NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

nancyk58 · October 24, 2010

Articles on 24.10.10 in relation to Natural Disasters from BBC News

Articles on 24.10.10 in relation to Natural disasters from BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11616535

24 October 2010 Last updated at 17:39 GMT

CHOLERA DEATH TOLL JUMPS IN HAITI

The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Haiti has leapt past 250, officials say.

More than 3,000 people were infected, said Gabriel Thimote, director general of Haiti's health department.

Five cases of cholera were detected in the capital, Port-au-Prince, but UN officials said the patients had been quickly diagnosed and isolated.

Around a million survivors of January's earthquake are living in tents near the city with poor sanitary conditions.

But Mr Thimote expressed optimism the outbreak could be contained.

"We have registered a diminishing in numbers of deaths and of hospitalised people in the most critical areas," he said.

"The tendency is that it is stabilising, without being able to say that we have reached a peak."

Quick killer

Health officials have been trying to contain the outbreak in areas north of the capital.

The five victims isolated in Port-au-Prince had become infected in the ARTIBONITE region - the main outbreak zone - and then travelled to the capital where they developed symptoms, the UN's humanitarian affairs agency said.

This meant Port-au-Prince was "not a new location of infection", it added.

Aid officials have described the prospect of a cholera outbreak in the city as "awful".

Those in the camps are highly vulnerable to the intestinal infection, which is caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food.

Cholera causes diarrhoea and vomiting leading to severe dehydration, and can kill quickly if left untreated through rehydration and antibiotics.

The worst-hit areas of the outbreak were Saint-Marc, Grande Saline, L'Estere, Marchand Dessalines, Desdunes, Petite Riviere, Lachapelle, and St Michel de l'Attalaye, said the UN.

A number of cases have also been reported in the city of Gonaives, and towns closer to the capital, including Archaei, Limbe and Mirebalais.

'Contaminated' river

Many hospitals have been overwhelmed, with patients at the St Nicholas hospital in Saint-Marc being being forced to lie outside in unhygienic conditions, hooked up to intravenous drips.

The aid agency Medicins Sans Frontieres has set up a cordon around the hospital to control exit and entry to try to contain the spread of the outbreak.

Dr John Fequiere told the BBC that his hospital in Marchand Dessalines was also struggling to cope, and that he had seen dozens die.

"We are trying to take care of people, but we are running out of medicine and need additional medical care. We are giving everything we have but we need more to keep taking care of people," he said.

Some patients said they became ill after drinking water from a canal, but others said they were drinking only purified water.

The ARTIBONITE river, which irrigates CENTRAL HAITI, is thought to be contaminated.

Haitian Health Minister Alex Larsen has urged people to wash their hands with soap, not eat raw vegetables, boil all food and drinking water, and avoid bathing in and drinking from rivers.

This is the first time in a century that cholera has struck the nation, which has enough antibiotics to treat 100,000 cases of cholera and intravenous fluids to treat 30,000, according to the UN.

Haiti - the poorest country in the region - is still reeling from January's devastating quake, which killed up to 300,000 people.

Seismic experts say that quake may have been caused by an unseen fault, and that pressure could be building for another tremor.

The journal Nature Geoscience has published two papers which both conclude the fault originally blamed for the quake was not the real source, and that it remains a threat.

"As the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault did not release any significant accumulated elastic strain, it remains a significant seismic threat for Haiti and for Port-au-Prince in particular," concluded one report written by Eric Calais of Purdue University in Indiana.

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Tropical Storm Richard strengthens into a hurricane over the Caribbean Sea as it heads towards southern Mexico, officials say.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11615589

24 October 2010 Last updated at 11:55 GMT

BENIN: UN TO SEND THOUSANDS OF TENTS AMID MAJOR FLOODS

The UN refugee agency is to start an emergency airlift of tents to the West African nation of Benin this week, amid the worst flooding there in decades.

Some 3,000 tents will be flown in from Denmark to provide shelter for some of the estimated 680,000 people affected.

Two-thirds of Benin has suffered from months of heavy rain, and about 800 cases of cholera have been reported.

It is the worst flooding to hit the country - one of the poorest in the world - since 1963.

Areas previously thought not to be vulnerable to flooding have been devastated and villages wiped out.

"There are huge areas that are covered in water so people are living on the tops of their houses, because people try to stay near their homes," Helen Kawkins of the Care aid agency told the BBC.

