Earthquake, Hazards, and Disaster News
The MCEER Information Service is a comprehensive source for information on earthquake engineering, hazards mitigation, disaster preparedness, and related topics. IS posts new content frequently, covering a wide range of news and research topics.
As an added service, IS reviews published materials, maintains a database for conferences & continuing education opportunities, a portal to noteworthy Web sites, and other topics of interest.
Current News
Amazing 3-D Images Show How Earthquakes Warp the Earth's Surface
(Feburary 10, 2012) Laser scans of the Earth's surface published in the journal Science reveal how earthquakes distort the planet's surface, show exactly where the ground moved and by how much… Christian Science Monitor
New Earthquake Defense to be Tested
(Feburary 10, 2012) U.S. scientists say they're ready to field-test a new method of minimizing soil liquefaction in earthquakes to protect buildings and structures… UPI
Messages Show Conflict Within NRC after Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami
(Feburary 10, 2012) In the confusion following the earthquake and tsunami that damaged Japan's Fukushima nuclear complex last March, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it was standing by to help… Washington Post
Hope Fades for Dozens Buried in Philippines Quake
(Feburary 8, 2012) Philippine officals conceded Wednesday that there was little hope of finding any surivors among 71 people still buried in landslides set off by a powerful earthquake… USA Today
Bridge Built to Sway When the Earth Shakes
(Feburary 7, 2012) Say what you will about the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge construction project, but keeping the bridge intact in an earthquake has always been the engineers' chief goal… New York Times
Military Mobilizes as Death Toll Climbs in the Philippines
(Feburary 7, 2012) The death toll climbed to 48 on Tuesday from a strong earthquake that rocked the Visayas region of the Philippines… CNN
Air Guns Shake Up Earthquake Monitoring
(Feburary 6, 2012) A team of Chinese scientists have designed an air gun that could be useful in monitoring changes in stress buildup along fault zones… Science
In Earthquake, 'Liquefied' Ground Can Topple Buildings, Swallow Cars
(Feburary 3, 2012) During the magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, in February 2011, liquefaction sucked in cars, damaged roads and snapped sewer lines… PBS NewsHour
Exelon to Update Earthquake Risk at Nuclear Plants
(Feburary 3, 2012) Exelon Corp., which operates Illinois' 11 nuclear reactors, believes it will take three to five years to complete studies for all of its plants before determining whether any need upgrades… CBS News
New Risks for Nuclear Plants
(February 1, 2012) The NRC said it would require nuclear-plant operators to conduct new seismic studies for all 96 reactors in eastern and central states to determine if the plants could withstand the shaking predicted by the government's new seismic model… Wall Street Journal
Measures Taken to Earthquake-Proof Alaskan Hospital
(Feburary 1, 2012) The Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (FMH) has started a $1.7 million project to upgrade the structure of the building, providing an extra dose of insurance for the only public hospital in the Interior… Insurance Journal
NRC Wants U.S. Nuclear Operators to Adopt New Seismic Model
(January 31, 2012) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday the agency wants nuclear plant operators in the central and eastern United States to use a new seismic model to assess the potential for earthquakes in their area… Reuters
Strong Earthquake Hits Peru's Central Coastline
(January 30, 2012) Peru's central coastline has been hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake… BBC
US Scientists Say Haiti, Dominican Republic Could be Entering Period of Powerful Earthquakes
(January 27, 2012) According to the scientific study released Thursday, Haiti's 7.0-magnitude earthquake two years ago is likely to be the first of several quakes of a similiarly powerful magnitude… Washington Post
Four Years Later, Peruvian Refugees Receive Water and Power
(January 27, 2012) Finally, more than four years since an 8.0-magnitude earthquake devastated the colonial port city of Pisco, Peru, refugees living in the nuevo pueblo that was born in the wake of the disaster are seeing the construction of central water and power… Huffington Post
BART Board Approves $7.7 Million Retrofit Plan for Transbay Tube
(January 27, 2012) The work involves bolting 2.5-inch steel plates on the concrete wall of the tunnel that runs under the Bay between San Francisco and Oakland… San Jose Mercury News
Delhi Ignores Own Earthquake Peril Warnings
(January 26, 2012) If a major earthquake struck India's seismically vulnerable capital, the ramshackle neighborhoods of northeast Delhi, India's most crowded, would collapse in an apocalyptic nightmare… Economic Times
Japan Reviews Disaster Plan Amid New Quake Concerns
(January 24, 2012) The International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday began a mission to help identify gaps in Japan's safety-check procedure for nuclear plants, to boost reacter resilience to natural disasters, as Tokyo began drawing up emergency plans with local governments… The Wall Street Journal
Tokyo 'Has 70% Chance of Powerful Earthquake Within Four Years'
(January 23, 2012) The Japanese capital's chances of a magnitude-7 quake within 30 years are 98%, according to Tokyo University… The Guardian
Pyramid Building Undergoes Wall as Precaution Against Quakes
(January 23, 2012) Spurred by new studies showing that The Pyramid could peel apart during an earthquake, engineers plan to install an underground steel-and-concrete wall to shore up the facility… Memphis Commercial Appeal
From One Tragedy, Tools to Fight the Next
(January 23, 2012) The tragedy that people witnessed last year in Japan, combined with inadequacies in the country's disaster preparedness system, spurred some of Japan's greatest minds to come up with innovations to deal with future natural catastrophe… New York Times
Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes
(January 20, 2012) British travel writer James Palmer offers a quick, highly readable account of a pivotal moment in China's recent past; the Tangshan earthquake of July 28, 1976… Christian Science Monitor
Is Drilling Causing Ohio Earthquakes?
(January 20, 2012) Residents in northeastern Ohio are recieving up to $5,000 an acre from energy companies to lease their land, but they have also experienced at least 11 earthquakes since last March… CNN
Earthquake Hits Northern Iran
(January 20, 2012) About 100 people were injured when an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale hit northeastern Iran on Thursday… Reuters
Natural Disasters: Earthquakes the Biggest Killer
(January 19, 2012) New United Nations figures show that earthquakes killed more people last year than all other types of natural disasters combined… New Zealand Herald
Seismically Active Puerto Rico Installing Tsunami Alert System Along Coast
(January 17, 2012) San Juan Mayor Jorge Santini says experts warn that the island faces a very real threat from a tsunami though the last one occurred in 1918… Washington Post
Seismically Active Puerto Rico Installing Tsunami Alert System Along Coast
(January 17, 2012) San Juan Mayor Jorge Santini says experts warn that the island faces a very real threat from a tsunami though the last one occurred in 1918… Washington Post
Swiss Re Report Reveals Low Earthquake Insurance Penetration Globally
(January 17, 2012) The cumulative catastrophic impact of earthquakes on society is overwhelming, yet highly earthquake-prone countries remain underinsured… The Financial
Rare Caterpillar-like Horizontal Earthquake Discovered
(January 17, 2012) Rare for an earthquake to occur on a horizontal fault in an area with no previous temblors… MSNBC