April 16, 2016 - OKLAHOMA, UNITED STATES - Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a house explosion in El Reno Wednesday afternoon.
Shortly before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, authorities were called to a home at 1120 S. Hadden in El Reno after a possible explosion.
Residents three blocks away reported hearing their windows rattle and feeling their floors shake.
El Reno officials confirm one person was injured and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
She remains in critical condition, according to El Reno fire officials.
Investigators still haven't been able to determine what caused the explosion.
Fire officials said they haven't found any explosives, and ONG claimed there's no evidence of a natural gas leak.
On Thursday, caution tape blocked off the damage site, not far from Hillcrest Park.
Neighbors are still shaken about the unexpected event.
"All the sudden, we just felt this vibration, this big explosion, and we didn't know what it was," said Danny Rundell.
WATCH: Investigators working to determine cause of El Reno house explosion.
Rundell, who lives just over a block from the explosion site, said he was watching TV when it happened.
"I've never felt anything like that before in my whole life," Rundell said.
Even city officials are shocked.
"Not here in El Reno. Sometimes, you may see it on TV but, in 30 years, I don't think we've ever experienced anything like this," said Chief Kent Lagaly, El Reno Fire Dept.
The explosion caused the house to move about two feet off of its foundation, creating a slant.
Fire officials said the damage is too dangerous to stay like this, the whole house will have to go.
"The last thing we want is kids to come in here. Kids are curious. We
just don't want anyone else to get hurt by anything happening with this
structure until we can make it safe," Lagaly said.
Soon after the investigation, the demolition will begin, starting with
the chimney - it's leaning, on the verge of falling onto the neighbor's
house.
"It couldn't have been a natural cause. There had to be something else. That's the only thing I could figure," Rundell said.
While a lot of questions up in the air, the fire chief said the explosion doesn't appear to be suspicious.
"Whatever caused this, it was not something intentional in any way, shape or form. Time will tell us," Lagaly said.
April 16, 2016 - IRAN - The floods have washed away cars and blocked roads. Iranian railway
authority has canceled all trains scheduled for Friday to and from the
southern parts of the country.
Iran's Red Crescent says 126 cities have
been affected by the floods. In Khuzestan, nearly 21-hundred people have
been evacuated to safer areas.
Several people have been injured in the
southern province while some three-hundred homes are under water in
Lorestan.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has ordered authorities to
mobilize all resources available to provide relief assistance to the
flood-stricken people.
WATCH: Several killed by heavy floods across Iran.
The study says that plastic waste entering the
ocean is one to three orders of magnitude greater than the reported mass
of floating plastic debris in high-concentration ocean gyres and also
globally.
April 16, 2016 - OCEANS - A dump truck full of plastic is unloaded into the sea every minute, and
experts say the situation is growing worse, with plastic debris expected
to outnumber fish by 2050.
With plastic production currently at a twentyfold increase since 1964, generating 311m tonnes in 2014, a new report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
has revealed we are rapidly approaching an environmental catastrophe —
especially where the world's oceans are concerned. This number is
expected to double in the next 20 years and almost quadruple by 2050.
New plastics will use 20% of all oil within 35 years, which stands at
around 7% today. And, despite the increasing demand, a mere 5% of all
plastics are recycled successfully — with 40% ending up in landfills and
a third in delicate ecosystems like the ocean. The remainder tends to
be burned to generate energy, which has its own environmental impact not
only in the pollution this practice generates, but also because it
causes more fossil fuels to be used in order to make new plastic
products like bags, cups, tubs and consumer devices.
A sea of plastic
One of the more shocking details in the report addresses how, by 2050,
we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish. Sit with that for a
moment. The day will come in the not so distant future where the sea
will be so clogged with plastic debris, fish will be in the minority.
The report states that every year "at least 8m tonnes of plastics leak
into the ocean - which is equivalent to dumping the contents of one
garbage truck into the ocean every minute. If no action is taken, this
is expected to increase to two per minute by 2030 and four per minute by
2050. In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain
one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and by
2050, more plastics than fish [by weight]."
This scenario isn't only horrifying from an aesthetic point of view, the environmental impact has far-reaching ramifications. Think bisphenol A (BPA), DDT, PCBs —
three exceptionally toxic chemicals present in plastic. BPA causes a
number of disorders, including cancer, diabetes, infertility and
obesity. DDT is linked with cancer, miscarriages, low
birth weight, male infertility, developmental delay, nervous system and
liver damage. PCBs also contribute to cancer and are linked with
disorders of the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems.
