Disaster Diary – 22 June 2013

Himalayan Tsunami Death Toll Nears 600

As many as 55,000 people are still stranded in the rain-ravaged Uttarakhand as the death toll from flash floods and landslides cause by the Himalayan Tsunami neared 600.

• About 400 people were reported as injured, many of them critically.
• Some 13,806 people are still missing, according to one report.
• Death toll is expected to rise.

Flood Victims Fighting Hunger, Desperation

Uttarakhand: 13,806 people missing

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Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Uncontrolled wildfires force evacuation of two Colorado towns, threaten third

Several raging wildfires sparked by lightning were burning out of control in Colorado mountain areas  on Friday, forcing the evacuation of two towns and threatening a third.

The West Fork Fire Complex in Rio Grande County in southern Colorado, which is made of two separate blazes, grow from 12,000 acres to 30,000 acres overnight, forcing more than 600 residents of South Fork to flee their homes.

The East Peak Fire  in Huerfano and Pueblo counties has forced the evacuation of about 1,000 residents of the town of La Veta. The blaze was approaching the City of Walsenburg (population: 3,100) .

Evacuation remain in effect for Lime Gulch Fire in Jefferson County, which was 15% contained as of posting.

Papoose Fire – The blaze started on June 20, 2013 in Hinsdale County. The
Cause is under investigation.

• The fire has so far consumed about 1,700 acres and is 0% contained.
• Some 292 personnel were assigned, as of posting.

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Up to 140,000 Albertans displaced, Large sections of Calgary’s downtown evacuated

Alberta flooding has claimed at least 3 lives, possibly as many as 8, as of posting.
About 140,000 Albertan, including more than 100,000 Calgarians, have been forced to flee homes.  Large sections of Calgary’s downtown core were under mandatory evacuation Friday afternoon.

Mass evacuations throughout Calgary and southern areas of Alberta began Friday.

• In Medicine Hat, residents in low-lying areas were told to leave their homes along the river. The mandatory evacuation will affect some 3,800 homes and 10,000 residents, said a report.

• Edmonton and the town of Devon have declared a flood watch.\

• Lethbridge and Medicine Hat have declared states of emergency on Friday.

• In Medicine Hat, residents in low-lying areas were told to leave their homes along the river. The mandatory evacuation is expected to include about 3,800 homes and 10,000 residents.

• At least 24 communities in the province have declared states of emergency, and about 30 communities are under mandatory evacuation.

Calgary Floods – Jun 21, 2013 [extended update]

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Injury toll climbs to 200 in Central Russia Ammo Depot Fire

More than 200 people needed medical help after a large number of explosions blew up a “munition depot,” where millions of shells were stored.

• The first blast occurred on Tuesday. Explosions continued until Friday, sending shrapnel as far as 1km and forcing at least 6,000 residents to flee the town of Chapayevsk.
• “The incident is the latest in a string of fires and explosions at munitions storage and disposal sites that have plagued Russia in the past two years,” said a report.

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TS DEBBY: Florida Declares State of Emergency

More flooding and tornadoes could strike Florida, as DEBBY hovers off the Gulf Coast

Florida Governor declared statewide emergency stating that “the broad impact of Tropical Storm Debby” could affect “virtually every county in Florida.”

As of Monday, DEBBY had forced Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operators to shut down about half of oil and more than a third of natural gas production.

• The storm is forecast to dump at least a foot of rain in the coastal parts of the state, with some areas receiving as much as 25 inches, the hurricane center said.
• Debby is also forecast to drench southern areas of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
• Tornadoes spawned by DEBBY have killed at least one person and injured two others, destroying or damaging two dozen homes in Highlands County, Fl.

TS DEBBY: Tropical Storm Force Wind Speed Probability.

Other Global Disasters, Significant Events

• Colorado.  The state of Colorado is becoming a raging inferno due to record heat which is causing the worst fire weather conditions in living memory.
  • Record heat is forecast for southern Plains this week, with heat advisories issued for Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
  • The temperature at Denver International airport reached a record 102 degrees (ºF) on Sunday, June 24, breaking  the old record of 100 degrees set in 2007,  NWS office in Boulder reported.
  • The tinder-dry conditions are contributing to at least in dozen wildfires burning in Colorado today including
    • Waldo Canyon Fire, west of Colorado Springs – 2,800 homes are in immediate danger; 11,000 residents have evacuated 4,000 homes; about 3,500 acres burned; ZERO containment.
    • High Park Fire west of Fort Collins – the second-largest and the most destructive blaze ever recorded in the state has destroyed at least 248 homes; burned 83,205 acres; up to 5,000 people remain evacuated; 45 percent contained.
    • Little Sand Fire near Pagosa Springs, Weber Fire in Montezuma County, State Line Fire  southeast of Durango, Treasure Fire near Leadville, Trout Creek Fire near Rainbow Falls in Douglas County, Woodland Heights Fire near Estes Park southwest of the High Park Fire, and Elbert Fire have so far consumed about 30,000 acres.
    • Wood Hollow fire. The blaze about 1 mile south of Fountain Green in Utah State Division of Forestry Fire & State Lands has exploded to about 40,000 acres destroying numerous structures and scores of farm animals, mostly sheep.
      • Evacuations: Up to 2,000 people have been evacuated. Indian Ridge, Elk Ridge, Big Hollow, and Oaker Hills communities are under mandatory evacuation.
      • Closures: Highway 89 closure is in effect.
      • Weather: “The big worry now is the weather. Everything that can be done is being done,” Gov Herbert said in a televised conference.

Wood Hollow Fire. Photo credit: Utah State Division of Forestry Fire & State Lands

US Weather Hazards Map, June 26, 2012.

