2011 Disaster Calendar – December

Humans continued to devour energy at a rate of 17.3terrawatt in 2011, when maximum ‘safe’ limit was less than 1.9terrawatt.

On May 15, 2011 symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began: Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016

Nearly all of the anthropogenic and human-enhanced disasters that will occur on the planet in the 2011-2012 period would have been preventable.

2011 Disaster Calendar

January 2011 | February 2011 | March 2011 | April 2011 | May 2011 | June 2011 | July 2011 | August 2011 | September 2011 | October 2011 | November 2011 | December 2011|

WARNING:

MAJOR GEOLOGICAL EPISODES COULD IMPACT THE ENTIRE WESTERN UNITED STATES, BEGINNING IN THE NEXT 18 MONTHS  [PROBABILITY ≥ 0.8]

Many parts of the United States could be devastated by extreme climatic, geophysical and geological episodes over the next 18 months: FIRE-EARTH Forecast

[December 1, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,597 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• New Jersey, USA.  The Disaster President has declared 8 New Jersey counties as disaster areas due to damage caused by a severe snowstorm  on October 29, 2011.
  • The disaster areas are Cape May, Essex, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren counties.
  • Still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Irene, New Jersey counties have been declared major disaster areas for the 5th time so far this year.
  • Previous Major Disaster Declarations issued in 2011 were
    • Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (Declared a Major Disaster Area on October 14).
    • Severe Storms and Flooding (September 15)
    • Hurricane Irene (August 31)
    • Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (February 4)
  • New Jersey counties have also been designated as agricultural disaster areas multiple times.

[NOTE: About 50,000 people in New Jersey were affected by Irene. FEMA approved more than $160million for the individual claimants.]

Other Disasters

• USA. More than 25,000 Americans have died from prescription drug overdose in the last 12 months. [The actual figure could be as high as 50,000 or even higher, that is at least 14 deaths per standard 100,000 population. FIRE-EARTH]
  • The main culprits based on narcotic pain relievers are hydrocodone (Vicodin), methadone, oxycodone (OxyContin) and oxymorphone (Opana).
  • The highest death rate occurred among people aged 35 to 54.
  • The number of overdose deaths was greater than deaths from heroin and cocaine combined.
  • An estimated 20 percent of Americans have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons.
  • Prescription drug abuse can lead to addiction and death. Main categories of drug abuse include:
    • Narcotic  painkillers
    • Sedatives and tranquilizers
    • Stimulants (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse)

Go to diagram: Source: Astho/CDC

Note: In 2007, a total of 2,423,712 resident deaths were registered in the United States. The total includes 451,034 deaths from residual or non-specified causes.

Top 15 causes of death:

1. Diseases of heart (heart disease) ~ [616,067 deaths]
2. Malignant neoplasms (cancer) ~ [562,875]
3. Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) ~ [135,952]
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases ~ [127,924]
5. Accidents (unintentional injuries) ~ [123,706]
6. Alzheimer’s disease
7. Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)
8. Influenza and pneumonia
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney disease)
10. Septicemia (bacterial blood poisoning)
11. Intentional self-harm (suicide) ~ [34,598]
12.  Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
13. Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (hypertension)
14. Parkinson’s disease
15. Assault (homicide) ~ [18,361]

[December 2, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,566 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Los Angeles, California.Los Angeles County has declared a state of emergency due to the destructive Santa Ana windstorm.
  • The declaration came after Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Temple City, San Marino and Glendora declared their own emergencies, a report said.
  • In Pasadena, dozens of buildings have been destroyed (red-tagged by fire department) and many more damaged (yellow-tagged), while others await damage assessment.
  • Thousands of trees, some century-old, and utility poles were uprooted or damaged.
  • Winds of more than 80 mph (130kph, the equivalent of a category one hurricane on FEWW New Hurricane Scale) have knocked out electricity to about half a million homes throughout SoCal, also causing road delays and forcing dozens of flights to LAX to be diverted.
  • “An American Red Cross shelter at Robinson Park in Pasadena housed about 60 displaced people bused in early Thursday from an apartment building that flooded after a tree toppled by the high winds crashed through the roof, breaking a water main,” said a report.
  • Dozens of people have sought shelter in Pasadena.

• California, USA.Six California counties (combined population ~ 3.7 million) have been declared  agricultural disaster areas because of losses caused by the combined effects of unseasonably cool spring weather, a freeze, hail, below normal summer temperatures and unseasonable rainfall that occurred from April 7 to Sept. 30, 2011, USDA reported.
  • Solano County was designated as primary disaster area.
  • Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Sonoma and Yolo counties were declared disaster areas because they’re contiguous.
  • Soon we’d be blaming the ‘unseasonable weather,’ ‘abnormal temperatures’ and ‘unreasonable rainfall.’

[December 3, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,565 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Europe.More than 26,000 measles cases were reported in 36 European countries from January to October 2011. The rise re[resents a 3-fold increase in 4 years.
  • The worst-affected country is France with 14,000 cases.
  • Other major outbreaks of the disease have been reported  in Macedonia, Romania, Spain and Uzbekistan.
  • In the U.S. more than 200 cases have been reported so far this year. That’s the largest number in a decade, and a 4-fold increase.
  • Most of the recorded cases in the US weer linked to other world regions, including about 2 dozen cases from Europe.
  • Measles is a highly contagious and potentially dangerous disease which spreads easily.
  • Some 164,000 measles deaths were recorded worldwide in 2008, with 95 percent of deaths occurring in poor countries.

[December 4, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,564 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• United States and Dependent Areas.  From the beginning of the AIDS epidemic through 2009, some 1,142,714 people have been diagnosed with AIDS in America.
  • There were 490,696 people living with an AIDS diagnoses in the United States and five dependent areas by the end of 2008, CDC estimated.
  • AIDS has killed about 617,025 people in the U.S. since the 1980s.
  • Some 42,959 new diagnoses of HIV infection in the 40 states and five dependent areas were recorded in 2008.
  • About 75% of adults and adolescents living with an AIDS diagnosis are male.

• Global. More than 36 million people were living with HIV/AIDS in 2009.
  • About 2.8 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2009.
  • An estimated 2.4 million people died of aids in 2008.

[December 5, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,563 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Beijing, China.Thick fog worsened by air pollution has again entombed  Beijing forcing the closure of dozens of highways and cancellation of hundreds of flights.
  • “As of 2 p.m. Monday, 207 inbound and outbound flights were canceled at Beijing Capital International Airport, while 126 were delayed for at least one hour,” a report said.
  • “Readings by the U.S. Embassy, which measures inhalable particles of 2.5 microns, have described the pollution for days as ‘hazardous’,” according to Reuters.
  • “On Sunday night, the U.S. Embassy’s index topped its ceiling of 500, and it was 356 on Monday afternoon, a reading that was still considered ‘dangerous’.”
  • According to the municipal environmental monitoring center, Beijing’s air pollution index (API) was between 150 and 170 on Monday, a level regarded as ‘moderate’ by Chinese standards, Xinhua reported.
  • Highways in the provinces of Shandong and Hebei, and Tianjin municipality, have also been closed due to poor visibility, the report said.

