Although a Trafford man was bit by a snake in Fayette County early Thursday morning, a local herpetologist said close encounters with reptiles are rare.

Chad Heasley, 39, was riding an all-terrain vehicle through the woods with friends when his vehicle got stuck in mud. State police said he went to get some rocks to help elevate his tires and a snake bit him. He was flown to Highlands Hospital and Health Center in Connellsville. A report on his condition was not immediately available.

Ken Stairs of Somerset, a field biologist, said trails go through scenic areas of high mountains where snakes live. Police had not confirmed what kind of snake bit Heasley, but there are copperheads and rattlesnakes in the woods near Connellsville, Stairs said.

“They are secretive and they like to go undetected and unmolested,” he said. “If you step on one or try to pick it up, you will get bit. The snake feels threatened.”

Snakes are often found around rocks or beside logs.

“Never be afraid to hike, but wear boots or sturdy shoes, not flip-flops,” he said. “Look carefully before sitting on the ground and don’t put your fingers on ledges without looking carefully. Step up on logs and look around the side before stepping over it. A snake may be lying on the ground near the log waiting for a chipmunk. Stay on the trail.”

It isn’t true that snakes travel in pairs. Adults that are hunting will be alone. Gestating females will be in groups — he once saw 46 together at a boulder. It isn’t true that snakes can strike a great distance. They can only strike about half of their body length or a little longer if they are on a rock. Their body length isn’t as long as people think, either.

“Snakes aren’t going to chase anybody,” he said. “They are looking for an escape route. Noise wakes them. If you hear a rattle, stop, look for the snake and sidestep around him.”

Ninety-five percent of snakes are nonpoisonous, Stairs said. Those bites are similar to scratches. Someone who is bitten by a poisonous snake can be treated in most hospitals and should be fine if he doesn’t have any underlying medical problems. It isn’t true that physicians need to know what type of snake bit you before starting treatment, he said. The medication is the same.

“Don’t take the snake to the hospital with you — it causes trauma in the ER,” Stairs said. “Thirty percent of bites are dry bites. Out in the southwest you may be further away from medical facilities and the snakes are bigger and have a higher toxicity. There a snake bite is more dangerous.”

Stairs was bitten by a snake once. He had wild-caught a western diamondback rattlesnake in Texas and brought it back with him. He was measuring the snake and it bit him on the thumb.

“It didn’t like being handled,” he said. “I spent seven days in the hospital.”

Venomous snake bites can cause tissue and nerve death. If you are bitten by a rattlesnake or copperhead snake, immobilize the limb at or above the heart if possible. If you are bit on the hand or arm, put your arm across your stomach and hold it there. If you have a cell phone with you, call 911.

“Remain calm — I know it’s hard, but keep your heart rate from going up,” Stairs said. “Get to the nearest medical facility as soon as you can, but don’t run. That raises the heart rate. If you are bit on the hand, remove any rings you’re wearing because your hand will swell. If you have a constricting band — not a tourniquet — put it above the bite. Don’t drink alcohol or take medications.”

The new antivenin serum is sheep blood based and has fewer side effects than the older one that was horse blood based.

About five years ago, he asked the state Health Department how many people in Pennsylvania died of bites from indigenous snakes. There were no deaths for 10 years prior to that.

Stairs and three other men are catching large male rattlesnakes and copperheads on a mountain in Bedford County where wind turbines are to be placed. Two-inch-long transmitters will be implanted in the snakes to track them to dens. The dens will be mapped so the wind turbines don’t break up the dens. The snakes will be caught again in the spring to remove the implants.

Dave Fox, Somerset County 911 coordinator, said people who hike on the trails or through woods need to be aware of where they are. They’ve had problems before with people having a medical emergency on the trail and because they are calling on an older cell phone or the tree canopy was interfering with reception, the 911 center couldn’t pinpoint their location.

“We asked one person where he parked his car so we’d have a starting point, and he replied ‘In a lot with a sign with a big P on it,’” he said. “You need to be aware of which trail you are on and where you went in. Try to know what direction you walked and about how far you walked. If you have a GPS that can be used while walking and a cell phone, take them along. Some people leave the main trail and are on footpaths. That causes problems. Never go alone. It’s like hunting season: You’re safer if you go in numbers. If you do go alone, tell somebody where you are going. People should also wear proper clothing in case they are stranded outside at night. Carry matches to start a fire. Take any survival gear you have.”

via Man bitten by snake in Fayette County woods – Johnstown’s Community Newspaper.

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.

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WOODSBORO–A game warden is recovering after he was bitten by an alligator in Refugio County. The gator was in the middle of a road and the game warden was trying to capture it when the gator apparently decided it didn’t want to be captured.

The alligator attack happened about a month ago. The game warden has been rehabilitating ever since then. For the first time today, he went back to the scene of the gator attack.

This is the first time Pinky Gonzales returned back to Farm to Market Road 136 near Woodsboro since the alligator attack. It was a month ago and he was trying to remove the gator from the roadway.

Gonzales jumped on top of the alligator to tape his mouth, but he was on him for 15 seconds, a little too long to close his mouth. The gator bit him and wouldn’t let his hand go.

“I am going to trying to pull my hand out of his mouth and somehow almost in two, but I got my hand back,” said Gonzales, who has been a game warden for Texas Parks and Wildlife for 23 years.

After getting his hand out, Gonzales said he and the gator rolled and then the reptile was coming right at him, going for the kill.

“I remember seeing him come at me with his mouth wide open,” Gonzales said. “He was very aggressive and very angry. I am right handed and he grabbed a hold of my left hand where i can shoot him with my right hand.”

“He looked like he got beaten up pretty bad,” said Captain Henry Balderamas, a fellow game warden, who drove him to Victoria to get medical treatment. “He was very well bloodied. He still had all of his functions and was thinking clearly.”

He suffered severe nerve damage to his hand from the alligator attack. He fracture his cheek bone and lost a couple of teeth.

He won’t return back to work for another month, but this attack won’t stop him from doing his job he has loved for nearly a quarter of a century.

“I should have stuck with what I have been doing and not take the chance I took,” Gonzales said, talking about the mistake he made with the alligator. “I’ll continue answering these calls.”

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Surfer survives 14 hours at sea

October 25th, 2009

When John Baker III stepped into the water at surfside, he never expected it would be nearly 14 hours and 14 miles later before he could get out. He found himself stuck in currents he couldn?t avoid.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — When John Baker III stepped into the water at surfside, he never expected it would be nearly 14 hours and 14 miles later before he could get out.  He found himself stuck in currents he couldn’t avoid.

“[It was] because of the turbulence at the end of the jetty and the fact that I couldn’t cross that rip current again,” said Baker.

Baker had been surfing for over 40 years.  He’s a former Coast Guard man who knows the water. He also used to organize rescues.

But on Friday, he needed one of those rescues himself.

“I left here about 10:30 Thursday morning got down to Surfside around noon,” said Baker.

Baker had driven from his Woodlands home to Surfside hoping to catch some good waves, but he quickly found himself in an area by the jetties and he couldn’t get out.

“I paddled for about an hour and it was very obvious I wasn’t making any headway,” said Baker.

Baker says the currents kept pushing him away from shore.  At about 4 p.m., he saw a boat from a rig pass by but the crew didn’t see him in the water.

By 8 p.m., it started getting dark and he was worried about hypothermia.  He had a wet suit on and he kept paddling on his surf board to keep his core temperature up.

At 10 p.m., he spotted an oil rig.  He was now about 10 miles from shore and estimated the rig was about four miles away.

He started counting his strokes. He would paddle 30 times; then rest for a minute before starting the process again.  Each hour he increased his strokes to stay warm — paddling 40 times, then 50 times before allowing himself to rest for a minute in between.

“I knew a helicopter would be out there at first light. I knew I had to survive the night, and if I could, in order to save myself, I had to get to the rig,” said Baker.

By 2 a.m., Baker reached the rig.  He found a rope to hang on to and when the water surged, he used it get as high as possible onto a nearby ladder.

Then he had to climb up the rig.

“By that time, I realized how tired I was,” said Baker.

After climbing into the rig, he climbed a flight of stairs and finally reached a door that he thought was locked.  He banged on the door calling for help.  No one answered.

“I just happened to pull on the knob and opened it,” Baker said, his voice cracking with emotion. By that time, it had been 14 hours since he first started out and it was only then that he knew he had reached safety.

