Deadly Quake Strikes Indonesia – UPDATE

Background:

Deadly Earthquake Strikes Java, Indonesia

UPDATE:

• At least 40 people are killed by the powerful quake, with twice as many missing, feared dead.
• Up to a thousand buildings have been destroyed or damaged.
• About 350 people injured.
• The worst hit areas are  Cianjur, about 100km south of the capital Jakarta, city of Tasikmalaya and the town of Sukabumi.

A couple takes pictures of their damaged house after an earthquake in Pangalengan, West Java, September 3, 2009. REUTERS/Supri. Image may be subject to copyright.

More Images: Reuters

For future  updates, see comments sections.

Related Links

• Deadly Earthquake Strikes Java, Indonesia [Includes FEWW Forecast for a Great Earthquake in the region]
  
• Magnitude 6.8 EQ Strikes BANDA SEA
• Earthquake Forecast: Timor Sea
• Australian Oil Disaster May Get a Lot Worse
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Deadly Earthquake Strikes Java, Indonesia

Powerful earthquake measuring at least 7.3 Mw strikes off the coast of Java, Indonesia.

FEWW ‘EarthModel’ estimated the magnitude as 7.6 Mw, while the quake was recorded by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center as a magnitude 7.3Mw (±0.4 )

More than 20 people have been killed according to the initial reports, with  hundreds of structures destroyed or damaged in the city of Tasikmalaya and town of Sukabumi west of Java. Thousands of people have been evacuated, taking refuge in open areas, including the grounds of a military base.

Dozens more people were injured, including up to 50 people in Jakarta, about 190km from the epicenter, officials said.

Magnitude 7.6Mw destroyed or damaged many buildings in the city of Tasikmalaya west of the island of Java. Photo: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

The quake struck offshore, with the epicenter about 115km west-southwest of Tasikmalaya city (190 km SSE of the Capital Jakarta), at a depth of about 60 km.

The mainshock was followed by at least 4 aftershocks, with 2 of the shocks measuring 5.6 and  5.2. Local tsunami warnings automatically issued after the quake have now been withdrawn. Local seismologists reported small  sea levels rises near the west coast of Java.

Summary of Earthquake details as reported by
European-Mediterranean Seismological Center

Magnitude:  7.3 Mw (±0.4 )
Region:  JAVA, INDONESIA

Date and time: 2009-09-02 at 07:55:03.8 UTC
Location: 7.84 S ; 107.35 E
Depth: 70 km
Distances:

• 91 km S Banjaran (pop 164,952 ; local time 14:55 2009-09-02)
• 72 km S Banjar (pop 37,263 ; local time 14:55 2009-09-02

Automatic GEOFON Global Seismic Monitor

© Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum – GFZ

GFZ Potsdam – Earthquake Bulletin

• Region: Java, Indonesia
• Time: 2009-09-02 07:55:02.7 UTC
• Magnitude: 7.4
• Epicenter: 107.34°E 8.00°S
• Depth: 62 km
• Status: manually revised

USGS/EHP
In line with their current practice of downsizing nearly all their EQ reports in 2009, USGS Earthquake Hazard Program downgraded the quake to a magnitude 7.0 Mw.

FEWW Earthquake Forecast For Java/Bali Region:

• Region: Java/Bali, Indonesia
• Date of Occurrence: September to Late December 2009
• Magnitude: 8.4+
• Epicenter: 10°40’31.43″S 114°55’33.81″E
• Depth: 40 km

Related Links:

• Magnitude 6.8 EQ Strikes BANDA SEA
• Earthquake Forecast: Timor Sea
• Australian Oil Disaster May Get a Lot Worse
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Socal Fire Crews: May the Force Be With You …

But that’s all the water we’ve got!

Photo: From a lakeside dock in Yucaipa Regional Park, the McHenry family  cheers as a Sikorsky S64 Sky Crane firefighting helicopter goes “In the Dip” for another load of water Tuesday. (Don Bartletti /Los Angeles Times). Image may be subject to copyright.

