1ST Anniversary of Superstorm SANDY

Superstorm SANDY left hundreds of thousands of people homeless

SANDY hit the US east coast last year, killing scores of people and causing damage estimated at $65 billion—the second costliest hurricane ever.

[Note: At least 286 people were killed across the United States, the Caribbean, and Canada, as a result of SANDY. Total damage estimated at $68 billion.]

Atlantic Hurricane Season

The 2010 season (the third most active season on record jointly with 1887 and 1995) experienced 19 named storms, 12 of which developed into hurricanes (second most active hurricane season jointly with 1969.)

About 40 million people in the coastal regions of the US, from  North Carolina to Texas, are most at risk of hurricanes.

FIRE-EARTH Forecast [May 20, 2011]

Based on the blog models, recent trends set by the impact of weather extremes on population centers, especially since late 2009, and other geophysical and planetary factors, FIRE-EARTH believes 2011 could  prove less lucky than the last two years. We forecast a particularly costly hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin in 2011. 

What we told you last year

On October 18, 2012, FIRE-EARTH said

WARNING: The United States is now one major disaster away from the onset of large scale collapse!

• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun  October 31, 2012

• SANDY: Fisheries Disaster Declared for NY, NJ November 17, 2012
• Hurricane SANDY Could Become a Super Storm
•  October 27, 2012

Polio Outbreak in Syria Risks Spreading

10 Cases of polio confirmed in northeast Syria

The crippling disease has broken out among young children in northeast Syria’s Deir al-Zor province, the first outbreak in the country in 14 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Tuesday.

Twenty-two children in Deir al-Zor province, which borders Iraq, became paralyzed last week, and WHO has confirmed that 10 victims tested positive for the wild polio virus.Results on the remaining 12 cases are expected soon.

Most of the victims were under two years old and may not have been vaccinated against polio, WHO said.

It’s believed that foreign mercenaries fighting in Syria have imported the virus into the country. Polio is endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.

WHO spokesman Oliver Rosenbauer has said that the source of the virus must be one of the three endemic areas.

The highly contagious virus now threatens to spread in Syria and beyond, as more than 4,000 refugees leave Syria every day.

“Of course this is a communicable disease. With population movements it can travel to other areas. So the risk is high of (its) spread across the region,” Rosenbauer told Reuters.

At least 100,000 Children under the age of five are at risk of polio in Deir al-Zour province, and 500,000 children have not been immunized.

FIRE-EARTH Supports China’s Claim to Diaoyu Islands

China’s Claim to Diaoyu Islands 100 percent valid

FIRE-EARTH moderators believe China has historical and therefore legal rights, as well as the moral obligation to reclaim the Diaoyu Islands.

The Diaoyu Islands (Chinese: 钓鱼岛及其附属岛屿, or 钓鱼岛) in Mainland China, also known as the Senkaku Islands (尖閣諸島), or Tiaoyutai Islands (Chinese: 釣魚台列嶼) in Taiwan or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea due east of Mainland China, northeast of Taiwan, west of Okinawa Island, and north of the southwestern tail of the Ryukyu Islands.

Records of the islands date back to early 15th century. The Japanese government annexed the islands on 14 January 1895, naming them Senkaku.

The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender

On July 26, 1945 the United States, Britain and China released the Potsdam Declaration announcing the terms for Japan’s surrender, with the warning, “We will not deviate from them. There are no alternatives. We shall brook no delay.” The terms of the declaration specified, among others

• “Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine.”

• “We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.”

FIRE-EARTH rejects Japan’s manufactured history of the islands.

Japan’s continued illegitimate claims to the island, and the threat of using military force is nothing short of an act of war.

Storm Kills at least 15 in Northern Europe

Record gusts of 191 km/h (119mph) reported over the North Sea

A major storm battering NW Europe has killed at least 15 people including seven in Germany, four in Britain, two in the Netherlands and one each in France and Denmark.

The storm hit Britain with gusts of up to nearly 100mph early Monday, leaving a path of damage across large parts of southern UK, before targeting mainland Europe.

A crane smashed into the U.K. Cabinet Office in central London, forcing Deputy Prime Minister to cancel a news conference, while a gas explosion caused by toppled trees killed at least two people in west London, according to reports.

Flights and ferry services as well as road and rail transport were severely affected throughout the vast storm-battered region.

The storm knocked out power to about a million homes and business across northwestern Europe, including 750,000 customers in Britain.

Winds of about 155 kph swept across the low-lying Netherlands, killing at least two people, and causing widespread damage.

Giant waves crash against a lighthouse in Port of Boulogne, France October 28, 2013. Credit: Reuters. Image may be subject to copyright.

Denmark and Sweden issued storm warnings, as hurricane force winds gusting to about 162km/h hit Scandinavia, causing widespread damage across the region, while meteorologists measured record winds of  191 km/h (119mph) over the North Sea.

Related Links

• Severe Weather Warning Issued for South of England  on October 24, 2013
• Deadly Storm Batters Southern U.K. October 28, 2013