The flooding has sparked major health concerns, with drinking and bathing water contaminated by human waste which has overflowed from latrines.

The number of cases of cholera are rising daily, with more than 50 reported in the largest city, Cotonou, alone, Care says. Dozens of people have died as a result of the flooding in the past few weeks, officials say.

People who have lost their homes have sought shelter in medical facilities, putting pressure on the country's health system.

The UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) says an appeal for funds and aid is being planned.

The rain is continuing to deluge Benin and forecasters say there is no sign yet of it abating.

nancyk58 · October 26, 2010

NEWS ON 25 OCTOBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

NEWS ON 25 OCTOBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

Danish DR1 and Swedish SVT: CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN HAITI IS SLOWING /

German ARDtext: RATE OF NEW INFECTIONS SLOWING / MORE THAN 250 DEAD DUE TO CHOLERA

According to new reports from HAITIAN authorities the cholera situation has not worsened.

The DEATH TOLL IS 253. 33 DIED IN 24 HOURS according to Haiti’s Health Department. AT LEAST 3,100 ARE INFECTED SO FAR.

The disease is kept within a well-defined area in the northern part of the Artibonite region and a part of central Haiti.

It is still feared that the cholera outbreak may spread to the enormous tented villages in the capital, Port-au-Prince where more than 1 (i.e. 1.3 ) million people are still living after the earthquake in January 2010.

Danish DR1 evening and German ZDFtext: CHOLERA SPREADS TO CAPITAL, PORT-AU-PRINCE WHERE 3 DIED AND AT LEAST 5 OTHERS WERE INFECTED

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11622523

26 October 2010 Last updated at 00:27 GMT

HAITI: CHOLERA SLOWS BUT FEARS OF SPREAD REMAIN

Tens of thousands of people in Haiti are still threatened by an outbreak of cholera despite some signs that the epidemic is stabilising, the UN says.

UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Haiti Nigel Fisher said the UN was preparing for a wider outbreak although there were no new signs of it spreading.

The Haitian government earlier said that only six new deaths were reported in the past 24 hours.

A total of 259 people are now known to have died from the disease.

Three hundred new infections have been recorded, taking the total to 3,342, Haiti's health ministry said.

Frightened nation

"This is an extremely serious situation and based on experience with epidemics elsewhere it would be irresponsible to plan for anything but a considerably wider outbreak," Mr Fisher said on Monday.

The UN and aid agencies are now also boosting prevention efforts in and around Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, where some 1.3 million survivors of January's devastating earthquake live in tent camps.

Five cholera cases were detected on Saturday in Port-au-Prince, but they were quickly diagnosed and isolated. Another 20 suspected cases were under investigation, medical aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) told the BBC.

Haiti has not seen a cholera outbreak for 100 years and many people are said to be frightened by the news of the outbreak and unsure of what steps to take to avoid the disease.

Poor sanitary conditions make the camps and slums vulnerable to cholera, which is caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food.

Cholera causes diarrhoea and vomiting leading to severe dehydration, and can kill within 24 hours if left untreated. It is easily treated through rehydration and antibiotics.

Planning for the worst

The director general of Haiti's health department, Gabriel Thimote, confirmed on Monday that the rate of increase in cholera deaths had slowed.

However, the number of infections had increased by 10% since Sunday, rising from 3,015 to 3,342, and aid agencies insisted they would remain on alert.

"We think that the situation is stabilising. That doesn't necessarily mean we have reached a peak," he said.

Agencies battling to contain the disease echoed Mr Thimote's caution.

"To be honest, I believe the death toll will increase in the coming days," said Harold Paul, regional emergency manager for UK aid organisation Christian Aid.

"My sense is that in two weeks the situation will be under control. The death toll will increase in Artibonite, but seems to be contained in Plateau Central. But in Port-au-Prince, let's wait and see."

Michel Van Herp of MSF, medical adviser to the organisation's teams working in Haiti, said 400 people remained in hospital in Saint-Marc, the town at the centre of the Artibonite outbreak.

Another 150 people were being treated in hospital in the town of Mirbalais, along the Artibonite river, he said.

While he conceded that most infections were in the Artibonite region, Dr Van Herp said MSF would remain on alert.

"We are preparing ourselves for the worst case scenario, which is a cholera outbreak in the whole country," he told the BBC.

