Hundreds Stranded As Cruise Ship Flees Hawaii Tsunami

Above, the coastline near Hilo on the Big Island. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Russian earthquake wreaked havoc with cruise lines in Hawaii Tuesday.

A tsunami warning was issued and cruise ships left Hawaiian ports, most notably Hilo Harbor, on the Big Island stranding passengers for several hours.

According to Beat of Hawaii:

As sirens blared across Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon and evening, one of the most dramatic scenes unfolded quietly on the Big Island in Hilo Harbor. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America was forced to abandon port hours ahead of schedule due to tsunami evacuation orders. In the rush to leave, more than 300 passengers and crew members were left behind, many of whom were stranded without transportation, a place to go, or any clear sense of what would come next.

The decision to leave the port abruptly was driven by protocol. Following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, tsunami alerts were issued for Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. The U.S. Coast Guard ordered vessels out of Hawaii’s ports for safety, and NCL complied.

But timing proved difficult. With sirens already sounding and traffic completely snarled across the Big Island and the entire state, hundreds of Pride of America passengers were unable to get back to the ship before it departed port. 

To read more, go here. 

Northridge Earthquake 30th Anniversary

Incredible as it seem, today marks the 30th anniversary of the Northquake Earthquake.

I was living in North Hills at the time and when the quake struck at 4:31 in the morning, it seemed like my bed was jumping around like Linda Blair's in The Exorcist. 

The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake occurred at 4:31am on Monday, January 17, 1994. Its epicenter was around Wilbur Avenue and Arminta Street in Reseda.

I had some damage to personal property and had it all boxed and separated for the representative from FEMA to inspect. He didn't bother to inspect it, but wrote out a check. I used the money to buy a camper shell for my 1985 Nissan Pick-up.

This was one of those life events a person who experienced it never forgets.

7.6 Quake Hits Japan

A major earthquake has hit the main Japanese island of Honshu's west coast (the Sea of Japan side) today.

According to the Associated Press:

TOKYO (AP) — Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come.

The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It was unclear how many people might have been killed or hurt.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m.

To read more, go here. 

Doesn't California Have Enough Problems Already?

What a week for California. 

First it was Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hilary. Then it was an earthquake in Ventura County.

Now this:

3.8 Tremor Near Grants, New Mexico

USGS map.

Grants, New Mexico is about 35 miles east of Jamestown. It sustained an earthquake last evening.

From KRQE:

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – An earthquake was reported in New Mexico around 7 p.m. It was recorded as a 3.8 magnitude.

According to the US Geological Survey, an earthquake took place near Mount Taylor. A map coordinator showed the location is just over 20 miles northeast of Grants.

I had just gotten home about 45 minutes earlier, but I felt no shaking. 

Above, lava (right) as seen near Grants off Interstate 40. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Grants area has a history of volcanic activity with lava fields to east and south of town (from what I could see from Interstate 40). I guess this means that the faults are still active. 

To read more, go here. 

Ahwahnee Hotel To Be Closed For Renovations In 2023

Above, one of the sitting rooms of the Ahwahnee Hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who wish to stay at Yosemite National Park's historic Ahwahnee Hotel next year are going to be disappointed. It will be closed to visitors early next year.

On the other hand, the following is good news as the hotel will be undergoing extensive upgrades so that it will be around for a second hundred years.

CapRadio reported:

Yosemite National Park’s 95-year-old Ahwahnee Hotel is set to undergo some major upgrades.

Park spokesman Scott Gediman said the $31.5 million project includes bracing the chimneys and support walls, replacing window frames, dining room and solarium glass, as well as other infrastructure upgrades.

He also said the project will include the installation of new seismic protection infrastructure.

"With the San Andreas Fault on the east side of the Sierra, we certainly do get some earthquake activity,” he said. “In fact, over the weekend there was a small earthquake that I actually felt here in the park. And so, it's just one of those things with a hotel that is almost 100 years old, it just doesn't have the seismic features that are required."

To read more, go here. 

Earthquake In Eddy County New Mexico

Yes, even New Mexico gets earthquakes on occasion. Some parts of the state has a history of volcanoes. Lava fields can be seen along Interstate 40 near Grants and Milan.

A 3.2 quake hit yesterday.

