Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Flood death toll climbs to 89 in Bihar, India; 3,300,000 people hit


The Indian Express
Fri, 05 Aug 2016 19:52 UTC
Gopalganj: Villagers move to a safe place from floods in Gopalganj in Bihar on Saturday.
© PTI Gopalganj: Villagers move to a safe place from floods in Gopalganj in Bihar on Saturday.
The flood-related death toll in Bihar rose to 89 with 25 casualties being reported today as 33 lakh people in 14 districts remain affected. The Disaster Management Department said in a statement that Saran is the latest district to be hit by the deluge.

Purnia district has reported maximum number of deaths (26), followed by 21 in Araria, 15 in Katihar, eight in Supaul and five in Kishanganj, it said. Four persons have died each in Madhepura and Gopalganj, three in Darbhanga, and one each in Saharsa, Muzaffarpur and Saran, the statement said.

Rivers like Mahananda, Bakhra, Kankai, Parmar, Koshi and others have primarily caused inundation in Purnia, Kishanganj, Araria, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Saharsa, Supaul, Gopalganj, East Champaran, West Champaran and Muzaffarpur districts.

According to latest reports, the Ganga is flowing above the danger mark in Kahalgaon (Bhagalpur), while Ghaghra river is flowing above the danger mark at some places in Siwan district.


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Cloud Precipitation

Rain pounds metro Phoenix, Arizona; flooding streets, freeway ramps


KTAR.com
Fri, 05 Aug 2016 19:29 UTC
Phoenix floods
© ADOTPhoenix floods
Heavy rains dropped on metro Phoenix on Friday morning, flooding streets freeways, soaking yards and anyone getting into or out of their cars.

The thunderous downpour covered the northwest Valley over Interstate 17 and scooted to Loop 101 in Scottsdale. Power was out to at least 17,000 households.

The ramp at Interstate 17 and Thomas Road was flooded and the area around Thunderbird Road and Seventh Street was swamped.

A flood advisory went into effect for a large chunk of the Valley, particularly Scottsdale, north Phoenix, Cave Creek and Carefree. The weather service tweeted out a warning to Scottsdale residents to move to higher ground.

A rain gauge at Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale had recorded over little over 2½ inches of rain by 10 a.m. and traffic signals were out all over the city, police said.


Floodwater
© John Sirlin
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House

Home explodes in Connecticut, injuring 7; sends debris flying


ABC News
Fri, 05 Aug 2016 17:08 UTC
Vernon CT home explosion
© NBC News
Investigators are trying to determine what caused a house to explode in Connecticut, injuring seven people, including four children, and sending debris flying.

Police, fire and rescue crews responded to the home in Vernon on Thursday afternoon. Three of the victims were outside when rescuers arrived, while the other four were trapped in the rubble. Crews dug through what was left of the house to pull them to safety.

"Those four people have been rescued with varying degrees of injury," said Vernon police Lt. William Meier.
Vernon, CT home explosion
© David Owens/Hartford Courant
Four children, all under the age of 16, were among the victims. They were taken to Connecticut Children's Medical Center, where one was treated and released. The other three remained hospitalized early Friday morning, but none had life-threatening injuries, said Dr. Brendan Campbell, head of the hospital's trauma unit.

A 7-year-old boy appeared to suffer the most serious injuries, according to police. Two adults were taken to Hartford Hospital. Another adult at the scene refused medical treatment.

The blast blew the front door of the home across the street and into a neighbor's yard. Glass and other debris littered the roadway. "I never heard anything like it. It wasn't just a vibration. The house shook," neighbor Alan Fisher told the Hartford Courant.

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Question

Loud explosion heard in Tourcoing and Roubaix, France


BNO News
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 21:20 UTC
Distance from Tourcoing to Roubaix
© Google Maps

Comment: With such a small amount of information it is hard determine what might be the source of these explosions or booms. They might be a result of the increase in fireballs or a sign of some earth changes.


A loud explosion has been heard in the cities of Tourcoing and Roubaix near Lille in northern France, not far from the border with Belgium, local residents say. Only few details were immediately available. (more)

The incident happened just before 3 a.m. local time on Friday when residents in Tourcoing, as well as other places in the area, reported hearing a loud explosion followed by a smaller boom. Scores of witnesses took to social media to write about what they heard.

The blast appears to have happened on a truck carrying gas cylinders, though there was no immediate confirmation from emergency services. There have been no reports of casualties and there are no indications that the incident is linked to terrorism.

The explosion in France was also heard in communities on the Belgian side of the border.

We're working to gather more information about what happened.
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Camera

Skiers in Chile shocked when Nevados de Chillán volcano erupts next to them

Lucy Aspden
The Telegraph
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 15:55 UTC
Nevados de Chillan eruption
© DMC Photography/FacebookSkiers were shocked when a volcano erupted next to them in Chile
Avalanches, extreme cold, and fast-changing weather conditions are just a few of the natural dangers that skiers and snowboarders must be aware of and prepare themselves for when out exploring the mountains.

However, skiers in the Bío Bío region of Chile in South America on August 2 were struck by an unexpected threat - an erupting volcano. The Nevados de Chillán volcano began to billow smoke, ash and gases while a group from ski and snowboard guide company Powder Quest were on the neighbouring slopes.

Skier Jess McMillan caught the whole thing on film and posted the video on her Instagram feed, with the caption: "So crazy to see a #volcano #eruption @nevadosdechillan Very cool way to end an epic bluebird powder day @powderquest #ladiesfreeridecamp."

