Bangladesh, Myanmar relieved as cyclone fizzles

May 17, 2013

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) — A once-fearsome cyclone that was threatening Bangladesh and Myanmar dissipated quickly, causing some deaths but largely relieving authorities who had told more than 1 million people to leave vulnerable coastal areas in preparation for a far worse storm.

Cyclone Mahasan lost power as it shed huge amounts of rain and then veered west of its predicted path, sparing major Bangladeshi population areas, including Chittagong and the seaside resort of Cox's Bazar, said Mohammad Shah Alam, director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Coastal areas were spared major damage because it hit Thursday afternoon during low tide, causing no major tidal surge, he said. "Thank God we have been spared this time," local government administrator Ruhul Amin said.

Before the storm threat weakened, Bangladesh had evacuated 1 million people, and the United Nations warned that 8.2 million people could face life-threatening conditions. Myanmar was spared almost entirely. Evacuation attempts there had met with frustration as some of the tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya people in western Rakhine state were wary about the government's order and refused to leave.

"It's all over, and we are very relieved that we didn't have any unfortunate incident in Rakhine state due to the cyclone," Win Myaing, Rakhine's regional spokesman said. In Cox's Bazar, tens of thousands of people had fled shanty homes along the coast and packed into cyclone shelters, hotels, schools and government office buildings. But by Thursday afternoon, the sun was shining and Amin said he planned to close the shelters by the evening.

The storm's slow movement toward Bangladesh gave the government plenty of warning to get people to safety, Amin said. "But for the evacuation, the casualties would have been higher," he said. Ferry services in the delta nation resumed Thursday night after being suspended in advance of the cyclone. Scores of factories near the choppy Bay of Bengal had been closed, and the military said it kept 22 navy ships and 19 Air Force helicopters at the ready.

A 1991 cyclone that slammed into Bangladesh from the Bay of Bengal killed an estimated 139,000 people and left millions homeless. In 2008, Myanmar's southern delta was devastated by Cyclone Nargis, which swept away entire farming villages and killed more than 130,000 people. Both those cyclones were much more powerful than Mahasen, which hit land with maximum wind speeds of about 100 kph (62 mph) and quickly weakened, said Alam, the meteorological official.

By the time it hit Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, wind speeds had plunged to 25 kph (16 mph), Alam said. The storm then dissipated entirely, he said. Bangladesh counted at least 10 deaths, most from the collapse of mud walls or by fallen trees. Related heavy rains and flooding had been blamed for eight deaths in Sri Lanka earlier this week.

At least eight people — and possibly many more — were killed in Myanmar as they fled the cyclone Monday night, when overcrowded boats carrying more than 100 Rohingya capsized. Only 43 people had been rescued by Thursday, and more than 50 were still missing.

Babul Akther, a Bangladeshi police official in Tekhnaf close to Myanmar border, said police there found 19 bodies Thursday in the Naaf River, which separates the two nations. He said most of the bodies were of children, and they suspect they are victims of Monday's boat capsizings.

Much of the fears about the storm's impact had been focused on western Myanmar because of the crowded, low-lying camps Rohingya were refusing to evacuate. U.N. officials, hoping they would inspire greater trust than the government, had worked to encourage people to leave.

In Rakhine state, around 140,000 people — mostly Rohingya — have been living in the camps since last year, when two outbreaks of sectarian violence between the Muslim minority and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists forced many Rohingya from their homes.

Nearly half the displaced live in coastal areas that were considered highly vulnerable to storm surges and flooding from Cyclone Mahasen. "Pack and leave," a Rakhine state official, U Hla Maung, warned before the storm hit as he walked through a camp near Sittwe, the state capital. Accompanied by more than a dozen soldiers and riot police, he suggested that people living there move to a nearby railroad embankment, then left without offering help.

Some Rohingya took down their tents and hauled their belongings away in cycle-rickshaws, or carried them in bags balanced on their heads. Ko Hla Maung, an unemployed fisherman, was among those who had not left as of Thursday morning.

"We have no safe place to move, so we're staying here, whether the storm comes or not," he said. "... The soldiers want to take us to a village closer to the sea, and we're not going to do that. ... If the storm is coming, then that village will be destroyed."

Associated Press writers Tim Sullivan in Sittwe, Myanmar, Yadana Htun and Aye Aye Win in Yangon, Myanmar, Jocelyn Gecker in Bangkok and Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, contributed to this report.

Quake rocks Japan's crippled nuclear power plant

Tokyo (AFP)
Sept 29, 2011

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook an area of northeast Japan which includes the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant Thursday but there were no reports of damage to the facility, officials said.

The moderate quake struck offshore near the coast of Fukushima at 7:05 pm (1005 GMT) with a "very shallow" focus, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

There were no fears of a tsunami following the tremor, the agency said.

"The quake has not caused anything abnormal at Fukushima Daiichi," Masashi Kato, a spokesman for the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., told AFP.

"The plant is continuing its normal operations including the injection of water into the (molten) reactor cores," he added.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage elsewhere.

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11 triggered a monster tsunami which killed some 20,000 people and crippled cooling systems at the plant, causing meltdowns in some of its reactors.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Quake_rocks_Japans_crippled_nuclear_power_plant_999.html.

Biggest earthquake in 20 years in Northeast

Monday, September 19, 2011

Shillong, Sept 19: The northeastern region on Sunday experienced the biggest earthquake in 20 years. The earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale which hit the east and Northeast region, was the biggest in 20 years, officials said.

Records of Central Seismological Observatory showed increasing seismic activity in the region.
A total of 34 quakes of light and moderate intensity were felt in the region in 2009. The area witnessed 26 earthquakes each in 2008 and 2007, while it was 23 in 2006, the data showed.

On February 4 this year, a quake of 6.4 magnitude with its epicenter in the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur shook the region. An earthquake of similar intensity (6.8) had rocked the northeast on August 6, 1988.

On October 11, 2000 a quake of 6.0 intensity was felt in the region, while on September 21, 2009, another measuring 6.2 had claimed six lives in neighboring Bhutan, where it was epicenter.

The north eastern region had experienced some of the world's worst quakes like the Shillong quake and the Assam quake of 1950 both measuring around 8.5.

An earthquake in 1897 in Shillong plateau had left 1,542 people dead.

Source: One India.
Link: http://news.oneindia.in/2011/09/19/biggest-earthquake-in-20-years-in-northeast.html.

Fresh Floods Cripple Pakistan, Still in Recovery Mode From Last Year

By Jack Phillips
September 13, 2011

Thailand affected by mass floods from same monsoon rains

Still rebuilding after last year’s devastating floods, Pakistan was pounded with another round of heavy Monsoon rains, causing flooding in its biggest city, Karachi, and other areas in the south. The same heavy rains have affected thousands in Thailand as well.

The United Nations estimates that more than 220,000 people have been displaced due to flooding in Pakistan and another 5 million have been negatively affected. At least 200 people have died.

Aid groups say that more than 700,000 families are still living in temporary shelters after they were forced to leave their homes in the 2010 floods that affected the whole country, impacting some 20 million people. Around one-fifth of the country was submerged underwater, causing more than $10 billion in damage.

Since late August of this year, the floods have destroyed or damaged nearly a million homes and inundated 4.2 million acres of land, mostly in the southern province of Sindh.

Zafar Iqbal Qadir, the head of Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, called on the international community for aid relief before the disaster worsens, as more rain is on the way. “The help is to be provided now before this disaster consumes more human lives in the country,” he appealed in a statement.

The U.N. World Food Program said it is transporting a half million food rations to affected persons, while the Pakistani government has provided 512,000 food rations. More than 4,000 camps have been set up, while the government is trying to secure another 100,000 tents.

“Now is a crucial time to stand in solidarity with the people of Pakistan, and build on the lessons learned from the recent 2010 floods response to support the Government of Pakistan in their ongoing monsoon relief efforts,” stated Timo Pakkala, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan.

Aid groups have warned that the Pakistani government needed to improve on its infrastructure to prevent further floods to avoid another disaster. Two months ago when the monsoon season began, aid group Oxfam released a report saying that some families started to dismantle their homes and move to higher ground.

Floods Affect Thailand

The same monsoon rains assailing Pakistan have also caused mass floods in Thailand, although the damage does not look to be as severe. As of Tuesday, there were 82 confirmed deaths attributed to the floods.

The Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned that heavy rains could cause forest runoff and mudslides in 35 of the nation’s 76 provinces, adding that people living in lowlands should remain alert, according to the Bangkok Post.

More than 570,000 people have already been affected due to the floods in 16 provinces, the Department said.

In Ayutthaya province in central Thailand—home to the ruins of Siam’s ancient capital of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO Heritage World Site—at least 100 elephants had to be evacuated to higher ground after two nearby rivers swelled and flooded several nearby communities.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/still-in-recovery-mode-from-last-year-fresh-floods-cripple-pakistan-61553.html.

Deadly floods hit US northeast in wake of Irene

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (AFP)
Sept 9, 2011

Heavy rain on Thursday swamped areas of the US northeast already sodden from Hurricane Irene, with up to five people killed as flash floods forced over 100,000 to leave their homes.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood warning for counties in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland and Virginia, as towns became inundated, busy highways closed down and commuter lines backed up.

US President Barack Obama declared an emergency in New York state, ordering federal agencies to coordinate disaster relief efforts to "save lives and to protect property and public health and safety," the White House said.

Some 100,000 people in Pennsylvania's Luzerne county are under "mandatory evacuation" orders, including 20,000 in the city of Wilkes-Barre, according to local officials.

Stephen Bekenich, the county's emergency management director, warned that those who remained in flood-prone areas could not count on being rescued.

"If folks choose not to leave, they are taking (their) lives into their own hands," he said. "Help may not be able to reach them."

The city of Binghamton, New York -- where 8.5 inches (21.6 centimeters) of rain fell in 24 hours -- ordered a mandatory city-wide evacuation, affecting 10,000 people.

Flooding was also reported in and around the US capital Washington.

"We expect historic or near-historic flooding in many parts of the state," Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Ruth Miller told AFP.

Three unconfirmed fatalities during the stormy weather have been reported to authorities in Pennsylvania, she said, as the state grappled with some of its worst flooding since 1972's benchmark Hurricane Agnes, which ravaged much of the mid-Atlantic region as a deadly tropical storm.

