Global Disaster Watch - Natural Disasters

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 -

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -
It takes all the running you can do just to keep in the same place.
Lewis Carroll

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

Quakes this morning -
5.3 TAIWAN REGION
5.1 TONGA
5.5 OAXACA, MEXICO

Largest quakes yesterday -
2/8/10 -
5.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.3 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.2 NORTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA

TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
Cyclone PAT was 1954 nmi NE of Auckland, New Zealand.

Tropical Cyclone Pat formed overnight in the Cook Islands, putting the archipelago on alert. Pat follows Oli which grew out of the same area and battered neighbouring French Polynesia. The new cyclone is 150 kilometres south of Manihiki in the northern Cook Islands and is moving southeast at 18 kilometres per hour. Pat is expected to strengthen and move towards the south. The lightly populated atolls of Suwarrow, Manihiki and Rakahanga are in line to be hit by Pat.

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
U.S. - Fresh snow is forecast to hit the Mid-Atlantic US as some cities remain largely paralysed for a third day by blizzards. The US National Weather Service has issued another winter storm warning for Washington DC as the capital remained largely paralysed after heavy snowfall. A further 10 to 20in (25-50cm) of snow were forecast to fall in Washington on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday. Forecasters said that the combination of snow and strong winds would make travel very hazardous. Government offices and most schools were shut on Monday and power had yet to be restored to thousands of homes. A record 32.4in snowfall was measured at Dulles International Airport over the weekend, breaking the previous two-day storm record by almost 10in. Neighbouring Maryland recorded 3ft of snow. The National Weather Service is predicting the city will be hit by another 12-18in from today, which could make this winter the snowiest since Philadelphia started keeping records in 1884.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-
AUSTRALIA - A warning of extremely high and uncomfortable humid conditions for today has been issued by the SA Weather Service for the northern interior of the Eastern Cape. The forecast comes after the Garden Route, already in the grip of THE WORST DROUGHT IN MORE THAN A CENTURY, has been sweltering under a heatwave since Friday. In George, the mercury climbed to 32°C yesterday and is set to peak at 37°C tomorrow . Temperatures will drop back to the high 20s for the rest of the week. In Mossel Bay, the same extreme temperatures are being experienced. In Oudtshoorn, where the heatwave was at its worst, residents sweltered as temperatures reached the 40°C mark yesterday. With a slight respite today at 38°C, the temperatures will peak tomorrow at a massive 43°C (109.4°F).

MALAYSIA - Heat wave brings ‘autumn’ to Penang. The intense heat has caused leaves on the trees along major streets to wilt and turn yellow, creating an autumn-like look but without the cool weather. The trees have also shed their foliage, leaving the branches and twigs bare. A Meteorological Department spokesman said the current weather was due to the intermittent monsoon, with temperatures reaching up to 34°C in some parts of the country. “If the temperatures continue to exceed 35°C for a week or more, it will bring on drought." Temperatures in the west coast were only expected to cool from May as the southwest monsoon sets in. Last year, the country’s northern states experienced cooler weather with nightly temperatures in Penang dropping to as low as 21°C due to stronger northeasterly winds blowing in from Central Asia.

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

California data show H1N1 vaccine safe - Statistics gathered by the California Department of Public Health show only three deaths among 13 million state residents who received H1N1 flu vaccine. One person had preexisting flu and bacterial infections and one was a cardiac patient whose death was caused by cardiovascular disease. The cause of the third person's death is still being evaluated.

Third-hand smoke - Lingering residue from tobacco smoke which clings to upholstery, clothing and the skin releases cancer-causing agents. Scientists ran lab tests and found "substantial levels" of toxins on smoke-exposed material. They say while banishing smokers to outdoors cuts second-hand smoke, residues will follow them back inside and this "third-hand smoke" may harm. The researchers say third-hand smoke is an unappreciated health hazard and suggest a complete ban on smoking in homes and in vehicles to eliminate any risk.

Monday, February 8, 2010 -

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -
Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light?
Maurice Freehill

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

Quakes this morning -
5.2 NORTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA

Largest quakes yesterday -
2/7/10 -
5.0 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.8 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.4 JUJUY, ARGENTINA
5.1 SOUTH OF PANAMA
5.1 SOUTH OF PANAMA
6.5 SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISL., JAPAN

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

Cyclone Oli - One person died Friday after being swept out to sea by a wave and thousands were evacuated in French Polynesia as powerful Category 4 Cyclone Oli battered the archipelago. A red alert was declared in Tahiti and nearby islands, where winds of up to 213 kilometers per hour (132 miles per hour or 115 knots) have hit. Several people are reported to have been injured while officials said hundreds of homes had been damaged and power and telephone lines brought down.

HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
MEXICO - Unseasonal winter weather in Mexico has caused widespread flooding resulting in death and destruction in the states of Michoacan and Mexico State as well as in the massive capital of Mexico City. There have been 29 deaths in central Mexico so far as a result of the storms. Greater Mexico City is one of the three largest metropolitan areas in the world and lies in an enclosed mountain valley, making it vulnerable to flooding. Heavy rains there have caused sewage canals to overflow and a state of emergency has been declared. A mix of drain water and sewage flowed into thousands of homes and blocked major thoroughfares in the metropolis of 20 million people. About 7,500 homes were flooded, prompting emergency personnel to ferry people from their homes through chest-high water. Unfortunately more heavy rain is expected in central Mexico in the following days. (video)

AUSTRALIA - Five people are dead following massive storms that swept through parts of NSW and southern Queensland at the weekend, causing flash flooding and widespread chaos across both states. Emergency services were inundated with distress calls in one of their busiest weekends in years, collectively recording more than 2000 requests for assistance after the downpour began on Friday. A wall of water struck swimmers at a popular swimming and picnic spot at Bouldercombe Gorge, south of Rockhampton. One died and police last night feared others may be missing, after the owners of two cars were unaccounted for. Six people in Sydney's north had to be rescued after being trapped in submerged cars, and 11 nursing home patients were evacuated due to flooding. In Queensland, the Gold Coast hinterland was washed out, with the heaviest rainfall recorded in Clagiraba, which received 415mm of rain. Also on the Gold Coast, up to 30 boats broke their moorings and drifted for hours on the Coomera River. The rainfall was a combination of low- and high-pressure systems and was a "side-effect" of Tropical Cyclone Olga.

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
MONGOLIA - Up to 20 million farm animals may die in Mongolia before spring as THE FIERCEST WINTER IN LIVING MEMORY grips the country. Local experts have told the Red Cross that half the entire country's livestock could be wiped out. Cattle, goats and sheep have frozen to death across the plains, with some herds almost completely wiped out. It's called the 'Dzud' - a multiple disaster with a summer drought followed by ONE OF THE COLDEST WINTERS ON RECORD. It has left millions of livestock dying from a combination of exhaustion and starvation. Fears are also growing for thousands of herders who live in remote mountain regions in south-western Mongolia. There has been no word from thousands of people cut off in their villages by THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IN DECADES, prompting the Mongolian Airforce helicopters to launch search and rescue operations.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-
Sea lion colony leaves Galapagos - A colony of sea lions endemic to the Galapagos Islands have moved 1,500km away. Like so many native species in the Galapagos Islands, the sea lions are unique to the archipelago, located about 600 miles west of continental Ecuador. Experts say it is the FIRST TIME that Galapagos sea lions have set up a colony outside the islands. The Organisation for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals says the sea lions have swum to northern Peru because of rising temperatures. They says the temperature rise was caused by climate change. The monitors say the water temperature in Piura, off the coast of northern Peru, has risen from 17C to 23C over the last 10 years. The temperature is much closer to the sea temperature around the Galapagos Islands, which averages about 25C. Now that the conditions of the sea around northern Peru are so similar to the Galapagos, they say, even more sea lions and other new marine species could start arriving.

CANADA - the hosts of this year’s Winter Olympics are suffering from a lack of snow. Cypress Mountain in Vancouver, British Columbia, has had THE WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD, leaving slopes clear and forcing changes to training schedules for snowboarding and freestyle skiing. Competitors will only get three days of training for the half-pipe event instead of five to preserve the course. Helicopters are dumping snow every three minutes to ensure the men’s half-pipe event can go ahead in just over a week’s time. Canadian environment experts have blamed the temperatures on El Nino, a phenomenon that heats the Pacific Ocean, bringing unusual weather patterns. “Forecasted colder temperatures are not materialising, so we’re taking measures to ensure that there is enough snow stockpiled to ensure the best TV shots.”

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

Although pandemic flu activity continues to decline or remain low in most of the Northern Hemisphere, some areas of the world are experiencing active but declining transmission, particularly North Africa and some areas of Eastern Europe and East Asia. Global H1N1 deaths have risen by several hundred from a week ago, to at least 15,174. China continues to report relatively high levels of influenza B.

Europe notes high H1N1 death rate in kids - Pandemic flu raised the death rate in European children last year but not adults. Children aged 5 to 14 years in eight countries had a 28% higher death rate than expected, in contrast to mortality in all age-groups, which was lower than in a typical year from seasonal flu. The higher death rate in children amounts to about 77 additional deaths in that age-group. The researchers called their estimates "conservative."

CURRENT WORLDWIDE NATURAL DISASTERS