Quakes & Nukes: Hazards Beyond Climate
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- This is the first of our videos covering hazards beyond climate. I'm making this series with the help of a disaster response professional, in response to community requests for these classes of information. In this video, I give a brief overview of damaging earthquake frequency across the US, as well as a map of both active and shut down nuclear sites. Hope you enjoy.
Love this video. Please continue adding other topics to future videos just like this one. Thank You for expanding our knowledge in other areas that can be just as important as climate change. This really impressed me and others who enjoy learning how to survive and thrive natural or man-made disasters. Thank You for your time in researching info for this video. Please continue doing videos like this. Thank You very much.
@jeffm4491 I really appreciate hearing that this video spoke to you! I always feel a little nervous when I do something out of my wheelhouse, so it's really good to hear this piece struck a good chord. Thank you!
@@AmericanResiliency
I'm not sure if you are aware of this but preparing for disaster videos are very popular, however...you probably are not aware that You would be one of the few, if not only, actual scientists with a team of other academics who would be bringing a very unique point of view to the preparedness community. I believe that due to this uniqueness, your channel would flourish beyond what you probably imagined in a much shorter amount of time. I encourage you to take these words into consideration and apply your (and your team's) skill set into creating a refreshing new set of eyes at an old set of ugly problems that have been hashed and rehashed more times than we want to count. Also note that we would not expect a dramatic change to unfold from your input but, a scientific point of view would be interesting to many viewers nonetheless. Thank You for your time and your work, even if left as is; I will continue supporting American Resiliency all the same. Until next time, Respectfully Yours.
@@AmericanResiliency At the 9:00 mark you mentioned other threats. One of the LEAST talked about threats is that of earthen dam failures. There are approximately 92,000 dams in the US, 73,000 of which are earthen dams. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has classified some 14,000 dams as “high-hazard structures.” When one fails, the damage is severe and sometimes results in many casualties. One of these failures occurred in Michigan in 2020. Video of it and 9 other recent such collapses can be found on YT at ua-cam.com/video/lYbFLBqJXVc/v-deo.html.
@@jeffm4491 that is an interesting idea. I think there are ways I could connect this to resilience concerns that people watching and people helping me with the work would find meaningful. There are a lot of disaster response professionals who are so so concerned about communities and individuals being prepared for extreme humid heat, flash floods, or tornadoes in areas where these are new hazards. There are lots of places where new disasters are emerging, where there's no reason people would know how to respond to the new disaster, and the professional community doesn't know how to reach people to warn them.
I will think about video format... this could be something fruitful that would help people. Like you say, it's not gonna necessarily bring in any revolutionary ideas- I think there's a lot of great work already out there on these topics- but anything that helps motivate people to learn & act is for the good.
I like this additional information. Future topics you might consider. People might like to know the location of places that have major non-climate hazards, especially if they plan to move to a new location and have families with young children. A) Open and closed major landfills, superfund sites, sites actively treating hazardous waste (heavy metals, radioactive, biohazard) B) Areas with active and historic mining, which leave hazardous by-products behind (mercury, lead, copper, nickle, iron mining operation by-products that can result in water contamination) C) Mercury contamination is a large topic on its own. In our area, we have fish consumption mercury advisories especially to avoid eating larger, older predator fish species that accumulate mercury in the fats and tissues over their lifespan. Pregnant women must be careful to avoid eating fish from those lakes. The state's Natural Resources agency has has information about this issue, but I wonder how many people know about it in order to make personal choices as they catch fish for consumption?
@lescher8488 oh you've got a lot of great ideas in this comment. I'm adding these to my file in this content area- and I want to uplift your statement about mercury. The public health risks of mercury to the next generation are serious, and many people don't know how contaminated wild-caught fish can be. This is an important issue to raise awareness and visibility.
Second this, mercury in local fish as well as PFAS in hunted animals is an issue where I am. It’s definitely a thing to look into. I worry that PFAS across the country isn’t as well known as it should be, as sludge is still being spread in some places.
@@summercornetta-webb5901 excellent point here- thank you. And I am horrified to hear there are places still spreading PFAS sludge!
Thank you so much for covering this! It's vital information yet goes ignored by everyone ❤
@koicaine1230 I'm not forgetting about our UV conversations- still poking around to see if I can find anything resembling outlook info related to increased UV risks.
