Tens of Thousands Displaced in Indonesia Floods, Landslides

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS
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Widespread flooding and landslides have left dozens killed, and tens of thousands displaced in Indonesia

Dozens of people were killed and at least 40,000 others made homeless by severe flash flooding and landslides in eastern Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, according to reports.

Indonesian Army, the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) and other organizations have been mobilized to evacuate victims after floods and landslides hit North Sulawesi, affecting multiple districts in several regencies, reported Jakarta post.

Flooding in Jakarta

Meanwhile, widespread flooding triggered by extreme rain events  in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has left at least 7 people dead and more than 11,000 homeless, the national disaster agency told Xinhua. Authorities expect more rains worsening the flood situation over the next few days.

Dozens of locations buried under up to 80cm of floodwater since Wednesday , most of which were located in West Jakarta, according to  BPBD.

“Jakarta witnessed one of its most devastating disasters when substantial flooding inundated 70 percent of the capital’s land mass in 2007, causing 57 deaths and displacing 450,000,” said a report.

Severe flooding triggered by extreme rain events  has inundated the Indonesian capital Jakarta, leaving at least 7 people dead and more than 11,000 displaced, the national disaster agency told Xinhua. Authorities expect more rains worsening the flood situation over the next few days.(Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.) More images…

High Fire Danger in Southern California amid Driest Conditions on Record

CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS
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L.A. Basin blanketed by smoke as Colby fire burns 1,700 acres, destroying homes and forcing mass evacuations

Red Flag Warning is in effect for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties due to gusty Santa Ana winds and very low humidities, said NWS.

A fast-moving wildfire that started in the hills above Glendora has consumed more than 1,700 acres, destroying  homes, forcing thousands to evacuate, and enveloping much of the Los Angeles Basin in a thick pall of smoke.

The blazed has destroyed at least five homes and damaged 2 dozen outbuildings and other structures, said fire officials. About 600 fire crews have been deployed.

The event is significant because it may herald an unprecedented winter fire season amid the driest conditions ever recorded in the region.

US Drought Monitor Map for January 14, 2014. Released by http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ on January 16, 2014.

Red Flag Warning

High pressure over the Great Basin will continue to generate gusty Santa Ana winds over Los Angeles and Ventura counties. These winds should strengthen some this evening then remain gusty into Friday, before weakening Friday afternoon into Saturday. The strongest winds will occur in the afternoon through evening hours. Peak gusts to around 50 mph are expected in the mountains, with gusts peaking to around 40 mph range in the valleys.  –NWS

The relative humidities would stay between 6 – 8 percent with temperatures forecast to reach 90s.

California Fire Weather Map

Source: NWS, via CalFire.

Drought Disaster Declared in 16 States

CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS
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520 Counties across 16 States Declared Crop Disaster Areas due to Drought

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared crop disaster for 520 counties across 16 states due to a recent drought.

The disaster areas, declared in 11 separate designations, cover more than 16.5% of all counties and county-equivalents in the U.S.

The latest crop disaster areas are in the following states

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California (47 County-level crop disaster designations)
• Colorado   (40 County-level crop disaster designations)
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Kansas  (52  County-level crop disaster designations)
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma   (36 County-level crop disaster designations)
• Oregon
• Texas (197 County-level crop disaster designations)
• Utah

The above list includes the disaster designation for 40 counties in 5 states posted earlier today.

Notes:
1. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.

2. The total number of counties designated as agricultural disaster areas includes both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

3. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.

4. Several counties have been designated as  crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters occurring.

5. The disaster designations were approved by USDA between January 9 and December 18, 2013.

2014 Federal and Agriculture Disaster Declarations

• Crop Disasters Declared in 6 States January 10, 2014

Related Links

• Drought 2013
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Death Toll Rises in Super Typhoon HAIYAN

Philippine Mega Disaster:  Death toll rises to 5,632 with 1,759 others missing and  26,136 injured

Death toll from Super Typhoon HAIYAN climbed to 5,632, after 34 bodies were recovered in central Tacloban city since Thursday, said the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The number of people missing also rose to 1,759, with 26,136 others reported injured due to HAIYAN [ locally known as YOLANDA.]

Total number of people affected by the Super Typhoon is put at just under 11 million [U.N. estimate is about 13.5 million,] with the number of displaced revised down to about 3.9 million.

The number of houses destroyed or damaged has increased to 1,168,909 units including 582,827 units completely flattened, according to NDRRMC SitRep No. 48, released today.

The total cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture [the estimate excludes cost of rebuilding homes] is pegged at over PhP30.6 billion [$1=43.77 Philippines peso] with about PhP15.6 for infrastructure and PhP15 billion for agriculture in Regions IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, and CARAGA, said the report.

State of National Calamity

The Philippine President issued Presidential Proclamation No. 682 declaring a state of national calamity on 11 November 11, 2013.

Extent of Crop Damage

“High winds, heavy rains and localized floods destroyed houses and infrastructure, including irrigation facilities, and resulted in losses of the main staple rice paddy, sugarcane and coconut crops, as well as livestock, poultry and fisheries,” said the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

HAIYAN destroyed about 153,500 hectares (ha) of rice paddy, maize and other high value crops, including 77,500 ha of rice and 21,000 ha of maize crops, it added [figures are rounded to the nearest 100.]

Philippines imports of rice are to increase by 20 percent next year to 1.2 million metric tons, said FAO.

FIRE-EARTH Disaster Models

On November 9, 2013, FIRE-EARTH Models estimated the impact of Super Typhoon HAIYAN in the Philippines as a magnitude 6.2 catastrophe on the FEWW Disaster Scale, indicating large-scale regional destruction with up to 40,000 casualties.

• FIRE-EARTH Disaster Models estimate the total cost of damage at more than $5billion.

FIRE-EARTH and MSRB  2004 Forecast

In 2004,  our team forecast an 80-90 percent increase in the total power dissipated annually by tropical cyclones  in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by 2015.

• Storms will continue to get stronger (develop greater average intensities) and survive at high intensity for longer (take more time to dissipate peak energy) resulting in substantial increases in storm-related losses in the near future.

Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Chronology of Disaster

Super Typhoon HAIYAN (locally known as YOLANDA) made its first landfall in the early morning of 8 November in Guiuan, Eastern Samar province. HAIYAN made subsequent landfalls in Tolosa south of Tacloban City, Leyte province, Daanbantayan and Bantayan Island, Cebu province, Conception, Iloilo province and Busuanga, Palawan province.

Related Links

• Super Typhoon HAIYAN: WE TOLD YOU SO! November 20, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN Disaster: 4 Pct of Philippine Population Displaced November 17, 2013
• Global Disasters/ Significant Events – November 18, 2013 November 18, 2013
• 4.24 Million Displaced in Super Typhoon HAIYAN November 23, 2013

Illinois Declared Federal Disaster Area

Major Disaster Declared for Illinois

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Illinois in the area affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes on November 17, 2013.

The 15 counties worst affected by the severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes are Champaign, Douglas, Fayette, Grundy, Jasper, La Salle, Massac, Pope, Tazewell, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, Will, and Woodford.

