Earthquake

A frightening earthquake jolted Baltimore and much of the East Coast on Tuesday, shaking buildings and rattling nerves. Thousands of people streamed from offices and homes into the afternoon sunshine, stunned by a phenomenon more commonly associated with seismic hot spots like California and Japan. Area officials reported that the quake caused only pockets of significant damage, and there were no known deaths or serious injuries, locally or nationwide. But the sense of alarm was widespread as mystified residents jammed phone networks trying to reach loved ones and officials scrambled to assess the fallout.

Atholton High School student Eric Lu whipped out his cellphone and displayed information about the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that occurred off the west coast of Sumatra on Tuesday. The information came courtesy of mobile application software called Quakes — Earthquake Notifications, and Lu vouches for its accuracy. After all, it's his app. Lu, 17, is an independent software developer who has four applications on Apple's App Store sites. They include Quakes, a free app that Lu says offers users information on earthquakes greater than magnitude 2.5, along with data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

UPDATED : They say that animals can sense an earthquake. Now that the Baltimore area -- the whole East Coast -- just experienced one this afternoon, there seems to be proof that at least some dogs and cats knew something was up. Officials at the Maryland SPCA, where all of the shelter animals appeared completely normal and oblivious moments before the quake, polled pet owners moments after the incident, asking if anyone's animals were acting...

Two years ago, an enormous earthquake devastated Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and the surrounding areas. While the cameras are gone, Haiti's recovery continues. Having recently visited Port-au-Prince, we can report that much has been accomplished - though the most important successes are not so obvious. As images of death and destruction dominated the post-disaster news coverage, compassionate Americans donated hundreds of millions of dollars to humanitarian organizations like ours, Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services.

She had endured 33 hours of labor when her baby's head finally appeared Tuesday afternoon. Then the floors at Greater Baltimore Medical Center started to shake, the blinds began to sway and the medical instruments commenced clanking on the table. She heard someone outside the delivery room shout: "Oh, my God! I think it's an earthquake!" Jennifer, 38, freaked. Anxious thoughts crossed her mind. Like having to evacuate the building and deliver the baby outside. Husband Tom, 39, thought his job during the delivery would be easy.

The Double-A Bowie Baysox announced a raffle to benefit the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The team is partnering with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to raffle a pair of 2010 season tickets, and 100 percent of every dollar raised will support UNICEF's relief efforts for children in Haiti. Fans can go to baysox.com to purchase raffle tickets. Each ticket costs $10, and fans can purchase as many tickets as they want until the raffle closes at 5 p.m. Jan. 29. The winner will receive a pair of lower reserved seat tickets for all 71 Baysox 2010 home games.

If you compare a map of this country's fracking sites with one of U.S. nuclear power plants, you will see that on both maps the area from the Great Lakes to the East Coast is the area of greatest concentration for both, and they overlap. If you then search "fracking and earthquakes" you'll see huge amounts of evidence relating the two. In the area affected by Tuesday's earthquake there are around 40 nuclear reactors, (25 of which are 30 years old or older). What's been happening over the past few years is that as nonrenewable natural gas supplies dwindle, fracking efforts have become more extreme: drilling is deeper, more fluid volume is forced in, more toxins are used.

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in the Ontario/Quebec border region Wednesday afternoon, reverberating along the East Coast. The quake struck at 1:41 p.m., 33 miles northeast of Ottawa, the nation's capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor was felt in Maryland, New York, New Jersey and even parts of Michigan and Illinois, according to the USGS's reporting site. Tremors up to a Modified Mercalli Intensity of 3 were reported in Towson and Baltimore, according to the USGS.

Baltimore restaurants and bars started tweeting cornball drink and dining promotions as soon as 10 minutes after the earthquake hit. That's too soon, far too soon to have a full understanding of casaulties. Plus, none of them was funny. Also done badly -- restaurants that no longer have, forgive the expression, a live person to answer the phone. That's a minor irritant if you're a reporter trying to get information; it's irresponsible in an emergency situtation. Answer your phones.

Geologists say Tuesday's magnitude-5.8 earthquake in Central Virginia released forces that have probably been building for tens of thousands, perhaps millions, of years. And the event may not be over. "Aftershocks are always a possibility, and they're pretty common," said Jeffrey Halka, director of the Maryland Geological Survey. The Maryland Emergency Management Agency quoted geology experts saying that for 24 hours after a quake there is a 10 percent chance of an aftershock of a similar magnitude.

