Hyenas Attack Starving Women in Drought-Plagued Somaliland

Somaliland facing wide-spread famine

The worst drought in living memory is killing humans and animals alike across the East African region.

Charity workers report cases of women collapsing from hunger and being attacked by starving hyenas. [Welcome to Planet Earth!]

“They fell down, malnourished, and we understand they were then set on by the animals,” said a charity representative.

Scores of goats, kettle, and even drought-resistant camels have already died in the drought-plagued Somaliland. More images…

“Malnourished mothers are unable to breastfeed their babies, and farmers are feeding cardboard boxes to their animals because there is no grass left for grazing,” said the report.

“I spoke to families who had 500 or more animals three months ago, and now are left with 20 or fewer,” said a British politician.

“For people who rely on their animals for meat, milk and trade, it’s the equivalent of losing your entire life savings.”

Drought conditions that previously hit every seven to 10 years are now an annual occurrence, she said.

A Relief spokeswoman said there was a “terrible sense of deja vu” after a drought killed more than 250,000 people in southern Somalia in 2011.

[Republic of Somaliland (pop: 4.5m) is a self-declared state internationally recognized as an autonomous region of the Federal Republic of Somalia (pop:11.5m).]

Read more…

Related Links

• 300,000 Children in Somalia Suffering from Malnutrition May 1, 2016

Wildfires Destroy Oklahoma Town

Raging wildfires burning small Oklahoman towns

Extreme drought and 19 days of triple-digit temperatures have sparked at least 15 large wildfires throughout Oklahoma, devastating communities, destroying scores of homes, shutting down highways and forcing thousands to evacuate.

• Wildfires have left the small town of Luther (pop: ~ 600) smoldering.
• The blazes have destroyed at least 130 structures in Creek County, west of Tulsa.
• Authorities ordered evacuations in the towns of Mannford (pop: ~3,000) and Glencoe (pop: ~ 600).
• Thousands of others are voluntarily abandoning their homes in Creek County as out-of-control wildfires continue spreading.
• The temperature was expected to soar to 113 degrees (45°C), said the National Weather Service.
• Oklahoma City tied its all-time record temperature of 113 degrees set in 1936 on Friday.
• The worsening drought and soaring heat are responsible for numerous devastating wildfires  in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming and elsewhere in the past couple of months.

Oklahoma Drought Map, July 31, 2012. Source: U.S. Drought Monitor

“Heartbreaking.”

Gov. Fallin, who toured the smoldering town of Luther on Saturday, called the devastation “heartbreaking.”

“A lot of people were at work and didn’t realize how quickly the fire was moving,” she told Reuters. “It’s emotional. For the children, it’s very emotional to lose their possessions.”

State of Emergency Declared

Gov. Fallin declared a state of emergency on Monday for all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties due to the threats caused by extreme heat and dry conditions that continue to affect the entire state.

Contiguous United States Precipitation- Week Ending August 3, 2012. Source: HPRCC

About 80 percent of Continental United States was Abnormally Dry or in Drought Condition (D0 – D4) during the week ending August 3, 2012.

Related Posts – Latest

• Extreme and Exceptional Drought Spread Across Midwest, South Posted August 2, 2012

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens Posted August 1, 2012
• Half U.S. Corn in Very Poor or Poor Condition Posted July 30, 2012
• Severe to Exceptional Drought Grows in U.S. Posted July 26, 2012
• U.S. Drought Continues to Spread, Intensify Posted July 19, 2012
• Another Heat Wave Grips America’s Heartland Posted July 18, 2012
• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S.  Posted July 17, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Drought Disaster – Recent

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens  Posted August 1, 2012
• USDA Disaster List Grows to 1,369 Counties Across 31 States Posted  July 26, 2012
• Wildfires Consume 120,000 Acres in Nebraska Posted  July 25, 2012
• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012
• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

Extreme and Exceptional Drought Spread Across Midwest, South

U.S. drought levels D3 and D4 increase to 22.27 percent

Nearly a quarter of the United States is experiencing Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) drought levels, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Nearly two-thirds of the continental U.S. remains in drought (D1 – D4).  The areas in Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) drought levels have increased by about 2 percent since last week.

