Texas Dynamic Dyer Mill Fire Devours 50 Buildings

The ferocious Dyer Mill Fire destroys dozens of homes, buildings in Grimes County northwest of Houston

The Dyer Mill Fire has destroyed 30 homes and 20 other building, scorching 3,600 acres in Grimes County about 80 miles northwest of Houston, reports said.

Frightening Fire Stats

• Since the start of fire on November 15, 2010, some 12,189 fires have burned 3,012,876 acres in the state of Texas (Source: Texas Forest Service.)
• Six of the 10 largest recorded fires in Texas history have occurred in 2011 (Source: TFS).
• Texas wildfires have destroyed about 1,700 homes and structures [FIRE-Earth estimate] so far this year [TFS figure: 1,273 structures lost.]

Texas: Daily Fire Danger Map

Other Fires

Another large fire is raging in Trinity and Polk counties. The massive 14,000-acre blaze is said to be one of the largest in East Texas history.

The Bearing Fire has been burning since Friday, forcing many evacuations and causing loss of property.

NUGENT, Jones County. 450 acres, unknown containment. One home was destroyed on this fire burning in tall grass 10 miles northeast of Hawley.

FORTUNE 2, Palo Pinto County. 200 acres, 25 percent contained.

Uncontained fires from previous days (more than 100 acres in timber, 300 acres in lighter fuels):

BIRD RANCH 2, Cottle County. 29,976 acres, 90 percent contained. The fire is burning in rough terrain 13 miles west of Paducah. .

BOLT, Jim Hogg County. 1,300 acres, 90 percent contained.

SUTTON CEMETERY, Hardin County. 170 acres, 80 percent contained. The fire is burning in 12-year-old plantation 15 miles west of Kountze.

CAMP BOOTHE OAKS, Nolan County. 1,116 acres, 80 percent contained. The fire is 7 miles southwest of Sweetwater in tall grass.

• TFS currently is responding to six fires that have burned 33,212 acres.
• 217 of the 254 Texas counties are reporting burn bans.
• Detailed fire information can be found at inciweb.org.
• The Texas Forecast Fire Danger Map: Texas Interagency Coordination Center website under Fire Danger.

Drought information:

• Since January 2011 only five counties in Texas (Bowie, Red River, Lamar, Fannin, Grayson) have received normal rainfall.
• Over the last 60 days, around 70 percent of the state has rainfall deficits running 50 percent or less of normal rainfall.
• Over the last 30 days, around 90 percent of the state has rainfall deficits running 50 percent or less of normal rainfall.

Related Links

• North America Fire and Smoke Hazards – June 20

Nebraska Nuke Plant Remains Shut After Missouri River Flooding

The Fort Calhoun NPP in Nebraska still in shutdown following Missouri River flooding  

The federal government insists the plant has not flooded and is NOT expected to pose any danger.

Original caption: The Fort Calhoun nuclear power station in Fort Calhoun, Neb., currently shut down for refueling, is surrounded by flood waters from the Missouri River, Tuesday, June 14, 2011. On Tuesday, the releases at Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota hit the maximum planned amount of 150,000 cubic feet of water per second, which are expected to raise the Missouri River 5 to 7 feet above flood stage in most of Nebraska and Iowa. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik). Image may be subject to copyright.

The 480-megawatt plant which is located north of Omaha shut down about 10 weeks ago to refuel, but has remained shut since due to flooding, according to Omaha Public Power District (OPPD).

The Fort Calhoun NPP has a single CE pressurized water reactor generating about 480 megawatts of electricity, the smallest commercial power reactor in North America.

OPPD is “a customer-owned utility,” which provides electricity to about 346,000 customers in all or parts of 13 counties in east and southeast Nebraska.

“Floodwaters are already surrounding the Fort Calhoun plant. The river has risen 1.5 feet higher than Fort Calhoun’s 1,004-foot elevation above sea level, but the water is being held back by an 8-foot-tall flood barrier,” a report said on Friday.

“When the river reaches 1,004 feet above mean sea level, we shut down,” said OPPD spokesman Jeff Hanson. “We don’t have any idea when we’ll be able to start again.”

OPPD has not issued any updates since June 16, 2011.

Map of the flight restricted areas. Click image to enlarge.

