Prophecy, Drought, Earthquakes, Famine, Pestilence, War, and Strange Weather.

[Soldier4Christ]

Mystery ice falls from sky

OAKLAND -- Did it come from outer space? Jokes were flying Saturday morning after a block of solid ice, measuring more than two feet square, whooshed to Earth with a tremendous bang, digging a three-foot hole in the grass at Bushrod Park, 5800 Shattuck Ave.

Brooks and Judith Mencher said they were standing on their back porch on 59th Street near the park when they heard a sound like a rocket.

Judith Mencher said she looked up. "It was just a big, gray mass. The sound was very, very loud."

"It kind of went 'whoosh!' Brooks Mencher said.

"It hit with a loud bang, like an explosion," they said.

The impact hole looked like it was hit with a hand grenade, said Oakland Police Sgt. Ron Lighten. "The Fire Department pulled out a chunk that was at least 18 inches in diameter," he said. "It knocked turf 20 feet away."

The Oakland Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team said the ice was pure water. " It didn't come from a toilet on a plane or anything like that."

Frank Hartmann, a neighbor, said he heard the ice passing overhead but did not see it. "I saw a plane in the area either just before it or just afterwards."

 At Oakland International, a spokeswoman said she had no idea if a plane might have been going overhead at that moment. "We'll have to wait until Monday, when that information is available," she said.

An operations manager at the Federal Aviation Administration in Los Angeles said he had never heard of such a thing.

"I've been here 15 years and what usually falls from planes is 'blue ice,' that's methylene glycol. They put it in airplane toilets. Sometimes there are leaks and it falls out," he said.

Another FAA official suggested the ice may have been tossed from a small plane.

[Soldier4Christ]

Carlson: What it's really like if mumps case turns ugly
JOHN CARLSON



Iowa now has nearly 400 mumps cases, more than the total number seen nationally in a typical year. Which makes it a big deal, because health department investigators can't figure out why it's happening here or now.

Or at all, given the fact most people coming down with the highly contagious disease received the vaccine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even has a team in Iowa trying to come up with some answers.

Through it all we're being told mumps isn't all that dangerous, at least in most cases.

But there can be complications and possible lifelong effects when mumps hits males past puberty. That's the official, clinical, antiseptic line. It provides none of the truly ugly details about what really can happen.

Which bring us to the story of a 12-year-old boy who caught the mumps some years ago, prior to the introduction of the vaccine.

Some of his pals already were being kept home from school with mumps, and they told him it was a pretty good deal. You can hang around the house watching TV and maybe go outside and shoot some baskets when Mom and Dad aren't looking.

Great, the boy thought. A week of goofing off, with just a sore throat and a little swelling in the neck.

The boy's mom told him to sit still, keep his behind on the couch and do the school work that his teacher had dropped by the house on her way home. Don't run around, the mom said. It can make this mumps thing a whole lot worse.

He paid no attention, of course. She went to the store, and he trotted around the yard. She took a casserole to a sick neighbor, and he worked on his jump shot.

She asked him how he was doing a couple of days later, and he didn't say much. He had a fever. And he was hurting in areas far south of his neck.

Although he doesn't remember the word being mentioned, he was developing something doctors call "orchitis," which is a swelling of the testicles.

There were whispers about how the boy was in for a very rough time.

Nobody had a clue just how rough. It was mid-December. His family would call it their "year without Christmas."

The fever went up, and the mumps, as they say, went down.

The boy had no thoughts of shooting baskets or trotting around the backyard. He was on his back on the living room couch because he couldn't walk.

He didn't watch TV because of the screaming headaches that came when he opened his eyes. The fever went higher, 103 or 104 degrees.

The kid, although he doesn't remember this part so well, was told he blacked out from time to time. His dad was recovering from a heart attack, so his uncle came to the house every night and carried the boy upstairs to bed.

That stopped being an option when being carried hurt so much he couldn't stand it. They made a bed for him in the living room and sat up with him all night. One night his mom, the next night a neighbor, the next night an aunt.

