Drought Drying Up Thousands of Rivers and Reservoirs in China

Millions Short of Drinking Water in S, SW and Central China

Disastrous drought continues to plague parts of Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei provinces, affecting at least 12 million people.  More than 3 million people and 2 million livestock have been affected by severe shortages of drinking water, and the drought is expected to continue, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said. As of July 26, about 2.5 million hectares of farmland have also been affected.

• “Since the start of July, the amount of precipitation in those areas has been down dramatically from that recorded during the same period of last year, the headquarters said.”

• “In the coming days, droughts are likely to continue in those regions as high temperatures and little precipitation persist, according to the country’s weather forecasters.”

Guizhou Province: Persistent and widespread droughts in southwest China’s Guizhou Province have affected up to 10 million people in more than 200 counties since mid-June. More than 1 million people lack adequate supplies of drinking water, and about 600,000 hectares of crops is being lost or damaged by the drought, said the provincial government.

Hunan Province:  Severe drought has spread in central China’s Hunan Province leaving more 1.15 million people short of drinking water.

“Over 100 counties in 14 cities and prefectures in the province have been affected by the drought. About 6 million mu (400,000 hectares) of crops have also been affected and 311,000 heads of livestock lack adequate amounts of drinking water, according to the headquarters,” said a report.

“The extreme weather has also caused 186 rivers and 252 reservoirs to dry up.

“The province has sent 2.5 million people and 13,000 water tankers to irrigate croplands and provide water for 365,000 people, the headquarters said.”

YOU Could Be Next!

Original Caption:  Resident Lyu Youde walks on the dried-up pond bed at Jingtang Village of Wufengpu Town in Shaoyang County, central China’s Hunan Province, July 24, 2013. A drought that has lasted since early July has left 533,000 people short of drinking water in the province. 107 counties of 14 cities and prefectures in the province have been affected by the drought, with about 6027,000 hectares of crops damaged and 311,000 heads of livestock short of water. Also in the province, 186 rivers and 252 reservoirs are dry. (Xinhua/Li Ga). More images…

Related Links

• Drought Disaster 2013
• “Super heat wave hits many parts of China”
• China to Become Top Wheat Importer after Major Crop Disaster July 17, 2013

 

China to Become Top Wheat Importer after Major Crop Disaster

Frost and rain have ruined more wheat in China than previously estimated: Report

Weather damage in China’s northern grain belt may have ruined more than  20 million metric tons of the wheat crop, or 16 percent, which is double the volume previously estimated, said a report.

“Higher imports, which have already been revised upwards on initial damage reports, will further shrink global supplies and support prices, fuelling new worries over global food security.”

“The harvest was terrible”

Farmers in Henan, China’s top wheat producing Province, say frost in the growing period and rainstorms during the harvest have slashed production by 40 percent compared with 2012, the report said .

Global wheat output is forecast to rise this year, but will still fall  below demand resulting in  the  lowest wheat stocks since 2008/09.

In 2012, China accounted for about 20 percent of global wheat production and consumption.

China is expected to become top wheat buyer in 2014, eclipsing Egypt as the world’s top importer, the report said.

The crop damage in China is adding to concerns over global food supplies following the crop quality downgrades experienced by the United States and the Black Sea region due to adverse weather.

Exclusive: China may become top wheat importer after crops ruined

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The Big Picture

FIRE-EARTH population model shows mass die-offs resulting from human impact on the planet and the planetary response to the anthropogenic harm could occur by early 2016.

FIRE-EARTH Climate Models show climate change forcings and feedbacks switching global weather patterns onto “primordial tracks.”

The extreme weather events triggered by anthropogenic climate change have a four-prong impact on humans over the next 50 months [forecast released in 2011.] FIRE-EARTH models forecast:

1. Food production:

• Average decline of 22% in the global agricultural output
• Loss of topsoil and worsening of soil quality
• Rapid Climate Change & Extreme Weather Events
  • Drought and Deluge
  • Extremes of Temperature
  • Heatwaves and Late Frosts
  • Desertification and Dust Storms
• Crop Pests
• Increases in the size and occurrence of dead zones
• Large decline in marine food sources

2. Spread of Disease

• Substantial increases in the spread of diseases
  • Vector borne
  • Air borne
  • Water borne
  • Food borne
• Superbugs:  Emergence of resistant bacteria, especially MDR bacteria
• Resurgence of killer infectious diseases
• Increases in the spread of human immunodeficiency viruses
• Significant decline in air quality (and corresponding increase in chronic respiratory diseases)
• Other viral diseases
• Massive rises in mental illnesses

3. Physical Safety

Major increases in the number of deaths and injuries, as well as large scale displacements due to the loss of shelter and livelihood caused by extreme weather and geophysical events including:

• Tornadoes
• Hurricanes
• Storms and Extreme Weather
• Climate Change
• Extreme Rain Events
• Flash Flooding
• Drought and Deluge
• Landslides
• Extremes of Temperature
• Deforestation
• Wildfires
• Loss of “Seasons”
• Earthquakes*
• Tsunamis*
• Volcanic activity*
• Nuclear Incidents
• Oil Spills
• Chemical and Biological Threats
• Poisoned and Polluted Environment (Air, Water and Soil pollution)
• Ozone Depletion  (Ozone Holes)

4. The Combined Effect

Social upheavals, regional conflicts and wars caused by mass migrations and scarcity of basic resources resulting from the combined effects of the above, as well as other mechanisms.

July 17, 2013 – SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN –

969 Days Left

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

No Cash, No Feed: Crisis Hits SW Victoria Herd

Hundreds of dairy cows and beef cattle in SW Victoria, Australia are starving to death

“It really comes down to a very fine balancing act between the bank (not giving us any more loans to buy feed) and keeping the cows alive; it’s the toughest, most heartbreaking time we’ve ever faced,” said dairy farmer Scott Gapes.

