Magnitude 3.6 earthquake felt west of Victoria on Vancouver Island
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According to Earthquakes Canada, the magnitude 3.6 tremor was recorded at 7:17 p.m. local time, about 18 km southeast of Port Renfrew.
"There are no reports of damage, and none would be expected," said Earthquakes Canada in a statement, adding that the quake was "lightly felt" in the southern Vancouver Island region.
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Initial reports indicated the earthquake measured a magnitude of 4.1.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Hurricane Erin Is Sprawling, and Still Bringing Stormy Seas to the East Coast
Hurricane Erin is expected to turn away from the United States but is likely to bring a dangerous threat in the coming days: rip currents along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, as well as Bermuda and the Bahamas. The life-threatening risks of rip currents were highlighted last month, when Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor who rose to fame as a teenager playing Theo Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show' in the mid-1980s, drowned while swimming at a beach on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. He was swept away by a rip current, channels of water that flow away from the shore and can drag people along. The National Weather Service has warned that Erin could produce 'life-threatening surf and rip currents, and local authorities have issued warnings for swimmers this week in areas affected by Erin. Rip currents, even from distant storms, are the third-highest cause of death related to hurricanes. At least three dozen people in the United States have drowned in the surf so far this summer, most of them caught in rip currents, according to the National Weather Service, which tracks surf-zone deaths across the country. One swimmer died and four others were rescued from the waters off Seaside Heights, N.J., after they became caught in a rip current on Aug. 11, when lifeguards were off-duty, the authorities said. Earlier in July, Chase Childers, a former minor league baseball player, died after rushing into the surf in Pawleys Island, S.C., to save swimmers in a rip current, the police said. Fatalities do not just occur in oceans. In the Great Lakes region, rip currents caused an average of 50 drownings per year from 2010 to 2017, Chris Houser, the dean of science at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, said. Can you see a calm strip of water cutting through the waves? Rip currents occur when water flows away from the beach through a narrow channel that has been created by an underwater feature or a sandbar. They are easiest to see from an elevated position like a beach access point, and are harder to spot when a person is closer to the water. From land, a rip current can appear relatively calm on the surface, as a strip of water that extends out from the beach between breaking waves. Its appearance can be deceiving, because the forceful flow of water away from the shore can sweep a swimmer far into the body of water. The current can also appear as a patch of darker water stretching away from the beach, or as a distinct offshore flow. Rip currents are swift and unrelenting. They can move at speeds of up to eight feet per second, which is faster than the pace of an Olympic swimmer. But drownings often happen with far weaker currents, said Gregory Dusek, a senior scientist with the Ocean Service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 'It doesn't have to be moving that fast to cause a problem,' Mr. Dusek said. 'It just needs to be pulling you enough to get you from where you can touch to where you can't.' The currents can occur at any time and in any conditions, but they are most dangerous when waves are two to three feet high, Mr. Dusek added. There is also added risk in late summer, when tropical storm systems and hurricanes can move through a region and prompt strong waves, even on clear, sunny days. 'You can have a storm far away driving pretty large waves, and you can have strong rip currents where you are, even when the weather seems fine,' Mr. Dusek said. Check the surf forecast at your beach. NOAA maintains beach weather forecasts for several popular destinations, which contain information about rip currents and waves, at Surf zone forecasts also assess the low, moderate or high risks of rip currents associated with your destination beach. Some lists of safety tips from government agencies also state the obvious for people dipping into the surf: Make sure you know how to swim. Read signs and avoid swimming near piers. Try to swim at a beach that is under the watch of lifeguards, and ask them about the conditions before you enter the water. Comply with their orders, and read and follow instructions from official posted signs. Do not swim alone or within 100 feet of piers and jetties, because rip currents flourish alongside them, NOAA recommends. Families with children should swim near a lifeguard if there is one. It also helps if children bring