No oil spills seen during flight over Wake Island

Associated Press (excerpt) ^ | September 4, 2006

[HAL9000]

Excerpt -

HONOLULU (AP) _ A first look at the storm damage inflicted on Wake Island by Typhoon Ioke showed no oil spills.

A Coast Guard C-130 flew over Wake Island this weekend to make an initial assessment of the destruction brought on by the storm.

Observers aboard the plane couldn't see any spills or other hazardous material releases.

~ snip ~

[TimesDomain]

No oil spill -- awww - the eco-terrorists are disappointed?

[taxesareforever]

Wow, am I glad they got their priorties straight. No oil spill or other hazardous spills. Maybe the whole island was leveled but that was a close call. No oil spilled.

[xjcsa]

Taranto "Bottom stories of the day" ping

[ken in texas]

Observers aboard the plane couldn't see any spills or other hazardous material releases.

The Pacific Ocean is huge, and will soon dissapate any spills (if any) from the island. What many of us want to know, is Wake Island still there? Any news?

p.s. Thanks for the update. :-)

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Surprised nobody mentioned the big oil spill the Marines caused in 1941. I mean how much oil despoiled Wake Islands beaches when the Marines sank that Japanese cruiser? I mean what kind of impact did that have on the island's wildlife?

/end sarc.

[Paladin2]

Did the observers happen to think to take a picture?

[Robert A Cook PE]

My thought also: The greatest catastrophe to a tropic island that just got covered by several FEET of salt water and massive pounding waves of destruction.

A few gallons of oil might have spilled for the (long dead) local (very dead and swept miles away to sea) animals to have problems with.

[Robert A Cook PE]

what latitude/longitude can we use for the (possible) new satellite photo's?

[tje]

Wasn't there some guy gonna weather it out? Any word?

[EternalHope]

The whole island was under water, and the only thing they can say is... No sign of an oil spill???

Sheesh...

[Robert A Cook PE]

Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands
Geographic coordinates: 19 17 N, 166 36 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km
Area - comparative: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 19.3 km
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions): territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: tropical
Terrain: atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 6 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights

...

Can't find a photograph of what's left over? Do you have a better source than Google Map?

[TimesDomain]

This article may say more than a photo ...

http://newsblaze.com/story/20060903083841tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html

** Airmen sailing ** to Wake Island for damage check

Airmen and Sailors from Andersen will sail 1,500 miles to Wake Island to see how well the U.S. territory survived Super Typhoon Ioke.

[TimesDomain]

I don't think AIRMEN would be SAILING if there was anything left of the airfield - but that is just my opinion.

I've been through one of those typhoons where an island was "erased" when it took a direct hit (we were NOT on that island but around 100 miles away) there was no trace of the villages, plant life or anything except for bare coral when it was all over.

[monday]

"A few gallons of oil might have spilled for the (long dead) local (very dead and swept miles away to sea) animals to have problems with."

I am guessing the only animals on Wake Island are rats. Either before or after the storm.

[HAL9000]

Wasn't there some guy gonna weather it out? Any word?

The report about the guy who stayed behind was bogus. Someone took an AP news report, added some false information, and posted it to a weather forum.

[ken in texas]

The report about the guy who stayed behind was bogus.

Thanks for that update... Many of us thought that initial report might be true.

[El Gato]

Wow, am I glad they got their priorties straight. No oil spill or other hazardous spills. Maybe the whole island was leveled but that was a close call. No oil spilled.

One thing at a time. First check for a hazardous environment, then send people to go have a look at the structures and such.And that's exactly what they are doing:

The Coast Guard will send a team to the tiny island Thursday to determine the integrity of the island's structures and whether it's safe for workers to return.

Wasn't all that much to level, and the sturdy concrete structures likely survived.

[El Gato]

The Pacific Ocean is huge, and will soon dissapate any spills (if any) from the island

But the lagoon is not large at all. That's where they once landed the Pan Am flying boats.

Don't know if that is on Wake or not. But this one's caption says it is in the Lagoon at Wake

More here

[El Gato]

I don't think AIRMEN would be SAILING if there was anything left of the airfield - but that is just my opinion.

Well it might be hard to tell from the air if the runway had been undermined or otherwise damaged by being submerged.