GLOBAL DISASTERS/ SIGNIFICANT EVENTS, Aug. 30, 2014

VOLCANIC ERUPTION
SIGNIFICANT SEISMIC EVENTS
BARDARBUNGA VOLCANO
TAVURVUR VOLCANO
DROUGHT MEGA DISASTER
SCENARIOS 808, 800, 444, 023, 017, 09, 08, 07, 03, 02
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Another Significant Quake Strikes Iceland’s Bardarbunga Volcano

Centered at 64.844°N, 16.858°W [about 18.0km ENE of Kistufell] the quake struck at a depth of 5.4km on Saturday, said IMO.

The shock occurred beneath Bardarbunga’s main volcano at 07:03 GMT, said IMO, adding that they had not observed any new eruptions.

Iceland’s Earthquake Count [48 hrs to13:40 GMT on Aug 30]:

Magnitude less than 1Mw: 494
Magnitude 1 to 2Mw: 1627
Magnitude 2 to 3Mw: 228
Magnitude 3 or greater: 16
Total: 2,365
Source: IMO Earthquake Count

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Drought Destroys Crops in N China

Recent drought in northern China has destroyed crops in much of northern China, leaving scores of people without food or drinking water, according to authorities, said Xinhua, China’s official news agency.

The regions include the provinces of Liaoning, Henan, Jilin, Hebei and Hubei as well as Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions, said the report, citing the country’s Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Liaoning province has experienced its worst drought since 1951, with about half million hectares of crops destroyed. The grain production in the province is expected to decline by 5 billion kg this year, said the report.

Severe Drought in Hebei

“Lingering droughts have spread to most parts of Hebei, a major grain-producing region in China, affecting 1.25 million hectares of crops, said the provincial water resources department.”

Large numbers of livestock are also short of water. Average precipitation in the province through mid-August was 21 mm, about 50 percent less than the average for the period, said the report.

Record Drought Kills Scores of Livestock in Xinjiang

“A prolonged drought in northwest China’s Xinjiang has left about 200,000 people in need of emergency aid, including drinking water, said the region’s civil affairs department.” Xinhua reported.

“In seven counties of the Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Ili in northern Xinjiang, more than half a million people and 3.46 million head of livestock have been affected. Some 7,700 cattle have died.”

“Herders are concerned how their livestock will survive the winter due to the destruction of fodder by the drought. Over 4.3 million mu (287,000 hectares) of crops and 22.8 million mu of pastures have suffered, with direct economic losses of 4.3 billion yuan (700 million U.S. dollars).”

Nationally, the drought has affected about 3 million hectares of crops.

“Artificial rain has failed to relieve the situation.”