ridgecrest, a city of about 27,000 about 125 miles north-east of Los Angeles.  

No fatalities or serious injuries were reported, police said. But Ghilarducci said the full damage would not be known before daybreak on Saturday. 

“This was a very large earthquake, and we also know there’s going to be a series of aftershocks as a result of the main quake,” he said, adding his agency faced a “challenge” getting needed resources to the isolated quake zone.  

“This is not going to be something that’s going to be over right away.” 

In the hours after the 7.1 tremor, seismologists recorded more than 600 aftershocks, with many more expected. The quakes were not expected to trigger larger faults in the region, including the San Andreas.  

Ridgecrest, where residents were still recovering from Thursday’s quake, again took the brunt of the damage. Most occurred came from ruptured gas lines. About 3,000 residents were without power, according to Southern California Edison.

7.0 magnitude earthquake rocks Southcentral Alaska

Via KTVA in Anchorage: 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocks Southcentral. Excerpt:

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Southcentral at 8:29 a.m. Friday. It was 25 miles deep. Aftershocks of 5.7 magnitude and 4.1 magnitude followed, along with more smaller quakes.   

The State Of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are advising that an aftershock larger than the original earthquake could happen this afternoon.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has issued a declaration of disaster and says he is in direct contact with the White House, according to a post on his official Facebook page.       

Anchorage's Mayor Ethan Berkowitz declared a local state of emergency Friday morning, following Gov. Bill Walker's disaster declaration at the state level. 

Service members at Anchorage’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson were accounting for personnel and assessing any damage on base, according to a statement. They were also “preparing to provide emergency support to the base populace and the community as needed.”  

Preliminary reports gauged the quake at 6.6 magnitude centered 10 miles outside of Anchorage. 

See also these reports in The Guardian and The New York Times.

Haïti earthquake: Situation Report 1

Via ReliefWeb, a report from the Government of Haiti: Haïti earthquake: Situation Report 1. The highlights:

• An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 was recorded this Saturday, October 6 at 20:12, 15.3 kilometers deep. According to the Technical Unit of Seismology, its epicenter was located at sea in the Turtle Canal, about twenty kilometers west-northwest of Port-de-Paix, North West Department. 

• The shock was felt across all departments of the country, creating a start of panic in several cities, according to the testimony of the teams of the Civil Protection. 

• The earthquake caused the death of ten people - seven in Port-de-Paix (North-West) and three in Gros Morne (Artibonite). At least 135 people are injured and taken care of in hospitals. Many houses are destroyed or damaged. 

• Hospitals in the North West, Artibonite and North departments received and treated at least 135 wounded, including broken bones and minor injuries.  

• The teams of the Civil Protection are hard at work across the country and especially in the North-West where two slight aftershocks have been felt since. The Directorate of Civil Protection invites people to keep calm and not to rely on rumors. 

• The earthquake did not necessitate the launch of a tsunami warning.

Haiti-Earthquake / North-West: The toll of victims rises to 12 dead and more than 180 injured

Via AlterPress.org: Haiti-Earthquake / North-West: The toll of victims rises to 12 dead and more than 180 injured. Excerpt from the Google translation:

The magnitude 5.9 earthquake on the Richter scale recorded on the island of Haiti on the evening of Saturday, October 6, 2018 , made at least 12 dead and 188 wounded, according to a second partial report communicated to AlterPresse at mid-day by the Directorate of Civil Protection.  

The epicenter of this new earthquake was located 15.3 kilometers offshore in the Turtle Channel, about 20 kilometers west-northwest of Port-de-Paix, North West Department, indicates the Technical Unit of Seismology. Three aftershocks have since been felt at the level of this department.  

Eight deaths were recorded in Port-de-Paix, one in Saint-Louis North (North-West) and three in Gros Morne (Artibonite, North), specifies the civil protection. 

At least 188 people were injured, and 151 of them are taken care of in hospitals in the departments of North West, Artibonite and North, the source said. 

A delegation led by the head of state, Jovenel Moïse, accompanied by Prime Minister Jean Henry Céant and several ministers, including those of the Interior and Local Authorities; Public Health and Population and Public Works, Transport and Communications, went to the North West Department to inquire about the state of the situation.  

The October 6th earthquake in northern Haiti destroyed or damaged dozens of homes. 

The earthquake caused the fall of the front of the central police station of Port-de-Paix, which did not make a victim among the occupants. The rest of the building did not suffer visible damage, reads the report.  

The police officers who were in the building at the time of the earthquake are safe, confirms the police. 

No major damage has so far been reported with regard to road, port, airport, health, education, sports and telecommunication infrastructures, with the exception of a cultural center that collapsed in Gros-Morne, in the Artibonite.  

The office of the departmental delegation of Artibonite is strongly affected by the passage of the earthquake. The Gros Morne National High School also suffered some damage. 

The evaluations of the building will continue this Sunday, ensures the civil protection.