This photo of dying cattle was sent to The Weekend Australian by Dr Mike Hamblin. Source: The Australian

“I see animals suffering from malnutrition and farmers distressed by their financial situation (that) makes it impossible to feed them,” wrote Dr Hamblin, local veterinarian and dairy consultant.

“Snaps from two farms I visited last week (are attached). These animals are too weak to stand. Owners (one male and one female) were crying openly at their stock starving (but) are financially powerless to correct.

The Weekend Australian was later asked by Dr Hamblin not to publish the distressing photos for fear they would spark an urban backlash.

“And there is worse to come; June is a record dry (month) and feed (to buy) is now so scarce and expensive; what actions do we take; where will it all end?” Hamblin said.

Cows are dying and farmers face ruin as fodder runs out

by: Sue Neales, Rural reporter
From: The Australian
July 06, 2013

Hundreds of dairy cows and beef cattle in southwest Victoria are starving, weak and at risk of death this weekend.

Desperate dairy farmers in the Colac, Camperdown, Warrnambool and Koroit region have no grass in their paddocks and no hay in their sheds to feed their cattle after the driest nine months and hottest summer on record, The Australian reports.

Dairy farmers already struggling with unsustainable debts, low milk prices and falling land values and farm equity are having to choose between putting food on their family’s kitchen table or feeding the milking herd.

Prices for hay and stock grain have quadrupled since the start of the year, as more farmers try to buy in hay, silage, wheat, straw and even almond husks to feed their hungry cows. Top-quality lucerne hay is impossible to source.

As winter arrives, dozens of cows have died in their paddocks from complications linked to starvation and malnutrition. Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber has branded it an animal welfare crisis that will only get worse.

Mr Barber accused the Victorian government, headed by former vet, western Victorian local MP and Liberal Premier Denis Napthine, of keeping quiet about the scale of the impending starving cattle disaster because of concerns about a public outcry.

The Midfield meatworks at Warrnambool is overflowing with old and weak dairy cows that can no longer be fed, with a two-week waiting list to book in cows for slaughter. The pet food processor at Camperdown, who is licensed to pick up carcasses from the paddock, has also been inundated with calls.

Last week, one dairy farmer in Simpson, south of Colac, shot 120 of his dairy cows in the paddock because they were too weak to milk or survive the trip to the knackery to be turned into hamburger mince.

The Victorian Department of Primary Industries is believed to be considering laying charges of animal cruelty against some farmers whose stock have died of starvation.

Winslow dairy farmer Scott Gapes has lost 10 pregnant cows that were so weak they could not stand and developed pregnancy toxaemia. Several others came back into the milking shed after calving “so skinny” that Mr Gapes put them out of their misery.

“It really comes down to a very fine balancing act between the bank (not giving us any more loans to buy feed) and keeping the cows alive; it’s the toughest, most heartbreaking time we’ve ever faced,” Mr Gapes said.

Local veterinarian and dairy consultant Mike Hamblin wrote two weeks ago to state and federal politicians appealing for help to prevent a desperate situation getting even worse.

His letter, followed up by meetings in Canberra with former treasurer Wayne Swan and former agriculture minister Joe Ludwig, was accompanied by stark photos he had taken of dying and starving dairy cows looking like bags of bones.

“I see animals suffering from malnutrition and farmers distressed by their financial situation (that) makes it impossible to feed them,” Dr Hamblin wrote.

“Snaps from two farms I visited last week (are attached). These animals are too weak to stand. Owners (one male and one female) were crying openly at their stock starving (but) are financially powerless to correct.

“And there is worse to come; June is a record dry (month) and feed (to buy) is now so scarce and expensive; what actions do we take; where will it all end?”

In western Victoria, it is too cold until about the third week in September at the earliest for paddocks to start growing grass again. “There is worse to come; June is a record dry (month) and feed (to buy) is now so scarce and expensive. What actions do we take? Where will it all end?” Hamblin says.

Hamblin tells The Weekend Australian it is the worst and driest season he has seen in western Victoria in his nearly 40 years there, with less than half the usual rainfall since last August, a devastatingly hot summer and little spring or autumn grass growth.

After The Weekend Australian was sent his despairing email with a request from the chairman of the Rural Debt working group, Rowell Walton, to “help get the message out”, Dr Hamblin asked the paper not to publish the distressing photographs for fear they would spark an urban backlash.

Victorian Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said the state government was well aware that some livestock were starving in the region because financially stressed farmers could not afford to feed them enough.

“We all knew there was this risk of this happening when there wasn’t an early autumn (rain) break,” Mr Walsh said.

He said the Department of Primary Industries was monitoring the situation and working with farmers. “If we think there is a risk (their cattle are so weak they might die), the preferred outcome is to transport them to an abattoir or knackery rather than (let them die on the farm).”

Read more at The Australian.

Related Links

• Mass Die-off: Diseased Carcasses Removed by Truckload May 26, 2013
• Cows are dying and farmers face ruin as fodder runs out July 6, 2013

Weekly Average CO2 at Mauna Loa Tops 400ppm

Accelerating Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Up-to-date weekly average CO₂ at Mauna Loa

• Week beginning on May 26, 2013:     400.03 ppm
• Weekly value from 1 year ago:     396.43 ppm
• Weekly value from 10 years ago:     378.57 ppm

Recent Monthly Average Mauna Loa CO₂

• April 2013:     398.40 ppm
• April 2012:     396.18 ppm

Recent Global CO₂

• March 2013:     396.52 ppm
• March 2012:     393.57 ppm

Related Links

• CO2 Tops 400ppm at Mauna Loa as Forecast May 11, 2013
• 400 PPM April 3, 2013

 

IDP Numbers Continue Rising Globally

Deteriorating Humanitarian Crisis: Millions of Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) Facing Severe Food Shortages

Record numbers of migrants from the Horn of Africa are crossing into Yemen: UN-OCHA

The following are excerpts from various reports published by UN-OCHA, its  and other IDP-related agencies.

