Global Disasters/ Significant Events – December 27, 2015

Powerful storm system brings tornadoes and flooding, killing at least 8 in Dallas, Texas

Death toll from a week of severe weather in the southern United States has now climbed to at least 26, with hundreds of homes destroyed or damaged by tornadoes, and flooding.

At least 6 tornadoes touched down in Dallas, Ellis and McClain counties on Saturday, according to the reports received by the storm prediction Center.

Meanwhile, forecasters have warned a “historic blizzard” could hit Texas and Oklahoma with up to 41cm of snow.

Dangerous Weather Continues Through Sunday Across the Middle of the Country

A variety of dangerous weather conditions will continue across the middle of the country through Sunday. Blizzard conditions will stretch from the High Plains of west Texas into northwest Oklahoma and Kansas. Hazardous ice accumulations will occur in Oklahoma. Dangerous flooding will extend from north Texas to central Illinois. Thunderstorms and a few tornadoes are possible in Texas. [NWS]

UK homes evacuated after ‘unprecedented’ flooding

Police have advised hundreds of people to evacuate near the River Ouse and River Foss in York, as floods threaten thousands of properties, said a report.

Hundreds of flood alerts and warnings are in place for England, Wales and Scotland, including more than 20 severe warnings—indicating danger to life.

UK PM David Cameron has called the flooding “unprecedented” and the situation for many as “incredibly serious” in an emergency conference call, promising more troops.

Super gonorrhea ‘could become untreatable’

“Gonorrhea is at risk of becoming an untreatable disease due to the continuing emergence of antimicrobial resistance,” the UK Chief Medical Officer has warned.

The warning follows the detection of a highly drug-resistant strain of the infection in the north of England in March.

The strain can resist the antibiotic azithromycin, which is normally used alongside another drug, ceftriaxone.

The bacteria that cause gonorrhea can mutate and develop new resistance, so we cannot afford to be complacent, said a UK health official.

North of England ‘super gonorrhea’ outbreak triggers nationwide alert

‘Highly resistant’

“This azithromycin highly resistant outbreak is the first one that has triggered a national alert,”  a consultant in sexual health based in Bristol, told the BBC News website.

“If this becomes the predominant strain in the UK we’re in big trouble, so we have to be really meticulous in making sure each of these individuals has all their contacts traced and treated.”

In 2011, Japan reported a case of complete resistance to cephalosporin-class antibiotics, which included the main treatment ceftriaxone.

About 35,000 cases of gonorrhea were reported in England in 2014, an increase of almost 20% compared with the previous year. It is the second most common sexually transmitted disease in the UK after chlamydia.

Emergency declared as train carrying sulfuric acid derails in NW QLD

A freight train carrying 200,000 liters of sulfuric acid has derailed east of Julia Creek in NW Queensland, Australia.

The locomotive and all 26 carriages derailed at 10:20am about 20km east of the outback town, prompting authorities to declare an emergency and impose a two-kilometer exclusion zone around the crash site.

Drought Destroys More Crops in Florida, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Puerto Rico

Drought kills crops in the NW, SE and Puerto Rico

Drought Disaster Designations #1

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Clallam and Jefferson counties in the State of Washington as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

Drought Disaster Designations #2

USDA) has designated additional counties in Oregon and Washington as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

• Oregon: Clackamas, Columbia, Hood River, Multnomah and Washington counties.
• Washington: Clark and Skamania counties.

Drought Disaster Designations #3

USDA has designated additional counties in Florida as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought. Those counties are Broward, Glades, Hendry, Martin, Okeechobee and Palm Beach.

Drought Disaster Designations #4

USDA has designated Maui, Kauai and Kalawao counties in Hawaii as drought disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

Drought Disaster Designations #5

USDA has declared additional crop disasters in Puerto Rico. The following municipalites have been designated as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

Puerto Rico crop disaster areas: Barranquitas, Corozal, Morovis, Naranjito, Orocovis, Toa Alta and Vega Alta municipalities.

U.S. Drought Monitor – Weekly Comparison: Total U.S.

Week	None	D0-D4	D1-D4	D2-D4	D3-D4	D4
2015-08-18	50.64	49.36	27.82	15.22	7.85	2.51
2015-08-11	51.65	48.35	27.52	14.97	7.69	2.51

 

CONUS

Week	None	D0-D4	D1-D4	D2-D4	D3-D4	D4
2015-08-18	54.91	45.09	29.29	18.17	9.37	3.00
2015-08-11	56.13	43.87	28.92	17.87	9.18	3.00

 

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 2,047 counties,  county equivalents and municipalities, across 33 States and PR: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, Wyoming [and Puerto Rico.]

