Colombia Landslide

Sunday a terrible landslide hit a suburb of Medellin, Colombia.  As of yesterday rescuers were still trying to find survivors, even though there is a slim chance.  In situations like these you usually have a 48 hour window to rescue someone.  The reason for this landslide and why it is taking so long for rescuers to dig into the Earth is the fact that they have been hit by severe rainstorms.  So far 43 bodies have been found, while there is still 100 missing and presumed dead.  This landslide was extra dangerous because it happened on Sunday when most people gather for meals.  The slide which covered 50 homes is just one of many that have been occuring in Columbia.  So far 194 people have been killed, another 1.6 million have been affected, 2,000 homes have been destroyed, and over 200,000 other homes have been damaged in these torrential rains.  These areas are especially vulnerable to landslides because they are a poor country.  There is probably not much education about landslides and it probablly happened so fast while people were sitting down that there was nothing they could do.  Even the rescue operations are not very good.  As you can see in the video I posted below the rescuers are mostly other villagers.  They are trying so hard to dig that they are actually stabbing into the ground with shovels.  Even if there would be survivors it looks like they could easily be killed by one of the rescuers. 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/12/08/colombia.landslide/index.html

Australian Floods

Currently the east coast of Australia is having the worst flooding in 30 years.  Four inches of rain fell in one night in the city of Queanbeyan, causing the river to flood all of downtown.  The Australian attornery general declared 45 communities disaster areas, as they have had torrential downpours for weeks now.  This is typical weather for December in Australia but this year the rain has been so intense that crops are being completely wiped out and there have been 4 deaths.  These deaths, to no surprise, have came from motorist.  Either their cars have been swept away or when trying to leave their car they were swept away themselves.  Like we have learned this is a very common way people die in situations like this.  The problems is that people know it is dangerous but they think they can just drive through anything, when in fact it only takes a little water to take control of your vehicle.  This  areas, which are being evacuated because homes are being submerged by water, are being claimed disasters for mitigation reasons.  Once a disaster has been declared those communites can dip into federal funds for aid.  This is great but like we have learned in class these kind of plans arent always the best.  To me it seems as there should have been aid given out prior to today.  Now they have to deal with deaths and strandad civilians.  Another problem is people probably do not know where all the money is going.  I am sure everything will be fine, but there easily could have been other steps taken to save peoples lives.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101210/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_flood

Rain Turns To Snow

After what we learned this week in class about how rain will turn to snow after a front moves in I wanted to see this in action.  So I tried finding some stuff on how the storm has progressed on the East Coast and I was amazed at what I found.  Once it got colder everything started to freeze making it very slippery and then the rain turned to snow.  That snowed has accumulated to over 32 inches in some areas.  The worst area is interstate 90 in Buffalo, New York.  On this highway motorists have been stranded for over 20 hours.  Traffic got backed up and the accumlating snow did not stop so even if they could move they can't because they are snowed in.  The main concern for those stuck is warmth, food, and water.  Rescue crews have been consistenly going car to car on ATVs making sure people are all right.  This story is interesting because it is just like what we just learned about how heavy the snow would be right away due to the amount of moisture in the air.  It is good to see that even though an event like this is not expected the area has a plan in action...even though it is taking a long time.

Storms Pummel Eastern States

After we talked today about how severe storms form I tried to find information on how powerful the front is that is currently going across the Eastern United States.  Below I have included a picture and a video of how much rain there has been.  Today many airports had to delay or cancel flights because of the heavy rains.  Also many schools closed for the day or started late and some areas have been declared in a state of emergency.  Two people have died so far from having trees fall on their cars and many others have been injured in areas where tornadoes have hit.  Currently in Gwinnett County, seen in the video, rescue crews are going door to door making sure everyone is ok after strong winds hit the area.  This kind of post mitigation is good to see as we have learned that many times after effects are worse than the actual event.



http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/01/southern.storms/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Deadly Torrential Rains

