Accidents and Disasters

How the Hollywood Fault Made Millennium's Future Uncertain, and L.A. a Laughingstock

8.6 Earthquake in Indian Ocean Triggered Aftershocks in L.A.'s Backyard

If you've noticed that the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Rim seems to rock like a frat party every time there's a giant earthquake, new science might just back up your observation. A new study by U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Fred Pollitz documents how the Pacific Rim went bonkers following ... More >>

Earthquake 'Swarm' in Imperial Valley Still Raging, Could Signal Larger SoCal Event

An underground thunderstorm of seismic activity, officially called a "seismic swarm," hit a farm town called Brawley in the Imperial Valley yesterday -- gearing up around sunrise with some magnitude 2s and 3s, peaking with a magnitude 5.3 and 5.5 just after noon, and rolling into Monday morning with ... More >>

Radioactive Acid Rain Detected in Los Angeles

Rain and mist that fell in Los Angeles last weekend was five times as radioactive as normal, environmental journalist and LA Weekly contributor Michael Collins reported on his website this week. Collins tests samples with his own equipment and says that, on Saturday, he measured the highest proport ... More >>

Sake Fuels Japan's Recovery A Few Local Events

This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the March 11 catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that so terribly damaged Japan. Food-safety issues and scares -- particularly around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor -- remain in the news. Although Japan's traditional sake brewers were h ... More >>

California, Where Did We Go Wrong?

The First 15 Minutes After the Big One

Who dies in Los Angeles, and why, when the earth quakes on the San Andreas Fault?

We Heart Performing for Japan Reunites Cowboy Bebop Cast and More

Dianne GarciaStephanie Sheh, who organizes We Heart Japan events, at Meltdown Comics in March​Days after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, Los Angeles-based voice actor Stephanie Sheh, known for her roles on popular series like Bleach, FLCL, Naruto and The Melancholy of Haruhi Su ... More >>

Radiation From Japan Ended up in Southern California, UC San Diego Researchers Confirm

​Researchers at UC San Diego confirmed today that radiation from quake-and-tsunami-damaged Fukushima reactors reached Southern California. Though other tests have determined that minuscule amounts of nuclear material reached our shores, this one was trumpeted by USCD as "the first quantitativ ... More >>

Japan 6.7: Earthquake Strikes Country Again, Prompting a Tsunami Alert That Doesn't Cover California (So Far)

The last time.​As if Japan needs any more shaking or waves, a 6.7 earthquake hit the east coast of Honshu, Japan today, prompting a tsunami warning for that area, but not for us. According to Associated Press: The U.S. Pacific Tsunami warning center said that it did not expect a destructive ... More >>

California Girls on The Wane Because of Japan Radiation? Study Says Nuclear Release Could Mean Fewer Females Born in Golden State

Katy Perry, a limited resource.​Yes, we still wish they all could be California girls. But thanks to radiation from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, there could be less of them. And more boys. A fascinating study out of Germany correlates release of radioactive material and ... More >>

Lee's Sandwiches Donates $33K to Tsunami Relief

Flickr/mulaohuLee's sardine bánh mì​ After two months of amassing donations in five-gallon jars at its dozens of locations (including 21 in Southern California), bánh mì juggernaut Lee's Sandwiches collected over $18,134 to help victims of the Japanese tsunami and earthquake. The company k ... More >>

Japan's Sake Brewers Want You To Drink Up

True Sake/Sven WiederholtA selection of premium sake from Tohoku at True Sake​Need a reason to feel good about drinking? Japanese sake makers could use your help. Hit hard by the twin natural disasters of earthquake and tsunami, what's really impacting these often small, family-run enterprise ... More >>

Dressing for an Earthquake

Put on your red vest for the big one

Shibuya Girls Pop: Cute Rebellion

A Japanese art collective brings earthquake-fueled inspiration to its show at Meltdown

"I Survived Japan's Tsunami" T-Shirt: Too Soon?

​ What do you think, too soon? This "I Survived" Japan's tsunami t-shirt was designed by Bill Wyatt (formerly Billy Tsangares), owner of Los Angeles t-shirt shop Y-Que Trading Post. Remember the Free Winona tee? Yup. He did that one, too. Are the shirts poor taste? Or are they art? I say a ... More >>

EVERYBODY THAI NOW!

