Archive for October, 2011

Opening Ceremony for HODR’s 1st School in Haiti

http://www.HODR.org
Hands on Disaster Response, with the help of the Sri Lankan army, the Mayor’s Office, members of the community (adults and children), and the local and international volunteers, constructed the first of many transitional schools planned for Haiti. The school was completed in June 2010 and marked by a special ceremony. Many members of the community showed up to see the school and many of the volunteers that put their time into building and painting came to thank the community for their support.

Shot and Edited by Jonathan Wooley – http://www.RTCPictures.com
Still pictures from various HODR volunteers
Translation by Eb Theodore
Many Thanks

Duration : 0:8:41

Read more…

Hurricane Ike – Florida Keys – September 8-9, 2008

During the first week of September, 2008 Hurricane Ike tore through the islands of Turks & Caicos and Great Inagua as a category four, with sustained winds of 135mph, before making landfall on the north coast of Cuba as a strong category three, with 120mph winds.

Ike crossed the eastern and central provinces of the Cuban mainland and moved offshore, paralleling the south coast of the island, making another landfall over the western portion of Cuba and emerging into the Gulf of Mexico.

The hurricane continued across the Gulf and made a final landfall near Galveston, Texas as a borderline category two/three, with 110mph winds, during the early morning hours of September 13th.

The hurricane caused extensive wind and storm surge damage in the affected areas, virtually obliterating several coastal communities on the Bolivar peninsula of the upper Texas coast.

With monetary losses over $31 billion (USD), Ike is now ranked as the third costliest hurricane in United States history.

From the afternoon of September 7th through the evening of September 9th, storm chasers Michael Laca, Jim Leonard, Jose Garcia and Max Hagen intercepted numerous outer rainbands, from Hurricane Ike, in the middle and lower Florida Keys, as the storm passed well to the south.

At the time of Ike’s closest point of approach to the Keys, the hurricane was a category one with sustained winds of 80mph and a central pressure of 965mb (28.50in).

Although the center of Ike remained a significant distance (150 miles) to the south, the hurricane had a very large windfield and produced sustained tropical storm conditions (39-73mph), with gusts of near hurricane-force, across most of the Florida Keys, which resulted in some minor wind damage.

These strong winds produced a 2-3ft storm surge in exposed locations on the Atlantic side of the lower Keys. During high-tide, many low-lying areas experienced significant flooding.

Numerous tornadic thunderstorms were also embedded within the outer rain bands of Hurricane Ike and several confirmed reports of tornadoes and tornadic waterspouts have been received from locations throughout the Keys.

Duration : 0:8:30

Read more…

Disaster Strikes Madeira

In February 2010, Madeira experienced heavy flooding and mudslides after a violent storm, killing at least 42 people and causing extensive damage.

Duration : 0:6:40

Read more…

Tracking the Hurricanes 2004: Part 1- Alex

http://www.hurricanetrack.com
This is the first selelction off of the “Tracking the Hurricanes: 2004″ DVD that was released in late 2004. The 2-hour DVD documents the entire 2004 hurricane season from hurricane Alex in August to hurricane Jeanne in late September. Alex struck the Outer Banks of North Carolina on August 3, 2004 as a category two hurricane. HurricaneTrack.com was there to collect data and video of the event. This clip has been edited from the original DVD version to conserve time. For the complete DVD, visit HurricaneTrack.com and click on the store button on the homepage. There will be additional selections from the 2004 DVD as well as the extraordinary 2005 DVD- including hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.

Duration : 0:16:11

Read more…

The Art of TV Satellite Positioning for the Best Reception

Positioning is one of the most important factors to consider when setting up your satellite TV system. No matter how excellent your satellite TV system is, if you’ve chosen a poor site to install your satellite dish then all your efforts will simply come to nothing.

The Right Dish

Naturally, before you consider the ideal position for your satellite dish, you must make sure you’ve also purchased the best satellite dish for your system. There are several factors to consider when shopping for a satellite dish.

A larger dish receives stronger signals, but it has its own cons as well. For one thing, larger satellite dishes means you stand to lose more because bigger dishes are always more expensive than smaller ones. Naturally, a bigger dish would need bigger space for installation as well; the question is whether you have enough space for it. Wind disturbance is also a factor you should consider when installing a large dish.

Larger dishes often make use of C signal while smaller dishes make use of KU signal.

Surveying Your Location

Before determining the ideal position for your satellite dish, you must find out a few pertinent things about your location. The first thing you need to determine is the corresponding coordinates (longitude and latitude) of your location. With it, you’ll know the requirements you have to comply with in order to achieve the ideal setup for your satellite dish. There are websites that can help you determine your location’s coordinates. GPS can also help.

Basically, your satellite dish must be pointing towards the southern sky. If you are in the southern hemisphere, you need to point north and vice versa. If you live along the equator, you only have to point your satellite dish upward. The distance of your satellite dish from the ground will also matter and is dependent on your distance from the equator.

Choosing the Right Position or Site

Here are a number of factors you should consider when searching for the ideal position of your satellite dish.

Height

Simply put, the higher the better because greater altitude will mean a shorter path for signal to traverse from satellites in space all the way to your satellite dish. Make sure you also keep your satellite dish out of reach from children and small animals. Satellite dishes are quite breakable and while they may not be as expensive before, why shoulder extra expense when you don’t have to?

Obstacles

It’s extremely important that no obstacle should block the path of your satellite dish to the southern skies. Tall trees, buildings, and other edifices could make reception for your satellite TV poor and fuzzy. In most cases, you’ll have an easier time finding an obstacle-free path to the southern skies if you don’t live in the city.