About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations are due to drought so far this year.

Crop Disasters 2014

In 2014, USDA declared crop disasters in at least 2,904 counties across 44 states. Most of the designations were due to drought.

Those states were:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [FIRE-EARTH has documented all of the above listings. See blog content.]

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

ii. The counties designated as agricultural disaster areas, as listed above, include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

iii. Some counties may have been designated as crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters.

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

v. The disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on August 12, 2015.

Related Links

• Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in Ten States and Puerto Rico August 13, 2015
• Drought destroys crops in 5 states and Puerto Rico August 6, 2015
• Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in 10 States July 30, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in Six States July 23, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Florida, Idaho , Montana, Utah, Washington & Puerto Rico July 16, 2015
• U.S. Drought: Crop Disaster Declared for Idaho Counties July 10, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Six U.S. States July 2, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in Ten States and Puerto Rico

Drought and deluge kill crops in 294 U.S. counties and municipalities

USDA declares crop disasters in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oregon and Puerto Rico.

Crop Disaster Areas Designation # 1

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated all but one of the counties [Lake County] in the State of Illinois as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred during the period of June 1, 2015, and continues.

Illinois: Adams, Alexander, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Cook, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, DeWitt, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Lawrence, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Massac, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Pope, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Richland, Rock Island, St. Clair, Saline, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby,  Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Union, Vermilion, Wabash, Warren, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside, Will, Williamson, Winnebago and Woodford counties.

Indiana: Benton, Knox, Newton, Sullivan, Vigo, Gibson, Lake, Posey, Vermillion and Warren counties.

Iowa: Clinton, Jackson, Louisa, Scott, Des Moines, Lee and Muscatine counties.

Kentucky: Ballard, Crittenden, Livingston, McCracken and Union counties.

Missouri: Cape Girardeau, Marion, Saint Charles, Clark, Mississippi, Sainte Genevieve, Jefferson, Perry, Saint Louis, Lewis, Pike, Saint Louis City, Lincoln, Ralls and Scott counties.

Crop Disaster Areas Designation # 2

USDA has designated a total of 88 counties in Indiana as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred during the period of May 1, 2015, and continues.

Indiana: Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Benton, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, DeKalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Floyd, Fountain, Franklin, Fulton, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jasper, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Kosciusko, Lake, LaPorte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Noble, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Parke, Pike, Porter, Posey, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, St. Joseph, Scott, Shelby, Starke, Sullivan, Switzerland, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, Warrick, Washington, Wayne, Wells, White and Whitley counties.

Illinois: Clark, Crawford, Iroquois, Lawrence, White, Cook, Edgar, Kankakee, Wabash and Will counties.

Kentucky: Boone, Carroll, Gallatin and Trimble counties.

Michigan: Berrien and Cass counties.

Ohio: Butler, Defiance, Mercer, Preble, Darke, Hamilton, Paulding and Van Wert counties.

Crop Disaster Areas Designation # 3

USDA has designated a total of eight counties in Idaho and Montana as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

Idaho: Butte, Clark, Custer, Idaho, Lemhi and Valley counties.

Montana: Beaverhead and Ravalli counties.

Crop Disaster Areas Designation # 4

USDA has designated ten counties in Oregon as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

Oregon: Clackamas, Hood River, Jefferson, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Wasco, Washington and Yamhill counties.

Crop Disaster Areas Designation # 5

USDA has designated 28 municipalities in Puerto Rico as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

Puerto Rico: Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Arroyo, Barranquitas, Caguas, Canovanas, Carolina, Cayey, Ceiba, Cidra, Fajardo, Guayama, Gurabo, Humacao, Juncos, Patillas, Comerio, Las Piedras, Loiza, Rio Grande, Luquillo, Maunabo, Naguabo, Salinas, San Juan, San Lorenzo,Trujillo Alto and Yabucoa municipalities.

****************** U.S. Drought Monitor *****************

Week	None	D0-D4	D1-D4	D2-D4	D3-D4	D4
2015-08-11	51.65	48.35	27.52	14.97	7.69	2.51
2015-08-04	52.97	47.03	26.02	14.62	7.37	2.36

************* Total US Weekly Comparison Stats  *************

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 1,986 counties, or county equivalents, across 32 States: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

USDA has also designated a total of 36 municipalities in Puerto Rico as drought disaster areas in the last two weeks.

