Earth is fighting to stay alive. Mass dieoffs, triggered by anthropogenic assault and fallout of planetary defense systems offsetting the impact, could begin anytime!
Emergency Bulletins are now available via FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.
-------------------------------
We do NOT use Twitter or Facebook accounts. Our user names including "FEWW" have been hijacked by trolls.
-------------------------------
WARNING: WordPress Digitally Tracking Visitors!
Injury Claims Against Google: Fire-Earth posts important news & unique analysis that could help save you from harm, but Google [Alphabet Inc] filters the blog to protect their vast business interest. If you incur any injury or loss due to the denial of information, you may sue the Internet Mafia for damages.
STOP CENSORING THE REAL NEWS
WordPress is HACKING this blog!
WordPress continues to hack FIRE-EARTH & affiliated blogs at the behest of its corporate clients.
Blog Moderators condemn in the strongest terms the blatant removal and manipulation of content.
Starting January 29, 2013, Google & WordPress have restricted access to FIRE-EARTH reducing blog traffic by up to 95 percent, enabling their affiliated sites and commercial partners to hijack (and twist) the news, analysis and core ideas presented here.
Blocking information, hacking websites and twisting the facts concerning harm inflicted to Earth by humans are major crimes against nature, punishable by drought, famine, disease...
Caution
Technical information and scientific data from the US Government agencies (NASA, EPA…) are subject to variation due to political expediency.
This caution also extends to the UN organizations (e.g., FAO, WHO…).
As of August 2011, FIRE-EARTH will no longer reprint photos from NASA, due to the agency's wanton crimes against nature.
March 2023
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
ORIGINAL CONTENT POSTED ON THIS BLOG ARE COPYRIGHTS OF THE BLOG AUTHORS.
Content MAY BE REPRODUCED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES BY PRIOR PERMISSION ONLY.
REPRINTING FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES OR POSTING ON BLOGS THAT CARRY COMMERCIAL ADS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
YOU may NOT copy, re-blog or otherwise reproduce any part of this blog on Facebook or Twitter.
Giant sinkhole appeared in the German town of Schmalkalden, measuring 20m deep and a whopping 40m wide, and swallowed at least one car. Photo: AP. Image may be subject to copyright.
Deadly Mudslide in Massa, Italy
Another mudslide near Massa in Tuscany, Italy, turned deadly killing at least 3 people including a mother and her son, 2. The mudslide was triggered by heavy rain in the region. Some 225mm of rain fell in just 12 hours. Photo: AFP/Getty Images. Image may be subject to copyright.
Tropical Storm MATTHEW Set to Dump 25cm of Rain Over Honduras
MATTHEW , the 13th named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, threatens to inundate coffee and sugar fields that are already flooded by earlier rains
Tropical Storm MATTHEW – IR (NHC Enhancement). Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
Tropical Storm MATTHEW – IR-WV Diff. . Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
Tropical Storm MATTHEW – IR Satellite Image Projected Paths. Source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.
More rain in Guatemala could cause more deadly landslides. So far about 300 people have been killed by earlier storm-related disasters this year.
Death toll from NW China landslide climbs to 1,239 with 505 still missing: Official news agency
Image of the Day:
China: The Land of Deadly Mudslides
Photo shows the site of the landslide in Zhouqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China’s Gansu Province, dated August 13, 2010. Death toll from the massive mudslide rose to 1,239 as of 4 p.m. Saturday, with 505 others still missing, local disaster relief headquarters said, the official news agency reported. (Xinhua/Wang Peng). Image may be subject to copyright.
Landslide described as a “wall of mud” destroyed more than a dozen buildings, partially burying at least five homes, and tearing through B.C.’s wine country.
The landslide struck near Testalinda Creek, south of Oliver, B.C. early afternoon local time on Sunday also burying a large a section of the province’s longest highway in the fruit growing region of southern British Columbia in up to 4m (12 feet) of mud, local media reported.
“It’s a real mess, a huge disaster. A lot of orchard land has been wiped right out. I’ve heard there was a five-minute warning,” said a local resident.
A wall of mud and rocks tore through a rural area of the Okanogan Valley Sunday, destroying at half a dozen houses and uprooting orchards and vineyards that lay in its path. Image credit: Olivier Combret For The Globe and Mail. Image may be subject to copyright. More Images …
At least 178 people have been killed and many others reported missing as a result of flooding, mudslides and landslides triggered by torrential rains from tropical storm Agatha, and compounded by the huge amount of volcanic ash from Pacaya volcano eruption, as giant sinkholes swallow parts of Guatemala City.
