Popular theories on how they got there include violent weather phenomena such as water spouts
April 16, 2015 - NORWAY - Meteorologists and biologists have been left baffled by earthworms raining from the sky over Southern Norway.
According to Norwegian news service The Local, the most recent phenomenon was discovered by biology teacher Karstein Erstad while he was skiing in the mountains.
“I saw thousands of earthworms on the surface of the snow,” he said.
“When I found them on the snow they seemed to be dead, but when I put them in my hand I found that they were alive.”
He
thought they might have crawled through the snow, but rejected this
idea, as the snow was over half a metre thick across the mountains.
This
is not the only time an area experiencing worms raining from the sky in
Norway, with other cases found in Molde and Bergen, both in the south
of the country.
One
popular theory on random animal rain suggest that the worms may have
been lifted up by a violent air pocket and then brought back down miles
away from where they started.
Another theory says water spouts,
weather systems similar to tornadoes, can travel from seas onto land and
pick up vegetation, debris, and small animals, carrying them miles away
from where they started before they blow themselves out.
According to Erstad, it’s not a new phenomenon, with reports of worms raining from skies above Norway dating back to the 1920s.
This rain of worms isn’t confined to Norway either, with a similar case reported at a Scottish Academy secondary school in 2011.
According to a report by STV, a teacher and his students had to take cover during a game of football after worms started falling from the sky.
Teacher
David Crichton said: "We were out playing football and had just done
our warm up and were about to start the next part of the lesson.
“We started hearing this wee thudding noise on the ground. There were about 20 worms already on the ground at this point."
Crichton told STV he and his colleagues counted 120 worms across the astroturf pitch following the rainfall.
The phenomenon remains a mystery. Heaven sent: Other falling creatures
* Between AD 77 and AD 79 the Roman writer Pliny the Elder recorded a storm of frogs and fish in his Natural History.
* Showers of live minnow and smooth-tailed sticklebacks fell on Aberdare, Wales, 11 February 1859.
* On 21 May 1921 thousands of frogs fell on Gibraltar during a thunderstorm.
* On 4 March 1998 a shower in Shirley, Croydon, included a large number of dead frogs.
* A heavy storm in Acapulco, Mexico, on 5 October 1967, was accompanied by maggots around 1in long.
*
Dozens of fish, later identified as flounder and smelt, were found in
gardens and on roofs in the borough of Newham in east London, following a
thunderstorm on the night of 27-28 May 1984.
* On 17 May 1996 a fall of more than 20 small fish was witnessed at Hatfield in Hertfordshire.
* A shower of apples brought rush-hour traffic to a halt in Coundon, Coventry on 5 December 2011.
The Colima volcano in western Mexico, erupted twice on Wednesday, shooting columns of ash up to 2,000 meters into the air.
April 16, 2015 - MEXICO - Mexico's Colima volcano has spewed a giant 3.5-kilometre-high (3,500 metres) column of ash that rained down on a nearby city, authorities say.
The
Jalisco state civil protection agency said a "moderate" quantity of ash
fell on Ciudad Guzman, a town near the western state of Colima, where
the volcano is located.
An increase in activity at the Colima Volcano has been seen since November 2014.
A civil protection official said there were no reports of damage or injuries in the city of 100,000 people.
Officials
urged the population to use masks if they venture out of their homes,
remove excess ash from rooftops so they do not collapse and cover water
drains.
WATCH: Massive explosion at the Colima volcano.
The 3,860-metre mountain, also known as the Volcano of Fire, is among the most active in the country. - ABC News Australia.
April 16, 2015 - UNITED STATES - Following strong storms on Wednesday, another round of threatening
weather will rumble across part of the Central states into Thursday
night.
A storm will spin over the Rockies through the end of the week. The
storm will push a wedge of dry air into a field of moisture over the
High Plains. This dry/moist contrast zone from southwestern Nebraska to
central Texas will be the firing point for the storms.
"That upper-level low with the help of the southern branch of the jet
stream will pull ample Gulf moisture and warm temperatures into the
Plains," said AccuWeather.com Storm Warning Meteorologist Billy Clark.
The storms will outnumber and outperform the storms on Wednesday that
rumbled across the region and brought small hail, downpours and even a
funnel cloud in Kansas.
An
area from western Kansas to the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas to
south-central Texas will be at the highest risk through Thursday
evening.
"Damaging winds, localized flooding, hail and even isolated tornadoes are possible," said Clark.
Travel will be risky, especially during the evening commute when these
storms could be at their highest potency. Interstate 20, I-40, and I-70
along with state and local roads in between may have delays and slow
travel.
People living in or driving through the area should be on the lookout for rapidly changing weather conditions.
High-profile vehicles will be most vulnerable to gusty winds. Blinding
downpours will also bring issues on the road for motorists as visibility
will be greatly reduced.
Occasionally, gusty winds ahead of a thunderstorm can kick up dust and
bring a period of near-zero visibility which is certainly a possibility.
Groups or individuals that have outdoor activities planned may want to
reschedule or move them to earlier in the day when the risk will be much
lower.
The severe storms are expected to remain west of the Dallas and Oklahoma City metro areas into Thursday night.
Staying alert is important during severe weather situations. Make sure
to have a weather radio handy and fresh batteries installed before the
storms strike.
The storms will weaken into Friday morning but with the storm lingering over the Rockies, another round of strong storms will ramp up Friday afternoon.
This threat will extend across south-central Nebraska, western and
central Kansas, western Oklahoma and into central, southern and coastal
Texas. The greatest risk will be across the lower Rio Grande
Valley, where damaging winds, downpours and an isolated tornado will be
possible.
Drenching storms will also bring the threat for flooding across the Gulf Coast through the end of the week.
The Quileute community
of La Push, Washington lies on the shores of the Pacific Ocean in an
earthquake-prone area of the Cascade Mountains. Image: Trev Harris, Aalto-yliopisto
April 16, 2015 - WASHINGTON STATE, UNITED STATES - Finland’s Aalto University is helping a rare North American
indigenous people design a new hometown that is out of harm’s way, in a
cooperative effort with a backstory as unlikely as any that could be
imagined.
The Quileute tribe of La Push, Washington holds a ritual
each year, where every woman, man and child in the reservation summons
local whales, dolphins, sharks, seals and other marine species to the
community's beach by playing drums. The tribe’s chief then wades among
the animals and interprets the sounds they make.
In 2014, tribal
leaders said they received information from the Pacific Ocean whales
that a tsunami would soon hit their community. La Push is located at the
intersection of three tectonic plates, and is prone to earthquakes of a
9-point magnitude.
The tribe immediately started to make plans
to move their community to higher ground. It applied for and received
money from both the State of Washington and the federal government to
fund the relocation.
Friend of a friend of a friend
Aalto
University became involved in the project after a Finn working at the
Microsoft office in Seattle knew the person handling the business
affairs of the tribe and heard of their situation. This Finn also knew
the Associate Professor of the Aalto University School of Architecture,
Trev Harris, and recommended the tribe approach Harris’ team.
The
tribe chose the Aalto University group to plan a new community for them
that would include 50 new housing units and a new school building.
Harris and his team returned from their first visit to La Push in March.
He tells how the tribe hired his group to complete the task.
“On
the last day there was a meeting of the tribal council. When it was
over, the chief stood and said ‘You’re all hired’”, Harris says.
He says it wasn’t money alone that won his team from Finland the job.
“They
were completely fed up with the business world seething around them. As
soon as news of the government funding went public, all kinds of
construction firms came peddling their wares. The chief said to me, that
your team’s way of dealing with things shows us much more respect than
what we are accustomed to.”
The Aalto University plan intends to
take advantage of local woodworking skills and build the new Higher
Ground community from Canadian redwood, in an effort to revive the
indigenous building tradition.