Flooding and mudslides causedby torrential rains have killed 21 in Venezuela.  The rains, which started last week, have made 5,600 people flee their homes.  Gov. Capriles has issued a "state of alarm" for Miranda and has called upon President Hugo Chavez to declare an emergency in the state.  Other areas have already been declared in an emergency state, this way they receive more aid at a faster rate.  November is usually a rainy season fro Venezuela but this time they have received a lot more rain past the rainy season.  This ties in to what we have been talking about in class with mitigation because there are many different effects floods can bring that many might not be expecting.  In Venezuela many are without power and roads are unaccessible due to high water or mudslides covering the roads.  As you can see in the picture below in some areas water is up to their knees.  This high water may seem harmless but many of those who have died have been children who have gone out to play in the water and been swept away.  This is where education would definitly be helpful because many probably do not know how much power a flood can have.  Below is a link to a youtube video of flooding in this area previous to this flood that shows just how powerful these flood waters can be.  I would have embedded the link but I was not allowed to.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFGBqCX6AQI

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/30/world/main7105140.shtml

Eroding Beaches

Cancuns beaches, considered some of the best in the world, are in grave danger of erosion.  The reason why I thought this story is interesting is the fact that the eroding beach is being caused by natural and man causes.  Unusually strong hurricanes slamming into the shoreline are now showing the signs bad planning of the tourist destination.  Hotels built too tall, too heavy, too close to shore, and atop shifting sand in a peninsula along with the removal of natural vegetation has fueled the erosion which is now leaving the hotel strip without a beach.  Hurricane Wilma, a category 4 which hit in 2005, had waves hitting the hotels located on the shoreline.  The worst thing about this erosion is that it was predicted to happen 40 years ago but still nothing was done to plan ahead for it.  Instead the planning was just what was good for bringing in tourists.  The erosion has escaladed in the past decade due to climate change that has brought on strong hurricanes.  There have been two attempts to restore the beaches, costing $89 million, by extracting sand from the ocean and dumping it on the shore.  This plan failed once and is already showing more signs of failure as the sand simply washes out to sea.  Many people find this a waste of money but every year Cancun brings in $3 billion in tourism.  So maybe this spending is well worth it to attract tourists.  This solution, though, can also be detrimental to the environment.  The removal of sand can hurt the ocean floor ecosystem as well as the coral reefs.  Fine sand that is present in newly dumped sand washes out and blocks the sunlight that the coral reefs need. 
The buildings have a three way effect on the erosion.  First, since the buildings are so tall winds are forced down onto the beach making eddies that encourage erosion.  Then waves that may of harmlessly flowed over sand dunes now smack into buildings and go back out to sea taking sand with them.  Finally the weight of the hotels are actually pushing sand down and outward towards the sea.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101130/ap_on_sc/lt_climate_cancun_s_eroding_beaches

Flood Protection

The Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works Review Board in Washington, D.C., endorsed on a 5-0 vote a flood-protection plan for Cedar Rapids that will move it closer to consideration for funding by the U.S. Congress.  This is big for Cedar Rapids because for the past months the plan was only to protect the East side of the river but not the West.  The mayor of Cedar Rapids proclaimed how the city needed to be protected on both sides to ensure the continuation of the city and rightfully so.  If only one side is protected that means the other side is still vulnerable to flooding shown in the picture below.


As we have learned in class an event like this is devastating to a city.  There is virtually no way to move when flooding like this occurs.  The financial loss is extremely high as is the risk of loss of life.  Cities like Cedar Rapids need to take a preemptive approach to situations like this.

http://thegazette.com/2010/11/18/corps-endorses-flood-protection-for-east-side/

Flash Flooding in England

Flash floods and landslides hit England Wednesday, a result from heavy rains in the area.  This is being considered a major incident as there are several places with flooding that has trapped people and disrupted travel.  This relates to what we have been talking about it class because it was reported that the flooding started almost out of no where.  One store owner reported one minute he was dry and the next he was up to his waist in muddy water.  Also like we have discussed most deaths in floods occur from people in cars.  Luckily no one has been harmed but there are rescue teams out looking for people stranded in their cars.  Also a rail system has been shut down due to a landslide that occured.  This goes to show how  these events can be devastating as there is literally no way to get to these flooded areas except by helicopter.  One of the reasons I believe this flash flooding has occured is the fact that the area is so flat as seen in the picture below.


View Larger Map






Residents look out into the muddy water filled streets.  Notice the sandbags in place to try to prevent water damage.

