Global Disasters/ Significant Events – December 27, 2015

Powerful storm system brings tornadoes and flooding, killing at least 8 in Dallas, Texas

Death toll from a week of severe weather in the southern United States has now climbed to at least 26, with hundreds of homes destroyed or damaged by tornadoes, and flooding.

At least 6 tornadoes touched down in Dallas, Ellis and McClain counties on Saturday, according to the reports received by the storm prediction Center.

Meanwhile, forecasters have warned a “historic blizzard” could hit Texas and Oklahoma with up to 41cm of snow.

Dangerous Weather Continues Through Sunday Across the Middle of the Country

A variety of dangerous weather conditions will continue across the middle of the country through Sunday. Blizzard conditions will stretch from the High Plains of west Texas into northwest Oklahoma and Kansas. Hazardous ice accumulations will occur in Oklahoma. Dangerous flooding will extend from north Texas to central Illinois. Thunderstorms and a few tornadoes are possible in Texas. [NWS]

UK homes evacuated after ‘unprecedented’ flooding

Police have advised hundreds of people to evacuate near the River Ouse and River Foss in York, as floods threaten thousands of properties, said a report.

Hundreds of flood alerts and warnings are in place for England, Wales and Scotland, including more than 20 severe warnings—indicating danger to life.

UK PM David Cameron has called the flooding “unprecedented” and the situation for many as “incredibly serious” in an emergency conference call, promising more troops.

Super gonorrhea ‘could become untreatable’

“Gonorrhea is at risk of becoming an untreatable disease due to the continuing emergence of antimicrobial resistance,” the UK Chief Medical Officer has warned.

The warning follows the detection of a highly drug-resistant strain of the infection in the north of England in March.

The strain can resist the antibiotic azithromycin, which is normally used alongside another drug, ceftriaxone.

The bacteria that cause gonorrhea can mutate and develop new resistance, so we cannot afford to be complacent, said a UK health official.

North of England ‘super gonorrhea’ outbreak triggers nationwide alert

‘Highly resistant’

“This azithromycin highly resistant outbreak is the first one that has triggered a national alert,”  a consultant in sexual health based in Bristol, told the BBC News website.

“If this becomes the predominant strain in the UK we’re in big trouble, so we have to be really meticulous in making sure each of these individuals has all their contacts traced and treated.”

In 2011, Japan reported a case of complete resistance to cephalosporin-class antibiotics, which included the main treatment ceftriaxone.

About 35,000 cases of gonorrhea were reported in England in 2014, an increase of almost 20% compared with the previous year. It is the second most common sexually transmitted disease in the UK after chlamydia.

Emergency declared as train carrying sulfuric acid derails in NW QLD

A freight train carrying 200,000 liters of sulfuric acid has derailed east of Julia Creek in NW Queensland, Australia.

The locomotive and all 26 carriages derailed at 10:20am about 20km east of the outback town, prompting authorities to declare an emergency and impose a two-kilometer exclusion zone around the crash site.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – May 19, 2015

Egyptian authorities behaving like animals

Egyptian security forces are using sexual violence against detainees on a massive scale, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.

Men, women and children are being raped “to eliminate public protest,” said a report. Detainees are routinely subject to virginity tests, rape and gang rape after arrest.

“The study notes a surge in sexual violence after the Egyptian military takeover in July 2013.”

Time running out for thousands in distress at sea: UNHCR

Time is running out for thousands of people in distress at sea, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday warned, urging governments in the Southeast Asia region to urgently rescue the vulnerable people.

“We estimate that nearly 4,000 people from Myanmar and Bangladesh remain stranded at sea with dwindling supplies on board. This includes some 2,000 men, women and children stranded on at least five boats near the Myanmar-Bangladesh coasts for more than 40 days. Unconfirmed reports suggest the number could be higher,” UNHCR spokesman told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.

Chadians Fleeing Boko Haram

An estimated 32,000 Chadians and other internally displaced persons (IDPs) have fled Boko Haram attacks and crossed the border from Nigeria into Chad’s Lac Chad region since the beginning of January 2015, said IOM.

Islamic State terrorists take control of Ramadi, Iraq

Islamic State terrorists have taken control of Ramadi. At least 500 have been killed and 42,840 people fled fighting in the city over 16–17 May, adding to the 180,000 already displaced in Anbar since early April. Access to new IDPs in Habbaniyah, Khadiyah district, is limited due to insecurity, and health concerns are growing, reported Acaps.

