Earthquake Strikes S of San Pedro, California

SEISMIC HAZARD
HEIGHTENED SEISMICITY IN CALIFORNIA
SCENARIOS 700, [500,] 08, 07, 02
.

M3.9 Quake Strikes 16km S of San Pedro, California

Centered at  33.58°N, 118.27°W the shallow quake struck at a depth of 1.1km, said USGS/EHP.

EQ Details
Magnitude: 3.9Mw
Event Time: 2014-12-30 23:26:17 UTC
Location: 33.586°N, 118.272°W depth=1.1km (0.7mi)
Nearby Cities:

• 16km (10mi) S of San Pedro, California
• 20km (12mi) SSE of Rancho Palos Verdes
  
• 21km (13mi) SSW of Long Beach
• 23km (14mi) SW of Seal Beach

Another quake measuring 3.1Mw struck 14km N of Castaic (34.617°N, 118.631°W; Depth=1.9km), NNW of Los Angeles, shortly after.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: FIRE-EARTH EQ Forecast

For detailed FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecasts tune into Fire-Earth Reports  daily @ 06:32UTC.

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FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecasts for California

FIRE-EARTH Science Team has suspended its research on California seismicity to protest Internet censorship, Google’s manipulation of information, theft of FIRE-EARTH intellectual property and other reasons, as stated earlier on the blog.

The Team has suspended its research also on Japan seismicity due to the resurgence of militarism in that country and other reasons that have also been stated previously.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – December 30, 2014

Flight QZ8501 debris found by Indonesian rescuers

FOUR bodies have been recovered from Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo in the search for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501, the Indonesian government announced.

The Airbus A320-200, with 162 people on board, flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore, disappeared on Sunday.

250,000 People flee their homes in Malaysia’s “worst ever” flooding

Malaysia’s worst ever flooding has forced about a quarter of a million people from their homes, authorities said.

The floods have killed at least two dozen people and destroyed or damaged scores of homes across the northeast.

Thailand

In neighboring Thailand, floods have killed at least eighteen people and displaced thousands of others. Five southern provinces remain submerged…

Philippines

Dozens of people have been killed, injured or reported missing after Tropical Storm JANGMI (local name “SENIANG”) hit central Philippines.

About 100,000 people (more than 20,000 families) have been affected in regions VII, X, XI and CARAGA, NDRRMC reported.

The disasters were caused by floods/ flash floods, landslides/ mudslides and maritime incidents.

NDRRMC Update – SitRep No. 5 – Effects of Tropical Storm “SENIANG” –
December 30, 2014, 6:00PM

Source: NDRRMC

United States

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued dozens of Warnings, Watches and Advisories as cold, arctic air continues to spread across the Upper Midwest and northern and central Plains through Tuesday, plunging temperatures as much as 30 degrees (F) below normal.

National High and Low Temperature for the contiguous United States

Low Temperature for Tuesday, December 30, 2014

• -34ºC (-29ºF) at Pinedale, WY

High Temperature for Monday, December 29, 2014

• 29.4ºC (85ºF) at Vero Beach, FL

Issued 7 am EST Tuesday, December 30, 2014 by NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD

Temperature spread (calculated by FIRE-EARTH) = 63.4°C (114°F)

Kilauea Volcano
The average emission rate of sulfur dioxide ranged between 5,500 and 7,700 tonnes/day for the week ending on December 23 (HVO).

Record Freeze Hits England, Wales, N. Ireland

Severe weather action alert issued for large portion of the UK

The UK Met Office has issued a severe weather (“amber”) alert for large portion of England, warning of “a 90% probability of severe cold weather/icy conditions/heavy snow” through December 31, which may “increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services.”

The country recorded its coldest temperature of 2014 so far at -9C in Cromdale, Moray, on Saturday.

“The record lows come as parts of the UK have already been hit by sub-zero temperatures and forecasters warned of further plunging temperatures over the next three days,” said a report.

The amber (level three) alert is one below a national emergency (“red” alert) and is triggered by the Met Office when weather breaches any of the thresholds that “require social and healthcare services to target specific actions at high-risk groups.”

Another Airliner Missing!

AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Indonesia to Singapore missing

An Indonesia AirAsia AirBus 320-200, flying from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board, has lost contact with air traffic control.

Flight QZ8501 went missing at 07:24 (23:24 UTC), the Malaysia-based AirAsia announced.

The Airbus disappeared about two hours into a three-hour flight, after requesting a “deviation” from the flight path, an increase in altitude to 38,000 feet from 32,000 feet, due to turbulent weather. Contact was lost some 200 nautical miles southeast of the Singapore-Jakarta FIR boundary, authorities said.

There were 162 people on board including 7 cabin crew, said the company in a statement:

• Passengers: 138 adults, 16 children and one infant
• Crew: Two pilots and five cabin crew
• Nationalities: 156 Indonesians, three South Koreans and one each of French, Malaysian and Singaporean.
• “The UK Foreign Office has confirmed that one Briton was on board the flight, and next of kin have been informed,” Bbc reported.
• According to the flight manifest, some 23 passengers were listed as no shows.