• Lianhua Bridge in downtown Beijing, China, [14:00? ] Dec. 5, 2011. (Xinhua/Fu Chunrong).

• China is World No. 1 CO2 Polluter; the US follows closely. [See Report]
• China’s Air Pollution Deadliest in World. [See Report ]
• Pollution kills 750,000 [2.5million] people in China every year. [See Report]
• According to the World bank statistics, China has 16 of the 20 most polluted cities on earth!

Other Global Incidents

• Peru. The Peruvian President, a former army officer, has declared a state of emergency following mass rallies against a major mining project in Cajamarca region, northern Peru.
  • The protests, which began 11 days ago, have led to violent clashes between police and demonstrators, leaving dozens of people injured.
  • The project plans to divert water from four lakes high in the Andes to reservoirs used for gold-mining .
  • The local peasants and local officials in Cajamarca oppose the project due to water shortages in the region, as well as the fear of pollution associated with mining gold.
  • A drought since late summer has affected the region (population: ~ quarter of a million), which is Peru’s main dairy and livestock hub, forcing water rationing since August.
  • The Conga gold mine project, worth 4.8 billion dollars, is operated by the US-based Newmont Mining.
  • The mine sits more than 4,200 meters high in the Andes, about 1,000km north of the capital Lima.

[December 6, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,562 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Ternate island, Indonesia.Hot ash and other volcanic debris from Gamalama volcano, which began erupting Sunday evening, has covered almost the entire island city of Ternate, prompting tens of thousands of residents to flee, and forcing  the closure of a nearby airport.  The eruption ejected volcanic matter to a height of about 2 km above the volcano summit.
  • More than 100 volcanic quakes have been recorded since the eruption began.
  • The 4-level alert status is currently at Level 3.
  • State volcanologist Surono said Gamalama had ejected “clouds of thick gray ash” into the air, and slow moving lava was  visible at the summit.
    • See Map

• Gamalama Volcano
  • The 1,715-metre volcano forms the entire island of Ternate in North Maluku province, Indonesia
  • Most of the building on the island were destroyed during an 1840 eruption.
  • The volcano’s last major eruption occurred in 2003.
  • Recent eruptions include 1980, 1983, 1994, 2003 and 2011.
  • A violent eruption during Aug.- Sept. 1775 killed 141 people.
  • Gamalama is one of the 128 active Indonesian volcanoes (total of about 500).

• See Photo
  • Gamalama volcano (also known as the Peak of Ternate), one of the most active volcanoes of Indonesia, forms Ternate Island off the western coast of Halmahera. The northern and youngest of three cones forming the summit of Gamalama is seen here from the NE. Unvegetated areas in this 1994 photo consist of the ejecta blanket from recent explosive eruptions. Frequent eruptions have occurred since the 16th century, most of which originated from the summit vent. Photo by Gatot Sugiharto, 1994 (Volcanological Survey of Indonesia); caption by GVP.

[December 7, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,561 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Kenya. Extreme rain events in Kenya have unleashed severe flooding, washing away bridges and destroying roads. At least a dozen people have lost their lives, and more than 40,000 others made homeless, said the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS).
  • “River Nzoia burst its banks on 3 December, displacing thousands of people in Budalang’i, Bunyala and Funyula areas of western Kenya. Thousands are also displaced in Nyando and Nyatike areas in Nyanza, as well in Coast Province.”

Other Disasters

• Northern Quebec, Canada.  Two First Nations communities in northern Quebec have declared states of emergency following sustained power outages amid extremely cold temperatures.
  • Chisasibi First Nation in James Bay has no electricity to provide heat for 4,000 residents who are experiencing -30ºC temperatures, a report said.
  • “Wemindji First Nation, located south of Chisasibi, has also declared a state of emergency after losing power at 9 a.m. on Monday”
• Yemen.  Killing of civilians including children continues in Yemen. At least 138 children have been killed and about 570 others wounded in the ongoing violence, reports said.
• Obama’s War on Afghanistan. A series of bombing across Afghanistan has killed or wounded hundreds of people, reports said.
• Japan. Japan has used about 2.3bn yen ($30m) from its tsunami recovery budget to provide additional security measures for its whaling fleet, environmental groups said.

[December 8, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,560 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• United States.The U.S. has sustained 112 weather/climate related Mega Disasters over the past 31+ years, with the overall damages/costs exceeding $1 billion.
  • More than 10 percent of these (12 disasters)  have occurred so far this year.
  •  The previous record was set in 2008, with nine $1 billion disasters.
  • “We have good reason to believe [sic] that what happened this year is not an anomaly, but instead is a harbinger of what is to come,” NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said in an interview.

[Note: NOAA and IPCC simply lack any weather/climate model with such level of predictive power. There’s NO way Administrator Jane Lubchenco could back her prediction up with any degree of scientific evidence whatever. While FIRE-EARTH has NO objection to its forecasts being echoed by other sources, the Moderators would expect at least basic acknowledgement.]

List of Billion-Dollar Disaster that have occurred in 2011, as of posting (source NOAA):

1. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona Wildfires Spring-Fall 2011
2. Hurricane Irene, August 20-29, 2011
3. Upper Midwest Flooding, Summer, 2011
4. Mississippi River flooding, Spring-Summer, 2011
5. Southern Plains/Southwest Drought, Heatwave, & Wildfires, Spring-Fall, 2011
6. Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather June 18-22, 2011
7. Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes, May 22-27, 2011
8. Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest Tornadoes, April 25-30, 2011
9. Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes, April 14-16, 2011
10. Southeast/Midwest Tornadoes, April 8-11, 2011
11. Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes, April 4-5, 2011
12. Groundhog Day Blizzard, Jan 29-Feb 3, 2011

Several  new records were set in 2011,  so far, including 

• Texas Drought: The most intense drought 117 years of records occurred in Texas this summer.
• Tornadoes: 199 tornadoes struck on April 27, the highest on record for any single day in the United States.

Across the Globe

• UK. The UK Met Office has issued its highest warning, a red alert, prompting regional authorities to shut hundreds of schools, and causing bridge and road closures, as 90mph winds batter the country’s coastal areas, a report said.
  • “Parts of England and Northern Ireland are also being hit by extreme wind and rain.”
  • Wind gust of 130 mph were reported in the Ski resort of  Aonach Mor, near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands.
  • Police forces in Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway, Central Scotland and Lothian and Borders have issued a ‘do not travel’ warning, advising motorists against all travel, as severe winds  batter the country, the report said.

