Earth ChangesS


Windsock

Philippine typhoon death toll reaches 1,043

Marlon Ramos
Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:47 UTC
Typhoon Bopha
© ReutersA soldier giving out supplies to victims of Typhoon Bopha
The death toll from Typhoon "Pablo" (international name: Bopha) has reached 1,043 as Philippine government workers with the recovery of 23 more cadavers in Compostela Valley, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said yesterday.

In its latest report, the NDRRMC said the typhoon destroyed more than 24.1 billion pesos worth of properties, including close to 16.4 billion pesos in agricultural crops and products.

The agency said searchers found and identified 22 bodies in Monkayo town and another cadaver in Compostela town, both in Compostela Valley province.

Of the total number of recovered bodies, it said 645 had been identified.
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Cloud Lightning

Over 6,000 evacuated after flooding in Sri Lanka


IRIN
Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:41 UTC
Sri Lanka flood
© IRIN
More than 6,000 people have been evacuated following heavy rain and flooding across parts of Sri Lanka, say officials.

"The number will likely increase," Pradeep Kodipilli, assistant director of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Center (DMC), told IRIN on 18 December in Colombo, noting flood warnings remain in effect across 10 of the country's 25 districts - Galle, Matale, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Badulla, Baticaloa, Hambantota, Moneragala and Kurunegala.
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Cloud Precipitation

Heavy snow causes 20-km-long traffic jam in Ukraine

Thomas Whittle
NZWeek
Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:35 UTC
Heavy snow caused a traffic jam that extended to about 20 kilometers on a highway linking the Ukrainian capital and the Hungarian border as of late Sunday, authorities said.

The jam took place after a highway section between Buh and Brody districts was blanketed by snow as deep as three meters, said the Emergencies Ministry.

As of Monday morning, traffic were resumed for small vehicles as emergencies workers were struggling to clear the snow.

A woman stuck in the traffic jam had to give birth to her baby in her car before the emergency crews arrived. The mother and the baby were later sent to a local hospital.

Witnesses told Xinhua that they saw hundreds of cars were trapped, with snow piled up to the car roofs. The trapped were seeking help from nearby village for food and heating.

Souce:Xinhua
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Snowflake Cold

Ukrainian cold snap leaves 37 dead


Irish Times
Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:26 UTC
Snow in Ukrainian city of Brody
© Marian Striltsiv/Reuters.A man walks around his home trapped in snow, after blizzards near the western Ukrainian city of Brody.
Cold has killed 37 people in Ukraine so far this month as temperatures reached minus - 23 degrees in parts of the country, the government said.

The health ministry said 190 people had sought medical help and 162 had been hospitalised.

Night temperatures are expected to drop to -28 degrees in northern, central and eastern Ukraine this week, weather forecasters say.

The cold snap followed heavy snowfall which left some areas covered with as much as 53cm of snow.

The emergencies ministry said this week it was setting up hundreds of heated tents across the country where people could get hot drinks and receive first aid.

Last February, as Ukraine went through its coldest winter in six years, more than 130 people died of cold in the country of 45 million.
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Bizarro Earth

Ecuador issues orange alert -- the second-highest warning level -- for towns near the Tungurahua volcano


The Australian
Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:03 UTC
The area of the warning covers the adjacent provinces of Tungurahua and Chimborazo, according to the national civil defence agency. Greater activity has been building since Wednesday, along with a slight increase in gas emissions from the 5,029-metre volcano, located about 135km south of the capital Quito, the Geophysical Institute said.
Image
© AAPEcuadorean officials have issued an orange alert for towns near the Tungurahua volcano.
Eruptions at Tungurahua, which means "Throat of Fire" in the indigenous Quechua language, peaked in 2006, killing six people in a Chimborazo village. Several communities near Tungurahua, including the tourist town of Banos with 15,000 people, also were forced to evacuate during the volcano's violent eruption in 1999. Residents could only return to their homes a year later.
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Bizarro Earth

Earthquake Magnitude 6.1 strikes off coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia


The Extinction Protocol
Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:57 UTC
Image
© USGS
A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of central Indonesia Monday, the US Geological Survey said, sending panicked people rushing into the streets but there was no tsunami alert. The quake struck at 0916 GMT more than 160 kilometers (99 miles) south-southeast of Gorontalo in central Indonesia's Sulawesi Island at a depth of 18 kilometers. The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics agency (BMKG) measured it at 6.0 at a depth of 10 kilometers. "The epicenter was in the sea but it doesn't have the potential to trigger a tsunami," BMKG official Agung Utomo told AFP. "We haven't received any report of damage so far."

