Virginia Declared Major Disaster Area

Severe storms and straight-line winds caused extensive damage across Virginia

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Virginia following losses and damage caused by severe storms and straight-line winds during the period of June 29 to July 1, 2012.

The worst affected areas are the counties of Albemarle, Alleghany, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Arlington, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buckingham, Campbell, Carroll, Charlotte, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna, Frederick, Giles, Greene, Halifax, Highland, Louisa, Lunenburg, Madison, Nelson, New Kent, Nottoway, Orange, Page, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Tazewell, and Warren and the independent cities of Bedford, Charlottesville, Covington, Danville, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Manassas Park, Martinsville, Radford, Roanoke, Salem, Staunton, and Winchester.

West Virginia Disaster Declaration

On July 23, the Disaster President declared a major disaster exists in the State of West Virginia in the area affected by severe storms and straight-line winds during the period of June 29 to July 1, 2012.

• The areas worst affected by severe storms and straight-line winds are the counties of Barbour, Boone, Braxton, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marshall, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wayne, Webster, Wetzel, Wirt, Wood, and Wyoming.

SPC Storm Reports for the Disaster Period.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• USA.  About 89 percent of the U.S. corn crops were located in drought areas as of July 24, 2012, USDA reported.

Approximate percentage of corn located in drought areas. USDA

• USA. About 73% of the U.S. domestic cattle inventory is within drought stricken areas, as of July 24, 2012, USDA reported.

The U.S. Cattle Map

This graphic depicts the U.S. cattle areas experiencing drought from data accrued through the U. S. Drought Monitor on July 24, 2012. Approximately 73% of the domestic cattle inventory is within a drought stricken area, based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) 2007 Census of Agriculture data. Source: USDA

• USA.  Millions of fish are dead or dying in lakes and river across the country due to the extreme conditions caused by drought and soaring heat.
• Kansas. “Governor Sam Brownback objected to federal officials releasing water from three Kansas reservoirs to keep the Missouri River navigable and protect endangered birds. A spokesperson said Brownback preferred to keep the reservoirs as high as possible to conserve water for farmers and communities drawing from them.” Reuters reported.

Related Links

• Deadly storms pummel mid-Atlantic, knock out power to 3 million customers  Posted June 30, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in 4 States and DC as Storm Death Toll Rises Posted July 1, 2012

• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand

State of Disaster Declared for Colorado’s Deadly Fire

High Park Fire declared a disaster

Gov Hickenlooper has signed an executive order declaring High Park Fire in Larimer County a disaster area. “The High Park Fire’s proximity to numerous homes, property, and critical infrastructure poses an imminent danger to life and property,” the Executive Order said.

The large fire, which has already consumed about 45,000 acres and more than 120 structures, is about 15 miles west of Fort Collins. The blaze is about 5% contained and continues to grow.

Inciweb said:

The western flank of the fire is active and continues to be an area of concern, particularly as it moves into an area that contains 70 percent beetle killed trees. In addition, the northwest portion of the fire is actively burning …

New evacuation order is in place for Pingree Park Road, Hourglass and Comanche reservoirs, east on Buckhorn Road up to and including Pennock Pass, NE to junction with Stove Prairie and Hwy 14; West to junction with Highway 15 and Pingree Park Road.

General evacuation area runs west of Horsetooth Reservoir, north of Masonville, east of Pennock Pass and south of Hwy 14. Additional evacuation area includes area north of Hwy 14 from Hewlitt Gulch to 287 and north to Eagles Nest. For more specific orders see below.

Evacuation orders remain in place for the following areas:

-Pre-evacuation alerts have been sent to Glacier View residents but no evacuation orders have been issued.

-North of County Road 38E, from Horsetooth Reservoir to Redstone Canyon to Lory State park.

-Bonner Peaks subdivision.

-County Road 44H (Buckhorn Road) from County Road 27 to Pennock Pass and residents to the south approximately 3/4-1 mile.

-CR27E to Bellvue.

-Areas south and west of Bellvue to include the Lory State Park area, the Redstone Canyon area and Buckhorn Road up to the Stove Prairie School.

