Powerful Tornadoes Destroy Dozens of Homes in Australia

Two tornadoes leave a trail of destruction across Victoria, NSW injuring at least 20 people

Destructive twisters described as “terrifying,”  ripped through Murray River towns of Bundalong, Yarrawonga, Mulwala, Rutherglen, Koonoomoo and Cobram, leaving at least 20 people injured, five seriously, more than 60 homes uninhabitable, and many more houses, mobile homes and businesses damaged, reports said.

• The tornadoes have been assessed as between F1 and F2 on the F-Scale rating, with wind speeds between 118 and 254km/h [F3?] and a destruction path 150m – 250m wide, said the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

• A local official in Mulwala described his town as “looking like a war zone” after the tornadoes swept through.

• “It’s just like a bomb went off. Trees have got no leaves. It’s just defoliated them. It looks like Agent Orange has sort of gone through there and stripped them.”

• Another official said:  “It is colossal damage, this will cost millions to fix.”

• “Big trees that weigh tonnes have been plucked from the ground and dragged and smashed everywhere.”

Related Links

• Back-to-Back Australian Disasters

Other Global Disasters/Significant Events

USA: Connecticut Disaster Declaration

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Connecticut in the areas affected by a severe winter storm and snowstorm during the period of February 8-11, 2013.

• Public infrastructure and facilities were destroyed or damaged by the severe winter storm and snowstorm in Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, and Windham Counties and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribal Nations located within New London County.

Thailand: Drought Disaster Declared in 39 Provinces

Drought disaster has been declared across 39 of Thailand’s 76 provinces, with a 4oth province,  Suphan Buri, on the verge of becoming another disaster area, said officials at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).

• At least 20 of the disaster areas are experiencing extreme [exceptional] drought.

USA: New Hampshire Disaster Declaration

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of New Hampshire in the areas affected by a severe winter storm and snowstorm during the period of February 8-10, 2013.

• Public infrastructure and facilities were destroyed or damaged by the severe winter storm and snowstorm in the counties of Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford, and Sullivan.

United Kingdom: Britain could run out of gas in 36 hours

Britain’s natural gas stocks are running low due to the unseasonably cold weather, which has pushed the demand up by at least 20 percent. In the worst case scenario the country could run out of gas supplies in 36 hours, reports said.

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March 22, 2013 — DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,086 Days Left 

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

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,086 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

SE Australia Toasted Brown

3rd year of drought in Australia

No Relief in Sight for Farmers in Victoria and New South Wales!

Drought in SE Australia

September 7-22, 2005

September 7 – 22, 2009

Centered on the agricultural areas near the Murray River, Australia’s largest river, between Hume Reservoir and Lake Tyrrell, the satellite images show vegetation conditions for a 16-day period in the middle of September in 2005 and 2009 compared to the average mid-September conditions over the decade. Places with vegetation above the decadal average are green, average areas are off-white, areas where vegetation growth was below average are brown.

Here at the border between the state of Victoria (south of the Murray) and New South Wales (north of the river), mid-September is the height of the growing season for cereal grains, including wheat, barley, and oats.

While the overall pattern in each year is unmistakable—2005 was the last year of good growing conditions—there are localized differences in how crops responded to the climate. These differences could have numerous causes, from localized rainfall to variability in the drought-tolerance of an area’s predominant crop type. At the individual field level, a brown or green patch in a single year could indicate a crop that was struggling or flourishing, but it could also reflect a management decision to plant or harvest at a different time or to leave a field fallow.

The images collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. NASA images by Robert Simmon. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey, with assistance from Dath Mita and Curt Reynolds, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. [Edited by FEWW.]

Related Links:

• Speaking of El Niño, OLR Anomalies in Australia
• Australia: The Lost Continent?
• Deadly Weather in Your Area?
• Australia: World’s Smallest Continental Dust Bowl
• Could Dust Storms Bury Sydney, Australia?
• Australia: What can burn, will!
• Australia Blazing Oil Rig May Collapse
• Australia: Uranium Dust Threat Real?
• And dust to dust …

Image of the Day: Human Excesses

Mother Nature or Arson?

Nature Robs What Human Excesses Wall Street Fails to Steal

Australian couple stand stunned among the ruins of their home in Victoria. Photo: John Woudstra. Image may be subject to copyright.

Bushfire devastation. (User submitted via ABC Contribute: shaz67).  Image may be subject to copyright.

Bushfire crisis: Grisly body search continues as death toll rises.The search for bodies in burnt-out houses continues. (AFP: William West). Image may be subject to copyright.

