MONUMENTAL EARTH CHANGES: Ice Age Now - Winter Storm Quantum Bringing Snow, Ice To Texas, Deep South And Rockies; Snow On The Ground In 48 States; Detroit Poised To Break Record For Coldest Month EVER; Cleveland Breaks 1873 Record; Religious Leaders Unite For Prayer Against More Snow In Boston; Ann Arbor Breaks Record Low Temperature Set In 1900!

February 23, 2015 - UNITED STATES - Winter Storm Quantum will continue to spread snow and ice from the Rockies to parts of the South. This storm will have multiple rounds, or waves, of wintry precipitation, impacting a large area through Tuesday. As you might expect, this will create very hazardous travel conditions at times.

Winter Storm Quantum Bringing Snow, Ice to Texas, Deep South and Rockies (FORECAST)

Monday morning, a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain was ongoing across parts of the Southern Plains. This mixture was impacting northern Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area where thunder accompanied the sleet. Farther west, snow continued to fall in the mountains of the Four Corners region.


WATCH: Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari talks about the ice, snow, and rain threats from Winter Storm Quantum. The storm could also bring ice to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

(MORE: Ice Threat in Dallas-Ft. Worth | Quantum's Impacts)

Snow and Ice Timing

Monday's Forecast

Monday:

• More snow falls from the Four Corners region of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado to parts of the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma.
• Sleet, freezing rain and some snow will persist to the south in central and north-central, northeast Texas, Arkansas, northern Louisiana and northern Mississippi. Thunder could accompany the sleet on Monday morning in north Texas.
• Cities to Watch: San Angelo | Dallas | Amarillo | Shreveport

Monday Night:

• Lingering light freezing rain may slide from eastern Texas to northern and central Louisiana and parts of central Mississippi. A light mixture of rain and snow is also possible in parts of the Southeast.
• Cities to Watch: College Station | Shreveport | Jackson | Atlanta

Tuesday:

• A mixture of rain and snow is possible in parts of northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. Light icing could reach as far south as Charleston, South Carolina. Accumulations will be light, however slick travel conditions are still possible. Snow continues over the mountains of New Mexico, southern Colorado and northern Arizona.
• Cities to Watch: Charlotte | Charleston | Asheville

How Much Snow and Ice?

• The heaviest snow accumulations from Quantum will be in the Rockies, with storm totals over a foot in some areas.
• A mixture of freezing rain and sleet is expected in the Dallas-Forth Worth metro through Monday. Localized areas could see up to an inch or two of sleet.
• Light freezing rain accumulations Monday into early Tuesday from central Texas to northern/central Louisiana and central Mississippi. Light icing possible as far east and south as Charleston, South Carolina on Tuesday. This will mainly be a travel hazard rather than a threat of power outages and tree damage.
• Light snow accumulations possible across northern Georgia and Upstate South Carolina early Tuesday. 

Another Southern Snowmaker Midweek?

As an upper-level system ejects out of the Southwest, another winter storm may take shape in the South Tuesday night through Wednesday night. For full details on that story, click the link below.

(MORE: Another Southern Snowmaker?)

- Weather.

Snow on the ground in 48 states

Snow is on the ground in at least 48 of 50 U.S. states, according to three separate national snow cover maps.

Florida has no snow on the ground according to all of the maps, of that we can be sure. But the three maps I looked at don't agree on the other snow-free state: It could be South Carolina, it could be Louisiana or possibly Mississippi. Anybody in those three states see snow?

A snow-cover map from NOAA's National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center appears to snow snow
on the ground in every state except Florida and Louisiana.(Photo: NOAA)

Today's snow cover map from WSI/Intellicast shows snow in every state except Florida and South Carolina. (Photo: WSI/Intellicast)

But regardless of whether those three states have snow on the ground now, some snow is forecast to fall this week on all of them. Florida will remain the lone holdout, as no snow is predicted there.

And yes, I had to look at the Mauna Kea webcams in Hawaii to see that a patch of snow is there, atop the high mountain location in the Aloha State.

None of the maps show Alaska, but heck, it's Alaska and it's February, so I know they have snow there (though they had to change the route of the Iditarod sled dog race due to lack of snow in parts of the state.)

Though some snow is on the ground in the mountainous West, it's still rather paltry in states such as California and Oregon.