-Poudre Canyon from MM111 to MM118 on Highway 14. This means Poudre Canyon from Stove Prairie to MM118 is under mandatory evacuations. RESIDENTS OF POUDRE CANYON WHO HAVE NOT YET LEFT ARE ASKED TO LEAVE NOW.

-The area between CR27E and Stove Prairie Road and south through the entire Rist Canyon area including Davis Ranch Road, Whale Rock Road.

-South on CR44H 3 miles to just north of Stringtown Gulch Road Paradise Park Road, Moose Horn Lane, Magic Lane and Spencer Mountain Road.

-Old Flowers Road from Stove Prairie Road to the 8000-block of Old Flowers Road.

-Stove Prairie Road north along County Road 27 to Highway 14, east along Highway 14 to approximately mile marker 111, southeast to Rist Canyon Fire Station 1, then back west to to include Wilderness Ridge Way, Rist Creek Road, Spring Valley Road and County Road 41 and all of the roads that run off of it.

-Hewlitt Gulch, King’s Canyon area and Boyd Gulch Road.

Approximately 2,600 notifications (contacts, not residents) have been sent for evacuations on this fire.

At least one person is known to have died in the fire so far. The body of a woman was found in the ashes of her remote cabin near the Roosevelt National Forest.  Her death is reportedly the state’s fourth wildfire fatality in 2012.

Other Wildfires

• New Mexico.  Gov. Martinez has declared a State of Emergency for Lincoln County due to the Little Bear Fire, the Governor’s Office said.
  • As of June 12, 2012 – 3 pm, the blaze located in Smokey Bear Ranger District, Lincoln National Forest, which includes White Mountain Wilderness, had consumed more than 36,000 acres, with about a third contained.
  • The fierce fire has so far destroyed 234 structures including 224 residential structures and 10 outbuildings, NM fire info reported.
  • Evacuations; “All campgrounds west of Bonito Lake; subdivisions of Villa Madonna, Enchanted Forest, Nogal Canyon (Forest Road 400, campground and summer homes), Angus, Sierra Vista, Sonterra (1, 2 and 3), Copper Canyon, and Loma Grande; Eagle Lakes Campground, Eagle Creek summer homes, Ski Run Road (State Highway 532) at mile marker 3, State Highway 48 to Capitan, and State Highway 37 to Highway 380 and Ski Apache. This list may not be all inclusive.” Inciweb reported.

The Latest Little Bear Fire Map.  The blaze is located in Smokey Bear Ranger District, Lincoln National Forest, including White Mountain Wilderness.

Other Disasters, Significant Events

• Pennsylvania, USA.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated three counties in Pennsylvania as a agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by freezing temperatures that occurred March – April 2012. The disaster areas are
  • Primary disaster area: Erie County.
  • Contiguous disaster areas:  Crawford and Warren counties.
• Ohio. Ashtabula County in the state of Ohio was added to declaration list because it’s contiguous.
• New York.  Chautauqua County in New York was also declared a disaster area because it’s contiguous.

• Tennessee.   USDA has designated eight counties in Tennessee as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by a freeze that occurred April 7-24, 2012.
  • Primary disaster areas:  Hancock and Hawkins counties.
  • Contiguous disaster areas:  Claiborne, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Sullivan and Washington counties.

• Virginia. The following counties in Virginia were also designated as disaster areas because they’re contiguous: Lee and Scott counties.

• Texas, USA.   At least 123 bottlenose dolphins became stranded along the Texas coast since November 2011, of which 119 died, NOAA reported.
  • The deaths are regarded as an “Unusual Mortality Event (UME)”
  • Algae blooms and oil pollution, especially the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, are said to be among possible causes.
  • Previous UMEs in the Gulf have been attributed to:
    • biotoxins (53%)
    • infectious diseases (7%)
    • unknown causes (40%)
  • “15 UMEs have occurred in the Gulf of Mexico (11 of which involved cetaceans; the remaining 4 were specific to manatees only) since 1991, when the marine mammal UME program was established, to the present. There have been 55 formally recognized UMEs in the U.S.” NOAA reported.
  • The 2010-2012 Cetacean Unusual Mortality Event in Northern Gulf of Mexico “involves 745 Cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) strandings in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (5% stranded alive and 95% stranded dead).”

Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).  Photo: NOAA/NMFS-SWFSC

[NOTE: An unusual mortality event (UME) is defined under the Marine Mammal Protection Act as, “a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response.”]

Related Links

• Colorado Blaze Devours 42,000 Acres in 60 Hrs
• Disaster Declared as Little Bear Fire Grows
• Thousands Evacuated as U.S. Wildfires Grow

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

Flooded Australia: Thousands Evacuated in 3 States

Torrential rains continue to cause havoc in Queensland, NSW and NT

Gold Coast prepares for evacuations as heavy downpour forces the release of water from Brisbane’s largest dam.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – January 25

[January 25, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,512 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Queensland, NSW and NT, Australia.   Heavy rainfalls in Queensland have caused extensive flooding, which is exacerbated by the release of water from Brisbane’s Wivenhoe dam, the largest in the area.
  • Residents in the Gold Coast are being evacuated as forecasters predicted strong storms on Wednesday pm.
  •  The water level in Hinze Dam, Gold Coast City’s main water supply, has risen by at least 3 meters in less than 48 hours, reports said.  
    
  • Gold Coast City Council activated the Disaster Co-ordination Center.
  • The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) have evacuated thousands of people and ordered many more in several areas to evacuate.
  • Thousands of people in remain isolated.
  • “Darwin and surrounding areas have been hit by wild weather since Tuesday. Strong wind gusts have knocked down trees and caused power cuts,” a report said, with wind gusts of up to 93kmh recorded at Darwin Airport.
  • Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning, with the possibility of flash flooding throughout the Darwin-Daly and northern Arnhem districts.
• Western Australia.  Multiple bushfire continue to ravage Gascoyne region in Western Australia.
  • Month-long blazes have consumed more than 600,000 hectares, which includes grazing land, and destroyed  infrastructure in the region.
  • The State Government has so far rejected calls to declare the fire-ravaged area a disaster zone, a report said.

Other Global Disasters

• Virginia, USA.The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared 20 counties and 4 independent cities in Virginia as agricultural disaster areas because of losses caused two separate disaster conditions.
  • Disaster Conditions No. 1: Craig, Frederick and Page counties have been designated primary natural disaster areas because of losses caused by excessive heat that occurred May 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2011.
  • The following 12 counties have been declared disaster areas because they are contigous: Alleghany, Giles, Montgomery, Rockingham, Botetourt, Greene, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Clarke, Madison, Roanoke and Warren.
  • The independent city of Winchester has also been declared a disaster area.
• West Virginia. The following counties in West Virginia have also been declared disaster areas because they’re contiguous: Berkeley, Hampshire, Hardy, Monroe, Jefferson and Morgan
• Virginia.  Prince George County has been designated as a primary natural disaster area because of losses caused by Hurricane Irene that occurred from Aug. 27-28, 2011.
  • The following counties and cities in Virginia were also declared as disaster areas because they’re contiguous:
    • Counties: Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Surry and Sussex;
    •  Independent cities: Colonial Heights, Hopewell and Petersburg.

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

• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Wildfire Consumes 1 Million Acres in WA

State of Emergency Declared in Washington

Washington declares a state of emergency amid deadly ice storm

A deadly ice storm swept across the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW) following record snowfalls.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – January 20

[January 20, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,517 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Washington, USA.    Washington’s governor declared a state of emergency following the deadly “Snowmageddon” and ice storm, which swept across PNW killing at least 2 people and cutting power to hundreds of thousands of people in the region.
  • At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a new daily snowfall record of 6.8 inches was set, shattering the previous record of 2.9 inches set in 1954, reports said.
  • “Authorities called for voluntary evacuations of the town of Mapleton, Oregon, which has about 1,000 residents, and some nearby areas because expected flooding,” a report said.