A giant sinkhole caused by the torrential rains from TS Agatha swallows a section of Guatemala City May 31, 2010. Source: Casa Presidencial handout (via Reuters).
Flooding has destroyed as many as 18 major road bridges and up to 60 smaller footbridges throughout the country, hampering aid efforts.
Flooding in Retalhuleu, Guatemala, caused by Tropical Storm Agatha May 30, 2010. Source: Casa Presidencial handout (via Reuters).
“We’ve gone several days now without aid from the government and we don’t have enough water and food,” said a caller to Guatemalan radio from the town of Huehuetenango in the western highlands.
“At least 152 people were killed in Guatemala, either crushed in their homes or swept away by swollen rivers, and 100 others were missing, according to the government. Twelve people were killed in El Salvador and 14 in Honduras.” A report said.
Coffee trees in Guatemala could be severely affected as a result of the rain. And FEWW Moderators forecast more adverse weather and conditions in the region …
Agatha, the First Pacific Tropical Storm of 2010, Slams into Guatemala, Killing 13 People
TS Agatha struck Guatemala’s Pacific coast close to the Mexican border killing at least 13 people in Guatemala and El Salvador
Guatemalan government declared a state of emergency as torrential rain pummeled the Central American country, triggering mudslides that buried homes, cut off roads and threatened to destroy much of the nation’s coffee crop.
At least four people were killed when mudslide buried their home near Alomolonga, about 200 west of the capital, Guatemala City, according to government sources.
U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm could dump about 50cm of rain over Guatemala, El Salvador and southeastern Mexico, and possibly as much as 65cm in some areas, leading to flash floods and mudslides.
Violent storms and torrential rains devastated southern China killing at least 65, and leaving thousands homeless.
Deadly storms and torrential rains claimed at least 65 lives leaving about 200 people injured and 14 others missing, with more than 50 thousand people made homeless, the official Xinhua reported the authorities as saying.
Original Caption: Photo taken on May 7, 2010 shows the scene of landslide in Tianxin Village, Egong Town of Dingnan County in east China’s Jiangxi Province. Seven people were dead and five were missing after floods and landslides wreaked havoc in Jiangxi over the past two days.(Xinhua/Zhou Ke). Image may be subject to copyright.
“As of Friday, the storms had affected up to 2.55 million people and 100,000 hectares of arable land, leaving 65 people dead, 14 missing, 9,900 buildings damaged, said the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in a statement on its website.” Xinhua said.
Two days of heavy downpour caused floods and triggered landslides and mud flows in south China’s provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan and Guizhou.
Serial No 1,697. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Fresh flash floods in Afghanistan claim up to 70 lives and hundreds of livestock, destroying many homes and cropland
Fresh flash floods have claimed up to 70 lives, destroying hundreds of homes in Afghanistan, the Afghan authorities said.
Torrential rain in northern and western Afghanistan caused extensive flooding, killing about a thousand livestock , according to the head of the local National Disaster Management Authority.
“Twenty-three people have died in Badghis, 21 in Ghor and another 22 in Herat province,” said a government spokesman, citing the three worst-affected provinces.
Many mud homes have been damaged or destroyed, and up to a thousand acres of agricultural land devastated, affecting thousands of families in one of the world’s poorest areas.
“The Afghan government and the UN have mobilized air and ground teams to help those affected with food and non-food aid,” head of Afghanistan’s department for disaster management, Abdul Mateen Edrak, told the BBC.
Serial No 1,695. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
About two dozen Chinese workers have been killed or reported as missing after a landslide in a Myanmar region bordering with southwest China’s Yunan Province, reports said.
Taiwan
The construction site on No. 3 Freeway at the junction with the No. 2 Freeway that leads to the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is seen in this photograph taken yesterday. Photo: Central News Agency. Image may be subject to copyright.
A Taiwanese construction worker died in second freeway landslide, a week afetr another deadly mudslide claimed four lives.
“Too much water was collecting at the base of a bridge, making it necessary for workers to pump out the water. While Su was pumping, the earth around him collapsed and swept him down 10m, fire fighters said. Rescue workers needed half an hour to free him, but by then he was completely covered in mud, reports said.” A report said.
