Well-Placed Anger?

Mother Nature is pissed at Dallas: How about a billion dollar hail storm & anearthquake in a week?

In early Arpril, severe storms unleashed tornadoes across the Dallas area,causing nearly $400 million in damage.
Photo by Rondo Estrello
Dallas County saw hail as large as baseballs late Wednesday afternoon.
Photo by Rondo Estrello
Early estimates for damage have been as high as a whopping $2 billion.
Photo by Rondo Estrello
Meanwhile, just south of Fort Worth, a minor earthquake woke slumbering northTexans around 2:30 a.m. early Friday morning.
FOX 4 News
Seismic activity in the Fort Worth area has been on the rise in recent yearswith minor earthquakes occurring about twice a year.
NBC 5 News

For some reason Mother Nature is none too happy with the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex, socking the region with two major events this week.

First a Wednesday hail storm unleashed baseball-sized hunks from the sky — and damage estimates from $400 million to a billion dollars. Then, a 3.1-magnatude earthquake hit early Friday morning.

It is the largest reported hail in Dallas County since the mid 1950s, with hunks of ice shattering windows and ripping through vegetation. The Art Deco marquee of the city's historic Lawndale Theater suffered serious damage and a number of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly were smashed at an exhibit of the artist's work at the Dallas Arboretum.

Baseball-s i zed hunks of ice shattered windows and ripped through vegetation.

"Our region sees about 20 severe thundersstorms a year," National Weather Service meteorologist Melissa Huffmann told CultureMap Friday. "Hail is always a possibility, depending on the strength of the wind and updrafts, and a good majority of these storms produce it."

Huffmann said the storm was mainly concentrated around the city of Dallas, where the hail could cause the most damage.

According to Reuters, the storm could reach an estimated $2 billion in insured losses, nearly four times the amount of record-breaking wreckage caused by Dallas-area tornadoes in early April. Luckily, no deaths or major injuries have been reported.

Just to add insult to injury, Fort Worth found its nearby suburbs slammed with a minor, but nevertheless surprising, earthquake at 2:33 a.m. Friday morning.

"This was a very small earthquake that might have been strong enough to knock items of a tall shelf," geophysicist John Belini from the U.S. Geological Survey told CultureMap. "Other than that, though, it was relatively weak and probably only lasted a few seconds." Again, no injuries were reported.

Belini said that, while seismic activity in the north Texas is minimal compared to Alaska and California, small earthquakes have occurred an average of two times a year in the past half decade. As of yet, no 21st-century quakes in the DFW region have reached higher than 3.3 on the Richter Scale.

While seismic activity in the north Texas is relatively minimal, small earthquakes have occurred an average of two times a year in the past half decade.

Nevertheless, concern continues to mount over the state's "fracking" industry, which injects chemicals deep into the ground to extract oil and natural gas. There are state impact reports noting that liquid chemicals produced during the fracking process in deep well injection can lubricate fault lines to set off occasional minor seismic activity, although no greater than a magnitude of 3.

Belini noted that many of the North Texas fault lines are small and still under-studied, adding that more research will need to be conducted to determine whether the uptick in activity is related to manmade drilling efforts.

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in the navy

What to know about Fleet Week as it sails into Houston for the first time

Courtesy of Fleet Week Houston

The USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, will be in Houston this week.

For the first time ever, Fleet Week is sailing into Houston. Held Wednesday, April 15 through Wednesday, April 22, the weeklong event will bring four military vessels and more than 1,000 active-duty servicemembers to Houston.

One highlight will be the opportunity for Houstonians to tour four ships — USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), USS Minneapolis-St. Paul (LCS-21), USS St. Louis (LCS-19), and USCGC Edgar Culbertson (WPC-1137) — all of which will be docked at the Houston Ship Channel. In addition, dozens of other events will take place at schools, museums, parks, and more.

While the week includes dozens of events and celebrations, these seven are a good start for Houstonians who wish to participate in the festivities.

Wednesday, April 15

Parade of Ships at Seawolf Park, Galveston

Watch the parade of ships into the Houston Ship Channel to kick-off the inaugural Fleet Week Houston, and welcome the more than 1,000 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who will be participating in the week-long festivities. 7 am.

Thursday, April 16

Fleet Week on the Plaza at The Plaza at Avenida Houston
The free concert will feature performances by Houston’s beloved The Suffers, Navy Band Southeast, and special guests. In addition to the performances, attendees will find food trucks, games, photo ops, and more. 6 pm.

Saturday, April 18

Fleet Week Houston Aviation Exhibit at the Lone Star Flight Museum
Ellington Airport and the Lone Star Flight Museum will offer visitors an up-close look at a variety of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard aircraft. It includes both modern and historic planes. 9 am (9 am Sunday).

Fleet Week Expo at Post Houston
This event allows civilians to experience the visiting sea services through entertainment, talks, and demonstrations. It is also the beginning point for the buses taking people to ship tours. Performances on Saturday include a Marine Corp brass quintet (10 am), Chris Castaneda (12 pm), Julia Byers (2 pm), and Vetted (4 pm). On Sunday, the performers include David de la Garza (10 am), Sara Van Buskirk (12 pm), Navy Band Southeast – Jazz Combo (2 pm), and Vetted (4 pm). 10 am (10 am Sunday).

East End Block Party
Held at the Navigation Esplanade, the event includes live music, Luche Libre wrestling, and barbecue. 3 pm.

Sunday, April 19

Exhibition at Sylvan Beach Park (La Porte)
Designed for military buffs and anyone looking for adventure, this event showcases some of the military’s elite capabilities. Events and demonstrations include a hovercraft landing, Coast Guard Search and Rescue operations, Navy band performances, dog demonstrations, and hands-on displays with military equipment and technology. 10 am.

Monday, April 20

Fleet Week Street Festival and Drone Show at Main Street (Seabrook)
Market and food vendors, including artists, merchants, and veteran-owned businesses, will sell products. Then, a patriotic-themed drone show celebrating the 250th birthday of both the Navy and Marine Corps will light up the sky. 11 am.

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Group tours of the visiting vessels for companies, youth groups, civic organizations, and others are still available. Contact Jay Cope at 504-957-6305 or jay.a.cope.civ@us.navy.mil for more details.