State of Emergency Declared for 35 Oklahoma Counties

Severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding plague Oklahoma

Gov. Mary Fallin has declared a state of emergency for 35 Oklahoma counties battered by severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding.

A ferocious storm packing 80-mph winds uprooted trees and knocked out power to at least 125,000 customers.

Additional counties could be added to the declaration as damage assessments continue, Fallin said.

The governor’s office earlier issued the following Press Release:

Wednesday, July 24, 2013 – Governor Fallin Declares State of Emergency Due to Severe Storms

OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today declared a State of Emergency for 35 Oklahoma counties due to severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding that began Tuesday.

The counties included in the declaration are: Adair, Atoka, Cherokee, Coal, Craig, Delaware, Creek, Haskell, Hughes, Kay, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Logan, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner and Washington.

“Heavy winds and flooding have lead to damage throughout the state and left many without power, especially in the Tulsa metro,” said Fallin. “Both government and private sector resources are being utilized to help those affected.”

The declaration can be amended to add additional counties if conditions warrant.

Since Tuesday evening, these Oklahoma counties have experienced damaging straight-line winds, flooding and other severe weather as well as widespread power outages in some areas. Damage assessments are ongoing.

Under the Executive Order, state agencies can make emergency purchases and acquisitions needed to expedite the delivery of resources to local jurisdictions. The declaration also marks a first step toward seeking federal assistance should it be necessary.

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events – June 11, 2013

Hundreds Dead or Injured in Iraq Since Monday

At least 70 people have been killed and more than 200 others injured across Iraq with car bombs, suicide belts, IEDs and gun battles since Monday, reports said.

The latest incidents bring the violence-related death toll in Iraq to about 200, so far this month, and nearly 2,000 since April.

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Disaster Declared in Nowata County, Oklahoma

Nowata County in Oklahoma has been declared a disaster area due to the losses and damage caused by recent storms, said a report.

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Diabetes death rate at record high in NYC

The number of  diabetes-related deaths in NYC in 2011 climbed to a record high of  5,695, in 2011, the New York City Health Department reported.

• Since 1990, the diabetes related death rate in New York City has almost  doubled, climbing from 6.0 percent in 1990 to 10.8 percent of all deaths in 2011.

• At least 16 New Yorkers die from diabetes-related causes each day.

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Severe Weather Could Hit  Parts of Northern, Central Plains and Upper Midwest

The NWS Storm Prediction Center Forecast

… risk of severe thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon and evening across parts of the northern and central Plains and into the Upper Midwest. The main threats will be large hail and damaging winds, though there is a risk of very large hail, as well as tornadoes across parts of north-central and northwest Nebraska into the Black Hills.

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DISASTER CALENDAR – June 11, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,005 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,005 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY 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

DISASTER Diary – 23 May 2013

OKC Mega Tornado Destroyed or Damaged 13,000 Homes

The mega tornado that ripped through the Oklahoma City suburbs on Monday has   destroyed or damaged as many as 13,000 homes and caused about $2 billion in damage, officials have  said.

• FIRE-EARTH models show that about 50,000 people have been displaced as a result of the twister.

The deadly Moore tornado was EF5, according to NWS:

• Rating: EF5
• Peak Winds: 200 – 210 mph (338 km/h)
• Path Length: 17 miles
• Maximum Width: 1.3 miles
• Begin Time: 2:45pm CDT
• Begin Location: 4.4 miles west of Newcastle
• End Time: 3:35 pm CDT
• End Location: 4.8 miles east of Moore

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Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Rioting Spreads in Stockholm, Sweden

Rioting in Swedish capital continued for a fourth night, with at least one large building, reported to be a a restaurant, and 4 dozen cars torched by the rioters described by police as  a “mixture of every kind of people.”

• The rioting began in the deprived suburb of Husby on Sunday, several days after  police shot dead an elderly man for allegedly threatening to kill them with a machete.

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Montreal Residents Told to Boil Drinking Water

Up to 1.4 million Montrealers have been told by the City Council to boil their drinking water.

An urgent message posted on the official City portal read:

Boil water advisory

“You must boil your tap water (bringing it to a bubbling boil) for at lea[s]t one minute be[f]ore drinking it, or use bottled water instead, if you live in many boroughs or related cities.”

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DISASTER CALENDAR – May 23, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,024 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,024 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY 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

OKC Mega Tornado: Fact and Fiction

 Moore Tornado Upgraded to EF5

NWS damage teams have upgraded the deadly tornado that struck Moore to EF5.

• Rating: EF5
• Peak Winds: 200 – 210 mph (338 km/h)
• Path Length: 17 miles
• Maximum Width: 1.3 miles
• Begin Time: 2:45pm CDT
• Begin Location: 4.4 miles west of Newcastle
• End Time: 3:35 pm CDT
• End Location: 4.8 miles east of Moore

This is a preliminary track outline of the powerful EF-5 tornado that struck Newcastle and Moore during the afternoon of May 20, 2013. This path may change as we continue to survey the damage. Notice how the tornado path contracts toward the right side of the image. Source: NWS

Tornado Damage and Casualties

• Preliminary estimate for the damage is put at $3 billion.
• The tornado has left thousands of people homeless.
• Most of the 91 or so people killed by the tornado were resurrected within hours, thanks to the political will. Current death toll stands at only 24.  (See also the ‘Joplin Syndrome’).
• About 240 others were injured.

The Enhanced Fujita Tornado Scale – Quick Chart

EF0: 65 TO 85 MPH
EF1: 86 TO 110 MPH
EF2: 111 TO 135 MPH
EF3: 136 TO 165 MPH
EF4: 166 TO 200 MPH
EF5: Wind speeds greater than 200 MPH

DISASTER Diary – 21 May 2013

Major Disaster Declared in Oklahoma after Mega Tornado Kills Dozens

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Oklahoma in the area affected by severe storms and tornadoes beginning on May 18, 2013, and continuing.

The areas worst affected are the counties of Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie.

At least 91 people, many of them children, are feared to have been killed and about 240 others injured after a mega tornado ripped through Oklahoma City suburbs, leveling numerous blocks in the city of Moore (pop: ~ 55,000),  Cleveland County, Oklahoma.

The death toll included 51 confirmed deaths and an additional 40 bodies on their way to the Medical Examiner’s office. (See also the ‘Joplin Syndrome’).

• The tornado was rated as at least an EF4, with winds of up to 200mph, according to NWS preliminary damage ratings.
• The tornadic event began at 2.56pm CDT on Monday and lasted for 40 minutes.
• Moore twister was as much as two miles wide, and carved a 20-mile path of destruction.
• The tornado left obliterated many hundreds of homes and other buildings in Moore.

This is a preliminary tornado track for the tornado that affected Newcastle, Moore, and Oklahoma City on May 20, 2013. The tornado touchdown at around 2:56 pm in Newcastle, OK and moved through Moore and south OKC before lifting at around 3:36 pm. The path length is estimated to be about 20 miles long with a preliminary damage rating of at least EF4. —NWS

“Our hearts are broken,” Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said. “This is bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. It’s absolutely huge. It’s horrific.”

More Severe Weather Expected from Great Lakes to Central Texas on Tuesday

More severe weather is expected on Tuesday from the Great Lakes across the Mississippi River Valley and into central Texas. Primary threats will be very large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes. Some of the storms could also produce heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding concerns, especially in the Ark-La-Tex region. —NWS

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Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Average CO₂ at Mauna Loa Observatory: Last 5 days of preliminary daily average CO2

• May 20 – 400.15 ppm
• May 19 – 400.06 ppm
• May 18 – 399.77 ppm
• May 17 – 399.87 ppm
• May 16 – 399.74 ppm

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Groundwater depletion in the U.S. has accelerated

Groundwater depletion in the United States during 1900–2008 was about 1,000 cubic kilometers (km³), according to a new study released by USGS.

• The rate of groundwater depletion has increased significantly since about 1950, with maximum rates occurring during the most recent period (2000–2008), said the report.
• The average depletion rate climbed to about 25 km³ [6.6 trillion gallons] per year during 2000–2008, compared to 9.2 km³ per year averaged over the 1900–2008 period.

Map of the United States (excluding Alaska) showing cumulative groundwater depletion, 1900 through 2008, in 40 assessed aquifer systems or subareas. Colors are hatched in the Dakota aquifer (area 39) where the aquifer overlaps with other aquifers having different values of depletion. [Konikow, L.F., 2013, Groundwater depletion in the United States (1900−2008): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013−5079. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2013/5079.(Available only online.)]

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Kamchatka, Russia

At least 2 dozen significant quakes, measuring between 5.0 and 6.0Mw, have struck off the east coast of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia since Monday May 20, 2013. 

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DISASTER CALENDAR – May 21, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,026 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,026 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY 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

New Hampshire Declared Major Disaster Area

Severe storm and flooding prompts disaster declaration in NH 

The Disaster President has declared that a major disaster exists in the State of New Hampshire following the severe storm and flooding that occurred in Cheshire County on May 29-31, 2012.

“FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.” The WH said in a statement.

Other Major Disasters, Significant Events

• Oklahoma. The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Oklahoma following severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding that occurred during April 28 to May 1, 2012.
  • The worst affected areas were Alfalfa, Craig, Grant, Kay, and Nowata counties.

• Paraguay.  At least 100 people were killed or injured when the police tried to evict landless protesters who had occupied a property in Canindeyu, 240km NE of the capital, Asuncion.
  • Both the Interior Minister and the police chief resigned over the incident.
  • Paraguayan President has ordered the military to intervene.

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