Evacuation Alert: Area 2815 – Update July 31

Correction

CJ Members

FIRE-EARTH Extra:  Area 2815 – Update

• FEWW Science Team will host a special session with an update on Area 2815 Evacuation Alert, today at 21:02UTC.

Rare Quakes Strike Sweden

Two earthquakes strike Sweden

Two earthquakes measuring 4.1 and and 3.4Mb have struck Sweden. The rare earthquakes are among 20 or so events (measuring ≥3.0Mw) to occur in Scandinavia region over the past 10 years.

Magnitude: 4.1Mb EMSC  [4.0Mw USGS/EHP]
Region: SWEDEN
Location: 67.12°N ; 20.66°E
Depth: 15 km
Date/time: 2015-07-30 at 23:37:12.7 UTC
Distances:

• 784 km N of Mariehamn / pop: 10,682
• 184 km N of Luleå, Sweden / pop: 45,551
• 2 km S of Gällivare, Sweden / pop: 8,480
• 6 km S of Malmberget, Sweden / pop: 6,017

EQ Location Map, Scandinavia. Earthquakes measuring 3.0Mw or greater since 2005. Map and search archive: USGS/EHP

Major Disaster Declared in South Dakota

Federal Disaster Declared for S. Dakota

South Dakota Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (DR-4233)

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of South Dakota in the areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of June 17-24, 2015.

The areas that were worst affected by the extreme weather events include the counties of Brule, Buffalo, Fall River, Haakon, Hughes, Jackson, Jerauld, Jones, Lyman, McCook, Oglala Lakota, and Stanley counties, and the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe within Oglala Lakota County.

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 territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

This is the 29th Major Disaster Declaration [DR 4205-4233] proclaimed for a U.S. state/territory, and the second for Vermont so far this year. Additionally, the federal government has issued eight Fire Management Assistance Declarations for the year to date, as of posting.

Fire Management Assistance Declarations (2015)

[FM-5091] 07/23/2015 California Wragg Fire
[FM-5090] 07/20/2015 Washington Blue Creek Fire
[FM-5089] 07/20/2015 California North Fire
[FM-5088] 07/06/2015 Idaho Cape Horn Fire
[FM-5087] 06/29/2015 Washington Sleepy Hollow Fire
[FM-5086] 06/17/2015 Arizona Kearney River Fire
[FM-5085] 06/16/2015 Alaska Card Street Fire
[FM-5084] 06/15/2015 Alaska Sockeye Fire

Related Links

• Federal Disaster Declared for Kansas [DR-4230] July 21, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declared for New Jersey [DR-4231] July 23, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Earthquake Swarm Striking Puerto Rico Trench

Dozens of quakes hit Puerto Rico Trench in 7 days

A swarm of at least 119 earthquakes measuring 2.5Mw or greater have struck the Puerto Rico Trench in the 7 days to posting, according to the USGS/EHP.

EQ location map. A swarm of at least 119 earthquakes measuring 2.5Mw or greater have struck the Puerto Rico Trench in the 7 days to posting. Source:  USGS/EHP.

Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in 10 States

Drought, excessive rain, tornadoes… destroy crops in 104 counties across 10 states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 104  counties and parishes across ten  states—Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana,  Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah—as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by extreme weather events.

Crop Disaster Designation #1

USDA has designated 17 counties in six states as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

State of Idaho: Benewah, Blaine, Bonner, Cassia, Clearwater, Jerome, Kootenai, Latah, Minidoka, Oneida, Power, Shoshone and Twin Falls counties.

Montana: Mineral and Sanders counties.

Nevada: Elko County.

Utah: Box Elder County.

Crop Disaster Designation #2

USDA has designated 87 counties in six states as crop disaster areas due to the combined effects of excessive rain, flash flooding, flooding, hail, high winds, lightning and tornadoes that occurred during the period of March 1, 2015, and continues.

State of Arkansas: Arkansas, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell counties.

Louisiana: Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne and Webster parishes.

