WebProNews

Tag: Earthquake

  • 4.7 California Quake: Aftershocks Continue to Shake SoCal

    For a second day, small aftershocks continue to rumble beneath Southern California.

    The aftershocks are the result of a 4.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred Monday. The Earthquake was centered under Riverside County, but could be felt in both Los Angeles and San Diego. Though the shaking could be felt for miles around, its relatively low intensity caused little damage.

    Today, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that aftershocks from the quake are continuing, with “dozens” recorded by the USGS this morning. This is after over 150 aftershocks were recorded in the immediate aftermath of the quake on Monday. The aftershocks were weak enough that they shouldn’t have even been noticed.

    The most recent large earthquake in Southern California occurred in 2010, when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Baja California. Though this week’s quake did little damage, the incident stoked the fears of people who live in Southern California, who are well aware that they live in the most earthquake-prone area in the U.S. Many of them took to Twitter to voice their fears using their special brand of detached humor:

  • 5.3 Quake Hits Vic, Australia, Twitter Reacts

    While growing up in Australia, I thought I would never experience an earthquake, because the occurrences of earthquakes where I lived in Victoria were quite rare; however, I live in the USA now, and my friends and colleagues back home in Australia did get to experience an unexpected earthquake that came without any warning.

    According to the Australian Daily Telegraph, on Tuesday, June 19th, the small town of Moe, Victoria encountered a 5.3-magnitude earthquake that could be felt in the majority of Victorian regions. This comes as a shock to many Victorian residents, because there has not been an earthquake in Victoria within 30 years.

    Ever since this earthquake (which did not cause significant or life-threatening damage), many users across the Internet have been poking fun at it, especially Austrailan comedian Jimeoin…

    A lot of other Twitter users have been jokingly tweeting about the cause of the quake:





    On behalf of WebProNews, I hope that everyone affected by the recent quake in Moe, Victoria is okay and surviving.

  • Tsunami Warning For Indonesia Sparks Panic

    A quake measuring around 8.6 on the richter scale struck Indonesia this morning, kicking off a round of tremors and causing officials to issue a tsunami warning. The strong quake–which lasted for more than a minute–was felt in Thailand and Singapore, as well.

    Although there were no signs of an impending tsunami, residents were urged to move to higher ground as a precaution and several fishermen were called in to land. The quake sent panic through those affected as memories of the devastating tsunami disaster in 2004, which claimed over 230,000 lives in 13 different countries, no doubt became fresh in their minds again. The magnitude of that quake was 9.1. Recent news reports say the tsunami warning has been called off, but officials are urging residents to be cautious and are continuing with evacuations.

    Early reports say that phone lines are down, traffic jams are clogging the streets as people move to safer ground, and the power is out for thousands. There are no reports of major damage so far, although Oxfam International tweeted that they were at the ready for anyone who needed assistance.

    (image)@Oxfam
    Oxfam International    Oxfam is there: We’re in touch w/our staff & partners in #Indonesia & #Thailand about the #earthquake; more info as we get it.(image) 3 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Oxfam
    Oxfam International    #Tanzania issues #tsunami warning along coastline http://t.co/sniBXWeX 1000s have evacuated 2 higher grnd in Andaman Islands #India(image) 56 minutes ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Oxfam
    Oxfam International    Waves expected to reach Andaman Islands w/in 1 hr; reports of a #tsunami warning issued for South Africa #Indonesia #earthquake(image) 1 hour ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Earthquake Hits Mexico City, No Reports Of Serious Damage

    Earthquake Hits Mexico City, No Reports Of Serious Damage

    A strong earthquake hit Mexico City today with a magnitude of 7.4, but no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries have come in.

    The quake is reported to have originated around the state of Guerrero and sent tremors to Acapulco and Oaxaca which varied in strength. Some minor damage was reported to buildings in Mexico City and some residents lost phone service, according to Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, who tweeted about the natural disaster. Residents fear aftershocks and will be on guard now.