Sudan: Fighting between Southern Reizeigat and Maaliya tribes in Abu Karinka, East Darfur, has reportedly displaced up to 24,000 households – 168,000 people. Those who remain have been cut off from water, food, and fuel aid. Measles cases have climbed to 4,127 so far this year, with West Darfur the worst-affected state. http://geo.acaps.org

Burundi: Displacement has increased sharply with the worsening political crisis. 105,000 people are seeking asylum in neighbouring countries, including 78,000 in Tanzania, where living conditions are worsening rapidly. Political protests continue in Burundi, despite the President warning that protesters will be considered accomplices of perpetrators of the attempted coup. http://geo.acaps.org

Deadly Snowstorms: States of Emergency Declared in Bulgaria

States of Emergency Declared in Nine Bulgarian Municipalities after Deadly Snowstorms

Hundreds of towns in southern Bulgaria remain without electricity following massive snowstorms, said a report.

States of emergency were declared in the municipalities of Smolyan, Kardzhali, Haskovo, Laki, Pazardzhik, Rakitovo, Plovdiv, Sarnitsa and Velingrad, the local media reported.

Up to 2 meters of snow blocked roads, downed power lines and forced hundreds schools to close, leaving tens of communities remain cut off from the rest of the country, said the report.

At least five people were reported dead as a result of the mammoth snowfalls, including a “65-year-old man was found frozen to death,” and three snowboarders killed by an avalanche in Pirin mountain on Sunday, “as the country continued to grapple with huge snowfalls that have massively disrupted power supplies and caused travel chaos in parts of the country.”

“The situation also remained serious in the Kurdzhali region, mainly in Ardino and Kirkovo, with the latter having seen nearly four meters of snowfall.”

A powerful storm with hurricane-force winds brought the snow to the Balkan Peninsula, and surrounding regions, producing hurricane-force winds over the Adriatic Sea, which lasted more than 48 hours.

The storm severity affected southern Italy, Croatia and Serbia, with blizzards, as well as flooding, and landslides.

Italian village breaks snow records with a dump of more than 256.5cm in 18 hours

A small village in southern Italy became the  snowiest places in the world after it received more than 2.56 meters (101 inches) of snow in less than 24 hours.

An intense storm left Capracotta buried under a deep blanket of snow, forcing the residents to climb out of their first-floor windows, or dig tunnels from their front doors.

The village may have set a new world record for most snow in 24 hours, shattering the previous high of 193cm (75.8 inches) held by Silver Lake, Colorado, USA.

“In Colorado, they had two meters of snow in 24 hours, but here it took just 16 hours for that amount to fall,” said the mayor of the village [population: ~1,400.]

The neighboring village of Pescopennataro received more than 240cm of the powdery precipitation.

High winds created blizzard conditions with snow drifts up to four meters deep in several places.
Other towns and villages in the southern Italian region of Molise were also affected, including Campobasso, Pescocostanzo, Pescopennataro and Vastogirardi.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – March 4, 2015

Disasters affect more than 1.3 million people in Colombia

Human-enhanced natural disasters affected 1,334,029 people across Colombia Between January 2014 and February 2015.

Severe drought in the Caribbean and Andean regions affected more than 729,000 of the total, while widespread flooding in other regions affected about 296,000 others, reported UN OCHA.

“For 2015, there is a likelihood for continuing dry conditions. The extremely dry season has led to drought, water shortages, forest fires and access constraints due to low river levels,” said the report.

An estimated 124,000 people displaced by conflict across Mindanao in 2014

Armed conflict, clan feuds and widespread violence has caused multiple displacements across Mindanao from starting 2012, UN reported.

In 2014, an estimated 124,000 people were displaced by conflict according to the Protection Cluster.
Currently, more than 100,000 people are directly affected
by conflict each year.

By January 2015, at least 77,000 people were still
without lasting solutions including some 30,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Zamboanga City.

UN Figures:  Displacement in Central Mindanao

Number of affected people: 69,700
Number of IDPs in evacuation centers: 46,400
Number of evacuation centers: 45
Number of house-based IDPs: 17,200

Zamboanga Crisis

Number of IDPs evacuation centers: 6,700
Number of IDPs in transitional sites: 12,400
Number of house-based IDPs: 11,300

Iraq violence kills more than 1,100 in February: UNAMI

Some 1,103 people weer killed in Iraq last month, including 611 civilians, said the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in a statement.

At least 2,280 people, including 1,353 civilians, were wounded across Iraq last month, added UNAMI.

Baghdad was worst hit by the violence with at least 329 people dead and 875 others wounded, said the report.

January’s death toll was at least 1,375, including 790 civilians, said UNAMI.

The UN figures do not include the casualties in Iraqi regions held by ISIL terrorists.

Chaparrastique Spews More Ash, Volcanic Gases

Chaparrastique Volcano in Eastern El Salvador is Still Spewing Ash and Volcanic Gases

Up to 5,000 people live near the volcano, and the authorities have so far evacuated more than 1,600 to emergency shelters, but many have refused to leave their homes on the volcano slopes.