Mississippi: Bolivar, Coahoma and Tunica counties.

Missouri: Barry, Dunklin, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Taney and Stone counties.

Oklahoma: Adair, Le Flore, McCurtain and Sequoyah counties.

Texas: Bowie and Cass counties.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 1,604 counties, or county equivalents, across 26 States: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

USDA has also designated 14 municipalities in Puerto Rico as drought disaster areas.

About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations so far are due to drought.

Crop Disasters 2014

In 2014, USDA declared crop disasters in at least 2,904 counties across 44 states. Most of the designations were due to drought.

Those states were:

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 counties designated as agricultural disaster areas, as listed above, include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

iii. Some counties may have been designated as 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 July 29, 2015 .

Related Links

• Crop Disasters Declared in Six States July 23, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Florida, Idaho , Montana, Utah, Washington & Puerto Rico  July 16, 2015
• U.S. Drought: Crop Disaster Declared for Idaho Counties July 10, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Six U.S. States July 2, 2015
• Drought and Deluge, Hail and Severe Freezing Destroy Crops in 7 States June 25, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Major Disaster Declared for Vermont

Federal Disaster Declared for Vermont

Vermont Severe Storm and Flooding (DR-4232)

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Vermont in the areas affected by a severe storm and flooding on June 9, 2015.

The areas that were worst affected by the extreme weather events include the counties of Addison and Chittenden.

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 territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

This is the 28th Major Disaster Declaration [DR 4205-4232] proclaimed for a U.S. state/territory, and the second for Vermont so far this year. Additionally, the federal government has issued eight Fire Management Assistance Declarations for the year to date, as of posting.

Fire Management Assistance Declarations (2015)

[FM-5091] 07/23/2015 California Wragg Fire
[FM-5090] 07/20/2015 Washington Blue Creek Fire
[FM-5089] 07/20/2015 California North Fire
[FM-5088] 07/06/2015 Idaho Cape Horn Fire
[FM-5087] 06/29/2015 Washington Sleepy Hollow Fire
[FM-5086] 06/17/2015 Arizona Kearney River Fire
[FM-5085] 06/16/2015 Alaska Card Street Fire
[FM-5084] 06/15/2015 Alaska Sockeye Fire

Related Links

• Federal Disaster Declared for Kansas [DR-4230] July 21, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declared for New Jersey [DR-4231] July 23, 2015

Wildfires Threaten Thousands of Structures in U.S. West

Lowell Fire threatens 1,800 structures in California: CalFire

States currently reporting large fires: Alaska (4), California (5), Montana (4), Oregon (2), Washington (2), Wyoming (1)
July 28, 2015: Four new large fires were reported yesterday.
[National Fire Information Center]

Alaska Fires: 4 ( Acres: 680,422;  New: 1;  Contained: 0)
California Fires: 5  (Acres: 10,179 New: 0 Contained: 0)
Oregon Fires: 2  (Acres: 1,693 New: 0 Contained: 0)
Washington Fires: 2 (Acres: 6,179 New: 0 Contained: 0)
Wyoming Fires: 1  (Acres: 2,366 New: 1 Contained: 0)

Lowell Fire burning in Nevada & Placer Counties, California
Evacuations: Evacuation warning areas are in effect for Red Dog Rd East of Greenhorn Creek, You Bet Road East of Greenhorn Creek, Chalk Bluff from Brady Road to Buckeye Road, Buckeye Road to Lower Greenhorn Road, Lower Greenhorn Road from Buckeye Road to Banner Quaker Hill Road, Cascade Shores Community, Lower Hill Road from Preston Road to Negro Hill. The public is asked to stay vigilant to any changes of evacuation areas.
Total Fire Personnel: 2,449
Injuries: 4

Willow Fire
Evacuations: The Central Camp area was evacuated due to the fire.
Closures: Gagges, Whiskers, and Whiskey Falls campgrounds are closed. All roads from 227 to these campgrounds are closed.
Size: 1,739 Acres
Total Personnel: 1,487
Weather Concerns; Beginning today, the high pressure ridge will bring much warmer temperatures to the fire area. Localized down canyon winds in the Willow Creek Drainage may push the fire at night.

