The Great Red Comet-Earth Science Chronicles

Natural changes pinned to warming

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Since 1970, there's been about 0.5C, 0.6C of warming - that's the global average. And look at all the effects this relatively low amount of warming has had. The researchers assembled a database including more than 29,500 records that documented changes seen across a wide range of natural phenomena, such as: the earlier arrival of migratory birds in Australia, declining krill stocks around Antarctica, earlier break-up of river ice in Mongolia, genetic shift in the pitcher plant mosquito in North America, declining productivity of Lake Tanganyika, melting Patagonian ice-fields making sea levels rise. In virtually all cases, global warming was the primary driver of change, as opposed to natural variability or other human impacts such as deforestation or water pollution.

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Severe weather strikes Louisiana

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Breaking Earth News
Louisiana
Image: Street flooding in Baker (Photo by Randy LeDuff/WAFB-TV)

GROSSE TETE, LA (WAFB) - Numerous schools were closed across south Louisiana Thursday after a morning of heavy rains. There are numerous reports of damaged homes and businesses, as well as street flooding. Thursday's line of severe thunderstorms followed a strong storm system that moved through the region Wednesday afternoon, also causing damage.

As of 11:00 a.m. Thursday, DEMCO reports that 4900 of its customers were still without electricity, with 4300 of those in Livingston Parish.

There were numerous reports of storm-related damage and incidents across the WAFB viewing area Wednesday evening, including:

Water entering homes in Denham Springs and damage in the city, including downed trees. Water was also reported covering roads in Hammond.

Reports of heavy damage in the Zachary area, especially Plank Road and Tucker Road near Hwy 64. Callers report multiple trees down throughout the area. Numerous reports of hail were documented as a severe thunderstorm moved across the area Wednesday afternoon.

Numerous reports of street flooding in the Baker area. A Pointe Coupee Parish sheriff's deputy reported golf ball sized hail in Livonia Wednesday afternoon. There have also been several reports of high winds Image Above: Street flooding in Denham Springs (Courtesy: Karen Deel)

China quake death toll could rise to 50,000

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Breaking Earth News
China
Image: A couple builds a shelter on the ruins of their house at Luoshui, near Shifang, in China's southwest Sichuan province Thursday May 15, 2008.

LUOSHUI TOWN, China - China warned the death toll from this week's earthquake could soar to 50,000, while the government issued a public appeal Thursday for rescue equipment as it struggled to cope with the disaster.

More than 72 hours after the quake rattled central China, rescuers appeared to shift from poring through downed buildings for survivors to the grim duty of searching for bodies ? with 10 million directly affected by Monday's temblor.

In Luoshui town ? on the road to an industrial zone in Shifang city where two chemical plants collapsed, burying hundreds of people ? troops used a mechanical shovel to dig a pit on a hilltop to bury the dead.

Police and militia in Dujiangyan pulverized rubble with cranes and backhoes while crews used shovels to pick around larger pieces of debris. On one sidestreet, about a dozen bodies were laid on a sidewalk, while incense sticks placed in a pile of sand sent smoke into the air as a tribute and to dull the stench of death.

Heavy rain pounds D.C. region

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

WASHINGTON D.C. - The heavy, steady rain that pounded the region for more than 24 hours on Monday sent rivers over their beds, destroyed homes and caused one woman, caught in the grip of Beltway traffic, to deliver her third child in the back of a car. The rising waters and falling trees caused thousands of power outages and closed about 90 roads throughout the region, including about 20 in suburban Maryland, 63 in Northern Virginia and seven in the District of Columbia. Rescuers in Prince William County evacuated 31 homes and rescued more than 18 people from rushing water, mostly from vehicles trapped in flood zones. Torrential downpours brought up to 3 inches of rain and put most of the area under flood warnings and closed dozens of roads across Northern Virginia. Floodwaters erased the earth under a section of Dale Boulevard in Dale City, leaving a 20-foot-deep hole in the four-lane Prince William County thoroughfare. "This is SOME OF THE WORST FLOODING WE'VE SEEN IN AT LEAST 30 YEARS.?

