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Shinmoedake volcano continues to erupt in Kyushu, Japan
The volcano’s latest round of activity began on October 11, after six years of dormancy. The volcano had previously erupted on September 7, 2011.
Shinmoedake on Kirishima mountain [Kirishimayama] on the island of Kyushu, Japan continues to eject plumes of smoke and ash to a height of about 1.7 km above the crater.
Ash fall was confirmed in four nearby cities and towns in Miyazaki prefecture after Thursday’s eruption.
Shinmoedake eruption on Oct 12, 2017 send a plume of whit smoke and ash to a height of about 1.7 km above the crater. Image: JMA/via Kyodo.
Japan Meteorological Agency has raised the eruption warning level from 2 to 3 ( on a scale of 1-5) after detecting inflation, which they have interpreted as increased probability of larger eruptions with pyroclastic flows occurring within the 2-kilomter radius from the crater.
Ongoing Activity at Sakurajima (Aira Caldera)
About two dozen events have been detected at Mt Sakurajima’s Showa Crater starting October 2. At least three of the events were explosive, exhaling plumes to heights of bout 1.6 km above the crater. An explosion ejected pyroclasts as far as 800m on October 5. Alert level remains at 3.
New Volcanic Activity (Global)
New volcanic activity have been reported at two volcanoes in Indonesia and one in Vanuatu:
Aoba (Ambae Island, Vanuatu) Ash plumes rose to a height of 3.7 km a.s.l. on Oct 10. State of Emergency on the island has been extended for two weeks, through Oct 24. Some 11,000 residents were evacuated last month.
Indonesia
Mt. Agung (Bali) An increase in seismic activity around the volcano forced the authorities to evacuate about 124,000 people who lived around the volcano. The Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management declared a 12-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano on September 24 after hundreds of volcanic earthquake rattled the volcano.
Lewotolo (Lomblen Island) Around 800 people living near the volcano have been evacuated amid new activity. PVMBG has raised the alert level from 1 to 2 (on a scale of 1-4)
Popocatépetl eruption sends 2-km high column of smoke and ash into air
Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano erupted on Sunday (July 2), ejecting 2-km high column of smoke and ash into air, officials said.
Ash fallout was reported across multiple areas in Mexico State, including Ozumba, Amecameca, Tlalmanalco, Chalco, Ayapango, Tenango del Aire and San Pedro Nexapa.
Alert level for the volcano was raise to “Yellow,” which means it could continue to erupt at low to intermediate intensity, as authorities advised nearby residents to evacuate areas within a 12km.
Italy’s supervolcano at “critical stage” of eruption: “volcanic activity might be imminent”
Campi Flegrei, Italy’s only supervolcano, could erupt sooner than previously predicted, researchers say, immediately affecting more than three million people who live in the Naples area.
The volcano last erupted in 1538 but it has been restless since 1950, with local seismicity and ground uplift recorded in the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s, similar to a 100-year long episode that lead to the last eruption.
More than 26,000 micro-earthquakes, or volcano-tectonic (VT) events, have occurred across the central zone of the caldera during the current unrest, researchers say.
“The current unrest is consistent with a reactivation of the magmatic system after 412 years and, hence, with an increase in the threat from volcanic activity to the caldera’s population of almost 360,000 people, as well as to the three million residents of Naples immediately outside its eastern margin.”
Ground movements of about 3m, the largest recorded since Roman times, have occurred since 1950.
“At Campi Flegrei itself, an additional obstacle to effective warning is a low public awareness of volcanic hazard compared with the perceived threat from microseismicity. The persistent VT seismicity in 1983–1984 damaged buildings throughout Pozzuoli and triggered the evacuation of some 40,000 people.”
The explosive eruption occurred at 09:56UTC producing a large plume of smoke and ash followed by lava flow.
Authorities upgraded the volcanic warning to a “Level 3 (Do not approach the volcano).”
One of the most active volcanoes in the world, Sakurajima is located in Kagoshima Bay, southern Kyushu, Japan (about 1,100km WSW of Tokyo). The composite volcano has three peaks: Kitadake, Nakadake and Minamidake (southern peak).
Since 1955 the Minamidake crater, has been continually active. The ongoing activity includes strong strombolian to ash explosions at least once and as many as 8 times a day.
Sendai nuclear power station was built about 50km from the volcano, and despite hundreds of recent eruptions, it was restarted on August 11, 2015.
Sakurajima is a post-caldera cone of the Aira caldera, a gigantic caldera in the southern portion of the island of Kyushu. The caldera was formed by a massive VEI 7 eruption (~ 400km³ of ejecta), about 22,000 years ago, “shortly” after the Oruanui eruption of New Zealand’s Taupo Volcano.
In August 2015, a level 4 emergency warning [“prepare to evacuate”] was issued after the local “experts” warned that a major eruption was imminent.
About 90 tremors were recorded on June 7, and the volcano released an estimated 1,700 tons of sulfur dioxide (20 times more than the amount released last month), said officials.
