Welcome to Sott.net
Wed, 27 Oct 2021
The World for People who Think

Earth Changes
Map

Cloud Lightning

Indonesia: New Year's Day Rains Bring Floods To Cities and Villages Across Java

Dessy Sagita & Hangga Brata
Jakarta Globe
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:25 UTC
Indonesia flood
© JG Photo/Ali Lutfi
Residents salvaging belongings after the Bengawan Solo River overflowed in Solo. Floods have been reported around the country.
At least 10 areas across Java were flooded as the country welcomed what is expected to be a wet and miserable January as the rainy season reaches its peak.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said swaths of four provinces had been flooded since late on Sunday and through most of Monday.

He said Solo, Bungo, Sragen, Klaten and Brebes in Central Java, East Java's Nganjuk and Pasuruan, Yogyakarta's Yogyakarta city and Sleman and West Java's Banjar had all been affected.

"January is the height of the rainy season for most of Indonesia, so the threat of flooding will increase," he said.

Heavy rains in Solo caused the Bengawan Solo River to burst its banks, flooding much of the city.
      Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Britain battered by 106mph gales which leave two dead - and there's more to come in the next 24 hours

Chris Parsons and Gareth Finighan
Daily Mail
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:23 UTC
Storm bus crash
© INS
Crushed: The driver of a single decker bus in Witley, Surrey, was badly injured when an oak tree came crashing down on the vehicle
Winds of up to 106mph battered Britain yesterday, bringing death and destruction as many returned to work after the Christmas holidays.

A driver was killed when a tree fell on his van. The storm also claimed the life of a man on board a tanker which was hit by a huge wave in the Channel.

Barely a single area was spared the onslaught roaring in from the Atlantic, which toppled lorries and brought down power lines.

Buildings were damaged, roads closed and trains, flights and ferries were cancelled.

The Met Office issued numerous severe weather warnings and emergency services urged motorists and pedestrians to stay indoors.
      Read More...
Cloud Lightning

India: Cyclone's deadly toll climbs to 42


Courier Mail
Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:14 UTC
Cyclone Thane
© AP
Hit hard: A fisherman watches waves caused by Cyclone Thane.
The death toll from a cyclone that lashed India has risen to 42 people, rescue workers said.

A French national was among the victims of the storm, which hit southern India on Friday, reports said as engineers rushed to restore power supplies knocked out by the gale.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency quoting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said the death toll from the cyclone had risen to 42 in the southern Indian state.

Cyclone Thane packing winds of up to 140 kilometres an hour lashed the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and the territory of Pondicherry on Friday, leaving in its wake a trail of destruction.
      Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Volcanic Activity in Canary Islands 'Surprising'

Amanda Payne
Digital Journal
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:53 UTC
El Hierro
© NASA
El Hierro from space as seen by NASA Modis Aqua satellite on January 3, 2012.
The underwater volcano off the small Canary Island of El Hierro became active in July 2011 and has continued to be active on and off ever since, something described as 'surprising' by scientists.

In a regular press conference on Jan 3, Nemesio Pérez, Director of the Department of Environment of the Institute of Technology and Renewable energy (ITER) said that it was 'surprising' that the volcano was continuing in its erupting phase. He told the press that historically, the average eruption of a Canary island volcano has been around thirty days although a document found dating from the seventeenth century speaks of an ancient eruption that lasted six years.

The volcano, which has been active in the sea ( Mar de las Calmas) near the southern town of La Restinga has led to severe disruption for the people of the island with regular tremors rumbling almost every day. Three large tremors were noted by the National Geographical Institute (IGN) between Dec 26 and Dec 28 but the latest earthquakes listed by the Institute show daily activity in the Canary Island region.

A report in the ABC newspaper said that new activity such as bubbles, steam and fine materials have been seen in recent days following a period of quiet. The island continues to be on yellow alert.
      Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Thailand: Floods halt air, rail services


Bangkok Post
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:39 UTC
Image
© THITI WANNAMONTHA
Aresident of Soi WatMoomPom community in Muangdistrict of Nakhon Si Thammaratcarries her belongings in a bucket as she trudges through chest-deep floodwater.
Some areas under 2m of water, Yala dries out

Heavy rain and flash flooding yesterday continued to wreak havoc in the southern region, especially in Muang municipality of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Other parts of the South were hit as well, prompting hospital evacuations, halting airline services and forcing train passengers to continue their journeys by bus. But despite some provinces struggling with rising floodwater, levels were receding in the deep South.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, runoff from Luang and Nun mountains, triggered by steady rain over the past four days, caused unprecedented massive flooding, putting several main roads and residential communities under deep water.

The floodwater in some communities, such as Bo Sap and Ban Tok, ran as high as two metres, forcing locals to resort to using boats to get around.

