Quake warning

A Beaconite who has always lived in “earthquake country” — in places that are near the fault lines along which quakes typically occur­ — was fascinated to read this week that some California scientists have created a prototype of a device that gives a warning that an earthquake is about to occur. According to the Los Angeles Times, researchers proved over the weekend that their ShakeAlert works, when it went off 10 seconds before a Sunday morning quake in the Napa Valley area. It’s designed to give between 10 and 40 seconds warning, and supporters of implementing the system statewide say those seconds could save lives in case of “The Big One.” The Beaconite wonders if a similar system could be used in the quake-prone Caribbean.

 

Google problems

Probably like many residents in the territory, a Beaconite has recently recognised his reliance on services provided by the American company Google. He realises that the company’s presence in homes and offices everywhere isn’t new, but he didn’t quite realise how pervasive it was, and how much he used it, until it stopped working. In recent weeks many Virgin Islands residents have had trouble accessing the company’s search engine, its e-mail service Gmail, and the video-sharing site YouTube. Pages either didn’t load or instead displayed a page of indecipherable computer code. It’s unclear what’s causing the issues or whether it’s the fault of Google or an issue with VI-based Internet service provider. Either way, residents, and the Beaconite, are looking forward to the issues being resolved very soon.

Be prepared

A Beaconite enjoyed the heavy downpour on Friday: It filled her cistern, after all, and on a walk around Road Town most drains appeared to be clear enough to prevent much major flooding. But she was thankful that the weather system waited until passing the territory to become Tropical Storm Cristobal. Unfortunately, other countries and territories weren’t so lucky. The Turks and Caicos Islands suffered from severe flooding after about 12 inches of rain fell there, and at least three people in the Caribbean are believed to have died in the storm. The Beaconite hopes the close call will be a reminder to the Virgin Islands of the importance of preparing for the worst.

Delayed hearing

After a lengthy break during the August Emancipation Festival and the weeks thereafter, a Beaconite was back covering Magistrates’ Court on Monday. Unfortunately, it seems as if some of the administrative issues plaguing the court still exist, as a hearing that was scheduled for 10 a.m. didn’t start until around 11:30 a.m. After the hour-and-a-half pause, the case was adjourned so the defence could receive necessary documents from the prosecution. The Beaconite had hoped that the August break would allow court personnel to come back refreshed and ready to be punctual, but unfortunately he isn’t surprised at the delay. He wonders what can be done to make the Magistrates’ Court more efficient in handling cases that sometimes drag on for years.

Sargassum

The sargassum is back. Every once and a while, the seaweed starts washing up on the territory’s shores, causing problems for boats and emitting the stench of rotting vegetation. Beaconites are grateful for the workers who fish the plant matter out of the water around Road Town and haul it away.

Tsunami warning

A Beaconite who lives just above sea level in Road Town has always wondered what would happen if a tsunami were to hit the territory at night. Would there be any warning, considering that the Department of Disaster Management is closed? Now he has his answer: Under a new memorandum of understanding, the police have been tasked with sounding emergency sirens in the event of a night-time tsunami. The Beaconite is glad to know that he and his neighbours can now rest easier — especially after the relatively strong earthquake that shook the territory earlier this month.

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