Standing next to his young daughter in waist-deep water off Fripp Island on Friday afternoon, Craig Morris felt something softly nudge his leg.

Seconds later, something pulled 6-year-old Ella under the water.

That “something” was a shark, he said.

The 37-year-old father of three quickly pulled the child to the surface.

That’s when he saw the blood and the 9-inch gash on the little girl’s leg, said Heidi Morris, Craig’s wife and Ella’s mother.

“He threw the boogie board they had been using (away) and squeezed her leg together,” said Heidi Morris of the 1 p.m. incident near the Fripp Island Beach Club. “Then he carried her up the beach and booked it to the fire house. There was lots of blood. You could see her bone.”

A Beaufort County paramedic and Fripp Island Fire officers treated Ella until an ambulance arrived and took her to Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

It took 22 stitches to close the bite. Ella was released later that day, Heidi Morrris said.

The family, including sons Jackson, 8, and Parker, 9, of Marietta, Ga., were enjoying the final day of a week-long vacation when the incident occurred, she said. It was their first time vacationing on Fripp.

“We just loved it,” she said. “Earlier in the day, I had even posted pictures and a comment on my Facebook page that we were so happy with our experience. Later that day, I had to tell people about the shark.”

A RARE OCCURRENCE

Emergency room doctors told the family the shark was probably small, between four and five feet long, Heidi Morris said.

Mel Bell, director of the Office of Fisheries Management for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, agreed.

Ella’s wound looked like four smaller bites in a row, probably from a small shark. Typically, a swimmer would see the dorsal fin of a larger animal before it struck, Bell said.

“What you have with sharks is a test bite, to see what it is,” he said. “Then they usually take off, because you’re not a desired food item.”

DNR Sgt. Michael Paul Thomas said Tuesday there is no way to confirm whether the youngster’s wound was inflicted by a shark.

Because shark attacks are so rare, there is no protocol for reporting bites.

In South Carolina, the most recent shark attack that resulted in death was in 1883, Bell said.

“We’re still not sure what kind of shark it was,” he said.

In July 2006, an Ohio man said he was bitten by a shark at Hilton Head Island’s Singleton Beach. The wound required about a dozen stitches on his leg above his ankle. Authorities never confirmed the attack as the work of a shark, but the man said the teeth marks and puncture wounds were evidence enough for him.

In June of that year, a Missouri girl was bitten while playing in about two feet of water near the Breakers resort area of Coligny Beach.

Earlier in the month, a 14-year-old girl was bitten while swimming off Pawleys Island while a 21-year-old woman suffered a foot injury during a shark encounter off Kiawah Island.

Still, shark bites are relatively rare occurrences.

According to statistics compiled by the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, people are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning.

Thomas said tracking the area shark population is not an exact science, but called the number robust.

“We always have a fairly large number of sharks in our waters,” Thomas said.

He attributed that to deep waters, healthy estuaries and plenty of fish to eat.

“Port Royal and St. Helena sounds are two deep areas for them to come into and spawn, and we have an abundance of fish,” Thomas said.

‘I’M NOT SCARED’

While the incident left her parents shaken, Ella was the picture of courage and composure.

Her mother was amazed at the child’s attitude in the emergency room.

“She was fine, acted like there was absolutely nothing wrong,” Heidi Morris said.

Since the encounter, the six-year-old has continued to be upbeat and chatty, her mother said.

“Yesterday (Monday) all day, she wore a shark T-shirt,” she said.

Her parents said they were happy there was no severe nerve or muscle damage. A doctor said Monday the youngster’s wound was healing well and she should be up and walking in a day or two, her mother said.

Minutes before the attack, Ella had been in the water alone, her mother said.

“We were lucky, because her dad came up and put his arms around her right before it happened,” she said. “I think she felt safe because her daddy was right there.”

“I’m not scared,” Ella told her mother after the attack.

She said something else, too.

“I’ll go back in the water.”

via Ga. girl ‘upbeat’ after being bitten by shark off Fripp Island | islandpacket.com.

Standing next to his young daughter in waist-deep water off Fripp Island on Friday afternoon, Craig Morris felt something softly nudge his leg.

Seconds later, something pulled 6-year-old Ella under the water.

That “something” was a shark, he said.

The 37-year-old father of three quickly pulled the child to the surface.

That’s when he saw the blood and the 9-inch gash on the little girl’s leg, said Heidi Morris, Craig’s wife and Ella’s mother.

“He threw the boogie board they had been using (away) and squeezed her leg together,” said Heidi Morris of the 1 p.m. incident near the Fripp Island Beach Club. “Then he carried her up the beach and booked it to the fire house. There was lots of blood. You could see her bone.”

A Beaufort County paramedic and Fripp Island Fire officers treated Ella until an ambulance arrived and took her to Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

It took 22 stitches to close the bite. Ella was released later that day, Heidi Morrris said.

The family, including sons Jackson, 8, and Parker, 9, of Marietta, Ga., were enjoying the final day of a week-long vacation when the incident occurred, she said. It was their first time vacationing on Fripp.

“We just loved it,” she said. “Earlier in the day, I had even posted pictures and a comment on my Facebook page that we were so happy with our experience. Later that day, I had to tell people about the shark.”

A RARE OCCURRENCE

Emergency room doctors told the family the shark was probably small, between four and five feet long, Heidi Morris said.

Mel Bell, director of the Office of Fisheries Management for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, agreed.

Ella’s wound looked like four smaller bites in a row, probably from a small shark. Typically, a swimmer would see the dorsal fin of a larger animal before it struck, Bell said.

“What you have with sharks is a test bite, to see what it is,” he said. “Then they usually take off, because you’re not a desired food item.”

DNR Sgt. Michael Paul Thomas said Tuesday there is no way to confirm whether the youngster’s wound was inflicted by a shark.

Because shark attacks are so rare, there is no protocol for reporting bites.

In South Carolina, the most recent shark attack that resulted in death was in 1883, Bell said.

“We’re still not sure what kind of shark it was,” he said.

In July 2006, an Ohio man said he was bitten by a shark at Hilton Head Island’s Singleton Beach. The wound required about a dozen stitches on his leg above his ankle. Authorities never confirmed the attack as the work of a shark, but the man said the teeth marks and puncture wounds were evidence enough for him.

In June of that year, a Missouri girl was bitten while playing in about two feet of water near the Breakers resort area of Coligny Beach.

Earlier in the month, a 14-year-old girl was bitten while swimming off Pawleys Island while a 21-year-old woman suffered a foot injury during a shark encounter off Kiawah Island.

Still, shark bites are relatively rare occurrences.