On April 26, a massive landslide blocked a 300-meter long section of a major road, the No.3 Freeway between Taipei and Keelung, burying 4 people under thousands of tons of earth and rocks. The volume of earth that moved onto the freeway was later estimated at about 200,000m³ of rock and soil.
Some 32 villages were isolated from the center of Azerbaijan as landslide destroyed a major road, Guba-Gonagkend, in Guba region of the country, a report said.
The “Ministry of Emergency Situations” dispatched aid helicopters to deliver foods to the affected villages.
According to Azerbaijan New Agency, APA, some 71 landslides were reported in the country in 2009 including 29 incidents within the first 4 months of the year. The number of landslides reported in the first quarter of this year totaled 110 incidents, or 3.8 time as many as last year.
According to the chief of Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry, Shaig Niftiyev, the government hot line had received 11 reports of landslides in the last two days, APA reported.
Atmospheric condensation and torrential rains
“ The recent observations revealed 178 zones of landslide in the country. Monitoring and geological work was done once in these areas. The majority of them are stabilized areas. But this stabilization does not mean that there will not be landslide in this area. There is periodical activation in the landslide processes,” he said.
“The great majority of the landslides occur along the foot of the Great Caucasus and Mountainous Talish. A landslide occurred on the 32km of Goranboy-Agjakend highway in Ashagi Agjakend village. Though it was a local area, the landslide caused serious damage. A local landslide in Gariblar village of Tovuz region killed one. The landslide occurred in alunite production field in Dashkesan last February. When we visited the site we made prognosis that the landslide would continue in Altundagh settlement too. Mollahasanli village of Dashkesan also suffered from the disaster. It has been a landslide area since 1990s. The landslide intensified there last year and caused serious damages this year too. Yesterday we were informed that the landslide area intensified again.”
Ministry experts say Azerbaijan landslides are invariably triggered by the increase in atmospheric condensation. “[A 25-cm] snow cover [triggered] the landslide zone in Guba region. [The hazard was worsened by] torrential rains.”
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC):
Water Crisis in Mbuji-Mayi Caused by Landslide
Hundreds of thousands of people in Mbuji-Mayi, central DRC, are facing a severe water crisis after a landslide destroyed their town’s water supply in March.
Many of town’s three million population have to walk at least 20km in search of water every day, a report said.
“Lack of water in Mbuji-Mayi has been dire for several weeks now; at the moment people are obliged to walk over 20km to fetch water for domestic use from small rivers around the town,” Theodore Thiyekele, a priest, told IRIN. “Others are buying drinking water from young men who fetch it from sources far away from the town.”
Landslide Blocked Railway in Armenia
A large landslide triggered by torrential rains blocked the railway lines, stopping the trains near Vanadzor-Alaverdi, Armenia, Emergency officials said, News-am reported.
“Railway was covered by 500 m³ layer of soil Sunday. The road was partially cleaned by 2:35 p.m., trains traffic was temporarily resumed,” an official statement said.
Serial No 1,671. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Kenyan landslide kills at least 10, many reported missing
A landslide triggered by extreme rain killed 10 people in western Kenya, the Kenya Red Cross (KRC) reported.
The latest deaths raised the the number of victims killed by floods and landslides in Keny to 100 since January, KRC said.
At least 10 bodies have been recovered from a landslide disaster area in Kitony Village, Kaben Location, Tot Division in Marakwet East District.
It is feared that some people are still buried in the landslide. Kenya Red Cross Society team from North Rift Region is assisting the villages to dig into the mud. At least 10 people with critical head injuries are expected to be flown from the area for further treatment.
“Ten bodies have been retrieved from the landslide scene and 10 other people have been injured,” Nelly Muluka, communications officer for KRC, told Reuters by telephone.
“It is feared that some people have been buried in the landslide but we don’t know how many, maybe dozens,” she said.
Meanwhile…
Georgia landslide damaged Russian gas pipeline to Armenia
“Georgia has suspended the transit of Russian natural gas through Georgian territory today following landslides that reportedly damaged the pipeline carrying it to Armenia, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reports.
“Georgian media reported that the landslides caused by heavy rains occurred in a mountainous area close to the Russian border. The head of Georgia’s National Oil and Gas Corporation, Zurab Janjgava, said repairs on the damaged section of the pipeline have begun and will take two or three days.” More …
Landslide in Bogota destroys houses, traps people under the rubble
A Landslide triggered by heavy rains destroyed at least a dozen houses, leaving many people trapped under the rubble. A second landslide, which occurred shortly after, trapped soldiers who had come to the rescue of the first wave of victims.