About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations are due to drought so far this year.

Crop Disasters 2014

In 2014, USDA declared crop disasters in at least 2,904 counties across 44 states. Most of the designations were due to drought.

Those states were:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [FIRE-EARTH has documented all of the above listings. See blog content.]

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

ii. The counties designated as agricultural disaster areas, as listed above, include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

iii. Some counties may have been designated as crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters.

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

v. The disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on August 12, 2015.

Related Links

• Drought destroys crops in 5 states and Puerto Rico August 6, 2015
• Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in 10 States July 30, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in Six States July 23, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Florida, Idaho , Montana, Utah, Washington & Puerto Rico July 16, 2015
• U.S. Drought: Crop Disaster Declared for Idaho Counties July 10, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Six U.S. States July 2, 2015
• Drought and Deluge, Hail and Severe Freezing Destroy Crops in 7 States June 25, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Disaster Calendar – 18 July 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,337 Days Left

[July 18, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,337 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

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

Disaster Calendar – 16 July 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,339 Days Left

[July 16, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,339 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

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

London on Fire

London Violence Spreads, Dozens of buildings and Vehicles Torched, Hundreds of Stores Looted

[August 8, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,682 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

READ THIS FIRST

Continued hacking and content censorship

In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.

FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.

WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs

WordPress is HACKING this blog!

The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!

Disaster Calendar 2011 – August 8 Entry

• London, U.K. The riots have spread across London, Scotland Yard reported. The violence erupted 3 days ago after a protest calling for justice over the fatal shooting by police of a local man in North London last week.
• The rioting and looting have spread to at least a dozen boroughs throughout London, as large crowds of unemployed and disaffected youths (and some criminal elements) continue to run amok venting out their frustration.
• The violence has also spread to other major cities in the U.K. including Birmingham, England’s second most populous city after London, Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester.
• Ironically, London has poured tens of billions of dollars ($32.7 billion US) into its Olympic wet dreams as worsening poverty, alienation and social malaise in Britain’s inner city areas spiral into uncontrollable violence.

Related Links

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Who’s Afraid of Volcanic Ash Clouds?

Thar: Another Encroaching Desert

Pall of Dust Covers Pakistan-India Border Region

The nearest volcanoes from the Thar Desert on the Pakistan-India Border Region are about 1,000km away. And there aren’t nearly as many of them as in  Iceland. The area won’t receive a significant amount of the volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajökull Eruption,  but there would be plenty of sand and dust to compensate for the airborne particles.

The photo like image taken by MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite shows a large dust storm over the Thar Desert on the border between India and Pakistan April 20, 2010. Source: NASA. Click image to enlarge.

Related Links:

• China Sandstorm – Satellite Image
• Second Sandstorm Blasts Beijing
• Humongous Dust Storm Sweeps Africa
• More Dust Storms Plague Arabian Peninsula
• Image of the Day: Sandstorm in Saudi Desert

• S. Arabia Nets Climate Change Q3 Dividends
• 2010 Disasters
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Australia: Uranium Dust Threat Real?
• And dust to dust …

• Disaster Calendar 2010
• Drought and Deluge
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• 2010: The Year of Disasters

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Serial No 1,602. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).

Why Didn’t China Prevent the Loss of 86,000 Lives?

China Regime: As Evil as Evil Comes!

Are Earthquake Predictions in China Political?

The following excerpts are from an article written by Wu Weilin, Epoch Times Staff [ May 28, 2008 ] Full Article

Was the recent devastating earthquake in Sichuan, China predicted before it struck? Did the Chinese regime ignore earthquake warnings and thereby caused the loss of more than 86,000 lives?

“On July 28, 2006, the Director of the China Earthquake Administration, Chen Jianmin, was speaking on a program of the regime’s mouth piece, China’s Central TV station. He stated with certainty that earthquakes were predictable. But immediately after the recent devastation in Sichuan, Chinese officials claimed that the prediction of earthquakes was a tough task worldwide. Another commentator said that earthquake prediction in China is a political issue.” Said Wu Weilin of Epoch Times.

[Wrapping it up!] Soldiers march to scatter disinfectant in Yingxiu town of Wenchuan county, the epicentre of the earthquake, Sichuan province May 26, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer The image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

What Happened to the Predictions?