• Meantime, Colorado legislators have asked USDA to open up additional land for emergency livestock grazing as farmers, ranchers battle the severe drought affecting the state, a report said.
  • The entire state of Colorado is currently experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions.

Colorado Drought Map – June 2012 – US Drought Monitor

• Vermont.  Crops in the state of Vermont are under attack by armyworms, a report said.
  • “They are definitely eating, that is what it looks like,” said Heather Darby an agronomist with the University of Vermont Extension.
  • “We get that first call from a farmer who says I don’t know where my corn went. Can you come out and look? And we come out and look around and you can see the worms essentially so bad the ground’s moving.”
• New York.   Armyworms have invaded farm fields throughout Jefferson County, NY,  with a major outbreak of the worms threatening widespread damage to crops, reports said.
  • “This year, it just seems like the moths got a head start on ’em and that’s what’s happened. So we’re starting to get a buildup of these parasitic flies and these fungal diseases now, but it’s a little, you know, too little, too late right now to control what we’ve got going on now,” said an expert with with Cornell Cooperative Extension.

• Alaska.  The Bear Creek fire which was ignited by lightning about 14 miles south of Clear Airforce Base, AK, on June 23, had grown to about 1,500 acres by Sunday local time. On Monday, the blaze exploded by more than 12 folds, consuming more than 20,000 acres.
  • The fire is aided by strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity, burning in black spruce and hardwoods.
  • At least three other fires are burning within close proximity, fire authorities said.

• British Columbia, Canada.  Weekend storms forced at least 700 people to flee their homes, while 1,200 others were placed on evacuation alert.
  • “Weeks of rapid snowmelt and wet weather caused river levels to rise in the B.C. Interior, the Kootenay region and the Fraser Valley, and a weekend of heavy rain and violent thunderstorms pushed many rivers and creeks in those areas to the brink,” said a report.
  • Flooding has left at least one man dead, causing widespread devastation in the region with many homes, businesses and public infrastructure destroyed.
  • The municipality of Sicamous declared a local state of emergency on Saturday, a report said.

• Montana.  Pony Fire in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, ignited on June 24th, has grown to more than 2,500 acres threatening numerous structures.
  • The town of Mammoth and South Boulder north to the Indiana University Geology Field Station are under mandatory evacuation, Inciweb reported.
  • At least 2 other wildfires, Antelope Lane fire and Corral fire, are burning nearby.

State of the Climate – Global Analysis for May 2012

• The globally-averaged land surface temperature for May 2012 was the all-time warmest May on record, at 1.21°C (2.18°F) above average
• The Northern Hemisphere land and ocean average surface temperature for May 2012 was the all-time warmest May on record, at 0.85°C (1.53°F) above average.
• The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for May 2012 was 0.66°C (1.19°F) above the 20^th century average of 14.8°C (58.6°F). This is the second warmest May since records began in 1880, behind only 2010.

Temperature Anomalies Maps for May 2012 – [Source: NCDC/NOAA]

See also: Hottest U.S. Spring on Record

Today’s Record Temperatures

NOAA/NCDC reported 58 high temperature records broken Monday across nine states: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky. The temperature records included

• Colorado: 31 records broken, 7 tied; highest temp 110 degrees at La Junta Airport; old record 107 in 1990

• Kansas: 10 broken, 4 tied; highest temp 114 degrees  northeast of Hill City, old record 108 in 1971

• Kentucky: tied record 94 degrees at London, KY; old record set in 1988

• Missouri:  1 tie, 95 degrees at Kirksville, old record set in 1971

• Nebraska:  4 broken, 1 tied; 105 degrees near Harrisburg in Banner County; old record 98 in 2001

• Wyoming:  6 broken, 8 tied; highest temp 107 at Gillette; old record 99 in 1988

• Texas:  3 broken, 2 tied, highest 102 degrees at Victoria tied 102 in 2009

• Oklahoma: 1 broken, 101 degrees at Ralston in Pawnee County, old record 100 in 1988

• Arkansas:  3 broken, two tied, highest 101 at Little Rock Forecast office and Little Rock airport; old record 99 and 100 in 1988

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

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

• Mega Disasters
• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar
• Mass Die-offs

U.S. Wildfires News and Blame Games

Was it climate change, drought, soaring temperatures, low humidity and lightning, or Gen McCain and his illegal immigrants?

In reply to a comment posted on June 14, 2011, FIRE-EARTH said: “… when the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake struck Tokyo Region, the authorities blamed it on the Korean immigrants. Mobs of vicious locals rounded up thousands of the Koreans and massacred them. http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=320400&rel_no=1“

The Incorrigible McPain

“There is substantial evidence that some of these fires have been caused by people who have crossed our border illegally [… ] the answer to that part of the problem is to get a secure border,” McCain said at a press conference in Arizona on Saturday. Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters. Image may be subject to copyright.

That said, if any of the devastating fires in Arizona were found to have been started deliberately, the readers ought to ask: “Is John McCain pathologically capable of paying someone to start a fire so that he could blame it on the Mexicans?”

WILDFIRE NEWS HEADLINES

• John McCain’s wildfire accusations
• Az. sheriff also blames wildfire on Mexicans
• 2 forest rangers killed battling Florida wildfire
• Wildfire smoke blankets Jacksonville, Northeast Florida
• Wildfire smoke blankets Jacksonville, Northeast Florida
• Arizona wildfire burns horses as well as pasture and homes
• Wildfire comes close to neighborhoods in Katy
• Raw: Ground video of Katy wildfire
• Fires leave wildlife with injuries, burns, scorched habitat
• TX, AZ residents nervous about wildfire paths

Related Links

• U.S. Wildfires – June 21 Update