Japan’s weather agency raised the alert level for the volcano to Level 2 [“Do not approach the crater”] last week.
Ashfall from the eruption was also reported around the mountain as far as 4 km from the volcano, said officials. Aashfall from a September 2004 eruption covered a large area.
Recent Volcanic Activity on the Planet of the Abes
Mt. Ontake
In September, a series of volcanic tremors was followed by a powerful eruption at Mt. Ontake in central Japan, which left at least 57 people dead and 6 others missing.
The country’s worst volcanic disaster in 70 years would have been easily prevented had the authorities not failed to heed the warning signs.
Mt Shindake (Kuchinoerabujima)
A powerful eruption ejected an ash cloud to a height of about 9,000 meters in the air, forcing the authorities to evacuate the 140 or so residents from Kuchinoerabujima island on May 29, 2015.
Latest Warnings for Japan’s Volcanoes [Sourced from Japan’s weather agency]
Warning Level 5 (Evacuate) Shindake (Kuchinoerabujima), 29 May 2015
Near-crater warning Level 3 (Do not approach the volcano) Ontake, 31 March 2015
Near-crater warning Warning in non-residential areas near the crater Nishinoshima, 24 February 2015
Mt Sinabung and Mt Karangetang erupt, forcing thousands of evacuations
The volume of lava in Mt. Sinabung’s crater has increased to more than 3 million cubic meters and the volcano is in unstable condition, reported PVMBG.
Up to 3,000 residents living within a 7-km radius of Mt. Sinabung, to the south and southeast of the volcano, have been evacuated according to the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG).
Mt. Sinabung’s alert level was raised to the highest level “AWAS,” last week.
The volcano has been ejecting large plumes of volcanic matter since last week, and observers have reported pyroclastic flows cascading down the sides of the mountain.
The 2,460-m high volcano, created by the subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate under the Eurasian Plate, is located in the Karo plateau of Karo Regency, North Sumatra, about 40km from the Lake Toba supervolcano.
Sinabung has four volcanic craters, but only one of them is active currently.
Approximate location of Sinabung is marked on the map by FEWW. Mount Sinabung is one of Indonesia’s 130 active volcanoes
Meantime, activity continues at Mt. Karangetang, which is located in the district of Sitaro, North Sulawesi, forcing the evacuation of 339 people (106 families).
The “twin-peaked” Mt Karangetang (“Api Siau”), also one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, is located on the north side of Siau Island [pop: 43,000] North Sulawesi, in the Celebes Sea.
About 200 million Indonesians, or more than thee-quarters of the population, live within 100-km radius of one or more volcanoes that have become restive at least once during the past 100 years, according to researchers.
Chile’s Calbuco erupts for the third time in 8 days
The Chilean volcano, located about 1,000km south of the capital Santiago, erupted for the third time in eight days on Thursday, sending yet another column of volcanic matter up to 4km into the air.
The 2,015-meter high Calbuco, an extremely explosive andesite volcano, ejected about 200 million tons of ash into the atmosphere last week, blanketing multiple towns and communities, damaging the nearby salmon farms and forcing flight cancellation as far as the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, about 1,400 km away.
However, Thursday’s eruption was notably less powerful than the previous two explosions, which prompted the evacuation of thousands of nearby villagers.
The red alert and a 20-km exclusion zone remains in effect, said Chile’s ONEMI emergency office, as officials evacuated an additional 1,580 people.
The total number of evacuees in the Los Lagos region now stands at 6.685 people.
ONEMI has posted the following update (Spanish) on its website:
Strong quake hits Chile Trench as Villarrica volcano erupts
M6.2 quake strikes coastal Chile
Centered at 36.097°S, 73.626°W the quake struck at a depth of 10.0 km, said USGS/EHP. The main event was followed by at least 5 aftershocks measuring up to 5.3Mw.
Villarrica erupted again ejecting volcanic matters into the air, reported Chile’s National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN). The latest eruption follows March 3 Activity, which forced thousands of evacuations.
Villarrica volcano, aka “House of the spirit,” is one of Chile’s most active volcanoes.Image source: SERNAGEOMIN
The National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) and its National Network for Volcanic Monitoring, at the Volcano Observatory of the Southern Andes (OVDAS), has raised the volcanic alert level for Villarrica volcano to “ORANGE” effective 22:25 local time (UTC -3:00 hrs.) on March 17, 2015.
Volcano Details
REGION: Araucanía, Chile
Summit Elevation: 2,846m
Location: 39.42°S, 71.93°W
Base Area: 490 km² (corrects earlier entries)
Volume: 321 km³ (corrects earlier entries) Last Major Activity: 2000
Last major eruption 1984-85 FEWW Ranking: Regional 3
Eruptive History
During a 1964 eruption, a lahar flow from Villarrica destroyed the town of Coñaripe, then located on the northwestern shores of Calafquén Lake. The town (population: ~1,500) was later rebuilt further east.
