Archive for October, 2010
Posted by feww on October 31, 2010
Tomas Strengthens to a Cat 2 Hurricane, Headed Toward Haiti
Hurricane Tomas, the 12th hurricane of 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, has strengthened in the eastern Caribbean and continues moving WNW, possibly toward Haiti.
Hurricane Tomas. IR Satellite Image with projected trajectories superimposed. Source: NOAA/TPC via CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
“The hurricane swept over St. Lucia and St. Vincent on Saturday, damaging homes, knocking out power and blocking roads with flooding and debris. There were no immediate reports of any deaths,” a report said.
“We have over 100 homes that have lost roofs. We expect that to increase,” said Michelle Forbes, head of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) of St. Vincent.
Posted in 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season, 2010 Hurricane Season, hurricane, storm, storm disaster | Tagged: Hurricane Tomas, Hurricane Tomas forecast trajectories, Hurricane Tomas projected paths, Hurricane Tomas projected trajectories, Hurricane Tomas satellite image | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 30, 2010
3 Weeks of Flooding Paralyzes Thailand
Unusually heavy monsoon rains since October10 inundated at least 38 of the country’s 76 provinces, destroying about 650,000 hectares of farmland and causing at least $333 million in damage, Thailand’s disaster prevention and mitigation officials said.
As of posting, at least 22 provinces were still submerged.
At least 100 people have died since the flooding began three weeks ago, mostly from drowning, according to Thailand’s Emergency Medical Institute.
About 250,000 people have so far been treated for flood-related diseases, with half of the patients suffering foot infections, Thailand’s Public Health Minister told reporters.
Flooding has affected at least 600,000 households, or more than 5 million people.
Download large image (7 MB, JPEG) – Image acquired on October 29, 2010
The two images were acquired by MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite showing flood-affected regions in Thailand on October 29, 2010 (top), and October 30, 2009 (bottom). Flooded areas are dark blue.
“Compared to conditions the year before, flooding is most apparent along the Mae Nam Mun River in the east, and along the Chao Phraya River north of Bangkok. Although Bangkok itself avoided major damage, Agence France-Presse reported that more than 1,000 homes north of the city had been partly submerged. In the 2010 image, large areas of standing water are apparent north of the coastal metropolis.” Source: NASA-EO.
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Posted in flash flood, Flash Flooding, monsoon rains | Tagged: Thailand flooding | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 29, 2010
Mount Merapi erupted at least six times Friday, spewing ash and lava
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano erupted repeatedly on Friday, spewing ash and lava, reports say.
The plume reportedly rose to a height of about 1,500 meters (~ 5,000 feet).
Mount Merapi volcano spewed lava for the first time in its latest round of activity which began Tuesday. Photo: AFP/ Getty Images. Image may be subject to copyright.
Mount Merapi, located north of the Yogyakarta, on the densely populated island of Java, is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes.
Mount Merapi volcano eruption in 2006. Photo: AP. Image may be subject to copyright.
Mount Merapi rumbled for many hours before spewing smoke on Tuesday. Photo shows volcano from Balerante, Central Java, Indonesia. Merapi last erupted in 2006. About 1,400 people have been killed as a result of 3 previous eruptions since 1930. Image Credit: AP. Caption: Fire-Earth.
Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, lies in one of the world’s most densely populated areas and dominates the landscape immediately north of the major city of Yogyakarta. Merapi is the youngest and southernmost of a volcanic chain extending NNW to Ungaran volcano. Growth of Old Merapi volcano beginning during the Pleistocene ended with major edifice collapse perhaps about 2000 years ago, leaving a large arcuate scarp cutting the eroded older Batulawang volcano. Subsequently growth of the steep-sided Young Merapi edifice, its upper part unvegetated due to frequent eruptive activity, began SW of the earlier collapse scarp. Pyroclastic flows and lahars accompanying growth and collapse of the steep-sided active summit lava dome have devastated cultivated lands on the volcano’s western-to-southern flanks and caused many fatalities during historical time. The volcano is the object of extensive monitoring efforts by the Merapi Volcano Observatory. Photo by Yustinus Sulistiyo, 1994 (Volcanological Survey of Indonesia); caption: GVP
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Posted in Indonesia quake, Indonesia tsunami, Indonesia volcanoes, Mount Merapi volcano | Tagged: Merapi Volcano Observatory, Mount Merapi eruption, Yogyakarta | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 28, 2010
Typhoon CHABA strengthens to a cat. 4A force, may steer away from Japan
CHABA is moving NE with maximum sustained winds of about 225 km/hr [FEWW estimate]
See: FEWW New Hurricane Scale
Click image to enlarge. Source: Digital Typhoon
Typhoon CHABA – IR Satellite Image (NHC Enhancement) – 2km res. Source: CIMSS
Typhoon CHABA – IR Satellite Image (NHC Enhancement) – 4km res. Source: CIMSS
Typhoon CHABA Projected Paths. Source: CIMSS.
Posted in CHABA Satellite image, Japan Typhoons, severe storm, storm, typhoon CHABA | Tagged: cyclone, hurricane, Japan, typhoon, typhoon season | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 27, 2010
Massive Storm System Causes Substantial Damage in Parts of the U.S.
A massive wind storm, extending more than 2,000km (1,200 miles) north to south, pummeled the Midwest Tuesday, spawning tornadoes, causing widespread damage, and disrupting air travel throughout the region. Some 31 states were impacted by the storm system.
Click Image to enlarge. (24-Hr FE ED). Click HERE to Animate Image. (Source: SSEC/Wisc-Uni)
IR satellite image of the massive storm system heading north to Canada Tuesday after causing widespread damage in the midwest.Source: NOAA.
The system set a record low barometric pressure of 955.2mb in Minnesota, or the equivalent of cat. 3 hurricane [on land.] The storm caused significant damage to buildings in Lincoln County, N.C., Racine, Wisconsin and Peotone, Illinois. Some structural damage in St. Louis, Missouri, were also reported.
At least 11 people were injured after a tornado swept through Lincoln County, N.C. causing extensive damage to homes and vehicles, reports say.
Click image to update.
Tornadoes
Tornado watches extended from western New York through Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, as well for southern Ontario, Canada. At least 21 tornadoes were reported by Tuesday evening.
National Weather Service Warnings, Watches and Advisories
Click image to enter NOAA portal.
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Posted in La Niña, midwest tornadoes, tornadoes, Windstorm | Tagged: Midwest storms, Monster Storm | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 26, 2010
At Least 200 Dead or Missing After Tsunami Created by Powerful Quake Destroys Villages Off Western Indonesia
At least 10 villages were obliterated by a 3-m high tsunami created after a 7.7Mw quake struck off the Mentawai islands, Sumatra, western Indonesia.
A huge white wave which was created by the quake washed away just about everything in sight, eyewitnesses said.
At least 25 people are confirmed dead with about 170 others [local officials say at least 380 people] reported as missing.
Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS-EHP. Enhanced by Fire-Earth.
Mount Merapi Erupts
Meanwhile the volatile Mount Merapi volcano began erupting Tuesday after rumbling for about 24 hours.
State vulcanologists believe that the pressure buildup withing Merapi could lead to powerful explosions.
About 40,000 people living on the slopes of the volcano have been evacuated.
Mount Merapi rumbled for many hours before spewing smoke on Tuesday. Photo shows volcano from Balerante, Central Java, Indonesia. Merapi last erupted in 2006. About 1,400 people have been killed as a result of 3 previous eruptions since 1930. Image Credit: AP. Caption: Fire-Earth.
New Zealand Earthquake Forecast:
Fire-Earth Moderators believe a large earthquake measuring about 8.8Mw could strike New Zealand Region.
