Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills 4 family members in Uganda, another kills 18 livestock

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Fred Ishungisa, also known as Rukara, a farmer in his 50s and a resident of Ntungamo village in Katenga parish, Kaharo sub-county, Kabale district, is in shock and counting losses after his six cows and 12 sheep were struck dead by lightning.

He recounts that the incident took place on Monday evening at around 06:30 PM while he was grazing the animals at Kinyinya Hill, located in the same village, during a drizzle. In the process, he witnessed lightning striking the animals.

Edmond Tumwesigye, the area sub-county LC3 Chairman, mentions that despite the tragedy that targeted the animals, Ishungisa survived unhurt. He expresses sympathy for the situation, noting that it has strained Ishungisa's income.

This incident occurred just a day after lightning struck four children of a same family in Sheema district. The incident took place on Saturday, January 13, 2024, in Kimondo II village, Kitagata ward, in Kitagata town council. The victims, Mujuni Trevor (11), Akankunda Shanitah (9), Nahabwe Comfort (10), and Ainembabazi (7), were all in the kitchen when the incident occurred.

In December 2023, lightning struck Treasure Arinda, a 13-year-old son of Vincent Wednesday and a primary five pupil at Kacherere Primary School, and Elia Mwebesa, also 13 years old and the son of Patrick Barigigye. They were residents of Kilwa village, Kiruruma ward, Kacherere town council, Rubanda district, and the incident happened while they were collecting firewood.

Cloud Precipitation

33 Malawi rivers flood as 3 die

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Officials from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation say at least 33 rivers are either flooding or risk flooding due to heavy rains in most parts of the country.

In a statement, the ministry says the rivers that are experiencing significant increase in water levels in the southern region include Likhubula, Likangala, Mkulumadzi, Lisungwe, Mtemang'ombe, Nkasi, Phalombe, Mombezi, Domasi, Naisi, Thutchira and Ruo.

The central region has Lingadzi, Lilongwe Linthipe, Rusa, Kasangazi, Mpasadzi, Lifuliza, Dwabanzi, Dwangwa, Bua and Nkula.


Cloud Precipitation

Floods death toll rises to 11 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Heavy rains battered the KZN North Coast on Sunday night.
© IPSS Medical RescueHeavy rains battered the KZN North Coast on Sunday night.
Eleven people have now been confirmed dead due to floods in KwaZulu-Natal.

Five people died last night in the eThekwini metro.

Search and rescue teams are searching for two people after their shack was washed away in the Tongaat area.

Hundreds of houses have been damaged in several parts of the province.

The heavy rains have also damaged water and electricity infrastructure.

Meanwhile, eThekwini municipality has closed beaches in the north, and a few in the south, until further notice, due to concerns about water quality.

Meanwhile, more heavy downpours are expected on Sunday.


Seismograph

Multiple earthquakes hit Oklahoma City metro area, including 2 of 4.4 magnitude

earthquake
A series of earthquakes struck Oklahoma Friday evening into Saturday morning, including at least two of 4.4 magnitude.

A 3.2 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 9:37 p.m. CT near Arcadia, which is located just northeast of Oklahoma City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

About 10 minutes later, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake was recorded about four miles west of Arcadia, according to the USGS and local ABC News affiliate KOCO.

This was followed by two smaller earthquakes of 2.7 magnitude and 2.5 magnitude, respectively, according to the USGS. On Saturday morning, the earthquakes started again with one of 2.6 magnitude recorded near Acadia around 4:45 a.m. CT.

Cloud Precipitation

Syria floods kill four

Flooded fields in Akkar area of Tartus province, northwestern Syria.
Flooded fields in Akkar area of Tartus province, northwestern Syria.
Four people were killed on Saturday as their car slid off a bridge into a heavy rainfall-induced water stream in the northwestern Syrian province of Tartus, the local Sham FM radio reported.

Numerous villages in the province had experienced heavy downpours and suffered the subsequent widespread flooding, said the report, citing Provincial Governor Hassan Hassan.

The governor added that plastic houses were submerged, and vast areas of agricultural land were inundated, as the rivers, streams, and channels overflowed onto surrounding villages' fields.

Meanwhile, the rainwater seeped into residential areas in the nearby Karad and Kartou villages, with damage still unknown.

XINHUA


Cloud Precipitation

Torrential rains leave at least 11 dead in Brazil - month's worth of rainfall in 24 hours

People look at a car that was swept into the flooded railways of the Acari metro station after heavy rains caused destruction in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday.
© AFPPeople look at a car that was swept into the flooded railways of the Acari metro station after heavy rains caused destruction in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday.
Torrential rains that turned avenues into rivers killed at least 11 people in Rio de Janeiro, the fire department said Sunday.

The rainstorm hit northern parts of Rio particularly hard, where people died in a landslide, drownings, and electrocutions. Firefighters were still searching for a woman who went missing after her car fell into a river as of Sunday evening.

Water from the storm reached the roofs of cars on some stretches of Avenida de Brasil, a major thoroughfare in the city.

Mayor Eduardo Paes decreed the situation an "emergency" and urged people to stay home for their own safety, and so as not to disrupt rescue and recovery efforts.


Fire

Houses set alight as lava from volcano eruption reaches Icelandic town

iceland volcano
© AFP VIA GETTY IMAGESAn aerial photo shows the first fissure erupting on Sunday morning.
Houses have caught fire in the fishing town of Grindavík in south-west Iceland after a volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month.

Two fissures formed near the town on Sunday after an increase in seismic activity that prompted authorities to evacuate the community the day before.

A first eruption began at 8am when a crack opened in the ground about 450 metres from the town. Protective barriers of earth and rock pushed lava from the first fissure away from the town. However, a second crack then opened around midday on the edge of town, measuring around 100 metres by the evening, with that lava engulfing the homes.


Fire

Volcano erupts on southwestern Japanese island of Suwanosejima

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A volcano has erupted on the remote island of Suwanosejima in southwestern Japan, the government said early Sunday.

No damage has been confirmed due to the eruption, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing a local police station in Kagoshima prefecture.

The government later issued a level 3 volcanic alert - out of 5 - for Suwanosejima, restricting the entrance to dangerous areas surrounding the volcano.

Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru and Kantaro Komiya in Tokyo; Editing by Toby Chopra and Mark Potter


Fire

Indonesia evacuates 6,500 people after Lewotobi volcano spews clouds of ash

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Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews volcanic materials from its crater during an eruption in East Flores, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.
Indonesian authorities have evacuated about 6,500 people on the island of Flores after Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano spewed thick clouds of brownish ash over the past few days.

No casualties or major damage have been reported so far.

The eruptions in East Nusa Tenggara province are part of hot gas spills that have become more frequent in recent days.

The 5,197ft mountain is one of the "twin volcanoes" - the Lewotobi Laki-laki and Lewotobi Perempuan - in the Flores Timur district.


Fire

Indonesia: Marapi volcano erupts for second time in just over a month

Mount Marapi spews volcanic material from its crater during an eruption in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, on January 14, 2024.
© Givo Alputra/APMount Marapi spews volcanic material from its crater during an eruption in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, on January 14, 2024.
Indonesia's Marapi volcano has erupted for the second time in weeks, the country's geological agency said Sunday.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the 2,891-meter-high (9,500 feet) volcano began erupting at 6 a.m. local time (6 p.m.ET).

The volcano in West Sumatra province erupted at least twice, the agency said according to Reuters.

Reuters also reported nearby houses, vehicles and evacuation tents set up by the local disaster agency were covered in volcanic ash.