Mass Evacuations in Germany as Dam on Elbe River Breaks

Tens of thousands evacuated across Saxony-Anhalt region amid devastating floods

Up to 40,000 people have been evacuated across Saxony-Anhalt region in eastern Germany after a dam at the confluence of the Rivers Elbe and Saale south of the state capital Magdeburg burst.

The latest episode in Europe’s most devastating flood saw the water levels in the Elbe River rising to a record 7.48 meters, some 0.76m above the 2002 levels and more than 5 meters above normal, affecting towns and villages near the cities of Magdeburg, Aken and Berlin.

The cost of damage so far is estimated at $8billion dollars,  the Cologne Institute for Economic Research has reported.

Meantime, the Interior Minister for Saxony-Anhalt was quoted as saying that air and land surveillance would be stepped up across the state in response to a threat from a group calling itself the Germanophobic Flood Brigade to attack the dikes.

“Downstream along the Elbe, the town of Lauenburg and the village of Hitzacker in Lower Saxony were bracing for flood waters in the coming days. More rain heavy rain is expected Monday in the states of Thuringia, Saxony and Bavaria,” said a report.

Meantime, people in Budapest are bracing as the surging Danube approaches.

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Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Worldwide carbon emissions hit record high in 2012

Global CO2 emissions in 2012 rose by 1.4 percent to 31.6 billion tons, IEA has estimated.

• The biggest emitter in 2012 was China, which spewed an additional 300 million tons.
• Additional use of gas to generate power helped reduce the CO2 emissions in the U.S.
• Japan’s CO2 emissions rose by 70 million tons because the country’s inadequate energy efficiency measure couldn’t offset increasing use of fossil fuels after the Fukushima disaster, said a report.

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Tornadic waterspout filmed in Côte d’Azur, France

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Shallow Earthquake Rattles Northern Territory, Australia

An earthquake measuring 5.8Mw struck the Australian state of Northern Territory on Sunday.

EQ Details:

• Magnitude: 5.8Mw
• Event Time: 2013-06-09 14:22:12 UTC
• Location: 25.966°S 131.976°E
• Depth: 1.1km (0.7mi)
• Nearby Cities: 316km (196mi) SW of Alice Springs

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Another Day of Wild Weather across the U.S.

Monday: Severe weather moves East; heavy rain to pummel the Northeast, as record-setting temperatures in the West prompt Red Flag Warnings across multiple states.

US Map of Weather Hazards for June 10, 2013. Source: NWS

The NWS Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a risk of severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon & evening across parts of the Mid-Atlantic, from Maryland across central Virginia and North Carolina and into South Carolina. Damaging winds will be the primary threat though the development of a few tornadoes is possible. There is also a risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of the Tennessee Valley.

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Accelerating Rises in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Recent Monthly Average Mauna Loa CO₂
May 2013:     399.77 ppm
May 2012:     396.78 ppm

Up-to-date weekly average CO₂ at Mauna Loa

Week beginning on June 2, 2013: 399.20 ppm
Weekly value from 1 year ago: 395.59 ppm
Weekly value from 10 years ago: 378.50 ppm

Last 5 days of preliminary daily average CO2

• June 08 – 398.67
• June 07 – 398.98
• June 06 – 399.32
• June 05 – 399.46
• June 04 – 399.17

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Continued…