Global Disasters/ Significant Events – Sept. 6, 2013

Drought 2013: Agricultural Disaster Declared in 1,336 Counties Across the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated a total of 1,336 counties across 29 states as agricultural disaster areas, so far this year.

The designations include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

Map of the U.S. Drought Disaster areas as of September 4, 2013. At least 1,336 counties, or 42.5% of all U.S. counties¹, were designated as agricultural disaster areas² due to the ongoing drought. [The figure includes both primary and contiguous disaster designations.] Source: USDA. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

1. [U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.]
2. Agriculture officials declare disaster when crop damage has exceeded 30 percent.

Related Links

• Agricultural Disasters Declared for 180 U.S. Counties August 29, 2013
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]
• Agricultural Disasters Index

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The Disaster President Signs Arkansas Disaster Declaration

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Arkansas due to severe storms and flooding during the period of August 8-14, 2013.

Most of the losses and damage caused by the severe storms and flooding occurred in the counties of Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion and Newton.

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments, FEMA has said.

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S. Korea bans seafood from eastern Japan

The South Korean government has banned imports of seafood products from 8 prefectures in eastern Japan due to the threat of radioactive contamination from toxic water leaks at Fukushima nuclear plant.

The ban, announced on Friday, will take effect on Monday, September 9, 2013, and will apply to ALL seafood imports from fisheries in 8 prefectures: Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, Aomori, Chiba, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma.

“The measures are due to the sharply increased concern in the public about the flow of hundreds of metric tons of contaminated water into the ocean at the site of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan,” a spokesman for the South Korean Prime Minister’s office said.

“The officials also say the country will ask for test certificates if even a trace of radioactivity is found in fish, dairy products and other foods from anywhere in Japan,” said a report.

China banned imports of seafood products, dairy and vegetable from at least 5 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, immediately after the triple meltdown at Fukushima nuclear plant on March 11, 2011.

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Disaster Declared in Arkansas

Arkansas declares disaster in 6 northern counties

Arkansas Gov. Beebe has declared disaster in six counties in the northern part of the state due to the losses and damages that have occurred to the county’s critical infrastructure following the August 8 flooding.

The counties of Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion and Newton were declared state disaster areas due to damage caused by severe storms and flooding over the past week.

Damages have occurred to the critical infrastructure, including roads and bridges, as a result of the deluge, said Carroll County Department of Emergency Management.

Other Disasters/ Significant events

State of Emergency Declared in Washington County, FL

A State of Emergency, has been declared in Washington County due to severe flooding.

Extreme rain events since Sunday have flooded numerous roads, prompting officials to urge people to stay off the road, said a report.

Disaster Declared in 15 Counties in Arkansas, 10 in Iowa

Severe storm, tornado cause significant damage to Arkansas counties

Arkansas Governor Beebe declared 15 counties across Arkansas disaster areas on Thursday, a day after a severe storm and at least one tornado swept through the state.

An EF-2 tornado touched down in the Botkinburg area of Van Buren County on Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported.

The tornado had peak winds of up to 135 mph and a width of about 400 yards; it damaged or destroyed dozens of houses.

Counties covered under the declaration are Cleburne, Conway, Garland, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Lincoln, Montgomery, Polk, Sharp, Stone, Union, Van Buren, White, and Yell Counties.

Damage assessments continue, and additional counties may be added to the disaster declaration, according to Gov. Beebe’s Office.

Iowa Disaster Declaration

Governor Branstad has declared disaster for 10 counties in northwest Iowa following the losses and damage caused by severe weather.

Counties included in the proclamation are Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth and Sioux.

Beginning April 9, severe storm systems affected the state of Iowa.  The storm systems spawned severe weather, including damaging winds, heavy rains, thunderstorms, freezing rains, and ice storms and caused significant damage to public and private property, power outages resulting from downed power lines and poles, and large debris piles. Full declaration posted here.

Iowa Disaster Declaration #2

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 22 Iowa counties as disaster areas due to the combined effects of freezing temperatures and continuing drought conditions.

Other Disaster Declarations in Iowa

“Kossuth County, Iowa has been designated as a primary disaster area for drought conditions beginning March 15, 2013 and continuing. Seven Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for program based on this designation. The contiguous counties are: Emmet, Hancock, Humboldt, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Winnebago, and Wright,” said a report.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

N. Korea threatens nuclear strike on Tokyo

Pyongyang  has decried Japan’s standing order to shoot down any North Korean missile heading toward Japanese islands, threatening a nuclear strike against Tokyo.