• Colombia. Bogota (Population ~8.8 million), the capital and largest city of Colombia, has declared a state of emergency after extreme rain events triggered severe flooding, inundating the southwestern part of the city and leaving 10,000 people homeless,  El Tiempo newspaper reported.
  • “The river’s water volume has reached record levels — 64cm above that which is needed to issue a red alert — flooding more than 700 farms in the surrounding areas,” said the report.
  • In all probability water levels would continue to rise.
  • More than 21 people were killed, about 40 missing and dozens of others are trapped in the northwestern city of Manizales after a landslide, a report said.
  • Since the start of the second rainy season in September, at least 500,000 people have been affected by floods and landslides across the country, including more than 50,000 in Bogota.
  • The rainy season has claimed at least 134 lives, destroyed about 1,000 homes and damage up to 80,000 others.

[December 9, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,559 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Padre, Uganda.  Nodding syndrome  has claimed its 66th victim in Padre, Uganda. It is a little-known syndrome which first emerged in Sudan 3 decades ago. The disease affects young children aged between 5 and 15 [other reports put the victims age bracket between 3 and 18,] leaving them mentally and physically disabled.
  • “Nodding disease is a peculiar health problem that was first reported in the district in 2008 and is characterized by head nodding, mental retardation, stunted growth, blindness, body stiffness, endless running nose and saliva, occasional defecation and urination during attack of the infected person,” said a report.
  • The disease is spreading rapidly in Uganda’s Padre district with up to 1,600 infections registered per day since August, according to Pader District Health Officer Janet Oola.
  • Possible causes of the disease include exposure to chemical or  biological weapons.

Other Disasters

• Kolkata, India.  At least 73 people were killed when fire engulfed a hospital in the Indian city of Kolkata.
  • The AMRI hospital staff said the victims included 70 patients and three staff members, Indo-Asian News Service reported.
• Missouri, USA.The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declare 24 counties in Missouri as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by severe storms with hail and high winds that occurred Aug. 18-22, 2011.
  • Seven counties designated as the Primary Disaster Areas:  Andrews, Atchison, Gentry, Lafayette, Nodaway, Pettis and Platte.
  • Seventeen counties designated as the Contiguous Disaster Areas: Benton, Clay, Daviess, Henry, Johnson, Saline, Buchanan, Clinton, De Kalb, Holt, Morgan, Worth, Carroll, Cooper, Harrison, Jackson and Ray.
• The following counties in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska were also designated as disaster areas because they’re  contiguous:
  • Iowa: Fremont, Page and Taylor counties.
  • Kansas: Atchison, Doniphan, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties.
  • Nebraska: Nemaha, Otoe and Richardson counties.

[December 10, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,558 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Bahia, Brazil. At least 109 people, most of whom contracted cerebrospinal meningitis, have died in Brazil’s Bahia state since January, the authorities have said.
  • At least 1,670 cases of bacterial meningitis, the most serious form of the disease, have been reported in the state of Bahia so far this year, AFP reported officials as saying.
  • Dozens of tourists fearing the epidemic have canceled their reservations at Bahia’s Costa do Sauipe resort.
  • Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, and is usually caused by caused by infection with microorganisms, especially viruses and  bacteria.
  • Meningitis is potentially life-threatening and has a high mortality rate if untreated.
  • Typically, Brazil has a bacterial meningitis rate of about 46 per 100,000 annually.
  • Bahia is one of Brazil’s 26 states, located in the country’s northeastern Atlantic coast (population: >14million).
  • The largest epidemic ever recorded in history plagued the sub-Saharan Africa in 1996–1997, causing over 250,000 cases and claiming 25,000 lives, a mortality rate of 10 percent.

Other Global Disasters

• Alabama, USA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared twenty-six counties in Alabama as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain, flooding, flash flooding, hail, high winds and tornadoes that occurred April 1-30, 2011.
  • Six counties were designated as Primary Disaster areas: Blount, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Monroe and Morgan counties.
  • Twenty other counties were also declared disaster areas because they’re contiguous:  Baldwin, Conecuh, Fayette, Lamar, Butler, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Clarke, Escambia, Jackson, Limestone, Colbert, Etowah, Jefferson, Marshall, St. Clair, Walker, Wilcox and Winston counties.
• The following bordering counties in Mississippi and Tennesseewere also declared as  disaster areas because they’re contiguous:
  • Mississippi: Itawamba and Monroe counties.
  • Tennessee: Franklin and Lincoln counties.

[December 11, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,557 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• South Africa has the highest rates of rape in the world. Interpol estimates that more than a million rapes are committed annually in South Africa.
  • An estimated 200,000 children, some under the age of one year,  are raped in SA each year.
• United States.“Officials estimate that, in reality, as many as 2 million women are raped each year, with the majority of them not reporting this violent crime because of the stigma that society still imposes on the victim.”
  • 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape).
  • 15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.
  • “Most statutes currently define rape as nonconsensual oral, anal, or vaginal penetration of the victim by body parts or objects using force, threats of bodily harm, or by taking advantage of a victim who is incapacitated or otherwise incapable of giving consent.”
  • About 27.5% of college women in the United States “reported experiences that met the legal criteria for rape.”
    • Some 44% of rape victims are under age 18.
    • 80% are under age 30.
  • At least 84 % of sexual assaults are not reported to the police.
  • About 3% of American men — or 1 in 33 — have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
    • In 2003, 1 in every ten rape victims were male.²
    • 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or rape.
  • “Estimates of the proportion of rapes reported to authorities vary — from less than 3 per cent in South Africa to about 16 per cent in the United States.”
  • “Rape victims are especially at risk of infection. Up to 30 per cent of women raped in the United States every year, for instance, develop an STD as a result.”

• Global. “Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in some other way — most often by someone she knows, including by her husband or another male family member; one woman in four has been abused during pregnancy.”
  • “At least 60 million girls who would otherwise be expected to be alive are “missing” from various populations, mostly in Asia, as a result of sex-selective abortions, infanticide or neglect.”
  • “Molestation of young girls is another profoundly disturbing aspect of this problem. A study in Zaria, Nigeria, for example, found that 16 per cent of hospital patients with sexually transmitted infections were under age 5.At the Genito-Urinary Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, doctors discovered that more than 900 children under age 12 had been treated for an STD in 1990 alone.”
  • Globally, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10-20 men report being sexually abused as children. WHO Child maltreatment Fact sheet N°150 August 2010.