At least 20,000 people have been left homeless Colombia since the country’s rainy season started, with 88 municipalities across 22 departments affected by the extreme weather events. The death toll stands at 8, as of posting.
Landslides[Index page for landslides and related links]
–
Serial No 1,650. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Sinkhole opening up on Hunza Valley’s Attabad landslide dam
A massive landslide which killed 19 people in Attabad, northern Pakistan early this year, also formed a natural dam blocking the fast flowing Hunza River, and creating a lake that is drowning upstream villages as it expand. See original entry. Collapse of the dam would result in a major catastrophe for thousands of people living in downstream villages.
People wait for boats at a lake created after a massive landslide block the Hunza River in Attabad, northern Pakistan. The river has now turned into a lake that is consuming upstream as it expands. If dam breaks, a flash flood could threaten downstream villages. Photo dated Thursday March 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Shabbir Ahmed Mir). Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
The lake level is rising at a rate of about 40cm per day. Photo Source: The Express Tribune. Image may be subject to copyright. For more information click here.
On March 16, 2010, ALI on NASA’s EO-1 satellite captured this true-color image of the lake created by the landslide of January 4. (Note that north is on the right.) Dark rock covers the river in the upper left corner of the image, and the turquoise V-shaped lake stretches out behind the slide. Near the temporary lake, the Karakoram Highway is a faint meandering line of pale brown. A bridge across the Hunza River has been submerged by the rising waters. The bridge connects the settlements of Shaskat (or Shiskit) and Gulmit on the region’s only route to and from China. Image and Caption: NASA. Download large image (3 MB, JPEG)
Azerbaijan
A landslide in the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan buried a house killing four members of a family. The landslide occurred in the Garibli village in the Tovuz region about 420 kilometers from the capital Baku at 6:00am local time on April 27, The Azerbaijani Emergency Situations Ministry reported.
A landslide caused by heavy rains killed three children, aged between 2 and 10, in their bed in the northern province of Ha Giang, Vietnam, an official was quoted as saying.
A search is ongoing for the mother and another nine-year-old boy, local district official Nguyen Thi Duoc said, adding that the family was from the Hmong ethnic minority.
The monsoon usually hits the country between July and November, but strong rains at other times of the year also sometimes cause landslides, particularly in remote mountainous areas.
UK: Large part of Cornwall coastal footpath collapses
A large section of the cliff-face collapsed on to the seashore below. No-one was on the pathway when landslide occurred.
Government geologist Richard Hocking said that the area had had a problem “for a while. … “The actual fault plane wasn’t obvious when I inspected it a couple of weeks ago, so it’s caught us out a little bit.” Photo: BBC. Image may be subject to copyright.
Taiwan Freeway Landslide Update
KEELUNG REEWAY, TAIWAN – Dozens of excavators dig in massive landslide searching for missing people on the Taiwan Freeway outside the northeastern port of Keelung. At least three cars are believed to be buried underneath thousands of tons of rocks and earth. Photo released by National Airborne Service Corps. Click image to enlarge.
As of Wednesday morning (UTC+8 hrs), four bodies had been dug out of the massive landslide that had buried the No. 3 National Freeway in northern Taiwan, the Keelung City Fire Bureau was quoted as saying.
Landslide in Kakheti Region, Georgia, after a week of torrential rain
Serial No 1,634. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Landslide Kills at least 8 People in Jiande City China
Initial reports of how and when the two female and six male workers were killed are conflicting. In fact the number of the victims could be higher.
The following bulletins were broadcast by the official Xinhua news agency. The worrying aspect of their reporting is the change in the cause of deaths:
HANGZHOU, April 20 (Xinhua) — Seven people were killed in a landslide in east China’s Zhejiang Province Tuesday, local authorities said.
The landslide buried part of a factory at 2:30 p.m. in Daciyan town, Jiande city, trapping six men and two women workers, said Yan Weihua, of the publicity department of Jiande Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.
The seven died during medical treatment.
One worker, who was pulled from the debris late Tuesday, was still receiving emergency treatment in hospital.
The workers were employed in Jinkai Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., which was located at the foot of a hill. Editor: yan
HANGZHOU, April 21 (Xinhua) — The eight people buried in a landslide in east China’s Zhejiang Province Tuesday have been confirmed dead, a doctor said Wednesday morning.