Anger, dismay as Indonesia says search for quake victims to end

Via Thomson Reuters: Anger, dismay as Indonesia says search for quake victims to end. Excerpt:

PALU, Indonesia, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Relatives of hundreds of people missing after an earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia reacted with anger, sadness and resignation on Sunday to a decision by the state disaster agency to end searches for bodies later this week.  

The 7.5 magnitude quake on Sept. 28 brought down shopping malls, hotels and other buildings in the city of Palu, while tsunami waves smashed into its beachfront. But perhaps more deadly was soil liquefaction which obliterated several Palu neighbourhoods. 

No one knows how many people are missing but it is at least in the hundreds, rescuers say. 

The official death toll has risen to 1,763 but bodies are still being recovered, at least 34 in one place alone on Saturday and more on Sunday. 

"Many of us are angry that we haven't found our families and friends and they want to give up?" said Hajah Ikaya, 60, who says she lost her sister, brother-in-law and niece in the Balaroa neighbourhood in the south of the city. They are all missing.  

Balaroa was one of areas particularly hard hit by liquefaction, which turns the ground into a roiling quagmire, destroying houses and dragging people under the mud and debris. 

The disaster agency said earlier liquefaction destroyed 1,700 houses in one neighbourhood alone with hundreds of people buried in the mud.  

"We're Muslim. We need a proper burial, in the Islamic way," said Ikaya. "We don't want this." 

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a briefing in Jakarta some limited searching might continue but large-scale searches with many personnel and heavy equipment would cease on Oct. 11. 

Debris would be cleared and areas hit by liquefaction would be turned into parks and sports venues. Surveys would be carried out and people living in vulnerable places would be moved.  

"We don't want the community to be relocated to such dangerous places," Nugroho said.  

Most of the dead from the quake and tsunami were in Palu, the region's main urban centre. Figures for more remote areas are trickling in but they seem to have suffered fewer deaths than the city.

Haiti: Emergency cabinet formed to respond to earthquake

Via HaitiLibre.com: Haiti - FLASH earthquake : Cell crisis and call for calm. "Cell crisis" would translate better as "emergency cabinet." 

Less than an hour after the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that occurred Saturday, October 6 at 8:11:50 p.m. in the North of Haiti, causing many damage and at least 140 victims according to a provisional assessment of the Civil Protection, on the instructions of the Head of State, Prime Minister Céant immediately set up a crisis unit to coordinate all emergency responses to bring. 

This unit is composed of Ministers Jean-Marie Reynaldo Brunet (Interior), Marie Greta Roy Clément (Health), Jouthe Joseph (Environment), Jean Roody Aly (Justice), Elise Gelin (Social Affairs), and the Secretary of State for the Communication and the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers.  

The Primature informs the population that "the government authorities are mobilized to provide all the assistance to the victims." 

"All dispositions are taken by the Prime Minister to restore confidence and assist people in affected areas." On the instructions of President Jovenel Moïse, a delegation composed of police, military and civil protection authorities were sent with the objective of assessing the situation and providing the necessary support. 

Concerned by this situation, the Prime Minister calls for calm and asks the population to be vigilant and to respect the instructions of the competent authorities.

See also this report in The Guardian.

Deaths confirmed in Haiti earthquake; no doctors at hospital

 

Via the Miami Herald, a report by Monique O. Madan and Jacqueline Charles: Deaths confirmed in Haiti earthquake; no doctors at hospital. Excerpt:

At least six deaths have been confirmed following an earthquake in northwest Haiti.  

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the island late Saturday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  

Jerry Chandler, the head of the country’s Civil Protection disaster response unit, told the Miami Herald that at least five deaths were registered in the Port-de-Paix area and one in Gros Morne in the northwest.  

The Nouvelliste, Haiti’s daily newspaper, reported the preliminary death toll to be as high as 11, quoting a government spokesman, Eddy Jackson Alexis. Chandler said he could not confirm that number. 

Tremors were felt throughout the country, triggering panic. At least two aftershocks were also registered, according to Civil Protection.  

“I urge the population to keep calm, following the passage of the earthquake whose epicenter is located in the northwest coast,” Haiti President Jovenel Moïse posted on Twitter. “The (disaster)risk management system and the regional branches of the Civil Protection are on standby to assist the inhabitants of the affected areas.”

Minutes after the quake, reports started trickling in about houses, a Catholic church and the main police station in Port-de-Paix being destroyed or damaged.

The earthquake occurred about 12 miles north of Port-de-Paix in northwest Haiti.

In the northwest, several people were injured, mainly in rainy Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, Chansolme and on Ile de la Tortue. In Port-de-Paix the injured were ultimately treated in private hospitals because there were no doctors at the public hospital.

I don't yet find a report in Le Nouvelliste, but AlterPresse has one (in French, translatable with Google). It also mentions that it's pouring with rain all over Haiti.