According to statistics compiled by the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, people are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning.

Thomas said tracking the area shark population is not an exact science, but called the number robust.

“We always have a fairly large number of sharks in our waters,” Thomas said.

He attributed that to deep waters, healthy estuaries and plenty of fish to eat.

“Port Royal and St. Helena sounds are two deep areas for them to come into and spawn, and we have an abundance of fish,” Thomas said.

‘I’M NOT SCARED’

While the incident left her parents shaken, Ella was the picture of courage and composure.

Her mother was amazed at the child’s attitude in the emergency room.

“She was fine, acted like there was absolutely nothing wrong,” Heidi Morris said.

Since the encounter, the six-year-old has continued to be upbeat and chatty, her mother said.

“Yesterday (Monday) all day, she wore a shark T-shirt,” she said.

Her parents said they were happy there was no severe nerve or muscle damage. A doctor said Monday the youngster’s wound was healing well and she should be up and walking in a day or two, her mother said.

Minutes before the attack, Ella had been in the water alone, her mother said.

“We were lucky, because her dad came up and put his arms around her right before it happened,” she said. “I think she felt safe because her daddy was right there.”

“I’m not scared,” Ella told her mother after the attack.

She said something else, too.

“I’ll go back in the water.”

via Ga. girl ‘upbeat’ after being bitten by shark off Fripp Island | islandpacket.com.

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – The death of a letter carrier has prompted a safety warning from the U.S. Postal Service.

The postal worker was struck by lightning Tuesday afternoon in St. Louis.

A postal service spokesperson says the 34-year-old woman had just dropped off mail to one of her customers when she was struck.

She was taken to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead.

“One of our customers, who she just delivered mail to, saw this. The lightning struck her, and she was the one who contacted emergency rescue to pick her up and transport her to the hospital,” said Valerie Hughes of the U.S. Postal Service.

The post office says as soon as it got word of the accident it sent out alerts to all employees to review safety procedures during severe weather.

via Safety warning after postal worker killed by lightning | postal, service, lightning – Top Stories – WWMT NEWSCHANNEL 3.

The now-world-famous Guatemala City sinkhole, which opened following a recent tropical storm, is estimated to be 66 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape. It must be seen to be believed. Here are five amazing facts about the sinkhole and, as a bonus at the bottom, three not-so-amazing “facts.”

Might Still Get Bigger Politics Daily's Carl Franzen warns the sinkhole may be “increasing in size and appetite.” He writes, “The phenomenon of rapidly growing sinkholes is well documented, but the Guatemala case stands out precisely because the sinkhole is so enormous and in such an inconvenient location, at a major intersection. The sinkhole's potential growth is also problematic for repair efforts, as no work can be begun safely until the sinkhole has reached an equilibrium and stops…well, sinking, which could take up to several more days.”

Could Be Caused by Sped-Up Geological Erosion Geologists David Bercovici and Mark Brandon tell Vanity Fair, “Sinkholes often appear in areas where the rock below the ground is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by circulating ground water. As the sediment dissolves, caves and air pockets develop underneath the land surface. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then the ground collapses and results in a sinkhole. Natural depressions that collect water and man-made structures such as houses and streets with poor drainage are especially vulnerable to sinkholes. Heavy rainfall, like that from Tropical Storm Agatha, only accelerates the process.”

Sewer System May Be to Blame The Christian Science Monitor's Sara Miller Llana reports, “The mayor Guatemala City, Álvaro Arzú, said there may be a relationship between the sinkhole and the city's 36-year old drainage system that runs 50-60 meters below the surface. He said, according to 21st Century, a Guatemala daily newspaper, that the country's disaster response agency, CONRED, is using an X-ray like machine to study the earth in the area of the sinkhole.” Other reports cite “sewer or municipal water lines [that] might have eroded the ground and led to the collapse.”

This Has Happened Before The Christian Science Monitor's Ezra Fieser recounts, “In 2007, three people were killed when a 100-foot deep sinkhole opened in another Guatemala City neighborhood. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the area.” Carl Franzen adds, “Just last month, a sinkhole opened in Quebec swallowing an entire house and killing the family inside. In the U.S., they are most common in the southern states, particularly Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, where hundreds of smaller sinkholes have already been reported this year alone.”

How We Can Fix It Politics Daily's Carl Franzen explains three options. (1) Excavate and Filter; (2) Remediate and Cap Grout; (3) Underpin. That last one comes from “Sinkhole attorneys Marshall Thomas Burnett, a firm specializing in filing claims for those whose properties are affected by the appearance of sinkholes.” Click through for descriptions of each process.

3 Not-So-Amazing Sinkhole 'Facts'

You Can Throw Stuff in It Death and Taxes blogger Matt Kiebus helpfully contributes “fun stuff to toss in” the sinkhole. His 12-item list includes such throwables as Miller Lite bottles and BP CEO Tony Hayward.

Sinkhole Has Biblical Precedent BeliefNet's Mark Herringshaw quotes Psalm 46:2: “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” To be fair, Herringshaw also urges prayer for the victims of the sinkhole as well as the tropical storm that caused it.

The Best Car to Jump a Sinkhole Car blog Jalopnik's Matt Hardigree asks, “Assuming you were airlifted in to the country with a vehicle of your choice — what would you take and what would your strategy be for avoiding death?” His answer: “Personally, I'd pick a Caterham R500 to traverse the dangerous streets of Guatemala City. The insane 2.0-liter Ford-powered roadster has classic Caterham agility to avoid sinkholes, 520 hp-per-ton power to speed away from an earth opening beneath your feet, a low 1,115-lb weight to help leap over any obstacles, and an open roof in case you can't do any of those things and need to bail in a hurry.”

via 5 Amazing Facts About the Guatemala City Sinkhole | The Atlantic Wire.

Link

Gobierno de Guatemala/FlickrThe now-world-famous Guatemala City sinkhole, which opened following a recent tropical storm, is estimated to be 66 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape. It must be seen to be believed. Here are five amazing facts about the sinkhole and, as a bonus at the bottom, three not-so-amazing “facts.”

• Might Still Get Bigger Politics Daily’s Carl Franzen warnsthe sinkhole may be “increasing in size and appetite.” He writes, “The phenomenon of rapidly growing sinkholes is well documented, but the Guatemala case stands out precisely because the sinkhole is so enormous and in such an inconvenient location, at a major intersection. The sinkhole’s potential growth is also problematic for repair efforts, as no work can be begun safely until the sinkhole has reached an equilibrium and stops…well, sinking, which could take up to several more days.”