“According to the tribe, the operation must be completed by 2017, before the tsunami arrives,” says Harris.
Indigenous tribe goes back 7,000 years
The
Quileute are a Native American people from the western state of
Washington in the USA. Their population currently numbers approximately
2,000. After signing the Quinault Treaty in 1855, the Quileute people
settled onto the Quileute Indian Reservation, located near the southwest
corner of Clallam County of Washington, at the mouth of the Quillayute
River on the Pacific coast. The hub of the reservation is the community
of La Push.
The Quileute name may already be familiar to many fans of vampire stories, because the best-selling Twilight
saga features fictional shape-shifting members of the Quileute tribe
that live in and around the Forks, Washington area. The tribe claims
that its history in North America goes back 7,000 years.
Like many
native peoples on Northwest Coast, the Quileute once relied on fishing
from local rivers and the Pacific Ocean for food. The Quileute and the
Makah tribes were also once great whalers. - YLE.
NOTE: Thanks to Jacqui Chasson for contributing to this post.
April 16, 2015 - GREECE - A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck near the Greek island of Crete late Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage.
The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the undersea quake occurred at 9:07 p.m. (1807GMT). No tsunami warning was issued.
The institute's seismologist Efthymios Lekkas said the quake was felt on the islands of Crete, Karpathos and Rhodes.
Earthquake 3D map.
Greek fire brigade officials in Athens said the quake had been felt on the island but that there were no immediate reports of damage of casualties.
A local police official in Crete said the quake had been strong enough to send some of the island's residents rushing into the streets.
USGS shakemap intensity.
"I would recommend that people in the affected regions remain calm," Lekkas told state television.
Earthquakes are common in Greece and neighboring Turkey. Lekkas said Thursday's event occurred along a fault system that frequently produces earthquakes. - ABC News | JPost.
Tectonic Summary - Seismotectonics of the Mediterranean Region and Vicinity
The Mediterranean region is seismically active due to the northward
convergence (4-10 mm/yr) of the African plate with respect to the
Eurasian plate along a complex plate boundary. This convergence began
approximately 50 Ma and was associated with the closure of the Tethys
Sea. The modern day remnant of the Tethys Sea is the Mediterranean
Sea. The highest rates of seismicity in the Mediterranean region are
found along the Hellenic subduction zone of southern Greece, along the
North Anatolian Fault Zone of western Turkey and the Calabrian
subduction zone of southern Italy. Local high rates of convergence at
the Hellenic subduction zone (35mm/yr) are associated with back-arc
spreading throughout Greece and western Turkey above the subducting
Mediterranean oceanic crust. Crustal normal faulting throughout this
region is a manifestation of extensional tectonics associated with the
back-arc spreading. The region of the Marmara Sea is a transition zone
between this extensional regime, to the west, and the strike-slip
regime of the North Anatolian Fault Zone, to the east. The North
Anatolian Fault accommodates much of the right-lateral horizontal
motion (23-24 mm/yr) between the Anatolian micro-plate and Eurasian
plate as the Anatolian micro-plate is being pushed westward to further
accommodate closure of the Mediterranean basin caused by the collision
of the African and Arabian plates in southeastern Turkey. Subduction
of the Mediterranean Sea floor beneath the Tyrrhenian Sea at the
Calabrian subduction zone causes a significant zone of seismicity
around Sicily and southern Italy. Active volcanoes are located above
intermediate depth earthquakes in the Cyclades of the Aegean Sea and in
southern Italy.
USGS plate tectonics for the region.
In the Mediterranean region there is a written
record, several centuries long, documenting pre-instrumental
seismicity (pre-20th century). Earthquakes have historically caused
widespread damage across central and southern Greece, Cyprus, Sicily,
Crete, the Nile Delta, Northern Libya, the Atlas Mountains of North
Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. The 1903 M8.2 Kythera earthquake and
the 1926 M7.8 Rhodes earthquakes are the largest instrumentally
recorded Mediterranean earthquakes, both of which are associated with
subduction zone tectonics. Between 1939 and 1999 a series of
devastating M7+ strike-slip earthquakes propagated westward along the
North Anatolian Fault Zone, beginning with the 1939 M7.8 Erzincan
earthquake on the eastern end of the North Anatolian Fault system. The
1999 M7.6 Izmit earthquake, located on the westward end of the fault,
struck one of Turkey's most densely populated and industrialized urban
areas killing, more than 17,000 people. Although seismicity rates are
comparatively low along the northern margin of the African continent,
large destructive earthquakes have been recorded and reported from
Morocco in the western Mediterranean, to the Dead Sea in the eastern
Mediterranean. The 1980 M7.3 El Asnam earthquake was one of Africa's
largest and most destructive earthquakes within the 20th century.
Large earthquakes throughout the Mediterranean region have also been
known to produce significant and damaging tsunamis. One of the more
prominent historical earthquakes within the region is the Lisbon
earthquake of November 1, 1755, whose magnitude has been estimated from
non-instrumental data to be about 8.0. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake is
thought to have occurred within or near the Azores-Gibraltar transform
fault, which defines the boundary between the African and Eurasian
plates off the west coast of Morocco and Portugal. The earthquake is
notable for both a large death toll of approximately 60,000 people and
for generating a tsunami that swept up the Portuguese coast inundating
coastal villages and Lisbon. An earthquake of approximately M8.0 near
Sicily in 1693 generated a large tsunami wave that destroyed numerous
towns along Sicily's east coast. The M7.2 December 28, 1908 Messina
earthquake is the deadliest documented European earthquake. The
combination of severe ground shaking and a local tsunami caused an
estimated 60,000 to 120,000 fatalities. - USGS.
April 16, 2015 - BEIJING, CHINA - Traffic came to a standstill during rush hour in Beijing on Wednesday
as a massive sandstorm covered the Chinese capital in thick blanket of
red dust, making internet users speak about the end of the world.
The China Meteorological Administration issued a yellow sandstorm
alert – the third-most serious danger level – warning about a
drop in visibility to less than 1,000 meters and increased air
pollution.
Some areas in the city of 21 million recorded air pollution of
nearly 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter, which is considered
hazardous for people’s health.
Beijing residents had to wear face masks and goggles to protect themselves from the red sand and avoid injury and respiratory problems.
The bad visibility seriously disrupted traffic, causing large traffic jams all over the capital.
Chinese internet users were quick to label the weather phenomenon ‘Sand-ageddon,’ comparing it to the end of the world.
“It’s very dirty, I feel like it is the end of the world,” one of the users was cited by South China Morning Post.
While another person on social networks wrote that “it feels like we are living in a desert. I wonder how we can survive such bad weather.”
Despite being far from the red danger level, Wednesday’s sand storm was the strongest in the Chinese capital in 13 years.
WATCH: Beijing fades out in April 2015 sandstorm.
Besides Beijing, 11 other provinces in the north of the country were impacted by the storm, which led to electricity blackouts and chaos on the roads.
Sandstorms are a common event in China in the spring, with the dust originating from the outer edge of deserts in Mongolia, northern China and the Hexi Corridor.
Beijing is considered among the most polluted cities in the planet, with environmental watchdog Chinese Hazardous saying on Thursday that air particles, which cause asthma and breathing problems, were more than double the national target in the capital. - RT.
April 16, 2015 - SPACE - First classified a planet, then
an asteroid and then a "dwarf planet" with some traits of a moon -- the
more scientists learn about Ceres, the weirder it becomes.
And new observations of the sphere of rock and ice circling our Sun between Mars and Jupiter have added to the mystery, researchers said Monday.
Astrophysicists have been looking to a $473-million (446-million-euro) mission to test theories that Ceres is a water-rich planetary "embryo" -- a relic from the birth of the Solar System some 4.5 billion years ago.