Previous experience responding to cholera in Latin America in the early 1990s suggested that the disease could spread easily across large areas and could incubate for a number of days before presenting symptoms, Dr Van Herp said.

Hygiene lessons

In Haiti, UN spokeswoman Imogen Wall said most effort was being directed into setting up dedicated treatment centres and making sure people across Haiti were kept informed of the best ways to stem the spread of the virus.

She cautioned that a temporary lull in the increase of infections did not guarantee the crisis was coming to a quick end.

"One day does not mean anything in terms of spread," Ms Wall told the BBC.

The UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs was managing the mass distribution of soap and other basic hygiene items, including bucket with lids to prevent clean water becoming contaminated, she said.

But the UN remained concerned that areas outside of its post-earthquake emergency remit, including the slums of Port-au-Prince, were especially vulnerable to infection.

While diarrhoea is endemic in Haiti, cholera remains unfamiliar to most people, Ms Wall said. Simple precautions including the use of soap in hand-washing were not familiar to most people.

"Everyone has heard about cholera now, but we need to keep pushing the message," she added.

The worst-hit areas of the outbreak are Saint-Marc, Grande Saline, L'Estere, Marchand Dessalines, Desdunes, Petite Riviere, Lachapelle, and St Michel de l'Attalaye.

A number of cases have also been reported in the city of Gonaives, and towns closer to the capital, including Archaei, Limbe and Mirebalais.

Haiti has enough antibiotics to treat 100,000 cases of cholera and intravenous fluids to treat 30,000, according to the UN.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11621977

25 October 2010 Last updated at 16:45 GMT

MAJOR EARTHQUAKE STRIKES OFF INDONESIA

A major earthquake has struck off the coast of western Sumatra, Indonesian officials say.

The 7.5 magnitude quake near the Mentawi Islands at a depth of 14km (8 miles) triggered a tsunami watch, but officials later gave the all clear.

Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the quake struck at 2142 (1642 GMT) and was felt in towns in Bengkulu and west Sumatra provinces.

There have so far been no reports of damage or casualties.

Initial reports put the depth of the quake at 33km (20.5 miles), but this was later revised by the US Geological Survey.

The shallow depth of the earthquake prompted the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to issue a "watch" bulletin.

"There was shaking that went on for about three seconds or so," Indonesian disaster management agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono told AFP news agency.

"Residents panicked and ran to the hills but now they are starting to come down.

There is no report of casualties or damage."

Indonesia is regularly affected by earthquakes.

More than 1,000 people were killed by an earthquake off Sumatra in September 2009.

In June at least three powerful earthquakes struck the region, bringing down homes and leaving three people dead.

In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Aceh triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed a quarter of a million people in 13 countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", one of the world's most active areas for earthquakes and volcanoes.

Danish TV2 News: TSUNAMI ALERT RAISED AFTER POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE OFF SUMATRA

The earthquake was meared at magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale and occurred near the MENTAWI islands off Sumatra. The US Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 7.5. The epicenter was about 100 km south of PADANG city. No reports of casualties or damage.

German ZDFtext evening: INDONESIA: STRONG EARTHQUAKE AND HIGHEST ALERT FOR VOLCANO

German ZDFtext and Swedish SVT: VOLCANO “MERAPI” ERUPTION FEARED ON JAVA, INDONESIA

Highest alert issued on Monday by the authorities. 40,000 living close to the volcano recommended to move to a safer place.

Lava is streaming in a southerly and westerly direction from the crater.

The volcano was active in 2006 when clouds of gas were streaming out of the crater. 2 people died.

In 1994, 66 died in connection with an eruption.

Swedish SVT: HURRICANE “RICHARD” REACHED CENTRAL AMERICA / WEAKENED “RICHARD” WILL REACH MEXICO’s OIL ON TUESDAY

Tuesday 26.10.10, a weakened “Richard” will reach the Bay of Campeche.

The hurricane made landfall south of BELIZE City and is expected to weaken on Tuesday when it reaches the Bay of Campeche. According to the National Hurricane Centre, NHC, Richard was classified as a “category 1 hurricane” with winds up to 42m per second. Hurricane “Richard” was the reason for no electricity when it swept BELIZE in Central America on Sunday.