[December 12, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,556 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Kenya. Raging floods in Kenya have caused massive destruction of infrastructure, leaving at least 24 people dead and more than 100,000 displaced.
  • “The displaced have challenges of sanitation facilities and are also using raw water from the open, a situation that has put their health at risk. They have also lost almost all their crops, some of which were almost mature, after their farms were submerged under floodwaters,” said a report.
• Tanzania. Extreme rains in Arusha, Kilimanjaro, and Mbeya have left at least a dozen people dead and up to 10,000 homeless.
  • Strong winds and  extreme rains, which have triggered severe flooding and landslides, have destroyed hundreds of homes, as well as roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
  • Torrents of mud and debris unleashed by extreme rains have buried hundred of hectares of crops including rice, maize, sunflower and sorghum.
  • The floods occurred just three weeks after similar havoc last month, a report said.
• Mexico. A state of emergency was declared in 71 municipalities in the Mexican States of Durango, Zacatecas and Veracruz after freezing temperatures left at least a dozen people dead.
• Chile. Jorge Montt glacier (surface area: ~450 km²), a tidewater glacier located south of the town of Caleta Tortel in Chile’s Aisén Region, is melting at an average rate of about 2.74 meter per day (about 1 km per year), researchers say.
  • The rapidly retreating Jorge Montt glacier, Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, Chile. Photo credit AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

[December 13, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,555 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Central America. A mysterious killer epidemic is sweeping across Central America, killing more men in Nicaragua than HIV and diabetes combined. In El Salvador, the disease is the 2nd biggest cause of death among the male population, said a report.
  • The epidemic is now prevalent across six countries, along the Pacific coast of Central America.
  • The following figures show the percentage increase in male deaths caused by kidney disease in Central America between 2005 and 2009:
    • Guatemala: 27%
    • El Salvador: 26%
    • Nicaragua: 41%
    • Costa Rica: 16%
  • “It is important that the chronic kidney disease (CKD) afflicting thousands of rural workers in Central America be recognized as what it is – a major epidemic with a tremendous population impact,” said Victor Penchaszadeh, a clinical epidemiologist at Columbia University, and a consultant to the Pan-American Health Organization on chronic diseases in Latin America.
  • El Salvador’s health minister has asked the international community for help. The epidemic is  “wasting away our populations,” she said.
  • The worst aspect of the disease is the suddenness by which it claims its victims. The disease victims show no sign of high blood pressure or diabetes, which are the most common causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the “developed world.”
  • “Most of the men we studied have CKD from unknown causes,” said Dr. Carlos Orantes, who recently discovered that a quarter of the men in the farming region of Bajo Lempa in El Salvador are afflicted with CKD.
  • Dr. Orantes believes that exposure to toxic chemicals—pesticides and herbicides—is a major cause of the CKD in his area.

[December 14, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,554 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Virginia, USA.Hurricane IRENE. Greensville and Lunenburg counties were designated primary natural disaster areas following the damage caused by Hurricane Irene that struck the area on Aug. 27-28, 2011.
  • The 8 counties of Brunswick, Dinwiddie, Nottoway, Southampton, Charlotte, Mecklenburg, Prince Edward, and Sussex, as well as the independent city of Emporia were also declared disaster areas because they’re contiguous.

• North Carolina. Northampton County in neighboring North Carolina was also designated as a disaster area because it’s contiguous.
• Virginia, USA.Drought and Excessive Heat. The three counties of Cumberland, Pittsylvania and Powhatan in Virginia were designated primary natural disaster areas as a result of drought and excessive heat that occurred from May 25, 2011, through Aug. 27, 2011.
  • Twelve other counties and an independent city were also declared as disaster areas because they’re contiguous.
    • The counties were Amelia, Campbell, Franklin, Henrico, Bedford, Chesterfield, Goochland, Henry, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Halifax and Prince Edward.
    • Independent City: Danville
  • North Carolina. Caswell and Rockingham counties in North Carolina were also designated as disaster areas  because they’re contiguous.

Other Incidents

• Nelson, New Zealand.A state of emergency has been declared in Tasman and Nelson districts, located in NZ’s South Island, due to heavy flooding.
  • The NZ Army is on stand by in the region, with the emergency declaration remaining in effect for seven days.
  • A dam has collapsed in Golden Bay stranding dozens of people.
  • The officials have described flooding in the region as “horrendous” with many road closures caused by “slips all over the place.”
  • The worst affected areas were Nelson City and Eastern Golden Bay, with “major flooding” reported in the Golden Bay area.
  • More rain has fallen in the past 24 hours as there usually is for the whole of December, a local meteorologist was quoted as saying.
  • Major slips have caused extremely serious problems in the Nelson region.
  • A number of dwellings have been obliterated by landslides.
  • Makeshift evacuation centers have been set up.
  • Tourists were reportedly climbing trees to avoid drowning as the Maitai River level rose considerably.
  • The Nelson rain, already classified as a once-in-20-years flood,  could qualify as a once-in-50-years flood, as more heavy rain is forecast.
  • “Civil Defence said 54 slips had so far been reported in the region and 108 people were registered as having “self evacuated,” a report said.
  • Police has ordered many residents to evacuate.

[December 15, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,553 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• New South Wales, Australia.Weeks of torrential rains triggering severe flooding in parts of northern and central NSW has caused significant damage to 15 local government areas.
  • Significant damage has been caused to Lachlan Shire and Parkes Shire Councils following the severe weather, said the Minister for Police and Emergency Services .
  • “The region has suffered extensive damage from the rain, hail and strong winds which has brought down trees causing damage to property and infrastructure including roads and fencing,” a report said.
  • “Many families and business owners have been affected by the weather that has lashed the area and this Natural Disaster Declaration will help get them back on their feet,” said the Minister.
  • Other areas that have been designated as disaster areas are Moree Plains, Inverell and Armidale Gunnedah, Narrabri, Gwydir, Muswellbrook, Liverpool Plains, Tamworth and the Upper Hunter Shire Councils, Uralla, Guyra, Glen Innes Severn Shire Councils, the report said.