The White House declaration  makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the disaster areas, said U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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

Disaster Declared in 13 Illinois Counties

Last week, Gov. Quinn declared a total of  13 counties in Illinois as disaster areas after tornadoes tore through the state, killing at least 6 people and leaving hundreds of others injured. A total of 85 twisters (confirmed by SPC), including two EF4 tornadoes,  which pack 166 mph to 200 mph winds, touched down in the US heartland destroying or damaging hundreds of homes.

Recent Disaster Declarations

• Nebraska Declared Federal Disaster Area November 27, 2013
• Major Disaster Declared for South Dakota November 9, 2013
• Major Disaster Declared in North Dakota November 1, 2013

• North Carolina Declared Federal Disaster Area October 31, 2013
• Major Disaster Declared in New Mexico October 30, 2013
• Kansas Declared Federal Disaster Area October 30, 2013
• Blizzard Kills 80,000 Cattle in S. Dakota October 14, 2013
• New Mexico Declared Federal Disaster Area October 2, 2013

• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 194 Counties in 13 States September 20, 2013
• N. Colorado Declared as Federal Disaster Area September 14, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 138 counties in 14 States
• Drought 2013
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Nebraska Declared Federal Disaster Area

Major Disaster Declared for Nebraska

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Nebraska in the area affected by severe storms, winter storms, tornadoes, and flooding during the period of October 2-6, 2013.

Areas worst affected by the severe storms, winter storms, tornadoes, and flooding are the counties of Adams, Dawes, Dixon, Howard, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Thurston, and Wayne.

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

Recent Federal Disaster Declarations

• North Carolina Declared Federal Disaster Area October 31, 2013
• Major Disaster Declared in New Mexico October 30, 2013
• Kansas Declared Federal Disaster Area October 30, 2013

• N. Colorado Declared as Federal Disaster Area September 14, 2013
• Major Disaster Declared for South Dakota November 9, 2013
• New Mexico Declared Federal Disaster Area October 2, 2013

• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 194 Counties in 13 States September 20, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 138 counties in 14 States
• Drought 2013
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Sardinia Declares a State of Emergency due to Cyclone CLEOPATRA

Cyclone CLEOPATRA Leaves Thousands Displaced in Sardinia

Death toll in Sardinia storms has climbed to at least 17, with a dozen others reported missing, as thousands of people abandon their flooded homes taking refuge in hotels.

Cyclone Cleopatra dumped 450mm in 90 minutes late Monday, causing “apocalyptic” flooding in the region.

Swollen rivers have burst their banks, roads have been washed away and large swathes of countryside isolated throughout the province of Nuoro.

The calamity was described as a “national tragedy” by the Prime Minister Enrico Letta.

The regional governor Ugo Cappellacci told SkyTG24 television the town of Olbia had been flooded with several bridges collapsing.

“The situation is tragic. The hotels in Olbia are full of people who have had to escape but there are thousands who have damage to their homes,” he said.

Olbia Mayor Gianni Giovanelli described the deadly storm as “apocalyptic.”

Deadly Flooding in Sardinia. Image credit:  TG24.sky.it

“We’re at maximum alert,” said an official from Sardinia’s civil protection office.

“We haven’t seen a situation as extreme as this, perhaps for decades, especially because it’s hit the entire island.”

The civil protection authorities in Veneto (Venetia) have warned extreme weather could hit several other regions, according to SkyTG24 television.

The bad weather will continue throughout the week. On Thursday a cold air front from northern Europe is forecast to intensify CLEOPATRA, as she continues to “rage over NE Italy.”

Major snowfall is forecast for Umbria, Marche and Tuscany regions.

The storms have caused significant damage to crops in Sardinia, according to reports.

Meantime, the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano has sent a message of condolence to the families of flood victims.

Related Links

• “Apocalyptic” Storms, Flash Floods Strike Sardinia, Italy November 19, 2013

“Apocalyptic” Storms, Flash Floods Strike Sardinia, Italy

Two dozen dead or missing, hundreds evacuated as extreme weather batters Sardinia

At least a dozen people were killed, more than a dozen others reported missing and hundreds evacuated after storms tore through the Italian island of Sardinia late Monday.

Powerful storms and torrential rains submerged roads sweeping cars and destroying several bridges, as rivers burst their banks inundating hundred of home and businesses reported local media.

The township of Olbia (Population: 57,000), located northeast of the island, was the hardest hit area.

Heavy rains were buffeting both northern and southern Italy with high winds and flooding reported in coastal areas, officials said.

Massive floods triggered by extreme rain events hit the island of Sardinia, Italy (Image Credit: AP/Diego Manunta).  The city was destroyed by the “apocalyptic” storm, with several dead and several missing. Olbia mayor Gianni Giovanelli told reporters.

80,000 Left Homeless by Flooding and Landslides in Vietnam

40 Dead or missing, 80,000 displaced due to flooding and landslides in Vietnam

Tropical Depression PODUL dumped up to 800mm of rain in some parts of central Vietnam, leaving hundreds of villages isolated.

Extreme rain events have triggered sever flooding and landslides in five central provinces, leaving at least 28 people dead, nine missing and more than 80,000 homeless since Thursday. At least 100,000 houses have been inundated, according to reports.

Many roads have been damaged, including many parts of the National Highway19, which have been washed away.  At least a dozen bridges have collapsed.  Widespread power outages have been reported in Binh Dinh Province, with the Tay Son District experiencing a total blackout.

Flooding in the region was exacerbated after 15 hydro power plants opened their sluice gates for safety, releasing tens of thousands of cubic meters of water.

Tropical Storm KETSANA forced a hydro power dam in Quang Nam to release 50 million cubic meters of water in September 2009, which intensified flooding that killed at least 163 people and caused more than US$786 million worth of property damage, said a report.

Tropical Storm HAIYAN killed at least 13 people and left 81 others injured when  it made landfall in north Vietnam after killing thousands of people in the Philippine, leaving more than 4 percent of the population homeless and vast areas utterly devastated.

Related Links

• PODUL Forces 25,000 to Flee Their Homes in Vietnam Posted on November 16, 2013
• Tropical Depression ZORAIDA Striking Mindanao, Philippines November 11, 2013

Death Toll Doubles in Philippine Typhoon Disaster

1.5 Percent of Philippine Population Left Homeless by ST HAIYAN

11.8million (12 percent of the population) directly affected, 1,487,040 displaced, 4,460 confirmed dead 

The Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), estimated 11.8 million people have been affected by Typhoon HAIYAN (locally known as YOLANDA) across nine regions (Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, MIMAROPA, CALABARZON, Bicol, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga).

Total number of people who have lost their homes as of 6:00am Friday, November 15, 2013 climbed to 1,487,040 persons , or 314,936 families [NDRRMC SitRep No. 20,] and rising. [ New figures are due to improved access to more areas and validation of figures, said UNOCHA.]

Typhoon Death Toll

The Government confirmed that 4,460 people have so far perished, as of 13 November 13, 2013. [Note: NDRRMC is yet to upgrade the death toll on its twice-daily bulletins.]

