March 20, 2015 - SPACE
- People across Europe and other parts of the world gazed with awe skywards on Friday to see a rare type of solar eclipse, which has coincided with other celestial events such as the spring equinox and a supermoon.
Only those in parts of the Artic and the north of Europe were lucky enough to witness the eclipse in its totality. But millions were able to see a partial eclipse in other parts of Europe, North Africa and West Asia.
The rare coincidence of the solar eclipse and the vernal equinox is not expected to occur until the year 2034. The supermoon is a phenomenon, which sees the moon’s position closer to Earth than usual.
However, some viewers of the rare celestial show were disappointed as clouds obscured the sky over Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands.
"It was overcast, there was rain and wind. You could see nothing. It was a disappointment for everybody," Gabor Lantos, a Hungarian tourist, told Reuters. "Some tourists were so irritated, they argued with tour operators, demanding their money back."
Others were more thrilled despite the cloudy weather.
"It was worth coming here from Australia, probably not as good as the 2012 eclipse we saw in Cairns, but still worth coming," said Australian visitor Michael Tonks. Street lights came on automatically as the sky blackened.
Astronomers and onlookers also gathered on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago to watch the eclipse: the sun became almost completely obscured there. "We couldn't ask for more. It was stunning," Ronny Brunvoll, head of the Visit Svalbard organization told Reuters.
WATCH: Supermoon solar eclipse thrills sky gazers.
The event gave scientists a rare opportunity to carry out tests of the solar atmosphere, the corona, the temperature of which is about twice as hot as the sun.
People started booking hotel accommodation at the archipelago in 2008 to see the supermoon eclipse, forcing some tourists to stay in tents despite running the risk of a surprise rendezvous with polar bears.
In places like London and Paris, observers didn’t get much of a sense of darkness, and Patrick Rocher of the IMCCE astronomy institute in France explained that it’s because the sun “still brightens up (the sky) a lot even at 20 percent,” as cited by AFP.
What’s more, clouds covered a big part of Northern Europe, so only a few spots experienced the event in full, one being Berlin.
In Moscow, where the weather was clear, people took to the streets to watch the partial eclipse and could later see the footage of the full eclipse on a big screen in the city center, as well as in the metro by connecting to the system’s WiFi. - RT.
March 20, 2015 - INDIA
- Six people were killed and 40 others injured when three coaches of a
train derailed in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. The injured people have
been admitted to nearby hospitals.
Conflicting reports suggest there are more fatalities from the derailment than officially stated.
Several
people are also feared trapped in the wreckage, and rescue workers,
along with villagers, have been trying to locate and rescue them.
The Janta express train 1422 was traveling from Dehradun to Varanasi. “One engine and two coaches have been derailed,” according to Chief PR officer Neeraj Sharma, as quoted by IBN media outlet.
Two
lakh rupees (about $3,000) would be provided to the families of those
killed, while 50,000 rupees (about $800) would be given to relatives of
those injured in the derailment, according to a statement from the
office of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
The cause
of the derailment remains unknown, but authorities suspect that the
brakes of the engine failed, International Business Times reported.
One of the carriages involved in the accident was apparently empty, resulting in a lower death toll.
India's railroad network is one of the world's largest and carries more than 23 million passengers each day. - RT.
March 20, 2015 - EARTH - The following list constitutes the latest reports of high tides, heavy rainfall, flash floods, widespread flooding, sea level rise and catastrophic storms.
Mexico – Floods in Michoacan and Guerrero After 2 Days of Rain
Two days of constant heavy rain in south-west Mexico has resulted in flooding in parts of Michoacán and Guerrero states. Michoacán
The
heavy rain first began to fall on 15 March 2015. In Michoacán, the
worst affected areas are the state capital, Morelia, and the
municipalities of Zamora, Apatzingán, Tancítaro and Uruapan.
In
Morelia, the Rio Grande overflowed, forcing some residents in the
districts of Jacarandas, Primo Tapia, Carlos Salazar and Tres Puentes to
evacuate. Flooding has affected as many as 32 districts (colonias) in
the city, according to local media.
Morelia suffered from severe flooding in 2013.
Floods in Morelia, Mexico, 2013. Photo: Government of Michoacán
Elsewhere in the state, 30 families were evacuated and floods have destroyed as many as 20 houses in Apatzingán. Guerrero In
Guerrero state, around 90 homes have been damaged by floods in Atoyac
de Alvarez and San Jerónimo. Acapulco has also seen heavy rain and
strong winds, although no major flooding has been reported in the city.
Flood damaged roads in Ometepec, Mexico. Photo: Efrain Montero
Acapulco suffered from major floods in September 2013,
when parts of the city were under 1 metre of water and thousands of
tourists were stranded after the airport was flooded. At least six
people died in floods in the state in October 2014, when as many as
4,000 people were forced frm their homes.
20,000 affected by flooding in Boca do Acre, Brazil
Flooded school in Boca do Acre in Amazonas State, Brazil, March 2015. Photo: Seduc – Amazonas
More
than 20,000 people have been affected by flooding caused by the swollen
Purus River in Boca do Acre in Amazonas State, Brazil.
Defesa
Civil Amazonas (Amazonas state civil defense) have distributed more than
36 tons of humanitarian aid to flood victims, which includes food,
medicine, bedding, mosquito nets, drinking water, and water filters.
"We ... are working on the needs of the population and municipal
deficiencies caused by this natural disaster," said the Secretary of
Defesa Civil Amazonas, Colonel Roberto Rocha.
At least 70
families have been forced from their homes and are being housed in
emergency tents. Authorities say that 8 out of the 9 local districts
have been affected. Defesa Civil Amazonas reported that the city's water
treatment plant has been damaged in the floods. Maize and banana crops
have also been flooded.