"It's bad now, and there are some places where it will get worse," Miller said. "There is more rain that continues to come down (and) we don't expect this to end for quite some time."

Two people, one of them a young boy who was swept away in a river, died in northern Virginia, a spokesman for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had earlier mobilized emergency response resources, also warned of further severe flooding, calling the situation "frightening."

More potentially dangerous weather is expected in the northeast after Irene, which was blamed for more than 40 deaths.

Three cyclones are brewing in the Atlantic: Tropical Storm Nate, hovering in the Gulf of Mexico and threatening Mexico and Texas; fast-moving Tropical Storm Maria, which could hit Puerto Rico early Sunday and the Bahamas next week; and Hurricane Katia, off the US east coast and expected to remain out at sea.

The latest foul weather is the remains of Tropical Storm Lee, which slammed into the Gulf Coast on Sunday, dumping torrential rains on a huge swath of the American south, mid-Atlantic region and northeast already drenched by Irene.

"It is a double-whammy," said spokesman Bill Peat of the New York state Office of Emergency Management.

Irene dumped more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in parts of New York and Pennsylvania over the past four days, triggering huge floods.

National Guard troops have been deployed in New York and Pennsylvania, and rescue personnel are on standby.

The flash flood warnings include much of New Jersey, which suffered devastating flooding from Irene after it made landfall hundreds of miles (kilometers) south and trailed heavy rains all the way up the coast.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Deadly_floods_hit_US_northeast_in_wake_of_Irene_999.html.

Three dead as 6.6-magnitude quake hits Indonesia

Subulussalam, Indonesia (AFP)
Sept 6, 2011

Three people were killed Tuesday when a 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's Sumatra island, officials said.

The quake struck deep underground shortly after midnight around 400 kilometers (250 miles) southeast of Banda Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra, the US Geological Survey said.

Falling debris killed a 10-year-old boy as he slept in his home in Subulussalam, Aceh province, a doctor said.

"The boy was sleeping next to his mother when a wall collapsed and bricks fell onto his stomach, crushing him. His mother brought him to us but we couldn't save him in time," the doctor, named Hasbi, said.

Two other people were killed in separate incidents, the National Disaster Management Agency said.

Panicked residents rushed out of their homes, many crying and screaming for help, as the quake shook the area for around two minutes, according to an AFP correspondent.

"That was the strongest quake I'd ever felt. I thought the end of the world was here," 42-year-old farmer Abdul Kader Angkat said.

The jolt was also felt by residents in the cities of Banda Aceh and Medan, officials said.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake was too far inland to generate a tsunami.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the collision of continental plates causes high seismic activity.

Aceh was devastated when a 9.1-magnitude quake off Sumatra in December 2004 triggered a huge tsunami that killed more than 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Three_dead_as_66-magnitude_quake_hits_Indonesia_999.html.

Death toll reaches 38 after Typhoon Talas hits Japan

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) — The death toll after powerful Typhoon Talas slammed western Japan during the weekend has increased to at least 38, officials said on Monday evening. Dozens more remain missing in what is now one of the worst typhoons to hit the country in recent years.

Typhoon Talas emerged as an area of low pressure west of Guam on August 22 before strengthening into a typhoon as it accelerated towards Japan. It made landfall over Kochi Prefecture on early Saturday and then tore a path of destruction through western Japan as it moved toward the northeast.

As of Monday evening, officials confirmed at least 38 people had been killed in western Japan as a result of Talas, while more than 50 people are still missing and feared to have been killed. The death toll is the highest from a typhoon in Japan since Typhoon Tokage killed at least 94 people in October 2004.

Police forces, firefighters, and Japanese Self-Defense forces (SDF) continued to carry out search and rescue operations on Monday as blackouts continue to affect tens of thousands. As of 3 p.m. local time on Monday, electricity and phone lines were out in Mie, Nara and Wakayama prefectures, with roughly 194,000 households in the Kansai Electric Power Co.’s service area experiencing blackouts

SDF helicopters have been deployed to the region and are trying to reach residents in the municipalities of Nachikatsuura, Tanabe, Shingu and Hidakagawa, as around 4,700 people have been trapped in the area by landslides and floods.

However, with flooding rivers, damaged roads, and mudslides, officials fear to eventual death toll could be much higher. An unknown number of people have also been injured.

Talas was the 12th named storm, the 7th severe tropical storm and the 5th typhoon of the 2011 Pacific typhoon season. The season runs throughout 2011, with most tropical cyclones forming between May and November.

In July, the City University of Hong Kong predicted a total number of 31 tropical cyclones to form in the western North Pacific, of which 27 would become tropical storms and 17 which would further grow into a typhoon.

Monday, September 5th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19897/death-toll-reaches-38-after-typhoon-talas-hits-japan/.

Two killed as Texas wildfires destroy nearly 400 homes

AUSTIN (BNO NEWS) — Two people were killed on Sunday as dozens of new wildfires broke out across Texas, destroying nearly 400 homes and forcing thousands to evacuate, officials said on Monday morning.

The largest of the new wildfires on Sunday broke out in Bastrop County where a huge fire burned more than 25,000 acres (10,100 hectares). It started in the Lost Pines area, northeast of Bastrop, and moved unchecked for at least 16 miles (25 kilometers) to the south and jumped the Colorado River twice.