The doctor with the No.3 People’s Hospital in Jiande City told Xinhua that all of the eight people had been already dead when they were sent to hospital, with their mouths full of mud and sand.
The landslide buried part of a factory at 2:30 p.m. in Daciyan Town, Jiande City, trapping six men and two women workers, said Yan Weihua, of the publicity department of Jiande Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.
The workers were employed by Jinkai Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., which was located at the foot of a hill. Editor: Lin Zhi
Related Links:
Landslides[Index page for landslides and related links]
–
Serial No 1,605. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
A landslide derails a train in Castebello, north Italy, killing at least 12 people, injuring 25 more
At least 4 of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition.
The accident occurred close to the town of Merano, a famous winter sports resort, near the Austrian border.
According to a report a damaged irrigation pipe had saturated the mountainside, triggering a collapse, which led to the disaster.
The railway line, which runs along the Adige river, is said to be one of the newest in Italy inaugurated only 5 years ago.
A wagon of the derailed train, thrown off its tracks by a landslide, was left hanging precariously several meters over the Adige river as firefighters used cables to prevent it from falling down the mountainside, ANSA said. Photo: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.
Serial No 1,566. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by the authorities/Google in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Serial No 1,554. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by the authorities/Google in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Rescue teams use heavy machinery to dig for bodies and survivors
The worst rains in Rio’s history have triggered about 200 mudslides since Monday destroying homes in hillside community slums, killing as many as 200 people, injuring hundreds more, and leaving thousands without shelter.
The latest significant mudslide swept away at least 50 houses in the Bumba Hill slum, in the city of Niteroi, across a bay from Rio de Janeiro, a report said.
A aerial view of Morro do Bumba area after a landslide at Vicoso Jardim neighborhood in Niteroi, 15 miles (24 km) away from downtown Rio de Janeiro, April 8, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Sergio Moraes. Image may be subject to copyright. For more images see links below.
Disaster Summary:
Historic torrential rains began on Monday, flooding many areas of Rio and throughout the Rio de Janeiro state, triggering deadly mudslides.
Up to 200 mudslides have wreaked devastation throughout the state.
As many as 5,000 homes/shacks mostly in Rio’s slum areas may have been destroyed.
About 200 people are reported dead.
Hundreds more are injured.
As many as 200 are believed to be buried under mountains of mud.
About 25,000 people are left without shelter.
More than 10,000 structures are at risk of collapse.
Niteroi is believed to be the worst affected area with up to 120 people killed by the mud avalanches.
Serial No 1,530. If any posts are blocked in your country, please drop us a line.
A giant avalanche of mud and rocks buries a village in NE Peru, killing at least 30 people, injuring 54 and leaving 25 others missing.
“As of 12:00pm [17:00UTC, April 2, 2010] the death toll stands at 30 people,” Civil Defense chief of the Huanuco region, Hipolito Cruchaga, announced.
Although he put the number of missing at about 25, some local reports have suggested “hundreds of people” may be missing in the village of Ambo.
Homes are submerged in earth after a landslide in the Porvenir area of Huanuco, Peru, Friday, April 2, 2010. Regional officials say heavy rains in northeastern Peru caused landslides that killed at least 25 people, injured 50 and another 25 people are missing. (AP Photo). Image may be subject to copyright.
“An entire village, some 400 people, has completely vanished,” Jorge Espinoza, a senior official in the Huanuco region, had earlier told N television.
“Some will be saved, but it appears the majority were buried,” he said.
“The bodies of some victims were plucked from the swollen Huallaga River downstream from the village of Ambo, while others had to be dug out of the mud, local media reported.” AFP said. A photo of an earlier mudslide released by Peruvian Civil Defense.
The mudslide was triggered by heavy rains that caused a lake higher up a mountain to overflow into a ravine, officials were reported as saying.
Another mudslide claimed 5 lives near the town of Cancejos on Thursday, officials said.
The disasters came barely hours after the government announced Machu Picchu had been reopened following the deadly floods that had forced the closure of Peru’s Inca ruins in January.
On March 9, Fire-Earth Forecast:
More extremes of weather could affect western, northwestern and northern regions of South America throughout the spring 2010, possibly extending into the summer.
15 Bodies recovered, up to 70 others believed buried, hundreds displaced
Tropical monsoon rains triggered a massive mudslide on a steep slope of a tea plantation in West Java’s Bandung district on Tuesday morning, burying about 50 houses.
