Flooding Destroys Thousands of Homes in Acre, Brazil

Thousands of homes destroyed, 1 in 5 people affected by flooding in Acre, Brazil

Major flooding in  Brazilian state of Acre (located SW of the Northern Region) has destroyed thousands of homes killing at least one person, and forcing a fifth of the state’s population of about 740,000  to relocate, officials said.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 28

[February 28, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,478 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Acre, Brazil.  Major flooding in Brazil’s state of Acre has affected about a fifth of the population, destroying thousands of homes and devastating infrastructure.
  • Flooding, caused by an abnormally intense rainy season, began more than a week ago in the Amazon basin.
  • The Acre River has burst its banks causing unprecedented flooding in Bolivia’s northern province of Pando, which borders Brazil, leaving the provincial capital, Cobija, completely inundated and obliterating dozens of villages, killing at a least a dozen people.
  • At least 45 suburbs of Rio Branco, capital of Acre, were submerged under floodwater, with more than 15,000 homes inundated by last week.
  • The Acre River has risen by about 18 meters above its normal levels, reports said.

Other Global Disasters

• Yunnan province, China.  Worsening drought and low rainfall in the last three years have dried up 273 rivers and 413 small reservoirs in Yunnan province, China, a report said.
  • More than 6.31 million people in 91 counties of Yunnan province in SW China have been affected by a persistent drought, with at least 3.1 million people and 1.55 million livestock short of drinking water, according to provincial civil affairs authorities.
  • “… more than 2 million mu (133,333 hectares) of forests and 8.2 million mu of corps having been affected.“

  • Severe drought is also posing fire risks in forest areas of SW China.

  • Some 47 percent of Yunnan province (24.7 million ha) is forested.
  • Yunnan is China’s No. 2 forested province.
  • “From Jan. 1 to Feb. 16, Yunnan saw 100 cases of forest fires. Of the total, six were serious or catastrophic forest fires, a spokesman with the Yunnan forest public security bureau said.”
• Sichuan Province, China.  Alarm bells should also be ringing in Sichuan province, SW China, as drought intensifies.

Most disturbing image of the day: A well or a mass grave?  Original caption: “Villagers wait for relief water next to a well, dug during a persistent drought in hopes of storing rainwater, at Yizi Vilage in the Renhe District of Panzhihua, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Feb. 22, 2012. The drought, striking the area since last year as a result of insufficient rainfall, has threatened the locals’ with limited access to drinking water. Measures are now being taken to relieve the pressures of water supply.” (Xinhua/Hai Mingwei). Image may be subject to copyright.

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 

• Emergency Declared in Bolivia’s Flooded Amazon Region   Posted on February 23, 2012

Ten Colorado Counties Declared Disaster Areas

Continuing drought causes agricultural disaster in Colorado

Ten Colorado counties have been designated as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that began  October 1, 2011, and continues, USDA reported.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 19

[February 19, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,487 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Colorado, USA.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated ten counties in the state of Colorado as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from October 1, 2011, and continues.
  • Primary Disaster Area:  Lincoln County.
  • Contiguous Disaster Areas:  Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Crowley, Elbert, El Paso, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Pueblo and Washington counties.

Other Global Disasters

• Negros, Philippines. Death toll and the number of people missing from a strong earthquake, measuring 6.7Mw, and several significant aftershocks that struck Philippines Negros Region on February 6 has climbed to at least 113, the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
  • About 120 people were injured in the quakes.
  • The quakes destroyed more than 6,300 houses and damaged 9,200 others.
  • About 5,000 families are currently in evacuation centers, a report said.

• Yunnan province, China. A severe drought has destroyed or damaged about 400,000 hectares (~ one million acres) of crops in Southwest China’s Yunnan province, local reports said.
  • The direct economic losses is estimated at more than 600 million yuan.
  • The drought has affected about 6.3 million people in 91 counties in the province, reports said.
  • More than 2.4 million people and 1.55 million livestock are short of drinking water.

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

• Disaster declaration renewed in Texas
• Volcanic Emissions: Hawaii County Declared Disaster Area
• Indiana, Michigan and Washington Declared Disaster Areas

SW China on the precipice of catastrophe

Worst Ever Drought in SW China is Getting Even Worse!

The numbers of people and livestock short of drinking water in SW China have risen from 11 million and 2 million respectively just 5 days ago to more that 20 million people and 12 million  livestock today.

The deadly drought is now spreading to other parts of China including the northwest, north and northeast China.

Up to 60 million people throughout  China are now affected by severe drought, and experts say it can only get worse.

A massive dust storm swept across eastern China on March 12, 2010. The dust appears to have been transported by winds from the west, which is consistent with soil erosion caused by the drought. Source NASA. Click image to enlarge.

Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in south China, one of the country’s poorest areas is suffering its worst drought in 58 years ever, with only 2.2 mm of rain since October 2009, People’s Daily reported.

“Since last September, rainfall in Guangxi, as well as neighboring Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, has fallen to the lowest levels since 1952, said the China Meteorological Administration. Coupled with persistent high temperatures, the lack of rain has resulted in a severe drought that is affecting about 11 million people.”

That report was released 5 days ago. The ongoing drought, which has lasted 3 harvests, has affected more than 6.5 million hectares of farmland across the country, today’s media report said.

“Relief work is becoming difficult because the dry conditions have lasted for such a long time, reducing available water sources.”

“Southwest China is facing the most severe situation. Nearly 90 per cent of China’s drought-affected farmland is in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan and Chongqing. And more than half of that is in Yunnan province.” Zhang Xu, Dep. Director-General of Drough Relief HQ, was reported as saying.

“We should detail a water supply plan, consolidate water management, economize our use of water, and use every method to ensure water supply.”

Farmers in China’s Yunnan province face a bleak future, if the drought continues. Image captured from CCTV news. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.

The drought has affected the last three harvest seasons. Experts say the hot and dry weather will continue in southwest China for the foreseeable future.

These conditions in the region are described as the “worst  in a century.” But no one really knows how bad the worst conditions might have been then.

The government is urging people to use water sparingly. The irony of it being that there is NO water to use, sparingly or not. The authorities were also quoted as saying that the “choice of whether to use water for people or farming is becoming more difficult.”

Surely, someone must have mistranslated that last line. They couldn’t possibly have meant that. Could they?

Related Links:

• WORST EVER DROUGHT in SW China
• Disaster Calendar 2010
• Drought and Deluge

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• 2010: The Year of Disasters
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion