Jakarta. In the wake of recent calamities such as the Mount Merapi eruptions and Mentawai tsunami, the government is considering including disaster preparedness in school curriculums nationwide.
Showing posts with label disaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disaster. Show all posts
November 15, 2010
September 04, 2008
SUNRISE REVELATION on Toronto Propane explosion
THE SURVIVING SUNRISE PROPANE WITNESS COMPLETED HIS TASK TRANSFERRING PROPANE. HE OBSERVED SMOKE AT THE NORTH END OF THE FACILITY. THAT IS CLOSER TO THE OLD CANADIAN FORCES BASE DOWNSVIEW OF COURSE AND COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO THE TRUCK TO TRUCK TRANSFER WHICH WASN'T THE SOURCE OF THE EXPLOSION. SUNRISE CAN STILL BE CALLED COLLATERAL DAMAGE UNTIL THE OTHER SOURCE IS NAMED.
Illegal propane transfer completed before Sunrise blast: driver
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 | 7:10 PM ET Comments28Recommend32
CBC News
A former truck driver for a Toronto propane facility that exploded last month said he had just finished an illegal truck-to-truck propane transfer — a daily routine he said he performed on orders from his boss — before the blast.
In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Felipe De Leon, 40, said he had completed the illegal propane transfer when he noticed smoke at the north end of the Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases plant in Toronto's Downsview area.
Direct truck-to-truck propane transfers are illegal because they increase the risk of a gas leak or a fire.
"I heard a small boom, small only, not too big. Then I scared, I panicked. I don't know what's going on," the truck driver said Wednesday.
De Leon said he then went inside the facility's office to tell Sunrise employee Parminder Singh Saini to flee the building. Toronto police on Wednesday identified Saini as the previously unidentified victim of the Aug. 10 blast that forced thousands out of their homes.
"I asked [Saini] to run away, but he didn't listen to me. He go towards the dark, where the smoke is," De Leon said.
De Leon said he then ran for his life, with flames at his side and debris falling on his head. After scaling a fence, De Leon made it to Wilson Avenue where he flagged down a police officer, who took him to a nearby ambulance.
"I pinching my face, I still alive? Yeah," he said, recounting the moment. "I can't believe it, that I'm still alive."
De Leon said he waited more than three hours as blood oozed from a wound on his head. He asked one of the attendants for help but no one would let him leave. De Leon said he was so overwhelmed with anxiety that he eventually left the ambulance bus and flagged down a taxi to take him to the hospital.
The Technical Standards and Safety Authority, Ontario's independent safety regulator for fuels, said last month that a truck driver was illegally transferring propane from one truck to another before the plant blew up.
A statement on its website said in part that, "prior to the fire and explosion, a truck driver at the Murray Road facility was engaged in a truck-to-truck propane transfer. The practice of transferring propane from one truck to another is prohibited in Ontario. The investigation further determined that the prohibited unsafe practice of transferring propane product from one truck to another was a frequent and routine operating practice at the facility."
A former employee of the propane plant has said he witnessed a host of unsafe practices at the facility.
De Leon said he did not know truck-to-truck propane transfers were illegal in Ontario.
Saini, 25, an international student from India, worked part-time at Sunrise. His identity was confirmed through DNA testing conducted by the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto, according to police.
He was the second confirmed death due to the explosion at the Murray Road propane facility. Toronto firefighter Bob Leek also died at the scene.
Video
- Steven D'Souza reports: Driver says he completed illegal propane transfer before Sunrise blast (Runs: 2:48)
- Play: QuickTime »
- Play: Real Media »
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/
April 14, 2008
another item causing concern about Oregon .
Oregon CAP to Conduct Major Exercise This Weekend
Salem-News.comApr-10-2008 13:11
CAP will be using their new Airborne Public Address System which was primarily designed for Tsunami warning and relief operations along the Oregon Coast.
 The Oregon CAP uses 6 Cessna 182 search aircraft to conduct disaster relief, aerial reconnaissance/photography and counter drug operations in support of national,state and local government agencies. Photo courtesy: Oregon CAP |
(AURORA, Ore. ) - The Oregon Wing of the Civil Air Patrol will be conducting a major area wide multi-scenario training exercise this weekend, with aircraft and ground teams operating out of the Aurora State Airport north of Salem.
The exercise, which will focus on scenarios involving air search and rescue, will employ the use of at least six aircraft and over 50 personnel from around the state and will be operating from the CAP's Northern Command Center at the Aurora airport.
"The CAP will be using two new airborne systems beginning this year that will greatly enhance all facets of air operations" remarked CAP spokesman Lt Col. Thomas Traver, public affairs officer for the Oregon CAP. " We will be using our new Airborne Public Address System which was primarily designed for Tsunami warning and relief operations along the Oregon Coast as well as the latest state of the art all digital avionics equipped Cessna 182 search aircraft" he said. " The airborne PA system can be heard on the ground for over 2 miles from an aircraft flying at 1000 feet with crystal clarity and is ideally suited for both Tsunami warning and air search and rescue operations. The new Garmin 1000 all digital LCD display avionics aircraft has many enhancements over the traditional aircraft with built in programmable auto pilot to assist in plotting and flying precise search and rescue routes as well as terrain mapping systems to warn the aircrew of ground obstacles that increases crew flying safety." said Traver
The scenarios are comprised from historical and projected events to encompass a wide range of potential activities involving air operations, communications, ground teams and aerial photography and reconnaissance as well as base team support. The Northern Command Center located at the Aurora Airport, was established last year to provide a fully equipped operations center that could be activated on very short notice to provide a central base of operations for nearly any incident. The CAP also has an additional command center located in Medford for operations in the southern portion of the state.
The CAP is a nationwide civilian, volunteer auxiliary of the United States Air Force flying the worlds largest fleet of over 535 single engine search and rescue aircraft. With over 55,000 members, the CAP provides air search and rescue, Homeland Security and disaster relief services in support of their states and local communities. Oregon has 800 members, teen aged cadets and adult senior officers, who participate in up to six training missions annually in support of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management as well as local jurisdictions who request assistance.
Source: Oregon Civil Air Patrol
April 08, 2008
repost - Earthquake Preparedness Information
Earthquake Preparedness Information
Resource supplement for "Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country"
WEB SITES
• Frequently Asked Questions about Earthquake Preparedness- USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
• The American Red Cross- Earthquake Safety Information (and other disaster preparedness information) in various languages
• Prepare.org (The American Red Cross)- Earthquake Safety Information (and other disaster preparedness information) in various languages
• ED.gov (US Department of Education)- Emergency planning resources for schools and communities
• California Earthquake Research Plan (California Seismic Safety Commission)- 15 page report on California's law to require earthquake research as a part of its hazard reduction plan
• NEHRP (FEMA)- National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) that includes resources, best practices, and news releases
• FEMA- Earthquake Safety Information• HAZUS- Natural Hazard Loss Estimation Methodology• The
Natural Disaster Education Coalition
- Federal agencies and national non-profit organizations -->
• Natural Hazards Center- University of Colorado
• Publications from the California Seismic Safety Commission
• Publications from CUSEC (Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium) • Emergency Preparedness Information Center • QuakeHold Earthquake Safety Products
• Fastening Solutions Earthquake Safety Products • Hazards Mitigation CenterProjects associate with the Lawrence Livermore Hazards Mitigation Center • The Next Big Earthquake in the Bay Area- San Francisco Bay Area earthquake preparedness information.• ABAG Earthquake Maps and Information-The Association of Bay Area Governments• Additional Hazards & Preparedness Information for California.• Quake Country- San Francisco Chronicle
• Planning for a Disaster: Protect Your Pets-Pasadena, CA Humane SocietyPUBLICATIONS
• Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country
San Francisco Bay Region
Los Angeles / Southern CA
• Earthquake Preparedness Guides- California Office of Emergency Service• Strengthening Wood Frame Houses for Earthquake Safety- California Office of Emergency Service
• Coping with Children's Reactions to Earthquakes- California Office of Emergency Service
• Reducing Earthquake Hazards in Schools- California Office of Emergency Service
• The Earthquake Preparedness Handbook- Los Angeles City Fire Department• Is Your Home Protected from Earthquake Disasters?- Institute for Business and Home Safety, 1999. (PDF)
• Protect Your Home Against Earthquake Damage- Institute for Business and Home Safety. (PDF)
• How You Can Strengthen Your Home for the Next Big Earthquake in the Los Angeles Area-Easy Low-Cost Ways to Help Reduce the Risk of Damage to Your Home. (PDF)
• The Next Big Earthquake in Alaska may come sooner than you think!- Alaska Earthquake Information Center, UAF Geophysical Inst., USGS • Open for Business:- A Disaster Planning Toolkit for the Small Business Owner. (PDF)
Surviving an Earthquake-online training course from Advance Online•Natural Hazards Review- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
•The EQE Earthquake Home Preparedness Guide (EQE)- How safe is your home?
FACT SHEETS
• USGS Earthquake Preparedness Fact Sheets: Select a title Building Safer Structures Pay a Little Now, or a Lot Later Saving Lives Through Better Design Standards Speeding Earthquake Disaster Relief The Mississippi Valley--Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On The Los Angeles Dam Story Seismic Maps Foster Landmark Legislation Reducing Earthquake Losses throughout the United States
October 20, 2007
What if we've already been rounded up?
