Earth Changes

US: Alaska town tries to dig out from huge snow dump

Rachel D'Oro
Associated Press
Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:51 UTC

© AP/Erv Pett/Alaska DHS & EM
In this Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 photo provided by the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, a house is buried in snow in the fishing town of Cordova, Alaska.

Anchorage - The small Alaska fishing town of Cordova is used to dealing with excessive snow - but not like this. Residents have turned to the state to help them dig out of massive snow levels that have collapsed roofs, triggered avalanches and even covered doors, trapping some people in their homes.

"There's nowhere to go with the snow because it's piled up so high," said Wendy Rainney, who owns the Orca Adventure Lodge. A storage building for the lodge - which offers fishing trips, hiking, kayaking and glacier tours - partially collapsed under the weight of the snow, she said.

"This is more quantity than can be handled."

The Alaska National Guard reported more than 18 feet of snow has fallen on Cordova in the past weeks, although the National Weather Service did not immediately have a measurement.

Officials said at least three buildings have collapsed or partially collapsed and six homes are deemed severely stressed by heavy wet snow.

The city has set up a shelter at a local recreation center, but said people leaving homes in avalanche-risky areas have been staying with other residents. Cordova spokesman Allen Marquette said the town also was ready to set up a pet shelter if necessary.

US: Northern Plains hit hard by deer-killing disease

Matthew Brown
Associated Press
Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:00 UTC

Billings, Montana- White-tailed deer populations in parts of eastern Montana and elsewhere in the Northern Plains could take years to recover from a devastating disease that killed thousands of the animals in recent months, wildlife officials and hunting outfitters said.

In northeast Montana, officials said 90 percent or more of whitetail have been killed along a 100-mile stretch of the Milk River from Malta to east of Glasgow. Whitetail deaths also have been reported along the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers in western North Dakota and eastern Montana and scattered sites in Wyoming, South Dakota and eastern Kansas.

The deaths are being attributed to an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD. Transmitted by biting midges, EHD causes internal bleeding that can kill infected animals within just a few days.

"I've been here 21 years and it was worse than any of us here have seen," said Pat Gunderson, the Glasgow-based regional supervisor for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. "Right now it's going to take a few years to get things back to even a moderate population."

Earthquake north of Anchorage is felt, but no reports of damage

The Republic
Sun, 08 Jan 2012 13:40 UTC

Anchorage, Alaska - A small earthquake rumbled in Alaska that was felt in several small communities north of Anchorage.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 4.0 temblor struck shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday and was centered about 150 northeast of Anchorage.

US: In Texas' worst drought on record, trees dying by the millions

Julie Tam
MSNBC
Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:00 UTC

© The Associated Press/Ron Billings / Texas Forest Service
Drought stricken trees are visible in a residential area in Austin, Texas. The full effect of Texas' record-breaking drought and scorching hot summer on the state's trees will be revealed next spring, with a changed landscape emerging in many places.

The National Weather Service has officially declared last year as the driest on record in Texas and the second hottest. Meteorologists predict the situation won't improve much this year. That means water restrictions will continue, and we'll lose millions of trees.

Record-setting heat and little rain in 2011 has left North Texas in a severe drought. The water level at Lake Lavon is down 12 feet.

"It is a challenging time, especially to bring awareness to our consumers and businesses how critical our drought has impacted our reservoirs," said Denise Hickey, spokesperson for the North Texas Municipal Water District. "As we're planning to move through this drought period, we're also planning and initiating additional strategies to bring additional sources online."

Global economy would collapse in 7 days if a major disaster struck the planet

CNBC / Reuters
Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:08 UTC

The global economy could withstand widespread disruption from a natural disaster or attack by militants for only a week as governments and businesses are not sufficiently prepared to deal with unexpected events, a report by a respected think-tank said.

Events such as the 2010 volcanic ash cloud, which grounded flights in Europe, Japan's earthquake and tsunami and Thailand's floods last year, have showed that key sectors and businesses can be severely affected if disruption to production or transport goes on for more than a week.

"One week seems to be the maximum tolerance of the 'just-in-time' global economy," said the report by Chatham House, the London-based policy institute for international affairs.

The current fragile state of the world's economy leaves it particularly vulnerable to unforeseen shocks. Up to 30 percent of developed countries' gross domestic product could be directly threatened by crises, especially in the manufacturing and tourism sectors, according to the think-tank.

It is estimated that the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Asia cost businesses $60 billion, or about 2 percent of east Asian GDP, the report said.

US: Will Winter Kick into High Gear Soon?

Alex Sosnowski
Accuweather
Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:12 UTC

There are signals pointing toward a return to large storms over part of the United States along with another cold wave from the Midwest to the East beginning during the middle of January.

While record warmth in the West and a Sierra Nevada snow drought may continue, folks in the East were recently reminded that winter can still pack a punch.