No of Homes Destroyed or Damaged
Some 253,049 houses have been destroyed or damaged as a result of  Super Typhoon HAIYAN. The latest figure includes 136,247 homes that have been leveled.

Cost of Damage

Official estimate for the total cost of damage to agriculture and infrastructure has been amended to PhP4,060,044,079.13.  The revised  damage estimates are substantially lower than the previous figures released by NDRRMC on November 12, 2013.  [$1 = 43.6 Philippine pesos]

Survivors of Super Typhoon HAIYAN roaming streets of Tacloban City in search of food shortly after the deadly storm struck.

Other News

Fuel in Tacloban City is expected to run out b y early next week.

Notes

1.  On November 9, 2013, FIRE-EARTH Models estimated the impact of Super Typhoon HAIYAN in the Philippines as a magnitude 6.2 catastrophe on the FEWW Disaster Scale, indicating large-scale regional destruction with up to 40,000 casualties.

2. FIRE-EARTH Disaster Models estimate the total cost of damage at more than $5billion.

3. Philippines population is about 99million.

This post will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.

Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Chronology of Disaster

Super Typhoon HAIYAN (locally known as YOLANDA) made its first
landfall in the early morning of 8 November in Guiuan, Eastern Samar province. HAIYAN made subsequent landfalls in Tolosa south of Tacloban City, Leyte province, Daanbantayan and Bantayan Island, Cebu province, Conception, Iloilo province and Busuanga, Palawan province.

• Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Death Toll Continues Rising November 14, 2013
• Philippine President Lowers the Typhoon Death Toll, for Now November 13, 2013
• Stench of Death Permeates the Philippines Disaster Zone November 12, 2013
• Tropical Depression ZORAIDA Striking Mindanao, Philippines November 11, 2013
• Philippine Disaster Update – November 11 November 11, 2013
• Typhoon HAIYAN Strikes Northern Vietnam Near China Border November 11, 2013
• Philippine Disaster Zone: “It’s Like the End of the World.” November 10, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN – NOV 10 Update November 10, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Casualties Could Top Many Thousands November 9, 2013
• Extraterrestrial Typhoon Force Generating 20-Meter “Tsunami” November 8, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN’S Arm Battering the Philippines November 7, 2013
• “Extraterrestrial” Typhoon HAIYAN – Image Update November 6, 2013
• HAIYAN Intensifying to “Extraterrestrial” Levels November 6, 2013
• Potential Super Typhoon Headed for the Philippines November 4, 2013
• Typhoon KROSA Destroys or Damages 19,000 Homes in Philippines  November 2, 2013

Other Related Links

• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Death Toll Continues Rising

About 12% of the entire Philippines population directly affected by Super Typhoon HAIYAN: UNDAC

Official figures: At least 2,357 people are dead; 3,853 injured; 77 missing and 818,596 displaced

On November 9, 2013, FIRE-EARTH Models estimated the impact of Super Typhoon HAIYAN in the Philippines as a magnitude 6.2 catastrophe on the FEWW Disaster Scale, indicating large-scale regional destruction with up to 40,000 casualties.

FIRE-EARTH Disaster Models estimate the total cost of damage at more than $5billion.

The following table [SitRep No. 19] shows latest official casualty and damage estimates released by  Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMC).

Source: Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMC). [$1 = 43.6 Philippine pesos]

[Notes: Official estimates  for the total cost of damage has been substantially reduced to PhP4,060,044,079.13,] which is more realistic than the original figures. Philippines population is about 99million.]

Table below [SitRep No. 18] shows earlier casualty and damage estimates as released by  Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMC).

Source: Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMC).

This post will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.

Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Chronology of Disaster

• Philippine President Lowers the Typhoon Death Toll, for Now November 13, 2013
• Stench of Death Permeates the Philippines Disaster Zone November 12, 2013
• Tropical Depression ZORAIDA Striking Mindanao, Philippines November 11, 2013
• Philippine Disaster Update – November 11 November 11, 2013
• Typhoon HAIYAN Strikes Northern Vietnam Near China Border November 11, 2013
• Philippine Disaster Zone: “It’s Like the End of the World.” November 10, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN – NOV 10 Update November 10, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Casualties Could Top Many Thousands November 9, 2013
• Extraterrestrial Typhoon Force Generating 20-Meter “Tsunami” November 8, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN’S Arm Battering the Philippines November 7, 2013
• “Extraterrestrial” Typhoon HAIYAN – Image Update November 6, 2013
• HAIYAN Intensifying to “Extraterrestrial” Levels November 6, 2013
• Potential Super Typhoon Headed for the Philippines November 4, 2013
• Typhoon KROSA Destroys or Damages 19,000 Homes in Philippines  November 2, 2013

Other Related Links

• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

Crop Disaster Declared in Five States

High Winds, Hail, Excessive Rain and Flooding prompt USDA to declare crop disaster for44 counties in five states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 44 counties across five states as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by a combination of excessive rain, related flooding, high winds and hail in three separate declarations.

Designation # 1: Ten Counties in New Jersey have been declared  Crop Disaster Areas due to losses caused by excessive rain, related flooding, high winds and hail that occurred May 1 – September 24, 2013.

Those counties are Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean and  Salem.

Designation # 2: USDA has designated 20 counties in Michigan as Agricultural Disaster Areas due losses caused by hail that occurred June 10 – August 2, 2013

Those areas are Bay, Calhoun, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Huron, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Midland, Monroe, Oakland, Saginaw,  Sanilac, Shiawassee, Tuscola, Washtenaw, and  Wayne counties.

Designation # 3: USDA has designated fourteen counties in three states–Florida, Georgia and Alabama– as crop disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain that occurred May 1 – September 25, 2013.

• Florida: Escambia, Madison, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Dixie, Jefferson, Okaloosa, Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee counties.
• Georgia: Brooks and Lowndes counties.
• Alabama: Baldwin and Escambia counties.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Nov. 13, 2013.

“Secretary Vilsack also reminds producers that Congress has not funded the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. These are SURE; the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP); the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP); the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP); and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Production losses due to disasters occurring after Sept. 30, 2011, are not eligible for disaster program coverage,” said USDA.

Recent Crop Disaster Designations

• Crop Disasters
• Crop Disaster Declared in Maine and Montana November 1, 2013

Philippine President Lowers the Typhoon Death Toll, for Now

UPDATE [12:00UTC on November 13, 2013]: The official death toll from Super Typhoon HAIYAN has climbed to 2,344 with 3,804 others injured and 79 reported missing, said NDRRMC. Some 188,225 houses have been damaged or destroyed .

UPDATE [05:00UTC on November 13, 2013]: At least eight people were crushed to death in Alangalang municipality, Leyte province, after thousands of hungry typhoon survivors stormed a government rice warehouse and carted away more than 100,000 sacks of rice, reported AP.

Condition of people in hundreds of other towns and villages stretching over thousands of kilometers remains UNKNOWN: MSF

The death toll from Super Typhoon HAIYAN Disaster through the Philippines is closer to 2,000 or 2,500 than the 10,000 previously estimated, said President Benigno Aquino on Tuesday.