Image Above: A section of inbound River Road in Bethesda is closed due to flooding. ? Andrew Harnik/Examiner

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Red Cross: Up to 128,000 may have died in Myanmar

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Myanmar (Burma)
Image: A child is carried by a boy in a village affected by Cyclone Nargis located near the Myanmar capital Yangon May 14, 2008. (Strinnger/Reuters)Another powerful storm is headed toward

New Cyclone Developing

Story: Myanmar's cyclone-devastated delta. The Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center said there is a good chance that "a significant tropical cyclone" will form within the next 24 hours and head across the Irrawaddy delta area. The new cyclone would likely not be as severe as Nargis because it is already close to land, and cyclones need to be over sea to gain full strength. "There will be a lot of rain but the winds will not be as strong." So little aid has reached the area that the U.N. warned today of a "second wave of deaths" among an estimated 2 million survivors. U.N. agencies and other groups have been able to reach only 270,000 people so far. Getting to the worst-affected areas was getting more and more difficult, and the impending storm was expected to compound the misery of the survivors. Some survivors of Cyclone Nargis were reportedly getting spoiled or poor-quality food, rather than nutrition-rich biscuits sent by international donors, adding to suspicions that the junta may be misappropriating foreign aid. The news of a second cyclone was not broadcast by Myanmar's state-controlled media.

Molten rock on the move in NZ volcano

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

New Zealand
Vulcanologists say molten rock appears to be moving higher inside Mt Ruapehu. They say elevated gas output, high lake temperatures and tremors continue to indicate unrest at Ruapehu, but say it is not clear whether an eruption is imminent. Eruptions in 1995 and 1996 wrecked the ski seasons in those years and were economically disastrous for the area.

Related News
A towering cloud of hot ash, gas and molten rock spewed miles into the air by the volcano in southern Chile has partially collapsed, raising fears it could smother surrounding villages, an expert said on Tuesday. The column of ash, which had soared as high as 20 miles (30 km), was now about 4.5 miles (7 km). The column of debris, kept aloft by the pressure of constant eruptions, could collapse entirely, smothering the ghost town of Chaiten 6 miles (10 km) away with hot gas, ash and molten rocks. "These small collapses which generate minor flows of pyroclastic material are normal, they are not that serious in that they affect a small area, the top part of the volcano. But that doesn't make the worst case scenario disappear. As long as the eruptive column is high in the air, (a major collapse) is a possibility." Thick ash has caked rooftops, settled on the backs of animals and also formed a sediment in a river near Chaiten, which overran its banks briefly on Monday due to heavy rains and flooded about 40 houses on the outskirts of Chaiten town. Footage from the area showed a cluster of wooden houses at tilted angles in a river of gray ash.

Update: China quake toll passes 20,000

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Breaking Earth News
China
The full horror of the devastating China earthquake began to emerge today as rescuers discovered whole towns all but wiped off the map, pushing the death toll well above 20,000 and rising by the hour. The message that came back from this mountainous corner of southwestern Sichuan province was that town after town was flattened by the 7.9-magnitude quake that struck two days ago. "Some towns basically have no houses left. They have all been razed to the ground." The destruction around the epicentre in remote Wenchuan county is massive, with whole mountainsides sheared off, highways ripped apart and building after building levelled.

China quake 'worse than expected' - First reports from the epicentre of Monday's earthquake in China's Sichuan province suggest the number of dead could be higher than feared. In Yingxiu, in Wenchuan County, the devastation was worse than expected, as roads were blocked and children buried in debris. Out of the town's population of 10,000, only 2,300 have been found alive after Monday's 7.9 quake. The official death toll is more than 12,000, and looks set to rise sharply. Poor weather has continued to hamper aid efforts, and rescuers have been forced to trek to areas cut off by the quake damage and search through the rubble with their bare hands. An army team in Yingxiu said they could hear cries under the rubble of collapsed buildings. The troops have rescued about 1,000 people in Wenchuan County, but an estimated 60,000 people remain missing. In Juyuan, more than 1,000 people were thought to be trapped in a collapsed school building. China's one child policy means that, for most of the relatives desperately waiting outside, their only offspring is under the rubble. About 18,000 people are reported to be trapped at Beichuan, close to the epicentre. In one city, Mianyang, 18,000 people are said to be buried under the rubble, and in nearby Mianzhu, at least 4,800 are reported trapped. In Shifang, where two chemical plants collapsed, releasing a huge toxic cloud, about 600 people were reported dead and up to 2,300 still buried. People have set up tents or makeshift shelters on almost any piece of open land, even in the middle of road junctions.