Actor and Model Sebastiano Serafini and Writer La Carmina on the 9.0 Earthquake in Japan

See La Carmina and Seba's photos from Los Angeles. Sebastiano Serafini, otherwise known as Seba, is a multi-media personality in Japan. He has modeled for a variety of labels, including Paul Smith and h. Naoto. Last year, he played Luca on the Japanese TV series Nijonjin no Shiranai Nihongo. Recent ... More >>

Low Levels of Radiation Found in West Coast Milk: Far Below Levels of Concern, According to the EPA

Flickr/Ashley R. GoodNo need to fear milkshakes.​ According to reports from the New York Times and Associated Press, low levels of radioactive iodine from the compromised Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan have been found in milk in California and Washington state. Last week, tests of mi ... More >>

'Simpsons' Show Faces Foreign Backlash Over Nuclear-Themed Episodes in Wake of Japan's Radiation Crisis

FoxThis photo would be censored on some stations.​Our favorite nuclear family is suddenly losing viewers in some parts of North America and Europe. And it hasn't done anything different. No, the L.A.-born Simpsons is a victim of thinned skinned censors who fear some folks can't stand to consi ... More >>

After Japan, Americans' Taste For Nuclear Power Sours

San Onofre.​In the span of less than a month, after watching disaster unfold in Japan, Americans have started to turn their backs on nuclear power. The latest Rasmussen Reports national survey finds a near three-year low among Americans who want to build more nuclear power plants: 38 percent. ... More >>

[Updated] 10 Food Fundraisers for Japan Disaster Relief: Cube, Koi, Umami, Manuel's El Tepeyac, La Seine, Xino More

Courtesy of Koi.The Rising Sun Roll (left) and Koi Fusion Shot (right).​Want to help the Japan earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in your own gluttonous way? If you don't have the skills to make a treat for LA Bakesale for Japan, the mega, citywide fundraiser set for April 2, here are 10 ot ... More >>

Nearly Half of U.S. EPA's West Coast Radiation Monitors Might be Out Sick (Good Timing)

FoxBeware the EPA.​We've been telling your for almost two weeks now that radiation from Japan was headed our way, but not to worry. We are your friend. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported this week that trace amounts of the Fukushima nuclear power plant radiation was detected ... More >>

Japanese Radiation Reaches Southern California: Feds Say Don't Trip

A gift from Fukushima (which was an American design).​It's here. Radiation from Japan's ailing Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station was detected in Southern California by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitors this week. The trace amounts found in Riverside and Anaheim were said by ... More >>

San Onofre Nuclear Plant Mounts Info Blackout When We Want to Know Most

San Onofre.​So people are scared again about the safety of nuclear power. President Obama has ordered a review of plant safety across the nation. California's two U.S. Senators want the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to conduct inspections of the two generating stations in the state. And Califo ... More >>

Could California's Medical Marijuana Crop Be Tainted by Japanese Radiation?

This indoor weed has a healthy glow.​This passes for a serious concern in California. Our precious multi-billion-dollar marijuana crop could possibly maybe be threatened by radiation from Japan. And who wants their green glowing, well, green? It's a question posed with a sober voice in the ... More >>

Nuclear Power in the Wake of Japan: 2,452 Spent Fuel Assemblies Stored at San Onofre

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.​Southern California's San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has plenty of spent fuel on-hand, Fukushima-style. There are 2,452 spent fuel assemblies from three reactors (one is being used only as storage) there, we're told, versus 4,685 at the ailing, ra ... More >>

Radiation From Japan a No-Show in Los Angeles, But Does Arrive in Northern California

FoxHomer would be bummed.​Updated after the jump: Radiation detected in Sacramento. Should you worry about the weekend's rain? Lot of build up. No payoff. (Sorry to disappoint). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency radiation monitoring system in L.A. has found nothing above daily "back ... More >>

UCLA Pulls Students Out of Japan Following Radiation Fears; USC Students Can Stay if They Want

NoeluapUCLA students will come home.​We're hearing Tokyo, one of the world's greatest, most-bustling metropolises, is a ghost town following Japan's 9.0 rocker and subsequent nuclear crisis. And now a few more folks are headed back home to L.A. as UCLA has suspended its study abroad program i ... More >>

Japan Radiation Scam in L.A.: Email From 'Fire Department' Warns of Acid Rain, Hair Loss

hot-new-hairstyles.comNot funny, guys.​As if the mass paranoia in Southern California over that fabled radiation cloud from Japan wasn't ridiculous enough, it appears some Los Angeles email scammers are doing their part to feed the fear. Inspector Matt Levesque from the L.A. County Fire Depar ... More >>

Japan Earthquake: Could Nuclear Power Plant Radiation Reach L.A?