U.S. Drought Map as of July 31, 2012.  [NOTE: Some readers may find the map incomplete/inaccurate. Moderator]

Current U.S. Drought Monitor

Drought Comparison Maps for July 24 – 31, 2012.

Related Posts – Latest

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens Posted August 1, 2012
• Half U.S. Corn in Very Poor or Poor Condition Posted July 30, 2012
• Severe to Exceptional Drought Grows in U.S. Posted July 26, 2012
• U.S. Drought Continues to Spread, Intensify Posted July 19, 2012
• Another Heat Wave Grips America’s Heartland Posted July 18, 2012
• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S.  Posted July 17, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Drought Disaster – Recent

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens  Posted August 1, 2012
• USDA Disaster List Grows to 1,369 Counties Across 31 States Posted  July 26, 2012
• Wildfires Consume 120,000 Acres in Nebraska Posted  July 25, 2012
• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012
• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens

Disasters plague 1,584 counties across 32 states

USDA has designated an additional 218 counties across 12 states as primary natural disaster areas due to the deadly drought.

During the 2012 crop year, USDA has designated 1,584 unduplicated counties across 32 states as disaster areas—1,452 due to drought. Scores of additional bordering counties have also been designated as disaster areas because they are contiguous.

List of the states with the number of additional counties designated as primary disaster areas

• Arkansas (2 counties)
  
• Georgia  (6)
  
• Illinois  (66 counties; 98 of the state’s 102 counties have now been declared  disaster areas)
  
• Indiana  (2)
• Iowa  (42 counties; Iowa and Illinois produce about a third of all U.S. corn and soybean crops).
• Kansas (4)
• Mississippi  (1)
• Nebraska  (47 counties)
• Oklahoma (12)
  
• South Dakota (25)
  
• Tennessee  (3)
• Wyoming  (8)

‘Farming in Hell’

U.S. Max Temp Map.  for August 1, 2012. Source: NWS

U.S. Precipitation Map  (Weekly)

U.S. Precipitation Map for July 22 – 28, 2012. Source: USDA

Related Posts – Latest

• Half U.S. Corn in Very Poor or Poor Condition Posted July 30, 2012
• Severe to Exceptional Drought Grows in U.S. Posted July 26, 2012

• U.S. Drought Continues to Spread, Intensify Posted July 19, 2012
• Another Heat Wave Grips America’s Heartland Posted July 18, 2012
• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S.  Posted July 17, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Drought Disaster – Recent

• USDA Disaster List Grows to 1,369 Counties Across 31 States Posted  July 26, 2012

• Wildfires Consume 120,000 Acres in Nebraska Posted  July 25, 2012
• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012
• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

U.S. Midsection Melting

Major heat wave to continue scorching the Plains

Deadly heat is forecast to continue broiling the Central and Southern Plains through the week ‘with not much relief during the night time hours,’ as National Weather Service issues  Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories across the region. Temperatures as high as 110+ degrees are expected this week.

Current High Temperature Map. Temperatures as high as 110+ degrees are forecast for this week.

U.S. Weekly Precipitation Map

U.S. Weekly Precipitation Map, July 22 -28, 2012. Much of the Continental U.S. received little or no rain during the week ending July 28, 2012.

U.S. Hazards Outlook – July 30 to August 10, 2012

US Hazards Outlook for July 30 – August 3, 2012. Source: NOAA/ NWS/NCEP/ CPC

US Hazards Outlook forAugust 4 – 10, 2012. Source: NOAA/ NWS/NCEP/ CPC

Current U.S. Drought Map

Current Map of U.S. Drought 2012. Source: U.S. Drought Portal – NIDIS.

U.S. Daily Highest Max Temperature Records set on July 29, 2012

Temp Records: 12 (Broken) + 8 (Tied) = 20 Total.  Source: National Climatic Data Center

Related Links

• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand

• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S.  Posted July 2, 2012
• WARNING: RAPID CHANGE IN PROGRESS! Posted July 4, 2012
• Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity Posted July 7, 2012

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

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

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions

Corn in v. poor or poor condition increases to 45 percent: USDA

The amount of corn considered to be in very poor to poor condition has increased by 7 percent since last week due to ongoing drought and lingering heat wave, according to the USDA Crop Progress report.