• Could Be Caused by Sped-Up Geological Erosion Geologists David Bercovici and Mark Brandon tell Vanity Fair, “Sinkholes often appear in areas where the rock below the ground is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by circulating ground water. As the sediment dissolves, caves and air pockets develop underneath the land surface. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then the ground collapses and results in a sinkhole. Natural depressions that collect water and man-made structures such as houses and streets with poor drainage are especially vulnerable to sinkholes. Heavy rainfall, like that from Tropical Storm Agatha, only accelerates the process.”

• Sewer System May Be to Blame The Christian Science Monitor’s Sara Miller Llana reports, “The mayor Guatemala City, Álvaro Arzú, said there may be a relationship between the sinkhole and the city’s 36-year old drainage system that runs 50-60 meters below the surface. He said, according to 21st Century, a Guatemala daily newspaper, that the country’s disaster response agency, CONRED, is using an X-ray like machine to study the earth in the area of the sinkhole.” Other reports cite “sewer or municipal water lines [that] might have eroded the ground and led to the collapse.”

• This Has Happened Before The Christian Science Monitor’s Ezra Fieser recounts, “In 2007, three people were killed when a 100-foot deep sinkhole opened in another Guatemala City neighborhood. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the area.” Carl Franzen adds, “Just last month, asinkhole opened in Quebec swallowing an entire house and killing the family inside. In the U.S., they are most common in the southern states, particularly Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, where hundreds of smaller sinkholes have already been reported this year alone.”

• How We Can Fix It Politics Daily’s Carl Franzen explains three options. (1) Excavate and Filter; (2) Remediate and Cap Grout; (3) Underpin. That last one comes from “Sinkhole attorneys Marshall Thomas Burnett, a firm specializing in filing claims for those whose properties are affected by the appearance of sinkholes.” Click through for descriptions of each process.

3 Not-So-Amazing Sinkhole ‘Facts’

• You Can Throw Stuff in It Death and Taxes blogger Matt Kiebus helpfully contributes “fun stuff to toss in” the sinkhole. His 12-item list includes such throwables as Miller Lite bottles and BP CEO Tony Hayward.

• Sinkhole Has Biblical Precedent BeliefNet’s Mark Herringshaw quotes Psalm 46:2: “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” To be fair, Herringshaw also urges prayer for the victims of the sinkhole as well as the tropical storm that caused it.

• The Best Car to Jump a Sinkhole Car blog Jalopnik’s Matt Hardigree asks, “Assuming you were airlifted in to the country with a vehicle of your choice — what would you take and what would your strategy be for avoiding death?” His answer: “Personally, I’d pick a Caterham R500 to traverse the dangerous streets of Guatemala City. The insane 2.0-liter Ford-powered roadster has classic Caterham agility to avoid sinkholes, 520 hp-per-ton power to speed away from an earth opening beneath your feet, a low 1,115-lb weight to help leap over any obstacles, and an open roof in case you can’t do any of those things and need to bail in a hurry.”

Link

CLINTON, Ark. – Tornadoes ripping through central Arkansas killed at least one person and injured about two dozen others Friday, and more bad weather was possible Saturday, authorities said.

The death was reported in Van Buren County — about 75 miles north of Little Rock — where at least three mobile homes were destroyed, state Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Renee Preslar said.

About two dozen people were hurt during the storms, but local officials who reported the deaths and injuries to the state agency did not immediately release the severity of the injuries or details about how the individuals were hurt, Preslar said.

Another round of storms, including tornadoes, could come Saturday, said John Robinson, warning coordinator meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Little Rock.

“Certainly, there will be the threat of severe weather (Saturday) and the threat of at least isolated tornadoes,” he said. “I do think we will have more severe weather.”

Search teams located a person believed missing in the wreckage of a home in Center Ridge, while extensive property damage was reported across several counties in central Arkansas, Preslar said.

Tornado sightings were reported just a few miles north in Culpepper, according to Arkansas State Police. A sheriff’s dispatcher said a sighting also was reported in the Oakland area, near the Missouri border.

Trees and power lines were blocking major roadways in both areas.

Robinson said a slow-moving cold front that moved into Arkansas from the west touched off the severe weather Friday.

“We had spotty thunderstorms here and there, and those are the ones — the ones that sit out there by themselves — that end up being tornado producers,” he said, noting tornado season generally peaks in April in Arkansas.

Link

Missouri farmer killed by lightning strike

ST. LOUIS — A Missouri farmer has died after being struck by lightning while checking on his cattle.

Laclede County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Ayres says the farmer was hit by lightning about 9:30 a.m. Thursday but the man’s family didn’t realize there was a problem until he failed to come back inside about an hour and a half later.

The lightning strike happened in the Phillipsburg area about 175 miles southwest of St. Louis. Strong storms are dumping inches of rain on Missouri, Kansas and Illinois, and flash flood warnings have been issued in parts of all three states.

Ayres says the farmer’s name and age aren’t being released yet. A cow also was killed in the lightning strike.

Link

Lightning kills woman from Waynesville

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A 23-year-old woman from Waynesville died after being struck by lightning near Rocky Ford Conservation area north of Columbia. The Boone County medical examiner’s office says Georgette Tillett died Wednesday after fishing with friends at the conservation area.

Investigators say the woman was walking with two men across an open field after fishing when the lightning struck.

—-

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offered these tips:

–at the first clap of thunder, go to a large building or fully enclosed vehicle;

– wait 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder before you go back outside.

The following are additional lightning safety tips:

–Lightning victims do not carry an electrical charge, are safe to touch and need urgent medical attention.

–Cardiac arrest is the immediate cause of death for those who die. Some deaths can be prevented if the victim receives the proper first aid immediately.

–Call 911 immediately and perform CPR if the person is unresponsive or not breathing. Use an Automatic External Defibrillator if one is available.

If outdoors:

–Avoid water. Avoid the high ground. Avoid open spaces. Avoid all metal objects, including electric wires, fences, machinery, motors and power tools.

–Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters or near trees. Where possible, find shelter in a substantial building or in a fully enclosed metal vehicle such as a car, truck or a van with the windows completely shut.

If lightning is striking nearby when you are outside, you should:

–Crouch down.

–Put feet together.

–Place hands over ears to minimize hearing damage from thunder.

–Avoid proximity (minimum of 15 feet) to other people.

When to seek safe shelter:

–Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles from the area where it is raining. That’s about the distance you can hear thunder. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. Seek safe shelter immediately.

Outdoor activities:

–Minimize the risk of being struck. Most lightning deaths and injuries occur in the summer.

