Fire Earth

Earth is fighting to stay alive. Mass dieoffs, triggered by anthropogenic assault and fallout of planetary defense systems offsetting the impact, could begin anytime!

Archive for June 10th, 2011

Adrian Powers Up to a Cat 4A Hurricane

Posted by feww on June 10, 2011

Hurricane ADRIAN (01E) strengthens to a category 4A , moves away from Mexico coast

The storm climbed six notches from a category 1 to a 4A on the FEWW New Hurricane Scale, reaching sustained winds of about 225 km/hr in less than a day.


Hurricane ADRIAN. A fierce storm with a near perfect symmetry shies away from Mexico’s Pacific coast.Shortwave/IR satellite image – 2km resolution. Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.

ADRIAN is currently located near 15.1N, 107.2W and is moving WNW (284 degrees) at at about 15km/hr, with wind gusts of up to 270 km/hr. *(Estimate based on NHC data).

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Drought and deluge disaster images of the day

Posted by feww on June 10, 2011

Death toll climbs as severe flooding and landslide plague central China


Original caption: Photo taken on June 10, 2011 shows a site of the landslide at Guanshan village of Zhanqiao Township, Linxiang, Yueyang City, central China’s Hunan Province. Torrential rain hit most parts of Yueyang city Thursday night, causing mud-rock flows in Guanshan village. China’s flood death toll continued to rise Friday. (Xinhua/Guo Feng). Image may be subject to copyright. More images…

Dorset Drought


Original caption: A firefighter walks through charred ground after a blaze affecting over 5 square miles (500 hectares) of Dorset’s Upton Heath was was brought under control overnight near Poole in southwest England June 10, 2011. Parts of the East Anglia region in eastern England have been declared to be in a state of drought after some areas of the country had their driest spring on record, the British government said on Friday. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth. Image may be subject to copyright. More images…

June 10 Entry – Disaster Calendar 2011

  • [June 10, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,741 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
    • England. “Parts of the East Anglia region in eastern England have been declared to be in a state of drought after some areas of the country had their driest spring on record, the British government said on Friday.”
      • “Drought has hit parts of East Anglia, with other areas in England and Wales also giving grounds for concern,” Environment Secretary said.
    • China. Severe rain in China has triggered widespread floods and landslides in central and eastern regions of the country since Thursday, killing at least 44 people and leaving 33 others missing in three provinces of Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan, a report said.
      • “Flood waters measured more than 2 meters deep in Tongcheng’s low-lying areas. Traffic in the county seat was paralyzed, as flood waters in the area measured between 60 to 90 cm deep.”
    • Guizhou, China. Severe flooding in Guizhou since Tuesday has killed at least 21 people and left 32 others missing, forcing about 100,000 people to abandon their homes, a report said.

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Army of ‘giant rats’ invade Goodna, Australia

Posted by feww on June 10, 2011

First Came the Floods

Image of the Day

Rats ‘the size of possums’ plague Goodna in flood-stricken QLD, Australia

“Some are as big as possums, they’re massive things,” a Goodna resident said.

“My greyhounds have caught a few big ones.”

“With so many abandoned properties around and mess everywhere, rats are bound to thrive.”


Giant rats are running amok in the flood-stricken suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. Photo: The Advertiser/via news.com.au. Image may be subject to copyright.

“People are intimidated by them, some get pretty comfortable if there’s enough of them around,” a pest control expert said. “One woman rang and said there was one on her front step, it just sat there looking at her.”

Moderator Notes:

Goodna is a suburb located on the eastern edge of Ipswich about 20 km from Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.

The largest possum species is the Bear Cuscus, which could weigh up to 20lb.

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“No lesson” from the BP disaster

Posted by feww on June 10, 2011

Quotes of the Day

Environmental groups sue Obama admin over Shell drilling approval in GOM

“It is as if the government regulators have learned nothing from the BP disaster,” said Earthjustice attorney David Guest.

The Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to drill five exploratory wells about 2,000 meters under water and three previously approved wells some 100 km off the coast of Louisiana, a report said.

We need different means of farming?

“It’s screaming to me that things are getting hotter and drier at different times of the year. Our summers are getting wetter and if this trend continues, then we will have to find different means of farming,” said Australian farmer Charlie Bragg, who farms on a 3,000 hectare block about two hours drive west of Canberra, the Australian capital.

The Day After

Blog models show a prolonged, deadly drought as the most probable scenario to follow the epic flooding in the United States: FIRE-EARTH

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Wallow Fire Now Largest in Arizona History

Posted by feww on June 10, 2011

Wallow Fire grows to more than ½ million acres [Fire-Earth estimate]

Wallow Fire Progression Map – June 9, 2011


Click image to enlarge. Source: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Other Sizes: Large (665 x 1024)   Original size (3203 x 4930)

Hazard Mapping System for Fire and Smoke [June 9-10, 2011]


Current HMS Analysis, Source: NOAA

Analyzed Fires from Satellites – June 10, 2011


Source: NOAA. Click image to enlarge.