According to the latest reports, the mudslide in Ciwidey area, about 150 km (90 miles) southeast of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, has also buried a small tea factory, a health center and a mosque, leaving as many as 800 workers displaced.
“Two excavators arrived last night but the digging has mostly been done with hoes,” the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson said.
Fire-Earth believe that a combination of deforestation, seismic activity and tropical monsoon rains is expected to cause more landslide throughout Indonesia.
The landslide left a trail of raw earth on this steep slope above houses and tea plantation buildings in West Java’s Bandung district. (AFP Photo/Pikiran Rakyat). Image may be subject to copyright. See Fire-Earth Fair Use Notice.
Partial map of Indonesia with Bandung near the center.
Political Map of Indonesia (US Govt). Click image to enlarge.
Storm, Floods, Mudslides Target another Popular Tourist Destination
Heavy Storm, Extreme Rain, Torrential Floods and Massive Mudslides Bring Disaster to Portugal’s Atlantic Island of Madeira
At least 32 people were killed and up to a 100 others injured on the island of Madeira after heavy storms brought a violent downpour to the Atlantic island, flooding the popular tourist destination the local government reported Saturday.
“The areas of Funchal and Ribeira Brava suffered from major floods and mudslides, and that’s where we have most of the 32 dead. Some people are also unaccounted for,” said Pedro Barbosa, deputy chief of the regional civil protection service in Madeira.
“Now the weather conditions have improved and we are starting to evaluate the damage,” he said, Reuters reported.
The rains caused large-scale flooding and massive mudslides throughout the island, blocking roads and forcing airports on the island to shut down.
The 120km-per-hour winds and floods uprooted trees, washed away bridges and roads, damaged or destroyed many homes and smashed dozens of cars on the island.
Funchal, the island’s capital (about 1,000km south of Portuguese capital, Lisbon), was probably the worst affected areas by the floods and mudslides in an unusually rainy February.
Cars are washed down a hillside by floodwaters near Funchal, the Madeira Island’s capital, Saturday, February 20, 2010. Photo: AP. image may be subject to copyright.
Saturday’s disaster was reportedly the deadliest on Madeira since October 1993, when storms and floods killed eight people.
NO GAS SOLD AT THIS STATION UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! [Original caption: A man looks on with a camera while floodwaters flow through a gas station and the streets of downtown Funchal, Madeira February 20, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Duarte Sa. Image may be subject to copyright.
La Cañada Flintridge. Smashed vehicles are pushed together on Ocean View Boulevard in La Cañada Flintridge. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times / February 7, 2010) Image may be subject to copyright. LATIMES Photo Gallery
On Saturday, more than 500 homes were under mandatory evacuation orders. About 43 homes have been damaged including 12 that sustained major structural damage, in Paradise Valley, La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta, LA Times said.
“About 25 vehicles were damaged, flowing down the street and smashing against walls, trees and one another.”
“Mubserged” in Mexico
Everything on wheels are seen submerged on a flooded highway in Chalco, Mexico City (Feb. 5, 2010). Severe rain from several different weather systems have created chaos killing at least 30 people and causing substantial to several Mexican states, government met services said. Credit: REUTERS. Image may be subject to copyright.
Meanwhile, the death toll from severe and unseasonable winter rain, which have triggered floods and mudslides in Mexico reached 29. At least two dozen others were reported missing, presumed dead, in the mudslides near Toluca, Mexico State. “A mix of drain water and sewage flowed into thousands of homes and blocked major thoroughfares in the metropolis of 20 million people. About 7,500 homes were flooded, prompting emergency personnel to ferry people from their homes through chest-high water.” AP reported. “… at least 2,000 homes were damaged. The federal government declared three Michoacan townships disaster zones, opening access to relief funds.”
Source: ABC News Aust. Image may be subject to copyright.
After record rainfall in parts of Australia (70 mm fell in 15 mins at Usher Falls at Bouldercombe, south of Rockhamptonn central Queensland,) dozens of cars “ended up under water and boats washed from the Gold Coast marine precinct at Coomera,” and two people were killed. “The weather bureau says Mount Tambourine and Canungra in the Gold Coast hinterland set rainfall records, each receiving more than 360 millimetres in the 24 hours to 9am AEST yesterday.” ABC News Aust reported.
