Weather related disasters on the upswing?

More information is coming out now about the frequency of disasters worldwide. According to one insurance think tank over the past 3 decades natural weather disasters have quintupled. If you ever wondered why your insurance premiums have increased this factoid could be the key.

 

Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and derechos as a group are on the upswing and they are getting more expensive as property values in the more desirable waterfront areas becomes more expensive. As we throw good money after bad in rebuilding in places in coastal areas that are prone to flooding I am hoping someone will begin to reassess that waste.

 

We have to become a bit smarter about the places where we want to build our neighborhoods when it comes to wildfires, hurricanes and flooding. Does it make sense to rebuild in areas that can just disappear in the blink of an eye? At what cost both financially and in human lives does this equation become sensible?

 

Tornadoes can hit just about anywhere and there are things one can do to decrease loss of life so the positioning of towns etc is not as much of a concern as taking proper precautions in the event one strikes near you.

 

Whatever the cause of these disasters, for the common man, the reality is that they happen and you can’t ever tell where or when they will occur-only that they will happen. Thus, ultimately it is up to the individual to make these choices and then live with them even in the face of extreme hardship. The question becomes should a bad decision by one or many be borne by those who make better choices?

 

The world is becoming a different place and we must adjust our living habits and desires to increase our chances of survival, or at least existence with a minimum of suffering. Nature is not forgiving and second chances should be carefully evaluated and hopefully good decisions will be made!

 

 

Gas prices set record in California, why?

As oil prices decline the price of gas in California continues to set new highs, record highs! You would be wise to ask why.

 

The reason for this is the ‘outages’ in several refineries in the state. One outage was a power failure that caused the Exxon refinery in Torrence to shut down. With this and other outages at other refineries happening the supply of gas has all but dried up with many gas stations closing as they can’t pay more for their product than customers can pay. This phenomena is not limited to ‘mom and pop’ shops but extends all the way to Costco…

 

This is yet another example of just how fragile our entire supply chain is in this country and how there are many things that one can do to better prepare for these type events, something that not everyone is prepared to do. After all, preparing for these events is just plain crazy right?

 

WRONG, it is just good common sense to put up a few extra groceries, water and other items one might need to exist without unnecessary hardship should something come to pass. Here in the mountains of Colorado the occasional snow storm can all but prevent the food trucks from resupplying the stores and believe me those stores empty out in just a couple of days. Almost everyone I know stocks up on basic food items just in case!

 

A supply chain disruption can be caused by so many things as evidenced by this recent event in CA. Add to that natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and the like that can destroy roads, refineries, dams and nuclear plants that generate power and can also generate huge swaths of destruction should something happen to them.

 

Once the chain is disrupted expect shortages in just about anything you can imagine as most everything we consume comes from somewhere else! Higher prices will just be a natural consequence of these shortages.

 

In short, be rational and be prepared.

Australian Flood damage

The flooding in Australia has taken a terrible toll both physical and financial. It begs the question of just how terrible can the effects be for our country should a catastrophe of these proportions hit.

Already we are seeing the damage from the financial catastrophe and they are many and very difficult for a large percentage of the population. Who knows what our grocery stores and food prices will look like in a few months as the crop damage is tallied from the floods in CA and the snow in the south.

Australian treasurer: Economic toll from flooding ‘will be enormous’

Flooding in Australia has affected more than 3 million people, making it one of the costliest disasters in the nation, the federal treasurer said Sunday.

The cost of the damage surpasses past tragedies like major bushfires two years ago and floods in the 1970s, Treasurer Wayne Swan said.

The cost of the recent flooding is much higher because of a spike in population in the state of Queensland, Swan said.

“While the state’s whole population in 1974 was just 2 million, more than 3.1 million people have been affected by the latest floods,” Swan said.

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In his first economic note of 2011, Swan said, “it’s still too early to quantify the impact with any certainty at this stage.” But he said there’s “no question that the economic impact of these floods will be enormous.”

Swan said the floods have devastated crops, tourism, retail and manufacturing and have disrupted major urban areas like Brisbane.