“Reports indicate possibly 300 homes have been destroyed,” a spokesperson for the Texas Forest Service said on Monday. The Circle D, K.C. Estates, Pine Forest, Colovista and Tahitian Village subdivision have been evacuated as heavy airtankers and single-engine airtankers are battling the fire.

In Smith County, near Gladewater, a 20-year-old woman and her 18-month-old daughter were killed on Sunday when a fast-moving fire covering some 1,000 acres (405 hectares) destroyed their trailer and at least five other homes. Ten homes were evacuated.

The second-largest fire which broke out on Sunday was located in Travis County, southeast of Spicewood, where more than 7,000 acres (2,832 hectares) have burned. A total of 20 homes were destroyed while 30 homes have been damaged.

Other large fires which broke out on Sunday are burning in Henderson County (5,000 acres / 2,023 hectares, three homes saved), Limestone County (3,000 acres / 1,214 hectares, one home destroyed and six saved), Fayette County (2,000 acres / 809 hectares, seven homes destroyed, Ruttersville evacuated), east of Lockhart, Caldwell County (1,000 acres / 404 hectares, six homes lost and 20 others saved), Colorado County (1,000 acres / 404 hectares, 40 homes threatened).

Other fires which broke out on Sunday, a total of 63, were all smaller than 1,000 acres (404 hectares) as of early Monday morning. But several of them have already destroyed dozens of homes, although there were no casualties.

In Travis County, a fire started just north of the Steiner Ranch subdivision, resulting in mandatory evacuations for more than 1,000 homes in the area. A Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System strike team responded, but at least 25 homes were reported to have been destroyed as of Monday.

Fifteen homes were also destroyed in Leon County as a result of a wildfire, while another fire in Hunt County also destroyed two homes. Hundreds of people have been evacuated in those areas as numerous homes are being threatened.

“The wildfire situation in Texas is severe and all necessary state resources are being made available to protect lives and property,” Governor Rick Perry said. “I urge Texans to take extreme caution as we continue to see the devastating effects of sweeping wildfires impacting both rural and urban areas of the state. Our thoughts and prayers are with the first responders who are working around the clock to keep Texans out of harm’s way, and with the families across our state who are threatened by these wildfires.”

Texas is currently battling one of the worst fire seasons in state history. The dangerous conditions are caused by the ongoing drought and an overabundance of dead vegetation which burns easily. But the fires also intensified during the weekend due to windy conditions as a result of Tropical Storm Lee, which has since dissipated.

Since the beginning of wildfire season, local and state firefighters have responded to more than 20,900 fires that have destroyed more than 1,000 homes and burned more than 3.6 million acres (1.4 million hectares). Governor Rick Perry issued a disaster proclamation on December 21, 2010 and has reissued it nine times.

Monday, September 5th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19900/two-killed-as-texas-wildfires-destroy-nearly-400-homes/.

Irene death toll rises to 25 in US

Mon Aug 29, 2011

The death toll from Hurricane Irene's onslaught on the East Coast of the United States has risen to 25, as the tropical storm makes its way to eastern Canada, Press TV reported.

Twenty five people were killed across eight states of the United States by toppled trees and other hurricane-related incidents.

Moreover, the storm left some 4.5 million households and business units in the US without power and inflicted an estimated USD 7 to 13 billion in damage.

The US State of Vermont witnessed seven inches of rain early Monday.

Irene has now reached Canada after leaving a trail of destruction across the northeastern US.

Strong winds battered parts of Canada's Quebec and the Atlantic provinces on Monday morning.

The US National Hurricane Center has downgraded Hurricane Irene to a post-tropical cyclone.

US President Barack Obama on Sunday warned that the dangers of the tropical storm will not be over even after Irene leaves the US.

"Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding, which could get worse in the coming days as rivers swell past their banks," Obama said.

“I do want to underscore, that the impact of the storm will be felt for some time. And the recovery effort will last for weeks or longer,” Obama added.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/196380.html.

At least 20 killed in Nigeria flooding

ABUJA (BNO NEWS) — At least 20 people have been killed and thousands displaced by heavy flooding in and around the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan, officials said on Sunday.

A dam overflowed and washed away numerous buildings and bridges in the region, following heavy rains which began on Friday, according to the BBC. “It’s a very serious situation,” said Yushau Shuaib, an official in the city, 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Lagos.

Hundreds of cars were also reported to have been submerged in the floods, while businesses and farmlands were also damaged. Shuaib told the BBC it was impossible to give an accurate figure of those displaced, but said that it was “definitely in the thousands”.

On Tuesday, more than 150 houses were destroyed in the village of Kari, which is located in Darazo of Bauchi state, after six hours of nonstop rain. At least four people were reportedly killed as rain-triggered floods washed away hundreds of livestock, and other goods such as vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles.

And in late June, at least 24 people were killed and many others were injured when torrential rains flooded the northern city of Kano. Numerous buildings collapsed and were destroyed.

According to authorities, more than 500,000 people across the country, mostly in the North, were displaced last year by flooding. The National Emergency Management Agency recently warned state governments in the North to take preventive measures against floods.

More than 300 people were killed across western and central Africa in the 2010 rainy season.

