Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

2 people found dead had been struck by lightning in Batavia cemetery, New York

Howard B. Owens
The Batavian
Thu, 11 Aug 2016 19:28 UTC
lIGHTNING
While the cause of death has yet to be determined, two people who were found dead in the Batavia Cemetery (not St. Joe's as previously reported) were stuck by lightning, a medical examiner has determined.

The deceased are identified as Richard Garlock, 34, and Jenna Macleod, 32.

Batavia PD was dispatched to the cemetery at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, to check on two people who were apparently found deceased in the cemetery.

There was a lightning and thunderstorm over that part of Batavia during the early morning hours of Wednesday and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has confirmed that there were lightning strikes in that area at that time. Both Garlock and Macleod, the Erie County ME determined, had injuries consistent with being struck by lightning.
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Cloud Lightning

Boy killed by lightning strike in Coshocton County, Ohio

Ben Macioce
Click on Detroit
Thu, 11 Aug 2016 19:12 UTC
lIGHTNING
The family of an 8-year-old Ohio boy is grieving after he was killed by a lightning strike Wednesday afternoon.

Friends of the family say 8-year-old Noah Stutzman was outside letting horses back in when he was fatally hit by lightning.

They say the boys sister was also hit, but should be okay.

Officials say the boy's mother called 911, and she tried to revive him, but he died at the hospital.

Family friends say the boy comes from an Amish family of eight and will be sorely missed.

"When she said it was little Noah everybody said oh no not Noah, he was so very dear to everyone," said friend Edward Yoder.

Ohio is in the top 5 states for people hit by lightning every year since 1959, and in the top 10 states in the last decade.
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Cloud Precipitation

Deadly floods swamp Rajasthan, India

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Thu, 11 Aug 2016 18:21 UTC
Flood rescues in Sawai Madhopur District, Rajasthan, India.
© NDRFFlood rescues in Sawai Madhopur District, Rajasthan, India.
Several days of heavy rain in the state of Rajasthan, India, between 06 and 10 August, 2016, has caused severe flooding in several cities and districts.

Flooding has been reported in the cities of Jaipur and Jodhpur, disrupting traffic and rail transport. Several southern districts of the state are some of the worst hit, where fatalities have occurred and where rescues and evacuations have been carried out. The flood hit districts include Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Jhalawar, Barmer and Pali.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje undertook an aerial survey of flood-hit area in Bhilwara and Chittorgarh districts on Wednesday 10 August. The Chief Minister directed the district authorities to be alert and provide all possible assistance and relief to the people.




Flood rescues in Sawai Madhopur District, Rajasthan, India.
© NDRFFlood rescues in Sawai Madhopur District, Rajasthan, India.
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Attention

Dead humpback whale calf washes up in Port of Brisbane, Australia

Amy Mitchell-Whittington
Brisbane Times
Thu, 11 Aug 2016 17:23 UTC
A dead humpback whale calf was found at the weekend at the Port of Brisbane.
© Brisbane River Fishing/FacebookA dead humpback whale calf was found at the weekend at the Port of Brisbane.
Authorities have no idea what killed a humpback whale calf found floating in the Port of Brisbane at the weekend.

A dead male humpback calf was spotted floating upside down near the mouth of the Brisbane River about 11.40pm on Saturday night by Alex Donaldson and his friend who were on their way out to go sea fishing.

Mr Donaldson, who fishes a few times a week, said he first thought the calf was a bit of floating rubbish.

"I thought it was a big bit of garbage floating down the river," he said.

"Every week we go out, we usually see a dead turtle so we thought it could be one of them.

"There were quite a few sharks below it, but they weren't coming up to it."
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Sun

Over 6,500 taken to hospital for heatstroke in Japan


Japan Today
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 13:19 UTC
Heatwave Japan
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday that 6,588 people were taken to hospitals nationwide to be treated for heatstroke in the week from Aug 1 to Aug 7.

The figure was an increase of 2,525 over the previous week as a heatwave covered most of Japan, agency officials said.

Twelve deaths were attributed to heatstroke, while 822 people had to be hospitalized due to their condition. Of the total number hospitalized, 3,330 were aged 65 and older.

By prefecture, Osaka had the highest number with 416, followed by Tokyo (398), Aichi Prefecture (383) and Saitama (382).
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Tornado2

First tornado in almost 10 years touches down in Chicago

Jon Erdman
The Weather Channel
Wed, 10 Aug 2016 11:30 UTC
Landspout tornado in Chicago
© Melanie HarnackeA landspout tornado spotted about four miles north of Midway International Airport on Aug. 9, 2016.
A tornado touched down in Chicago on Tuesday, but apparently it produced no damage and wasn't even accompanied by a thunderstorm.