“Ten thousand, I think, is too much,” Aquino said in an interview. “There was emotional drama involved with that particular estimate.”

However, Aquino acknowledged the fact that the death toll may rise, after information from remote storm-struck areas became available.

“We’re hoping to be able to contact something like 29 municipalities left wherein we still have to establish their numbers, especially for the missing, but so far 2,000, about 2,500, is the number we are working on as far as deaths are concerned,” he said.

HAIYAN has flattened several towns and numerous villages, however the fate of  hundreds of other towns and villages remain unknown, as of posting.

“There are hundreds of other towns and villages stretched over thousands of kilometers that were in the path of the typhoon and with which all communication has been cut,” said an emergency coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières.

“No one knows what the situation is like in these more rural and remote places, and it’s going to be some time before we have a full picture.”

Many aid workers at the disaster zone also believe the casualty figures quoted by the Philippine President to be wildly inaccurate.

“Probably [the casualty figures] will be higher because numbers are just coming in. Many of the areas we cannot access,” secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross told Reuters.

Red Cross has put the preliminary number of missing at 22,000. However that figure could include people who have since been located.

Disaster Stats as of [06:00am local time – November 13, 2013]

Source: Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMC). [$1 = 43.20 Philippine pesos]

UN Disaster Stats

More than 11 million people are likely affected, with at least 673,000 displaced, said the U.N.

How high was the “tsunami” that struck the Philippines coast?

On November 8, 2013, FIRE-EARTH moderators posted the following on this blog: Extraterrestrial Typhoon Force Generating 20-Meter “Tsunami”

FIRE-EARTH said: Super Typhoon HAIYAN, Probably the Strongest Storm in Modern Era, Strikes the Philippines

FIRE-EARTH Models show storm surges of up to 20 meters high, generated by the Super Typhoon, striking coastal areas in the Bicol Peninsula.

Our models have since re-simulated the typhoon impact using additional data and show that the initial forecast was accurate. The storm surge generated by Super Typhoon HAIYAN created tsunami-like waves, the largest of which was just over 20 meters high as it hit the shorelines near Tacloban City. The waves quickly lost amplitude, however, as they traveled onshore.

Disaster Stats as of [06:00am local time – November 12, 2013]

• Tacloban City remains the worst affected area with at least 10,000 dead and counting, according to the government estimates.
  • [The Philippine NDRMC has confirmed the number of dead at 1,774, with 2,487  others injured and 82  missing so far. Senior officials have estimated the death toll at more than 10,000.  FIRE-EARTH Disaster Models estimated the casualties at up to 40,000. ]
• Nearly 10 million people have been affected by the HAIYAN, including 3.5 million who lived directly in the path of the deadly typhoon, who have been hit severely.
• The official number of those who have lost their homes has increased to about two-thirds of a million people (the actual number of people displaced is 659,268, as of posting).
• Most of the disaster zone lacks clean water, food, shelter, sanitation, medical supplies, transportation or communication links.
• Large numbers of victims are roaming around like “zombies” begging for help, and scavenging for food, water and medicine.
• Significant devastation has been reported along the northeast coast of Iloilo province, especially in Conception and San Dionisio municipalities.
• Many roads throughout the disaster zone are still inaccessible, due to significant amounts of debris.
• Dozens of towns and villages in the Cebu province have suffered up to 90% devastation.
• The town of Guiuanin (population: 44,000) in Samar province is almost entirely flattened.
• The city of Baco (Population 37,000) in Oriental Mindoro province was 80% under water, according to the UN.
• There is still no information available on the condition of people in remote areas of the country.

Vietnam

Typhoon HAIYAN was the 14th storm to hit Vietnam this year, leaving at least 14 dead, 4 missing and 81 others injured, according to the country’s National Committee for Search and Rescue.

China

HAIYAN killed at least 7 people in China, including five people in Hainan and two in Guangxi, and left 4 others missing. The cyclone destroyed 900 houses and damaged 8,500 others. It also destroyed 25,500 hectares of crops, with the direct economic losses estimated at 4.47 billion yuan ($734 million), said Xinhua.

“The National Disaster Reduction Commission announced that more than 3 million people in China’s southern provinces of Hainan and Guangdong and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region had been affected by the typhoon.”

Previous UPDATE [13:30UTC on November 11, 2013 ]

• President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity and deployed more than 300 soldiers in Tacloban City to quell looting.

• Aid agencies say about 3.5 million people directly in the path of the typhoon have been severely affected.

• More than 300 people are confirmed dead and about 2,000 others have been reported as missing in the town Basey, Samar province, according to the provincial governor.

• “The situation is bad, the devastation has been significant. In some cases the devastation has been total,” a senior politician told reporters.

• HAIYAN has destroyed up to 90 percent of structures in its path. Some 350,000 homes have been destroyed according to an aid worker. This figure dwarfs the disaster estimates issued by the NDRMC.

• Dazed survivors are begging for help and scavenging for food, water and medicine on Monday, reported Reuters.

• “There’s an awful lot of casualties, a lot of people dead all over the place, a lot of destruction,” Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, told the BBC.

This post will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.

Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Chronology of Disaster

• Stench of Death Permeates the Philippines Disaster Zone November 12, 2013
• Tropical Depression ZORAIDA Striking Mindanao, Philippines November 11, 2013
• Philippine Disaster Update – November 11 November 11, 2013
• Typhoon HAIYAN Strikes Northern Vietnam Near China Border November 11, 2013
• Philippine Disaster Zone: “It’s Like the End of the World.” November 10, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN – NOV 10 Update November 10, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Casualties Could Top Many Thousands November 9, 2013
• Extraterrestrial Typhoon Force Generating 20-Meter “Tsunami” November 8, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN’S Arm Battering the Philippines November 7, 2013
• “Extraterrestrial” Typhoon HAIYAN – Image Update November 6, 2013
• HAIYAN Intensifying to “Extraterrestrial” Levels November 6, 2013
• Potential Super Typhoon Headed for the Philippines November 4, 2013
• Typhoon KROSA Destroys or Damages 19,000 Homes in Philippines  November 2, 2013

Other Related Links

• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

Stench of Death Permeates the Philippines Disaster Zone

Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Scope of the Disaster Widens

Surviving victims of the Philippines mega disaster began their fifth day on Tuesday with no food, water, medicine, electricity or communication lines in the worst-affected provinces of Eastern Samar, Leyte, Oriental Mindoro, Masbate, Sorsogon, Negros, Capiz, Romblon and Busuanga in Palawan.

Significant damage to housing have been reported in northern Negros Oriental province. In Cadiz City, for example, about 5,000 houses. Nearly all corn and sugar crops surrounding the city have been destroyed. The neighboring city of Sagay has also experienced much of the same fate.

Survivors of the Super Typhoon HAIYAN trying to identify the dead in Tacloban city, Philippines, November 12, 2013.  Image credit: Screenshot from  Reuters video clip/Romeo Ranoco.