Sometimes positive things happen even though you don't expect it. Too often citizens get apathetic because they don't believe our politicians and officials will act on their behalf. I am happy to report Del. Guy Guzzone, County Executive Ken Ulman and county health officer Peter Beilenson were instrumental in seeing that the safety and welfare of citizens are their prime focus. Yes, things can get done. I cite two recent examples. First, for some time I've been concerned about the number of motorists not obeying the mandatory headlight signs on Route 32 between routes 108 and 144. My passenger counted more than 100 vehicles in violation in just one trip.

We all have stories to tell of "Hurriquake Week" - and complaints to air about lost power and downed telephone lines. As I sat at home, just like thousands of Marylanders, waiting for lights, television, computers and phones to come alive again after Irene blew through, I took the time to listen. Really listen. I heard crickets chirping, birds singing, lawn mowers roaring, chain saws buzzing, sirens blaring and distant traffic. The most heartwarming sound heard that day was children - playing tag and football or just laughing and running through their yards and onto the streets.

As always at this time of year, it is difficult to believe that summer is winding down. Most residents are back in town. Schools are in session. Traffic has resumed on Roland Avenue, Cold Spring Lane and the narrow, cut-through streets in Roland Park. Residents who have been away may notice some changes in and around Roland Park. Hurricane Irene toppled a number of large, old trees in the canopy that defines the area. Fortunately, no planned removal of mature trees occurred this summer in the neghborhood, as happened downtown for the Grand Prix.

When Hurricane Irene gave the East Coast a good scare last weekend, many of us realized something a bit late: We had no disaster plan. And a new survey by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals proves it: More than a third of pet owners have no strategy for how to handle an emergency, the organization found. The poll found that in the Northeast, where recent experience has shown we're not immune to hurricanes and even earthquakes, 45 percent of dog owners and about the same percentage of cat people don't know what they would do with their pets in an evacuation.

If this past week was not a wake-up call to make sure you are financially prepared to survive a natural disaster, what is? Marylanders barely had time to get over the earthquake last Tuesday before they had to brace for Hurricane Irene over the weekend. While we survived these disasters relatively unscathed, that might not be the case next time. So before nature strikes again, make sure you have the necessary insurance coverage and your papers in order. After all, hurricane season lasts through the end of November, and nature could throw us another curveball.

If you compare a map of this country's fracking sites with one of U.S. nuclear power plants, you will see that on both maps the area from the Great Lakes to the East Coast is the area of greatest concentration for both, and they overlap. If you then search "fracking and earthquakes" you'll see huge amounts of evidence relating the two. In the area affected by Tuesday's earthquake there are around 40 nuclear reactors, (25 of which are 30 years old or older). What's been happening over the past few years is that as nonrenewable natural gas supplies dwindle, fracking efforts have become more extreme: drilling is deeper, more fluid volume is forced in, more toxins are used.

Orioles outfielder Felix Pie said he immediately felt a deep sadness when he heard about Tuesday's catastrophic earthquake that rocked Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. His emotions quickly turned to worry for his extended family, many of whom live in the Caribbean nation that is considered the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. "It's very sad, and you start, like, worrying. I know my mom has family in Haiti and my pop, too," Pie said. "But my mom called me and told me not to worry, that my family over there is OK. And my pop called me to tell me the same thing."

1st Mariner Arena, which turns 50 next year, was unharmed after today's earthquake. Building inspectors toured the facility after the earthquake and found only a few cracks on the walls. "The building's infrastructure is in solid shape," said spokeswoman Jamie Curtis. Only Cirque du Soleil experienced a glitch as a result of the tremors. The circus was setting up for Wednesday, the first of five nights at the arena, and had to temporarily pause the installation for the building to be evacuated, like most everywhere downtown.  The circus's engineers also toured the venue after the earthquake and found scant damage.

In the wake of the recent earthquake ("A tremor in the psyche," Aug 24), I asked people about their initial thoughts on what caused the shaking and swaying. My father thought he was having a stroke. My mother thought it was a truck rumbling by her office. Having served four years of active duty with the U.S. Navy, stationed in the Washington Navy Yard on September 11, 2001, I thought it was a terrorist attack. These generational and location oriented responses led me to my next question, which was what are you supposed to do in an earthquake and what are you supposed to do during and after an explosion.

Following the unexpected earthquake that Marlyand felt, is anyone prepared for another natural disaster? Think about it: How many of us really know what to do if another earthquake strikes? Has anyone really put together emergency-preparedness kits with enough water, medications and other necessities in case of emergencies? I admit that I am not ready when a disaster strikes, and I know I am not the only one. It takes one natural disaster to wake everyone up to get them prepared in the event of another disaster, whether it is a terrorist attack, earthquake or a hurricane.