• The amount of corn regarded as being in good or excellent condition was 26 percent for the week ending July 22, a drop of 5 percent since previous week. It was 62 percent last year.
• The USDA statistics are based on 18 States which planted 92% of the 2011 corn acreage: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

U.S. Corn Condition by State Map as of July 22, 2012. Source: USDA/AWA

Soybean Condition

The amount of soybeans considered to be in very poor to poor condition was 35 percent, an increase of 5 percent since last week.

• The amount of soybean regarded as being in good or excellent condition was 31 percent, a drop of 3 percent since last week. It was 62 percent last year.
• The statistics are based on 18 States that planted 95% of the 2011 soybean acreage: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina,
  North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Pasture and Range Condition

Pasture and Range Condition for the lower 48 States which are weighted based on pasture acreage and/or livestock inventories, further deteriorated by 1 percent.

• V. poor to poor category rose to 55 percent. It was 33 percent last year.

[Source: Crop Progress (July 2012) USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Report released July 23, 2012.]

Drought and Deluge Double Whammy

The historic drought could finally end in an epic deluge, in which case what is already extreme stress on the topsoil would be incalculable.

Corn in Drought Map. Latest available map of drought superimposed on the corn production areas. This map depicts drought-affected areas of the U.S. corn producing farmland as of July 17, 2012. Approximately 88% of the corn grown in the U.S. is within an area-experiencing drought, based on historical U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) crop production data.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• China. Typhoon VICENTE has grown into a monstrous category 4A stormwith sustained winds of more than 215kmph.  The storm has landed  in southern China.
  • The Hong Kong Observatory has raised its storm warning signal to the highest level 10, while local media reported at least 70 people  injured, as of posting.

Typhoon VICENTE – NHC Enhanced IR Sat Image. Source: CIMSS

• China.  Extreme Rain Events have buffeted 17 provinces in China since July 20, leaving hundreds dead or missing.
  • Rainstorm related disasters have affected up to 10 million people in thousands of towns and villages across 264 counties in 17 provinces, forcing about a million residents to flee their homes.
  • Rainstorms also destroyed or damaged about 100,000 homes.
  • “In Sichuan province, water levels in several rivers have exceeded the warning levels and the Luzhou section in the upper reach of the Yangtze River has witnessed the biggest flooding since 1949, according to the provincial flood control headquarters,” said a report.
    
  • Dozens of cities and villages are submerged under about 2m of water.
  • The influx of floodwater into the Three Gorges Reservoir, upstream of the gigantic Three Gorges hydropower project in Yichang, Hubei province, is expected to reach 70,000 cubic meters per second, the report said.
    

Original Caption: The pivot of Three Gorges releases flood water in seven spillways in Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, July 23, 2012. The Three Gorges Dam will experience its largest flood peak this year on Tuesday, the Yangtze River flood control and drought relief headquarters said Monday. (Xinhua/Zheng Jiayu)

Related Links

• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

“No lesson” from the BP disaster

Quotes of the Day

Environmental groups sue Obama admin over Shell drilling approval in GOM

“It is as if the government regulators have learned nothing from the BP disaster,” said Earthjustice attorney David Guest.

The Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to drill five exploratory wells about 2,000 meters under water and three previously approved wells some 100 km off the coast of Louisiana, a report said.

We need different means of farming?

“It’s screaming to me that things are getting hotter and drier at different times of the year. Our summers are getting wetter and if this trend continues, then we will have to find different means of farming,” said Australian farmer Charlie Bragg, who farms on a 3,000 hectare block about two hours drive west of Canberra, the Australian capital.

The Day After

Blog models show a prolonged, deadly drought as the most probable scenario to follow the epic flooding in the United States: FIRE-EARTH

Related Links

• Disasters Caused by Oil and Gas Drilling, Oil Spills, Leaks, Polluting Land, Water and Air