@@AmericanResiliency Thank you!!!! Take your time, I know you have a lot on your plate ❤️
@@koicaine1230 it's crazy hard to find any future-looking resources on this topic! I continue to be glad you put me in this direction
What vital information! Good video! TY. I was listening to you, picturing a sliding scale
map, that layers on the different hazards. It's good to know what your dealing with. When considering buying land in VA, I have always strove to be more than 50 miles away from either of our two Nuclear plants. Thinking about it now, being close to a military base is a similar nuclear/toxic Hazzard.
Worrying about Nuclear disasters, witnessing Nuclear Protests as a kid - nothing ever happened. The progress we seem to have made is to layer on the hazards, continue digging and deepen our hole. 😭
BTW, EWG has a good water quality map.
Also, glad to hear about the quick movement with hubby's situation! Thanks for sharing ❤
@RieCherie thank you for this comment- I love the idea of a cool visualization for layered hazards!! Now I'm gonna start thinking about how to structure it out as I condense climate destination info- very cool.
And I think that's a really interesting info class to consider, military base placement. My family has a history of military service. Growing up with veterans definitely gives a nuanced picture on military issues. I could see base placement as information that people might find useful from positive or negative perspectives- but would definitely want to know.
Might be interesting to group that with info on Level 1 trauma centers, major resource stockpiles (like the MO cheese caves!), that kinda thing. I will be brewing on this one!
What a fantastic idea! Love to you and your family. ❤
As an electrical engineer something everyone needs to accept is that nuclear has 2 simultaneously true realities.
1. Its statistically the safest by a wide margin in terms of deaths per kWh ever generated. And also the least poluting, and constantly getting better.
2. When it goes wrong, it goes very wrong, is hard to clean up, and just generally is scary as an invisible threat with long lasting consequences. Not to mention the boatload of fear mongering around the technology.
Personally i don't mind them, atleast i can actually breath the air near them unlike the effects of coal or natural gas plants. My ideal mix is hydro, solar, and wind, but i recognize nuclear is keeping litteral gigatons of carbon out of the atmosphere, and PM10 & PM2.5 out of my lungs.
@jasonreed7522 I think this is a great, clear statement about the realties of nuclear energy. Thank you
We've yet to fix Chernobyl or Fukushima. We still don't know what to do with the waste. What the... just no.
@@jimicunningable we know exactly what to do with the waste. Primarily it should be reprocessed back into fuel. (The only waste worth talking about is high level waste, low level waste can be left in a closet for a couple years and then thrown out as regular garbage)
High level waste starts as spent fuel rods that nolonger boil water well enough, and they get moved to a cooling pool for a few decades to let more of the radioactivity decay off. (Note no radiation escapes the pool, water is a fantastic radiation absorber) From there they get encased in concrete and can be left in a parking lot for a hundred years without issue, and get extra concrete coatings as needed.
The long term plan is dig a really deep hole in a geologically stable area and put these casks in there.
Chernobyl is delt with, its under 2 concrete caps to contain the dust. It was also a very dumb reactor design that boiled at the rods and not in a heat exchanger. And Fukushima is the result of someone building a facility that violated local building codes because apparently a tsunami wall isn't important for a nuke plant in Japan. (Note that a plant closer to the epicenter and hit with a taller part of the tsunami was fine, because it was built to code)
Nuclear power is genuinely the safest power source, just don't be an idiot. Like how hydro dams are generally very safe, but if you cut corners and it fails you get a deadly flood.
@@jasonreed7522 "BRIGHT GREEN LIES" - Jensen, Kieth, Wilbert
@@jimicunningable another fun option is simple dilution, disolve in in enough water that the resulting mix is barely above background radiation levels and dump it in the ocean.
The wrap it in concrete and bury it in a really deep hole is supposed to be the publicly acceptable solution to our 3m^3 per year per gigawatt capacity power technology.
Alternatively coal plants make 130tons of toxic ash a year, and release more radiation than nuclear power plants. (Anything deep in the ground has radioactive isotopes in it, coal dumps more uranium into the atmosphere annually than Chernobyl did. But keep being intentionally ignorant.)
Thanks for this video Dr. Emily. One thing I frequently consider is the location downwind of abandoned oil and gas wells that could emit methane if not properly maintained. That could make for an informative video topic. I'll continue to keep your family in my prayers.