Flight MH370

In March, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 mysteriously disappeared with 239 people on board on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Flight MH17

In July, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, carrying 283 passengers and 15 crew, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shut down reportedly by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine. The wreckage was scattered over more than 10km between Luhansk and the neighboring Donetsk regions.

Flood Disaster

The disaster-stricken Malaysia is in the midst of its worst ever floods due to extreme rain events, which have forced more than 160,000 people to flee their homes in the worst-hit areas.

Air Disaster Links

• Second Malaysian Airliner Downed as Expected July 18, 2014
• Airlines

Global Economic Table with Income from Drugs & Prostitution Included

World Economic League Table (WELT) for 2014

The latest edition of Cebr Global World Economic League Table (WELT) for 2015 reveals interesting moves by the world’s largest  economies, say the authors.

The UK overtakes France (just) having revised our GDP figures to include earnings from drugs and prostitution. The French figures do not include these industries (which may well be larger than their British counterparts!).

Russia’s well known economic woes show it dropping to tenth place. The collapse in the Turkish Lira brings it down from 17^th to 19^th place. Korea moves up a place as do Italy (surprisingly but only because the Russian economy is in even worse trouble than the Italian economy!) India, the Netherlands, Belgium (who swap places with Norway) and Austria. Argentina drops 3 places as its economy collapses. [Cebr]

Cebr Global’s World Economic League Table (WELT) is an annual calculation by Cebr Global, Cebr’s global economic consultancy. The base data for 2013 is taken from the IMF World Economic Outlook and the GDP forecast draws on Cebr’s Global Prospects model to forecast growth, inflation and exchange rates. (Source: Cebr)

In its 2011 “End of the Year” entry titled Most Unethical Nations in 2011 [and Probably 2012] posted December 31, 2011, FIRE-EARTH said

World’s top 20 countries with the highest arms expenditure 

Top 20 countries with the highest military expenditure for 2010 shown as a percentage of the world total. Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, War Resisters League and others.

Related Links

• The 48 percent December 24, 2011
• Japan to Spend $232.4 Billion on Weapons  December 17, 2013
• World’s Most Unethical Country Also “Greatest Threat to Global Peace” January 2, 2014
• 1 Mn More Brits Bite Poverty, as Govt Spends $12 Billion on Obsolete White Elephant Posted on July 3, 2014
• UK Food Poverty Causing Massive Rise in Malnutrition Cases August 23, 2014

Disaster Declared in 8 Thai Provinces amid Deadly Floods

CLIMATE CHANGE DISASTERS
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
DEADLY FLOODS
MASS DISPLACEMENT
CROP DISASTERS
STATE OF DISASTER DECLARED
SCENARIOS 900, 888, [500,] 477, 444, 117, 111, 071, 070, 066, 047, 027, 025, 023, 022, 012, 011, 09, 02
.

Disaster hits Thailand again!

Deadly floods triggered by Extreme rain events have inundated thousands of villages and communities across southern Thailand, affecting tens of thousands of people and leaving more than a dozen dead or missing, said reports.

The head of military junta in Thailand has declared states of disaster for eight southern provinces of Pattani, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Narathiwat, Trang, and Yala, which have been submerged since mid-December, with at least 200,000 households affected.

Deadly floods have forced about 250,000 people out of their homes in Thailand and Malaysia so far this month.

Related Links

• 100,000 People Displaced amid Malaysia’s ‘Worst Ever’ Floods December 25, 2014

Bolivia Declares Second Largest Lake ‘Disaster Area’

Mass Deaths of Fish, Waterfowl in Bolivian Lake, River

Agricultural authorities in Bolivia have declared Poopo Lake in Oruro department a disaster area after the death of thousands of fish and waterfowl.

More than 10 kilometers of dead fish and birds were found on the banks of Lake Poopó (Oruro department) earlier this month. The deaths occurred either as a result suffocation, caused by the high volumes of mud washed into the water after recent torrential rains in the region, or by an abnormal rise in the temperature, said reports.

“That event will affect more than 780 thousand fishing families with low production in the coming years, as the fish were on procreation age,” said a report.

Lake Poopó is the second largest in the Andean country, after Titicaca.

In another disaster, thousands of dead fish were found in the Rio Grande, a major river in the department of Santa Cruz, eastern Bolivia, less than two weeks ago, said the report.

 

 

100,000 People Displaced amid Malaysia’s ‘Worst Ever’ Floods

CLIMATE CHANGE DISASTERS
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
DEADLY FLOODS
MASS DISPLACEMENT
CROP DISASTERS
SCENARIOS 900, 888, [500,] 477, 444, 117, 111, 071, 070, 066, 047, 027, 025, 023, 022, 012, 011, 09, 02
.

Will someone declare state of emergency in Malaysia?

