Friday, August 22, 2008

New Earthquake Threat To New York Area

In June I posted a story on the possibility of an earthquake in the New York metro area. A new report in the latest issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America uncovered more troubling news about seismic faults in the area and has sparked several articles on this growing danger. One of the most troubling findings to come out of the study is the danger posed by the Indian Point nuclear facilty, located 24 miles away. The New York Daily News quotes the lead author of the report who states that the power plant sits on a 'bullseye' of two faults and that he "wouldn't want to live within 5 or 10 miles of the place." For the full article click here. Yahoo News also had an extensive article based on the study and quoted another author of the report who compared the possible damage to New York from a quake "like something out of a Greek myth." For that story click here.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Are NY Times Reporters Preparing For Disaster?

Two articles on survival preparations and skills in two days, what does The New York Times know that we don't?! The first article, She's Ready: Just Add Water, came out yesterday and profiles a woman in suburban Massachusetts who wrote a book on disaster preparedness and has stockpiled six months of food and supplies. Her advice to New Yorkers: "I'd invest in a water filter -- and look for a way out." Thanks. The second article, They Will Survive, appears today and describes the lessons learned during a weekend survival course in the woods of Verona, New York. According to the instructor the most important survival tool after your brain is a sharp knife with a fixed blade and single sharpened edge. The article also detailed the versatility of an empty Altoids tin. But what I found more interesting than the wilderness survival lessons was the article's comments section, where readers posted their own tips for urban survival.