Images of the Day: Brazil Mudslides, Australia Flooding, Florida Drowning …
Death toll from Brazil mudslides rises to 76: Reuters
Massive landslide in Morro da Carioca, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Photo: AP. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice. More images…
Coonamble, central-western New South Wales, Australia:
1,200 people flee their homes as major flood warning issued
2010 Likely the Most Disastrous Year on Record: FEWW
A Disaster a Day Image: Brazil Mudslides – January 1, 2010
Flooding and Mudslides left up to 50 people dead in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state on Friday. The authorities expect the death toll to rise as more heavy rains are forecast.
DAY One: Mudslides in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state
An aerial view of Pousada Sankay hotel buried by a mudslide in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro state January 1, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Bruno Domingos. Image may be subject to copyright.
The exclusive Sankay hotel and surrounding homes collapsed under a mountain of mud in the beach resort of Angra dos Reis, one of Brazil’s most sought-after tourism destinations, Reuters reported the Rio de Janeiro state’s civil defense as saying.
Of the 40 registered guests and the many hotel employees, only 22 bodies were recovered, as of posting.
Heavy rains triggered floods and mudslides on Thursday leaving about 20 people dead mostly in poor areas across Rio state, Brazil’s 3rd most populous region.
FEWW Forecast: In line with its concept of a Shrinking World, and based on FEWW EarthModel and EDRO Energy Models simulations, Fire-Earth Moderators believe at least one disaster could strike somewhere on the planet each day, throughout 2010. The outlook for 2011 and beyond …
FEWW Definition of Disaster: Adopted from CRED, Fire-Earth considers an event a disaster if fits at least one of the following criteria:
At least 10 people were killed.
The event affected 100 or more people.
A state of emergency was declared.
A disaster was declared.
Federal or international assistance was requested.
UNISDR definition of disaster:
A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.
Deadly Landslides in Peruvian city of Ayacucho Kills a Dozen People, Injures Dozens More with Many Missing
Mudslides triggered by heavy rain have killed about a dozen people, injuring dozens more in the southern Peruvian city of Ayacucho.
The death toll is expected to rise, the authorities said.
5 people were reportedly killed when a torrent of mud swept their cars and buried them.
The torrential rainfall, which lasted for about 20 hours, washed thousands of tons of mud and rock from the surrounding hills and filled the streets of Ayacucho, transforming them into rivers of mud, and destroying many structures in their paths.
Bodies are still being dug out of the mud, as meteorologists forecast even more intense seasonal rains.
Peru is probably experiencing a mild El Nino effect, a number of climatologists have suggested.
Saudi Arabia collects at least 88 dead in oil induced climate change Q3 profits
At least 88 people have died in the heaviest flooding to hit Saudi Arabia in in living memory.
As Muslim pilgrims were casting stones at three concrete walls representing the devil on the third day of the annual hajj, torrential rains inundated the port city of Jeddah, where 80 mm of rain fell in just a few hours, forcing the closure of the main highway to Mecca, and stranding thousands of pilgrims on their way to the Muslims’ holy city.
[The pilgrims efforts might have been more meaningful had they cast their stones at a mock-up of an oil rig, a giant oil drum and effigy of an oil supertanker.]
Most of the deaths reportedly occurred in the shantytowns around Jeddah and along the main highway to Mecca, an area populated by poor immigrants who provide cheap labor and domestic help to the wealthy Saudis.
Most of the victims died from drowning, and a few others killed by mudslide, collapsing houses, falling bridges and in car collisions. About 1,000 others were rescued after being stranded in the floodwaters, the authorities said.
Streets of Jeddah flooded after 88mm of rain fell in just a few hours. Photo: AP. Image may be subject to copyright.
Jeddah Under Water. Source: SahilOnlie. Image may be subject to copyright.
Temp in Paraguay capital Asuncion plunged from 35°C to 12°C.
As a ferocious storm devastated parts of northern Argentina and southern Brazil, temperature in Paraguay capital Asuncion plunged from 35°C to 12°C.
A traffic warden (C) stands in an intersection following a power cut due to a heavy storm in Brazil. Photo: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.
Winds of 120km/h, torrential rain and hail destroyed homes and crops killing about 20 people and injuring dozens more in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Uruguay was also hit by the freak storm.
Meteorologists said a severe depression caused by collision between tropical warm air and frosty air caused the freak storm.