“One of the biggest casualties is likely to be our coal exports, with many mines shut down in big coal mining regions like the Bowen Basin, and supply chains severely hampered,” Swan said.

“While this will be partly offset by higher prices, the loss of production will be hit much harder.”

Swan said the government has already made about $227 million in disaster recovery payments to people who have been affected by the floods.

“Over the coming weeks, months and years, the Commonwealth Government will be investing billions of dollars to get Queensland back on its feet,” Swan said.

In spite of the dramatic nature of the floods in Australia, it does pay one to be somewhat prepared for natural disasters. At the very least think about what you would do if you were involved in one of these events. Thinking ahead could save your life.

Flooding hits NW U.S.

Wow, what a weather packed month so far and you can now add the NW to the growing list of weird weather casualties as flooding is experienced.

The list so far includes: Snow in Atlanta, freezing temps in Florida, flooding in the NW U.S., flooding in Sri Lanka, Mt Etna erupts, European snow storms worst in decades, Australian Floods almost biblical…and there are other events that just don’t come to mind immediately…although they exist. These are just the latest.

Flooding hits northwestern United States

By the CNN Wire Staff

(CNN) — The Pacific Northwest braced for flooding Monday after heavy rains and rising waters caused landslides and closed roads, authorities said.

“We have a mess on our hands,” Dave Thompson with the Oregon Department of Transportation said Sunday.

Thompson said landslides had closed the Wilson River Highway, which stretches from Portland to the coast.

The rain is also a problem in cities, according to Thompson, who said it was causing urban flooding.

Floods overrun Oregon homes

Flood watches and warnings are posted for portions of Oregon and Washington, according to the National Weather Service, which is predicting more rain for the region.

The winter storm killed at least one person in Washington, where CNN affiliate KIRO reported that a falling tree killed a transportation worker Sunday.

In Falls City, crews pulled a husband, wife and dog from rising floodwaters after the family got caught while trying to save their pet.

Always a good idea to have a few things put aside in the event of an emergency. Berkey Water filtration system, storable foods, flashlights, cooking gear and camping gear.

Flooding in too many places

Flooding has reached epic proportions in many places and the suffering is enormous. More suffering is predicted as the floods may cause food shortages in the affected areas. Millions are affected…in Brazil, Australia and Sri Lanka.

These are added to the list of horrible tragedies, Haiti (still suffering the aftermath of the earthquake and now cholera), Chile, volcanoes going off everywhere and Brazil.

Folks these events sure seem to be ‘heating up’ if you ask me. It is enough to get the attention of even the casual observer!

Be Prepared is the motto of the times.

Biblical Flooding continues in Australia

Australia continues to suffer worst flooding in recorded history. ‘Biblical’ in nature is how the officials there continue to refer to the situation. Overnight here, a wall of water hit another town and many are dead and missing.

This is an example of how even when you are highly prepared, the unexpected can always occur. We always urge you to have a relationship with the Creator, as that is the only power that will give you comfort in times such as these.

I am not saying you should not be prepared for the unexpected natural disaster. In fact, considering the unusually high number of disaster like incidences occurring all over the world, I would urge everyone to prepare for power outages, food shortages, cold weather and drinking water purifiers.

Scores missing in tsunami-like flood in Australia

BRISBANE, Australia – Greg Kowald was driving through the center of Toowoomba when a terrifying, tsunami-like wall of water roared through the streets of the northeast Australian city.

Office windows exploded, cars careened into trees and bobbed in the churning brown water like corks. The deluge washed away bridges and sidewalks; people desperately clung to power poles to survive. Before it was over, the flash flood left at least 10 dead and 78 missing.

“The water was literally leaping, six or 10 feet into the air, through creeks and over bridges and into parks,” Kowald, a 53-year-old musician, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “There was nowhere to escape, even if there had been warnings. There was just a sea of water about a kilometer (half a mile) wide.”

The violent surge in Toowoomba brought the overall death toll from weeks of flooding in Queensland state to 20, a sudden acceleration in a crisis that had been unfolding gradually with swollen rivers overflowing their banks and inundating towns while moving toward the ocean. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said there were “grave fears” for at least 18 of those missing.