Two men were on the rig and heard Baker come in. They gave him food, a place to warm up and a phone to call his wife of 30 years, Geneva Baker.

Geneva had alerted authorities when Baker hadn’t come home and the Coast Guard was out looking for him.  Finally, around 2:30 a.m., her phone rang.

“She answers her cell phone and I said are you looking for me?” said Baker.

“And I went, ‘John where are you?’ I thought he was washed up on a beach somewhere half way to Galveston,” said Baker’s wife.

Then this former Coast Guard man made one last strategic decision.  He decided not to leave the rig that night, despite the offer from the Coast Guard to pick him up.

“The Coast Guard goes out when your life’s at risk,” Baker said.  “I told them to take those guys home. Call it a day. I’ll make arrangements in the morning.”

“When the Coast Guard called me back and said that he had opted not to come off, I said, ‘What?’” said Geneva Baker, laughing at the memory.

But when the Coast Guard explained to her that John was worried about their safety at night she said, “That sounds just like John. That’s something he would say.”

John does have one regret. He left his surf board at sea to climb the rig.

“I sure miss that board. If someone finds it, I wouldn’t mind having it back.”

Despite his ordeal, Baker says he can’t wait to hit the surf again.

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GALVESTON — A man who drowned Sunday in a rip current off a Galveston pier has yet to be identified, prompting an appeal to the public to learn the man’s name, authorities said Monday.

The man, possibly Hispanic and in his 20s, stood 6 feet tall and weighed 180 pounds. He had short, black hair with gray sides and many distinguishing tattoos, John Florence, a spokesman with the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office, said.

“One was a dragon-type tattoo on his back, and he had the Virgin Mary on his left shoulder,” Florence said. “There was the letter A in Old English on his left hand, plus he had numerous tattoos on his legs and arms and the word ‘Aziel.’”

The man, who had been on a Boogie Board, was found at the end of the 29th Street pier and pronounced dead at 5:12 p.m. The cause of his death was ruled drowning, pending a toxicology exam, Florence said.

The man had the board’s leash wrapped around his wrist, rather than using an easily removable Velcro strip, Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis said.

“It was tied around his wrist five times, and was a major contributor to him drowning,” Davis said. “When the board became wedged between the rocks and with the current pulling him sideways, he was unable to stay afloat.”

The longshore current, estimated at 10 mph, created strong rip currents around the piers, hampering recovery efforts that lasted about 50 minutes, Davis said.

“The current was too strong for even our good swimmers to maintain for very long with fins,” Davis said.

Two lifeguards, who suffered lacerations when they were slammed into the rock pier, returned to work Monday, Davis said.

If no one comes forward with the man’s name, the medical examiner would attempt to identify him with fingerprints, Florence said.

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Texas-born Simon Hughes, 5, doesn’t look intimidating. But put a gun in his hands and pit him against an 800-pound alligator and it’s a different story.

Simon’s been training to handle a gun since he was just 4, his dad told MyFOXHouston — and it’s a good thing, too, or else he could’ve gotten hurt by the mega-gator that wound up on the Hughes family ranch.

The huge alligator bit into a baited hook in a marsh on the property, coming face-to-face with Simon. The boy reacted with lightning speed, grabbing his gun and shooting the reptile in the head.

“It come out, the biggest alligator I’ve ever seen,” Simon told MyFOXHouston. “He did his death roll.”

The reptile was nearly 20 times the 3-foot, 44-pound boy’s size. It didn’t survive the shooting.

Click here for video.

His dad Scott Hughes said there’s a reason he started training his son, who is in kindergarten, to shoot guns at such an early age.

“Everything on the ranch will either bite you or stick you,” he told MyFOXHouston.

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Texas hospitals seeing alarming increase in rattlesnake bites

SAN ANTONIO — Hospitals across central Texas said they are seeing an alarming increase in rattlesnake bites.

Hays County has treated five people for the bites in recent weeks, and Travis County reported eleven rattlesnake bites in the last three months.

So, why the increase now?

Experts say it is mating season for snakes. But the drought is also pushing them into residential areas to find water.

EMS officials in the area have teamed up with experts from the Snake Farm in New Braunfels to educate the public on how to be more careful, and what to do if they come across a rattlesnake.

They said if you get bitten call 911 immediately, because a rattlesnake bite can be deadly.

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Further tests could confirm lightning fatality

By Chris Paschenko 
The Daily News

Published June 6, 2009

CRYSTAL BEACH — Further testing is needed to determine whether a lightning strike killed a Houston man who was jogging during a thunderstorm on Crystal Beach.

A passer-by found Isaias Lara-Martinez facedown in the sand just west of Alma Drive at 4:08 p.m. Wednesday.

A toxicology test and microscopic tissue exams will be needed to help rule out other causes of death, said Galveston County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Pustilnik.

“The tests are to see if some of the marks on the body are from electrical injuries,” Pustilnik said. “It’s not clear cut, just from observing the body.”

A thunderstorm passed through the area Wednesday afternoon, and authorities said Lara-Martinez likely died of a lightning strike because burn marks were found on his torso. Lara-Martinez is believed to have been 38 to 40 years old.

There were no other injuries, and foul play isn’t suspected, said Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo, a sheriff’s office spokesman.

If authorities’ beliefs are confirmed, Lara-Martinez’s death would be the second caused by lightning in the state this year.

On March 15, a 63-year-old walking to his car from a Port Aransas beach was hit by lightning, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There were 27 lightning deaths in the state between 1999 and 2008, ranking Texas 27th nationally per capita.

Lightning awareness week begins June 21.

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On the Web:

www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/more.htm

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What To Do

If caught outside during a lightning storm with no shelter such as a building or car nearby, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends as a last resort crouching on the ground with only the balls of your feet touching the earth. Place both feet together, squat low, tuck your head and cover your ears. Lightning produces electrical currents along the top of the ground that can be deadly from more than 100 feet away. Lying flat on the ground increases your chance of being hit by a ground current.

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Woman attacked by pack of dogs in Oak Cliff

 

02:32 PM CDT on Friday, May 22, 2009

 

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News 
eaasen@dallasnews.com 

A 37-year-old woman was hospitalized this morning after she was attacked by five dogs in South Oak Cliff.

Woman attacked by five dogs

The attack happened about 6 a.m. in the 2100 block of Lamont Avenue, near Woodin Boulevard, according to Dallas police. Erica Johnson was transported to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, where she was listed in fair condition.

A neighbor, who declined to give his name, said he heard a woman screaming early this morning and called 911.

Dallas Animal Services says the attack happened after the victim was carrying a large stick while walking by the home of the dogs’ owner. He warned the woman not to wave the stick because it would irritate the dogs.

The five dogs, each a ridgeback-heeler mix, jumped the fence and ran after her, biting her in the torso, on the back and on both arms, said Kent Robertson, animal services’ division manager.

The dogs’ owner, 76-year-old H.J. Whitmill, tried to pull the dogs off the woman and was scratched himself. Police said he refused medical treatment.

Neighbors said that motorists had driven by during the attack, and that no one assisted the woman because of the dogs.

Animal Services quarantined the five dogs and issued the owner several citations for lacking current rabies vaccination and registration. Other citations were issued for not having spayed or neutered dogs. In addition, the owner was issued a 10-day notice to repair his fence so his dogs can’t escape.

Six other dogs remained in the yard at the home this morning.

Dallas police Senior Cpl. Gerry Monreal said the relationship between Johnson and Whitmill was unclear.

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Fisherman Spots Gator On Pickens Lake

It made for interesting water cooler conversation Monday morning - an alligator spotted at Herman Baker Park.  KTEN’s Katy Blakey joins us now where the animal is still on the loose.

No sightings so far Monday afternoon, but the animal is out there. A fisherman first spotted it. He didn’t come back with any fish, but he did come back with quite a story.

“I was out there throwing my leer in and pulling it back in,” said Sherman fisherman Damon Stewart. ”I heard something come up behind me but I didn’t think much of it. I threw my leer back out and again and went to roll it back in I turned around. And he lunged at my leg. I jumped out of the way and threw all my tackle down and went out to the point and he went into the water.”

“I heard something creeping up behind me. Didn’t know what it was so I threw my lure out there and reeled it back in. I turned around and when I did he was lunging. I dropped everything and ran out to the point.”