Disaster Stats

• Tacloban City remains the worst affected area with at least 10,000 dead and counting, according to the government estimates.
  • [The Philippine NDRMC has confirmed the number of dead at 1,774, with 2,487  others injured and 82  missing so far. Senior officials have estimated the death toll at more than 10,000.  FIRE-EARTH Disaster Models estimated the casualties at up to 40,000. ]
• Nearly 10 million people have been affected by the HAIYAN, including 3.5 million who lived directly in the path of the deadly typhoon, who have been hit severely.
• The official number of those who have lost their homes has increased to about two-thirds of a million people (the actual number of people displaced is 659,268, as of posting).
• Most of the disaster zone lacks clean water, food, shelter, sanitation, medical supplies, transportation or communication links.
• Large numbers of victims are roaming around like “zombies” begging for help, and scavenging for food, water and medicine.
• Significant devastation has been reported along the northeast coast of Iloilo province, especially in Conception and San Dionisio municipalities.
• Many roads throughout the disaster zone are still inaccessible, due to significant amounts of debris.
• Dozens of towns and villages in the Cebu province have suffered up to 90% devastation.
• The town of Guiuanin (population: 44,000) in Samar province is almost entirely flattened.
• The city of Baco (Population 37,000) in Oriental Mindoro province was 80% under water, according to the UN.
• There is still no information available on the condition of people in remote areas of the country.

NDRC Update [ November 12, 2013 ]

Source: Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMC). [$1 = 43.20 Philippine pesos]

Vietnam

Typhoon HAIYAN was the 14th storm to hit Vietnam this year, leaving at least 14 dead, 4 missing and 81 others injured, according to the country’s National Committee for Search and Rescue.

China

HAIYAN killed at least 7 people in China, including five people in Hainan and two in Guangxi, and left 4 others missing. The cyclone destroyed 900 houses and damaged 8,500 others. It also destroyed 25,500 hectares of crops, with the direct economic losses estimated at 4.47 billion yuan ($734 million), said Xinhua.

“The National Disaster Reduction Commission announced that more than 3 million people in China’s southern provinces of Hainan and Guangdong and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region had been affected by the typhoon.”

Previous UPDATE [13:30UTC on November 11, 2013 ]

• President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity and deployed more than 300 soldiers in Tacloban City to quell looting.

• Aid agencies say about 3.5 million people directly in the path of the typhoon have been severely affected.

• More than 300 people are confirmed dead and about 2,000 others have been reported as missing in the town Basey, Samar province, according to the provincial governor.

• “The situation is bad, the devastation has been significant. In some cases the devastation has been total,” a senior politician told reporters.

• HAIYAN has destroyed up to 90 percent of structures in its path. Some 350,000 homes have been destroyed according to an aid worker. This figure dwarfs the disaster estimates issued by the NDRMC.

• Dazed survivors are begging for help and scavenging for food, water and medicine on Monday, reported Reuters.

• “There’s an awful lot of casualties, a lot of people dead all over the place, a lot of destruction,” Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, told the BBC.

Tropical Depression ZORAIDA

Meantime, Tropical Depression ZORAIDA was located about 216km southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao Del Sur, or 192km East of Davao City, dumping moderate to heavy rain at rates of up to 15mm per hour within a 300-km radius, as of 5:00am local time, said PAGASA.

This post will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.

Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Chronology of Disaster

• Tropical Depression ZORAIDA Striking Mindanao, Philippines November 11, 2013
• Philippine Disaster Update – November 11 November 11, 2013
• Typhoon HAIYAN Strikes Northern Vietnam Near China Border November 11, 2013
• Philippine Disaster Zone: “It’s Like the End of the World.” November 10, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN – NOV 10 Update November 10, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Casualties Could Top Many Thousands November 9, 2013
• Extraterrestrial Typhoon Force Generating 20-Meter “Tsunami” November 8, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN’S Arm Battering the Philippines November 7, 2013
• “Extraterrestrial” Typhoon HAIYAN – Image Update November 6, 2013
• HAIYAN Intensifying to “Extraterrestrial” Levels November 6, 2013
• Potential Super Typhoon Headed for the Philippines November 4, 2013
• Typhoon KROSA Destroys or Damages 19,000 Homes in Philippines  November 2, 2013

Other Related Links

• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

Super Typhoon HAIYAN – NOV 10 Update

Casualty Figures Moving Closer to FIRE-EARTH Forecasts

Super Typhoon HAIYAN has killed at least 10,000 people in the Tacloban alone,  according to the provincial governor.

Tacloban, officially the City of Tacloban (pop: 230,000), located central Philippines province of Leyte, bore the brunt of HAIYAN. The casualty figure has not yet been confirmed by the central government’s disaster agency.

FIRE-EARTH Disaster Models calculated the impact of Super Typhoon HAIYAN in the Philippines as a magnitude 6.2 catastrophe on the FEWW Disaster Scale, indicating large-scale regional destruction with up to 40,000 casualties, the blog said on Saturday.

Summary of Latest Events

• Potential Super Typhoon Headed for the Philippines November 4, 2013
• HAIYAN Intensifying to “Extraterrestrial” Levels November 6, 2013
• “Extraterrestrial” Typhoon HAIYAN – Image Update November 6, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN’S Arm Battering the Philippines November 7, 2013
• Extraterrestrial Typhoon Force Generating 20-Meter “Tsunami” November 8, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Casualties Could Top Many Thousands November 9, 2013

Typhoon HAIYAN was downgraded to a Cat. 4A storm force on the FEWW New Hurricane Scale racing toward Indochina Peninsula, over the warm (29ºC) waters of South China Sea, at a forward speed of about 35 km/hr, as of 04:30UTC on Saturday November 9, 2013.

UPDATES – Sunday November 10, 2013

• According to the latest official figures, about 500,000 people have been displaced and more than 4.5 million people affected as a result of the typhoon attack.

• At least 300 people were killed in Samar province, with 2,000 others reported as missing. Scores of others are injured. “However vast areas of Samar, an island of over 733,000, still have not been contacted over two days after the typhoon struck.” AFP said.

• Authorities in Vietnam have evacuated about 900,000 people in 11 provinces.

• “Tacloban is totally destroyed. Some people are losing their minds from hunger or from losing their families,” a high school teacher told reporters. “People are becoming violent. They are looting business establishments, the malls, just to find food, rice and milk… I am afraid that in one week, people will be killing from hunger.”

• “People are walking like zombies looking for food,” said a medical student in Leyte. “It’s like a movie.”

• A tourist describing the scene of total devastation in Tacloban City said: “It’s like the end of the world.”

• Aerial surveys show “significant damage to coastal areas” with large ships thrown ashore, countless homes destroyed and large swathes of crops “decimated,” said The U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

• President Benigno Aquino is reportedly considering to impose martial law to stem the widespread looting (!)

Typhoon HAIYAN – IR/Water Vapor Difference [FIRE-EARTH Enhancement] satellite image (recorded at 02:30UTC on November 10, 2013. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

UPDATES – Saturday November 9, 2013

• As of 12:00UTC the typhoon-related death toll had climbed to 1,200, but it’s expected to rise sharply.

• Large scale devastation has occurred in the islands of Leyte and Samar, which is consistent with FIRE-EARTH Disaster Models.

