What's going on??

[Queen of Poop]

I didn't know that 2011 was the year of the DISASTER!

Good grief, look at what's going on:

Earthquake and tsunami in Japan followed by nuclear disaster
Earthquakes in New Zealand
Fires in Northern Alberta and the Southern US
Floods all over the place
More tornadoes than ever
And hurricane season looming

What the heck's going on with our world???

[happylabs]

Don't know but it is scary. We have had two months of rain here in Pennsylvania. I sometimes wonder if it isn't the environment and pollution that are causing the terrible storms but who really knows.

[moosmom]

I asked myself the exact same question. What IS going on???????

[Karen]

I have a theory that it is more to do with the fact that every bit of news related to a disaster is picked up and makes headlines everywhere because of the 24-hour news cycle, and while a lot is happening, and it is sad.

Japan for example is on an active fault line, and has earthquakes often, just this one was unusually large. And the fault lines and continental plates are all, of course connected to each other, so it is not really surprising that NZ and Japan both had big quakes near each other, if you at plate tectonics.

[pomtzu]

Earthquakes - understandable.

Erratic weather???

[Lady's Human]

Nothing new. If it bleeds, it leads.

Tornadoes in the midwest? Tornado alley, anyone?

We had range fires constantly at Ft Hood, some of them huge, cnn didn't cover them in 1990.

24 hour news cycle coupled with human reaction to sensationalist reporting.

[pomtzu]

However, tornadoes this season have been much worse than any season I can ever remember - and I've been on this old dirt ball for a lot of years!
All weather patterns in general have become very unpredictable in recent years, as compared to years gone by - IMO of course!

[Lady's Human]

How quickly the tornado clusters in OK in 1999 are forgotten. Finger of god that re-wrote the fujita scale?

[chocolatepuppy]

This was in my town last night! Thank God it didn't touch down! Funnel clouds all over the place, sirens going off. The furkids and I spent an hour in the basement. I wondered if it was our last evening.
But, this happens at least 5 times a summer where I live in NE Ohio, nothing new. Usually not so many funnel clouds, but all I had was a bit of wind, have seen a lot worse! By the middle of May, you should have your 'tornado center' set up in the basement and a 'furkid plan' ready to roll.

[pomtzu]

This was in my town last night! Thank God it didn't touch down! Funnel clouds all over the place, sirens going off. The furkids and I spent an hour in the basement. I wondered if it was our last evening.
But, this happens at least 5 times a summer where I live in NE Ohio, nothing new. Usually not so many funnel clouds, but all I had was a bit of wind, have seen a lot worse! By the middle of May, you should have your 'tornado center' set up in the basement and a 'furkid plan' ready to roll.

That's darn scary! Glad to hear that you're okay and that it didn't touch down. We've had a couple of very small ones nearby to here in the past, taking down trees, ripping siding off houses, knocking down chimneys, but that's about all - and that's more than enough for me!
Thought we might get something a couple of nights ago - got that green sky - but it passed. I get really nervous when that green sky comes up...

[pomtzu]

How quickly the tornado clusters in OK in 1999 are forgotten. Finger of god that re-wrote the fujita scale?

Not forgotten at all - I remember quite well.........
And as I said in my previous post - all this is just IMO!

[K9karen]

There was a 1.0 tornado close to where my 97 y.o uncle
lives, in a busy, residential area of Phila. I know that's minor to some, but it did a lot of damages to buildings, and, well, we are totally unprepared for tornados in my neck of the state.

I have a fear of storms. i try to stay calm for Logan, but many times, during a severe summer storm with heavy rain, hail, winds, thunder and lightening, I'm in the basement with her. And the sky turns reddish. I'm a wreck. The severity of mother nature astounds me.

CP..I'm so relieved you're OK. I know there's a PTer who lives in Joplin and I pray that she's OK. It's the 1st thing i thought of.

I'm one of those people who believe in global warming slowly showing it's ugly head. JMO.

[Lady's Human]

I just saw a headline on the 'net.... "Deadly Tornado Strikes Again".

Did it take a sabbatical and decide to come back? If we've got sentient tornadoes running around, we have issues.

[Freedom]

but all I had was a bit of wind, have seen a lot worse!

Oh my I had to read this three times to figure out what you were saying!

I just saw a headline on the 'net.... "Deadly Tornado Strikes Again".

Did it take a sabbatical and decide to come back? If we've got sentient tornadoes running around, we have issues.

Knowledge of the language seems to be declining, drives me nuts. And if newspapers and other media mess up, can we expect children to learn it properly? Off topic, but a pet peeve of mine.

[cassiesmom]

We had some pretty stormy weather here in Chicagoland last June. I hope June 2011 isn't a repeat of June 2010!