Deadly floods have killed at least 4 people and forced more than 90,000 others to flee their homes across six states in northern Malaysia since last week.

The worst affected areas are the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Perlis and Kedah.

The Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is “facing heavy criticism over the timing of his holiday abroad amid the worst floods in the country,” said the Malaysian Insider.

He is in Hawaii playing golf with the U.S. Disaster President, according to reports.

“[A]s floods worsen in the country, there has been almost no demonstration of urgency and leadership from the National Security Council chaired by the Prime Minister,” said Malaysia Chronicle, describing the floods as Malaysia’s “worst natural disaster in recent history.”

Related Links

• Thousands Evacuated amid Severe Flooding in LK, MY, TH December 22, 2014

Crop Disasters Declared in 3 States

RAPID CLIMATE CHANGE
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
LATE FREEZE
SEVERE HAIL
CROP DISASTERS
SCENARIOS  666, 560, 477, 444, 177, 170, 111, 02
.

‘Late freeze,’ ‘severe hail’ kill crops in 13 counties across three states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated a total of 13 counties in three  states—Arkansas, Iowa and and Nebraska—as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by an late freeze, or severe hail.

Damages and losses caused by severe hail that occurred on Oct. 2, 2014

• Arkansas: St. Francis, Crittenden, Cross, Lee, Monroe and Woodruff counties.

Damages and losses caused by a late freeze that occurred on May 16, 2014

• Iowa: Harrison, Crawford, Monona, Pottawattamie and Shelby counties.

• Nebraska: Burt and Washington counties

Crop Disasters 2014

Beginning January 10, 2014 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 2,904 counties across 44 states.

Those states are

• Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [FIRE-EARTH has documented all of the above listings. See blog content.]

Notes:
i. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.

ii. The above disaster lists include both primary and contiguous disaster designations.

iii. Some counties may have been designated crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters.

iv. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.

v. The disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on December 24, 2014.

Latest/ Recent Crop Disaster Declarations

• Hard Freeze Kills Crops in Wyoming, Montana December 18, 2014
• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Eight U.S. States December 11, 2014
• Crop Disasters Declared for 7 New York Counties December 11, 2014
• Federal Disasters
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters [Index]

Deadly Tornadoes: State of Emergency Declared in Mississippi

DISASTERS CAUSED BY EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS & CLIMATE CHANGE
SEVERE STORMS
DEADLY TORNADOES
STATES OF  EMERGENCY
.

Tornadoes attack Southern U.S. killing four

Deadly tornadoes have killed at least four people, leaving many others injured and causing “major” damage in the southern US state of Mississippi.

Gov. Bryant has declared a state of emergency in the two counties that were  most severely affected by the disaster.

“I have declared a state of emergency to assist local officials with any available state resources that are needed in areas affected by severe weather, specifically in Jones and Marion counties,” Bryant said.

Storm Prediction Center (SPC) said Wednesday it had received 70 extreme and severe weather reports, including a total of 14 tornado reports  in the states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/141223_rpts.html

*** 2 FATAL *** SPC reports
REPORT OF MULTIPLE HOMES DAMAGED ON MULLICAN ROAD WITH INJURIES. SOME TREES BLOWN ONTO HOMES WITH PEOPLE TRAPPED (JONES COUNTY)

*** 2 FATAL ***
MULTIPLE STRUCTURES DAMAGED INCLUDING A MOBILE HOME PARK ON HIGHWAY 98. TWO CONFIRMED FATALITIES IN THE AREA OF THE MOBILE HOME PARK. (SE COLUMBIA, MARION COUNTY).

MULTIPLE VEHICLES WERE FLIPPED ON HIGHWAY 98. ALSO REPORT OF ROOF DAMAGE AT DIALYSIS CENTER AND CHALLENGER BUSINESSES ON HIGHWAY 98 AT COLUMBIA-PURVIS ROAD. (SE COLUMBIA, MARION COUNTY).

REPORT OF MULTI-VORTEX TORNADO WEST OF SUMRALL ON HIGHWAY 589 AND HIGHWAY 42. (LAMAR COUNTY).

Federal Disaster Declared for New York State

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC DISASTERS
MAJOR DISASTERS
SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, FLOODING
FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARED
SCENARIOS: 900, 887, 477, 444, 187, 177, 157, 111, 101, 097, 066, 063, 027, 025, 023
.

Major Disaster Declared for The Empire State

New York Federal Disaster Declaration (DR-4204)

The White House has declared federal disaster in New York State due to losses and damage caused by extreme weather and climatic events during the period of November 17 – 26, 2014.

Areas worst affected by severe winter storm, snowstorm, and flooding are the counties of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Orleans, St. Lawrence, and Wyoming.

The Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

Related Links

• Major Disasters Declared in Arizona, Nevada  November 7, 2014
• Federal Disaster Declarations 2014
• Federal Disasters
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Thousands Evacuated amid Severe Flooding in LK, MY, TH

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC DISASTERS
EXTREME RAIN EVENTS
FLOOD DISASTER DECLARED
LANDSLIDES
CROP DISASTERS
MASS DISPLACEMENT
MAIN SCENARIOS: 900, 888, [500,] 477, 444, 117, 111, 071, 070, 066, 047, 027, 025, 023, 022, 012, 011, 09, 02
.

Severe Floods Swamp Multiple Regions in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand

Severe flooding caused by northeast monsoon have left about 50,000 homeless in the north central and eastern Sri Lanka, while tens of thousands of others are being evacuated by the military.

The town of Batticaloa is the worst hit with more than 30,000 people displaced, officials have said.

The towns of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa in the north central province, Sri Lanka’s largest rice-producing region, have experienced severe flooding as days of heavy rain forced the authorities to open the sluice gates on dozens of dams.

The floods have also washed away roads and railways throughout the affected regions.

Malaysia

Thousands of people have fled their homes from large areas in the states of Kelantan and Terengganu in NE Malaysia amid severe flooding.

Continued torrential rains in Kelantan and Terengganu, with moderate rains in other states across the Malaysian peninsula is expected throughout the holiday period, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

Floods have increased water levels above the danger point in six major rivers in Kelantan, said reports.

Thailand

The Narathiwat province, on the border with Malaysia, has been declared a disaster area, by the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, said reports.

Yala, Pattani and Songkhla provinces have also been declared disaster areas due to severe flooding.

Strong Quake Strikes Northern Molucca Sea

GEOPHYSICAL HAZARDS
HEIGHTENED INDONESIA REGION SEISMICITY
SCENARIOS: 704, 703,  700, [500,] 09, 08, 07, 02
.

M6.6 Quake Occurs in Indonesia Region

Centered at 2.126°N, 126.651°E the quake occurred at a depth of 54.6km (34.0mi), said USGS/EHP.

The quake did not generate a significant tsunami wave.

EQ Details
Magnitude: 6.6Mw
Event Time: 2014-12-21 11:34:14 UTC
Location: 2.126°N 126.651°E depth=54.6km (34.0mi)
Nearby Cities

• 157km (98mi) WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia
• 168km (104mi) NNW of Kota Ternate, Indonesia
• 168km (104mi) NNW of Ternate, Indonesia
• 179km (111mi) ENE of Bitung, Indonesia
• 1042km (647mi) WSW of Koror Town, Palau

[Source: USGS/EHP]

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast

For detailed FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecasts tune into Fire-Earth Reports  daily @ 06:32UTC.

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S. Korea Bans US Poultry Due to HPAI Concerns

Highly Pathogenic H5 Avian Influenza Confirmed in Wild Birds in Washington State: USDA

South Korea has banned U.S. poultry imports following an outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in the US, said the Agriculture Ministry.

Authorities say the move is a “quarantine measure” to prevent the highly pathogenic (HPAI) virus from entering the country.

Highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza was confirmed in wild birds in Washington state—H5N2 detected in northern pintail ducks, and H5N8 found in captive gyrfalcons.

However, neither virus found in commercial poultry in U.S., and there’s no public health concern at this time, said USDA.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic (HPAI) H5 avian influenza in wild birds in Whatcom County, Washington. Two separate virus strains were identified: HPAI H5N2 in northern pintail ducks and HPAI H5N8 in captive Gyrfalcons that were fed hunter-killed wild birds. Neither virus has been found in commercial poultry anywhere in the United States and no human cases with these viruses have been detected in the United States, Canada or internationally. There is no immediate public health concern with either of these avian influenza viruses.

Both H5N2 and H5N8 viruses have been found in at least 18 other countries, but they “have not caused any human infection to date.”

The finding in Whatcom County was reported and identified quickly due to increased surveillance for avian influenza in light of HPAI H5N2 avian influenza outbreaks in poultry affecting commercial poultry farms in British Columbia, Canada. The northern pintail duck samples were collected by officials from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife following a waterfowl die-off at Wiser Lake, Washington, and were sent to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center for diagnostic evaluation and initial avian influenza testing. The U.S. Department of the Interior’s USGS, which also conducts ongoing avian influenza testing of wild bird mortality events, identified the samples as presumptive positive for H5 avian influenza and sent them to USDA for confirmation. The gyrfalcon samples were collected after the falconer reported signs of illness in his birds.

“Wild birds can be carriers of HPAI viruses without the birds appearing sick. People should avoid contact with sick/dead poultry or wildlife. If contact occurs, wash your hands with soap and water and change clothing before having any contact with healthy domestic poultry and birds,” said USDA in a statement.

HPAI would have significant economic impacts if detected in U.S. domestic poultry. Commercial poultry producers follow strict biosecurity practices and raise their birds in very controlled environments. Federal officials emphasize that all bird owners, whether commercial producers or backyard enthusiasts, should continue practicing good biosecurity. This includes preventing contact between your birds and wild birds, and reporting sick birds or unusual bird deaths to State/Federal officials, either through your state veterinarian or through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593. Additional information on biosecurity for backyard flocks can be found at healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.