After the 1971 eruption, a series of lahar flows and toxic gas emissions from the volcano affected several communities in the Trancura River’s basin, leaving up to 30 people dead.
“House of the spirit” spews ash, smoke and lava high into the sky
Villarrica volcano, aka “House of the spirit,” one of Chile’s most active volcanoes, erupted at about 3am Tuesday, sending ash, smoke and lava high into the sky, and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people in nearby communities.
The National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) and its National Network for Volcanic Monitoring, at the Volcano Observatory of the Southern Andes (OVDAS), has raised the volcanic alert level for Villarrica volcano to “RED” effective 02:30CLST on March 3, 2015.
Eruptive History
During a 1964 eruption, a lahar flow from Villarrica destroyed the town of Coñaripe, then located on the northwestern shores of Calafquén Lake. The town (population: ~1,500) was later rebuilt further east.
After the 1971 eruption, a series of lahar flows and toxic gas emissions from the volcano affected several communities in the Trancura River’s basin, leaving up to 30 people dead.
The volcano has a volume of about 250km³ currently, with its base occupying an area of about 400 km².
Ash explosions continue at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano
Large ash eruptions continue at the underwater Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano located about about 30 km south-southeast of Fonuafoʻou (aka, Falcon Island) and 65km north of the Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa.
Local officials have warned of volcanic ash falling across the region, said the Matangi Tonga online.
“The Ministry of Health should be advised to watch for any anomalies in cases of respiratory problems, eye symptoms, and skin irritation that may be due to ash falls,” the warning says.
Meantime, the volcano continued to eject ash up to 9,000m into the air, said the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC).
“Air New Zealand, Fiji Airways, pacific Blue and domestic flights in Tonga [as well as Virgin flights] have been grounded as concerns over volcanic ash grow,” said a report.
“Tonga residents described a spectacular sight, with the enormous plume from the volcano shooting high into the sky and a muddy discharge underwater turning areas of the sea off the island blood red,” said another report.
STATE TERRORISM IN UKRAINE MASS DISPLACEMENT VOLCANIC ERUPTION SIGNIFICANT SEISMIC EVENTS BARDARBUNGA VOLCANO TAVURVUR VOLCANO TUNGURAHUA VOLCANO EXTREME RAIN EVENTS SEVERE FLOODING IN SW CHINA, E. PAKISTAN, S. SWEDEN SCENARIOS 888, 444, 200, 069, 023, 017, 09, 08, 07 .
1 Million Ukrainians Displaced by Conflict
More than 1 million people have been displaced since the conflict began in Ukraine, says the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
“It’s safe to say you have over a million people now displaced as a result of the conflict, internally and externally together,” Reuters quoted director of the UNHCR’s bureau for Europe, as saying.
“I mean 260,000 [internally displaced] in Ukraine—it’s a low estimate—and 814,000 [have fled to] Russia.”
There has been a surge in the number of war refugees internally displaced in Ukraine since about mid August, local media reported.
Bardarbunga Eruption
Volcanic activity continues in Holuhraun lava filed webcam images show, The rate of flow remains steady with no visible change in activity since Monday, with effusive lava eruption and fountains, said IMO.
The largest earthquake to hit the volcano system measured 3.1Mw, which occurred in the northern part of the magma field with additional seismicity detected beneath the glacier rim.
IMO said:
The eruption has not created any ash-fall. A white plume of steam and gas rises from the eruption on Holuhraun, reaching an elevation of about 4.5 km above sea level. Downwind, a volcanic cloud extends from the eruption site. Yesterday afternoon a white cloud from the eruption extended 60 km to the north-north-east.
In comparison to yesterday, more [sulfur] dioxide has been measured in the eruption cloud.
Sandstorms on the floodplain around the eruption site have contributed fine-grained particles to the eruption cloud. This was seen as a light-brown haze earlier today near to Egilsstaðir.
The eruptive fissure is about 1.5 km in length, positioned about 4.5 km from the ice margin of Dyngjujökull.
At 14:00 UTC yesterday, the lava flow was 4.2 km2 in area. At 08:00 UTC the edge had extended 1.5 km to the east-south-east.
Dozens of explosions were recorded at the volcano on Monday, as experts warned of renewed sudden increases in explosive activity.
The volcano has been ejecting plumes of ash to heights of about to 3km since Wednesday.
The 5,023-m volcano has been active since 1999, and has shown signs of increased activity since February 1, 2014.
“Throat of Fire,” as it’s known in the in the local Quechua language, is one of nine or so active volcanoes in Ecuador, located about 140 km south of the capital, Quito.
Flash Floods in Sweden and Denmark
Extreme Rain Events triggered flash floods causing traffic chaos in Sweden and Denmark, submerging occupied vehicles, and forcing the evacuation of residents in some areas, AP reported.
Some 120mm (4.7 inches) of rain fell in about three hours, inundating the Danish capital, Copenhagen.
