Fox Flash freezes in Danube River, ice clogs hydro electric dam in Canada, Bangladesh cold wave, and cyclonic winds and blizzards wipe out Europe's vegetable crops. Exodus of villagers in Pakistani villages.
An Alaska volcano active since mid-December has erupted again.
Bogoslof Volcano in the Aleutian lslands erupted at 1:20 p.m. Wednesday and sent up an ash cloud that pilots reported was estimated at 31,000 feet.
"Bogoslof volcano is in an active eruption sequence that began on December 16, though retrospective analysis suggests unrest may have started earlier in December," the Alaska Volcano Observatory website explained.
AVO raised the aviation threat code to red, the highest level. Ash clouds higher than 20,000 feet are a threat to intercontinental jet aircraft because ash can damage engines.
Satellite imagery indicates the cloud was moving to the northeast over the Bering Sea. AVO has no recording equipment on Bogoslof Island, but uses long-range equipment on nearby islands, as well as satellites, to monitor the volcano's activity.
Bogoslof Volcano is 850 miles southwest of Anchorage.
Comment: The Alaska Volcano Observatory says it has recorded about 20 explosive events at Bogoslof Volcano since it began erupting about a month ago.
Several people are believed to be missing after an avalanche struck a hotel in Pescara, in the Abruzzo region in Italy, local media report.
The disaster happened at the base of the Gran Sasso mountain range near the Rigopiano di Farindola hotel.
Emergency services have been dispatched to the scene where up to 20 people have been staying in the hotel, according to Italian media reports. Rescuers believe three people are missing, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
Residents of a disappearing stretch of the Yorkshire coast lost around a metre of their gardens in a tidal surge this weekend.
Huge waves have caused destruction in Skipsea, East Yorkshire, as they battered more 20 homes and gardens.
The coastline and its valuable infrastructure is being rapidly destroyed by unstoppable erosion, leaving residents and business owners fearing for their future.
A major British bank is financing the destruction of vast areas of rainforest in Indonesia, a new report claims. HSBC has allegedly helped provide billions of pounds in funding for companies that destroy natural forests to make way for palm oil plantations - despite the bank promising to not finance deforestation.
The London-based bank is part of a group that provided over $16 billion (£13.2 billion) in loans and a further $2 billion (£1.7 billion) in corporate bonds to palm oil producers, according to Greenpeace International. Greenpeace alleges the companies have been involved in destroying vital rainforest without permission. Some producers are also accused of exploiting workers and using child labour.
HSBC's sustainability policy says it does not "knowingly" finance deforestation.The bank told The Independent it was "not aware" of any of its customers breaking the terms of its sustainability policy.
In a statement, a spokesman said:
"HSBC's policies prohibit the financing of operations that are illegal, damage high conservation value forest/landscaping or violate the rights of workers and local people. HSBC does not knowingly provide financial services which directly support palm oil companies which do not comply with our policy. We are not aware of any current instances where customers are alleged to be operating outside our policy and where we have not taken, or are not taking, appropriate action."
The spokesman declined to comment on the details of loans provided to palm oil producers or confirm whether HSBC would be investigating the claims about it alleged customers.
Comment: Sounds like a lose, lose, lose for all except the bank. Air pollution and health risks, obliteration of the orangutan habitat, disruption of the ecosystem, loss of irreplaceable resources, corruption and illegal activity...handshake, you're funded.
Throughout their existence, tropical rainforests have been affected by natural forces like fire, drought, and storms. These events occur on a random basis and can damage large stretches of rainforest. However, the damage caused by these natural occurrences is generally different from that caused by human activities; namely in that the forest loss is not complete and parts of the ecosystem continue to function. From the surviving remnants of the ecosystem, the forest can usually rapidly regenerate. Within a few years, the forest diversity can return to or exceed the diversity that existed before the disturbance. Some studies have suggested that these periodic occurrences are an important ingredient to a forest's diversity. Without these events, scientists believe, some forests cannot reach their fully dynamic state. Researches have found that forest turnover rates may be as short as 65-135 years.
Natural forest fires occur in rainforests, despite their humid nature. Generally, when forest burns in smaller fires, ground vegetation, shrubbery, saplings, and smaller trees are eradicated, while the larger canopy species are spared. The fire has the effect of clearing the forest floor and weaker trees, thus allowing new growth.
The Houston region might see new flooding as more heavy downpours move in Wednesday afternoon, just hours after strong thunderstorms pounded the area for hours throughout the morning, leaving thousands of motorists stranded on flooded roadways.
Some storms will sweep the area into the evening rush hour, according to the National Weather Service, which extended the flood warning until 4:15 p.m. for western Harris County, northern Fort Bend County and northeastern Wharton County.
Forecasters said about 1 and 3 inches of rain could fall in afternoon storms, though some spots may record greater amounts as the storm system marches eastward across the region. The new round of rain could prompt new flooding, especially in areas already hit hard in morning cloudbursts that left up to 6 inches of rain in some areas.
The number of victims of the flood disaster in southern Thailand continues to rise as the flood situation continues in 6 provinces. However, the Thai Meteorological Department are warning of more heavy rain for the next 6 days.
Death toll rises
Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported earlier today that 43 people have now died in the flood disaster that has affected 12 provinces in southern Thailand since 01 January 2017.
The Ministry of Interior says that more than 1.6 million people have so far been affected by the floods and that more than 530,000 homes have been damaged by flood water.
Richard Davies Floodlist Tue, 17 Jan 2017 17:13 UTC
Floods in Cagayan De Oro City, 16 to 17 January, 2017
Heavy rain was a result of the tail-end of a cold front and low pressure area has caused deadly floods have in Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao, Philippines. Over 13,000 people have been displaced from their homes.
Philippines News Agency (PNA) reports that at least 4 people have died in the floods in Cagayan De Oro City, Misamis Oriental, one of the worst hit areas. Local media say that the death toll is higher, with flood related fatalities reported in other areas of the province.
The city council declared Cagayan de Oro under a state of calamity in the early hours of Tuesday, 17 January. Schools have been suspended in the area.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reports that, as of late 17 January (local time) flooding had affected 15,283 people from 3,499 families in 78 barangays in the regions of Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao.
DSWD reports that there are currently 13,559 people displaced and staying in 71 evacuation centres. As many as 4,672 people have been disaplced in Cagayan De Oro and 2,844 in Gingoog, also in Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao.
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