Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

Q: What are 2 ‘natural disaster’ events not covered in a basic home policy? A: According to the California Department of Insurance , below are the 2 ‘natural disaster’ events not covered in a basic home policy. Homeowners, renters, and condominium insurance policies do not cover damage from natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides. Facts - Earthquake Insurance Your homeowners insurance does not cover earthquake damage. As with most earthquake policies, CEA insurance does not cover landscaping, pools, fences, masonry, or separate buildings.  Earthquake insurance usually does not cover anything that your homeowners policy already covers. Earthquake insurance does not cover damage to your vehicles.  Source: Earthquake Insurance. California Department of Insurance. Retrieved from: http://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105-type/95-guides/03-res/eq-ins.cfm

April 21, 2020: An earthquake of magnitude 3.1 has been recorded in Odessa, Texas today, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. According to the USGS, the earthquake's epicenter was located 11 km NE of Odessa and 21 km ENE of Midland, Texas, United States. USGS received earthquake felt reports from Odessa, Gardendale and Goldsmith. No preliminary damage or injuries have been reported from earthquake in Odessa, Texas today.

April 19, 2020: An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 has been recorded 25 km SE of Ofunato,  The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)  reported. According to the JMA, the earthquake occurred at 50 km depth. The tremor was felt in Kamaishi, Yahaba, Furukawa, Sendai, Misawa, Koriyama, and as far as Japan 's capital Tokyo. JMA confirmed that the earthquake today near Ofunato poses no tsunami risk. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) put the quake at a magnitude of 6.3 and a depth of 38 km.

April 19, 2020: An earthquake of magnitude 3.3 has been recorded near Carpinteria, California today, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed. According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of less than 1 km.  The quake's epicenter was located 12 km SW of Carpinteria and 26 km far from Santa Barbara. USGS received earthquake felt reports from Carpinteria, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Summerland, Ojai and Montecito. No preliminary damage or injuries have been reported from earthquake near Carpinteria today.

April 15, 2020: An undersea earthquake of magnitude 4.8 off Bowen, Queensland coast has been recorded today at 5:11 pm, GeoScience Australia confirmed. The earthquake occurred at 10 km depth. Tremor was felt y the people from Townsville to Mackay. There is no threat of tsunami.

Q: How do seismologists locate the epicenter of earthquakes? A: Seismologists studies seismograms from different recording stations to find out the epicenter of an earthquake. Seismologists use triangulation to find the epicenter of earthquakes .  When seismic data is collected from at least three different locations, it is used to determine the epicenter by where it intersects.  The time difference between the P- and S-waves tells us the distance the earthquake is from the seismograph. By measuring the time difference at three stations, seismologists find out the epicenter of the earthquake. The intersection of the circles, whose radius is equivalent to the distance from the earthquake is used to find the epicenter of the earthquake by seismologists.