CDC says the risk to people from HPAI H5 infections in wild birds is low because (like H5N1) these viruses do not currently infect humans easily, and even if a person is infected, the viruses do not spread easily to other people.

Avian influenza (AI) is caused by influenza type A viruses which are endemic in some wild birds (such as wild ducks and swans) which can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese and guinea fowl). AI viruses are classified by a combination of two groups of proteins: hemagglutinin or “H” proteins, of which there are 17 (H1–H17), and neuraminidase or “N” proteins, of which there are 10 (N1–N10). Many different combinations of “H” and “N” proteins are possible. Each combination is considered a different subtype, and can be further broken down into different strains. AI viruses are further classified by their pathogenicity—the ability of a particular virus to produce disease in domestic chickens.

1.7 Million Children Seriously Affected by Ukraine Conflict: UNICEF

GLOBAL CONFLICTS FOR NATURAL RESOURCES &
‘STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE’
STATE TERRORISM
WAR CRIMES
MASS MURDER
MASS DISPLACEMENT
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE
SCENARIOS: 911, 909, 717, 606, 444, 411,
222, 220, 219, 201, 200, 071, 069, 04, 02
.

Ukraine Conflict Forces 147 Schools to Close

Conflict in Ukraine has forced 147 schools to close in parts of Donetsk Oblast where fighting continues, and disrupted the education of some 50,000 children since September 1, said the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in a statement.

“The situation for more than 1.7 million children affected by the growing crisis in eastern Ukraine remains extremely serious. Since March 2014, over 1 million people have been displaced from the conflict-affected areas, including nearly 530,000 people within Ukraine, of whom at least 130,000 are children.”

Some of the schools have been destroyed, while others remain closed due to safety concerns, said UNICEF. “In government-controlled areas 187 educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed.”

Eastern Ukraine:Humanitarian Impact of the Conflict
16 December 2014 – Reliefweb/ACAPS

Death toll in Ukrainian conflict has more than doubled since mid-August, from over 2,000 to at least 4,707¹ as of December 16, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“Violence has been ongoing in eastern Ukraine despite the ceasefire of 5 September. Heavy fighting and shelling have increased the number of killed and wounded, and between mid-September and mid-December, the number of registered internally displaced increased by over 266,000. A new ceasefire was announced for 9 December, with differing reports as to whether it has been violated.”

Ukraine Disaster Summary

• At least 4,707¹ people have been killed (including 298 from flight MH-17) and 10,322 others wounded in eastern Ukraine (source: OHCHR/WHO).
• About 5.2 million people live in conflict-affected areas.
• About 1.7 million children have been affected.
• At least 138 children killed or wounded.
• Some 542,080 people have been internally displaced.
  • Internally displaced women: 271,000
  • Internally displaced children: 130,274
• Total refugees and asylum seekers who fled to Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova: 597,956
• Most refugees left with few belongings and are in need of shelter, food and non-food assistance, placing pressure on neighboring regions,” said OCHA.[Sources: OHCHR 15/12/2014, UN 20/11/2014, UNICEF 12/12/2014, UN 15/12/2014]

¹This is a very conservative estimate of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and World Health Organization based on available official data. These totals include: Ukrainian armed forces casualties as reported by the Ukrainian authorities; 298 people from flight MH-17; and casualties reported by civil medical establishments and local administrations of Donetsk and Luhansk regions: civilians and some members of armed groups (without distinguishing them). OHCHR and WHO believe that actual fatality numbers are considerably higher.

Related Links

• 4,000+ Killed in Ukraine Conflict: UN November 1, 2014

M5.9 Quake Rattles Fukushima, Japan

GEOPHYSICAL HAZARDS
HEIGHTENED JAPAN SEISMICITY
SCENARIOS: 704, 703,  700, [500,] 09, 08, 07, 02
.

Significant earthquake strikes offshore Fukushima pref., Japan

Centered at 37.397°N, 141.548°E the quake struck at a depth of 36.9km (22.9mi), said USGS/EHP.

EQ Details

Magnitude: 5.9Mw
Event Time: 2014-12-20 09:29:58 UTC
Location: 37.397°N 141.548°E depth=36.9km (22.9mi)
Nearby Cities:

• 49km (30mi) E of Namie, Japan
• 70km (43mi) ENE of Iwaki
• 85km (53mi) E of Funehiki
• 89km (55mi) SE of Marumori
• 252km (157mi) NE of Tokyo

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: FIRE-EARTH EQ Forecast

For detailed FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecasts tune into Fire-Earth Reports  daily @ 06:32UTC.

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FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecasts for California and Japan

FIRE-EARTH Science Team has suspended its research on California seismicity to protest Internet censorship, Google’s manipulation of information, theft of FIRE-EARTH intellectual property and other reasons, as stated earlier on the blog.