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Clinton's Crushing Victory Enlightens Obama's Weaknesses

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

From the Editor's Desk
Skywatch-Media News
May 14, 2008

Hillary Clinton's overwhelming victory in West Virginia on Tuesday night, brings to light the significant problems that Barack Obama has with White Working Class and rural voters, not just in West Virginia, but across America in general. It genuinely shows that Hillary is indeed the Right Candidate for the job.
Clinton Crushes Obama Across the Board

Results of West Virginia

There are many questions still unanswered by the Obama campaign as to why their candidate cannot close the deal on this nomination process. How can a "presumptive nominee" for all intents and purposes lose a primary in a major swing state by a humiliating 41%, and then boast about his prospects for winning a general election during a poorly worded speech in a conservative Missouri southeastern district on the eve of Clinton's smashing victory in West Virginia.

Obama in Missouri

There are many more questions that must be disturbing not only to voters but also to the superdelegates that will ultimately determine the nomination for either candidate. For instance, why can't Barack Obama connect with White working class individuals, especially Blue-Collar voters in those important swing states that any candidate would need in order to capture the White House. If Obama has any hope of winning over those voters than he will have to do a much better job of convincing them that he has their best interests at heart and will work hard for them every day.

Then there is the question of the demographics that make up particular regions of the country, especially in those all important rust belt states or swing states that could very well determine who our next president will be. Obama has a big problem with rural voters, possibly due to their distrust for an unknown candidate, but also because his recent comments towards "small-town" rural Americans were insulting, especially to those rural farming communities who "cling to guns" or attend church on a regular basis.

What the Exit Polls Say

Furthermore, Obama should be worried when exit polling is showing as it did recently in Pa, Indiana and West Virgina, that nearly 60% of Clinton's supporters will not vote for Obama in the Fall election, either voting for McCain or choosing to stay home on election day. Certainly these are troubling numbers for any candidate that will need their support in order to win on November 4th. Although some pundits and analysts will say that many of those defectors will come back to roost in the nest after the Democratic convention in late August, it is still discerning to consider the possibility that many will choose other options.

A Clear Rift in the Party

There is also the continued problem that exists with Rev.Wright. Early exit polling in West Virginia indicates that the controversial remarks made by Wright are still a factor for the Obama campaign. It is certain to be a continued factor raised by Republicans in the upcoming general election if Obama becomes the nominee.

Wright and Race are an Issue

It is now conceivable if not highly probable that Clinton will win the popular vote after the final tally is counted on June 3. Having erased most if not all of Obama's gains from the North Carolina primary in last evening's contest, she will now begin gaining on his overall popular vote margin, and will likely overtake his lead after the Puerto Rico Primary is completed. The Island primary which is scheduled for June 1, is reported to have more than 2.3 million registerd voters with at least 80% of those voters predicted to go to the polls. Clinton is favored to win that primary by a comfortable margin due to its overwhelming Hispanic and Catholic demographics, as well as Clinton's support among Puerto Ricans which make up a sizable voting block in New York. Hillary could very well come away with more than 500,000 more votes than Obama when all is said and done in that primary.

Why Puerto Rico Matters

Popular Vote Leads Directly to the Superdelegates

If Clinton should win the popular vote, and it now looks as if she will(exluding Michigan and/or Florida) it will be another valuable argument she can make to the superdelegates and party officials who are sitting on the fence until after June 3.

Clinton's confidence is showing despite the media thrashing she endured over the past week, and the calls for her to quit. Her thumping of Obama in West Virginia indicates her strenghts and his weaknesses. Voters have sent a loud and clear statement that they want this race to continue and for every vote to be counted. Last nights primary results sent a message to the Obama campaign, as well as to their supporters, and especially the political pundits that it it very unwise to attack Clinton and denigrate her campaign, that it can cause voter backlash, as was evident in West Virginia.