But an early batch of data from NASA's Dawn probe, unveiled at a conference of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), may have made the Ceres riddle even greater.
In orbit around Ceres since March 6 after a seven-and-a-half-year trek, Dawn peered at two bright spots on its surface deemed to be telltales of its chemical and physical ID.
But instead of explaining the spots, analysis found the two seemed to "behave distinctly differently," said Federico Tosi, who works on Dawn's Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIR).
While Spot 1 is colder than its immediate surroundings, Spot 5 is not.
The spots are two of a known dozen or so which on photographs taken by Dawn resemble lights shining on a dull grey surface.
Ceres travels at some 414 million kilometres (260 million miles) from the Sun, taking 4.61 Earth years to complete one orbit.
About 950 km (590 miles) wide, it is the biggest object in the asteroid belt -- large enough for gravity to have moulded its shape into a ball.
This NASA image obtained on March 6, 2015 shows Ceres, taken by the Dawn
spacecraft on March 1, just a few days before the mission achieved
orbit
(AFP Photo/)
With VIR, the Dawn team have been able to put together images at different wavelengths of light, Tosi told journalists.
One picture, as seen by the human eye, shows Ceres as a "dark and brownish" ball with both white spots clearly visible.
But in thermal images, Spot 1 becomes a dark spot on a reddish ball, indicating it was cooler than the rest of the surface, said Tosi.
The "biggest surprise", he added, was that Spot 5 simply disappeared on the thermal image.
"For sure, we have bright spots on the surface of Ceres which, at least from a thermal perspective, seem to behave in different ways."
Theories about what the spots are range from ice to "hydrated minerals" -- water not in pure ice form but absorbed by minerals.
Ice would be difficult to explain, though, as Ceres inhabits a zone not quite distant enough from the Sun to allow "stable ice" on the surface, said Tosi of the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome.
- Missing craters -
Just as intriguing is that Ceres is very unlike its near neighbour Vesta, an asteroid which Dawn studied in 2011 and 2012.
Vesta is bright and reflects much of the Sun's light, while Ceres is dark -- a contrast that says these bodies have experienced very different space odysseys.
The team also found fewer large craters on Ceres than observations of Vesta suggested they should.
"When we compared the size of the craters on Ceres with those on Vesta, we're missing a number of large craters, the number we would expect," said Christopher Russell, Dawn's principal investigator.
Pockmarks on the surface did, however, suggest Ceres had a "violent collisional history," said team member Martin Hoffman from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Goettingen, Germany.
Put together, the case for Ceres as a baby planet that never made it to adulthood remains, for now, in limbo.
More may become clear in the coming months when Dawn, which until now has been on Ceres' dark side, moves closer to probe its surface composition and temperature.
The first object in the main asteroid belt to be discovered, Ceres was observed in 1801 by a Sicilian astronomer, Father Giuseppe Piazzi.
Believing he had seen a planet, Piazzi named his after the Roman goddess of harvests and Sicily's patron saint.
After more, but smaller objects turned up, Ceres was downgraded to an asteroid only to get a status boost in 2006, becoming a "dwarf planet." - Yahoo.
April 16, 2015 - MEXICO - Authorities have issued emergency warnings to five Mexican states after it was reported that thieves had stolen potentially deadly radioactive material, the latest such heist to strike the Latin American country.
The interior ministry issued an alert in the states of Tabasco, Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz that a container holding iridium-192 - a man-made radioactive element that can cause burns, acute radiation sickness and even death - was stolen on Monday from a truck in Cardenas, a town in southern Tabasco.
"This source is very dangerous to people if it is removed from its container," the statement said.
The theft of the radioactive material was reported by the company Garantia Radiografica e Ingenieria on Monday.
The ministry added the material “could cause permanent injuries to the person who handles it or who has been in contact with it for a brief time (minutes or hours)."
"Being close to this quantity of unprotected radioactive material for hours or days could be fatal," the statement warned.
Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico's civil protection agency, emphasized that anybody who finds the source should establish a 30-meter perimeter around it and contact the authorities immediately.
Mexico has been shaken by a string of incidences involving radioactive materials.
In July 2014, a truck transporting Iridium-192 was stolen in a Mexico City suburb. Authorities later found it abandoned not far from the place it was taken from.
In December 2013, thieves - apparently unaware of the contents of their heist - stole a vehicle containing medical equipment with highly radioactive cobalt-60, a material that could be used to produce a "dirty bomb," according to the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog. Law enforcement officers arrested and hospitalized five individuals involved in the incident after recovering the dangerous material. All of the suspects survived. - RT.
ISIS Camp a Few Miles from Texas, Mexican Authorities Confirm
ISIS is operating a camp just a few miles from El Paso, Texas,
according to Judicial Watch sources that include a Mexican Army field
grade officer and a Mexican Federal Police Inspector.
The exact location where the terrorist group has established its base
is around eight miles from the U.S. border in an area known as “Anapra”
situated just west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Another ISIS cell to the west of Ciudad Juárez, in Puerto Palomas,
targets the New Mexico towns of Columbus and Deming for easy access to
the United States, the same knowledgeable sources confirm.
During the course of a joint operation last week, Mexican Army and
federal law enforcement officials discovered documents in Arabic and
Urdu, as well as “plans” of Fort Bliss – the sprawling military
installation that houses the US Army’s 1st Armored Division. Muslim prayer rugs were recovered with the documents during the operation.
Law enforcement and intelligence sources report the area around
Anapra is dominated by the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Cartel (“Juárez
Cartel”), La Línea (the enforcement arm of the cartel) and the Barrio
Azteca (a gang originally formed in the jails of El Paso). Cartel
control of the Anapra area make it an extremely dangerous and hostile
operating environment for Mexican Army and Federal Police operations.
According to these same sources, “coyotes” engaged in human smuggling
– and working for Juárez Cartel – help move ISIS terrorists through the
desert and across the border between Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, New
Mexico. To the east of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, cartel-backed
“coyotes” are also smuggling ISIS terrorists through the porous border
between Acala and Fort Hancock, Texas. These specific areas were
targeted for exploitation by ISIS because of their understaffed
municipal and county police forces, and the relative safe-havens the
areas provide for the unchecked large-scale drug smuggling that was
already ongoing.
Mexican intelligence sources report that ISIS intends to exploit the
railways and airport facilities in the vicinity of Santa Teresa, NM (a
US port-of-entry). The sources also say that ISIS has “spotters” located
in the East Potrillo Mountains of New Mexico (largely managed by the
Bureau of Land Management) to assist with terrorist border crossing
operations. ISIS is conducting reconnaissance of regional universities;
the White Sands Missile Range; government facilities in Alamogordo, NM;
Ft. Bliss; and the electrical power facilities near Anapra and
Chaparral, NM. - Judicial Watch.
The
wreckage of a car and damaged buildings are seen in Ras Imran, west of
the port city of Aden, following Saudi air strikes against Huthi rebels
on April 16, 2015.(Photo: Saleh Al-Obeidi, AFP/Getty Images)
April 16, 2015 - YEMEN - Military officials and residents say Al Qaeda has taken control of a major airport, a sea port and an oil
terminal in southern Yemen after brief clashes with troops.
The officials said Al Qaeda fighters clashed Thursday with members of one of Yemen's largest infantry brigades outside Mukalla, a city the militants overran earlier this month. The officials, speaking from Sanaa on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press, said the leaders of the brigade fled.
The brigade is in charge of securing the coast of Mukalla, the provincial capital of Yemen's largest province, Hadramawt. After seizing the airport, the militants easily captured the sea port and oil terminal.
Al Qaeda's Yemeni branch has long been seen as the network's most lethal franchise.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Military officials and residents say Al Qaeda has taken control of a major airport in southern Yemen after briefly clashing with troops.