Many Dead or Missing after Severe Flooding in SW China
Extreme Rain Events triggered widespread flash floods and landslides in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, leaving dozens dead or missing, said a report.
Volcanic ash forces hundreds of flight cancellations over Australia, Indonesia, East Timore, Singapore…
Sangeang Api [“Mountain of Spirits”] began erupting on Friday, after 15 years sending massive plumes of ash into the air, and forcing airport authorities to cancel dozens of lights between Australia and Singapore, East Timore and Bali.
The 20-km high ash cloud is moving in a southeasterly direction, affecting several towns, however there are concerns that the cloud could drift west causing travel chaos in and out of Perth, said the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
“Depending on wind and other weather conditions, the ash has the potential to affect flights to and from other airports, including Brisbane, during coming days. This is currently being fully assessed,” said a senior official.
Sangeang Api [“Mountain of Spirits”] began erupting on Friday ejecting 20-km high columns of ash into the air and forcing hundreds of flight cancellations.
“The volcano is undergoing a sustained, rather significant eruption at the moment, so for the last 10 hours we’ve been observing large masses of volcanic ash being generated,” the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center told Reuters.
Approximate location of Sangeang Api is marked on the map by FEWW. Mount Sangeang Api is one of Indonesia’s 130 active volcanoes.
“Scores of farmers cultivating the land in the island, 7 km from the crater, have been told to leave the area since this morning. And they have been warned not to reenter the island during the eruption period,” Xinhua quoted an Indonesian official as saying.
Sangeang Api, located off the northeast coast of the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, continues to eject huge volumes of volcanic matter into the air.
Swarm of earthquakes rattle Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
The quakes included a magnitude 4.8Mw shock, the largest shock at Yellowstone since February 22, 1980, according to Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO).
The swarm, which began striking the area on March 27, also included a magnitude 3.1Mw event.
The seismicity occurred in an area of uplift that has been elevated for about 7 months, said YVO.
Elevated seismicity was also observed in the same region during a previous period of uplift between 1996 and 2003.
YVO says there is no indication of other geologic activity, i.e., a volcanic eruption, except for the continuing seismicity (!)
Hawaii Earthquake
Meanwhile, a shallow 3.0Mw earthquake struck about 62km west of Kalaoa, Hawaii.
The quake, centered at 19.825°N 156.570°W, struck at a depth of 5.6km and was timed at 02:08:02 UTC on Monday, March 31, 2014, said USGS/EHP.
Mt Merapi eruption follows multiple explosions at Mt Sinabung
“Mount Merapi experienced a phreatic eruption. Its status remains normal due to a lack of activity,” said Yogyakarta’s Geological Disaster Technology Development and Research Agency (BPPTKG).
Mt Merapi was placed on “Yellow Alert,” or “Level II” of the country’s 4-level alert system, on August 3, 2013.
Latest Image of Mt Merapi. Credit: Badan Geologi.
“On Monday at 4:52 a.m. before the eruption, BPPTKG detected an earthquake in Ciamis, West Java, at a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter scale. The tectonic quake is believed to have shaken the magma chamber of Mount Merapi causing it to release gas from below,” said BPPTKG spokesperson.
Merapi ejected volcanic materials about 2 kilometers into the air showering a 60-km radius area east of the volcano with ash, said the report.
The authorities have since imposed 1-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano base.
The phreatic eruption on Monday was similar to one on July 22, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman. “But today’s was more powerful than the July 22 eruption.”
More than 600 families living in Kalitengah Lor, Kalitengah Kidul and Srune hamlets, in Glagaharjo village, Sleman regency, Yogyakarta, have been evacuated.
Hundreds of other villagers living on the western flank of Mount Merapi also fled their homes.
“The volcanic ash also affected residents in nearby towns. In Surakarta, Central Java, residents were shocked by the sight of volcanic ash covering streets, gardens and roofs. The ash rain continued until around 10 a.m. on Monday.” said the report.
“Surowedanan village in Boyolali, located around 17 km from the peak of Mount Merapi, was also covered by volcanic ash. ‘This morning, when I went out of the house at around 5 a.m., I saw ash everywhere,’ said Veronica Maria Sayektiana, of Surowedanan. According to Veronica, residents were wearing masks when they ventured out of their homes as the ash was still falling along with the drizzle.”
Merapi eruptions have killed hundreds of people in the past couple of decades.
Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. The 2010 its eruptions killed more than 300 people dead and forced about 400,000 people to evacuate their towns, while a 1930 eruption left at least 1,300 dead.
Mt Sinabung Update
The Indonesian ministry of transportation has diverted all flights to avoid routes near Mt Sinabung, located in Karo District, North Sumatra, which has erupted multiple times since last week.
The authorities say Mt Sinabung eruption on November 12 ejected volcanic material that covered five districts destroying some 1,893 hectares of citrus plantations in Tanah Karo, which has impacted fruit production, said a report.