@stephenmkahler thank you, that means a lot to me. And that is an interesting and impactful hazard class- putting that one in the notes, that's the kind of information we will probably need our hazards expert doing work on the ground to find, particularly for older sites.
@@AmericanResiliencythere is some data out there on state agency websites mainly (like the Texas railroad commission and TCEQ) about orphaned wells. They are inactive sites where no still solvent owner or previous owner can be identified. Those pose the biggest hazard to budgets, as the state would be on the hook for any cleanup, and also there isn't a good program of inspection for those "previously capped" wells, which may or may not have been capped well to begin with, considering the owner before they were abandoned went bankrupt.
If you want a class of oil well that poses the highest risk over the next 30 years, that's probably the best category to look at.
It's *astonishing*!!! There is so much ice water melt moving from the Poles, that vulcanism and earthquakes are now demonstrably more common. Trees struggle to photosynthesize. Fish fail to breath because water is too hot. Arizona cactus are dying from the heat. ..and we literally cracked.. *broke* the Earth. Yikes. TYVM for what you do Professor!!! You and the Sams and Elliots and Pauls are brave Parhessians of the 1st order!!!
@jimicunningable I thought the areas outlined on that map for suspected non-tectonic earthquakes are also worth noting- mostly where we've been fracking. Foolish.
When Avrol Looking Horse spoke about the White Buffalo Calf this summer, he was very emphatic about increasing earthquake risks. I am always interested in listening to what people with deep land traditions are saying. His warnings are in line with other sources of information.
@@AmericanResiliency oh good grief! I wasn't even thinking of fracking when I typed that - good reminder.
Seriously one of the most fascinating topics, this glacio-isostatic rebound effect, if it wasn’t so prescient and terrifying!
When Chief Looking Horse mentioned the increase in earthquakes, I knew it was important knowledge and to pay attention. The new age people took the very great, and grave event of the birth of the White Buffalo calf as a “good omen” 🙄🤦♀️ and didn’t listen to the Chief, the full context of the relationship there, the depth of wisdom and knowledge about earth systems and human industrial impacts on all of 🌎.
@@Corrie-fd9ww isn't it wild how many people are able to listen to a message like that and take it as a positive? I mean, the man was full of trembling! His speaking was not a party down moment!
@AmericanResiliency so much still makes me facepalm, I’m gonna need to toughen up my resilience around how absurd our species is, especially in times of uncertainty. Like…the compulsive need for denial and delusion, I’m just not proud to be a human during these times, sometimes. Thank golly the AR community is attracting so many wise, grounded grown ups (and grown-ups-to-be!)
I just came back from camping on the Oregon coast near Astoria. The Tsunami evacuation routes are well marked and because of the hilly terrain, you never have to go far to get above the expected danger zone.
I live in the Seattle area and when I think about nuclear danger, I am mostly thinking about the nuclear submarine base at Bangor, or the nuclear aircraft carriers undergoing maintenance at Bremerton, or the Navy base at Everett that often has an aircraft carrier based there.
The state has sued the federal government several times over the Hanford cleanup and contamination of groundwater and leaking into the Columbia River. They put that waste into barrels and buried them underground where they promptly started rusting. One plan they were doing was vitrification where the waste would be encased in glass. I’m not sure if it is progressing well, but one of the lawsuits was about speed
There is also a compensation claim from downwinders. The people who lived and grew up in the area downwind of Hanford from the 1940’s and have an elevated level of cancer. I guess milk has an elevated risk from that area.
The safest place in a Tsunami is out at sea. The wave would quickly pass under the boat and people onboard might not notice it if they weren’t looking. When the wave gets to shallow water the problem starts because the front of the wave slows down so the rest piles up and pushes it forward onto land.
When I lived in Illinois and Wisconsin they were called Sieches, and in Chicago they occasionally wash fishermen off the breakwater. In Door County once the water went away in Green Bay and the neighbor’s boat was hanging off the dock on sand. Then the water came back and swamped it and all the adults jumped in the water to bail it out. There was a little 2-3 foot wall separating the grass from the beach and the water didn’t come over that.
