Earth Changes

Crews search for missing in Japan's 7.2 quake

Eric Talmadge
Associated Press
Sun, 15 Jun 2008 01:42 UTC

KURIHARA - Rescue squads and military helicopters raced to find 11 people missing after an earthquake in mountainous northern Japan sent hillsides crashing down Saturday, killing at least six and injuring more than 140.

©Associated Press

A woman reacts to news of a relative's death following a landslide caused by an earthquake in Kurihara, Japan, Saturday, June 14, 2008. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake ripped across the mountains and rice fields of northern Japan on Saturday, killing at least six people as it sheared off hillsides, jolted buildings and shook nuclear power plants. At least eight people were missing.

The 7.2-magnitude quake triggered several major landslides, blocking roads and stranding about 100 bathers at a hot spring resort. Crews searching for the missing had to hike mountain trails and dig their way to the worst-hit areas.

"It was the worst quake I have ever felt," said Rinji Sato, whose grocery store in this town near the epicenter was a mess of shattered bottles and food thrown from shelves. "We were just lucky this didn't hit a big city."

High winds stoke fires across Northern California

Don Thompson, Jordan Robertson in San Jose, Tom Verdin in Sacramento, Jason Dearen in San Francisco and Martha Waggoner in Raleigh, N.C
Associated Press
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:52 UTC

PARADISE - High wind on Saturday continued to stoke fires across Northern California that had destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee.

At least 66 homes had been destroyed with 17 others damaged in the Butte County town of Paradise, about 90 miles north of Sacramento. The fire had contributed to at least one death - an elderly woman who suffered a heart attack while evacuating.

Only 35 percent of the fire was contained Saturday, and it had charred more than 36 square miles. Five firefighters suffered minor injuries.

That blaze was just one of a series vexing firefighters across Northern California. A wildfire in Monterey County continued to chew through the Los Padres National Forest, and flames in the Santa Cruz County kept hundreds of residents away from their mountain homes.

Cedar Rapids flood recedes; Des Moines levee fails

Michael J. Crumb, Jim Suhr, Allen G. Breed and AP Writers Melanie S. Welte in Des Moines and Jim Salter in Iowa City, Charles Babington in Quincy, Ill.
Associated Press
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:46 UTC

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The dark, filthy water that flooded Iowa's second-largest city finally started to recede Saturday after forcing 24,000 people to flee, but those who remained were urged to cut back on showering and flushing to save the last of their unspoiled drinking water.

Even The Antarctic Winter Cannot Protect Wilkins Ice Shelf

Science Daily
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:36 UTC

Wilkins Ice Shelf has experienced further break-up with an area of about 160 km² breaking off from 30 May to 31 May 2008. ESA's Envisat satellite captured the event - the first ever-documented episode to occur in winter.

©ESA Envisat

Wilkins Ice Shelf, a broad plate of floating ice south of South America on the Antarctic Peninsula, is connected to two islands, Charcot and Latady. In February 2008, an area of about 400 km² broke off from the ice shelf, narrowing the connection down to a 6 km strip; this latest event in May has further reduced the strip to just 2.7 km.

Early And Intense Tornado Season Could Be Record

Science Daily
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:25 UTC

This year may set records for tornadoes and tornado-related deaths. "We have already seen more than 115 tornado-related deaths, making this the deadliest tornado season since 1998," said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist at NOAA's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK.

©Chris Foltz, NOAA

Tornado in Kansas on May 22, 2008.

California firefighters still struggling with blaze

Associated Press
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:43 UTC

PARADISE - As a wildfire bore down on his home of 15 years, hopscotching between properties here, Larry Knifong decided to take his chances and stay - that is, until the flames raced up a ridge toward this ranch-style house.

River slowly dropping, but Iowa town still flooded

Associated Press
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:38 UTC

CEDAR RAPIDS - Days after it rose out of its banks on its way to record flooding in Cedar Rapids, the Cedar River has forced at least 20,000 people from their homes, officials said Saturday.

Death toll in north China landslide rises to 19

Xinhua
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:16 UTC

The death toll from a landslide in north China's Shanxi Province rose to 19 as rescuers recovered three more bodies in the early hours on Saturday, emergency headquarters said.

Rescuers found the three bodies at around 2 a.m. Saturday at the landslide site at a brick factory near Shang'an village, Lvliang City. The landslide occurred at around 10:20 a.m. Friday, destroying the factory's workshops and burying 20 workers.

©Xinhua

Two young sisters Wu Nana and Wu Shasha hold a picture of his father Wu Chunping who died among 19 workers at a brick factory buried by landslide in Shang'an village of Lishi District of Luliang, north China's Shanxi Province, June 14, 2008. Their mother Wang Fenglian and elder brother Wu Huihui were also killed by the landslide that occurred at 10:20 a.m. of Friday. The investigation is underway.

Egypt fishermen's livelihoods under threat

IRIN
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:29 UTC

Thousands of Egyptian fishermen constantly getting skin diseases caused by polluted water.

©IRIN

Threatening the livelihoods of some 78,000 people

Ahmad Issa, 41, has been fishing in Lake Maryut [also spelt Maryout or Marriout] near the port city of Alexandria for the last 30 years. Like thousands of other fishermen, Issa said he was constantly getting skin diseases caused by the polluted water.

At least three killed in Japan earthquake

Hurriet
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:19 UTC

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake centered in the northern state of Iwate about 250 miles northeast of Tokyo, rocked a rural, mountainous area of northern Japan, killed at least three people and injured more than 100 on Saturday, TV channels reported.

One of the people killed was caught in a landslide, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura told reporters. A second man was hit by a car after running out of a building and a third was killed by falling rocks at a dam construction site.

Seven people were trapped in a hot-spring resort inn hit by a landslide but police had rescued five and were trying to get the other two out, NHK public TV reported.