https://twitter.com/swharris74/statu...84136336666624
2700 tons of ammonium nitrate
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https://twitter.com/swharris74/statu...84136336666624
2700 tons of ammonium nitrate
the second blast was a genuine mushroom cloud, quite remarkable.
It only took two tons of ammonium nitrate to do the horrific damage in Oklahoma City years ago..
This struck me hard yesterday--Lebanon has had a terrible year, and this tragedy appears to be the product of incredible negligence of storing an enormous amount of ammonium nitrate in this now-vaporized-facility.
It will be very difficult for Lebanon to respond to this well.
The kick them while they are down, COVID-19 cases have been on the upswing since July after having been negligible up until then.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Corey
https://www.worldometers.info/corona...untry/lebanon/
My thoughts and prayers go out to the people.
The crater from the explosion is 400' in diameter. That's essentially a stadium field turned into a gigantic hole. While thankfully there is no radiation from the blast, it is equivalent to the damage that would be created by a tactical nuke.
The before and after imagery is unreal, in both what got destroyed and what remained intact.
The port that was decimated is the primary place that Lebanon uses to import food. What's more, a huge grain silo was right next to the building that exploded. It held about 70% of the surplus grain for the entire country.
The upshot, it is expected that this blast will bring starvation to a large number of Lebanese citizens.
Hopefully there will be a strong international disaster aid response. Not sure if this is an area that China is prioritizing for their growing sphere of influence but if it is they will probably step in.Quote:
Originally Posted by JasonEvans
That silo likely saved many lives. The grain can and will be be replaced, the lives wouldn't have been.Quote:
Originally Posted by JasonEvans
Quote:
Originally Posted by JasonEvans
I heard that there is only a month’s supply of grain left. This is a major humanitarian crisis fixin’ to unfold, on top of conditions that were pretty dire beforehand.Quote:
Originally Posted by CameronBornAndBred
One thing this planet is good at, when there are times of real true need, countries step up.Quote:
Originally Posted by OldPhiKap
If wheat exports are anything to go by, it is far more likely to be Russia than China. But Canada & US combined export much more than Russia, per Prof. Wikip.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skydog
Now I know why the poor citizens of Lebanon detest their government...the government has narrowed down the cause of the explosion to "either negligence or a missile." There's some logic for you.
It's not bad logic. It's just that they've realized it could be a better option to blame someone and redirect outrage.
You can still get grain shipped in .the process will be slower but doable.not the greatest of scenarios.Quote:
Originally Posted by OldPhiKap
Ship to shore boom cranes can move 6 to 8 40 ft 60000 pound containers of grain a hour. Regular container cranes 30 to 40 a hour.
If the can get a portable grain elevator plus multiple portable silos .they can get grain in.or 1 tonne giant sacks of grain .they can be loaded with a average forklift into anything pick up truck or larger.
That set of silos on that grain elevator looked like it would hold 14 million tonnes of grain give or take a few million.thats a incredible amount of grain.
If they had container cranes its a minumum of 2 to 3 months for new if they are already built or completed used cranes plus 3 weeks to get them operational.
Hopefully they wont drag there feet .
Food stuffs and grain needs to be on the water now.
It will take a monumental effort to get that done if it can be done.
Mind boggling physics at work.Quote:
The huge chemical explosion that hit Beirut's port, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital and claiming over 150 lives, left a 43-metre (141 foot) deep crater, a security official said Sunday.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/beirut-po...081845962.html
Almost unbelievable.Quote:
Originally Posted by CameronBornAndBred
I have to take my hat off to our coast guard.they check our ports thoroughly.they set guidelines of what can be stored where and together aswell as quantity.to make sure we avert a disaster like this.
Not only is the loss of life and the devastating effects to the local infrastructure terrible.this will not do their economy any favors either.
It will take years to rebuild that area.