A doctor came to the house on Christmas Day — I told you this was a long time ago — and told the mom and dad another day of fever and the boy would likely develop meningitis, an inflammation of the brain. He'd have to be hospitalized at that point because this thing could kill him.

They told the boy later about the doctor's visit and the fact the minister stopped by.

He remembered none of it. He just knew that for some reason, the fever broke, the horrific swelling was gone a few days later and he went back to school after the holiday break.

He also knows everything stopped for one Iowa family for a couple of weeks that December, because of what seemed to be a simple case of the mumps. And that the disease can have lasting implications, even when it hits a 12-year-old and that the huge majority of those with mumps in this epidemic are that age and older.

It's why he's paying attention to the health department's news bulletins and saying, "Yeah, right," when he hears about doctors telling people not to worry too much about mumps.

The kid knows better. Those complications they don't talk much about can kill you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Doctors report rise in cases of flesh-eating bacteria

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Some doctors in Kentucky say they are seeing a rise in the number of cases of flesh-eating bacteria, a rare disease that is potentially lethal.

Dr. Alberto Ren Maldonado is writing an article for the Kentucky Medical Association's journal reminding doctors to be vigilant about the potentially deadly condition, which is formally known as necrotizing fasciitis.

"It's a very devastating infectious disease," said Maldonado, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Louisville. "I'm seeing it more often."

Some doctors say the number of cases may be higher than the widely used estimate of about 1,500 a year nationally.

One germ to blame for the illness is a resistant staph bacteria _ a growing threat fueled by the overuse of antibiotics.

Researchers writing in The New England Journal of Medicine last year said flesh-eating disease caused by this germ is "an emerging clinical entity" and they had seen "an alarming number" of cases, 14 in a 15-month period at a Los Angeles medical center.

Also on the rise are serious problems linked to Group A strep, the bacteria that causes many other cases of flesh-eating disease. Kentucky reported 62 cases of invasive disease caused by this germ in 2004, up from 39 in 2001.

Tim Bledsaw said he thought the dime-size spot on his inner thigh was just a boil, but the Louisville man was later diagnosed with the flesh-eating bacteria.

Bledsaw's doctors gave him strong intravenous antibiotics and performed surgery the next day to remove dead tissue, the first of 10 operations.

He said he drew strength from his faith during the ordeal.

"I was at peace," Bledsaw said. "I was not afraid."

Doctors considered amputating his leg at one point in the treatment. In the end, that wasn't necessary, but Bledsaw spent seven weeks in the hospital.

Dr. Robert Brawley, communicable disease chief at the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said the rising numbers of invasive Group A strep reports could, in part, reflect a growing awareness of the problem on the part of doctors.

"This is such an incredibly destructive disease that you don't want to miss it," Raff said. "People can die within hours."

[Shammu]

 Venezuelan, Mexican FMs condole Iran over quake
Tehran, April 9, IRNA

Iran-Venezuela-Mexico
The foreign ministers of Venezuela and Mexico in separate messages on Sunday condoled with the Iranian nation over the tragic quakes which hit western province of Lorestan.

In their messages, the two foreign ministers expressed their deep sorrow over the quake in Lorestan province, which left scores of people dead and injured.

Quakes, measuring between 4.7 and six on the Richter
scale, have rattled northern parts of western Lorestan province since late Thursday, leaving 70 people dead and more than 1,300 others injured.

Some 330 villages have also been partially or totally destroyed as a result.

Venezuelan, Mexican FMs condole Iran over quake

[Shammu]

Gulf Coast Prepares New Hurricane Plans

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 9 minutes ago

GULFPORT, Miss. - Joe Spraggins knows it will take stockpiles of food, water and fuel and better evacuation routes to survive if the Gulf Coast gets hit by another monster storm this coming hurricane season.

What the Harrison County emergency management director cannot fully plan for is the psychological toll another hurricane could exact on residents struggling to rebuild their lives after Katrina.

"They're already at the point of breaking," he said. "If we have another storm of any size this summer, mental health is going to be a huge issue."

