Environment

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D.C. Department of Public Works employees, including Monique Hicks (right), load sandbags into D.C. residents’ cars outside of Coolidge High School in the District on Sunday. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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A long line of cars waits outside of Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C. to pick up sandbags from the Department of Public Works on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 in anticipation of high water levels from large amounts of rain due to Hurricane Sandy. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Thomas N. Graham, regional director for Pepco, warned that there were likely to be several days without power, adding that it will not be safe to put linemen in bucket trucks with heavy winds. He joined the mayor and other safety officials Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 to discuss the District's preparations for Sandy, the so-called "Frankenstorm" that is expected to hit the area by Monday morning. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Chris Geldart, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, warned that Sandy's high winds will definitely cause downed trees, and he urged those who live near large trees that are likely to come down to move to the lower levels of their homes. He joined the mayor and other safety officials to discuss the preparations being made for the so-called "Frankenstorm". (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Mayor Vincent Gray and local safety officials held a press conference Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 at the headquarters of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency to announce preparations for Sandy, the so-called "Frankenstorm" that is due to affect the Washington, D.C. metro area, with hurricane-force winds as early as 8 a.m. Monday morning. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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A man carries belongings in one day after an earthquake. “The reason is clearly related to the farming. It’s like a sponge you drain the water from,” one geologist said. (Associated Press)

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A man searches the rubble in Lorca, Spain, on May 12, 2011. An earthquake and aftershocks in southeastern Spain caused deaths and casualties and did extensive damage to buildings. Geologists think that depletion of the water table for crops triggered the disaster. (Associated Press)

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Singer Carly Rae Jepsen will receive Billboard’s Rising Star award on Nov. 30. She’ll join Katy Perry, who has been named Woman of the Year. (Invision via Associated Press)

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Augustus Maiyo of Colorado Springs, Co. crosses the finish line as he wins the Marine Corps Marathon with a time of 2:20:20 in Washington, on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012.More than 30,000 people participated in the Marine Corps Marathon 2012. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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Denzel Washington plays an airline pilot who, despite being hungover, drunk and coked-up, manages to make a daring emergency landing in “Flight.” (Paramount Pictures via Associated Press)

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Denzel Washington (center) plays Whip Whitaker, a hero pilot with feet of clay. Bruce Greenwood (left) is a fellow pilot and Don Cheadle, an attorney, in “Flight.” (Paramount Pictures via Associated Press)

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Jordan Staal, now with the Carolina Hurricanes, participated in Friday's "Champs for Charity" exhibition game with a number of other locked-out players. (Associated Press)

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Mayor Vincent Gray and local safety officials held a press conference Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 at the headquarters of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency to announce preparations for Sandy, the so-called "Frankenstorm" that is due to affect the Washington, D.C. metro area, with hurricane-force winds as early as 8 a.m. Monday morning. The mayor announced that D.C. Public Schools would be closed on Monday. Fairfax and Prince George's counties have also closed schools in anticipation of the storm. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)