The high waters headed next to Australia’s third-largest city, Brisbane, where up to 9,000 homes were expected to be swamped. The Brisbane River overflowed its banks Tuesday and officials warned that dozens of low-lying neighborhoods and parts of downtown could be inundated in coming days.

But nothing downstream was expected to be as fierce as the flash flood that struck Toowoomba on Monday. It was sparked by a freak storm — up to 6 inches (150 millimeters) fell in half an hour.

Click image to see photos of the flooding in Australia

Reuters/Anthony Farmer

“There was water coming down everywhere in biblical proportions,” Toowoomba council member Joe Ramia told the AP.

Ramia, 63, was driving downtown when the flash flood struck. He parked his car and dashed on foot for higher ground, keeping an eye on the carnage unfolding below: Cars transformed into scrap metal as they were flung into an elevated railway line, giant metal industrial bins tossed about as if made of paper, a man clinging desperately to a power pole as the relentless tide surged around him.

Ramia watched as a rescue official pushed through the churning water and yanked the man to safety. Others, including five children, were not as lucky, and were swept to their deaths.

“You were powerless to do a thing,” said Ramia, a lifelong resident of Toowoomba. “While we can rebuild, you can’t replace people. … I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The raging water was strong enough to rip houses off their foundations. Leroy Shephard, who lives in the town of Grantham, east of Toowoomba, was inside his home when the flood struck.

“You could feel the whole house just pop up off its stumps, turn around, and go — for a 100 meters (330 feet) or something down my backyard,” Shephard told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

He and his family spent five hours on the house’s roof waiting for the waters to drop.

“It’s not a good feeling having the floorboards under your feet just ripple, the whole house just ripple and crack, and watching rooms just disappear,” he said.

Emergency services officers plucked more than 40 people from houses isolated overnight by the torrent that hit the Lockyer Valley, and thousands were being evacuated. In one small community in the path of the floodwaters, Forest Hill, the entire population of about 300 was being airlifted to safety in military helicopters, Bligh said.

Search and rescue efforts were hampered by more driving rain, though the bad weather was easing and Bligh said the search would get easier Wednesday.

Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman said authorities were preparing for flooding affecting about 15,000 people in 80 suburbs.

The city is protected by a large dam built upstream after floods devastated downtown in 1974. But the reservoir was full, and officials had no choice but to release water that would cause low-level flooding in the city, Newman said. The alternative was a much worse torrent.

Steph Stewardson, a Brisbane graphic designer, said there was an exodus in a downtown area around lunchtime Tuesday when the river that goes through the city broke its banks. Stewardson, 40, hopped in her car and crossed the swollen river to collect her dog Boo from daycare while waters started covering the boardwalk stretching along its banks.

Stewardson took shelter in her house, and plans to stay there — for now.

“I’m about 800 meters (half a mile) from the river on a hill, so I think it’s going to be OK,” she told the AP.

Queensland has been in the grip of its worst flooding for more than two weeks, after tropical downpours covered an area the size of France and Germany combined. Entire towns have been swamped, more than 200,000 people affected, and the coal industry and farming have virtually shut down.

“The power of nature can still be a truly frightening power and we’ve seen that on display in this country,” Prime Minister Julia Gillard said.

Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson described the events Monday as “an inland instant tsunami.”

Forecasters said more flash floods could occur through the week.

Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said rescue efforts were concentrated on towns between Toowoomba and Brisbane, including hardest-hit Murphy’s Creek and Grantham, where about 30 people sought shelter in a school isolated by the floodwaters.

The floods reached a second state Tuesday, with about 4,500 people stranded by high waters in bordering New South Wales, officials said, though the situation was not yet as dire as in Queensland.

Bligh said last week the cost of the floods could be as high as $5 billion, the latest figure available.

My heart goes out to these folks and the 1000′s of others who are suffering through these natural disasters.

Not me Not today

I wonder how many folks in the Northeast that are in the flooding were prepared to deal with the consequences? How many are depending on the government or their neighbors who might have thought ahead just a wee bit?