Unwise to Attack Clinton

Clinton's continued persistence in spite of the odds to remain in the race, have overshadowed many of the gains made by the Obama campaign. She may be considered by some to be a thorn in Obama's side at this late juncture, but to many she is the candidate best poised to propel Obama into the White House. Without her help, his prospects are dim. To believe otherwise would be foolish and condescending.

It is safe to say that no candidate has won the White House without winning West Virginia since 1916, and the last Democrat to win that state not once but twice, was Bill Clinton. Hillary is by far the strongest candidate to go up against McCain not only in this region of the country, but in all of rural America.

So Goes West Virginia, So Goes The Nation

Next stop is Kentucky where Obama will face the same humiliation that he witnessed in West Virginia, which has to be embarrassing for the man who claims the label of "presumptive nominee." The candidate claiming the mantle of victory one week, but knocked down the next week in a major landslide, must explain himself to the American electorate. Obama if he expects to be the nominee which is still not his to claim, must act and demonstrate that he can win, even when the going gets tough. His lackluster performance in West Virginia and his willingness to write off a swing state as though it doesn't matter will only come back to haunt him in the end.

Kentucky, Another Clinton Landslide

Obama must soon come to a realization that the votes of all citizens are important if he hopes to win in November, and to overlook the wishes of those who don't support him can only lead to more trouble for him in his quest to be president. Being overconfident at this point in time, could cause a reversal of fortunes for the Obama campaign as the stakes are high and the road remains long and burdensome.

Mysterious Fireball Lights Up New Mexico Sky

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

New Mexico, USA
A mysterious flash of lights over New Mexico's Sandia Crest early Monday morning had some residents wondering if they had seen an unidentified flying object.
But experts said the bright spot, spotted just after 2 a.m., was most likely a meteor.

Video of the flashing light was captured by an observatory near Santa Fe.

Erupting Solar Prominence

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

SOLAR ERUPTIONS
Astronomers are monitoring an unusually active prominence on the sun's eastern limb. Even veteran observers are impressed, using words like "amazing" and "jaw-dropping" to describe the activity they have seen. One onlooker described the fountain-like eruptions as "volcanic in appearance."

Amateur astronomers in Europe and North America witnessed fountains of hot, magnetized gas surging over the eastern edge of the sun. "My hard drive is full of movies," says Didier Favre of Brétigny sur Orge, France, who counted no fewer than seven eruptions.

Veteran observer Pete Lawrence of Selsey, UK, took the picture above. "This is the first time I've ever seen material moving visually away from the surface of the Sun," he says.

UPDATE: Observers are reporting a sunspot (or proto-sunspot) emerging from the direction of yesterday's prominence: #1, #2, #3.

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Tornado upgraded to EF4

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

USA
The National Weather Service has upgraded the severity of Saturday?s tornado to an EF4, with a maximum wind speed of 170 mph. And Southwest Misourians should brace for another round of potentially severe weather this afternoon and evening. Weather conditions will be similar to those on Saturday that produced a single massive tornado that was on the ground for 74 miles - 29 miles in Oklahoma and 45 miles in Southwest Missouri. It killed at least 22 people - 15 in Missouri and six in Oklahoma and one in Georgia. ?Once it came across the Oklahoma-Missouri line it was an EF1. But within a matter of minutes it quickly strengthened to an EF4.? Saturday?s tornado was UNUSUAL in that it tracked southeast instead of taking a more typical northeasterly path. Because it moved southeasterly, it pushed deeper into warm, moist air, helping increase the twister?s strength. ?This was a wedge tornado that had some serious width to it. At one point along this track, where it crossed the Oklahoma border near Seneca it was a mile wide.? Tonight a strong cold front will be pushing in from the northwest and colliding with warm, moist air over Missouri. Two jet streams - one flowing at about 60 mph, 2,000 feet above the ground, and another streaming at more than 100 mph at 35,000 feet - may help twist thunderstorms that develop tonight into tornado-producers.

Image: Utility crews work near an overturned car that was tossed into a field by a tornado near Seneca, Missouri, Monday, May 12, 2008. (REUTERS/Mark Schiefelbein)

U.S. - Nearly half of the 21 people killed by a tornado that smashed parts of Oklahoma and Missouri over the weekend died in cars, troubling experts who say vehicles are among the worst places to be during a twister.