Ethiopia: More than 107,000 recorded migrants crossed the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden into Yemen in 2012, of whom 80,000 were from Ethiopia.

“Record numbers of migrants from the Horn of Africa are crossing into Yemen, most of them on their way to find better opportunities in Saudi Arabia and other rich Gulf countries. But many do not make it any further. Seeking a new life, they end up unwitting victims of a smuggling racket designed to exploit the migrants at each juncture of their journey.” UN-OCHA reported.

Pakistan:  Since mid-March, about 48,000 people have been displaced from the Maidan area in the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) , due to an escalation of hostilities between rival armed groups and the Government’s security operations against armed non-state actors. UN-OCHA reported.

• Officials estimate that up to 60,000 people (10,000 families) may leave the conflict-affected area in the near future and remain in displacement for up to six months due to security concerns.

• As of 10 April, UNHCR had registered 2,364 newly displaced families. The majority were displaced to
  Kurram (1,182 families), while the rest sought refuge in Peshawar (555 families), Nowshera (556 families)
  and Kohat (71 families).

• Some 165,427 displaced families, that is IDPs, are currently registered in Khyber Pakhtunkh (KP) and FATA.

Afghan Refugees

• Some 1.64 million Afghan refugees currently “receiving humanitarian assistance.”

• More than 1.3 million others who have returned to FATA since 2009.

Chad: Influx of refugees and returnees

More than 74,000 people have fled into Chad from Darfur in the past two months, 50,000 of them in the past week alone, causing the largest influx of refugees from Sudan into Chad since 2005, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Hunger in Mali

Hunger in Mali has reached crisis levels in the northern Kidal Region and has reached critical levels in Gao and Timbuktu regions, according to food security agencies and the government’s early warning body, UN-OCHA reported.

• One in five households in Gao and Timbuktu are facing severe food shortages, while in Kidal one in five households faces severe malnutrition and increasing mortality.

•  Countrywide, the number of Malians at risk of critical hunger this year is estimated to be 2 million, and 660,000 children under age five are at risk of severe malnutrition, though this latter estimate is based on figures from a 2011 survey.

Central African Republic (CAR)

Humanitarian situation in CAR has deteriorated, leaving civilians in the capital, Bangui, in critical need of aid, according to a senior humanitarian official.

• “The main humanitarian needs in Bangui are access to health and nutrition and clean water [and] security and protection of civilians,” Amy Martin, who heads the Bangui branch of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told IRIN.

• Regarding the number of people affected by the crisis, she said: “We are using the population figure of the entire country, 4.5 million people, [as the number of people] affected. The most vulnerable people – women, children, elderly, [people living with HIV/AIDS] – are most at risk.”

Myanmar

“Two weeks after a wave of anti-Muslim violence engulfed Meikhtila, Mandalay Division—leaving at least 40 dead and 61 injured—more than 12,000 mostly Muslim residents of the city shelter in camps for the displaced. Most of the camps are improvised in schools under the control of the Burmese government. In recent days, journalists have been barred from entering the camps. According to a local National League for Democracy politician, aid organizations have been forced to leave deliveries at the camp gates.”  Irrawaddy reported.

Syria

“The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate, disrupting livelihoods, leading to over 1.3 million people fleeing the country to seek assistance as refugees in neighboring countries.” UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Malian Refugees stranded in Mauritanian desert

About 70,000 refugees from Mali are living in difficult conditions in the middle of the Mauritanian desert, with ethnic tensions in northern Mali quashing any hopes of a swift return home, Said Reliefweb.

Stateless in Mozambique

“A high number of people in our locality have no form of identification, says Veriato Eduardo, an administrator in Angonia in Northwestern Mozambique near the Malawi border. This prevents them from registering their children in schools and from expanding their small businesses. In this part of the country, a high number of adults are returned refugees, who lost their documentation during the civil war, and have therefore been left stranded.” UN Children’s Fund reported.

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DISASTER CALENDAR – April 14, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,063 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,063 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

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

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Extreme Rain Events Pound East Africa, Killing many, Displacing Tens of Thousands

Severe floods wreak havoc across much of East Africa

Much of East Africa including parts of seven countries—Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania have been affected by deadly floods that were triggered by extreme rain events, beginning mid-March.

The rains have “caused significant flooding in the Lake Victoria basin in Uganda and Kenya, the southern Maasai rangelands in Kenya, and along the Wabi Shabelle in Ethiopia in late March and early April,” according to Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).

“Above-normal rains have occurred in several areas, including northern and western Tanzania; Rwanda; Burundi; the Lake Victoria Basin; western, southern and northeastern Kenya; southern and central Somalia; and eastern and south-eastern Ethiopia,” said FEWS NET.

• The rains are forecast to continue through May.

• Floods have resulted in the loss of life, displacements of large numbers of people, the destruction of crops, and damage to infrastructure, FEWS NET reported.

Kenya

Flash floods have killed dozens of people in Kenya, displacing tens of thousands, and destroying crops and much of the infrastructure.

“If the current rains continue with the same intensity for the next three weeks, we expect food shortages and escalation of food prices in May and June this year,” according to the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS).

“In northeastern Kenya’s Dadaab refugee complex, home to about 463,000 mainly Somali refugees, the rains have displaced some families and affected commodity prices.”

Somalia

“Robust precipitation accumulations (>75mm) were again observed over central and southern Somalia,” states an Africa Hazards Outlook.

“Many local areas have already experienced more than three times their normal rainfall accumulation since the beginning of April, sustaining the risk for localized flash flooding and downstream river inundation over the Jubba and Shabelle River basins in eastern Ethiopia and southern Somalia.”

• “SWALIM [Somalia Water and Land Information Management] field reports in the last two days indicate river breakages at Hurway (about 8m wide), Eji (about 6m wide) and Maadheere (about 14m wide) villages all in Middle Shabelle Region. This has led to inundation of large areas, causing destruction of cropped area[s] of unconfirmed acreage, and displacement of several families.”

Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda

See report update by FEWS NET.

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DISASTER CALENDAR – April 13, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,064 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,064 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

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

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Humanitarian Crisis in Malawi Caused by Drought and Deluge

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,133 Days Left 

[February 3, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,133 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 …

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Drought and deluge leave 4 million Malawians food insecure

Mega drought and deluge have left about 4 million people food insecure and children at a high risk of malnutrition and disease across Malawi (population: ~ 15 million).  Severe flooding, triggered by extreme rain events, has destroyed homes,  crops, roads and any semblance of public infrastructure.

• Flooding has displaced tens of thousands of people leaving them without food, shelter, clothing or medical supplies in the landlocked country in southeast Africa.

• The flooding has also compromised access to safe water, sanitation and overall hygiene in the affected communities, said UNICEF.

• “A continuing food crisis in Malawi afflicts more than 4 million people – and more than a million of them are children under age five or pregnant women. Food insecurity is not only a major cause of malnutrition, but has also worsened the risk for diseases.”

• “We remain on high alert as the flooding spreads to other areas,” said the UNICEF Country Representative in Malawi.

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

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

3.7 Million Somalis in Urgent Need of Humanitarian Aid

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,202 Days Left 

[November 26, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,202 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Somalia: Humanitarian Disaster

More than a million Somali refugees are currently hosted in Kenya, Yemen, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Tanzania and Uganda, and about 1.36 million others internally displaced, settled mainly in the South-Central region, UNHCR reported.

‘Somalia is the most affected country within the Horn of Africa by the ongoing drought, widely regarded as the worst in 60 years. Consecutive seasonal rain failures have led to sky-rocketing food prices, in a country already devastated by two decades of civil war,’ said the report.

• Somali people are facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today.
• Somalia is generating the third highest number of refugees in the world, after Afghanistan and Iraq.
• One in three Somalis is in urgent need of humanitarian help.
• One in every three children living in the South-Central region is malnourished.
• More than 66,000 Somalis have sought refuge in neighboring countries so far this year.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNING

• 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

SANDY: Fisheries Disaster Declared for NY, NJ

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,211 Days Left 

[November 17, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,211 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Dept of Commerce declares fisheries disaster for N.Y. and N.J. in the aftermath of SANDY

“We are taking action because of the storm’s devastating impact on the people who live and work in coastal communities that were hit hard by Sandy.” Acting Secretary of Commerce said in a statement.

• In 2010 alone, New Jersey and New York commercial fisheries landed almost 190 million pounds of fish, valued at more than $210 million dollars.

• In the same year, New Jersey and New York recreational fishermen took more than 10 million trips and caught a total of nearly five million fish.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNING

• 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

Disaster Calendar – 18 August 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,306 Days Left

[August 18, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,306 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011...

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Drought, Heat Spell More Disaster

Hundreds more U.S. counties declared drought disaster areas

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated hundreds of additional counties across 22  states as agricultural disaster areas due to drought and heat. As of August 15, the agency has designated at least 1,792 counties as disaster areas—1,670 due to drought.

[Note: Additionally, about 280 other counties throughout the country have been designated as contiguous disaster areas due to drought and heat.]

U.S. Drought Disaster Map, August 13, 2012 (released August 15, 2012).

Drought Disaster Spreads

Hundreds of additional counties in the following states have been designated as drought disaster areas:

• Alabama (6 counties)
• Arkansas (9 counties)
• Colorado (7 counties)
• Illinois (31 counties)
• Indiana (42 counties)
• Iowa (67 counties)
• Kansas (5 counties)
• Kentucky (90 counties)
• Louisiana (11 counties)
• Michigan (2 counties)
• Minnesota (5 counties)
• Mississippi (14 counties)
• Missouri (3 counties)
• Montana (5 counties)
• Nebraska (23 counties)
• Ohio (20 counties)
• Oklahoma (10 counties)
• South Dakota (3 counties)
• Tennessee (6 counties)
• Virginia (3 counties)
• West Virginia (2 counties)
• Wyoming (22 counties)

Related Links

• U.S. Disaster Impact Leaps 24 Folds Posted August 1, 2012
• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Corn Progress

• More Corn Grilled on the Cob Posted on August 7, 2012
• Half U.S. Corn in Very Poor or Poor Condition Posted July 30, 2012
• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012

Drought – Recent Links

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens Posted August 1, 2012
• Extreme and Exceptional Drought Spread Across Midwest, South Posted August 2, 2012
• Wildfires Destroy Oklahoma Town Posted August 5, 2012

• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

N.D. Declares Drought Emergency

87 percent of ND experiencing drought conditions

Gov. Dalrymple’s drought emergency declaration includes 49 of the state’s 52 counties and the five Indian reservations.

“We are seeing significant crop losses, both in yield and quality,” said Dalrymple. “Drought conditions also have reduced hay and other livestock feed sources and will contribute to water supply shortages.”

Map of the Agricultural Weather Assessments for U.S. Corn Conditions for the week ending August 4, 2012. Source: USDA

• As of August 7, 2012 portions of 20 ND counties were experiencing severe drought condition.
• According to USDA Crop Progress, as of August 12  30 percent of the pasture and range in the state was in poor condition and a further 13 percent listed as being in very poor condition.
• “Durum wheat development was listed at 28 percent across the state, significantly lower than the last four-year average of 56 percent,” said a report.

Related Links

• U.S. Disaster Impact Leaps 24 Folds Posted August 1, 2012
• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Corn Progress

• More Corn Grilled on the Cob Posted on August 7, 2012
• Half U.S. Corn in Very Poor or Poor Condition Posted July 30, 2012
• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012

Drought – Recent Links

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens Posted August 1, 2012
• Extreme and Exceptional Drought Spread Across Midwest, South Posted August 2, 2012
• Wildfires Destroy Oklahoma Town Posted August 5, 2012

• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens

Disasters plague 1,584 counties across 32 states

USDA has designated an additional 218 counties across 12 states as primary natural disaster areas due to the deadly drought.