Katrina laid waste to tens of thousands of homes and businesses and killed more than 1,300 people in Louisiana and Mississippi. Now, less than two months before the next hurricane season starts June 1, overworked officials and frazzled homeowners are bracing for the possibility of another killer storm in a region where thousands still live in government-issued trailers or under blue tarps.

This hurricane season could be more brutal than last year's, when a record-setting 27 storms, including 15 hurricanes, churned in the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters say the Atlantic is in a period of increased hurricane activity that could last another a decade or longer.

Even a weaker storm than Katrina could be devastating, wiping out much of the modest progress that has been made and sweeping away the little trailers.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour calls this a "critical period of vulnerability."

"We're going to pray for the best but prepare for the worst," he said.

Spraggins, whose territory includes Katrina-battered Gulfport and Biloxi, said the county is devising a new emergency plan to replace the old one.

Katrina made a mockery out of federal, state and local emergency plans. Evacuation routes were clogged, communications were spotty, and emergency supplies were not positioned to arrive quickly in the areas of greatest need.

"We will never be prepared to take a Katrina, but we will be prepared to do a lot better than we did the last time," Spraggins said.

In Mississippi, about 99,000 people are living in more than 36,000 FEMA trailers and mobile homes. In Louisiana, more than 51,000 trailers dot the landscape.

Many people whose homes were demolished by Katrina also lost cars and trucks, meaning it could be difficult for them to get out if another storm threatens. As a result, evacuations will start earlier and will be conducted more often, Barbour warned.

"We're going to have to decide earlier to evacuate because it's going to take longer," Barbour said. "And also, because of the flimsiness of the travel trailers, we will probably evacuate sometimes when we didn't really need to. But we can't take the risk because the travel trailers are extremely vulnerable."

Likewise, the coast's natural defenses have never been weaker. Katrina, followed by Hurricane Rita a month later, ripped apart a band of barrier islands and wetlands that help soften a hurricane's blow.

"These barrier islands are in many places the first line of defense for the mainland," said Abby Sallenger, an oceanographer for the U.S. Geological Survey. "If we have another hurricane hit, how much worse will the impact be?"

Katrina also left the region's economy in tatters, especially in New Orleans.

A report issued in February by Louisiana-based economist Loren Scott found that metropolitan New Orleans' employment rate remained 32 percent below its pre-Katrina peak, or down 198,000 jobs. Scott worries that a lot of employers will give up if another destructive storm hits New Orleans.

"All of these companies are willing to be part of the `Save New Orleans' movement once," he said. "I just wonder if they're willing to be part of it twice."

Katrina dealt a crippling blow to southern Mississippi's economy, as well, but its casino industry is recovering and the scenic 70-mile coastline has condominium developers salivating.

"People still want to have their home or condominium look out on the water, and that's going to remain a serious draw," Scott said.

Katrina destroyed Daniel's South Beach Restaurant and Bar, a beachfront watering hole in Bay St. Louis that Ray Murphy's family has operated for more than 25 years. Murphy is about to reopen the restaurant in an old Knights of Columbus hall, about a half-mile from the beach.

Murphy said the threat of another destructive hurricane never factored into his decision to rebuild.

"One of these days, I'm going to give it up — but not yet," he said. "I'm not ready to throw in the towel."

Neither is Scott Oliver, a longtime Gulfport resident. On a cement slab with a clear view of the beach, he is building a storm-resistent "fort" to replace the quaint wood-frame house that Katrina blasted into splinters and shards.

Oliver poured the first two concrete walls — 12 feet high and 12 inches thick — in early March, copying features of buildings that survived Katrina.

"I had a structural engineer tell me the first floor would qualify as a tornado shelter," boasted Oliver, 59, a project manager for a building contractor.

Oliver started drawing the blueprints less than a week after Katrina. But first he had to convince his wife, Caprice, that rebuilding so close to the coast is not foolish or reckless. The thought of losing everything — again — is almost unbearable.

Said his wife: "I don't necessarily believe that's the last Katrina we're going to see."