If Japan maintains its “hostile posture,”  N. Korea has warned, Tokyo would be “consumed in nuclear flames.”

At least 50,000 Sudanese flee to Chad amid Darfur clashes

More than 50,000 Sudanese have fled into southeastern Chad since last week following renewed tribal conflict in the Darfur region, UN officials said. Some 74,000 refugees have fled to Chad in the past two months, the UN High Commission for Refugees said, Reuters reported.

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DISASTER CALENDAR – April 12, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,065 Days Left 

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

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,065 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

Armyworms Force Disaster Declarations in Arkansas, Missouri

Armyworms devastate crops across 23 U.S. counties 

USDA has designated 19 counties in Arkansas and 4 counties in Missouri as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by armyworms that began April 1 and continues.

• The primary disaster areas in Arkansas: Boone, Fulton, Izard, Madison and Sharp counties.
• Contiguous disaster areas in Arkansas:  Baxter, Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Independence, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Newton, Randolph, Searcy, Stone and Washington counties.
• The disaster areas in Missouri: Howell, Oregon, Ozark and Taney counties.

A county is designated an agricultural disaster area when the crop losses exceed 30 percent.

Fall armyworm damage corn cobs. –USDA

Fall armyworm cause extensive damage to whorls of corn. Source: Purdue Cooperative Extension Service

Four stages of armyworm development. Image Source: NCSU.

Description (Source: NCSU)

• Adult– The true armyworm moth has grayish-brown forewings, each with a white spot near the center, and grayish-white hind wings. The wingspan averages 38.5 mm.
• Egg – The minute, greenish-white egg is globular in shape.
• Larva – The young armyworm is pale green. The mature larva is basically yellowish or brownish-green with a tan or greenish-brown head mottled with darker brown. The smooth, practically hairless body is marked with three dark longitudinal stripes, one along each side and one down the back. A full-grown armyworm is 30 to 35 mm long.
• Pupa – The reddish-brown 13-mm-long pupa darkens gradually until it is almost black.

See also:

• ARMYWORMS MARCH ACROSS NEW YORK Posted on June 17, 2012
• Disaster Declared as Little Bear Fire Grows Posted on June 10, 2012

Other Global Disaster, Significant Events

• Vermont, USA. The Disaster President has declared 3 Vermont counties—Addison, Lamoille and Orleans—as major disaster areas due to severe storms, hail, flooding, high wind and a tornado that struck the region on May 29.
  • The extreme weather event caused widespread damage to private property as well as public infrastructure.
  • Vermont has now experienced extreme weather events destructive enough to warrant major disaster declarations for the sixth successive year.

• See also: Obama Presidency: Thousand Days of Disaster

[NOTE: This blog endorses neither of the two political mafia families!]

• Gulf of Mexico

Tropical Storm DEBBY. Image source: CIMSS

• TS DEBBY, currently quasistationery,  located about 210 miles SSE of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with winds of about 50MPH, and is expected to intensify into hurricane strength before slamming into Texas/Louisiana/Florida coasts.
• DEBBY could dump up to 10 inches of rain along the Gulf Coast from southern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.
• Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches have been issued for coastal waters of SE Louisiana and S Mississippi.

• Colorado.  Waldo Canyon Fire, which flared up on Saturday, has grown to more than 2,000 acres, and is expected to remain active throughout the night.
  • The fast-moving blaze near Colorado Springs has forced more than 5,000 people to flee their homes.
  • The fire was zero percent contained, as of posting.
  • Mandatory Evacuation Orders:
    • “Cedar Heights Subdivision and Mountain Shadows south of Chuck Wagon are under mandatory evacuation. Boundaries are Rampart Range Road to the west and everything west of 30th and Centennial from Gateway Road north to Chuck Wagon. City of Manitou Springs and Crystal Park Subdivision as well as The north side of Hwy. 24 east from the County line to Waldo Canyon. There are no evacuation orders in place at this time for Mountain Shadows other than those south of Chuck Wagon Road. Garden of the Gods Park and Garden of the Gods Visitor Center are closed. Pikes Peak Hwy. is closed.” USFS reported.

• Colorado. Woodland Heights fire, another explosive blaze that ignited near the mountain community of Estes Park, has destroyed about two dozen structures.

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