WARNING: Global Disasters to Intensify

SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,739 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

FIRE-EARTH Models show that global disasters could intensify in the 9 month period starting about July 2011 compared with the previous corresponding period (pcp).

Disaster Calendar 2011 – June 12 Entry

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• China. Death toll from heavy rain, flooding and landslides in central and southern china has climbed to at least 100, with about 80 others reported missing, reports said. The extreme weather events have affected up to 10 million people in 13 provinces, destroying about half million hectares of crops.

• NY, USA. The WH has declared 21 upstate New York counties as disaster areas because of the damage caused by storms, flooding and tornadoes from April 26 to May 8.  The declaration covers the following counties: Allegany, Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Steuben, Tioga, Ulster, Warren, and Yates.

• North Dakota, USA. A presidential disaster declaration has been issued for major portions of North Dakota including a  total of 42 counties, the Spirit Lake Nation, the Three Affiliated Tribes and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa reservations. Counties covered by the declaration included Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Eddy, Foster, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill, Walsh, Ward, Wells and Williams.

• South Dakota, USA. Yankton county has been added to SD flooding federal disaster list, which already included Aurora, Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Buffalo, Clark, Codington, Day, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Hamlin, Hand, Hughes, Hyde, Jackson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Marshall, Miner, Moody, Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink Stanley Sully and Union counties.

• China. Some 103 children aged 14 or younger have been seriously poisoned and hundreds of others sickened from lead pollution in eastern china, a report said. The victims were found to have every high levels of lead contamination in their blood.

Probability of a Nuclear Disaster – by Country

Places Most at Risk of Nuclear Disasters – Global

Nuclear power is harmful to the planet and all lifeforms. Any nuclear disaster striking anywhere on the planet has global implications.

Currently 32 countries operate nuclear power plants, 27 of which are building even more reactor units. Fifteen other countries that are currently without nuclear power  plan to build one or more plants.

Probability of a Nuclear Disaster by Country

• Japan (880)³
• United States (865)
• Taiwan (850)
• Belgium, China, France, Finland, India,  South Korea, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Armenia, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania,  Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain,  Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico,  South Africa, Canada (810)
• Germany, Sweden, Netherlands (800)
• Switzerland  (750)

NOTES:

1. The list represents a snapshot of events at the time of calculating the probabilities. Any forecast posted  here is subject to numerous variable factors.
2. Figures in the bracket represent the probability of an incident occurring out of 1,000; the forecast duration is valid for the next 50  months.
3. Probability includes a significant worsening of Fukushima nuclear disaster, and future quakes forecast for Japan.
4. A nuclear incident is defined as a level 5 (Accident With Wider Consequences), or worse, on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). See below.
5. Safety issues considered in compiling these lists include the age, number of units and capacity of nuclear reactors in each place, previous incidents, probability of damage from human-induced catastrophes such as war, as well as human-enhanced natural disasters, e.g, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, wildfires, flooding… , and other geophysical events.]
6. The  Blog’s knowledge concerning the extent to which those factors described in (3) might worsen during the forecast period greatly influences the forecasts.

Related Links

• Japan Earthquakes, Disasters: Recent History and FIRE-EARTH Forecasts
• WARNING: JPTRMT1

FIRE-EARTH Disaster Links

• 2011 Disaster Calendar – June
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2010 Disasters [Includes Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters: 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Flood News

Flooding News Headlines

More rain, snow, National Guard troops for Montana

The governor of flood-plagued Montana ordered more National Guard troops to join the anti-flood effort, while states downstream along the bloated Missouri River strengthened levees and laid sandbags ahead of the release of waters from dams and reservoirs. More …

Lake Champlain inching again toward destructive level

Lake Champlain, responding to the immense volume of rainfall that struck northern Vermont and the Adirondacks last Thursday, has risen to 102.75 feet above sea level as of 2 p.m. Sunday and will keep rising toward a potentially destructive level, the U.S. Geological Survey and National Weather Service reported. More …

Storms cause flooding in Chicago, suburbs

Severe storms with intense downpours caused flooding on roads and in basements throughout the city and suburbs Sunday. More …

Dakota Dunes braces for rising river; Sioux City put on alert

Rising waters all along the Missouri River mean flooding problems in Siouxland this spring. More…