Surface and Support

Do not install your satellite dish on any flimsy surface. Even roofs are not always ideal, especially if they’re not made of concrete or something equally tough and heavy.

Wind Direction

Wind disturbance could cause problems for your satellite TV. To avoid such complications, consider install your satellite dish on a south-facing wall. That way, the wall could serve as a wind buffer for your dish.

Now that you know how to choose the ideal position of your satellite dish, the only thing left to do is to ensure that you’ve installed it properly and securely to outlast even the worst hurricanes in your area.

Thomas Martinez
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/the-art-of-tv-satellite-positioning-for-the-best-reception-709914.html

Impressive pictures of the 8.8 magnitude Earthquake in Chile, 2010

Over six months ago the 2010 Chilean earthquake occurred off the coast of the Maule Region of Chile on February 27, 2010; at 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), rating a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, and lasting up to 90 seconds.

It was strongly felt in six Chilean regions (from Valparaíso in the north to Araucanía in the south), that together make up 80 percent of the country’s population. The cities experiencing the strongest shaking IX (Ruinous) on the Mercalli intensity scale were Arauco and Coronel, Chile.
The earthquake was felt in the capital Santiago at Mercalli intensity scale VIII (Destructive).

The earthquake triggered a tsunami which devastated several coastal towns in south-central Chile and damaged the port at Talcahuano.

Photographs taken by Pedro Monzón

Duration : 0:1:57

Read more…

Traffic Control Devices

Using Traffic Control Devices in work zones and disaster zones shows how responsible and serious a company is about promoting work zone safety to save lives and property. To learn about the Traffic Control Devices we offer at Horizon Signal, explore our NEW website to find the product(s) that is right for your application.

An overview of our products shows how each Traffic Control Device can be used effectively in the work zone. Eliminate dangers to flaggers in hazardous situations by using such systems as lane shift devices, portable traffic signals or remote signals. Modular Component Options are available as an addition to our portable traffic control systems. Using Traffic Control Devices in high speed traffic areas, night work zones, limited visibility conditions and emergency and disaster situations is the key to promoting work zone safety.

The fast efficient set up of portable Traffic Control Devices is crucial for effective traffic management in a work zone or emergency/disaster zone. There are many applications for Traffic Control Devices, including those listed below.

1. One Lane Work Zones

2. Complete Intersection Control

3. Emergency Traffic Control Applications

4. Hurricane Disaster Relief

5. Multi-Phase and Multi-Stage Work Zones

6. Interfacing with Standard Signal Systems

7. Manual Hand Controller Option

8. Permanent Signal Knockdowns and Relocations

9. Power Outage Applications

In view of the fact that work zone safety is our main concern at Horizon Signal, we continually research and develop Traffic Control Devices. We work diligently to exceed the requirements of our customers. We attribute our success as a leader in the industry because of this commitment and our 15+ years experience and dedication to customer satisfaction.

To get your company started with promoting work zone safety, schedule a product demonstration of our Traffic Control Devices directly from Horizon Signal or from one of our Distributors. The complete training included with every Traffic Control Device purchase is one of our most important features. The 24 hour customer service and support are nothing less than what should be expected from a company like Horizon Signal. Take the first step toward work zone safety and contact us today about your Traffic Control Device needs.

Priyo Mukherjee
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/traffic-control-devices-153106.html

Why are people always comparing Katrina to other disasters?

People have been asking questions about the fires in California and possible government help and I see people answering concerning what happened and is happening with Katrina. Why are people wanting to compare the two when they are totally different disasters and require different responses?

because katrina was considered one of the worst natural diasters in US history that happened very recently, and so they are comparing it with the fires, so it seems less big than it actually is, which make people feel better about it.

Deepwater Seismic Minerals Exploration and Drilling Can Cause Earthquakes

Offshore seismic exploration is the primary method of exploring for hydrocarbon deposits under the sea. It begins on the ocean surface with a fleet of seismic vessels. Air guns are used to shoot sound energy waves from the survey ship into the water and sea bottom. Different layers of sedimentary rock reflect unique parts of the sound waves back to shipboard receptors. Chile October 25, 2009 … GeoPark Holdings Announces New Oil Discovery in Chile. Geopark expects to begin shooting seismic on the Tranquilo Block in December 2009 and on the Otway Block in March 2010. During 2009, GeoPark is carrying out a nine well drilling program on the Fell Block — and drilling is now underway on the Pampa Larga 15 well. GeoPark has also initiated start-up of activities on its two new blocks in Chile – Tranquilo and Otway – which in total cover an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. The Company expects to begin shooting seismic on the Tranquilo Block in December 2009 and on the Otway Block in March 2010. GeoPark drilled and completed the Yagan Norte 1 well to a total depth of 3,161 metres. A production test in the Tobifera formation, at approximately 3,077 metres in a 10 metre perforated interval, flowed at a rate of approximately 610 barrels per day (bpd) of oil with no water through a choke of 12 millimetres (mm) and with a well head pressure of 340 pounds per square inch (psi). These are preliminary results and further production history will be required to determine stabilised flow rates and the extent of the reservoir.

Duration : 0:2:5

Read more…

The Space Shuttle program disasters: what are the names of the shuttles and when did they happen?

The Space Shuttle program has had two major disasters since it started. What were the names of the shuttles and when did the accidents happen?

1986 Challenger – Exploded on ascent due to problems with an O-ring