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Fire

Wildfires in Oklahoma and Texas burn nearly 1 million acres, killing 7 people


whnt.com
Wed, 15 Mar 2017 13:13 UTC
wildfires near Lipscomb, Texas
© REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Rancher Nancy Schwerzenbach walks with dogs through pasture burned by wildfires near Lipscomb, Texas, U.S., March 12, 2017.
Wildfires across the country had consumed more than 1 million acres by Tuesday night, taking at least 7 lives.

The Oklahoma Forestry Service told CNN the fires burned 400,000 acres, and prompted Gov. Mary Fallin to declare a state of emergency for 22 counties.

Officials in four other states said that 400,000 acres were destroyed in Kansas, 325,000 in the Texas Panhandle and 30,000 in Colorado — not to mention the 6,000 acres burning in the Florida swamps near Naples that resulted in mandatory evacuations.

Three ranchers trying to save their cattle died in a wildfire in Gray County, Texas, according to Sandi Martin, coordinator with Gray County Emergency Management.

The three were among five people killed by wildfires in the Texas Panhandle as fires continue to scorch swaths of the Southwest and Great Plains. The Gray County blaze scorched 100,000 acres, but has since been contained, Martin said. State fire marshals are working to determine the cause.

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Seismograph

Three shallow earthquakes strike same California spot just hours apart

Greg Keraghosian
SFGate
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 16:07 UTC
earthquake map of Avenal, California
© USGS
Three earthquakes struck just a kilometer or two apart in Central California on Thursday, according to the USGS, two of them within two minutes of each other, near the town of Avenal in Kings County.

The first was a magnitude 3.6 quake that struck at 7:50 a.m., 12 kilometers northwest of Avenal at a depth of 7 kilometers. Two minutes later, a 2.6-magnitude quake struck 11 kilometers of Avenal at a depth of 4 kilometers.

At 2:46 p.m., another 2.6-magnitude earthquake hit. This one was reported 12 kilometers northwest of Avenal, at a depth of 8.7 kilometers. There were no reports of injuries or damage from any of the quakes.

There was also an earthquake in Northern California on Thursday. At 8:15 a.m., a 3.0 quake struck 8 kilometers northeast of Watsonville at a depth of 10 kilometers. No injuries or damage were reported from this quake as well.
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Sun

Hundreds of hippos dying from sunburn amid drought in Kenya

Ekin Karasin
Daily Mail
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 21:00 UTC
An urgent rescue operation has been launched to save hundreds of hippos trapped in dried-up mud baths due to a crippling drought in Lamu, Kenya

An urgent rescue operation has been launched to save hundreds of hippos trapped in dried-up mud baths due to a crippling drought in Lamu, Kenya
An urgent rescue operation has been launched to save hundreds of hippos trapped in dried-up mud baths due to a crippling drought.

Shocking photos show the Mkunumbi and Lake Kenyatta hippos suffering sunburn after getting stuck in former watering holes under the blistering sun in Lamu, Kenya.

The Kenya Wildlife Service has been frantically ferrying water to lakes, dams and rivers to avoid any more deaths - after more than 30 hippos perished in the mud.

The charity Care for the Wild Kenya released horrifying pictures of the suffering mammals to highlight the need for action.

They told of the urgent need for water pumps, diesel and labour to get water pumping to rescue the trapped hippos.

'This is an appeal with regard to the Mkunumbi and Lake Kenyatta hippos in Lamu,' the charity wrote on Facebook.
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Cloud Lightning

2 killed by lightning bolt in South Africa

Kaveel Singh
News24
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 20:13 UTC
LIGHTNING
Two people have been killed by lightning in Nwedwe, the KwaZulu-Natal co-operative governance department said on Thursday.

The victims were both members of the Shangase family, living in Thafamasi, and were killed on Wednesday, acting MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi said.

Five people were seriously injured. They were taken to local hospitals.

Sithole-Moloi said disaster management teams had been dispatched to the scene to help the family.
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Attention

Strange weather, new strains of rust and blight; global cold weather crop losses

Adapt 2030
You Tube
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 16:15 UTC
The plant disease threatens the world's crops

The plant disease threatens the world's crops
New unidentified strains of blight and wheat rust have emerged on our planet which are causing 100% losses in the fields. Yellow rust continues to spread unchecked, but is now merging with as yet un-named strains of pathogens to create a super-rust strain. Crop losses around the planet continue with cold damage and now the hard freeze in the USA S.E. will reduce orchard output by 70%. India moves to WhatsApp pay to connect local farmers with local buyers.