Wragg Fire

Acres Burned – Containment: 6,991 acres – 80% contained
Structures Threatened: 136
Structures Destroyed: 2 outbuildings destroyed – 3 outbuildings and 1 residence damaged

Evacuations: Mandatory Evacuations have been ordered for Mix Canyon, Sky Ranch Road, Wild Horse Canyon Rd., and Blue Ridge Road. (Approximately 136 homes /200 residents)

An evacuation advisory has been issued for Gates Canyon Road and the area west of Pleasants Valley Road.

Total Fire Personnel: 1,158
Conditions: The fire intensity increased on the south side of the Wragg Fire increasing the acres burned by approximately 400 acres.

Significant Earthquakes – July 29, 2015

M6.3 quake strikes SSW of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

Magnitude: 6.3Mw [USGS/EHP]
Location: 59.906°N, 153.150°W
Depth: 116.6 km
Time: 2015-07-29 at 02:35:59 UTC,
Distances:

• 68km (42mi) SSW of Redoubt Volcano
• 230km (143mi) SW of Anchorage, Alaska

M4.7 quake strikes 73km SSW of Nikolski, Alaska
Location: 52.361°N 169.387°W; depth=35.2km
Time:2015-07-29 07:41:07UTC

M4.9 quake strikes 10km W of Merizo Village, Guam
Location: 13.262°N 144.576°E; depth=89.7km
Time: 2015-07-29 03:51:07UTC

M5.9 quake strikes 29km S of Acandi, Colombia
Location: 8.237°N, 77.298°W; depth=10.0 km
Time: 2015-07-29 00:10:24 UTC

 

Evacuation Alert: Area 2815

CJ Members

Area 2815 deemed unstable: FEWW Science Team

CJ Members and affiliates residing in Area 2815 are hereby placed under “evacuation alert.” They should be ready to evacuate the area at a short notice.

 

 

Oklahoma Hit by Another Significant Earthquake

M4.5  quake strikes NNE of Crescent, Oklahoma

Centered at 36.006°N, 97.576°W the quake struck at a depth of 3.2 km (2.0 mi), reported USGS/EHP.

About 2,800 earthquakes measuring ≥2.5Mw have struck the Sooner State and the border area with Kansas over the past 365 days, a rise of 33.3 folds over the past five years.

Only 84 earthquakes of comparable magnitude occurred in the region during the 12 month to July 27, 2011.

Powerful Quake Strikes New Guinea

M7.0 quake strikes  W of Abepura, Indonesia

Centered at 2.683°S, 138.508°E the quake occurred at a depth of about  48.0 km (29.8 mi), USGS/EHP reported.

EQ Details

Magnitude: 7.0Mw
Location:2.683°S 138.508°E depth=48.0 km (29.8 mi)
Time: 2015-07-27 at 21:41:21 UTC
Nearby Cities:

• 230km (143mi) W of Abepura, Indonesia
• 244km (152mi) W of Jayapura, Indonesia
• 310km (193mi) W of Vanimo, Papua New Guinea
• 344km (214mi) ENE of Nabire, Indonesia

China Shares Tumble 8.5% on Growth Concerns

Roller coaster ride continues for Chinese shares

A sell-off toward the end of the trading day Monday has sent shares in mainland China tumbling down by a record 8.5 percent, its biggest fall since February 2007.

The Shanghai Composite closed down 8.5 percent, a fraction above 3,725, as more weak economic data on the world’s second largest economy made investors jittery.

Data released on Friday showed that factory activity this month was at its worst since April 2014.

On Monday, new data showed that profit at China’s industrial firms had dropped 0.3% in June from last year, forcing at least 1,500 stocks listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen markets  to nosedive by 10 percent—their allowed maximum daily limit.

