State of Emergency Declared as Namibia Runs Out of Forage

Drought forces state of emergency declaration in Namibia livestock industry

Namibia has declared a state of emergency, as drought across the country continues to severely impact the livestock industry, affecting  the livelihood of 72 percent of all Namibians who depend on the industry, directly or otherwise.

“The dramatic announcement of an emergency drought strategy follows hot on the heels of the the crop farming industry announcing a dismal total harvest in both the commercial and communal areas during a similar meeting two weeks ago,” said a report.

The worsening crisis will have far worse repercussions than the drought two years ago “as cattle and small stock producers have used up all available grazing with no reserve grazing available.”

Farmers have been urged to sell their animals as prices for cattle have dropped from more than N$19 p/kg to just N$14 p/kg in the past week alone.

“[However,] local abattoirs are struggling to accommodate volumes of livestock delivered to them by desperate farmers who are trying to get rid of their animals.”

 

Louisiana Declares State of Emergency amid Severe Weather Warning

Jindal declares state of emergency in 24 Louisiana Parishes

In advance of severe winter weather in Northern Louisiana, Governor (No Go Zones) Jindal has issued a statewide emergency declaration.

A statement issued by the governor said:

The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts another very strong cold front and wintry mix, bringing a band of snow, sleet, and freezing rain which is impacting Midwestern and Southern states and will impact this State over the next several days, potentially resulting in accumulations of ice on roadways and hazardous winter weather conditions throughout the northern portion of the State.

NWS has issued a winter weather advisory and freeze warnings for Northern parishes over the next forty-eight hours making driving conditions hazardous;

currently schools have been closed in numerous Northern parishes due to the hazards posed by this extreme winter weather, and these winter weather conditions threaten the lives and property of the citizens of the State of Louisiana.

Meantime, Commissioner of Administration made the following announcement:

State government offices will be closed [Monday through Thursday?] in the following 24 parishes across Louisiana where hazardous driving conditions and scattered power outages are forecast for the morning due to a mix of rain and sleet, as well as snow and ice accumulation:

Avoyelles, Bienville, Catahoula, Caldwell, Claiborne, Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, Evangeline, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Union, West Carroll and Winn.

 

Strong Earthquake Strikes SW of Tomatlan, Mexico

M 6.2 quake occurs SW of Tomatlan, Mexico

Centered at 18.67°N, 106.84°W, about 218km (135mi) SW of Tomatlan, the event occurred at a depth of 10km, USGS/EHP reported.

At least one significant aftershock, measuring magnitude 4.5Mw, was reported, as of posting.
Tsunami Evaluation: NO tsunami threat.

EQ Details
Magnitude: 6.2Mw (revised down from 6.6)
Time: 2015-02-22 at 14:23:13 UTC
Location: 18.670°N 106.844°W
Depth: 10.0 km