Earth Changes

Fresh shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake rocks Leyte, Philippines

Channel News Asia
Mon, 10 Jul 2017 13:44 UTC

A 5.9-magnitude quake on Monday (Jul 10) rocked a central Philippine island still reeling from a deadly tremor last week, though there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, seismologists said.

The US Geological Survey said the moderately strong quake struck Leyte island near Ormoc, a city of about 200,000 people, at 9.41am at a relatively shallow depth of 12.7km.

A 6.5-magnitude quake stuck the region on Thursday last week, killing two people and leaving 72 others injured.

Large areas of Leyte, home to some 1.75 million people, and some parts of the central Philippines were still without electricity this week due to damage to a Leyte power plant.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Source: AFP/mn

7th right whale discovered dead in Gulf of St. Lawrence since June

CBC News
Fri, 07 Jul 2017 13:31 UTC

Seven endangered right whales have been found dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence since June.

The carcass of a seventh North Atlantic right whale has been found off the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, reports Radio-Canada.

The Canadian Coast Guard discovered the dead whale near Havre-Aubert on Wednesday night.

Quebec's marine mammal research network, known by its French initials GREMM, confirmed to CBC's French-language service that it was not previously aware of the carcass.

Tonya Wimmer, with the Marine Animal Response Society, said the whale is a male, and it was badly decomposed. She also said it isn't clear yet what caused the whale's death, The Canadian Press reported.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans told CBC News in an email that it is investigating the whale carcass to determine if it is a new one or a carcass that has been previously identified.

Six other North Atlantic right whales, which are an endangered species, have been found dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence since June.

Minke whale discovered dead near harbor in Chatham, Massachusetts

Ben Thompson
Boston Globe
Fri, 07 Jul 2017 13:21 UTC

A minke whale is dead, despite desperate attempts by officials to steer the creature out of a harbor in Chatham, officials said.

Chatham Harbormaster Stuart Smith said a property owner along Oyster Pond River, an estuary flowing to the harbor, reported the 18-foot-long whale was dead in the river early Friday morning.

A team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare has been sent to retrieve the carcass so a necropsy can be performed to determine the cause of death, spokeswoman Melanie Mahoney said.

Smith said he was first notified around 6:30 a.m. Thursday that the whale appeared to be stuck in Stage Harbor.

Lightning strikes kill at least 26 people in 24 hours across Bihar, India

Zee News
Mon, 10 Jul 2017 13:08 UTC

At least 26 persons, including women and children, were killed and over a dozen injured in incidents of lightning strikes across Bihar in last 24 hours, an official said here on Monday.

Deaths were reported from Vaishali, Patna, Rohtas, Saran, Buxar, Bhojpur, Gaya, Samastipur, Siwan, Araria and Aurangabad districts on Sunday, Bihar State Disaster Department official Anirudh Kumar said.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the family of each victim.

Lightning strikes during the June-September monsoon season are common across Bihar, with bamboo and grass huts more at risk.

Bihar received heavy rainfall on Sunday, and the Meteorological Department has forecast similar conditions on Monday as well.

Source: IANS

At least two killed, scores injured as powerful shallow 6.5 earthquake strikes Leyte, Philippines

Mars Mosqueda and Francis Wakefield
Manila Bulletin
Fri, 07 Jul 2017 12:51 UTC

Building collapses – A low-rise commercial building in Kananga, Leyte, collapses following a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that hit the province on Thursday.

© Kawaii Queni Reforzado
Building collapses – A low-rise commercial building in Kananga, Leyte, collapses following a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that hit the province on Thursday.

A strong earthquake struck Leyte Thursday afternoon, and there were initial reports of collapsed infrastructure, cracked roads, and landslides that resulted in the death of at least two people - one in Ormoc City and another in Kananga town - and the injury of scores of others throughout the province.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Deputy Director Bartolome Bautista said the quake hit at 4:03 p.m. and registered at magnitude 6.5 with its epicenter located eight kilometers southwest of Jaro, Leyte, and had a depth of two kilometers.

The tremor was felt at Intensity 5 in Tacloban City, Palo, Leyte, and Cebu City, Intensity 4 in Tolosa, Leyte, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, Burgos, Surigao del Norte, Intensity 3 in Bogo City, Cebu, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, Intensity 2 in Libjo, San Jose, Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands, and Intensity 1 in Roxas City, La Carlota City; Negros Occidental.

Update: Japan floods death toll rises to 20 after 'unprecedented' rainfall

Rappler
Sun, 09 Jul 2017 17:50 UTC

© Kimimasa Mayama, EPA
Rescue workers from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force and police work together to search for missing people in the mountain village of Toho, Fukuoka Prefecture, in southwestern Japan on Saturday. Rescue workers reached the site after a one-hour walk as the region is isolated due to collapses of the roads towards the village.

