Ready to Welcome Climate Refugees?

Brought to you by ‘nonnegotiable lifestyle’

Not a climate refugee yet? You’ll probably have to play host to a few, for now!

Here’s a sample of what may soon be occurring on much larger scales:

About 300,000 people living on the slopes of Mount Elgon, Bududa, Uganda, will be moved: Ugandan Government

The government says another 200,000 people who live in western Uganda, near the Ruwenzori mountains, should also be relocated, bringing the total of people at risk of floods and landslides to a whopping half a million. And that is just the beginning!

Map of Uganda. Click image to enlarge. Source: U.S. Govt. Image enhanced by Fire-Earth.

The total population at risk of landslides and floods is estimated to be 500,000,” Ugandan deputy minister for disaster preparedness, Musa Ecweru said.

He has described the recent deadly mudslide in Bududa as a “wake-up call.”

Fearing more floods and landslides, about 300,000 people have already abandoned their homes in the mountainous regions in Bududa including the districts of Budaka, Butaleja, and Tororo, he said.

His fears are compounded by recent meteorological reports forecasting above normal rainfall throughout the ongoing rainy season which ends in May [but might linger on longer this year.]

Ecweru says most of the mountainous area in eastern border of  his  country with Kenya, especially the slopes of Mount Elgon (located about  about 275km north-east of the capital Kampala), is too dangerous for human habitation.

“The Elgon region has been invaded up to very dangerous slopes and if we don’t relocate these people we are likely to witness a repeat of what we have witnessed,” he said, referring to the massive mudslide last struck the region on March 1.

A woman searches for her missing relatives on a pile of soil in Bududa village, 210 km (130 miles) east-northeast of the Ugandan capital Kampala, March 3, 2010. The landslide in eastern Uganda has killed at least 80 people and villagers are digging with bare hands and simple tools in the hope of finding survivors, a government minister and Ugandan media said on Tuesday. Credit: REUTERS/James Akena. Image may be subject to copyright. For more images click link bottom of page.

According to different reports between 82 and 106 bodies have so far been recovered from the  mudslide in the Bududa district, but the death toll is thought to be between 106 and 350. A fast-moving avalanche of earth buried homes, schools, shops and other structures, turning entire villages into instant graves.

Folks, learn to be a good host, look after any guest who comes your way. Who knows, you could be knocking on other peoples’ door before long.

AND never say, “it would never happen to us!”

Related Links:

• 2010 Disaster Calender
• Storms, Extreme Rain Events, Floods, Landslides
• Drought and Deluge
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• 2010: The Year of Disasters
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion

Related News Links:

• Floods displace over 300,000 people in Uganda
• Uganda plans to resettle 500,000 over mudslide risk
• Over 500,000 people in Uganda at risk of landslides, floods

More images of mudslides:

• Reuters photos

Australian Floods: Crocodiles Swam in the Streets

Crocodiles in a Street Near You

Crocodiles have been sighted swimming in floodwaters in Australia’s north Queensland, which were partially submerged as a result of massive floods caused by torrential rains, and where more than 70 percent of the state has been declared a disaster area.

A township in north Queensland, Australia. Photo: Live News. Image may be subject to copyright.

At least three sightings of crocodiles were reported in the in the town of Nomanton, “where children have been warned not to play in the floodwaters.”  A report said.

Forecasters predicted another cyclone and heavy rain for the rest of the week for the disaster-stricken north Queensland.

‘Dying’ Continent: Caught Between Hell and High Water

Exceptional Australian Heat Wave. Image: Earth Observatory NASA. Caption: Rebbecca Lindsey.

This map of Australia shows how the land surface temperature from January 25 to February 1 compared to the average mid-summer temperatures the continent experienced between 2000-2008. Places where temperatures were warmer than average are red, places experiencing near-normal temperatures are white, and places where temperatures were cooler than average are blue. The data were collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. While southern Australia was scorching, a similarly large area of northern and central Australia was several degrees cooler than it was in the previous nine years. The cool anomaly across that region is probably linked to the above-average rainfall the area has received during this year’s wet season.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) called this heat wave “exceptional,” not only for the high temperatures but for their duration. One-day records were broken in multiple cities, with temperatures in the mid-40s. In Kyancutta, South Australia, the temperature reached 48.2 degrees Celsius (118.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Many places also set records for the number of consecutive days with record-breaking heat.

“On the morning of 29 January, an exceptional event also occurred in the northern suburbs of Adelaide around 3 a.m., when strong north-westerly winds mixed hot air aloft to the surface. At RAAF Edinburgh [a regional airport], the temperature rose to 41.7°C at 3:04 a.m. Such an event appears to be without known precedent in southern Australia.” Bom said.

Related News Links:

• Torrential rain continues to drench north Queensland
• Crocodiles in the streets as floods ravage Australia’s Queensland
• Clean-up begins as rain eases in flooded north Queensland

Related Links:

• A Living Hell Heated by Australian Coal
• Torrential Rains Flood Northern Australia

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