Authorities were mobilised to assist flood victims and evacuate those who wanted to move to safety.
      Read More...
Bizarro Earth

US: Magma Causing Uplift in Oregon

Charles Q. Choi
Our Amazing Planet
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:23 UTC
Image
© NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
The Three Sisters area — which contains five volcanoes — is only about 170 miles (274 km) from Mount St. Helens, which erupted in 1980.
Volcanic activity is causing the earth to rise in Oregon, scientists have found. Though whether such uplift is a sign of an imminent eruption remains uncertain.

As early as the summer of 1996, a 230-square-mile (600-square-kilometer) patch of ground in Oregon began to rise. The area lies just west of the South Sister Volcano, which with the North and Middle Sisters form the Three Sisters volcanoes, the most prominent peaks in the central Oregon stretch of the Cascade Mountains.

Although this region has not seen an eruption in at least 1,200 years, the scattered hints of volcanic activity here have been a cause of concern, leading to continuous satellite-based monitoring. Now 14 years of data is revealing just how the Earth is changing there and the likely cause of the uplift - a reservoir of magma invading the crust 3-to-4 miles (5-to-7 km) underground.
      Read More...
Bizarro Earth

There's a New Volcano to Worry About, and This Time It's in the USA - Mount Cleveland


Jaunted.com
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:35 UTC
Image
© WikiMedia
Mount Cleveland
As you know we're still in the first week of the new year, but there's already a brand new volcano - complete with ash-cloud potential - getting ready to wreak havoc on air travel. Unlike the volcanoes over in Europe or down in South America, this one's a little closer to home, and it's a heck of a lot easier to pronounce.

Mount Cleveland - just rolls off the tongue - is located within the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska, and scientists believe that it's getting ready to celebrate 2012 by starting to shake, rattle, and roll. Just over a week ago there was a little volcano hiccup that sent a whole bunch of ash and other particulate into the skies, but things quickly dissipated and flights weren't really affected. The concern still remains, as the tippy top of the volcano is right in the way of one of the main commercial flight paths between North America and Asia.
      Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Another Icelandic Volcano Is Rumbling - Katla

Nick Jardine
Business Insider
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:30 UTC
Katla, yet another huge Icelandic volcano, is showing signs that it may soon erupt and cause chaos to world air transport.

Al Jazeera reports that earth tremors around the immense volcano are leading to concerns that an eruption could have both profound effects on Iceland's landscape, as well as disrupting travel worldwide. The volcano last erupted in 1918, making it well overdue for a blast, and it's lava chamber is thought to be some 10 times the size of Eyjafjallajökull, which erupted in 2010.

(By the way, this is hardly the only Icelandic volcano you should be worrying about. Last year we saw reports that Grimsvotn and Bárdarbunga, two other icelandic volcanos, were due to erupt.)

      Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Hurricane-force storms batter Scotland causing traffic chaos in Glasgow

Fraser Wilson
TheGlaswegian.co.uk
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:36 UTC
Image
© Traffic Scotland
There was travel chaos in Glasgow today as hurricane-force winds overturned lorries and roads and railway lines were closed across the city. Motorists, many returning to work for the first time after the festive break, were warned not to travel if at all possible by Strathclyde Police.

The Met Office issued a red warning for Central Scotland - the highest level possible - as winds of 91mph were recorded in the city. The 10-lane Kingston Bridge in the centre of the city was closed in both directions shortly before 9am because of the high winds which caused two lorries to overturn, pictured. The bridge, one of the busiest road bridges in Europe, reopened eastbound at 12.30pm.

Drivers were warned the closure would have an impact on other bridge crossings and the Clyde Tunnel. The Erskine Bridge, which links Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire across the River Clyde, and the Tay Road Bridge were both also closed because of the storm-force winds.
      Read More...
Stop

US: 8 Injured in 41-Vehicle Pileup on I-75 in Kentucky


The Associated Press
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00 UTC
Image
© The Associated Press/The Cincinnati Enquirer/Patrick Reddy
Emergency crews work the scene after a crash along Interstate 75 that involved about 30 cars during snowy conditions Monday, Jan. 2, 2012 near Dry Ridge, Ky.
Police say eight people have been injured in a 41-vehicle pileup that shut southbound Interstate 75 for hours on a day when scattered snow showers pelted northern Kentucky.

Kentucky's Kenton County police department issued a statement saying six of the injured were taken to hospitals, but none of the injuries was life-threatening. It said cars and other vehicles collided on southbound lanes at 12:22 p.m. Monday just north of Crittenden and south of Cincinnati.

Police say 23 vehicles had to be towed before southbound lanes reopened at 2:45 p.m. A news photo showed cars sprawled across several lanes and beside a shoulder with accumulated snow. Authorities say the cause is under investigation.

Meteorologist John Denman with the National Weather Service in Louisville said snow showers fell around the state Monday.
      Read More...
Amazon Smile
Revolt! T-shirts