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Costs of Alberta's Fort McMurray wildfire almost $10 billion


Calgary Herald
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 16:56 UTC
Fort McMurray wildfire

In this May 7, 2016 file photo, a wildfire burns south of Fort McMurray, Alberta.
An assessment of the total financial effect of last spring's Fort McMurray wildfire is pegging the direct and indirect costs of the blaze at almost $10 billion.

The $9.9-billion figure includes the expense of replacing buildings and infrastructure, as well as lost income, profits and royalties in the oilsands and forestry industries, said MacEwan University economist Rafat Alam.

It also includes early estimates on indirect costs such as environmental damage, lost timber, and physical and mental-health treatment for residents and firefighters.

The estimate will go even higher, Alam said Tuesday.

"It's not fully done yet. More data kept coming and I'm sure it will keep coming in."

Alam said it can take up to 10 years to get a complete picture of everything that happened and what it cost.

Earlier this year, insurers estimated they'd be paying out about $3.7 billion for damage caused by the blaze, which firefighters dubbed "the beast."

Comment: Study: Wildfire seasons are more destructive and lasting longer almost everywhere on Earth

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Ice Cube

'Extremely rare' ice blockage at hydro dam causes power outage in Yukon, Canada


CBC.ca
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 15:01 UTC
ice blockage at Aishihik hydro facility, Yukon
© Yukon Energy
The Aishihik hydro facility is located 110 kilometres northwest of Whitehorse.

Generating problem at Aishihik hydro plant leads to outages in Dawson City, communities south of Whitehorse

An underwater camera has confirmed that an ice blockage at the intake of the Aishihik hydro facility caused the power outage south of Whitehorse Tuesday morning.

The camera found six to eight inches of slushy ice - the technical term is frazil ice - covering what's called the trash rack, said Yukon Energy spokesperson Janet Patterson.

She said Yukon Energy will dispatch a crew along with the City of Whitehorse steam truck to the Aishihik plant on Wednesday. They anticipate it will take about a day to remove the ice.

Patterson said an ice blockage at the dam is an "extremely rare event" that has not happened in 25 years.

The blockage prevented water from getting to the generators, reducing output.
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Arrow Down

Another huge sinkhole opens in Pacifica, California


CBS News - Bay Area
Mon, 16 Jan 2017 14:10 UTC
Pacifica sinkhole
© KTVU
A massive sinkhole has shut down a busy intersection in Pacifica, forcing drivers to take detour.

The pavement collapsed on Edgemar Avenue by Highway 1 after a recent round of storms.

The hole is 15-feet deep and 40-feet wide. It is close to a fire station and a church.

Another sinkhole opened up at the same intersection a few months ago but this one is three times bigger.

It is unclear when the repair work will begin.

Comment: To learn more on what's behind the increase in sinkholes, see our SOTT focus article on the topic: Sinkholes: The groundbreaking truth

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Ice Cube

Snow over the top of your head in Russia: Record snowfall in some areas

Robert
Ice Age Now
Mon, 16 Jan 2017 21:57 UTC
Snowfall in Russia
© Via Instagram/grann_nat
In the Kuzbass Mountains it is possible to dip your head in the snow.

At the meteorological station "Central Mine" snow depth has reached 188 cm (6′-2″).

In the region of the Volga and Central Russia, average snow depth exceeds 40 cm (16 inches). In Nizhny Novgorod snow depth is 43 cm and in Tambov it is 44cm. In Samara and Kirov, snow depth has reached a half meter (19 inches)! For comparison, the normal amount of snow for this time of year is 25-35 cm (10-14 inches).

Due to frequent snowstorms in the Lipetsk region, the capital set a record in floodplain areas - 85 cm (33 inches)! Thirty-three inches. That's waist deep! Beyond the Urals there is even more snow. The region of Omsk recorded 75 cm (2½ ft) of snow (Tevriz), while the region of Tomsk reported 92 cm(3 ft) (Bakchar).

Traditionally, a large amount of snow is observed in Kamchatka and polar Yakutia. In the village Chokurdakh, the snow measures 166 cm (5′-5″). The absolute snowfall leader in Russia is the alpine weather station Sochi, with more than 220 cm (just over 7 ft).
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 4 at new church in South Africa

Lulamile Feni
Dispatch Live
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 21:47 UTC
Lightning
Lightning struck a church in Tsomo, killing four congregants and injuring four others including the head reverend, shortly after Sunday's sermon.

Among those killed were the church society steward and three women. The injured included the church minister, his daughter, and an evangelist.

The lightning struck the United Methodist Church of Southern Africa's Luzuko Society Church hall at KuNgceza village near Tsomo on Sund ay, killing church steward Justice Dlabane, 76, and congregants Nozuko Ntozini, 52, Noright Qhesa, 60, and Nophelo Mvikweni, 56.

The church's circuit secretary, Nomgcobo Ncoko, said: "It was a disaster and a miracle. I thought it was judgment day. I saw a strong and fearsome bolt of blue lightning and a ball of fire striking where the society church steward was sitting.

