Archive

Archive for the ‘Natural Disasters’ Category

Japanese Volcanic Blast Shatters Windows for Miles

03/18/2011 5 comments

“The strongest activity at southern Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano in 52 years shattered windows four miles away, sending hundreds of people fleeing the area.

Ash and other volcanic debris soared more than 6,000 feet into the atmosphere above Kyushu Island, about 950 miles from the epicenter of the catastrophic 9.0 magnitude quake off Honshu two days earlier.

Officials said it was unclear if the volcanic blast was related to the temblor.

Shinmoedake’s last blast was on Feb. 1. Its rumblings resumed on Jan. 19 after the peak had remained dormant for two years.”  Read more.

Categories: Natural Disasters

Section of California Highway Falls Into Pacific Ocean

03/17/2011 1 comment

“A section of highway 1, near Big Sur, California is shut down indefinitely. Police say a 40-foot section of the two-lane highway crumbled into the sea and fell hundreds of feet down a cliff.

‘One of the things that is certain is that we have to keep this entire area blocked off,’ said William Perlstein with the California Highway Patrol.”  Read more.

Categories: Natural Disasters

Thousands of Seabirds on Remote Islands Near Hawaii Killed by Pacific Tsunami

03/17/2011 Leave a comment

“Thousands of seabirds have been killed when the tsunami generated by last week’s massive earthquake off Japan flooded a remote atoll near Hawaii.

At least 1,000 adult and adolescent Laysan albatross, along with thousands of chicks, perished as waves reaching 5ft-tall rolled over the low-lying Midway islands about four hours after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck on Friday.

Many drowned or were buried under debris, said Barry W. Stieglitz, the project leader for the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuges.”  Read more.

Categories: Mass Animal Deaths, Natural Disasters

Chinese Drought Could Cause Global Food Crisis

03/16/2011 Leave a comment

“A world kept busy lately watching, first, the revolts in the Middle East, and now, the tragic aftermath of the tsunami in Japan, should keep an eye too on the weather in China, where widespread drought may soon make the emerging global crisis over rising food prices much worse worldwide.

The worst drought in sixty years is threatening the wheat crop in China, the world’s largest wheat producer. Traditionally self-sufficient in grain, the Chinese may be compelled to tap some of their $2.85 trillion in foreign exchange reserves to import wheat to feed their hungry people. This could further roil an already restive world by driving up food prices in many poorer countries that rely of necessity on increasingly costly imported food.

Many in those countries are already desperate for grain. World food prices are at record highs. The soaring price of food is placing millions at risk of malnutrition and hunger, and is stoking social and economic instability worldwide. As with the French Revolution in 1789, the unfolding Arab revolutions of 2011 have been inspired in part by the rising price of bread.”  Read more.

Categories: Famines and Crop Destruction, Natural Disasters

Floods Leaves Thousands Homeless, Affects About 31,000 in Brazil

03/14/2011 Leave a comment

“Floods in southern and southeastern Brazil have forced about 31,000 people to leave their homes, authorities said Monday.

Civil defense officials said more than 14,000 people have been affected in Santa Catarina state, while about 10,000 have left flooded homes in neighboring Parana state.”  Read more.

Categories: Natural Disasters

New Dramatic Video: Japan Tsunami Wave Spills Over Seawall, Smashes Boats, Cars

03/13/2011 2 comments

Scary.

Categories: Earthquakes, Natural Disasters

Japan’s 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami – Before and After Satellite Pictures

03/13/2011 Leave a comment

Before and after satellite photos of Japan’s devastating earthquake and resulting tsunami give us a new look into nature’s most destructive forces.

Categories: Earthquakes, Natural Disasters Tags:

Japan’s Shinmoedake Volcano Unleashes Violent Explosion, Ash Sent 4 KM Into Sky

03/13/2011 4 comments

“JAPAN – A volcano in southwestern Japan erupted Sunday after nearly two weeks of relative silence, sending ash and rocks up to four kilometres (two and a half miles) into the air, a local official says. It was not immediately clear if the eruption was a direct result of the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked northern areas Friday, unleashing a fierce tsunami and sparking fears that more than 10,000 may have been killed. The 1,421-metre (4,689-feet) Shinmoedake volcano in the Kirishima range saw its first major eruption for 52 years in January. There had not been any major activity at the site since March 1. Authorities have maintained a volcano warning at a level of three out of five, restricting access to the entire mountain. In April last year, the eruption of the Eyjafjoell volcano in Iceland dispersed a vast cloud of ash, triggering a huge shutdown of airspace that affected more than 100,000 flights and eight million passengers.”  Source.

Categories: Earthquakes, Natural Disasters

Flooding Rivers Across Eastern US Kills at Least 2, Forces Evacuations

03/12/2011 Leave a comment

“WOODLAND PARK, N.J. — Flooding washed over part of the eastern U.S., filling basements with water, forcing hundreds of people out of their homes and turning a highway into swimming pools for ducks.

At least two people have died in the flooding, including one in Ohio, where the water was receding Friday. But it continued to rise from western Maryland to Maine, even though the weather turned sunny over much of the affected area, a respite from Thursday’s heavy rains.

Some of the hardest-hit areas were just outside New York City, which is emerging from a snow-filled winter.”  Read more.

Categories: Natural Disasters

Volcanoes in Russia Erupt Simultaneously with Japan Quake

03/11/2011 Leave a comment

“Two volcanoes have erupted in Russia on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Ust-Kamczatsk, a town near one of the volcanoes, reportdedly ordered its 5,000 residents to “shelter in place” and closed all non-essential services as well as roads and the airports in the region.

A cloud of ash, dust, and smoke covered the region and is rising into the upper atmosphere where winds will carry it due east towards the US west coast, although it may dissipate if the eruptions do not last for a very long time.”  Read more.

Categories: Natural Disasters

As U.S. Damage Measured, Emergency Declared in California Counties

03/11/2011 Leave a comment

One person was reported dead and numerous boats and harbors suffered damage in the United States after the tsunami triggered by the massive earthquake off Japan swept across the Pacific Ocean at jet speed Friday. The fatality was reported in northern California’s Del Norte County, where a 25-year-old man was declared dead Friday afternoon after being swept out to sea off a beach while trying to photograph the tsunami’s arrival, said Joey Young, a spokesman for the county’s emergency operations center.  Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes, Natural Disasters

Radiation Levels Surge Outside Japan Nuclear Plant

03/11/2011 Leave a comment

“Japanese nuclear officials say radiation levels inside a nuclear power plant have surged to 1,000 times their normal levels after the cooling system failed.  The nuclear safety agency said early Saturday that some radiation has also seeped outside the plant, prompting calls for further evacuations of the area.”  Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes, Man-Made Disasters, Natural Disasters