Now that we've all got a soothing cup of coffee in hand, let's take a closer look at the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked the East Coast yesterday. Beginning at 1:51 p.m., the quake lasted between 20 and 30 seconds. The USGS reported two aftershocks of magnitude 2.8 and 2.2 within 90 minutes of the initial quake. People felt the quake from Ontario all the way down to Alabama, because "it was a shallow earthquake, and geological conditions in the eastern U.S." make for a widely shared experience. Why? "Western rock is relatively young" ("impudent," lets say?) and absorbs the violent shaking near the epicenter, while eastern rock is "far older, and so earthquakes can have a much larger and more widespread impact." more ›

If the President wants to send you a text, you'll be required to receive it on your smart phone under a new emergency alert system that the FCC and FEMA are rolling out in NYC and D.C. by the end of the year. Announced today, the new Personal Localized Alerting Network [PLAN] lets customers who own an enabled mobile device "receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area." If you don't want The Man telling you there's an imminent threat to your safety, you can opt out of a second tier of alerts, such as warnings about less catastrophic natural disasters or AMBER Alerts. But the messages from Obama are going to be shoved down your cell phone's throat, just like health care! more ›

Sometimes, weather is hard. And when that happens, FEMA is there to help (sometimes). FEMA has reportedly "deployed personnel" to New York to "help coordinate if additional support is needed" and has sent supplies like water, food, cots and power generators to "various locations" in case they're needed. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said, "We're continuing towork closely with our state and local partners and tribal governments to make sure they have all the support they need for the duration of this storm." They got any salt? Because at this rate we're going to be skating home. more ›

In case you forgot, two tornadoes blasted through Brooklyn and Queens in September, pulling up trees, wrecking sidewalks and killing one woman. Now, Governor David Paterson asked President Barack Obama to issue a major disaster declaration and provide FEMA assistance to cover everything from debris removal, repairs and disaster housing. FEMA officials have toured the parts of city, but are still determining if they are disaster areas. Perhaps they need to take a look at this photo of an uprooted tree pulling up the sidewalk. more ›

Today's lesson in what not to post on the internet is provided by our trusted friends at FEMA. For years the organization says it gave out thousands of copies of "A Scary Thing Happened" around the globe without a single complaint about the coloring book designed to help children cope with tragedy. But now FEMA has pulled it only a week after putting it up on its homepage due to complaints about color-in depictions of the 9/11 attacks. Upon seeing what the Daily News calls a "stomach-churning image," one local man told the paper, "I feel disrespected. I feel like I should punch the person who did this in the face." It turns out the person wants to deck is Marlys Jentoft, a 68-year-old grandmother of 10, who volunteers for the Red Cross, church and crime victims groups. She told The Smoking Gun, "I feel like it was happening in the world and kids saw it. It is life." more ›

Almost 2 million residents along the Lousiana coast have evacuated the region as Hurricane Gustav is expected to hit today. After his mandatory evacuation of New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin revealed he would be staying in the city, sleeping in City Hall. Nagin also warned, "Looters will go directly to jail. You will not get a pass this time. You will not have a temporary stay in the city. You will go directly to the Big House." more ›

A number of NYC ambulance companies are sending trucks and crews to New Orleans as Tropical Storm Gustav continues to move towards the Gulf Coast. Citywide Mobile Response Corp. spokesman Isaac Newman says FEMA contacted them at 10 p.m. last night to deploy ambulances; Citywide sent five ambulances and 15 crew members on the road this morning. Right now, Gustav is expected to be a major Category 3 hurricane when it reaches Louisiana on Tuesday at 1 a.m., with winds at 115mph. The GOP may consider delaying their convention next week--or making it more low-key--because of Gustav. The White House is also debating whether President Bush should cancel his appearance at the convention, given previous criticism of his handling of Hurricane Katrina. more ›