The bizarre, dusty funnel, known as a landspout, was visible from Chicago's Midway Airport just before 4 Thursday afternoon for about 10 minutes and was photographed by several commuters in Chicagoland.

According to the National Weather Service, the landspout touched down in about a two-block area on the city's near southwest side, south of Ogden Avenue. No damage was reported.

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Attention

Magnitude 5.1 earthquake shakes Northern California


KABC-TV
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 21:34 UTC
California earthquake map
© ABC7

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck in Upper Lake, California at 7:57 p.m., according to the USGS
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck north of the Bay Area on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquake struck near Upper Lake, California, which is about 130 miles north of the Bay Area, at about 7:57 p.m.

The earthquake was originally reported as 5.0 magnitude by the USGS, but was later upgraded to 5.1-magnitude.

Shortly after the initial earthquake, the USGS reported aftershocks of 3.0 and 2.7 magnitude.

The Lake County Sheriff dispatch reported no damage or injuries and stated firefighters were battling a small wildfire nearby, according to ABC affiliate KGO-TV in San Francisco.

KGO-TV said residents and business owners in the region reported swaying light fixtures and scared pets, but no damage or injuries.

Comment: Last week a series of earthquakes rattled Northern California.

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Alarm Clock

A dozen earthquakes registered overnight in Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka


TASS
Thu, 11 Aug 2016 06:01 UTC
Kamchatka, Russia's land of volcanoes
© Kamchatka, Russia's land of volcanoes

The Russian Emergencies Ministry reports no casualties

About a dozen of earthquakes measuring from 2 to 5.2 points were registered in Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Territory overnight to Thursday, a spokesman for the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Geophysical Service told TASS.

"All the quakes were registered during the night in the Avachinsky Bay near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The strongest earth tremor was registered at 00:17 local time (15:17 Moscow time). Its epicenter was located 85 kilometers away from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a depth of 50 kilometers," the spokesman said, adding that this tremor was felt as a magnitude 3 quake in the city.

Two more strong quakes of a magnitude 4.7 and 4.5 were registered at about 05:00 a.m. local time (20:00 Moscow time). These earth tremors were also felt in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, no casualties or damages were reported. No tsunami warning was issued.

Comment: Earlier this year Zhupanovsky volcano in Kamchatka erupted producing an ash plume 10km high.

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Fire

Wildfires rage near Marseille forcing evacuations and flight diversions


RT
Wed, 10 Aug 2016 21:31 UTC
Fires in France
© Boris Horvat / AFPA picture taken near Vitrolles, southern France on August 10, 2016 shows a fire which has already devastated some 200 hectares.
Several wildfires have affected areas near Marseille, with huge clouds of smoke covering the skies above the southern French port city.

The smoke from the blaze has reportedly caused numerous delays at Marseille airport, with planes being diverted to other sites.

Several separate "significant" fires have been raging on Wednesday in the southern France region of Bouches-du-Rhone, the most densely populated department of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region, local media reported.

The flames are reportedly getting close to industrial areas near Marseille, with several roads being closed off in the area. The situation remains "tense" and poses a threat to businesses in the region, France's Midi Libre reported. Hundreds of people and dozens of vehicles have been deployed to fight the blaze.


Comment: According to Marseille's deputy mayor, Julien Ruas, the size of the fire was "absolutely exceptional", and he advised people to stay off the roads. Some reports suggest that more than 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the Rhone river delta area.

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Cloud Precipitation

Flooding destroys 5,300 houses in Kano, Nigeria


NAN
Mon, 08 Aug 2016 19:09 UTC
Flooding in Nigeria
© HeraldFlooding in Nigeria
Flood has destroyed over 5,300 houses in six Local Government Areas of Kano State.

Alhaji Aliyu Bashir, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SERERA), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Monday.

He said the affected local government areas include Bebeji, Dawakin Kudu, Kiru, Shanono, Bagwai and Garun-Malam.

"In Dawakin Kudu alone more than 2,300 houses were affected, while more than 600 houses in each of the remaining five areas were destroyed by the flood," he said.

Bashir said the officials of the agency had visited all the affected areas with a view to assessing the damage cause by the disaster.

"At the moment we are compiling a comprehensive report on the disaster for onward submission to the Federal and state governments for necessary assistance to the victims," he said.

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