Tsunami Victim's Last Words:"Mom Please"

A mother recounts the details of her daughter's death in Tuesday's tsunami. The 6 year old was swept out to sea when she slipped from her mother's grasp in the village of Leone, American Samoa...

Quake Mudslides Wipe Out Indonesian Villages

Mountains of mud and debris have obliterated a handful of Indonesian villages. So far, the government confirms more than 700 people are dead and three thousand listed as missing...

Samoans Return to See Tsunami Devastation

Family members of those who lost loved ones in the tsunami that hit American Samoa are returning to the island. As AP's Haven Daley reports, some are helping with the clean-up, while others are having to make funeral arrangements...

Indonesian earthquakes death toll expected to hit thousands as rescuers desperately dig through rubble for survivors

The epicentres of all three quakes are shown on this graphic

This graphic charts first the Samoan tsunami, then the first of the Indonesian earthquakes. The second Indonesian earthquake struck in the early hours of this morning

--Disasters across Pacific Ring of Fire as first a tsunami hits Samoa, then two earthquakes rock Indonesia
--Truckloads of dead being carted off Samoan beaches after tsunami
--Missing British boy, 2, believed dead after tsunami struck Samoa
--Samoan tsunami kills at least 149; Indonesian earthquakes kill 'up to 1,000'
Thousands of people are feared to have died after two powerful earthquakes rocked Indonesia.
Rescuers were frantically searching for survivors in the rubble caused by the two quakes in the province of Sumatra today - as, far to the west on the Pacific islands of Samoa, stunned residents were battling heat and floods to pull the bloated bodies of tsunami victims from the water.
The devastating quakes came just hours after the powerful tsunami smashed into the Pacific islands of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.....

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Sister of Tsunami Victim Goes Home

Hawaii resident and American Samoa native Leata Solia talks to the AP while waiting for the first commercial flight to Pago Pago since Tuesday's devastating tsunami killed more than 150 people, including her sister...

American Samoans pulling together after quake, tsunami

Residents of close-knit American Samoa are pulling together to help Pago Pago recover from Tuesday's devastating earthquake and tsunami, one of them told CNN on Wednesday."That's how we operate over here in American Samoa-basically everyone is related," said iReporter Maneafaiga T. Lagafuaina, 29, of the town of Lu'uuli. "And I know, at this time, especially with what American Samoa has experienced, we have pulled together as one."Families and friends from both ends of the island have found ways to volunteer and to help out with the village of Pago with the disaster that they're going through right now," said Lagafuaina, who runs the computer system for the Pacific territory's legislature....

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Officials:"Indonesia quake toll could soar"

JAKARTA, Indonesia-Another strong earthquake rocked Indonesia early Thursday as the Southeast Asian nation was reeling from an earlier jolt that killed more than 200 people.The 6.8 magnitude quake Thursday hit southern Sumatra at 8:52 a.m. local time (0152 GMT), the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Wednesday's earlier quake was 7.6 magnitude.At least 236 people are dead and more than 500 injured, the Indonesian Social Ministry's Crisis Center said Thursday. It said it had little information on the missing and feared the death toll would climb into the thousands.The second quake was on a smaller scale than the first, said meteorology official Fauzi, who uses only one name.There were no damage reports yet.Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari expected "the casualties and the damage of this earthquake to be bigger than the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, given the intensity and the spread of the damage."The magnitude-6.3 Yogyakarta quake in central Java in May 2006 killed more than 5,000 people, triggered fears of an eruption of a nearby volcano and caused significant damage to a 9th century Prambanan temple.Thousands may be trapped by collapsed buildings and houses, Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Health Ministry's crisis center, told CNN on Wednesday....

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119 Dead, Villages 'Wiped Out' in Samoa Tsunami

Sept. 29: A main road in the downtown area of Fagatogo, American Samoa is flooded after towering tsunami waves swept ashore.(AP)

APIA, Samoa-Police in green reflective vests searched a ghastly landscape of mud-strewn streets, pulverized homes and bodies scattered in a swamp Wednesday as dazed survivors emerged from the muck and mire of an earthquake and tsunami that killed 119 in the South Pacific.Military transports flew medical personnel, food, water and medicine to the islands of Samoa and American Samoa, which were devastated by the wall of water triggered by Tuesday morning's undersea earthquake. One cargo plane from New Zealand brought in a temporary morgue and a body identification team — with officials expecting the death toll to rise as more areas are searched...

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New Zealand Tsunami Survivors Go Home...

