Saturday, August 11, 2012

GIGANTIC SINKHOLE

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

 EARTHQUAKES

ISAIAH 42:15
15  I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Iran state TV says earthquake hits northwest

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's state television says a 6.2-magnitude earthquake has hit northwestern Iran but that there have been no reports of possible casualties or damages.The main news channel says the moderate quake hit the town of Ahar in East Azerbaijan province. It gave no further details.Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It experiences at least one earthquake every day on average, although the vast majority are so small they go unnoticed.
MAP 4.8  2012/08/11 13:14:07   38.359   46.725 10.0  NORTHWESTERN IRAN
MAP 4.4  2012/08/11 13:05:55   38.606   46.986 10.0  NORTHWESTERN IRAN
MAP 4.8  2012/08/11 12:49:18   38.209   46.756 10.0  NORTHWESTERN IRAN
MAP 6.3  2012/08/11 12:34:35   38.324   46.759 9.8  NORTHWESTERN IRAN
MAP 6.4  2012/08/11 12:23:18   38.322   46.888 9.9  NORTHWESTERN IRAN
MAP 4.5  2012/08/11 10:30:09   37.246   141.036 57.7  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.3  2012/08/11 09:34:23   39.960   78.140 25.2  SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
MAP 2.9  2012/08/11 09:19:35   32.135  -115.174 7.0  BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8  2012/08/11 07:01:25   18.585   -68.397 95.0  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAP 2.8  2012/08/11 06:39:43   40.293  -124.420 20.2  OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.7  2012/08/11 06:29:24   25.172   126.579 34.9  RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 3.2  2012/08/11 05:28:00   19.628   -67.930 12.0  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 3.6  2012/08/11 04:21:52   19.108   -67.863 148.0  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 2.6  2012/08/11 04:16:12   19.166  -155.542 0.0  ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.5  2012/08/11 00:16:57  -23.946   -66.635 195.1  JUJUY, ARGENTINA

Barroso to Ponta: Stop fighting, protect judges

Today @ 12:50 AUG 11,12 By Valentina Pop

BRUSSELS - The head of the EU commission on Friday (10 August) sent a harsh letter to Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, urging him to stop political infighting and ensure that top judges can do their work without threats."I am deeply concerned about recent developments relating to the Constitutional Court's validation of the referendum, despite the assurances you have personally given me in our contacts," Jose Manuel Barroso wrote.In recent days, the EU justice commissioner and a panel of top European jurists have appealed to Romanian authorities to protect the country's top judges after some of them received death threats.The court is to rule on 31 August on the validity of a referendum which took place last month and which was aimed at ousting President Traian Basescu from office for alleged abuse of power.A large majority of voters were in favour of his removal, but the turnout was below the required 50 percent.The government appealed to the court to recalculate the turnout figure, saying the voters' lists contained names of deceased people. It also tried to organise a mini-census, which the court said was not necessary.Meanwhile, Ponta has reshuffled his government after the interior minister and one of his deputies resigned, citing political pressure and their unwillingness to participate in unlawful practices.Leaked transcripts of alleged discussions between the sacked minister, Ioan Rus, and other party colleagues on Friday caused a stir in Romanian media as it portrayed an administration struggling to "fix" the voters lists so that the minimum turnout is met.Barroso's letter went on to say: "It is now crucial that the Romanian government responds without undue delay to the requests of the Constitutional Court as regards the transmission of the relevant electoral lists."He added: "In this context it is of paramount importance that it is left to the Constitutional Court itself to clarify its position should it consider that to be necessary, and all other parties should refrain from making their own interpretation."The EU official also urged Romanian authorities to investigate any threats made against the judges "so that any attempt to put pressure on the court is struck down.""I trust that you and your government will take, in the interest of Romania and of its citizens, the decisions required to implement the commitments you have undertaken."Earlier, on 18 July, the EU commission issued a report in which it questioned whether the Romanian government has the "understanding of the meaning of the rule of law in a pluralist democratic system."The report contained an 11-point-long to do list, including independence of the judiciary.Barroso said implementing the list "is essential for Romania's credibility and economic and financial stability."He also called on the Ponta and Basescu camps to cease hostilities."I am deeply worried about the intensification of the divisions between the various political actors in Romania and the tone of political discourse across the party spectrum. Through you I would therefore appeal to all political forces in Romania, in government and in opposition, to act with responsibility and restraint and to set their focus very firmly on the urgent need to restore stability."Another special report on the Romanian situation will be drafted before the end of the year.Romanian parliamentary elections are due in November.They could coincide with new presidential elections if the referendum is validated. If not, the spat is likely to continue for another two years, when Basescu's mandate ends.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