    Mexico City is built on unstable ground made mostly of volcanic structures and is susceptible to earthquakes and eruptions. In 2011 the Popocatepetl volcano erupted, causing an evacuation.

    Twitter has been abuzz with the news.

    (image)@steveaoki
    Steve Aoki    Just landed in mexico city and experienced an earthquake in the terminal. That was weird #earthquakeypeople(image) 1 hour ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@fredcantu
    Fred Cantu    My Twitter friends in Mexico City are buzzing about feeling a strong earthquake! On the upside… their Twitter is still working.(image) 1 hour ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@viewfromthecave
    Tom Murphy    RT @tkb: Large earthquake going on in Mexico city right now.(image) 1 hour ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@sazpeitia
    Sarah Azpeitia    Earthquake in Mexico city… Hope @renata_azp @Pkeazpeitia are ok??!!(image) 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Mexico City Earthquake Causes Citizens to Run into the Streets and Tweet

    A mega long 7.9 earthquake with an epicenter in Guerrero state shook central southern Mexico on Tuesday, swaying buildings in Mexico City and sending frightened workers and residents into the streets.

    The U.S. Geological Survey set the intensity at 7.9 on the Richter scale. Mexico’s National Seismological Survey said the temblor had an epicenter southwest of Ometepec.

    The quake struck at 12:02 p.m. in Mexico City (11:02 a.m. Pacific time). It was six miles underground.

    Also, shortly after 11 a.m., USGS issued earthquake reports for 3.8-magnitude quakes on either side of the Coachella Valley, but those were quickly deleted.

    The world’s largest mobile earthquake simulator made a stop at the KPSP Local 2 News studios and simulated an 8.0 earthquake within the shaker.

    After watching this YouTube video it easy to understand why the people of Mexico City decided to run into the streets.

    The quake led to a flurry of posts on Twitter:

    (image)@Hubbek2
    Javo    Everything is fine here in Mexico City. We’re fine. #Earthquake.(image) 2 minutes ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@EricMcMacias
    Eric McMacias    everything is ok in Mexico city?, The Earthquake was so hard 7.9!!(image) 3 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@dan_maia12
    Daniel Maia    “@steveaoki: Just landed in mexico city and experienced an earthquake in the terminal. That was weird #earthquakeypeople” we hit turbulence(image) 4 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@shaambalaji
    Balaji Sridharan    “@ProducerMatthew: Mexico City earthquake early warning system triggered “just seconds before the 7.6 quake,” @RodrigoEBR reports.”(image) 54 seconds ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@pemurph31
    Brandon Leander    Please pray for my sister and her family who live near this. RT @nytimes: Strong, Long 7.6 Quake Shakes Mexico City http://t.co/0N5hT4An(image) 2 minutes ago via TweetCaster for iOS ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Earthquake Hits Japan, Causes Minor Tsunami

    A 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked northeastern Japan today, causing the Japanese Meteorological Agency to issue a tsunami warning. It struck about 170 miles off the east coast. A spokesman for Tohoku Electric Power, which operates two nuclear power plants in the area, said they were unaffected.

    The tsunami hit the eastern coastline later but no reports of damage have been filed as of yet. Local residents were warned to evacuate well before the wave struck. Early reports say the waves hit two locations in Aomori, which was one of the most devastated areas in last year’s tragedy, in which an 8.9 magnitude quake caused a tsunami which claimed over 19,000 lives and was declared Japan’s worst post-war disaster.

    The quake comes just three days after the one-year anniversary of that disaster, and on Sunday the cities of Japan were silent as families remembered the losses suffered in the disaster. Last year Google used their Street View cars to compile before and after pictures of the areas struck by the tsunami, and the results were staggering. As a good many people affected are still trying to pick up the pieces in the aftermath, many here in the states and beyond are offering prayers and thoughts to Japan.