Here in Washington we are also overdue for 3-4 volcanoes to erupt. I think the last large Mt. Rainier eruption was very close to the time of the big earthquake. Quite a few of the south suburbs in Seattle are built on Lahars (mudflows) from an eruption.
The native tribes have recorded all the large geological events even though their stories don’t have exact dates, they did witness them
@kenmcclow8963 I tend to forget about the volcano hazards- great comment & thanks for the poke on this factor especially.
You are right about that being overdue and serious and in populated areas. Dang it.
Ryan McBeth did a great video on World War III that goes over the history of the (misguided) belief that another major war would automatically become nuclear and how it is even less likely today (though not impossible) than it was decades ago. He also covers that it is quite likely that WWIII has already begun and may have done so earlier than many may think.
Geology not only impacts likelihood of a quake, but also the propagation of shaking when a quake hits. The New Madrid quake was felt over a much further range than quakes on the west coast...
@Mike80528 at least the New Madrid isn't going to cause a tsunami! But, I have often noted that my fear of tsunamis is on the dramatic side.
I do think it makes sense to look at the conflicts around the globe today as a current proxy war on many fronts between the great powers. The Belt & Road Initiative strikes me as a particularly interesting and unusual move in these dynamic and in many ways fundamentally economic conflicts.
@@AmericanResiliency The Cascadia Subduction Zone is the stuff of nightmares, and I grew up in the SF Bay Area and was there during Loma Prieta. My dad used to commute down the Cypress freeway that collapsed that day. That said, even with earthquake experience I wouldn't want to be in a tsunami zone...
@@Mike80528 I have the entirely wrong kind of constitution for the big picture disaster risks of the west coast- the images from that freeway collapse stay in the mind.
Hi Dr Emily this video and as a continuing series of videos is a great idea..It is so good to know where the nuclear reactor energy sites are as well as the earthquakes zone maps..Isnt it interesting that the Indigenous Native American people have stories about events that happened in our past and pass those shared memories down from generation to generation to this very day on where to build and where not to build!! There was a recent article online that i found interesting about the 10 safest counties in the US from natural hazards and climate..I looked these up on a map and something jumped out at me..These counties are all in, and or nearby to Native American Reservations and me being of Navajo and Hopi heritage there are stories in the various tribes about being told to settle in these areas and not venture far from these areas as they are mostly safe from natural disasters.Ill see if i can find it and share it with you just leave me your Email..Thanks Dr Emily. And I'm so glad your Husband is getting treatment and was able to see a specialist earlier then you guys thought..I will continue to keep you guys in our prayers and thank you for the update.
@michaelschiessl8357 thank you, prayers mean a lot to us. And I would be very interested to see that- ar@americanresiliency.org.
I have definitely noticed that many of the reservation lands are lighting up as particularly strong in resilience potential. Things look so dire in AZ- only place where there's a sliver of relief looks like Navajo Nation. I've thought about making a video showing the reservation lands outlook to point out these patterns, but I worry about increasing any burden on the tribes. I think the most important takeaway from the pattern is that the relationship with the land matters, that we could live with the land in a good way.
And you get a gold star for using the word “cleave” in your report!
@timjim10 hooray! Thank you :-)
really awesome that you mentioned Indigenous Folks
@EarnestOfGaia they tend to know what's up!
Thank you once again! I am so grateful to you!!!
@purpledreams8017 you are so welcome- I'm glad to help!
Than you for this!
Thank you Dr. Emily!
@kingjsolomon you're welcome!
Thank you so much for this hazard information!!! I have been looking all over for this so I can make a move... I am especially interested in water
@deboraharnold3964 water quality issues are so important! Can be challenging to figure out how to get access, too- we'll put it together, that topic is totally on the list.
Your mention of farming and soil reminded me of something I've been curious about these last few years. I've been out of touch with farmers for about 10 years now, so perhaps you can fill us in as to how they're managing higher temperatures and material that can spontaneously combust. And it was especially good to hear the other news too. Thanks!
@OldJackWolf I'm going to hang out with some friends who farm today, I'm gonna ask them about this combustion issue.
It's been very interesting to be part of a community where farmers are responding to these changing conditions in real time. In my immediate area everyone planted very early this year, weeks ahead of the traditional corn sow date- we all had kind of a a huge collective intake of breath for about two weeks, but the bet paid off.
