April 24, 2014 - EARTH - The following stories constitutes some of the latest incidents of Earth changes across the globe.
Large Forest Fire Breaks Out In New Jersey Despite Cool Spring Temperatures
A forest fire continues to grow in Downe Township, Cumberland County, fanned by strong winds.
As of Thursday morning, officials said about 1500 acres have been
consumed in a remote area of the Edward G. Bevan Fish and Wildlife
Management Area.
So far, no structures or people have been threatened.
At least 50 firefighters were battling the blaze, which started Wednesday as a Red Flag warning went into effect in New Jersey.
Sam Moore from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service explains, "The Red
Flag Warning is very serious. The slightest little spark or ember or any
kind of hot source could ignite a catastrophic wildfire."
Moore, a section warden with the forest fire service, was on patrol
Wednesday, one of several 2-man brush trucks roaming through the
pinelands on alert during the Red Flag Warning.
Manning the observation tower eight stories above ground in Woodland
Township was Ralph Wallen, who is constantly scanning the skies looking
for fires.
Wallen told Action News, "You see a little puff of white smoke coming up
and then we use this thing and get a compass reading on it."
The wind is fierce up on the tower at times making the danger clear. If a
fire gets started, the wind will take it and move it like a freight
train.
Section Fire Warden Tom Gerber said the wind "just has a ladder-like
effect. It'll make these flame heights 50 to 60 feet high flame
heights.... The conditions are as bad as they get."
The combination of strong winds, low humidity, and the abundance of dry
leaves and branches that carpet the forest floor are what's creating the
extreme fire danger.
Similar conditions helped fuel a 2,000 acre blaze on April 6 and another in Salem, N.J. last weekend.
Fire officials are urging people to be cautious.
"We are limiting a lot of the agricultural burning and the campfires in
campgrounds of state parks. Smokers please use your ashtray," Section
Fire Warden Shawn Judy said.
Rosemarie Mason from the Outdoor Club of South Jersey says, "We usually
have a big picnic with hamburgers and hotdogs, but because of fire
regulations and what's going on with the weather we are going to have
sandwiches instead."
-
ABC New Jersey.
Massive Landslide Threatens Mont Blanc Tunnel In Italy
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Mont Blance tunnel entrance.
Christophe Jacquet |
A series of landslides over the past few days have disrupted traffic
near Courmayeur, a renowned tourist resort in the Italian Alps, forcing
temporarily closure of Mont Blanc tunnel, local reports said on Tuesday.
Around 20,000 cubic meters of mud and rock fell on Monday night, while
another estimated 400,000 cubic meters of earth were on the move
triggered by rising temperatures.
Local authorities reportedly closed Mont Blanc tunnel, which links Italy
and France, for about two hours as a result of the crashing rocks
Meanwhile dozens of citizens had to temporarily
leave their homes while protection teams and volunteers were at work to
clean roads and shore up protective barriers against further landslides.
After visiting Courmayeur on Tuesday, the head of Italian civil
protection Franco Gabrielli told a press conference that the situation
was "complex" not only for the "hundreds of thousands of cubic meters
that will soon begin to fall, but especially because of a
paleo-landslide of about 8-9 million cubic meters which has affected
this area for 15 years."
He said that although it was not possible to predict when the
paleo-landslide will fall completely, the renowned tourist resort was
remaining "extremely safe." However, Gabrielli also added, the series of
landslides was posing a threat to Mont Blanc tunnel because "an
intermediate collapse would be enough to block international traffic for
who knows how long."
The head of civil protection said that a total of 480,000 areas subject
to landslides have been counted in Italy. But the real figure, he
underlined, probably was of nearly two million areas, meaning that some
40 billion euros (55 billion U.S. dollars) would be necessary to secure
the entire country.
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Xinhua.
Grass Fires Total Over 400 In March Across South Wales Despite Cool Temperatures
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| The fire above Ogmore Vale. Alamy |
Fire crews caught on camera dealing with more than 400 fires, many of them started deliberately, across many parts of South Wales
Huge areas of grass and shrubland are a sea of charred black today after
a wave of deliberately set fires swept through huge chunks of the Welsh
countryside.