The explosive activity follows a series of most recent eruptions exhibited by the 2,460-meter high volcano that began in September 2013, leading to a significant eruption on October 24, which saw the volcano spewing smoke and ash to a height of about 3km above the crater summit, followed by other eruptions, especially the explosive eruption that occurred on Sunday, November 3.
Floods, storms and earthquakes forced 32.4 million people to flee their homes
At least 32.4 million people were forced to flee their homes in 2012 by floods, storms and earthquakes, according to a new report released by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC).
8 Mega Disasters, events causing more than one million people to lose their homes, accounted for 68% of all global displacement in 2012. —IDMC
Asia and west and central Africa were the worst affected regions, however, at least 1.3 million were displaced in rich countries, with the USA particularly affected, said the report.
“98% of all displacement in 2012 was related to climate- and weather-related events, with flood disasters in India and Nigeria accounting for 41% of global displacement in 2012. In India, monsoon floods displaced 6.9 million, and in Nigeria 6.1 million people were newly displaced. While over the past five years 81% of global displacement has occurred in Asia, in 2012 Africa had a record high for the region of 8.2 million people newly displaced, over four times more than in any of the previous four years.”
Top ten countries with most displacement in 2012. Source: Global estimates 2012| People displaced by disasters
United States was among the top ten countries with the highest levels of new displacement, with nearly one million people being forced to abandon their homes in 2012.
Displacement in poorer countries accounted for 98% of the global five year total, the report said.
In 2012, an estimated 32.4 million people in 82 countries were newly displaced by disasters; 144 million over five years
Top 20 countries with the most displacement over 2008-2012.Source: Global estimates 2012| People displaced by disasters – IDMC
“In countries already facing the effects of conflict and food insecurity such as in Nigeria, Pakistan, and South Sudan, we observe a common theme” says Clare Spurrell, Chief Spokesperson for IDMC. “Here, vulnerability to disaster triggered by floods is frequently further compounded by hunger, poverty and violence; resulting in a ‘perfect storm’ of risk factors that lead to displacement.″
A villager sits in front of his destroyed house after floodwaters receded on July 22, 2012 in Beijing, China. Photo: ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFoto-Press via Getty Images/IDMC report.
The vast majority of this displacement (98 per cent in 2012; 83 per cent over five years) was triggered by climate- and weather-related hazards such as floods, storms and wildfires. 2012 had the lowest level of dis-placement due to geophysical disasters for five years; around 680,000 people were displaced by earthquake and volcanic eruption disasters.
DISASTER CALENDAR – May 14, 2013— SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,033 Days Left
Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,033 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human History
[August 7, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,317 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…
.
Selected Global Disasters/ Significant Events
New Zealand
Mega eruptions could follow in and around New Zealand Islands, as forecast
Mount Tongariro, located in the center of NZ’s North Island, spewed ash and debris more than 6,000 meters into the air at 23:50 on Monday local time.
The force of eruption sent a cloud of ash about 110 km southeast of the volcano, and catapulted volcanic rocks at least a kilometer away, reports said.
NZ’s Civil Defense said the volcanic activity could pose a threat to Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, Manawatu, Wanganui, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki.
Large boulders landed on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing track. Photo: NZ Police.
Volcanic rocks ejected from Mount Tongariro damage Ketetahi Hut in Tongariro National Park. Photo: NZ police
USA
Montana. Gov Schweitzer declared a state of emergency across half the state as strong winds fanned wildfires that have already scorched about 300,000 acres since last week.
“The spate of new fires in recent days has pushed Montana above 900 square miles burned so far in 2012. That’s well over the state’s 10-year average and more than three times the amount of land that burned last year,” said a report.
Florida. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 23 counties in Florida as agricultural disaster areas due to the combined effects of Tropical Storm Debby, excessive rain and flooding that occurred June 1-29, 2012.
Georgia. Five counties in Georgia were also declared as disaster areas because they’re contiguous.
California. USDA has designated 13 counties in California as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by losses caused by hail, rain and cold temperatures that occurred April 11-13, 2012.
Primary disaster areas: Kings and Merced counties.
Contiguous disaster areas: Fresno, Kern, Madera, Mariposa, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne counties.
South Carolina. USDA has designated six counties in South Carolina as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by frost, freezes, and a hailstorm that occurred April 5-13, 2012.
North Carolina. Three counties in NC were also declared as disaster areas because they’re contiguous.
Philippines
Manila. Extreme rain events have submerged more than half of the Philippine capital, triggering a deadly landslide that killed at least a dozen people.
Most parts of the country were already saturated following Typhoon Saola, which left up to 60 people dead and forced more than quarter of a million people to flee their homes last week.
The authorities have reportedly evacuated hundreds of thousands of residents along the Marikina River banks, after excess water La Mesa dam spilled into the rivers flowing into Manila’s suburban Quezon City and several other areas.
Many others have climbed to rooftops waiting to be rescued.
“It’s like a water world,” the chief of disaster response agency was reported as saying.