• At least 36 provinces, out of a total of 80, have been severely affected.

• FIRE-EARTH Disaster Models estimate the total cost of damage at more than $5billion.

• At least 4.3 million people have been affected including about 350,000 who have lost their homes, according to the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

• The Super Typhoon pummeled seven of the country’s 17 regions, causing large-scale power outages across much of the disaster areas.

• There are numerous reports of widespread looting across the disaster zone.

• Dozens of towns throughout the disaster zone have declared states of calamity.

• HAIYAN is currently targeting South China, moving close  to Vietnam shoreline, according to revised projections suggested by several models. This would be a nightmare scenario for Vietnam because the typhoon could dump 4 to 6 times more rain over the country, and affect a much larger land area, than previously forecast, according to FIRE-EARTH Models.

• Chinese authorities have issued a level three emergency response as the recently downgraded Cat 2 typhoon approaches southern China.

FIRE-EARTH Models show storm surges of up to 20 meters high, generated by the Super Typhoon, striking coastal areas in the Bicol Peninsula. SEE

• Extraterrestrial Typhoon Force Generating 20-Meter “Tsunami” November 8, 2013

[NOTE: To those reporters who have difficulty understanding the basic mechanics of tsunamis:  The height of tsunamis are governed by at least two major factors, in this case, (i) the initial height of the storm surge, and (ii) the geographical characteristics of the attack area. This is best described by Diposaptono et al in their paper Impacts of the 2011 East Japan tsunami in the Papua region, Indonesia: field observation data and numerical analyses – Geophysical Journal International, Volume 194, Issue 3, p.1625-1639.

… the impacts of the 2011 East Japan tsunami in Yos Sudarso Bay, Papua, Indonesia. Although the far-field tsunami had a height of 0.8 m measured at a tide gauge inside the small U-shaped bay, it severely damaged four villages scattered along the bay. Detailed numerical analysis was carried out to explain the damages. We used a well-verified source model in the near- and far-field cases to model the propagation of the tsunami southward in the Pacific until reaching Papua Island, Indonesia. The numerical analyses demonstrate two causes of damage in the bay: the maximum tsunami velocity (3.5 m s^-1) floated the houses in the villages of Tobati and Enggros and caused them to collapse, and water trapped by the hook-shaped peninsula amplified the tsunami height at the Holtekamp and Hanurata.

Extent of the Devastation

“From a helicopter, you can see the extent of devastation. From the shore and moving a kilometer inland, there are no structures standing. It was like a tsunami,” said Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas.
“The dead are on the streets, they are in their houses, they are under the debris, they are everywhere,” said Tecson John Lim, a Tacloban city administrator.

“I have never seen such damage in my life,” said Capt John Andrews, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority in the Philippines. I saw “utter destruction.”

“At the airport, there’s actually no structure left standing except the walls,” he told reporters.

Bohol Island Earthquake Disaster Update

Meantime, the following disaster update has been issued for the M7.2 earthquake that struck Bohol Island on October 15 2013.

• Number of people killed:  195  + (12 others missing, presumed dead)
• Injuries: 651
• About 350,000 people have been displaced.

The earthquake triggered massive landslides causing extensive damage to housing, hospitals, schools, infrastructure and utilities, with more than 53,300 houses severely damaged or destroyed.

More details to follow…

This post will be updated throughout Sunday.

Related Links

• Super Typhoon HAIYAN: Casualties Could Top Many Thousands November 9, 2013
• Extraterrestrial Typhoon Force Generating 20-Meter “Tsunami” November 8, 2013
• Super Typhoon HAIYAN’S Arm Battering the Philippines November 7, 2013
• “Extraterrestrial” Typhoon HAIYAN – Image Update November 6, 2013
• HAIYAN Intensifying to “Extraterrestrial” Levels November 6, 2013
• Potential Super Typhoon Headed for the Philippines November 4, 2013
• Typhoon KROSA Destroys or Damages 19,000 Homes in Philippines  November 2, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

Halloween Storm Forces Thousands of Evacuations

Trick-or-treat storms batter a vast region in the U.S.

Heavy rain and high winds forced dozens of U.S. cities and towns into cancelling Halloween activities on Thursday, battering a vast region from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.

“The cities of Indianapolis and Muncie, Indiana, postponed trick-or-treating, local officials said. Toledo and at least 30 cities in Central Ohio put it off until Friday or as late as Sunday, according to the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s website,” said a report.

The storm system, aided by the remnants of Hurricane Raymond, which dissipated over the Pacific on Tuesday, dumped as much as 15 inches of rain over Austin area, killing at least two people, and forcing some 1,000 residences to evacuate due to flooding.

“For certain areas, it looks like this will be in their Top 10 [flood events] of all time,” said a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio office.

Crop Disaster Declared in Maine and Montana

14 Counties in Maine and Montana Declared Agricultural Disaster Areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated seven counties in Maine as a agricultural  disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive precipitation that occurred from May 8 – September 25, 2013.

• The disaster areas in Maine are Somerset, Aroostook, Franklin, Kennebec, Penobscot, Piscataquis and Waldo counties.

Montana Disaster Designations

USDA has designated seven counties in the state of Montana as crop disaster areas due to losses caused by hail, high winds and severe storms that occurred July 8 – August 3, 2013.

• Those areas are Custer, Carter, Fallon, Garfield, Powder River, Prairie and Rosebud counties.

Crop Disaster Losses 2013

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared 3,858 county-level crop disaster areas across 43 states, so far this year.

The crop disasters for year 2013 include losses and damages caused by

DROUGHT
FLOOD
Flash flooding
Excessive rain, moisture, humidity
Severe Storms, thunderstorms
Ground Saturation, Standing Water
Hail
Wind, High Winds
Fire, Wildfire
Heat, Excessive heat, High temp. (incl. low humidity)
Winter Storms, Ice Storms, Snow, Blizzard
Frost, FREEZE
Hurricanes, Typhoons, Tropical Storms
Tornadoes
Volcano
Mudslides, Debris Flows, Landslides
Heavy Surf
Ice Jams
Insects
Tidal Surges
Cold, wet weather
Cool/Cold, Below-normal Temperatures
Lightning
Disease

Notes:
1. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.

2. The total number of counties designated as agricultural disaster areas includes both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

3. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.

4. A number of counties have been designated crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters.

5. The disaster designations were approved by USDA between January 9 and October 30, 2013.

Recent Crop Disaster Designations

• Crop Disasters

North Carolina Declared Federal Disaster Area

Severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides prompt Major Disaster Declaration for NC

North Carolina has been declared a Federal Disaster Area by the White House due to severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides  that occurred on July 27, 2013.

Severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides have severely affected the counties of Ashe, Avery, Catawba, Lincoln, Watauga and Wilkes, said the White House in a statement.

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

Recent Federal Disaster Declarations

• Major Disaster Declared in New Mexico October 30, 2013
• Kansas Declared Federal Disaster Area October 30, 2013

2,000 Villages Washed Away in Odisha, India

Extreme Rain Events trigger new round of flooding in east India

Five days of extreme monsoon rains have unleashed severe flooding in eastern India’s states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, washing away more than 2,000 villages in the cyclone-ravaged Odisha alone.