The Team has suspended its research also on Japan seismicity due to the resurgence of militarism in that country and other reasons that have also been stated previously.

Afghan Civilian Casualties to Reach 10,000 in 2014 – UN

Afghanistan civilian casualties: 3,188 killed, 6,429 wounded (Jan-Nov 2014)

The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan is forecast to top 10,000, the highest annual casualty figure on record, says UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

With 3,188 civilian deaths and 6,429 injuries in the first 11 months of 2014, the mission warns that by year’s end the number of victims is likely to top 10,000, the highest since 2009, when the UNAMA began keeping records, and a rise of 19 percent compared with 2013.

Most of the casualties, more than 75 percent, is blamed on “the insurgent groups,” while pro-Government forces were responsible for about 12 percent of civilian casualties, said the Director of Human Rights at UNAMA.

The latest data shows an increase of 33 percent in children casualties and 14 percent in women casualties, said the UN.

UNAMA has recorded a total of 17,252 civilian deaths and 29,536 injuries since it began keeping casualty records in 2009.

FIRE-EARTH Forecast for 2015

Members Messages – December 19, 2014

FIRE-EARTH Forecast for 2015 will be broadcast for members on Saturday and Sunday, December 27 – 28, 2014 at the following times:

08:32, 12:32, 16:32, 18:30, 20:32 and 22:32UTC.

Non-members

Please note that FIRE-EARTH Forecast for 2015 will NOT be made public to prevent repeat theft of important information.

Forecasts, ideas and information posted on FIRE-EARTH blog have been (are being) stolen, plagiarized, twisted and misused by commercial Internet sites, including Google-affiliated blogs and others, “the Cabal News Network,” “the ‘Greek Post,’” “tabloids,” NSA-sponsored blogs, “end-world prophecy,” “extinction,” “die-off protocol,” “poleshift,” “‘shame’ progress,” “2012 and beyond,” “Planet X, Nibiru,” and many other spin sites.

For a comprehensive list of the perpetrators, google the Internet using search terms associated with disaster topics and you’ll find the worst of those spin-doctors displayed prominently (top 40, or higher), often repeatedly, in the search results.

Related Links

• Bulletin Board

Who made the wonderland so surreal?

Eat your heart out, Alice – Part II

Surreal ( deceptive, extortionate, psychopathic, genocidal)

The number of richest people in the world has more than doubled since the financial crisis, up from 793 in March 2009 to 1,645 in March 2014. Their  aggregate net worth is $6.4 trillion, up from $5.4 trillion just a year ago, according to Forbes.

AND, here are some more of the consequences:

• Sudan:
  • 6.6 million people (20% of the population) need humanitarian assistance (17/11/2014).
  • 2 million children under 5 are acutely malnourished (OCHA, Aug 2014).
  • 3.5 million people were projected to be in Crisis and Emergency phases of food insecurity by November 2014 (GIEWS, Jun. 2014).
• South Sudan:
  • 50,000 estimated killed in violence in South Sudan since December 2013 (ICG).
  • 1.4 million IDPs between Dec. 2013 and Sept. 2014 (OCHA).
  • 3.8 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance (OCHA, 30/10/24).
  • More than 1 million people in Crisis and Emergency phases of food insecurity October – December 2014 (FEWSNET, Nov. 2014).
  • From January to March 2015, 2.5 million people are projected to be in  Crisis and Emergency Phase including about half the population of Greater Upper Nile (IPC, Sept. 2014).

• Chad:
  • 5.5 million people, or 55% of the population, in Chad are affected by humanitarian crisis including 2.2 million children (UNICEF, Nov. 2014).
  • 2.6 million Chadians are estimated to be food insecure or severely food insecure (OCHA, 15/10/2014).

CONTINUED…

Related Links

• Eat your heart out, Alice! December 17, 2014

Hard Freeze Kills Crops in Wyoming, Montana

RAPID CLIMATE CHANGE
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
EARLY HARD FREEZE
CROP DISASTERS
SCENARIOS  666, 560, 477, 444, 177, 170, 111, 02
.

Early hard freeze destroys crops across 12 counties in Western U.S.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated  a total of 12 counties in two states—Wyoming ant Montana—as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by an early hard freeze that occurred from Sept. 10 through Sept. 12, 2014.

The disaster designation are as follows;

• Wyoming.  Big Horn, Park, Fremont, Hot Springs, Johnson, Sheridan, Teton and Washakie counties.
• Montana. Big Horn, Carbon, Gallatin and Park counties.

Crop Disasters 2014

Beginning January 10, 2014 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 2,891 counties across 44 states.

Those states are

• Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [FIRE-EARTH has documented all of the above listings. See blog content.]

Notes:
i. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.

ii. The above disaster lists include both primary and contiguous disaster designations.

iii. Some counties may have been designated crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters.

iv. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.

v. The disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on December 17, 2014.

