Tuesday, February 9, 2016

WORLD WAR Z: Plagues & Pestilences - Obama Asks Congress For $1.8 BILLION To Fight The Zika Virus, Cautions Against Panic!

February 9, 2016 - UNITED STATES - As the White House previewed his $1.8 billion emergency funding request and 2017 budget proposals for Congress, President Barack Obama said that “there shouldn’t be panic” among the public concerning the spread of the Zika virus.

“The good news is this is not like Ebola. People don’t die of Zika. A lot of people get it and don’t even know that they have it,” Obama said in a CBS interview that aired on Monday. “What we now know, though, is that there appears to be some significant risk for pregnant women or women who are thinking about getting pregnant.”

The Zika virus is responsible for causing a head or brain birth defect called microcephaly. It has spread primarily in Brazil and other South and Central American countries, as well as the Caribbean, and is most often transferred by the Aedes aegypti mosquito species, which is also found in the southern United States and Gulf of Mexico. A total of 26 countries and territories have been affected, according to the Pan American Health Organization.

If approved by Congress, Obama’s request would give the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) $828 million to develop mosquito control techniques, vaccines, diagnosis testing, and educational programs, as well as provide resources for at-risk, low-income pregnant women. Foreign aid to affected countries would increase by $335 million to research funding and pay for health worker training, while an additional $250 million in additional Medicaid funds would be allocated to Puerto Rico.

WATCH: Obama asks for $1.8 billion to fight Zika.

Since December, 50 Americans traveling abroad contracted the virus in affected countries before returning home. The only known case of the virus being contracted within the US was observed in Dallas, where a man returning from infected areas overseas transmitted the virus via sexual contact, prompting the CDC to create new guidelines

The funding request, which is to be made official on Tuesday, comes a week after the World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency.

Identifying the disease is difficult because a positive result from the tests currently available could indicate the presence of similar “cousin” viruses like dengue, and not just Zika. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is an agency of the National Institutes of Health, pushed for more vaccine research while speaking at the White House on Monday, saying a preventive injection could be ready sooner than the typical three to five years usually required.

“When you’re in an emergency situation, I think you can move much more quickly than that and get an accelerated approval,” Fauci said.

If Congress grants emergency status to the funding, it would be available immediately, as opposed to on October 1, 2016, the beginning of the 2017 fiscal year.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has invited the Obama administration to meet with Senate leaders to discuss his Zika plan on Tuesday, USA Today reported.

Zika outbreak reflects world’s inter-connectivity [VIDEO] https://t.co/6DQl8tw7eO @ManilaChan pic.twitter.com/NtQsRJw2df
— RT America (@RT_America) February 8, 2016

“Protecting Americans, particularly children, from communicable diseases is a high priority for everyone,” McConnell’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Don Stewart, told USA Today. “And given limited federal resources, we expect the administration will brief Congress on their funding priorities at the briefing.”

When asked how the $1.8 billion would be paid for, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters, “Those are the kinds of things Congress will have to work out.” Fauci said current funding in other programs would have to be diverted, USA Today reported.

Top Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (California) told ABC News that the budget should also include financial backing for the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, stressing “we have a moral responsibility to be there for the thousands of children who have already been exposed to unconscionable levels of lead.” - RT.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Indonesia's Mount Bromo Volcano In East Java Continues Eruption - Intermittent Ash-Rich Explosions, Ash Venting!

Ash-rich strombolian eruption at Bromo yesterday

February 9, 2016 - INDONESIA - The eruption continues in the form of intermittent small to moderate strombolian-type explosions and minutes-long phases of more or less vigorous ash venting alternating with strong degassing.

Only few incandescent ejecta are being seen at night, but ash emissions are comparably intense and aviation color code of the volcano remains at orange.

Crater glow from Bromo at night

Our friend Øystein Lund Andersen visited the volcano yesterday and reported:

"Heavy degassing was observed during arrival in the afternoon, accompanied by a irregular but periodically heavy rumbling sound. ...

After these periods of calm, larger degassing plumes tend to appear, accompanied by large rumbling sounds and in one case an eruption at 14:14.

The eruption was accompanied by a shock wave, and seconds after an ash plume appeared that reached around 800m in height.

Sounds of falling rocks or blocks was heard seconds after the appearance of the eruption plume. The ash content decreased within 30min after the eruption.
...
Next eruption happened at 15:45, and the ash-plume was sustained for around 45minutes. ...The next eruption started at 16:50. ... Late evening, intense crater-glow was seen minutes before a small eruption (23:41)...