Volcano Discovery posted:

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake near Malaga, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA, was reported only 17 minutes ago by the United States Geological Survey, considered the key international and national agency that monitors seismic activity in the US. The earthquake occurred at a very shallow depth of 4.8 miles beneath the epicenter around noon on Thursday, July 28th, 2022, at 1:03 pm local time.

To read more, go here.

Earthquake! While You're In The Bath

 Above, a bathtub in a Tokyo business hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During my 8 travels to Japan, I have experienced a few tremors while in Tokyo. Thankfully, they were relatively minor ones (around 3.0 on the Richter scale).

But what if a major one hits and it hits while one is in a bath? 

Time Out Tokyo has an article on what to do when an earthquake hits while you're in the bath.

They begin it with:

Japan is no stranger to earthquakes, experiencing about 200 per year with a shindo (intensity) rating of level 1 or more. If you’ve spent a lot of time here, you’re probably used to the tremors that punctuate everyday life in Tokyo. For bigger quakes, the basic safety tips are simple, but have you ever worried about an earthquake hitting at an inconvenient moment? Like while you’re taking a bath? 

To be honest, we hadn’t either, but after seeing these safety tips from online bath accessory retailer Bathlier, we haven’t been able to get the idea out of our heads. Not to worry, though – Bathlier says there are just five steps to remember to ensure you can bathe with confidence again.

To read more, go here. 

Northridge Earthquake - 28 Years Ago

Above, Balboa near Rinaldi - Gas line explosions the morning
 of the Northridge earthquake, January 17, 1994. I lived about
 two-three miles from it. Photo from the Valley Relics Museum.

It is amazing that 28 years have passed since the Northridge Earthquake in the San Fernando Valley.

I was living in North Hills at the time and my bed shook and jumped around like Linda Blairs's did in The Exorcist.

I had some personal property damage, but FEMA took care of it. 

One good thing about the aftermath, I was able to get adjusting work on a catastrophe team for 20th Century Insurance. I later learned that the claims put the company out of business. But that wasn't exactly the case. They pulled out of the homeowners insurance market and later was bought by Farmers Insurance from AIG Insurance. They only offer auto insurance today.

One interesting thing, after the quake, the power citywide was totally out and we were able to see a sky full of stars without any light pollution to obscure them.

Japan: Deepest Earthquake Ever Detected

Japan is well known for its volcanoes and earthquakes. It is right on the Pacific's "Ring of Fire".

Many volcanic eruptions have been noted in recorded history, most recently it was Mount Aso in Kyushu and the Tohoku Earthquake (the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami) is still fresh in people's minds despite having taken place ten years ago.

An interesting earthquake took place under Japan's Bonin Islands (Ogasawara Islands) several years ago. At a depth of 423 miles, it was one of the deepest earthquakes ever recorded. National Geographic has posted an interesting article about it.

They begin it with:

One spring evening six years ago, hundreds of miles underground, our planet began to rumble from a series of peculiar earthquakes. Most of Earth's temblors strike within a few dozen miles of the surface, but these quakes stirred at depths where temperatures and pressures grow so intense that rocks tend to bend rather than break.

The first jolt, which struck off the coasts of Japan's remote Bonin Islands, was recorded at magnitude 7.9 and up to 680 kilometers (423 miles) underground, making it one of the deepest quakes of its size. Then another oddity emerged in the cascade of aftershocks that followed: a tiny temblor that, if confirmed, would be the deepest earthquake ever detected.

 To read more, go here.

6.1 Quake Jolts Tokyo

A strong earthquake hit Tokyo, Japan at 10:41 in the evening local Japan time.

Reuters reported:

TOKYO, Oct 7 (Reuters) - A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 jolted Tokyo and surrounding areas late on Thursday, stopping train lines, but there were no immediate reports of major damage, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said.

The tremor, at 10:41 p.m. (1341 GMT), registered "strong-5" on Japan's intensity scale, a level that could cause some damage to buildings and cause power cuts, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The quake had an epicentre in northwestern Chiba prefecture, east of the capital, Tokyo. There is no danger of a tsunami from the quake, NHK said.

The government has set up an emergency response task force, it added.

To read more, go here.

4.0 Earthquake Rattles Lennox-Hawthorne Areas

Image: USGS.

An early morning 4.0 earthquake hit the Lennox area of Los Angeles County this morning.