UPDATE: Cyclone Death Toll Rises

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Photo: Hhaing The Yu, 29, in rain falling on the ruins of his home, in a township outside Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday. Officials are expressing worry about disease.

Breaking Earth News
Myanmar (Burma)
United Nations estimates the dead at 62,000 to 100,000.

Story: MYANMAR?s state media reported Monday that the death toll from the recent cyclone had risen to just under 32,000. Cyclone Nargis devastated the country, washed away villages and left an estimated 1 million people homeless. Today is the 11th day since typhoon Nargis hit Myanmar.

UPDATE: Chile Volcano Zone May Be Permanently Unlivable

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Chile, S.A.
Image: Ash from eruption devastates surrounding area
Photo by Victor Gonzalez, Partido Humanista.

Story: Chile's President on Saturday warned that towns surrounding Chaitén Volcano, which has been in constant eruption since May 2, might become permanently unlivable. The National Geologic and Mining Service delivered an ominous report putting the possibility of the volcano's collapse above 50%. ?There are experts who say that lava from the Chaitén Volcano could flow directly towards the town of Chaitén. These experts are recommending that the town of Chaitén never be inhabited again.? The volcano could implode, thus releasing a stream of red-hot pyroclastic material (burning gas and rock) capable of destroying everything in its path. There is increased build-up in the dome of magma currently covering the volcano's crater. Futhermore, the material accumulating in the area is ?highly dense,? and thus more prone to collapse. Any implosion would cause complete destruction of everything within a 15 kilometer radius around the peak, an area which encompasses Chaitén, Santa Barbara, and several rural farming villages. ?We have never had a situation quite like this in Chile.?

RELATED NEWS
NEW ZEALAND - Volcanic activity at New Zealand's Mount Ruapehu is increasing and an eruption could occur at any time. The volcano in central North Island, famed as a location in the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, last erupted on Sept. 25, 2007, spitting 2 metre (6 feet) boulders distances of up to 2 kms (1.5 miles). Ruapehu's elevated alert level has not been changed, but scientists said that activity within the mountain was greater, with high levels of gas spewing out, a warmer than average crater lake and ongoing volcanic tremors.

SICILY - Mount Etna has rumbled back to life with a "seismic event" followed by a burst of ash, volcanologists said today, three days after minor eruptions shook the cone. A "seismic event provoking a strong explosion was recorded Tuesday at 0424 GMT (1324 AEST) in parts of the peak of the volcano." The explosion on Etna was followed by a rain of ash on the southeast crater, "where significant gas emissions are occurring." The "phenomenon currently represents no danger to people or property." Saturday's eruption, accompanied by streams of lava, was also at the volcano's southeast crater.

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Death toll in China quake exceeds 12,000

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Breaking Earth News
China
Image: Chinese residents walk by a damaged road as they evacuate Beichuan, southwest China's Sichuan province.

Slideshow: Massive Quake Hits China

DUJIANGYAN, China - The toll of the dead and missing soared as rescue workers dug through flattened schools and homes on Tuesday in a desperate attempt to find survivors of China's worst earthquake in three decades.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the death toll exceeded 12,000 in Sichuan province alone, and 18,645 were still buried in debris in the city of Mianyang, near the epicenter of Monday's massive, 7.9-magnitude quake.

The Sichuan Daily newspaper reported on its Web site that more than 26,000 people were injured in Mianyang.

The numbers of casualties was expected to rise due to the remoteness of the areas affected by the quake and difficulty in finding buried victims.

MASSIVE CHINA QUAKE

Have seasons disappeared from our weather?

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

United Kingdom
Have seasons disappeared from their weather? Temperatures in South Wales that will outstrip those in the Balearics are adding credence to the idea that spring is the new summer. The disastrous flooding last year was preceded by a spring heatwave, and with predictions of the current glorious weather being followed by an underwhelming summer, it seems their expectations of seasons might have to be reassessed. Temperatures in Cardiff are forecast to hit highs of 24C on Saturday and Sunday, compared to a rainy 21C in Palma, Majorca. The glorious start to May follows on from a similar spell in April of last year. February produced early primroses and daffodils and sightings of frogspawn, bats, bumblebees and skylarks, leaving them to ponder whether global warming is seeing the seasons change earlier every year. But, of course, last year?s warm spring was followed by a disastrous summer, with widespread flooding and cool temperatures. BBC Radio 2's gardening expert believes all seasonality has effectively disappeared from their weather. He said: ?April was very cold and fairly dry and then we?ve hit the beginning of May and we?ve turned from cold to extreme baking weather like a desert. There?s no seasonality whatsoever now. Back in the 50s and 60s you knew come mid-September you?d get your first frost and everything was finished off. Then you?d get winter with snow and frost and come February it would start to warm up. By April it would be slightly warm with rain and May to August would be the four-month growing season. But we?re definitely not getting that now.?