Natural disaster happen and they can affect large swaths of the population. Isn’t it worth spending and extra couple of hundred dollars over several months to prepare you and your family for these type events?

As South mops up, storm drenches Northeast

From the CNN Wire Staff

(CNN) — A massive storm system that socked North Carolina and Virginia made its way into New York and New England on Friday, leaving flooded neighborhoods and roadways in its wake.

The storm was dropping heavy rain in the Northeast as the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole interacted with an upper-level low and a frontal boundary. An 11 a.m. ET advisory from the National Weather Service said up to three more inches of rain may fall in the region.

Flood watches and warnings were in effect from the mid-Atlantic states to Maine. High-wind warnings were in effect from Massachusetts to Maine, with wind gusts up to 60 mph.

About 150 roads were in North Carolina were closed and some people were evacuated in Bertie County, said Patty McQuillan, communications officer for the state’s Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.

Gallery: Downpour causes flooding

Video: Floods shut down NC roads

Video: Maryland flooding damage

Video: Flooding hits U.S. East Coast

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* Floods

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Five people died in weather-related incidents, she said.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, New York City had received almost 3 inches of rain. Mass transit was recovering from service suspensions and delays.

In Swansboro, North Carolina, eight people were rescued, an emergency management official said. That scene repeated itself in a few other North Carolina and Virginia communities.

Airport delays are expected to be crippling in the Northeast again, with ground stops and delays of three hours or more at the New York City airports and in Boston, Massachusetts.

Baltimore, Maryland — at 6.02 inches– on Thursday had its wettest September day ever. Norfolk, Virginia, endured nearly 12 inches of rainfall. CNN affiliate WUSA showed images of flooding in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.

Rain left city streets under water, stranded vehicles and sent scores of people to shelters and caused major delays at airports along the East Coast.

Skies were beginning to clear Friday in much of the Carolinas and Virginia.

Wilmington, North Carolina, has received 22.54 inches of rain since Sunday, the National Weather Service said. September’s total of 22.72 inches was shy of the record 23.41 inches in 1999.

“Waterwise, it was significant,” said Warren Lee, emergency management director for New Hanover County, which includes three beach communities. Monday was actually worse than Thursday, said Lee, because the heavy rain hit bone-dry ground and sparked flash flooding.

Crews will do a damage assessment Friday, he said, indicating there were few evacuations and little wind damage.

Sixty miles up the coast, there was extensive flooding in Swansboro, according to Norman Bryson with Onslow County Emergency Management. The town was completely cut off to vehicular traffic.

A weather-related accident claimed four lives in Washington County where a Jeep Grand Cherokee hydroplaned and ended up in a ditch filled with water. Four of five people in the SUV drowned. They were from Gwinnett County, Georgia.

A 3-year-survived and was hospitalized Friday, officials said.

In Carolina Beach, a lake overflowed and flooded downtown, a video from CNN affiliate WRAL showed one person kayaking through the streets. U.S. 421 remained closed Friday morning.

Carolina Beach Town Manager Tim Owens said the weather was improving Friday and the town expects tourists to return for the weekend. He said some residents near the retention lake likely have some flood damage. “We fared pretty well,” he said.

CNN iReporters snapped flood photos and told their tales.

In upstate New York, Esopus Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River, overflowed and flooded shops and homes in downtown Phoenicia, said Kevin Keaveny.

“I’ve never seen the water come up to the streets,” he said.

Margaret Pelczynski of Buffalo, New York, was visiting Carolina Beach. “This only confirms my beliefs that I’d gladly take a blizzard any day over this rain, wind and flooding,” she wrote.

And William Bernstein Jr. posted photos of Virginia Beach, Virginia. He said there were rescues Thursday and trees down in the Tidewater area. “I believe this will be one we will remember a long time,” he wrote.

The American Red Cross opened seven shelters in North Carolina for those displaced by floods, the group said Thursday.

In Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia, many streets were flooded, as were stretches of Interstate 264, according to CNN Virginia affiliate WAVY 10. Some in the area are without power because of downed lines.