"There are major water concerns out West when it comes to the snow reservoir in the mountainous West," said snow expert David Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist.

Overall, NOAA's site says that over half of the U.S. is snow-covered now. - USA Today.

Coldest Months On Record In Detroit: February 2015 Could Be Among Top 5

(Credit: istock)

February 2015 could be one for the record books in terms of cold weather. Accuweather’s Dean DeVore says the coldest month ever was in January 1977, with an average temperature of just under 13 degrees, and we’ve got a shot at breaking that record.

“I’m doing some calculations but I think we are on track here to have the coldest month ever in Detroit, the way things are looking,” said DeVore. “And it’s going to be brutally cold here today.”

[Real Time Traffic Information]

Dean says another arctic blast is blowing into town late Tuesday –and won’t be leaving until the weekend.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Dave Bowers  talked about the unfortunate winter weather pattern that’s been persisting.

“It’s like an open spigot from like Barrow, Alaska down to the Great Lakes. Meantime, they can’t buy a drop of rain on the west coast for the past month or so,” Bowers said. “It’s been wicked. It really is quite a contrast. The western half of the country is having an extremely warm winter, and here it really is more like the Northwest Territories in our backyard

“We’re running about almost 12 degrees below normal his month.”

Monday: Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 8F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy during the evening followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low -6F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph.
Tuesday: Gusty winds. Snow showers developing in the afternoon. High 20F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow.
Tuesday Night: Snow showers before midnight. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 16F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 40%.

- CBS Detroit.

Cleveland records -5 degree temperature early Monday, setting record for date

Stephen Seltzer tries to stay warm as he walks to work at Penn State University along Curtin Road, in University Park, Pa., on Friday, Feb. 20, 2015. Arctic air and
bitterly cold wind is moving across the Northeast, plunging temperatures into record low single digits, accompanied by subzero wind chills.
(Nabil K. Mark, Centre Daily Times/Associated Press)

The temperature dropped to -5 degrees early Monday at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, setting a new record low for the date.

The previous record low was -4 degrees, set in 1873. The last time the temperature fell below zero on Feb. 23 was in 1889, when it dropped to -3, according to data from the National Climatic Data Center and National Weather Service.

The temperature has dropped to a record-low level in Cleveland three times in the past five days. It dropped to -4 degrees Thursday, tying a record established in 1936.

The temperature fell to -17 degrees Friday, shattering the previous record of -4 set in 1968. It was the coldest day in Cleveland since the all-time record low of -20 set in January 1994, the National Weather Service said.

It was also the fourth-coldest day in the city's history.

A wind-chill advisory remains in effect Monday due to winds that could make it feel like -20 degrees. However, it will be mostly sunny.

Hundreds of schools, including those in Cleveland and Akron, cancelled classes Monday. The cold also caused 30-minute delays on all Greater Cleveland RTA trains.

A list of the coldest days in Cleveland history can be found here. - Cleveland.

Boston Clergy Share A Prayer For Snow-Weary City

The winter from hell is bringing people of all faiths together in Boston.

Reverends, rabbis and imams appear in a YouTube video posted Friday by the Temple Israel of Boston called “A message from the clergy of Boston. . .,” directed at those sick of the snow.

“In this winter of record-breaking snow Boston clergy share a prayer. . . and a shovel,” the introduction states, before 13 religious leaders take turns offering words of support from different corners of the city.

Boston has received 99.9 inches of snow this winter, its second-highest total in recorded history. The unprecedented snowfall has devastated public transportation, collapsed dozens of roofs and made life generally miserable for residents stricken with snow fatigue.


WATCH: A message from the clergy of Boston.

“Boston, are you weary?” asks Rev. Jay Williams of Union United Methodist Church.

“Weary of digging out?” says Rev. Burns Stanfield of the Fourth Presbyterian Church in South Boston.

The video asks Boston residents to turn to each other for support and think of those who “don’t have the luxury of snow days” who are having a tough winter.

“We have each other to lend a hand, to share a smile,” the clergy say. “We have each other to tend and befriend.”

“Can I get an Amen?” asks Rev. June Cooper of the City Mission Society of Boston.

The video has more than 7,000 views so far.