News Links:

• Nebraska Nuclear Plant Lost Cooling System After Fire
• NRC Notification of Unusual Event 
• Temporary flight restrictions

Related Links

• Japan’s Nuclear Industry: Mega Disaster in the Making
• Fukushima NPP: “There must be a large leak”

• Unreported News: Motion to Dump Japan’s Nuclear Power Plants
• Shut Nuclear Plants: Electric Power Co Stockholders
• Storm Shuts Down 3  TVA Nuclear Reactors at Browns Ferry in Alabama

• Chernobyl nuclear disaster: 25th anniversary
• Tornado Damage Forces Virginia Nuclear Plant Shutdown
• Probability of a Nuclear Disaster – by Country

China Floods: Deaths, Displacement & Climbing Food Prices

China: Textbook Drought and Deluge

First came the crop-destroying drought, then the floods submerged everything

Extreme rains have inundated large parts of several provinces  in China affecting millions of people according to China’s official news agency.

Torrential rains have also triggered landslide destroying homes, roads, bridges, dykes, and other infrastructure, killing many people.

The official death toll for June  flooding stands at about 110, with 70 or so people missing. The actual figures may be several time as many.

Original Caption: Heavy rain continued to batter many parts of southern China on Saturday, causing flooding and a host of other problems in at least three provinces. Source: CNTV. Image may be subject to copyright.

The Drought

“The drought beginning from spring, the worst in 50 years in some regions, still affects 72.19 million mu (4.81 million hectares) of farmland nationwide. The extreme drought left 630,000 people short of drinking water in the five provinces in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, Minister of Water Resources said.” Source

Climbing Food Prices

Food prices in China are forecast to surge by at least 14.2% analysts have said.

“The torrential rain has submerged much of the region’s vegetable farm land. Statistics from the agricultural department of Zhejiang Province show rainfall has reduced vegetable production by about 20 percent,” a report said.

Millions of people in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong provinces have already been affected by the shortages.

• Flood video

Related Links

• Climate change forcings and feedbacks switching global weather patterns onto “primordial tracks”

Nabro Volcano’s Pre-eruption Photo

Nabro: A closer look at a neglected volcano

Nabro volcano erupted on June 12, 2011 apparently for the first time in recorded history.

The volcano is located in Eritrea and forms a larger complex with the Mallahle caldera to the southwest.

The following photo, taken by astronauts (cosmonauts?) aboard the ISS, show the large horseshoe-shaped caldera extending 8 kilometers (5 miles) in diameter. The opening to the southwest seems to have formed as a result of a major lateral collapse. Two infant calderas sit within the main basin.

The volcano was still erupting, though less vigorously, according to Toulouse VAAC,  as of posting.

Nabro Volcano photo taken from ISS on January 30, 2011. Astronaut photograph ISS026-E-23526. Nabro has spewed large amounts of SO2, reportedly the highest levels ever detected from space, according to preliminary estimates from NASA/GFSC. Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge.

Related Links

• VolcanoWatch 16 June 2011
• Nabro Volcano Eruption – Satellite Images
• NABRO Volcano Ash Charts
• Afar Triangle Volcano Erupts as Forecast

North America Fire and Smoke Hazards – June 20

Fire and Smoke Hazards Maps for June 20, 2011

Smoke from more than 400 wildfires across 11 states, including 37 large fires, is contributing to the poor air quality.

Fire Stats

• Wildfires are burning across the states of Alaska (2), Arizona (3), Colorado (2) , Florida (11), Georgia (4), Mississippi (2), New Mexico (3), North Carolina (1), Tennessee (1) Texas (8) and Virginia (1).
• Nationwide, about 8 million acres [FIRE-EARTH estimate] have  been consumed since the beginning of 2011 (official figure: 4,299,810 acres as of June 17, 2011)
• The 2001 – 2010 ten-year average: 1,387,760 acres burned
• Wildfires in 2011 have so far consumed more than 6 times the ten-year average, and rising.
• National Preparedness Level is currently 3 (On a scale from 1 to 5)
• State of Texas has the 2011 record with 2,950,969 acres burned so far (TFS data as of June 17, 2011; state preparedness Level: 4)
• State of Arizona is in second place with at least 840,000 acres burned (data: InciWeb)
• RED FLAG and Excessive Heat Warnings are currently operating in at least 10 states. (See hazards map below.)
• Critical fire conditions are worsening due to the low humidity, strong winds and high temperatures across most of the southern United States.

Current HMS Fire and Smoke Analysis

Analyzed Fires and Smoke from Satellite on NESDIS ArcIMS server. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH. Click images to enlarge.

US Weather Hazards Map – June 20

Click image to enlarge. Click HERE to enter NWS interactive portal.

• MISSOURI: URGENT- Dangerous Heat Expected Through Monday
• TEXAS: Heat Advisory Is In Effect For Portions Of South Central Texas

US weather forecast Map – June 19 – 20

Related Links

• Arizona Wildfires Update – June 19
• Brace for the Worst Ever
• U.S. Wildfire Update – June 17
• Tornado, Flood and Red Flag Warnings
• Who’s Afraid of Wildfires
• U.S. Wildfires – June 16 Update