The officials say Al Qaeda fighters clashed Thursday with members of the infantry brigade in charge of protecting the Riyan airport in the city of Mukalla, a major port city and the provincial capital of Yemen's largest province, Hadramawt.
Al Qaeda overran the city itself earlier this month and freed inmates, including a militant commander, from its prison.
Nasser Baqazouz, an activist in the city, said the troops guarding the airport put up little resistance.
Al Qaeda's powerful local branch has exploited the chaos in Yemen, where Shiite rebels and military units loyal to a former president captured the capital in September and have been advancing despite a three-week Saudi-led air campaign.
Yemen's exiled vice president on Thursday called on Shiite rebels and their allied military units to end their offensive on the southern port city of Aden, saying that ground fighting must halt ahead of any peace initiatives.
Khaled Bahah, speaking from Riyadh, said the rebels and troops loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh should adhere to the U.N. Security Council resolution passed earlier this week that calls on Yemenis, especially the Houthis, to end the violence and return to U.N.-led peace talks.
A Saudi-led coalition began an air campaign against the Houthis and their allies on March 26. The U.N. resolution makes no mention of an end to the airstrikes, now in their fourth week.
Bahah said no initiative for ending the conflict would be considered without a "halt to the war machine," particularly in Aden, Yemen's second largest city. Yemen's internationally recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi had set up a temporary capital in Aden before fleeing to Saudi Arabia last month.
Bahah also called on all military units to stop fighting for Saleh and return to the fold of the legitimate government.
He said the kidnapping of the defense minister by the Houthi rebels at the outset of their offensive on Aden has left the military in exceptional disarray, but called on military units to end their fighting on behalf of "individuals."
"We consider Aden to be the key to peace, the key to the solution," Bahah said. "We will not talk about any initiatives until we see the war machine has stopped in Yemen, and in Aden in particular."
Bahah was speaking for the first time since Hadi appointed him vice president on Sunday. He said Hadi will return to Aden when the security and political situation improves. For now, he said a small government will operate out of Riyadh, focusing on organizing and coordinating humanitarian efforts.
The Houthis swept down from their northern strongholds and seized the capital, Sanaa, in September. Iran supports the Shiite rebels, but both Tehran and the rebels deny it has armed them.
Ground fighting has been fiercest in Aden, where rebels and pro-Saleh military units are trying to take control of the city.
Humanitarian groups have struggled to meet the needs of a population that was already struggling with food security, water scarcity and fuel shortages. Medical supplies are now running low.
The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that at least 364 civilians are reported to have been killed since the start of the airstrikes on March 26, including at least 84 children and 25 women. This is in addition to hundreds of fighters killed.
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch said at least 31 civilians were killed on March 31, during repeated coalition airstrikes on a dairy factory located near military bases operated by the Houthis and their allies.
Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North African director at Human Rights Watch, said the attack may have violated the laws of war, and called for countries involved to investigate and take appropriate action.
"Repeated airstrikes on a dairy factory located near military bases shows cruel disregard for civilians by both sides to Yemen's armed conflict," he said.
Bahah said the coalition and its allies have tried to avoid killing civilians. - AP.
April 16, 2015 - OREGON, UNITED STATES - For the past several years, the miners from the Galice Mining District, about 3o minutes west of Grants Pass, Oregon, have been arguing over who has the rights to the minerals in the ground around Galice Creek.
The Galice mining district is compiled of a number of claims, owners and miners and has been in continuous operation since the early 1870’s, which makes it one of the longest running operations in the US. This specific operation predates the BLM bureaucracy by many decades in fact.
The area in question has produced in excess of 10 million ounces of gold since its conception, and geologists estimate that only 10% of the gold in the ground has been removed, which makes this area highly sought after by any standard. It is said that children find gold with their hands in the creeks to this day.
BLM has made several attempts to disband the operation of the sugar pine mine through multiple unsubstantiated stop orders and now a cease and desist order. The owners of this mine have spend tens of thousands of dollars to date requesting documents, researching the claims of the BLM,and preliminary attorney fees. The sugar pine has made requests to produce the official rulings that show they are in violation which have gone unanswered.
They simple reason given by the BLM is that “they say so”. The BLM claims that the mine has no surface rights to the area and in turn says that all structures and equipment need to be removed. The BLM also claims that this violation is grounds for the operation to cease and tunnels filled in. The mine predates more recent rulings about surface rights so the sugar pine feels that the new ruling is not applicable to this specific situation.
Late last week, BLM officials accompanied by Josephine County Sheriff deputies issues a cease and desist order to the district without any official ruling by the courts. Specifically, the issue is not even scheduled to be heard in court until later in the year. The order has given the mine until April 25th to remove all equipment, buildings and supplies from the location. Local BLM officials have threatened to burn the buildings down if they are not removed by the date.
The owners of the sugar pine have stated that they will fully disobey the order as they claim that it is illegal and invalid. A call for assistance to the Oath Keeper’s has been made and there is no intention to leave the area by the deadline.
This issue has far reaching implications. The outcome from this issue and the court ruling to come will effect all of America. The issue at hand is not just about the Galice Miners and the gold in the ground, but more about what the government says you can do with the ground in your control. These miners have the rights to the minerals in the ground and the government wants that changed. What comes next could effect every American. What if your backyard has a specific mineral that the government values. By any means, can come in and tell you that you can not grow your broccoli on your land because it absorbs this “special” mineral?
The bigger picture would effect farmers. What if gold, oil, or something like uranium was found under a farmer’s corn crop. Does the government have the right to those minerals and have the ability to over ride your use of your own land? This issue will have the ability dictate the future use of our public and private lands. - Info Wars.
In this Tuesday, April 14, 2015, caretaker Dallas Delgado interacts with a dog at the First Class Pet Lodge in Wausau, Wisconsin. AP/The Wausau Daily Herald/Daniel Young
April 16, 2015 - U.S. MIDWEST - A canine flu outbreak has sickened many dogs in the Midwest, and
veterinarians are cautioning pet owners to keep their dogs from going
nose-to-nose with other four-legged friends.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine says the virus has sickened at least 1,000 dogs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. Recent tests from the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have identified the strain as H3N2. Clinical assistant professor Keith Poulsen says it’s not yet known how effective current vaccines are against this strain, which is believed to have come from Asia.
He said an older strain, H3N8, has also been detected in the region.
Both viruses can cause persistent cough, runny nose and fever in dogs. Experts say a small percentage will develop more severe symptoms. The H3N2 infection has been associated with some deaths.
Poulsen said pet owners with sick dogs should call a veterinarian to schedule a test outside the veterinary clinic and should not bring dogs into areas where they could interact with other dogs.
“It’s really no different if you’re talking about dogs or toddlers, if you think they’re sick, don’t bring them to day care,” Poulsen said.
Veterinarians say neither canine strain is related to bird flu or is contagious to humans, but the H3N2 strain could sicken cats.
Renee Brantner Shanesy, who owns the Ruffin’ It Resort in Madison, said the kennel required immunizations against H3N8 for all dogs boarded there late last week. Shanesy said she’s now recommending, not requiring, the vaccination after veterinarians said it won’t protect against H3N2.
“The philosophy we’re taking is, just like the human flu, everyone has to take the precaution for himself,” she said.
Shanesy said she hasn’t seen panic among dog owners, but the kennel is increasing its sanitizing practices. She said she had her two dogs vaccinated and she has cut out trips to the dog park to reduce the risk of exposure.
“Like any other pet owner right now, I’m not 100 percent comfortable,” Shanesy said. “Anything I can do to give them a better chance of immunity, I’m in.”
