Earth ChangesS


Snowflake

April Fools' Day snowstorm drops up to 18 inches in New England

Snowfall accumulation map from Mar. 31- Apr. 1, 1997.
© NOAASnowfall accumulation map from Mar. 31- Apr. 1, 1997.
It's April Fools' Day but it's no joke: People across northern New England woke up to a foot of heavy, wet snow on parts of the region Saturday and conducted weekend business as more fell throughout the day.

The storm caused power outages and numerous highway accidents. By mid-afternoon the number of electric customers without power across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine had dropped to about 8,100 from overnight totals almost three times that number. A winter storm warning in Vermont had expired, but remained in effect for parts of New Hampshire and Maine.

"This is Mother Nature's idea of an April Fools' joke," said meteorologist Eric Schwibs of the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.

Attention

Two scarce Hector's dolphins found dead in New Zealand

A Hector's dolphin in New Zealand waters
© 123RFA Hector's dolphin in New Zealand waters
The discovery of two Hector's dolphins washed up at beaches in the South Island is raising fresh questions over whether enough is being done to protect the endangered species.

The Ministry for Primary Industries said it was investigating the deaths and there were indications both dolphins could have been "subject to human interference".

A member of the public found one dolphin on a Greymouth beach last month, while the second dolphin was found near Banks Peninsula on Sunday.

MPI compliance investigations manager Gary Orr said the deaths were very concerning.

"MPI and [the Department of Conservation] are investigating the circumstances surrounding both mortalities.

Eye 2

Alligator attacks fisherman in Fort Myers, Florida

A Florida fisherman works to pry an alligator's jaws off his boot.
A Florida fisherman works to pry an alligator's jaws off his boot.
A Florida man bass fishing at night ended up having to pry an alligator off his boot while his friends filmed the struggle.

"Oh snap, you've got a gator on your foot," Nino Alvarez recalled a friend telling him while they were out bass fishing last week in a Fort Myers canal.

"I tried to go bass fishing here, and this [expletive] gator is over here, trying to eat me," Alvarez told WINK-TV. "I don't even think there's any more bass here. This guy already ate it all."

Alvarez posted a video to Facebook showing him attempting to pry the alligator's jaws off his boot while his friends laugh and film.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill three, injure four in Nepal

LIGHTNING
Three persons died after they were struck by lightning last night in separate places.

According to the Makawanpur District Police Office, a 23-year-old Jit Bahadur Syantang Lama of Gadhi Rural Municipality died on the spot after he was struck by a bolt of lightning at around 11 pm last night. He was sleeping when the incident occurred.

Three other family members of Lama were injured in the incident and are currently being treated at the Hetaunda Hospital, police added.

Likewise, a 14-year-old Bahadur Gurung of Kaski died on the spot when he was struck by lightning at Chhundrung of Annapurna Rural Municipality in the district yesterday.

Gurung was returning home after collecting fodder when the incident occurred, informed Khadga Bahadur Khatri, spokesperson of the Kaski District Police Office.

Attention

40 dead dolphins wash up outside Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Repredntative image
Shocking aerial footage showing between 30 and 40 dead dolphins washed up on vast stretch of beach in the Sunday's River area off Bird Island has gone viral on social media, after East London-based helicopter pilot Noel Greyling filmed the disturbing discovery on Friday morning, 31 March.

The video footage was shared to local radio broadcaster AlgoaFM, who reports that Greyling was flying by helicopter to Port Elizabeth when he spotted the grim sight.


Attention

Woman killed by elephant at Kruger National Park, South Africa

Elephant
A woman has died after being gored by an elephant at Kruger National Park in South Africa.

A second person was seriously injured in the attack near Mopani Camp on Thursday (30 March) afternoon.

The victims were both wildlife park employees, it has been reported. Paramedics responded to reports of an animal attack and arrived at the scene, accompanied by rangers with rifles.

Jaco Gericke, of emergency services Maponya 911, told local newspaper Lowvelder the first victim suffered fatal injuries.

"The elephant tusk entered her lower back and exited her chest. She also had a severe open fracture to her left knee," he added.

Comment: Other attacks by African elephants over the past year include the following: Safari leader killed by elephant in Malawi

Elephant kills tourist in Kenya; 3rd attack in a month

Tourist trampled to death by elephant after provoking it by moving too near to takes pictures in Kenya

Elephant kills farmer in southern Tanzania; second death in 2 days

Selfie opportunity becomes fatal as elephant tramples man in Zimbabwe


Cloud Precipitation

Mudslide kills at least 112 people in Colombia

A mudslide in Mocoa
© Ejercito De Colombia / AFP
A mudslide in Mocoa, near Colombia's southern border, has killed 112 people and injured at least 180 after intense flooding caused three rivers to burst their banks in the middle of the night.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has confirmed that the current death toll has risen to 112 in an interview with local media.

Governor Sorrel Aroca told local media that 17 neighborhoods had been damaged by the flooding, with two bridges closed and electricity supply disruptions expected to continue, hampering emergency response efforts.

Dramatic footage showing the full force of the overnight flooding has emerged, showing heavy trucks been dragged down city streets.

"A big portion of the many houses were just taken by the avalanche, but above all the people were warned with enough time and they were able to get out, but houses in 17 neighborhoods have basically been erased," Mocoa Mayor Jose Antonio Castro told local radio station Caracol, as cited by Reuters.

Black Cat

Tigers kill 10 fishermen and injure 15 others in past three months in the Sundarbans, India

TIGER
At least 10 fishermen were killed and some 15 others injured in tiger attacks in the Sundarbans in the past three months, according to Sundarbans Fishermen's Association. The victims, between 20 and 40 years of age, were residents of Gosaba, Kultoli, Moipith and Patharpratima -- villages in Sundarbans area under South 24 Parganas district. The fishermen had been killed by the Royal Bengal Tigers (RBTs) when they went for fishing in deep jungles. Some 15,000 people living in these villages earn their livelihood by collecting honey and going fishing or catching crabs from deep jungles by risking their life, said the SFA. In West Bengal, there are provisions for compensation, if anyone gets killed in animal attack, but in the case of fishing in deep forest, the family of the victim cannot claim for compensation as going in reserved forests is illegal.

"If at all a claim is made, the process is very lengthy. About 4200 sq km area reserved for Tiger Project in the Sundarbans is out of bound for common people," said the association.

Attention

Great white shark attacks kayak off Cannery Row, California

great white shark
Great white shark
It is the stuff of nightmares: to be stranded in the ocean near a prowling great white shark.

This happened to Brian Correiar around 4:30pm March 18, as he was kayaking back to the Coast Guard Pier by Cannery Row after a paddle to Pacific Grove.

As he recounted March 19 on a diving website, he "was near the end of a great paddle" in which he saw dolphins and seals. Then, as he was about 100 yards offshore, he writes, "I heard a loud bang as my kayak and I flew into the air. I landed outside my boat, look back to it and to my horror saw a large great white shark no more than three feet away had my kayak in its mouth."

Arrow Down

Breaking News: Dozens feared dead as landslide engulfs homes in East Java, Indonesia

Landslide
© Sutopo Purwo Nugroho‏
More than two dozen people have been reported missing after a landslide struck a village in Indonesia this morning.

Up to 30 houses are feared buried, and rescuers believe that 38 people are currently missing.

Heavy rain is responsible for the landslide. Those missing are believed to have been harvesting ginger on the slopes of Banaran village in East Java.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the landslide hit up to 30 houses.

The latest report from the local mitigation agency said 27 people were buried, while a local army chief put the number of missing at 38 based on reports from villagers, AP reports.