Chinese investors ought to be told that the “American dream” is a big scam because it’s neither morally nor ecologically sustainable.

Alaska Hit by Powerful Earthquake

M6.9 earthquake strikes Fox Islands, Alaska

Centered at 52.443°N, 169.597°W the quake struck at a depth of about 27.1 km, reported USGS/EHP.

The event was followed by at least a dozen significant aftershocks, as of posting.

Tsunami Evaluation
NO tsunami danger from this earthquake.

EQ Details

• Magnitude: 6.9Mw
• Location: 52.443°N 169.597°W depth=27.1 km (16.8 mi)
• Time: 2015-07-27 04:49:46 (UTC)
• Distances:
  • 73km (45mi) SW of Nikolski, Alaska
  • 1,538km (956mi) WSW of Anchorage, Alaska

 

Heat Wave Plagues Central U.S.

Heat Index temperatures of up to 115°F forecast for U.S. mid-section

Hot temperatures, caused by an area of high pressure in the U.S. mid-section,  together with high humidity, will lead to Heat Index temperatures of up to 115°degrees Fahrenheit (46°C) across much of the Central Plains and Mid South, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

NWS has issued Heat Advisories and Excessive Heat Warnings for large portions of at least 10 states across the Central and Southern Plains and throughout the Mississippi Valley.

Daily Maximum Heat Index – Forecast

High Temperature Map of the U.S.

FIRE-EARTH Q&A DAY: Planetary Defense Systems – Phase 2 (Part II)

CJ Members

Earth’s Planetary Defense Systems – Phase 2

Critical evaluation of Earth’s defense workings – (Part II)

• FIRE-EARTH Q&A TODAY will start @ 18:02 UTC.

M4.3 Earthquake Strikes Inland Empire, SoCal

USGS/EHP Earthquake Report Revision 2.0

Magnitude: 4.2Mw [revised]
Location: 34.092°N, 117.445°W [revised]
Depth: 5.5km [revised]
Time: 2015-07-25 12:54:06UTC [no change!?]

Earthquake strikes near Fontana, California

Centered at 34.095°N, 117.443°W the quake occurred near the intersection of Merrill and Cypress avenues at a depth of about 5.7km, reported USGS/EHP.

The event, followed by at least 3 small aftershocks, was felt across large portions of the Inland Empire, Orange County and eastern LA County.

EQ Details
Magnitude: 4.3Mw
Location: 34.095°N 117.443°W
Depth: 4.5km
Time: 2015-07-25 at 12:54:06UTC
Nearby Cities:

• 1km (1mi) ESE of Fontana, California
• 5km (3mi) WNW of Bloomington, California
• 15km (9mi) WSW of San Bernardino, California
• 74km (46mi) E of Los Angeles, California

Wildfires Burning in AK, AR, CA, FL, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, WA

U.S. Wildfires: 14 Large fires burning across 5 states

• Alaska (4)
• California (3)
• Montana (3)
• Oregon (2)
• Washington (2)

Year-to-date statistics 2015 (1/1/15 – 7/23/15)
Fires: 34,115
Acres: 5,583,190

Annual average prior 10 years (2005-2014)
Fires: 43,894
Acres: 3,569,966

Evacuation and Fire Updates

• Reynolds Creek Fire
• Blue Creek Fire Wildfire: Evacuation Levels as of 07/24/15 at 7:00pm
• Cabin Gulch Fire – Deep Creek Canyon, Eastern Montana
• California Wragg Fire (FM-5091)
• Shasta-Trinity National Forest Fire Update
• Tanana Are Fires Update 7/24/2015
• Modoc NF Lightning Fires 2015
• Rye Fire, Joseph Canyon, Oregon – Update
• All other Updates

Record Rainfall Ravaging Crops across Illinois

The first version of this post was swallowed by an Internet black-hole without a trace

Illinois Gov. requests USDA Secretarial Disaster Declaration

Governor Rauner has sent an official letter to USDA Secretary requesting all counties in Illinois experiencing crop damage related to recent flooding be included in a Secretarial Disaster Declaration.