During the 2012 crop year, USDA has designated 1,584 unduplicated counties across 32 states as disaster areas—1,452 due to drought. Scores of additional bordering counties have also been designated as disaster areas because they are contiguous.

List of the states with the number of additional counties designated as primary disaster areas

• Arkansas (2 counties)
  
• Georgia  (6)
  
• Illinois  (66 counties; 98 of the state’s 102 counties have now been declared  disaster areas)
  
• Indiana  (2)
• Iowa  (42 counties; Iowa and Illinois produce about a third of all U.S. corn and soybean crops).
• Kansas (4)
• Mississippi  (1)
• Nebraska  (47 counties)
• Oklahoma (12)
  
• South Dakota (25)
  
• Tennessee  (3)
• Wyoming  (8)

‘Farming in Hell’

U.S. Max Temp Map.  for August 1, 2012. Source: NWS

U.S. Precipitation Map  (Weekly)

U.S. Precipitation Map for July 22 – 28, 2012. Source: USDA

Related Posts – Latest

• Half U.S. Corn in Very Poor or Poor Condition Posted July 30, 2012
• Severe to Exceptional Drought Grows in U.S. Posted July 26, 2012

• U.S. Drought Continues to Spread, Intensify Posted July 19, 2012
• Another Heat Wave Grips America’s Heartland Posted July 18, 2012
• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S.  Posted July 17, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Drought Disaster – Recent

• USDA Disaster List Grows to 1,369 Counties Across 31 States Posted  July 26, 2012

• Wildfires Consume 120,000 Acres in Nebraska Posted  July 25, 2012
• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012
• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

U.S. Disaster Impact Leaps 24 Folds

Impact of human-enhanced disasters in the U.S. risen by 24 folds since 2009

EDRO Energy Model and FIRE-EARTH models show that the impact of anthropogenic enhanced disasters in the U.S. have risen by a massive 24 folds since late 2009 compared with the 70s.

The FEWW Mega Disaster Index comprises of two components:

• Disaster frequency
• Disaster intensity

Based on their findings, FIRE-EARTH Moderators aver the combined impact of the disasters caused by Drought 2012 and the next Mega Disaster, which could strike the country at anytime, would paralyze the United States.

See also:

• WARNING: RAPID CHANGE IN PROGRESS! Posted July 4, 2012
• Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity Posted July 7, 2012

Related Links

• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Half U.S. Corn in Very Poor or Poor Condition

Corn rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ falls to 24 percent

The amount of corn considered to be in very poor to poor condition increased to 48 percent, a rise of 3 percent since last week, while the crop rated as as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ fell to 24 percent, due to ongoing drought and lingering heat wave, according to the USDA Crop Progress.

• The amount of corn regarded as being in good or excellent condition fell to 24 percent for the week ending July 29, a further drop of 2 percent since previous week. It was 62 percent last year.
• The USDA statistics are based on 18 States which planted 92% of the 2011 corn acreage: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

Soybean Condition

The amount of soybeans considered to be in very poor to poor condition was 37 percent, an increase of 2 percent since last week.

• The amount of soybean regarded as being in good or excellent condition fell to 29 percent, a drop of 2 percent since last week. It was 60 percent this time last year.
• The statistics are based on 18 States that planted 95% of the 2011 soybean acreage: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina,
  North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Pasture and Range Condition

Pasture and Range Condition for the lower 48 States which are weighted based on pasture acreage and/or livestock inventories, further deteriorated by 2 percent.

• Very poor to poor pasture and range areas rose to 57 percent, from 55 percent last week. It was 36 percent this time last year.
• Total acreage in ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ condition fell to 17 percent.  It was 41 percent last year.

[Source: Crop Progress (July 2012) USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Report released July 30, 2012.]

• Previous report: Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012

Percentage of Corn Located in Drought

About 89 percent of the U.S. corn crops were located in drought areas as of July 24, 2012, USDA reported.

Approximate percentage of corn located in drought areas. USDA

The U.S. Cattle Map

About 73% of the U.S. domestic cattle inventory is within drought stricken areas, as of July 24, 2012, USDA reported.

This graphic depicts the U.S. cattle areas experiencing drought from data accrued through the U. S. Drought Monitor on July 24, 2012. Approximately 73% of the domestic cattle inventory is within a drought stricken area, based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) 2007 Census of Agriculture data. Source: USDA

Related Links

• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,327 Days Left

[July 28, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,327 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011...

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Ethiopia.  Renewed ethnic clashes in Moyale area, Ethiopia have left at least 2 dozen people dead and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. At least 20,000 people have crossed into Kenya to escape the slaughter, the Kenyan Red Cross said.

• N. Korea. Rainstorms and flooding in North Korea has left more than 200 people dead or injured, and more than 60,000 people homeless according to reports quoting state-run KCNA news agency.

• Uganda. Ebola virus has killed more than a dozen people and infected about a dozen others in Uganda, reports said.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 26 July 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,329 Days Left

[July 26, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,329 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

FIRE-EARTH Climate Models show climate change forcings and feedbacks switching global weather patterns onto “primordial tracks.”