Last year, the big concern in my region, even beyond the drought, was getting parts. Last year in Nebraska especially I am told parts shortages were so serious, there were growers unable to harvest. And that was on top of a very bad season.
@@AmericanResiliency Just FYI, corn is very short this year in NY, VT, NJ, NY, PA as seen in my August travel. But the worst was today around Cumberland MD where the corn was less than 3' tall.
@@OldJackWolf thanks for these notes, that's alarming. Corn (and beans) look good around here- but there's a large portion of the north & south east reporting very poor corn, many international yields are looking quite poor. I don't understand how the commodities price is still pegged so low. Around here it is causing land to be sold and that may be the point.
@@OldJackWolf Yikes!
@@AmericanResiliency China stopped buying ag from the US soon after Trump's tariffs went into effect, hence low grain prices. They even went elsewhere hogs. Plus we have more S America competition now. Lastly, don't forget, in the tropics, they can grow crops year round (in spite of their low fertility soils and wonky weather woes too.)
I live in NE Indiana, and can count on one hand the amount of earthquakes that were felt here over the last 50 years. And I think only one of those was close to 4.0. Closest nuclear plants are on the Great Lakes. Here, there’s lots of freshwater lakes and good growing land, along with plenty of deer, fish and rabbit. Our main danger are storms and tornadoes, and maybe glyphosates from farming.
@lindawolffkashmir2768 I think NE Indiana is a great area. Pretty low change in the climate projections, low natural hazards, good state level infrastructure- ton of strengths
There is also one other thing I must mention, are the summer algae blooms on the lakes. Lake Erie is going through one currently. Some algae may be toxic, depending on the weather and location of the lake. Also, a drier summer can contribute to a more stagnant water condition. There are other organisms in water, like amoebas and other things that can upset your stomach, or make you very sick. It’s best to treat all water sources before drinking, no matter how clean they look.
Thanks!
@jeffm4491 thanks so much!
Ps- the new thumbnails look so boss!
@Corrie-fd9ww I am so happy with them! A volunteer, JP made them, he's got a WAY better handle on this medium than I do, I'm very grateful for his help!
Yay JP!!!!
Thank you for doing, and sharing this vital info.
Perhaps too niche, but what about areas prone to flash floods, compared to likelihood of major storms as the climate changes? For example, Tropical Storm Fred’s impact on Haywood County, NC. Very limited area, but was absolutely devastating.
@collinihlehfeldlt3496 that is a great idea. I have been trying to highlight that risk where appropriate as I look at Appalachia- but I think the idea of isolating flash flood risk areas around the country is super smart and a great way to highlight what is in many areas *the* emerging life-threatening hazards. Thank you!
nice to know the New Madrid doesn't reach northern midwest
@voidisyingyangvoidisyinyang885 honestly I was surprised how much of the region is out of the shake area
The plant by Cedar Rapids might start back up bc of Google moving in the area.
@user-xc7pu7kb2v dang it! Oh, that makes me mad. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but I think we're making some dumb decisions courting the tech companies. The groundwater across Iowa was Messed Up before the end of the drought this spring. Towns running out of water. But we're going to sell more of our water? Developing chatGPT drove down the aquifer under Des Moines. These are precious resources being used for technology that seems to be mostly bad for us.
apnews.com/article/chatgpt-gpt4-iowa-ai-water-consumption-microsoft-f551fde98083d17a7e8d904f8be822c4
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake centered a 100 miles away on the Virginia / NC border was quite a surprise a few years ago. I’m mostly concerned about forest fires here.
What I also did not consider is the insane proliferation of nuclear plants in the Carolinas. Looks like the worst spot in the nation, and hence likely the highest concentration in the world 🌎. Yikes 😳. Maybe time to reconsider da UP. ⬆️
@christinearmington fire resilience is definitely important in that area- lot of good strengths too, though.
I learned a lot from that nuclear plant map- I had no idea how many were low lying on the eastern seaboard, especially! A viewer told me to check out the Seabrook Station in New Hampshire- it's built right by marsh and dunes. Definitely does not look good for even moderate sea level rise scenarios. If you're by a plant, I think it's worth checking out what's going on, see how the particular risks are looking.
sorry so late to this party - but I would find an interest in mapping pathogens and diseases spread by insects - mosquitoes, flies, ticks etc., or would we simply see one big red blob of a heat map?
thank you for sharing such interesting assessments!