Samoa survivor recalls tsunami

Pacific tsunami: Aid efforts begin in Samoa

Sydney, Australia – Sulili Dusi was jolted awake just before 7 a.m. local time Tuesday by a powerful earthquake that shook the walls of her house on Samoa's main island, Upolu. She and her family ran outside to find the trees trembling, too, she told Radio New Zealand. They fled to higher ground before a series of tidal waves roared ashore. Other residents of Samoa, neighboring American Samoa, and Tonga were not so fortunate.More than 100 people, including foreign tourists, are thought to have died in the South Pacific after the magnitude 8.3 offshore quake triggered a tsunami, sending walls of water crashing into nearby islands. At least 30 are confirmed dead in American Samoa, where workers at a fish-canning factory in the capital, Pago Pago, say they had only three minutes' warning before the devastating waves struck....
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"WE'VE LOST EVERYTHING":Heart Wrenching Stories from survivors of devastating Tsunami

Up to 200 Dead in Indonesia Earthquake

Sept. 30: A map shows the epicenter of the powerful earthquake near the island of Sumatra.(USGS)

A powerful earthquake rocked western Indonesia Wednesday, trapping thousands under collapsed buildings — including two hospitals — and triggering landslides. Priyadi Kardono, a spokesman for the national disaster agency, told Reuters that up to 200 people are dead on the island of Sumatra.The magnitude 7.6 quake struck at 5:15 p.m. local time, just off the coast of Padang city the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was along the same fault line that spawned the massive 2004 Asian tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries.A tsunami warning for countries along the Indian Ocean was issued, and panicked residents fled to higher ground fearing giant waves. The warning was lifted about an hour later.....

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Raw Video: Tsunami Waves Sweep Across Samoas

SUMATRA SHAKEN:Buildings Collapse in Indonesia Earthquake

KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA

4.8 Mb - KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
4.8 Mb
Date-Time
30 Sep 2009 05:08:33 UTC
30 Sep 2009 13:08:33 near epicenter
29 Sep 2009 23:08:33 standard time in your timezone
Location
4.967N 126.892E
Depth
54 km
Distances
228 km (142 miles) SE (124 degrees) of General Santos, Mindanao, Philippines
273 km (170 miles) SSE (149 degrees) of Davao, Mindanao, Philippines
380 km (236 miles) S (170 degrees) of Hinatuan, Mindanao, Philippines
884 km (549 miles) WSW (253 degrees) of KOROR, Palau
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: 14.6 km; Vertical 23.1 km
Parameters
Nph = 23; Dmin = 274.3 km; Rmss = 1.48 seconds; Gp = 75°M-type = Mb; Version = 7
Event ID
US 2009mebf

4.9 Mb - KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
4.9 Mb
Date-Time
30 Sep 2009 02:21:31 UTC
30 Sep 2009 10:21:31 near epicenter
29 Sep 2009 20:21:31 standard time in your timezone
Location
4.990N 127.062E
Depth
35 km
Distances
243 km (151 miles) ESE (121 degrees) of General Santos, Mindanao, Philippines
281 km (175 miles) SE (146 degrees) of Davao, Mindanao, Philippines
381 km (237 miles) SSE (167 degrees) of Hinatuan, Mindanao, Philippines
865 km (537 miles) WSW (253 degrees) of KOROR, Palau
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: 12.6 km; Vertical
Parameters
Nph = 17; Dmin = 282.8 km; Rmss = 1.42 seconds; Gp = 158°M-type = Mb; Version = 6
Event ID
US 2009mea2

4.9 Mb - KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
4.9 Mb
Date-Time
30 Sep 2009 01:46:51 UTC
30 Sep 2009 09:46:51 near epicenter
29 Sep 2009 19:46:51 standard time in your timezone
Location
4.528N 127.527E
Depth
51 km
Distances
314 km (195 miles) SE (124 degrees) of General Santos, Mindanao, Philippines
353 km (219 miles) SE (143 degrees) of Davao, Mindanao, Philippines
415 km (258 miles) N (2 degrees) of Ternate, Moluccas, Indonesia
834 km (518 miles) WSW (248 degrees) of KOROR, Palau
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: ; Vertical
Parameters
Nph = 32; Dmin = 354.0 km; Rmss = ; Gp = 111°M-type = Mb; Version = 6
Event ID
US 2009meay

5.6 Mb - KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
5.6 Mb
Date-Time
30 Sep 2009 01:39:42 UTC
30 Sep 2009 09:39:42 near epicenter
29 Sep 2009 19:39:42 standard time in your timezone
Location
4.914N 126.727E
Depth
72 km
Distances
217 km (135 miles) SE (128 degrees) of General Santos, Mindanao, Philippines
270 km (168 miles) SSE (153 degrees) of Davao, Mindanao, Philippines
376 km (234 miles) SE (133 degrees) of Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines
903 km (561 miles) WSW (253 degrees) of KOROR, Palau
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: 6.8 km; Vertical 9.0 km
Parameters
Nph = 61; Dmin = 270.5 km; Rmss = 1.20 seconds; Gp = 75°M-type = Mb; Version = 6
Event ID
US 2009meav ***This event supersedes event PT09273000.
For updates, maps, and technical information, see: Event Page or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
National Earthquake Information Center--U.S. Geological Survey

http://neic.usgs.gov//

Samoa tsunami lesson: Early warning system too slow

Sydney – International aid has begun arriving on the Samoan islands, after a tsunami Tuesday killed at least 150 people and destroyed dozens of coastal villages.Even as relief teams confront the aftermath of the tsunami – which threw successive walls of water up to 650 feet inland and was followed by another earthquake Wednesday – the disaster is drawing attention to how much warning residents could have gotten ahead of time.This week's events in the South Pacific demonstrate that early-warning systems are not fail-safe and education is as important as technology, seismologists and disaster management experts say."People assume that if they have an early-warning system, their problems are solved," says James Goff, director of the Australian Tsunami Research Centre, based at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. "But it's only one of a suite of ways of being aware what's going on. What's really needed is education about the natural indicators. If you live by the coast and there's a very large earthquake, or if you see the water receding very quickly and going much lower than low tide, you need to move uphill"....
READ MORE....