On Tuesday, a weakened “Richard” will reach the Bay of Campeche where more than two thirds of Mexico’s daily oil production takes place – around 2.6 million barrels.

nancyk58 · October 26, 2010

NEWS ON 26 OCTOBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

BBC World News: INDONESIA TSUNAMI DEATHS INCREASE AFTER SUMATRA QUAKE

108 people have been killed and 502 are missing after a tsunami triggered by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Danish DR1 and TV2 News: TSUNAMI OFF INDONESIA’S WEST COAST: AT LEAST 100 DEAD AND MORE THAN 500 MISSING.

The powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake Monday triggered a 3m high tsunami off Indonesia’s west coast according to several news agencies – so reported by news agency AP. The earthquake’s epicenter was in a depth of 20 km under the seabed late Monday evening. Many houses were destroyed by the tsunami that hit near the Mentawai Islands. At least 100 were killed, and more than 500 people are missing. Telephone communication was down.

In September 2009, a magnitude-7.6 quake in the city, PADANG and the surrounding region killed 1,100 people.

German ARDtext: AT LEAST 100 KILLED BY TSUNAMI IN INDONESIA

A magnitude-7.7 earthquake on Monday Eve on 25 October 2010 in the western part of INDONESIA triggered a tsunami that killed at least 100 people - more than 500 people are missing according to the authorities. A 3m high/tall wave washed 100 houses away in 2 coastal villages. A group of Australian tourists - surfers were underway in a boat near the Mentawai islands off the west coast at the time of the earthquake. They were reported missing for some time. They turned out to be safe.

Swedish SVT + German ZDftext: POWERFUL MAGNITUDE-7.7 QUAKE SHOOK SUMATRA IN INDONESIA / AFTERSHOCKS SHOOK SUMATRA IN INDONESIA

A quake in the sea west of SUMATRA in INDONESIA reached magnitude 7.7 according to seismologists. The quake could be felt in Bengkuk, 24 miles to the East, and in the provincial capital, PADANG 28 miles to the north. The quake occurred in a depth of 2 miles on Monday (25.10.10) in the evening local time. 2 aftershocks of magnitude 6.1 and 6.2 occurred. An initial tsunami warning was lifted again.

At 11:30am: Report of a tsunami killing at least 23 people in the western Indonesia. More than 160 people missing. Tonight the figures were updated:

MORE THAN 100 ARE DEAD IN THE TSUNAMI.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11626242

26 October 2010 Last updated at 17:27 GMT

INDONESIA TSUNAMI DEATHS INCREASE AFTER SUMATRA QUAKE

More than 100 people have been killed and many are missing after a tsunami triggered by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Scores of houses were destroyed by waves after the 7.7 magnitude quake, which struck 20km (13 miles) under the ocean floor near the Mentawai islands.

Ten villages on the islands were swept away by the tsunami, a disaster official told the AFP news agency.

Damage and rough weather are delaying efforts to reach the affected area.

Hendri Dori Satoko, a lawmaker in the Mentawai islands, told Metro TV: "Our latest data from crisis centre showed that 108 people have been killed and 502 are still missing."

He said some of the missing could have fled to higher ground and were afraid to return to their homes.

Health ministry officials said 113 bodies had been recovered in the area so far, the Associated Press news agency reported.

The search and rescue operation is being seriously hampered by bad weather, officials have told the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta.

Heavy rain is preventing helicopters from accessing the area and boats cannot reach the islands either because the dock on the island of South Pagai has been destroyed.

Poor communications have also made it hard for officials to gain accurate information, our correspondent adds.

The disaster comes as thousands of people are being evacuated from the area around the Mt Merapi volcano in central Java, after it began erupting.

But seismologists say there is very little chance that the two events are connected.

Body bags

The quake hit late on Monday off the west coast of Sumatra. There is no tsunami warning system in place around the Mentawai islands, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert of a local tsunami.

It later said a "significant tsunami" had been generated. The alert has now been cancelled as no further waves are expected, although the area is still experiencing strong aftershocks.

Eyewitnesses say a huge wave was created by the quake, which seriously damaged villages or even washed them away entirely.

The islands of South Pagai and North Pagai were reported to be particularly badly affected.

Waves reached 3m (10ft) high and the water swept inland as far as 600m on South Pagai island, said Mudjiharto - the head of Indonesia's health ministry crisis centre, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.

He said 200 body bags were being sent to the region in case they were needed.

