Nature - Blizzard

A blizzard is a severe snowstorm, characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of 56 km/h (35 mph) with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or less and must last for a prolonged period of time — typically three hours or more. Ground blizzardsrequire high winds to stir up already fallen snow.

Blizzards can bring near-whiteout conditions, and can paralyze regions for days at a time, particularly where snowfall is unusual or rare. The 1972 Iran blizzard, which caused approximately 4000 deaths, was the deadliest in recorded history.

The Great Blizzard of '49 was the worst blizzard the US
has ever known. This famous blizzard also known as the "Great White Death" was actually a series of blizzards that lasted for seven weeks. They began in Wyoming and Colorado, then spread over most of the West. To save cattle and sheep, the U.S. Air Force dropped 1,500 tons of hay. More than 100 people and 1 million heads of livestock were killed in this deadly blizzard.

Just Before a Blizzard

Cautions:
When driving< D0  not travel during winter storms unless u absolutely need to. Make sure the car is running alright before the blizzard and make sure there is a full tank of gas. If u are driving stay away from fallen power lines  and turn on the panic button and flashers.
Out doors< Dress in several layers of clothing and wear a hat. Mittens are better to wear then  gloves. Remember the wind increases  cooling affect so its easier to get frostbite

At Home< Stock emergency supplies like food and water encase the power  goes out. Be very careful with candles and fires and use only approved indoor heating devices.

blizzard-of-2010

Dangers:

White Out :  A white out is when the snow is coming down so hard some times you can hardly see anything a white out happens when a blizzard is going and the winds are super   strong. Whiteouts are usually stronger in the country rather then the city because the lack of buildings to stop wind flow.

Wind Chill:  wind chill  is the combination of the effects of wind and cold air on heat loss from the body.  Wind chill is mostly affective  on the  exposed parts of your body. As the wind  increases, heat is carried  away quicker  decreasing  the body temperature. Animals can also be affected by wind chill  also no matter how thick there coats.

Hypothermia: hypothermia is  a life threatening . Witch causes uncontrollable shivering memory loss.   Disorientation , slurred speech, drowsiness. Hypothermia becomes life threatening when the body temperature begins falling

Frost Bite: Caused by exposure to the body frost bite damages the tissues of your fingers toes earlobe etc. One of the signs of frost bite is not being able to feel your body. to treat frostbite try and get as warm as possible.


Did you know 
The number one causes of death during a winter 
storm is a heart attack while shoveling.


Did you  know that it is never too cold to snow? It can snow when its below or above freezing.

Historic events

• Ground Hog Day Blizzard of 2011
• The New York blizzard in 2010
• Third North American blizzard of 2010
• Second North American blizzard of 2010
• First North American blizzard of 2010
• February 2007 North America Winter Storm
• Saskatchewan blizzard of 2007
• Blizzard of 1999
• Great Blizzard of 1993
• Halloween Blizzard of 1991
• Chicago Blizzard of 1979
• Northeastern United States Blizzard of 1978
• Great Blizzard of 1978
• Blizzard of 1977
• Chicago Blizzard of 1967
• North American blizzard of 1947
• Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940
• Great Lakes Storm of 1913
• Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888, North American Great Plains
• Great Blizzard of 1888, Northeastern U.S.

2011 Blizzard

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Why Japan is the Best Country to tackle Natural Disaster?

Pictures of Japan's earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011

Let's Pray for Japan

How Tsunamis Occur?

Japan’s response to quake offers lessons to the world

Japan has suffered more crippling earthquakes than just about any place on Earth. But its battles with natural disasters have bred innovation and turned the country into the world’s undisputed leader in responding to tremors and tsunamis. Skyscrapers are built to sway when shaken. Bullet trains are equipped with warning systems that trigger automatic brakes. Even Tokyo’s ubiquitous vending machines are programmed to open in emergencies, providing free drinks and snacks.

“There is nowhere in the world that is better prepared,” said David Brodie, a Vancouver-based consultant who has worked in Japan to help Canadian and British embassies prepare for earthquakes.

Japan’s preparedness and response to this quake offer lessons to the world. Some Canadian earthquake specialists are already gearing up to travel to the region.