Earthquake Details
- Magnitude: 7.7
- Date-Time:
- Monday, October 25, 2010 at 14:42:22 UTC
- Monday, October 25, 2010 at 09:42:22 PM at epicenter
- Location: 3.484°S, 100.114°E
- Depth: 20.6 km
- Region: KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA
- Distances:
- 240 km (150 miles) W of Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia
- 280 km (175 miles) S of Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
- 305 km (190 miles) W of Lubuklinggau, Sumatra, Indonesia
- 795 km (500 miles) WNW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia
- Location Uncertainty:
- horizontal +/- 5.3 km (3.3 miles)
- depth +/- 3.4 km (2.1 miles)
- Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
- Event ID: usa00043nx
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Posted in Indonesia earthquake, Indonesia quake, Indonesia tsunami, Mentawai islands, tsunami, volcano alert | Tagged: Mentawai islands quake, Mount Merapi, New Zealand quake forecast, sumatra tsunami | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 25, 2010
Image of the Day:
Drowning the Demonic Deity
Nationwide Floods in Thailand Claim at least 41 Lives
Up to 3 million people across the country have been affected by the flooding that began on October 10 and that now threatens the capital, Bang-kok.
The flooding has inundated at least 30 out of the country’s 76 provinces, according to Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
Photo shows the the 10-rai temple compound in tambon Sai Noi submerged under 2m of water. Credit: SUNTHORNPONGPAO. Image may be subject to copyright.
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Posted in Demonic Deity, Flash Flooding, flooding, monsoon rain | Tagged: 10-rai temple, Bang-kok, Rohingya, tambon Sai Noi, Thailand, Thailand flooding | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 24, 2010
Images of the Day:
2½ years Later…
It’s NOT Our Problem!
Garbage is piling up in Naples‘ city center. Credit: EPA/CIRO FUSCO. Image may be subject to copyright.
Police riot squads clash with demonstrators in Terzigno, near Naples, Italy. Demonstrators oppose plans to use a site near Naples as garbage dump . They clashed with the police and set vehicle alight. Credit: Salvatore Laporta /AP Photo. Image may be subject to copyright.
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Posted in mafia business, Naples Garbage Disaster, Nessun dorma, Toxic Asylum, Triangle of Death | Tagged: Don Berlusconi, Naples Garbage, Rosa Russo Iervolino, Silvio Berlusconi, Terzigno | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 23, 2010
California whooping cough outbreak claims its tenth victim, a six-week-old baby in San Diego
The outbreak is the worst in 60 years, Calif health officials say.
Whooping cough (pertussis) is highly contagious disease, however infants under the age of 60 days cannot be vaccinated, medical sources say.
As of posting, about 6,000 have been infected in California; however, whooping cough has also become a nationwide concern.
Child with broken blood vessels in eyes and bruising on face due to pertussis coughing. Source: vaccine Information
“Pertussis is a cyclical disease that has had a five-year wave of historic patterns,” a spokesman for the California Department of Public Health said. “We are at the top of the five-year pattern [in California,]” he said.
In the late 1950s a record 13 people died from pertussis in one year, he said.
About 17,000 cases of pertussis were reported nationwide in 2009. In San Diego County 37 new cases have been reported so far this month.
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease. It is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.
Pertussis is known for uncontrollable, violent coughing which often makes it hard to breathe. After fits of many coughs, someone with pertussis often needs to take deep breathes which result in a “whooping” sound. Pertussis most commonly affects infants and young children and can be fatal, especially in babies less than 1 year of age. (Source: CDC)
Pertussis (whooping cough) Progression. Source: CDC. Click image to enlarge.
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Posted in pertussis, pertussis death toll, pertussis in Calif, respiratory disease | Tagged: Bordetella pertussis, contagious disease, Whooping cough | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 21, 2010
India malaria deaths grossly underestimated: Report
At least 205,000 people die from malaria in India each year, 13 times higher than UN estimates
When the Moderators posted the following CAUTION on Fire-Earth’s display margins, a number of readers called the action “irresponsible”
All technical information and scientific data released by US Government agencies (e.g., NASA, EPA…) are subject to sudden variation because of political expediency. This caution also extends to the fidelity of the information provided by UN organizations (e.g., FAO, WHO…)
New data, published in the Lancet medical journal, indicates that 13 times more malaria deaths occur in India than the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) previously suggested..
