Drought, Extreme Heat Cripple China, Japan, S. Korea

Drought and extreme heat plague many parts of  China, as heat dome hovers over east Asia

Record temperatures, many of them above 40ºC, are seriously affecting people, killing poultry and livestock and destroying crops across east Asia.

Original caption: A farmer shows the dried-up rice fields in Hejia Village of Yongxin County, east China’s Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2013. Lingering drought has caused severe damage to agricultural products, leaving millions of people short of drinking water in many parts of China. (Xinhua/Zhou Ke). More images…

Up to a staggering 10 percent of the population, an estimated 130 million people, have been affected by drought in the south, southwest, central, east and southeast, and by extreme heat in central and eastern China.

Original caption: An excavator is used for seeking water on a riverbed in Shuangfeng County of Loudi City, central China’s Hunan Province, Aug. 8, 2013. Regions in Hunan Province were hit by a severe drought this summer due to lingering high temperatures and lack of rainfall, leaving about 1.5 million people short of drinking water. (Xinhua/Bai Yu). More images …

More than 10 million people and at least as many livestock are short of drinking water, in the worst affected regions including Jiangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan and Zhejiang Provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

A villager prepares to pump water from a deep cave in Motou Village of Quanzhou County, Guilin City, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 9, 2013. (Xinhua/Lu Bo’an. More images…

  Original caption: Soldiers carry water for local residents in Zhoushan City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Aug. 11, 2013. A lingering drought has left 417,000 people short of drinking water in the province. The Zhejiang provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters raised the drought emergency response system to level-3 on Sunday. (Xinhua/Xu Yu). More images…

Japan

In western Japan the mercury rose to 40.7ºC causing more heatstroke and heat related illnesses. More than 30,000 people have been hospitalized since May this year, a rise of 10 percent compared with last year.

Weather authorities have issued several alerts, advising people to reduce exposure to the sun and remain well-hydrated.

South Korea

“The entire Korean Peninsula is sweltering with average daily temperature reaching just under 33 degrees in Seoul. The heat has killed tens thousands of chickens and fish, a serious blow to the poultry and fish farming industry,” said a report.

Meantime, the country faces serious power shortages this week as temperatures are forecast to rise pushing up demand for power, while six of the SK’s nuclear plants r4emain off-line.

“If one nuclear reactor stops its operation all of a sudden, we may have to start rolling power blackouts like we did on September 15, 2011,” Energy Minister Yoon Sang-jick told reporters.

SK’s power demand is forecast to peak at about “80,500 megawatts (MW) in the next three days while its power supply capacity is seen at 77,440 MW the energy ministry said in a statement. With all the possible power-saving and supplying measures, the supply surplus could be raised to 1,800 MW but that would still not be enough,” said a report.

The heatwave is forecast to linger in East Asia until at least next week.

Related Links

• Major Catastrophe Unfolding in China
• China’s Latest Drought Disaster Figures
• Shanghai Sets Yet Another Record High Temp August 7, 2013

Flooding Destroys Town of Caopo in SW China

Extreme floods destroy Caopo, leave entire population homeless

The town of Caopo in SW China’s Sichuan province has been completely destroyed by extreme flooding, which has also triggered large scale landslide, blocking the roads and leaving the town solated.

“Officials say Caopo’s five thousand residents have been given temporary shelters, after flooding destroyed their homes,” said a report.on July 16, 2013

An aerial photo taken from a helicopter shows a road to Caopo Township blocked by several major landslides and mudslide in Wenchuan County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Wu Yongbin). More images …

Landslide in Dujiangyan City kills at least 58, leaves 175 missing

At least 43 people were left dead after a landslide in the village of Sanxi, Dujiangyan City, in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. “Some 118 people across the city were missing or can not immediately be reached. Local authorities are continuing to verify the exact number of those missing,” said a report.

Hundreds Stranded in Sichuan Storms

Heavy rain triggered floods in Shimian county, Sichuan province, early on Saturday, stranding about 400 villagers.

In the wee hours of Saturday, the storm lashed six townships in Shimian, flooding six rivers.

“Roads as well as power and communication were cut off in the townships. More than 1,100 people including two foreign tourists were evacuated,” said deputy county magistrate Hu Jijun.

As floods inundated roads to Shimian’s Caoke township, some 400 residents in the township’s Keping village lost contact with the outside world in the morning.

Meantime, the water supply was cut off in many parts of Chengdu because the city’s drinking water source was polluted by the rising floodwaters, and vegetable prices soared as extreme rains destroyed crops and disrupted supplies.