–Where organized outdoor sports activities take place, coaches, camp counselors and other adults must stop activities at the first roar of thunder to ensure everyone has time to get to a large building or enclosed vehicle.

–Leaders of outdoors events should have a written plan that all staff are aware of and enforce.

Indoor activities:

–Inside buildings, stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity.

–Stay away from pools (indoor or outdoor), tubs, showers and other plumbing.

–Buy surge suppressors for key equipment. Install ground fault protectors on circuits near water or outdoors.

–When inside, wait 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder, before going outside again.

Link

There’s a great chart below, too.

Just one year ago, Mississippi was in the midst of a record year for tornadoes.

Sixty-eight tornadoes were confirmed from January to mid May 2008.

2008 went on to produce over 40 more tornadoes, for a record total of 109.

 This year,  only 35 tornadoes have been confirmed across the state through mid May 2009, which is significantly down from last year.

 2008 Monthly Tornado Count

JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
12	19	11	12	14	0	0	0	24	1	0	16

 

 March and May have been the most active months so far this year,  with 14 confirmed tornadoes in both months.

 

 Despite a less active severe weather season, Mississippi is above average for tornadoes.  (35 confirmed)

The state averages 28 tornadoes annually.

The state has been above average in tornadoes over the last several years.

(This continuous trend of above average tornadoes has caused the overall average for tornadoes to increase from 24 in the late 1990′s to early 2000′s to 27 in 2004 to now 28.)

---

 

Mississippi is transitioning into more of a summer like pattern, which is not conducive for severe weather in the Southeast.

In 2008, no tornadoes were recorded from June thru August, which is typical.

Severe weather becomes more confined to the Midwest and Central Plains. (tornado alley)

Church destroyed from a EF 3 tornado on March 25, 2009 (Magee, MS)

 

 

 

 Tornado activity begins to increase once again with the threat of land falling tropical systems along the Gulf Coast and during what is called the ‘Second Severe Weather Season in the late Fall’ across the South. (Fall Severe Weather Mississippi) (Tropical systems produce tornadoes)

Link

Tornadoes kill 3 people in Missouri

By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER – 1 day ago

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Violent storms tore through four Midwestern states, killing three people in northern Missouri, damaging dozens of homes and leaving thousands without power.

Kirksville apparently took the hardest hit Wednesday night. Police Detective Sgt. Ron Celian said about 30 to 40 homes were damaged, one was destroyed and an auto dealership sustained significant damage.

Lynne Sanders told the Kirksville Daily Express she took shelter in a bathtub while a tornado flipped one of her sheds, destroyed another and sucked up a barn while leaving the horses inside.

“It was just awful, simply awful,” she said. “The whole house was just rocking.”

Sullivan County Emergency Management director Rick Gardner said a woman was killed Wednesday night when what appeared to be a tornado struck a mobile home east of Milan in Sullivan County.

Two other people died in neighboring Adair County, said communications operator Tammy Babcock of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. She called all three deaths are tornado-related.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Brent Bernhardt said the Adair County sheriff flew over the area to inspect the damage and said in some places the tornado was only 500 feet wide.

“It was not wide,” Bernhardt said. “It would be on the ground and then come back up and be on the ground again.”

In Caddo County in southwest Oklahoma, a possible tornado damaged homes and businesses in Gracemont and Anadarko, authorities said.

Dozens of inmates were evacuated from the Caddo County jail because of a gas line break, said Caddo County Emergency Management Director Larry McDuffey.

In northeast Oklahoma, a 100 mph wind gust was recorded west of the Bartlesville airport in Washington County, authorities said. The high winds downed trees and power lines, with 8,000 power outages reported at one point.

Central Indiana saw wind gusts of up to 60 mph and street flooding was reported in Vincennes, Linton and Rockville, authorities said. Utilities reported 8,000 were without power in and around Indianapolis early Thursday.

In Illinois, a range of windy storms dumped as much as 3 inches of rain within 50 minutes. National Weather Service meteorologist Ed Shimon called the accumulation “unbelievable,” comparing it to heavy rainfall in the tropics.

The storm was continuing in southern Illinois early Thursday, with lightning, heavy rain and strong wind gusts, Shimon said.

The latest storms come less than a week after another batch of severe weather, including at least a dozen confirmed tornadoes, ravaged parts of southern Missouri. Those storms killed four people and damaged or destroyed several hundred homes.

Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth and Andale Gross in Kansas City and Rochelle Hines in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

Link

Woman, 83, dies in mobile home as tornado strikes northeast Missouri

By MEREDITH RODRIGUEZ

The Kansas City Star

Missouri officials say one person was killed this evening in the northeastern part of the state as violent weather, including a tornado, struck the area.

The victim was an 83-year-old woman. She was killed in her mobile home near Milan in Sullivan County.

More severe damage happened near and in the northern part of Kirksville. Three people were moderately injured when a gust of wind overturned their car, pinning them inside. Other people were trapped in their basements, according to Susie Stonner of the State Emergency Management Agency. Flash-flooding and various minor injuries were also reported.

Thirty to 40 homes were damaged in the Bob White area of Kirksville, city police said. At a car dealership, windows shattered, vehicles were damaged and a gas leak was reported.

No damage or injuries were reported at Truman State University.

U.S. 63 reopened before 10 p.m. after a gas-line leak and downed power lines caused it to close.

More minor damage was reported elsewhere. To the east in Knox County, two miles north of Edina, trees and power poles snapped across Missouri 15. Damage to structures also was reported in that area.

One shelter opened at a church in Kirksville. A Highway Patrol Command center was also opened in Knox County south of the Kirksville-Edina area, Stonner said.

Storms had mostly cleared from the Kansas City area by 8 p.m. A watch over Cass County is expected to expire by 11 p.m.

Continued severe storms were expected all night, according to Andy Bailey of the National Weather Service. The cold front causing them is expected to move from the northeast to the southeast part of the state.

Link

I am amazed at how common tornadoes actually are.

UPDATE 13 tornadoes confirmed in the Ozarks from Friday’s storms

SPRINGFIELD — The National Weather Service confirms 13 tornadoes swept through the Ozarks as of Saturday evening.

EF0 (2):

Ebenezer, southeast of Mountain Grove in Texas County

EF1 (7):

Willard, Republic, Fordland, Garrison, north of Peace Valley in Howell County, north of Ava, near Mount Zion.

EF2 (3):

Lebanon, Good Hope and Charity

EF3 (1):

Pamona

Link

4 dead as heavy storms push through Midwest

By JIM SALTER – 9 hours ago

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Thunderstorms packing winds gusting to 120 mph pounded parts of the Midwest on Friday, leaving four people dead, collapsing a church and knocking out power to thousands, authorities said.