This is familiar territory as I used to live in Hawthorne and it was centered at the intersection of Doty Ave. and Century Blvd., near where the Hollywood Park Racetrack used to be and where a new NFL stadium is being built.

According to NBC Los Angeles:

A magnitude-4.0 earthquake was one of three in the same area early Monday that rattled parts of Southern California.

The quake was centered in the Lennox area. It followed earthquakes of magnitude 3.3 and 2.5 in the same part of southwest Los Angeles County.

According to CBS Los Angeles:

The large earthquake occurred at 4:44 a.m., with its epicenter at Century Boulevard and Doty Avenue, just south of SoFi Stadium and north of the 105 Freeway and east of the 405 Freeway, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Great East Japan Earthquake 10th Anniversary

Above, some of the islets in Matsushima Bay that acted as buffers against the tsunami. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is now March 11 in Japan. 

This day marks the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake (a.k.a. Tohoku Earthquake).

At 14:46 hours in Japan (2:46 PM) and 9:46 PM March 10 in Los Angeles, the earthquake struck and then the massive tsunami hit the Tohoku region.

From Wikipedia:

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku occurred at 14:46 JST on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku.  

15,899 deaths, +2 (Overseas), 6,157 injured, 2,529 people missing

Above, my dad at Godaido Temple in 1951.

I was working patrol that night in the Burbank Hills when I received a call (or text) from my supervisor telling me about the earthquake. He knew of my interest in Japan and I had brought him a Godzilla figure from my December 2010 trip to Japan. I immediately flipped on the radio to listen to the news reports coming from Japan. Hearing how bad the quake and tsunami were, I checked with some Japanese friends to see if their families and friends were okay. 

I had visited the Tohoku region of Japan in April 2006 to visit Sendai and Matsushima. My dad was briefly stationed there before being sent to South Korea during the Korean War. He had sent a photo of himself in his military police uniform in front of the Godaido Temple at Matsushima in 1951. I had a photo of myself taken at the same spot by one of the locals. Before having the photo taken, I had showed him the photo of my dad there. He found it fascinating.

Above, yours truly at Godaido Temple in 2006.

In the days that followed, I watched the news reports to see how Sendai and Matsushima fared during the earthquake and tsunami. Of particular interest to me was if Godaido Temple survived. Others online were wondering the same thing. 

After a while, we saw a photo (below) posted in a CNN News report showing Matsushima. Barely discernable was Godaido Temple. It withstood the quake and tsunami. Matsushima was lucky, for the tiny islets that dot the bay acted as buffers against the tsunami, so the temple and coastal buildings were spared the brunt with only some flooding.

Above, Godaido Temple following the tsunami (above and left of the word "next").

Sendai had some massive flooding, particularly at the airport, but it was able to recover. The ryokan I stayed at in 2006 is still in business. 

After the initial shock over the devastation, the world responded with aid and donations. My bank's ATM had a special screen feature for making donations for Tohoku earthquake and tsunami relief. I made a donation through this.

It was a night I certainly won't forget.

7.3 Quake Strikes Japan, Jolts Tokyo

Above, a view of Tokyo from the Tokyo Skytree. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We're about a month away from the tenth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake that took place on March 11, 2011, but the planet decided to "celebrate" a little early.

According to The Mainichi:

TOKYO -- An estimated magnitude-7.3 earthquake hit off northeast Japan at around 11:08 p.m. on Feb. 13, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The temblor registered an upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures. The quake was focused off Fukushima Prefecture at a depth of about 60 kilometers.

There was no risk of a tsunami from the quake, the agency said.

The temblor jolted the Tokyo metropolitan area.

To read more, go here. 

27 Years Since The Northridge Earthquake

Somehow, I missed this.

Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake. At the time, I was living in North Hills, California, about 6 miles from the epicenter.  

The quake was so strong that my bed was jumping like Linda Blair's in The Exorcist.

From History.com:

At 4:31 a.m. on January 17, 1994, a 6.7-magnitude quake struck the San Fernando Valley, a densely populated area of Los Angeles located 20 miles northwest of the city’s downtown. The quake was caused by the sudden rupture of a previously undocumented blind thrust fault. The Northridge quake, named after the San Fernando Valley community near its epicenter, was the costliest in U.S. history, with damages estimated at more than $20 billion, and resulted in 57 deaths.