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19739/at-least-20-killed-in-nigeria-flooding/.

Japan Gov't Officially Launches Reconstruction Agency of Earthquake

2012-02-10

Japanese government officially launched on Friday a reconstruction agency to promote the recovery work of areas devastated by the March 11th earthquake.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and the new agency's first head Tatsuo Hirano held press conference separately Friday evening after the lunch ceremony.

Noda explained that when Hirano was the disaster minister in July last year, he almost visited the disaster hit areas every week, made a lot of contributions to the remonstration works, Hirano is well familiar with the situation in the affected areas, that's the reason why he chose Hirano.

"Weather the power of the new agency could be used appropriately is the key weather the reconstruction agency could operate properly, is also the key of reconstructions for all quake- hit areas. I will play my leading role better as the Prime Minister of Japan." Noda said.

Noda also announced his 5 main tasks in next stage of reconstructions in devastated areas at the press conference, including new house remonstrations, garbage disposal, and employment guarantee, victims' psychological consulting and nuclear accident victims' returning.

Tatsuo Hirano, the 57-year-old new minister of reconstruction agency, was born in Iwate prefecture, one of the worst hit prefectures, vowed to take helm in rebuilding works.

Hirano encouraged the officials who work in the Tokyo headquarters to make utmost effort to accelerate reconstructions together and always sincerely respond to the victims' calls in the press conference later Friday.

The headquarters of the reconstruction agency is located in Akasaka, and there are three main local reconstruction bureaus in Morioka, Sendai and Fukushima, the capitals of three worst hit prefectures, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima respectively, with total 250 officials.

The reconstruction agency was planed to operate about 10 years until the end of March 2021, mainly dealing with questions about making reconstruction policy, settling down the location of special rebuild area, allotting reconstruction funds, and coordinating with other related departments to promote reconstruction.

"The material of making the wooded tablet outside the reconstruction agency is from the earthquake hit area. We want to take this as a warning that we should always remember the expectations form the residents in earthquake hit area, that's our heavy responsibility," said Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda when he attended the lunch ceremony in downtown Tokyo.

Noda appointed Tatsuo Hirano as head of the reconstruction agency one day ahead.

Last December, Japan's lower house of parliament passed the bill on establishing a new agency to bolster efforts to rebuild areas ravaged by the natural disaster and bring cabinet members to a maximum 18 by adding a new member.

Source: CRIEnglish.
Link: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2012/02/10/2701s680431.htm.

Flash floods threaten quake-hit regions

MANILA, Philippines, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The central Philippines, hit by an earthquake that killed dozens and pounded by hundreds of aftershocks all week, was threatened by flash flooding Friday.

Heavy rains lashed the Negros province, which took the brunt of Monday's 6.7-magnitude offshore earthquake, hampering the efforts of rescuers looking for bodies and survivors buried under landslides and toppled homes in Negros and neighboring provinces.

The Philippine army placed the death toll at 48 but the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council put the official toll at 34, the Philippine Star reported Friday.

The Philippine News Agency, quoting the Negros provincial government, said as of Wednesday at least 50 people remained missing.

The worst hit towns in Negros located in the Visayas island chain in central Philippines were Guihulngan, Jimalalud, La Libertad, Tayasan, Ayungon, Manjuyod and Bindoy.

There has been much damage in the quake-hit regions with bridges made impassable, roads crumbled, hundreds of families with no homes and essential services badly hit. Since Monday, more than 1,000 aftershocks, some strong, have terrorized the survivors.

Speedy repair of bridges and roads remained a priority to bring in heavy equipment for cleanup and rescue operations and to transport relief supplies.

Now with the onset of rains, the situation could worsen.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said flash floods and landslides threatened the region, including Negros, the Star reported.

Disaster council Executive Director Benito Ramos said the rains and aftershocks also posed risks to rescue teams, which were forced to temporarily suspend their efforts.

"It [the suspension of search and rescue operations] is only temporary because of the rains. Aftershocks are also being experienced. It was dangerous. Our responders might get buried," Ramos was quoted as saying. He said the operations would resume Friday if the situation improved, although hopes of finding anyone alive in the rubble were fading.

The government of Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III sought to contain criticism that not enough was being done for the victims.

The president's office said the government would do all it could to save human lives and help the survivors, the Philippine News Agency reported.

"You have to take into consideration the physical difficulties there," a presidential spokesman said.

Aquino observed his 52nd birthday Wednesday visiting disaster areas in Negros and overseeing relief and reconstruction operations, the report said.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/02/10/Flash-floods-threaten-quake-hit-regions/UPI-56251328850498/.

Europe sends in ice-breakers to battle big chill

Belgrade (AFP)
Feb 7, 2012

Authorities employed explosives, icebreakers and tractors Tuesday in the battle to overcome Europe's big freeze, as dozens more died of hypothermia and tens of thousands remained cut off by snow.

Around 400 people have now died from the cold weather in Europe since the cold snap began 11 days ago and forecasters warned there would be no early let-up to some of the lowest temperatures seen in decades.

While there was some respite for people in Ukraine -- where more than 130 deaths have been recorded -- the mercury plunged overnight to minus 39.4 degrees Celsius (-38.9 Fahrenheit) in the Kvilda region of the Czech Republic.

