Hyenas Attack Starving Women in Drought-Plagued Somaliland

Somaliland facing wide-spread famine

The worst drought in living memory is killing humans and animals alike across the East African region.

Charity workers report cases of women collapsing from hunger and being attacked by starving hyenas. [Welcome to Planet Earth!]

“They fell down, malnourished, and we understand they were then set on by the animals,” said a charity representative.

Scores of goats, kettle, and even drought-resistant camels have already died in the drought-plagued Somaliland. More images…

“Malnourished mothers are unable to breastfeed their babies, and farmers are feeding cardboard boxes to their animals because there is no grass left for grazing,” said the report.

“I spoke to families who had 500 or more animals three months ago, and now are left with 20 or fewer,” said a British politician.

“For people who rely on their animals for meat, milk and trade, it’s the equivalent of losing your entire life savings.”

Drought conditions that previously hit every seven to 10 years are now an annual occurrence, she said.

A Relief spokeswoman said there was a “terrible sense of deja vu” after a drought killed more than 250,000 people in southern Somalia in 2011.

[Republic of Somaliland (pop: 4.5m) is a self-declared state internationally recognized as an autonomous region of the Federal Republic of Somalia (pop:11.5m).]

Read more…

Related Links

• 300,000 Children in Somalia Suffering from Malnutrition May 1, 2016

300,000 Children in Somalia Suffering from Malnutrition

Ongoing drought causing acute food insecurity in Somalia

Four successive seasons of below-average rains in parts of Somaliland and a below-average Deyr rainy season in Puntland have lead to severe drought.

The drought, exacerbated by El Niño conditions, has spread through Puntland and Somaliland, affecting hundreds of thousands of people, and compounding an already challenging humanitarian situation in the region. An estimated 385,000 people face acute food insecurity in Somaliland and Puntland, with an additional 1.3 million people threatened by acute food insecurity if they do not receive assistance. (OCHA)

About 300,000 children in Somalia are suffering from malnutrition, with 60,000 under the age of five being in critical condition and in need of urgent therapeutic feeding, said reports.

Conflict and drought: Major drivers of acute food insecurity in East Africa

South Sudan

Conflict areas in Greater Upper Nile in South Sudan remain in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity through the spring and summer.

“Some smaller populations in central Unity State are expected to be facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Areas in Greater Bahr El Ghazal and Greater Equatoria that were less directly impacted by the Government and Opposition conflict are seeing their food security threatened by very high staple food prices, brought on by restricted trade and the depreciation of the South Sudanese Pound, in addition to sporadic violence/clashes.

Ethiopia

“In Ethiopia, Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes continue in agricultural and agropastoral eastern areas of Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and SNNPR Regions, as well as in pastoral areas of Afar Region and Sitti Zone in the Somali Region. Following the 2015 El Niño-related drought, there has been a slow start to 2016 rains across much of central and eastern Ethiopia. More than 10 million people in central and eastern Ethiopia will be in need of emergency food assistance this year.”

Darfur – Sudan

“Conflict in has displaced approximately 130,000 people since January.Restricted access to humanitarian assistance, markets, and labor opportunities in Central and South Darfur and SPLM-N-controlled areas of South Kordofan is contributing to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes for many where availability of and access to food is extremely limited.

Yemen

Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity outcomes are expected to continue in most areas through September 2016 and beyond.

“Protracted conflict since early 2015 has contributed to eroding livelihoods and restricting market access for many. Household purchasing power will remain weak due to atypically high food prices and livelihood disruptions. While many households will attempt to cope by selling assets and reducing the quantity and diversity of meals, these efforts are not expected to enable households to meet basic food needs.” [http://www.fews.net/]

 

 

14 Million Face Hunger in Southern Africa

Southern Africa’s planting window closes with little or no prospect of rain

About 14 million people in southern Africa are facing hunger after a poor harvest last year caused by prolonged periods of drought.

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) says it is increasingly concerned about food security for an estimated 14 million people in southern Africa after prolonged periods of drought led to a poor harvest in 2015.

The window for the planting of cereals is closing rapidly, or already closed in some countries, with little or no rain falling in many areas, and the outlook is alarming, said WFP.

“Driving through southern Zambia, I saw fields of crops severely stressed from lack of water and met farmers who are struggling to cope with a second season of erratic rains,” said WFP Executive Director who recently visited to drought-prone southern Zambia. “Zambia is one of the biggest breadbaskets in the region and what’s happening there gives serious cause for concern not only for Zambia itself but all countries in the region.”

Worst affected in the region by last year’s poor rains are Malawi (2.8 million people facing hunger), Madagascar (nearly 1.9 million people) and Zimbabwe (1.5 million) where last year’s harvest was reduced by half compared to the previous year because of massive crop failure.