["The Terracotta Horse."] A horse that was trapped by the raging fires lies dead at the side of the road near the community of Kinglake, north east of Melbourne, Australia February 9, 2009. Weary firefighters and rescuers pulled the remains of dozens of people from charred buildings on Monday as the death toll rose to 130 [173] from southern Australia’s deadliest bushfires. REUTERS/Rick Rycroft/Pool.

Earth Observatory: Bushfires in Southeast Australia

Natural color

False color

NASA Earth Observatory images acquired February 9, 2009

Bushfires in southeastern Australia turned deadly over the first weekend of February 2009. Out-of-control fires raced into small communities and towns in Victoria, and more than 100 people had died as of February 9, according to news reports. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC News) reported that many of those who died had remained to protect their homes. Among the most devastated communities were those in the Kinglake area and Marysville. As of February 9, firefighters were expressing concern about the increased activity of the fire around the town of Dederang, southwest of Lake Hume.

This pair of images shows the Barry Mountains of central Victoria on February 9, 2009. The image at top is a natural-color (photo-like) view captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. Places where the sensor detected active fire are outlined in red. The lower image is the same scene shown in false color, using visible, near-infrared, and shortwave infrared light. Burned areas are brick red, and places of intense heat—often a sign of open flame in this kind of image—are glowing pink. Smoke turns a transparent blue, which makes it easier to see the ground.

Fire is a regular occurrence in the forests and grasslands of southeastern Australia, even in the absence of people. In the hot, dry summer months, vegetation dries out; lightning triggers many natural wildfires. However, in the past decade, the area has experienced several severe droughts, and in late January and early February, parts of South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales were also paralyzed by an exceptional heatwave. Conditions were primed for devastating fires, some of which appear to have been started by lighting and others, according to news reports, by arson. The event was the worst fire disaster in Australia’s history.

NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.

Australian fires toll may exceed 200

The Australian govt. blames ‘arsonists’ for the worst bushfires in the country’s History

As the known death toll reaches about 120, and the bushfires incinerate up to 1,000 homes, the government blames ‘arsonists’ for starting the fires.

“We will throw the book at you if you are caught,” New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees reportedly said.

Below is a list of Australia’s  recorded death toll and property damage from bushfires (Source: BBC UK)

• February 16,  1983.  75 dead, 2,300 homes destroyed in “Ash Wednesday” bushfires in Victoria and South Australia
• January 8, 1969.  At least 22 dead, 230 homes lost in rural Victoria
• February 7,  1967.  62 dead, 1,300 homes destroyed in fires in Hobart, Tasmania
• January 13, 1939.   71 dead, 700 homes destroyed in “Black Friday” fires in Victoria
• February – March 1922.  60 died in Gippsland, eastern Victoria

Number of alleged arsonists arrested in the above incidents: NONE reported.

A bushfire burns in the Bunyip Sate Forest near the township of Tonimbuk, Victoria, Australia 07 February 2009. Authorities have issued urgent fire warnings to towns near a bushfire burning out of control east of Melbourne. EPA/ANDREW BROWNBILL. Image may be subject to copyright.

A total of 12 bushfires are burning out of control across Victoria, comprising about 26 blazes,  covering up to 225,000 hectare of land.

Bushfires in Southeast Australia

This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite shows multiple large fires (outlined in red) burning in Victoria on February 7. Huge plumes of smoke spread southeast, driven by fierce winds. The large version of the image shows a large dust storm blowing over interior deserts to the northwest. These fires sprang up and exploded in size in just a few short hours. The image captured by the Terra MODIS sensor just a few hours prior to this image showed no sign of these fires. Twice-daily images of southeastern Australia are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.

Related Links:

• A Living Hell Heated by Australian Coal
• Torrential Rains Flood Northern Australia
• Australian Floods: Crocodiles Swam in the Streets
  

Related News Links:

• At a glance: where bushfires are burning
• In photos: ‘Bushfires rage in Australia’
• Eight bushfires out of control in NSW

A Living Hell Heated by Australian Coal

Climate Change Wreaks Havoc in Australia, AND That’s Just Another Round of Starters

Scorching heatwave in southern Australia causes transport chaos by buckling rail lines and leaving thousands without power

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has forecast  six days of scorching temperatures [40-plus Celsius (104 Fahrenheit),] starting on Wednesday, for southern Australia, the hottest heatwave in 100 years.

Australian heatwave is the sort of weather scientists been warning about, said the Climate Change Minister Penny Wong.