Two people were killed near Poplar Bluff, Mo., when wind knocked a tree onto their car. In Dallas County, a man in his 70s had a fatal heart attack after he and his wife were sucked from their home and thrown into a field 75 to 100 feet away, said county emergency management director Larry Highfill.

The wife was taken to a Springfield hospital. Her condition wasn’t immediately known.

A 54-year-old woman was killed in southeast Kansas when the mobile home she was in was blown off its foundation. Wilson County emergency management spokeswoman Cassandra Edson said it appears the mobile home was “wrapped around a tree.”

Wind in the area reached 120 mph, destroying the New Albany United Methodist Church, the town’s post office and at least one home, authorities said. Major damage also was reported to a high school in Cherokee, Kan.

National Weather Service offices in Springfield, Mo., and St. Louis received multiple reports of tornadoes from one end of Missouri to the other, mostly south of Interstate 44. The weather service sent out teams to determine if tornadoes had touched down.

Many counties reported wind of 80 mph and higher. Several people were hurt, mostly when wind damaged their homes or businesses, but a few from flash floods.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency.

“My primary concern is the safety of Missourians and this executive order makes state agency resources available to help communities respond to the storms,” Nixon said.

The storm system ransacked southern Illinois as well, peeling siding and roofs off homes and other buildings, blowing out car windows and tearing up trailer parks. About 52,000 Ameren customers were without power around 3:30 p.m., according to the utility company’s Web site.

A truck driver who had to be extricated from an overturned semitrailer was in serious condition after a “major trauma,” said Rosslynd Rice, a spokeswoman for Southern Illinois Healthcare.

About six other patients with minor injuries were being treated at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, she said.

“It tore the hell out of things,” said Calvin Brown at the Cherry Street Pub in Herrin, a town of about 11,000 residents east of Carbondale. “It was wicked. I haven’t seen that in a long time.”

Carbondale Township Fire Capt. Mark Black said he wasn’t sure if a tornado touched down in his area but the “winds were just amazing. They were howling and the siding on the trailers was flying through the air and there was a pretty hard rain.”

Law enforcement agencies reported tornado touchdowns in the Jackson County community of Raddle and just south of Pinckneyville in Perry County, National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Seeley said.

Seeley said the strong line of thunderstorms began moving through the region Friday morning. Wind gusts in the Carbondale area reached 100 mph around 1:30 p.m., and sustained winds were as high as 90 mph.

Carbondale resident Eric Fidler said he rode out the storm in a basement room with his wife, 22-month-old daughter and their dog.

When they emerged, dozens of large, old trees had been snapped throughout his neighborhood — including an old oak blocking his front door — but there was little damage to homes. Even the cushions on his patio furniture were undisturbed.

“I was talking to a neighbor and saying, ‘This is just incredible. Everywhere I look, there are enormous trees down, but it missed everybody’s house,’” said Fidler, who walked a mile to the hardware store for a chain saw.

David Gugerty, 28, a graduate student at Southern Illinois University, said a tree crushed his car and a branch tore through the roof of his trailer, coming to rest atop his refrigerator.

“I’m sitting in the trailer park trying to decide which way to run,” Gugerty said.

In sparsely populated Dallas County, Mo., seven other people were also hurt as wind destroyed 50 homes. Highfill said all the damaged homes were in the same path, a strong hint that a tornado was to blame.

The storm system left tens of thousands without power, including — at the peak — 60,000 customers in the Joplin area. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.

In St. Francois County, 911 director Alan Wells said several people suffered moderate injuries from wind damage at their homes. Roofs were torn off of many homes and businesses. A tractor-trailer overturned on U.S. 67 near Park Hills.

Wind wasn’t the only problem. Many parts of Missouri received 3 inches of rain or more. Flash flooding forced authorities to rescue several people from cars and homes in St. Francois County. Flash flooding also closed roads from Springfield through Cape Girardeau.

In Joplin, strong winds toppled a big section of KSNF-TV’s tower shortly after 7 a.m., crushing a vehicle and damaging two homes. It appeared no one was hurt.

Keith Johnston told The Joplin Globe he was not at home when the tower collapsed, but his wife and two kids were.

“My wife said she heard the wind come up and got the kids into the closet,” he said. “They heard a booming noise and thought the tower fell.”

About a dozen homes in Laclede County were destroyed or had major damage, emergency director Jonathan Ayres said.

“It does look tornadic from the surveys we have done,” Ayres said. “Right now, we’re just trying to help these people salvage what they can before dark.”

Flooding caused widespread problems in Laclede County, shutting down several roads and washing away part of a railroad track.

Dan Wadlington, a spokesman for Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said roofs were damaged at two high schools near Springfield, at the towns of Ash Grove and Fair Grove. He said Blunt was prepared to seek federal aid if the damage was significant.

Storm spotters said a house in the Springfield area was flattened. An air-conditioning unit was blown off the roof of a Wal-Mart Superstore near Kimberling City, damaging the roof.

Fredericktown, about 85 miles southwest of St. Louis, reported damage to several businesses. Another eastern Missouri town, Potosi, reported baseball-sized hail.

Several communities — Joplin, Buffalo, Willard, Elkland among them — opened shelters for those left homeless by the storms.

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Rain opens up two Springfield sinkholes By: KY3 News

SPRINGFIELD — There are a couple new holes in the ground on Springfield’s northwest side.

All this rain caused two sinkholes to open up along west Division in front of Colorgraphic Printing and just across the street Willard South Elementary.

Greene County’s geologist discovered it’s actually an old sinkhole that has re-opened.

“There’s old foundation material and some remnants of farm machinery down there that have rusted out,” Greene County Commissioner, Dave Coonrod said. “(Decades ago) when you farmed, you had a big hole form-up, people would fill it in. Today, that’s not the thing to do.”

It took down a power pole when the ground gave way, and city utilities worked last night to get that repaired.

MoDOT will further examine the sinkhole Monday but says it doesn’t appear to cause any problems for the road.

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Pit Bulls. Shocker.

Dogs attack several at strip mall, at least 1 injured

COLUMBIA — One pit bull is dead and another escaped after attacking several people at a Columbia strip mall.

Columbia police shot and killed one of the dogs and arrested the dogs’ owner for assault and obstructing police operations.

Both pit bulls got loose in the Grindstone Parkway Wal-mart parking lot near Fudruckers hamburger restaurant.

Witnesses say the dogs attacked several people in the parking lot of a nearby Kohl’s department store.

Investigators have confirmed one bite victim and believe other bite victims have yet to forward.