Cost to the People and Sichuan Economy

The recent storm, which have been pounding Sichuan beginning since July 7, have affected about 2.5 million people, leaving tens of thousands homeless. Direct economic losses is so far estimated at more than 12 billion yuan ($2 billion) have been pounding, said the Sichuan provincial department of civil affairs.

Disaster Hits Also Shaanxi Province

Rainstorms continued to buffet much of northern China, killing scores of people and causing severe damage to property and infrastructure.

“In northwest Shaanxi province, rain has caused the death of 27 people, and affected over 800,000. The resulting economic losses add up to 1.8 billion yuan or around 300 million US dollars,” said a report.

“In the city of Yan’an, nearly one hundred historic sites have been damaged by landslides and other rain-related accidents. Many other sites have been closed.

“Northern Shanxi province has also been hard hit by downpours, seeing the most rain since 1961. Experts say soil moisture in some areas has reached critical levels, and could trigger more disasters.”

Extreme floods destroy bridge in NE China, killing 4

Original Caption: A road bridge that formed part of the No. 101 national expressway is seen collapsed in Fuxin, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, July 16, 2013. Heavy overnight rain toppled the bridge early Tuesday, leaving four people dead. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Related Links

• Typhoon SOULIK Affects 2 Million in China  July 15, 2013
• Hundreds of Thousands Evacuated as SOULIK Hits China July 13, 2013
• Extreme Weather Wreaks Havoc in SW China July 10, 2013
• Disaster Diary – July 9, 2013 July 9, 2013

The Land of Rising Heat

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

2012 warmest year on record for continental U.S.

The Lower 48 experienced its warmest year on record in 2012 as the average temperature rose to 12.9°C (55.3°F), some 1.8°C (3.2°F) above the 20^th century average, and 0.6°C (1.0°F) above 1998, the previous warmest year, NOAA reported.

Every state in the contiguous U.S. had an above-average annual temperature for 2012. Nineteen states had a record warm year and an additional 26 states had one of their 10 warmest. Source: NOAA

Other Highlights

• 2012 was the 2nd most extreme year on record for the country, according the U.S. Climate Extremes Index. “The index, which evaluates extremes in temperature and precipitation, as well as landfalling tropical cyclones, was nearly twice the average value and second only to 1998. To date, 2012 has seen 11 disasters that have reached the $1 billion threshold in losses, to include Sandy, Isaac, and tornado outbreaks experienced in the Great Plains, Texas and Southeast/Ohio Valley.”
• The average precipitation total for the contiguous U.S. for 2012 was 67.5 cm (26.57 inches), 6.5 cm (2.57 in) below average.
• The 2012 drought plagued 61 percent of the U.S. at its peak in July. “The dry conditions proved ideal for wildfires in the West, charring 9.2 million acres — the third highest on record.”

Annual Extremes: Several locations throughout the United States experienced temperature and precipitation extremes in 2012. Most striking was the number of locations across the country that broke their average annual temperature record. These records were primarily driven by extremely warm maximum day time temperatures or daily highs, especially during the spring and summer months. More than a dozen of these locations also experienced their driest year on record. In those areas, the combination of the extreme warm and dry period resulted in a drought comparable to the drought episodes of the 1950s. Source: NOAA/NCDC

Significant weather and climate events- Preliminary

Significant weather and climate events- preliminary

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

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DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,158 Days Left 

[January 9, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,158 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

Extreme Weather Event in Melbourne Declared Catastrophe

Melbourne’s Xmas Day violent storms declared a catastrophe by insurers

The Insurance Council of Australia has declared the extreme weather event that tore through Melbourne a catastrophe.

Disaster Calendar 2011 – December 29

[December 29, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,539 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Melbourne, Australia.Insurance industry has declared the extreme weather event that struck Melbourne on Xmas Day Australia’s 8th catastrophe in 2011.
  • The insurance companies have received more than 15,000 claims for homes, businesses and vehicle damage following the violent storms, and the number is expected to grow in the coming weeks as more people return from their holidays, reports said.
  • Insured losses from the 2011 catastrophes are estimated to top $4.5 billion this year, more than twice the $2.144 billion in 2010.
• Aklan Province, Philippines.  Authorities in the Aklan Province, Western Visayas, Philippines, have declared a State of Calamity after giant waves battering against coastal areas destroyed or damaged at least 500 homes.
  • Municipality of New Washington in Western Visayas is the worst hit area.
  • The disaster has left thousands of people displaced, destroyed crops and infrastructure.

Global Disaster Links

• Disaster Calendar 2011 – December 25

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• 2010 Disasters [Includes Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters: 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• 2011 Disaster Calendar