The pragmatism of a dystopian present-tense.
Edited on Fri Oct-19-07 12:33 PM by nashville_brook
It seems reasonable to me that politically aware people such as fellow DUers would be waxing dystopian lately. We're witnessing bizarre and regular shocks to our collective pysche...
-- The Katrina Massacre (a city overtaken by paramilitary thugs, mass death and random imprisonment/police violence);
-- police brutality at shutting down mass demonstrations (such as the LAPD Immigration rally melee); and,
-- tasering civilians practicing free speech in a university setting,
-- Grand jury subpoenas IP addresses of alt-newsweekly readership
Given these abuses, it's only normal to air our anxiety about what happens next. We worry for our kids: what sort of world they are inheriting? We want to fix it. Instead of paranoid "fantasies," I see worried "parents" are getting over their fear of what happens next and entering a "strategy" phase, as Naomi Klein hopefully posits in The Shock Doctrine: when the shock starts to wear off, we can get down to the business of making life better.
So, it's with alarm and puzzlement, that "worst case scenario" discussions often attract heated debate as to whether or not the worst could really happen "here." Some people seem personally invested in the notion that nothing that bad could ever happen here. Their posts are peppered with tinfoily hats and eyeroll icons. I guess the desire is to claim a moral or intellectual high ground, as if there's an upside to ignoring creeping authoritarianism. Is there a real-world upside to ignoring the temperature rising under our amphibious butts?
I'm puzzled by this response, because, as I see it, no one loses when ideas are freely discussed. If no worse case scenario happens, well, yea. In the meantime, why wouldn't you "reality check" and strategize?
Setting this aside for a moment, I think it's significant that our discussions are evolving from mere anxiety to strategizing. Might we be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, if we are no longer afraid to answer these questions?
I'm going to assert that our worst case scenarios HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED. Consider New Orleans in the wake of the levee failures and the paramilitary takeover.
Doesn't it seem like we had a worst case scenario there? For all the people who died in their attics, or lost their homes, or are forever poisoned from the environment, it doesn't get any worse.
The narrative that has captured our imagination and generated controversy is the "good german" myth, where rights are diminished to the point of non-existence, while everyone looks on. We imagine that we'll know when "it's fascism" by the presence of government troops and concentration camps. But, the founders of this country imagined a different worse case scenario -- tyranny in the form oligarchy and theocracy. Our laws and Constitution were written to protect the people from the concentration of wealth and political power. Who here can say that we are not yet danger regarding these threats? Who here can say that economic and political power haven't ALREADY slipped from our grasp?
What if the shit hit the fan a long time ago and we're not noticing it because we've grown accustomed to the constant stream of poo covering our cultural landscape? "Good german" scenarios warn against the loss of freedom. So, can someone please tell me what freedom it is that you are afraid of losing? Can you put that "freedom" in plain sight so that we can guard it more carefully? Because, think we have basic misunderstanding. The Good German Syndrome is the fear of complicity in the face of loss of freedom. I think our problem is more serious and talk about "freedom" is meaningless. Our problem is that we've lost our POWER, not our FREEDOM.
We can speak all we want. We can speak in "free speech zones." We can speak if we don't mind being tasered. We can march in mass demonstrations if we aren't too afraid of being caught in the middle of a melee. We can post on DU, as long as we don't mind that the telecomms are keeping track of everything we say. We have freedom of movement as long as we don't mind cavity searches if we show up on a secret "no-fly" list.
We have freedom-in-quotation-marks in spades.
The problem is we have no power to be heard because our government has no interest in speech that doesn't come in an envelope with a large donation.
Does money equal speech, as the Supreme Court will likely rule 5-to-4 for the rest of our lifetimes? If corporations enjoy "freedom of speech" via money (which I have very little of), then, how likely is it that my speech will be heard?
Earlier this week, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi lamented her inability to arrest those exercising free speech outside her Bay Area mansion. Do you think, if those wishing to be heard, came bearing giant corporporate donations, that they'd be outside building buddahs? No, they'd be inside being heard. Forget about having the power to compete against the deafening ka-ching of lobbyist checks being cashed. We no longer even have the commodious tolerance for speech (even in San Francisco!), by our so-called Democratic leadership. Were that we were homeless, indeed.
Freedom is nothing without POWER, and we're starting to realize just how vulnerable this has made us. Discussing "what if" and "worst case" scenarios is a response to our loss of power. It makes perfect sense to take inventory of our assets and formulate a response in the face of another, larger, deeper catastrophe -- such as the "World War 3" Bush says is "worth starting" in Iran.
I think we've already been "rounded up." We're fed-up, and we're not going to take it anymore. Our discussions at this point are about REGAINING POWER -- not pre-empting a disaster.
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