Global Disaster Watch - Natural Disasters

Friday, July 3, 2009 -

No update on Saturday or Sunday, July 4 & 5 - Happy Independence Day!

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -
Don't do what I say, it's National Disobedience Day!

QUAKES -
World map of the quakes in the past 7 days.
Quake list.

Quakes this morning -
5.0 NEAR N COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
5.2 CERAM SEA, INDONESIA
5.1 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.6 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
6.0 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
5.0 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
5.1 COLOMBIA
5.0 TAIWAN REGION

Largest quakes yesterday -
7/2/09 -
5.1 CELEBES SEA
5.2 ASCENSION ISLAND REGION

VOLCANOES -
HAWAII - A major collapse with a series of large rock falls at Kilauea volcano's Halemaumau crater summit vent this week has dimmed the luminous evening glow that had attracted thousands of visitors.

ETHIOPIA - Volcano eruption in the Afar region reported. Thermal anomalies and dense sulphur dioxide plumes in Ethiopia appear to indicate that a significant effusive eruption has taken place in the Manda Hararo area of the western Afar region. There is as yet no visual confirmation of the eruption from the ground. There was a VEI=2 eruption at the Manda Hararo volcanic complex in August 2007, and a larger eruption in the Alu-Dalaffilla region in November 2008. In terms of size, the current Manda Hararo event seems to lie somewhere between the two. The MODIS thermal alerts service at the University of Hawaii has shown hotspots of varying intensity over a considerable area of the Manda Hararo region since 27 June, while the OMI Sulfur Dioxide Group has mapped considerable SO2 emissions on 29 and 30 June. (maps)

TSUNAMI / FREAK WAVES / ABNORMAL TIDES / RISING SEA LEVELS -
CALIFORNIA - Divers warned of strange current off La Jolla Shores. In more than 700 scuba dives off La Jolla Shores, Terry Strait had never encountered a deep-water current like the one that slammed into him and his buddies Wednesday morning about 250 yards from the beach. As the four divers swam roughly 60 feet below the surface along the edge of La Jolla Canyon, they noticed a wall of sand rushing toward them from the southwest. “The current was really pushing us. We tried to swim lateral to it but couldn't get out of it. They held onto the edge of the cliff to avoid being pushed farther out to sea. The group slowly swam against the flow toward the surface and finally broke free at a depth of 15 feet. The STRANGE AND PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN CURRENT occurred in a normally placid area of water, said lifeguards and a marine expert. It was noticed by other divers in the area over several hours starting around 6 a.m., but not by swimmers on the surface of the water. Though no one was injured by the flow, lifeguards at the beach cautioned divers about the current. “It seems like it was a relatively short-lived event." Strait said years of diving experience helped him and the others in his group stay level-headed during Wednesday's incident. “If a new diver had been out there, they would have freaked." The current puzzled divers and lifeguards. “It certainly wasn't something that lifeguards have heard about. I have no idea how it could occur.” A scientist came up with a theory after reviewing reports of wave patterns and weather conditions during the flow. He quickly eliminated three possibilities – an avalanche of sand in the canyon, an extreme upwelling event triggered by strong northerly winds, or a sudden movement of water caused by a big change in atmospheric pressure. During normal current patterns, waves move up the coast from the south. Point La Jolla, which juts into the Pacific Ocean, serves as a natural breaker that largely protects the north-lying La Jolla Bay from those waves. But the wave track shifted slightly Wednesday morning – coming more from the southwest. The change was enough to allow waves to wrap around Point La Jolla and move into the bay, where they collided with a large pool of sedentary water that bounced the waves back out to sea. “The intensity of this event was probably produced by a group of very big waves.”

TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
No current tropical cyclones.

June free of Atlantic tropical storms, hurricanes - Of the six months that comprise Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season, June is statistically the "quietest" month - the one least likely to have tropical storm. Only 79 Atlantic basin systems have reached minimal tropical storm strength in June since 1851.

HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
WISCONSIN - For the FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS, Wausau had no severe weather in May and June.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-

Climate change is causing a breed of wild sheep in Scotland to shrink, according to research. Scientists say milder winters help smaller sheep to survive, resulting in this "paradoxical decrease in size". Classic evolutionary theory would predict that wild sheep gradually get bigger, as the stronger, larger animals survive into adulthood and reproduce. Since 1985, the sheep have decreased in size by 5% - their legs getting steadily shorter and their body weight decreasing. This strange phenomenon was first reported in 2007, but the reason for it remained under debate. "In the past, only the big, healthy sheep and large lambs that had piled on weight in their first summer could survive the harsh winters on Hirta." Because of climate change, grass for food is now available for more months of the year on the island. "Survival conditions are not so challenging - even the slower growing sheep have a chance of making it, and this means smaller individuals are becoming increasingly prevalent in the population." As for the future of the sheep, the team believes that they are still shrinking. "But it's too early to say if, in 100 years, we will have chihuahuas herding pocket-sized sheep."

HEALTH THREATS -
Latest bird flu news from the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy.
HealthMap - Global disease alert map.
SWINE FLU BREAKING NEWS

The spread of the swine flu virus worldwide is now unstoppable. - Most H1N1 cases are mild, with many people recovering unaided. The exceptions were pregnant women and people with underlying health problems. The UK alone was projecting more than 100,000 new cases of H1N1 a day by the end of the summer. As the peak of the flu season approaches in South America, some areas have declared a public health emergency. El Salvador reported its first death from swine flu, a day after Paraguay reported its first fatality. "For a pandemic of moderate severity, this is one of our greatest challenges: helping people to understand when they do not need to worry, and when they do need to seek urgent care."

The United States' number of pandemic flu cases climbed to 33,902, with 170 deaths. The new totals reflect 6,185 more cases and 43 more deaths than last week. In its new surveillance report today for the week ending Jun 27, the CDC said flu activity decreased but is still higher than normal for this time of year. The New York/New Jersey area is still reporting elevated activity, as is the Pacific Northwest.

RECALLS & ALERTS:
-PI Foods, Inc of Dallas, TX is recalling approximately 15,000 (net wt. 20g) packets of non fat dry milk because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
-NOW Foods has issued a voluntary recall for NOW Foods products containing whey protein concentrate due to potential Salmonella contamination.
-North Coast Seafood has voluntarily removed from sale Fresh Tuna Steaks that were sold at Shaw’s, Star Market and Big Y Stores in New England.

CURRENT WORLDWIDE NATURAL DISASTERS