Damon Stewart’s fishing trip quickly ended when he came face-to-face with an alligator. When he got to work Monday, his co-workers didn’t believe him. But animal control backed up his story.  Crews came out to Pickens lake Sunday and they spotted the six-foot-long alligator chomping on a fish. The park was roped off as a precaution.

Police and Stewart don’t think the alligator would attack park visitors, but it could harm a small child. Monday night game wardens will be laying out traps, using chicken fish and maybe marsh mellows to bring the gator to the surface.

Stewart says he will return to the park to fish, but he won’t go into that marshy area again even if they do catch the alligator.

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Five tornadoes hit Roberts, Gray counties

Storm spawns tornadic activity, knocks out power

At least five tornadoes touched down Friday in Roberts and Gray counties, the National Weather Service in Amarillo said.

One motorist was injured and scores of people in Pampa and Lefors had their power knocked out.

“Based on what we saw on radar, we were not surprised we had five tornadoes,” said meteorologist John Cockrell.

One tractor-trailer driver caught in a E2 tornado – winds between 111 and 135 mph – southeast of Pampa – suffered a broken shoulder and damage to his truck. Cockrell said the trucker may have been traveling on Highway 60 when the tornado passed right over him. The tornado was estimated to have been a half-mile wide.

The NWS found one tornado was on the ground for up to 20 minutes, officials said. The tornado was a quarter-mile wide with winds ranging from 86 to 110 mph. It carved a path of about six miles stretching from two miles northwest of Lefors to about four miles southeast of the city, officials said.

Robert Hines of Lefors said he was driving toward Lefors on Spur 398 near the path of the tornado Friday when he watched wind push a pickup traveling ahead of him around the roadway. The wind was fierce.

“It was freaky,” he said. “Just sucking everything off the ground. All I hear was bang, bang.”

Something cracked his windshield, but he said otherwise he was unharmed.

Three other tornadoes touched down nearby. The first hit about 4:45 p.m. 13 miles west of Miami in Roberts County and was on the ground for about a minute.

The second landed about a minute after the first about 14 miles west-southwest of the city. It was on the ground for more than 10 minutes.

The third landed about four or five miles northeast of Pampa, stayed on the ground about eight minutes and covered about three miles.

Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves said crews spent most of Saturday working to restore power to residents. By midday Saturday, about 500 customers were without power and Xcel reported about 50 poles east and south of Pampa were lost during the storm.

He said the company had called in more than 70 employees from Pampa, Borger, Amarillo, Hereford, Plainview and Lubbock to rebuild the damaged lines.

He said the infrastructure damage appeared to be caused by straight-line winds.

By the end of day, outages in Lefors and Pampa were estimated to be less than 50 and local crews were expected to work overnight to fix the rest of the outages.

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NORTH AMERICA’S TOP SHARK-ATTACK BEACHES

Stephen RegenoldMay 13, 2009
 

 LAUNCH SLIDESHOW

Where to swim at your own risk in North America

 

The year was 1916, and a hot July had delivered thousands of beachgoers to the Jersey Shore. Waves shrugged on the sand, and swimmers bobbed in their bloomers and caps, escaping the heat in the surf and swells of tepid Atlantic waters.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

 What happened next—beginning with a death on Long Beach Island—would forever alter America’s collective consciousness toward swimming in the sea: In an unprecedented 11 days, five major shark attacks took place along the Jersey Shore, four of which were fatal.

Reports cited blood turning the water red and sharks following victims toward the beach. Dorsal fins spiked from placid water. Appropriately, a media frenzy ensued. Patrol boats were deployed to kill sharks offshore. Some beaches installed wire mesh to sequester swimmers from anything big and toothy out beyond the break.

 America has never recovered. Indeed, the Jersey Shore attacks of 1916—though an anomaly never seen before or since—branded an image of sharks as monsters that has trickled now through several generations.

“The common public perception today of a shark is that of a man-eater,” said George Burgess, an ichthyologist at the University of Florida who maintains a database called the International Shark Attack File. “We have an innate fear for big predators and natural forces we can’t control.” But as Burgess and others point out, death by shark bite is extremely rare. Shark experts cite statistics to show you can swim and surf with nary a worry at almost any beach on the planet. You are not a seal. Sharks do not want to eat you.

Or do they?

The International Shark Attack File (ISAF), which relies on decades of data, cites more than 2,000 fatal encounters. At beaches like New Smyrna, the cold statistics can become frighteningly real. To date, 210 attacks have been reported there, and in 2007, three swimmers were bitten by sharks and hospitalized.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

 Despite the paranoia, millions of people each year surf and swim—literally—with the sharks.

 A top example is New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Fla., where Burgess said tiger and black-tip sharks thrive. “Most people who have swum in and around New Smyrna have been within 10 feet of a shark in their lifetime,” he said.

 In Northern California—where deep waters and seal populations draw great white sharks—surfers suit up at places like Stinson Beach to catch waves in a potentially deadly habitat. Patric Douglas, owner of Shark Diver, an ocean guiding outfit in San Francisco, calls Stinson “the granddaddy of all shark beaches.” He said, “It’s common to see 18-footers buzz by surfers bobbing in the waves.”

North America is home to dozens of beaches like New Smyrna where swimmers and sharks intermix, even though the humans may never know it. When the rare attack happens, Burgess said, it’s usually a predatory mistake. “In the surf zone, where many attacks happen, sharks need to make quick decisions,” he said. “Humans on surfboards—hands splashing, feet kicking—can trigger a shark to think there’s trouble or a wounded animal, and it looks like an easy meal.”

 With its thousands of miles of coastlines and millions of beachgoers, the United States sees more shark-human interaction than any other country. Search the ISAF database and you’ll find incidents at beaches from South Carolina to Oregon. There are so many reports, in fact, that California, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina and Texas each have dedicated sections in the ISAF.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

On the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, tiger and hammerhead sharks mix with dolphins and humpback whales. There are dozens of popular surf beaches there, including Velzyland Beach and the Leftovers Break to name two. Though untold thousands surf and swim there each year without incident, attacks do occur.

But according to Laleh Mohajerani, executive director of the shark conservation organization Iemanya Oceanica, sharks are not looking to interfere with humans in the water. Our shark-attack fears are irrational, she said. “You are more likely to be hit by lightning.”

 Indeed, there’s no arguing the numbers. Of the millions of people who enter the ocean each year, almost none are touched.

 But for most people, fiery emotions override even the coldest numbers. A single scary story—be it on the news or in an effects-heavy Hollywood production—will destroy the efforts of hundreds of scientists trying to communicate on research and logic.

From Hawaii to the Caribbean, there are 10 beaches among the most infamous for sharks on the planet. Take a dip if you dare.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

Link

Pit bulls attack door-to-door salesman

Posted On: Thursday, May. 7 2009 06:10 AM

By Victor O’Brien
Killeen Daily Herald

Killeen Animal Control quarantined three pit bulls Tuesday after they attacked a door-to-door salesman.

Lillian Bruner, 11, heard loud screams and dogs barking when she was reading outside about 7 p.m. Three white pit bulls attacked and bit a door-to-door security systems salesman in the leg near her grandfather’s home on Shawn and Greenlee drives, Lillian said.

The bite drew blood and left deep bite marks near the victim’s ankle. Lillian ran inside, and yelled for her aunt to get a gun and call 911.

Anne-Marie Bruner, Lillian’s mother, drove up to the scene and helped the man, who was in shock, she said.

The pit bulls then ran after her while she helped the man. They stopped when she turned the corner to bring the man to the house of her father, Bill Kingston.

Killeen police arrived about 45 minutes later and boarded over a hole in the fence that allowed the dogs to escape from their home, Anne-Marie said.

“At that point, it was just kind of surreal,” she said.

The victim declined to be transported by paramedics, opting to have his own doctor provide care and a tetanus shot, said Carroll Smith, Killeen police spokeswoman.

The animals were detained and quarantined by Killeen Animal Control Wednesday night. Smith said a process was in the early stages to have the animals declared vicious or dangerous animals. If declared so, the pit bulls could be euthanized or their owners have heavy fines and regulations placed on the animals.

The pit bulls have been a constant nuisance to the neighborhood, escaping from their fence frequently, Kingston said. The pit bulls cornered him outside his truck one morning in December.

“I honestly feared for my life that morning. They had my back to my pickup,” he said.