Another Deadly Blast

Mount Merapi in Indonesia erupted once again today.  The eruptions which started on October 26 has killed a total of 206 and displaced over 400,000.  After todays blast rescue crews recovered more dead bodies.  The worst is considered over but like we have learned in class there is still a threat from the ash that has spewed out of the volcano as shown in the picture below.  Because of this threat there is still a 20 kilometer radius danger zone. In total 140 million cubic meters of magma has flowed out of Mount Merapi, a record.  This blast today was not the strongest but still was devastating because of the earlier flows which destroyed a lot of vegetation.  Since trees and other obstacles have already been destroyed there has been nothing to slow down the magma of today's flow.  The odd thing about this volcano is that it is one of the most active volcanos in Indonesia and yet it is also highly populated.  It would make more sense to live as far away from this volcano, as it killed over 1,300 in a blast in 1930.




Rescue workers have there faces covered to prevent ash from getting in their eyes and lungs, as they search for bodies in a barren ash filled area.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/12/indonesia.volcano/index.html?hpt=T2

Sinkhole in Germany

Last week residents in the German town of Schmalkalden awoke to a giant sinkhole in their neighborhood.  Twenty three nearby homes were quickly evactuated for fear of the 20 meter wide 40 meter long sinkhole getting bigger.  As you can see in the video, hours after the the sinkhole formed damage to a garage continued as walls collasped.  Luckily no one was hurt in this event but one car was taken into the hole along with a section of a road.  You can see debris in the pictures but everything is buried underneath dirt so you can only imagine what would have happened if somebody was sucked into this sinkhole.  Sinkholes are usually formed by the natural process called suffosion.  This is where groundwater dissolves the carbonate cement that holds the ground together creating a cavern underneath the ground.  At any time then the surface may collaspe.  Since this sinkhole happened on a road it leaves me to believe that the weight of the road definitly influenced how fast the sinkhole formed.  What makes a sinkhole like this one so dangerous is its location.  Ironically it was probably a good thing this sinkhole occured in the middle of the night.  If during the day there would have a been a greater chance for traffic, and if there were people driving I would assume they would have lost their lives.  Also this happened in a neighborhood.  They are lucky that it did not form underneath a house which could have demolished it in mere seconds.  







This video shows how fast a sinkhole occurs and how dangerous it can be.

Volcanic Ash Takes Its Toll

The volcanic eruptionns in Mount Merapi, Indonesia, have  killed 138 people and now is feeling the after effects of the eruptions.  Volcanic ash has covered the area, causing flights to be cancelled.  This obvisouly has made relief efforts in the area harder.  As we have learned in class volcanic ash can travel far distances in eruptions.  One of the biggest problems is there is very few respirators available for the area.  In  the area closer to the volcanoe the main concern is the mudflows.  These mudflows, which can flow up to 60 mph, are expected to flow to lower elevations so hopefully everyone in the area has listened to the warnings and evacutated.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101106/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_disasters

Deadly Landslide

Early this morning in San Antonio De Escazu, Costa Rica, a rain sodden hillside collasped on homes killing 20 and leaving 14 dead.  The landslide happened while most were still sleeping.  This is one of the main causes for the casualities, because its difficult for people to react quickly enough a fast event such as this.  This landslide was not a surprise as a massive storm hit Costa Rica yesterday.  In two hours Costa Rica received over six inches of rain and over a foot of rain in total.  Many people evacuated the area but obviously some did not.  To no surprise this happened in a poor community where people might not be educated enough to leave.  After the initial landslide many people came to help to try to find people but they were turned away in fear of additional landslides.  This is a good idea, because as we have learned in many times there is more than one event in a disaster.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101105/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_costa_rica_landslide

Deadly Blast

This morning the most powerful volcanic blast of the week occured in Indonesia.  This blasts comes in the same week that a tsunami hit killing 413.  Because of the two events happening in the same week the emergency response crews have been pushed to the limit.  Some problems that they are having are things we have talked about class.  Some people returned to their houses to check on crops and livestock to only be hit by another eruption.  They have warning systems and once a warning has gone off soldiers have been put in place to evacuate those, especially the reluctant ones, who live on the mountainside.  The biggest concern is that there will be a more powerful blast soon like we have learned about in many disasters.  That is people think that once there is a powerful event it is safe, while a more powerful event can easily occur.  Educating these people is very important has disasters like this are high risk because of the location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101030/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_disasters