Flood situation in Odisha continues to remain critical with more than 2,000 villages washed away in that state alone. Source: Times of India.

Floodwaters have inundated about two million hectares ( 5 million acres) of crops across the region, affecting more than a million people, with at least 250,000 displaced. The death toll has climbed to  42 in Andhra Pradesh, and 28 in Odisha, with about a dozen people reported missing.

About 85,000 people in the district of Ganjam alone have been rescued so far, with 200,000 others still cut off.

The floods have caused significant damage to public infrastructure across 30 districts, destroying or damaging  thousands of kilometers of roads and  railroad tracks, disrupting public transport and causing massive damage to agriculture fields in several parts of the two states.

Flood situation continues to remain critical across the the region.

Related Links

• Death Toll in East India Floods Continues to Rise October 25, 2013

70,000 People Told to Evacuate as FRANCISCO Pounds Japan

All Izu Oshima island residents told to evacuate

Authorities in Japan have also instructed 19,000 households in seven prefectures to evacuate as Tropical Storm FRANCISCO continues to pound the Pacific coast of Japan.

Heavy rain and high winds brought by severe tropical storm FRANCISCO is expected to batter the island by early Saturday.

Typhoon WIPHA hit the volcanic island of Izu Oshima last week, dumping large amounts of rain, which triggered massive landslides, leaving 31 people dead and at least 13 others missing.

FRANCISCO was located near 29.9ºN, 134.9ºE, about 420 km south of Tanabe, Japan, heading northeast at a forward speed of about 33 km/hr, dumping heavy rains on western Japan.  Some areas have reported rainfalls in excess of 600mm, as of 14:00UTC on Friday, October 25.

Severe Tropical Storm FRANCISCO and Typhoon LEKIMA.  VISIBLE/INFRARED satellite image (FIRE-EARTH Enhancement) recorded at 13:30UTC on October 25, 2013. Original image sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

Related News

Back to the Dark Empire Days

Japan’s desperate Prime Minister Abe’s government is reportedly planning a state secrets act meant to curtail public access to information on wide ranging issues including the Fukushima nuclear crisis and tensions with China, said a report.

Under the act whistleblowers could go to prison for up to 10 years. Journalist and other non-governmental persons would receive sentences of up to  five years for encouraging leaks.

“Japan’s harsh state secrecy regime before and during World War Two has long made such legislation taboo, but the new law looks certain to be enacted since Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party-led bloc has a comfortable majority in both houses of parliament and the opposition has been in disarray since he came to power last December.” The report said.

“There is a demand by the established political forces for greater control over the people,” said Lawrence Repeta, a law professor at Meiji University. “This fits with the notion that the state should have broad authority to act in secret.”

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is running out of options to store radioactive contaminated rainwater as a very wet FRANCISCO approaches.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has started  transferring contaminated rainwater into underground pools, originally deemed too leaky. The precipitation from recent typhoons and extreme rain events have been accumulating in barriers around radioactive waste water tanks, reported NHK.

TEPCO has been storing the most contaminated rainwater in tanks and in the basement of a turbine building. But the tanks are now full, the report said.

Related Links

• Coldest Place on or Near the Earth October 24, 2013
• FRANCISCO Drenches Okinawa, Moves Northeast October 24, 2013
• FRANCISCO to Bring More Rain to Sodden Coastal Japan October 23, 2013
• Crimes Against Nature: Water Overflows from 12 Fukushima Barriers October 21, 2013

• Typhoon FRANCISCO and TD 27 Headed for Tokyo October 20, 2013
• FRANCISCO Intensifying to “Extraterrestrial” Storm Force  October 19, 2013
• FRANCISCO Shifts Up Into Major Typhoon Gear October 18, 2013
• Typhoon FRANCISCO Inching Toward Japan October 17, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

Links to Typhoon WIPHA

• Typhoon WIPHA Dumps 800mm of Rain Over Tokyo October 16, 2013
• Typhoon WIPHA Targets Tokyo October 15, 2013
• Typhoon NARI Chased by TS WIPHA October 12, 2013
• Vietnam Evacuates 250,000 ahead of NARI October 14, 2013

Crimes Against Nature: Water Overflows from 12 Fukushima Barriers

Radioactive water may have reached the ocean, says plant operator

Water has overflowed 12 barriers around holding tanks at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and some of it may have reached the ocean, the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said on Sunday.

“The utility says workers found water overflowing from five barriers Sunday afternoon. They found additional overflows in seven barriers Sunday evening,” reported NHK.

Although the barriers are 30 centimeter high, they already contained at least 20 centimeters of water due to earlier downpours brought by Typhoon WIPHA. The barriers overflowed after more than 100 millimeters of rain fell in four hours  Sunday afternoon. Workers can pump out the water at a rate of about 1.5 centimeters per day.

“The operator of the crippled plant also says workers released some of the water accumulated inside barriers into the ground. The utility says the water met safety standards for radioactivity set by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.” said NHK.

Other Disaster News in Japan

More rain amplifies misery on Izu Oshima Island

Izu Ōshima Island is keeping its evacuation advisories in effect as town officials brace for more torrential rains that  may cause further destructive mudslides.

Officials in Ōshima have already evacuated more than 580 people and issued evacuation advisories to nearly 2,300 people in 1,200 households on the island on Saturday, reported NHK.

Massive mudslides caused by Typhoon WIPHA last week killed at least 27 people, with 19 others still missing, presumed dead. The typhoon destroyed or damaged more than 300 buildings, and overflowing rivers and mudslides continue to  close roads.

Izu Ōshima, a volcanic island in the Izu Islands, lies about 100 km south of Tokyo and is administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan government.

Related Links

• Fukushima Potentially More Disastrous Than Hiroshima October 18, 2013

Blizzard Kills 80,000 Cattle in S. Dakota

6,000 SD ranches lose 80,000 cattle to early-autumn blizzard

Some 6,000 ranching operations have suffered catastrophic losses from a statewide snowstorm in South Dakota, the country’s 6th largest state in livestock production, with nearly 4 million head of cattle.

Many parts of South Dakota reported record snowfall totals for the entire month of October over the weekend.

The massive snowstorm took ranchers by surprise hitting just days after 80-degree weather, and before they had a chance to move their herds from less-protected summer grazing lands, said a report.

“Thousands of head had been recently relocated here from Texas and New Mexico to escape punishing droughts in those states.”

Up to  20 percent of all cattle were killed in some parts of the state, said Silvia Christen, executive director of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association.

“Some ranchers lost all their cattle. They’ve yet to find one alive… They’re facing absolute destruction,” she said.

Many ranchers worry that with the federal government shutdown, they’ll receive no compensation for their catastrophic losses.

“A lot of the government agencies that we would normally be turning to for those answers are furloughed. So there’s this sort of timing issue that’s enhancing the frustration out there in cattle country.” Jodie Anderson, executive director of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association said.

