160-melon-headed whales stranded on Japanese beaches – fears of earthquake

#Hokota #whales #Japan #Tsunami #earthquake As many as 160 melon-headed whales have been stranded on the beaches of Japan near Hokota on the Pacific coast and there are fears of an impending earthquake in the region. This is because a similar phenomenon had been observed during the 2011 Tsunami which devastated Japan.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 13 April 2015.

These whales are in fact a species of dolphin and they have been found to have washed up along a 6-mile (10km) stretch of the Pacific coast of Hokota, located nearly 60 miles (100km) north of Tokyo. Officials are investigating the cause of the stranding.
The fears of an impending earthquake are based on the appearance of 50 melon-headed whales six days before the devastating undersea earthquake in 2011 that resulted in a Tsunami and earthquake and left 19,000 people dead.
In the opinion of experts, the reason could be attributed to some sort of a parasitic infection or the sandy shoals around Hokato city may have also made the animal's sonar ineffective. Another theory suggests that these whales that measure two to three meters in length, could have been trying to avoid predators like killer whales and ventured too close to the shore.

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Catamaran with 98 tourists flips off Costa Rica, 4 missing – presumed dead

#catamaran #CostaRica #tourists It is not good to go into the waters when the waves are wild and the weather in not good and, when people do venture out in such circumstances, they fall to the miseries of Nature and have only themselves to blame.
That is what happened to a catamaran that was carrying 98 tourists and 10 crew members – it sank off Costa Rica and left at least four people dead while rescuers saved dozens from the sea. The rescuers have managed to save 94 people from the Pacific waters so far.
It is understood that the catamaran had set sail from Los Suenos on the Pacific coast and was going to Tortuga Island when the incident happened nearly 15-Km offshore.
The identities of the victims have not been disclosed so far and the survivors "are being treated by medical personnel. Many have problems like hypothermia and panic attacks."
It is understood that the ship began to sink after it was slammed by a huge wave, as revealed by public security deputy minister Maria Fulmen. Incidentally, the catamaran was a 2007 model and was authorized to carry 120 passengers and 10 crew members. It appeared to have enough lifeboats and life jackets on board.

US West Coast in the grip of Pineapple Express storm

Life has gone haywire in the west coast of the US as the Pineapple Storm strikes the drought parched weest coast region. The Pineapple Express originates in Hawaii and runs to the Pacific coast.
The storm has triggered power outages, flight delays and commuter chaos. Reports indicate suffering of tens of thousands of households with power cuts as uprooted and toppled trees have wreaked traffic gridlock.
Ferry services near San Francisco have been cancelled and flights arriving at the city's main airport were facing delays. Forecasts are that the storm could be one of the strongest in five years, with wind gusts of up to 80mph.
Residents have collected sandbags and crews have cleared storm drains while schools in San Francisco have cancelled classes for the first time since 9/11. The authorities have also issued flood warnings, high surf and wind advisories and have expressed fears that the heavy showers could result in mudslides in the wildfire-scarred foothills across the state.
Of course, the rains will be welcomed by the farmers who have been struggling to keep crops alive in parched fields during successive years of below-normal rainfall.