U.S. Weather Warnings Map. Source: NWS

U.S. Composite Satellite Image  (Source: SSEC/Wisc-Uni)

Other Global Disasters

• Nevada, USA. Gov. Brian Sandoval has declared a state of emergency after a massive wildfire, fanned by 82-mph winds, burnt thousands of acres near Reno, killing at least 1 person, destroying more than 2 dozen homes and forcing the authorities to evacuate over 10,000 people.
• Oregon, USA.Extensive flooding has forced the Governor to  declare a state of emergency in Marion, Coos, Benton, and Lincoln counties.
  • More counties will likely be added as conditions worsen, he said.
  • The city of Salem has activated its Emergency Operations Center due to flooding.
  • The combined impact of snowmelt and torrential rains have flooded communities across Oregon.
  • “The return of severe winter weather has overwhelmed communities across our state,” the Governor said. “My priority is to ensure the safety of all Oregonians and their properties. With this emergency declaration, I have directed all available state resources to help affected counties in any way possible.”
  • Benton County, Or.Officials have declared Benton County a disaster area. “Flooding and landslides beginning January 18 in the area due to heavy rains and melting snow from a recent snow storm have created high water conditions,” the officials said in a statement. “A preliminary assessment shows damage to roads and homes and closed roads resulting in isolated areas of the county.”
    • “Rising creeks flooded much of Marion and Linn counties, including the communities of Turner and Scio, where hundreds of residents were evacuated from their homes and businesses,” said a report.
• Hawaii.  Hawaii County in Hawaii has been declared a Primary Natural Disaster Area by USDA.
  • The disaster declaration follows losses caused by drought that occurred from January 1, 2011, and continues.

• Tennessee, USA. USDA has declared 13 counties in Tennessee as agricultural disaster areas.
  • The disaster declaration follows losses caused by drought and excessive heat that occurred June 1 – October 20, 2011.
  • Primary Disaster Areas:  Henry and Williamson Counties.
  • Contiguous Disaster Areas: Benton, Cheatham, Dickson, Marshall, Carroll, Davidson, Hickman, Maury, Rutherford, Stewart and Weakley counties
• Kentucky, USA.The following counties in the neighboring state of Kentucky were also added to the disaster list because they’re contiguous.
  • Calloway and Graves counties.
• Tennessee, USA.  Seven counties in Tennessee have been declared agricultural Disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain, high winds, hail and flooding that occurred June 21 – December 5, 2011.
  • Primary Disaster Areas:  Claiborne and Union counties.
  • Contiguous Disaster Areas: Anderson, Campbell, Grainger, Hancock and Knox counties.
• Kentucky, USA. The following counties in the neighboring state of Kentucky were also added to the disaster list because they’re contiguous: Not Specified.
• Virginia, USA. The following counties in the neighboring state of Virginia were also added to the disaster list because they’re contiguous: Lee County.
• Mozambique. Flooding in Mozambique has left at least 5 people dead and made hundreds of others homeless.
  • Tropical depression DANDO, the first to strike Southern Mozambique in nearly 30 years, brought heavy rain and strong winds with gusts of up to 120km, dumping more than 250mm of precipitation over much of the south.
  • The winds and flooding have damaged thousands of homes schools and businesses in Gaza Province, and hundreds more in the capital Maputo.
  • Hundreds of people have lost their home and thousands more have been evacuated.
  • The Mozambican authorities have issued a Red Alert for the southern part of the country, which covers the capital Maputo, Matola city, Many districts in Maputo province, and the coastal areas in Gaza and Inhambane provinces, the National Meteorological Institute (INAM) said.
• USA. Violent sex crimes committed by active U.S. Army soldiers have nearly doubled in the past five years, according to a US Army report.
  • The crimes are blamed, in part, on the trauma of war.
  • Of the 2,811 violent felonies reported in 2011, about a half were violent felony sex crimes, and most were committed in the United States.
  • List of the top five violent felony offenses committed by soldiers in 2011:
    1. Aggravated assault
    2. Rape
    3. Aggravated sexual assault
    4. Forcible sodomy
    5. Child pornography.
  • “One violent sex crime was committed by a soldier every six hours and 40 minutes in 2011.”

Billion-dollar disasters of 2011 [Updated]

Extreme drought, heat waves, floods, unprecedented tornado outbreaks, hurricanes, wildfires and winter storms set  a record 14 weather and climate disasters in 2011 each causing  at least $1 billion in damages.