Temperatures dipped to 17 degrees Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C. This matched the lowest temperatures of the entire season last winter. Tuesday was warmer in Calgary, Alberta, (50 degrees) than it was in Walt Disney World (49 degrees). Lake-effect snow finally hit depositing 1 to 2 feet of snow in some of the snowbelts.

Much of the nation is experiencing a lack of storms this week.

However, while there is still some uncertainty what the balance of the winter will bring, signals are pointing toward additional cold waves coming to the East and an uptick in large-scale storms beginning toward the middle of the month. The details will unfold soon.

Oddly Mild Winter Leaves Much of U.S. on Thin Ice

Zach Howard
Reuters
Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:13 UTC

Unusually mild winter weather is spoiling the fun for hockey players, skaters and ice fisherman across the Northeast and Midwest as officials warn of uncommonly thin ice.

Fish and game officials in several northeastern states have issued advisories in recent days, saying ice conditions were unsafe on lakes where ice typically reaches 10 inches thick.

In Minnesota, officials warned ice was unreliable in the southern part of the state, where temperatures topped 60 degrees for the first time on record in the first week of January.

With no ice yet recorded on Lake Erie, organizers of Buffalo's public hockey tournament of 1,000 amateur players say they may have to cancel the February 10 event for the first time in its 5-year history.

An extraordinarily mild December and early January failed to deliver the cold needed to freeze most lakes and ponds.

Plutonium From Fukushima Made It Around The Planet

Sayer Ji
GreenMedInfo
Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:00 UTC

A recently published study in the Journal of Environmental Radioactivity confirms that the radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster reached Europe (Lithuania), and included plutonium, the most deadly manmade element (nanogram for nanogram) in existence.

According to the study's authors the radionuclide concentrations measured indicate there was "long-range air mass transport from Japan across the Pacific, the North America and the Atlantic Ocean to Central Europe as indicated by modelling." What this means is that every region under the jet stream -- which includes half of the planet north of its equator -- could have been exposed to some degree of plutonium fall-out; a fact that is all the more disturbing when we consider there is no such thing as a safe level, and that the harm (on the human scale of time) does not dissipate: the half life of plutonium-239 is 24,200 years, and that of uranium-238 is 4,460,000,000 years, which is older than our planet.

Hundreds evacuate as activity rises at Indonesia's Mount Lewotolok

dts Nachrichtenagentur
Europe Online Magazine
Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:40 UTC

Hundreds of people living near a volcano in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara were evacuated on Thursday because of increased volcanic activity, the Antara news agency reported. About 500 people residing near Mount Lewotolok in Lembata district abandoned their homes amid the volcano's mounting activity.

"Most of them left for the nearest city, Lewoleba," said Lembata Deputy District Chief Viktor Mado Watun, as quoted by Antara. "All related government officials will soon hold a coordination meeting to deal with the latest situation." "Black smoke columns are coming out of the mountain's crater, the air is filled with the smell of sulfur while rumbling sounds are heard around the mountain," he added. Residents decided to leave due to the increasing activity of Mount Lewotolok over the past few days, even though the government has not yet announced an evacuation plan.

US: Tornadoes in 2011 Set Deadly Records

Mark Fischetti
Scientific American
Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00 UTC

Many of us may remember the jaw-dropping images of the May 22, 2011, tornado that tore through Joplin, Mo., killing 158 people and leaving an incredible 14-mile path of destruction. But that system was only one of the record-breaking tornado events this year. Data compiled by meteorologist Jeffrey Masters shows that when deaths, damage and financial losses are considered, 2011 can be called the worst U.S. tornado year on record.

Vax analysis that shows how deadly they are: [Link]

L. Wood

Well, FWIW, the number of sites claiming that actress Melle Stewart is dead is growing which makes the BFM's silence all the more suspect, eh...

Rowan Cocoan

Good thing semis will all be automated in the next 10 years

Bobble

I wonder if that negroid snake oil salesman was actually voted into office, or if he had some computerized remote help, like the senile deepfake....

codis

Is this the effect of geo engineering I wonder? Forcing droughts on areas and the like, surely that precipitation needs to go somewhere? Just find...

Christian83

Earth Changes

US: Alaska town tries to dig out from huge snow dump

US: Northern Plains hit hard by deer-killing disease

Earthquake north of Anchorage is felt, but no reports of damage

US: In Texas' worst drought on record, trees dying by the millions

Global economy would collapse in 7 days if a major disaster struck the planet

US: Will Winter Kick into High Gear Soon?

Oddly Mild Winter Leaves Much of U.S. on Thin Ice

Plutonium From Fukushima Made It Around The Planet

Hundreds evacuate as activity rises at Indonesia's Mount Lewotolok

US: Tornadoes in 2011 Set Deadly Records

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