Barking from his neighbor’s dogs distracted the pit bulls and allowed Kingston to escape. Now, he carries a golf club for protection.

He called Animal Control that morning, but it was unable to remove the pit bulls because he was not attacked.

The dogs cornered Kingston again just before Christmas. He fought them off with a golf club and called the police. The dogs returned to their yard and were not detained, he said.

Kingston believes city ordinances should allow dogs to be removed before they bite someone, but understands the current laws kept police from taking action that could have prevented Tuesday’s attack.

“I feel these dogs ought to be put down with no question, especially now with a serious bite. I’m glad they’re gone. I’m sorry somebody had to get bit,” Kingston said.

Smith said more information would be available on the animals once the case is processed further through Animal Control.

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SOUTH PADRE ISLAND – A 17-year-old San Benito boy is dead, after drowning on South Padre Island.

Police say Matthew Cantu was swimming with a friend, when the two got caught in a rip current.

The other teen made it to shore, but Cantu vanished.

The U.S. Coast Guard searched for two hours after he was reported missing. His body was found two miles north of where he was last seen.

“It’s devastating.  That’s something we learn to deal with. We come across this a lot during Spring Break and the summer months. It’s very unfortunate that it happens, but it does happen,” says Captain Gary Wilburn of the South Padre Island Fire Department.

Officials tell NEWSCHANNEL 5 Cantu had been missing for 30 minutes before they recieved the emergency call. They say the best advice is to call immediately when someone goes missing in the water, because it only takes a few minutes to drown.

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Coach among injured in Cowboys’ roof collapse

By DAVID JIMENEZ and JAIME ARON Associated Press Writers © 2009 The Associated Press

IRVING, Texas — Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis was among 12 people injured when winds just shy of tornado strength ripped through the roof of the team’s indoor practice facility during a rookie minicamp Saturday.

The storm hit while 27 players were going through workouts. There were about 70 people in the facility, counting coaches, other team personnel and media, officials said.

Ten of the injured were taken by emergency vehicles. Two others went to hospitals on their own.

“This worked out very, very well from a medical point of view,” said Dr. Paul Pepe, head of emergency medical services for Dallas County. “Right now, I think we don’t have anybody who is in a life-threatening situation.”

The white, tent-like building is large enough to be seen from miles away. It was built in 2003, for Bill Parcells’ first season as coach.

Storms often make loud noises inside the so-called bubble, but this time overhead lights swayed violently. One of the team’s video staff was the first out the door, followed by Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com. Eatman was hit by something and went down a few feet away, then heard someone screaming for help. He recognized it was Todd Archer of The Dallas Morning News.

Eatman and colleague Josh Ellis tried freeing Archer but the structure wouldn’t budge. “It was like a car,” Eatman said. Then safety DeAngelo Smith and linebacker Brandon Williams were able to get it up just enough for Archer to squirm out.

“All I saw was blue jerseys,” said Archer, whose right elbow and legs were scraped. “I was trapped, I couldn’t move. Then those guys lifted it up — not very far, but I was able to move from my side to my back. … Once I got out of there, I looked back and the whole thing was down.”

Archer said that as he fled for shelter, other players appeared to be stepping through the debris looking for others in need of help.

Eatman said one of the swaying lights wound up more than two football fields away. The giant blue star atop the building lay crumpled on the ground. The storm knocked out power at team headquarters and splintered trees across the property.

Larry Rodriguez, a local television cameraman who was in the news several years ago after he was attacked by Kenny Rogers while filming the former Texas Rangers pitcher, was treated with six stitches for a cut on a hand.

“We checked and we can’t find any other damage than this particular location,” said David Tull, an Irving police spokesman. “The nearby area didn’t have any reports of structural damage.”

Names and details of their injuries were not released due to privacy issues. DeCamillis was seen being removed on a stretcher wearing a neck brace.

“I saw it coming down and didn’t have time to react,” secondary coach Dave Campo said. “I hit the ground and was able to get back up.”

The storm was producing winds measured at 64 mph just before it struck the Cowboys facility, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Harris in Fort Worth. A weak tornado is in the range of 65-110 mph, according to NWS guidelines. Power was knocked out for less than an hour.

“We’re lucky no one got electrocuted with all the water in the building,” head coach Wade Phillips said. “A couple of players had minor injuries, but they were all right.”

This was the second of three scheduled days of practices, but Sunday’s session has been canceled.

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Riptides present danger at beaches

Don’t fight the tide

We may have lakes in North Texas but really big swimming holes require a trip to Florida or California, or a drive to the Texas Gulf Coast. With summer not far off, beach vacationers should keep in mind that ocean rip currents are dangerous and can be life threatening even for expert swimmers. Average rip tide speeds move at 1-2 feet per second; some even faster. Tips that could save your life:

Never struggle against the rip current. Try to be calm and conserve energy.

Swim out of the current following the shoreline, then when free, swim at an angle away from the current and toward shore.

If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim toward shore.

If you are unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by waving your arm and yelling for help.

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Tornado hit eastern Williamson County

By Claire Osborn | Monday, April 27, 2009, 05:40 PM

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado hit eastern Williamson County early this morning, damaging more than 20 structures near Jonah.

There were no injuries reported. The tornado had winds of 85 to 95 mph, said Steve Smart, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

It formed three miles west-southwest of Jonah and moved northeast, dissipating about one mile west of Jonah along Texas 29, Smart said. The tornado had a two-mile path and was 50 yards wide, he said.

It was classified as an F1 tornado, which is the weakest category.

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Watch live! … tornado chasers hunt for storms in Oklahoma

Reported by: ABC15.com staff  Last Update: 6:13 pm

Tornado activity is picking up in Western Oklahoma and southern Kansas according to the National Weather Service.

You can follow the action with our storm chasers all day long from the comfort of your computer.

Live video on an interactive map … check out our new Tornado Alley section and watch the chase live.  

Today’s severe-weather forecast calls for the ’ramping up’ of severe weather over the western half of Oklahoma and neighboring slices of Kansas and Texas.   

A much broader area labeled “slight risk” covers a large swath of the Midwest from the Texas Panhandle to Michigan, including Kansas City and Chicago.

Our interactive map always updates as the storms and the chasers move about Tornado Alley.  Click on any chaser’s vehicle to watch a live video stream.

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Pizza Hut files suit over sinkhole

The Times/LUCY SCHALY The Pizza Hut restaurant in East Rochester is suing the owners of the Evergreen Restaurant over the sinkhole, which is growing where the Evergreen used to be.

Published: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 11:08 PM EDT

Bill Vidonic, Times Staff

BEAVER — The operator of the Pizza Hut restaurant in East Rochester says in a lawsuit that the restaurant could close if a growing sinkhole isn’t fixed soon.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Beaver County Court, seeks more than $25,000 in damages from the owners of the former Evergreen Restaurant in East Rochester, Argyrios and Stella A. Apostolis, and demands that they fix the sinkhole next to Pizza Hut.

Earlier this month, the state Department of Environmental Protection said it would take over efforts to fix the sinkhole, a process that could cost up to $5 million.

Aurora Huts, based in Texas, leases and operates the East Rochester Pizza Hut at 810 Route 65. The Apostolises operated the Evergreen at the adjoining property, 816 Route 65.

According to the lawsuit, a 10-foot culvert ran directly beneath the Evergreen, part of a privately owned storm-water drainage system that carried water from properties by the Riverview Plaza under Route 65 and into the Ohio River.

The culvert under the Evergreen collapsed or became clogged in 2007, and a sinkhole developed alongside the Evergreen.

According to the lawsuit, written by Pittsburgh attorney Beth A. Slagle, Argyrios Apostolis tried to fill the sinkhole with gravel and other debris between August and September 2007.

The Apostolises closed their restaurant in September 2007, as the sinkhole grew beside and beneath the restaurant. As the building collapsed, according to the suit, the additional debris caused further damage to the culvert, allowing the sinkhole to get bigger. The building was condemned and demolished in January 2008.

The Apostolises reopened the Evergreen in Chippewa Township last year.

The suit estimates the sinkhole as now being 80 feet deep and about 140 feet wide, and Pizza Hut says that a “significant portion” of its adjoining property is unstable and unusable. Portions of the property are barricaded to keep customers away.

According to the suit, the pizza restaurant has lost business, and if the sinkhole continues to grow, it might be shut down and the building abandoned.