 

New Eruption At Kilauea Volcano

Above, an aerial view of Kilauea Volcano in May 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A Magnitude 4.4 earthquake has struck the Big Island of Hawaii tonight along with an eruption of Kilauea volcano.

According to West Hawaii Today:

Hawaii County Civil Defense said the eruption that commenced shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday remains confined to the Kilauea Volcano’s summit caldera.

“According to HVO (Hawaiian Volcano Observatory), it looks like it’s all contained within the crater, however, the National Weather Service did say that there was a plume that was released from Halemaumau that had rised for 30,000 feet,” Bill Hanson with Hawaii County Civil Defense said shortly before 11:30 p.m.

According to the observatory, Sunday night’s eruption was preceded by an earthquake swarm accompanied by ground deformation detected by tiltmeters. An orange glow was subsequently observed on IR monitoring cameras and visually beginning approximately 9:36 Hawaii time.

Civil Defense said a magnitude-4.4 earthquake that struck at 10:36 p.m. on Kilauea’s south flank was not large enough to cause a tsunami.

Previous updates: The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has upgraded Kilauea Volcano’s alert level to “WARNING” and aviation color code to “RED” following an eruption that commenced shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

 To read more, go here.

California Having Foreshocks?

Today, I've been reading about swarms of earthquakes centered at and around Anza, California.

It is not too surprising since the state is overdue for a big one. They usually have a 20-year cycle. Two immediately come to mind: the Sylmar Earthquake in February 1971 and the Northridge Earthquake in January 1994.

California should have had a big one about 8 to 12 years ago, if the pattern held.

Could these be fore-shocks?

That's one thing I definitely don't miss about California, earthquakes.

Tokyo Ranked "World's Safest City"

Above, the Wako department store in Ginza. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who want to visit Japan, and Tokyo in particular, there's some good news.

The city has been ranked "the world's safest city" for the third consecutive year.

According to Japan Today:

SINGAPORE - Tokyo has been ranked the world's safest city for the third year running, followed by Singapore and Osaka, according to the latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit released on Thursday. 

The Safe Cities Index 2019 report, released at a one-day conference on safe cities and organized by The Economist in Singapore, mentioned that Tokyo enjoys a "broad array of strengths" with "low crime levels (both violent and petty), infrastructure designed to withstand natural shocks and low risk of computer malware." 

By category, Tokyo saw the strongest performance in digital security, coming in first. But it came in second, behind Osaka, in health security, fourth for infrastructure security and also fourth for personal security, with the report pointing out that the city is still plagued by corruption and organized crime. 

Tokyo's Governor Yuriko Koike was quoted as saying in the report that due to the threat of global climate change, and Japan being prone to earthquakes, Tokyo has pursued a range of reforms to protect its residents from natural disasters.

To read more, go here. 

It's Back To Magnitude 7.1!

If there is any needed reason to why I am glad to be out of California, the latest seismic activity in the Ridgecrest/Searles Valley area is a darn good one.

According to KTLA News about tonight's earthquake:

After a swarm of more than 1,400 earthquakes hit the Searles Valley region over the past two days, a magnitude 7.1 temblor — the biggest yet — struck Friday evening. 

The quake hit roughly 10 and a half miles from Ridgecrest at about 8:19 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey reports. After previously downgrading it a 6.9 magnitude, seismologist pushed it back up to the preliminary figure of 7.1. 

It hit at a depth of about half a mile, shallower than the 6.4 magnitude Fourth of July foreshock that was previously thought to be what seismologists call the “mainshock.” 

Shaking was felt across Southern California and as far as Las Vegas.

Thankfully, my home is built on a hill of solid bedrock, there's no chance of any liquefaction here, if we ever have an earthquake.

To read more, go here.

Bigger Quake Hits Ridgecrest

Oh-oh!

A friend just sent me a link to KSBY News website and they reported:

The USGS says a 7.1 earthquake was reported about 11 miles from the Ridgecrest area.

This quake that happened this evening may have been downgraded to 6.9 according to other news outlets.

According to SFGate:

The United States Geological Survey reports a preliminary magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck near Ridgecrest, CA on Friday. 

The quake hit at 7:19 PM local time at a depth of 0 kilometers.

Looks like the planet isn't done with Ridgecrest.