Quake in Myanmar

The relatively strong earthquake that struck Myanmar this past week has killed a total of 26 people, leaving 231 more injured.  The quake registered a 6.8 on the Richter scale, followed by moderate aftershocks of "5.0, 5. 8 and 5.7 magnitude," according to English News.  A fourth aftershock of magnitude 4.8 occurred 2 days after the initial quake.  A bridge that was reportedly 80% completed collapsed during the quake, setting construction back entirely.  The story reveals the epicenter of the quake, yet does not provide the hypocenter, which as we have discussed in class is more relevant in determining earthquake damage.  The region is a heavy mining area and an earthquake like this poses a threat to anyone who may be inside of a mine when the earthquake occurs.  Hopefully the mining crews have already or will implement some kind of safety features to the mines to protect from future quakes.

Nor'easter to follow Sandy

Residents of New York, New Jersey, and surrounding areas affected by last week's superstorm have little time to breath as a nor'easter approaches the coast.  A nor'easter is a storm system similar to that of a hurricane, with strong winds, coastal flooding, and large amounts of precipitation.  Normally a storm of this type would have little impact on the eastern United States, but following the destruction of Sandy, this is the last thing these people need.  To top the whole thing off, the storm is supposed to hit on election day.  Many voters in the disaster area are finding it hard to focus on the election at hand when many still have standing water in their homes or are still evacuated due to this nor'easter storm.  Speculation as to whether or not the storm Sandy would affect the presidential election has been confirmed, though efforts have been made by state officials to encourage voting.  An affadavit is available to those voters living in the disaster area, allowing them to vote at any poll in the state.  The reconstruction effort following Sandy has been positive.  New York subways systems are running and 87% of people who lost power now have it once again.  Reconstruction is not over yet, but the superstorm followed by a nor'easter on top of an election makes for a very busy couple of weeks for Americans along the east coast.

Yeah Buddy! Rebuilding to take place on Jersey Shore.

After the damaging storm Sandy was finished in New Jersey, the typically populated shoreline remains heavily damaged.  Many environmentalists and scientists are questioning whether or not it would be worth the effort and the money to rebuild along the coast.  It is obvious that this region is at risk of being hit by damaging storms and with sea levels rising more storms could appear more frequently.  This is directly related to the things we have discussed in class about the post disaster process.  There is some discussion of developing better mitigation strategies like "jetties" and seawalls, as well as increasing the size of dunes to help block waves from further storms.  Many residents of the areas that were the hardest hit are considering relocating to an area further from the coastline.  The story I found also discusses the role government should play in the reconstruction effort.  Governor Christie, a republican, says that the government "should not decide where rebuilding is and is not allowed."  The other side of the political sphere does not necessarily agree.  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a democrat, thinks that rebuilding should include new ways of preventing the same kind of damage from future storms.  The reason that the state of New Jersey would want to rebuild is to keep up with the amount of tourists the area sees annually.  Losing the boardwalk along the Jersey Shore would innevitabely decrease the revenue seen and would ultimately be felt by the state government.  If the rebuilding effort is moved farther from the shore, it seems Pauly D will have to find a new place to fist pump.  For the full story, read NJ agonizes over whether to rebuild battered shore.