    (image)@iSwaggin1D
    kryptoniall ?    My prayers go out to those who are affected in the Japan Earthquake. Our prayers go out to you. #prayforjapan.(image) 35 minutes ago via Mobile Web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@jtimberlake
    Justin Timberlake     1 year later after the Tsunami and Earthquake…Japan…I’m still thinking of you. My heart goes out to you.(image) 3 days ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@KLOVERadio
    K-LOVE Radio    Another earthquake off the coast of Japan. No reports of injuries. Please join us in prayer for Japan.(image) 36 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Apple Store Helps Japanese In Need

    Apple Store Helps Japanese In Need

    We are constantly being inundated with reports on how technology is making the world a cold, desolate place. That is why it is so nice when a story comes along about tech and social media that shows its true connective powers.

    In the aftermath of the 9.0 quake that rocked the country, a Tokyo Apple store went above and beyond to help its people. Today Kevin Rose, founder of digg, posted on his blog an email he received from a friend in Japan. The unnamed friend is an employee at the Apple store, and relayed how the company helped out in the time immediately following the earthquake.

    Since the quake knocked out much of the communication and transportation in the country, people found themselves stranded in the city. The Apple store became a hub for news gathering and place for people to touch base with their family members in other parts of the country. “People were swarming into Apple stores to watch the news on USTREAM and contact their families via Twitter, Facebook, and email. The young did it on their mobile devices, while the old clustered around the macs. There were even some Android users there,” said the Japanese employee.

    The Apple store employees even provided chargers and adapters so that people could charge their devices. Even after the store closed, it still provided an invaluable service to many: “Even after we finally had to close [at] 10pm, crowds of people huddled in front of our stores to use the wifi into the night, as it was still the only way to get access to the outside world.”

    Apple later told the employees, both retail and corporate, that they could sleep in the stores since transportation was still a no-go out of the city. They provided food and water and eventually let employees’ families stay in the stores as well. The theater rooms and break rooms provided enough space for all of the dispossessed employees.

    The anonymous employee added, “That is why I am a fanboy. Ack!”

    To read the whole email, go here.

  • Japan’s Earthquake Shows The Strength of Social Networking

    In the US, we can only imagine the devastation which occurred in Japan, and continues to occur as reports roll in concerning higher death tolls and more people missing. One of the scariest factors many don’t consider when an event like this occurs is how the avenues of communication shut down.

    Telephone lines are reported to be down for most of Japan, and getting a hold of loved ones is a difficult task to undertake. As reports surface, messages from Facebook and Twitter provide the latest news. Doing a bit of research shows how the human spirit can be found within the social media platforms.

    Kotaku, a video game related site, posted an interesting article concerning how many japanese video game developers are tweeting their experiences. One developer went so far as to open their studio doors to strangers, relying on Twitter to accept invitations.

    Masahiro Sakurai, a famous video game developer posted a startling image on Twitter of an almost always crowded Tokyo road being completely deserted.

    Deserted Tokyo road

    George Takei, a famous japanese-american actor, has been tweeting non-stop trying to inspire people to donate to the Red Cross.

    @GeorgeTakei
    George Takei    RT @BBC_WNA Kyoto news reports about 88,000 people missing: http://bbc.in/h2nC0S Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10. 23 minutes ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    Obtaining information about where to find shelters has moved to Twitter as well, with locations being posted on Google Maps. And lists of locations becoming available as well.

    @TimeOutTokyo
    TimeOutTokyo    Shelters have been open to people stranded in Tokyo tonight. The full list here. http://bit.ly/idHCRT #Tokyoearthquake 6 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @TimeOutTokyo
    TimeOutTokyo    A Google map of all the public shelters open tonight in Tokyo. It’s in Japanese, but it may help. http://bit.ly/hM50Jd 4 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    As WebProNews reported earlier, earthquake related tweets have been trending all morning. People have been expressing concern, and sympathy as the death and missing tolls rise.

    Tsunami warnings have been issued to various locations around the Pacific Ocean, and millions of social media accounts will be staying tuned for the latest updates. Let’s hope we don’t have to receive any.