“According to Chen, China has been predicting earthquakes since the Xingtai earthquake back in 1966, which killed 8,064 people. ‘Through continuous scientific research and information gained from many actual cases, we can make a prediction on a certain type of earthquake.’ However, after the earthquake in Sichuan took place, Zhang Ziaodong from the China Earthquake Networks Center held a press conference at China’s State Department on May 13. At the conference Zhang denied the quake in Sichuan was predictable and said that predicting earthquakes was a ‘difficult task worldwide.'”

Why did the Chinese media stay quiet about this important issue? “A frontline reporter disclosed that Beijing had sent out rules on reporting the earthquake, ‘To propagate positive, constructive news and forbidding criticism and introspective articles.’ Recently, according to our source, Beijing has officially banned discussing the subject of earthquake prediction in public.”

“However, more and more information has indicated accurate prediction on the quake had been presented to Beijing on many occasions. The communist military had also taken preventative measures based on the predictions.”

Predictions Had Saved Lives Before, Why Not This Time?

“Chen also said during an interview with CCTV two years ago, that following an accurate prediction, a quake that took place in China on February 4, 1975, only took 1,300 lives instead of 100,000. Chen also gave examples from overseas, how predicting earthquakes had cut down the number of deaths – only three died in California in 2003 and 40 in Japan in 2004, two countries where earthquake prediction was released before the event.

“By May 24, 2008, the Sichuan quake was estimated to have killed 60,560, injured 352,290, and 26,221 people were still missing, according to information released from China’s State Department. A Chinese social economist, He Qinglian, commented about the difference in speeches coming out of Beijing about quake prediction before and after Sichuan, ‘In China, earthquake prediction is pure science and earthquake forecasting announcement is pure politics. This is how it works in China, whether in the past or present.‘” [emphasis added.]

Related Links:

• The Anguished Cries of China Quake Nurse
• Chinese paratroopers rescuing survivors or preventing plague?
• How Many More Survivors?
• Heavy Death Toll, Corruption, Criminal Incompetence
• Why Was the Girl Removed from Family?

• Chinese Leaders Incapable of Handling Quake Aftermath
• Bigger China Disaster Unfolds

• China’s grieving quake parents start to voice anger
• Beijing’s quick response to disaster won’t cover cracks of corruption
• Almost five million left homeless, China says
• Corruption blamed for rising death toll in China
• Parents’ grief turns to anger at shoddily built deathtrap schools

• Earthquake Predictions In China Are Also Political

./.

The Anguished Cries of China Quake Nurse

Why was the quake nurse reduced to tears and had to beg the soldiers to rescue children?

If rescuing the children wasn’t their priority, and clearly it wasn’t, what were the soldiers ordered to do?

Anguished Chinese Nurse Serving in the Earthquake Disaster Area:

Please Rescue The Children!

Photo below was taken by Jason Lee of Reuters news agency (China). The caption reads:

“A nurse holding a general’s written order begs soldiers to rescue surviving children still buried in the ruins of another nearby school in the old city district near a mountain at the earthquake-hit Beichuan county, Sichuan province, May 15, 2008. The soldiers are not under the command of the general, whose written order reads: ‘Please arrange for rescue operations at this school as quickly as possible.'”

What were the orders soldiers own general gave them?

When did the authorities decide they couldn’t cope with too many quake survivors?

Credit: Reuters/Jason Lee (china) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

A close up of the nurse’s face. Her heartfelt agony speaks a thousand words!

[Reuters caption: A nurse cries as she begs soldiers to rescue surviving children still buried in the ruins of another nearby school in the old city district near a mountain at the earthquake-hit Beichuan county, Sichuan province, May 15, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

The Olympics can wait; the survivors can’t!

“Although the time for the best chance of rescue, the first 72 hours after an earthquake, has passed [exactly as planned by CPC], saving lives remains the top priority of our work [believe what I say, not what I do, you ‘ignorant peasants’],” the [doublespeaking] Chinese president, Hu Jintao, told the survivors. (Source)

To the CORRUPT Chinese Government: The World is Watching YOU!

“Parents’ grief turns to anger at shoddily built deathtrap schools”

“Three days after the quake struck, troops and fire engines queued idly along the roadsides waiting for orders.”

“‘I saw a doctor walking along the lines of bloody bodies, checking pulses and looking at wounds. If he shook his head the nurses were instructed not to take the person to the operating theatre but move them to another room to die. It was like a scene from a war film,’ she said.” (Source)

Related Links:

• Chinese paratroopers rescuing survivors or preventing plague?
• Official worries over possible plague at Sichuan quake epicenter
• Chinese Leaders Incapable of Handling Quake Aftermath

• China Earthquake, Heavy Death Toll, Corruption, Criminal Incompetence

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World Disaster Update

Nargis Cyclone, Myanmar

Torrential tropical rain lashed Myanmar’s Irrawaddy delta worsening the misery of an estimated 2.5 million survivors of Cyclone Nargis and further hampering the military government’s aid efforts, Reuters reported.

