Earth ChangesS


Attention

Thousands Flee Colombia Volcano Eruption

Colombia's Nevado del Huila volcano erupted in a shower of hot ash, prompting thousands of people to leave their homes on Tuesday.

The remote volcano, 150 miles southwest of Bogota, erupted shortly before midnight Monday and appeared less active at daybreak.

Cloud Lightning

Papua New Guinea highlands battle landslide aftermath

The PNG Government has sent a team to assess to extent of damage in the highlands.

Thousands of people are battling the aftermath of landslides and flooding which hit PNG's highlands during the weekend.

The landslides crushed houses and farms, leaving more than 2,000 people displaced.

Cloud Lightning

Belleville, Ontario, declares state of emergency as flood water swamps homes

Spring brings floods to Ontario, heat to West

The eastern Ontario city of Belleville has declared a state of emergency as water from the Moira River swamps homes and shuts roadways in the worst flooding since 1981.

Fish

Oregon, US: Collapse of chinook season devastates salmon trollers

In Charleston, on the Oregon coast, a way of life seems endangered.

In Charleston, on the Oregon coast, salmon trolling is a way of life. But now, with the chinook season collapsed, it's A life on rocky shoals.

Matt Hakki sits quietly at the plywood table overlooking Charleston's fishing port while the older men talk about predators, regulators, Chilean fish farms, seas that can turn a 50-foot salmon troller into a pinball.

Last year, banking on a favorable fishing forecast, he took out a loan and paid $80,000 for a boat built 68 years ago, ready after a decade as a deckhand to chase a legendary fish that can command $100 a head.

But for the most part, the fish didn't show up. This year, he found out there will be no salmon fishing at all.

"I'm scared," he says, and the older men fall silent. "I kind of took the leap of faith to do something to better myself and my family. Now I have to look at my wife and my two young boys.

"I ask myself everyday, did I make the right decision?"

Last week, following a stunning drop in the numbers of fall chinook projected to return from the ocean to the Sacramento River, the Pacific Fishery Management Council opted for the largest salmon fishing closure ever off the Oregon and California coasts.

Bizarro Earth

California has more than 99% chance of a big earthquake within 30 years, report shows

California has more than a 99% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake within the next 30 years, according scientists using a new model to determine the probability of big quakes.

The likelihood of a major quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%-and such a quake is most likely to occur in the southern half of the state.

Umbrella

Missouri Branson Emergency Management: First time in White River flood control history that all lakes are at capacity

For the second time in less than a month, Carroll County waterways breached their banks, spilling flood waters over bridges, onto roadways and into homes.

The flooding was part of a huge storm system that left neighbors to the south cleaning up after high winds and damaging hail swept through that part of the state.

Carroll Countians awoke Thursday morning to raging waters from a four-inch deluge that fell overnight.

Better Earth

Strong earthquake hits off Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY - A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck off the Pacific coast of Guatemala on Monday, sending residents of the capital into the streets in panic but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.

Bizarro Earth

US: Missourians keep fighting flood waters

St. Louis - Flood-weary residents were hard hit again by high water in parts of southern Missouri in recent days, resulting in reports Monday of one death and dozens of damaged and water-logged homes.

In Hartville in south-central Missouri, a 43-year-old man died when driving near the flooded Gasconade River on Friday. Parts of Branson's lake shore were cleaning up after 28 homes flooded, out of 49 homes that were evacuated last week on Lake Taneycomo.

In southeast Missouri, a levee break flooded dozens of homes outside of Poplar Bluff over the weekend, some of them flooding for the second time in about a month.

And it may not be over yet - the Corps of Engineers said it is closely monitoring lakes in the entire White River basin, including those in Missouri, that have reached or are near capacity.

Bell

US: Flood waters rise in Rock county, Wisconsin

The recent rains aren't helping lower river water levels in Rock county.

Sheriff's deputies are making frequent checks of the Rock and Sugar rivers as days of flooding conditions turn into weeks. Checks Monday morning show a weekend of rising water with the Rock river at Newville a foot-and-a-half above flood-stage, the Rock river at Indianford just over the banks, and the Rock river at Afton two-feet above flood stage. The Sugar river in Avon Township has also swelled topping the five-foot flood stage by a foot-and-a-half over the weekend.

Cloud Lightning

Boy, 8 rescued from storm drain

County firefighters rescued an 8-year-old boy from a storm drain outside a Crownsville church yesterday after he got stuck trying to retrieve a lost ball.

child_recsue
©Eddie M. Harris/The Capital
A child was rescued by firefighters yesterday after he was partially stuck in a storm drain in front of South Shore Baptist Church on Herald Harbor Road at about 10:45 a.m. It took only a few minutes to free the 8-year-old.