Mt. Bromo volcano in East Java is the active cone inside the giant Tengger caldera, one of Indonesia's most scenic locations destination in East Java, famous for its magnificient sunrise views and the panorama over the caldera with Semeru volcano in the background.

Eruption of Bromo on June 8, 2004.

Background:

The 16-km-wide Tengger caldera is located at the northern end of a volcanic massif extending from Semeru volcano. The massive Tengger volcanic complex dates back to about 820,000 years ago and consists of five overlapping stratovolcanoes, each truncated by a caldera. Lava domes, pyroclastic cones, and a maar occupy the flanks of the massif. The Ngadisari caldera at the NE end of the complex formed about 150,000 years ago and is now drained through the Sapikerep Valley. The most recent of the Tengger calderas is the 9 x 10 km wide Sandsea Caldera at the SW end of the complex, which formed incrementally during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. An overlapping cluster of post-caldera cones was constructed on the floor of the Sandsea Caldera within the last several thousand years. The youngest of these is Bromo, one of Java's most active and most frequently visited volcanoes.

- Volcano Discovery.

PLANETARY TREMORS: "It Was Pretty Big,... I Was Shaken By It,..." - Strong 5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Felt Throughout New Zealand! [MAPS + TECTONIC SUMMARY]

People reported feeling the quake from Dunedin to Auckland.
© GNS

February 9, 2016 - NEW ZEALAND - A strong 5.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked central New Zealand.

The 1.38pm quake was 35km south-east of St Arnaud, Nelson, at a depth of 65km.

Geonet duty seismologist Anna Kaiser said the shake was felt throughout the upper South Island and lower North Island.

"It was widely felt from Taranaki to Canterbury," she said.

There were also five reports from Auckland and one from Otago.

"It was a decent shake," she said.

"With that level of shaking, it would rattle things around but we wouldn't expect major structural damage."

USGS earthquake location.

People have reported feeling the slow-rolling quake in the lower North Island and upper South Island. Several people in Wellington have posted about the earthquake online.

"It was pretty big. I was shaken by it," one government department worker said.

Adris Cochrane wrote: "Whoa for a sec I thought it was #auckland property prices falling, but no, actually, an earthquake in Wellington."

Emergency services say they've had no calls about the earthquake in St Arnaud.

Latest on the 5.7 earthquake in St. Arnaud: https://t.co/5qFWzhZrqB pic.twitter.com/v3JJs5Wena
— GeoNet (@geonet) February 9, 2016

Meanwhile, Red Cross worker Hanna Butler said everyone at the Red Cross headquarters dived under their desks.

Some users say they felt the earthquake quite strongly in Christchurch. Margery Chilton, who owns St Arnaud House Bed & Breakfast in the Nelson Lakes, said her two-storey wooden house swayed for about a minute.

"It wasn't as bad as the earthquake a few months ago but it did sway for a little bit," she said.

"Nothing fell down and there wasn't any damage.

"We've got guests that are out for a walk in the park today, though. I'll be interested to hear how they got on when they return tonight."

USGS shakemap intensity.

"Strong jolt, room shook," said another Nelson resident.

Steve Smith, who is in South Taranaki, said he felt a "long rolling sensation" for about 30 seconds.

The earthquake was felt in the Parliamentary precinct, where Prime Minister John Key remarked on it to reporters on his way into the debating chamber.

So many little shakes so close to the 5yr anniversary of the #Christchurch #earthquake ... Okay, I'm starting to freak out here. #nature
— Judy L Mohr (@JudyLMohr) February 9, 2016

One Twitter user made a link between the quake and the first day back at Parliament.

One reader said "felt in Palmerston North, I watched my sideboard doors open and door swinging. I think I have a shaky house though." - New Zealand Herald.

Tectonic Summary - Seismotectonics of the Eastern Margin of the Australia Plate

The eastern margin of the Australia plate is one of the most sesimically active areas of the world due to high rates of convergence between the Australia and Pacific plates. In the region of New Zealand, the 3000 km long Australia-Pacific plate boundary extends from south of Macquarie Island to the southern Kermadec Island chain. It includes an oceanic transform (the Macquarie Ridge), two oppositely verging subduction zones (Puysegur and Hikurangi), and a transpressive continental transform, the Alpine Fault through South Island, New Zealand.