@wayne00k I love this idea. Although you're right there are some ways it'd be a pretty uninteresting heat map, I think it's important to know about emerging diseases. People don't know how to recognize West Nile or dengue fever, and the mosquito species that carries those diseases has made it further north much faster than predicted ten years ago.
My favorite classes I ever taught were microbiology for nursing students- gosh, that was a while ago, now. I think this would be an interesting opportunity to give people some important health knowledge that I know how to present in an engaging way.
@@AmericanResiliency wow! you would be the perfect person to present this topic.
Living in Pennsylvania we've seen, over the past several years Lyme, West Nile, Zinka, and more recently Eastern Equine Encephalitis - and I'm sure to be missing some others. We've been rather fanatical about eliminating standing water and when not possible treating with b. thuringiensis... but in close quarters as is our old river town it is impossible to address all breeding sources.
Anyway - thanks for considering this!
have a wonderful day :)
water being too warm to cool the power plants are an interesting risk most folks don't talk about
@ErnestOfGaia that's true and also scary. I should look up what the threshold is for different power systems - that risk reaches beyond nuclear.
Like to sea one on magnetic pole excursion,weakened geomagneticism,solar and cosmic influences.
@steveberkson3873 I think this would be amazing and it is SO FAR outside my area of expertise. I gotta find the right partner to help me tell this story, would be really cool.
rethinking my life... why do I live on a fault line!
@ShaneNull makes life exciting? I will say a lot of the areas without fault lines are not what I'd call cultural powerhouses!
Has your expert ever considered how nuclear warfare will possibly trigger earthquakes? After many shock waves that will be in the tens, too million of tons hit the ground. What will be the cumulative effect on the plates? Will we in our childishness start multiple quakes?
@leonmccarty9430 alright new fear unlocked on my end. I'll ask them!
❤
@CS-ms2ip I hope to be in touch soon- feeling stronger over here
@@AmericanResiliency It's so good to see the new videos. Holding you in my heart.
New MAD-rid. Odd?, but true
@borismedved835 thanks for the assist!
Nukes / Volcanoes / Meteor
It is not just quakes. ANYTHING could happen to us, like a pandemic, a war, civil disobedience. Imagine a nuclear power plant overheating, but the people have all died or left, for whatever reason, and that country's response isn't quick enough, which leads to cascading meltdowns. And 10,000 - 20,000 years of highly radioactive ash burning into the atmosphere, the soil, the groundwater. There are 440 nuclear power plants around the world, just a few failures could lead to unimaginable suffering for us and also for all of the mammals and other creatures that get cancer. This is why I am opposed to Nuclear Power. Yes, when it works, it works. But we are HUMANS!!! Look at the history of war ... they have been bombing all around the nuke power plants in Ukraine.
@robertgulfshores4463 I think you're making points worth acknowledging here. The potential for long-term impacts are real. We can write out big numbers all we want, but that doesn't mean we're really capable of understanding time at that scale. Maybe some individuals can. But I bet if you picked a handful of people out of a crowd and asked them to teach you about even the last 300 years of human history, or how any facet of natural history has changed in the last 300 years, you would get more amazingly wrong answers than you would get accurate descriptions.
@@AmericanResiliency I worry about this all the time. The Nankai Trough in Japan is almost due, every 150 years, extremely powerful quakes, right on time, for over 1500 years, but this time there are nuclear power plants there. It wouldn't be another Fukushima, it would be 10-20 times worse.
@@robertgulfshores4463 oh that is so awful to think about. The global impacts will be so serious. As a species, we do a terrible job with generational thinking. And all of these ring of fire faults are connected, it would not be impossible to imagine them setting each other off.
Wow. Oh my gosh. Earthquakes are not the end of the world. If you live in an area prone to earthquakes you build accordingly. Look at Japan.
@bonnieprather610 I hope I made it clear in the video that I realize my personal earthquake aversion is a little much!
This info is just so people can be aware of risks- I think many people don't think about it on the east coast, for example, or in the outlined fracking-impacted areas on the map.
@@AmericanResiliency i concur. I grew up in southern California and have been through a few. I find them to be thrilling on the order of a Disneyland ride. No big deal.