List of video participants, in order of appearance:
Reverend Jay Williams, Union United Methodist Church
Rabbi Matt Soffer, Temple Israel of Boston
Reverend Burns Stanfield, Fourth Presbyterian Church South Boston and President of GBIO
Reverend Nancy Taylor, Old South Church
Reverend Dan Smith, First Church Cambridge
Reverend Rosemary Lloyd, First Church Boston
Reverend Sam Lloyd, Trinity Church
Cantor Jodi Sufrin, Temple Beth Elohim
Rabbi Ronne Friedman, Temple Israel of Boston
Suzan M. El-Rayess, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center
Imam Ismail Fenni, Islamic Society of Boston
Reverend Dr. Ray Hammond, Bethel AME Church
Reverend June Cooper, City Mission Society of Boston - CBS Boston.

Ann Arbor breaks record low temperature set in 1900

Librarian Megan Hartline makes her way across the Diag at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Jan. 5, 2014.
Patrick Record | The Ann Arbor News (Patrick Record)

Ann Arbor woke up to a new record low temperature Monday morning.

At 7 a.m., the temperature in Ann Arbor was minus 7, said University of Michigan weather observer Dennis Kahlbaum. It was still falling at that point, but that was already low enough to break the previous record low of minus 5 for Feb. 23 set on this date in 1900.

With the wind chill, the temperature felt a good bit colder than that. A wind chill advisory issued by the National Weather Service was in effect until noon. Wind chill values could reach between minus 15 to minus 20, according to the advisory.

In these conditions, frostbite is possible within 30 minutes of exposure and hypothermia poses a risk as well.

A new wind chill advisory may also be issued for Monday evening when the wind chill is expected to reach minus 15 once again, according to a Hazardous Weather Outlook from the National Weather Service.

The area will see some relief Tuesday when temperatures are expected to rise to about 19 degrees, but the area will likely see some snow as well.

Temperatures are then expected to fall and remain at 15 degrees or lower for the rest of the week. Wind chill advisories may also be needed then, according to the outlook. - MLIVE.

GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN: Precursors To The End Of The U.S. Corporation - One-Third Of America Is On The Brink Of Financial Disaster!

Reuters / Kevin Lamarque

February 23, 2015 - UNITED STATES - Thirty-seven percent of Americans have credit card debt that equals or is greater than their emergency savings, according to a new survey, leaving them “teetering on the edge of financial disaster.”

A poll of more than 1,000 adults in the United States by Bankrate.com found that about 24 percent of Americans have more credit card debt than emergency savings, while another 13 percent have neither credit card debt nor emergency savings.

“Not only do most of them not have enough savings, they’ve all used up some portion of their available credit — they are running out of options,” said Greg McBride, Bankrate.com’s chief financial analyst.

The 30 to 49 age group are in the most peril, with 32 percent of respondents reporting that they have credit card debt higher than their emergency savings. Twenty-five percent of those aged between 50 to 64 said the same, as did 21 percent in the 18 to 29 age bracket and 14 percent of those 65 and up.

As a 2014 survey by American Express reported, emergencies are more frequent than many would like to think. Half of Americans who responded to the survey had to deal with a fairly major unforeseen or emergency expense in the past year. Forty-four percent said the expense was health related, while 46 percent said it was for a car repair.

"People don't have enough money for unplanned expenses, and if they have more credit card debt than emergency savings, it's a double whammy," McBride said. "In the event of unplanned expenses, their options are limited."

Despite the discouraging numbers, more Americans are better off this year than in 2014, the Bankrate survey found. About 58 percent said they have more emergency savings than credit card debt, compared with 51 percent last year.

With effects of the Great Recession still lingering for many, and with decades of stagnant wage growth in several key work sectors, Bankrate’s McBride said that putting a priority on saving has not been “a high enough priority for American households."

"It's difficult for people to really move the needle on savings when their income hasn't grown," he said.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, meanwhile, reported last week that the quantity of student loans in the US overdue by 90 days or more has risen to 11.3 percent, its highest point in a year.

In 2013, Americans ages 25 or younger held nearly $150 billion in student loan debt, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found, while those between the ages of 25 and 49 carried about $700 billion in student debt. Those between the ages of 65 and 74 had around $150 billion in student debt.

Overall, debts in the US went up in the fourth quarter of 2014 – rising $117 billion from October through December to a total of $11.8 trillion, the New York Fed reported. - RT.