Flood watches and warnings were in effect for Friday for all or major parts of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, according to the National Weather Service.

Police in Wilmington, Delaware, warned motorists about areas of high water Friday.

Wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour are expected in parts of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, the National Weather Service said.

The rain will move out of the Northeast throughout Friday, but not before dropping an additional 4-6 inches (100-150 mm), according to CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward.

CNN’s Shawn Nottingham, Angela Fritz, Phil Gast, Taylor Ward and Scott Thompson contributed to this report.

Get a Berkey and some Enerfood.

Preparedness update

This from the Matrix institute…lots of earth changes and strange weather patterns. So this is just a reminder of what you can do to limit, hopefully, the human suffering that results from ‘events’ beyond our control.

Have you tried EnerFood? It can extend the life of stored food supplies up to 30% by replacing one meal per day with Enerfood.

Preparedness Report

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 11:06

Because so many Earth changes are happening right now – at what seems to be an ever-increasing rate of acceleration – we’ve decided that it was important to update our recommendations on preparedness, especially in light of the fact that we have many new members. This article contains some information that has been previously published in “Intuitive Flash” as well as some new information. If you have not reviewed your own preparedness plan now is the time to do so. Remember it was only a few years ago that television networks showed millions of people attempting to survive in New Orleans and Texas after Hurricane Katrina. We are now entering a timeframe where Earth changes are more severe and we need to take such changes seriously by having a family emergency preparedness plan.

What first comes to mind for most people when they think of emergency preparedness is probably a plan for continuing to provide the basic necessities – food, water and shelter – for themselves and their families, when disaster strikes. But although these things are vital, there is more to being prepared than the simple accumulation of such necessities and perhaps mapping out a basic plan for survival.

To be truly prepared for possible life-threatening events, we must develop and hone the art of awareness – the ability to use all of our five senses, as well as our extrasensory skills, so that we can clearly read the warning signs of impending danger. We all have the ability to train our perceptions to be acute and on-alert in the background of our consciousness. And this training is crucial to your individual preparedness plan; so that when the need arises, you will be warned in time by your own senses, and you will have the chance to take the appropriate actions necessary to protect your loved ones and yourself.

Communications

When the power grid goes down for an extended period, for any reason, the ability to communicate with the world outside becomes critical. Without it, knowledge of the situation beyond your own home or car is left to face-to-face contact with others, often strangers who may or may not want to lend aid. Just look at what happened in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina flooded that city. Even the police, fire and emergency people were unable to communicate with each other. People were literally in the dark, without power, or communications. Until we find ourselves without electricity, many of us don’t realize how much we depend on telephone, radio, television, newspapers, and the internet to help us to know what to do! Perhaps the most important thing we can do to prepare for disaster situations is to give serious thought to what we would do if some or all of these services become disabled.

Since we last updated our preparedness information, there has come about a virtual revolution in new communication technology. While, in the past cell phones were readily available, they were not as popular as they are today. Many people now rely entirely on cell phones instead of the old-fashioned hard-wired phones that everyone had in the past. Hard-wired phones do not rely on electricity, and will often work even if the electric grid is down. Cell phone communications will only work if the cell towers are functional and the power to operate them continues. Even so, an average cell phone’s battery charge may last only one to a few days, depending on usage, and if there is no electricity, you can’t recharge them. The only other way to recharge them would be in your car, and depending on circumstances, that may not be possible. Another kind of popular telephone service comes through the internet and is often provided by your cable company. This type of service requires electricity, and although companies provide backup systems in case of power outages, they will only last for 40 to 50 hours. Recall, it was a week or more before people were rescued at the Superdome in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. For that day when the power goes out, it might by a good idea to keep at least one hard-wired phone line in your home along with any other type of phone service you might have.

However, when electricity fails and phones of any type fail, the best way to keep in touch with what is going on in the world is with a battery-powered radio. Small, battery-powered AM/FM radios are the least expensive way to ensure emergency reception during a disaster. Be sure to check your batteries on a regular basis, and keep several spare sets with the radio.