Unfortunately, when plastic breaks down, poisons leach into the
environment — especially the ocean. Fish are also attracted to these
colorful bits and eat them, which invariably saturates their tissues
with toxins. In the end, the chemicals arrive on our dinner plates.
As observed in Plastic is Killing the Planet and Our Health — Here's How We Can Turn the Tide:
"Here's the catch: every piece of plastic that was ever made is
still with us today as it was designed to last — and it does, for
hundreds of years. The ecosystem and our health are choked by it. What
will the planet look like in the not so distant future with the ever
increasing influx of this hardwearing material? It's a sobering thought and one that doesn't have an easy answer."
What can we do?
The first step in reducing our plastic load is to become informed. The documentary Plastic Paradise is an excellent place to start. We can also get industry on-board to help mitigate the problem.
"One part of the solution is to rethink the way goods are packaged,
cutting the demand for plastic. Water-soluble film, for example, can be
used to wrap small items. Hard-to-recycle plastics such as PVC and
expandable polystyrene could be phased out. [...]
Manufacturers could redesign plastic items so they can be reused better,
and rethink their production methods to make recycling easier. More
products could be made out of plastics which can be composted on an
industrial scale, including rubbish bags for organic waste and food
packaging for outdoor events, canteens and fast food outlets." [source]
As consumers, we have tremendous power in turning the plastic tide. Environmentally friendly ideas include:
Reject single use plastic bags, food containers and bottles
Rethink shampoo, dish and laundry soap
Petition your favorite brands to fa
vor biodegradable packaging like paper and glass
Contact your local stores and educate them about the damaging effects of plastic
Avoid synthetic fabrics and opt for hemp, wool, cotton or silk instead
Swap out plastic wrap and bags
Seek out supplement brands that aren't housed in plastic
Don't purchase or consume canned food
If you have children, choose natural toys
For further details about the above suggestions, click here.
There are several bright spots on the eco-friendly horizon, such
as a plastic eating mushroom and a small household device developed in
Japan that converts plastic waste into heating oil, gasoline, kerosene
and diesel.
As wonderful as these developments are, we are still faced with an overload of plastic - and it will only become worse.
Until we get a handle on the underlying problem of consumption and
waste, innovative technologies will simply be a Band-Aid for a larger
problem.
Article sources:
WATCH: Plastic Paradise - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Trailer.
About the author:
Carolanne Wright enthusiastically believes if we want to see change in the world, we need to be the
change. As a nutritionist, natural foods chef and wellness coach,
Carolanne has encouraged others to embrace a healthy lifestyle of
organic living, gratefulness and joyful orientation for over 13 years.
Through her website Thrive-Living.net,
she looks forward to connecting with other like-minded people from
around the world who share a similar vision. You can also follow
Carolanne on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. - Wake Up World.
April 16, 2016 - JAPAN - After a series of deadly earthquakes in Japan, a “small-scale” eruption
of Mount Aso has been recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
However, it decided to keep the alert level at 2, as it was not
immediately clear whether the natural disasters were related.
Plumes of smoke rose some 100 meters into the sky, according to
local media and videos captured by witnesses.
The eruption of Mt. Aso,
located in southern Japan, was recorded at around 11:30pm GMT Friday.Since
small eruptions had been recorded at Mt. Aso even before the series of
deadly quakes hit the area on Thursday and Friday, the Japanese
Meteorological Agency has reportedly decided to keep the alert level at 2
on a scale of 1-5.The volcano eruption follows two deadly earthquakes and dozens of powerful aftershocks that devastated Japan earlier this week.
On Friday (1:25am Saturday local time) a violent 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu. At least 11 people have so been confirmed dead in the disaster so far, while several dozens are feared to still be trapped under the rubble. Some 760 were treated in hospitals while rescue teams continue to search ruined houses.
Just a day beforehand, the same region was rattled by a 6.5 quake, in which at least ine people were killed and more than 850 injured. Authorities went on to evacuate over 40,000 people as scientists began to monitor nearby volcanoes for any signs of activity.
WATCH: Mount Aso volcano erupts.
Japanese authorities were also worried about a potential repeat of the 2011 Fukushima disaster scenario, when a 15-meter post-quake tsunami caused a nuclear meltdown. However, so far the Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities had been recorded at three nuclear plants on the island of Kyushu and nearby Shikoku.
Over a hundred aftershocks have hit the region following the initial Thursday tremor. Officials have warned that the risk of further strong aftershocks will linger for about a week. - RT.