something that floats into the water with them, such as a boogie board, a surfboard or a lifejacket, all of which can help weaker swimmers navigate a rip current. Hopefully, you will never need the advice in the next section. Don't fight the rip current. Many people panic when they get pulled into a rip current, which leads them to waste energy and make irrational decisions, Mr. Dusek said. If you find yourself carried off by a rip current, try to relax and evaluate your surroundings. Remember that a rip current will not pull you under, he said. And don't try to swim against it. Not every rip current is the same, and you may use different strategies depending on the water's movement and your swimming abilities, Mr. Dusek said. It is possible that the current itself will circulate back to shore. If so, float. The rip current is generally narrow, so try to escape it through its side, rather than head-on. Strong swimmers should move in a direction that follows along the shoreline, or swim toward breaking waves and then at an angle toward the beach, he said. 'If you don't think you can do that, or you feel like you're swimming anywhere in particular, you want to just float and wave your hands and call for help,' Mr. Dusek said. It's important to stay above the water and avoid exhausting yourself to give time for a lifeguard to reach you or for someone on the shore to call 911. To do so, you can also embrace the 'flip, float, follow' strategy, which involves flipping on your back to float above water and following the current until it takes you past breaking waves or back to shore. How to help someone stuck in a current. Rip current drownings often occur when bystanders wade into dangerous conditions to help another person. To assist someone safely, you can help direct them to swim parallel to the shore or flip on their back to float. If you are near someone stuck in a rip current, alert a lifeguard. If there is no lifeguard on duty, call 911. Even if the person escapes the rip current, they may still need lifesaving support, Mr. Dusek said. For swimmers who are pulled by the current closer to the shore, give them something that floats to hold onto, such as a boogie board or a cooler. If you feel like the only option is to enter the water — and you're a strong swimmer — it's important to still bring a flotation device, Mr. Dusek said. Jenny Gross contributed reporting.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Instructors in Massachusetts using waves from Hurricane Erin to teach surfing and staying safe
With Hurricane Erin lurking in the ocean, her impact is beginning to be felt in Massachusetts even if the storm isn't expected to get close to the state. The hurricane is creating high surf and riptide warnings at local beaches. At Nantasket Beach in Hull, the water is open for play, but not without risk. There are multiple lifeguards on duty, and DCR rangers have been seen combing the beaches to make sure people are safe. "This is why we aren't having camp tomorrow with the winds, possibly the surf picking up," said Grace Grosso, a surfing instructor teaching young children at Nantasket, "Rip current risks are higher tomorrow"." She says most people panic when they are swept up in a rip current, but her advice is to remain calm and don't fight it. "We teach the kids to let the rip take you out, and once it spits you out deeper into the ocean, swim parallel with the beach," explained Grosso. "You don't want to fight a rip current, you don't want to try and swim against it. You don't want someone to come out and try and save you." The area can be a destination spot for vacationgoers like Mark Grimley. He and his wife came here this week for their anniversary, but it hasn't gone exactly as planned. "When we did come down, we expected the winds, but it's going to get worse tomorrow. I even mentioned to her maybe tomorrow it's supposed to be a little bit sunnier, I'll probably go up to my kneecaps if that," said Grimley, adding that at least the beaches aren't crowded, "It's about 3 miles long, and there's maybe only about half a dozen people from here to the end." In nearby Scituate, the town is asking people to stay out of the water altogether. They only have one beach, Peggotty Beach, that has lifeguards on duty. Parents like Katie Byrne are heeding all of the warnings. She has her young son staying out of the waters at Nantasket. "I think [the waves] are bigger than normal. I come down a couple of times a Summer," said Byrne, "We're just playing up by the sand today."
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Mammoth Hurricane Erin Hits US East Coast - The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Mammoth Hurricane Erin Hits US East Coast The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown 86 mins The sprawling and very dangerous Hurricane Erin is now bringing flooding and 20-foot waves to much of the East Coast. Plus, a US Navy sailor is convicted of espionage for sharing military information with China. And Erik and Lyle Menendez make their case for parole for killing their parents 36 years ago.