Strong Winds in Wisconsin

The storm that passed over Wisconsin and the rest of the Midwest this week was similar to a hurricane.  The National Wheather Service said that the systems pressure was an all time record low on Tuesday.  This pressure was worst than the worst storms of the last century including the storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald freighter.  This storm had the force of a blizzard and I got to experience it first hand.  The storm made our football practice almost unbearable as temperatures dropped into the 30's with winds up to 50 mph that led to horizontal rain.  While the worst part of the storm was the wind, it is nothing to take lightly.  As many know a Notre Dame student was killed this week as he filmed practice on a high rise that tipped over in the storm.  Attached is a link about the Notre Dame accident.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5742081

Argentina Tornado

A tornado hit northern Argentina yesterday, killing four and injuring over 100 more.  Those killed included a 1, 19, 28, and 87 year old.  Among the injured 10 more are listed in critical condition.  The serious injuries included blows to the head, fractured limbs, and internal injuries.  This obvioulsy means that some people were not prepared for this tornado and did not take appropriate action for safety.  Most likely the people who were killed or hurt have lower incomes and did not have a sturdy enough place to take shelter.  Among the 10,000 residents of the town 80% are still without electricty or cell-phone service.  Those with damaged homes have been able to take shelter in nearby schools and churches though.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/22/argentina.tornado/index.html

Typhoon Megi

A typhoon the left 11 dead in the Phillipines is headed towards China.  Currently Typhoon Megi is about 370 miles away from China and is expected to make landfall by October 23.  On the Saffir-Simpson scale Megi is a catetgory 4 (2nd highest rating) and is capable of producing catastrophic damage with winds over 200 kph.  A big concern is the heavy rains that are expected since over 2000 have already died in flooding in China this year.  The good news is that China is already preparing for this typhoon.  A low level warning as been sent out to notify people of the oncoming storm.  Many businesses are closing up shop to prevent damage.  This is good since in the Phillipines Typhoon Megi caused as estimated $32 million is damage.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-19/typhoon-megi-strengthens-to-category-4-storm-heads-toward-southern-china.html

Cost of Pakistan Flood

The Pakistan flood that occured this summer caused around $9.7 billion in damage.  This flood cost more than an earthquake that hit Pakistan in 2005 that killed over 86,000 people.  Specifically agriculture and livestoke were hit hard along with homes and the infrastucture of Pakistan.  Some of the results to the human population were 1,700 deaths, 20 million displaced, 700,000 cases of acute diarrhea, 800,000 cases of acute respitory infection, 1 million cases of skin infection, and 183,000 cases of malaria. U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said there needs to be economic reforms to help out those affected by the flood. "The most important step that Pakistan can take is to pass meaningful reforms that will expand its tax base. The government must require that the economically affluent and elite in Pakistan support the government and people of Pakistan."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/14/pakistan.flood.cost/index.html

2nd Toxic Spill Looming

If it wasn't bad enough that there was a toxic spill that killed 8 people last week in Honduras, now it is expected that it is only a matter of time for a 2nd spill to occur.  500,000 cubic meters of the red sludge is in another resovoir which has signs of ruptures and cracks.  It is expected that this one will rupture to spilling out more of the toxic red sludge so there have been 3 emergency dams built to contain a future spill.  The owner of the facility was arrested eariler this week for endangering people and harming the environment.  The company made a statement saying that they have been following safety regulations and they will set up a fund for those who have been evacuated. 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/10/12/hungary.toxic/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Hurricane Threatens Cancun

Hurricane Paula ripped through Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula Tuesday night.  It has damaged homes and has forced schools to close in Honduras as it has gained force and been upgraded to a category 2 hurricane with winds up to 100 mph.  It is expected to hit the Yucatan Peninsula tomorrow morning so warnings have been given out.  The Yucatan Peninsula is covered with tourist resorts and many offshore tourist attractions.  This hurricane has caused many of those attractions to cancel reservations as many have taken their boats ashore.  Paula dumped 6 inches of rain in Honduras and destroyed 19 homes so many are preparing for the damaging storm. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101013/ap_on_bi_ge/tropical_weather