More bodies were found either on the streets, in their cars or in their homes in Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Hungary and across the Balkans.

Authorities in Serbia said that 70,000 people were trapped in snow-bound villages in the south as officials declared an "emergency situation".

In a dramatic effort to prevent two of the country's main waterways from becoming completely blocked, officials called up army explosive experts.

As ice layers threatened to cause widespread floods on the Ibar, Alexander Prodanovic, the country's top water official, said dynamite would be detonated to break up the huge blocks which had formed.

Authorities also hired icebreaking ships from Hungary to ease the flow on the Danube, the main waterway for all commercial shipping in Serbia. The port authority said the Danube was navigable around Belgrade but with difficulty.

There was similar chaos elsewhere in the Balkans with train linking Croatia's central coastal town of Split and the capital Zagreb derailing as a result of a snow drift. There were no reports of injuries.

The army, firefighters and rescue services were trying to get food and medicine to the population in several hundred villages in southern Croatia where snow up to 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) high was piled up.

"This is a disaster, we have been cut off from the rest of the world ... Snowploughs cannot reach us, so we have to walk to get some bread and basic things," Marko Ancic told the Slobodna Dalmacija daily after trekking some 17 kilometers (10 miles) from his village to reach the nearest town.

Large parts of eastern and southern Bosnia were also cut off by the snow and avalanches. There has been no contact since Friday with the hamlet of Zijemlje, some 30 kilometers from the town of Mostar.

"We don't know what is going on there. They have not had electricity since Friday and phone lines are cut, they have no running water," Radovan Palavestra, the mayor of Mostar, told AFP.

"There are elderly people who are very fragile and children including a baby of two months."

A helicopter which should have flown in aid to Zijemlje was unable to take off Tuesday morning because of heavy snowfall.

In Romania, two heavily pregnant women had to be flown out by helicopter in the eastern area of Iasi after their villages were completely cut off. Another pregnant woman had to be ferried to hospital by tractor in the eastern Paltinis area after her ambulance became stuck in the snow.

Schools were shut in large parts of the country, including Bucharest, while many train services were cancelled. Around 40 percent of roads were also closed, although flights did resume from Bucharest airport.

Snowstorms lashed Bulgaria, a day after eight people drowned in raging rivers and the icy waters from a broken dam that submerged a whole village to the southeast.

A Briton living on the Greek island of Symi drowned in a river which had been swollen by heavy rains as he tried to move his moped to safety.

The numbers killed by hypothermia in Poland rose to 68 after the authorities there recorded another six deaths in the last 24 hours. The majority of those who have died were homeless, many of whom had been drinking heavily.

The cold snap has also seen a sharp rise in the number of people being killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty gas heaters.

According to the state weather forecaster in Ukraine, temperatures there could rise to a relatively modest minus six degrees. But the respite will be short-lived with temperatures expected to plunge to minus 30 by the weekend.

The UN weather service said temperatures would remain low until March.

"We might expect the change in the current cold wave to to start easing from the start of next week up to the end of the month," Omar Baddour, a scientist at the World Meteorological Organization, told reporters.

It was a similar message from Britain where forecasters said the cold spell could last for two more weeks and heavy snow at the weekend.

And in France, authorities appealed to households to save power where possible as they predicted electricity use could hit a record high.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Europe_sends_in_ice-breakers_to_battle_big_chill_999.html.

Indonesia's Mount Lokon erupts three more times

MANADO, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) — Indonesia’s Mount Lokon, which is located on the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi, erupted three more times on Wednesday, local authorities said.

Farid Ruskanda Bina, Mount Lokon’s monitoring post chief in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, said Mount Lokon spewed out ash as high as 250 meters (820 feet) which was heading north, the Antara news agency reported, adding that the eruptions also triggered several tremors, three of them shallow.

Over the past few days, Mount Lokon has been showing increasing activity and constant tremors. Initial tremors had an amplitude of 2 to 10 millimeters (0.07 to 0.39 inches), but on Tuesday seismic records documented tremors with an amplitude of up to 18 millimeters (0.70 inches).

The Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center has not raised Mount Lokon’s alert status to level IV despite the ongoing eruptions, instead keeping it at level III.

Farid underlined the importance of local residents staying alert, as a minimum distance of 2.5 kilometers (1.5 mile) from Mount Lokon’s crater must be kept at all times.

On August 17, Mount Lokon began to spew volcanic ash which fell as far away as the Kinilow I village and the Tinoor areas in North Tomohon sub district, which is a short distance from Lokon’s crater.

Since June, Mount Lokon has shown constant volcanic activity, prompting authorities to raise its status to alert on June 27 and watch on July 10. A series of eruptions in mid July forced at least 5,269 locals from the villages of Kinilow, Kelurahan Kinilow I and Kakaskasen 1 to evacuate the area.

While most residents returned to their homes later that month, some 222 people remain at temporary refugee camps because their homes are in Mound Lokon’s red zone – 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) from its crater. After July’s activity, Mount Lokon’s alert level was lowered from watch to alert, and has remained at this level since.

Dozens of active volcanoes in Indonesia are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Next to Mount Lokon is its volcanic twin, Mount Empung, just 2.2 kilometers (1.3 miles) away.