GLOBAL FOOD/WATER CRISIS: Taps Run Dry In Brazil's Biggest City, Sao Paulo, As Drought Bites - The Country's Worst Dry Stretch Since The 1930s!

Machines from SABESP work next to pumps from the Jaguari dam station Photo: Paulo Whitaker/Reuters

February 23, 2015 - SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - It may have the world's biggest water supply and the seventh biggest economy, but that's not enough to keep water running during the country's worst dry stretch since the 1930s.

Ediane Marquis is in a rush to leave work at an infant school in the east of São Paulo.

It is the afternoon in Brazil's commercial capital, and she knows her mother-in-law will be without water as the city struggles with its worst drought on record.

A worker fills a water tanker with potable water before distributing it to the Sirio Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo  Photo: REUTERS

"The water goes off at 1pm and comes back on the next day," said Mrs Marquis, 51. "Her bathroom and utility area are connected to the mains supply so she has to come to my house. It's changed her life, it's changed everything."

So far, she said, the nursery where she works has managed to stay open but schools, universities and hospitals are having to adapt to cope with reduced water supplies.

With the lowest rainfall since 1930, reservoirs that supply almost half of the 20 million people in the metropolitan area - including the financial district - are close to running dry.

Doctors have reportedly had to cut short dialysis for patients with kidney failure because of the shortage while schools have introduced water-saving measures to avoid suspending lessons.

Staff denied reports that the Cândido Fontoura children's hospital went without water earlier this month but Analice Dora, biologist at the hospital, said: "Everyone is worried. Hospitals are the one place that can't lack water. It's a question of hygiene."

Families and businesses began reporting reduced pressure and empty taps last year but water restrictions have tightened since the turn of the year failed to bring rain.

"It's affecting my business a lot," said Ana Paula Rodrigues de Lima, 34, a hairdresser in the east of São Paulo. "I can't wash clients' hair. I had to use a bucket and a cup the other day.

"There are places in São Paulo that have been lacking water since last year."

Despite Brazil having the largest water supply in the world, one of the main reservoir networks in São Paulo, the Cantareira system, is at just 10 per cent including deep reserves known as the "dead volume".

An aerial view of the Atibainha dam, part of the Cantareira reservoir, during a drought (Reuters)

And while February's rainfall has been above average, it hasn't been enough to replenish reserves.

"People here grew up with a culture of abundance and one of these abundances is water," said Décio Semensatto, professor of ecology and environmental sciences at the Federal University of São Paulo.

"There's water but there's also a lot of people. International standards say water stress is when levels fall below 1,500 cubic metres per person per year. Here, it's 200 cubic metres. We're experiencing a water situation like a semi-desert."

Last month, there were government warnings that the reservoirs could dry up completely in four or five months.

And Professor Semensatto said water stress was likely to continue in São Paulo for four to five years, threatening not only the city's economy but the rest of the country as well.

"When we start to see businesses based in São Paulo slowing down, then we will see the effect on other cities across Brazil," he added.

An aerial view of the Jaguari dam, part of the Cantareira reservoir (Reuters)

Although São Paulo's state water utility Sabesp said it was taking action, including introducing incentives for families using less water, fines for excessive use and installing water savers on taps, it did not rule out water rationing.

"We have not made a decision on rationing nor when rationing will be needed," said Jerson Kelman, president of Sabesp. "However, we have to be prepared for the worst.

"If we continue without rain and reach the limit, I don't know when, at which we have to start rationing, we are technically capable of guaranteeing water where it is essential: in hospitals, prisons."

But Paulistas have accused the government of playing down the scale of the crisis until after October's election and failing to plan for the drought.

"In 25 years, I've never seen anything like it," said Ana Ferreira, 47, who runs a café in central Sao Paulo.

"It goes off from around 1pm until the early hours. The other day it didn't come back on until 10am.

"The government didn't warn people about the problems because of political interests. The population was misled."

Mrs Ferreira said her business was surviving thanks to a water tank that provided reserves when the mains was turned off but said poorer families on the outskirts of the city had been hit harder.

SABESP michinery, right, work next to pumps from the Jaguari dam station (Reuters)

Despite problems since early last year, Geraldo Alckmin, state governor, only admitted for the first time in January that water rationing was taking place, prompting accusations that the government had missed a chance to stem shortages and prepare the public.

"There were forecasts in 2012, even Sabesp knew that there would be the possibility of facing a great drought," added Prof Semensatto. "Actions to minimise the effects of the crisis were not taken.