“Agriculture producers have sustained significant damage to their crops in portions of Illinois due to excessive rainfall and subsequent flooding from June 1, 2015 to the present. Crop yields in those affected areas will be considerably lower this year,” said the governor in his letter.

Illinois experienced its wettest June on record this year, and has received more than 25cm of rain, about twice the average, in central portions of the state, so far this month.

“After touring some of the hardest hit areas in the state this week, it is noticeable that we will see considerably lower crop yields in those areas this year,” said the State Director of Agriculture.

In Iroquois County, one of the hardest hit areas in the state, about 40% of the crops were submerged at one time due to flooding, according to a statement issued by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Illinois was the No. 1 soybean producer in the U.S. last year. However, this year yields are significantly different, depending on the location.

“Persistent wetness is having a negative impact on yields,” said a report.

Extreme rain events and widespread flooding have impacted crops in other key agricultural states including Indiana, Missouri and Ohio.

The weather in Indiana, Missouri and Ohio “continued to be excessively wet so in general, I don’t think there has been much improvement in the eastern Corn Belt” for crop condition, said an analyst.

FIRE-EARTH Extra: Epic Journey

Ten [or so] things NOT to take on Epic Journey!

Deep Blue Marble!

EXTRA session today (July 24, 2015) at 23:32 UTC [Hosted by surprise guests!]

Back to Back Rainstorms Destroy Thousands of Homes in China

Deadly storms destroy homes, crops and infrastructure in central and southern China

Extreme weather events continue to wreak havoc across vast swathes of central and southern China, destroying homes, crops and public infrastructure.

Back-to-back storms have affected about a million people, forcing 150,000 to flee their homes in several Chinese provinces, reported the official Xinhua news.

“In central China’s Hunan Province, more than 9,000 people have been relocated since a rainstorm started on Wednesday, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.”

At least four people have died and another five are missing after in Liancheng County, eastern Fujian Province, after severe flooding swamped the streets and cut off power, early Wednesday, said the report.

More than 60,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed or damaged.

Crop Disasters Declared in Six States

Crops destroyed by drought, excessive rain, flooding, high winds and hail

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 49 counties and parishes across six states—Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, and Washington—as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought (Oregon and Washington), and excessive rain, flooding, high winds and hail in the other four states.

Crop Disaster Designation #1  due to damages and losses caused by the combined effects of excessive rain, flooding, high winds and hail that occurred from April 27, 2015, through June 26, 2015.

The disaster areas in Louisiana are the parishes of Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, La Salle, Madison, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Martin, Tensas, Vernon, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana and Winn.

Other disaster area are as follows:

• Arkansas. Lafayette and Miller counties.
• Mississippi. Amite and Wilkinson counties.
• Texas. Cass, Harrison, Marion and Panola counties.

Crop Disaster Designation #2 due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

• Oregon. Clackamas, Hood River, Multnomah and Wasco counties.
• Washington. Klickitat and Skamania counties.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 1,500 counties, or county equivalents, across 25 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

USDA has also designated 14 municipalities in Puerto Rico as drought disaster areas.

About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations so far are due to drought.

Crop Disasters 2014

In 2014, USDA declared crop disasters in at least 2,904 counties across 44 states. Most of the designations were due to drought.

Those states were:

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 counties designated as agricultural disaster areas, as listed above, include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

iii. Some counties may have been designated as 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 July 22, 2015 .

Related Links

• Drought Destroys Crops in Florida, Idaho , Montana, Utah, Washington & Puerto Rico  July 16, 2015
• U.S. Drought: Crop Disaster Declared for Idaho Counties July 10, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Six U.S. States July 2, 2015
• Drought and Deluge, Hail and Severe Freezing Destroy Crops in 7 States June 25, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Federal Disaster Declared for New Jersey

New Jersey Declared Major Disaster Area

New Jersey Severe Storm (DR-4231)

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of New Jersey in the areas affected by a severe storm on June 23, 2015. 

