Breaking: Alaska, Not an Island
In news sure to shock many among the nation, Alaska is not an island. A woman recently found out that Alaska is not, was not, never has been an island….
In news sure to shock many among the nation, Alaska is not an island. A woman recently found out that Alaska is not, was not, never has been an island. The sad thing is she's probably not the only one. There will be hundreds of people, maybe young or old who until this story hits their eyeballs will think that the state of Alaska is an island. The reason for this is a simple one, but also has a simple solution. When shown a map of the United States, Alaska is usually portrayed in the bottom left with Hawaii. It's not the best map planning.
The solution is simple. Look at a map of the world, like one time in your life. Just once. You'll never forget that the state of Alaska is connected to Canada. She blames the American education system, but I went through the same education system. Millions and millions of other people also went through the American education system, and 95% of them are or were aware that Alaska is indeed not an island.
According to an article in Business Insider, some Canadian commenter were also baffled that Alaska was not an island. This lack of knowledge is far more egregious since Alaska is connected to their country! When looking at a map of the United State we clearly can see that Canada and Mexico are connected to the United States. Canadians have to know that Alaska is part of the United States and is absolutely connected to their homeland. What is wrong with the world?
A few years ago, we had an intern on the morning show who was a smart girl, but she was really terrible at two things. 1. Gift giving. For years she gave her loving father the worst gifts ever. A pencil, a hammer probably a jelly of the month club membership. 2. Geography. Just look at the map of the US and of the world that Taylor made after a conversation we had in studio...
Not good guys. I never noticed until now that Alaska is an Island in her world map! These maps will hang in my office until the paper yellows and becomes unreadable or the world actually looks like this...
Pennsylvania: What’s Our Earthquake Risk? Use This Interactive Map
Everyone knows of the obvious places where you have to worry about experiencing an earthquake. But sometimes, there are less obvious spots, too. So, do we have any real risk of an earthquake in Pennsylvania?
A new study looks at the locations with the highest potential of earthquakes. A lot of them are in major cities. A few include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Memphis. That's according to government research done by FEMA.
In case you were wondering, earthquakes are costly. That's not to shame the states that have the most earthquakes, of course. Hurricanes are costly, too. So, whether you live in California, where earthquakes are likely, or in other areas across America where hurricanes happen, chances are, your area is taking up funding to cover these disasters. As it turns out, southern California coastal counties and the Bay Area are the most costly when it comes to earthquake damage. "Los Angeles County with $2.68 billion in annualized losses is more than three times greater than the second highest county (Santa Clara, California)," the FEMA report states. "The counties containing the Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake, and Memphis metropolitan areas also have relatively high AELs."
Pennsylvania ranks No. 30 and No. 43, respectively, out of the states for the report's "Ranking of States by Annualized Earthquake Loss and Annualized Earthquake Loss Ratios (AELR)." When it comes to Pennsylvania's risk, an interactive map shows the state split between "low" and "very low" risk for an earthquake. The eastern part of the state is in the "low" range.
Find the interactive map via CNN below and see where your area lands. You might be surprised by some of the areas that actually have a fairly high risk for activity. The map was "derived in part from a US Geological Survey study that created earthquake models to help inform municipalities and insurance companies about such hazards," according to CNN.
More on Loss Ratios across the US
While you might think of a handful of cities who are in danger of earthquakes, and those are on the West Coast, there is earthquake activity all around. "Although most economic loss is concentrated along the West Coast, the distribution of relative earthquake risk, as measured by the AELR, is much broader and reinforces the fact that earthquakes are a national problem," FEMA says. "Relatively high earthquake loss ratios are throughout the western and central United States (states within the NMSZ) and in the Charleston, South Carolina, area."
California - Interstate roadsign illustration with the map of California
The Big 55
You've heard of the Big Four, right? In metal music. Anyway, the Big 55 are the cities that experience the most earthquake activity. "Fifty-five metropolitan areas, led by the Los Angeles (including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim) and San Francisco (including San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley) Bay areas, account for 85% of the total AEL," FEMA says.
United States of America, geographic regions
Interactive Map of Earthquake Danger
This is an interactive map of the United States showing each area's risk for earthquakes. You might be surprised by some of the areas that actually have a pretty high risk for activity. Click the link below to go to the interactive map via CNN.