Flash flooding hits Sydney – One Dead

Torrential rain caused chaos across Sydney on Monday, with city motorists rescued from flash floods and one man dead in a major freeway pile-up. More …

Floodwaters in Quebec’s Richelieu Valley expected to peak today

For the third time in 45 days, floodwater in the Richelieu Valley southeast of Montreal is expected to peak today. But, unlike other high water marks this spring, flood forecasters are finally promising better days ahead. More…

B.C., Alberta prepare for floods as Manitoba, Quebec prepare for cleanup

As the flood waters recede in Manitoba, parts of Alberta and British Columbia are being threatened by overflowing rivers and Quebec’s Richelieu River valley remains submerged. More …

From 2011 Disaster Calendar – May 30

Mass die-offs resulting from planetary response to the harm caused by humans could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,752 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• South Dakota, USA. Clay County Commission has issued a countywide State of Emergency “to prepare for significantly higher water levels as the Corps of Engineers increases releases from the dams,” a report said.
• Alberta, Canada. The Municipal District of Foothills in Alberta has declared a state of emergency because of widespread flooding.
• China.  At least one million people died of tobacco-related diseases (10 percent of them from secondhand smoke), accounting for 13 percent of China’s total of 9.43 million of deaths in 2010, a report said.
• “China has more than 300 million smokers, and those smokers are not only damaging their own health. Second-hand smoke attacks about 740 million people, including 180 million children and teenagers, according to the 2011 China Tobacco Control Report released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) Thursday in Beijing.”

2011 Disasters

• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2010 Disasters [Includes Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters: 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

More Severe Thunderstorms, Rain and Flash Flooding

BREAKING:

• A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for the Texas Panhandle until 11 AM this morning.  

• Active weather period in store for most of United States through Wednesday

Weather Forecast Map

Click images to enlarge.

GOES Eastern US SECTOR Infrared Image

Fire Weather Outlook

From:   2011 Disaster Calendar – MAY 

• Day 496 [May 11, 2011]
• Tennessee, USA. The White House has declared Shelby and  14 other Tennessee counties disaster areas following the damage caused by rising Mississippi River and extreme weather events that have buffeted the region since mid April, reports say.
•  Minnesota , USA. The White House has declared 20 counties in both the Red River Valley and southern Minnesota federal disaster areas because of widespread flooding and severe  storms in March that wreaked havoc in the state, a report said.
• Missouri, USA. The White House has declared five Missouri counties major disaster areas, following devastation from tornadoes, storms and flooding. “Property owners who’ve gone into the Mississippi River Floodway say the situation is bad.” Said a report.

Related Links

• Flooding in Memphis – Update May 10

• Mississippi River Flooding: Disaster in Slow Motion
• Epic Flooding Could Inundate Large Parts of the U-S  Posted on February 10, 2011
• The Day Before Washington’s Birthday   Posted on February 20, 2011

Global Mega Disasters

• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2010 Disasters [Includes Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters: 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Extreme Weather Conditions in the US

Severe Thunder Storms, Tornadoes, Wildfires, Heavy Snow, Torrential Rain and Flooding

The United States is experiencing numerous “extreme conditions” throughout the country, NWS forecasts.

Click image to enlarge.

Severe Storms

“A 13-state slice of the central United States from northern Michigan to southern Texas could see severe storms Sunday. The most likely area of severe weather then is an area of Moderate Risk that includes southeast Minnesota, the eastern half of Iowa, extreme northeast Missouri, west-central and southwest Wisconsin and northwest Illinois. A much larger area at Slight Risk for severe weather includes parts of South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.” NWS reported.

Click Hazard Map to enter NWS portal.

Flooding

More flooding  reported in northern Plains and Upper Midwest, with

• 19 Major Flood sites
• 29  sites at Moderate Flooding
• 75 sites at Minor Flooding
• 135 sites are Near Flood Stage

U.S. Flood Map. Source: NWS

Wildfire

“Critical fire weather conditions and Red Flag Warnings are in effect for today and Saturday in a 5-state portion of the southern Plains. Areas in which all outdoor burning is discourage include the eastern third of Colorado, the western third of Kansas, the Oklahoma Panhandle and western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle along with northwest and southwest Texas and most of new Mexico but the northwest and west-central parts of the state.” NWS reported.

