Wildfires Destroy Hundreds of Homes in California

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC HAZARDS
MEGA DISASTERS
STATES OF EMERGENCY
EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT
RISING TEMPERATURES
DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRES
MASS EVACUATIONS
LOSS OF HABITAT
MASS DISPLACEMENTS
LOSS OF CROPS & LIVESTOCK
SCENARIOS 900, 800, 555, 444, 111, 101, 100, 080, 071, 070, 03, 02
.

Wildfire forces entire California town’s residents to flee

The so-called Boles Fire wildfire near the small logging town of Weed in northern California has consumed about 400 acres, destroying an estimated 180 homes and forcing the entire town’s population of about 3,000 to flee.

Elsewhere across the drought-stricken [Golden] state, which is baking under record heat, more than a dozen ferocious blazes have destroyed dozens of other homes.

Courtney Fire in Madera County has destroyed 33 residences, 28 outbuildings, 13 vehicles and 4 recreational vehicles, leaving 4 other residences, 6 outbuildings and 2 vehicles  damaged, said Cal Fire.

More than 1,000 residents in Bass Lake Heights community had been evacuated.

The massive 12,000-acre King Fire in El Dorado National Forest, East of Sacramento, continues to threaten more than 500 homes. Large-scale evacuations have been ordered.

The 1,000-acre Orange County Silverado Fire, burning in Cleveland National Forest, has forced mandatory evacuations of hundreds of homes.

Meantime, across the state line in Oregon, at least half dozen major fires are burning thousands of acres. The “36 Pit Fire” has forced mandatory evacuation for dozens of homes near Portland.

SoCal Buckling Under Heat

Temperatures across Southern California remain in the triple digits territory, threatening to break more records and putting enormous pressure on the power grid.

The blistering heat has pushed demand for electricity to an all-time high, LA Times reported.

“On Monday, LADWP reported that [1.4 million] customers broke a record set in 2010, when they used 6,177 megawatts. On Monday, that figure hit 6,196 megawatts.”

The “five-day heat wave” has caused blackouts in numerous areas including Sun Valley, Burbank and Sherman Oaks, where temperatures topped 40.5C (105 degrees). Other affected areas Tuesday included Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, the Valley and West L.A., said the report.

Related Links

• Ferocious Fire Forces Hundreds of Evacuations in SoCal September 14, 2014
• Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events – September 15, 2014 September 15, 2014

Flooding Forces Thousands of Evacuations in Buenos Aires

EXTREME WEATHER AND CLIMATIC EVENTS
EXTREME RAIN EVENTS
.

Extreme Rain Events dumped up to 157mm (6 inches) of rain on  parts of Buenos Aires province on Friday triggering widespread flooding in the Argentine capital, as well as the cities of San Nicolás, San Pedro, Arrecifes, Ramallo, La Plata, Ensenada and Berisso.

Provincial districts of La Matanza, Berisso, Lomas de Zamora, Moreno, Ituzaingó and Luján were also severely affected, said a senior  official.

The floods have left at least 1 person dead and thousands displaced, according to local reports.

Authorities in Buenos Aires have advised citizens to avoid touching electric cables or lamp posts, reported Buenos Aires Herald.

“Buenos Aires City also lived through a day of chaos with flooded streets and more than 100 stoplights out of service. Much of the subway stopped operating due to the floods and train services and flights were delayed.”

Major Blackout in Brazil amid Record Heat, Low Rainfall

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
MAJOR BLACKOUTS
.

6 Million homes and businesses without power as Brazil awaits rain!!

Record heat and severe drought have left hydroelectric dams at alarmingly low levels, severely affecting Brazil’s hydroelectric supply.

The shortages affected at least 11 states, including some of Brazil’s most populous regions.

Authorities say blackouts were caused by short circuits in transmission lines and have nothing to do with energy shortages.

Disaster Emergency Declared in Multiple States

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
STATES OF DISASTER EMERGENCY
.

Deadly Snow Storm Threatens 32 States

States of Emergency Declared in Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, New Jersey…

The second snow storm in a week is forecast to dump up to a foot of snow across all or portions of at least 32 states. The deadly snow storm will be followed by yet another massive arctic blast that will bring life-threatening temperatures and frigid conditions to more than two-thirds of the country.

State of Disaster Emergency Declared in Kansas

Gov. Brownback has signed a state of disaster emergency declaration for Kansas for the entire state in response to a deadly storm, which continues to batter Kansas as it moves through the state.

Arkansas Declares a State of Emergency amid Widespread Power Outages

Tens of thousands of Arkansans were left without electricity on Tuesday, prompting Gov Beebe to declare a state of emergency.

“A severe winter weather system, beginning February 3, 2014, and continuing, has resulted in the loss of electric power and other utilities within the State of Arkansas, which will require utility companies and their crews to work long hours to restore such services as quickly as practicable …  Adverse circumstances have been brought to bear upon the citizens and public properties within the State …  [I’m authorized as] a state governor to declare a regional emergency during the duration of the emergency conditions, not to exceed thirty (30) days from the date of the initial declaration of emergency, and to exempt any motor carrier or driver operating a commercial motor vehicle to provide direct assistance in providing emergency relief during an emergency …” said Gov Beebe in his State of Emergency Proclamation.

Mississippi declares a State of Emergency amid Threat of Deadly Snow Storm

Gov. Bryant has declared a State of Emergency as a deadly snow storm threatens to batter northern portions of Mississippi, including Coahoma, DeSoto and Tunica counties.

