Posted by: AKSAR
Earthquake Conspiracy Theorists Are Wreaking Havoc - 01/01/20 10:39 PM
Bogus pseudo scientists and conspiracy wingnuts are interfering with communications in earthquake disasters.
Earthquake Conspiracy Theorists Are Wreaking Havoc During Emergencies
I was in Anchorage during the November 2018 M 7.1 quake. Within an hour or so after the quake, I heard someone on the radio saying "They say there will be an even stronger quake within the hour!"
One of the most important and sought after things during and after a natural disaster is reliable information. These wackjobs posting totally bogus claims disrupt the flow of reliable information, and impede response to the disater.
Earthquake Conspiracy Theorists Are Wreaking Havoc During Emergencies
Quote:
On an early Friday morning in November 2018, the ground gave way in Anchorage, Alaska. At 8:29 a.m., a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit just north of the city. Street lights blinked off, highways began to buckle, and buildings shook as enormous cracks opened in the walls and floors, coughing plumes of dust into the air.
---------------snip--------
For Ian Dickson, things only began to get truly bizarre later in the day. At the time, Dickson was a communications specialist for the Alaska Earthquake Center, the U.S. Geological Survey’s contractor in Alaska. About three hours after the quake, he watched in alarm as all of the Earthquake Center’s social media channels—Facebook, Twitter, direct messages on both platforms—were flooded with people saying that a larger earthquake had been predicted. Worse still, Dickson said, “some of the things I saw were highly specific, saying an 8.4 earthquake was predicted in the next hour. Scientists can’t predict that. Absolutely not.”
---------------snip--------
For Ian Dickson, things only began to get truly bizarre later in the day. At the time, Dickson was a communications specialist for the Alaska Earthquake Center, the U.S. Geological Survey’s contractor in Alaska. About three hours after the quake, he watched in alarm as all of the Earthquake Center’s social media channels—Facebook, Twitter, direct messages on both platforms—were flooded with people saying that a larger earthquake had been predicted. Worse still, Dickson said, “some of the things I saw were highly specific, saying an 8.4 earthquake was predicted in the next hour. Scientists can’t predict that. Absolutely not.”
I was in Anchorage during the November 2018 M 7.1 quake. Within an hour or so after the quake, I heard someone on the radio saying "They say there will be an even stronger quake within the hour!"
One of the most important and sought after things during and after a natural disaster is reliable information. These wackjobs posting totally bogus claims disrupt the flow of reliable information, and impede response to the disater.