In Colorado, meanwhile, wildfires have forced the evacuations of about 300 homes in the foothills west of Denver , a report said.

Weather Story: Colorado

Severe thunderstorms are expected in north central Oklahoma tonight. This area is in a tornado watch until 1 A.M. Hot, dry and windy weather is expected in western Oklahoma Saturday afternoon. The dry airmass is expected to include the western two-thirds of Oklahoma Sunday when wildfire potential will be extreme. Windy weather and relatively little rainfall will remain through next week. NWS

Tornadoes

Tornado watches 108 and 109 issued by NWS cover 16 counties Kansas and 24 counties in Oklahoma. See report.

“Temperatures will surge into the upper 80s on Saturday afternoon along with strong southerly winds. Severe thunderstorms may develop along the dryline in central Kansas later Saturday afternoon and early evening. The main threat will be hail and winds… but a tornado or two cannot be ruled out.” NWS reported.

Related News

• Tornado severely damages homes at Pulaski: Severe damage to homes has been reported in the Pulaski and Draper areas of Pulaski County after a tornado earlier this evening, local officials and the National Weather Service said. More than 4,500 customers in Pulaski County are without power.

• Tornado Reported In Northern Oklahoma Storm
• Tornado or not? This week’s storm uprooted trees, damaged buildings, but what was it?
• 1.75-mile path left by tornado

Related Links

• U.S. Weather: Flooding, Wildfires, Heavy Snow
• Severe Thunderstorms Pummel North and Central Georgia April 6, 2011
• US Weather Forecast: Thunderstorms, Strong Winds, Flooding, Fire [April 5, 2011]

• US Severe Weather Forecast: T-Storms, Tornadoes [April 4, 2011]
• Red Flag Warnings in Seven States
• Deadly EF2 Tornado Strikes Louisiana Town
• Mega Tornadoes to Bombard U-S Tornado Alley
• U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• US Wildfire Pattern Consistent with Drought
• National Fire Stats Falsified?
• Denver wildfire forces evacuation of 10,000 homes
• Fierce Storm Dumps 160mm of Rain over SoCal
• Wildfires Wreaking Havoc Across the U.S.
• World on Fire

Tornado, tornadoes | Tagged: dangerous storm, Kansas weather, severe weather warnings, Thunderstorm, Tornado Alley, Upper Midwest flooding satellite images, US flood warnings, weather Missouri |

Between Hell and High Water

A Most Disturbing Image of the Day

Study this image carefully, and you could/should see yourself and your family in there!

Fighting [sic] Climate Change anyone Right now, the floods are taking their toll in Pakistan. Next, they could hit YOUR hometown.

Original Caption: Pakistani residents stand by flood water that entered a residential area of Muzaffarabad. The death toll from flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential monsoon rains in Pakistan rose to more than 400 as officials reported thousands more displaced. (Xinhua/AFP Photo). Image may be subject to copyright. See Fair Use Notice.

Related Links:

• Remember this Image! [Posted by edro on September 4, 2008]
  
• Disaster Forecast: The United States
• Collapse Diary
• 2010 Disaster Calendar

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• Energy Dinosaurs

China: Yuan or Your Life?

Nature’s Response to China’s Violent Assault on Ecosystems?

About 2 percent of China’s population have so far been impacted by torrential rain, flooding and landslides

Hundreds, possibly thousands of people have been killed, and many are missing in southern China after days of apocalyptic rain, violent flooding and massive landslides.

At least 100,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged, with millions of hectares (acres) of crops spoiled by the deadly deluge.

Nanping City deluged by torrential rains. Original Caption: Photo taken on June 20, 2010 shows the waterlogging Nanping City, southeast China’s Fujian Province. Caused by continual torrential rains since June 18, rivers continued to swell in Nanping City, leaving 24 dead and 28 lost so far. (Xinhua/Wang Shanglin). Image may be subject to copyright.

Related Links:

• China Under Deluge
• Global Flooding and Landslide Headlines
• Photos of sinkholes in China
• 2010 Disaster Calendar [JUNE]
• 2010 Disasters

Arkansas Floodwaters Submerge Campground, Killing 16

Flash floods swept through campground in Arkansas, killing at least 16, injuring 20, with 30 others reported missing, officials said.

A tsunami-like wave, caused by torrential rains that inundated the Little Missouri River to about 7 meters (20  feet), drowned the victims as they slept in their tents at the Albert Pike campground in the Ouachita Mountains west of Little Rock, according to reports.

A river gauge near the Ouachita National Forest registered a rise of about  2.4m (8ft) in just one hour, the US Geological Survey said.

At least 6 children are believed to be among the dead, as 65 people were rescued from the Ouachita Mountains valley.

The National Weather Service said 193mm (7.6in) of rain had fallen overnight.

“As that river goes down, you don’t know how many people are under it,”  Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said.

This tragedy bears close resemblance to Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon flood disaster in 1976 in which 145 people were killed.

Related Links:

• Disasters: Big Thompson Canyon, Colorado
• U.S. Floods Hit Texas, Oregon, Wyoming, Utah, Missouri …
• 2010 Disasters

At least 120 Killed in Afghanistan Floods

Flooding in 20 of Afghanistan provinces kills 120 people, destroys or damage 10,000 homes: Afghanistan VP

Flooding has also destroys crops, agricultural land, roads and other infrastructure, the Vice President of Afghanistan said in a statement:

His statement as reported by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is as follows:

On 11 May, Vice President Khalili chaired a briefing at ANDMA, where he stated that almost 20 provinces have been hit by flooding, 8 of them severely; 120 people have died; and 10,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. In addition to human casualties, damage to infrastructure and livelihoods has been high. Road clearance, rehabilitation of agricultural land, and air access were identified as priorities. In addition to dispatching teams to the affected areas to assess needs and provide compensation, the government has allocated 3 million Afs to each flood-affected province as well as 2 million Afs each to all other provinces for preparedness. As of 11 May, WFP reported that they were providing food assistance to 5,800 flood-affected families and that assessment reports continue to be received.

Related Links:

• 2010 Disaster Calendar [May]
• 2010: Year One of Human-Enhanced Disasters
• Landslides
• Floods

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Serial No 1,721. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).

Sinkholes Swallow Cars?

Serial No  1,521. If any of the posts on this blog  is blocked in your country, please drop us a line.

Image of the Day:

Rain, flooding, again, and sinkholes

A massive sinkhole opened in City of Fall River, Massachusetts, as a result of a storm and heavy rain which triggered record-breaking deluge. Photo Credit: Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff. Image may be subject to copyright. For more images click here.

Related Links:

• US East Coast Inundated by Major Flooding
• A Dry Run for Climate Chaos Heading Our Way
• Global Weather Chaos

Heavy rain causes Japan landslides, Killing 6

Torrential rains, flooding and landslides strike western Japan

Days of heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in western Japan. On Tuesday alone 7 cm of rain fell in just one hour in Hofu City, Yamaguchi prefecture [state.]

Torrential rains triggered floods and landslides in southern Japan, leaving at least six people dead and 10 others missing, including elderly residents at a nursing home, officials said Wednesday. Photo: AP. Image may be subject to copyright.

At least six people have been killed and nine others are missing after torrential rains caused floods and a landslide in Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan.

Japan’s  meteorological agency has issued new warnings for more landslides and flooding in the region.

Residents of a nursing home were hit by a large landslide in Hofu City, Yamaguchi prefecture, about 750km west-southwest of Tokyo, prompting Japan’s self defense forces to send a rescue unit to the area.

Three people were killed and four others were missing at the nursing home, which was inundated with mud, according to Yamaguchi police.

“A total of 99 people had been housed at the nursing home, and we have confirmed 92 are alive,”  officials said.

“The mountain behind the nursing home collapsed at about 1.30pm and water gushed down in a mixture of red soil, mud and small rocks.” an eye witness was reported as saying.

A total of seven people were reported missing in Hofu and two more elsewhere in Yamaguchi prefecture, while another person was drowned in a flooded river in the neighboring Tottori prefecture.

There were some 30  significant landslides with 50 places flooded in and around Hofu city, officials were reported as saying.

At least 500 homes were flooded, with many buildings and cars engulfed in mud.

A cluster of medium sized quakes have recently struck the region.

Large mudslide, Hofu City, Japan. Freeze frame from AP video report. Image may be subject to copyright.