The areas that were worst affected by the extreme weather event include the counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester.

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 territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

This is the 27th Major Disaster Declaration [DR 4205-4231] proclaimed for a U.S. state/territory, so far this year. Additionally, the federal government has also issued seven Fire Management Assistance Declarations for the year to date, as of posting.

Fire Management Assistance Declarations (2015)

[FM-5090] 07/20/2015 Washington Blue Creek Fire
[FM-5089] 07/20/2015 California North Fire
[FM-5088] 07/06/2015 Idaho Cape Horn Fire
[FM-5087] 06/29/2015 Washington Sleepy Hollow Fire
[FM-5086] 06/17/2015 Arizona Kearney River Fire
[FM-5085] 06/16/2015 Alaska Card Street Fire
[FM-5084] 06/15/2015 Alaska Sockeye Fire

Related Links

• Federal Disaster Declared for Kansas [DR-4230] July 21, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declared for Colorado [DR-4229] July 19, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declared for Louisiana [DR-4228] July 14, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Wyoming  [DR-4227] July 8, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for West Virginia – (WV’s 4th major disaster in 2 months) [DR-4221] May 22, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Record Warm June, First Half of 2015

Record-breaking temps. over global land & oceans in June, 1st half of 2015, past 12 months

First half of 2015 was record warm for the globe, while June 2015 was warmest June on record, with global land areas and oceans each breaking previous records, according to The State of the Climate Report issued by NCDC/NOAA.

The following are some of the key highlights from the report:

Global highlights: Year-to-date (January–June 2015)

The globally averaged temperature across  land and ocean surfaces (SST) was  0.85°C (1.53°F) above the 20^th century average, which was the highest for the 6-month period in the 1880–2015 record, surpassing the 2010 record by 0.09°C (0.16°F).

NOTES:
The globally-averaged land and SST temperature for January to June 2010 was 14.2°C  (57.5°F), or 0.68°C (1.22°F) above the 20th century average.
The 20^th century average land surface and SST temperature for January to June period, as quoted in 2014, was of 13.5°C (56.3°F)

The globally-averaged land surface temperature was 1.40°C (2.52°F) above the 20^th century average, which was the highest for January–June in 136-year record, surpassing the 2007 record by 0.13°C  (0.23°F).

The globally-averaged SST was 0.65°C  (1.17°F) above the 20^th century average, which was the highest for the 6-month period in the 1880–2015 record, surpassing the 2010 record by 0.07°F (0.04°C).

Global highlights: June 2015

The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for June 2015 was the highest for June in the 136-year period of record, at 0.88°C (1.58°F) above the 20^th century average of 15.5°C (59.9°F), surpassing the previous record set just one year ago by 0.12°C (0.22°F). This was also the fourth highest monthly departure from average for any month on record. The two highest monthly departures from average occurred earlier this year in February and March, both at 0.90°C (1.62°F) above the 20^th century average for their respective months, while January 2007 had the third highest, at 0.89°C (1.60°F) above its monthly average.

The average global temperature across land surfaces was 1.26°C (2.27°F) above the 20^th century average of 13.3°C (55.9°F), the highest June temperature on record, surpassing the 2012 record by 0.06°C (0.11°F).

The global sea surface temperature for June was 0.74°C (1.33°F) above the 20^th century average of 16.4°C (61.5°F), the highest for June on record, surpassing the 2014 record by 0.06°C (0.11°F). [This also tied with September 2014 as the highest monthly departure from average for any month for the globally-averaged sea surface temperature. Nine of the ten highest monthly departures from average have occurred since May 2014.]

June 2015 also marks the fourth month this year that has broken its monthly temperature record, along with February, March, and May. The other months of 2015 were not far behind: January was second warmest for its respective month and April was third warmest. These six warm months combined with the previous six months (four of which were also record warm) to make the period July 2014–June 2015 the warmest 12-month period in the 136-year period of record, surpassing the previous record set just last month (June 2014–May 2015). 

