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51 Killed as Tornado Flattens Homes in East China

UPDATE:

• Death toll climbs to 78, with 500 others injured. 
• Meteorological authorities have issued a yellow warning for heavy rain in east, central and southwest China.
• The provincial meteorological authority in Fujian issued an orange alert for heat on Thursday, as temperatures reached 39ºC.

Extreme Weather Events Batter Multiple Provinces in China

At least 51 people were killed and dozens more injured as extreme weather events walloped east China’s Jiangsu Province Thursday, said a report.

“Downpours, hailstorms and a tornado battered parts of Yancheng City at 2:30 p.m., destroying many houses, the city government said in a press release.”

Extreme weather events hit including hurricane force winds of about 125 km/hr battered several townships in Funing and Sheyang counties in the suburbs of Yancheng, the report said.

Many houses have collapsed, killing at least 51people with dozens of injuries reported as of 8:30pm, the report said.

Elsewhere in China…

“Heavy rain has left 42 people dead and 25 missing in 10 provincial-level regions as of Wednesday morning, according to statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA)

“More than 460,000 people were relocated and 321,000 are in urgent need of emergency relief after continuous rainfall in the 10 regions in southern part of China including Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei and Sichuan, since June 18, the ministry said.

“About 6,800 houses collapsed and many crops were destroyed, leading to an economic loss of 9.67 billion yuan (1.46 bln U.S. dollars), it said.”

Extreme Weather Events Pummel Australia

Extreme Rain Events, High Winds  Pummel NSW, Tasmania as Queensland Mops Up

“Wild weather that thrashed parts of Queensland over the weekend is continuing to pummel New South Wales, with the east coast low pressure system reaching as far south as Tasmania amid warnings of heavy rain, flash flooding and damaging winds,” said a report.

A flood evacuation warning is in place for multiple areas in NSW including residents living along the Georges River, in Sydney’s southwest, the report said.

Huge surf is also causing widespread coastal erosion with police door knocking affected homes in the Northern Beaches.

Hundreds of thousands of homes across the state have been affected by power outages as a result of wild weather.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from North Lismore, as major flooding peaked at 9.1 meters in the Lismore area Sunday afternoon.

The weather system has also extended down to Tasmania, with an “exceptional” huge swell expected to hit Tasmania’s north-east on Monday.

The state is predicted to receive up to 200 millimeters of rain in the coming days, with warnings of flash flooding.

Flood warnings are in place for eight rivers in the state, with major warnings current for the Meander River and Mersey River, with forecasters warning the Mersey basin is at most risk of major flooding.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has forecast ‘king waves’ of up to eight meters to cause erosion along the northeast coast.

Mount Victoria recorded rainfall amounts of 76mm, with destructive winds peaking at 107 km/h at Mount Read.

“That north-easterly swell’s actually getting up to the six to seven-metre mark on Monday which is very, very, large for our secondary swell,” a BoM forecaster said.

“Typically we only see those swell heights in our south-westerly stream. So it’s an exceptional swell for the east coast.”

Since Friday morning, 382mm of rain had fallen at Upper Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland, with nearby Mount Tamborine receiving  357mm, BoM reported.

Crop Disasters Declared in Texas, Utah, Oklahoma, Nevada and Hawaii

Extreme weather and climatic events destroy crops in 39 counties across five U.S. states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated the counties of  Hawaii, Kalawao and Maui in the state of Hawaii as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

Two separate designations have been issued since April 13.

USDA has also designated eight counties in two other states—Nevada and Utah—as crop disaster areas due to drought.  Those counties are:

• Nevada. Elko, Eureka, Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine.

• Utah. Juab, Millard and Tooel.

Excessive rain and moisture destroy or damage crops in Texas, Oklahoma

USDA has designated a total of 28 counties in Texas and Oklahoma as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and moisture that occurred from Oct. 23, 2015, through Jan. 10, 2016. Those counties are:

• Texas. Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson, Henderson, Hill, Hopkins, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Montague, Navarro, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, Tarrant, Van Zandt and Wise.

• Oklahoma. Bryan, Choctaw, Love and Marshall.