Cloud: Latest Color Satellite Image (Infrared) - Satellite images taken in infrared show the temperatures of the underlying surface or cloud. The whiter areas indicate the cold cloud tops usually associated with deeper rain bearing clouds.

“Eleven of the hottest years in history have been in the last 12, and we also note, particularly in the southern part of Australia, we’re seeing less rainfall,” Wong said.

“All of this is consistent with climate change, and all of this is consistent with what scientists told us would happen.”

“Health officials in South Australia and Victoria have advised people to stay indoors, use air conditioners, and keep their fluids up.” But that’s easier said than done because  the electricity grid was overloaded leaving more than 10,000 homes were without power in southern Australia.

Rail lines in Melbourne buckled under intense heat and train services were canceled, stranding thousands of hot and angry commuters, the report said.

“Australia is in the grip of drought and total fire bans have been declared in southern Australia in the hope of preventing major bushfires. Small bushfires are burning in South Australia and Victoria and all national parks have been closed.”

Heatwave: Buckled train tracks on the Noarlunga line in Adelaide. (ABC TV). Image may be subject to copyright.

The extreme temperatures were threatening Melbourne’s parks and gardens, said Mayor Robert Doyle, reporting a 40 percent drop in soil moisture.

“The signs are there that our precious trees are struggling in this brutal weather,” said Doyle.

“Our parks staff have indicated a number of trees are defoliating and canopies are thinning. Once defoliation takes place it is very hard to save the tree,” said Doyle.

This is a sign of climate change, the climate change minister said.

Meanwhile fire crews continued to battle two fires south of the Latrobe Valley in Gippsland, which have burnt through 700 hectares of forest, grassland and private pine plantation around Darilmurla, Mirboo North and Boolarra, Victoria [state of Victoria is in southeastern corner of Australia,] which are still burning out of control. ABC News reported.

Dengue Fever

Australia’s warmer temperatures increase the risk of dengue virus spread by the dengue mosquito and the Asian Tiger mosquito. Fatal conditions caused by the dengue virus infection include dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue  shock syndrome (DF). See CDC site for more information. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/

Related News Links:

• Australian heatwave sign of climate change
• Fire threat adds to heatwave chaos

Related Links:

• Australian Coal and the Planet
• Torrential Rains Flood Northern Australia
• WILKINS ICE SHELF IS “HANGING BY A THREAD”
• Australia is Toast, Literally!

Mother Nature 3 – NZ 0

Electricity Shortages in New Zealand

New Zealand is facing electricity shortages unless sufficient rain recharges its hydro catchments, the government [sic] said.

“Unless we have some increased inflows in the South Island hydro catchments in the next three weeks, further conservation measures will have to be looked at,” the Energy Minister [sic] said.

South Island hydro power facilities provide about two thirds of New Zealand’s electricity. According to a wholesale electricity market operator, storage in hydro-electric lakes is about 40 percent below average. As a result the price of electricity jumped by 30.6 percent to $215.26 per megawatt hour.

Location map of Taupo, New Zealand

In the 2003 power crisis, the government had planned to cut residential hot water supplies, followed by rolling power cuts for residential users, and blackouts.

Rio Tinto’s Tiwai Point aluminum smelter, located in New Zealand’s South Island, consumes about 15 percent of the country’s electricity.

Farm Produce

Earlier this month Bloomberg reported that the prolonged drought in New Zealand, the worst in 20 years, had cut farm production and more than doubled the power prices this year. New Zealand’s energy demand peaks June through August during the hemisphere winter months due to heating use. Hydro-power lakes have been below average since November 2007.

In April 2008, lake Taupo was 18 percent below average. Lake Pukaki was 40 percent below average. Lake Manapouri, which is used to supply Rio Tinto’s Tiwai Point aluminum smelter, was 45 percent below its usual levels.

Continuing drought in New Zealand and Australia, as well as a falling production in the UK and a weak dollar, are raising the prices of milk and dairy products globally. In the past 12 months the price of milk has increased by 32 percent, eggs by 40 percent and wholewheat bread by 26 percent.

Earthquake hit south of Macquarie Island

Meanwhile, in a triple whammy, a 5.9-magnitude quake hit 2100 km (1300 miles) S of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, earlier today close to a major fault line. Recent increased seismic activities N, NW and SE of New Zealand do not bode well for the country. The earthquakes may result in a period intense volcanic activity in New Zealand in the coming weeks.

Related links:

• NZ govt eyes power-saving measures after dry spell
• New Zealand Rain Fails to Ease Risk of Power Shortage (Update1)
• Volcanoes, Santorini Eruption and Crops Failure in China
• Mt Ruapehu Eruption Alert

santorini