The lawsuit accuses the Apostolises, along with their business corporation, Tria Adelphia Inc., of negligence and trespass.

Argyrios Apostolis said Wednesday that trying to fill what was initially a small hole didn’t create additional problems.

“These guys don’t know what they’re talking about,” he said. “This is not my fault. I lost my business, I lost my property.”

He added, “I lost everything. I don’t have any money. Pizza Hut, they do a good job, but they should look a little bit further than to look at one individual.”

Earlier this month, Beaver County Emergency Services Director Wes Hill said that initial work to fix the sinkhole and unclog the culvert would cost $1 million. To fix the entire drainage system under the shopping plaza would cost an additional $4 million or $5 million.

At the same time, state Sen. Elder Vogel Jr., R-47, New Sewickley Township, said that he, state Rep. Jim Marshall, R-14, Big Beaver, and the DEP were working to find $1 million in funding to begin repair work.

One of the Apostolises’ attorneys, Beverly Block of Pittsburgh, said Wednesday that she hoped to soon file paperwork in Beaver County Court outlining her clients’ position on who is responsible for the sinkhole and its repairs.

As to the Pizza Hut suit, Argyrios Apostolis said, “I tell them what everybody tells me: Good luck.”

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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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King Ranch Fights Large Wildfire
April 20, 2009 08:51 PM

CORPUS CHRISTI – There have been a lot of calls to 911 Monday concerning a large column of smoke south of town.

Crews on the King Ranch are fighting a large wildfire that started around 2 p.m. Monday afternoon.

The fire is on private property, so there’s no information available on how the fire started or what exactly has been burned.

The Corpus Christi Fire Department is monitoring the fire and at this time it poses no threat to any homes. City officials do say that shifting winds could blow smoke over portions of the Southside.

People with breathing problems may want to stay indoors.

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Tornado Touches Down In Robertson County

Heavy rains swept through Waco early on Saturday. And there was even a report of a tornado that touched down in Robertson County.

It happened around 9:00 am Saturday morning. Robertson county emergency officials say the tornado was spotted on Fire Station Road. Several trees and power lines were knocked down. But no injuries were reported.

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Pretty unlikely.

What are your odds of a shark attack while surfing?

April 18, 11:29 AM

This weekend, learn more about sharks in a special project called Shark Weekend.

 

If you live in Florida, the odds for a shark attack are much higher. Luckily, Texas statistics have dispelled some of the fear of shark attacks by illuminating that apprehension with knowledge. While most people suffer from Selachophobia (fear of sharks), for Texas surfers it is the panic of missing out on a good wave on any given day. It is true that sharks put the goosebumps in surfing and other water activities. Surfers have even named the insanely big surf spot in Hawaii, Jaws, (like the movie). Of course, crazy-good surfers take on that danger with enthusiasm and adrenaline. So, how safe are the waters of Galveston? Hearing the theme song from Jaws in your head, yet (Da dum Da dum Da dum)?

Here are some facts you should be listening to, instead:

 

• In Texas, from 2004-2007, you were 36 times more likely to have a fatality if you are homeless than a 0 fatality based on shark attack.

• 1 in 5 gets heart disease. 1 in 3,748,067 experience ever having a shark attack. Cardiac arrest is more likely.

• In Texas, you are 589 times more likely to die from a boating accident. You are 0 times as likely to die from a shark attack.

• In Texas, you are 206 times more likely to get struck by lightning for every 1 shark fatality.

• You are more likely to drowned, get in a car accident to or from the beach, become dehydrated, incur spinal damage, get sunburned, or be stung by a jellyfish/stingray.

• You are more likely to get in a farm accident than a shark accident.

• You are more likely to have an adverse reaction to antibiotics (time to stock up on probiotic yogurt).

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Florida wins, hands down.

# 1	Florida:	337
# 2	Texas:	15
= 3	Georgia:	9
= 3	South Carolina:	9
# 5	Alabama:	5
# 6	Louisiana:	2
= 7	Arkansas:	1
= 7	North Carolina:	1

DEFINITION: Number of documented alligator attacks since 1948. There have been 17 fatal attacks in Florida and one fatal attack in Georgia. Additional deaths which were previously reported have been ruled out because the wounds appeared to be post-mortem. The most common cases were lacerations or scratches on the hands, whereas the most common activity attributed to the attack was an attempt to capture, pick up or exhibit the alligator. Other common activities that led to an alligator attack were swimming, fishing activities and retrieving golf balls.

SOURCE: Alligator Attacks on Humans in the United States, Ricky L. Langley, MD, MPH. Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 16, 119 124 (2005). Additional figures taken from news reports.

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In the midst of the storm just before noon Friday, in between car crashes and street flooding, firefighters were called to a house in Western Brazos County where lightning struck a home. Home owners on Goodson Bend near Highway 47 and Highway 21 say they heard a crack and a thud and then realized lightning hit their house. They called it in to firefighters who told them to get out.

Firefighters tell News 3 they didn’t see lightning in the area when they got there, but that it may have hit the roof of the house. The residents of the house were allowed back in. Nobody was hurt.

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Lightning strikes Copperas Cove schoolPosted On: Friday, Apr. 17 2009 09:52 AM
Updated On: Friday, Apr. 17 2009 05:03 PM

While Central Texas saw severe thunderstorms, flooding and hail, a local school was struck by lightning.

Copperas Cove Independent School District Deputy Superintendent Bobby Ott reported that around 9:15 a.m. today, the Copperas Cove Fire Department was contacted concerning a possible fire at the Parsons building of C.R. Clements/ Hollie Parsons Elementary. 

This call was made by the principal in response to a teacher report made in the north wing of the Parsons building. The report consisted of hearing a loud, sharp noise and then seeing smoke coming from the air conditioner vent, Ott stated in a press release.

Students in the Parsons building were evacuated to the Clements side of the campus immediately while the fire department investigated.

“It was determined that lightening had struck a roof top air conditioner causing the blower motor to malfunction. No other
damage was caused by the incident,” the release states.

The building was cleared and students returned to class about an hour later.

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Hurricane predictions gain ground

Forecasters believe they can do even better in coming years

By ERIC BERGER HOUSTON CHRONICLE

By steadily improving their forecasts and setting high expectations, hurricane scientists may be getting too good for their own good.

As Hurricane Ike crossed Cuba and approached the Texas coast, forecasts provided by the National Hurricane Center proved to be more accurate than the average set during the last five years.

Yet upon returning to Texas, the center’s director, Bill Read, says he hears all the time that Ike was a bad forecast.

Read, former meteorologist-in-charge of Houston’s National Weather Service office, heard it again at the recent National Hurricane Conference in Austin.

“That storm sure did a dance before it came ashore,” Gov. Rick Perry said.

Hurricanes, ultimately are the product of chaotic weather patterns, do dance. That researchers and computers have been able to make some sense of storms’ meanderings during the last few decades ranks as a significant scientific victory.

Despite the public perception of Ike’s forecast, the hurricane center set all-time records for every one of its track forecasts, from one-day to five-day predictions, in 2008.

The center has done better still in bringing down the average error in its four- and five-day forecasts, which first were made public in 2001.

Average errors are down

The first two years the Miami-based center made five-day forecasts, the average error exceeded 370 miles, or greater than the driving distance between Houston and New Orleans.

Last year the five-day forecast’s average error was just 192 miles.

“Models,” said Read, giving a one-word answer when asked why the hurricane center has steadily improved its forecast accuracy.

Read said our physical understanding of hurricanes, while not perfect, has improved our ability to model them. And ever more powerful supercomputers allow increasingly complex models to be run more quickly.

But it’s not just the models, said Sim Aberson, a research meteorologist for the government’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

“It’s more experience from the human forecasters,” he said. “For the first couple of years we just didn’t have very much experience doing four- and five-day forecasts.”

The steady improvement in forecasting has some scientists like Aberson asking what the theoretical limits for track accuracy might be.

A study published a decade ago in Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics by Lance Leslie and others concluded the best forecast computers or humans could make was about 80 nautical miles for the average two-day forecast, and 120 nautical miles for the three-day forecast.

May even get better

But modern hurricane center forecasts are now approaching these average errors, and last year the European computer model substantially surpassed these limits for the Atlantic basin.

“I am not sure we know what the limits are right now,” said Fuqing Zhang, a professor of meteorology at Penn State University. “I think we will continue seeing improvements in track forecast, especially in extended range.”