Virginia should plan for the coming sea-level rise

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Virginia, USA
A big problem today and one that grows larger over time is that the whole low-lying coastal system along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline is going under water. From Old Point Comfort through the Back River drainage, up through Poquoson, across to Gloucester and Guinea Neck, and on to Mathews, Stingray Point and Windmill Point ? all of this land is getting wetter and wetter. Flooding will increase in the coming decades. Hampton Roads is faced with at least a 2-foot relative sea-level rise over the next century. This increase will unfold gradually with each storm reaching higher and higher until, by 2106, the equivalent of that 2006 Columbus Day nor'easter would produce more flooding than they saw from Hurricane Isabel. This 2-foot rise is the most conservative estimate of what is headed their way, due to global warming that has already happened. Without arguing the source of the warming, without talking about "what ifs" of future greenhouse-gas emissions, they are stuck with this 2-foot relative sea-level rise. They will have to raise houses higher and higher after every one of the future storms. Roads leading to those houses will also have to be raised higher and higher to allow fire and police access. Utilities, storm-water and sewage systems, ground-water and septic systems ? every piece of public infrastructure in those low-lying areas will also have to be fixed at taxpayer expense. Virginia is alone among mid-Atlantic states in not responding to the coming sea-level rise. Maryland and North Carolina have produced high-resolution, digital flood maps and are working on solutions. Most state governments along the East Coast have plans to address coastal flooding from the higher tides that are coming.

RELATED NEWS
CALIFORNIA - If left unchecked, the rising sea levels caused by global climate change could leave Stockton under water, California's Lt. Governor warned Thursday. "Yes, Delta water has come up six inches over the last century. And if you go 56 inches, we're in deep water right here." In addition to capricious flooding and spells of drought driven by climate change, he said California laws have to account for things such as levees and how water is stored in natural aquifers that supply drinking water. Making choices that arise from climate change, people often take a short-term approach, brushing aside solutions that set a positive course for years to come, he said. "I think that's really wrong. We need to think of the generations ahead."

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Chilean volcano ash could 'collapse' any minute

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Chile,S.A.
Volcanic Alert
Image: Smoke and ash rise for thousands of meters through a thick layer of clouds from the crater of the Chaiten volcano in southern Chile, May 7, 2008. REUTERS
More Photos

A huge plume of ash towering above the Chilean Chaiten volcano could collapse and plummet to earth at any moment, an expert has warned. Residents within a 30-mile (50 kilometre) radius of the volcano have now been forced to evacuate from the area. It is possible the plume of ash and rock debris could collapse, killing anyone within it's path. Similar volcanoes (in Mexico and the Philippines, for example) have collapsed on the seventh or eight day of continuous eruption. "We are at a critical point of this phase given the characteristics have remained the same for several days. The volcano is now at its limit and one possibility is that the column could collapse quickly, generating flows of pyroclastic material down its ravines. But there are also other scenarios, such as the energy of the eruption being released more gradually." Geologists have now recommended that the town be moved from it's current location.

Some have compared the situation to Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The volcanic activity is not unusual, but is SPECIAL in the fact that this type of eruption only happens about six times each century. The volcano has been blowing up since last Friday and there's no telling when it will stop. The 20-mile plume has sent ash into Buenos Aires, shutting down the airport. But if the plume changes formation, it could get even worse.