Notes:
i. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on one or more crops.

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.

Previous Disaster Designations – 2016:

• Crop Disasters Declared in Montana; Wildfire Emergencies in Kansas, Oklahoma
• Crop Disasters Declared in North Carolina March 31, 2016
• Crop Disasters Declared in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Puerto Rico March 26, 2016
• Crop Disasters Declared in Florida, Georgia  March 18, 2016
• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Nine U.S. States March 4, 2016

• Multiple Crop Disasters Hit Eight U.S. States February 29, 2016
• Crop Disasters Declared in Montana February 25, 2016
• Crop Disasters Declared in the U.S. States of North Carolina and Virginia February 11, 2016

• Crop Disasters Declared in Two U.S. States February 5, 2016
• Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in Georgia & the Carolinas January 24, 2016
• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Three U.S. States January 9, 2016
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Nine U.S. States

Extreme weather and climatic disasters destroy at least 30% of crops in 73 counties across nine states

Drought Disasters

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated a total of 15 counties in California and Arizona as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought. Those counties are:

California.  Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Riverside, San Diego, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Tehama and Trinity.

Arizona. La Paz and Yuma.

Disasters caused by excessive rain, flash flooding and flooding

USDA has designated 51 counties across six states—Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas—as crop  disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain, flash flooding, and flooding that occurred from Nov. 1, 2015 through Jan. 12, 2016. Those counties are:

Arkansas. Baxter, Cleburne, Conway, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Hempstead, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lee, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Newton, Perry, Poinsett, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Van Buren, White, Woodruff and Yell.

Louisiana. Bossier and Caddo.

Mississippi. DeSoto and Tunica.

Oklahoma. Le Flore and Sequoyah.

Tennessee. Shelby and Tipton.

Texas. Bowie and Cass.

Disasters caused by high winds and hail

USDA has designated seven counties in North Dakota as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by high winds and hail that occurred from June 23, 2015, through June 24, 2015. Those counties are:

North Dakota. Burke, Dunn, McKenzie, McLean, Mountrail, Ward and Williams.

All counties and city listed above were designated crop disaster areas on March 2, 2016.

Links to previous disaster listings posted at

• Multiple Crop Disasters Hit Eight U.S. States February 29, 2016
• Crop Disasters Declared in Montana February 25, 2016
• Crop Disasters Declared in the U.S. States of North Carolina and Virginia February 11, 2016

• Crop Disasters Declared in Two U.S. States February 5, 2016
• Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in Georgia & the Carolinas January 24, 2016
• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Three U.S. States January 9, 2016
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

 

Major Disaster Declared for Missouri

Missouri declared Federal Disaster Area

Missouri Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (DR-4250)

• Incident period: December 23, 2015 to January 09, 2016
• Major Disaster Declaration declared on January 21, 2016

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Missouri in the areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of December 23, 2015 to January 9, 2016.

The areas that were hardest hit by the disasters include the counties of Barry, Barton, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Cole, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Hickory, Jasper, Jefferson, Laclede, Lawrence, Lincoln, Maries, McDonald, Morgan, Newton, Osage, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Scott, St. Charles, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster, and Wright.

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

Federal Disaster Declarations (2015)

The federal government has proclaimed 45 Major Disaster Declaration [DR 4205-4249] for a U.S. state/tribal area/territory for 2015 disasters including three for Washington. Additionally, three Emergency Declarations, EM-3372 and EM-3374 including one for WA, and 34 Fire Management Assistance Declarations [FM-5084 to FM-5117] including 12 for the state have been issued.

Major Disaster Declarations Since October 2015

• Major Disaster Declaration for Washington [DR-4249] January 16, 2016
• Major Disaster Declared for Mississippi [DR-4248] January 5, 2016
• Federal Emergency Declared for Missouri [EM-3374] January 3, 2016
• Major Disaster Declared for Oklahoma [DR-4247] December 30, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Idaho [DR-4246] December 28, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Texas [DR-4245] November 26, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared in Alaska [DR-4244] October 31, 2015
• 2ND Major Disaster Declaration for Washington [DR-4243] October 22, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Washington [DR-4242] October 16, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared in South Carolina [DR-4241] October 6, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Mass Evacuation Ordered in Japan amid Extreme Weather Events

Much of Japan hammered by high wind, giant waves and heavy snowfall

At least 9,700 people have been ordered to evacuate Nemuro, a town in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido, as heavy snowfall, high wind and giant waves plagued the region leaving more than 50,000 residents without power, the media reported Tuesday.