Ham radio is another well known system for emergency communication. I have been a ham radio operator for over 50 years (call letters K1BWC) and have participated in numerous emergency operations. When the power goes out, well equipped ham radio operators are able to maintain a life line for days, even weeks. I suggest you check out who is a ham radio operator in your area. A good place to start is through the local emergency management office, or the police department. Optionally, try the American Radio Relay League (www.arrl.org), as they may be able to network you to an active ham radio operator in your area.

Water and Power

If your water comes from a private well, as ours does, your first priority will probably be keeping your water-pump going, so that you can continue to receive fresh water in your home. For that you will need a back-up generator. We use a 12,000 watt propane generator that provides both 220-volts and 110-volts. We also have a 1,000 gallon underground propane tank that I estimate could last me months with daily use. We have also installed an auto-transfer switch panel near our home’s power-breaker panel, which detects power outages and turns on the generator. This system can run our entire home. However, I also have the option of running the generator for thirty minutes three times per day, which would give us fresh water and heat for an indefinite time period without the generator running 24/7 during long outages.

If you live in an apartment or an urban area, you will have a whole different set of problems. If you can leave the area in an emergency, do so; the city is not the safest place to be in such situations, and relief efforts will probably be over-burdened. If you are unable to get away, having a 72-hour emergency kit may be your only option, until assistance arrives. In any case make sure you have a good supply of candles, flashlights and plenty of batteries.

Medicines

Something as simple as aspirin can become a rare commodity during a disaster. I recommend that you maintain a minimum three-month supply of any prescription medicines you use, as well as an adequate, fresh supply of any over-the-counter remedies your family might need. Take an inventory of your medicine cabinet, and calculate the quantity and frequency of use for each item. You should have enough of each medicine to last you and your family for at least three months. Check expiration dates and rotate them as necessary. A large well-stocked first-aid kit is always a necessity both for your home and your car.

Clothing

Depending on where you live, your clothing needs will vary widely. It would be wise to keep an appropriate selection of comfortable clothes and shoes, such as you might wear for camping, in an overnight bag in your car, garage, or closet. Know where it is, in case you need to be mobile in a hurry. Regardless of your location, however, I recommend having a wool blanket on hand for each member of the household. In cold climates, winter sleeping bags are recommended. We have several sleeping bags which are good for 20-below-zero conditions and during one winter storm and power failure, before we had our generator, we were glad to have them! I keep mid-calf rubber boots on hand, and several pairs of wool socks – wet or very cold feet can lead to frostbite and disease. In warmer climates, lightweight waterproof walking boots and a wide-brim hat should be considered.

Survival Food and Water

I recommend a three-month supply of food for each member of the family. The least expensive way of accomplishing this would be to establish a rotational system of canned, freeze-dried, or dehydrated foods in your pantry. Store the food properly out of sunlight, and in a cool, dry place. Note the expiration date on each item and rotate your supply with newer stock on a regular basis.

Drinkable water may be in short supply, depending on where you live. For the rural dweller, sediment filters and water purification tablets are good to have on hand. As power grids fail, even those with wells will not be able to access water without power, so an emergency generator capable of running your pump will be necessary. In addition, locate optional sources of water.

For the city dweller, drinking water will be a major concern, because in most urban areas aqueducts feed water to homes and buildings. When geophysical upheavals or electrical failures cause a crisis in these areas, water will become more valuable than gold! Store a minimum of 3 gallons of water for each family member – enough for 3 days. During an emergency, water may also be collected and treated with antibacterial tablets (available where camping supplies are sold) when needed. Keep a plentiful supply of these tablets on hand, as your running water may be contaminated for some time, and boiling may not be possible.

Other Necessities

It is also helpful to take stock of the toiletries that you use on a daily basis. Keep an extra supply of such basic things as hand soap, toilet paper, toothpaste, and dental floss. Also, having nail clippers, a nail file, tweezers, and scissors for use in an emergency would certainly add to your comfort and well being.