These dramatic pictures show firefighters trying to deal with the grass fires,
including one which at one point was six miles wide.
The lone firefighter walking through the charred scrubland sums up the
battle fire crews have had to deal with since the start of the month.
From March 1, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service alone has attended 215
grass fires and 283 deliberately set fires across huge areas of land.
There were another 35 deliberately lit grass fires in the South Wales
Fire and Rescue area yesterday damaging over 198 hectares of Welsh
countryside
One, at Pontsticill, Merthyr Tydfil, affected approximately 100 hectares of grass and scrubland on Monday.
Crews were sent to battle trees on fire near the reservoir in
Pontsticill after being alerted to it at 10.39am and continued to be at
the scene for several hours.
They then had to deal with a mountain fire in Waun y Pound, which was reported at 7.13pm.
The huge grass blaze at Pontsticill stretched up to six miles, with the fire being driven by high winds.
Fire crews battled through most of the day and worked with teams from Natural Resources Wales to bring the fire under control.
It is the latest in a number of fires that have come with the recent good weather.
The South Wales fire service was called to 40 grass fires on Sunday - and all but one of them was started on purpose.
One fire, near Nantymoel at the head of the Ogmore Valley, damaged seven
hectares, as did another deliberately set fire at Cwmparc, near
Treorchy.
The Cwmparc fire came close to setting stables and sheds alight.
A mountain fire above Asda, Merthyr Tydfil, which was visible in the Pant area from A465, burned over night on Saturday.
A fire near Tylorstown, in Rhondda, led to 27,999 calls and damaged five hectares.
By 7pm on Sunday, firefighters had spent 15 hours fighting fires set on purpose.
Head of South Wales Fire & Rescue Service's Fire Control Jennie
Griffiths, who has been tweeting updates throughout, said: "Its not
funny, its not clever + there are innocent victims."
On Sunday, a fire at Hengoed got very close to houses, while crews were
also called to Mountain Ash, Abercynon, Merthyr, Cwmbran, Pontypridd,
Bedwas, Tynewydd, Treharris, Ynyswen, Penrhys, Blaencwm, Abertysswg,
Ynysyboeth and Cwm.
Last week, the team had deployed crews from the Fire Crime Unit in
Caerau area of Maesteg after signs of deliberate fire setting.
A spokesman for the service said: "We have seen a significant rise in wildfire incidents across the organisation.
"The Fire Crime Unit proactively monitors all police and fire data from
the previous night and then interrogates this data for incident trends.
"As a result of this interrogation of incident intelligence The Fire
Crime Unit have deployed high visibility patrols across the area to
deter and gather intelligence on the perpetrators, these patrols will
run up to the services planned seasonal Easter Initiative 'Project
Bernie' which aims to tackle such issues in the designated Bernie areas
in RCT, Merthyr, Bridgend & Caerphilly Unitary Authorities.
Unfortunately this type of activity (Deliberate fire setting) is a
common theme during this time of year and The Fire Crime Unit along with
the South Wales & Gwent Police, and the Local Authorities are
working hard in partnership to reduce and change behaviours to eradicate
these acts of criminality."
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Wales Online.
4.4 Earthquake In Slovenia, Italy Near Nuclear Plant
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| Krsko nuclear power plant AFP/Stringer |
A 4.4-magnitude earthquake has struck Slovenia southwest of the
country's capital, Ljubljana, at a depth of 12.4 kilometers, says USGS.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, the
magnitude of the quake was measured at 4.5, with a depth of 2
kilometers.
The earthquake took place about 200 kilometers from a nuclear power
plant at Krško, a town in eastern Slovenia. The plant is co-owned by
Slovenia and Croatia.
The quake struck at about 11:00 local time (09:00 GMT).
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake hit about 5
kilometers northeast of the Slovene town of Ilirska Bistrica, 32
kilometers northwest of the Croatian city of Rijeka and 37 kilometers
east of the Italian city of Trieste.
The Krško nuclear power plant, in the east of the
country, has frequently been a cause for concern among scientists. On
Friday, environmental activists from the Alpe Adria Green NGO signed a
resolution against the construction of a second reactor at the plant,
warning against the danger of earthquakes.
