Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

UN agency declares emergency due to severe flooding in Gaza


Scoop.co.nz
Mon, 01 Dec 2014 15:12 UTC
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© UNRWA Archives/Ahmad AwadA flooded street in Gaza
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, has declared an emergency in Gaza City, following extreme weather and severe flooding over the past 48 hours exacerbating the already poor humanitarian situation in the enclave, which is dealing with the aftermath of a last summer's conflict, and an acute fuel and energy crisis.

"We are particularly concerned for those families still seeking adequate shelter and preparing for the winter months, and for the impact the flooding is already having on children unable to attend school," said UNRWA's Director of Operations Robert Turner in Gaza on Thursday.

No casualties or injuries have been reported, but hundreds of residents in the flooded areas around the Sheikh Radwan storm water lagoon have evacuated their homes. One UNRWA school and an UNRWA Collective Centre in Gaza City have been affected by the rising waters.

The Agency has established an Area Emergency Operations room in Gaza City following contingency planning undertaken last week. As the largest UN agency in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA supplies emergency fuel to municipalities, water, sanitation and health facilities, partially through the WASH and Health clusters led by UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
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Bizarro Earth

Southern France recovers from the worst flooding it's seen in years


TheLocal.fr
Mon, 01 Dec 2014 15:03 UTC
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As southern France recovers from the worst flooding it's seen in years, The Local takes a look at some of the most shocking images of the damage done by the forces of nature. The latest victim was a 73-year-old man who died of heart failure in Rivesaltes, in the Pyrenees-Orientales region, when trying to force his car through a big dip in a road that was flooded.

Along the banks of the Agly river in the same region, some 2,800 people had been evacuated by late afternoon Sunday, the government office there said. The flooding was considered already more serious than deadly overflows in 1999 and "we are evacuating residents within 200 metres (yards) of either side of the river," the government said.

The prime minister's office dubbed the flooding "exceptional" in a statement but said "the situation is under control."
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Bizarro Earth

4.7 magnitude earthquake strikes near Sedona, Arizona

Lynne LaMaster
Prescott News
Mon, 01 Dec 2014 14:56 UTC
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Despite some rock falls, there appear to be no injuries due to Sunday night's earthquake. According to the US National Weather Service, "An earthquake just hit northern Arizona this evening Nov 30th at 10:57pm. The magnitude as reported by the USGS was 4.7 on the Richter Scale.

The location was near the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon 12 km north of Sedona. Multiple reports of this earthquake were received in Flagstaff, Sedona and Camp Verde this evening." Rock falls have been reported along 89A near the epicenter. ADOT crews worked to remove the rock and debris overnight from the roadways. Drive carefully!

Here is the information from the USGS website
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Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 4.7 12km N of Sedona, Arizona


US Geological Survey
Mon, 01 Dec 2014 14:50 UTC
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© USGS
Event Time:
2014-12-01 05:57:38 UTC
2014-11-30 22:57:38 UTC-07:00 at epicenter

Location:
34.977°N 111.740°W depth=10.2km (6.4mi)

Nearby Cities:
12km (7mi) N of Sedona, Arizona
13km (8mi) NNE of West Sedona, Arizona
25km (16mi) SSW of Flagstaff, Arizona
36km (22mi) NE of Cottonwood, Arizona
172km (107mi) N of Phoenix, Arizona

USGS data
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Binoculars

Arctic snowy owls may be preparing for another irruption into the U.S.

Marcus Schneck
The Patriot-News
Tue, 25 Nov 2014 17:20 UTC
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© Sean SimmersA snowy owl sits in the grass in a courtyard at Cedar Cliff High School in Camp Hill.
Cedar Cliff High School in Camp Hill was visited Tuesday by a snowy owl, one of several of the Arctic birds that have shown up in Pennsylvania in recent days. The large, mostly white birds may be the precursors of a repeat of last winter's mass invasion into Pennsylvania and several other states.

Scott Weidensaul, one of the owl researchers who organized the Project SNOWStorm banding and radio-tracking effort in response to last winter's record-setting irruption by snowies, said already this year owls have been spotted in the Gratz Valley of northern Dauphin County, near Morgantown in Berks County, on Presque Isle in Lake Erie and "a bunch on the coast."

Dozens of additional snowy owls have been reported throughout the Northeast, around the Great Lakes, and as far south as Illinois and Maryland.
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Binoculars

2 Rare Arctic ross's geese turn up in Hardeeville, South Carolina

Sarah Bowman
The State (South Carolina)
Mon, 24 Nov 2014 00:00 UTC
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© Carol ClemensDA Ross's Goose photographed in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

When avid birdwatcher Carol Clemens had a chance to see a rare species -- one that usually migrates only along the West Coast -- just 45 minutes from her Hilton Head Island home, she couldn't pass it up.