Other Global Disasters:

• Texas, USA. Gov. Rick Perry has included eight Big Country counties to a list of 67 state counties  to form an expanded federal disaster declaration, a report said.
  • “The original declaration in July covered only 45 [sic.] counties for fires that occurred between April 6 and May 3. The new declaration extended the wildfire window to include fires through Aug. 29 [2011.]“
  • The 8 additional areas, which make up a total of 119, are Brown, Coke, Haskell, Howard, Jones, Knox, Nolan and Shackelford counties.
  • Texas spent at least $330 million to tackle the wildfires that scorched about 4 million acres and destroyed thousands of homes and other structures across the state.
• Minnesota, USA.Thirty-four counties in Minnesota have been declared Agricultural Disaster Areas due to losses caused by the combined effects of excessive rain, excessive heat, high winds, tornadoes and an early fall frost that occurred during the period of April 1, 2011, through Sept. 15, 2011, USDA reported.
  •  The 7 Primary Disaster Areas are Clay, Meeker, Pope, Yellow Medicine, Le Sueur, Norman and Waseca counties.
  • The 27  counties declared as contiguous disaster areas are Becker, Kandiyohi, Otter Tail, Stearns, Blue Earth, Lac Qui Parle, Polk, Steele, Chippewa, Lincoln, Redwood, Stevens, Douglas, Lyon, Renville, Swift, Faribault, McLeod, Rice,Wilkin, Freeborn, Mahnomen, Scott, Wright, Grant, Nicollet and Sibley.
• The following counties in the Dakotas are also designated as disaster areas because they’re contiguous.
  • North Dakota: Cass, Richland and Traill counties.
  • South Dakota:  Deuel County.
• Maine, USA.Thirteen counties in the state of Maine have been declared as Agricultural Disaster Areas due to losses caused by two separate disaster conditions, USDA reoported.
  • Event No 1. Primary Natural Disaster Areas: Aroostook, Hancock, Penobscot and Washington counties in Maine were designated primary natural disaster areas as a result of excessive rain, hail, high winds, below normal temperatures, dry weather and excessive heat that occurred from May 3, 2011, through Sept. 20, 2011.
  • Contiguous disaster areas: Knox, Piscataquis, Somerset and Waldo counties
  • Event No 2. Primary Natural Disaster Areas: Oxford County in Maine was designated a primary natural disaster area as a result of excessive rain, flash flooding, flooding and high winds associated with and following Hurricane Irene that occurred from Aug. 28, 2011, through Sept. 23, 2011.
  • Contiguous disaster areas: Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties.

• The following 2 counties in New Hampshire were also designated as natural disaster areas because they’re contiguous: Carroll and Coos counties.

• Thailand. Death toll from Thailand’s epic flooding has reached at least 708, with three people missing, said the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department official.
  • Floodwaters are still flowing in 17 provinces in central and southern Thailand, affecting more than 5,7090 villages, China’s official news agency reported.
• England. about 75,000 people with diabetes die in England every year (~15 per cent of all deaths), said a report.
  • An estimated 24,000 of the deaths are “avoidable.”
  • Some 290,000 people in the UK have Type 1 diabetes and more than 2.6 million are diagnosed with Type 2, however an additional 850,000 are undiagnosed.

[December 16, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,552 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Vietnam. A severe outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) has claimed about 160 lives, and sickened 100,000 others between May and Novemberthis year.
  • The epidemic has claimed 7 times as many lives as the previous 3-year average.
  • “This year’s outbreak is a sharp uptick from recent years. Since 2008, about 10,000 to 15,000 cases were reported per year with about 20 to 30 children dying annually,” AP reported.
  • HFMD is caused by intestinal viruses that belong to the Enterovirus genus (group), with the most common strains being Coxsackie A virus and Enterovirus 71 (EV-71).
  • In rare cases Viral or “aseptic” meningitis or inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) can occur as a result of the disease.
  • HFMD causes ulcers in the mouth and blisters on the hands and feet. (Source: KK Women’s and Children’s hospital, Singapore.)

Other Disasters

• The Netherlands. Tens of thousands of Dutch children have suffered sexual abuse in Catholic institutions since 1945, a reportsaid.
  • “Based on a survey of more than 34,000 people, the report estimates that one in five children in Catholic institutions suffered abuse.”
  • “The problem of sexual abuse was known in the orders and dioceses of the Dutch Catholic Church, but the appropriate actions were not undertaken.” AFP quoted the commission as saying.
  • About a third of Dutch population identify themselves as Catholics.
  • One in 10 Dutch children suffered form abuse, rising to one in five among those who attended a Catholic institution, the report said.

[December 17, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,551 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Mindanao, Philippines. Flooding and landslides triggered by Typhoon WASHI [locally known as ‘Sendong’] have claimed at least 256 lives, leaving more than 400 missing and 100,000 displaced, according to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).
  • “Massive flooding had been reported over the region, especially in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City,” said the head of the national disaster rescue agency, adding that tens of thousands of people had been displaced.
  • Scores of villages have been swamped in the region by torrents and flash floods.
  • Many of the victims died from drowning, as floodwaters swamped homes in the middle of the night, trapping many residents sleeping in their homes.
  • The typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm and is now heading towards Sulu Sea.
  • “Lieutenant General Jessie Dellosa, armed forces chief of staff, said military rescuers have retrieved 92 bodies in the city of Cagayan de Oro,” Deutsche Presse-Agenture reported.
  • At least 150 others drowned as flash floods struck Iligan City, and five more died in a landslide in Monkayo town in Compostella Valley province, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.
  • At least 3 people also drowned in Polanco town in Zamboanga del Norte province, the report said.
  • “Five miners were killed in a landslide in Monkayo on Mindanao and another 21 people drowned on the central island of Negros, the PNRC said.”

[December 18, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,550 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Mindanao, Philippines.Typhoon WASHI [locally known as ‘Sendong’] dumped more than a month of average rains on Mindanao island in southern Philippines according to local weather office.
  • A total of more than 1,650 people have lost their lives or reported as missing after flooding and landslides triggered by the typhoon [locally known as ‘Sendong’] buffeted southern Philippines.
  • Some 652 people were killed in eight provinces in the southern Mindanao region, said the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).
  • “This thing happened so fast. It’s overwhelming. We didn’t expect these many dead,” a senior official said.
  • “We need body bags and lime to deal with too many cadavers,” said General Roland Amarille, head of an army task force in Iligan.
  • “Local mortuaries are no longer accepting cadavers and they are even asking people to bury the dead at once because there are too many bodies even in hallways.”
  • “About 70 percent of the houses on the island were washed into the sea,” Amarille said.
  • The authorities have declared states of calamity in Iligan City,  Dumaguete City and the municipality of Valencia, both located in Negros Oriental province.
  • At 4:00am local time, December 18, 2011, TS WASHI [‘SENDONG’] made another landfall near Puerta Princesa City and is now heading towards the West Philippines Sea, NDRRMC reported.
  • In its latest update, the NDRRMC also reported the storm had so far affected 19,759 families [or 108,130 people] in 140 districts in 17  municipalities and eight cities in 11 provinces.

Other Global Disasters

• East Java, Indonesia.At least 220 people were missing [possibly as many as 600 are feared dead,] after an overcrowded boat packed with political and economic refugees heading for Australia sank off the coast of east Java in Indonesia, officials said.
  • Between 30 and 75 people have been rescued, according to different reports.