SEARCH for SURVIVORS:Death Toll Rising after American Samoan Tsunami

US, Australia lead Samoa relief mission

Australia, New Zealand and the United States led immediate pledges of assistance to the Samoan islands after a devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami which killed dozens.US President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in the remote Pacific territory American Samoa, where at least 14 people were killed when a massive wall of water swept over the US-administered island early Tuesday local time.Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Australia stood ready to assist the neighbouring island of Samoa, which gained independence from New Zealand in 1962, and where dozens more people died, including a number of tourists.
"We see our friends in Samoa as part of our Pacific family and therefore, when natural disaster strikes, Australia has always stood ready to assist them," Rudd said....

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"MY HANDS ARE SHAKING":Amateur video captures tsunami's second wave washing ashore

Small tsunami hit Japan after Samoa quake

Small tsunami waves caused by a powerful earthquake that hit Samoa in the Pacific Ocean reached Japan on Wednesday, officials said.Japan's Meteorological Agency said tsunami waves, which it described as "very weak," were registered off the island of Hachijojima about 10 hours after the quake. The agency earlier issued a warning of a possible tsunami all along the eastern coast and said larger waves of up to about 1.6 feet (50 centimeters) could follow.There were no reports of injuries or damage in Japan....

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Waves big,but no damage reported on NorCal coast

Officials in the San Francisco Bay Area have reported a quiet night after a tsunami advisory was issued Tuesday for the coastal areas of California and Oregon.The National Weather Service issued the advisory after a Pacific Ocean earthquake earlier Tuesday.Though forecasters expected the highest surges to hit the region around 9:30 p.m., a harbor patrol official in San Mateo County's Pillar Point Harbor reported no noticeable rise in the water....

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DEADLY TSUNAMI:Video Footage of the damage to American Samoa

Amateur Video Captures Devastating Tsunami Rolling Ashore in Samoa

LA County beaches reopen following tsunami fears

Lifeguards have given the all-clear for visitors to return to Los Angeles County beaches following a magnitude-8 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa that prompted a tsunami advisory.
Los Angeles County lifeguard Capt. Terry Harvey said Wednesday morning that crews found no dangerous currents or other hazards during their night patrols.The National Weather Service allowed its tsunami advisory to expire early Wednesday....
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Hawaii spared effects of deadly tsunami

HONOLULU – The earthquake and tsunami that ravaged Samoa and American Samoa prompted officials in Hawaii to take precautions against possible devastating flooding as some residents prayed that loved ones in their homeland survived.At the American Samoa government office in Honolulu, the telephones were ringing constantly as worried Samoans in Hawaii, Las Vegas, California, Utah and elsewhere on the mainland inquired about the tsunami's aftereffects. Some in Hawaii frantically texted and e-mailed family members back home.Hawaii and much of the rest of the Pacific were placed under tsunami advisories for a few hours Tuesday following the earthquake. The warnings and watches were canceled by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu after the threat of a tsunami subsided....
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WASHED AWAY:Tsunami Slams into Samoan islands:Death Toll expected to rise....

Obama declares 'major disaster' in American Samoa

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama declared "a major disaster exists" in American Samoa, after the remote Pacific island was hit by a tsunami that left at least 14 people dead there.
"The president tonight declared a major disaster exists in the territory of American Samoa and ordered federal aid to supplement territory and local recovery efforts in the area struck by an earthquake, tsunami, and flooding," a statement from the White House said....

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Disaster declaration issued for American Samoa

WASHINGTON – The White House has declared a major disaster in American Samoa following a deadly tsunami.Early reports say towering waves spawned by an earthquake have flattened villages and killed several people in American Samoa. The U.S. territory in the South Pacific, part of a chain of islands, is home to 65,000 people.The disaster declaration Tuesday night by President Barack Obama provides federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts.Federal assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

US deploys emergency team to American Samoa

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Federal Emergency Management Agency said it is deploying two assistance teams to American Samoa in the wake of a tsunami that left at least 14 people dead."Working closely with the US Coast Guard, FEMA is deploying an Incident Management Assistance Team, as well as a Planning and Response Team to American Samoa to provide support and on the ground assessment," FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said in a statement...

Pacific-wide tsunami warning cancelled-warning centre

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A tsunami warning for the Pacific region has been canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said Wednesday.
The warning was issued after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake off American Samoa, which lies near Western Samoa, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Tsunami Watch for Hawaii is Cancelled

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center on Tuesday canceled a tsunami watch for Hawaii triggered earlier by a magnitude 8.0 quake off the Samoa islands.
"Based on all available data, a major tsunami is not expected to strike the state of Hawaii," the Center, part of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in a bulletin.