Police continue their search for a gray pit bull with a white chest, possibly heading for his home at the Columbia Regency mobile home trailer park.

“The other owner that lives at the residence is aware of it,” said Columbia Police Sgt. Tim Moriarity. “They are supposed to notify us. Once we get a call, we will go ahead and go down there and try to, at least, take the dog under control to have it checked out by animal control.”

Investigators say the one confirmed bite victim diverted the attention of the dogs when they were chasing a woman through the parking lot.

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COLUMBIA – Two dogs escaped from their fenced yard off of Nifong Boulevard in Columbia on Wednesday morning.

By noon, they had already made their way to the Walmart parking lot off of Grindstone Parkway, where they proceeded to attack customers.

Bystanders attempted to defend themselves and others from the dogs, while warning others to stay inside their cars or inside the store. A few of those good samaritans sustained minor injuries. One man, Mark Adamson, spent over four hours in the hospital to tend to a leg wound that needed stitches.

Tony Caputa witnessed the attacks in the Walmart parking lot and got in his car to follow the dogs over to the Kohl’s parking lot. He said that he wanted to warn shoppers in the Kohl’s lot about the dogs before it was too late. When he arrived in the parking lot, police officers were already there attempting to seize the dogs along with Animal Control.

Caputa said the owner, 18 year old Dakota Crites, and a friend were also in the parking lot at that point and was trying to talk the officers out of hurting the dogs.

“They were yelling at the officers saying that the dog was just trying to play with them or anything like that but the dog had attacked a couple people in Walmart’s parking lot, so I don’t think that was the case,” said Caputa.

One of the dogs turned on the officer and started charging at him in a violent manner. Columbia Police Sergeant Chris Kelley said the officer the dog was charging at had no choice but to shoot the dog down in order to avoid a violent attack. The police department is not willing to release the name of the officer who fired at the dog until the case is internally reviewed by a professional standards unit.

Caputa said the shooting could not be avoided.

“You could tell when he backed off the first time that he didn’t want to shoot the dog, but he ended up having to do that,” said Caputa.

The other dog ran away from the scene after hearing the gun shots and Animal Control was not able to capture it. Columbia resident Vernon Niles said he is Crite’s neighbor. He spent all day looking for the other dog and finally found him around 6 PM. He said he took the dog to the Humane Society and Animal Control will decide the fate of the dog on Thursday morning.

Dogs Attack Columbia Shoppers

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Pit Bull Attack in Columbia

COLUMBIA - Police detained a dog owner after several people reported two pit bulls got loose near the Kohl’s Department store.

The Columbia Police Department and Animal Control responded to a call around noon Wednesday.

According to police, 27-year-old Mark Adamson, the manager of GNC, suffered an injury to his right calf that is non-threatening. Officers found the victim and the dogs near the Kohl’s store.

An officer shot one of the dogs, killing it, after police say it advanced on him in an aggressive manner. The other dog ran southbound and officers have not located it.

Police detained the owner of dogs, 18-year-old Dakota Crites, and have no determined charges yet. They say there were other reports of victims that have not yet come forward.

According to police, Adamson diverted the attention of the dogs when they were chasing an unidentified woman through the parking lot. Officials say his actions may have prevented other people from being injured.

Anyone with information is asked to submit a tip to the Crimestoppers website at 875tips.com.

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Are cougars returning to Midwest? w/ Missouri mountain lion sighting info

— By Andy Ostmeyer
aostmeyer@joplinglobe.com
Earlier this year, a young Barton County boy reported being attacked by a mountain lion.
“He was knocked off his feet, he claimed, and actually dragged by his sleeve by a mountain lion,” said James Dixon, a wildlife damage biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.
It’s Dixon’s job to check on such reports, and this time, the boy also claimed he had managed to stab the animal with a pocket knife.
Both the coat and the knife were sent to a laboratory to test for DNA evidence, but none was confirmed.
Although attacks are rare, Dixon said reports of cougars are increasingly common in Missouri, and they’re also growing throughout the Midwest.
“We get thousands — I’m talking literally thousands — of reports each year,” Dixon said.
Many come after heavy snows when people report finding large tracks, but those almost always turn out to be cases of misidentification: bobcats, dogs and even house cats. 
Still, there have been some positive identifications in Missouri.
“Across the entire state, we have had 10 confirmed mountain lions since 1994,” said Dixon. 
Some mountain lions, which also are called cougars and pumas, may be making their way into the Midwest by migrating from the Black Hills of South Dakota, which has a stable population, or perhaps from west Texas.
A cougar was shot and killed by police in Bossier City, La., in December. In April 2008, Chicago police shot and killed a 122-pound cougar in the city’s North Side. And in 2007, the first documented cougar in Kansas in more than 100 years was killed near Medicine Lodge.
In Missouri, cougars have been hit by cars in Kansas City and Fulton, captured on game cameras, and treed by hunting dogs in one instance. 
The closest to Joplin was a confirmed sighting in Christian County in the winter of 1997, but Dixon said that animal, which was caught on video, was believed to have been a captured animal that either escaped or was released, based on its behavior.
Aside from a small population in south Florida, Texas and the Black Hills have been the eastern boundary of the cougar’s breeding range.
Like Missouri, Wisconsin game managers get scores of reported sightings each year and have to determine which are false.
Only two cougars have been confirmed in the state. The cougar killed in Chicago was seen months earlier in the Milton area of Wisconsin’s Rock County, 100 miles away, in January 2008. 
Ken Jonas, a wildlife biologist supervisor with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said the only ways to confirm sightings are with photos, good tracks or other physical evidence. In the case of the confirmed sightings, blood, hair, urine and droppings were recovered.
Researchers learned a lot from the cat that roamed the Milton area for three months before being shot, said Eric Anderson, a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
“Here’s a cat wandering across the landscape of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, a fairly heavily populated area, and nobody saw it,” he said.
Male cougars like that have been moving out from the Black Hills. Anderson said an estimated 20 to 25 young males are believed to leave there each year, looking for females as well as food. Some wander hundreds of miles.
He expects Wisconsin will eventually have resident cougars.
Dixon said the animals are shy and secretive, and rarely seen, let alone confirmed. 
Still, the department takes the reports seriously and will investigate when there is some evidence left behind, such as tracks or a kill. And the prey base has grown in Missouri and other states, which have large deer populations.
“We do know that occasionally a mountain lion does wander into Missouri, but we do not believe we have a reproducing population,” Dixon said. Only one female was identified among the 10 confirmed sightings in the state, and no cubs have ever been found.
Dixon and others say that if their states had breeding populations, they would expect more cougars to be killed on roads and found feeding on livestock, and more evidence would be found in areas where the animals spent time, Jonas said. South Dakota, said Dixon, which has a much lower road density, has a much higher percentage of road kills.
The Missouri Department of Conservation also has established a Mountain Lion Response Team, which goes to sites and collects evidence when a credible report that might offer hard evidence is filed.
Jeff Beringer, large mammal biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation and a member of the response team, confirmed that sightings are extremely rare, even for biologists and experienced outdoorsmen. He said he has been on tracking teams in New Mexico and has received additional training in the Black Hills, yet, he added: “I have never seen one in the wild.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Last natives
Prior to 1994, the last mountain lion documented in Missouri was in 1927. They were gone from Iowa by 1867 and from Nebraska by 1890. Until recently, they were last seen in Wisconsin in 1908 and in Kansas in 1904.

