NE China Hit by Worst Snowstorm in 50 Years

Heavy Snow Blankets NE China

Blizzard closed expressways and schools bringing traffic to a virtual standstill across northeast China’s Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces.

China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a yellow alert for blizzards Sunday morning for a second consecutive day, said Xinhua.

Blizzard buffeted NE provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, covering the ground with a 20-cm (8 in) layer of snow, the NMC said.

Heavy snow blankets NE China. Image credit: news.cn/via Xinhua.

It won’t get any better, before it gets a lot worse!

The Elusive and the Surreal in China

Heavy smog continued to choke northeast China, forcing the closure of schools, highways, rail and bus services, airports…

Harbin city bus terminal 8:00am Tuesday, October 22, 2013. [Original Title: “Heavy smog envelops NE China’s cities for 4th day”] Photo credit: dbw.cn/ via Xinhua. More images…

Related Links

• Major City Shuts Down in China Smog Emergency  October 21, 2013

Major City Shuts Down in China Smog Emergency

Hazardous smog brings Harbin to a halt

Harbin city, the capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province, and one of northeastern China’s largest cities with a population of more than 11 million, came to a standing still amid choking smog for a 2nd consecutive day.

Schools were forced to suspended classes, many bus routes were cancelled, traffic came to a standstill, all highways in Heilongjiang were shut down and and Taiping International Airport was closed due to poor visibility, as the air pollution level zoomed off the chart, topping the 1,000 mark in parts of the city.

A level above 300 for PM2.5 particulate matter is considered hazardous, everyone may experience more serious health effects, and authorities are required to issue a “health alert.” The World Health Organization recommends a daily level of less than 20.

Hazardous smog chokes Harbin city, the capital of northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province for a 2nd consecutive day on Monday, October 21, 2013. Photo credit: Xinhua

Meteorological authorities in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces issued a “red alert” due to dense smog, warning that the smog will worsen in Harbin, Yichun, Daqing, Suihua, Jiamusi and Qitaihe cities in Heilongjiang with visibility forecast at less than 100 meters over the next 24 hours, Xinhua reported.

Severe smog was also reported in Tangshan, east of Beijing, and Changchun, the capital of Jilin province.

• Highways were closed and flights disrupted in Jilin and Liaoning provinces.
• Train services were delayed and most of the highways in Jilin were forced to close.

“The building 50 meters away cannot be seen clearly. I smelt [Nauseous ] coal smoke when I opened the window of my house,” said a resident in Changchun, provincial capital of Jilin.

“With visibility of less than 100 meters, all 22 flights in Changchun Longjia Airport were delayed due to the foggy weather. Visibility was less than 500 meters in most of Jilin.”

The massive temperature difference between day and night was responsible for the fog, and the start of the winter heating season reportedly created the massive smog in NE China, meteorologists said.

Heavy smog plagued most parts of north China on October 7, 2013

BEIJING, Oct. 7 (Xinhuanet) — The coming typhoon isn’t the only weather trouble in China. It’s also not a good day to be out in the country’s north.

Air pollution is through the roof, reaching level five – the most severe in the tiered-system – in central and southern Hebei province. While in neighbouring Shanxi Province, pollutant levels are just one notch down. Weather authorities have issued a yellow warning for the heavy smog, as it also plagues other parts like Beijing, Tianjin and Henan.

This year, the thick and hazardous smog has affected 17 provinces and municipalities. Facing this lingering crisis, China plans to build a nation-wide network within three to five years to monitor the impact of air pollution on health.

Disaster Calendar – August 19, 2013

Hundreds dead or missing as floods and mudslides devastate China

Extreme rain events, flooding and mudslides in northeast and southern China have left hundreds of people dead, injured or missing.

“The Heilongjiang Provincial Hydrological Bureau forecast the stretch of the Heilong River between Tongjiang and Fuyuan County will witness the largest flooding in its history. Authorities in Tongjiang have started a Grade I response preparing for floods,” said a report.

• The deluge has destroyed or damaged at least 210,000 houses in Jilin, Heilongjiang, Guangdong and Liaoning provinces, with the direct economic losses estimated at 18.5 billion yuan (3 billion U.S. dollars), said a report.
• Torrential rains and floods triggered by Typhoon Utor have affected 680,000 people in eight cities in Guangxi. Some 16,660 hectares of crops have been damaged and 1,080 houses have been destroyed.
• In Guangdong Province, TY UTOR has affected more than 2.5 million people destroying or damaging about 19,000 houses and forcing 513,000 people to relocate. The extreme rain has also ruined 173,333 hectares of farmland, according to local authorities.
• “In central China’s Hunan Province, landslides triggered by continuous rainfalls over the past two days have left one dead and 14 others buried or missing,” said a report.

[NOTE: Some of the stats quoted above are already outdated as the  catastrophe continues to unfold in China on an almost hourly basis.]

Original caption: People walk on ruins after the flood in Nankouqian Township, Fushun, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Aug. 18, 2013. The death toll has risen to 54 as of Monday morning after the worst flooding in decades ravaged Fushun City, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, said the local authorities on Aug. 19, 2013. Extreme rainstorms battered Liaoning from Thursday to Saturday, leaving many rivers flooded in Fushun. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

• In Fushun City, 139,800 houses were damaged and many have collapsed.