Monks stand beside a partially damaged Buddha statue in a storm devastated village near Kyacek tan, Myanmar, May 14, 2008, presumably wondering what if the statue was completely destroyed! (REUTERS/Stringer) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

The official toll for the dead and missing now stands at more than 133,000, but other estimates are reported the figure as high as 200,000. About 2.5 million people in the Irrawaddy delta have been severly affected and are struggling for survival. Some cases of cholera have been found in the Irawaddy delta, however, the numbers are in line with normal levels recorded in previous years. More Photos …

Videos (updated May 20, 2008 )

1. Scrambling for food
2. Death and destruction

China Quake

The earthquake in southwestern China has so far claimed about 30,000 lives. Another strong aftershock measuring 5.7 in magnitude (the 75th in the cluster since the 7.9Mw mainshock 6 days ago) struck about 80km WSW of Guangyuan, Sichuan, China early Sunday morning local time forcing thousands of the survivors to flee the Beichuan area amid fears a local lake could burst its banks.

Soldiers, relief workers and residents flee to higher ground in Beichuan, Sichuan province May 17, 2008 amid fears a local lake could burst its bank after the 75th strong aftershock struck the area. (REUTERS/Stringer) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

The authorities expect the final death toll from the earthquake to exceed 50,000. About 4.8 million people have lost their homes. A reported 500,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. More photos . . .

Videos (updated May 20, 2008 )

1. Rescuers arrived too late!
2. Quake survivors flee fearing floods
3. Where’s the money government promised us?

Government Stats: [May 18, 11:00AM Local Time]

• Death toll : 28,881
• Still buried under the rubble: 10,600 people
• Injured : about 170,000 people
• Building damage: 15 million building in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces have been destroyed or severely damaged (AFP).
• Dams and reservoirs damaged: 391 units
• No of displaced: 4.8 million people at 2,885 locations

Photo Gallery

Chaiten volcano

Chaiten volcano (Chile) is spewing out hot ash and smoke, as it rumbles and creates tremors. Falling ash is clogging up the local Blanco and Raya rivers forcing them to overflow their banks, flooding the area in the surrounding areas.

The city of Chaiten, about 6km from the erupting volcano, almost entirely flooded, has been declared off-limits for three months by the Chilean government.

A house flooded by river Blanco in Chaiten city May 12, 2008. (REUTERS/Stringer). Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

“There’s been additional volcanic activity that we’re really worried about,” regional governor Sergio Galilea said.

Chile is home to a cluster of about 2,000 volcanoes (second only to Indonesia), 500 of which are thought to be potentially active. (Source) More photos . . .

Related Links:

• Myanmar death toll soars
• Strong aftershock strikes south west China
• New rumbling from Chilean volcano worries experts

• The Anguished Cries of China Quake Nurse

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Chinese paratroopers rescuing survivors or preventing plague?

The Riddle of the Chinese Paratroopers

China parachutes 100 paratroopers to “cut-off” quake area

The first batch of 100 elite paratroopers were parachuted into an area near the epicenter of Monday’s earthquake in southwest China [“cut-off” area in Maoxian county, northeast of the epicenter in Wenchuan] Wednesday afternoon [about 60 hours later], reported Xinhua.

Elite Paratroopers landing near quake epicenter. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

So what’s the problem?

1. There are an estimated 30,000 people burried in the area. How could 100 paratroopers help rescue such large number of victims?

2. The paratroopers landed two days after the mainshock had struck. By then the survival chances of the victims who had been buried alive had already been reduced by about 80 percent.

3. Anyone rescued from the rubble would need medical attention, freshwater, food, blankets, tents … to survive. Did the paratroopers carry all of the vital supplies in their rucksacks?

Therefore, the question remains: Are the paratroopers sent to rescue the “survivors,” or to “finish off the job,” i.e., bury everyone, alive or dead, to prevent potential outbreaks of plague and other pandemics? [The Beijing Olympics are just around the corner!]

Related Links:

• Official worries over possible plague at Sichuan quake epicenter
• Chinese Leaders Incapable of Handling Quake Aftermath

• The Anguished Cries of Chinese Quake Nurse

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