Heavy Rains in Southern Japan [NASA Earth Observatory]

The 2009 summer monsoon brought torrential rains to southwestern Japan in July. This image shows rainfall estimates for southern Japan and the surrounding region from July 20–27, produced by the near-real-time, multi-satellite precipitation analysis at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The analysis is based largely on observations from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite.

The most prominent feature is a large bull’s-eye of heavy rain centered over the northern part of Kyushu and the southwestern tip of Honshu. Rainfall totals exceeded 600 millimeters (about 24 inches, show in deep blue) at the center of this rain area, with lesser amounts of up to 150 millimeters (about 6 inches, shown in pale green) extending into central Japan. The heavy rains led to widespread flash flooding and numerous landslides. As of late July 2009, eight people were reported to have died as a result, with nine more still missing, according to news reports.

Each year as the Earth’s orbit brings the Northern Hemisphere back under more direct sunlight, the Asian continent starts to heat up. Land surfaces have less heat capacity than surrounding oceans, and they heat up faster. This land-sea temperature difference causes the winds to shift; warm air rises over the continent, and moist air from over the oceans flows in to replace it. In East Asia, the boundary between the warm, humid air from the ocean to the south and the continental air to the north often becomes more or less stationary.

This stationary front is known as the Baiu front in Japan and as the Mei-yu front in China. The location of the front migrates slowly northward over eastern China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan over the course of spring and early summer, providing a focus for showers and rain, especially when waves of low pressure move along the front. Mei-yu means “plum rains” in Chinese, so called because the widespread rains often occur at the time when plums ripen, which is typically May and June. Baiu season in Japan typically runs from June through July.

Global satellite-based observations of heavy rain and flood inundation potential (calculated from a hydrological model) are updated every three hours and posted online on the Global Flood and Landslide Monitoring page on the TRMM Website.

NASA image by Jesse Allen, using near-real-time data provided courtesy of TRMM Science Data and Information System at Goddard Space Flight Center. Animations by Hal Pierce. Caption by Steve Lang.

Related Links:

• Six Die After Landslides Hit Japan [Linked to video]

Image of the Day: Mudslide on Whidbey Island

A 10-foot surge of water from a breached dam built by beavers sends mudslide crashing through eight homes.

A worker passes under a washed-away home Friday in a waterfront neighborhood of Clinton, Whidbey Island, that was struck by flooding and mudslides after a dam breached early in the morning. In the foreground, water rushes down Glendale Road toward Puget Sound. Residents were warned around 2 a.m. Friday of the dam breach and told to evacuate, although it wasn’t mandatory. Photo: KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES. Image may be subject to copyright. Caption from the original report.

Image may be subject to copyright.

Original Report

China’s Topsoil Nightmare Is Real

The world can ill-afford the cost of not helping China!

China is losing 4.5 billion tons of soil each year

About 35 % of China’s agricultural land is affected by desertification seriously threatening its ability to feed its population, a nationwide survey revealed.

Desertification in China’s virtually out of control! Photo: Xinhua

Soil erosion caused by water and wind is removing about 4.5 billion tons of soil each year, Xinhua official news agency quoted from a report by China’s bio-environment security research team.

“China has a more dire situation than India, Japan, the United States, Australia and many other countries suffering from soil erosion,” Xinhua said.

“Beijing has long been worried about the desertification of its northern grasslands, and scaled back logging after rain rushing down denuded mountainsides caused massive flooding along the Yangtze in the late 1990s.” Reuters reported.

Entire villages are being buried in China. Photo: Xinhua

Abot 1.6 million square km of land are being degraded by water erosion each year affecting almost every river basin. Additionally,  2.0 million square km are eroded by wind, the report said.

The three-year survey on soil conservation was the most comprehensive report since 1949 when the Communist Party came to power in China.

In 2003 Chinese experts  estimated that desertification cost the country  a direct loss of 64.2 billion yuan  with indirect economic losses of 288.9 billion yuan, Xinhua said. Their recent report puts the direct losses at 200 billion yuan.

NOTE: By as early as 2012 critically low levels of topsoil will seriously affect food production globally.