• Cairo, Egypt.  At least a dozen demonstrators have been killed and about 500 others wounded by the Egyptian army following a third day of clashes in a new round of uprising as the winter of the so called “Arab Spring” deepens.
  • Increasingly, the Egyptians are realizing that what they actually participated in wasn’t a “revolution,” but a coup d’etat, cunningly orchestrated by the military and its paymasters and carried out on the back of a mass uprising.
  • Egypt is Israel’s next-door neighbor. Hell would freeze over before Egyptians are allowed to have a functioning democracy!

• Russia. Some 53 people are dead or missing after an oil rig overturned in the Sea of Okhotsk in the Russian Far East, the emergency service officials said.

[December 19, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,549 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Thailand.Authorities have declared 11 provinces in upper Thailand as disaster areas because of a weather front which has caused cold spells to the north and northeastern parts of the country. The front has also brought heavy rains to the lower South for several days triggering floods and major landslides.
  • At least two major landslides were reported in Songkhla,  one in Rattaphum and the other in Krasae Sin districts, a report said.
  • The provinces declared disaster zones due to the cold spell are Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Phrae, Nan, Tak, Phayao, Sakhon Nakhon, Loei, Mukdahan, Kalasin and Buri Ram, said the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief.
  • At least 2 million people have been affected including 469,132 people in Chiang Mai province alone.

[December 20, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,548 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Philippines. Philippine President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity following the devastation caused by flash floods and land slides as typhoon WASHI swept through Mindanao island, killing about 1,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.
  • The government has simply no way of knowing how many people are still missing.
  • “We’ve lost count for those still missing,” disaster managment chief Benito Ramos said earlier.
  • About 340,000 people in 13 provinces have been  affected by the disaster inducing at least 43,000 still in evacuation centers, the disaster agency said.
  • At least 10,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed by Typhoon WASHI and the ensuing flash floods.
  • Dozens of roads and bridges as well as schools and other infrastructure have also been severely damaged or destroyed.

Other Global Disaster

• Moscow, Russia. A snowstorm and a sudden drop of temperature in the Moscow region has resulted in multiple car crashes leaving at least 10 people dead and dozens of others hospitalized, a report said.
• India. The official death toll from cold snaps in northern India has climbed to 39 as intense cold swept through the region claiming 11 more lives, reports said.
  • The worst hit states are Uttar Pradesh. Punjab and Haryana.
  • Cold weather is forecast to continue for at least a week, meteorologists

[December 21, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,547 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Texas, USA.As many as 500 million trees “with a diameter of 5 inches or larger” across the state of Texas have died as a result of unrelenting drought and record-setting temperatures that plagued the Lone Star state, Texas Forest Service reported.
  • The 12-month period between November 1, 2010 and October 31, 2011 was the driest in Texas history, said the State Climatologist.
  • Also, the months of June, July and August in Texas were the hottest three-month period ever recorded anywhere in America.
  • “In 2011, Texas experienced an exceptional drought, prolonged high winds and record-setting temperatures. Together, those conditions took a severe toll on trees across the state,” said Burl Carraway, Sustainable Forestry department head. “Large numbers of trees in both urban communities and rural forests have died or are struggling to survive. The impacts are numerous and widespread.”
  • The estimate represents about 10 percent of all the trees in the state, Carraway added.
  • “The preliminary estimates indicate three multi-county areas appear to be the hardest hit. The area including Sutton, Crockett, western Kimble and eastern Pecos counties saw extensive mortality among Ashe junipers.” TFS said.
  • “The area including Harris, Montgomery, Grimes, Madison and Leon counties saw extensive mortality among loblolly pines. Western Bastrop and eastern Caldwell counties, as well as surrounding areas, saw extensive mortality among cedars and post oaks.”
  • Trees need about 30 years to mature.
  • YTD Texas wildfire stats by TFS as of October 7, 2011. [The acreage  burnt includes about 3.1 million acres of pasture land.]

• Texas. The state’s worst ever drought has also led to the largest-ever one-year decline in its cow herd, reports said.
  • The number of cows in Texas has declined by at least 600,000, a 12 percent drop from the 5 million cows in the state at the beginning of the year, said David Anderson of  the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
  • Large number of cows were moved out of the state “somewhere there’s grass,” but many were slaughtered. For example, about 200,000 more cattle were slaughtered in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas,  this year, a 20 percent increase over last year, he said.

Other Disasters

• The Carolinas, USA.A total of 19 counties in the Carolinas have been declared as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought and excessive heat that began June 1, 2011, and continues, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported.
  • South Carolina disaster designations cover 6 primary areas including Cherokee, Greenville, Laurens, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union counties, and 8 contiguous areas: Abbeville, Anderson, Chester, Fairfield, Greenwood, Newberry, Oconee and York counties
  • Five North Carolina counties also included in the declaration because they’re contiguous disaster areas: Cleveland, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania.
• Hong Kong.The government is culling 17,000 chickens after three birds died from the H5N1 bird flu strain last week.
  • Two wild birds including an Oriental magpie and a black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) were found dead  with the virus.
  • An outbreak of the deadly respiratory disease SARS killed 300 people in the territory and 500 more worldwide in 2003.
  • Meantime, a government advisory board in the US has asked scientific journals not to publish details of “certain biomedical experiments, for fear that the information could be used by terrorists to create deadly viruses and touch off epidemics,” a report said.
• USA. About 41% of young adults and adolescents in the U.S. have been arrested at least once before age 23, not including minor traffic violations. Up to 27% reported being arrested before age 18, according to a study published by the Journal of Pediatrics.

• USA.  Blizzard conditions across five states have killed at least a dozen people since Monday including
  • Four people traveling in east-central New Mexico were killed in a head-on collision
  • A driver in New Mexico was killed after his SUV overturned
  • A prisoner and a corrections officer in Colorado were killed after their vehicle went out of control.
  • Five people were killed when their plane crashed in Central Texas on Monday. “Weather may have been a contributing factor,” Texas Department of Public Safety said. “There was some rain in this area and some lightning.”
  • A tornado spawned by thunderstorms damaged a hospital in DeQuincy, Louisiana, National Weather Service reported.
  • Emergency services across the Great Plains have received hundreds of rescue calls since Monday, when the blizzard shut down highways.
  • The storm has brought snow from Oklahoma into Kansas, and forced Los Alamos National Laboratory to shut down.

[December 22, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,546 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Baghdad, Iraq.Co-ordinated bomb attacks in 14 location throughout the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, have killed at least 63 people and injured more than 185, officials said.
  • The attackers blasted civilian instead of security targets, a military spokesman said.
  • “They targeted children’s schools, day workers and the anti-corruption agency,” he told reporters.
  • The attacks come shortly after an arrest warrant was issued for Sunni Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi on terror charges.
  • The Disaster President, Barrack Obama, was quoted as saying that the US forces were leaving behind “a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government elected by its people.”
  • Up to 700 others have been killed or wounded in recent Iraqi bombings over the past few months.