Gulf Coast Prepares New Hurricane Plans

[Shammu]

Calif. Gov. Declares State of Emergency

By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer 18 minutes ago

SAN FRANCISCO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Monday in seven northern and central California counties, saying the region's rainiest March on record and more rain on the horizon put people and property in "extreme peril."

Many reservoirs in California's Central Valley are groaning at full capacity, and at least 10 more days of rain are forecast for the region.

Levee repairs are typically done in the summer, when water behind them is at its low point, but state water officials fear the heavy rain could weaken some levees to the point of failure. They took advantage of a weekend lull in the storms to patch some weak spots in the system but were still concerned.

"We saw in New Orleans the storm was coming in, it was known days ahead, and we're not sure they took all the steps that they could have," said Rodney Mayer, acting chief of the California division of flood management.

Schwarzenegger had already declared a state of emergency for California's levee system in February, a step that freed up about $103 million for repairs to 24 flood-prone sites.

His new declaration Monday didn't specify an amount of aid but directed "all agencies of the state" to dispatch staff, equipment and facilities.

In the declaration, Schwarzenegger wrote that "extreme peril to the safety of persons and property" afflicted the counties of Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Merced, San Joaquin, San Mateo and Stanislaus.

The levee work on Sunday had included reinforcing levees, building a berm and adding rocks to protect a river bank from eroding in San Joaquin County near the confluence of the San Joaquin and Stanislaus rivers. In Fresno County, crews worked on raising a levee that protects the town of Firebaugh, population 7,000.

Calif. Gov. Declares State of Emergency

[Shammu]

Virginia has first case of flu

By A.J. HOSTETLER
Media General News Service
Sunday, April 9, 2006

--------advertisement----------

MULTIMEDIA

Virginia is the site of the first of only two known U.S. cases of avian flu infecting a human.

In 2002, a government worker helping to control an outbreak of avian flu among flocks in the Shenandoah Valley became ill, suffering fever, cough, sore throat and a headache before recovering. The infection was confirmed to be influenza H7N2, a much different strain from what is now spreading through Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Although highly infectious among birds, H7N2 flu is considered a low risk to human health. Its transmission to a human, however, prompted an investigation by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The employee's blood was tested 10 days after falling ill, and again seven months later. The results were confirmed by several different tests but were not made public until 2004, when reported by The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The nation's second case of avian flu in a human was confirmed when a patient hospitalized in New York with respiratory illness in 2003 was later found to be infected with avian flu. It was also the H7N2 strain.

So far, Virginia health officials have tested two people for the H5N1 avian flu but have found no cases.

Virginia has first case of flu

[Shammu]

California lab gearing up for bird-flu cases
Birds' migratory paths, human travel patterns make state hot spot for virus

Scott Lindlaw
The Associated Press
April 10, 2006

RICHMOND - The middle-aged man with severe respiratory illness told his doctor he had just returned to Northern California from a chicken farm in Vietnam.

That rang the first alarm bell.

Then came the initial tests from a local public-health laboratory: a positive result for influenza A, the virus family that includes bird flu. A swab from the man's throat was rushed to the state lab in Richmond, where sophisticated testing yielded even more alarming findings - a strong likelihood he carried the deadly H5N1 strain.

"I need to talk to you," microbiologist Hugo Guevara told Dr. Carol Glaser, chief of the virus lab. Glaser, on pins and needles, swung into action.

The California Department of Health Services' Richmond Campus has seen several adrenaline-pumping moments in recent months when it appeared bird flu had reached American shores.

The man was one of about three dozen Californians strongly suspected to be infected with bird flu who were tested here in recent months. About a dozen were "very worrisome" cases because of the patients' travel histories and symptoms, Glaser said.

All tested negative in the end. Yet each case served as a practice run of sorts for the disease's feared arrival in California.

"Because there are so many travelers into California, we could very well see a case tomorrow," said Janice Louie, a medical officer at the lab.

A handful of other states have conducted the same tests as the Richmond lab on suspected cases of bird flu. Iowa has run about a half-dozen and Virginia has done two, officials in those states say.

