Bay Ridge, Brooklyn?
How about a massive sinkhole on 79th Street and 5th Avenue
- a populated shopping area.
Ground Gives Way To Massive Sinkhole In Brooklyn
Broken 50-Inch Sewer Pipe Being Blamed For Brooklyn Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, snake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline, or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes - the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone. Sinkholes may vary in size from 1 to 600 metres (3.3 to 2,000 ft) both in diameter and depth, and vary in form from soil-lined bowls to bedrock-edged chasms. Sinkholes may be formed gradually or suddenly, and are found worldwide. The different terms for sinkholes are often used interchangeably.
U.S. Drought 2012: Half Of Nation's Counties Now Considered Disaster Areas Huffington Post - August 2, 2012
Nearly 220 counties in a dozen drought-stricken states were added Wednesday to the U.S. government's list of natural disaster areas as the nation's agriculture chief unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and ranchers grappling with extreme dryness and heat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's addition of the 218 counties means that more than half of all U.S. counties - 1,584 in 32 states - have been designated primary disaster areas this growing season, the vast majority of them mired in a drought that's considered the worst in decades.
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From Wikipedia:
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply whether surface or underground water. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts can persist for several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm the local economy. Many plant species, such as cacti, have adaptations such as reduced leaf area and waxy cuticles to enhance their ability to tolerate drought. Some others survive dry periods as buried seeds. Semi-permament drought produces arid biomes such as deserts and grasslands. Most arid ecosystems have inherently low productivity. This global phenomenon has a widespread impact on agriculture. Lengthy periods of drought have long been a key trigger for mass migration and played a key role in a number of ongoing migrations and other humanitarian crises in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.
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From Ellie:
Droughts create food shortages, unemployment, wildfires, and other things everybody is talking about. This is very serious and will affect you one way or another. On the matter of toxins in the air, food, and water - there is more about the 2012 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the radiation leak after the 2011 tsunami in Japan than is reported in the news but you know that. What does it all mean? The clock is ticking ... The pressure is building and something is going to give soon. I know what readers who don't understand the nature of our experience here are thinking. We survive -> heal -> rebuild and move forward. In the past that was true but not at the end of a simulation (hologram, program, physical experiment, etc). We simple return to light.