Villages 'wiped out' by Samoa quake tsunami:report

WELLINGTON (AFP) – Villages were "wiped out" by a tsunami that hit the South Pacific after a huge quake off the coast of Samoa, and people had been reported missing, a reporter for Radio Polynesia told Radio New Zealand.He said they were receiving information of widespread destruction."Damaged houses, villages being wiped out, there are speculations there are some missing people out there but no confirmation of that yet," he said.

Pacific Tsunami Travel Times....

A tsunami travel time map and table generated by the United States National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center shows projected travel times for the effects of an earthquake that the center measured as having a preliminary magnitude of 8.3 occurring in the Samoa Islands Region of the Pacific Ocean on September 29, 2009. The center warns that travel time maps and tables indicate forecasted times only, not that a wave traveling those distances has actually been generated. The center reported that sea level observations indicate a tsunami was generated which may have been destructive along coasts in the source region.
(REUTERS/NOAA/NWS/West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center/Handout)

SOURCE

Pacific tsunami warning cancelled, Samoa takes brunt

LOS ANGELES/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Authorities canceled a Pacific tsunami warning on Wednesday after a huge sub-sea quake sent waves over the Samoa islands, reportedly killing about 14 people but falling short of a regional disaster.Tsunami waves hit American Samoa, a U.S. territory, killing 14 people, and also struck the nearby nation of Samoa, killing an unknown number of people, local media and officials said. There were unconfirmed reports of waves taller than 4 meters (13 ft). "As of right now, everybody is up in the high mountain ranges," said Senetenari Malele, announcer for local radio station Showers of Blessings. He said the local weather authority had released a statement with 14 dead in the last hour...

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Pacific tsunami kills people in Western Samoa: police

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A South Pacific tsunami killed an unknown number of people in Western Samoa on Wednesday, a local police spokeswoman said, as the island nation's people fled to higher ground after a big sub-sea quake."The tsunami has struck some parts of the country," a local police spokeswoman said by phone. Asked if there had been any deaths, she added: "Yes" and then hung up...

7.9 magnitude quake sparks tsunami warning for New Zealand

A tsunami warning was issued for New Zealand and other small Pacific islands after a major 7.9 magnitude quake struck in the ocean off American Samoa, U.S. government agencies said on Tuesday.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a branch of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, issued the warning after the quake hit about 120 miles southwest of the remote Pacific island of American Samoa. It struck at a depth of 20.5 miles.A tsunami watch was in effect for Hawaii, Papua New Guinea and other small Pacific islands.The agency noted that its warning did not mean a tsunami had necessarily been generated by the quake. The warning was issued because a quake of this magnitude had the power to generate a destructive tsunami, it said...

5.6 Mb - NORTHERN COOK ISLANDS

5.6 Mb - NORTHERN COOK ISLANDS
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
5.6 Mb
Date-Time
29 Sep 2009 18:20:27 UTC
29 Sep 2009 07:20:27 near epicenter
29 Sep 2009 12:20:27 standard time in your timezone
Location
12.191S 161.602W
Depth
10 km
Distances
1011 km (628 miles) ENE (78 degrees) of PAGO PAGO, American Samoa
1423 km (884 miles) WNW (293 degrees) of PAPEETE, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: 80.0 km; Vertical
Parameters
Nph = 28; Dmin = 999.9 km; Rmss = 1.66 seconds; Gp = 162°M-type = Mb; Version = 6
Event ID
US 2009mdbp
For updates, maps, and technical information, see:

Event Page or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
National Earthquake Information CenterU.S. Geological Survey

http://neic.usgs.gov//

Tsunami warning issued for New Zealand, other islands

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A tsunami warning was issued on Tuesday for New Zealand, American Samoa and other small Pacific islands, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a branch of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

7.9 Mw - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION

7.9 Mw - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
7.9 Mw
Date-Time
29 Sep 2009 17:48:19 UTC
29 Sep 2009 06:48:19 near epicenter
29 Sep 2009 11:48:19 standard time in your timezone
Location
15.556S 172.302W
Depth
85 km
Distances
204 km (127 miles) SSW (197 degrees) of APIA, Samoa
224 km (139 miles) SW (230 degrees) of PAGO PAGO, American Samoa
388 km (241 miles) NNE (28 degrees) of Neiafu, Tonga
2432 km (1511 miles) W (272 degrees) of PAPEETE, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: 12.7 km; Vertical 34.0 km
Parameters
Nph = 58; Dmin = 999.9 km; Rmss = 1.17 seconds; Gp = 54°M-type = Mw; Version = 6
Event ID
US 2009mdbi ***This event supersedes event AT00424649.
For updates, maps, and technical information, see:

Event Page or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
National Earthquake Information CenterU.S. Geological Survey

http://neic.usgs.gov//

.No tsunami expected on West Coast from sea quake

LOS ANGELES – Experts say a magnitude-7.9 quake in the South Pacific is not expected to produce a tsunami along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia or Alaska.The quake occurred at 10:48 a.m. PDT Tuesday in the Samoa Islands region.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's West Coast and Alaska Tsunamia Warning Center says it was a strong earthquake but no tsunami warning, watch or advisory is in effect.....