Rank 1 = Warmest Period of Record: 1880–2015	12-month Period	Anomaly °C	Anomaly °F
1	July 2014–June 2015	0.83	1.49
2	June 2014–May 2015	0.82	1.48
3	May 2014–April 2015	0.81	1.46
4	April 2014–March 2015	0.80	1.44
5	March 2014–February 2015	0.79	1.42
6 (tie)	January–December 2014	0.78	1.40
6 (tie)	February 2014–January 2015	0.78	1.40
8	December 2013–November 2014	0.77	1.39
9	November 2013–October 2014	0.74	1.33
10 (tie*)	October 2013–September 2014	0.73	1.31

*ties with four other 12-month periods.  NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: Global Analysis for June 2015, published online July 2015, retrieved on July 22, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201506.

Related Links

• 2014 Was Warmest Year on Record July 20, 2015
• Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters – 2014 Update June 19, 2015
• Earth’s Fever Continues: Warmest May on Record June 19, 2015
• January–April Global Temperature Highest Ever Recorded  May 20, 2015
• Warmest Ever: March and Q1, 2015 April 18, 2015
• December–February Warmest on Record March 21, 2015

First Half of 2015 Record Warm Globally

Global land and oceans both record warm for June

First half of 2015 was record warm for the globe, while June 2015 was warmest June on record, with global land areas and oceans each breaking previous records, according to The State of the Climate Report issued by NCDC/NOAA.

The following are some of the key highlights from the report:

Global highlights: Year-to-date (January–June 2015)

The globally averaged temperature across  land and ocean surfaces (SST) was  0.85°C (1.53°F) above the 20^th century average, which was the highest for the 6-month period in the 1880–2015 record, surpassing the 2010 record by 0.09°C (0.16°F).

NOTES:
The globally-averaged land and SST temperature for January to June 2010 was 14.2°C  (57.5°F), or 0.68°C (1.22°F) above the 20th century average.
The 20^th century average land surface and SST temperature for January to June period, as quoted in 2014, was of 13.5°C (56.3°F)

The globally-averaged land surface temperature was 1.40°C (2.52°F) above the 20^th century average, which was the highest for January–June in 136-year record, surpassing the 2007 record by 0.13°C  (0.23°F).

The globally-averaged SST was 0.65°C  (1.17°F) above the 20^th century average, which was the highest for the 6-month period in the 1880–2015 record, surpassing the 2010 record by 0.07°F (0.04°C).

Global highlights: June 2015

The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for June 2015 was the highest for June in the 136-year period of record, at 0.88°C (1.58°F) above the 20^th century average of 15.5°C (59.9°F), surpassing the previous record set just one year ago by 0.12°C (0.22°F). This was also the fourth highest monthly departure from average for any month on record. The two highest monthly departures from average occurred earlier this year in February and March, both at 0.90°C (1.62°F) above the 20^th century average for their respective months, while January 2007 had the third highest, at 0.89°C (1.60°F) above its monthly average.

The average global temperature across land surfaces was 1.26°C (2.27°F) above the 20^th century average of 13.3°C (55.9°F), the highest June temperature on record, surpassing the 2012 record by 0.06°C (0.11°F).

The global sea surface temperature for June was 0.74°C (1.33°F) above the 20^th century average of 16.4°C (61.5°F), the highest for June on record, surpassing the 2014 record by 0.06°C (0.11°F). [This also tied with September 2014 as the highest monthly departure from average for any month for the globally-averaged sea surface temperature. Nine of the ten highest monthly departures from average have occurred since May 2014.]

June 2015 also marks the fourth month this year that has broken its monthly temperature record, along with February, March, and May. The other months of 2015 were not far behind: January was second warmest for its respective month and April was third warmest. These six warm months combined with the previous six months (four of which were also record warm) to make the period July 2014–June 2015 the warmest 12-month period in the 136-year period of record, surpassing the previous record set just last month (June 2014–May 2015). 

