LOS ANGELES — To alert homeowners and beachgoers that they are in tsunami territory, the city of Los Angeles has begun posting blue and white “Tsunami Hazard Zone” signs with an image of ominous-looking waves. The signs, which have surfaced in beach parking lots and at major intersections in Venice and other low-lying communities, also point out evacuation routes.
Devastating tsunamis have pounded North America in the past, with California, Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon and the Caribbean islands most at risk.
Tsunami waves can be raised by underwater earthquakes, submarine volcanoes or coastal landslides. If a powerful undersea quake rattled the Pacific Rim, the first waves could reach the California coast hours after the shaking stops. That time is cut to mere minutes if one hit closer to shore — not enough time for authorities to send out a warning.
Gas prices climb 10 cents
The U.S. price of gasoline increased nearly 10 cents a gallon during the past three weeks, but remains well below year-ago prices, according to the national Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday in Camarillo. Analyst Trilby Lundberg says the average U.S. price of regular grade gasoline was $2.05 a gallon Friday, when the survey was completed. The lowest price for gasoline in the U.S. was found in Newark, N.J., at $1.83 a gallon. The highest was in Anchorage, Alaska, at $2.40.
Ohio: Skydiver dies
A Reynoldsburg skydiver whose parachute failed to open during a jump has died from his injuries, authorities said. The State Highway Patrol said Harry Short, 59, had jumped Saturday in a group of three from a single-engine Cessna airplane flying at about 10,000 feet. He was unable to open his main parachute. Troopers say a reserve parachute opened, but Short was too close to the ground to avoid injury when he landed near the Fairfield County airport.
New Hampshire: 40 homes burn at Christian center
A massive fire Sunday afternoon damaged or destroyed dozens of wood-frame buildings, mostly unoccupied summer homes, at a 146-year-old Christian center on Easter. The fire at the Alton Bay Christian Conference Center on Lake Winnipesaukee was under control about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. One firefighter was hurt when a propane tank exploded. Others were treated for smoke inhalation or exhaustion. The cause of the blaze has not been determined.
Texas: Rain soaks wildfires
Texas Forest Service officials say rainstorms have drenched most of North Texas, helping firefighters contain several large blazes that have burned for days. Wildfires have burned more than 192,000 acres across the state. Wind-fueled fires in Montague County in North Texas engulfed 75,000 acres of parched pastures Thursday and up to 100 homes. Three people died and two were injured.
Afghanistan: Female official, rights advocate gunned down
A female provincial official known for fighting for women’s rights was shot to death in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, and a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack. A police chief said four men drove up on two motorcycles and shot Sitara Achakzai as she was getting out of her car at her home in Kandahar.
Thailand: Protesters fired on
Thai soldiers unleashed hundreds of rounds of automatic weapons fire to clear rock-throwing anti-government protesters from a major intersection in Bangkok early today. Seventy people were reported hurt, a day after the country’s ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for a revolution. While the government has declared a state of emergency, protesters controlled many streets in the capital Bangkok. They had earlier commandeered public buses and swarmed triumphantly over military vehicles. A mob of the red-shirted protesters on Sunday smashed cars carrying Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his aides.
Associated Press
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