"The public needs to know the situation as it is. It's extremely critical. The other information not being given is how long this crisis will last. Water stress will last four to five years.

"This year is training for the next few years, which will be worse." - Telegraph.

TWILIGHT ZONE: The Chelyabinsk Mystery Zone - Blue Snow, Three Suns, Meteorite Explosion,...?! [VIDEOS]

Screenshot from RT video

"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man ... a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. Next stop The Twilight Zone." - Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone.

February 23, 2015 - CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA - From a giant meteorite unexpectedly falling from the sky to a three Suns optical illusion - the Russian city of Chelyabinsk has become the world’s premier place for truly out of the blue OMG! moments. RT gives some insight into the recent madness.

For centuries, Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region, located on the border between Europe and Asia, has been a defense powerhouse, arming the Tsars’ forces and establishing the Soviet Union's formidable nuclear arsenal. But the region’s rep for military muscle is not what’s been turning heads as of late.

No, when it comes to packing in as many ‘oh my God! Did you see that?’ moments into one place, Chelyabinsk is the undisputed champ.

The Meteorite…

In 2013 a meteorite swan dived over the city. And not just any meteor. No, it was the largest piece of flaming space rock to hit the earth in more than a hundred years.

On February 15 the skies were illuminated by a flying object that exploded a few times, just enough to make the city’s gritty residents turn their heads.


WATCH: Meteorite crash in Urals region.

 


“At first I saw a huge bright fire up in the skies, and then came a loud explosion that not only shattered the windows, but blew out the window frames,” resident Taisiya Alabuzhina told RT.

Luckily the explosion occurred about 30 to 40km over Chelyabinsk and the space body itself didn’t make an unwelcome crash landing smack dab in the middle of the city. There were no casualties, but about 1,600 people received minor injuries, mostly from fragments of shattered glass.

Although the meteor was relatively small, some believed its blast was comparable to the power of a nuclear bomb. NASA said the shockwave force was equal to a 500-kiloton explosion – 30 times the Hiroshima blast. The shockwave was so powerful that it traveled some 85,000km, circling the globe twice over the course of three days Superman-style.

…and Church of The Meteorite

The biggest fragment of the meteorite weighed in at around 570 kilograms and was found in Lake Chebarkul, 90 km from Chelyabinsk. The chunk of the cosmic body even got its own fan club, with some going as far as to worship it and establish the so-called ‘Church of the Meteorite’.


WATCH: Russian meteorite portends more disasters?

Paranormalist Andrey Breyvichko, the founder of the circle believes that it contains “a set of moral and legal norms that will help people live at a new stage of spiritual knowledge development.” Moreover, he claims that the meteorite is so powerful it could actually trigger the Apocalypse.

While his woo-woo take on the meteorite is…special, it would probably be fair to say that ‘holy’ was the first word to come out of a lot of people’s mouths when they first saw that thing hurdling overhead.

Three Suns?

And if a giant meteorite ushering in the apocalypse wasn’t enough for the residents of Chelyabinsk, in February they got something even more mind-bending than a double rainbow - a triple sun (that’s one more than the planet Tatooine!)

WATCH: Three suns over Russia.

So did Chelyabinsk somehow leave earth and become part of a ternary solar system? Not exactly. Rather, the triple suntriple sunwas actually an optical illusion which is sometimes called a winter rainbow; produced by ice crystals in the winter air. The symmetrical patches of light, tinged with red on the inside, are called mock suns, parhelia or sundogs. So seriously, forget about double rainbows, the winter rainbow is where it’s at!

Blue snow!

Your parents always warned you not to eat the yellow snow, but what about the blue snow? That’s right, if a triple sun wasn’t enough for the month of February, strange, Smurf-colored snowflakes fell down on the city’s streets, just in case the residents weren’t already freaked out enough.

Photo by Dmitry Kudryonok

But before anyone could start a cult and herald the blue snow as yet another sign of the end times, officials figured out that it was actually caused by a spill at a factory making dye for Easter eggs.

So what else has been going on in the city as of late? According to the web, an alarm clock cut off a girl’s head, a Chupacabra was seen roaming the streets, a man attacked a bear, and Mickey Mouse, SpongeBob, and Luntik put a beat down on a driver???