Magnitude 8.0 - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION

2009 September 29 17:48:10 UTC
Earthquake Details
Magnitude
8.0
Date-Time
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 17:48:10 UTC
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 06:48:10 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
READ MORE...

7.9 magnitude quake strikes off American Samoa

WASHINGTON-A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off American Samoa on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.The epicenter of the quake was located 120 miles southwest of the remote Pacific island. It struck at a depth of 20.5 miles.An earthquake of this magnitude is capable of causing a tsunami, although there were no immediate reports of this occurring.

7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Kills 4 in Honduras

At least 4 die in major quake off Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA--A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Honduras on Thursday, killing at least four people, knocking down homes and causing damage in neighboring Guatemala.
Officials expected the death toll to rise as reports came in from the mountainous area around the coast....

Honduras quake kills 4 children, death toll to rise

A powerful 7.1 magnitude quake struck off Honduras' northeast coast near the scuba-diving resort island of Roatan and damaged buildings across the north of the largely impoverished country of some 7 million people.
REUTERS/Graphics

TEGUCIGALPA--Four children died when a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Honduras on Thursday and the death toll could be much higher, emergency workers said.

Raw Video: 7.1 Quake Rocks Honduras and Belize

7.1 earthquake topples homes, kills Honduras teen

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – A powerful earthquake collapsed more than two dozen homes in Honduras and Belize early Thursday, killing a teenager and injuring two more as terrified people ran into the streets in towns across much of Central America.
The magnitude-7.1 quake struck at 2:24 a.m. (4:24 a.m. EDT; 0824 GMT) at the relatively shallow depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado. The epicenter was 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of La Ceiba, Honduras.

Aftershock Briefly Delays Search for Italian Quake Survivors

CBC: A 4.9-magnitude aftershock Tuesday briefly halted the frantic search for survivors of an earthquake in central Italy, as officials announced the death toll has reached 207.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Strong aftershock felt in Rome and L'Aquila

Colored sheets are seen hanging on a clothesline in this aerial view of the village of Onna, a day after a powerful earthquake struck the Abruzzo region in central Italy, on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. The death toll from Italy's worst earthquake in three decades jumped to 207 as bodies were recovered and identified. Fifteen people remained unaccounted for. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

L'AQUILA, Italy-A strong tremor has shaken quake-hit areas of central Italy and sent rescuers and residents fleeing from damaged buildings in L'Aquila.Chunks of concrete dropped from the buildings there and the shock was felt as far away as Rome.Seismologists in Italy and the United States could not immediately assign a magnitude to Tuesday's quake. The APcom news agency said it was between 5.5. and 5.7 on the Richter scale. The quake that struck Monday was 5.8-magnitude.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97DPCK01&show_article=1&catnum=0

As in the days of Noah...

An American Missionary living in Italy describes what it was like when the quake hit

Extensive Rescue Operation

Trapped in the Rubble...

Relatives Watch Race to Rescue Italy Quake Survivors; 207 Dead

L'AQUILA, Italy-Relatives of the missing watched agonized Tuesday as rescuers dug desperately by hand for survivors of Italy's devastating earthquake, jarred by a strong aftershock that drove home the continuing danger.The death toll from Italy's worst earthquake in three decades jumped to 207 as bodies were recovered and identified.Lilly Centofanti waited with her mother on the lawn in front of a partially collapsed university dormitory for word of her 19-year-old younger brother, Davide, who lived on the third floor.Centofanti and her mother comforted each other as relatives called the younger woman's cell phone for updates."There's no information,"she kept saying. "We're waiting," she told a reporter."We only know the shocks go on."Rescuers pulled two bodies overnight from the rubble of the four-story dormitory. They ran out, appearing confused, when the 4.9-magnitude aftershock hit at 11:26 a.m.Premier Silvio Berlusconi surveyed the devastated region by helicopter and said the rescue efforts would continue for two more days-after which any of the trapped would have little chance of survival. Fifteeen people were still missing, he said."The rescue efforts will continue for another 48 hours from today until it is certain that there is no one else alive," Berlusconi told reporters.Berlusconi said that at least 100 of the roughly 1,000 injured people were in serious condition. As many as four students could still be inside the dormitory in L'Aquila-a central Italian city of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architectural treasures, Berlusconi said.A series of aftershocks have hit of L'Aquila and 26 surrounding towns and cities in the snowcapped Apennine mountains since the quake early Monday, which also left tens of thousands homeless. Tuesday's aftershock appeared strongest around L'Aquila, a city of some 70,000 people.
To read more go to:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,512916,00.html
As in the days of Noah...

