All tag results for 'disaster'

That was fast!

There's no Lifetime movie yet, but Discovery Channel is jumping at the opportunity to investigate the recent cruise ship tragedy in Italy.

The network announced plans to air a special this Spring that will examine the cause of the disaster and how cowardly Captain Francesco Schettino was involved.

Some are criticizing Discovery for turning tragedy into money, but we're definitely curious to find out more details of what went wrong aboard this luxury liner. A statement from the network read:

Tags: captain francesco schettino, cruise ship, disaster, discovery channel, dr. phil, italy, tragedy

Scientists believe animals may be able to sense when an earthquake is coming by sensing changes in ground water.

A researcher was studying toads in a lake in Italy when all of the toads suddenly evacuated the lake.

Days just before a major quake.

The researcher said:

"It was very dramatic. It went from 96 toads to almost zero over three days."

Animals that live in or near groundwater are very sensitive to any changes in its chemistry, so they might detect the changes in rocks before the "slip" and cause a quake.

When rocks are under impossibly high levels of stress, they release charged particles.

These particles can flow into surrounding rocks and eventually reach earths surface, converting air molecules into positive ions.

A doctor said:

"Positive airborne ions are known in the medical community to cause headaches and nausea in humans and to increase the level of serotonin, a stress hormone, in the blood of animals."

It's all very sciencey.

Scientists are trying to find a way to incorporate animal behavior into early warning systems.

Basically, if you see a hundred toads leave a pond all at once, you should go stand in a doorway, or get under a sturdy table or one of those other quake survival methods.

[Image via AP Images.]

Tags: disaster, early warning, earthquake, groundwater, italy, prediction, research, science, toads

Officials, including NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, are saying the "worst is over" when it comes to the damage of Hurricane Irene.

Over 370,000 people have been evacuated and millions are still without power. So far,

Tags: damage, disaster, evacuations, flooding, hurricane irene, mayor michael bloomberg, new york

So horrible and sad.

Yesterday, we were very upset to hear that concertgoers were both injured and killed during a Belgian music festival due to a disastrous thunderstorm.

Now, the upsetting numbers are in, and we're hearing that 140 people were injured, 10 people were seriously injured, and 5 people lost their lives.

Here's what the organizer of the festival Chokri Mahassine had to say about the tragedy:

Tags: belgian music festival, belgium, chokri mahassine, concertgoers, disaster, thunderstorm, tragedy, tragic event, upsetting

The Indiana State Fair horrific stage collapse has caused a few things to change there, including the venue for the upcoming performances from Janet Jackson and Lady Antebellum.

Tags: change, confirmed, details, disaster, event, memorial, music, musical, performance, show, tragedy

All right, this is just getting silly.

Is she or ISN'T she out?

Despite reports that Cheryl Cole has been invited back to judge the US X Factor, sources close to production are now claiming that after some legal finagling, the show's producers have ultimately decided to pay her the $1.5 she was contracted to receive and let her go - and all because she didn't have enough chemistry with the other members of the panel!

The insider explains:

"There was no spark. It was nobody's fault. It just didn't work."

Furthermore, sources have explained that the original plan was for producers to try and ease Cole back into the UK version of the show, but when news leaked that she was axed, her camp refused to speak with them. After hoping that she would quit so they wouldn't have to honor her contract, and then attempting to invite her back in vein, Simon Cowell, Fox, and producers at Freemantle ultimately decided that the best thing to do was pay off her contract and move forward.

Unbelievable. This is truly the definition of the word clusterfuck!

They really screwed the pooch on this one, and ultimately, it sounds as though the damage is irreparable.

Poor Chezza! So unfair!

We're very curious to see how they dig themselves out of this one - and then try to explain why she's only in a few episodes when it all finally airs!

[Image via WENN.]

Tags: chezza, contract, disaster, fox, freemantle, let go, messed up, reality competition, uk, unfair, us

A study released Thursday has found that black lung disease in coal miners is on the rise in the US after significantly declining since Congress passed tougher mine safety laws!

The findings came after an investigation was ordered by West Virginia governor Joe Manchin to look into the the worst U.S. coal mining disaster in four decades in the state.

75% of the 29 miners that tragically died in in the blast at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia last spring showed signs of black lung!

Davitt McAteer, who headed the investigation, calls the sample "a terrifying number, an astonishing number, particularly given the age of some of these individuals."

With the rising cost of coal, mine operators are being accused of sacrificing safety in favor of profits. Specifically, the investigation pointed at the company behind West Virginia disaster, Massey Energy, saying "the operator's commitment to production comes at the cost of safety."

Not cool! Let's hope coal mining companies get their acts together or the government cracks down on those putting profits ahead of employee safety!

[Image via AP Images.]

Tags: black lung disease, coal, congress, disaster, disease, energy, miners, scary, west virginia