Sarah Duchemin, who works at The Dog Den in Madison, said the kennel has been monitoring its dogs for symptoms, and that if a dog shows up with a runny nose or is sneezing, the animal would be isolated and sent home. She said the kennel hasn’t had a dog show any flu symptoms yet, but it cleans its floors and cages every day to prevent the spread of disease.
Luanne Moede, owner of the First Class Pet Lodge in Wausau, told the Wausau Daily Herald that clients are being asked if dogs have traveled out of state. Moede also said she’s informing pet owners about the disease.
In Illinois, vets say the cases are slowing but are still coming in. Chicago resident Jennifer Roche’s mixed-breed dog, Roxy-Rocket, is recovering after coming down with canine flu while boarded at Tucker Pup’s Dog Activity Center last week while the family was away during spring break. Roche knew she was taking a risk by boarding the family pet during the outbreak, but she feels the facility handled it well when the dog began to cough.
“They got her to the vet right away and she was on antibiotics right away,” Roche said. “It feels a lot like when my kids get the flu. … I’m going to be watching her very closely when the antibiotics run out.” - WTOP.
Hunters, many of them European foreigners, have been the plague of animals across the globe.
April 16, 2015 - COSTA RICA - Costa Rica on Monday became the first Latin American country to ban hunting as a sport, following an unanimous and final vote from Congress.
Lawmakers had provisionally approved a reform to its Wildlife Conservation law back in October. With a population of 4.5 million people, Costa Rica is one of the world's most biodiverse nations.
The Central American country is already known for its environmental mindset, with some 25 percent of its land protected as national parks or reserves.
Under the new law, those caught hunting can face up to four months in prison or fines of up to $3,000.
Smaller penalties for people who steal wild animals or keep them as pets were also included in the reform. Jaguars, pumas and sea turtles are among Costa Rica's most treasured species.
"There is no data on how much money hunting generates in the country, but we do know there are currently clandestine hunting tours that go for about $5,000 per person," said Arturo Carballo, deputy director at Apreflofas, an environmentalist organization who spearheaded the reform.
Foreign hunters come to Costa Rica in search of exotic felines while others look to obtain rare and colorful parrots as pets.
This is also Costa Rica's first proposal that came to Congress by popular initiative, with 177,000 signatures calling for the ban submitted two years ago. - Reuters.
April 16, 2015 - BELARUS -An “apocalyptical” storm swept through several regions in Belarus,
including the capital. But it was in the city of Soligorsk where clouds
as black as ink obscured the sun light, while strong winds ushered in a
sand storm.
Soligorsk residents, about 120 kilometers from the capital Minsk,
were both scared and excited by the weather phenomenon that hit
Belarus on Monday. At around 17:00 local time, darkness descended
on the city with over 100,000 residents opting to stay indoors.
People reportedly had to move around several districts with
flashlights. The storm’s heavy rains led to electricity being cut
off, trees falling down and damage to buildings.
The country’s Emergency Ministry reported about 46 communities in
the Minsk region suffered various kinds of damage. The capital
city was also hit by storm force winds and torrential rain, but
no emergency situations were reported.
WATCH: Epic storm hits Belarus.
The epic storm was created by a cold front on the
Ukrainian-Belorusian border that later reached the Carpathian
Mountains in an event that is quite rare for this time of the
year. Meteorologists called the natural phenomenon a
“haboob,” which means an intense red dust storm in
Arabic. - RT.
April 16, 2015 - JAPAN / PACIFIC OCEAN / U.S. WEST COAST - According to National Science Museum, most of the
inspected 17 dolphins had their lungs in ischaemia state… The chief of
the researching team stated “Most of the lungs lookedentirely white”…
internal organs were generally clean without any symptoms of disease or
infection, but most of the lungs were in ischaemia state. She said “I have never seen such a state”. - Apr 12, 2015 - Fukushima Diary.
Google Translate: Ibaraki Prefecture… for a large amount of
dolphin which was launched on the shore… the National Science Museum…
investigated… researchers rushed from national museums and university
laboratory, about 30 people were the anatomy of the 17 animals in the
field. [According to Yuko Tajima] who led the investigation… “the lungs of most of the 17… was pure white ischemic state, visceral signs of overall clean and disease and infections were observed”… Lungs white state, that has never seen before.
Systran: The National Science Museum… investigated
circumstance and cause etc concerning the mass dolphin which is launched
to the seashore of Ibaraki prefecture… the researchers ran from the
museum and the university laboratory… approximately 30 people dissected
17… [Yuko Tajima] of the National Science Museum which directed
investigation research worker [said] “the most lung 17 was state with true white, but as for the internal organs being clean”… The lung true white as for state, says… have not seen.
Ischemia is a vascular disease involving an interruption in the
arterial blood supply to a tissue, organ, or extremity that, if
untreated, can lead to tissue death. - Wikipedia.
Many reports have been published on the links between ischemia and radiation exposure:
“It has been shown that the ionizing radiation in small doses under
certain conditions can be considered as one of starting mechanisms of…
IHD [ischemic heart disease].” - Source
“Radiation risks on non-cancer effects has been revealed in the
[Chernobyl] liquidators… Recently, the statistically significant dose
risk of ischemic heart disease… was published.” - Source
“Incidence of and mortality from ischemic heart
disease (IHD) have been studied in a cohort of 12210 workers [at] Mayak
nuclear facility… there was statistically significant increasing trend
in IHD incidence with total external gamma dose.” - Source
“Numerous studies have been published concerning non cancer diseases in liquidators… Risk of ischemic heart disease… seems increased.” - Source
“In 1990 the International Chernobyl Project has been carried out
under the aegis of the IAEA… It is known that the international experts
who had taken part in the International Chernobyl Project were aware of
the report by the Minster of the Ministry of Health Care of Belarus
delivered at an informal meeting arranged by the IAEA… The Belorussian
Minister reported about… the worsening of the general health state of
the affected population… “Among adults in 1988 there was a two-
to fourfold increase, in comparison with preceding years, in the number
of persons suffering from… ischemic heart diseases” - Source
“In a study on a Russian cohort of 61,000 Chernobyl emergency workers… a statistically significant risk of ischemicheart disease was observed.” -Source
Google Translate: Hubbs’ beaked whale that ran aground died
in Samani to April 14 is species very rare. This is washed ashore, 62
cases… in the world, 18 cases of eyes in Japan… five cases in Hokkaido…
As of this time, examples were alive at the time of stranding is… at
Ninomiya Naka District, Kanagawa 2005… [This] will be the second
example… Discovery at that time is… alive, but I have to soon died…
Systran: [Hubbs' beaked whale] on April 14th it runs
aground dies in Samani Cho very much is rare kind… the world 62nd
example, in Japan 18th example, in Hokkaido becomes 5th… The latest way,
when running aground the example which has existed, since discovering…
in 2005.10.21 Kanagawa prefecture… April 14th… had existed, it is thing,
but you died…
Google Translate: Rare whale washed ashore in Samani…
washed ashore a large number of dolphins on the coast of Ibaraki
Prefecture, has become a hot topic… it’s very rare whale… washed ashore
in the province, this is the 11th this year… while living is that it’s
second case since Kanagawa Prefecture in 2005.
Google Translate:… very rare whale nationwide 17 cases… “Hubbs’ beaked whale”. The Hubbs’ beaked whale is launched in Japan coast in 17 cases…in living state, it is second example in the country.
Systran: Nationwide 17th… very unusual whale… as for those where it is discovered… live, it is 2nd example in the country.
The species is known from 31 strandings and one possible sighting…
The whale lives in the North Pacific, in the east it is limited to Japan
and in the west it ranges from British Columbia to California. They may
live in the open ocean in between the two areas, but no observations
have been made… nothing is known for certain about their population.
Little is known about their behavior due to the infrequency of sightings
(only one known)… - Wikipedia — Hubbs’ beaked whale (Mesoplodon carlhubbsi).