Philippine flood deaths climb to 66


Philippine authorities rushed to bring food and other emergency provisions onSaturday to more than two million people affected by widespread flooding, as the death toll rose to 66, an official said.The flooding that submerged 80 percent of Manila early in the week has largely subsided, allowing people to return to their homes, but low-lying farming regions to the north remained under water.Civil defence chief Benito Ramos told AFP the huge displaced population, including 441,000 people crammed in crowded evacuation camps, would need to be fed and taken care of for at least another seven days."The government has a month's worth of relief goods if necessary. We have substantial emergency supplies," Ramos said.Volunteers are helping the government pack rice and other food items into 100,000 grocery bags to replenish supplies at some of the camps, he said.Nearly two weeks of monsoon rains across the Philippines' main island of Luzon peaked with a 48-hour deluge earlier this week that battered Manila and surrounding regions.The government's disaster co-ordination council said Saturday that 66 people had been confirmed killed, up from 60 on Friday.
It put the number of people affected by the floods at 2.68 million, from 2.44 million on Friday.The Philippines endures about 20 major storms or typhoons each rainy season. But this week's rains were the worst to hit Manila since Tropical Storm Ketsana killed 464 people in 2009.

Ernesto weakens over Mexico, still a flood threat

VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — Ernesto weakened to a tropical depression as it moved inland Friday, though forecasters warned it could still dump dangerous rains in the mountains of Mexico's flood-prone southern Gulf region, where five people were killed by the storm.In Tabasco state, two fishermen drowned when the stormed passed through the area Thursday, Gov. Andres Granier told reporters.Granier said the storm's strong winds ripped rooftops from several homes but residents refused to evacuate, fearing their possessions might be stolen. "People have chosen to stay in their homes and we are helping them," he said.In neighboring Veracruz state, three people died when strong winds knocked down a tree that fell on their car, the state's civil protection department said in a statement.A 38-year-old man, his wife and their 8-year-old boy were killed, it said.Ernesto came ashore Thursday near the waters dotted with oil rigs operated by the state oil company in the far southern Gulf of Mexico. The government closed its largest Gulf coast port, Veracruz, and the smaller ports of Alvarado and Coatzacoalcos.Coatzacoalcos, a major oil port, got seven inches (177 millimeters) of rain in the 24 hours before Ernesto's center passed just a few miles (kilometers) away, according to Mexico's weather service. San Pedro in the neighboring state of Tabasco had seen more than 10 inches (273 millimeters).The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Ernesto's sustained winds had decreased to 35 mph (55 kph) by early Friday. It said the storm would continue weakening and should dissipate by midday Friday, although it warned that heavy rains could continue into Friday night.
Ernesto was a weak hurricane when it made its first landfall late Tuesday near the cruise ship port of Mahahual in Yucatan, but it weakened as it crossed the peninsula and then spun into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday night.Early Friday, the storm was centered about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Oaxaca, Mexico, and moving west near 13 mph (20 kph).The U.S. hurricane center said Ernesto still had the potential to cause flooding and could produce rainfalls of up to 15 inches in some parts of the mountainous areas of Veracruz, Tabasco, Puebla and Oaxaca states before dissipating.There were no reports of major flooding in Veracruz state and there have been only minor landslides on some roads, said Raul Zarrabal, the state's communications secretary.A new tropical depression formed in the Atlantic on Thursday far from land. It was the seventh tropical depression to form in the Atlantic and forecasters said it could strengthen into a tropical storm Friday as it took a path toward the Caribbean. Early Friday, it had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and was 930 miles (1,495 kilometers) east of the Windward Islands.The Atlantic hurricane season got off to an early start and will likely stay busy, producing a few more storms than originally predicted, U.S. forecasters said Thursday.Forecasters said warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures and wind patterns that favor storm formation mean chances are higher for an above-normal season. However, that is tempered with the expected development of an El Nino weather pattern over the Pacific that may suppress storms later in the season.In the Pacific, Gilma weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm and was not seen as a threat to land. It was about 665 miles (1,070 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph (100 kph).

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36  And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37  For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)

ISAIAH 17:1,12-14
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations,(USELESS U.N) that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14  And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not.(ASSAD) This is the portion of them that spoil us,(ISRAEL) and the lot of them that rob us.

