Statewide Catastrophe Declared in Queensland, Australia

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,140 Days Left 

[January 27, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,140 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 …

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Australian Army Called to Help as QLD Flood Disaster Intensifies

Flood and storm damage across the Australian state of Queensland has prompted a statewide catastrophe declaration from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), said a report.

• ‘‘Insurers are greatly concerned about extreme weather expected over the next few days in Queensland, with severe inundation already having been experienced in several towns and cities, and major flood warnings now in place for every river from Cairns to the border,’’ said ICA chief executive.

• ‘‘Unfortunately, this catastrophe declaration is the result of the first cyclone to come close to the coast this season, and the weather bureau has warned it’s highly possible we will see more before the end of summer.’’

Meantime, the Queensland Government has asked the Australian Army to help amid extreme rain events, worsening flood disaster  and tornado outbreaks.

“Local rainfall daily records in central and southeast Queensland are tumbling after falls of 461mm at Boolaroo Tops, 454mm in Walla and 272mm in Gayndah since yesterday morning.”

• A giant storm cell is slowly moving southeast toward the population centers, dumping at least 200mm of rain, and destructive winds and tornadoes are expected along the Sunshine Coast and Bribie Island, reports said

• A 5-meter wall of  water is pouring over the spillway of the Awoonga Dam into the Boyne, south of Gladstone.

Awoonga Dam on January 26. Source: Reece Ireland, Gladstone/ via The Australian

• A saddle dam off the Awoonga Dam is close to overflowing, which would put 500 homes in peril, the authorities said.

• “Water continues to spill from Wivenhoe dam in preemptive releases.”

• Forecasters have warned more than 300mm of rain could fall in Wivenhoe Dam catchment, upstream of Brisbane, in the next few days, with coastal areas receiving about 500mm, isolating additional communities.

• Authorities have issued an evacuation order for north Bundaberg after the Burnett River broke its banks.
  • The Burnett River is now forecast to peak at 9 meters—well above the levels recorded during the 2010/11 floods, reports said.

• Residents in the Gympie area, north of Brisbane, are being rescued from rooftop, as Mary River continues to rise to a forecast peak of  peak at 17m.

• Back-to-back Australian Disasters [index page]

• Wild storms hit Canberra
• Floods likely to isolate hundreds in NSW
• Brisbane expected to flood

United States

The deep freeze persists throughout much of the Northeast as forecasters warn of looming ice storms. Severe ice storm are expected to hit Northern Illinois, southern Michigan, NE Missouri, large swathes  of the Midwest as well as mid-Atlantic, and Ontario.

U.S. Weather Hazards Map. Source: NWS

• Tennessee has declared state of emergency as the eastern portion of the state continues to see significant icing, reports said.

• Michigan governor has declared state of emergency to boost propane deliveries.

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

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

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/weather/brisbane-expected-to-flood-20130127-2deip.html

Flooding in Mozambique Displaces 70,000, Killing Dozens

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,141 Days Left 

[January 26, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,141 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 …

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

“We are eating grasshoppers”

Severe flooding, triggered by week-long extreme rain events in South Africa and Zimbabwe,  continued to spread across southern Mozambique.

“The number of displaced people now stood at 67,995 while nearly 85,000 have been affected by the raging waters in recent days, the UN said, urging donors to urgently make more funds available ‘to help deal with this emergency’ in the impoverished southeast African nation.”

Hunger is setting in among tens of thousands of the victims who are waiting for help to arrive, said a report.

“We are eating grasshoppers,” a flood victim told AFP, adding that she believed they were the “lucky ones.”

“We have family in the town, our aunts. They must be on the rooftops now,” she said.

“We left at midnight without taking food. We have nothing to sleep under.”

• Mozambique Floods Threaten 50,000 January 22, 2013

The Great Crocodile Escape

A crocodile farm in northern South Africa was forced to open its gates after being inundated, letting loose at least 15,000 crocodiles.

Australia

Several ‘mini-tornadoes’ spawned by the remnants of cyclone Oswald have hit the Queensland coast injuring about two dozen people, as severe weather and flooding batters the disaster state.

The tornadoes have damaged scores of homes and forced the evacuation of towns around Bundaberg, reports said.

• Tornadoes  caused severe damage to coastal townships of Bargara and Burnett Heads, both of which have since been declared disaster areas.

Further north, severe flooding in Gladstone led to the city (population ~ 30,000) being declared a disaster zone, and the authorities told at least 2,000 people  to evacuate.

• Back-to-back Australian Disasters [index page]

Oklahoma, USA

The drought in Oklahoma has caused more than $2 billion in damage in the past two years, said a report.

Oklahoma Drought Map. Source: Drought Monitor Archives

• “Cities are facing water rationing, and Tulsa residents will see dying lawns, trees and plants.”
• It cost twice as much to feed the livestock. “A load of feed, which lasts about a month, has gone from about $3,500 to $7,500.”
• USDA has declared 917 counties as primary and contiguous drought disaster areas including the entire state of Oklahoma and parts of 25  other states, in January 2013.

High Plains Drought Map. Source: Drought Monitor Archives

• Drought 2013

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

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