The authors reveal that 205,000 people die before the age of 70 by malaria in India each year.
Field workers investigated at least 122,000 premature deaths between 2001 and 2003 for the purpose of this study.
However, and despite the glaring evidence, Dr Robert Newman, the director of its global malaria program at WHO said, the report had “implausibly high case incidence rates”, which indicated that the findings of this study cannot be trusted.
“It is vital to evaluate cause of death correctly because different diseases require different strategies for control,” he added contemptuously.
The report also suggests that huge under-reporting of malaria deaths in other countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan may be occurring.
Going to press…
A reader in Europe has just informed us that Reseaux IP Europeens Network Co-ordination Centre has blocked large sections of Fire-Earth blog in the RIPE NCC Region, which includes the following countries:
- ALAND ISLANDS, ALBANIA, ANDORRA, ARMENIA, AUSTRIA, AZERBAIJAN
- BAHRAIN, BELARUS, BELGIUM, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOWINA, BULGARIA
- CROATIA (Hrvatska), CYPRUS, CZECH REPUBLIC
- DENMARK
- ESTONIA
- FAROE ISLANDS, FINLAND, FRANCE
- GEORGIA, GERMANY, GIBRALTAR, GREECE, GREENLAND, GUERNSEY
- HOLY SEE (VATICAN CITY STATE), HUNGARY
- ICELAND, IRAN (ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF), IRAQ, IRELAND, ISLE OF MAN, ISRAEL, ITALY
- JERSEY, JORDAN
- KAZAKHSTAN, KUWAIT, KYRGYZSTAN
- LATVIA, LEBANON, LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG
- MACEDONIA, THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MALTA
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- QATAR
- ROMANIA, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
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- TAJIKISTAN, TURKEY, TURKMENISTAN
- UKRAINE, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, UNITED KINGDOM, UZBEKISTAN
- YEMEN
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Posted in India malaria deaths, infectious diseases, U.N., World Health Organization | Tagged: Lancet, malaria treatment, malarial deaths, Professor Prabhat Jha, who | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 21, 2010
Image of the Day
Spiral Galaxy NGC 3982: So Near, Yet So Far!
Homo erectus accumulated some knowledge, but couldn’t shape it into wisdom, to carve a path into the future…
Original Caption: Though the universe is chock full of spiral-shaped galaxies, no two look exactly the same. This face-on spiral galaxy, called NGC 3982, is striking for its rich tapestry of star birth, along with its winding arms. The arms are lined with pink star-forming regions of glowing hydrogen, newborn blue star clusters, and obscuring dust lanes that provide the raw material for future generations of stars. The bright nucleus is home to an older population of stars, which grow ever more densely packed toward the center.
NGC 3982 is located about 68 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy spans about 30,000 light-years, one-third of the size of our Milky Way galaxy. This color image is composed of exposures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2), the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), and the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The observations were taken between March 2000 and August 2009. The rich color range comes from the fact that the galaxy was photographed invisible and near-infrared light. Also used was a filter that isolates hydrogen emission that emanates from bright star-forming regions dotting the spiral arms.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
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Posted in Hubble images, Hubble Space Telescope, Milky Way galaxy, NGC 3982, Ursa Major | Tagged: Pinwheel of Star Birth, space images, Spiral Galaxies | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 20, 2010
Humongous typhoon MEGI has restrengthened to cat 4 with sustained winds of about 200 km/hr
In all likelihood, MEGI could re-intensify to a super typhoon before striking her next targets.
Typhoon MEGI IR Satellite Image Acquired at 10:00 UTC on 10-20-2010. Source: Digital Typhoon. Click image to enlarge.
Profile of a Restrengthening Deadly Typhoon. IR/WV Difference satellite Image. Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
As usual, the UKM forecast was made by comedians (!)
