Global Disasters/ Significant Events – December 30, 2014

Flight QZ8501 debris found by Indonesian rescuers

FOUR bodies have been recovered from Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo in the search for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501, the Indonesian government announced.

The Airbus A320-200, with 162 people on board, flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore, disappeared on Sunday.

250,000 People flee their homes in Malaysia’s “worst ever” flooding

Malaysia’s worst ever flooding has forced about a quarter of a million people from their homes, authorities said.

The floods have killed at least two dozen people and destroyed or damaged scores of homes across the northeast.

Thailand

In neighboring Thailand, floods have killed at least eighteen people and displaced thousands of others. Five southern provinces remain submerged…

Philippines

Dozens of people have been killed, injured or reported missing after Tropical Storm JANGMI (local name “SENIANG”) hit central Philippines.

About 100,000 people (more than 20,000 families) have been affected in regions VII, X, XI and CARAGA, NDRRMC reported.

The disasters were caused by floods/ flash floods, landslides/ mudslides and maritime incidents.

NDRRMC Update – SitRep No. 5 – Effects of Tropical Storm “SENIANG” –
December 30, 2014, 6:00PM

Source: NDRRMC

United States

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued dozens of Warnings, Watches and Advisories as cold, arctic air continues to spread across the Upper Midwest and northern and central Plains through Tuesday, plunging temperatures as much as 30 degrees (F) below normal.

National High and Low Temperature for the contiguous United States

Low Temperature for Tuesday, December 30, 2014

• -34ºC (-29ºF) at Pinedale, WY

High Temperature for Monday, December 29, 2014

• 29.4ºC (85ºF) at Vero Beach, FL

Issued 7 am EST Tuesday, December 30, 2014 by NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD

Temperature spread (calculated by FIRE-EARTH) = 63.4°C (114°F)

Kilauea Volcano
The average emission rate of sulfur dioxide ranged between 5,500 and 7,700 tonnes/day for the week ending on December 23 (HVO).

Another Airliner Missing!

AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Indonesia to Singapore missing

An Indonesia AirAsia AirBus 320-200, flying from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board, has lost contact with air traffic control.

Flight QZ8501 went missing at 07:24 (23:24 UTC), the Malaysia-based AirAsia announced.

The Airbus disappeared about two hours into a three-hour flight, after requesting a “deviation” from the flight path, an increase in altitude to 38,000 feet from 32,000 feet, due to turbulent weather. Contact was lost some 200 nautical miles southeast of the Singapore-Jakarta FIR boundary, authorities said.

There were 162 people on board including 7 cabin crew, said the company in a statement:

• Passengers: 138 adults, 16 children and one infant
• Crew: Two pilots and five cabin crew
• Nationalities: 156 Indonesians, three South Koreans and one each of French, Malaysian and Singaporean.
• “The UK Foreign Office has confirmed that one Briton was on board the flight, and next of kin have been informed,” Bbc reported.
• According to the flight manifest, some 23 passengers were listed as no shows.

Flight MH370

In March, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 mysteriously disappeared with 239 people on board on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Flight MH17

In July, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, carrying 283 passengers and 15 crew, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shut down reportedly by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine. The wreckage was scattered over more than 10km between Luhansk and the neighboring Donetsk regions.

Flood Disaster

The disaster-stricken Malaysia is in the midst of its worst ever floods due to extreme rain events, which have forced more than 160,000 people to flee their homes in the worst-hit areas.

Air Disaster Links

• Second Malaysian Airliner Downed as Expected July 18, 2014
• Airlines