Since 1900 there have been 15 M7.5+ earthquakes recorded near New Zealand. Nine of these, and the four largest, occurred along or near the Macquarie Ridge, including the 1989 M8.2 event on the ridge itself, and the 2004 M8.1 event 200 km to the west of the plate boundary, reflecting intraplate deformation. The largest recorded earthquake in New Zealand itself was the 1931 M7.8 Hawke's Bay earthquake, which killed 256 people. The last M7.5+ earthquake along the Alpine Fault was 170 years ago; studies of the faults' strain accumulation suggest that similar events are likely to occur again.

North of New Zealand, the Australia-Pacific boundary stretches east of Tonga and Fiji to 250 km south of Samoa. For 2,200 km the trench is approximately linear, and includes two segments where old (Greater than 120 Myr) Pacific oceanic lithosphere rapidly subducts westward (Kermadec and Tonga). At the northern end of the Tonga trench, the boundary curves sharply westward and changes along a 700 km-long segment from trench-normal subduction, to oblique subduction, to a left lateral transform-like structure.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

Australia-Pacific convergence rates increase northward from 60 mm/yr at the southern Kermadec trench to 90 mm/yr at the northern Tonga trench; however, significant back arc extension (or equivalently, slab rollback) causes the consumption rate of subducting Pacific lithosphere to be much faster. The spreading rate in the Havre trough, west of the Kermadec trench, increases northward from 8 to 20 mm/yr. The southern tip of this spreading center is propagating into the North Island of New Zealand, rifting it apart. In the southern Lau Basin, west of the Tonga trench, the spreading rate increases northward from 60 to 90 mm/yr, and in the northern Lau Basin, multiple spreading centers result in an extension rate as high as 160 mm/yr. The overall subduction velocity of the Pacific plate is the vector sum of Australia-Pacific velocity and back arc spreading velocity: thus it increases northward along the Kermadec trench from 70 to 100 mm/yr, and along the Tonga trench from 150 to 240 mm/yr.

The Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone generates many large earthquakes on the interface between the descending Pacific and overriding Australia plates, within the two plates themselves and, less frequently, near the outer rise of the Pacific plate east of the trench. Since 1900, 40 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded, mostly north of 30°S. However, it is unclear whether any of the few historic M8+ events that have occurred close to the plate boundary were underthrusting events on the plate interface, or were intraplate earthquakes. On September 29, 2009, one of the largest normal fault (outer rise) earthquakes ever recorded (M8.1) occurred south of Samoa, 40 km east of the Tonga trench, generating a tsunami that killed at least 180 people.

Across the North Fiji Basin and to the west of the Vanuatu Islands, the Australia plate again subducts eastwards beneath the Pacific, at the North New Hebrides trench. At the southern end of this trench, east of the Loyalty Islands, the plate boundary curves east into an oceanic transform-like structure analogous to the one north of Tonga.

Australia-Pacific convergence rates increase northward from 80 to 90 mm/yr along the North New Hebrides trench, but the Australia plate consumption rate is increased by extension in the back arc and in the North Fiji Basin. Back arc spreading occurs at a rate of 50 mm/yr along most of the subduction zone, except near ~15°S, where the D'Entrecasteaux ridge intersects the trench and causes localized compression of 50 mm/yr in the back arc. Therefore, the Australia plate subduction velocity ranges from 120 mm/yr at the southern end of the North New Hebrides trench, to 40 mm/yr at the D'Entrecasteaux ridge-trench intersection, to 170 mm/yr at the northern end of the trench.

Large earthquakes are common along the North New Hebrides trench and have mechanisms associated with subduction tectonics, though occasional strike slip earthquakes occur near the subduction of the D'Entrecasteaux ridge. Within the subduction zone 34 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded since 1900. On October 7, 2009, a large interplate thrust fault earthquake (M7.6) in the northern North New Hebrides subduction zone was followed 15 minutes later by an even larger interplate event (M7.8) 60 km to the north. It is likely that the first event triggered the second of the so-called earthquake "doublet".

More information on regional seismicity and tectonics

- USGS.

GLOBAL COASTAL EVENT: "UNEXPECTED" Fierce Weather Hits The Giant Royal Caribbean Ship - Will Return To Port After The Powerful Storm System Damages Vessel And Shakes Up Passengers! [VIDEOS]

February 9, 2016 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - One of the world's newest and biggest cruise ships headed back to its home port Monday after a powerful storm damaged the vessel and left some passengers shaken.