Sources
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Fire

Ten people injured after Italy's Etna crater explodes


ANSA
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 14:58 UTC
Mount Etna volcano eruption
Ten people were injured Thursday by an explosion from one of the craters of Etna which is currently active, local sources said. None are in serious condition, the sources said. Six of them will be taken to hospitals in Catania and Acireale. The explosion took place on Etna's Belvedere near Nicolosi when lava touched the snow on the volcano's peak, sparking a so-called "phreatic explosion" at an altitude of 2,700 metres, sources said.

Pyroclastic material sent flying like shrapnel hit a group of trekkers.

Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano, has shown lava spouts and ash plumes in recent days.


Comment: Further reading: Is something strange happening deep inside the Earth?
Why are "giant fountains of lava" suddenly pouring out of some of the most dangerous volcanoes on the entire planet, and why are so many long dormant volcanoes suddenly roaring back to life? The spectacular eruption of Mt. Etna in Italy is making headlines all over the world, but it is far from alone. According to Volcano Discovery, 35 major volcanoes either are erupting right now or have just recently erupted, and dozens of others are stirring. So what is causing this upsurge in volcanic activity? Is something strange happening inside the Earth?


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Snowflake

300 vehicles stuck on Quebec highway for 14 hours during snowstorm


National Post
Wed, 15 Mar 2017 14:57 UTC
Snow time
A clearly unhappy Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre says he intends to get to the bottom of how 300 vehicles - and their occupants — were stuck on the lanes of southbound Highway 13 for close to 14 hours Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.

"It was a minor problem but a major one for the people who were stuck in it on Highway 13," Coderre told a meeting of the city's executive committee Wednesday morning. "Personally, I find it unacceptable that people were stuck for 13 or 14 hours before things were unblocked.

"What's clear is that I'm going to shed some light on this. In 2017, 13 hours in the same situation. I know there was a big storm and a pile-up (on the highway). But I think we should be asking why it took so long to get things sorted out, especially since the northbound 13 was clear... We need some answers."
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Attention

Pygmy sperm whale found dead on coast of Puerto Rico


Taiwan News
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 14:29 UTC
Pygmy Sperm Whale

Pygmy Sperm Whale
Authorities in Puerto Rico say a dead pygmy sperm whale has washed up on the U.S. territory's north coast.

Officials with the Department of Natural Resources said the whale was found Wednesday morning in the town of Rio Grande just east of the capital. A necropsy is planned.

Pygmy sperm whales are elusive and rarely seen at sea. They are slightly larger than dolphins and live in warm waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.

Source: AP
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Attention

Sperm whale washes ashore at Wairarapa, New Zealand

Hayley Gastmeier
Wairarapa Times Age
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 10:42 UTC
dead sperm whale

Dead sperm whale
A dead sperm whale measuring over 14 metres was blessed in preparation for its burial at White Rock yesterday.

The whale had been discovered on the South Wairarapa beach on Monday by a local resident.

It is not yet clear what killed the mammal, which was thought to be about 40-years-old, just half its life expectancy.

Rangers from the Department of Conservation were at the scene yesterday, awaiting a digger to arrive so the whale could be moved to its beach burial site.

Also on site were Kaumatua Haami Te Whaiti and PJ Devonshire, general manager of Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa.

The pair blessed the animal, which had been dead for "a couple of days at most".

Mr Te Whaiti said it was to be moved away from the waves, in an effort to halt its deterioration rate.
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Attention

Stranded sperm whale with 'mouth full of garbage' dies in Guangdong, China

Matthew Bossons
That's
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 10:31 UTC
Sperm whale
On the afternoon of March 15, an injured 12-meter-long sperm whale was pronounced dead and removed from the waters of Daya Bay, near Huizhou.

Site monitoring staff have placed the time of death around 2pm, when they noticed the whale put up a "fierce struggle" before going still.

According to reports, experts with the Chinese Academy of Sciences confirmed the whale was dead after an in-water check determined the animal's head was fully submerged - indicating it was no longer breathing.
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