Canadian Field-Naturalist, J. Houston (1990):
Hubbs’ Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon carlhubbsi, is a rare member of the
North Pacific fauna… Known only from 31 stranded specimens and one
possible live sighting, this species can only be described as rare… The species is similar enough to Mesoplodon stejnegeri (Stejneger’s Beaked Whale) to be confused with it.
, Apr 15, 2015 (emphasis added): [Regulators] approved an emergency closure of commercial sardine fishing off Oregon, Washington and California…
Earlier this week, the council shut down the next sardine season…
[R]evised estimates of sardine populations… found the fish were declining in numbers faster than earlier believed… [Stocks are] much lower than estimated last year… The reasons are not well-understood. - NY Times.
Ben Enticknap, Oceana senior scientist (1:08:00 in) — “We’ve seen a significant change in recruitment [Recruitment: The number of new young fish that enter a population]. There’s been practically no recruitment in recent years, and this was not expected.” - Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, April 13, 2015.
[A]ccording to the report on the emergency action from the PFMC… “the total stock biomass of Pacific sardine is declining as a result of poor recruitment“… [A California Wetfish Producers Association official said] “little recruitment was observed in 2011-2014.” - Apr 14, 2015 - Undercurrent News.
Pacific coast sardines are facing a population collapse so severe [fishing] will be shut down… [The] downward spiral in spite of favorable water conditions has ocean-watchersworried there’s more to this collapse than cyclical population trends. “There are a lot of weird things happening out there, and we’re not quite sure why they aren’t responding the way they should,” said Kevin Hill, a NOAA Fisheries biologist… Fishery managers are adding it to a list of baffling circumstances off the West Coast… NOAA surveys indicate very few juvenile fish made it through their first year. “The population isn’t replacing itself,” Hill said. - Apr 13, 2015 - Oregonian.
[T]he population appears decimated…
As the Council writes, “temperatures in the Southern California Bight
have risen in the past two years, but we haven’t seen an increase in
young sardines”… Sardines typically spawn in warmer waters, with cold
water decreasing their numbers. - Apr 14, 2015 - SFist.
Sardine population collapses… [There's] evidence stocks are going through the same kind of collapse[seen in the 1950s]… The sardine population along the West Coast has collapsed…Causes of crisis — A lack of spawning… was blamed for the decline…Severe downturn… things recently took a turn for the worse… because of a lack of spawning due to poor ocean conditions in 2014… The collapse this year is the latest in a series of alarming die-offs, sicknesses and population declines in the ocean ecosystem along the West Coast. Anchovies… have also declined [due to] a lack of zooplankton… Record numbers of starving sea lions… Brown pelicans, too, have suffered from mass reproductive failures and are turning up sick and dead… Strange diseases have also been proliferating in the sea… - Apr 14, 2015 - SF Chronicle.
For the first time in 30 years [sardine fishing] will be banned. - Apr 13, 2015 - Monterey Herald.
The first time that sardine fishing has been bannedsince federal management of the fishery began… Many are worried a…catastrophic crash is happening. - Apr 1, 2015 - KPCC.
April 16, 2015 - COSTA RICA - Scientists believe they’ve found fresh lava at Costa Rica’s Turrialba
Volcano, which may indicate that the volcano has moved into a more
active phase. Still, others say it’s too soon to tell.
During a field inspection Friday morning, scientists with the University of Costa Rica’s National Seismological Network (RSN) confirmed the presence of lava at Turrialba, located 50 kilometers northeast of the capital San José. The volcano has been experiencing violent eruptions since last October.
According to a post on the network’s Facebook page, volcanologists found what they believe to be large blocks of fresh, cooled lava near the crater of the volcano. They think that the lava was ejected during an eruption on April 7 at 2:07 a.m., when the volcano was observed ejecting hot rocks and ash two kilometers into the sky.
Volcanologists have suspected the volcano may be erupting fresh lava since incandescent material was observed near the crater during an eruption on March 12. The RSN said discovery of the fragments on Friday confirms that juvenile lava material is being ejected from the volcano.
But vulcanologists with the National University’s Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (OVSICORI) — Costa Rica’s other leading authority on volcanoes and earthquakes — say more studies need to be conducted before the rocks can be confirmed as fresh lava.
“So far we have only seen photos of these fragments,” María Martínez, a geochemist with OVSICORI, told The Tico Times. “While these fragments could be fresh lava, they could also be something else.”
According to Martínez, the fragments displayed by RSN appear to have undergone a chemical reaction. This indicates that the magma — which is the same hot fluid as lava, but still inside the volcano — may have undergone a chemical cooling process underground, and reached the surface as solid rock.
Another possibility, Martínez said, is that a chunk of old cooled magma inside the volcano was dislodged during the last explosion, melted down and re-cooled. In both of these cases, the fragments would not be considered fresh lava.
Fragments found near the crater of Turrialba Volcano are believed to be fresh, cooled lava. Courtesy of RSN
Regardless of whether or not the fragments are lava, OVSICORI said
that the April 7 eruption marked a significant step forward in volcanic
activity at Turrialba. During field inspections more than a day after
the eruption, scientists used a thermal imaging camera to study the
volcano and noticed that some of the rocks ejected during the eruption
were unusually hot.
“We’ve reached the conclusion that the rocks ejected during the April 7 eruption are coming from much deeper within the volcano,” Martínez said. “The eruptions are coming from gradually deeper areas and building pressure that could bring magma towards the surface.”
That means the magma inside Turrialba Volcano could be much closer to the crater than scientists originally thought.
Since 2010, both RSN and OVSICORI have estimated the magma inside Turrialba to be around three kilometers below the earth’s surface. But the hot rocks reveal that it may be closer to one kilometer below the surface.
This also means that the rocks recovered by RSN very well could be fresh lava, which indicates the volcano has passed on to a more serious phase of activity.
Turrialba Volcano has been in a phreatic eruption phase since 2010, where water is heated below the volcano’s surface and ejected out of the crater along with ash, gas and sometimes rocks. The presence of fresh lava would mean Turrialba is in a phreatomagmatic phase where magma is also lifted to the surface during an eruption.
Phreatomagmatic eruptions often eject large rocks, can shoot lava and are much more dangerous. If Turrialba has entered a phreatomagmatic phase then eruptions will become more frequent and violent, and will require the country to begin considering taking more protective measures.
“This could become a big problem for the country,” Martínez said. “The people who live in the area are exposed to greater and greater danger every day.” - Tico Times.
A similar plane to the one that crashed. The FAA says the plane that crashed was a Pitts Biplane. The Mountain
Enterprise newspaper reports the crash site is
about 5 miles east of
I-5. A ranch maintenance worker discovered the wreckage on and
reported it to his supervisor, who then reported it to authorities.
April 16, 2015 - CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - An investigation is underway after an airplane's wreckage was found Wednesday morning on Tejon Ranch.
Ian
Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane - a Pitts
S2E biplane - had been reported missing around 7 p.m. Tuesday.
He said it was heading from Bakersfield to Blythe, a city to the east of the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area.
Ray
Pruitt of the Kern County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the pilot is
dead and that investigators believe he or she was the only person inside
the plane.
The wreckage is in an area east of El Tejon School on Tejon Ranch.
It's unknown whether the pilot died before or after the crash.
The wreckage was found by a Tejon ranch hand doing maintenance on the water system, according to Tejon spokesman Barry Zoeller.
"It's
unfortunate, and our thoughts and prayers obviously go out to the
pilot's family," he said. "I've been at Tejon Ranch now 11 years, and
this is only the second time that a plane has crashed on our property in
that period of time."
WATCH: Airplane wreckage found on Tejon Ranch.
Pruitt explained that the crash site was
in rugged terrain, in a canyon. First responders had to get there on
foot and requested off-road vehicles to get there.