The fierce weather that struck Royal Caribbean's 168,666-ton Anthem of the Seas on Sunday forced the captain to confine passengers to their cabins until the storm passed early Monday.

The cruise line, in a statement sent to USA TODAY, suggested the "extreme wind and sea conditions" that hit as the ship sailed south from the New York area to Port Canaveral, Fla., were unexpected, noting that the wind speeds were higher than what was forecast.

"The captain told everyone this morning that the day was among his most challenging — if not his most challenging — at sea," said Robert Huschka, executive editor of the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. Huschka is on board the ship with his family.

Four passengers were injured during the event, though none seriously, according to spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez. There are 4,529 passengers and 1,616 crew members on board, she said.

Anthem had just left its home port of Bayonne, N.J. on Saturday on what had been scheduled to be a seven-night sailing to Florida and the Bahamas. The vessel now is returning to Bayonne, and the remainder of the voyage is being canceled.

Passengers tweeting from Anthem describe hurricane-force winds and giant waves that rocked the vessel wildly, overturning furniture, smashing glassware and collapsing part of a ceiling in a public corridor. Photos posted by passengers show damage in several areas.

"I'm not going to lie: It was truly terrifying," Huschka said.

A buoy in the Atlantic about 260 miles south of Cape Hatteras reported wave heights of 30 feet and wind gusts of 74 mph late Sunday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A screen shot of the wind gauge on Anthem cabin TVs posted by a passenger on Twitter shows wind speeds as high as 106 knots, the equivalent of 122 mph.A passenger posting on a message board at CruiseCritic.com reported waves crashing as high as the Deck 5 promenade, with water seeping into the ship through the doorways before watertight doors were closed. Another passenger posting at CruiseCritic.com said a large white structure broke off the top of the vessel and landed in a pool. Huschka said the captain of the vessel made an announcement at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday as the storm raged that passengers should remain in their cabins, saying the strength of the storm had surprised everyone and that the ship would hold position and try to turn into it. The captain then was unavailable for announcements as the storm continued into the evening.

"A very nervous cruise director kept coming on. He didn't sound very reassuring. He said, 'We are OK,'" Huschka said.

Passengers walk around debris on the top deck of Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas on Feb. 8, 2016© Robert Huschka, Detroit Free Press

The situation began to improve late in the evening, and by 1 a.m. Monday the ship had resumed sailing.

Huschka said most of the damage to the ship appeared superficial, with "lots of broken glass, especially on the pool deck." Water came in through some balcony doors and now is being mopped up or dried with blowers, he added.

One thing that was unaffected by the storm: The TV signal bringing in the Super Bowl on Sunday evening. It was a "perfect picture during the height of the storm," Huschka said. "That certainly improved my mood."

The possibility of a large storm in the Atlantic has been known for several days. NOAA's Ocean Prediction Center first issued an alert Friday at 1 p.m. that predicted "developing hurricane-force winds" Sunday in the Atlantic, according to NOAA spokeswoman Susan Buchanan. The first official warning from the Ocean Prediction Center was included in the offshore waters forecast at 3:34 p.m. Saturday, Buchanan said. It included a warning for hurricane-force winds increasing to 63 to 75 mph, in effect through Sunday night.

In a second statement Monday, Royal Caribbean said the decision to return to the New York area was made due to forecasts of poor weather over the next few days that is likely to impact the ship's original itinerary. "We are also sensitive to the fact that our guests have already been through an uncomfortable ride," the statement said. "Returning to Cape Liberty minimizes the risks of further bad weather affecting our guests' voyage; we are optimistic that they will have a smooth sail home."

Royal Caribbean said passengers will receive full refunds of the fare they paid for the cruise and a credit for a future cruise equal to 50% of the fare.

WATCH: Royal Caribbean cruise ship hits heavy weather near Florida.

"We know it was tough day on Sunday and apologize for (passenger) discomfort," the line said. "Safety is our highest priority and ships are designed to withstand even more extreme circumstances than Anthem of the Seas encountered. While the weather was unpleasant, the ship remained seaworthy at all times."

Christened in April 2015, Anthem is tied with sister vessel Quantum of the Seas as the third-largest cruise ship ever built.

USA TODAY Cruise was among a handful of U.S. media outlets to get early access to Anthem before its christening in Southampton, England. For our deck-by-deck tour of the vessel's interior areas and cabins, scroll through the carousels below. - USA Today.