TRAILER: San Andreas

Major Quake Rattles Bay Area

The 6.0 M near the Bay Area this morning was the largest quake to hit that area since the Loma Prieta earthquake almost 25 years ago.— USGS (@USGS) August 24, 2014

UPDATE: At least 70 people were injured by this morning's earthquake in California. Damage reports are coming in. http://t.co/Ow5OxhnoCD— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) August 24, 2014

#California hit by biggest #earthquake in 25 years http://t.co/LLNADmxaz7 pic.twitter.com/zagQqcdB6X— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 24, 2014

UPDATE: Via the San Francisco Chronicle:

There was widespread damage in downtown Napa, with bricks, concrete chunks and broken glass littering the street and debris landing on parked cars. The Old County Courthouse was among the buildings that sustained damage. Emergency workers usually stationed there were moved to the sheriff's office. There was a report of some buckling on an off-ramp from westbound Highway 37 to Highway 29 at Sonoma Boulevard. As a result, Highway 37 between Fairgrounds Drive and Highway 29 was closed as Caltrans crews assessed the damage. Some buildings in downtown Vallejo also sustained damage. Some power lines were down in western Contra Costa County, but Bay Area bridges appeared to be fine, according to the California Highway Patrol. There were widespread reports of power outages, gas leaks and flooding in the North Bay, with at least 15,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers without power in Vallejo, Napa, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Sonoma. Police reminded motorists to stop at darkened intersections. Scientists said the quake was 6.7 miles deep and may have hit on the West Napa Fault. It was the largest in the Bay Area since the 6.9-magnitude Loma Prieta quake killed 62 people on Oct. 17, 1989.

Minor Earthquake Rattles Los Angeles

A minor earthquake woke up much of Los Angeles at 6:30am today.  Twitter is going nuts.

UPDATE: LA news anchors dove under their desk.

Major Quake Strikes Near Fukushima

Story developing...

Big Quake Rattles Mexico

Gay People: Haiti's Scapecoats

This partially animated clip tells how Haitian gays were scapegoated as the cause of the devastating earthquake which occurred two years ago today.

Fukishima Fallout

Via Think Progress: "Japan’s science ministry says 8 per cent of the country’s surface area has been contaminated by radiation from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. It says more than 30,000 square kilometers of the country has been blanketed by radioactive cesium."

PERU: 6.9 Earthquake Near Lima

CNN is saying the quake was deep enough and far enough away so that Lima should not have great damage.

Faster Than Earthquakes

Don't think I've seen a Twitter ad before.

Robertson Doesn't Want To Get Weird

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t want to get weird on this so please take it for what it’s worth. But it seems to me the Washington Monument is a symbol of America’s power, it has been the symbol of our great nation, we look at that monument and say this is one nation under God. Now there’s a crack in it, there’s a crack in it and it’s closed up. Is that a sign from the Lord? Is that something that has significance or is it just result of an earthquake? You judge, but I just want to bring that to your attention. It seems to me symbolic. When Jesus was crucified and when he died the curtain in the Temple was rent from top to bottom and there was a tear and it was extremely symbolic, is this symbolic? You judge." - Escaped mental patient Pat Robertson.

We SHALL Rebuild

Gay Marriage Caused The Earthquake

That didn't take long! New York City's Rabbi Yehuda Levin, who recently blamed the murder of an eight year-old boy on the passage of same-sex marriage, says that yesterday's earthquake expressed God's great disgust with gay activism. "One of the reasons that God brings earthquakes to the world is because of the transgression of homosexuality. The Talmud states, 'You have shaken your male member in a place where it doesn't belong. I too, will shake the earth.'"

RELATED: At all of the New York's recent anti-gay hate rallies, Levin has proudly marched arm-in-arm with NOM's Brian Brown and NY Sen. Reverend Ruben Douchebag.

Tweet Of The Day II - Right Wing Watch

Another Big Earthquake Rocks Japan

Tsunami warnings have been issued. Developing...

World's Costliest Natural Disasters

The Economist notes that the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami doesn't appear on the chart due to the relatively low value of the land and property destroyed.

George Takei On Japan: Please Help

God Is Punishing Japan For Atheism

This young Christian woman gets positively orgasmic with glee over God's punishment of Japan for having so many doomed atheists.

RELATED: Christian missionaries are seizing upon the opportunity offered by the earthquake to convert Japan's heathens.

"Pray for the church in Japan -- the little, tiny church in Japan -- that we know how to witness in this difficult time and can use our resources," he requests. "Lots of churches in America [want to help]. Our mission wants to send teams -- and of course I said, come. It can only help to give people a vision for this rich, but poor, country that needs the love of Christ so much. And people coming to help shows that as well."

JAPAN: Nuclear Power Plant Explodes

Massive Quake Slams Japan

At a reported 8.9 magnitude, it appears to have been the worst quake in Japanese history. The live video of the resultant tsunami has been both riveting and horrifying.

The quake was originally reported at a magnitude of 7.9 but was later upgraded to 8.9. That makes it the fifth largest recorded world-wide since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Service, larger than the 7.9-magnitude Great Kanto Earthquake that devastated Tokyo in 1923 or the 6.8 magnitude quake that hit Kobe in 1995. The quake caused mass panic around Tokyo, where workers evacuated their buildings and power was cut off at 4.1 million households in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures.

Hawaii Civil Defense has ordered the immediate evacuation of all coastal areas. Go to NOAA for the latest on tsunami warnings, which have been extended to much of the U.S. west coast.

Major Quake Rocks New Zealand

It's the second major quake to strike Christchurch, New Zealand in less than six months.