Even if forecasters may be approaching the lower limits of forecasting at two and three days, the basic laws of physics suggest it is possible to make predictions at longer ranges than even today’s five-day forecast.

While chaos in the natural order erodes forecasts substantially over time, it’s reasonable that better computers eventually can help create seven- or nine-day forecasts that have some predictive skill.

To that end, Read said he plans for the hurricane center to eventually develop a seven-day forecast.

eric.berger@chron.com

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Hub City school expels 3 snakes

Officials taking precautions after teacher bitten

BRITTANY BROWN • HATTIESBURG AMERICAN • APRIL 15, 2009

HATTIESBURG — A baby snake bit an N.R. Burger Middle School teacher in her classroom, and others were found in the building two more times earlier this month.

Jas N Smith, Hattiesburg Public School District spokesman, said a baby snake was found in a classroom, a second inside a desk and a third in the school’s office. All the discoveries occurred around the first of April.

Smith said the teacher was bitten while trying to ease the snake out of her classroom with a pencil.

“The teacher was taken to the emergency room, treated and released,” said Smith, who added the teacher’s name is not being released. “She’s back at school and doing just fine.”

Dunagin Pest Control in Hattiesburg, he said, removed the snakes and inspected the campus, spraying chemicals to kill mice and insects, both part of a snake’s diet.

“The snakes were so young and small, they weren’t sure what species they were,” said Smith, who added no adult snakes or eggs were found in the school. “They’re not totally sure how the snakes got inside.”

Smith said maintenance workers have replaced a few door jams and patched small openings along the building’s exterior. As a precaution, he said, brush will be cleared from the school’s exterior.

Smith said a letter explaining the incidents will be sent home to parents.

“We’re staying on top of it,” he said. “We definitely don’t want this to happen again.”

But that might not be possible at this time of year.

“They’re starting to come out full force,” said Cody Dunnam, a herpetologist who founded Scales and Tails Inc., a free reptile rescue operation in Lumberton.

Dunnam, who has worked with snakes for the past nine years, urges Pine Belt residents to be on the lookout for reptiles.

“Snakes are cold-blooded and this continuous warm weather we’ve been having brings them out to warm up their bodies,” he said. “And anywhere you have mice or frogs, you’re going to attract snakes because that’s their basic diet.”

The Pine Belt is home to a variety of snakes including Texas rat snakes, black racers, copperheads, diamondback rattlers, cottonmouths and speckled king snakes, Dunnam said.

Mississippi has nine poisonous species: the eastern diamondback, coral snake, timber rattlesnake and two species each of copperheads, cotton mouths and pigmy snakes.

“If you see a snake, the best thing to do is to just leave it alone,” Dunnam advises.

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Almost 36 million U.S. residents live in hurricane zones

> Posted by Ken Kaye on April 15, 2009 06:30 AM

Some interesting stats, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau:

35.7 million: The number of people who live along the coast from North Carolina to Texas as of 2008. That’s about 12 percent of the nation’s population.

17.9 million: The number of people who live along Florida’s coast. Of these, 10.6 million live on the Atlantic side and 7.3 million live on the Gulf side.

10.2 million: The number of people who lived along the coast, from North Carolina to Texas, in 1950. That was about 7 percent of the nation’s population at the time.

311,853: The population of New Orleans in 2008, three years after Hurricane Katrina struck. The population before the hurricane: 455,056.

29,431: The population of Homestead at the time Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992. The city’s population 15 years later: 56,601.

180,155: The number of square miles in the coastal areas from North Carolina to Texas.

8: The number of Atlantic hurricanes that emerged in 2008. Of these, five were major and three (Dolly, Gustav and Ike) struck the U.S. coastline.

3: The number of large metropolitan cities on the coast from North Carolina to Texas areas – that also are among the nation’s 20 most populated. They include Houston (sixth), Miami-Fort Lauderdale (seventh) and Tampa-St. Pete (20th).

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While this is way more than the 20 there had been, it would still be nice to see a larger population. Here’s hoping they get more protection needed to thrive.

Only 80-100 Florida Panthers Survive Says Congressman to Obama

Congressman Alcee Hastings recently wrote a letter addressed to President Obama regarding the extremely small population of wild panthers living precariously in south Florida.

He spoke of the two main threats to the critically endangered animal – habitat loss and death from car accidents – in order to underscore the need for designating a protected space for them. His letter was signed by four other Democratic Florida Representatives: Corrine Brown, Robert Wexler, Alan Grayson, and Ron Klein. 

Forty three years ago, the florida panther was listed as an endangered species, but there has never been any land designated specifically as a protcted habitat for them. In 1973 there were as little as 20 left in the wild, and by the 80s the remaining ones were showing genetically-related health problems due to inbreeding. The genetic defects were smoothed out by introducing 8 female panthers from Texas, and the population has grown now to a still tiny 80-100. (Some put the estimate at 50-100).

The remaining panthers are no better off today in terms of having safe land to live upon, than were their very beseiged ancestors. A petition of the wildlife service to create a protected area of 3,458 square miles called the Primary Zone has gone unheard.

And South Florida is known for residential development.

A planned college town near Naples that was built around Ave Maria University (a roman catholic institution) is situated within the prime range of the panthers. The community design includes 8,000 residential units. Having that number of homes and people could be another threat to the wild cats. Another development within the area, Big Cypress, could have 9,000 residential units. The current recession may actually be placing such development projects on hold, or reducing their size due to lack of demand.

Representative Hastings also pointed out the designation of a critical habitat would protect other local species, guard the local aquifer recharge areas, and prohibit overuse of local water by people.

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Largest project to study tornadoes to start in May

In what’s described as “the largest attempt in history to study tornadoes,” more than 50 scientists are preparing to hit the road next month to explore the origin, structure and evolution of the killer storms, the National Science Foundation says.

From May 10 to June 13, scientists will focus on the central Great Plains — southern South Dakota, western Iowa, eastern Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma.

The project, called VORTEX2 — Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment — involves 40 research vehicles, including 10 mobile radars.

This year’s tornado season has been punishing. Today, severe weather swept across much of the South, killing at least two people, toppling trees and cutting power to tens of thousands of homes. More than 92,400 customers still did not have power this afternoon after a strong thunderstorm blew across Alabama, spawning an apparent tornado and wrecking a yacht marina near the Mississippi line. Most of the Florida Panhandle and areas east and southeast of Tallahassee have been under tornado watches or warnings most of the day.

A twister Friday killed a woman and her infant daughter and damaged 500 buildings in Tennessee.

Late Thursday a tornado killed three people in Arkansas.

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Much of state under tornado watch

Lightning strikes Madison Co. home

By Nicklaus Lovelady
nicklaus.lovelady@jackson.gannett.com

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for all of central and southern Mississippi until 9 p.m. The advisory includes Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties.

Severe weather is moving across the state from Louisiana and is responsible for quarter- and half dollar-sized hail in the Delta and Sunflower County, meteorologist Joanne Culin said.

“It’s packing a lot of lightning, wind gusts and hail,” she said.

Madison County Emergency Management Coordinator Butch Hammack said lightning struck a home on Cox Ferry Road. No injuries were reported.

Rain chances will remain in the forecast for the Jackson area until about 4 a.m., Culin said.

Monday is expected to be clear until the evening hours when a low pressure system from the Texas Panhandle will bring another round of thunderstorms, Culin said.

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Rain hope for US wildfire states

Heavy rain this weekend could bring relief to parts of the southern US hit by wildfires, forecasters say.

The blazes have killed three people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Texas and Oklahoma since they ignited on Thursday.

They were fanned by high winds, part of a storm system that has also triggered deadly tornadoes in Tennessee and Arkansas.

At least five people died and about 70 were hurt in two separate tornadoes.

A mother and child were killed when one touched down in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Friday.

Officials said it damaged more than 200 homes, and search teams were checking for people trapped under rubble.

Three more people died in Mena, Arkansas, in a tornado late on Thursday.

Other tornadoes and high winds were reported across several states.

State of emergency

The winds have been blamed for driving wildfires that have been burning in Texas and Oklahoma since the middle of the week.

In Texas, a couple were killed and their son injured when their home was engulfed by flame near Montague, north-west of Dallas.

A woman died in another part of the state, officials said, and scores of homes in the Texan towns of Sunset and Stoneburg were charred.