In Lesotho, the government last month declared a drought emergency and some 650,000 people – one third of the population – do not have enough food. In Lesotho as elsewhere, water is in extremely short supply for both crops and livestock. Also causing concern are Angola, Mozambique and Swaziland.

Food prices across southern Africa have been rising due to reduced production and availability. The price of maize – the staple for most of the region – is 73 percent higher in Malawi than the three-year average for this time of year.

“One particularly worrying symptom of southern Africa’s vulnerability to food and nutrition security is the alarming rate of chronic malnutrition. Levels of stunting among children in Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia are among the worst in the world. This affects children’s physical growth, cognitive development, as well as their future health and productivity,” said the report.

 

537,000 Yemeni Kids Risk “Severe Malnutrition” – UNICEF

Humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Yemen

Ongoing crisis in Yemen has caused “alarming malnutrition levels” among children due to the limited availability of and lack of access to food due to blocked or damaged delivery routes and restrictions on food and fuel imports caused by the conflict, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.

“To address increasing malnutrition levels, aid agencies have scaled up assistance and treated 97,000 children for severe acute malnutrition in the past six months, while 65,000 children have been treated for moderate acute malnutrition,” said a senior official at UN HQ.

Some 537,000 children, or one out of eight children under age five, are now at risk of severe acute malnutrition in Yemen, compared to 160,000 children before the conflict, UNICEF estimates.

In addition the millions of civilians suffering from the violence, “almost 1.3 million children under five are moderately malnourished compared with 690,000 children prior to the crisis.”

“Yemen’s alarming malnutrition levels are aggravated by the limited availability of, and lack of access to food, due to blocked or damaged delivery routes and restrictions on food and fuel imports,” UNICEF said.

• As of October 2, 2015, unremitting violence in Yemen have left at least 505 children dead, 702  injured and more than 1.7 million at risk of malnutrition.

• Nearly 10 million children—80 per cent of the country’s under-18 population—need urgent humanitarian assistance.

• More than 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes.

UK Food Poverty Causing Massive Rise in Malnutrition Cases

ABSOLUTE POVERTY
FOOD POVERTY
MALNUTRITION
PUBLIC DISORDER
FAILING POLITICS
SOCIETAL COLLAPSE
SCENARIOS 717, 444, 300, 255, 244, 220, 219, 049, 031, 028, 04, 02
.

Two-thirds of Brits surveyed wanted to eat healthy food, but couldn’t afford it 

The number of Brits admitted to hospitals for malnutrition has increased by staggering 19% since last year, according to a new report released by the Faculty of Public Health (FPH).

FPH blames the disaster on a combination of a 12% rise UK food prices and a  7.6% decline in wages since 2007.

“It’s getting worse because people can’t afford good quality food. It’s getting worse where malnutrition, rickets and other manifestations of extreme poor diet are becoming apparent.” FPH told the BBC.

Health problems like rickets are becoming more apparent because people could not afford quality food in their diet, said FPH.

[NOTE: FPH is the standard-setting entity for specialists in public health in the United Kingdom. It includes more than 3,300 professionals working in public health. ]

Meantime, a survey of about 2,500 adults conducted by the British Heart Foundation in April found two thirds of UK adults wanted to eat healthy but could not afford healthy food.

About a million Brits rely on food banks, a massive rise of 163% since last year.

According to the Health and Social Information Center the number of patients admitted to hospitals under malnutrition in England and Wales has climbed from 5,469 to 6,520 since last year.

‘Absolute Poverty’

At least a million more working Britons have plunged into poverty as housing costs continue soaring, while wages remain stagnant, according to a UK government report released earlier this year.

The number of working age adults living in “absolute poverty” soared by at least one million, from 7.7 million in 2010-11 to 8.7 million in 2012-13, says a report published by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Meanwhile, the number of children living below the breadline rose from 3.6 million to 4.1 million during the two-year period, said the Child Poverty Action group, citing the Department of Work and Pensions’ report.

Shoplifting ‘Rising Exponentially’

Some people are resorting to shoplifting “simply to live.” Durham Police and Crime Commissioner told BBC.

“The evidence shows that shoplifting and theft in general is rising exponentially and there must be a reason for that,” he said, adding that it was important to address the causes of such crimes.

Related Links

• 1 Mn More Brits Bite Poverty, as Govt Spends $12 Billion on Obsolete White Elephant Posted on July 3, 2014
• Most Unethical Nations in 2011 [and Probably 2012] Posted on December 31, 2011

Humanitarian Crisis in Malawi Caused by Drought and Deluge

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,133 Days Left 

[February 3, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,133 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

Drought and deluge leave 4 million Malawians food insecure

Mega drought and deluge have left about 4 million people food insecure and children at a high risk of malnutrition and disease across Malawi (population: ~ 15 million).  Severe flooding, triggered by extreme rain events, has destroyed homes,  crops, roads and any semblance of public infrastructure.

