Tag: South Carolina

South Carolina rocked by two of the largest earthquakes in years, Quake swarm continues, residents on edge

ETH – June 29, 2022

South Carolina was rocked by several earthquakes Wednesday, including the two strongest yet in a “swarm” of earthquakes that have rattled the state this year according to USA Today. 

Two quakes that are unusually strong for the region struck central South Carolina on Wednesday — a magnitude 3.5 and a magnitude 3.6, according to data from the United States Geological Survey. Over the weekend, a magnitude 3.4 earthquake also shook the state.

The quakes are the most powerful to hit the state in years, and at least one of Wednesday’s tremblers could be felt near Charlotte, North Carolina, according to reports published by the United States Geological Survey.

In a video shared by the state’s Emergency Management Division, geologist Wendy Bohon said more than 30 quakes have hit the state this year, a part of an “earthquake swarm.” Such swarms are familiar occurrences in more earthquake-prone areas, but less common in the South.

The South Carolina swarm has been going on for over half a year and included seven quakes above a magnitude 3, according to seismologist Lucy Jones. “Swarms happen in all seismic regions and the earthquakes continue until they stop,” Jones tweeted.

“That may not seem helpful, but knowing this is normal can help.” The latest quakes occurred near Elgin, South Carolina, according to data from the United States Geological Survey. The town is located about 20 miles northeast of Columbia, the state’s capital.

https://endtimeheadlines.org

Experts baffled by continuing South Carolina earthquakes – Will they lead to more serious and damaging seismic activity?

Strange Sounds – January 5, 2022

Yet more earthquakes have struck near South Carolina’s capital city, the ninth and tenth in a series of rumblings that have caused geologists to wonder how long the convulsions might last, or if they could possibly portend future, more serious seismic activity.

Early Wednesday, a 2.6-magnitude earthquake struck near Elgin, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Columbia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was measured at a depth of 0.5 kilometers, officials said. About 7 hours later, another earthquake hit the area, this one with a magnitude of 1.5, according to officials.

That area, a community of fewer than 2,000 residents near the border of Richland and Kershaw counties, has become the epicenter of a spate of recent seismic activity, starting with a 3.3-magnitude earthquake on Dec. 27. That quake clattered glass windows and doors in their frames, sounding like a heavy piece of construction equipment or concrete truck rumbling down the road.

Since then, a total of nine more earthquakes have been recorded nearby, ranging from 1.5 to Wednesday morning’s 2.6 quake. No injuries or damage have been reported.

https://strangesounds.org

South Carolina Abortion Law Suspended a Day After Passage

Newsmax – February 19, 2021

South Carolina’s new law banning most abortions was suspended by a federal judge Friday on its second day in effect.

Judge Mary Geiger Lewis put a 14-day temporary restraining order on the law and will renew it until she can hold a more substantial hearing on March 9 on Planned Parenthood’s request that it not be enforced until the group’s lawsuit against South Carolina is resolved.

Gov. Henry McMaster signed the bill into law Thursday less than an hour after it was sent to him, but the national reproductive health services organization sued even before the governor put ink to paper.

The temporary restraining order was needed in part because more than 75 women are scheduled to have abortions in the state over the next three days, and most of them would be banned under the new law, Planned Parenthood and The Center for Reproductive Rights said in court papers.

The “ South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act ” is similar to abortion restriction laws that a dozen states have previously passed. All were stopped from taking effect and currently are tied up in court. Federal law, which takes precedence over state law, currently allows abortion.

Planned Parenthood’s lawyers said South Carolina is “openly flouting this law.”

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office said in court papers filed Friday morning that Planned Parenthood can’t be sure the law will be rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. With three justices appointed by Republican former President Donald Trump, they said, the court could overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision supporting abortion rights.

https://www.newsmax.com

South Carolina to Become Latest State to Pass Heartbeat Bill

-February 11, 2021

South Carolina is on the verge of passing a bill banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, making it the latest state to move forward with pro-life legislation.

The state legislature’s House Judiciary Committee approved the “heartbeat” bill by a nearly 2-1 margin Tuesday, teeing up the legislation for a vote on the House floor. The state senate passed the bill by a 30-13 margin with one Republican voting against the bill and one Democrat voting for it. The legislation would effectively ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, around the point at which a fetal heartbeat is detected, with an exception for cases of rape, incest, and the health of the mother. Pro-abortion advocates criticized the legislation for its extreme nature and alleged it would force women to give birth.

The legislation comes after President Joe Biden rescinded the Mexico City policy, which prohibited the use of taxpayer money to fund foreign organizations that provide abortion services. Biden has also endorsed using taxpayer money to pay for abortions in the United States through the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. At the state level, however, legislatures are taking action to restrict abortion access. Several deep-red states such as Alabama, Louisiana, and Kentucky have passed similar laws to South Carolina’s over the past three years but have met resistance from courts that have prevented the laws from taking effect.

South Carolina pro-life groups endorsed the bill, which found success thanks to unified Republican control of the governorship and the legislature.

https://freebeacon.com

First U.S. cases of South Africa COVID-19 variant reported in South Carolina

UPI – January 28, 2021

Jan. 28 (UPI) — Health officials in South Carolina announced Thursday that they have identified two cases of a COVID-19 variant that emerged recently in South Africa — which are the first confirmed cases of the mutated virus in the United States.

Federal officials identified the B.1.351 variant in adults from the state’s Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions, according to South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The patients have not traveled internationally and did not know each other, the department said.

“The arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 variant in our state is an important reminder to all South Carolinians that the fight against this deadly virus is far from over,” interim DHEC Public Health Director Dr. Brannon Traxler said in a statement.

“While more COVID-19 vaccines are on the way, supplies are still limited. Every one of us must recommit to the fight by recognizing that we are all on the front lines now. We are all in this together.”

New variants first reported in Britain and South Africa are said to be more transmissible, but most experts have said the available vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna should also be effective against the mutated strains.

“At this time, there’s no evidence to suggest that the B.1.351 variant causes more severe illness,” the department added.

https://www.breitbart.com

Infectious And Fatal Bird Flu Outbreak In South Carolina – More Than 32,000 Turkeys Killed

Strange Sounds – April 14, 2020

As humans around the world scramble to fight a pandemic caused by a new virus, a separate infection has emerged that could wreak havoc on another population of creatures.

The US Department of Agriculture this week confirmed the presence of an infectious and fatal strain of avian influenza (H7N3) in a commercial turkey flock in Chesterfield County, South Carolina.

“State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the property were depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease,” the department said in a statement, indicating the birds were killed en masse.

Meanwhile, more than 32,000 turkeys have been euthanized after the discovery of the deadly virus.

The detection of the virus was the first of its kind in several years, and any US farmer who remembers the last outbreak of bird flu knows the implications could be massive if the problem is left unattended.

More than 50 million chickens and turkeys across 15 states were killed between December 2014 and June 2015 in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

It was a devastating period for the poultry industry, as some 30 countries banned US chicken and turkey products to avoid accidental transmission.

While bird flu is generally not a threat to humans, it’s a nightmare for farmers as it can strike seemingly at random, sometimes from the sky.

It’s often transmitted by falcons or migratory birds who defecate mid-flight over farms.

It can also be tracked onto farms and into barns on the tires of trucks or the boots of farm workers — and once one bird gets sick, the entire flock is at risk.

https://strangesounds.org