[$1 is about 6.8 Yuan]

Related Links:

• Topsoil
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Land degradation threatens 1.5 billion people
• China suffers great losses from desertification
• Food Crisis (Index Page)

Hungry Haitian Flood Victims Stranded on Rooftops

“There is no food, no water, no clothes … I want to know what I’m supposed to do … we haven’t found anything to eat in two, three days. Nothing at all.” Pastor Arnaud Dumas

TS Hannah the third tropical storm to strike Haiti in three weeks has left the northern Haitian city of Gonaives submerged in two meters of water. According to AP’s latest report there are 137 confirmed deaths in Haiti.

Hurricane Hanna is seen southeast of Nassau. The system was drifting toward the west near 3 km/hr with maximum sustained winds of about 130km/hr. Dated 2008.09.02 at 08:45UTC – Credit NOAA/NESDIS/EVP

Haitian President Rene Preval declared the situation in his impoverished Caribbean nation a “catastrophe.”

Thousands of people including patients in a flooded hospital have moved to upper floor rooms, balconies and roofs, waiting for the floodwater to recede.

“There are a lot of people who have been on top of the roofs of their homes over 24 hours now … They have no water, no food and we can’t even help them.” The interior minister, Paul Antoine Bien-Aime, told Reuters news.

An aerial view of floods caused by Tropical Storm Hanna is seen in Gonaives September 3, 2008. REUTERS/Marco Dormino/Minustah/Handout

In Cuba more than 500 schools and 100,000 homes were affected. “There are severe damages to the electrical system. It’s practically on the floor,” said the vice- president, Carlos Lage. “In terms of buildings and homes, roofs are generally gone. The island is exposed to the sky.” Thousands of tons of tobacco leaves, coffee, grapefruit and other produce have been destroyed.

A Bolivian peacekeeper, left, stands on an area flooded by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Hanna next to residents in Savan Desole, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. The storm has spawned flooding in Haiti that left 10 people dead in Gonaives, along Haiti’s western coast, according to the country’s civil protection department.(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos). Image may be subject to copyright.

Fidel Castro, Cuba’s ex-president likened the destruction to the nuclear attack on Hiroshima. “The photos and videos transmitted on national television reminded me of the desolation I saw when I visited Hiroshima.”

Hurricane Ike in a satellite image taken September 4, 2008. Hurricane Ike strengthened rapidly into an fiercely dangerous Category 4 hurricane in the open Atlantic on Wednesday.   REUTERS/NOAA/Handout

Meanwhile, hurricane Ike, a very dangerous category 4B hurricane with sustained winds of about 230 km/hr is revving up about 1,000 km northeast of Haiti. Ike is expected to turn west in the next 24 hours.

Related Links:

• Remember this Image!

::

Thought for the Day: A 2009 Forecast

The most widely used phrase by “scientists” in 2009

“We were completely surprised!”

Surprised! (source: bp1.blogger.com). Image may be subject to copyright.

EDOUARD MAKES LANDFALL IN TEXAS

BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM EDOUARD INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 8A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL052008
700 AM CDT TUE AUG 05 2008

EDOUARD MAKES LANDFALL ON THE UPPER TEXAS COAST

TS Edouard. Infrared Image – Updated every 30 mins. NOAA

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA WESTWARD TO SARGENT TEXAS.

A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA TO SARGENT TEXAS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS…PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 700 AM CDT…1200Z…THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM EDOUARD WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.6 NORTH…LONGITUDE 94.2 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ON THE UPPER TEXAS COAST ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN HIGH ISLAND AND SABINE PASS IN THE MCFADDIN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

EDOUARD IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH…23 KM/HR …AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 65 MPH…100 KM/HR…WITH HIGHER GUSTS. EDOUARD IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN WEAKENING LATER TODAY AS IT MOVES INLAND.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES…110 KM FROM THE CENTER.

AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT REPORTED A MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 997 MB…29.44 INCHES.

A STORM SURGE OF 2 TO 4 FT ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE WARNING AREA IN AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS.

EDOUARD IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES IN SOME SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA COASTAL PARISHES AND SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS. ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 10 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS.

ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS TODAY.

REPEATING THE 700 AM CDT POSITION…29.6 N…94.2 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD…WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…65 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…997 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1000 AM CDT.

– FORECASTER FRANKLIN

Related Links and More Images:

• TS EDOUARD UPDATE
• Tropical Storm EDOUARD forms in the Gulf of Mexico
• Weather
• Oceanview