Earth ChangesS


Attention

'The town's gone': Seven dead as storm slams Arkansas

50 to 60 still unaccounted for in Vilonia; trail of destruction 15 miles long, three miles wide


The National Weather Service says first light has revealed the track of a deadly tornado that flattened trees and power lines, tore the roofs from homes and left a debris-strewn path through a small central Arkansas town.

The tornado that swiped Vilonia late Monday killed at least four residents, while the severe storms sweeping much of the Midwest left at least three people dead elsewhere in the state.

Emergency crews are preparing to search for dozens of people still missing early Tuesday before more forecast storms strike the area in the afternoon.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe declared a state of emergency Monday night. So far this month, 14 people have died in storm-related incidents in the state.

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The suspected tornado that hit Vilonia left a path of damage three miles wide and 15 miles long, officials said. Between 50 to 80 houses were destroyed, according to Faulkner County emergency management.

Fish

More than 40 species of fish 'at risk of extinction' in Mediterranean due to pollution

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© Associated PressAt risk: The number of bluefin tunas in the Mediterranean is decreasing and they may be wiped out from the area completely

Bluefin tuna are among more than 40 species of fish in the Mediterranean which are under threat of vanishing from the region, experts warned today.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said 43 species of marine fish were assessed as being at risk of extinction in the region, largely as a result of overfishing, damage to habitat and pollution.

The latest assessment found almost half of the sharks and rays found in the Mediterranean are at risk of extinction.

In total, 15 species were considered to be in the highest-risk category, critically endangered, 14 of which were sharks and rays including all three angel shark species found in the region.

And commercial species such as Atlantic bluefin tuna and dusky groupers are endangered, the assessment found.

Species which fall into the three most at-risk categories in the Red List assessment - critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction - are considered to be under threat of dying out.

Cloud Lightning

US: Heavy rain and hail possible for North Texas tonight

The Easter bunny may need to take cover.

Forecasters have issued a tornado watch for most of North Texas until midnight as a cold front moves into the area bringing with it storms that will be packing damaging winds, large hail and heavy rains.

"These storms could produce tornadoes," said meteorologist Dan Shoemaker of the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth referring to the Sunday storms.

There's a 40 percent of thunderstorms today, and there are chances of rain on Monday and Tuesday.

North Texans could be in for gusty winds like the ones Saturday night.

National Weather Service officials said that 59 mile-per-hour winds hit Fort Worth late Saturday night. Other wind totals included the Dallas//Fort Worth Airport, 58 mph; Meacham Airport, 62 mph; and Addison, 58 mph.

Cloud Lightning

Ohio, US: More rain expected as region surpasses April record

Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely throughout much of the day.

Sound familiar?

Once again, local residents experienced more rain Monday, adding to the April record of 11.32 inches set over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

The previous April record of 9.77 inches was set in 1998, and there are still five days remaining this month.

So far, this month has been the fifth-wettest in history and the area could break the all-time record of 13.86 set in January 1937, according to meteorologist Julie Reed.

Totals could approach 14 inches, Reed said, as heavy rains Tuesday night into Wednesday move in.

"It could be pretty volatile throughout the area into Wednesday evening," Reed said.

Cloud Lightning

Brazil: Dozen die in floods and landslides

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© Unknown
Landslides and floods in southern Brazil over the weekend are now known to have left a dozen people dead.

Some 40,000 people have been affected by the torrential rain and several hundred left homeless.

The authorities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul have declared a state of emergency in seven cities.

Among the dead were seven family members whose homes in the town of Igrejinha were buried by a landslide.

Radar

Series of five tremors off Maltese coast

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© Malta Tourism Authority
A series of five earth tremors, with the first occurring at around midnight, were felt in various localities in Malta yesterday, as reports of shaking and objects moving on the shelves reached this newspaper.

The first earthquake, of magnitude 3.5, occurred early this morning at around eleven minutes past midnight, about 37 km east of Malta. This was followed by other events at approximately the same location.

The next quake, of magnitude 3.3, occurred at 3:34am, then at 4:44am a third quake of magnitude 2.5 occurred. The next one was at around 6:39am, and of magnitude 3.5 and the final one happened at around 11.30am. Another tremor, the strongest at 4.0 on the richter scale was felt just after 3pm. The tremor was located at a depth of 2km in the sea 25km off Zabbar. It was also felt in Italy.

Fish

Chilean scallop farms devastated by tsunami

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© UnknownChilean fishing boats in "Caleta Tumbes" cove, Concepcion,some 519 km south of Santiago, in 2009.
Underwater currents from the tsunami have ruined Tongoy's scallop beds

Thousands of miles from the shores of Japan across the Pacific Ocean, Chilean shellfish farmers are facing an uncertain future after a giant wave traveled the seas and washed away their scallop beds.

"I don't think I can carry on. Too much has been lost. I had all the scallops I could wish for, and now, look," said fisherman Patricio, shaking his head in despair.

Tongoy, some 450 kilometers (290 miles) north of the capital Santiago, stands on part of the scenic Chilean coast which was put on alert on March 11 after a catastrophic earthquake in Japan triggered a massive tsunami.

Radar

U.S. fears overdue 'megathrust' earthquake will trigger tsunami and decimate unprepared cities on north-west coast

Cascadia fault line has lain dormant for 300 years
Eruption could trigger tsunami, devastating seaside communities - and reach as far as Japan


The north-west coast of the U.S. could be devastated by a huge movement of undersea plates known as a 'megathrust' earthquake, scientists say.

A review of the dangers posed by the Juan de Fuca plate released in the wake of the Japanese quake has raised fears that the Pacific seaboard could be similarly ravaged.

The horrifying possibilities have been brought to light by data researched by the Active Tectonics and Seafloor Mapping Laboratory at Oregon State University.

And the results are shown in a documentary, Megaquake: The Hour That Shook Japan, which is set to go out on the Discovery Channel in the UK this weekend.
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© UnknownDisaster zone? A huge 'megathrust' earthquake could spark a tsunami and devastate the U.S. northwest if the Juan de Fuca plate is forced further under the North America plate on the Cascadia fault line


Cloud Lightning

Indiana, US: Storms continue; floods forecast

The National Weather Service in northern Indiana has issued a number of flood watches and warnings for northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio.

The flood warning continues for the following rivers:
  • St. Joseph River affecting Allen and DeKalb counties in Indiana and Defiance County in Ohio until Friday night. At 1 p.m. Monday, the river was 9.8 feet and falling in Fort Wayne. Flood stage is 12.0 feet, and the weather service said it is likely to rise above flood stage Tuesday morning and crest near 14.9 feet by 2 a.m. Wednesday. Minor flooding is forecast.
  • St. Joseph River near Newville was measured at 12.5 feet and steady at 3 p.m. Monday, with minor flooding. Flood stage is 12.0 feet. The river is expected to crest near 134.0 feet about 2 p.m. Thursday. Moderate flooding is forecast.
  • Wabash River near Bluffton affecting Huntington and Wells counties.
  • Tiffin River near Stryker affecting Defiance, Fulton and Williams counties in Ohio.

Bad Guys

US: Napolitano, Duncan Coming to St. Louis for Earthquake Drill

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© The Associated Press
Two members of President Barack Obama's cabinet will be in St. Louis this Thursday morning to lead the nation in a first of its kind multistate public earthquake drill.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will join Missouri Governor Jay Nixon at Carnahan High School of the Future for what has been called "the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut."

More than 2.7 million Americans across 2,016 schools and 82 colleges and universities will participate in the drill.

The drill will be conducted along the earthquake-prone region known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Scientists predict a major earthquake could hit this region in the next 50 years.