Bloated carcasses of 80,000 head of cattle, some huddled in groups, litter miles upon miles of South Dakota grazing lands. Many ranchers worry that with the federal government shutdown, they will receive no compensation for their catastrophic losses. (Image Source: huanqiu.com/ via Xinhua). More images…

Die-off Double Whammy

“The most immediate concern is proper disposal of the dead livestock, which state law says must be burned, buried or rendered within 36 hours — for the health not only of surviving herds but also for people,” said a report.

“That can be a significant source of disease spread, so we want to make sure those carcasses are burned, buried or rendered as quickly as possible,” South Dakota’s state veterinarian, told reporters.

In addition to tens of thousands of calves being killed, thousands more cows that would have delivered calves next year also died in the blizzard, said South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, warning that the effects of catastrophe would be felt for many years to come.

“And the stress of the storm will leave its mark on surviving herds, the South Dakota State University Agricultural Extension Service said, leaving the remaining cattle vulnerable to ruinous diseases with names like infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine respiratory syncytial virus and bovine viral diarrhea virus.” The report said.

A cow carcass lies partially buried in snow in South Dakota, strung out along field fences with her black hooves poking up. (Butte County Sheriff’s Department/ October 7, 2013 via LATimes.)

Cyclone PHAILIN Carves a Path of Destruction

Coastal Towns Deserted as Deadly PHAILIN Rips into eastern India

Cyclone PHAILIN made landfall as a Cat 4A typhoon with winds of about 220km/h near Gopalpur, Odisha state, at about 15:45UTC, as initially forecast by FIRE-EARTH.

The deadly cyclone had claimed at least a dozen lives, leveling homes, all be it mud huts, uprooting trees and utility posts, and leaving hundreds of towns and villages deserted.

An estimated 600,000 to more than 3 million people were either evacuated, some forcefully because they feared losing belongings, or fled their homes to higher grounds.

More than 12 million people were in the deadly cyclone’s path, which was expected to generate storm surges of at least 3.5 meters.

The small town of Gopalpur, Odisha [formerly Orissa,] has an average elevation of less than 1 meter.

Unsurprisingly, storm surges have pushed water ore than 500 meters inland in Gopalpur and the surrounding low-lying areas, according to local reports.

A BBC reporter, Andrew North, has described the damage as “a scene of apocalyptic devastation” in the city of Brahmapur, near where the cyclone made landfall.

A storm surge of more than 3m high has inundated areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts of Orissa and the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, reported the Times of India.

PHAILIN will dump at least 25cm on Odisha [Orissa] and the northern parts of Andhra Pradesh through Monday, forecasters said.

The massive amounts of rain can lead to widespread flooding throughout the region.

“We will assess after the cyclone eases … even now the cyclone is on,” said Odisha’s chief secretary. “There has been pretty severe devastation in Brahmapur town.”

Typhoons NARI and WIPHA

Meantime, the outer bands of Typhoon NARI crossed central Vietnam, and WIPHA, this year’s 26th typhoon, continued to intensify over northwest Pacific.

(1-3) Typhoons PHAILIN, NARI and WIPHA at 03:00UTC on October 13, 2013. Source MTSAT-2 via Digital-Typhoon. Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

more details to follow….

Related Links

• PHAILIN: A Perfect Super Cyclone October 12, 2013
• Millions Flee Monster Cyclone PHAILIN October 11, 2013
• PHAILIN Becomes a Super Cyclonic Storm October 11, 2013
• Massive Cyclone Drifting Towards E India October 10, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

Typhoon NARI Chased by TS WIPHA

The Typhoon Indochina Didn’t Need

Typhoon NARI, having pounded northern Luzon, Philippines, is now reorganizing packing more power on her way to Central Vietnam, Indochina Peninsula.

Typhoon NARI [locally known as “SANTI”] killed at least 26 people in Central Luzon, with many more reported as missing, affecting tens of thousands of people in the region.

The typhoon left at least 60 towns submerged under floodwater in Aurora, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Zambales provinces, destroying or damaging scores of homes and tens of thousands of hectares of crops.

Electrocution, mudslides and falling trees were cited among the causes of typhoon victims death.

Meantime, tropical storm WIPHA, currently chasing NARI, has begun intensifying. The storm is expected to strengthen to a Cat 3 typhoon force, tracking toward Japan in the next few days.

Typhoon NARI Chased by Tropical Storm WIPHA. IR/WV satellite image recorded at 04:30 on October 12, 2013. Source: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC. Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

This typhoon has a “to whom it may concern” as the addressee, with northern Thailand typed on it’s receiver’s address line.

Floods have affected about 3 million people  in Thailand since September 17, 2013.

Meantime…

Floods Breach Industrial Park in Thailand

Thai officials said floodwaters were threatening a large industrial estate southeast of Bangkok, reported AP.

Floods have breached Amata Nakorn industrial estate in Chonburi province, 60 kilometers SE of the capital, AP quoted a senior local official as saying .

Heavy rains and runoffs from nearby hilly areas have flooded the park submerging it under about 30cm of water, however, floodwater has not yet affected factory operations, the official said.

“The park has more than 450 plants, about half of which are owned by Japanese companies. It was not affected during widespread flooding in 2011 that devastated much of the country, leaving more than 800 people dead and 6 million hectares (14.8 million acres) of agricultural, industrial and residential lands affected,” AP reported.

Flooding has killed dozens of people in Thailand so far this year, inundating at least 32 out of 77 Thai provinces.

On September 29, 2013 in More than 2 million people affected by flooding in Thailand FIRE-EARTH said:

Last Few Famous Words?

The deputy PM responsible for flood management has assured the public that a scenario like the 2011 devastating floods in which all major dams in Thailand reached full capacity would not happen. Unless, off course, there’s more heavy rain in the north!

“He said the major dams in Thailand are now at half of its capacity and can contain more than 10,000 million cubic meters,” said a report.

He said earlier that the flood situation this year is “not worrying,” and that it’s “under control,” adding that “Bangkok would be 100 percent safe unless there is more heavy rain in the North for a couple of days.”

Related Links

• More than 2 million people affected by flooding in Thailand September 29, 2013

• Typhoon WUTIP Headed for Vietnam, Laos, Thailand September 29, 2013

• USAGI Disaster Update: 25 Dead; 7,100 Homes Destroyed September 23, 2013
• USAGI Poses a Severe Threat to Hong Kong: The HK Observatory   September 22, 2013
• Cyclone PABUK Chasing Typhoon USAGI September 21, 2013

• Typhoon USAGI Eying Taiwan September 19, 2013
• USAGI Intensifies to Super Typhoon Force  September 20, 2013
• Global Disasters/ Significant Events – September 21, 2013 September 21, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale September 3, 2008
• Satellite Imagery

Major Disaster Declared for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Declared Federal Disaster Area

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding during the period of June 26 to July 11, 2013. 

Most of the losses and damages caused by the severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding have ocurred in the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Fayette, Huntingdon, Jefferson, Lawrence, Venango, and Wayne.

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

Related Links

• New Mexico Declared Federal Disaster Area  October 2, 2013

• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 194 Counties in 13 States September 20, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 138 counties in 14 States
• Drought 2013
• Agricultural Disasters Index