Earth Changes
WASHINGTON - The federal government predicts that 27 levees could potentially overflow along the Mississippi River if the weather forecast is on the mark and a massive sandbagging effort fails to raise the level of the levees, according to a map obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
OAKVILLE - The floodwaters that deluged much of Iowa have done more than knock out drinking water and destroy homes. They have also spread a noxious brew of sewage, farm chemicals and fuel that could sicken anyone who wades in.
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Vulcanologists are continuing to keep a close eye on White Island.
Two or three hundred aftershocks continue to rattle it after a 5.4 magnitude earthquake centred just 10 kilometres south-west of the volcano on Friday.
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The Chaiten volcano in southern Chile has erupted with renewed strength, belching thick clouds of ash and hurling molten rocks into the air, regional authorities said Friday.
The 1,000-meter (3,280-foot) tall Chaiten volcano, located some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) south of Santiago, first began to erupt in May after lying dormant for centuries.
"There has been an increase in the volcano's activity," Sergio Galilea, the governor Los Lagos region, told reporters Friday.
Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 25 people in northeast India, national media reported on Monday.
Unexpectedly heavy rains began lashing the area on Thursday, nearly two weeks ahead of the normal monsoon season, which usually covers the country from early July to September.
The first wave of floods hit the northeastern state of Assam, cutting off road and rail links. Six people who tried to cross a swollen river on bamboo rafts drowned.
Unexpectedly heavy rains began lashing the area on Thursday, nearly two weeks ahead of the normal monsoon season, which usually covers the country from early July to September.
The first wave of floods hit the northeastern state of Assam, cutting off road and rail links. Six people who tried to cross a swollen river on bamboo rafts drowned.
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An expanding drought in Australia's grain belt has already been blamed for contributing to a world food crisis, and now floods in the US midwest, which have devastated the corn crop, are adding to the misery.
DES MOINES - "Nearly one third of Iowa is already under water and water levels continue to rise," said U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, urging federal financial assistance for his state. Waters are still rising in many parts of the state and the president responded.
Scientists say coral fish could suffer from climate change just as much as the reefs they live in.
Over 400,000 species of fish live in or around coral reefs and the lives of many of them depended on the health of corals, said Dr Philip Munday from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, based at James Cook University in Townsville.
Over 400,000 species of fish live in or around coral reefs and the lives of many of them depended on the health of corals, said Dr Philip Munday from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, based at James Cook University in Townsville.
IOWA CITY - A week's work of frantic sandbagging by students, professors and the National Guard couldn't spare this bucolic college town from the surging Iowa River, which has swamped more than a dozen campus buildings and forced the evacuation Sunday of hundreds of nearby homes.
The swollen river, which bisects this city of about 60,000 residents, was topping out at about 31.5 feet - a foot and a half below earlier predictions. But it still posed a lingering threat, and wasn't expected to begin receding until Monday night.
The swollen river, which bisects this city of about 60,000 residents, was topping out at about 31.5 feet - a foot and a half below earlier predictions. But it still posed a lingering threat, and wasn't expected to begin receding until Monday night.
A 17-year old male was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning Saturday while swimming with friends at Gouldsboro State Beach, according to state police at Swiftwater.
Police identified the victim as Thomas Golden of Olyphant, Lackawanna County.
Police identified the victim as Thomas Golden of Olyphant, Lackawanna County.