As Krško was built in an earthquake-prone area, Austrian geologist Heinz
Hoegelsberger, a former consultant for Greenpeace and one of the
longstanding opponents of the plant, says it is a time bomb that should
be shut down as soon as possible.
"Regardless of geological data, the plant has been built in one of the
most earthquake-prone areas of Slovenia. It was built in the wrong
place," Hoegelsberger said. "According to US standards, Westinghouse
shouldn't have been built near a fault."
In 2008, the plant survived a big mishap as there was a leakage from the primary cooling circuit with no radioactive emissions.
Though the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration said no radioactivity
was released into the atmosphere, the European Commission set off an
EU-wide alarm through the European Community Urgent Radiological
Information Exchange (ECURIE).
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RT.
Large Wildfire In Dutch National Park
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| Hoge Veluwe National Park |
A large wildfire destroyed at least 530 hectares (1,300 acres) in the
Netherlands' Hoge Veluwe National Park on Sunday, one of the worst fires
seen in the region for decades, Dutch authorities said.
No injuries have been reported, according to Mayor Cees van der Knaap of
the municipality of Ede, 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of Amsterdam,
which oversees the park.
Military helicopters and firefighters from
surrounding provinces have been summoned to assist in combating the
fire, which has been difficult to control because of strong winds.
The park is home to the Kroeller-Mueller Museum, which houses a major
collection of Impressionist art and 20th-century sculpture. Around 2,000
visitors were instructed to leave the park after the fire broke out
around midday and the museum was closed.
Van der Knaap told a regional broadcaster the art is not in danger, but
around 300 paintings have been brought to a fireproof area for safety.
A nearby highway has been closed and people who live near the park have been instructed to remain indoors because of smoke.
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ABC News.
Severe Weather In India Claims 1 Life And Injures 120
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A waterlogged road after the shower in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Javed Raja |
Even as the sudden heavy showers that lashed the city on Sunday evening
brought much respite to people in Ahmedabad from the soaring heat, one
person was reported to have been crushed to death under the weight of an
uprooted tree at Nava Vadaj. At least 120 people have also been
reportedly injured in separate incidents across the city.
Earlier in the day, the temperature in the city had touched 39.8 degree
Celsius, according to the Met office. The downpour continued till late
in the evening, leading to several mishaps across the city.
As many as 25 people were reportedly injured in 14
road accidents due to the heavy showers. This was besides the 10 who
were injured due to falling of trees, according EMRI 108 service
sources. Twenty cases of structural collapse also left around 60 people
injured. This includes 10, who were hurt when a glass panel at the
entrance of Devarc Mall on S G Highway crashed. Meanwhile, 25 more were
reportedly injured in 16 cases of tin roof-flying, sources said. At
least, eight to ten persons were stranded in a lift at Devarc Mall due
to power failure. They have all been rescued, he said.
The strong gusty winds, thunderstorm and unexpected heavy rainfall
during this time of the year not only left the residents awestruck, but
also the weather department confused.
An average rainfall of 25 mm in two hours - from 6pm to 8 pm - along
with high wind velocity resulted in several tree, besides hoardings and
billboards, to get uprooted and fall across the city.
Over 100 incidents of tree-falling were reported from various parts of
the city, with the maximum being from the western zone areas. Rescue
calls of 50 trees uprooting and felling were received by Ahmedabad
Municipal Corporations control room, followed by 13 from the eastern
zone.
As many as 16 fire tenders had been sent out and were still on the road
at the time of filing of this report. This also led to terrible traffic
snarls in the western parts, including Shivranjani, Jivraj crossing and
Vejalpur areas.
"Certainly this was unexpected at this time of the year, but there is
nothing to be scared of as this is a local activity resulting from the
heat.
Ahmedabad reported a maximum temperature of 39.8 degree Celsius on
Sunday afternoon. Hence, an upper air cyclonic circulation was formed
over the region. While with the rainfall temperature in Northern and
Saurashtra areas will fall, some rainfall is still expected on Monday,"
said director of Ahmedabad's centre of Meteorological Department Jayanta
Sarkar.