"It's an area
where people generally aren't," said Zoeller, who attempted to get a
first-hand look. "It was too far away. All you could catch are glimpses
of the wreckage."
The crash site is about 5 miles off Interstate 5.
KCSO could not release any information about the pilot. - Bakersfield Now.
The Ubinas volcano emitted gases Sunday and yesterday. (Photo: El Comercio Archives)
April 16, 2015 - PERU - Since the Ubinas volcano re-awakened April 8, gases and ash have been emitted alongside heavy rains.
A massive mudslide was triggered by heavy snowfall and falling ashes from the Ubinas volcano on Monday, according to El Comercio.
Gases and ash have been spewing some 2,500 metres into the air and
the the resultant mudslides cascading down the volcano’s slopes have
blocked off access to the town of Ubinas.
Explosion at Peru's Ubinas volcano sets off mudslides
The authorities are warning for locals to be on alert. The Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP)
had been conducting geogphysical measurements when the mudslide of rocks
and debris began to cascade down the mountain. The team of specialists
from the South Volcano Observatory (OVS) filmed the event.
Near by towns are on alert due to the mudslides as they affected
roads by crossing the Ubinas Valley. At the same time, the communities
are being warned for the continuation of activity and the emmission of
ashes for the next few weeks. Local inhabitants are advised to wear
masks and glasses, according to El Comercio.
The IGP reports that the landslide was due
to the combination of large ash deposits from the volcano’s emissions
on April 8 and the heavy snowfalls in the days following, on April
10,11. Then as the skies cleared on April 12 and 13, the temperatures
rose causing the snow to melt and therefore the mudslide to form.
WATCH: Peru volcano triggers mudslides.
Last week on April 8, the Ubinas volcano erupted causing a 2.5 km column of ash above the crater to reach more than 15 kilometers southeast, covering everything in its path.
For about 40 years the volcano had been inactive, until 2006 when it
began to register more activity. Since then, seismic activity, small
eruptions, rocks and ash spewing from its crater have been a common
occurrence. The volcano has become increasingly active since September 2013. The Ubinas volcano is in Peru’s Moquegua department, 1250km south of Lima. - Peru This Week | Euro News.
April 16, 2015 - EARTH - The following list constitutes the latest reports of high tides, heavy rainfall, flash floods, widespread flooding, sea level rise and catastrophic storms.
Thousands evacuated from flood areas in Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Floods in Karaganda Oblast continue to wreak havoc as Kazakh authorities
are forced to evacuate dozens of settlements, Tengrinews reports citing
the Oblast's Department of Emergency Situations. 1,760 houses have been flooded in 35 villages. 340 livestock have drowned.
A sharp rise in temperature to 20 degrees Centigrade between March 23 to
29 intensified the melting of snow and caused flooding of villages in
Semey and Ayagoz districts in East Kazakhstan Oblast and of four
districts in Karaganda Oblast.
The second wave of floods began on April 6 as a result of another sharp
rise in temperatures, again to 20 degrees Centigrade, creating a threat
of flooding of settlements in Karaganda and Akmola Oblasts in central
Kazakhstan. Moreover, the threat now extends to Astana suburbs located
near the riverbed of Nura.
On
April 11, Jumabek dam near the village of the same name was partially
washed away by the meltwater and the water started flooding the homes of
local residents, the Emergency Situations Department of Karaganda
Oblast informed.
All in all, 17 homes were flooded in the area, 42 people evacuated and hundreds of livestock driven away.
"To carry out rescue operations and mitigate the consequences, fire
service and rescue teams of the Department of Emergency Situations of
Almaty and Karaganda Oblasts were dispatched," said the press service of
the Department of Emergency Situations.
In addition to the Almaty rescuers, 138 soldiers of the military unit
number 52859 of the Ministry of Defense and military unit number 5451 of
the National Guard helped in the operation.
Snowmelt floods in Kazakhstan, April 2015. Photo: Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kazakhstan
Snowmelt floods in Kazakhstan, April 2015. Photo: Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kazakhstan
Snowmelt floods in Kazakhstan, April 2015. Photo: Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kazakhstan
The Department of Emergency Situations added that meltwater scoured some
of the roads in the area, especially in lowlands in Zhanaarkinskyi and
Abai districts.
The village of Aksu in Shet district saw all of its 150
residents evacuated after the Sherubai-Nur river spilled out of its
banks.
All the villagers of Zhastlek in Bukharzhyrau district were evacuated, too - 24 houses were flooded.
In the village of Saken Seifulin everybody was evacuated together with their livestock.
100 people were evacuated in Abay district.They were
temporarily settled in a school building. Rescuers are erecting sand
dams to save villages and towns from getting flooded.
WATCH: Massive flooding in Kazakhstan.
It is also reported that the threat of flooding is hanging over Sarytobe village.All 350 villagers were taken on a train to a school building in the nearby Kokpekty village.
In the village of Yntaly of Karkarala District, 148 homes and 150 barns remain flooded. 718 people were evacuated.
Rescuers from Almaty and an operational-rescue team from South
Kazakhstan Oblast arrived to help the regional services battle the
disaster.
Strengthening and building of dikes is underway in all the settlements.
Observation posts have been put in place to monitor the situation. Water
is being pumped away from the houses. Protective dams are being
constructed.
Four dead in massive flooding in Southern US; rockslides close roads in West Virginia, Kentucky
Heavy rain continues to affect the South and the Gulf Coast, bringing
fatal flash flooding to Louisiana and stranding drivers on impassable
roads across multiple states. Water rescues have been ongoing in parts
of Kentucky and West Virginia as more unwanted heavy rain swamps the
soggy region.
Louisiana has been particularly hard hit by the flooding and at least
three people died Tuesday. Three-year-old Remy Dufrene died after
floodwaters swept the boy into a drainage ditch in Lafourche Parish. In
Kenner, Louisiana, a mother and her daughter drowned
after their SUV veered off the road and submerged in a local,
rain-swollen canal, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office confirms.
A Kentucky man was found dead in a creek after search and rescue teams located his submerged vehicle.
"Impulses of upper-level energy combined with plenty of moisture from
the Gulf of Mexico will keep the South unsettled through the end of the
week. As a result, the threat of localized flooding will continue in
parts of the region where rain or thunderstorms persist in any one
location for too long," weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said.
The storms also created a dangerous situation when lightning ignited a
few storage tanks in western Texas Sunday night, according to The
Associated Press. Hundreds of miles away, a mother and daughter were
injured by a lightning strike in Macclenny, Florida.
Here are the latest impacts from several of the states affected by this round of flooding.
On top of the rain, lightning struck a major water main in Mobile last
night, cutting off water service to local businesses and flooding roads
in South Mobile County.
That same lightning strike caused a structure to catch fire, but no word is out on other impacts.
Northeast of Orlando, Deltona residents are wondering why a brand-new
$750,000 pump station did very little to keep the heavy rain from
flooding the streets. WESH.com reported some residents sustained thousands of dollars in damage to their homes after being assured the pumps would keep the water away.
"It was built to solve this problem so we're just really frustrated," resident Beth Ojalvo told WESH.com.
Some of the first severe impacts from this storm system came early Monday morning when a local storm spotter reported 11 inches of rain near Cottondale. The town of Alford reported more than 10 inches of rain as well.
Kentucky
Residents of Carter County experienced another round of flood waters inundating homes, businesses and cars
Tuesday, WSAZ reported. Resident Gennie Boley told WSAZ, "This morning,
I woke up to a little bit out here and within the last couple of hours
now, it's all of this again, in my basement and garage again."