The extreme weather events triggered by anthropogenic climate change have a four-prong impact on humans over the next 50 months. FIRE-EARTH models forecast:

1. Food production:

• Average decline of 22% in the global agricultural output
• Loss of topsoil and worsening of soil quality
• Rapid Climate Change & Extreme Weather Events
  • Drought and Deluge
  • Extremes of Temperature
  • Heatwaves and Late Frosts
  • Desertification and Dust Storms
• Crop Pests
• Increases in the size and occurrence of dead zones
• Large decline in marine food sources

2. Spread of Disease

• Substantial increases in the spread of diseases
  • Vector borne
  • Air borne
  • Water borne
  • Food borne
• Superbugs:  Emergence of resistant bacteria, especially MDR bacteria
• Resurgence of killer infectious diseases
• Increases in the spread of human immunodeficiency viruses
• Significant decline in air quality (and corresponding increase in chronic respiratory diseases)
• Other viral diseases
• Massive rises in mental illnesses

3. Physical Safety

Major increases in the number of deaths and injuries, as well as large scale displacements due to the loss of shelter and livelihood caused by extreme weather and geophysical events including:

• Tornadoes
• Hurricanes
• Storms and Extreme Weather
• Climate Change
• Extreme Rain Events
• Flash Flooding
• Drought and Deluge
• Landslides
• Extremes of Temperature
• Deforestation
• Wildfires
• Loss of “Seasons”
• Earthquakes*
• Tsunamis*
• Volcanic activity*
• Nuclear Incidents
• Oil Spills
• Chemical and Biological Threats
• Poisoned and Polluted Environment (Air, Water and Soil pollution)
• Ozone Depletion  (Ozone Holes)

4. The Combined Effect

Social upheavals, regional conflicts and wars caused by mass migrations and scarcity of basic resources resulting from the combined effects of the above, as well as other mechanisms.

 

On May 15, 2011 symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began ...

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

USDA Disaster List Grows to 1,369 Counties Across 31 States

Two-thirds of the United States is now experiencing moderate to extreme drought

USDA has designated 76 additional counties [2012 total of 1,369 counties] in six states [total of 31 states] as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat.

During the 2012 crop year, USDA has designated 1,369 counties across 31 states as disaster areas—1,234 due to drought. The drought disaster declaration list also includes numerous other counties designated as contiguous disaster areas.

Most of the drought-stricken areas from Kansas to Ohio need in excess of 10 inches of rain to break the drought, said a National Weather Service meteorologist, however,  little precipitation is on the horizon.

“Monday’s crop ratings showed losses on par with the damage seen during the 1988 drought if these conditions persist,” said Bryce Knorr, senior editor for Farm Futures Magazine. “Weather so far has taken almost 4 billion bushels off the corn crop, so a lot of demand must still be rationed.”

List of the most recent counties declared as drought disaster areas by USDA on July 25:

• Kansas. USDA has declared 47 counties  in Kansas as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing drought.
  • List of the 25 primary disaster areas: Chase, Franklin, Lincoln, Osage, Dickinson, Geary, Marion, Osborne, Douglas, Jefferson, Miami, Ottawa, Ellis, Johnson, Mitchell, Rush, Ellsworth, Leavenworth, Morris, Russell, Saline, Shawnee, Smith, Wabaunsee and Wyandotte counties.
  • List of the 22 contiguous disaster areas: Anderson, Cloud, Jewell, Ness, Atchison, Coffey, Linn, Pawnee, Barton, Greenwood, Lyon, Phillips, Butler, Harvey, McPherson, Pottawatomie, Clay, Jackson, Rice, Riley, Rooks and Trego counties.

• Missouri. The above Disaster declaration covers 5 counties in Missouri because they are contiguous: Bates, Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties.
• Nebraska.  Franklin and Webster counties.

• Michigan.   Drought disaster declared in 10 Michigan counties:
  • Primary DAs: Branch, Cass, Hillsdale and  St. Joseph counties.
  • Contiguous DAs: Berrien, Calhoun, Jackson, Kalamazoo Lenawee, and Van Buren counties.

• Indiana. Contiguous DAs: Elkhart, Lagrange, St. Joseph and Steuben counties.

• Ohio. Fulton and Williams counties.

• Nebraska.  USDA has declared 22 Nebraska counties as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing  drought.
  

• Indiana. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 38 counties in Indiana as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing drought.
  • Illinois. The above declaration also extends to three counties in Illinois: Clark, Edgar and Vermilion counties.

• Illinois. USDA has designated twelve counties in Illinois as agricultural  disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing  drought.
  • PDAs: Crawford and Pike counties.
  • CDAs: Adams,  Calhoun,  Greene,  Lawrence, Richland,
    Brown, Clark, Jasper, Morgan and Scott counties.

• Wisconsin. USDA has designated 31 counties in Wisconsin as agricultural  disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing drought.
  • Illinois. The above declaration extends to 6 contiguous areas in Illinois: Boone, Lake, Stephenson, Jo Daviess, McHenry and Winnebago counties.
  • Iowa. The above declaration also extends to 3 contiguous areas in Iowa: Allamakee, Clayton and Dubuque counties.

Weekly U.S. Precipitation Map for the Week Ending July 24, 2012. Source: HPRCC

Corn in Drought Map. Latest available map of drought superimposed on the corn production areas. This map depicts drought-affected areas of the U.S. corn producing farmland as of July 17, 2012. Approximately 88% of the corn grown in the U.S. is within an area-experiencing drought, based on historical U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) crop production data.

Other USDA Disaster Declarations

• Colorado. USDA has designated 8 counties in Colorado as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by freezing temperatures that occurred April 7-8, 2012.
  • Utah. The above declaration also extends to two counties in  Utah: Grand and San Juan counties.

• Wisconsin.  USDA has designated 34 counties in Wisconsin as agricultural disaster areas due to losses to maple syrup production caused by an unseasonably early thaw, unseasonably warm nights and excessive heat that occurred Jan. 23 – March 31, 2012.
  • Michigan. The above declaration extends to 4 counties in the state of Michigan.
  • Minnesota. The above declaration also extends to 4 counties in the state of Minnesota.

Related Links

• Wildfires Consume 120,000 Acres in Nebraska Posted  July 25, 2012
• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012
• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Disaster Calendar – 24 July 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,331 Days Left

[July 24, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,331 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities has already started.