Warnings have also been issued to residents in the region concerning the threat of flooding as high waves batter the coastal areas putting some 4,000 families at risk, Kyodo News reported.

At least 169 people were injured in the Kanto area, which includes Tokyo, after heavy snow blanketed eastern and northern Japan early on Monday.

Heavy snow has led to hundreds of flight cancellation, and suspension of train services as of posting.

.

Major Disaster Declared for Oklahoma

Oklahoma Declared Federal Disaster Area

Oklahoma Severe Winter Storms and Flooding (DR-4247)

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Oklahoma in the areas affected by severe winter storms and flooding during the period of November 27-29, 2015.

The hardest hit areas include the counties of Alfalfa, Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Grady, Grant, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Logan, Major, Oklahoma, Roger Mills, Washita, and Woods.

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

Federal Disaster Declarations (2015)

The federal government has proclaimed 43 Major Disaster Declaration [DR 4205-4247] for a U.S. state/tribal area/territory so far this year. Additionally, the government has issued two Emergency Declarations, EM-3372 and EM-3373, and 34 Fire Management Assistance Declarations [FM-5084 to FM-5117] for the year to date.

Major Disaster Declarations Since October 2015

• Major Disaster Declared for Idaho [DR-4246] December 28, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Texas [DR-4245] November 26, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared in Alaska [DR-4244] October 31, 2015
• 2ND Major Disaster Declaration for Washington [DR-4243] October 22, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Washington [DR-4242] October 16, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared in South Carolina [DR-4241] October 6, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Major Disaster Declared for Idaho

Idaho Declared Federal Disaster Area

Idaho Severe Storm and Straight-line Winds (DR-4246)

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Idaho in the area affected by a severe storm and straight-line winds on November 17, 2015.

The hardest hit areas include the counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, and Kootenai and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

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

Federal Disaster Declarations (2015)

The federal government has proclaimed 42 Major Disaster Declaration [DR 4205-4246] for a U.S. state/tribal area/territory so far this year. Additionally, the government has issued two Emergency Declarations, EM-3372 and EM-3373, and 34 Fire Management Assistance Declarations, [FM-5084 to FM-5117] for the year to date.

Major Disaster Declarations Since October 2015

• Major Disaster Declared for Texas [DR-4245] November 26, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared in Alaska [DR-4244] October 31, 2015
• 2ND Major Disaster Declaration for Washington [DR-4243] October 22, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Washington [DR-4242] October 16, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared in South Carolina [DR-4241] October 6, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

One Million

1,000,000+ migrants and refugees cross into Europe

The number of migrants and refugees crossing into Europe by land and sea this year has passed one million, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

Myanmar: Precursors to genocide
Violence since 2012 has killed scores and left 140,000 trapped in displacement camps that have been described as open air prisons. More than 1 million face persecution in Myanmar and nowhere in the world are there more known precursors to genocide.

Boko Haram violence forces one million children out of school – U.N.
Violence targeted by the terrorist group Boko Haram has shut down than 2,000 schools in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, forcing more than one million children out of school, “leaving them prey to abuse, abduction and recruitment by armed groups,” said the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF on Tuesday.

Extreme Weather Events and Storms

Extreme weather events and storms on the lower end of intensity scales regularly affect at least a million or people across African, Asian, Pacific and South American countries.

Air Pollution
Smog caused by coal consumption is expected to kill an estimated one million people in China in 2015.

Flooding
“From the onset of the rains in mid-December 2014 through mid-January 2015, the country received continuous rainfall that led to the worst flooding in many years,” said Malawian President Peter Mutharika. “The floods affected about 1.1 million people. It damaged people’s property and public infrastructure and at least 64,000 hectares of crop fields throughout the country. 101 people were killed and 172 people were reported missing.”

