Photos by Gazeta.ru
According to new data released by seismologists, the earthquake, which hit Sakhalin Island on Thursday, August 2, 2007 had a magnitude of 6.8, followed by the second quake of 5.9. 1,200 families were immediately left without housing. Sakhalin Island is the sister-city to Gig Harbor, Washington – a beautiful city in the Pacific Northwest located just 50 miles south of Seattle.
On Friday, one day after the earthquake, transport planes loaded with emergency supplies did not make it to the area affected by the disaster, due to harsh weather conditions. While there are no emergency or life-threatening conditions at this point, some parts of the island have experienced shortages of food and water, as well as overnight tents and blankets.
President Putin demanded a complete report from Russia's Minister of the Emergency Situations Sergei Shoygu by August 7. The report will include a complete plan of action regarding rebuilding housing for families affected by the disaster, recovery of the region’s infrastructure and reconstruction of damaged schools before the beginning of the new school year. Please click on the extended post to view photos of the area affected by the earthquake.
Comments
Excellent post, and thanks for the pictures. I didn't realise things were this bad, the news coverage here was pretty poor.
This is nonsense though:
On Friday, one day after the earthquake, transport planes loaded with emergency supplies did not make it to the area affected by the disaster, due to harsh weather conditions.
There was a bit of rain here, but the weather conditions could hardly be described as harsh. Complete unpreparedness by the authorities is a better explanation.
Posted by: Tim Newman | August 6, 2007 2:50 AM