Famine Declared in 2 Somali Regions

HUMANITARIAN DISASTER

10.7 Million People Caught Between Drought and the UN Corruption

UN declares a famine in southern Somalia

Famine has been declared in two Southern Somali areas, amid the worst drought conditions in at least Half a century.

Some 10.7 million people have been affected in East Africa, with about 750,000 Somalis seeking refuge to neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya.

UN NEEDS MORE MONEY (!)

“Famine in Somalia has killed tens of thousands of people in recent months and could grow even worse unless urgent action is taken, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Wednesday. FAO has appealed for $120 million for response to the drought in the Horn of Africa to provide agricultural emergency assistance.”

“Hundreds of people are dying every day and if we do not act now many more will perish,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.

The famine is expected to spread throughout southern Somalia in the next couple of months, FAO said.

Prolonged severe drought has led to declaration of famine in two southern region. Image source: SAACID-ORG

Drought, Hunger and Refugees

• Somalia. The levels of malnutrition among young children fleeing Somalia’s drought are so high that they drop dead on their way to or within a day of arriving at relief camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, the UNHCR said. See Worst drought in living memory gripping Horn of Africa.
• UNHCR has estimated that more than a quarter of Somalia’s 7.5 million population are now either internally displaced or living as refugees in neighboring countries.
• “The massive influx of Somali refugees into neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia continues unabated. Relentless violence compounded by devastating drought has forced more than 135,000 Somalis to flee so far this year. In June alone, 54,000 people fled across the two borders, three times the number of people who fled in May.” UNHCR said.
• “There are now more than 750,000 Somali refugees living in the region, mostly in neighbouring Kenya (405,000), Yemen (187,000) and Ethiopia (110,000). Another 1.46 million are displaced within Somalia.”

Drought in the Horn of Africa. Various UN agencies  have had ample time and budget to prevent (respond to) the humanitarian crisis in the drought stricken regions. So why did they fail, again?

Related Links

• Somalia Drought: Mega Disaster Threatens 2.4m People Posted on February 18, 2011
• NO CHANCE: Malnourished kids fleeing Somalia’s drought Posted on July 6, 2011

US Nuke Plants Threatened by Extreme Heat

WARNING!

Sustained Heat Could Overwhelm Cooling at Nuclear Power Plants

Extreme Heat Could Severely Impact Nuclear Power Plants in Central, Midwest and Eastern United States Leading to Potential Nuclear Disasters

Cooling at the U.S. Nuclear Power Plants

Map of the Licensed Nuclear Reactors in the U.S. Subdivided by Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Regions.

All but less than two dozen of a total of 104 nuclear reactors in the U.S. fall within the extreme heat zone as shown in the forecast map below.

Persistent heat could severely impact the ability of cooling systems in the reactors, causing overheating in one or more NPPs that could potentially lead to nuclear disasters at multiple locations.

Hazards Assessment Map

NWS has forecast that excessive heat will persist from today through July 29 in all the eastern half of the country except for the Northeast. Click image to enlarge.

Highest Heat Indexes

Tuesday’s highest recorded heat indexes in the U.S. were

• Knoxville, Iowa: 131 (ºF)
• Freeport, Illinois: 124
• Madison, Minnesota: 124
• Watertown, Wisconsin: 119
• Tekamah, Nebraska: 117
• Camberlain, South Dakota: 115

Heat Index Forecast:

• Washington, DC: 116
• Richmond, Virginia: 118

Maximum heat index forecast for July 22, 2011. Click image to enlarge.

Probability of a Nuclear Disaster by Country

The following probability figures are calculated by FIRE-EARTH on April 8, 2011 (Last UPDATED: July 20, 2011)

• Japan (880)³
• United States (870)
• France (855)
• Taiwan (850)
• Belgium, China, Finland, India,  South Korea, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Armenia, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania,  Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain,  Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico,  South Africa, Canada (810)
• Germany, Sweden, Netherlands (800)
• Switzerland  (750)

Notes:

1. The list represents a snapshot of events at the time of calculating the probabilities. Any forecast posted  here is subject to numerous variable factors.
2. Figures in the bracket represent the probability of an incident occurring out of 1,000; the forecast duration is valid for the next 50  months.
3. Probability includes a significant worsening of Fukushima nuclear disaster, and future quakes forecast for Japan.
4. A nuclear incident is defined as a level 5 (Accident With Wider Consequences), or worse, on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). See below.
5. Safety issues considered in compiling these lists include the age, number of units and capacity of nuclear reactors in each country/state, previous incidents, probability of damage from human-enhanced natural disasters, e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, wildfires, flooding… ]
6. The Blog’s knowledge concerning the extent to which the factors described in (3) might worsen during the forecast period greatly influences the forecast. (Last UPDATED: July 20, 2011)

Related Links

• Killer Heat Persists in Central United States

Killer Heat Persists in Central United States

Excessive Heat Warnings, Heat Watches and Advisories are in effect in 19 states

All or parts of the following states are under Excessive Heat Warnings, Heat Watches and Advisories

Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi

Red Flag Warnings
Red Flag Warnings are in effect in parts of Utah and Nevada.

Highest Heat Indexes

The highest recorded heat indexes in the U.S. were

• Knoxville, Iowa: 131 (ºF)
• Freeport, Illinois: 124
• Madison, Minnesota: 124
• Watertown, Wisconsin: 119
• Tekamah, Nebraska: 117
• Camberlain, South Dakota: 115

Heat Index Forecast:

• Washington, DC: 116
• Richmond, Virginia: 118

Maximum heat index forecast for July 22, 2011. Click image to enlarge.

Hazards Assessment Map

NWS has forecast that excessive heat will persist from today through July 29 in all the eastern half of the country except for the Northeast. Click image to enlarge.

Tuesday’s weather highlights for the central United States include:

• Blazing heat continues in the Plains and gradually spreads across the Midwest
• A band of states at risk of severe storms stretches from the Pacific Northwest to the Mid-Atlantic
• Rain and thunderstorms over the Rockies, the eastern Great Lakes and the western Gulf Coast (Source: NOAA)

Related Links

• Extreme Heat Threatens Central Plains, Midwest, Eastern U.S.

Mt Etna Erupts

Sicilian volcano erupts for the seventh time this year

Mt Etna’s latest eruption Tuesday night (UTC) forced the authorities to close the Catania’s Fontanarossa International Airport.

The volcano ejected fountains of lava up to 500 meters into the air, according to local reports.

There was no ash fallout as of posting, and the air port was reportedly reopened 6 hours later.

The authorities have warned nearby residents that more eruptions could occur without warning.

Mt Etna (summit elevation: 3,333m) is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

Europe’s largest and most active volcano lights up the Sicilian night with a fountain and cascade of lava [Jan 11, 2011]. Image credit: ANSA. Image may be subject to copyright.

Related Links

• Mt Lokon Erupts Again
• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links