In the worst case scenario, the first wave of world’s cities will begin to collapse by as early as 2012. “The collapse would be caused by a combination of failing ecosystems, human-enhanced environmental catastrophes; failing infrastructure; food, water and fuel shortages; infectious disease; war, civil conflict and other dynamics. Following the first phase of collapse, massive waves of human migration from the affected areas create a domino effect that causes the collapse of the remaining population centers shortly after.”  EDRO Forecast dated September 21, 2007

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Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast

Drought 2012 could linger for months

Corn and soybean prices break all-time records. Corn prices have climbed 53 percent in one month, as worst drought and poorest crop conditions in decades decimate yields in the Corn Belt region and beyond.

U.S. Drought Map for July 17, 2012, released July 19.

List of Disaster Areas Continues Growing

On Wednesday, USDA designated an additional 39 counties in 8 states as Primary Natural Disaster areas due to worsening drought, making up a disaster total of 1,297 counties in 29 states.  Additionally,  several hundred other counties have been declared as contiguous disaster areas.

One Way Drought

Drought is intensifying in the Corn Belt region and creeping to the areas beyond including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, southern Minnesota and parts of Missouri, Kentucky and the Dakotas.

Drought and Deluge Double Whammy

The historic drought could finally end in an epic deluge, in which case what is already extreme stress on the topsoil would be incalculable.

NASS Crop Production Data. Map of drought superimposed on the corn production areas, July 10, 2012.

Drought Stats

• Nearly two-thirds of Continental U.S. is currently in drought condition

• More than 42 percent of the lower 48 states were in SEVERE, EXTREME or EXCEPTIONAL Drought Conditions (D2-D4) as of July 17, 2012, a rise of over 5 percent since last week.

• As of July 17, 2012,  the entire Continental U.S. with the exception of Maine was experiencing Abnormally Dry or Drought Conditions (D0 -D4)  in full or in parts of the states, a situation which has since worsened due to scant precipitation and a persistent heat wave in the past few days.

• More than 81 percent of the Contiguous United States was Abnormally Dry or in Drought  Conditions (D0 – D4).
• Drought 2012 is considered as the worst drought since 1956 and worst agricultural drought since 1988.

• About 40% of the U.S. corn crop is in poor-very poor condition.
• Good-excellent soybean crop dropped to 34% – down from 56% at start of season.
• Some 1,297 counties in 29 states have been declared as primary natural disaster areas, with several hundred other counties designated as contiguous disaster areas.
• Less than 10 percent topsoil moisture is left in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
• Topsoil moisture in the entire Central Region is below 50 percent of normal.
  • Drought is expected to persist or intensify across Central Region.
  • About 98 percent of corn is grown within Central Region.
• About 80 percent of corn grown in the U.S. is experiencing drought.

Deadly Heat Persists

Meantime, preliminary records from NCDC showed 145 high temperature records broken Wednesday and 67 records tied in 23 states: Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

High temperatures in the triple digits will be the norm for the next several days for parts of the central U.S., with heat indices reaching into the 110 degree range. Some NWS Forecast Offices have already extended their heat advisories to last through the middle of next week. Source: NWS

Daily Max Heat Index Forecast

Latest Related Posts

• U.S. Drought Continues to Spread, Intensify Posted July 19, 2012
• Another Heat Wave Grips America’s Heartland Posted July 18, 2012
• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S.  Posted July 17, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Fires ravage Madeira islands and mainland Portugal
• Nationwide Spanish protests turn violent
• Over a third of Fukushima children at risk of developing cancer  [Google, WordPress and others filtered/blocked/suppressed FIRE-EARTH warnings on Fukushima nuclear disaster.]
• 80 people still missing after a Tanzanian ferry sank near Zanzibar
• Over 2,000 houses inundated in flood in Nepal

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 18 July 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,337 Days Left

[July 18, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,337 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Million Homes Destroyed or Damaged in China Rainstorms

Rainstorms spawn flooding, landslides and avalanches wreaking havoc  affecting millions in China

Flooding, landslides, avalanches and torrents of mud triggered by extreme rain events in multiple regions of China have left dozens dead, scores of others injured, affecting millions of residents, with at least a million people displaced.

Original Caption: Rescuers convoy residents trapped by a rainstorm-triggered flood in the Huangpi District of Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province, July 13, 2012. Many parts of the Huangpi District, a suburb of Wuhan, were inundated by flood following torrential rainstorms that have struck here for days. (Xinhua/Hao Tongqian)

The worst affected areas are

• Guizhou province in the southwest (more than a million affected)
• Hubei (more than 2 million affected) and Hunan provinces in central China
• East China’s Anhui province

The Central Meteorological Station has forecast heavy rains for large swaths of Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces as well as Shanghai Municipality for Saturday through late Monday, the official Xinhua news agency reported. 

• See also: Epic flooding and massive landslides …  posted July 12, 2012

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding

Climate related disasters in 2012 could prove costliest in history

FIRE-EARTH estimates the losses and damage from Drought 2012 and other climate-related disasters this year could exceed the combined toll of all ‘natural disasters’ that have occurred in the U.S. since 1980.

Map of U.S. counties declared as agricultural disaster areas under ‘Streamlined Disaster Designation Process,’ as of July 12, 2012

PRIMARY & CONTIGUOUS COUNTIES designated for 2012 crop disaster losses – As of 07/10/2012 – through Designation No. S3260 (Approved 07/03/2012)

Drought conditions have sparked disaster declarations in about 1,300 counties (1,016 primary, 278 contiguous) across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported.

• U.S. drought has been intensified by the driest June in history and triple-digit temperatures on 10 out of 11 days recently.

• As of last week, Moderate to Extreme drought conditions prevailed in 52.56 percent of the Midwest, and 68.39 percent of the South. Moderate to Exceptional drought conditions covered 73.87% of High Plains, 64.15% of the West and 35.46% of the Southeast.

• The declaration covers 26 states across the country: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and Hawaii.

Worsening Drought Conditions

• Missouri.  Worsening drought throughout Missouri has forced Gov. Nixon to ask the federal authorities for disaster declaration for all of the state’s 114 counties with the exception of independent city of St. Louis.
  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Wednesday a ‘Streamlined Disaster Designation Process’ a USDA rule change for Secretarial disaster designations that will allow nearly automatically a county to be declared a disaster area once it is categorized by the U.S. Drought Monitor as a severe drought for eight consecutive weeks during the growing season.