Rank 1 = Warmest Period of Record: 1880–2015	12-month Period	Anomaly °C	Anomaly °F
1	July 2014–June 2015	0.83	1.49
2	June 2014–May 2015	0.82	1.48
3	May 2014–April 2015	0.81	1.46
4	April 2014–March 2015	0.80	1.44
5	March 2014–February 2015	0.79	1.42
6 (tie)	January–December 2014	0.78	1.40
6 (tie)	February 2014–January 2015	0.78	1.40
8	December 2013–November 2014	0.77	1.39
9	November 2013–October 2014	0.74	1.33
10 (tie*)	October 2013–September 2014	0.73	1.31

*ties with four other 12-month periods.  NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: Global Analysis for June 2015, published online July 2015, retrieved on July 22, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201506.

Related Links

• 2014 Was Warmest Year on Record July 20, 2015

 

Disasters Displace 3 Percent of World Population in 7 Years

One person displaced by a disaster every second, while one in every 122 humans is a refugee!

An estimated one person has been displaced by a disaster every second since 2008, with 19.3 million people forced to flee their homes in 2014 alone.

In 2014, 17.5 million people were forced to flee their homes due to disasters caused by extreme  weather events such as storms and flooding, while 1.7 million by geophysical hazards, especially earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, said  the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in its global report released this week.

The report argues that these drivers are increasing the number of people becoming displaced, and the risk that their displacement becomes a long-term problem. Today, the likelihood of being displaced by a disaster is 60% higher than it was four decades ago, and an analysis of 34 cases reveals that disaster displacement can last for up to 26 years.

People in both rich and poor countries can be caught in protracted, or long-term, displacement. In the US, over 56,000 people are still in need of housing assistance following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and 230,000 people have been unable to establish new homes in Japan following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident.

Disasters displaced more than 19.3 million people in 100 countries last year, according to the NRC report.

• Since 2008, an average of 26.4 million people have been displaced by disasters each year—equivalent to one person displaced every second.
• Asia, home to 60% of the world’s population, and with 16.7 million people displaced, accounted for 87 per cent of the global total in 2014.
• China, India and the Philippines experienced the highest levels of displacement in absolute terms, both in 2014 and for the 2008 to 2014 period.
• Displacements of fewer than 100,000 people made up 95.4 per cent of the events recorded in 2014, but only 17 percent of the total number displaced.
• Disasters caused by extreme weather events accounted for 86 percent of all displacements  in the 7-year report period (2008 to 2014), with the remaining 14 percent being due to geophysical events, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
• In 2014, Europe experienced double its average level of displacement for the past seven years. 190,000 people were displaced in 2014, mostly by flood disasters in the Balkans.

Via NRC/ IDMC. Japan’s triple disasters, Tōhoku earthquake, the massive tsunami and the nuclear meltdowns, forced more than 470,000 people to flee their homes, and four years later about 230,000 are still displaced. [The monkey government of warmongering Shinzo Abe is more interested in throwing obscene amounts of money at the arms industry, instead of building new homes for its displaced and traumatized people.] “The mental and physical health of IDPs has also deteriorated. A 2015 survey of evacuees revealed that many from both inside and outside official evacuation zones were suffering from sleeping disorders, anxiety, loneliness and depression. Fukushima is the only prefecture where the number of deaths resulting from health issues and suicides related to the disaster has exceeded the toll from the direct impacts of the earthquake and tsunami.”

World at War: One in Every 122 Humans is a Refugee

UNHCR’s annual Global Trends Report: World at War, released on June 18, 2015 said that worldwide displacement in 2014 was at the highest level ever recorded.

An astounding 59.5 million people, a population the size of Canada and Australia combined, were forcibly displaced at the end of 2014, compared to 51.2 million a year earlier and 37.5 million ten years ago.