1. Groundhog Day blizzard (January 29-February 3, 2011)
2. Tornadoes  in Midwest/Southeast (April 4-5, 2011)
3. Tornadoes in Southeast/Midwest  (April 8-11, 2011)
4. Tornadoes in Midwest/Southeast (April 14-16, 2011)
5. Tornadoes in Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest (April 25-28, 2011)
6. Tornadoes in Midwest/Southeast (May 22-27, 2011)
7. Tornadoes and severe weather in Midwest/Southeast (June 18-22, 2011)
8. Drought and Heatwave in Southern Plains/Southwest (Spring-Fall, 2011)
9. Mississippi River flooding (Spring-Summer, 2011)
10. Severe weather in the Rockies and Midwest (July 10-14, 2011)  added Jan. 19, 2012
11. Flooding in the Upper Midwest (Summer 2011)
12. Hurricane Irene (August 20-29, 2011)
13. Wildfires in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona  (Spring-Fall 2011)
14. Tropical Storm Lee (Early September, 2011)  added Jan. 19, 2012)

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
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Wildfire Attacks Reno

Reno Fire Declared a Major Disaster by FEMA

A fast-moving 2,000-acre blaze whipped by 100 kph (60 mph) destroys at least 20 Reno homes, forces 10,000 people to evacuate and prompts Nevada Gov to declare a state of emergency in the state’s largest city (pop: 700,000 metro area)

Disaster Calendar 2011 – November 19

[November 19, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,579 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Nevada, USA. A fast-moving massive blaze has destroyed at least 20 Reno homes, forcing 10,000 people to evacuate.
• At least one person was reported dead as a result of a heart attack, and dozens were injured, mostly from smoke inhalation, respiratory or cardiac conditions.
• “‘The whole mountain was on fire,’ said a Mountain Springs Road resident who escaped with his wife first to a shopping center and later to Reno High School after waking to the smell of intense smoke about 1:30 a.m.” AP reported.
• The authorities ordered 90 schools to close.

Fire Report Summary by InciWeb:

The Caughlin fire is currently burning near homes on the southwest side of Reno, NV. The fire is scattered throughout a 2,000 acre area burning in a south to southwesterly direction.

Evacuation areas are from southwest of McCarran and S. Virginia Street and the entire area between Skyline Blvd, S. McCarran and Plumas.

Other Global Disasters

• Virginia, USA. The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Virginia because of the damage caused by the Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee during the period of September 8-9, 2011
• The worst affected counties are Caroline, Essex, Fairfax, King and Queen, King George, Prince William, and Westmoreland and the independent City of Alexandria.
• Connecticut, USA. The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Connecticut  in the area affected by the deadly pre-Halloween storm during the period of October 29-30, 2011.
• The worst affected areas are in Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, Tolland, and Windham Counties. Also affected were tribal lands of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribal Nations.

• Southeast Asia. At least 20 million people in SEA have been affected by flooding since June 2011. The worst affected countries are Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
• See Disaster Calendar 2011 and earlier blog entries for specific details of flooding damage in each country.

• Massachusetts, USA.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 7 counties in Massachusetts as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain and high winds associated with Tropical Storm Irene that occurred Aug. 28-31, 2011.
• The counties declared as Primary disaster areas are Barnstable, Dukes, Nantucket and Plymouth.
• The counties declared as Contiguous disaster areas are Bristol, Norfolk and Suffolk.
• Maryland, USA. USDA has designated 22 counties in Maryland as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by the combined effects of drought, excessive heat and damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee that occurred April 1 – Oct. 31, 2011.

List of Maryland counties designated as Primary Disaster Areas. Source: USDA

List of Maryland counties designated as Contiguous Disaster Areas. Source: USDA

• The District of Columbia and following counties in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia were also added to the disaster declaration because the areas are contiguous.
• Delaware: Kent, New Castle and Sussex counties.
• District of Columbia.
• Pennsylvania: Adams, Chester, Franklin, Fulton and Lancaster counties.
• Virginia: Accomack, Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties.
• West Virginia: Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties.

Related Links

• Deadly Tornadoes Strike Southeastern U.S.
• Dozens of Counties in 15 States Declared Agri Disaster Areas

• WARNING: Many parts of the United States could become ‘unrecognizable’ due to extreme climatic, geophysical and geological episodes over the next 18 months: FIRE-EARTH Forecast

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar