Posts tagged disaster
Hurricane Sandy Creating Hazardous Ocean Conditions and Increasing Number of Washback Turtles on St. Johns County Beaches Throughout Weekend
Oct 26th
These extreme storm conditions create wrack line by pushing large amounts of sargassum seaweed onto the beach. Juvenile sea turtles, commonly referred to as washbacks, can become trapped in the seaweed, resulting in exhaustion and a need for medical attention. Beach visitors are asked to refrain from making contact with any washback turtles or attempting to return them to the water. Volunteers, coordinated by St. Johns County, known as the “Washback Watchers” will be conducting surveys throughout the weekend to recover washback sea turtles.
Beach visitors are not encouraged to enter the water during this time. In addition, there is a potential for vehicular access to be restricted intermittently throughout the weekend due to the extreme surf and high tides associated with the storm. St. Johns County staff will continually monitor the storm to ensure public safety remains a top priority. Please visit www.noaa.gov for updated weather and sea condition forecasts related to Hurricane Sandy.
Beach visitors who observe a dangerous situation or a marine animal stranded on the beach are asked to call the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Department at 904.824.8304. For information regarding beach conditions or coastal wildlife, please contact St. Johns County Habitat Conservation at 904.209.0331. For more information regarding hurricane preparedness, evacuation zones, and disaster planning, please visit www.sjcemergencymanagement.org.
Vehicular Access to St. Johns County Beaches Intermittently Restricted Due to Residual Hurricane Sandy Impacts
Due to the strength and proximity of Hurricane Sandy and the approaching full moon high tides, vehicular access to St. Johns County beaches may be restricted through Sunday, October 28. A potential for the flooding of vehicle access ramps and the driving lane could require limited access to ensure visitor safety. The beach is open to pedestrians and can be accessed through the off beach parking lots available throughout St. Johns County. Beach visitors are strongly encouraged to remain out of the water during this significant weather event. For preparedness information and Hurricane Sandy situation reports as they become available, please visit the www.sjcemergencymanagement.org. Please call 904.209.0331 for updated information regarding beach access.
Source: City of St. Augustine
“Chernobyl Diaries” or, Attack of the Chernobyl Zombies
Jun 2nd
“Attack of the Chernobyl Zombies”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
Chernobyl Diaries is a horror movie that takes place at the site of the 1985 Chernobyl disaster of the meltdown of the nuclear reactor.
And of all the horror movies that take place at the site of a nuclear meltdown, this is one of them.
Would you be surprised if I told you that there were six young people involved in the story?
Paul is an American living in Russia after having had some sort of falling out with his family.
Chris is Paul’s brother, who is traveling in Russia to visit Paul, and with him are Chris’s girlfriend Natalie and Natalie’s best friend, Amanda.
And then there are Michael and Zoe, who are tourists from Australia, and who join the group when Paul arranges an “extreme tour” for him and the others to take.
Paul knows a former Russian soldier named Uri, who is now an extreme tour guide, and Uri is going to take the six young people to visit the abandoned city of Pripyat, which used to be the home of the workers at Chernobyl and their families before the nuclear disaster.
Regarding the abandoned city, Uri tells his clients, “Nature has reclaimed its rightful home.”
Would you be surprised if I told you that the abandoned city is not totally abandoned?
After being turned back at the official checkpoint entrance to the city, Uri drives his van and its passengers around the back to his special entrance.
Uri says that the radiation levels are low enough to be safe now, and besides, they are going to spend only one day inside the city.
Would you be surprised if I told you that they end up spending more than one day there?
Okay, they hear a scary noise inside one of the abandoned buildings, and they see something that Uri says he has never seen before on his previous trips to Pripyat.
Now, would you be surprised if I told you that when they get back to Uri’s van to leave that it won’t start?
Would you be surprised if I told you that when darkness falls, bad things start to happen to seven people one by one?
Chernobyl Diaries could have been called “Attack of the Chernobyl Zombies,” and I’m not surprised that I didn’t find it scary and I didn’t like it, either.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”