Earthquake news related to recent events (in-depth articles) will be written as updates in these (recent) articles. These articles can be found in the top 10 excerpts on the homepage. Updates for earlier earthquakes can be found on these pages. This page will be regularly updated.
$$$ link to the full article $$$$$$ We advise to read it!
New Zealand (Christchurch donations)
The Christchurch Earthquake Appeal has raised $82 million for the city’s recovery, and frontman Mark Weldon is hoping to secure further large donations to push it towards the $100 million target. Started by the Government on February 27 – five days after a quake that claimed 181 lives – it has successfully appealed to companies and wealthy individuals around the world, with about 65 to 70 per cent of donations expected to come from abroad. $$$
Japan (Fukushima evacuee indemnification)
The owner of Japan’s tsunami-damaged nuclear plant will pay an estimated $1 billion (88 billion yen) to thousands of residents who evacuated homes near the radiation-leaking plant and don’t yet know when they can return. Compensation Tokyo Electric Power Co. ultimately may pay for the world’s second-worst nuclear disaster is expected to be trillions of yen. Japan’s Cabinet last week approved a bill to help TEPCO meet the massive costs, and parliamentary approval is pending. $$$
Haiti (housing problem)
Rehousing Haiti’s earthquake victims is no easy task. Land for housebuilding is in short supply, ownership is often contested, and there’s a policy to help people move away from Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. I get disheartened sometimes when I drive around Port-au-Prince. It is almost a year and a half since the earthquake and there are still an estimated 600,000 people living under canvas. With the hurricane season starting again, people without permanent shelter in the capital are particularly vulnerable. $$$$$$
Japan (tsunami early warning system)
Japan has developed an electronic tsunami early warning system. The new system is capable of tracking a tsunami wave one thousand kilometers from the shore. Until now, Japan’s tsunami warning equipment reported tsunami up to 20 kilometers off shore. $$$
New Zealand (insurance)
Shares in New Zealand’s only listed insurance company, Tower Group, have taken a beating in response to the series of aftershocks that have rocked Christchurch, and to uncertainty surrounding its reinsurance position. Tower’s managing director, Rob Flannagan, was not available for comment yesterday but he told the Herald last week the company’s policy was to carry reinsurance for two future “events”. $$$
Volcanoes, the safety valves of the world
It is indeed true, that they are often terrific exhibitions of his power; and when he employs them as penal inflictions, they signally manifest the sterner features of the divine character. Yet we maintain that the design of volcanoes is to preserve and not to destroy. They have been denominated ‘the safety valves of our globe;’ and this quaint expression conveys a forcible idea of what we mean by the benevolent design of this mighty agency. The Volcanism Blog
China (reconstructed quake-town)
Adding a French touch: Post-quake town in southwest China re-brands itself.
Deep in Sichuan Province, a mountain town strives to re-brand itself as a romantic tourist destination. With French-style cobblestone streets, an eclectic mix of buildings and architecture, and the overall relaxing atmosphere, it’s easy to get swept away by the fairy-tale-like experience of Bailu Town in Sichuan Province. The town, two hours away from the provincial capital Chengdu, is a cultural gem rarely seen in China’s hinterland. The 8.0-magnitude quake that struck Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008 killed 68 people in Bailu. Almost 20,000 houses were leveled or severely damaged. $$$
Taiwan (disaster simulation)
President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday attended a simulation that was held to test the command and communications capability of the government in the case of multiple disasters, in response to the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged northeastern Japan on March 11. The simulation is held annually at the Yuanshan and Hengshan command posts in Taipei, usually in the form of a war game. However, this year the ruling administration decided to hold the simulation in two parts in order to comprehensively check on the central government’s readiness in the face of natural disasters. $$$
New Zealand Christchurch (additional damage)
The 5.4 magnitude aftershock which struck Christchurch has increased damage within the city’s red zone. The 10.34pm temblor 10 km south-west of Christchurch at Halswell was initially measured at 5.3, but upgraded to a higher magnitude by Geonet today. The quake cut power for a short time to some suburbs including Ilam, Avonhead and Burnside but police said by midnight last night there had been no reports of serious damage or problems. Power company Orion said 11,000 customers lost power in west Christchurch however it was was restored to most homes within an hour. $$$
The 5.4 aftershock is also covered by an in-depth article in this site.
QuakeSOS+ and QuakeSOS free are iPhone applications developed by Armand Vervaeck, the founder of Earthquake Report. The Application simplifies immediate group communication to friends and family members (with your exact GPS location) and is feeding the users with Earthquake Report news. The 0.99 US$ QuakeSOS+ version will support the activities of SOS Earthquakes.
a
Earthquake-Report.com headlines on twitter
@OnlyQuakeNews : Get all the headlines of our earthquake-report.com articles + regular updates on ongoing events
@QuakeSOS : earthquake-report.com news + automatic earthquake notifications of USGS earthquakes of M 4.0 or higher with emphasis to earthquakes in the America’s and the Pacific Ocean sphere (4 and up) and a lot of the rest of the world (5 and up). This account was created for our QuakeSOS and QuakeSOS+ iPhone applications
@ShakingEarth : earthquake-report.com news + automatic earthquake notifications of EMSC earthquakes of M 4.0 or higher with emphasis to earthquakes in European and Asian / Middle East sphere (4 and up) and a lot of the rest of the world (5 and up). This account was originally created to stimulate our Facebook account
@QuakeMaps : earthquake-report.com news with mapping notifications of ALL earthquakes M 3.0 and higher from all over the world via EMSC and USGS. This account was created for our http://www.quake-maps.com website