“I have declared a State of Emergency to aid emergency officials in preparing for the onset of this potentially dangerous weather,” said Bryant. “Residents should not overreact but should make plans now to ensure they are prepared for a variety of conditions, including prolonged freezing temperatures, icy roadways, heavy rains, and potential flooding.

New Jersey Declares Yet Another State of Emergency

New Jersey Gov Christie issued yet another State of Emergency late Tuesday ahead of the winter storm that is forecast to dump up to a foot of snow just about everywhere.

All state offices will be closed Wednesday, said the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management.

“Tonight’s winter weather is expected to produce snow and ice, creating hazardous travel conditions and affecting areas throughout the state that are already recovering from yesterday’s storm,” said Gov. Christie in a statement, urging “all New Jerseyans to remain off the roads if possible” to allow “first responders and public safety officials can safely respond to any emergency situations.”

States of Emergency Declarations in Other Areas

• Town of Sellersburg, Ind. under state of emergency
• Dodge County, WI has declared a state of emergency due to the statewide propane shortage.
• Limited State of Emergency Declared in Niagara Falls

Additional Links

• Energy Demand: International Demand And Cold Weather Strain Midwest Propane Supply
• AP: A state-by-state look at winter’s latest wallop

Related Links

• State of Disaster Emergency Declared in Kansas  February 5, 2014
• State of Emergency Declared in New Jersey on February 4, 2014

Mass Blackouts Continue in Freezing US, Canada

EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

Up to 650,000 homes in northeastern US and southeastern Canada still without electricity days after deadly ice storm

Dozens of fatalities reported in the region, many caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from heating appliances.

The ice storm severely impacted a vast area in the US, from Michigan to Maine, and large parts of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada.

Toronto’s Mayor called the ice storm “one of the worst storms in Toronto history.”

The ice storm also battered New York state, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, forcing New York Governor to declare a winter ice storm emergency on Friday in four counties where more than 2 inches of ice covered the roads.

States of emergency were in effect across many towns, cities and counties during the ice storm.

Low Temperature Embarrass MN

Low Temperature in the U.S. on Thursday, December 26, 2013 was -28 degrees (-33ºC) at Embarrass, MN
(as received by 7 am EST December 26), reported NWS Weather Prediction Center.

Record Daily High and Low Temps

As of December 24, 2013 some 983 daily record high temperatures and 1,124 daily record low temperatures were broken or tied across the U.S. for the month, according to National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)  in Asheville, North Carolina.

Related Links

• Major Blackouts in U.S., Canada as Deadly Storms, Tornadoes Kill 18 December 24, 2013

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – 9-4-2013

Massive blackout paralyzes Venezuela

A major power cut has left more than two-thirds of Venezuela without electricity including most of the capital Caracas.

The blackout disabled stoplights in the capital, and disrupted the subway causing chaos.

Venezuelan President Maduro has accused the far-right opposition of “sabotaging” the power lines.

“Everything seems to indicate that the far-right has resumed its plan for an electrical strike against the country,” he said.

Critics blame poor management and the failure to upgrade the infrastructure, reports said.

-oOo-

Japan Tornado

The twister that struck near Tokyo on Monday has been rated as an F2 tornado, Japan’s Meteorological Agency reported.

The tornado left a 19km-long path of destruction, measuring up to 200m wide and extending from the eastern part of Saitama City to Bando City in Ibaraki Prefecture, the agency said.

-oOo-

Tropical Storm TORAJI  Made Landfall in SW Japan

Severe Tropical Storm TORAJI, the 17th typhoon of the season, made landfall in Kagoshima Prefecture early on Wednesday, said Japan’s Meteorological Agency.

The powerful storm is moving through southwestern Japan, bringing heavy rain and high winds.

The authorities have issued flood and mudslide warning in the affected regions.

Toraji dumped more than 80 mm of rain per hour on the island of Shikoku, and at least 250mm over Kagoshima Prefecture by Wednesday morning local time.

-oOo-

The Iraq Insanity

At least 60 people were killed and and scores more wounded in a series of car bomb attacks and shootings in several districts of Iraq’s capital Baghdad, officials have said.

Some 804 Iraqis were killed and another 2,030 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in August, said United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

“Despite the decrease in casualty figures in August, compared to July, the impact of violence on civilians remains disturbingly high, with almost 5,000 civilians killed and 12,000 injured since the beginning of 2013,” the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Ms. Jacqueline Badcock, warned.

Baghdad was the bloodiest governorate in August with 1,272 civilian casualties (317 killed and 955 injured), followed by Salahuddin, Ninewa, Diyala, Anbar, Kirkuk, Babil, Wasit and Basra, said UNAMI.

-oOo-

Avila Fire Outside Caracas Consumes 120 ha

Image of the Day:

A massive blaze on the Avila mountain overlooking Caracas rages on into third day

Venezuela is experiencing a prolonged drought which has critically reduced water levels in the country’s hydroelectric dams causing electricity crisis. President Chavez declared a national emergency in the electricity sector last month as the water level in Guri Dam fell by 14 cm (5.5 in). Venezuela depends on hydroelectric power generation for about 70 percent of its needs.  Continued drought would dramatically affect the nation’s hydroelectric power generation capacity.

A helicopter drops water over a wild forest fire at the Avila national park, known also as Waraira Repano, in Caracas March 22, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Jorge Silva. Image may be subject to copyright.

“Since the weekend, the fire has lit up the night sky and consumed nearly 120 hectares (300 acres) of the Avila’s thickly wooded slopes, which are home to more than 120 mammal species and 500 types of bird.” Reuters reported. More …

Related Links:

• Drought and Deluge
• Major Blackout Plunges Brazil into Darkness
• Murphy’s law has no time vector!