At least ten provincial areas and cities around Manila have declared states of calamity.
Price of basic commodities in areas under states of calamity have skyrocketed by up to 300 percent since last week, reports said.
Flooding in Marikina City, Metro Manila (Photo: Dave Llavanes)
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN:1,739 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
FIRE-EARTH Models show that global disasters could intensify in the 9 month period starting about July 2011 compared with the previous corresponding period (pcp).
Disaster Calendar 2011 – June 12 Entry
Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
China. Death toll from heavy rain, flooding and landslides in central and southern china has climbed to at least 100, with about 80 others reported missing, reports said. The extreme weather events have affected up to 10 million people in 13 provinces, destroying about half million hectares of crops.
NY, USA. The WH has declared 21 upstate New York counties as disaster areas because of the damage caused by storms, flooding and tornadoes from April 26 to May 8. The declaration covers the following counties: Allegany, Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Steuben, Tioga, Ulster, Warren, and Yates.
North Dakota, USA. A presidential disaster declaration has been issued for major portions of North Dakota including a total of 42 counties, the Spirit Lake Nation, the Three Affiliated Tribes and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa reservations. Counties covered by the declaration included Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Eddy, Foster, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill, Walsh, Ward, Wells and Williams.
South Dakota, USA. Yankton county has been added to SD flooding federal disaster list, which already included Aurora, Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Buffalo, Clark, Codington, Day, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Hamlin, Hand, Hughes, Hyde, Jackson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Marshall, Miner, Moody, Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink Stanley Sully and Union counties.
China. Some 103 children aged 14 or younger have been seriously poisoned and hundreds of others sickened from lead pollution in eastern china, a report said. The victims were found to have every high levels of lead contamination in their blood.
Nuclear power is harmful to the planet and all lifeforms. Any nuclear disaster striking anywhere on the planet has global implications.
Currently 32 countries operate nuclear power plants, 27 of which are building even more reactor units. Fifteen other countries that are currently without nuclear power plan to build one or more plants.
Probability of a Nuclear Disaster by Country
Japan (880)³
United States (865)
Taiwan (850)
Belgium, China, France, Finland, India, South Korea, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Armenia, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Canada (810)
Germany, Sweden, Netherlands (800)
Switzerland (750)
NOTES:
The list represents a snapshot of events at the time of calculating the probabilities. Any forecast posted here is subject to numerous variable factors.
Figures in the bracket represent the probability of an incident occurring out of 1,000; the forecast duration is valid for the next 50 months.
Safety issues considered in compiling these lists include the age, number of units and capacity of nuclear reactors in each place, previous incidents, probability of damage from human-induced catastrophes such as war, as well as human-enhanced natural disasters, e.g, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, wildfires, flooding… , and other geophysical events.]
The Blog’s knowledge concerning the extent to which those factors described in (3) might worsen during the forecast period greatly influences the forecasts.
NEXT MAJOR TECTONICS EVENT COULD OCCUR IN THE U.S.
Based on their Earth Model, FEWW Moderators believe the world’s next catastrophic tectonics event could occur in western United States with a probability of 0.74.
Notes:
1. The definition for western United States includes offshore west cost of the country.
2. ‘Tectonics event’ includes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other geological events.
3. ‘Internet Prophets’ may not reprint forecasts made by FIRE-EARTH without quoting the source.
Dozens of airports closed, hundreds of flights canceled, many more diverted.
Renewed eruption at Eyjafjallajökull caused more volcanic ash to invade European airspace, forcing a new wave of flight cancellations and airport closures in Spain, as well as parts of Ireland Italy, Portugal, Scotland and the England.
At least 28 airports were forced to close from several hours to more than a day, causing hundreds of cancellations, and many flight diversions.
There were also flight cancellation to and from Switzerland, Southern and Central France, Northern Italy and Northern Portugal.
IMO Status Report said the eruption was still in an explosive phase, with the plume reaching a height of about 5km.
Eyjafjallajökull from Hvolsvelli webcam Eyjafjallajökull eruption seen from Hvolsvelli webcam. Top of the plume is seen emerging and towering above the clouds. Click image to enlarge.
Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Issued graphics (UK Met Office)
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Iceland’s Volcanoes Could Potentially Cause Collapse of Europe
Eyjafjallajökull Volcanic Ash closes Airspace over Ireland and Scotland Once Again
Airspace over Northern Ireland and Scotland will be closed from 07:00 to 13:00GMT (UTC) on Wednesday due to a new cloud of volcanic ash drifting from Eyjafjallajökull Glacier volcano in Iceland, the UK Civil Aviation Authority said.
The ash cloud is expected to move further south, possibly forcing the closure of airspace in the NW England and north Wales today.
“The situation is very dynamic, so passengers expecting to travel from the impacted airports should contact their airlines to check whether their flight is operating,” CAA website said.
