Global Disasters/ Significant Events – 4 May 2013

100 killed or injured, 100,000 displaced as flash floods devastate parts of Kenya

Flash floods triggered by extreme rain events have left about 80 people dead, 20 injured and more than 100,000 others displaced in Rift Valley, eastern, western and central Kenya. 

Floods have caused widespread devastation, destroying much of the harvest, property and infrastructure throughout the affected areas.

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California wildfires

Springs Fire in Ventura County has blackened more than 30,000 acres, but was 30% contained as of posting.

• Some 4,000 firefighters are tackling six significant wildfires in California, the state fire agency says.

• Fire crews have tackled more than 700 wildfires so far this year, about 250 more than average for the period.

• Hundreds of residences were under evacuation order, as of posting.

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State of Emergency Declared in Guatemala

The Guatemalan government has declared states of emergency in four towns near a controversial silver mine after clashes between police and anti-mining protesters in the southeast of the country.

• The government has outlawed gatherings in the towns of Jalapa and Mataquescuinlta, and the areas of Casillas and San Rafael Las Flores.

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Saudi evacuates villages after dam partially collapses

Several villages in southern Saudi Arabia were evacuated after a dam partially collapsed due to heavy rains, Al Arabia Channel reported.

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DISASTER CALENDAR – May 4, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,043 Days Left 

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

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,043 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

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

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

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

Wildfire Threatens 4,000 Houses on SoCal Coast

Springs Fire consumes about 20,000 acres, dozens of buildings in Ventura County

More than 1,000 fire crews are tackling the massive blaze in Ventura County, which threatens about 4,000 houses, hundreds of businesses and Point Mugu U.S. Naval Air Station, as authorities issue new evacuation orders for thousands of residents.

• Officials said flames have crept within 100 feet of homes in Hidden Valley as the fire veered dangerously close to luxury homes and ranches in the area.
• Residents were ordered to evacuate about  1250 houses in Hidden Valley and adjacent canyon roads, southeast of Camarillo, including parts of Newbury Park, Sycamore Canyon, Deer Canyon, Brome Ranch, La Jolla Canyon, Yerba Buena and several other communities, Ventura County fire officials said.
• Fire officials have warned the locals to avoid inhaling the smoke,  especially because it contains dangerous chemical fumes released into the air after highly toxic pesticides caught fire at an agricultural storage facility in Laguna Farms.
• A sudden and ferocious start to a California fire season has seen dozens of blazes igniting in California.
• Red Flag Warning were in effect for two large regions in Northern and Southern California, as of posting.
• Humidity remained in single digits for the Red Flag Warning areas.
• Fire officials have compared the moisture levels in the hillsides vegetation to the norm for the month of August.
• The temperature in Camarillo (Ventura County) reached a record high of 96ºF (36ºC) at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, the National Weather Service reported.
• California State Uni at Channel Islands campus, including student dorm, remained closed for a second day on Friday.

US Weather Hazards Map – May 4, 2013. Source: NWS

Related Links

• Thousands Flee California Wildfires  May 3, 2013
• Drought Disaster Spreads to Counties in 5 States May 2, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]