“The Chaparrastique volcano is still producing gases combined with small emissions of ash, which is normal after an eruption,” said  El Salvador’s environment ministry.

The 2,130-m high volcano,  El Salvador’s third highest, ejected columns of smoke and ash up to 5km above the summit on Sunday

Chaparrastique, aka San Miguel volcano, located about 15km SW of San Miguel city (population: 180,000), and about 140 km east of San Salvador, the capital, showed signs of increased activity on December 13.

The eruption has so far deposited more than 10cm of ash in the nearby areas within the coffee-producing region, according to reports.

Latest image of Chaparistique Eruption. Source: El-Salvador.com

 Chaparistique eruption deposits volcanic ash on coffee plants. Source: El-Salvador.com

El Salvador

El Salvador sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, close to Middle America Trench, and is subject to significant tectonic movement, causing frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. The tiny country (population: 6.3 million) is home to at least 23 volcanoes.

Middle America Trench

A major subduction zone known for many large earthquakes, the Middle America Trench is a 2,800-km long oceanic trench in the eastern Pacific Ocean, extending from central Mexico to Costa Rica. The trench is the boundary between five tectonic plates, including the Caribbean, Cocos (and Rivera), Nazca, the North American and the South American plates.

Related Links

• Chaparrastique Eruption Forces Mass Evacuations in El Salvador  December 30, 2013

• M6.5 Quake Strikes Guatemala September 7, 2013
• Ubinas Volcano Erupts 6 Times in 60 Hours September 5, 2013
• Hundreds Evacuated as Ecuador’s Tungurahua Erupts July 16, 2013
• El Hierro Island Experiencing Intense Seismicity, Inflation March 31, 2013

• Fuego Volcano Erupts: September 13, 2012
• San Cristóbal Eruption Forces Mass Evacuation Posted September 9, 2012
• Powerful Earthquake Strikes NW Costa Rica Posted September 6, 2012
• Pacaya Erupts, Covers Guatemala City with Ash May 28, 2010

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

FIRE-EARTH Bulletin NO. 39

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

FIRE-EARTH Bulletin NO. 39
Coming soon. Stay tuned!

Related links

https://feww.wordpress.com/2-bulletin-board/

Weekly Average CO2 at Mauna Loa Tops 400ppm

Accelerating Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Up-to-date weekly average CO₂ at Mauna Loa

• Week beginning on May 26, 2013:     400.03 ppm
• Weekly value from 1 year ago:     396.43 ppm
• Weekly value from 10 years ago:     378.57 ppm

Recent Monthly Average Mauna Loa CO₂

• April 2013:     398.40 ppm
• April 2012:     396.18 ppm

Recent Global CO₂

• March 2013:     396.52 ppm
• March 2012:     393.57 ppm

Related Links

• CO2 Tops 400ppm at Mauna Loa as Forecast May 11, 2013
• 400 PPM April 3, 2013

 

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – June 3, 2013

Powerhouse fire in the Angeles National Forest and Santa Clarita spreads to 30,000 acres

The massive wildfire north of Los Angeles grew to about 30,000 acres and was 40% contained as of Monday morning,  authorities said.

The blaze has so far destroyed at least 6 homes and damaged more than a dozen others, according to several reports.

About 2,200 fire crews were attempting to suppress the fire which broke out Thursday afternoon in the Angeles National Forest north of Castaic, close to a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power station in San Francisquito Canyon near Drinkwater Reservoir.

More than 1,000 homes in the Lake Hughes and Lake Elizabeth areas were still under mandatory evacuation, as of posting.

-oOo-

Flooding Wreaks Havoc in Central Europe

Major flooding has worsened across Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland, with several countries declaring states of emergency.

• A large part of Eilenburg, a town north-east of Leipzig, was evacuated, with more than 7,000 people being taken to emergency shelters.
• In Austria, two months of rain fell in just two days, said the meteorological office, forcing the authorities to evacuate hundreds of people.
• Water levels in the Bavarian city of Passau, located at confluence of three rivers—the Danube, Inn and Ilz—were at their highest since 1501, the local media reported.

-oOo-

Saudi Arabia: Forecast Withheld by a Moderator

-oOo-

China slaughterhouse fire kills 119, injures many more

Death toll from a large fire at a “poultry slaughterhouse” in NE China’s Jilin Province has climbed to to 119 as of Monday afternoon, the authorities said.

The fire broke out early morning at a workshop “owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company in Mishazi Township of Dehui City” also injured dozens of others, the report said.

-oOo-

Turkish protests turn into bloody riots

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Turkish cities, angry over the heavy-handed police response to a small peaceful demonstration last week.

• Hundreds of protesters and police have been injured since Friday.

