Alaska Declared Major Disaster Area

White House Declares Alaska a Major Disaster Area

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Alaska in the area affected by flooding during the period of October 27-28, 2013.

Severe flooding in the Kenai Peninsula Borough has caused eExtensive damage to public facilities and infrastructure.

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

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Exile inevitable for America’s first climate refugees

The impact of climate change is more intense in the far north, where temperatures are warming faster than the global average, causing  rapid thawing of the sea ice, melting the permafrost and forcing  residents of remote Alaskan areas out of their villages, said a report.

• Some 184 Alaskan villages, or 86% of all native communities, are at risk because of climate change.

• It cost $100 to $400 million just to relocate one village [See full report.]

ALASKA NATIVE VILLAGES

Most of Alaska’s native villages are affected by flooding and erosion, but few qualify for federal assistance, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Approximately 6,600 miles of Alaska’s coastline and many of the low-lying areas along the state’s rivers are subject to severe flooding and erosion. Most of Alaska’s Native villages are located on the coast or on riverbanks.

Aerial View of Flooding in Aniak (c. 2002). Source: Alaska Division of Emergency Services

Locations of 184 Native Villages Affected by Flooding and Erosion. Source: GAO.

Permafrost (permanently frozen subsoil) is found over approximately 80 percent of Alaska. It is deepest and most extensive on the Arctic Coastal Plain and decreases in depth, eventually becoming discontinuous further south. In northern Alaska, where the permafrost is virtually everywhere, most buildings are elevated to minimize the amount of heat transferred to the ground to avoid melting the permafrost. In northern barrier island communities, the permafrost literally helps hold the island together. However, rising temperatures in recent years have led to widespread thawing of the permafrost, causing serious damage. As permafrost melts, buildings and runways sink, bulk fuel tank areas are threatened, and slumping and erosion of land ensue. —GAO.

Related Links

• Alaska Declares State Disaster for Interior  November 20, 2013
• Major Storms Threaten Alaska  November 13, 2013
• Alaska: Disaster in Slow Motion  September 5, 2013

Other Links

• Drunken Forest Posted on June 11, 2008
• Arctic Tundra 4ºC Hotter Since 1970 Posted on July 30, 2009

Disaster declared in Qld, Australia as flooding worsens

Major emergency as rivers in Southern Qld continue to rise

Flooding across the two Australian states of Queensland (Qld) and New South Wales (NSW) is rapidly worsening, with southwest Qld declared a disaster area, while tens of thousands of residents are reportedly isolated by rising floodwaters in northern NSW and southern Qld.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 3

[February 3, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,503 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Qld and NWS, Australia. Southwest Qld has been declared a major disaster area, as flooding across the two Australian states of Queensland (Qld) and New South Wales (NSW) rapidly worsens, with tens of thousands of residents  reportedly isolated by rising floodwaters in northern NSW and southern Qld.
  • “Half of the houses in the town of Mitchell, 560 km west of Brisbane, have been affected by a major flood peak in the Maranoa River and it’s expected to reach 9.6 m later today.”
  • The town of Moree in northern NSW has been cut off by floodwaters, isolating about 10,000 residents, the State Emergency Service (SES) said.

Other Global Disasters

• Alaska, USA.  The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Alaska due to a severe storm during the period of November 15-17, 2011.
  • The severe storm caused widespread devastation in the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
• Eastern and Central Europe.The 10-day death toll from the big freeze in eastern and central Europe has claimed to at least 280.
  • The largest reported death tolls are in Ukraine (107), Russia (60), Poland (43) and Romania (28).
  • More weather related  deaths have been reported throughout the region including in Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.
  • At least 1,500 people have sought medical help for hypothermia and frostbites.
  • In parts of Kazakhstan temperatures fell to as low -50º C (minus 58º F) setting a new record.
• Global.  An estimated 1.2 million people, about 90 percent of whom were  Africans, died from malaria in 2010, according to a new study.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

• Flooded Australia: Thousands Evacuated in 3 States
• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Wildfire Consumes 1 Million Acres in WA

• Australia: 5 disaster areas declared in NSW following severe flooding