Mortality 2015 and Crude Death Rate
Total number of deaths in 2015 is estimated at 57.6 million. The estimate is based on the 2014 crude death rate of 7.89 deaths per 1,000 and global population of 7.3 billion.

In 2015, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) will be responsible for about two-thirds of all deaths globally.

In 2012, more than half (514) of each 1,000 deaths were caused by the following 10 conditions:

Source: WHO, 2012. [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease that makes it hard to breathe.]

More than One Million

Cancer
The most common cancers in 2015 are projected to be breast cancer, lung and bronchus cancer, prostate cancer, colon and rectum cancer, bladder cancer, melanoma of the skin, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, thyroid cancer, kidney and renal pelvis cancer, endometrial cancer, leukemia, and pancreatic cancer.

In 2015, an estimated 1,658,370 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 589,430 people will die from the disease.

Cancers figure among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with approximately 14.1 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths in 2012 [latest data available -WHO.]

• Tobacco use was the most important risk factor for cancer causing around 20% of global cancer deaths and around 70% of global lung cancer deaths.
• Cancer causing viral infections such as HBV/HCV and HPV are responsible for up to 20% of cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries (2).
• More than 60% of world’s total new annual cases occur in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. These regions account for 70% of the world’s cancer deaths

The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic: 78 Million people infected
Since the beginning of the epidemic, almost 78 million people have been infected with the HIV virus and about 39 million people have died of HIV. Globally, 35.0 million [33.2–37.2 million] people were living with HIV at the end of 2013. An estimated 0.8% of adults aged 15–49 years worldwide are living with HIV, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

• The 39 million people have died from AIDS-related causes so far, including 1.2 million in 2014.
• An estimated 2.0 million individuals worldwide became newly infected with HIV in 2014. This includes over 220,000 children
• About 17.1 million people are unaware they have the virus and an estimated 22 million do not have access to HIV treatment, including 1.8 million children.
• The vast majority of people living with HIV are in low- and middle-income countries, with sub-Saharan Africa being the most affected region, with 25.8 million people living with HIV in 2014.
• Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for almost 70 percent of the global total of new HIV infections.
  According to WHO, Exit Disclaimer an estimated 34 million people have died from AIDS-related causes so far, including 1.2 million in 2014.

Background: On June 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publish a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), describing cases of a rare lung infection, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), in five young, previously healthy, gay men in Los Angeles. All the men have other unusual infections as well, indicating that their immune systems are not working; two have already died by the time the report is published. This edition of the MMWR marks the first official reporting of what will become known as the AIDS epidemic.

Parkinson’s disease
As many as one million Americans live with Parkinson’s disease, with 60,000 diagnosed with the disease each year. Worldwide, an estimated 10 million people are living with Parkinson’s.

 

Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Montana

Drought, frost, hail and wind destroy or damage crops in the State of Montana

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated a total of 8 counties in Montana in two separate disaster designations as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by multiple disasters that occurred during the 2015 crop year.

• Disaster Designation 1: USDA has designated Blaine, Chouteau, Hill and Liberty counties in Montana as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought that occurred from April 1, 2015, and continues.

• Disaster Designation 1: USDA has designated Flathead, Lake, Missoula and Sanders counties in Montana as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by frost, hail and wind that occurred from May 10, 2015, through July 5, 2015.

All counties listed above were designated crop disaster areas on Dec. 17, 2015.

Related Links

• Crop Disasters Declared in Alabama, Florida, Georgia December 10, 2015

Crop Disasters Declared in Alabama, Florida, Georgia

Extreme weather events cause additional crop disasters in 39 counties across three states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated a total of 39 counties in three states—Alabama, Florida and Georgia—as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rainfall, winds, and flooding that occurred during the period of Sept. 1 through Nov. 20, 2015. Those counties are:

Alabama. Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Tallapoosa and Wilcox.

Florida. Escambia, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton.

Georgia. Chattahoochee, Clay, Early, Harris, Muscogee, Seminole, Stewart and Troup.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 3,929 counties and county equivalents across 46 States [as well as Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands]: Those states are Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

• About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations have been 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.

