Global Disasters/ Significant Events – 24 June 2013

Himalayan Tsunami Death Toll May Top 5,000

“At least 5,000 people must have been killed in the deluge that inflicted heavy damage on vast tracts of land especially in Kedarnath valley,” Disaster Management Minister Yashpal Arya told reporters on his return from an aerial survey of the disaster areas.

The official death toll had climbed to 680 as of June 22, and the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand has said that the death toll would likely be around 1,000, said a report.

Official forecasters have issued various warnings concerning adverse weather in the disaster area starting today, June 24, including heavy rain to last until June 30.

At least 19,000 are still stranded in three areas, while 83,000 others have been rescued, according to reports.

At least two major landslides and numerous mudslides have been reported in the disaster zone.

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1,000 residents flee, as State of Emergency declared in Siksika Nations

Raging waters from the Bow River have devastated the Siksika Nation, forcing a least 1,000 people from homes.

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State of Emergency declared in Houston County, Minnesota

Authorities have declared a  state of emergency in Houston County, Minnesota, due to losses and damage caused by a storm.

Large swathes of southeastern Minnesota have been hit hard from flash flooding over the weekend, but storm damage  across Houston county is said to be extensive,  a state of emergency declaration.

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Deluge forces Manitoba community to declare state of emergency

“Environment Canada said radar indicated accumulations of 100 mm hovering above that area when the system hit,” said a report.

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Winnipegosis declares a state of emergency due to flooding

The Village of Winnipegosis has declared a state of emergency, making it the third rain-soaked part of Manitoba to be dealing with overland flooding.

“A lot of the land here looked like [a] lake. The water, the ditches began to overflow, and consequently the water was rising up around homes,” said a local resident.

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States of Emergency in Crawford and Grant Counties, Wisconsin

Crawford and Grant counties in the southwestern corner of Wisconsin have declared states of emergency due to water damage.

“Crawford County had flooding and multiple mudslides that closed several roads and forced evacuation of a number of homes. In Grant County, roadways were flooded along with an unspecified number of homes.”

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Saskatchewan, Canada: Cumberland House declares state of emergency

Cumberland House declared a state of emergency, as authorizes started  evacuations of  the Village of Cumberland House and the Cumberland House Cree Nation, a total of more than 2,200, as rising floodwater in Alberta threatened to move into the prairie province, said a report.

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Town of Devon remains under a state of emergency,  2,200 people evacuated

The Devon Lions Campground and Voyageur Park have been evacuated. More than 2,000 people were forced to leave the campground.

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Massive Wildfire Threatens to Torch Colorado Town

West Fork Fire Complex not likely to be contained anytime soon

The entire tourist town of South Fork has been evacuated, as a massive complex of three wildfires threatens to torch the southwestern Colorado resort.

The fire exploded to more than doubled the size over the weekend, consuming an estimated 77,000 acres (120 sq miles) by Sunday night, authorities said.

Multiple evacuations and pre-evacuations are in effect for the fire area and vicinity, including 400 permanent residents in South Fork and an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 tourists.

The massive fire has forced the authorities to close multiple roads and trails. The primary closures are Highway 160 from the chain-up area to South Fork, and Highway 149 between South Fork and Creede from mile post 1 through milepost 22, Inciweb said.

The West Fork Complex consists of three wildfires, West Fork, Windy Pass, and Papoose, that are burning on the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests in southwest Colorado. The fires were combined into a complex on Sunday, June 16.

Fire Summary

• Incident Type: Wildfire
  Cause: Lightning
• Complex Size: 76,262 acres  [>77,000 acres as of posting.]
• Percent Contained: 0%
• Date of Origin: Wednesday June 05th, 2013 approx. 12:30 PM
• Location 14.5 mi NE of Pagosa Springs
• Growth Potential: High
• Terrain Difficulty: Extreme [the fires are burning in steep, rugged terrain with large amounts of beetle-killed spruce]
• Wind Conditions: 15-25mph; G55 mph SW
• Temperature: 75 degrees
• Humidity: 11%
• Total Personnel: 895 – More arriving

The Fires

• Windy Pass Fire: ~1,000 acres
• Papoose Fire : ~21,000 acres
• West Fork Fire: ~54,000 acres

A Map of West Fork Fire Complex Consisting of  Windy Pass, Papoose and West Fork Fires

Other Info

• Fuels Involved:  Timber with heavy dead standing bug kill
• Fire Behavior:  Extreme fire behavior observed at the time of submission of this report due to wind and slope aligned crown fire and long range spotting up to 3/4 mile in stands of dead timber. The same is expected in tomorrow’s behavior. Red Flag Warning in effect.

Significant Events

• Very active fire behavior. Values at risk are being assessed, evacuations and closures are being evaluated. The long range spotting from yesterday’s plume dominated fire behavior resulted in significant growth north and east of the fire.
• The evacuation of South Fork could last up  to seven days, said the Incident Commande.
• This is the sixth consecutive day that the complex has remained under a Red Flag Warning.

Colorado Wildfires

At least a dozen significant wildfires are currently active in Colorado. The fires have consumed an estimated 200 square miles.

US Weather Hazards Map for June 24, 2013 Showing Red Flag Warnings, Excessive Heat Warnings and Fire Weather Watches across Western United States. Source: NWS

West Fork Complex Fire threatens Colorado town

West Fork Complex wildfire update 

Black Forest Fire – Update 

Black Forest Fire in the El Paso County:  The fire near Colorado Springs burned 14,280 acres, destroying at least 511 homes and damaging 28 others. The fire started on June 11 and was declared 100 percent contained on June 20.

National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States) –
NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD –
Issued 8 am EDT Monday, June 24, 2013

High Temperature for Sunday, June 23, 2013: 
110 degrees (43.3ºC) at Death Valley, CA

Low Temperature for Monday, June 24, 2013:
32 degrees (0ºC) at Lake Yellowstone, WY
32 degrees at West Yellowstone, MT

Related Links

• Fire Threat Intensifies in Western U.S.  June 19, 2013
• Colo. Fire Turns Deadly, Most Destructive in State’s History June 14, 2013
• World Record High Temperature Could Be Broken This Year June 5, 2013

•  Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• Drought Disaster 2013