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Science of sinkholes

Tara Muck
News-Leader

Nixa — It’s just an empty lot now. Any sign of what used to stand there is long gone. Cars pass by without a second thought about what happened nearly three years ago.

The 75-foot deep, 60-foot wide Nixa sinkhole that swallowed up Norm Scrivener’s car, garage and part of his house in August 2006 has baffled geologists. Never in southwest Missouri had such a phenomena occurred in an urbanized area.

After a couple years studying the formation, Missouri State University Professor Doug Gouzie tried to provide some answers to the area’s most infamous sinkhole.

Surprise

The beauty of southwest Missouri’s landscaping also contains very porous rock — limestone.

Limestone, made up of calcium and carbonate, dissolves where water flows because of the acidity in rain water, Gouzie, a geology professor at MSU told a crowd of about 40 last week at a lecture at MSU.

About 60 percent of Missouri is underlain with this rock, which is why the state boasts elaborate caves.

It’s also why sinkholes are so common.

As groundwater moves through the soil over time, top rock is eroded away first and then dirt, leaving a hollow hole in its place, Gouzie said.

Gouzie, who has studied sinkholes for nearly 30 years, said Scrivener’s sinkhole was surprising on a couple levels.

A study conducted by an MSU professor in the 1970s documented about 270 sinkholes in the Nixa Sinkhole Plain, which runs from Missouri 14 north to where James River crosses U.S. 60, Gouzie said. But of those 270 identified, only about 10 were collapsed sinkholes, where the soil actually collapsed in, rather than a gradual sinking.

A gradual sinkhole would have the appearance of a saucer, while a collapsed sinkhole is more thought of as an ice cream cone shape, Gouzie said.

“When you see any collapse that’s significant in size — 15 to 20 feet in diameter — then that’s pretty unusual right there,” Gouzie said. “That’s maybe 5 to 10 percent of the total number that anybody studies is the collapse.”

But it was one missing element that really baffled the geological crew at the site — rock.

Gouzie said the most surprising thing to him and other geologists was there was no rock to be seen anywhere in the sinkhole. Dirt erodes much faster than rock, so if the rock is gone, the soil should be as well.

“We’ve seen some thick soil around here … but for the most part 10 or 15 feet is pretty good,” Gouzie said. “If you have the irregular top of the bed rock, you might get 30 feet of soil somewhere, but to have 75 (feet), it’s probably twice than what we would have expected anywhere.”

Origins

Many times, large sinkholes, such as the one in Nixa, open up to a cave and are formed by underground moving water.

Tests usually performed to find origins of sinkholes weren’t plausible in Nixa, Gouzie said. That’s because Scrivener’s garage, along with his car, went down the hole, making it impossible to run dye into the bottom of the hole and detect it in area springs.

Another way would to be to go through a cave in the vicinity to see where it led. But the cave Gouzie and other geologists feel lead to Nixa’s sinkhole — the Saunders Valley Cave — hasn’t been searched deep enough.

So Gouzie and other professionals made an educated guess that the sinkhole drains out to Blue Spring, northwest of the site near the Saunders Valley Cave.

But while that’s the geological origins, there are also other factors Gouzie feels could have expedited the process in Nixa.

Perfect storm

Because Scrivener’s home was built in 1969, it originally had a septic tank, Gouzie said, which was visible after the garage collapsed into the sinkhole.

If the septic tank leaked even after it was closed off in the early ’70s, it could have helped the erosion process already in play by rainwater, he said.

Also exposed around the sinkhole were tree roots that lead to the stumps of two directly behind the house that had been cut down years earlier. Gouzie said when the tree roots’ water source died because of the trees being cut, the roots eventually shriveled up, leaving more empty spaces.

There was also a rain gutter hose that was placed on the uphill side of the house, which meant rainwater washed sediment down to the other side of the house. It was on the uphill side of the house that the sinkhole occurred, Gouzie said.

That doesn’t mean Scrivener or the builder is to blame.

“I think this collapse was going to happen anyway,” Gouzie said. “Whether it would’ve happened in 20 years or 50 years or a hundred years or a thousand years, that’s unfortunately where I’m still doing research.”

sinkholes today

The hole has been filled — on top of Scrivener’s car and parts of his garage — with 165 truckloads of rock.

Patches of grass grow over the once-hollow ground.

And while homes are still occupied on both sides of the former house, the earth continues to settle over time, causing two small sinkholes to appear.

“When you fill it up like that, there’s usually some settling that occurs the first couple of years,” Gouzie said of the rock that filled the hole.

“What’s happened is the soil that was put on the very top as the very last thing … is still washing down into the rock, and that’s going to happen for a while.”

The idea of that type of formation occurring again in the area is of concern. Could the spring that caused the original sinkhole create another along its path?

Possibly, Gouzie said. But sinkholes are more likely to develop farther down the stream as the water gains momentum. That is why the Nixa sinkhole was so surprising, because it was actually on the ridge of the Nixa Sinkhole Plain.

But planners at the city and county level are using technology to spot sinkholes, such as Ground Informational System, which the county uses, said Bob Atchley, Christian County’s acting planning and zoning administrator.

With this, the county is able to detect sinkholes so development of water and sewer, streets, and buildings can avoid a potential hazard. According to county ordinances, no new construction is allowed within 30 feet of the rim of a sinkhole.

“Any time we have any type of proposal in the county … we do a brief environmental assessment before we issue a permit,” Atchley said. “That starts with looking on the GIS system to see if it shows any mapped sinkholes.”

In Nixa, the city has looked to updated technology to help open up more space for development. The city’s use of a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) enabled the city to change its setback ordinance from prohibiting construction 30 feet from a sinkhole rim to 10 feet.