Related Links

• Crop Disasters Declared in the Carolinas December 3, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in Kansas December 3, 2015
• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Michigan and Ohio November 26, 2015
• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Six U.S. States November 22, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

 

Crop Disasters Declared in the Carolinas

18 Counties in the Carolinas designated as crop disaster areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 18 counties in the Carolinas as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred from Oct. 1, 2015, and continues.

Those areas are

• South Carolina. Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Greenville, Laurens, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, Union and York counties.

• North Carolina. Cleveland, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania counties.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 3,890 counties and county equivalents across 46 States [as well as Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands]: Those states are Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

• About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations have been 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.

Related Links

• Crop Disasters Declared in Kansas December 3, 2015
• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Michigan and Ohio November 26, 2015
• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Six U.S. States November 22, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in Puerto Rico November 13, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in 10 U.S. States November 5, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Crop Disasters Declared in Kansas

7 Counties in Kansas designated as crop disaster areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared 7 counties in the state of Kansas as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain, high winds, and hail that occurred on Sept. 10, 2015.

Those areas are Barton, Ellsworth, Pawnee, Rice, Rush, Stafford and Russell counties.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Dec. 2, 2015.

Related Links

• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Michigan and Ohio November 26, 2015

Major Disaster Declared for Texas

Texas Declared Federal Disaster Area

Texas Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (DR-4245)

• Incident period: October 22, 2015 to October 31, 2015
• Major Disaster Declaration declared on November 25, 2015

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Texas in the area affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of October 22-31, 2015.

The hardest hit areas include the counties of Bastrop, Brazoria, Caldwell, Comal, Galveston, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Liberty, Navarro, Travis, Willacy, and Wilson.

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

• Some 90 Major Disasters Declaration have been declared for the state of Texas since 1953.

Federal Disaster Declarations (2015)

The federal government has proclaimed 41 Major Disaster Declaration [DR 4205-4245] for a U.S. state/tribal area/territory so far this year. Additionally, the government has issued two Emergency Declarations, EM-3372 and EM-3373, and 34 Fire Management Assistance Declarations, [FM-5084 to FM-5117] for the year to date.

Major Disaster Declarations Since October 2015

• Major Disaster Declared in Alaska [DR-4244] October 31, 2015
• 2ND Major Disaster Declaration for Washington [DR-4243] October 22, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Washington [DR-4242] October 16, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared in South Carolina [DR-4241] October 6, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Michigan and Ohio

68 Counties in two states designated as crop disaster areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared 68 counties in the states of Michigan and Ohio as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by multiple disasters that occurred during the 2015 crop year.

Disaster Designation No. 1

USDA has designated a total of 44 counties in Michigan and Ohio as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by extreme weather events including excessive rain, flooding, hail and high winds that occurred from April 1, 2015, through Aug. 17, 2015. Those counties are:

Michigan. Allegan, Arenac, Bay, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Clare, Clinton, Eaton, Gladwin, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Mecosta, Midland, Missaukee, Monroe, Montcalm, Muskegon, Oakland, Ogemaw, Osceola, Ottawa, Roscommon, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Clair, St. Joseph, Tuscola, Van Buren, Washtenaw and Wayne.

Ohio. Fulton and Lucas.

Disaster Designation No. 2

USDA has also designated 24 counties in Michigan as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought, excessive rain, hail and high winds that occurred from April 1, 2015, through Sept. 10, 2015. Those counties are:

Michigan. Alcona, Alger, Alpena, Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Crawford, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Luce, Mackinac, Manistee, Missaukee, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Schoolcraft and Wexford.

All counties listed above were designated as crop disaster areas on Nov. 25, 2015.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 3,865 counties and county equivalents across 46 States [as well as Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands]: Those states are Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

• About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations have been 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.

Related Links

• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Six U.S. States November 22, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in Puerto Rico November 13, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in 10 U.S. States November 5, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

UNISDR Finally Catches On!