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

U.S., Turkey to explore imposing Syria no-fly zone

ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - The United States and Turkey indicated on Saturday they might impose no-fly zones in Syria as battles between rebels and President Bashar al-Assad's forces shook Aleppo and fighting erupted in the heart of Damascus.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after meeting her Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul that Washington and Ankara should develop detailed operational planning on ways to assist the rebels fighting to topple Assad."Our intelligence services, our military have very important responsibilities and roles to play so we are going to be setting up a working group to do exactly that," she said.Asked about options such as imposing a no-fly zone over rebel-held territory, Clinton said these were possibilities she and Davutoglu had agreed "need greater in-depth analysis", while indicating that no decisions were necessarily imminent."It is one thing to talk about all kinds of potential actions, but you cannot make reasoned decisions without doing intense analysis and operational planning," she said.
Nevertheless, her remarks were the closest Washington has come to suggesting direct military intervention in Syria.No-fly zones imposed by NATO and Arab allies helped Libyan rebels overthrow Muammar Gaddafi last year. Until recently, the West had shunned the idea of repeating any Libya-style action.Saudi Arabia and Qatar are believed to be arming Syrian rebels, while the United States and Britain have pledged to step up non-lethal assistance to Assad's opponents.Davutoglu said it was time outside powers took decisive steps to resolve the humanitarian crisis in cities such as Aleppo, where Assad's forces have fought rebels for three weeks.
JETS, TANKS IN ACTION
In the latest battles, tanks and troops pummeled rebels near the shattered district of Salaheddine, a former opposition stronghold that commands the main southern approach to Aleppo.Tank fire crashed into the adjacent Saif al-Dawla neighborhood as military jets circled over an abandoned police station held by rebels, firing missiles every few minutes.Insurgents said they had been forced to retreat in the latest twist in relentless, see-saw battles for Salaheddine, part of a swathe of Aleppo seized by rebels last month.Some rebels, outgunned and low on ammunition in Aleppo, have pleaded for outside military help, arguing that more weapons and a no-fly zone over areas they control near the Turkish border would give them a secure base against Assad's forces."The reason we retreated from Salaheddine this week is a lack of weapons," complained Abu Thadet, a rebel commander in Aleppo who said his fighters would regroup and fight back. "We can handle the bombing. It's the snipers that make it hard."Ten of the 30 fighters in his brigade have been wounded, mostly by snipers lurking even in areas rebels claim to control. His men have broken holes in walls of buildings to try to create safe passages for them to move around in Salaheddine.In Damascus, where Assad's forces have regained control of districts overrun by rebels last month, a resident reported an explosion near the Central Bank, followed by gunfire."The explosion was huge. There has been fighting for the past half-hour along Pakistan Street. I am very close. Can you hear that?" she told Reuters, a bang audible over the telephone.Syrian state TV said authorities were hunting "terrorists" who had set off a bomb in Merjeh, an area near the central bank, and who were "shooting at random to spark panic among citizens".
END GAME BEGINS?
Despite their superior firepower, Assad's forces have been stretched by months of warfare against increasingly skilled and organized fighters who have taken them on in every city and in many parts of the countryside at one time or another.Germany's spy chief said the Syrian army had been depleted by casualties, deserters and defectors."There are a lot of indications that the end game for the regime has begun," said Gerhard Schindler, head of the BND intelligence agency, in an interview with Die Welt newspaper."The regular army is being confronted by a variety of flexible fighters. The recipe of their success is their guerrilla tactics. They're breaking the army's back."Syria's torment, however, is far from over and several signs point to how the conflict could spill over into its neighbors.Jordanian and Syrian forces clashed along the border overnight when Syrian refugees tried to cross into Jordan, a Syrian opposition activist who witnessed the fighting said.He said armored vehicles were involved in the clash in the Tel Shihab-Turra area, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Jordan's capital, Amman. No deaths were reported on the Jordanian side.
Thousands of Syrians have fled into Jordan, but tensions heightened after Assad's newly installed prime minister, Riad Hijab, defected and escaped across the border this week.In Lebanon, Michel Samaha, a former information minister and Assad ally, faces military indictment for his alleged part in "terrorist plots" which included transporting explosives from Syria for use in north Lebanon, a Lebanese security source said.
Lebanon, still scarred by its 1975-90 civil war, is nervous about instability spreading from Syria and shattering its own delicate sectarian power-sharing balance between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims, Christians and other minorities.Assad's main outside allies are Shi'ite Iran and Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah movement. His ruling system is dominated by members of his Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.His foes are mostly from Syria's Sunni majority, who are backed by Sunni-ruled states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, which are also regional rivals of Iran.Arab foreign ministers will meet on Sunday in Jeddah to discuss the Syria crisis and who should replace Kofi Annan, the United Nations-Arab League envoy, a League official said.U.N. diplomats said veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi could be named next week as the new envoy for Syria.Annan quit after his peacemaking efforts proved futile in the face of divisions in the U.N. Security Council, where Russia and China have blocked Western attempts to speed Assad's exit.
(Additional reporting by Oliver Holmes in Beirut, Andrew Quinn and Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul, Erik Kirschbaum in Berlin, Louis Charbonneau in New York and Tamim Elyan in Cairo; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Bizarre rock 'ice shelf' found in Pacific