Search for Survivors

Berlusconi pledges to re-house victims as quake toll hits 207

L'AQUILA, Italy-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday pledged to build a new town to house the thousands of people left homeless by Monday's deadly earthquake in the country's Abruzzo region.Berlusconi told a news conference that the death toll from Italy's worst quake in decades had climbed to 207, as rescuers continued to pull bodies from the rubble in the medieval city of L'Aquila, about 120 km (75 miles) northeast of Rome.Fifteen people remain missing, Berlusconi added.Doctors were also tending to an estimated 1,500 injured residents at two field hospitals, after the main hospital had been hit by the 6.3-magnitude quake.Officials urged residents to keep away from their homes as aftershocks continued. Thousands have sought shelter in tents. Others slept in cars or relatives' homes.Many survivors stood watch, gripping one another, as they watched rescuers feverishly comb through the remains of crumbled buildings.With thousands of people forced from their homes in the area, the Italian premier announced that a special fund would be set up to help victims rebuild their lives."The government has a task to be close to all those citizens who have found themselves in a very difficult situation due to the earthquake, the disaster, and of course also due to the financial crisis," Berlusconi told reporters.Citizens can book a place in the new town, Berlusconi said. A study is "well under way" into plans for the town, he said.The government will provide funds but private individuals will also have to contribute, he said. The government will set up a special fund in banks to allow for low-cost mortgages for homebuyers in the new town, he said."It will be very important, and we will collect together all the necessary money and funds as soon as possible to rebuild, once we overcome any bureaucratic paperwork and issues," Berlusconi said. "Building will be carried out as soon as possible-fast."Meanwhile, 4,000 people were working on the rescue effort Tuesday. Civil defense officials said they are prepared to house up to 30,000 people, but many of those displaced have gone to hotels.Monday's earthquake was about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, the U.S. Geological Survey said.About 10:20 p.m. (8:20 p.m. GMT) Sunday, a 4.6-magnitude earthquake hit northern Italy, about 55 km (35 miles) southeast of Bologna, the agency said. That earthquake's depth was 6.4 km (4 miles). The quake is the deadliest to strike Italy in decades, and the first major temblor to strike the country in almost seven years. Joshua Brothers, an American missionary, told CNN that the quake "sounded as if a 747 (jet) was actually coming in to land.""That was the first thing that was on my mind," he said.The quake left stone buildings in heaps, with rubble spilling over parked cars and into alleyways. Frightened residents rushed into the streets, many of them bringing luggage with them, Brothers said."If you look along the way, there are many palazzi that are cracked, walls have fallen in on some of them," he said.L'Aquila's hospital was damaged as well, forcing doctors to evacuate the most seriously hurt. Agostino Miozzo, the director-general of Italy's Civil Protection agency, called it "a disaster on a huge scale."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/07/italy.quake/index.html

As in the days of Noah....

4.9-Magnitude Aftershock Hits Devastated Italy

L'AQUILA, Italy-A strong aftershock has hit the central Italian region where rescuers are searching for survivors of the country's deadliest earthquake in nearly three decades.The 4.9-magnitude aftershock sent rescue workers and survivors scrambling.They had been working frantically in this central Italian city early Tuesday, scooping through piles of rubble with their hands.Tens of thousands of people left homeless by the powerful 6.3-magnitude quake early Monday slept in makeshift tents that provided little protection against the chilly mountain air. Scores of survivors lined up for a hot cup of coffee or tea and a brioche.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,512936,00.html
As in the days of Noah....

Italy quake - Berlusconi: 100,000 left homeless

Italian Firefighters Dig for 4 Students Trapped in Quake-Hit Dorm

April 7: Firefighters carry out a body from the rubble of a collapsed building, in L'Aquila, central Italy.(AP)

