ke place. Read More.
Do you have a Pet Plan?
A family dog lost seven years ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was recently found in North Carolina. WCNC reports a 15-year-old dog named Shorty was found wandering along a road in Cabarrus County over the past week.
In the aftermath of Katrina, approximately 8,000 animals were rescued and brought to temporary shelters, according to the the Humane Society of the United States. An estimated 600,000 pets were killed or left without shelter as a result of the hurricane.
Here are some tips for creating an emergency disaster plan for your pets.
Turning to Twitter during Natural Disasters
Twitter launched a new feature today called Lifeline to help users in Japan access relevant information during an emergency.
Twitter’s new Lifeline feature lets users find and follow local accounts that upload important information during emergencies. All that’s needed is a postal code, typed into the service, and Twitter will create a list of resources for you. As of right now the feature is only available to Twitter users in Japan, but there are plans to expand Lifeline into other countries. Presumably this expansion will rely on government cooperation and will probably focus first on countries prone to natural disasters.
The new feature generates a list of Twitter accounts actively posting emergency information. This curated list could include city, district, or national government accounts being updated with official announcements important to the public. It won’t be restricted to government, however, and will likely bring attention to local media and utility companies so people in Japan will be informed of service disruptions and breaking news surrounding the event. Read More.
Thousands of Dead Jellyfish
Thousands of big, quivering red jellyfish created a spectacle on Cable Beach yesterday.
Marine scientist James Brown, of Cygnet Bay, arrived with his sons about 6.15am to find the jellyfish, which had washed up overnight.
"They were very fresh, being pushed up by little swells that were rolling in," Mr Brown said.
Mr Brown, who set up the Kimberley Marine Research Institute at his Cygnet Bay pearl farm with fellow scientist Ali McCarthy, felt it important to record the phenomenon for further research.Read more and view photo.
Super typhoon Sanba, with peak winds of 155 mph, continues on its collision course with Okinawa and, eventually, South Korea. It’s positioned about 440 miles south of Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa and moving north at about 13 mph. Strong winds could affect Okinawa as soon as Saturday evening local time.
Since yesterday, Sanba has waxed and waned in intensity a bit. At one point, its top winds climbed to an extraordinary 178 mph, the equivalent of powerful category 5 hurricane. Since then, some of the thunderstorms surrounding the storm’s eye have diminished and the maximum winds have dropped some. Read More.
Asteroid to fly by Earth Thursday - Watch online
A newfound asteroid that may be the size of three football fields will whiz by Earth Thursday
Sept. 13, and you can watch the close encounter live online.
Asteroid 2012 QG42 is between 625 feet to 1,400 feet wide (190 to 430 meters) and was first spotted by scientists last month. Researchers say the space rock has no chance of hitting Earth this week when it makes its closest approach on Thursday.
Are We in for an Extreme Winter?
The record loss of Arctic sea ice this summer will echo throughout the weather patterns affecting the U.S. and Europe this winter, climate scientists said on Wednesday, since added heat in the Arctic influences the jet stream and may make extreme weather and climate events more likely.
The “astounding” loss of sea ice this year is adding a huge amount of heat to the Arctic Ocean and the atmosphere, said Jennifer Francis, an atmospheric scientist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “It’s like having a new energy source for the atmosphere.” Francis was one of three scientists on a conference call Wednesday to discuss the ramifications of sea ice loss for areas outside the Arctic.
On 