Disasters Of State

Fukushima appears to be leaking highly radioactive wastewater into ocean

"Members of the Nuclear Regulation Authority voiced frustration at Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), which has failed to identify the source and the cause of spiking readings of radioactive materials in groundwater. 'It is strongly suspected that highly concentrated contaminated waste water has leaked to the ground and has spread to the sea,' the authority said. The giant utility that services Tokyo and its surrounding regions has said groundwater samples taken at the battered Fukushima Daiichi plant on Tuesday showed levels of possibly cancer-causing caesium-134 were more than 110 times higher than they were on Friday." Continue reading →

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Coroner: San Francisco crash victim might have been run over by fire truck

"A fire truck may be responsible for the death of one of two teenage girls killed during Saturday’s airliner crash at San Francisco International Airport, KNTV-TV reported on Sunday. 'As it possibly could have happened, based on the injuries sustained, it could have been one of our vehicles that added to the injuries, or another vehicle,' local Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White told the San Francisco Chronicle, saying the victim’s injuries were consistent with her being run over. 'That could have been something that happened in the chaos. It will be part of our investigation.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCoroner: San Francisco crash victim might have been run over by fire truck

UN agency tests long-lasting Ikea refugee shelter

"Ikea's philanthropist foundation has funded the project to the tune of $4 million, while a Sweden-based group called the Refugee Housing Unit has been working with the UN agency on the design. The prototypes, with their semi-hard plastic walls and roofs made from composite material and with room to house five people each, have cost $8,000 a piece, and UNHCR wants to wait for feedback from refugees before giving a green light to more wide-scale production. The new shelters have been guaranteed to last three years and will likely remain standing for longer than that. That is a big plus considering that refugees on average live in their UNHCR shelters for 12 years." Continue reading →

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Military air tankers join fight against deadly Arizona wildfire

"The US military ordered four air tankers to join fire-dousing efforts in Arizona, where firefighters were battling a still out-of-control inferno which killed 19 of their comrades. The Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) planes will be redeployed from other states to help tackle blazes including the Yarnell Hill fire, which remained zero percent contained despite a doubling of ground crews fighting it. The extra firefighting aircraft, which are specially-equipped military C-130 planes, can drop 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, and can be refilled in less than 12 minutes." Continue reading →

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Why Did Chinese ATMs Stop Working Last Week?

"On Sunday morning, while China was taking a weekend breather from the financial fireworks caused by the government’s weeklong self-inflicted cash and credit crunch, customers of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world’s largest bank, woke to an unpleasant surprise: Their deposits were not available for withdrawal by ATM or teller (online or in-person). Sunday’s outage appears to have started at about 10:30 a.m., and by 11 a.m. there were photos on Sina Weibo of stymied bank customers left mulling in shut-down bank lobbies." Continue reading →

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‘Hell to pay:’ Residents angry as RCMP seize guns from High River homes

"RCMP revealed Thursday that officers have seized a 'substantial amount' of firearms from homes in evacuated High River. 'We just want to make sure that all of those things are in a spot that we control, simply because of what they are,' said Sgt. Brian Topham. 'People have a significant amount of money invested in firearms ... so we put them in a place that we control and that they’re safe.' About 30 RCMP officers set up a blockade, preventing 50 residents from walking into the town. Dozens more police cars, lights on, could be seen lining streets in the town on standby. Officers laid down a spike belt to stop anyone from attempting to drive past the blockade." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Hell to pay:’ Residents angry as RCMP seize guns from High River homes

Oklahoma tornado victims denied permits to rebuild their homes

"Rhonda Northcutt said she is unable to get a building permit from the city because of where her home was located before it was destroyed. Northcutt and her neighbor Jennifer Wisooker live in a neighborhood near May and SW 149th street. Their homes were destroyed by the May 20th tornado. According to the city, there are homes in the neighborhood that are located in an area designated as a flood way. The city said it is unable to give permits to build new homes in these types of areas because of FEMA requirements. Even though their homes were there before the storm, Wisooker and Northcutt might not be able to re-build." Continue reading →

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MSU Police Accidentally Send Out Campus Shooting Message

"Michigan State University police have confirmed to wilx.com they accidentally sent out an alert that there had been a shooting at Wilson Hall on campus. Police were trying to send a severe weather alert when the wrong message was sent. It was followed by an email from alert@msu.edu reading, 'The MSU Police accidentally sent a message of an active shooter on campus. THERE IS NO ACTIVE SHOOTER ON CAMPUS...THERE IS NO DANGER ON CAMPUS.'" Continue reading →

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What happened in West, Texas?

"Five weeks after the massive explosion that leveled vast portions of the heavily Czech community of West, Texas, there is no clear explanation of what took place that day. Instead of producing answers, the renamed ATF, now known as the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE for the purpose of this article) is spending its time obstructing a federal investigation." Continue reading →

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West, TX blast victims may not get property tax relief

"Some West residents may end up paying taxes this year on homes that no longer exist. Residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the April 17 West Fertilizer Co. explosion have until the end of May to protest the appraisals on which property taxes are based. But under state law, appraisal values are supposed to reflect the value of the property on Jan. 1 of the tax year. Section 23.03 of the Texas Property Tax Code allows local governments to authorize reappraisals after natural disasters, but the fertilizer plant explosion wouldn’t qualify." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWest, TX blast victims may not get property tax relief