Nine out of ten disasters weather-related: UNISDR

According to a new report issued today by the UN, “The Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters,” between 1995 and 2015, about 90% of all major disasters were caused by floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts and other weather-related events.

Over the past 20 years, some 6,457 recorded weather-related disasters have killed 606,000 people, left 4.1 billion others injured, homeless or in need of aid.

The five countries that experienced the highest number of disasters were the United States (472), China (441), India (288), Philippines (274), and Indonesia, (163).

Economic losses from weather-related disasters are much higher than the previously reported figure of US$1.891 trillion, which accounts for 71% of all losses attributed to “natural disasters” over the twenty-year period, says the report. “Only 35% of records include information about economic losses. UNISDR estimates that the true figure on disaster losses – including earthquakes and tsunamis – is between US$250 billion and US$300 billion annually.”

Key Details of the Report

• Asia experienced the largest share of disaster impacts including 332,000 deaths and 3.7 billion people affected. The death toll included 138,000 deaths caused by Cyclone NARGIS (Myanmar, 2008).

• An average of 335 weather-related disasters were recorded per year between 2005 and 2014, an increase of 14% from 1995-2004, and almost twice the level recorded during 1985-1995.

• Some  87 million homes were damaged or destroyed over the survey period (CRED’s Emergency Events Data Base, or EM-DAT).

• Floods, affecting 2.3 billion people and killing 157,000 souls accounted for 47% of all weather-related disasters. Storms were the deadliest type of weather-related disaster, accounting for 242,000 deaths or 40% of the global weather-related deaths, with 89% of these deaths occurring in lower-income countries.

• Heatwaves accounted for 148,000 of the 164,000 lives lost due to extreme temperatures. 92% of heatwave deaths occurred in high-income countries, with Europe accounting for 90%.

• Drought affected Africa most, with 136 events recorded, including 77 droughts in East Africa alone.

Release Date: 23 Nov 2015

Source: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)

Download the report

Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Six U.S. States

124 Counties in six states designated as crop disaster areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared 124 counties in six states—Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia—as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the combined effects of excessive rain, flash flooding, flooding, excessive heat, landslides, mudslides, high winds, hail and lightning that occurred during the period of March 1, 2015, through Aug. 25, 2015.

Those counties are:

Ohio. Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Gallia, Geauga, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Meigs, Mercer, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Ottawa, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Preble, Putnam, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Van, Vinton, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot. (88 counties)

Indiana. Adams, Allen, Dearborn, DeKalb, Franklin, Jay, Union and Wayne. (8)

Kentucky. Boone, Boyd, Bracken, Campbell, Greenup, Kenton, Lewis, Mason and Pendleton. (9)

Michigan. Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe. (3)

Pennsylvania. Beaver, Crawford, Erie, Lawrence and Mercer. (5)

West Virginia. Cabell, Hancock, Jackson, Marshall, Mason, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler, Wayne, Wetzel and Wood. (11)

All counties listed above were designated as crop disaster areas on Nov. 19, 2015.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 3,797 counties and county equivalents across 46 States [as well as Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands]: Those states are Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

• About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations have been 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.

Related Links

• Crop Disasters Declared in Puerto Rico November 13, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in 10 U.S. States November 5, 2015
• More Crops Destroyed by EWE in Nine U.S. States October 29, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Crop Disasters Declared in 10 U.S. States

Drought and deluge, excessive heat and high wind kill crops in dozens of counties across 10 states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared crop disasters in 118 counties across 10 states due to losses and damages caused by extreme weather events.  The disaster designations are in the states of Virginia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware and Connecticut.