L'AQUILA, Italy-Firefighters say they have located four students trapped in a dormitory that crumbled in Italy's devastating earthquake but did not say if they were alive or dead.Chief firefighter Sergio Basti says rescue crews are evacuating the area around the dorm because they plan to begin "surgically" removing big chunks of the building to reach the four students.Asked if the students were alive, Basti said only that in his experience he had found people alive after 14 days.He said Tuesday that rescue crews needed to "lighten" the building to reach the four since they are in a hard-to-reach spot. Several dozen rescue crews are at the scene of the collapsed building.Relatives of the missing watched agonized as rescuers dug desperately by hand for survivors, jarred by a strong aftershock that drove home the continuing danger.The death toll from Italy's worst earthquake in three decades jumped to 207 as bodies were recovered and identified.Lilly Centofanti waited with her mother on the lawn in front of a partially collapsed university dormitory for word of her 19-year-old younger brother, Davide, who lived on the third floor.Centofanti and her mother comforted each other as relatives called the younger woman's cell phone for updates."There's no information," she kept saying."We're waiting," she told a reporter."We only know the shocks go on."Premier Silvio Berlusconi surveyed the devastated region by helicopter and said the rescue efforts would continue for two more days-after which any of the trapped would have little chance of survival. Fifteeen people were still missing, he said."The rescue efforts will continue for another 48 hours from today until it is certain that there is no one else alive," Berlusconi told reporters.Berlusconi said that at least 100 of the roughly 1,000 injured people were in serious condition. As many as four students could still be inside the dormitory in L'Aquila — a central Italian city of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architectural treasures, Berlusconi said.A series of aftershocks have hit of L'Aquila and 26 surrounding towns and cities in the snowcapped Apennine mountains since the quake early Monday, which also left tens of thousands homeless. Tuesday's aftershock appeared strongest around L'Aquila, a city of some 70,000 people.Two buildings in Pettino, a suburb of L'Aquila, collapsed following the aftershock, the news agency ANSA reported, citing fire officials. No one was believed to be inside either building.The ground shook in the nearly leveled town of Onna, about six miles away, but caused no panic.Rescuers were still trying to reach more isolated hamlets on Tuesday.Officials said some 10,000 to 15,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed, and at least 50,000 people were left homeless. In Onna, 38 people out of some 300 inhabitants were dead, rescue officials said.While the elderly, children and pregnant women were given priority at tent camps in the area, others were sleeping in cars or making their own arrangements to stay with relatives or in second homes out of the quake zone.Six months pregnant, Sandra Padil spent the night in a tent without any covers in the chill mountain air as the temperatures dipped to 43 degrees."We are calmer out in the open," said Padil, a 32-year-old Peruvian who has been living in L'Aquila since 1996. "We didn't have blankets and it was cold, but at least this morning they gave us breakfast. Let's hope this ends quickly."Some elderly people appeared to be disoriented as they walked among the tents, and people tending them complained about the lack of blankets.Mounting piles of rubble contained evidence of shattered lives: torn clothing, ripped stuffed animals and broken furniture.The U.S. Geological Survey said the main quake — which struck just after 3:30 a.m. Monday as most people slept — was magnitude 6.3 on the so-called "moment scale," but Italy's National Institute of Geophysics, using the Richter scale, put it at 5.8.Rescue workers arrived from throughout Italy, from as far away as Venice and Genoa. Part of L'Aquila's main hospital was evacuated for fear of collapse, and few operating rooms were in use. Bloodied victims waited in hospital hallways or in the courtyard and many were being treated in the open.Law enforcement placed cordons around the areas hardest hit by the quake to prevent looting, including the center of L'Aquila and the towns of Paganica and Onna, Capt. Ivan Centomani of Italy's financial police told Sky Italia TV from L'Aquila.Italy's national police chief, Antonio Manganelli, said several people had been arrested for looting from abandoned houses.The quake took a severe toll on L'Aquila's prized architectural heritage. Many Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance landmarks were damaged, including part of the red-and-white stone basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio.The bell tower of the 16th-century San Bernardino church and the cupola of the Baroque Sant'Agostino church also fell, the Culture Ministry said. Stones tumbled down from the city's cathedral, which was rebuilt after a 1703 earthquake.Damage to monuments was reported as far away as Rome, where cracks appeared at the thermal baths built in the 3rd century by the emperor Caracalla, Culture Ministry official Giuseppe Proietti said.Berlusconi declared a state of emergency, freeing up millions in euros to deal with the disaster, and canceled a visit to Russia so he could deal with the crisis.Condolences poured in from around the world, including from President Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI and Abdullah Gul, president of quake-prone Turkey.It was Italy's deadliest quake since Nov. 23, 1980, when a 6.9-magnitude quake hit southern regions, leveling villages and causing some 3,000 deaths.The last major quake to hit central Italy was a 5.4-magnitude temblor that struck the south-central Molise region on Oct. 31, 2002, killing 28 people, of which 27 were children who died when their school collapsed.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513003,00.html

As in the days of Noah...

Powerful quake shakes Russian-held island:USGS

A powerful quake of magnitude 7.0 struck near the Kuril Islands,an archipelago in the North Pacific disputed between Russia and Japan,US seismologists said.There was "no destructive widespread tsunami threat" but local tsunamis could threaten coastlines within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of the quake's epicentre, the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.Russian seismologists put the magnitude of the quake at 6.8, according to RIA Novosti news agency, which said it happened near an unhabited island.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also put the magnitude at 6.8.The quake hit 295 kilometres (180 miles) northeast of the town of Kurilsk at a depth of 39.1 kilometres (24.3 miles) at 0423 GMT, the National Earthquake Information Center of the US Geological Survey said on its website.The Kuril Islands, which are the subject of a territorial dispute between Moscow and Tokyo dating back to World War II,are seismically active and the site of frequent earthquakes.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.f2327b37912e033fe9381f4607bac5a5.1e1&show_article=1&catnum=0
As in the days of Noah...