But California, the nation's most populous state, is uniquely vulnerable to the germ arriving via bird or people. Glaser and the lab's assistant deputy director, Paul B. Kimsey, have bet a cup of coffee on which they think it will be.

Kimsey's wager is with the birds. California has a $2.5 billion poultry industry, and sees millions of birds migrate along its flyways. Many experts, including the state's top veterinarian, Richard Breitmeyer, believe those migratory routes could intersect with Asian bird migrations and bring the disease to California as early as this spring or summer.

Glaser is betting on the human path. Some 11,000 people fly into California each day from Southeast Asia alone, officials say. Shaking her head at a map of the 54 countries and territories afflicted with bird flu, Glaser said: "I don't even want to know the numbers" of people entering California from other regions.

At least 109 people worldwide have died from bird flu since a wave of outbreaks of H5N1 swept through Asian poultry populations in late 2003, according to the World Health Organization.

Health experts fear the H5N1 virus will eventually mutate into a form that spreads easily among people, potentially sparking a global pandemic. So far, the bird flu virus remains hard for humans to catch and spread among each other. Most cases have been traced to close contact with infected birds.

Doctors in California have received urgent pleas from health officials to be vigilant about asking patients with certain symptoms about their recent travels. Did the patient visit a country with reported bird flu cases? Did he or she have exposure to sick poultry, or butcher a chicken?

"Quick testing and getting results back from people who may be ill are critical," said state Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, chairwoman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Services and Homeland Security. "Experts tell us the response has to be as quick and overwhelming as possible. We can't let the flu get out in front of us."

California lab gearing up for bird-flu cases

[Shammu]

City's 'earthquake shacks' survive to tell unique story

Lisa Leff
The Associated Press
April 10, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO - Noreen Farrell always thought her house was something special, but she didn't know it was a slice of San Francisco history until the day she spotted a stranger out front taking photographs.

"I think this is one of the original earthquake shacks," the man with the camera told her.

Although there was little other than the home's cozy quarters, low ceilings and six-paned windows to suggest it, the visitor was right: the added-onto dwelling holds the bones of a cabin hastily erected a century ago to house refugees from the 1906 earthquake and fires.

"I was real excited. It's nice to be part of history," said Farrell, 36, a public interest attorney who with her husband bought the 720-square-foot home for more than $600,000 in September. "The only question is whether it will stand up to the next earthquake."

As the city prepares to commemorate the centennial of the Great Quake this month and with the misery caused by Hurricane Katrina still fresh in the public's awareness, historic preservationists here are working to identify and save other surviving refugee cottages. At peak occupancy, 16,488 San Franciscans lived in more than 5,600 of the redwood and fir structures.

City's 'earthquake shacks' survive to tell unique story

[Soldier4Christ]

Officials Probe Eye Infection Outbreak

 Bausch & Lomb voluntarily suspended shipment of a contact lens solution after federal health officials linked it Monday to a fungal eye infection that can cause temporary blindness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 109 reports of Fusarium keratitis infection in patients in 17 states since June 2005.

Federal and state health officials have interviewed just 30 of those patients. However, of the 28 who wore soft contact lens, however, 26 reported using Bausch & Lomb's ReNu brand contact lens solution or a generic type of solution also made by the Rochester, N.Y., company.

Bausch & Lomb said it would temporarily suspend shipments of ReNu with MoistureLoc made at its Greenville, S.C., plant.

"The CDC data released today are both troubling and perplexing, as there is an apparent disproportionate representation of U.S.- manufactured ReNu with MoistureLoc in the underlying data. The source of these infections has not been determined," company chairman and chief executive officer Ronald Zarrella said.

Five of the 26 patients also reported using other types of solutions in addition to ReNu, Bausch & Lomb said. And nine said they wore their lenses overnight, which is known to increase the risk of infection, the CDC said.

Dr. Daniel Schultz, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said it was too early to determine if Bausch & Lomb's solution was the cause of the infections. Both the FDA and CDC are investigating a growing number of reports of infection by the fungus. An estimated 30 million Americans wear soft contact lenses.