In series of bizarre firsts:
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Snowflake Cold

Cold wave paralyzes life across Bangladesh

Akhlak Hossain
Daily Sun
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 12:00 UTC
Day-laborers around fire in Bangladesh
© Kamrul Islam Ratan
As a cold wave is sweeping over different parts of the country, a group of day-labourers light a fire to protect themselves from the biting cold. The photo was taken in Kuril-Biswa Road area in the capital on Monday.
The cold wave sweeping across the country for the last several days has paralysed life. The countrymen, especially the poor people of the northern region, are suffering most due to lack of warm clothes.

According to met office sources, mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping over Rangpur, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions and the regions of Tangail, Faridpur, Madaripur, Gopalgonj, Barisal, Bhola and Srimongal.

Monday's minimum temperature at Dinajpur was 7.8 degrees Celsius while it was 9.4 degrees in Rangpur, 8.5 degrees in Syedpur, 7.2 degrees in Rajarhat (Kurigram), 7.2 degrees in Dimla (Nilphamari), 6.4 degrees in Tetulia (Panchagarh), 9.7 degrees in Bogra, 7.6 degrees in Rajshahi, 6.6 degrees in Chuadanga, 7.4 degrees in Jessore, 9.8 degrees in Khulna and 9.0 degrees in Barisal, Met office sources said.

On Friday, the minimum of 6.6 degrees Celsius temperature was recorded in Rangpur. The people of the region, mostly the poor and ultra-poor, are suffering immensely. It has been learnt from Rangpur district relief and rehabilitation office that 50 thousand blankets had been distributed among the poor in eight upazilas. More 20,000 blankets are still required for the needy.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills six at Zimbabwe funeral

Zamangwane Shange
Eyewitness News
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 21:23 UTC
Lightning
According to a report, the six took shelter beneath a tree that was then struck by lightning.

Six people attending a funeral in northern Zimbabwe have been killed by a bolt of lightning.

They were among a group of people who took shelter beneath a tree during a rain storm.

Heavy rains have been falling countrywide since the weekend, filling dams but also bringing hardship, and in this case tragedy, to communities.

The six were attending the funeral in a village in the remote northern Binga district.
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Lemon

20-foot sinkhole opens beneath Tampa, Florida citrus truck depot


Fox13
Mon, 16 Jan 2017 17:39 UTC
Tampa sinkhole
© Diana Brooks
The owner of a Polk County citrus operation says a large sinkhole has opened on the property, and he's hoping it looks worse than it really is.

Ellis Hunt, of Hunt Brothers Co-op, says the hole is at the facility's truck loading depot. He does not believe there are any structures at risk, though he has an engineer on site evaluating the scene.

The hole has caused the asphalt to buckle and sink in a roughly 20-foot section of the facility.

No one has been hurt, and Ellis says there has been only "minimal" effects on citrus operations.
Tampa sinkhole
© Diana Brooks
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Wolf

Child killed, two others injured by 3 dogs in Atlanta, Georgia

Kaitlyn Pratt
fox5atlanta
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 20:46 UTC
Dog attack
Police said one child was killed and two others were injured in an attack involving three dogs Tuesday morning in Southwest Atlanta. The attack happened around 7 a.m. Tuesday on Gideons Street. Police described the dogs involved in the attack as pit bulls that were not wearing collars.

Officers have identified the owner of the dogs as Cameron Tucker. The dogs lived about a block away from the scene of the attack, according to police.
UPDATE little boy died as a result of dog attack. Police say they've identified owner. This is one of 2 now in animal control custody pic.twitter.com/ZMuzNGK0RZ— Kaitlyn Pratt Fox 5 (@Fox5Kaitlyn) January 17, 2017
Officers described the boy who was killed as five or six years old. Syrai Sanders, a 5-year-old girl who survived the attack, was hospitalized Tuesday morning with critical injuries. A third child was treated and released from the hospital, according to police.
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Attention

81 false killer whales dead in South Florida


Fox News
Mon, 16 Jan 2017 20:01 UTC
dead whales
© NOAA Fish Southeast
More than 80 false killer whales have died after becoming stranded off Everglades National Park over the weekend in the largest stranding of the species in history.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that reports of the stranded mammals first came in on Saturday afternoon but rescue efforts by multiple agencies throughout the weekend were unsuccessful.

NOAA and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told WSVN that the whales were scattered throughout the beach, with many getting tangled in mangroves in the western side of Everglades National Park.

Officials said that 72 of the stranded false killer whales died on their own, 9 were euthanized, 13 were unaccounted for and one whale was seen alive.

False killer whale stranding-area around scene in Everglades closed per the National Park Service-asking for no flyovers or boats for safety
© NOAA Fish Southeast
False killer whale stranding-area around scene in Everglades closed per the National Park Service-asking for no flyovers or boats for safety
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