One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes is Mount Merapi, which is located on the island of Java near Jogjakarta, the country’s second-most visited area after Bali. Last year, more than 300 people were killed in a series of eruptions between October and November which also displaced over 300,000 people.

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19666/indonesias-mount-lokon-erupts-three-more-times/.

Indonesia's Aceh marks 7 years since Indian Ocean tsunami

Dec 26, 2011

Banda Aceh, Indonesia - Aliya Humaira scribbled a message on yellow paper in the shape of a petal: 'I love Papa, I love Mama, I love Sister Icha, I love Brother Kiki.'

The 8-year-old Aliya lost her parents, a brother and a sister in the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated Aceh province on Indonesia's Sumatra island.

She and other children marked the 7th anniversary of the tsunami by planting 5,000 paper flowers containing messages of hope from their Japanese peers on a golf course in Aceh Besar district.

The yellow paper flowers were sent by children in the Japanese city of Kobe, where more than 6,000 people were killed after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck 16 years ago.

'Let's rise up together,' read one message written by a Japanese earthquake survivor.

Aliya is now being raised by her grandmother in Medan, the capital of neighboring North Sumatra province.

'Every year I take Aliya to Aceh so that she won't forget her family,' said the grandmother, Khamariyah, wiping tears that rolled down her eyes. Like many Indonesians she uses only one name.

Aceh was the region hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami.

The disaster, triggered by a magnitude-9.3 earthquake off Sumatra, killed an estimated 230,000 people in 13 countries along the Indian Ocean, including 170,000 in Aceh and Nias island.

Thousands attended the ceremony marking the anniversary in Aceh Besar attended by Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf and guests from Japan.

'The paper flowers are called Shinsai Mirai No Hana, which means flowers of the future,' said Ryo Nishikawa, a Japanese social worker who organized the project.

He said Achinese children would also send similar flowers to their Japanese peers in Kobe.

Relatives gathered Monday at mass graves where thousands of Achinese victims of the tsunami were buried to say prayers.

At a mass grave in Siron, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists offered joint prayers while others in the staunchly Islamic province gathered at local mosques.

Days before the anniversary, an Achinese girl who was thought to have died in the tsunami was found and reunited with her parents.

Her grandfather said she was forced to beg by her adopted mother for years before she left her to look for her biological parents.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1682718.php/Indonesia-s-Aceh-marks-7-years-since-Indian-Ocean-tsunami.

Indonesia's Mount Lokon erupts, disrupts air traffic network

MANADO, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) — Indonesia’s Mount Lokon, which is located on the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi, on Monday erupted, officials said, who also warned air traffic networks.

Indonesian Transportation Ministry’s Public Communication Center chief Bambang S. Ervan said volcanic ash reached 50,000 feet into the air after its latest eruptions, Antara news agency reported. Bambang also warned air traffic networks to avoid flying through the area and to take extra precautions.

In its ‘Notice to Airman,’ the Transportation Ministry established the eruption’s danger zone of 10 Nautical Miles, or some 18.52 kilometers (11.5 miles) from Mount Lokon. Meanwhile, local authorities said about 7,000 inhabitants, who reside near the foot of Mount Lokon, namely those in the Kakaskasen and Kinilow areas, will be evacuated starting Tuesday morning.

Residents had been advised to evacuate the area since Monday night, as Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency’s (BNPB) Data Center Chief Sutopo Purwon Nugroho said officials had established Lokon’s evacuation zone to at least 3.5 kilometer (2.2 mile) radius from its crater. He also urged resident to be aware of further eruptions, possible lava flow through a river, which flows down from Lokon’s peak, as well as dust, sand, and rock rains.

Tuesday’s evacuation will be carried out with dozens of school buses, cars, and trucks, which have already been lined up at the local search and rescue agency. Three evacuation centers are also being prepared in which several tents have been set up.

Earlier, BNPB raised the volcano’s alert level status after Mount Lokon, which is 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) high, increased its volcanic activity. Since 12:40 a.m. local time, it spewed varied amounts of ash until erupting at 3:50 p.m., producing a thick brownish volcanic ash cloud, North Sulawesi Volcanic Monitoring Post Farid Ruskanda Bina said.

Farid said the exact height of the the ash cloud could not be determined because the eruption was fresh. He did underline, however, that the eruption was big.

Nonetheless, Sutopo called on residents to keep calm and follow indication announced by local officials and not believe rumors. Lokon is located some 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) away from Manado, Sulawesi’s second-largest city, and is located on the island’s northern tip, where large and small ash clouds have been seen. The latest ash cloud can be seen north of the mountain covering Jalan Tinoor, Warembungan, and may be heading towards Manado.

Dozens of active volcanoes in Indonesia are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Next to Mount Lokon is its volcanic twin, Mount Empung, just 2.2 kilometers (1.3 miles) away.

One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes is Mount Merapi, which located in the island of Java near Jogjakarta, the country’s second-most visited area after Bali. Last year, more than 300 people were killed in a series of eruptions between October and November that also displaced over 300,000 people.

Monday, July 11th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/18765/indonesias-mount-lokon-erupts-disrupts-air-traffic-network/.

China drought affects 35 million people

BEIJING, May 30 (UPI) -- The months-long drought along China's Yangtze River has affected 35 million people and the economic loss so far stands at $2.3 billion, officials said Monday.