• Flooding has displaced tens of thousands of people leaving them without food, shelter, clothing or medical supplies in the landlocked country in southeast Africa.

• The flooding has also compromised access to safe water, sanitation and overall hygiene in the affected communities, said UNICEF.

• “A continuing food crisis in Malawi afflicts more than 4 million people – and more than a million of them are children under age five or pregnant women. Food insecurity is not only a major cause of malnutrition, but has also worsened the risk for diseases.”

• “We remain on high alert as the flooding spreads to other areas,” said the UNICEF Country Representative in Malawi.

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

Dozens Killed in Mozambique by Back-to-Back Storms

Twin storms leave dozens dead, more than a million people affected in Mozambique

Tropical depression Dando and Cyclone Funso, striking within days of each other, have left dozens dead and hundreds of thousands of families affected.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – January 28

[January 28, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,509 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Mozambique. Tropical depression Dando and Cyclone Funso, striking within days of each other, have destroyed thousands of homes, killing dozens of people and leaving a quarter of a million families affected.
  • Thousands of hectares of crops have also been destroyed or damaged.

Other Global Disasters

• Yemen.  Half a million children in Yemen could die or become ill from malnutrition, said a report.
  • Trailing behind Afghanistan, Yemen has the world’s 2nd highest rate of chronic malnutrition among children, with more ore than 58 per cent of the children stunted, UNICEF reported.
  • “Conflict, poverty and drought, compounded by the unrest of the previous year, the high food and fuel prices, and the breakdown of social services, are putting children’s health at great risks and threatening their very survival,” said UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
  • “Acute malnutrition affects as many as 30 per cent of children in some parts of the country, close to the levels observed in south Somalia, and twice as high as the internationally recognized emergency threshold.”
  • Measles killed 74 children from among 2,500 affected by a recent outbreak of the disease, Government figures show. “While most children recover from measles within two to three weeks, children with malnutrition can suffer serious complications which can lead to death.”
  • Some 69,000 Yemenis children die each year before their fifth birthday.
  • With 77 deaths per 1,000 live births, Yemen has one of the highest death rates among children under the age of five in the Middle East and North African regions.
  • are food insecure, and the number is expected to rise.
    • The term “food insecurity” is used when people go to  bed on an empty stomach or have no idea where their next meal may come from.

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

• Drought tightens grip on S. Mozambique
• Half a million Yemeni children suffer from acute malnutrition

Typhoon LUPIT: Cruel, Harsh, or Wicked?

Typhoon LUPIT – 21 Oct 2009

• How long will LUPIT loiter around Luzon

• How much more rain will it dump?

• Will LUPIT move away and come back, AGAIN!
  

At 00:00 UTC – Oct 21, 2009
Max Winds:   160km/h (85 knots)  Category: 2
Max Gusts:  195 km/h (105knots)
Coordinates: 20.5ºN 128.9ºE
Movement past six hours: 280 degrees at 15 km/h (08 kts)
Location: About 925 km (500 kts) NE of Manila Philippines

Summary of Storm Activity

Lupit is tracking westward steered by a subtropical ridge extension to the north. Deep convection has become more organized near the storm center over the past six hours, JTWC reported.

Typhoon LUPIT – MTSAT Still image.

LUPIT Track by UniSys Weather.  Click image to enlarge and update.

History Color Code – The chart color codes intensity (category based on Saffir-Simpson scale)

NOTE: Pressures are in millibars and winds are in knots where one knot is equal to 1.15 mph. Source: UniSys Weather

LUPIT 5-day track. Source JTWC. Click image to enlarge.

Typhoon LUPIT – 20 Oct 2009

Typhoon LUPIT (22W): JTWC/SATOP multispectral satellite image. October 20, 2009 at 05:00 UTC. Click image to enlarge.

Typhoon LUPIT – 20 October 2009, at 09:00UTC

Position: 20.4ºN, 129.3ºE
Location: Approximately 1,110 km (600 NM) northeast of Manila, Philippines.
Movement:  WNW at about 15km/h (8 knots)
Center: LUPIT’s Eye has once again become visible
System Characteristics: LUPIT has good radial out flow
Maximum significant wave height:  ~ 11 meters (34 feet)
Max sustained winds: 175km/h (95 knots)
Max gusts: 215 km/h (115 knots)

Super Typhoon Lupit. Date/Time as inset. Click on image to animate.

MTSAT IR Image. Updated at 30 mins intervals. Click image to enlarge.