A Lincoln County school bus was nearly stranded in high waters,
facing the driver with a difficult decision, WKYT reported. "The water
was overflow from a creek. It was not moving. I know the road and the
lay of the land and felt confident that I could safely drive through it
without compromising the safety of the students on the bus. And that is
what I did. I made the best decision that I could in difficult
circumstances," the driver said in an official statement from the school
system. No one was hurt.
Businesses in Liberty, Kentucky, evacuated Tuesday, including the local
H&R Block, which is in the midst of its busiest time of the year.
Kentucky Highway 699 remains closed after a massive rockslide blocked
the roadway in both directions near Cutshin late Tuesday afternoon, the
National Weather Service reported.
Another large rockslide closed Kentucky 1274
in Menifee County Tuesday, WKYT said. Heavy rains caused a massive
boulder and several other stones to fall, blocking both lanes of the
road. The road was later reopened:
Businesses
along the U.S. 127 bypass near Yosemite were told to evacuate due to
flooding Tuesday afternoon, according to local storm reports. The order
came after several water rescues were performed in the area.
Flooding has been a constant concern for many Kentucky towns this
spring, as relentless rains and snowmelt have pushed rivers to their
brink. In the town of Paris, located just a few dozen miles northeast of
Lexington in Bourbon County, residents are cleaning out their sodden
homes after a round of flooding left widespread damage, and they're
worried that this week's rain will only cause more problems.
"It starts raining and we are going to start getting paranoid you know. And I say here we go again," Paris resident Mike Herrington told LEX18.com.
Not far from Paris, the towns of Salt Lick and Jeffersonville reported
flooding Tuesday morning, according to local storm reports. A water
rescue was necessary in Salt Lick when a small stream overflowed its
banks and the water went into a nearby home, the report added.
Louisiana
3-year-old Remy Dufrene was killed in Lafourche Parish Tuesday after
falling into a drainage ditch and being swept away by the swift current,
the Associated Press reported.
The current, strengthened by torrential rains, carried the boy 75 yards
downstream where his father Drake Dufrene discovered the body and
unsuccessfully attempted to revive him.
CBS 4 reports that a woman and her daughter both died after their SUV veered off the road and submerged in a local canal in Kenner, Louisiana.
A group of people attempted to rescue 32-year-old Elizabeth Braddock and
her 6-year-old daughter Carrisa Wise, but by the time they could flip
the submerged SUV, it was too late to revive the pair.
Torrential rainfall led to serious problems in eastern Louisiana Tuesday
morning. In areas near Slidell, 3.4 inches of rain fell in one hour,
according to local storm reports.
A handful of towns reported street flooding as the heavy rain fell
Tuesday morning, all in southern Louisiana. According to the Associated
Press, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway bridge was closed Tuesday morning
due to the heavy rain.
An elderly woman leaving her trailer to seek shelter was swept up by flood waters
in Hancock County Tuesday, WLOX-TV reported. Luckily, the woman's
neighbors were close enough to help and pulled her from the quick
current. Due to the heavy rainfall, roads in the county resemble creeks.
Flooding concerns began late Tuesday morning for the state, especially
along the Gulf Coast. Several roads in the Picayune area were deemed
impassable by the local police department, according to local storm
reports. Near Beatrice, a roadway had to be barricaded after it was
covered in floodwaters.
The National Weather Service confirmedan EF1 tornadotouched
down in Scott County during a round of rain and severe weather Monday
night. The tornado snapped several trees, blew a roof off a barn and
damaged the roof of a home. The NWS confirmed an additionaltwo EF0 tornadoes, which touched down in Leake and Hinds counties and caused minor damage to homes and other structures.
Texas
A massive boulder fell during a large rockslide
Tuesday afternoon, blocking Blue Creek Road in Kanawha County, WSAZ-TV
reported. Authorities estimate the road will remain closed for several
hours.
A major landslide that has been moving for weeks at Charleston's Yeager Airport slipped yet again Tuesday morning, and emergency crews scrambled to respond to the latest movement.
Emergency water channels have been dug by crews near the airport, wherea landslidetook out a chunk of a runway, according to WCHS-TV. There have been no evacuations, the report added.
Flooding became a major concern in the Mountain State Tuesday morning.
Street flooding was reported in several towns, and multiple water
rescues occurred early in the morning.
Multiple roads were closed near Spencer and homes in Sissonville were surrounded by water, according to local storm reports.
JRC Report: Extreme Floods in Europe to Double Over Next 30 Years
Flood damages across Europe as the climate warms are likely to be
considerably higher than previously thought, according to new research,
reports Roz Pidcock for Carbon Brief.
Without efforts to reduce emissions, extreme river floods now occurring every 100 years will become twice as likely in the next three decades, according to scientists from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
That
means we can expect climate-related damages to land, property and
people across Europe to increase by an average of 200% by century-end,
say the authors.
At current emissions rates, limiting global average temperature rise to 2C looks increasingly unlikely, lead author Dr Lorenzo Alfieri told
a press conference this morning. That means there is a need for
scientists to assess the impacts of higher levels of warming, he said.
The
researchers examined how flood risk in Europe is likely to change under
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s highest
emissions scenario, RCP8.5. This scenario projects 5 to 6 C of warming
above pre-industrial temperatures by 2100.
The new research makes a number of technical advances that improve
the reliability of flood projections compared to previous studies, say
the authors.
The researchers combine regional climate projections
under the IPCC’s high emissions scenario with a complex simulation of
the water cycle. This captures how quickly water disperses after falling
as rain and how it cycles through terrain, soil, vegetation, the
atmosphere, rivers and oceans.
The study adds in maps of the areas
in Europe most vulnerable to flooding in terms of land use and
population density, as well as the existence of flood defences. This
gives an estimate of the overall flood risk from European rivers
breaching their banks this century.
Flood Waters Rising
The
model results show that of 22 large European river catchments, nine see
an increase in the total average annual rainfall by 2080. These are
mostly located in northern and Eastern Europe, with the largest changes
in Iceland and Scandinavia (blue areas in the left map below). In seven
southern European regions,annual average rainfall decreases (red areas).
When the team looked at the maximum rain falling in a single day – a
measure of extreme precipitation – they found it increased in 15 out of
22 European regions by 2080 compared to 1990 (blue areas in the right
hand map above). No areas saw a decrease, the authors note.
But
the link between heavy rainfall and flooding events is not
straightforward. Altered rainfall patterns interact with changes to
other hydrological processes, such as an increase in the rate of
evaporation in plants and less snow falling, which means less meltwater
runoff. This is why scientists see differences in future patterns of
rainfall and flooding in some regions. Damage Done
Overall,
the new research projects that the amount of water flowing in large
European rivers will increase in 73% of the study area by 2080. This is
shown by the blue lines in the map below. Taking into account the size
of the rivers and the projected changes, this corresponds to an average
increase in water flow of 8% by 2080 compared with 1990.
The authors conclude that changes to rainfall and streamflow mean
that across Europe, extreme floods are likely to double in frequency
within the next three decades. For example, floods that used to happen
about every 100 years will start to occur every 50 years instead.
A
doubling in frequency of these extreme events corresponds to a tripling
in the expected damage by the end of the century in Europe, Alfieri
told journalists today.
The increase in flood damage is due mostly
to arise in the frequency of extreme flooding events rather than the
magnitude, as previous studies have stated, Alfieri added.
The damage caused is also a consequence of whether or not the water level breaches flood defences. A recent paper by Alfieri and colleagues explains:
“[A]
substantial increase in the frequency of peak flows below the
protection level is likely to have a lower impact, in terms of
population affected and economic losses, in comparison to a small but
significant change in extreme events causing settled areas to be
inundated by the flood flow.”
You can read more about Alfieri’s research on European flood risk here and here, or watch today’s press conference again on the EGU website.
His results on projected flood-related damages have been submitted for
publication in the journal Global Environmental Change, and are
currently under review.