That’s because the GPR is better able to detect the precise location of sinkholes, City Planner Travis Cossey told the board in October when the ordinance was passed.

Still, Gouzie and Atchley both said the best way to prevent a sinkhole disaster is to be vigilant regarding water runoff, as well as look for signs of sinking or cracking in the soil or foundation.

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Missouri’s geology susceptible to sinkholes

Hot Topic – Expert Source

Geology professor hosts public lecture April 13

Date: April 9, 2009
Contact: Dr. Douglas Gouzie
(417) 836-5228
douglasgouzie@missouristate.edu

Dramatic images of a home falling into a sinkhole are fresh in many southwest Missourians minds due to a 2006 incident in Nixa. Dr. Douglas Gouzie, assistant professor of geography, geology and planning at Missouri State University, studies sinkholes and will be giving a free public lecture on the subject Monday, April 13.

Missouri is one of many states where sinkholes are common, which can partially be attributed to the limestone foundation, according to Gouzie. Sinkholes tend to form wherever these carbonate rocks are found (limestone is a common carbonate). Approximately 60 percent of the rock underneath Missouri is carbonate, according to the Missouri Geological Survey, compared to 20 percent worldwide.

“Combining these limestone rocks with Missouri’s moist climate gives us conditions very favorable for forming sinkholes,” said Gouzie. Rainwater, which gains acidity as it seeps through soil and plant roots, actually dissolves the limestone and absorbs the calcium, causing carbon dioxide gas to bubble into the atmosphere.

“Although this is a relatively slow process, over the millions of years that geologists study, this can remove quite a bit of rock. Anyone who has noticed the ‘hard water’ or who has a shower-head that has crusted up with calcium or lime deposits knows that our water usually carries a significant amount of dissolved calcium,” he added.

After the rock has dissolved, a fracture or cave forms, he noted.

“Sort of like a bean bag chair or a down pillow – if too much weight or pressure is put on top of the rock, the empty spaces will be squeezed out. When this happens, the land surface sinks in and we call it a sinkhole. Sometimes it just makes the ground sag in a gentle low spot that develops over the years, while other times, it collapses in all at once – like the one in Nixa,” Gouzie said.

Since the incident in Nixa, sinkholes have gained attention around the area, and Gouzie hopes to help people understand how sinkholes form, how common they are and how uncommon the collapses like the one in Nixa are. His lecture will also include information on warning signs in their own yards that may help them avoid sudden sinkhole collapses or surprise problems.

“Sinkholes are a part of life in southwestern Missouri,” Gouzie said. “There is no particular place I can point to right now and say it is at greater risk than another. I am working on trying to understand what factors might increase the risk – why the limestone dissolves faster in one area rather than wearing away all the rock evenly – and hope to be better able to identify areas at risk.”

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Even though people think earthquakes only occur on the West Coast, they have and will occur in other parts of the United States.

Earthquakes In The Midwestern and Eastern United States?!

Most people think that earthquakes occur only in places like California, Alaska, and Japan. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Several major and numerous minor earthquakes have occurred in the midwestern and eastern United States, as well as eastern Canada. Some of the earthquakes that have caused notable damage in these areas are listed below.

• 1663 & 1870, St. Lawrence River region, Canada
• 1755, Boston/Cape Ann, Massachusetts. Earthquake estimated to be magnitude 6.0; buildings damaged.
• 1811 & 1812 – New Madrid, Missouri, experienced the three largest earthquakes known to have occurred in North America (magnitudes estimated between 7.2 and 8.3) and 203 damaging aftershocks. Soil liquefaction occurred.
• 1886, Charleston, South Carolina. Estimated magnitude 6.8. Soil liquefaction occurred. Extensive damage; 60 people or more died. Over 400 aftershocks over the next 30 years.
• 1895, Charleston, Missouri
• 1897, Giles County, Virginia
• 1884, New York City area
• 1931 — Valentine, Texas, had a magnitude 6.4 earthquake, the largest earthquake to hit Texas in historic times.
• 1935, Timiskaming, Ontario (Canada)
• 1947 — Michigan experienced a magnitude 4.4 earthquake.
• 1979 & 1980 – New York State and the adjacent areas experienced 131 earthquakes of magnitude 1 to 5.
• 1980, 5 earthquakes recorded north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1980, Kentucky shaken by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake.
• 1982 — New Brunswick, Canada, had a magnitude 5.7 earthquake.
• 1982 — Arkansas earthquake swarm starts. Eighty-eight earthquakes between June 24 and July 5, 1982. Four earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.0 to 4.5 during first 3 months of swarm. Total of about 40,000 earthquakes in the area (most very small or not felt) between 1982 and 1985.
• 1983 – Lake Charles, Louisiana, experienced a magnitude 3.8 earthquake.
• 1983 — Indiana had a magnitude 5.9 earthquake.
• 1986 — Painesville, Ohio, experienced a magnitude 4.9 earthquake and several aftershocks. The earthquake was felt in 11 states.
• 1987 — Southeastern Illinois experienced a magnitude 5.2 earthquake. This area has had 7 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater since 1892.

You probably noticed that in the list above, the magnitudes of earthquakes that took place in the 1800′s are described as “estimated.” This is because these earthquake events took place before the Richter magnitude scale was put in place. The approximation is made by a study of accounts of the earthquake which are correlated with the damage described in theMercalli intensity scale, which, as you may recall, allows a classification of an earthquake’s magnitude by ordinary people (not just seismologists). The descriptions may come even from personal correspondance of average citizens and include telling details about the damage the earthquake caused.

Over 900,000 earthquakes occur worldwide each year. Fortunately, the vast majority of them are magnitude 2.5 or less, and great earthquakes (magnitude 8.0 or more) only happen about once every 5 to 10 years. Most of these great quakes occur along the plate boundaries, not in the eastern and midwestern U.S.

A few areas of the midwestern and eastern United States are more prone to earthquakes than others. The most earthquake-prone areas include Charleston, South Carolina, eastern Massachusetts, the St. Lawrence River area, and the central Mississippi River Valley. Others sections of this part of the country are prone to earthquakes, but can expect fewer quakes of smaller magnitude. Below is a map showing the risk of damage by earthquakes for the continental United States.

FIGURE 1 (MODIFIED FROM STEARNS & MILLER, 1977)

The central Mississippi River Valley and the Charleston, South Carolina, are more prone to damage during earthquakes than the northern part of the country. These areas have sandy soils that shake more than solid rock, resulting in damage from subsidence during an earthquake. The high water tables along the Mississippi and near the coast also increase the risk of soil liquefaction during strong earthquakes.