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A sinkhole in Pasco County forces out some homeowners and leaves others worried there could be more damage.
The database was compiled by David Petley, a professor of geography at Durham University's International Landslide Centre, in the United Kingdom.
Writing in the journal Geology, Petley reports that a total of 2,620 fatal landslides were recorded worldwide in the period 2004 to 2010. These landslides caused 32,322 deaths - a number over four times higher than the number of deaths indicated by previous databases - Petley writes. "That means that [landslides are a] much more significant global hazard than previously thought," he told SciDev.Net.
Landslides occur primarily in Asia, and can have different triggers, including earthquakes, hurricanes and rainfall. "The northern part of South Asia, along the southern edges of the Himalayas, is a hotspot for landslides," Petley said.
Isaac's whistling winds lashed this city and the storm dumped nearly a foot of rain on its desolate streets, but the system of levee pumps, walls and gates appeared to withstand one of the stiffest challenges yet. To the north and south, though, people had to be evacuated or rescued as Isaac lingered over Louisiana.
The rain fell almost constantly for more than a day, flooding neighborhoods in a rural part of the state and in neighboring Mississippi. Officials had to respond quickly because the waters were rising fast - even as Isaac meandered slowly northward Thursday on a path toward Arkansas.
President Barack Obama declared federal emergencies in Louisiana and Mississippi late Wednesday, allowing federal aid to be freed up for affected areas.
Along the shores of Lake Ponchartrain, officials sent scores of buses and dozens of high-water vehicles to help evacuate about 3,000 people as rising waters lapped against houses and left cars stranded. Floodwaters rose waist-high in some neighborhoods, and the Louisiana National Guard was working with sheriff's deputies to rescue people stranded in their homes.
The rain fell almost constantly for more than a day, flooding neighborhoods in a rural part of the state and in neighboring Mississippi. Officials had to respond quickly because the waters were rising fast - even as Isaac meandered slowly northward Thursday on a path toward Arkansas.
© AP Photo/David J. PhillipChuck Cropp, center, his son Piers, left, and wife Liz, right, wade through floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in New Orleans.
Along the shores of Lake Ponchartrain, officials sent scores of buses and dozens of high-water vehicles to help evacuate about 3,000 people as rising waters lapped against houses and left cars stranded. Floodwaters rose waist-high in some neighborhoods, and the Louisiana National Guard was working with sheriff's deputies to rescue people stranded in their homes.
© ITV News WalesThis picture clearly shows damage to the curtains and the wall behind
Mr Haq, who was visiting his friend at the property, believes he was struck by lightning as he plugged a USB memory stick into the television. He says he saw a flash outside the window and felt a shock travel up his right arm.
He said he 'knew he'd been struck by lightning', describing it as 'agony' and a sensation he 'wouldn't wish upon anyone'.
© USGS
2012-08-30 13:43:24 UTC
2012-08-30 12:43:24 UTC-01:00 at epicenter
2012-08-30 06:43:24 UTC-07:00 system time
Nearby Cities
93km (58mi) NW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
709km (441mi) NNE of Akureyri, Iceland
939km (583mi) NNE of Reykjavik, Iceland
942km (585mi) NNE of Kopavogur, Iceland
947km (588mi) NNE of Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
© Mario Tama/Getty ImagesA rescue boat passes a partially submerged stop sign in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
Heavy rain, high winds and floodwaters swept over Louisiana and Mississippi on Wednesday, as Isaac was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm and a fortified levee system appeared to have saved New Orleans from disaster.
Rescuers picked up dozens of residents who had ignored warnings to leave low-lying areas, seven years to the day after hurricane Katrina devastated the city.
Power lines were cut and debris littered the streets, prompting authorities in New Orleans to declare a dusk-to-dawn curfew. Louisiana officials said they would intentionally breach a levee in Placquemines parish, south of New Orleans, as Isaac lumbered inland from the Gulf of Mexico.
Authorities feared many residents would need help after a night of torrential rain and harsh winds knocked out power to more than 700,000 households and businesses.
© BenTheWikiManScientists still don't fully understand the biological mechanisms behind a pigeon's ability to navigate
Hundreds of racing pigeons have been disappearing over a sleepy pocket of North East England, earning the region a reputation as the "Birdmuda Triangle."
On Saturday (Aug. 25), the Telegraph reported, one club of pigeon fanciers released a flock of 230 birds from North Yorkshire. Only 13 birds arrived at their destination in Scotland.
Some of the aggrieved hobbyists - who routinely release trained pigeons tasked with finding their way home from distances of hundreds of miles - are now considering grounding their remaining birds until the mystery is solved.
Pigeons have long baffled scientists with their uncanny navigational abilities. Earlier this year, researchers at Baylor College identified one component of the birds' internal GPS when they showed that their brains contain a specialized group of cells that measure the strength and direction of the Earth's magnetic field, serving as a compass.
But what special property of a triangular region in North East England - marked off by places called Wetherby, Corsett and Thirsk, and measuring 65 miles (105 km) on its longest side - could be capable of short-circuiting a pigeon's sense of home?
© The Vancouver Sun
Seismologist Garry Rogers from the Pacific Geoscience Centre said the quake hit at 3:20 p.m. and was concentrated about 10 kilometres northwest of Colwood, toward Sooke Lake.
The earthquake came from about 25 kilometres underground.
"It was felt pretty much throughout the area," Rogers said. "We got reports from Sidney to Sooke to all over Greater Victoria." A 3.0-magnitude earthquake, described as minor by local experts, caused some shaking in Greater Victoria but no recorded damage Wednesday afternoon.
Source: The Victoria Times Colonist
India is one of the world's largest users of pesticides and a highly profitable market for the corporations that manufacture them. Ladyfinger, cabbage, tomato and cauliflower in particular may contain dangerously high levels because farmers tend to harvest them almost immediately after spraying. Fruit and vegetables are sprayed and tampered with to make them more colourful, and harmful fungicides are sprayed on fruit to ripen them in order to rush them off to market.
Research by the School of Natural Sciences and Engineering at the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore has indicated disturbing trends in the increased use of pesticide. In 2008, it reported that many crops for export had been rejected internationally due to high pesticide residues.
Kasargod in Kerala is notorious for the indiscriminate spraying of endosulfan. The government-owned Plantation Corporation of Kerala aerially sprayed the harmful pesticide on cashews for a period of over 20 years. Consequently, it got into rivers, streams and drinking water. Families and their children have been living with physical deformities, cancers and disorders of the central nervous system ever since.
© Getty ImagesMatthew Pettus holds a sheet open in the wind on the levee near Lake Pontchatrain as Hurricane Isaac approaches New Orleans, La.
Hurricane Isaac may be nature's candidate for top wind in America right now, but Isaac's gusts don't touch U.S. record wind speeds. Mt. Washington in New Hampshire currently holds that record with a gust of 231 mph.
Blustery Mt. Washington held the world record fastest wind title from 1934 to 1996. Then, a 253 mph (408 km/h) blast from Cyclone Olivia on Barrow Island off the northwest coast of Australia blew away the American record. Mt. Washington still holds on to its spot for hosting America's strongest wind, but doesn't seem to be working hard at snatching back the world record.
"The event on April 12, 1934 was exceptional," said Mike Carmon, meteorologist at Mount Washington Observatory. "In fact, since that storm, wind speeds have never topped 200 mph (322 km/h) on Mt. Washington... The annual average wind speed for Mt. Washington is 35 mph (56 km/h), which is an impressive figure."
Comment: Hurricane Isaac hit New Orleans seven years to the day Hurricane Katrina levelled the city... is the Universe sending the US a message?