Disaster Areas: Designation #1 –  Drought 

USDA has designated a total of 19 counties in Connecticut and three neighboring states as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought that occurred from April 1, 2015, and continues. Those counties are:

• Connecticut. Fairfield, Litchfield, Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, New London Tolland and Windham.
• Massachusetts. Berkshire, Hampden and Worcester
• New York. Dutchess, Nassau, Putnam, Suffolk and Westchester
• Rhode Island. Kent, Providence and Washington

Disaster Areas: Designation #2 –  Excessive rain and flooding

USDA has designated a total of 50 counties in North Carolina and two neighboring states as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred from Sept. 22, 2015, through Oct. 4, 2015. Those counties are:

• North Carolina. Alamance, Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Cabarrus, Camden, Carteret, Caswell, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Franklin, Gates, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Martin, Mecklenburg, Moore, Nash, Northampton, Orange, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Person, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Sampson, Scotland, Stanly, Union, Vance and Warren
• South Carolina. Chesterfield and Lancaster
• Virginia. Brunswick, Danville, Greensville, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania, Southampton and Suffolk

Multiple Crop Disasters in New Jersey and Neighboring States

Disaster Areas: Designation # 3 –  Excessive heat and drought

USDA has designated a total of 22 counties in New Jersey and neighboring states as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive heat and drought conditions that occurred from April 1, 2015, through Sept. 29, 2015. Those counties are:

• New Jersey. Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren
• New York. Orange and Richmond
• Pennsylvania. Bucks, Monroe, Philadelphia and Pike

Disaster Areas: Designation # 4 – Excessive rain, flash flooding, high winds and lightning

USDA has designated a total of 14 counties in New Jersey and neighboring states as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain, flash flooding, high winds and lightning that occurred from May 28, 2015, through July 15, 2015. Those counties are:

• New Jersey.  Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester,  Ocean and Salem
• Delaware. Kent, New Castle and Sussex
• Pennsylvania. Delaware and Philadelphia

Disaster Areas: Designation # 5  Excessive heat and drought

USDA has designated a total of 13 counties in New Jersey and neighboring states as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive heat and drought conditions that occurred from July 16, 2015, through Sept. 29, 2015. Those counties are Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.

• New Jersey. Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem
• Delaware. Kent, New Castle and Sussex
• Pennsylvania. Delaware and Philadelphia

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Nov. 4, 2015.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 3,618 counties and county equivalents across 46 States [as well as Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands]: Those states are Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

• About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations have been 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.

Related Links

• More Crops Destroyed by EWE in Nine U.S. States October 29, 2015
• Drought, Deluge Destroy Crops in 12 States October 22, 2015
• Drought, Freeze… Kill Crops in 173 Counties across 7 States October 16, 2015
• Drought Destroys or Damages Crops in Three U.S. States October 8, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared across Multiple Areas October 1, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

De Facto 2°C Global Climate Target = 2 Inch Hole in the Head

Sent by a reader

More flooding to hit SC disaster areas: Gov. Haley

South Carolina’s governor has urged tens of thousands of people in low-lying areas near the coast to evacuate Thursday before a wall of floodwater moving toward the Atlantic inundates large swathes of the state for the next 12 days.

Gov. Nikki Haley, speaking at a news conference in Summerville, warned residents in flood-prone areas of four counties—Dorchester, Charleston, Georgetown and Williamsburg—to “strongly consider evacuating.”

“Don’t underestimate the power of water,” she said.

The warning covers the low-lying area near the rising Waccamaw, Santee and Edisto rivers, and includes the 10,000 residents of Georgetown.

Flooding is expected in Georgetown in the next 12 hours, followed by Jamestown and the Givens Ferry area in the next 72 hours, said Haley on Thursday.

• The flooding could effect more than 300,000 people, according to various models.
• Several rounds of flooding since Saturday may have already cost South Carolina at least $300 million in crop losses, said a senior official.
• Senator Lindsey Graham has warned total cost of the ongoing disasters could exceed $1 billion.
• 17 of the 19 weather-related deaths during the ongoing catastrophe across the region have occurred in South Carolina.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued the following forecast for the region:

Isolated severe thunderstorms possible for parts of Mid-Atlantic

The NWS Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a risk of severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon and evening across portions of Mid-Atlantic States. Strong wind gusts will be the primary concern with any thunderstorms that develop.

Related Links

• Major Disaster Declared in South Carolina  October 6, 2015
• ‘Once-in-a-millennium’ Rainstorm Swamps South Carolina October 5, 2015
• Federal Emergency Declared for South Carolina October 4, 2015
• JOAQUIN Prompts States of Emergency Declarations in 5 States October 2, 2015