Background and More images:

• Typhoon LUPIT: Cruel, Harsh, or Wicked?
• Typhoon LUPIT Update – 17 Oct 2009
• LUPIT: The Mercy Storm?

LUPIT 3-day projected track. Image: JMA. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge!

• LUPIT 3-day projected track.

Satellite Loops/Animation/Images

• Tropical West Pacific – Infrared
• Tropical West Pacific – Enhanced IR
• Tropical West Pacific – Water Vapor
• Tropical West Pacific – Visible

• Northwest Pacific – Water Vapor
• Northwest Pacific – Visible
• Northwest Pacific – Visible (Colorized)
• Northwest Pacific – Infrared
• Northwest Pacific – IR (Aviation Color Enhancement)

• West Pacific – Water Vapor
• West Pacific – Visible
• West Pacific – Visible (Colorized)
• West Pacific – Infrared
• West Pacific – IR (Aviation Color Enhancement)

Other Satellite Images:

• FEWW Satellite Imagery

Related Links:

• Super Typhoon LUPIT: The Sauntering Storm
• Typhoon LUPIT Update – 17 Oct 2009
• LUPIT: The Mercy Storm?

• Parma Hampers Recovery Efforts in Vietnam
• Philippines Still Flooded
• Philippines Terminally Impacted?

• Images of the Day: Super Typhoon Melor
• Could Typhoon Melor Drag Parma Back to Philippines?
• When Will Global Food Shortages Begin Biting

• “Twin-engine” hurricanes, “Supercharged” Typhoons
• Super Typhoon Parma May Churn Manila to Vanila
• Philippines Extreme Rain from TS Ketsana

• Manila Flooding Could Trigger Quakes
• Philippines: Worst Floods in Living Memory
• Philippines Worst Ever Flood Casualties Climb a Notch

• Earth undergoing significant geophysical disturbances
• Typhoon Melor Leaves a Trail of Destruction in Japan
• Typhoon Melor Arriving in Japan, Leaving Lasting Impression

Typhoon LUPIT Update – 17 Oct 2009

LUPIT has intensified to typhoon strength moving toward central and northern Luzon, Philippines

Previous Entry:

• LUPIT: The Mercy Storm?

Typhoon Data Summary

At 2:00 AM local time, Saturday October 17, typhoon LUPIT [locally known as “RAMIL”] was located about 850 km east of VIRAC, CATANDUANES (14.6°N; 133.2°E) with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h and gusts of up to 150 km/h moving WNW at about 20/km/h, Philippines PAGASA reported.

FEWW Forecast:

Moderators believe LUPIT has the potential of becoming the most destructive typhoon yet to strike Philippines in 2009.

FEWW Previous Forecast

• LUPIT: The Mercy Storm?

MTSAT IR Image. Updated at 30 mins intervals. Click image to enlarge.

Satellite Loops/Animation/Images

• Tropical West Pacific – Infrared
• Tropical West Pacific – Enhanced IR
• Tropical West Pacific – Water Vapor
• Tropical West Pacific – Visible

• Northwest Pacific – Water Vapor
• Northwest Pacific – Visible
• Northwest Pacific – Visible (Colorized)
• Northwest Pacific – Infrared
• Northwest Pacific – IR (Aviation Color Enhancement)

• West Pacific – Water Vapor
• West Pacific – Visible
• West Pacific – Visible (Colorized)
• West Pacific – Infrared
• West Pacific – IR (Aviation Color Enhancement)

Other Satellite Images:

• FEWW Satellite Imagery

MTSAT – RGB Still Image. Time/Date as inset. Click image to  enlarge and update.

MTSAT – AVN Enhancement – Still Image. Time/Date as inset. Click image to  enlarge and update.

Cyclone LUPIT Projected track. Solid centers represent wind forces stronger than 117km/h. Source: JTWC.

Related Links:

• LUPIT: The Mercy Storm?

• Parma Hampers Recovery Efforts in Vietnam
• Philippines Still Flooded
• Philippines Terminally Impacted?

• Images of the Day: Super Typhoon Melor
• Could Typhoon Melor Drag Parma Back to Philippines?
• When Will Global Food Shortages Begin Biting

• “Twin-engine” hurricanes, “Supercharged” Typhoons
• Super Typhoon Parma May Churn Manila to Vanila
• Philippines Extreme Rain from TS Ketsana

• Manila Flooding Could Trigger Quakes
• Philippines: Worst Floods in Living Memory
• Philippines Worst Ever Flood Casualties Climb a Notch

• Earth undergoing significant geophysical disturbances
• Typhoon Melor Leaves a Trail of Destruction in Japan
• Typhoon Melor Arriving in Japan, Leaving Lasting Impression