Official Stats
(Posted on June 9, 2011, at 7:52 p.m) This is an official update on the structure assessment for Greer:

The Wallow Fire Structure Assessment Team has completed its work in Greer. The team reports that 22 homes were destroyed, 5 homes damaged and 24 outbuildings and 1 truck destroyed. The Apache County Sheriff is still in the process of tracking and notifying the property owne[rs]

Current Evacuations

  • Full evacuations for Eagar, Springerville, Sunrise, Greer, Blue River, Alpine, Nutrioso, and the following subdivisions along highways 180/191: Escudilla Mountain Estates, Bonita, White Mtn. Acres, and the H-V Ranch. This area includes County Roads 4000, 4001, and 4225.
  • The evacuation center is located at Blue Ridge High School, 1200 W. White Mtn. Blvd., Pinetop-Lakeside.

Wallow Fire summary

  • Date Started: 5/29/2011
  • Location: south and west of Alpine, Arizona
  • Number of Personnel: Approximately 3,012, Including 24 hotshot crews and 79 handcrews
  • Equipment: 18 dozers, 197 engines, 61 tenders
  • Size: 386,690 acres based on last night’s [June 8 MST] infrared flight
  • Aircraft: 16 helicopters
  • Percent Contained: 5%
  • Cause: Human – under investigation
  • Injuries to Date: 3 minor injuries
  • Residences: 5,242 threatened, 29 destroyed, 5 damaged
  • Structures: 24 destroyed
  • Other: 1 truck destroyed

Wallow Fire summary (Posted on June 8, 2011, at 11:43 p.m.)

  • Size:  389,000 acres
  • Structures:  588 threatened; 1 damaged; 11 lost

“Fire Information Officer Kelly Wood said Thursday’s count is the acreage actually burned within the fire’s perimeter and does not include unburned stands or islands of vegetation that could reignite later,” a report said.

Wallow Fire: A major contributor of carbon monoxide pollution over North America


“This map, made with data from the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) sensor on the Terra satellite, shows carbon monoxide concentrations over the United States and southern Canada between May 25 and June 8. Dark red pixels reveal high concentrations.” Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge.


Smoke from Wallow Fire, as well as other wildfires in Arizona, New Mxico, Texas and elsewhere, continued traveling toward the northeast on June 8, 2011, when MODIS on the Terra satellite captured this photo-like image at 12:10 CDT. A thick band of smoke covered a large area stretching from New Mexico and Texas to Illinois.  Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge. Download largest image (12 MB, JPEG).\

Air pollutants from wildfires and human activities could harm tens of millions of people.

Hourly Ozone Map (June 9, 2011 animation)

Hourly Ozone and PM2.5 Map (June 9, 2011 animation)


IMG_0159. Night burnout operations help strengthen fireline.

Credit: US Forest Service, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest

Other Major Fires in Arizona

(Posted June 9, 2011,at 10:03 p.m.The Horseshoe 2 Fire is approximated 128,652 acres and is estimated 40 percent contained. Extreme fire behavior and steep canyon terrain continued to cause erratic winds and difficult conditions on the fire.

 Fire Facts:

  • Date started: May 8, 2011
  • Location: Portal, Arizona
  • Estimated Containment: June 22, 2011
  • Number of Personnel: 1,054
  • Crews: 9 Type 1 and 19 Type 2
  • Engines: 46
  • Dozers: 3
  • Cause: Human
  • Water Tenders: 34
  • Helicopters: 4 Type 1, 1 Type 2 and 2 Type 3
  • Total structures destroyed:  23
  • Cost to Date: $33,518,673

(Source:  Rocky Basin 2 Incident Management Team)

Murphy Complex (Includes the Murphy Fire and Pajarita Fire) summary (Posted June 9, 2011, at 9:58 a.m.)

  • Time/Date Started: 3:28 pm, May 30, 2011
  • Location:Nogales Ranger District in the Coronado National Forest 5 miles east of Arivaca, Ariz., and four miles west of Tubac, Arizona
  • Cause: Human-caused. Under investigation.
  • Fuels: Grass, shrub, oak, mesquite
  • Size: 67,525 acres
  • Percent Contained: 75%
  • Estimated Cost to Date: $4,077,000
  • Resources Threatened: Areas surrounding Ruby Road.
  • Structures Lost: Historic Atascosa Lookout Tower in the Atascosa Mountains and an outhouse at Pena Blanca Lake.
  • Resources Committed: 348 fire personnel, Two Type 1 crews, four Type 2 crews, seven helicopters, 10 engines, five water tenders.
  • Cooperating Agencies: USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Arizona State Forestry Division, Arivaca Fire District, Elephant Head Volunteer Fire Department, Patagonia Volunteer Fire Department, Rio Rico Fire District, Tubac Fire District, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

(Source: Northern Arizona Incident Management Team)


This image from NASA’s Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on the Terra spacecraft show the Wallow and Horseshoe 2 Fires currently burning in Arizona. The data were acquired mid-morning June 7, 2011. www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/usa/index.html


The Wallow Fire is consuming large sections of the Apache National Forest. This image shows the northern edge of the fire as seen by Landsat-7 satellite on June 7, 2011.   “The image was made with infrared light. Bright red spots are actively burning areas, and darker red areas are freshly burned ground. Unburned forest and grassland is green, while sparsely planted earth or bare ground is pale pink. In many places, the fire has burned right to the edge of the forest.” Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge.  Download largest image (2 MB, JPEG)  

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Post updated at 07:20UTC on June 10, 2011

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