As New York City prepared for a massive transit shutdown, heavy winds and rain from Hurricane Irene began to lash the North Carolina coast Friday night — a prelude to what government hurricane experts warned could be a devastating weekend trek northward all the way to New England. Irene remained a Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph, though the storm’s trajectory slowed from 14 mph to 13 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The core of the 200-mile-wide storm was expected to reach the coast of North Carolina late Friday and early Saturday, moving...

Japan’s earthquake and tsunami is alerting the US west coast that the same kind of thing could happen there. Experts who study the earth’s shifting crust say the “big one” may be past due. Japan’s massive earthquake and tsunami is alerting the US west coast that the same kind of thing could happen here. In fact, say experts who study the earth’s shifting crust, the “big one” may be past due. Both Japan and the Pacific Northwest lie along subduction zones – areas where tectonic plates push against each other. When the growing pressure finally gives way, earthquakes and related...

We at Medcare Provider send our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the People of Japan. Our thoughts are with the people of Japan at this time. Medcare Provider Staff

Japan has declared states of emergency at two nuclear plants damaged by Friday’s massive earthquake along the country’s northeastern coast. Officials said the 8.9 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami knocked power out and caused cooling systems to fail at two plants in Fukushima. They warned of radiation leaks as steam was vented from reactors in an effort to relieve growing pressure. Japanese officials said Saturday the venting would not pose a major safety risk to the public, although authorities ordered people living around the plants to evacuate. Read more…

By Caroline Kyungae Smith Japan’s earthquake will be considered a great quake,” said Dale Grant, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey in Golden, Colo. “Japan has never seen this before.” Any quake above an 8 in magnitude is considered a great quake, Grant said. Damage can span from hundreds to thousands of miles. The quake was centered about 80 miles east of Japan. A few days earlier, Japan was hit with a 7.2 earthquake that many are saying was the precursor to today’s quake, he said. Read more…

A state of emergency has been declared in New Zealand’s second largest city after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake collapsed walls and cut off power. No tsunami alert was issued and there appeared to be only two serious injuries, but looters broke into some damaged shops in Christchurch, police said. The powerful tremor hit 19 miles (30km) west of the city. Christchurch mayor Bob Parker declared a state of emergency after receiving reports of widespread damage. He said the “sharp, vicious earthquake has caused significant damage in parts of the city… with walls collapsed that have fallen...

By The Associated Press WASHINGTON – A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf following the explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. And the microbe works without significantly depleting oxygen in the water, researchers led by Terry Hazen at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., reported Tuesday in the online journal Sciencexpress. “Our findings, which provide the first...

Live webcam nearby Iceland Volcano – Live Streaming Feed: ‘Massive’ ash cloud closing western Irish airports By SHAWN POGATCHNIK (AP) DUBLIN — Iceland’s volcano has produced a 1,000-mile-wide (1,600 kilometer-wide) ash cloud off the west coast of Ireland that will force western Irish airports to shut down again Friday, the Irish Aviation Authority announced. The authority said shifting winds, currently coming from the north, had bundled recent days’ erupted ash into a massive cloud that is growing both in width and height by the hour. Eurocontrol, which determines the...

Tornado in Mississippi on Saturday left at least nine people, nearly two dozen wounded and about 30 homes destroyed, officials of the state of the southern United States. Severe spring storms and strong tornado killed five people in Choctaw County, three in Yazoo County and one in Holmes County in its movement to the northeast, told AFP Jeff Rent, a spokesman for the Emergency Management Agency Mississippi. Two of the Choctaw victims were children and estimated the death toll to rise as rescue workers clear the rubble area. Read more…

Millions of stranded travellers face further air chaos as the volcanic ash from Iceland that has closed most of Europe’s airspace continues to spread. An estimated three-quarters of flights were cancelled on Saturday. About 20 countries closed their airspace – some have extended flight bans into Monday. Disruption is now said to be greater than that after 9/11 and the volcanic activity shows no sign of abating. Two airlines say they have successfully carried out test flights. Read More….