Fires Approach Mt. Wilson Observatory from Two Directions

Fire crews are reportedly trying to save the historic Mt Wilson observatory as well as important TV and radio antennas from destruction. Fire was approaching the mountain  from two directions: about 800 meters (yards) to the north and 1,200 meters (yards) to the west.

Photo: Flames from the Station fire approach Mt. Wilson Observatory in the Angeles National Forest. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times).  Image may be subject to copyright.

“We expect the fire to hit the Mt. Wilson facilities between 5 p.m. today and 2 a.m. Wednesday morning,” LA Times quoted Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief James Powers. “Right now, we’re conducting controlled burns around the perimeter in preparation for the impending fire’s arrival. We’re also bringing in trucks and special equipment to coat all of the structures with protective gel and foam if necessary. We do not plan to cover everything with a gooey mess.”

Smoke from the Station Fire rises over downtown Los Angeles Monday, Aug. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Jon Vidar).  Image may be subject to copyright.

The Los Angeles skyline is obscured by smoke [buildings are barely visible in the background] from the Station Fire north of the city August 31, 2009. A deadly wildfire burning out of control for a sixth day in the parched mountains north of Los Angeles doubled in size overnight on Monday and posed a continuing threat to Mount Wilson, a key communications nexus for the region’s broadcasters and emergency services. REUTERS/Freds Prouser. Image may be subject to copyright.

Head Lines:

• Pitched battle underway to save Mt. Wilson from fire as officials cite progress elsewhere
• Supervisor says county’s emergency notification system failed during fires
• Firefighters battle flames on Mt. Wilson
• Los Angeles wildfire gets first break from weather
• Huge wildfire portends bad Calif. fire season

More images at

• LA Times Photo Album
• Reuters Photos

Related Links and Previous Entries:

• https://feww.wordpress.com/calif-fires-2009/

Hurricane Jimena Down to Cat 3

Hurricane Jimena Weakens to a Category 3B on FEWW Hurricane Scale

Hurricane Jimena weakens to a Category 3B on FEWW Hurricane Scale (Cat 3 on Saffir Simpson scale) with maximum sustained winds of about 201 km/h (125 mph), still a major hurricane.

Summary of Hurricane Jimena Current Status

Time/Date:  2:00 PM PDT Tuesday, September 1, 2009 (21:00 UTC)

• Location: 21.9°N 111.2°W
  [About 135 Km (85 miles) WSW of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and About 265 km (165 miles) SSE of Cabo San Lazaro Mexico.]

• Max sustained: 201 km/h (125 mph)

• Moving: NNW (330 degrees) at 19 km/h (12 mph)

• Min pressure: 71.3 cmHg (951 mb)

NHC Warning:

• Hurricane warning remains in effect for the southern portion of the Baja California and other areas [See latest NHC Advisory]

• Conditions are expected to deteriorate over the southern portion of the warning area later today and preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

• For storm information specific to your area, monitor your national meteorological service.

Palm trees are blown by strong winds in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico’s state of Baja California, as Hurricane Jimena approaches, September 1, 2009. Hurricane Jimena, an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, barreled toward Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Tuesday, forcing tourists to flee the Los Cabos resort area. REUTERS/Henry Romero (MEXICO DISASTER ENVIRONMENT IMAGES OF THE DAY).

Jimena is still moving on forecast track in NNW direction at a leisurely speed of about 19 km/h (12 mph), and is expected to continue same next couple of days.

MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image at 11:35 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time, on September 1, 2009. At the time this image was taken, Jimena had winds of 215 kilometers per hour (135 miles per hour) with stronger gusts, said NHC. The storm was expected to bring heavy rain—up to 15 inches in some locations, a dangerous storm surge, and battering waves to Baja California. The image has been rotated 17 degrees to the east. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek. [Edited by FEWW.]

Click here for the latest loop of the last 12 hours

Related Links and additional images:

• Hurricane JIMENA
• Hurricane Jimena: No Prisoners

Hurricane Jimena UPDATES Are  Posted at:

• Hurricanes 2009