WATCH: Floods in Boca do Acre.
Boca do Acre is a small municipality of around 30,000 people, located at the meeting point of the Purus and Acre rivers.
Earlier this month, high levels of the Acre River caused severe flooding
in several locations in Acre state - in particular the city of Rio
Branco where the river reached record levels - and later parts of
Amazonas state. Amazonas State
WMO report that 100mm of rain fell in 24 hours in São Gabriel da
Cachoeira in Amazonas state. Heavy rain has been falling across the
region over the last 4 days.
More heavy rainfall could mean
increased levels of the Purus and Juruá rivers further affecting parts
of Amazonas state. Some of these areas suffered from flooding earlier
this month. Defesa Civil Amazonas say that Itamarati, Guajará, Ipixuna,
Eirunepé, Envira (Juruá river) and além de Canutama, Tapauá, Carauari,
Pauiní, Humaitá (Purus river) are all in "emergency situations"
(Situação de Emergência).
Mexico Floods – Marabasco River Overflows in Colima and Jalisco
The severe weather that caused flooding in Michoacán and Guerrero has also caused problems in neighbouring states in southern Mexico,
increasing river levels in Colima and Jalisco and causing further
flooding. Heavy rainfall, hail storms and strong winds have affected
southern and western Mexico since 13 March 2015. Colima and Jalisco States
The
Marabasco river, which runs along the border of Colima and Jalisco
states, has overflowed causing floods in the municipalities of
Manzanillo (Colima) and Cihuatlán (Jalisco).
Manzanillo saw over 97 mm of rain fall in 6 hours on 16 March, according to Unidad Estatal de Protección Civil (UEPC).
Colima
state congress is urging the federal government to declare a state of
emergency for the area to offer the affected region access to emergency
finance.
Mexican media are also reporting
local anger at the federal government and Comisión Nacional del Agua
(National Water Commission / Conagua) for lack of flood defences along
the Marabasco river. Michoacán
As
reported yesterday, in the state of Michoacán, the worst affected areas
are the capital, Morelia, and also Zamora and Apatzingán.
Governor
Jara Salvador Guerrero said around 3,000 people have been affected. In
Morelia, where 400 homes have been damaged, some streets were in flood
water up to 70 cm deep. Around 400 homes were also damaged in Zamora and
around 50 in Apatzingán. The municipality of Múgica has also been
affected.
Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture (Secretaría de
Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación /
SAGARPA) have reported that initial estimates show that around 12,000
hectares of crops have been damaged across 19 municipalities in the
state, leaving producers facing heavy losses.
UN Relocates 50,000 Refugees in Ethiopia to Avoid Flood Risk
Floods in refugee camp at Bentiu, August 2014. Photo: UN Photo / Flickr
UNHCR,
the UN refugee agency, announced on 17 March 2015 that it will begin
relocating more than 50,000 South Sudanese refugees from flood-prone
areas of western Ethiopia to avoid flood risks posed by the start of the
rainy season.
The refugees are being moved from the Leitchuor and
Nip Nip refugee camps in the Gambella region. UNHCR say that the move
has been prompted by floods last year when both camps were severely hit
by flooding in August 2014 after heavy rainfall caused the Baro River to
overflow.
Refugees will be taken by bus for a 300-kilometre-long
journey, which takes about eight hours, to new camps at either Pugnido
or Jewi.
“Our plan is to relocate all willing refugees in a safe
and dignified manner,” said Angele Djohossou, head of the UNHCR
sub-office in Gambella, adding that the strategy also includes the
development of projects aimed at ensuring peaceful co-existence between
refugees who opt to remain and the host community. Bentiu Refugee Camp, South Sudan
The
refugee camp in Bentiu, South Sudan, is also regularly hit by severe
floods, causing further misery for the camps 50,000 residents, as well
as increasing the risk of water-borne diseases. Bentiu flooded in June
last year after 2 days of heavy rain in the area. The camp is in a
low-lying area, making it vulnerable to flooding, although residents are
reluctant to leave the safety of the camp for higher ground.
Floods Displace 4,000 in West Java, Indonesia
Floods in Indonesia. Low income households along riverbanks are prone to floods. Photo: Farhana Asnap / World Bank
BNPD, the disaster management agency in Indonesia,
said yesterday that an embankment on the Cimanuk river had been
breached, forcing around 4,000 people from their homes. The embankment
failure occurred in the village of Pilangsari village, Indramayu, West
Java province.
Around 1,000 houses and 100
hectares of rice fields were under flood water that, at one point, was
up to 3 metres deep in places. BNPD say that at least 15,000 people have
been affected overall across several districts of Indramayu.
The embamkment was built in 2012, according to local media.
BNPD say that levels of the Cimanuk had increased after heavy rain in
catchment areas of Garut and Majalengka. River levels increased to a
point where, according to local media, a 150 metre stretch of the
embankment was damaged and the river overflowed.
Indramayu lies
about 200 km east of Jakarta. The flooding has blocked one of the area’s
major coastal roads at Jatibarang, disrupting traffic heading to and
from the capital.
Local authorities, military and police personnel
and volunteers carried out evacuations and are working to distribute
food and blankets to those displaced.
In their most recent report of March 17, 2015 7:28 pm (local time), BNPD say that the floods have started to recede.
Heavy
rain has been falling in the region generally over the last few days.
WMO say that Ketapang, West Kalimantan saw 281.2 mm of rain in 24 hours
between 16 and 17 March 2015. In Sintang, Kalimantan, 81 mm of rain fell
in the same period. In East Java, Surabaya saw 51.1 mm of rain in 24
hours to 16 March, 2015.