Nigerian Lead Poisoning

In Nigeria at least 400 children have died since March due to lead poisoning and there are potentially 30,000 that could be affected by lead contamination.  This contamination is the result of illegal gold mining that is occuring in Nigeria.  Many villagers are practicing small scale gold extraction from lead containing ore inside their homes which has led to contaminated soil. The clean up started in June, replacing top soil, but the rainy season in August stopped the clean up process for some time.  As for patients the focus are on children but once treated patients should not return to contaminated areas, which often happens.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/10/05/nigeria.lead.poisoning/index.html

Red Sludge

Red sludge flowed into the Danube River in Hungary today.  The Danube is the second largest river in Europe and is a key water source for many European nations.  On Monday a waste storage reservior of an aluminum plant collasped and released a red sludge with a high concentration of metals, some that cause cancer.  Crews have been cleaning up dead animal carcasses and at least four people have died.  Even though, the sludge was considered hazardous the Hungarian Academy of Sciences said it was not dangerous to the environment.  The main concern is the damage the sludge is going to do to the topsoil and if it contaminates drinking water for several nations.  Also if the sludge dries it can turn to airborne dust which can cause respirtory problems.  It is thought, and hoped, that it will not cause any more environmental damage.  At first the pH level of the water reached 13, which is the same as bleach, but now has been reduced to 10.  While there is hope to contain the spill some spots where the spill first hit are now dead zones.  It was said that if this occurred at night most people would have died. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEMWh6EjJoY

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101008/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_hungary_sludge_flood

Tropical Storm Continues to Dominate

Tropical Storm Nicole's death toll in the U.S. has risen to 6 total; 5 in North Carolina and 1 in Pennsylvania.  North Carolina has declared a state of emergency and many eastern states have flood warnings issued.  Many records for rain have been set including 21.5 inches in North Carolina.  Many are without power and there are rescue crews out on hovercrafts reaching people stranded in homes and cars.  To go along with heavy rains there are also strong winds of 45 mph that makes this storm similar to a hurricane.  Outside the U.S. this storm has been linked to 12 deaths and 8 more missing people in countries south of Florida.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101001/us_nm/us_storm_nicole

Jamaican Floods

Tropical Storm Nicole has caused five deaths and that number is expected to rise.  The storm broke apart of the Atlantic Wednesday afternoon but continued rain has caused many landslides and is increasing the risk of more landslides.  Those who live in shantytowns are at the most risk because they are built on unstable banks of gullies.  The biggest concern is that as these gullies fill with water they will wash away buildings as three people have already been killed by collasping buildings, and seven are missing after being swept away by water.  Relief efforts are in place but the water is causing bridges to collaspe and streets to be unusable leaving many stranded. 



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100930/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_jamaica_floods

Typhoon

The death toll from Typhoon Fanapi has risen to at least 55 along with 42 still missing and 3,600 destroyed homes.  Half a meter of rain has caused flooding and landslides that has forced around 100,000 to evacuate.  The military is currently trying to restore power repair roads and rescue stranded people.  This typhoon alone has caused over 300 million dollars in damage.  This year alone 3,100 people in China have died from flood related disasters.

Severe Storms in Wisconsin

A storm that spands from Kansas to Wisconsin is threatening to cause damage and flooding today.  With the help of moisture from pacific storm georgette thunderstorms, hail, strong winds, and flooding are expected today.  Golf ball size hail has the potential to damage windshields and crops across the Midwest, and strong winds will most likely down trees and power lines.  An even bigger concern is the threat of flash floods, especially in urban, low lying, and poor drainage areas.  A couple inches are expected so motorists have been advised to not drive through flooded areas.  The Eau Claire area is expected to have moderate to major flooding.

Hurricane Karl

There is a hurricane currently heading towards the east coast of Mexico.  Hurricane Karl, a category 1 hurricane, is about 140 miles east of Mexico and is expected to hit land around midday Friday.  As Karl heads towards the coast it is possible for it to reach major hurricane strength, which is when there are winds sustaining 111 mph.  This storm may raise water levels 6-9 feet above normal and cause 5-15 inches of rain.  While large and destructive waves will most likely hit the coast, Karl is expected to weaken quickly once it enters the moutains.