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said the ground shook for several seconds. "The quake was quite strong and all the guests here - about 30 people - panicked and ran out into the street," said Rudi Gowarno, manager of Ramayana hotel in the town of Luwuk. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. A deep 6.0 magnitude also earthquake struck the New Britain region of Papua New Guinea on December 15th. - Times of India

USGS data
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Snowflake

East and West Coast of U.S. hit by near simultaneous winter storms - Snow storms forecast for parts of New England, Northwest


The Extinction Protocol
Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:51 UTC
Up to 12 inches of further snowfall is forecast for parts of northern New England - and a second wintry storm is crossing the U.S. in its wake, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth. The current snowfall in northern New York state and New England will continue through Tuesday night and into Wednesday, with as much as 15 inches possible in some areas. Meanwhile, another cross-country storm - Winter Storm Draco - was expected to bring heavy snow to the Northwest on Monday. The higher elevations of the Cascades will see as much as 2 to 3 feet of snow above 7000 ft, Weather.com reported, with significant accumulations below 3000 ft.
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The National Weather Service said the probability of "large amounts of snow remains high across the majority of windward facing slopes of the Pacific Northwest and portions of the Northern Rockies." King5.com reported that the storm is expected to bring high winds to Western Washington and whiteout conditions to the west slopes of the Cascades and passes. The system is expected to move to the Southwest and Rockies Tuesday and Wednesday before bringing snow to the eastern half of the country later Wednesday through Friday. Roth added there would likely be a lake-effect snow threat behind the storm on Thursday and Friday. -NBC
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Igloo

Heavy snow blankets Iranian cities

Ghanbar Naderi
Press TV, Tehran
Sun, 16 Dec 2012 16:46 UTC
Snow in Iran
© Press TV, Tehran
A cold snap has finally walloped much of Iran, bringing heavy snow, and leading to the temporary closure of a large section of intercity roads and schools. The cold weather has dropped as much as one meter of snow in the mountains, and sizeable inches in big cities and towns, like Tehran, where the National Weather Service says the temperature is above freezing.

The Ministry of Education says many schools have been closed nationwide and probably will remain so if heavy snow continues to cause limited visibility and freezing temperatures.

There have been no major accidents until now, thanks largely to the early preparation of the transport police, and of course round the clock snow plows to keep roads open. But the police are still urging drivers to check road and vehicle conditions before heading out.
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Attention

Leaking barge spilled fuel oil in New York City waterway


Reuters
Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:12 UTC
Image
© Reuters
A barge with a leaking cargo tank spilled fuel oil into a New York City waterway on Saturday, officials said.

The barge was carrying 112,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil, but it was unclear how much oil spilled into the water, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.

The spill came from a Boston Marine Transport Inc barge due to a leak from its cargo tank, it said.

The leak occurred at Mays Ship Repair near Mariner's Harbor in the city's Staten Island borough, the Coast Guard said. It was first reported shortly after 11 p.m. local time (2300 ET) on Friday, the Coast Guard said.
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Cloud Precipitation

'Monster' Cyclone Evan bears down on Fiji - Hundreds of tourists trapped

Joshua Kuku
Agence France-Presse
Sun, 16 Dec 2012 07:07 UTC
Image
Fijian authorities scrambled to evacuate tourists and residents in low-lying areas Sunday as a monster cyclone threatened the Pacific nation with "catastrophic damage" after causing devastation in Samoa. At least four people were killed when Cyclone Evan slammed into Samoa and the toll was expected to rise with a search launched for eight men missing on three fishing boats. Only one survivor has been found, said the New Zealand Rescue Co-ordination Centre, which is overseeing the search.

After crossing Samoa, Evan intensified as it ploughed through the Pacific and forecasters said destructive winds could reach nearly 300 kilometres per hour (186 miles per hour) by the time it hits Fiji early Monday. Government officials fear it could be as devastating as Cyclone Kina, which killed 23 people and left thousands homeless in 1993.
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