"Ten villages have been swept away by the tsunami," National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Agolo Suparto told AFP.

Most buildings in the South Pagai coastal village of Betu Monga were destroyed, Hardimansyah, an official with the regional branch of the Department of Fisheries, told the Reuters news agency by phone.

"Of the 200 people living in that village, only 40 have been found - 160 are still missing, mostly women and children," he said.

"We have people reporting to the security post here that they could not hold on to their children, that they were swept away. A lot of people are crying."

Heri Suprapto, the head of Kepuhargo village in the Mentawai islands, told the BBC's Indonesia service that 372 "very weak" people from three villages had been evacuated.

"Transportation has also been prepared for villagers who are in good health whenever evacuation needs to be done. Preparations are also under way to evacuate individuals by using motorbike and small cars."

Indonesia's vice-president and health minister are preparing to travel to the affected region on Wednesday.

'Wall of white water'

A group of Australians caught up in the tsunami have described how their boat was destroyed by a wall of water.

Captain Rick Hallet told Australian media that his boat was anchored off the shore when the waves came.

"We felt a bit of a shake underneath the boat... then within several minutes, we heard an almighty roar," he said.

"I immediately thought of a tsunami and looked out to sea and that's when we saw the wall of white water coming at us," he said.

The wave brought another boat crashing into them and sparked a fire, forcing them to jump into the sea.

Some of those on board were swept up to 200m inland by the wave, he said.

Meanwhile, the crew of another Australian boat, the Southern Cross - which went missing for nearly 24 hours after the quake - have been found safe and well, Australia media report.

The nine Australians and a Japanese man on board had lost their radio signal but made contact with their tour company late on Tuesday, Australia's AAP news agency reported.

The vast Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world's most active areas for earthquakes and volcanoes.

More than 1,000 people were killed by an earthquake off Sumatra in September 2009.

In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Aceh triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed a quarter of a million people in 13 countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11625154

26 October 2010 Last updated at 20:20 GMT

13 DEATHS AS THOUSANDS FLEE INDONESIA VOLCANO MERAPI

At least 13 people have been killed in Indonesia after the country's most volatile volcano erupted.

Mount Merapi, in central Java, began erupting just before dusk on Tuesday, spewing plumes of hot ash and rocks.

Officials say the volcano victims, including a small baby, were killed by the heat and burning ash.

Thousands of people have been evacuated amid fears pressure building up beneath Merapi's lava dome could lead to one of the most powerful blasts in years.

But a further 13,000 people need to be evacuated from within a 10-mile (16km) radius of the volcano, officials say.

It is thought that 5,000 people live on or near the volcano.

'Severe burns'

Television footage showed thousands of people fleeing the area, some covered in the volcano's white ash which rained from the sky.

People with severe burns were seen being taken away on stretchers.

An eyewitness said he went to help a family trapped in their home but could not reach them.

"I was 10 metres away from the family but couldn't get any closer because the ash was very hot, so we couldn't handle it," the Associated Press (AP) news agency quoted him as saying.

"To get out of the area, I had to hold on to trees to avoid the hot tarmac. That is why I survived, otherwise I don't think I would have made it."

Emergency teams have found at least 12 bodies in the area close to the mountain, local media report.

"There are likely to be more victims as the terrain is difficult, roads are damaged and trees uprooted, it's dark and the condition of the volcano is still unstable," said Yogyakarta search and rescue official Taufiq.

Meanwhile, a doctor at Muntilan hospital confirmed to Metro TV that a small baby had died there on Tuesday.

"The baby had severe breathing difficulties from inhaling volcanic materials and we could not help it," said Sasongko, who uses only one name.

Dr Adi Mulyo at Panti Nugroho hospital said 18 people were being treated there for severe burns - some were suffering burns to 90% of their bodies.

He said the hospital did not have enough equipment to treat all the injured, so some were being sent to a larger hospital in Sarjito.

Villagers stranded

Thousands of people living near the volcano have been ordered to move to safer ground, but many are still refusing to leave.

Some are refusing to heed the warnings because they do not want to leave their livestock and properties behind.

Ponco Sumarto, 65, who arrived at a makeshift camp with her two grandchildren, said her children had stayed behind to look after their crops.

"I just have to follow orders to take shelter here for safety, even though I'd rather stay at home," AP quoted her as saying.

The head of one village near the volcano said that many residents were stranded. He said rain loaded with volcanic ash had reduced visibility to just 5m (16ft).

