Earthquake

Our database design group is constantly bugging local governments for data sets to play with, even if we're not completely sure what we'll do with them. Not all of these thoughts pan out. One example: We recently got curious about how money was being spent in recovery from last year's Virginia earthquake. In hopes of creating a searchable database of expenditures, The Sun submitted a Virginia Freedom of Information Act request to the administration of Louisa County, where the earthquake had its epicenter.

The conclusions of geological experts on the relationship between fracking and earthquakes are much clearer than letter writer Barbara McNamara suggests ("Fracking is neither safe nor harmless to the environment," July 16). The National Research Council's report unequivocally states that "the process of hydraulic fracturing a well as presently implemented for shale gas recovery does not pose a high risk for inducing felt seismic events. " The 50 earthquakes Mr. McNamara referred to were related to injection wells triggered only small tremors and that continue to be evaluated by federal and state geologists.

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.

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.

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.