In Argentina, the towns of Pozo Azul, San Pedro, Santa Rosa and Tobuna were reported as the worst affected areas, where a senior official called the devastation “incredible.”
Torrential rains flooded many areas across the entire region destroying hundreds of homes, causing traffic problems and cutting off electricity and phone service. Landslides were also reported.
“We’ve always had very strong winds and torrential rains here. But this was a phenomenon never seen before. Houses were completely destroyed,” a Brazilian official said.
“Damage was registered in the areas of Neembucu, San Pedro, Paraguari, Cordillera, Canindeyu and Caaguazu. Many crops were damaged,” an official in Paraguay told reporters.
“Whole houses disappeared,” a rescue official in Santa Rosa, Argentina said. “There are posts down, trees down, and there are more than 50 injured.”
Torrential rains, flooding and landslides strike western Japan
Days of heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in western Japan. On Tuesday alone 7 cm of rain fell in just one hour in Hofu City, Yamaguchi prefecture [state.]
Torrential rains triggered floods and landslides in southern Japan, leaving at least six people dead and 10 others missing, including elderly residents at a nursing home, officials said Wednesday. Photo: AP. Image may be subject to copyright.
At least six people have been killed and nine others are missing after torrential rains caused floods and a landslide in Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan.
Japan’s meteorological agency has issued new warnings for more landslides and flooding in the region.
Residents of a nursing home were hit by a large landslide in Hofu City, Yamaguchi prefecture, about 750km west-southwest of Tokyo, prompting Japan’s self defense forces to send a rescue unit to the area.
Three people were killed and four others were missing at the nursing home, which was inundated with mud, according to Yamaguchi police.
“A total of 99 people had been housed at the nursing home, and we have confirmed 92 are alive,” officials said.
“The mountain behind the nursing home collapsed at about 1.30pm and water gushed down in a mixture of red soil, mud and small rocks.” an eye witness was reported as saying.
A total of seven people were reported missing in Hofu and two more elsewhere in Yamaguchi prefecture, while another person was drowned in a flooded river in the neighboring Tottori prefecture.
There were some 30 significant landslides with 50 places flooded in and around Hofu city, officials were reported as saying.
At least 500 homes were flooded, with many buildings and cars engulfed in mud.
A cluster of medium sized quakes have recently struck the region.
Large mudslide, Hofu City, Japan. Freeze frame from AP video report. Image may be subject to copyright.
Heavy Rains in Southern Japan [NASA Earth Observatory]
The 2009 summer monsoon brought torrential rains to southwestern Japan in July. This image shows rainfall estimates for southern Japan and the surrounding region from July 20–27, produced by the near-real-time, multi-satellite precipitation analysis at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The analysis is based largely on observations from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite.
The most prominent feature is a large bull’s-eye of heavy rain centered over the northern part of Kyushu and the southwestern tip of Honshu. Rainfall totals exceeded 600 millimeters (about 24 inches, show in deep blue) at the center of this rain area, with lesser amounts of up to 150 millimeters (about 6 inches, shown in pale green) extending into central Japan. The heavy rains led to widespread flash flooding and numerous landslides. As of late July 2009, eight people were reported to have died as a result, with nine more still missing, according to news reports.
Each year as the Earth’s orbit brings the Northern Hemisphere back under more direct sunlight, the Asian continent starts to heat up. Land surfaces have less heat capacity than surrounding oceans, and they heat up faster. This land-sea temperature difference causes the winds to shift; warm air rises over the continent, and moist air from over the oceans flows in to replace it. In East Asia, the boundary between the warm, humid air from the ocean to the south and the continental air to the north often becomes more or less stationary.
This stationary front is known as the Baiu front in Japan and as the Mei-yu front in China. The location of the front migrates slowly northward over eastern China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan over the course of spring and early summer, providing a focus for showers and rain, especially when waves of low pressure move along the front. Mei-yu means “plum rains” in Chinese, so called because the widespread rains often occur at the time when plums ripen, which is typically May and June. Baiu season in Japan typically runs from June through July.
Global satellite-based observations of heavy rain and flood inundation potential (calculated from a hydrological model) are updated every three hours and posted online on the Global Flood and Landslide Monitoring page on the TRMM Website.
NASA image by Jesse Allen, using near-real-time data provided courtesy of TRMM Science Data and Information System at Goddard Space Flight Center. Animations by Hal Pierce. Caption by Steve Lang.
Fire Earth 