Tornado season deadliest in a decade

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Breaking Earth News
USA
Image: This funnel cloud formed in Keo, Ark. last month. Arkansas has had 49 tornadoes this year, already above its annual average of 48, according to Greg Forbes, severe weather expert at The Weather Channel:By Paul McIntosh, AP

DEADLIEST TORNADO SEASON IN A DECADE - The USA has been ravaged through mid-May by a near-record number of tornadoes that has pushed the death toll - including 47 killer twisters over the weekend - to a 10-YEAR HIGH. Stunned survivors picked through the little that was left of their communities Sunday after tornadoes tore across the Plains and South, killing at least 22 people in three states and leaving behind a trail of destruction and stories of loss. At least 15 people died in southwestern Missouri. In the fading mining town of Picher, Okla., at least six people were killed, and at least one person died in storms in Georgia.

Magnitude 7.8 Quake Strikes China: Thousands Feared Dead

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Breaking Earth News
China
Image: Map locates epicenter of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, which hit western China.

A POWERFUL earthquake in southwest China has killed up to 5000 people and left as many as 10,000 injured, state media says.

Hundreds of children also remained trapped in at least eight collapsed schools, reports said.

An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people were killed in Beichuan county of mountainous Sichuan province alone after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the region during the early afternoon today, Xinhua news agency said, citing the local government.

As many as 10,000 in Beichuan county were feared injured and 80 per cent of the buildings there had been destroyed, the report said.

UPDATE: Death toll in China Rises to 7600
CHONGQING (AP) ? A massive earthquake struck central China on Monday, killing more than 7,600 people and trapping nearly 900 students under the rubble of their school, state media reported.

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Myanmar's largest city struggles to recover from cyclone

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600

Burma
Image: A wrecked home by the Yangon River. Essential equipment like heavy machinery is in short supply or nowhere to be found.

(The New York Times)

Story:The inability of the government to clear debris and restore basic utilities like water and power in the country's wealthiest city are a measure of how difficult Myanmar's overall disaster recovery could be. The death toll in Yangon has been small compared with the devastation in the delta of the Irrawaddy River. The government counts fewer than 400 people killed here. But lines for rationed gasoline snake through the city for blocks. Drivers spend three or four hours at gasoline stations to buy two gallons of fuel, the daily allowance by the government. Generators hum everywhere. Buildings have lost roofs, facades. Essential equipment ? chainsaws, machines capable of lifting heavy debris and helicopters, among many other necessary items ? are in short supply or absent altogether. The U.S. embassy imported chainsaws from Thailand and Bangladesh. The Burma government has 12 helicopters, but only five of them are operational and able to transport supplies to far-flung locations. Basic construction materials are unavailable. "There are no nails to be found in Yangon." Thousands of trees lie where they fell, jetties on the Yangon River have collapsed into the water and only a few traffic lights are working across the city of five million people. Most of Yangon remains without electricity.

Cyclone had all the makings of a 'perfect storm'
Cyclone Nargis became one of Asia's deadliest storms by hitting land at one of the lowest points in Myanmar and setting off a storm surge that reached 25 miles inland, its battering winds pushed a wall of water as high as 12 feet. "It was like Katrina going into New Orleans." Forecasters began tracking the cyclone April 28 as it first headed toward India. As projected, it took a sharp turn eastward, but didn't follow the typical cyclone track in that area leading to Bangladesh or Myanmar's mountainous northwest. Instead, it swept into the low-lying Irrawaddy delta in central Myanmar. "The easterly component of the path is UNUSUAL." The result was the worst disaster ever in the impoverished country. It was the first time such an intense storm hit the delta - it was "one of those ONCE-IN-EVERY-500-YEARS KIND OF THINGS." The delta had lost most of its mangrove forests along the coast to shrimp farms and rice paddies over the past decade. That removed what scientists say is one of nature's best defenses against violent storms.

Image Above: This image provided by NASA's MODIS instrument on board the Terra satellite shows Cyclone Nargis as it approaches the coast of Bangladesh Thursday May 1, 2008. The cyclone brewing in the Bay of Bengal was expected to hit the south coast of Bangladesh late Friday with maximum significant wave heights of 21 feet before heading to Myanmar. At 08:00 GMT Friday May 2, 2008 Tropical Cyclone Nargis had sustained winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) an hour, gusting to 230 kilometers (143 miles) per hour as it approached the coast of Myanmar, according to the U.S. Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center. (AP Photo/NASA)

BURMA's refusal to give visas to relief experts is "UNPRECEDENTED" in the history of humanitarian work, the UN says.