Much of Japan’s quake innovation was born after a devastating tremor 16 years ago. The Great Hanshin earthquake, which struck near the city of Kobe on Jan. 17, 1995, caused thousands of buildings and part of an expressway to collapse. Dozens of fires raged, but Japanese government officials were slow to respond and reluctant to accept foreign help. About 6,400 people died.

The degree of devastation from Friday’s massive seismic event, which struck the island nation’s northeast coast, isn’t fully known, although the death toll is expected to exceed 1,000. Even in a country as prepared as Japan, little more can be done in the face of an 8.9 magnitude offshore quake that unleashed a 10-metre tsunami. It’s the fifth-largest jolt the world has experienced since 1900.

Pictures of Japan's earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011

Buildings that give

Japan has some of the most advanced building codes in the world. It has pioneered designs and techniques that help new and old buildings withstand quakes. The goal is to create ductile structures, buildings that sway instead of crumbling when shaken violently by tremors, said Murat Saatcioglu, a structural engineering professor at the University of Ottawa and past president of the Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering. If designed and built properly with steel bracing and reinforced concrete shear walls like those found in elevator shafts, new buildings shouldn’t collapse, although windows, drywall and pipes may break. The main challenge in Japan and in other earthquake-prone regions lies in older buildings. The Japanese are pioneering a retrofitting technique using fibre-reinforced polymer, a light but sturdy material originally developed for airplane wings. As soft as cloth and delivered in rolls like wallpaper, a building’s columns and walls can be shrouded in this black-coloured plastic that includes cotton fibres. The material, which can be painted and is also used to reinforce old bridge columns, creates the give sought in quake-resistant buildings.

Smart transit

Millions of Tokyo commuters were stranded for six hours when the capital’s massive subway system ground to a halt. Japan’s bullet trains also stopped running. The high-speed bullet-train network has a special Urgent Earthquake Detection and Alarm System, which can detect an earthquake and trigger an alarm that enables automatic braking. This has served as a model for other quake-warning systems.

Pictures of Japan's earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011

Training day

After finding their homerooms and catching up on summer activities, the first day of the Japanese school year sees children of all ages participate in a mandatory earthquake drill. Since 1960, the Japanese government has marked Sept. 1 – the anniversary of the 1923 Tokyo quake – as Disaster Prevention Day, with most public and private buildings reviewing their evacuation protocol. Life on the Pacific Ring of Fire means a constant state of preparation for the big one, and when Friday’s earthquake hit, evacuation zones were quickly established within schools, embassies and community centres across the country. These designated sites are stocked with tents, generators and enough food and supplies to house their visitors for days, if necessary. Near the coast, tsunami-evacuation routes are marked on large public road maps.

The cell-phone lifeline

Long before Google introduced its People Finder tool, Japan had a nation-wide searchable database for people to locate one another after a natural disaster. The system, supported by the country’s largest telecommunications companies, allows mobile-phone users to send text messages indicating whether they are safe or need assistance. The information is logged in a public database that friends and relatives can search by cell-phone number. It is one part of a communication network that is designed to facilitate the flow of information, while reducing the burden on public officials. In the hours after this week’s quake and its aftershocks, major cell-phone companies restricted access to voice calls in certain networks as part of a national strategy to maintain airspace for emergency service personnel. But text message and email systems remained functional, and in a country where almost everyone is wired and the television network was down, people kept up to date on the situation via iPads and smart phones. These gizmos even played a role in the country’s early warning system, with cell-phone customers on the large networks receiving text message “red alerts” immediately before the walls started shaking.

A market niche

Earthquake preparedness has emerged as a small cottage industry in Japan, with home seismographs that look like fancy alarm clocks and personal, mobile versions that predict when shock waves will reach a given location. One fashion company even produced the IZAt (Immediate Zip Aid Tarp), a jacket that converts into a temporary shelter. The durable fabric can be used to transport the injured and the jacket’s zippers allow pieces to be combined to build larger structures. Even the public utility Tokyo Gas has been creative with its disaster messaging, distributing a special line of candy, the packaging of which is printed with instructions on how to switch off your gas line after an earthquake.

Pictures of Japan's earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011

Let's Pray for Japan

How Tsunamis Occur?

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