Latest/ Recent Crop Disaster Declarations

• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Eight U.S. States December 11, 2014
• Crop Disasters Declared for 7 New York Counties December 11, 2014
• Federal Disasters
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters [Index]

 

Eat your heart out, Alice!

This beats your Wonderland hands down!

What a Wonderful World (!)

The number of richest people in the world has more than doubled since the financial crisis, up from 793 in March 2009 to 1,645 in March 2014. Their  aggregate net worth is $6.4 trillion, up from $5.4 trillion just a year ago, according to Forbes.

AND, here are some of the consequences:

• Syria:
  • 12.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance including 7.6 million who have been internally displaced by violence, and 3.2 million others who have fled the country, says UNOCHA.
• Iraq:
  • About 1,000,000 IDPs living in tents and other flimsy “shelters” are in need of heating.
• Philippines:
  • About 4 million people in 9 regions were affected by Typhoon HAGUPIT, which destroyed at least 38,000 homes. About 157,000 people live in evacuation centers.
• Central African Republic (CAR):
  • More than 2.7 million people, or 58.7 percent of the CAR population are in need of immediate assistance (UNHCR,05/12/2014).
  • As of September 2014, more than 1.7 million people were in Crisis and Emergency phases of food insecurity.
  • Multiple cases of cholera and measles have been reported among more than 750,000 IDPs.
• Democratic Republic of Congo:
  • About 4.1 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance (FAO, 11/12/2014 ).
• Guinea:
  • As of December 13, 2014 some 2,394 Ebola cases and 1,518 death have been  reported in Guinea (WHO).
  •  Ebola outbreak has affected 11 million people, or almost the entire population of Guinea (IFRC, 25/10/2014).
  • 4.3 million children live in the affected areas (UNICEF, 03/12/2014)..
• Liberia:
  •  Some 3.73 million Liberian are in need of assistance (OCHA, 16/09/2014)
  • As of December 9, some 7,797 Ebola cases and 3,290 deaths have been reported in Liberia (WHO).
• Sierra Leone:
  • The entire population of Sierra Leone (6.2 million) are in need of assistance as a consequence of Ebola outbreak (OCHA, 16/09/2014).
  • As of December 13, 2014 some 8,270 Ebola cases and 2,033 deaths have been reported in Sierra Leone (WHO).
• West Africa:
  • Total accumulative number of Ebola cases across West Africa (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) has reached 18,464 including 6,841 deaths (WHO, 15/12/2014). The numbers of reported cases and deaths are largely underestimated.

CONTINUED…

Wildfire Emergency Warnings Issued for Shires in Victoria, Australia

Fast moving, out of control wildfires plague Victoria, Australia

Multiple Emergency Warnings, Watches and Advisories have been issued by the  state officials as fast-moving wildfires plague Victoria.

The following are two of the latest warnings issued by officials in Victoria:

Emergency Warning

Issued For: Boweya, Boweya North
Fire Origin: LAKE ROWAN
Issued: 17/12/14 01:49 AM

This is an Emergency Warning issued by Country Fire Authority for Boweya, and Boweya North.

There is a fast moving, out of control grassfire travelling in an easterly direction from Lake Rowan towards Boweya and Boweya North.  You are in danger, act now to protect yourself.

Emergency Warning

Issued For: Strathbogie South, Strathbogie, Kithbrook, Kelvin View, Gooram, Creightons Creek
Fire Origin: CREIGHTONS CREEK
Issued: 16/12/14 10:59 PM

This is an updated Emergency Warning issued by Country Fire Authority for Strathbogie South, Strathbogie, Kithbrook, Kelvin View, Gooram, Creightons Creek.

The CREIGHTONS CREEK bushfire is currently out of control.
You are now in immediate danger, act now to protect yourself. Emergency Services may not be able to help you.

Year-to-Date Global Temperature Highest on Record

DISASTERS CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
RISING TEMPERATURES
EXTREME WET & EXTREME DRY CONDITIONS
ECOLOGICAL COLLAPSE
SPECIES EXTINCTION 
MAIN SCENARIOS: 900, 888, 808, 800, 797,  777, 666, 560, 555, 444, 300, 123, 117, 114, 111, 101, 100, 097, 090, 080, 078, 071, 067, 066, 047, 033, 027, 025, 024, 023, 022, 012, 011, 09, 04, 03, 02, 01
.

November 2014 global temperature ties for seventh highest on record: NOAA

The first 11 months of 2014 was the warmest such period on record, with a combined global land and ocean average surface temperature of 1.22°F (0.68°C) above the 20^th century average of 57.0°F (13.9°C), surpassing the previous record set in 2010 by 0.02°F (0.01°C), according to NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate report.

Global temperature highlights:

Year-to-date

• The global ocean surface temperature for the year-to-date was 1.03°F (0.57°C) above the 20^th century average, the warmest such period on record.

• The January–November global land surface temperature was 1.71°F (0.95°C) above the 20^th century average, the sixth warmest such period on record.

2014 is currently on track to be the warmest year on record should the December global temperature stay at least 0.76°F (0.42°C) above its 20^th century average.