First-Aid

Another very important way to be prepared is to take a refresher course in first-aid. The Red Cross provides these courses on a regular basis in most communities. Being well-versed in CPR and other emergency medical techniques can be life-saving during an emergency. Another thing to consider is getting involved in the Community Emergency Response Team Program (CERT). This training is made available to local communities by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A CERT program trains ordinary people in how to respond during a disaster and also includes basic first aid training. As we have so often seen, when disaster strikes, it is the ordinary person that has to deal with the emergency long before the professional first responders can get to the site. This kind of training can make the difference between life and death. Cynthia and I have participated in a local CERT program and we highly recommend it for anyone interested in preparedness.

Safe Places

When it comes to preparedness, another very important thing to consider is where you live. While disaster can strike anywhere, some places are obviously going to be safer than others. The best help I am able to give is contained in my “Future Map” series. When I am asked about how safe specific areas shown on my maps are, I continue to recommend living a minimum of 50 miles inland from the new coastlines I’ve predicted. The “Future Map” series can certainly be a starting place in your search. As you spend time looking at it and thinking about moving, you will get distinct feelings about one area or another. Listen to those feelings. If you need to move from your present home, you will feel it. When the greater changes occur, the safest areas will be in small rural areas, at least 1 to 2 hours driving distance from a large city. For example, Cynthia and I live in a township with a population of about 3,000. We are about 2 hours from Boston, and 1-1/2 hours from Hartford.

In my audio seminar “Best Places to Live,” I also mention some areas that would be safe, geophysically. The program is designed to help you with moving decisions. I believe we are guided to the places we live by spiritual forces. This guidance or “inner urge” comes directly from our higher self, and from our connection with the other members of our soul group. In lifetime after lifetime, we are reconnecting with the same family and friends; sometimes this occurs at birth, and our karmic family reunites as our biological family. In other lives, we may come back together with our past life group later in life, through marriage or by accepting a job relocation. It is important to listen to that inner guidance with all decisions.

In conclusion, to be prepared, we must learn to balance our concerns about the future with our current needs. While we continue to become more aware of where we are going and how to prepare the future, it is important that we fully appreciate each moment we are living in. Don’t let fear keep you from paying attention to where you are. Earth is here – for us, with us, beneath us – right now!

Copyright © 2010 Matrix Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Pays to be prepared. The small cost of storing food and supplies pales when you look at the potential for suffering!

Hurricane headed for TX tonight

After months and months of blogging about preparedness, I hope that our regular readers have taken heed. Those along the TX coast might just need some fresh water and food for a couple of days here.

Tropical Storm Hermine May Reach Hurricane Strength Before Hitting Mexico

By Aaron Clark and Alex Morales – Sep 6, 2010 3:17 PM MT

Tropical Storm Hermine, near the western end of the Gulf of Mexico, is poised to make landfall tonight, forcing at least one Texas refinery to take precautions.

The weather system is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and is off Mexico’s east coast with maximum sustained winds of about 60 miles (95 kilometers) per hour, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a website advisory just before 5 p.m. New York time.

“The center will make landfall on the coast of northwestern Mexico or extreme southern Texas” tonight the center said. “Hermine could approach hurricane strength prior to landfall.” Heavy rainfall and a storm surge “will raise water levels by as much as 2 to 4 feet above ground level along the immediate coast near and to the north of where the center makes landfall.”

Hermine was 70 miles northeast of La Pesca, Mexico, and 100 miles south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, heading north- northwest at 15 mph. The hurricane watch issued this morning covers the area from Rio San Fernando, Mexico, northward to Baffin Bay in Texas. A tropical storm warning extends from La Cruz, Mexico, northward to Port O’Connor, Texas.

Gulf Threat

Heating oil for October is a “stronger” because Tropical Storm Hermine may affect operations at three refineries in Corpus Christi, Texas, said Carl Larry, president of Oil Outlooks & Opinions LLC in Houston.

Valero Energy Corp.’s Corpus Christi East and West refineries in southern Texas, which have a combined capacity of 315,000 barrels a day, have made “preliminary storm preparations,” Bill Day, a company spokesman, said in an e- mail. “No decisions have been made regarding changes in production.”

