Powerful Tornado Destroys Dozens of Homes in Chiba, Japan

Tornado tears through central Japan

A powerful tornado tore through central Japan, destroying or damaging more than 100 homes and injuring about a dozen people in Chiba city, near Tokyo.

The tornado reportedly uprooted scores of utility posts, and damaged cars and trains.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm ETAU moved closer to Kii Peninsula, Japan, threatening to dump up to 20 inches of rain on the western part of the Kansai region, which would trigger severe flooding and landslides.

 

Drought Emergency in Papua New Guinea

Deadly drought and frost kill crops, cause severe food shortages in PNG and Guatemala

An urgent call for help has been made from the Papua New Guinea province of Madang which has been badly affected by drought and frost.

Reports say up to 80 percent of the province has been affected, with food gardens destroyed by frost and streams running dry.

At least 1.8 million people have been affected by drought and frost in the Highlands region of PNG. Drought and frost have destroyed crops, and several schools and health facilities have been forced to close due to water shortages, said ACAPS.

“Guina said the National Disaster Centre had not received any reports of people being displaced but unconfirmed reports from Chimbu said that at least 14 people had died. In another area of the province, an unconfirmed report said five people had died,” said a report.

Guatemala

Severe drought in Guatemala has led to a deterioration of food security, with about a million people facing acute food shortages, mainly due to reduced harvest. More than 900,000 people have no food stocks left, according to ACAPS.

 

Strong Earthquake Strikes Kermadec Trench, NE of NZ

M6.4 quake strikes SSE of L’Esperance Rock, New Zealand

Centered at  32.932°S, 177.891°W the quake occurred at a depth of 35.4km, reported USGS/EHP.

Tsunami Evaluation
This quake did not generate a destructive tsunami.

Aftershocks [as of posting]

• M4.9, 184km SSE of L’Esperance Rock, New Zealand 2015-09-07 10:30:23 UTC depth= 12.4 km
• M4.8, 188km SSE of L’Esperance Rock, New Zealand 2015-09-07 09:52:32 UTC depth= 39.4 km

EQ Details
Magnitude: 6.4Mw
Location: 32.932°S, 177.891°W
Depth: 35.4 km
Time: 2015-09-07 09:13:58 UTC

Nearby Cities:

• 191km (119mi) SSE of L’Esperance Rock, New Zealand
• 725km (450mi) NE of Whakatane, New Zealand
• 735km (457mi) NNE of Gisborne, New Zealand
• 754km (469mi) NE of Tauranga, New Zealand
• 1,132km (703mi) NE of Wellington, New Zealand