"We are evacuating to the village square, around 14km from Mount Merapi slope. Some of the villagers are still stranded but we received text messages from them, saying that they are OK," Heri Suprapto told the BBC.

BBC Indonesia correspondent Karishma Vaswani says that for many Javanese, Mt Merapi is a sacred site.

Officials say some of the villagers are waiting for the local "gatekeeper" of the volcano to tell them that the increased activity at Mt Merapi is dangerous.

Described as a medicine man, he is believed by many villagers to have a spiritual connection to the volcano.

He has reportedly said he will not leave yet, but is urging villagers to make their way to government shelters, our correspondent says.

Pressure building

On Monday, officials monitoring the volcano raised the alert for Mount Merapi to the highest possible level.

Since then, more than 600 volcanic earthquakes have been recorded around the mountain.

"We heard three explosions around 1800 (1100 GMT) spewing volcanic material as high as 1.5km (one mile) and sending heat clouds down the slopes," government vulcanologist Surono told AFP news agency.

He warned that pressure was building up behind a lava dome near the crater.

"We hope it will release slowly," he said. "Otherwise, we're looking at a potentially huge eruption, bigger than anything we've seen in years."

He said this eruption was more powerful than the volcano's last blast, in 2006, which killed two people.

In 1930 another powerful eruption wiped out 13 villages, killing more than 1,000 people.

Swedish SVT: MASSIVE FLOODINGS IN THAILAND / 56 DEAD IN THE WATER MASSES IN THAILAND

THAILAND experiences the worst floodings for decades. AT LEAST 56 HAVE DIED according to information given by the authorities on Tuesday.

In BANGKOK, the population is anxious. The inhabitants have prepared for floods and built protective walls of thousands of sandbags. The water is pumped downstream past the capital that is not yet affected (Tuesday morning at least).

About 2.8 MILLION PEOPLE are AFFECTED BY FLOODS IN THAILAND where villages and agricultural areas are destroyed.

nancyk58 · October 28, 2010

News on 27.10.10. in relation to natural disasters

News on 27 October 2010 in relation to natural disasters

I checked the Danish and BBC news:

BBC updated the news as I read the headlines there.

The tsunami-related headline I read before looking for the article said: Indonesia's tsunami deaths hit 282.

I saw that headline, but didn't find the article under that page number. Another page number contained a tsunami related article with updates.

BBC: OFFICIALS raised the death toll after the tsunami to 311. Aerial pictures show flattened villages. According to rescuers 13 villages have been washed away. 11 more settlements have not yet been reached.

The president is due to visit the region later.

DR1: TSUNAMI KILLED 272 IN INDONESIA - HUNDREDS MISSING

Medicine, food, tents and other emergency equipment and helicopters with rescuers arrived in the tsunami-affected area in western Indonesia. At least 10 villages were washed away by the 3 m high tsunami which was described as a "white wall of water".

BUT LATEST DEATH TOLL SAID 311.

nancyk58 · October 29, 2010

NEWS ON 29 OCTOBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11645950

28 October 2010 Last updated at 19:23 GMT

INDONESIAN TSUNAMI ZONE WELCOMES AID SHIPMENTS

Relief efforts have been stepped up in Indonesia as three aid ships reached the worst-hit parts of the island chain devastated by Monday's tsunami.

Rescue teams are now at work on North Pagai island in the remote Mentawai Islands off western Sumatra.

More than 340 people (343) are known to have died. Hundreds are still missing.

Indonesia's president has visited the islands, which were inundated after a 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake triggered the tsunami three days ago.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono cut short a trip to Vietnam to oversee the rescue effort, flying in a helicopter loaded with food and other basic necessities to the remote and inaccessible islands.

There he met both survivors and local officials, promising the central government would help West Sumatra's government to build temporary homes, health facilities and schools, his spokesman said.

The aid effort comes as Indonesia also struggles with the devastation caused by this week's eruption of MOUNT MERAPI in central JAVA, which killed more than 30 people (33 or 34).

VILLAGES FLATTENED

Local officials say most of the villages hit by the tsunami have been reached, with victims from the worst-hit areas being buried in mass graves.

But almost 400 remain unaccounted for, and rescuers are now working on the assumption that a large number of those missing will not be found alive, having been washed out to sea by the wave.