• In Guangdong province, 19,000 houses have collapsed or sustained severe damage, forcing  about 513,000 residents to relocate.  The direct economic loss is estimated at 490 million yuan (80 million U.S. dollars).
• “Heilongjiang Province reported [37]  flood-related deaths. The floods have destroyed over 2,500 houses and severely damaged at least 12,500 others, with direct economic losses estimated at 7.13 billion yuan (1.15 billion U.S. dollars).”
• In Jilin Province, at least “35,000 houses were destroyed or damaged with direct economic losses at 2.4 billion yuan (387 million U.S. dollars).”
• “As of 10 a.m. Monday, a total of 1.8 million people in 30 counties in Liaoning Province have been affected and 162,000 have been evacuated from flooded areas. More than 6,100 buildings have collapsed and the total direct economic loss is around 8.5 billion yuan(1.39 billion U.S. dollars), according to the ministry.”

Don’t bring your car to China!

Heping Town in Shantou City, south China’s Guangdong Province devastated by extreme rain events and severe flooding, August19, 2013.  (Xinhua/Yao Jun). More images…

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Philippines’ Cebu declares calamity as sunken ferry leaks oil

The central Philippine province of Cebu has declared a state of calamity as an oil slick from a ferry that sank last week spread to about 20 percent of the coast, said a report.

-oOo-

16 Counties across three states declared agricultural disaster areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 16 counties in three states as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by frost and freezing temperatures that occurred March 25-29, 2013.

The disaster designations are

• Alabama: Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile, Washington, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington and Monroe counties.

• Florida: Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties.

• Mississippi: George, Greene, Jackson and Wayne counties.

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Beaver Creek Fire Consumes 100,000 acres

As of August 18, 2013 10pm,  the Beaver Creek Fire had grown to at about 100,921 acres with 8% containment.

Beaver Creek Fire. Red Flag conditions, including higher temperatures and wind gusts to 38 miles per hour, increased fire activity on the Beaver Creek Fire. Credit: Sawtooth National Forest/ USFS.

For additional information see

• “Take Your Essentials Belongings and Pets and GO NOW” August 18, 2013

Who Needs Tsunamis!!

Flooding and mudslides in China kill scores of people, destroy tens of thousands of homes

Extreme rain events have triggered widespread flooding and massive mudslides killing scores of people, affecting millions and leaving hundreds of thousands of others homeless.

The scale of the catastrophe is unprecedented. The worst-affected areas are the northeast provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, which are major grain producers in China.

Deadly flooding has also affected Guangdong Province in the south.

A man carries relief supplies in flood-battered Nankouqian County, Fushun City in northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Aug. 18, 2013. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong). More images…

Floods Kill Dozens in NE China

China Plagued by Extreme Weather Events

Flooding in the northeast, drought and extreme heat in the south, central and the southwest affecting about 20 percent of China’s population, FIRE-EARTH models show.

Flooding in northeast China’s Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces has left dozens of people dead, millions affected and at least a million others relocated.

• The deluge has destroyed or damaged at least 55,000 houses in Jilin and  Heilongjiang provinces, with the direct economic losses direct economic losses estimated at 10 billion yuan (1.6 billion U.S. dollars), said a report.
• Torrential rains and floods triggered by Typhoon Utor have affected 680,000 people in eight cities in Guangxi. Some 16,660 hectares of crops have been damaged and 1,080 houses have been destroyed.
• In Guangdong Province, TY UTOR has affected more than 2.5 million people destroying about 4,000 houses and forcing 321,500 people to relocate. The extreme rain has also ruined 173,333 hectares of farmland, according to local authorities.
• “In central China’s Hunan Province, landslides triggered by continuous rainfalls over the past two days have left one dead and 14 others buried or missing,” said a report.

Flood-devastated Shachang Residential Compound in Hongshi Town, Huadian City, NE China’s Jilin Province, Aug. 17, 2013. (Xinhua/Xu Chang). More images …

Drought, heatwave affecting half the population in SW China’s

Guizhou province

The heat wave has spread across the province since July, causing rivers and reservoirs to dry up and affecting 16.67 million people, or about 48 percent of Guizhou’s total population, according to the headquarters.

“Half of the 88 counties in our province are on the ‘worst-hit’ list, with more than 2.98 million people facing drinking water shortages,” said an official with the headquarters.

In Wumian, a village some 240 kilometers southeast of Guiyang, the provincial capital, villagers have had to queue up at the only well in the village to get water.

Villager Yang Aduo told Xinhua that he waited two hours before getting a bucket of water, and he had to wait several hours for the sediment to settle before drinking.

Drought leaves 13 million thirsty in China’s south

“A drought that has parched since last month has left nearly 13 million people without easy access to drinking water, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Thursday.”

• Drought ‘Orange Alert’ Issued in E China

Related Links

• Extreme heat kills at least 40 people in south China August 13, 2013
• Drought, Extreme Heat Cripple China, Japan, S. Korea August 11, 2013

• Major Catastrophe Unfolding in China
• China’s Latest Drought Disaster Figures
• Shanghai Sets Yet Another Record High Temp August 7, 2013

Heavy Snowstorms Hit NE China

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,216 Days Left 

[November 12, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,216 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

Snowstorms affect millions in China

Major snowstorms have cut off power and water supplies to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in northeast China’s Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces as well as Inner Mongolia and northwest Xinjiang, forcing many schools and highways to close, a report said.

• “Most parts of northeast China and east part of north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have undergone intense snowfall on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12. A yellow alert on blizzard was issued by the National Meteorological Center on Monday.”
• In eastern Inner Mongolia scores of buildings have collapsed under the weight of snow.
  
• The temperature fell sharply in East China’s Shandong Province.

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!