I am Karan from Olympia, WA.
Almost every other name used here is a pseodonympseudonimpseudonymn alias.
The rest of it is true - mostly - and all of it is my own.
Don't even think about taking any of it, unless of course, you want to pay me.
The counter says that 2846361 have been flummelized, but I personally think it's all a big lie.
[ Friday, January 15, 2010 ]
Haiti
Within minutes of the Haitian quake, this USGS notification arrived in my inbox:
Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION
2010 January 12 21:53:10 UTC
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Earthquake Details
Magnitude 7.0
Date-Time Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 21:53:10 UTC
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 04:53:10 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 18.457°N, 72.533°W
Depth 13 km (8.1 miles) set by location program
Region HAITI REGION
Distances 25 km (15 miles) WSW of PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
130 km (80 miles) E of Les Cayes, Haiti
150 km (95 miles) S of Cap-Haitien, Haiti
1125 km (700 miles) SE of Miami, Florida
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 3.4 km (2.1 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST=312, Nph=312, Dmin=143.7 km, Rmss=0.93 sec, Gp= 25°,
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=9
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID us2010rja6
____________________________
Here at Disasters R Us, we knew right away that this was a serious quake, 2x stronger than our own Nisqually quake from 2001, and much more shallow. We knew that Haiti is hardly prepared for a large rainfall much less the devastation this quake brought and we were right. Now we talk about response and projections and we know that the Haitians are in for it...for a long long time.
I am so saddened by the Haitian quake - not only for the devastation and lives lost but the forecast of long-term suffering that will surely plague that tiny place. Haiti has a terrible reputation for the care of its population and this earthquake will certainly amplify the poverty and lack of resources. It seems clear that the US is stepping up to assist in all ways and it seems very clear that we’re in there for the long run...in for a penny in for a pound. The truth is that I’d rather spend our foreign aid this way than in a concocted war in the middle of Asia.
True to form...the first fraud request for aid showed up in my email on Tuesday night. Please don’t give to the greedy...give to the official programs and give generously.
Now, right now, go get ready for your own quake. Your local county jurisdiction will have links to how to prepare and next week, I’ll tell you here. I promise. It’s my job.