Volcanic Ash Advisory from London – Latest graphics click image to enlarge
These images are monitoring for the presence of volcanic ash emission in the vicinity of Iceland using infrared data from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite. Because cloud particles and volcanic ash particles interact with the infrared radiation in different ways, data at several different wavelengths can be combined to identify the main ash plume, which, when present, would be shown as yellow and orange colours in the images. Note that it is only the thicker parts of the plume that are able to be detected by this method. In addition, the ash plume is often masked by overlying high cloud. Source and Copyright EUMETSAT/Met Office.
A Webcam Image of Eyjafjallajökull Eruption saved by Icelandic Review yesterday. The webcams seemed to be out of action today.
One function of webcams is to prevent unnecessary traffic to the site of volcano, which could also be extremely hazardous.
Icelandic Met Office said:
Plume was observed at 5.8-6 km height (19-20,000 ft) estimated from the Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG) flight at 10:40 and 15:30 GMT. It is heading east-south-east to south-east from the eruption site. Plume track clearly visible up to 300-400 km distance from the eruption site on a NOAA satellite image at 13:13 GMT.
Lava is still flowing northwards, forming a lava fall down the steep hill under Gígjökull, about 4 km north of the crater. Blue gas is seen rising from the lava and white steam plumes are seen somewhat lower and mark the front of the lava stream. The size of the eruptive crater is 280 x 190 m. Lava splashes are thrown at least a few hundred meters into the air.
Explosive activity and ash production is strong and has increased since yesterday. Dark ash plume rises above the crater. Lava is still flowing northwards, forming a lava fall down the steep hill under Gígjökull, about 4 km north of the crater. Blue gas is seen rising from the lava and white steam plumes are seen somewhat lower and mark the front of the lava stream. Radar images from ICG-flight today show tunnels in Gígjökull increasing in size and continuing the build up of the cone at the crater. The size of the eruptive crater is 280m x 190m. Lava splashes are thrown at least a few hundred meters into the air.
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In the left-hand image, created from visible wavelengths, new black ash deposits are visible on the ground, as well as nearby brilliant unsullied ice and snow and the volcano’s brown, billowing plume. The plume’s dark color reflects its large ash content. These fine particles of pulverized rock are carried high into the atmosphere, where they create a hazard for aviation and are carried long distances by the prevailing winds.
In contrast, the false-color, infrared image at the right reveals the intense thermal emissions (at least 60 megawatts, or 60 million watts) emanating from the vent at the base of the massive plume. This thermal emission, equivalent to the energy consumption of 60,000 homes, represents only a small proportion of the total energy being released by the volcano as its molten lava interacts violently with ice and water. Each image covers an area measuring 7.7 kilometers (4.8 miles) wide, and has a resolution of 30 meters (98 feet) per pixel. The vertical direction is north-northeast. Images and Caption: NASA [Edited for brevity.]
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Earth sinks in the sea, the fair, bright stars disappear from the heavens
Ragnarök
The sun turns dark,
earth sinks in the sea,
the fair, bright stars
disappear from the heavens.
Sizzling blaze
around the tree of life
colossal heat plays with
the heavens. —Völuspá
The above stanzas were quoted from the famous Nordic poem Völuspá in the Iceland Review. Völuspá, Prophecy of the Völva, tells the story of creation of the world and how it comes to its end, and is arguably the most important source for understanding the Norse mythology.
Yggdrasil, a modern representation of the world tree which is central to Norse mythology. The world tree is a motif that appears in some Indo-European religions and mythologies. It is represented as a giant tree that supports the heavens, connects it to the earth, and the underground through its roots.
“It was like the sun had gone out in the middle of the day.”
Iceland Review editor Bjarni Brynjólfsson and photographer Páll Stefánsson wondered how it was to drive through the area affected by the eruption: “We tried driving into the darkness and it was like we had stepped into another dimension. We felt it was the end of the world as described in Völuspá, the old Icelandic Poem the tells the story of the end of the world called Ragnarök or Götterdämmerung in the famous opera by Wagner.” More …
What Happened to Disaster Tourism?
The rascals coiled their tails and ran for the coast. Nearby roads covered in a thick blanket of volcanic ash. Credit: Ómar Óskarssonvia MBL-Is. Image may be subject to copyright.
For all previous entries and and related links click
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Eruption at Eyjafjallajökull has steadily Intensified in the past 3 hours
Eyjafjallajökull has resumed explosive activity in the past 3 hours, having earlier slowed down to sporadically ejecting single plumes of ash once every 2 to 3 minutes.
The following are latest images obtained from two webcams that are trained on Eyjafjallajökull at Valahnúk and Hvolsvelli stations. The images show a constant stream of ash, steam and fumes spewed from the Icelandic volcano.The images are provided by Míla ehf and may be subject to copyright.
Valahnúk Webcam freeze frame of Eyjafjallajökull at 08:55UTC .
Hvolsvelli Webcam Image of Eyjafjallajokull also recorded at 08:55UTC.
The following irregular sequence of images were recorded from Hvolsvelli Webcam.