7.0 Mw - KURIL ISLANDS

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
7.0 Mw
Date-Time
7 Apr 2009 04:23:34 UTC
7 Apr 2009 16:23:34 near epicenter
6 Apr 2009 22:23:34 standard time in your timezone
Location
46.141N 151.420E
Depth
39 km
Distances
293 km (182 miles) ENE (69 degrees) of Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands
658 km (409 miles) NE (55 degrees) of Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan
1519 km (944 miles) NE (36 degrees) of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: 9.3 km; Vertical 13.8 km
Parameters
Nph = 166; Dmin = 730.3 km; Rmss = 0.70 seconds; Gp = 50°M-type = Mw; Version = 6
Event ID
US 2009fdak ***This event supersedes event PT09097001.
For updates, maps, and technical information, see: Event Page or U.S.G.S. Earthquake Hazards Program
National Earthquake Information CenterU.S. Geological Survey

http://neic.usgs.gov/

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"IT WAS LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD": More than 150 dead,Silvio Berlusconi confirms

More than 5,000 rescue workers continued the search for survivors into a second night after the 6.3 magnitude quake hit the Abruzzo region at 3.32am on Monday.After working in heavy rain during the day, the rescuers scoured collapsed buildings in the medieval town of L'Aquila, the regional capital at the epicentre of the earthquake. Emergency services said 60 people had been pulled alive from the rubble.Up to 50,000 people have been left homeless in the town, around 60 miles north-east of Rome, and in the surrounding villages, with up to 15,000 buildings destroyed or damaged beyond repair.Mr Berlusconi declared a state of emergency in the region and cancelled a trip to Russia in order to visit L'Aquila.He said 30 million euros (£27m) had been earmarked to help the region.World leaders from Barack Obama, the US president and Dmitry Medvedev, his Russian counterpart, expressed their sympathy to the victims and their families.The earthquake took a severe toll on the region's architectural heritage. L'Aquila was built as a mountain stronghold during the Middle Ages and has many Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance buildings.Italy's national police chief Antonio Manganelli said several people had been arrested for looting. Thousands of hotel rooms in the area were requisitioned to provide shelter for those who have been displaced.Mr Berlusconi also called together the country's leading seismologists to advise on whether more major shocks could follow.John McCloskey, a professor of geophysics at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, said: "Earthquakes like this frequently trigger other earthquakes in the region. After the Umbria and Marche earthquakes in Italy in 1997 there was a sequence of eight events higher than magnitude five in the following two months."Roger Musson of the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh said the Apennine mountains were a hotspot for large earthquakes, and an event of this magnitude "is not really a surprise".In the last century, five big earthquakes on or around the spine of Italy have claimed around 34,000 lives. Monday's event was the third major 'quake in less than 12 years in a radius of just 90 miles.Gianfranco Fini, speaker of Italy's lower house of parliament, said: "Some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety."Civil protection department officials said the damage extended to 26 cities and towns.

By Nick Squires in L'Aquila and Gordon Rayner

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/5116660/Italian-earthquake-more-than-150-dead-Silvio-Berlusconi-confirms.html

As in the days of Noah....

Israelis Missing in Earthquake

Two Israeli citizens are missing on Monday after a massive earthquake ripped through central Italy, killing at least 92 and destroying thousands of homes.Both Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the Magen David Adom emergency medical services offered their assistance to Italian authorities.The earthquake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, struck at 3:30 a.m. local time in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, a scenic area popular with tourists. The medieval town L'Aquila, which is located near the epicenter of the quake, was struck the hardest. At least 92 people were killed in the initial tremor, but the death toll is expected to rise as rescue forces search through the rubble. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency in the area. Thousands of structures collapsed and rescuers are digging frantically in an effort to locate survivors.The Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry was initially concerned for four Israelis who were in the area at the time. Three of the missing were part of a group of 100 Israeli students who studied in the area.Two later contacted family and friends. The other two remain missing.Fears for one Israeli man's life grew after rescue workers reported that his house had collapsed. Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Magen David Adom both offered Italian authorities any and all assistance in rescue efforts. The Italians thanked the Israelis for the offer, but said that in the meantime they are dealing with the tragedy alone.
by Yehudah Lev Kay
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/
As in the days of Noah...

Update: 100,000 Left Homeless in Central Italy in 6.3-Magnitude Quake’s Wake

US gives U$S 50,000 for quake-hit Italy...

The United States said Monday it would donate 50,000 dollars in emergency aid to Italy after a powerful earthquake killed at least 100 people. "We send our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in the earthquake. Our embassy in Rome will provide 50,000 (dollars) in emergency relief funding," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.Italian authorities told the United States they did not need rescue teams, Wood said. President Barack Obama earlier offered his condolences on a visit to Turkey and voiced hope that the United States could send rescuers.The earthquake killed at least 100 people and injured 1,500 more as it reduced medieval buildings to rubble in the central town of L'Aquila.Wood said there were no reports of US citizens among the dead or injured but that the US embassy in Rome was reaching out to Americans living in the region.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.15148f36e80f2222604c174cd120fa19.381&show_article=1

PS:I'm sorry but just 50000 bucks...?when we are wasting millions in other things and groups that dont deserve it as much as the people of Italy that all of the sudden got hit by this deadly quake...?I wonder if Berlusconi is that happy with Obama after this....A total shame coming from BHO administration...embarassing the US again...

As in the days of Noah...

Sixty pulled alive from Italy quake rubble: firefighters

Rescuers pulled a total 60 survivors from collapsed buildings in central Italy in the wake of Monday's powerful pre-dawn earthquake, firefighters said.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=090406201038.infsby6i&show_article=1

As in the days of Noah...