Other Global Disasters

• Thailand. More than 15,000 villages in 20 of Thailand’s 76 provinces have been declared “cold spell disaster zones,” said Thailand’s director general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.
  • The disaster provinces facing “critical cold climate” are Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Phrae, Uttaradit, Nan, Tak, Phayao, Lampang, Sakon Nakhon, Lei, Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, Buri Ram, Suphanburi, Ratchaburi, Chiang Rai, Ubon Ratchathani and Mahasarakham, he said.
  • See also previous entry.
• India. The official death toll from a cold snap sweeping northern India has climbed to at least 95, reports said.
  • Most of the deaths occur among the homeless  and the dispossessed elderly.
  • The actual death toll may be a lot higher.
  • India has the world’s 9th largest military expenditure, spending more than $41.3 billion on its armed forces (Source: SIPRI).
• Thailand. A total of 754 bodies have now been recovered, with at least three people still missing following the epic flooding that inundated large parts of Thailand, according to the country’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.  said
  • The floods still prevail in six provinces, affecting at least 4 million people.
  • The six flooded provinces are Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Lopburi, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani.

[December 23, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,545 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Nigeria.  A major oil spill caused by the the Anglo-Dutch oil monster Royal Dutch Shell is moving towards the most densely populated Nigerian coastline.
  • The spill is said to be the biggest leak in Nigeria since 1998 and has forced the company shutdown of the company’s to shut down its 200,000bpd floating Bonga facility, about 120km off the coast of Nigeria.
  • “The giant Bonga floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel is in use at Shell’s Bonga oilfield (discovered in 1993 and with a life of 20 years), which lies 120km off the coast of the Niger Delta, covering an area of 60km². The vessel, which became operational in 2004, is permanently installed in water depths ranging from 1,000m to 1,125m. First oil production was made in November 2005.”

Other Global Incidents

• Alaska, USA.Western Alaska declared major disaster area following massive November storm. The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in Western Alaska following the damage caused by the Bering Sea mega storm and flooding during the period of November 8-10, 2011.
  • The worst affected ares are the North Slope Borough, the Bering Strait Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA), the Lower Kuskokwim REAA, the Lower Yukon REAA, and the Southwest Region REAA.

• Christchurch, New Zealand. A cluster of more than a dozen quakes have struck NZ’s Christchurch area since earlier today. The largest quake so far measured 6.0 on the Richter Scale.  
  • Several building have collapsed, and many more have been damaged.
  • Dozens of people have been injured, reports said.
  • Significant flooding and liquefaction have occurred in eastern suburbs of the city;  rockfalls were reported in several areas.
  • See also
    • Earthquake Cluster Zone Closing in on New Zealand
    • https://feww.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/christchurch-could-vanish-from-google-map/
    • https://feww.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/a-magnitude-7-earthquake-hits-kermadec-islands/

[December 24, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,544 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Tanzania. Extreme rain events in Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya regions of Tanzania have causes devastating flooding triggering landslides, killing at least two dozen people and leaving more than 10,000 displaced.
  • At least 4,000 people in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, have lost their homes.
  • The flooding and mudslides have detryed road, bridges and other infrastructure.
  • Hundreds [possibly thousands] of hectares of paddy, maize, sunflower and sorghum were buried in mud and debris, reports said.
  • Heavy rain is expected to continue into 2012, forecasters said.

Other Global Disasters

• Colombia. Torrential rains continue to wreak havoc across Colombia.
  • At least 200 people have been reported as dead or missing.
  •  About 150,000 homes are reportedly destroyed or damaged.
  • The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (SIGPAD) has reported about 300 landslides and avalanches and up to 600 flooding events.
  • More than 800,000 people in 461 municipalities have been affected.
  • SIGPAD has placed many river basins under Red Alerts.
  • See previous entry at US 2011 Mega Disasters Costs Exceed $52 Billion*
• Angola. Severe floods near the Angolan border with the Democratic Republic of Cong have destr4oyed or damaged at least 720 homes, leaving more than 1,000 families displaced.
• Kuando Kubango province, Angola. At least 4,000 families have been displaced in Angola’s southeastern Kuando Kubango province following flooding caused by torrential rains.

[December 25, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,543 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Republic of Niger. Grain production in West Africa’s largest country fell by 27 percent last year, Agriculture Minister Oua Seydou has told parliament, leaving the people in 6,981 villages, or 58 percent of the country, with the prospect of food shortages.
  • The harvest was down to 3.8 million tons, also a shortfall of 11 percent compared with the five-year average, the Minister said.
  • Allowing for wastage and seed grain for next season, an estimated 3,239,825 tons would be left for consumption, compared with 3,759,464 tons needed, a shortfall of 14 percent, he added.

Other Global Disasters

• Cuba. A boat carrying Haitian migrants sank close to the eastern coast of Cuba, leaving at least 38 people dead.
• Indonesia. Continued activity at Mt Gamalama including several eruptions since December 4, has left about 2,400 people displaced, the Ternate City Disaster Management Agency.

• Philippines. At least 1,100 people are now confirmed dead and  with 1,079 others reported missing following the devastation caused by Typhoon WASHI in the Philippines, officials said.

• Lakes State, South Sudan.  At least 250 people have been killed and more than 320 others injured in South Sudan cattle raids since January 2011, the parliament of Lakes state was told.
  • “In two counties alone nearly 17,000 cattle were stolen this year commissioners told a special inquiry into the practice in Rumbek, the capital of South Sudan’s central state,” a UN report said.
• Sahel Region, West and Central Africa.More than one million children in 8 countries across the Sahel belt in West and Central Africa face severe malnourishment in 2012.
  • Poor harvests caused by drought, loss of top soil, sandstorms and desertification could mean food shortages occurring as early March next year.
• Melbourne, Australia. Mini-tornadoes spawned by  severe thunderstorms that pummeled many parts of Melbourne causing widespread damage across the city, reports said.
  • Hailstones measuring about 4 ins (10 cm) in diameter have pelted suburbs of the city.
  • Parts of Melbourne also face the threat of flash-flooding, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said.
  • “The bureau has forecast very dangerous thunderstorms around Melbourne Airport and surrounding suburbs with severe thunderstorms in other parts of the city being accompanied by destructive winds, very heavy rainfall and hail, and flash flooding,” said the report.
  • “Hailstones the size of cricket balls, flash-flooding, planes diverted and flights postponed, power lost from homes, major transport delays and a tornado to top things off – that was Christmas Day in Melbourne.”

[December 26, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,542 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Northern India.At least 140 people are dead in northern India due to intense cold conditions.
  • Unusually cold conditions continue in the region.
  • The worst hit states are Uttar Pradesh. Punjab, West Bengal, and Haryana.
  • Most of the deaths occur among the homeless  and the dispossessed elderly.
  • India is among the top 10 procurers of weapons, spending more than $41.3 billion on its armed forces (Source: SIPRI).

Other Global Disasters

• Philippines. Death toll from the devastaiting floods and landslides caused by Typhoon WASHI has now climbed to at least 1,250 with more than 1,100 missing, disaster officials said.
  • About 700,000 people have been affected by WASHI, of which 70,000 are housed in 46 evacuation centers, NDRRMC said.

[December 27, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,541 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Philippines. Extreme rain events have raised the water levels across Cebu, Eastern and Western Visayas, and the landlocked province of Agusan del Sur (Mindanao) triggering widespread flooding in low-lying areas, which have left at least 2 dozen towns and cities and hundreds of villages inundated.
  • The mayor of Bayugan, a city in the province of Agusan del Sur, has reportedly issued a mandatory evacuation order for villagers in at least one district due to rising floodwaters.
  • The worst hit area is Sagay City in the province of Negros Occidental, the Western Visayas, where more than 5,000 people have been displaced.
  • Floods and mudslides have destroyed at least a hundred homes and other structures and washed away several bridges according to early reports; however, the damage is expected to be far more severe.
  • Philippines weather agency (PAGASA) said the extreme rain events were caused by two weather systems: The tail-end of cold front and a low pressure area west of  Mindanao.
  • The agency has forecast more rain, flooding and landslides throughout the entire region.
  • Mindanao Island was declared a disaster area last week following the devastation cause by Typhoon WASHI (Sendong).
    • Death toll from the storm has climbed to 1500, with hundreds still missing.
    • At least a third of a million people were displaced   after WASHI [“Sendong”] struck.
    • More than 60,000 people are currently living in shelters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

[December 28, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,540 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Yemen. A third of the Yemenis, about 8 million people, are food insecure, and the number is expected to rise when the World Food Program carries out a new national Comprehensive Food Security Survey next year.
  • The term “food insecurity” is used when people go to  bed on an empty stomach or have no idea where their next meal may come from.
  • A recent state survey conducted in Hudeidah Governorate found a global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate of 31.7 percent among the sample population.  More than 10 percent of the malnourished children were severe cases.
  • “The survey also found that nearly 60 percent of children were underweight and 54.5 percent stunted, meaning their height was too low for their age, a sign of longer-term malnutrition.” The UN reported.
  • “The Hudeidah survey found that three in every four children suffered from diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections or fever in the two weeks preceding the survey; and 2.5 percent of mothers reported symptoms of measles in their children in the past three months. The survey found measles vaccination coverage of 74 percent in Hudeidah, well below the 90 percent coverage rate needed to prevent an outbreak.”
  • Malnutrition-related deaths are expected to rise in Yemen as the health services continue to deteriorate, UINCEF reported.

[December 29, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,539 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Melbourne, Australia.Insurance industry has declared the extreme weather event that struck Melbourne on Xmas Day Australia’s 8th catastrophe in 2011.
  • The insurance companies have received more than 15,000 claims for homes, businesses and vehicle damage following the violent storms, and the number is expected to grow in the coming weeks as more people return from their holidays, reports said.
  • Insured losses from the 2011 catastrophes are estimated to top $4.5 billion this year, more than twice the $2.144 billion in 2010.
• Aklan Province, Philippines.  Authorities in the Aklan Province, Western Visayas, Philippines, have declared a State of Calamity after giant waves battering against coastal areas destroyed or damaged at least 500 homes.
  • Municipality of New Washington in Western Visayas is the worst hit area.
  • The disaster has left thousands of people displaced, destroyed crops and infrastructure.

[December 30, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,538 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Tamil Nadu, India.Cyclone THANE struck the Tamil Nadu coast with winds of up to 140kmh, leaving at least 2 dozen people dead and causing extensive damage across the Cuddalore district and the Union Territory of Puduchery.
  • At least 5,000 coastal homes have been damaged or destroyed.
  • Thousands of trees have been uprooted.
  • Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu is the worst-hit area, with roads severely damaged.
  • The Union Territory of Puduchery is cut-off from the nearby districts, reports said.

• Thailand. Official death toll from epic flooding in Thailand has climbed to 790 with three people still missing (!)
  • Floods affected up to 14 million people across 66 of Thailand’s 76 provinces.
  • Up to 1.5 million homes have been destroyed or damaged.
  • The government estimates overall flood-related damage at  Bt1,300bn ($41.4bn), a report said.
  • Flooding, which began in late July, still persists in the provinces of Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani affecting up to 2.5 million people.
  • Thai government also declared cold spell disaster zones in 26 northern and northeastern provinces in November.

[December 31, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,537 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Global. World’s top 20 countries with the highest arms expenditure
  • See table.
  • Top 20 countries with the highest military expenditure for 2010 shown as a percentage of the world total. Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, War Resisters League and others.
  • NOTES:
    1. The “Tier 1 Coalition Countries,” or the countries that obediently  support the United States war efforts to maintain its empire status, which include Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Australia, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Spain and the Netherlands account for at least 71% of the world’s total arms procurement.2. Arms procurement is normally 20-50% of the countries’ military budgets.3. World’s total arms expenditure for 2010-2011 was estimated at $1,655 billion.

    4. The 2012 United States federal budget is a staggering $2,847 billion, of which 48% ($1,372 billion) is allocated to the military. (Source). The figure includes 30% or $869 billion for current military operations, and 18% or $503 billion for past military disasters from Total Outlays of $2,847 billion in 2012 fiscal year. [“The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—not to mention the Pentagon’s voracious appetite for expensive weapons systems—have been a gold mine for the Big Five:  Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Northrop-Grumman and Boeing.” ~ “From Pentagon, a Buy Rating on Contractors,” Joe Nocera, New York Times, Feb. 11, 2011]

[NOTE: This listing is by no means exhaustive.]

.

2011 Disaster Calendar

January 2011 | February 2011 | March 2011 | April 2011 | May 2011 | June 2011 | July 2011 | August 2011 | September 2011 | October 2011 | November 2011 | December 2011|

2010 Disaster Calendar

January 2010 | February 2010 | March 2010 | April 2010 | May 2010 | June 2010 | July 2010 | August 2010 | September 2010 | October 2010 | November 2010 | December 2010

Related Links:

• Nature’s Warnings Exponentially Intensifying  Posted by edro on April 14, 2011
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• 2010: The Year of Disasters
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010

“The antiphase will rapidly transform humans into vicious animals, fighting each other for water, food, fuel, land and all other dwindling natural resources. The fighting, in turn, enhances the positive feedbacks, accelerating the downward spiral.” —EDRO

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