[L-R and T-B] Freeze frames shows a large plume of ash, steam and gasses ejected from the volcano just after sunrise at 5;16UTC on April 17, 2010. The ash plume seen in the first frame above dispersed (second frame) within minutes of being ejected from Eyjafjallajokull; however, after a series of explosions that occurred about 30 seconds later, another plume was ejected out of the volcano’s crater. The new plume seemed to be slightly larger than the previous one. Click image to enlarge.
Another sequence of images recorded simultaneously from Hvolsvelli and Valahnúk Webcams.
[T – B] The above freeze frames were recorded at about 5:31UTC, showing single plumes of ash and gasses ejected from Eyjafjallajokul. Click image to enlarge.
[T – B] The above freeze frames were recorded at about 5:35UTC. Most of the frames show two plumes, indicating a gradual increase in the frequency of eruptions at Eyjafjallajokul. Click image to enlarge.
This frame was recorded at 5:40UTC showing 3 plumes which meant the eruptions at Eyjafjallajokul had further intensified. Click image to enlarge.
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40,000 flights grounded since Thursday to avoid engine failure from Eyjafjallajökull ash
A new round of flooding has affected the areas around Eyjafjallajokull, as hot gases from the volcano continue to break up and melt the glacier that covers it.
Huge volumes of floodwater and massive chunks of ice, some reportedly as large as 3-story apartment blocks, have forced about 1,000 locals to evacuate their homes, most of them for a second time in 3 days. The floodwaters have almost completely washed off a causeway along the flooded Markarfljot river, which was severely damaged in the first round of flooding.
According to a local report, the eruption is somewhat weakening, and Eyjafjallajökull is producing less ash, for now.
Sunrise at Eyjafjallajokull
Valahnúk Webcam freeze frame of Eyjafjallajökull shortly after sunrise.
Hvolsvelli Webcam Image of Eyjafjallajokull. Freeze frame shows a large plume of ash, steam and gasses ejected from the volcano just after sunrise at 5;16UTC on April 17, 2010. The ash plume seen above dispersed within minutes of appearing, but about 30 seconds and a series of explosions later, a larger plume was spewed out of the volcano’s crater. See the dramatic sequences in the next update.
Click image to enlarge.
Staff from the Icelandic Meteorological Office flew with the Icelandic Coast Guard to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption site on the afternoon of April 16th 2010. At 4 pm the volcanic ash cloud was clearly visible above the cloud deck, rising at times to at least 30,000 feet. Steady winds from the east-north-east moved the cloud away from the volcano. The cloud height was variable from 25 to 30,000 feet and its colour varied from dark to white, depending on how much ash was in the cloud. Credit: Icelandic Met Office. Image may be subject to copyright.
The Surreality Test. Credit: Jónas Erlendsson via MBL-Is. Image may be subject to copyright.
The above photo shows the outlet glacier, which is dark at the top due to mud from the flash floods. At the base the glacier flows to the right of a large cracked rock.Credit: Icelandic Met Office. Image may be subject to copyright. More Photos…
A diagrammatic illustration of volcanic ash dispersion up to 20,000 ft, issued at 7 pm on 16 April. Advisory charts are issued every six hours, for up to 18 hours ahead, by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center. Source: UK Met Office.
The ash particles range in size from 15 × 20 µm to 70 × 85 µm. (1 µm is a millionth of a meter, or a thousands of a millimeter).
Ash dust particles (at ×400) collected from Aberdeen on the morning of 16 April. These particles are approximately 60 × 70 µm.
Ash dust particles at ×100. Source and Copyright Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Geoengineer This! Credit: Golli / Kjartan Þorbjörnsson via MBL-Is. Image may be subject to copyright.
What Happend to Disaster Tourism? The rascals coiled their tails and ran for the coast. Nearby roads covered in a thick blanket of volcanic ash. Credit: Ómar Óskarssonvia MBL-Is. Image may be subject to copyright.
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Ash cloud from Eyjafjallajökull eruption has grounded about 30,000 flights, so far!
Ash from Iceland’s erupting Eyjafjallajökull Volcano had drifted over northern Europe by April 16, 2010. The brown ash is mixed with clouds in this photo-like image taken by MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite at 12:45 p.m. local time (GMT/UTC+2) on April 16,2010. The visible ash sweeps in an arc across the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Russia. Additional ash is most probably masked by clouds. Source: NASA. Click image to enlarge.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on April 15, 2010. A volcanic plume blows from Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in southern Iceland toward the east-southeast. The plume’s tan hue indicates a high ash content. Volcanic ash consists of tiny jagged particles of rock which can cause engine failure, if sucked into an airplane’s turbines. Source: NASA. Click image to enlarge.
DLR, TerraSAR-X, via Associated Press
A computer enhanced image of Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland acquired by the TerraSAR-X satellite on April 16, 2010 (late PM). Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.
For the latest Eyjafjallajökull update and links see
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Fire Earth 