Neighbouring Oklahoma declared a state of emergency in more than 30 counties after fires destroyed more than 160 homes.

A marshal in Midwest City said at least one fire was thought to have been started deliberately.

Forecasters in both states said rain was expected late on Saturday into Sunday, potentially helping to control the raging fires.

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Significant Tornadoes expected in Louisiana on Easter Sunday

April 12, 1:27 AM

Saturday’s storms were finally limited to a small area, and better yet there were no tornado reports! There were just a handful of hail and wind reports, which is a nice change since the previous two days both had deadly tornadoes.

Unfortunately Sunday may be back into the tornado-realm of things, with ongoing convection turning into redevelopment in the afternoon hours over parts of eastern and southeastern Texas and all of Louisiana. This is the area that should see the most significant coverage of severe storms–and tornadoes. In fact, the Storm Prediction Center has southern Louisiana under a Moderate Risk for severe weather on Sunday. They also outline a larger area for a slight risk for severe storms across all of Eastern Texas, Southern Oklahoma eastward through Southern Arkansas and Mississippi.

On the map I have outlined the SPC’s severe risk areas as well as the area I’m most focused in on. Note that in Southwestern Louisiana the SPC’s Moderate Risk area overlaps with my interest area. Therefore, the threat seems most significant in that area by consensus. Here is where significant tornadoes may be possible in the late afternoon hours.

For storm chasers, the areas farther north into Arkansas and Oklahoma seem less appealing to me. Moisture and moisture depth will be significantly lacking, however very cold mid levels may be able to compensate for the lack of moisture. With good instability in these areas there could be some storms, and that must be what the SPC is homing in on in those areas.

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Wildfires kill 3, scorch more than 100,000 acres

By SCHUYLER DIXON Associated Press Writer © 2009 The Associated Press

STONEBURG, Texas — His house surrounded by a raging wildfire scattering embers everywhere, Fred Blackwell finally had to give up the fight and evacuate.

The 40-year-old oil field worker hoped he would find his house intact when he returned, but he knew better.

Sure enough, Blackwell’s 1920s-era brick home was among dozens destroyed by wildfires that killed at least three people and scorched more than 100,000 acres of drought-parched Texas before high winds that fanned the flames eased Friday.

Blackwell and other residents of Stoneburg, a tiny town of 51 peopole in the tree-dotted grasslands of North Texas, were no match for the 60-70 mph winds that shifted and tore a blackened swath through the heart of town Thursday.

When Blackwell returned around sundown, what remained bore little semblance to the two-story brick structure that once was his home.

“That rock was glowing,” said Blackwell, standing amid twisted tin and mounds of ashes. “I knew everything else had been burned down because there was nothing else around it.”

Blackwell also lost a large workshop behind the house.

“It tore me up,” Blackwell said. “Like I said, I was hoping it missed. But I kinda had a feeling it didn’t. When I saw it, that’s a whole different thing there when you see it.”

Across the highway, a building that once housed a general store that had been a Stoneburg staple for decades was in ruins, just down a gravel road from an auto salvage yard with a long row of burned-out cars. A metal auto repair shop next door still stood, but the torched inside included a vintage jeep.

Parts of Stoneburg still smoldered Friday, including railroad ties under the tracks that disect the town. A few miles away, the remains of about a half dozen head of cattle were visible in a charred pasture.

Firefighters were still battling blazes in other parts of Montague County, about 55 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

Montague County Sheriff Paul Cunningham said one couple died when fire overtook their home near Montague and another woman died after calling for an ambulance as a fire spread through an unincorporated part of the county. Her cause of death was unclear.

“We’ve lost communities, pretty much,” Cunningham said. “Stoneburg is pretty much gone.”

Authorities identified the dead couple as former reporter Matt Quinn and his wife, Cathy. Matt Quinn quit ABC News after two years to join WFAA-TV of Dallas-Fort Worth in 1980 and retired in the early 1990s. Their son, Chris, was in fair condition with burns at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, the television station reported.

The National Weather Service said the fire danger remained high across North Texas on Friday due to dry conditions and wind gusts up to 25 mph, although the situation had eased considerably from Thursday.

“Things are starting to look a little better,” Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Misty Wilburn said. “Today the Texas Forest Service is definitely on the offense, not on the defense.”

Gov. Rick Perry on Friday asked FEMA to issue an emergency declaration that would provide federal assets and resources for 199 threatened counties.

The agency authorized funds for Stephens, Jack, Young, Wichita and Montague counties on Friday. The funding pays for 75 percent of eligible state and local government firefighting costs.

Not far from Stoneburg in Sunset, a town of about 350, buildings were destroyed Thursday in a seemingly random fashion. Some houses were blackened and burned to the ground, while others still stood and residents armed with garden hoses scrambled to save their homes. Fire Chief Alan Campbell said the high winds sent embers flying, resulting in the patchwork of fires.

Tim Gortney was out of town when the fire swept in, but his home was untouched thanks to neighbors who fought the blaze. His mother-in-law who lives next door wasn’t so lucky.

Linda Freeman, 64, was returning from her job at a nursing home Thursday night when she saw the thick smoke everywhere and was told she needed to evacuate. She hurriedly grabbed a few pictures, then went to her son’s house about 10 miles away where “he turned on the news and I saw my home burning.”

Friday, steel stairs that once led to her mobile home’s front door were all that remained. Next to the stairs, the blackened hulk was so thoroughly burned that it was difficult to identify any personal items.

“Everything she ever worked for is right there,” Gortney said, pointing to the rubble. “It took her 60-something years to get it and about 20 minutes to lose it.”

Campbell said nine homes were destroyed in Sunset.

Wilburn said some of the fires around the state had been contained by Friday, but she didn’t have precise figures.

While several fires were still burning, Wilburn identified four areas as the most dangerous: Montague County, one fire across Young and Jack counties, Wichita County and Stephens County.

The fire spanning Young and Jack counties, which had destroyed at least seven homes and 36 other structures, was burning 28,000 acres and about 30 percent contained Friday. Wilburn said more than 120 homes had been evacuated.

The Wichita County fire near Electra covered about 4,500 acres but 75 percent contained by Friday. It destroyed one agriculture company’s buildings and warehouses, Sheriff David Duke said. About 800 residents and a nursing home were evacuated, but they were allowed to return home by Thursday evening.

Fires also burned in Hamilton, Howard and Clay counties while new ones started in Shackelford, Bowie and Cass counties on Friday, according to the Texas Forest Service.

The agency said the Hamilton County fire burned 2,800 acres and was threatening 150 homes while the Clay County fire has burned 3,500 acres and destroyed 12 homes.

A near 16,000-acre blaze in Shackelford County has threatened the town of Albany, where nearly 2,000 residents live. Albany is about 150 miles west of Dallas.

Two fires burned together and destroyed 20,000 acres of land and three buildings in Archer County, about 130 northwest of Dallas. And a fire that torched 17,000 acres in Wheeler County, in the Panhandle near Oklahoma, was considered 100 percent contained, according to the Texas Forest Service.

Help fighting the blazes has come from across the state and includes 67 fire engines from various fire departments, 37 bulldozers to cut fire lines, and 21 aircraft, including two Texas Military Forces Blackhawk helicopters and contract aircraft, the governor’s office said.

Widespread rain and thunderstorms are expected to descend on the North Texas region hardest hit by the wildfires by late Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

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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.

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Sure do seem to be a ton of tornadoes touching down around the U.S.

Tornadoes confirmed in Shreveport, Bossier City

FROM STAFF REPORTS • APRIL 10, 2009
The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado or tornadoes hit Cross Lake north of Shreveport and Bossier City Thursday night.

 

An EF2 tornado touched down near Cross Lake. EF2 tornadoes have wind speeds of 111-135 miles per hour.

 

An EF1 tornado — touched down in Bossier City on and possibly near Barksdale Air Force Base. An EF1 tornado packs winds of 86 to 110 miles an hour.

 

Barksdale officials reported a 100-yard-wide track on base and damage to trees and houses there, said Christian Stapleton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Shreveport.

 

National Weather Service teams are still surveying damage from Thursday night’s storms throughout the region.

 

Their areas of focus is along the Interstate 20 corridor across north Louisiana, Sevier and Howard counties in Arkansas and throughout East Texas.