2014 End-of-Year Global Temperature scenarios: Source: NCDC/NOAA

Global temperature highlights:

September–November

• The combined average temperature for global land and ocean surfaces for September–November was the highest on record for this period, at 1.26°F (0.70°C) above the 20^th century average of 57.1°F (14.0°C).

• The September–November global sea surface temperature was 1.13°F (0.63°C) above the 20^th century average of 60.7°F (16.0°C), the highest for September–November on record.

• The global land temperature was the ninth highest for September–November on record, at 1.62°F (0.90°C) above the 20^th century average of 48.3°F (9.1°C). The margin of error is ±0.31°F (0.17°C).

Details posted at: NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: Global Analysis for November 2014, published online December 2014, retrieved on December 16, 2014 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2014/11

[Note: Global report will be released on Wednesday December 17^th at 11:00 am EST.]

Related Links (Most Recent)

• Global Temperature Breaks October Record: Report November 29, 2014
• Global Temperature Reaches Record High in September: NOAA October 21, 2014
• August Global Temperature Breaks Record September 20, 2014
• Hottest June on Record Posted on July 22, 2014
• May Global Temperature Reaches All-time High Posted on June 24, 2014
• Warmest Winter on Record Deepens California Drought Posted on March 18, 2014
• December Ocean Temperature 2nd Warmest Posted on January 23, 2010
• Global Temperature Analysis Posted on January 22, 2014

China’s Glaciers Shrink by 18 Percent

Glaciers in China retreat by 18 pct in 5 decades

China’s glaciers have retreated by about 18 percent since the 1950s, say Chinese scientists, reported Xinhua.

Using data gathered by remote sensing between 2006 and 2010, the scientist calculated 48,571 glaciers covering 51,840km² in the western China, the report quoted the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) as saying. CAS released its second catalog of the country’s glaciers on Saturday.

“An average of 243.7 square km of glacial ice had disappeared every year over the past half century, according to the survey by the CAS Cold and Arid Regions Research Institute.

“The worst shrink was detected on the Altai Mountains located in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Gangdise Mountain in the Tibet Autonomous Region, with retreat hitting 37.2 percent and 32.7 percent respectively over the past five decades,” said the report.

“Major glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, especially the east part of Gangdise as well as the southern and western Himalayas were melting at the most rapid pace, with areas shrinking by 2.2 percent every year, according to the survey.”

Unfortunately, the report didn’t include the decadal rate of retreat for comparison purposes.

Original Caption: Photo taken on Dec. 19, 2011 shows the shrinking Puruo Gangri glacier, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. According to the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and surrounding areas have shrunk by 15 percent from 53,000 to 45,000 square kilometers over the past three decades. (Xinhua/Chogo). More images…

However, in May 2014, “a state laboratory director with the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute of CAS,” was reported as saying that glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau had been shrinking since the 20th century, and that the rate of retreat had accelerated since the 1990s.

“More and bigger cracks have appeared in ice at regions of an altitude above 6,300 meters in Mount Qomolangma, a sign of rapidly melting glaciers,” Xinhua reported him as saying.

“Southwest China’s Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the major source of the country’s largest rivers, has seen its glaciers shrink rapidly over the past 30 years,” Xinhua reported CAS as saying in May 2014.

CAS stated that glaciers on the plateau and surrounding areas had shrunk by 15 percent from 53,000 to 45,000km² over the past three decades.

Perry and Pawnee Popping Like Popcorn Poppers

SEISMIC HAZARDS
HEIGHTENED U.S. SEISMICITY
SCENARIOS: 704, 703,  700, [500,] 09, 08, 07, 02
.

Earthquakes continue to rattle Oklahoma

At least 11 earthquakes have struck the U.S. state of Oklahoma over the past 24 hours, as of posting. Most of the events occurred near Perry and Pawnee, Okla.

List of  the events, as recorded by USGS/EHP:

2.7 17km N of Stillwater, Oklahoma 2014-12-15 03:45:30 UTC depth of 5.0 km
2.8 5km SW of Pawnee, Oklahoma 2014-12-15 02:32:51 UTC depth of 8.6 km
2.9 21km W of Perry, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 22:22:55 UTC depth of 9.3 km
4.0 4km ESE of Pawnee, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 21:18:20 UTC depth of 4.7 km
3.1 22km W of Perry, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 21:07:13 UTC depth of 6.6 km
2.9 10km SE of Helena, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 19:02:16 UTC depth of 5.0 km
3.0 22km W of Perry, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 16:09:47 UTC depth of 5.5 km
3.8 22km W of Perry, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 15:48:41 UTC depth of 6.4 km
3.1 3km SE of Pawnee, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 10:19:54 UTC depth of 5.0 km
2.8 3km SE of Pawnee, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 10:11:20 UTC depth of 5.0 km
4.3 22km NE of Cherokee, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 09:14:21 UTC depth of 5.0 km