Fernando Garay, a spokesman for Citgo Petroleum Corp., did not respond to an e-mails and a phone message asking if the company expected output to be curtailed as a result of the storm. Katie Stavinoha, a spokeswoman for Flint Hills Resources LLC, which operates a 305,000 barrel a day plant in Corpus Christi, declined to comment.

Hermine, whose tropical storm-force winds reach 105 miles from its eye, may bring four to eight inches of rain to northeastern Mexico and southern Texas, with isolated areas getting as much as 12 inches, the hurricane center said.

“These rainfall amounts may cause life-threatening flash flood and mudslides,” the center said.

The hurricane center also is monitoring the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston in the Atlantic, which the agency says has a 70 percent chance of re-forming into a tropical cyclone over the next two days. That system was about 300 miles east of the Caribbean’s northernmost Leeward islands at 2 p.m. Miami time, moving west at 15 to 20 mph.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net; Aaron Clark in New York at aclark27@bloomberg.net/

If you haven’t prepared and you are not on the TX coast, it isn’t too late. There are ample lists out on the web that can get you started with basics.

HUGE Earthquake in NZ

7.2 quake is huge. Extensive damage done in NZ. No one knows when or where a natural event will occur that could affect your life IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will no be affected by an event even if you are well prepared. However, if you are not prepared you don’t stand a chance!

The government is incapable of taking care of you!

Updated at 1:44 p.m.] The earthquake in New Zealand caused “a lot of damage,” though there are no reports of serious injuries or major damage, an emergency official said.

“It was like a freight train running through the house,” said Chris Monroe, operations manager for the New Zealand Fire Service.

Power is out and damage has been reported all over Christchurch, he said. At this stage, though, most of the damage reports are relatively minor, such as cracks in buildings or broken windows, he said.

New Zealand Herald reporter Jarrod Booker told the paper he was in the suburb of Linwood, New Zealand and was sleeping when he felt “extremely violent shaking.”

“Items were falling and crashing around the house,” he told the news paper.

Booker told his editors his neighbors chimney had collapsed and crashed through a car’s windshield.

iReport: Are you there? Send images

[Updated at 1:36 p.m.] We’ve just had a terrible earthquake,” said Paula May, a Christchurch resident. “We have no power. Lots of stuff in the house is all over the floor. All the power is down so I can’t see anything. There’s no power in the town.”

A person who answered the phone at The George hotel in Christchurch, told CNN that “we are cleaning up at the present moment” but wouldn’t disclose any more detail.

[Updated at 1:18 p.m.] The Christchurch Press newspaper in New Zealand is reporting that power appears to have been knocked out across large portions of the city.

The quake, and several aftershocks, have been felt throughout the South Island, the paper reported.

News website stuff.co.nz reported that residents were seeing damage in the city.

Colleen Simpson told the website after the quake people ran out into the street in their pajamas and that people were having trouble using their cellphones.

“Oh my God. There is a row of shops completely demolished right in front of me,” Simpson told the site.

The site also reported the quake had caused “widespread damage” and was also felt as far as Wellington, New Zealand.

[Updated at 1:11 p.m.] A man who was at the international airport in Christchurch described the scene.

“The entire terminal started shaking,” he said. “I knew it was an earthquake.There was not much you could do at that point.”

[Updated at 1:02 p.m.] A 7.2-magnitude earthquake has struck near New Zealand, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake struck at 4:35 a.m. Saturday (12:35 p.m. ET Friday) about four miles southeast of Christchurch, a major city in New Zealand, the survey reported.

The quake was 10 miles deep.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake is not likely to generate a tsunami, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

[Posted at 12:49 p.m.] An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 struck Friday near New Zealand, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake , which was 21.1 miles deep, was 20 miles from Christchurch, New Zealand, a city of about 380,000 people, the USGS said.

–CNN’s Nick Valencia and Joe Sterling contributed to this report

Post by: The CNN Wire

Filed under: Earthquake • Latest news • New Zealand

Have you a Berkey water filter? How about EnerFood?

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