Weather Service employees, trained storm spotters, ham radio operators, law enforcement and others reported tornadoes and hail from Shreveport to Monroe.

 

At least two local injuries were reported. A male, age unknown, was hurt in the Lakeview area on the northeast side of Cross Lake. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

 

On Ashton Street, in Shreveport, a car fell on a car, trapping a woman.
Emergency responders also said 10-15 rail cars were blown off the tracks along Interstate 220 near Cross Lake.

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Area sinkhole remains active

By Stella Davis
Current-Argus Staff Writer

Posted: 04/10/2009 09:02:37 PM MDT

CARLSBAD — A sinkhole northeast of Carlsbad is not growing quickly, but it is still active, an expert said.George Veni, executive director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute in Carlsbad, said aerial photographs taken this past week show very little change since the last photos were taken in October.

The sinkhole is located on state trust land about 24 miles northeast of Carlsbad approximately 17 miles southeast of Artesia on Hagerman Road (County Road 217), between County Road 206 and State Highway 360, about 100 yards north of the roadway.

Until the collapse last July, the site was the location of a brine well operated by Jim’s Water Service.

Veni, speaking Thursday at New Mexico State University’s Carlsbad campus on sink holes and what causes them, said there is a possibility that within the next 10 years, County Road 217 will have to be rerouted.

“If this sinkhole continues to grow, it will make the road unstable and subsidence could occur,” he said.

On the morning on July 18 at about 8:15 a.m. a driver for Jim’s Water Service went to the Loco Hills site to check the well. When he heard a rumbling noise in the ground, he realized something was wrong and reacted quickly to get safely away from the area.

Veni said for scientists like him, the uniqueness of this sinkhole is that it is the first one that’s formation was actually captured by seismograph equipment networking in the area.

Explaining how the sinkhole occurred, Veni said there are three types of sinkhole. The sinkhole, named “Jim’s Sinkhole,” is considered a solution sinkhole.

Solution sinkholes form where soluble bedrock such as limestone, dolomite, marble and rock salt is exposed at the land surface. This allows it to be subjected to weathering by dissolution. Surface water collects in natural depressions and slowly dissolves a sinkhole.

In brine wells, water is injected and brine water is brought back to the surface. The constant up and down action can eventually cause a collapse of the earth and the opening can grow to an enormous diameter.

Veni noted that another sinkhole in November occurred in the Lakewood area in North Eddy County, and it too, is slowly growing. It is also considered a solution sinkhole.

Veni said since the occurrence of the two solution-type sinkholes last year, the state Oil Conservation Division has tightened up and strengthened its brine well production regulations to prevent more collapses

However, the sinkhole that occurred in December south of Carlsbad near the New Mexico-Texas state line was of a different nature, he said.

He said that particular sinkhole named “Cat Sinkhole” because it swallowed a large Caterpillar tractor with its operator inside could not have been prevented.

The operator, who was unaware that he was perched on a potential sinkhole, was brought to the surface after waiting for help to arrive for more than an hour. He was 40 feet below the surface.

Veni explained that the Cat Sinkhole is considered a collapse sinkhole. It forms when surface materials suddenly sink into a subsurface cavity or cave. The cavities form slowly over time, as groundwater moves along fractures in soluble bedrock and enlarges them though dissolution.

The collapse can occur two ways: The first is when a cavity gets sufficiently large and the roof becomes too thin to support the weight of any overlying rock or sediment, so it collapses into the cavity.

The second is when caves are sometimes able to support the weight of overlying sediments because they are filled with groundwater. However, if groundwater levels are lowered, then the overlying sediment will first erode and then collapse into the de-watered cavity.

In the area of Cat Sinkhole, there are known cave formations. However, this one was unknown. Fortunately, the heavy machine landed on a ledge that stopped a further drop down into the opening.

Veni said a study of sinkhole locations in the region has been conducted and areas have been mapped where potential sinkholes could occur. Most in this area appear to be in remote locations.

 

How do sinkholes develop and enlarge?

Sinkholes are depressions or holes in the land surface. They can be shallow or deep, small or large, but all result from the dissolving of the underlying limestone. Hydrologic conditions, including lack of rainfall, lowered water levels, or conversely, excessive rainfall in a short period of time (especially after a drought), can all contribute to sinkhole development. New construction, new roads and any diversion of water flow are also common culprits.

Source: http://www.sinkholes.net/new_page_5.htm

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Rip tide sends local teen to hospital

By Erin McKeon
The Facts

Published March 30, 2009

FREEPORT — A 15-year-old Freeport boy was taken to a Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston by medical helicopter Sunday after he got caught in a rip tide off the Freeport beach, officials said.

The teen, whose name was not released because of his age, was swimming with a few other teens about 2:30 p.m. Sunday when he got caught in a rip tide and couldn’t get out, Freeport Police Chief Jeff Pynes said. 

“My understanding is they were a distance away from the shore, which poses complications as well, but the others were able to get him out of the rip-tide and back to the shore,” Pynes said. “He had taken on a lot of water and was unconscious.”

The other teens were not harmed, Pynes said.

Sunday’s incident is the first of its kind for the season, Pynes said. 

“What’s important for those rip tide situations and currents is that a lot of people make mistakes when they try to fight the current and try to swim drastically away from it,” Pynes said. “What you should do is start swimming kind of parallel to it because eventually you’ll get out of it. If you try to swim away from it, it consumes you, basically, and it’s hard to overcome.”

Before ever getting in the water, children, teens and adults should know water safety rules, he said.

“The weather’s going to start getting nice and people are going to start staying at home because of the economy,” Pynes said. “We strongly recommend proactive supervision of kids whenever they’re swimming, not only in an open-water situation, but even when they’re in pools. It doesn’t take a lot of water for a child to drown.” 

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Copyright © 2009 The Facts

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Deadly fires, tornadoes rage across US

CHICAGO (AFP) — Firefighters battled deadly wildfires while rescue workers dug through the rubble left by tornados after a strong storm system cut a swath of destruction from Texas to Tennessee.

At least eight people were killed, dozens were injured and hundreds of homes and businesses were reduced to ash or rubble.

One of the fires appears to have been deliberately set, officials said.

“We haven’t proved that there was malice but we do know that the fire was intentionally set,” Jerry Lojka of the Midwest City, Oklahoma fire department told reporters.

The Oklahoman newspaper reported that teenagers were spotted in the area before the fire which destroyed 17 homes was sparked Thursday.

Oklahoma’s governor declared a state of emergency in 31 counties where 62 people were injured and about 200 homes and business were destroyed by the fires and a tornado which touched down on the eastern edge of the state.

“Our firefighters and first responders have done an outstanding job in the face of daunting fires, and these brave men and women have our heartfelt gratitude. They are true heroes,” Governor Brad Henry said.

“But there is much more to do, and the State of Oklahoma will do everything in its power to ensure help for those people who need it most.”

Three people were killed and 32 homes destroyed in Texas as high winds fueled 49 major fires which burned 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares) in the Lone Star state and filled the skies with thick clouds of smoke, the Texas Forest Service said.

Some 161 homes have been destroyed in drought-stricken Texas since January 1 as wildfires swallowed some 240,000 acres (97,000 hectares) and the governor of Texas issued an emergency declaration for 199 counties Friday.

A former television journalist and his wife were among the dead when their home was engulfed in flames Thursday, WFAA news in Dallas reported.

The fires devastated two small towns north of Dallas as high winds and bone dry conditions fueled the flames which raced across parched fields and swallowed homes, the station reported.

Winds as strong as 112 kilometers (70 miles) per hour fanned the flames that engulfed 12 counties in the northern part of the state, as the governor’s office activated Texas Military Forces to provide assistance, including two helicopters, in fighting the blazes, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

The winds eased in Texas on Friday, but firefighters continued to battle 20 major blazes.

A mother and her nine-week-old baby were killed and 35 people were hurt when a tornado tore through the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee around 12:35 pm (1635 GMT) Friday, officials said.

“There was substantial damage,” said Murfreesboro police spokesman Kyle Evans as he described the twisted path the tornado wove through town.

“We are in a search and rescue mode. We’re going door to door, house to house looking for any potential people who are trapped in their homes.”

Three people were killed and 23 were hurt after a tornado touched down in the town of Mena on Thursday evening, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said.

The storms damaged more than 150 homes and businesses in 11 Arkansas counties.