Fukushima, on-edge.​Update: Minor amounts of radiation are projected to reach SoCal by Friday, after the jump. Could radiation from Japan's quake-stricken nuclear power plants reach Los Angeles? It's a long shot. But a look at Pacific jet stream animation shows that what happens in Japan doe ... More >>

Radioactive Clouds Antidote? A Big Fat Chill Pill For L.A., Public Health Officials Say

AirplaneCalmate, eses.​Updated after the jump: L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa weighs in with much of the same. The worst thing about radioactive clouds headed our way from Japan tomorrow? Panic, says L.A. County Public Heath chief Jonathan Fielding. "The biggest health impact is the psych ... More >>

La Nogalera Walnuts: Great For Cooking Cleaning up Oil Spills

Brooke BurtonCan walnut shells really stop oil leaks and filter polluted water?​ Go to the Hollywood farmers market to sample La Nogalera's excellent walnut oil from the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County, and you may quickly identify the nutritional benefits for salads and vegetable sid ... More >>

Sunday's 7.2 Earthquake Named 'Sierra El Mayor;' Mexican President Says Third Death Possible

polyvf via Twipic: http://tweetphoto.com/17203656​Caltech and the U.S. Geological Survey have come up with a name for Sunday's 7.2 shaker felt throughout the Southwest: The Sierra El Mayor earthquake. It was named for the mountain range near the temblor's epicenter on the Laguna Saluda fault. ... More >>

Now They're Blaming MacArthur Park for Earthquakes!

The Eastsider L.A. reports that a Caltech seismologist is referring to last night's quake as part of the "MacArthur Park earthquakes." Seems there were four "micro quakes" spread out over a few days. The biggest one was a 2.5 job that came Tuesday, a little after 10 p.m. The jolt, which felt like a ... More >>

Sylmar fire in Los Angeles could become a "siege"

NOTE: This post is about the Sylmar fire in October of 2008. For news on the Sylmar fire of November 15, 2008, click here. Note: 10:41 a.m. update regarding the Martin Mars amphibious craft capable of dropping thermogel. With a wall of fire hundreds of feet long in places, wind-driven smoke billow ... More >>

5.8 Quake in Chino Hills

The good old U.S. Geological Survey website is fast out of the gate pegging the recent earthquake as a 5.8 magnitude tremor. They also show the epicenter near Chino Hills, 29 miles southeast of downtown L.A. Culver City note: The new LA Weekly building shakes like a leaf (at least around my de ... More >>

A New Firefighting Tool? A Canadian Company Joins the Battle to Fight Wildfires in California. President Bush Takes a Peek at the Giant of the Sky

British Columbia resident Wayne Coulson says he has the tool that will save hundreds of homes threatened by California fires annually. It is called the Martin Mars water bomber. Owned by the Canadian company, Coulson Flying Tankers, the 162,000-pound Martin Mars can drop 7,200 gallons of water and ... More >>

California Fire Whisperers

Facing down region's wildfires by divining where the flames will spread

Air Inferiority

Is “Run!” the new strategy against firestorms on California's urban fringe?

The World on Fire

Something wicked this way will come again

Game Over

Quakes, asteroids, mass extinction — when the end comes, will it come from below, above or within?

Running Hot and Cold: A Dozen Weird Weather Moments

Epicenter of Cool

Dr. Kate Hutton

Running Hot and Cold: A Dozen Weird Weather Moments

A Drop in the Ocean

Ready To Rumble

The Northern California seismic threat to the Southland

Weld Wars

Lincoln loses control over study to prevent collapse of skyscrapers

The Myth of Solid Ground

On The Science, Pseudoscience and Lunatic Logic of Earthquake Prediction