No immediate relief was in sight as the National Meteorological Center said the dry weather was expected to continue over the next few days in provinces and municipalities in the area, China Daily reported.

Photographs showed fishing boats stranded on grassland, once the bed of Poyang Lake -- China's largest fresh water lake in eastern Jiangxi province.

Since early January, precipitation in Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan provinces has been about 40 percent to 60 percent less than the same period last year, the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The report said the Dongting Lake in Hunan province is also drying up dramatically.

Of the total number affected by the drought, about 4.23 million people were experiencing difficulties in finding drinking water and 5.06 million were in need of assistance, the report said.

The drought has also affected 1.07 million head of cattle and 9.1 million acres of crops.

The soaring prices of vegetables are adding to the country's already high inflation, which was expected to reach a new high in May.

Authorities have ordered the Three Gorges Dam spanning the Yangtze River to discharge more water to the drought-hit provinces.

The drought has been described as the worst since 1954. Experts said extensive cultivation and poor water conservancy also are contributing to the problem.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/05/30/China-drought-affects-35-million-people/UPI-97071306753772/.

Volcano Erupts in Indonesia

2011-07-03

A volcano in North Sulawesi province of central Indonesia erupted earlier Sunday, but there is no evacuation, head of the country's volcanology agency named only Surono said in Jakarta.

Mount Soputan located some 60 km from Manado, capital of the province, started a small eruption at around 02:00 a.m. local time Sunday, spewing over 1,000-meter high hot ash, then it was followed by a big eruption at 06:03 a.m. local time by spewing over 6,000 meters high ash, the head of the agency told Xinhua by phone.

The agency has declared a dangerous zone with a radius of 6.5 kilometers, said Surono.

"So far, there is no evacuation because the closest area where people live is about 8 kilometers from the mount," he said.

Agus Budianto, head of monitoring and search at the agency also said that based on the character of the 1,874-meter high Mount Soputan and the history of its eruption, the authorities may still not need to order an evacuation, Budianto told Xinhua by phone from the headquarters of the agency in West Java on Sunday.

Budianto said the ash spew toward western part of the island, which does not disturb flight routes.

"We have told the airport in Manado city to be alert. We will give a warning should the ash direction change to the south (the route of flights)," he said.

The official said the second eruption might be the biggest and predict the next eruption may be weaker.

The agency has raised the alert level of the volcano to the second top level at 23:00 p.m. local time Saturday, said Budianto.

Mount Soputan is one of Indonesia's active volcanoes whose number is about 129, according to the National Volcanology Agency.

Source: CRIEnglish.
Link: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/07/03/1781s646016.htm.

Malaysia Sends Rescue Workers To Quake-Hit Japan

PEKAN, March 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is rushing disaster assistance personnel, sniffer dogs and doctors to help with search and rescue efforts in Japan where an earthquake and tsunami yesterday left more than 1,000 people dead and several more missing.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who announced this on Saturday, said 15 members of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART), several doctors and medical assistants and six sniffer dogs would leave for Japan in two C-130 aircraft at 6pm Saturday.

"This (assistance) demonstrates our sympathy and support for the government and people of Japan," he told reporters after a visit to the Universiti Malaysia Pahang campus here.

Najib said all Malaysians in Japan were reported to be safe.

Asked whether the government would evacuate Malaysians from Japan in view of a possible radiation leak from nuclear power plants following the earthquake, the prime minister said the Japanese government would have to determine whether there was any danger from the plants.

An 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan yesterday afternoon and triggered a 10-meter high tsunami which lashed onto the northeastern part of the country, resulting in up to 1,000 people killed in the twin disasters.

Najib said the government would monitor the effects of the disasters on the country's economy and prices of goods.

He also said that efforts were being made to increase the supply of essential goods through the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry and Felda besides encouraging competition among industries with a view to reducing prices.

The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry had been instructed to monitor traders who raised the prices of goods too high, he said.

"We do not want inflation to go up too much. It will be manageable at two per cent to 2-1/2 per cent," he added.

-- BERNAMA

Source: Bernama.
Link: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=570539.

Nearly 600 evacuated as Indonesian volcano erupts

Sat, 19 Mar 2011

Jakarta - Nearly 600 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters a day after Indonesian authorities issued a red alert for the Mount Karangetang volcano, a volcanologist said Saturday.

The volcano, located on Siau island off the coast of Sulawesi island, began spewing jets of hot clouds and lava Friday, prompting authorities to order the evacuations of three villages on its slopes.

Indonesia's chief volcanologist, Surono, said eruptions were continuing Saturday but there were no reports of casualties.

Surono's office on Friday raised the alert level for the volcano two notches to the highest level after a series of eruptions.

"We have no choice but to order an evacuation because people were at risk of being affected by the hot clouds," said Surono, who like many Indonesians uses one name.

He said 582 people had been moved to temporary shelters provided by the government.

Karangetang is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes. Four people were killed during the volcano's eruptions in August last year.

Indonesia sits on the so-called Ring of Fire, an area known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

More than 300 people were killed in a series of eruptions at the Merapi volcano on Java island between October and November last year.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/372451,evacuated-indonesian-volcano-erupts.html.