Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Australia Floods Inundate Brisbane, Over 90 Missing

Thousands of residents of Australia's third-largest city evacuated homes on Wednesday as massive floods threatened to inundate the financial district, sparked panic buying of food and left authorities despairing for more than 90 people missing.

The biggest floods in decades have so far killed 14 people since starting their devastating march across the northern mining state of Queensland last month, crippling the coking coal industry, destroying infrastructure, sending the local currency to four-week lows and threatening to put a brake on the economy.

With a flood surge expected to peak in the Queensland capital of Brisbane, a city of two million, on Thursday, search and rescue crews took advantage of rare sunshine on Wednesday to look for those still missing from tsunami-like flash floods that tore through townships west of the city this week.

"I think we're all going to be shocked by what they find in these towns that were hit by that tsunami yesterday," Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh told local television on Wednesday.

The worsening floods are forcing economists to raise estimates of the economic impact, with one central bank board member quoted on Wednesday as saying the disaster could cost as much as 1 percent of economic growth -- equal to almost $13 billion, double the previous highest estimate.

Cloud Lightning

13 Dead After Heavy Rains in Brazil

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© NA: Hundreds of people are feared dead having been buried in mudslides near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sao Paulo - Brazilian authorities say heavy rains have triggered mudslides and floods in southeastern Brazil, killing at least 13 people.

Sao Paulo state civil defense officials say 11 people died when their houses collapsed because of mudslides and two were killed in flash floods.

Heavy rains have been pummeling the region and at least 12 landslides were reported across the state.

Sao Paulo nearly came to halt on Tuesday as flooding blocked traffic in some of the city's main thoroughfares.

Brazil has been severely affected by the rains this year and authorities say the number of people left homeless by flooding has surpassed 100,000 in four southeastern states. More than 30 deaths have been reported.

Cloud Lightning

Heavy rains hit S.Africa's coal, maize exports

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© Philip Viljoen, News24 UserFlooding in and around Somerset West.
Johannesburg - South African logistics group Transnet said on Wednesday heavy rains had disrupted its freight rail operations, affecting coal and maize exports.

It said 18 trains of export coal were cancelled last week, and also affected an unspecified quantity of maize exports.

"The lines remain closed until further notice," it said in a statement.

International coal prices have soared following floods in Queensland, Australia that have caused up to 4.5 million tonnes of lost thermal coal exports .

Utilities in Asia are scouring the market for alternative cargoes but will find there is nothing to spare from South Africa because most cargoes are committed and stocks are so low that exporters are struggling to meet existing commitments.

Cloud Lightning

Heavy Rains, Floods Kill 40 People In Philippines

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© AllVociesChildren wade through knee-deep floodwater after heavy rains in Paranaque City, Metro Manila
Manila - Forty people were killed and over 1 million people have been displaced by flash floods and landslides brought by heavy rains in central and southern Philippines, China's Xinhua news agency quoted officials as saying Wednesday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council ( NDRRMC) reported that as of Wednesday, 6:00 a.m. local time, the heavy rains brought by the northeast monsoon and the tailend of a cold front, damaged 898.2 million pesos (US$20.3 million) worth of crops, infrastructure and property.

Seven people remained missing, while eight were wounded.

The NDRRMC said 365,050 people are now in evacuation centers nationwide.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) forecast the northeast monsoon will continue to prevail over Northern and Central Luzon this week.

The agency warned widespread rains in the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas may trigger flashfloods and landslides.

Bizarro Earth

Los Angeles City Hall Overrun By Rats

Image
© CBS
Rains, staff cuts blamed.

Los Angeles - It's no secret that City Hall has its share of vermin, but up until now it was mostly limited to the two-legged variety.

Not anymore, says KNX 1070′s Claudi Peschuitta.

The situation has reportedly deteriorated to the point that officials have purchased electronic devices known as "rat zappers" designed to trap and kill the rodents.

Some workers have suggested recent staffing cuts combined with a rainy December have contributed to the surge.

Bizarro Earth

Volcanic Floods Force Thousands to Flee Homes in Indonesia

Nearly 9,000 people have escaped floods of rainwater mixing cold lava and mud resulted by the eruption of Mount Merapi volcano in October at Yogyakarta of Java island, Indonesia, an official said Wednesday.

The number of evacuee kept rising since rain poured down the slope of the volcano on Jan. 10, an official of the Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency who asked to be anonymous said.

"Today, more than 1,500 people escaped the floods, putting the total evacuees since Jan. 10 to 8,830 people, the figure may rise, " he said at the agency's office.

The evacuees had taken shelters to government office, buildings, schools, and mosques, the official said.

The floods cause a river to overflow and damaged houses and other buildings, he said.

The flooding has killed one so far.

Snowman

Blanket of ice: U.S. shivers as 49 of 50 states are hit by snow storms

The U.S. is shivering in the grips of a freezing winter with 49 of its 50 states now having snow on the ground.

Two winter storms have dumped several inches of snow in some states and left flights grounded from Texas to the Carolinas.

The only state to avoid the icy conditions was Florida, but even the Sunshine State suffered flight cancellations due to heavy fog.

Igloo

US: Snow in Every State Except Florida

snow plow
© AP Photo/Rich KareckasAs snow continues to fall a snow sweeper clears the accumulation from in front of an all-night drug store in New York early Wednesday Jan. 12, 2011. The New York area is bracing itself for for it's second major snow fall since Christmas.
Florida was the holdout on Wednesday as the National Weather Service reported all the other 49 states had snow on the ground, MyFoxBoston reports.

Snow covered 69.4 percent of the United States as of Tuesday. The weather service said that is more than double the snow cover from last month.

Hawaii even saw flurries as Hawaii News Now said snow fell on the Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island.

Because events like this are not tracked by the weather service there's no way to say how rare it is, but it is at least the second time within a year's time.

The Associated Press reported on Feb. 13, 2010, that 49 states had at least some snow cover.Florida had snow while Hawaii and its 13,800-foot Mauna Kea did not.

There are no reports of all 50 states having snow at once. The AP reported that Jan. 19, 1977, had snow in all states but South Carolina.

Colder air is on the way with temperatures up to 25 degrees below average.

Bizarro Earth

More mass animal deaths: Hundreds of fish meet an icy end in a frozen pond in Manchester

The bizarre spate of mass animal deaths around the world has continued, with hundreds of fish found dead in a Greater Manchester pond.

Experts say the freezing weather caused the deaths, which follow reports of scores of birds falling to their deaths in the US, thousands of fish found floating off the Florida coast and 40,000 devil crabs washing up in Kent.

The internet has been awash with conspiracy theories over the mysterious mass deaths but there is nothing sinister about the latest discovery as 500 fish - many thought to be large bream and pike - were simply found frozen in an icy pond.


Bizarro Earth

Africa: Storm kills 10, injures seven in Mozambique

A heavy storm killed 10 people and seriously injured seven others in Mozambique's central province of Manica, state-run Mozambique Television said on Wednesday.

The storm on Monday destroyed more than 100 houses and electricity pylons, the broadcaster said.

Seven of the dead were members of a religious sect attending a church meeting under a tree, the broadcaster quoted Conde Adriano, the Mayor of Chimoio, the provincial capital, as saying.

Heavy rains in Mozambique and neighbouring South Africa in the last month have raised fears of a repeat of massive floods of 2000 that killed at least 350 people and displaced a million others in the centre and south of the country.