Experts from the website Volcano Discovery suggest the eruption started around 5:10pm on August 1 - the dense plume of ash from the crater, which is off-limits to skiers and snowboarders, rose to 3,600m and quickly dispersed. In total the activity only lasted a few minutes, but nonetheless caught those enjoying the sunny South American slopes off guard.

Jess said: "The volcano has been giving off gases all season, there's now a closed area surrounding it to keep skiers and snowboarders a safe distance away. The volcano has emitted gases twice since in the past three days - it makes no sound and there's no earthquake when it happens."

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Attention

Volcanoes along the ring of fire are going off like firecrackers

Michael Snyder
End of the American Dream
Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:30 UTC
ring of fire activity
So far this week, we have seen the most dangerous volcano in Mexico erupt, and three major volcanoes in Indonesia all erupted within the space of just 72 hours. Mexico and Indonesia are both considered to be part of "the Ring of Fire," and all along the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean volcanoes are starting to go off like firecrackers right now. According to Volcano Discovery, 25 volcanoes in areas that are considered to be within the Ring of Fire have erupted recently. Our planet appears to have entered a time of increased seismic activity, and those the follow my work regularly know that this is a theme that I revisit repeatedly. Sadly, most Americans are not paying too much attention to this increase in seismic activity, but the truth is that it has very serious implications for the west coast of the United States.

It didn't make a big splash in the mainstream media in the United States, but this week Mt. Popocatepetl erupted and coated homes and vehicles in Mexico City with a thick layer of volcanic dust. And now some scientists are becoming concerned that this recent activity may be building up to "a major disastrous eruption"...
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Calendar

Largest quakes since volcano stopped erupting recorded near Bardarbunga

Paul Fontaine
The Reykjavik Grapevine
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 16:25 UTC
Bardarbunga volcano
© Reykjavik Grapevine
One of the largest quakes since the famed volcano stopped erupting has been recorded near Bárðarbunga.

RÚV reports that a quake measuring a 4 on the Richter scale was recorded near the northern end of Bárðarbunga at about 5:00 Wednesday morning.

Einar Hjörleifsson, a natural disaster expert at the Icelandic Met Office, told reporters the quake is amongst the largest that have been recorded since the volcano stopped erupting in early 2015. The past week has been relatively quiet at the site, he said, but over the course of this day many tremours were recorded. He emphasised that the quakes in themselves do not necessarily mean that another volcanic eruption is on the way.

This is not for the first time in recent months that tremours have been recorded near Bárðarbunga. As reported last May, a quake measuring 4.4 was recorded near the volcano, followed by several aftershocks.

While scientists do not yet have reason to believe another eruption is imminent, they are still monitoring the area closely for increased activity. The Grapevine will keep readers updated in the event an eruption occurs.
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Arrow Down

Sinkhole opens up on farmland in Kybybolite, South Australia

Isabella Hood
The Naracoorte Herald
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 14:07 UTC
Local Max Schinckel inspects the sinkhole after driving over it in a tractor towing a spray unit.
Local Max Schinckel inspects the sinkhole after driving over it in a tractor towing a spray unit.
Driving over a three metre wide and two metre deep sinkhole in a large tractor towing a spray unit is not an ideal situation, but that's the scenario local Max Schinckel found himself in yesterday.

The incident occurred on the property of Kybybolite farmer Andrew Shepherd, who said it was the first sinkhole he had come across on his farm.

"It opened up underneath the tractor and spray unit," Mr Shepherd explained.

"We were very lucky that the weight must have broken the ground, but hadn't actually dropped until the sprayer was basically all the way over it.

"The driver (Max) that was driving the tractor was thrown out of his seat and hit his head on the roof. He stopped to get out and have a look and he found the sinkhole.

"It's something I wasn't expecting, that's for sure."
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Fire

Giant wildfire in California imaged from space by NASA satellite

Calla Cofield
Space.com
Tue, 02 Aug 2016 13:54 UTC
Wildfire from space
The Soberanes fire, currently burning near Monterey, California, was imaged by a NASA satellite on Sunday afternoon, as the blaze continued to swallow up tens of thousands of acres of land.

The fire, which has been burning for a little more than three weeks, had destroyed over 33,000 acres on Saturday (July 30), according to the Los Angeles Times. But in just a few days, the engulfed area has expanded to include 43,400 acres (67.8 square miles or 175.6 square kilometers) according to the state wildfire management agency, Cal Fire.

The image of the fire, trailing white smoke out over the Pacific Ocean, was captured with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite at 4:35 p.m. EDT (20:35 GMT). The red lines on the image show actively burning areas detected by MODIS.

The resolution of the image is 820 feet (250 meters) per pixel, and the image shows an area about 3,730 miles (600 km) long and 260 miles (420 km) wide. A black line representing the California border with Nevada is imposed on the image.

Wildfires (marked in red) in the western United States, seen from space by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite on July 31.
Wildfires (marked in red) in the western United States, seen from space by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite on July 31.

Comment: See also: Wildfires burn across 7 Western states, prompt evacuations

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Attention

Up to 1000 dead starfish found on beaches near Fremantle, Western Australia

Heather McNeill
WA Today
Wed, 03 Aug 2016 11:06 UTC
Dead star fish have washed up at South Beach.
Dead star fish have washed up at South Beach.
Authorities are investigating reports up to 1000 dead starfish have washed up on beaches near Fremantle since Monday.

Department of Fisheries officers have collected samples of the dead star fish from South Beach and nearby beaches in North Coogee to try and determine what has caused the kill.

The stretch of coast includes a popular dog beach and Port Coogee jetty.

"The samples have been sent to the department's fish health unit for analysis," a Fisheries statement read.

"Results may take some time depending on the tests being undertaken.

"No other dead aquatic animals have been reported or sighted."
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