"We are relatively early in this investigation. It may be we will find this particular product does not have an association. We may find a strong association," Schultz told reporters.

The fungus is commonly found in plant material and soil in tropical and subtropical areas. Singapore health officials noticed an increase in reports of infection in January and discovered 39 cases involving contact lens users from 2005 to February of this year. Cases have also been reported in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

In February, Bausch & Lomb halted sales of its ReNu contact lens solution in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Without treatment, which can last two to three months, the infection can scar the cornea and blind its victims. Eight U.S. patients have required cornea transplants.

Soft contact users with eye redness or pain, tearing, increased light sensitivity, blurred vision or discharge should stop wearing contacts and contact a doctor immediately, said Dr. Malvina Eydelman, director of the FDA's Division of Ophthalmic and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices. The FDA also advises users to wash their hands well with soap and water before handling lenses and to follow cleaning and storage guidelines.

In addition, contact lens wearers who use ReNu with MoistureLoc should do so with caution, the FDA said.

[airIam2worship]

This really concerns me PR, because both my husband and one of the girls wear soft contact and they both use the same solution. Just a couple of days ago my husband's left eye was red in the inner corner of his eye. And he's been complaining of his eyes drying out a lot. Did the article mention any of the states that are affected?

[Soldier4Christ]

This really concerns me PR, because both my husband and one of the girls wear soft contact and they both use the same solution. Just a couple of days ago my husband's left eye was red in the inner corner of his eye. And he's been complaining of his eyes drying out a lot. Did the article mention any of the states that are affected?

It doesn't say what states just 17 of them. I wouldn't take any chance. Have them see a Dr about it right away and quite using that stuff.

[Shammu]

10th Planet Slightly Larger Than Pluto

By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer 52 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - An icy ball discovered last year in the outer solar system is only slightly larger than Pluto, casting doubt on previous estimates that the so-called 10th planet was significantly larger, scientists reported Tuesday.

Previous estimates by ground-based telescopes suggested the object known as 2003 UB313 was 30 percent bigger than Pluto.

But the latest measurement by the Hubble Space Telescope has a smaller margin of error and is probably a more accurate estimate, said lead researcher Michael Brown of the California Institute of Technology.

According to Hubble, UB313's diameter measures 1,490 miles, give or take 60 miles. Pluto is about 1,422 miles across.

Brown previously reported that UB313 could be up to 2,175 miles in diameter based on its brightness. He said he was surprised by Hubble's findings, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal.

The discovery of UB313, which Brown nicknamed Xena, reinvigorated the debate about what is considered a planet. Some astronomers have questioned whether Pluto should keep its planetary status, while others say UB313 should be the 10th planet because it is bigger than Pluto.

The International Astronomical Union, which oversees the naming of planets, has not taken a stance on the issue.

If it is determined to be the 10th planet, UB313 would be the farthest-known body in the solar system.

10th Planet Slightly Larger Than Pluto

[Shammu]

Tectonic Plates Slowly Moving

By TIM FOUGHT, Associated Press Writer Tue Apr 11, 8:52 PM ET

PORTLAND, Ore. - Using hand-me-down technology from the Cold War, scientists have discovered that the seafloor off the Pacific Northwest is a jumping kind of place, with thousands of small, swarming earthquakes and tectonic plates that are slowly rearranging themselves.

The findings could mean that a "Big One" earthquake may not be as severe as previously thought, the lead researcher said.

An article in the journal Geology by researcher Robert Dziak describes the findings. Dziak is an associate professor at Oregon State University who also works for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. He's stationed at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

Dziak's article describes both new data and a record of earthquakes going back more than a decade. Much of the data was collected using once-secret Cold War "hydrophones" the Navy uses to track submarine movements in the Pacific Ocean. Dziak said the Navy provides controls the system of seafloor microphones and relays the data to Newport.

Dziak says the evidence is that multiple tectonic plates off the Pacific Northwest appear to be rearranging themselves.