• Protests began last week against construction in Istanbul’s “last remaining open space,” the Taksim Gezi Park.
• The anti-government protests have now spread to 67 provinces across Turkey.
• The largest demonstrations were held in Istanbul, the capital city of Ankara and ports of Antalya and Izmir.
• “The unrest has delivered a blow to Turkish financial markets that have thrived under Erdogan. Shares fell more than six percent and the lira fell to 16-month lows,” said a report.
  
• Some protestors complained about the costs from the prime Minister Erdogan’s support of rebels in neighboring Syria’s civil war.

-oOo-

DISASTER CALENDAR – June 3, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,013 Days Left 

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

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,013 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

TS MAHASEN: The Rain Monster

Tropical Storm MAHASEN Intensifying 

MAHASEN, which formed over Indian Ocean near Bay of Bengal early Saturday, is forecast to intensify into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ by Monday morning, said India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Tropical Storm MAHASEN. Base Image:  8km Res Visible/Shortwave IR Image  2013/05/12/01:30UTC. Working Best Track  10MAY2013/06:00UTC- 12MAY2013/00:00UTC.   Official TCFC Forecast 12MAY2013/00:00UTC  (source: JTWC). Credit CIMSS

Indian Ocean’s first cyclone of the season, MAHASEN promises to bring heavy rains and high winds to the  region.

The storm was heading northwestwards, about 1,000km away from India’s eastern coast, as of posting. However, the cyclone could change trajectory moving towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast in the next 36 hours, said IMD.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events Headlines – 17 April 2013

China H7N9 avian flu: 77 cases, 16 deaths

At least 14 new cases of H7N9 avian influenza and two additional fatalities in Shanghai were reported by the Chinese authorities, raising the total number of infection to 77, and the death toll to 16, as of posting.

Some 30 cases including 11 fatalities have been reported in Shanghai, 20 infections including 2 deaths in Jiangsu Province, and 21 cases including two deaths in Zhejiang Province. Anhui Province has reported three cases with one death; while Beijing reported one infection so far; and Henan Province has revealed 2 cases, the report said.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Iran-Pakistan Border Earthquake Update

• Quake depth revised to 82 km (51.0 miles) by USGS/EHP .

The 7.8Mw quake shook a vast region for 40 seconds. Tremors were felt throughout Middle-East, including Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain capital Manama, as well as Pakistan, shaking buildings in  Islamabad and Karachi, Afghanistan and Northern India, including the capital New Delhi.

The quake killed dozens of people, injuring hundreds more and destroying at least 1,500 homes including many mud-houses in one Pakistani town alone.

The quake destroyed this house in Panjgur, Pakistan, some 238km away from the epicenter. Source: EMSC

“A local health official in Iran told the Fars news agency that more than 20 villages were probably ‘severely damaged,’ based on initial reports.” http://www.nation.com.pk/

• “Crisis management authorities declared a state of emergency in the quake-hit area, Iran’s official news agency IRNA said, but so far there have been no confirmed deaths on the Iranian side.”

• “The head of Iran’s Red Crescent rescue corps said communications to the stricken areas have been cut.”

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Officials have declared Minnehaha County, South Dakota, a disaster area, following the losses and damage caused by violent storm last week, said a report.

continued …

.

DISASTER CALENDAR – April 17, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,060 Days Left 

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

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,060 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

Global Disasters/ Significant Events Headlines – 11 April 2013

N. Korea’s missile launchpad moves into firing position

Japanese government is on high alert after defense officials said their satellite images showed North Korea (NK) had raised a missile launcher located in eastern part of the country.

• Meantime, military analysts speculate that NK probably would launch multiple medium-range missiles simultaneously or within a short period.

• “There are clear signs that the North could simultaneously fire off Musudan, Scud and Nodong missiles,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted an anonymous military source as saying.

• S. Korea is currently on “Watchcon 2” military alert, the highest alert level before going into “state of war,” due to the  “vital threat” from North Korean missiles.

–

Flash floods kill dozens, displace tens of thousands in Kenya

At least 32 people were killed and more than 20,000 others displaced by flash floods triggered by extreme rain events in Kenya.

• “Several parts of the country especially the Coast and Western Kenya regions have been affected by flooding following an increased heavy downpour countrywide,” according to Kenya’s Red Cross Society (KRCS).

• Rainstorms and Floods have caused widespread destruction to property and the infrastructure, and severely disrupted farming in the affected regions, especially in Western Kenya, the Coastal region, and parts of Rift Valley.

–

Flash floods hit Panua nature preserve, Sulawesi island, Indonesia

“Residents have been evacuated and several trans-Sulawesi roads have been cut off after flash floods hit the Panua nature preserve in Pohuwato, Gorontalo,” said a report.

.

DISASTER CALENDAR – April 11, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,066 Days Left 

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

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,066 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