Seriously, go home Chelyabinsk, you’re drunk! - RT.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Huge Fireball Explodes With Sonic Boom Over Florida - Shaking Houses And Windows!

Taken from the 59th street pier in Ocean City, New Jersey at 5:00 am on February 16, 2015. This meteor was bright green and lit up the sky for a few seconds,
traveling downwards towards the horizon over open ocean. It was to the right of a rising milky way and crescent moon. © Jennifer Khordi

February 23, 2015 - FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - Another huge fireball has been observed disintegrating in the sky of Florida on February 22, 2015.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVALS: Man And Woman Fall Into Sinkhole At South Korean Train Station!

Man and woman falling into sinkhole. © Stomp

February 23, 2015 - SOUTH KOREA - A man and woman got off a train in South Korea, only to fall right into a sinkhole in the train station.

CCTV footage shows what happened during that incident.

As the man and woman get off the train, a patch of tiles in the station can be seen looking slightly out of place compared to the rest of the floor.

As both the man and woman step onto that patch, the section of floor gives and they both fall in.

Another man and woman look on in shock after narrowly avoiding the fall.

According to online reports, the man and woman sustained injuries from their fall.


WATCH: Man and woman fall into sinkhole in South Korea.

- Asia One.

MASS SHOOTINGS: Apparent Murder-Suicide Domestic Disturbance In Killeen, Texas - Four Dead, One Hospitalized For Serious Injuries!

February 23, 2015 - KILLEEN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES - Four people were dead and one woman was in serious condition on Monday after gunfire erupted at two homes in Killeen, Texas, according to local police.

The dead included a 30-year-old man suspected of shooting three people in one home before forcing his wife back to their neighboring house, where the two were later found with fatal gunshot wounds, Killeen police said in a statement.

Police said they responded to a 911 call of a disturbance Sunday night and found three gunshot victims.

Officers learned the suspect had fled with his 28-year-old wife back to their house on the same street. Shortly after, shots were heard coming from inside the suspect's house, police said.

Police did not release the victims' names pending notification of their relatives.

The suspect shot two women, ages 29 and 41, and a 40-year-old man at the first home, then forced his own wife back to their house, a preliminary police investigation showed.

The suspect, his wife, the 29-year-old woman and the other man were pronounced dead just after 1 a.m., according to police. The wounded 41-year-old woman was taken to a hospital in Temple. - Reuters.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Ebola Crisis - Sierra Leone Orphanage Quarantined!

Children who lost their parents to Ebola are increasingly being cared for at the orphanage

February 23, 2015 - SIERRA LEONE - An orphanage run by a UK charity in Sierra Leone has been quarantined after one of its local staff was diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus.

Augustine Baker is said to be in a stable condition at a local treatment centre after becoming ill last week.

St George Foundation orphanage co-founder Philip Dean told the BBC that 33 children and seven staff were now in isolation.

Ebola has killed more than 9,300 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Augustine Baker's role in tackling the Ebola virus has been widely admired

The governments of the three countries have pledged to achieve zero Ebola infections within the next two months.

'Tireless worker'

"Augustine collapsed at a staff meeting and several of his colleagues helped get him to hospital," UK-based Mr Dean told the BBC.

"It's possible that they have been exposed. It's a very worrying time," he said.

St George Foundation has helped about 200 children orphaned by Ebola

The BBC's Umaru Fofana in the capital, Freetown, says that the quarantine at the St George Foundation orphanage is self-imposed, and is expected to last for three weeks.

The orphanage was set up in 2004 on the outskirts of Freetown, and, until the Ebola outbreak, was mainly concerned with rescuing street children.

In the last year it has helped care for some 200 children orphaned by Ebola.

"Since the start of the Ebola outbreak Augustine has worked tirelessly to help children orphaned by the disease. He knew that he was at risk, but did the job, because it needed to be done," Mr Dean said.

The BBC's Tulip Mazumdar reported from St George Foundation orphanage last month

Mr Baker featured in a BBC report last month, when health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar visited the orphanage.

"A lot of people think Ebola is over, but what has happened to Augustine and the fact that last week we took in 12 children who have lost their parents to the disease shows it isn't," Mr Dean said.

Our Freetown correspondent says that Sierra Leone last week recorded 62 cases of Ebola and 52 deaths related to the disease.

The outbreak was first identified about a year ago in Guinea. - BBC.