The plates have been slowly jamming into each other. Dziak said one boundary among them appears to be turning into a fault that's more like the San Andreas Fault to the south in California. Instead of ramming together, the plates are rubbing past each other, he said.

Emphasizing that the conclusions are tentative, Dziak said the consequence could be a shortening of the fault along the Pacific Northwest, so a major earthquake wouldn't be so extensive or severe.

The rearrangement could limit the potential for a magnitude 9 earthquake, he said.

"It would still ruin our day, but it wouldn't be quite so bad," he said.

Dziak also said that the hydrophone project has turned up evidence of intense earthquake activity, intense clusters of quakes that previously had gone undetected. These are associated with underwater volcanic activity and are like the swarms of earthquakes that can precede volcanic eruptions such as that at Mount St. Helens.

The quakes were small, on the order of magnitudes 2-4, but numerous, Dziak said, with as many as a thousand of them in a three-week period.

Tectonic Plates Slowly Moving

[Shammu]

Latest Calif. Storm Spares Harder-Hit Area

By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago

SACRAMENTO - The latest in a series of unusual spring storms will spare the soggy San Joaquin Valley, reducing the danger of levee breaks there, but will raise river levels across Northern California, forecasters said Tuesday.

Crews in the San Joaquin Valley protected saturated levees with rocks, tarps and sandbags, but forecasters were cautiously optimistic no more levees would fail in the state's central region.

"We've very fortunate that this current storm system is going to deliver its precipitation north of there," said Rob Hartman of the National Weather Service's California-Nevada River Forecast Center in Sacramento.

The Sacramento River valley and coastal rivers north of San Francisco will have heavy rain and high water over the next several days, but no widespread flooding, state and national forecasters said during a briefing Tuesday. Localized flash floods were likely, however.

"We're still looking at a copious amount of rainfall," said John Juskie, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sacramento. "This is an evolving situation."

He warned the storm could veer from its projected path, and that more storms are on the way this weekend. The series of recent storms has triggered scattered levee breaks, washed out roads and forced hundreds of residents from their homes.

"As each day goes by, you wonder where you're going to go next," said Kim Klardie, 51, who rescued her three cats but little else when her travel trailer was washed away at the Fishermen's Bend camping resort at Newman. "God always comes through — he always has in the past."

She's been living since Saturday with about 80 other refugees in an American Red Cross shelter set up in the Orestimba High School gymnasium. About 18 rescued mobile homes and travel trailers are parked outside, and it could be months before the ground dries enough for the riverside resorts to reopen, shelter manager John Fonvergne said in a telephone interview.

Klardie said by telephone that she hopes to go back to her job installing windows — if the rain stops long enough.

Earlier predictions for the San Joaquin Valley were dire this week, after forecasters said a storm expected to hit as early as Tuesday night could inundate the central part of the state, which is crisscrossed with fragile levees.

Revised forecasts said the storm could bring as much as four inches of rain to Northern California, and as much as six inches of precipitation in the northern mountains. But mountain temperatures were expected to remain low enough to keep snow melt from adding to the problem.

San Joaquin reservoirs have little room for snow melt, but the surge of water from recent rains was leveling off below the danger point that had been predicted, said Jay Punia, chief of flood operations for the state Department of Water Resources.

Flood-fighting measures there were being completed, Punia said, including about 500 feet of flood wall being built near Firebaugh in Fresno County. Crews still battled seepage under levees the length of the San Joaquin River system, he said.

"The levees are getting saturated and there are sustained high flows," Punia said. "I'm still concerned."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday declared a state of emergency in seven counties as one of the top-five wettest winters on record ended with record rainfall in March and an unusually wet start to April. The counties are Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Merced, San Joaquin, San Mateo and Stanislaus.

The state Department of Boating and Waterways closed San Joaquin County and Contra Costa County waterways in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to recreational boating through noon Friday because of the danger to boaters from high water and debris, and the fear that boat wakes could damage levees.

Latest Calif. Storm Spares Harder-Hit Area