Disasters

NASA Warns California Drought Could Threaten U.S. Food Supply: ‘There will be some definite changes’

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has sounded a stark warning over California’s sustained drought, publishing its latest findings where satellite surveys show a rapidly depleting groundwater supply. And with California as the United States’ most valuable agricultural state, and thus key to America’s food supply (and much of the world’s as well) that could mean drastic consequences for food commodity prices and potential shortages. The Nature Climate Change journal carried the report, which Think Progress summarized:

Asteroid will pass so close to Earth in 2029 it will trigger asteroid avalanche

The more pessimistic among our readership might already be digging bunkers in their backyards in anticipation of April 13th, 2029. On that day (a Friday nonetheless), an asteroid called 99942 Apophis will come perilously close to Earth. The most recent data suggests that it will miss us by a mere 35,000 kilometers, a hairs breadth in astronomical terms.

Ebola in Sierra Leone is ‘spreading nine times faster than two months ago’, campaigners warn

Cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone are still rising quickly, campaigners have warned. In rural parts of the country, the virus is spreading nine times faster than two months ago, a report from the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI) found. AGI – an organisation set up by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair – said rates are also increasing in the capital Freetown, with six times more new cases recorded per day than two months ago.

Ebola outbreak caused by new strain never seen before; was it weaponized?

Noted infectious disease experts have said that the current strain of Ebola virus plaguing Africa and slowly spreading in the United States is potentially much more lethal than previous strains identified by virologists. As reported by Washington’s Blog, Dr. Michael Osterholm, the head of the Center for Infection Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, a prominent public health researcher who is nationally recognized, gave a talk in recent days explaining what another top Ebola virologist has found.

Possible Oregon Ebola Case, Local Hospitals On Alert

State health officials announced in a press conference today that a woman who has been under monitoring for Ebola has been isolated at a Portland-area hospital and is no danger to the public. The woman had recently traveled to one of the three countries where the Ebola outbreak is occurring—Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone—and was being actively monitored by public health officials. She developed a sustained fever this morning, after which she received an in-person assessment by an EMS team wearing personal protective equipment.

Government Agencies Scramble to Purchase Hazmat Suits

Government agencies across the world are rushing to snap up protective gear as concerns about the spread of the Ebola virus continue to dominate, with Lakeland Industries announcing that it has received 1 million orders for Hazmat suits alone. Lakeland hit the headlines last month when it was revealed that the U.S.

Reported Ebola cases jump 30 percent in just four days

The World Health Organization says the number of reported Ebola cases has surpassed 13,700, a jump of more than 30% since the last numbers were released four days ago. Dr. Bruce Aylward, assistant director-general of the WHO, said the big increase in cases is likely because of previous under-reporting.

Ebola survives on surfaces for up to 50 days

Little-known research published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology back in 2010 is upsetting the official story regarding Ebola, which government officials claim cannot be spread through contaminated surfaces. Scientists from the Biomedical Sciences Department at the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory in the UK found that, contrary to mainstream claims, Ebola can survive for up to 50 days on dried surfaces, specifically on cold glass. In order to better understand how filoviruses are transmitted, the team tested several strains of Ebola, including the ZEBOV (Zaire ebolavirus) species currently believed to be in circulation, to see how they survived under various conditions.

CDC Expands Ebola Risk Factors For Forcible Quarantine

The Centers for Disease Control has expanded the list of risk factors for Ebola that increase the federal agency’s power to forcibly quarantine individuals suspected of being exposed to the virus. Under the new guidelines, issued on Monday, individuals are subject to “movement restrictions” if they have briefly been in the vicinity of an Ebola victim. Previously the CDC outlined how, “Brief interactions, such as walking by a person or moving through a hospital, do not constitute close contact.

7 Key Tips To Getting Your Emergency Food Pantry Off The Ground

Re-published From Hersite I have to admit, when it comes to food saving, canning, and food storage, I have a long way to go in terms of learning the trade. I am willing to press in and learn little by little, and think it is one of the skills we are no longer taught that is of high value. You may be in the same boat…

Ebola can survive on surfaces for almost TWO MONTHS: Tests reveal certain strains survive for weeks when stored at low temperatures

The number of confirmed Ebola cases passed the 10,000 mark over the weekend, despite efforts to curb its spread. And while the disease typically dies on surfaces within hours, research has discovered it can survive for more than seven weeks under certain conditions. During tests, the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) found that the Zaire strain will live on samples stored on glass at low temperatures for as long as 50 days.

What is happening to the sun? Giant sunspot on the solar surface spews out SIXTH massive flare in a week

A giant sunspot on the solar surface has erupted for the sixth time in a week. It is the third major flare in the last 48 hours, from the sunspot which is 14 times larger than Earth and almost as big as Jupiter. Nasa said the activity confirms the areas as the largest active region seen on the sun in 24 years ‘A giant active region on the sun erupted on Oct.

New Jersey Releases Nurse Quarantined for Suspected Ebola

The nurse forcibly quarantined in New Jersey after she came home from treating Ebola patients in West Africa will be released Monday, state officials said. Kaci Hickox has been held against her will in a tent inside a wing of a New Jersey medical center since she was taken off a flight, flushed and distraught, Friday. Hickox has hired a lawyer and spoken out publicly against her quarantine.

There are now more than 10,000 Ebola cases in eight countries

The number of people infected with the Ebola virus has passed 10,000, with 4992 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation, as the United States announced its ambassador to the United Nations would visit the three worst-affected West African nations. It says 10,141 people have been diagnosed with the deadly disease, which is an increase from the previous estimate of about nine thousand cases. Almost five thousand people have died from the virus, which has hit Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone the hardest.

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