A huge cluster of floating volcanic rocks covering almost 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 square miles) has been found drifting in the Pacific, the New Zealand navy said Friday.The strange phenomenon, which witnesses said resembled a polar ice shelf, was made up of lightweight pumice expelled from an underwater volcano, the navy said.An air force plane spotted the rocks on Thursday about 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) offshore from New Zealand and warned a navy warship that it was heading towards them.
[Slideshow: Giant iceberg's birth seen from space]
Lieutenant Tim Oscar said that while he knew his ship the HMNZS Canterbury was in no danger from the pumice, which is solidified lava filled with air bubbles, it was still "the weirdest thing I've seen in 18 years at sea"."As far ahead as I could observe was a raft of pumice moving up and down with the swell," he said.
"The rock looked to be sitting two foot (half a metre) above the surface of the waves and lit up a brilliant while colour in the spotlight. It looked exactly like the edge of an ice shelf."
[Slideshow: Amazing volcano lightning photos]
Scientists aboard the ship said the pumice probably came from an underwater volcano called Monowai, which has been active recently.They said the phenomenon was unrelated to increased volcanic activity in New Zealand this week, including an eruption at Mount Tongariro that sent an ash cloud 20,000 feet into the atmosphere.

Enormous 400ft deep Louisiana sinkhole swallows 100ft tall trees and raises concerns of explosions and radiation leaks

  • Fears that low levels of radiation are being emitted from the sinkhole and residents are being asked to leave
  • Gas bubbles have been bubbling in the Louisiana bayou for weeks and residents have felt small tremors for years
  • Officials said on Friday it will be at least 40 days before they get definitive answers about an enormous sinkhole that opened up in Assumption Parish
  • Some residents have refused to leave their homes
By Daily Mail Reporter
|

A massive 400-foot deep sinkhole that has opened up in a Louisiana bayou has swallowed all of the 100-foot trees in the surrounding area and led to mandatory evacuations.
About 150 people have been ordered to leave their residences after the 400-sqaure-foot gaping hole opened in Assumption Parish amid fears of potential radiation leaks and natural gas explosions.
But despite the authorities enacting the mandatory evacuation, most people have decided to stay following allegations of a cover-up and industrial mis-management from the owners of a nearby salt cavern.
Diesel sheen is seen on the water in an aerial view of the sinkhole. State officials said on that small amounts of diesel hydrocarbons were found in swamp water where an acre of swampland liquefied over the last week
Diesel sheen is seen on the water in an aerial view of the sinkhole. State officials said on that small amounts of diesel hydrocarbons were found in swamp water where an acre of swampland liquefied over the last week
As state scientists monitored the toxicity of naturally occurring radiation at a slurry hole in Assumption Parish, residents said Thursday they were furious with their public state officials because they think they have been withholding information.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said the slurry hole near Bayou Corne is near areas that have been used for oil and gas exploration. Low levels of radioactivity may be remaining from the work, though not at harmful levels, officials say.
'Out of abundance of caution and because of the ongoing incident, I have decided to further enhance our monitoring efforts,' DEQ Secretary Peggy Hatch said in a statement.
Officials said the first set of 15 samples from the area show that there are no detectable levels of naturally occurring radioactive material on the surface of the sinkhole and Hatch says they're confident residents aren't at risk for exposure.
Bubbles come to the surface where pipelines come across Bayou Corne and a pipeline sign is seen on the right
Bubbles come to the surface where pipelines come across Bayou Corne and a pipeline sign is seen on the right
Department spokesman Rodney Mallett said such material tends to accumulate in low levels on equipment used to drill for oil and gas.
Gas bubbles have been erupting in the area for weeks. Residents have been especially alarmed at the possibility of a natural gas explosion after 28 residents in Grand Bayou had to evacuate their homes on Christmas 2003 because natural gas was seeping from a salt dome storage cavern and bubbling up into water wells.
Residents have also been reporting earthquakes but despite a battery of tests conducted by federal, parish and local officials, no one has been able to figure out the source of the tremors.
Randy Rousseau, who lives in Grand Bayou and owns a body shop in Belle Rose, said he's noticed tremors for years. He eventually moved out of his house because he didn't feel safe and has been unable to sell it because the property value plummeted after several small sinkholes opened up in his yard.

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