Serbian authorities use explosives to unblock frozen Danube
The authorities in Serbia are dynamiting the Danube and Ibar to crush massive ice blocks formed on long stretches of the two rivers in a desperate attempt to unblock shipping lanes and prevent flooding in heavily populated areas.
The official death toll from Europe’s deep freeze has exceeded 450, with thousands more injured. Tens of thousands of people remain isolated by massive snowstorms, as more frozen bodies are found in France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and across the Balkans.
Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 8
[February 8, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,498 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
- Europe.The big freeze which began 11 days ago has affected the entire continent, leaving at least 450 dead [NOTE: the actual death toll could be much higher] and thousands afflicted with hypothermia and frostbite.
- More frozen bodies have been found in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and across the Balkans.
- Temperatures in some areas plunged to as low as -40ºC (minus 40ºF).
- The authorities in Serbia are dynamiting massive ice blocks formed on the Danube and Ibar rivers to unblock shipping lanes and prevent flooding in heavily populated areas.
- The severe cold has increased demand for oil and natural gas in Europe, a third of which is supplied by Russia.
- About 500 hundred villages in southern Croatia are buried under up to 6 f3et of snow, without access to food and medicine.
- The freeze is expected to continue.
Other Global Disasters
- Philippines. Death toll from the strong quakes that struck Negros on Monday has risen to at least 48 with more than 100 reported as missing, a report said.
- Most of the deaths occurred in Guihulngan City, and in the towns of La Libertad, Tayasan, Jumalalud and Bindoy.
- At least 52 people were injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Significant Incidents
- Sado Fukin, Japan. A 5.7Mw quake struck about 75km west of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture, Japan
- Region Name: Sado Fukin (W of Niigata, Honshu, Japan)
- Occurred at: 21:01 JST 08 Feb 2012
- Epicenter: 37.9N 138.2E
- Depth: 10 km
- The quake was followed by at least one aftershock measuring 3.1Mw, as of posting. (Source: JMA)
Sado Fukin Earthquake Map. Source: JMA
Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background
- 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
- Mega Disasters
- 2011 Disaster Calendar
Fire Earth 