Thousands of people have also been evacuated to makeshift shelters, but many remain stranded

The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Japan's south has risen to 20, local media reported Sunday, July 9, as rescue teams continued their search for survivors.

Swathes of Kyushu - the southernmost of Japan's 4 main islands - have been left devastated after overflowing rivers and torrential downpours swept away roads, houses, and schools this week.

Thousands of people have been evacuated to makeshift shelters in school gyms and public buildings, but many remain stranded, with emergency services battling through thick mud and rain to try to reach them.

Some 250 people were still cut off by Sunday, the Kyodo news agency said. Collapsed bridges and waterlogged ground on steep hillsides were hampering rescue efforts, according to media.

A total of 20 people have died while more than 20 remain unaccounted for in the Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, Kyodo reported.

The government was doing its "utmost" to recover those missing or stranded, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga earlier said in a rare weekend press conference.

Comment: Japan's Meteorological Agency said Fukuoka and Oita experienced unprecedented amounts of rain. See also:

Japan floods: 11 missing, 500,000 to evacuate after days of torrential rain in Fukuoka and Oita

Australia Bureau of Meteorology hides record cold temperature data

Adapt 2030
YouTube
Sun, 09 Jul 2017 07:29 UTC

New record cold temperature set in Goulburn Airport in Australia, @ -10.4C which broke the all time record, but magically the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) changed it to -10.0C so the old record was not broken. Confronted by Jo Nova and Jennifer Marohasy the BOM acknowledged the "error" and left the entry blank. They didn't update until the blogosphere erupted. What then came to light was the the BOM was entering high "low temperature values" so even if a new record was broken it didn't register past a certain point on the lows, but the highs are set unlimited. So there is an obvious agenda of temperature manipulation. Setting code so record lows don't fit the histogram and register as record lows. That's pure fraud, then the handling of the affair after it came to the public awareness was unprofessional to say the least. You are being tricked with computer programs to dis-allow record cold so we are not getting the full picture of temperatures in Australia.

Security camera records dog's violent attack on 7-year-old boy in Manor, Texas

Elton Hobson
Global News
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 18:17 UTC

A dog owner in Manor, Texas, is facing a host of fines and possible criminal charges after his pit bull mix escaped through the front door of his home and attacked a seven-year-old boy.

Video of the attack captured on home security cameras was released by the Manor Police Department, showing neighbours rush to the boy's aid as the dog continues its assault.

Police were called to a home in northeast Manor around 8 p.m. Monday following calls of an animal attack on a young boy. Police say Brison Aldridge was playing in his yard when his neighbour's dog took advantage of his owner opening the front door to bolt from his house - and run right for the boy.

Dog mauls to death 78-year-old owner in South Korea

Jung Min-ho
The Korea Times
Sun, 09 Jul 2017 17:59 UTC

A 78-year-old woman died after being mauled by a dog she raised for eight years.

According to Andong Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday, the woman was found dead in her house Friday at around 9:15 p.m. with serious injuries to her neck.

Police said they also found a bloodstained Pungsan dog and a tooth near the house.

Officers said they concluded the 18-kilogram dog attacked the owner. They said they plan to send the dog to a shelter, where it will be euthanized.

Wildfires rage during California's record-breaking heatwave

Yahoo News
Sat, 08 Jul 2017 15:51 UTC

The first major wildfires after the end of California's five-year drought raged across the state Saturday, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave.

Some 3,000 firefighters were battling several blazes with triple-digit temperatures recorded in valleys and inland areas.

A wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills north of Sacramento was only two percent contained by early evening and had destroyed 10 homes, scorching 2,000 acres (800 hectares) of forest and sparking evacuations and road closures.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) said five residents and a firefighter had sustained minor injuries.

Meanwhile a blaze that forced evacuations in San Luis Obispo County tripled in size from Saturday morning to 19,000 acres by the evening. Fanned by hot, dry winds, it was just 10 percent contained, CalFire said.

Some 17 wildfires in various states of containment were burning in California Saturday, from the Six Rivers National Forest in the north to the San Bernardino Forest east of Los Angeles.

An excessive heat warning has been extended until 11:00 pm (0600 GMT) for much of southern California, with temperature records being broken across the region.

Comment: From RT:

The wildfires temporarily trapped at least 90 children and some 50 councilors at a local summer camp, Zaniboni said, adding that later the campers had been safely evacuated.

On Saturday, the blaze dubbed the Alamo Fire burned more than 23 square kilometers outside Santa Maria and remained 10 percent contained, Zaniboni added. The Santa Barbara blaze is one of three separate wildfires that have rocked California.

Some 300 residents were to evacuate Santa Barbara and neighboring San Luis Obispo County, AP reported.