Global Disasters/ Significant Events – 30 May 2013

Rare Tornado Leaves a Trail of Destruction in Milan, Italy

A ferocious tornado struck the northeastern outskirts of Milan, destroying buildings, overturning trucks, uprooting trees

• “It kept growing and growing. It was like having the engine of a plane next to me,” said a local resident.

Milan has a population of about 1.35 million; however, its urban area is the largest in Italy, and 5th largest in the EU, with a population of more than 5.2 million. The Milan metropolitan area is located within the so-called Blue Banana, the area of Europe with the highest industrial output.

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U.S. Drought Eases in the Northeast

Rain threatens yields in the US Midwest

“Additional rainfall from late Thursday into the weekend will further stall corn and soybean plantings in the U.S. Midwest, threatening to trim acreage and yield potential for each crop, an agricultural meteorologist said on Thursday,” said a report.

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Hurricane Barbara slams into the Pacific Coast of Mexico

Hurricane BARBARA slammed into Mexico’s Pacific Coast Wednesday, leaving at least two people dead and 14 others missing, before being downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved north toward the Gulf of Mexico.

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Saudi Arabia reports 3 more deaths from MERS-CoV

Saudi Arabia says three more people have died from MERS-CoV, a new respiratory virus related to SARS, bringing the global total to 30. The three victims, ranging in age from 24 to 60,  had chronic diseases, the Health authorities said.  A total of 38 infected cases had been reported in the country, 49 worldwide, as of May 30, 2013.

Despite major scaremongering by the World Health Organization (WHO), calling the virus a “threat to the entire world,” MERS does not appear to be as easily transmitted as SARS was.

So far, MERS has not shown any signs of sustained person to person transmission, and nearly all of fatalities have occurred in patients with underlying medical conditions.

The SARS outbreak in South China and later Hong Kong, which didn’t become  a pandemic, led to 8,273 cases and 775 deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

[The novel coronavirus called “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus” (MERS-CoV) was identified in 2012 as the cause of respiratory illness in people, CDC said.]

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DISASTER CALENDAR – May 30, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,017 Days Left 

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

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,017 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

Severe Weather Plagues the North, South, Midwest

Flood, Freeze, Gale, Red Flag Warnings and Civil Emergency Situations as Tornadoes Rake a Dozen States

• Emergency Alert Level (EAS) Activation requested by Meade County Emergency  Management in Meade County, SD, due to severe and widespread flooding  “over many location across western and central Meade County.”

• EAS Activation has also been requested by Butte County Sheriff in Butte County, SD, due to Flash flooding which has occurred “over many location across Butte County.”

Severe weather continues to be a possibility across the Great Plains and the Midwest Thursday. Primary threats are large hail and tornadoes, some could be strong. SPC has outlined an area of Slight Risk; however this threat may have to be upgraded. In addition to the severe weather threat, river and flash flooding will continue as additional rainfall will move over already saturated locations. —NOAA

Map of the US Weather Hazards – May 30, 2013. Source: NWS

Dozens of tornadoes rake a dozen states; injuries reported

Some 50 tornadoes struck a dozen states, leaving at least 10 people injured in Kansas and Texas, according to initial reports.