Meanwhile, a huge hoarding crumbled near Shivranjani cross road on
Satellite Road, blocking the road and causing heavy traffic jam.
However, no casualties were reported in this incident, according to
additional chief fire officer Rajesh Bhatt, who was supervising removal
of debris. The incident occurred at 9 pm, and it would take at least
three hours to clear the road for traffic, he said. -
Indian Express.
Despite Cool Damp Spring, Fire Crews Tackle Nearly 300 Grass Fires In Wales
 |
Mid and West Wales fire crews were called into
action to tackle a blaze on the Black Mountain at 7pm on Saturday.
The
service has faced 200 grass fires during the month of April. Roger Vince |
The latest grass fire to strike the Amman Valley raged for more than
five hours on the Black Mountain on Saturday night before being brought
under control by emergency crews.
Amman Valley firefighters based at Gwaun cae Gurwen were called to
tackle the blaze, which began above Cwmgarw Road on the Black Mountain,
following reports of the fire at 7pm.
The incident is just the latest in what has become an ever increasing problem for emergency services.
As well as taking up time and manpower, the grass fires are also proving a massive drain on financial resources.
In the month of April alone, Mid and West Fire
Service were called in to deal with 282 grass fires at a cost though to
be approaching £1,000,000.
The cause of the blaze, which started near Upper Brynaman, is yet to be
confirmed and no serious damage was done despite early concerns that the
flames were moving towards a residential cottage.
Crews attended the scene and were able to extinguish the fire at
midnight, however the incident was just the latest in a worrying trend
which is only likely to worsen as summer approaches.
Mid and West Wales arson reduction team manager Steve Richards
"Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has attended a total of 282 grass fires since the beginning of April alone. We are working closely with the police to actively target areas where deliberate fires are a nuisance."
-
South Wales Guardian.
Floods In Serbia Prompt Evacuation Of More Than 400 Families
Flood waves on several rivers and their tributaries in Serbia have
prompted the evacuation of at least 440 families in the last two days,
leaving thousands of people without water and power supply.
An emergency situation has been declared in five municipalities, but
there have been no casualties. The damage caused by the floods that have
hit parts of the western, central and eastern Serbia is not possible to
estimate until the rivers recede.
Serbian Ministry of the Interior official Predrag
Maric told reporters that firefighter and rescue services were in the
flooded areas, adding that water supply in several towns and in some
settlements was being made difficult by problems in the power grid.
Following heavy rain- and snowfalls in the country, river levels have
been rising for the third day in a row, and landslides have closed
several local and major roads.
A new flood wave is expected in the Western Morava River due to a
temperature rise and the melting of snow in western Serbia. Maric said
the current situation was also due to the poor maintenance of drainage
canals, a problem which he said had been present for several decades.
A snowfall which in the last few days has hit western Serbia, with
drifts as high as 70 centimetres, has caused extensive damage to growers
of raspberries, one of Serbia's most profitable farm export products.
-
CBC.
Mammatus Clouds Over Israel
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Haifa covered with 'breast clouds'.
Gilad Har Sheleg |
Professor Hadas Saaroni, a climatologist from Tel Aviv University explained how these uniquely shaped clouds are formed.
"They get this shape when clouds are formed in an altitude of four
kilometers. Under this higher layer of air there is air that is rather
dry. When these clouds rain onto a dry layer, the rain instantly
evaporates and the round shape of these clouds is formed.
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Breast clouds` over Nahariya.
Rativo family |
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Breast clouds` over Shlomi.
Arcadi Hayat |
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Breast clouds` over Kibbutz Dafna.
Shlomi Dadon |
"While most of the rain doesn't make it to the
ground because it evaporates on the way down, the rain that does
penetrate through washes the dust that came in with the winds, and turns
into mud-rain," Saaroni explained.
Shlomo Uberman, of Meteo-tech meteorological services, added that "these
clouds are created as a result of an active jet stream which is
currently taking place in our region and causing rainfall. An active jet
stream is a flow of medium and high altitude winds. These clouds can be
usually seen during transition seasons." -
YNET News.