Drought Map for Missouri as of July 10, 2012. Source: Drought Monitor Archives

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Kyushu, Japan.   Flooding and landslides on the island of Kyushu have left dozens of people dead or missing.
  • At least 250,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders, with an additional 150,000 advised to abandon their homes.
  • The evacuation orders affect the entire cities of Miyama, Yame and Yanagawa.
  • The worst affected areas are Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Ōita and Saga prefectures.
  • The city of Aso in Kumamoto prefecture received 754mm  (~ 30 inches) in under 72 hours.
  • Many rivers have burst their banks in the affected areas, unleashing deadly torrents of water, mud and debris throughout the region.

Links to Recent Related Entries

• Disaster Declared in More Counties Across 11 States Posted  July 13, 2012
• U.S. Drought Expands, Intensifies Posted July 12, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in 26 States Posted July 12, 2012

• Third of U.S. Corn in Poor or V. Poor Condition Posted on July 11, 2012
• Continental US Experienced Warmest 12 Months in 117 Years Posted  on July 10, 2012
• Drought: State of Emergency Declared in Wisconsin Posted on July 10, 2012
• U.S. Corn Belt Hit by Drought, Heat Wave Posted on July 9, 2012

• Record Heatwave Kills Dozens in U.S. Posted on July 8, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012

• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012
• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in 4 States and DC as Storm Death Toll Rises Posted  on July 1, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

Disaster Declared in More Counties Across 11 States

Severe frost and freeze in April, ongoing drought prompt agricultural disaster declarations across 11 states

Losses and damage caused to crops due to severe frost and freeze in April, as well as the ongoing drought across  most of the U.S. have prompted USDA to declare agricultural disaster areas in dozens of U.S. counties across 11 states.

• Damage and losses caused by drought that began in April 2012 and continues prompted USDA to issue disaster declaration in
  • Arkansas:  30 counties
  • Missouri: 6 counties
    

• Georgia. USDA has designated a total of 30 counties in Georgia as both primary and contiguous natural disaster areas in two separate declaration due to frost, freeze, hail and high winds that occurred in April and May 2012.
  • Six counties in North Carolina (4), South Carolina (1) and Tennessee (1), are also designated as disaster areas because they are contiguous.

• Iowa. USDA has designated 43 counties in Iowa as both primary and contiguous natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by severe frosts and freezes that occurred April 6-30, 2012.
  • Nine counties in Illinois (4), Missouri (1), Nebraska (2) and Wisconsin (2) are also designated as disaster areas because they are contiguous.

• See also Drought Disaster Declared in 26 States Posted July 12, 2012

Map of U.S. Hazards Outlook for July 20 – 26, 2012, showing persistent severe drought.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Japan: Extreme Rain Events.  Dozens are dead or missing on Kyushu island in western Japan, after extreme rain events, which began late Wednesday, spawned severe flooding and multiple landslides.
  •  A record 500 mm of rain fell over a 24-hour period on Aso, Kumamoto prefecture, while scores of homes in neighboring Minami-Aso were destroyed and many more damaged by landslides.
  • In Kyushu’s Kumamoto and neighboring Oita prefectures, hourly rainfalls of 106mm were recorded, Japan’s meteorological agency said, while warning of additional rainfall.
  • Up to 150,000 people in about 35,000 households were under mandatory evacuation orders.
• Moscow, Russia. Freak storm pounded Moscow, flooding the the historic center of the Russian capital on Friday, said a report.
  • At least two people were killed after lightning struck them.
  • Further storms could strike throughout the weekend, meteorologist warned.

Black clouds spawned deadly lightning and massive rainstorm over Moscow.  Image by twitter user @OksanaGon4arov, via RT.

• See also: Widespread Death and Destruction amid Flooding in Russia Posted July 7, 2012

Links to Recent Related Entries

• Third of U.S. Corn in Poor or V. Poor Condition Posted on July 11, 2012
• Continental US Experienced Warmest 12 Months in 117 Years Posted  on July 10, 2012
• Drought: State of Emergency Declared in Wisconsin Posted on July 10, 2012
• U.S. Corn Belt Hit by Drought, Heat Wave Posted on July 9, 2012

• Record Heatwave Kills Dozens in U.S. Posted on July 8, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012

• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012
• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in 4 States and DC as Storm Death Toll Rises Posted  on July 1, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

U.S. Drought Expands, Intensifies

Drought Conditions Expand by 5 Percent in Continental U.S.

Moderate to Exceptional Drought conditions (D1 – D4) prevail in 60.84 percent of the Contiguous United States, a rise of about 5 percent from last week.

Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought conditions (D0 – D4) cover 80 percent of the United States, the largest area hit by drought than at any other time since the U.S. Drought Monitor began more than 12 years ago—breaking the previous national drought record set only last week…

Current U.S. Drought Map – Released July 12, 2012.

• Drought Monitor 12-week animation

U.S. Drought Comparison Maps for July 3 and July 10, 2012.

U.S. Drought Comparison Maps for June 26 and July 3, 2012

• See also map of the U.S. counties declared agricultural disaster areas: Drought Disaster Declared in 26 States Posted on July 12, 2012

Links to Recent Related Entries

• Third of U.S. Corn in Poor or V. Poor Condition Posted on July 11, 2012
• Continental US Experienced Warmest 12 Months in 117 Years Posted  on July 10, 2012
• Drought: State of Emergency Declared in Wisconsin Posted on July 10, 2012
• U.S. Corn Belt Hit by Drought, Heat Wave Posted on July 9, 2012

• Record Heatwave Kills Dozens in U.S. Posted on July 8, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012

• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012
• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in 4 States and DC as Storm Death Toll Rises Posted  on July 1, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012