Typhoon MEGI Projected Paths as of 10-20-2010. Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
Heat-seeking MEGI restrengthening in warmer waters of South China Sea
Sea Surface Temperatures in South China Sea. Source:NCEP via CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
MEGI could deliver about 1,000 mm of rain to its target destinations in southern China
Typhoon MEGI – Total Precipitable Water. Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
Typhoon MEGI – Visible image captured by MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite at 1:30 a.m. EDT on October 20, 2010 . Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (5 MB, JPEG)
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Posted in MEGI forecast track, Satellite Image of typhoon Megi, Super Typhoon Megi, typhoon, Typhoon Megi projected paths | Tagged: China Disaster, disasters 2010, Guangdong province, Hong Kong | 1 Comment »
Posted by feww on October 19, 2010
Typhoon MEGI Regaining Strength on the Way to China
MEGI killed at least a dozen people in the Philippines; it has now cleared Luzon, and is expected to strike China’s southern Guangdong province, possibly as a cat 4 to 5 hurricane in the next 72 hours.
Typhoon MEGI Regaining Strength in South China Sea. IR Satellite Image (NHC Enhancement). Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
The super typhoon cut a swathe of destruction through northern Luzon, the main island of the Philippines, destroying tens of thousands of homes, uprooting trees, cutting power and communication lines and affecting at least a million people in five of the country’s northern provinces and the resort city Baguio.
The typhoon also caused extensive flooding and triggererd landslides throughout the region.
About 80 percent of homes “in rice-producing Ilagan and Tumauini towns were destroyed or damaged,” a report said.
“We’ll try to reach coastal towns facing the Pacific, because there were reports 90 percent of the houses there were wiped out,” a senior official told reporters.
Typhoon MEGI Forecast paths. Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
As of posting Vietnam and Thailand’s northeast have seen extensive flooding, leaving thousands of people homeless with four reported deaths so far, reports say.
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Posted in Cagayan, Ilagan, Isabela province, Luzon, Tumauini, typhoon | Tagged: Guangdong province, Philippines disaster, Satellite Image of typhoon Megi, Super Typhoon MEGI, Typhoon JUAN | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 18, 2010
Super Typhoon MEGI Strikes Northern Luzon, Philippines
Super Typhoon MEGI - VIS/IR Satellite Image . Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
Super typhoon MEGI (the 13th typhoon of the year in the region,) the 10th and strongest typhoon to strike the Philippines this year, hit Isabela province this morning and led to the state’s governor declaring a state of disaster.
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from two northern states of Isabela and Cagayan.
MEGI uprooted trees, destroyed houses, cut off power and communication lines, and forced dozens of flight cancellations across Luzon island, and may have cause substantial damage to the region’s rice crop.
“In six hours from 8 a.m. (0000 GMT), the city of Tuguegarao in Cagayan had 54 mm (2.2 inch) of rain, while Baguio City on the western side of Luzon had 28 mm, the weather bureau said,” Reuters reported.
The typhoon has already claimed at least one life, local media reported. Up to 100,000 metric tons of rice may have been lost.
MEGI should enter the South China Sea Tuesday, according to China’s meteorological authorities, a report said, where “torrential rains have already forced the evacuation of almost 140,000 people in the southern island province of Hainan.”
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Posted in environment, Satellite Image of typhoon Megi, Super Typhoon JUAN, Super Typhoon Megi, typhoon | Tagged: Cagayan, Isabela province, Luzon, State of Calamity, Tuguegarao | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on October 17, 2010
Super Typhoon MEGI Heads Toward Northern Luzon, Philippines
With sustained winds of more than 260 km/hr, cat. 5 MEGI could be one of the most powerful typhoons to strike the northern Philippines.
MEGI is expected to make a landfall on Monday (local time) in Cagayan province in NE corner of the Philippines main island of Luzon.
Super Typhoon MEGI IR Satellite Image (NHC Enhancement). Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
Super Typhoon MEGI Forecast paths. Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
MEGI (known locally as Juan) is expected to bring giant waves of greater than 14 meters (46 ft) off the east coast of Luzon, causing flash floods, landslides and storm surges to the disaster prone island.
The super typhoon could dump about 20 mm (8 inches) of rain per hour, forecasters said.
Posted in Super Typhoon JUAN, typhoon | Tagged: Super Typhoon MEGI | Leave a Comment »