A Ross's goose, similar to but smaller than a snow goose, had been spotted in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge near Hardeeville, and Clemens hopped in her car almost as soon as she heard.

"This bird is so unusual that if I hadn't called my friend to go out and see it, then it would have been a lost opportunity," said Clemens, membership co-chairwoman of the Hilton Head Island Audubon Society.

"We were hoping to get a glimpse of the goose, but thought that it would be just a white speck on the horizon," she added. "But then we got almost 10 feet away and could really admire it."

Sadly, the visit by both the goose and its apparent companion proved short-lived -- both have been found dead, within about 10 days of their arrival, according to refuge spokeswoman Monica Harris.

The first goose is believed to have been killed last week by a bobcat, Harris said. The second was found dead Monday morning, though the cause is not yet known.
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Snowflake Cold

30 Kemp's ridley sea turtles suffering from hypothermia taken from Cape Cod to the Florida Keys


EyesOnNews.com
Thu, 27 Nov 2014 16:44 UTC
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© Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau/HOBette Zirkelbach checks a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle’s heart rate Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014, at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Fla.
The Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital is caring and warming up 30 Kemp's ridley sea turtles suffering from hypothermia just days after they were rescued from a frigid beach on Cape Cod Bay, Mass. On Wednesday, each cold-stunned turtle had a full physical examination, X-rays, a swimming test and was administered intravenous fluids and Vitamin D, according to Bette Zirkelbach, the hospital's manager

"We're trying to slowly raise their body temperatures," Zirkelbach said. "We're hoping they will get healthy enough so they can be released."Zirkelbach said some of the turtles have secondary issues including head trauma and pneumonia.

The 30 are a portion of 193 flown to Orlando in banana boxes by the U.S. Coast Guard Tuesday evening with the balance going to four other Florida-based marine animal rehabilitation centers.

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Attention

20ft-long minke whale found dead on Cornish beach, UK

Julian Robinson
Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 29 Nov 2014 16:19 UTC
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The decomposed carcass of a whale was found at the popular holiday destination of Pentewan Sands near Mevagissey in Cornwall
This was the scene at a Cornish beauty spot this morning after walkers discovered a 20ft long whale washed up on a beach. The decomposed carcass of the huge mammal was found at the popular holiday destination of Pentewan Sands near Mevagissey in Cornwall.

Stunned dog walkers could be seen stopping to take pictures of what is believed to be a dead juvenile Minke whale.
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Attention

Texas releases over 50 sea turtles treated for cold-stunning

Amanda Orr
news.yahoo.com
Fri, 28 Nov 2014 16:05 UTC
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More than 50 green sea turtles were released into the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast on Friday after recovering from cold-stunning, or hypothermia, brought on by a drastic drop in water temperature.

The release has taken place in phases, with Friday being the last major release for sea turtles rescued after a mid-November cold snap in Texas sent temperatures below freezing in large parts of the state.
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Snowflake Cold

U.S. Polar blast to chill millions from Minnesota to Texas

Andy Mussoline
Accuweather
Sat, 29 Nov 2014 18:16 UTC
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A fresh blast of frigid air and bone-chilling winds will continue to expand across the Plains and Midwest through Monday, hitting cities from Minneapolis to Chicago and Oklahoma City.

The frigid blast has already dropped temperatures nearly 60 degrees in a 24-hour period across parts of Montana Friday into Saturday. Some locales went from the mid-50s on Friday to nearly 10 below zero F.

The arctic chill will dive south and east through Monday, hitting Minneapolis, Chicago and Oklahoma City with sharply colder air and drastically plummeting temperatures.
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Highs near 40 F in Minneapolis Saturday afternoon will be replaced by teens and single digits Sunday and Monday.

Bone-chilling winds will accompany the cold blast on Sunday, forcing afternoon AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures into the single digits below zero. Chicago's RealFeels will sit in the single digits above zero throughout the day on Monday.

"This latest cold blast will not be nearly as wide-reaching or long lasting as the one that hit the country in the middle of November," said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Mark Paquette. "The Plains and Midwest will be hit the hardest, while the Southeast will avoid much of the chill."

Oklahoma City will be near record highs in the 70s Sunday before highs plummet into the 30s for Monday. Winds will place RealFeel temperatures in the single digits around daybreak Monday.
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