Although three aid ships carrying food, water, medical supplies and volunteers have now arrived in the disaster zone, bad weather and rough seas remain a major challenge to the relief effort, officials say.

Poor communications infrastructure are also making it difficult for aid teams to send in reports of damage.

The scale of the damage in the worst-affected communities is slowly emerging. Aerial images of the destruction taken from helicopters show survivors picking through debris-strewn roads and beaches littered with swollen bodies.

Relief workers have begun burying the victims, but lack the equipment needed to recover some bodies from beneath trees and debris.

Some villages were simply washed away by Monday's 3m (10ft) wave, and on South Pagai, the hardest-hit island, two villages were completely destroyed, said Hendri Dori Satoko, chairman of the Mentawai legislative council. No houses, government buildings or medical facilities remained standing.

He said most people had been fast asleep when the tsunami struck.

"People who managed to escape went to the mountains," he told the BBC. "Others are missing and presumed dead.

"Those who survived have nothing left except for the clothes on their body. They had to run and had no time to save their belongings."

Some survivors have been evacuated to North Pagai by speedboat, and the Mentawai Islands district chief, Edison Saleleubaja, said work would continue through the night to evacuate the injured for treatment at health clinics.

Thousands of refugees who lost their homes in the disaster have been moved into temporary shelters, says the BBC's Indonesia correspondent Karishma Vaswani.

The local government says it plans to set up a rehabilitation and reconstruction programme and move people away from the coastline where hundreds of houses were flattened, adds our correspondent.

NO WARNING

The relief effort was limited, said Hartje Robert Winerungan, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency, as helicopters and aid ships were taking hours to reach affected areas.

"Some villages in the remote island can't be reached so far," said Mr Winerungan. "We're working on it."

Search teams have found bodies strewn along beaches and roadsides as they scour the islands.

However, many are still looking for their loved ones, even as the fear grows that they will not find them alive.

Indonesian officials said locals had been given no indication of the coming wave, as a high-tech tsunami warning system installed in the wake of 2004's giant Indian Ocean tsunami was not working.

Two buoys monitoring rising water levels off the Mentawai islands had been vandalised and were out of service, officials told the BBC.

But even a functioning warning system may not have provided sufficient warning, as the epicentre of the earthquake was so close to the islands that residents had just a few minutes following the quake to escape to higher ground.

The vast Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world's most active areas for earthquakes and volcanoes.

More than 1,000 people were killed by an earthquake off Sumatra in September 2009.

In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Aceh triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed a quarter of a million people in 13 countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

Sikakap hospital

Hundreds of injured survivors crowd into makeshift hospital; several villages nearby completely flattened

Macaronis resort

Villas destroyed; only the main building is still standing, which owner Mark Loughran said "saved everybody from being swept away"

Muntei Baru Baru

Entire village flattened, including 70 houses, a school and a church; dozens of victims buried in mass grave

Sabeugungung

Village completely destroyed, with 50 reported dead and 150 missing

Bosua

Some 10 people reported dead and 80 houses destroyed .

BBC: Indonesia's 32 hours of disaster

• 25 Oct, 0600 local time: Highest alert issued for Mt Merapi eruption; villagers advised to leave.

• 25 Oct, 2142: 7.7 magnitude QUAKE near MENTAWAI Islands; tsunami watch issued.

• 26 Oct, 1300: First reports of people missing after TSUNAMI

• 26 Oct, 1402: Mt Merapi ERUPTS.

Danish TV2: INDONESIA: NOW 343 VICTIMS AFTER THE DISASTERS

In despair, exhausted and hungry, the bare-footed 20-year-old Indonesian housewife Chandra is looking for her baby in the destroyed village.

Chandra is one of the survivors on the remote MENTAWAI islands west of Sumatra that was hit by a tsunami.

So far 343 have been killed, and 338 reported missing.

Chandra survived because a palm tree fell down and prevented her from being washed away.

“I am alone and do not know what to do. I do not wish to leave this place where my husband and my baby are buried, says the young girl.

Swedish SVT: ALMOST 400 DEAD AFTER TSUNAMI TRIGGERED BY EARTHQUAKE IN INDONESIA

At least 370 are confirmed drowned in flood / tsunami triggered by the powerful earthquake. The death toll will finally be more than 500 because more than 338 remain missing and the hope of finding them alive is fading.

The EU commission has pledged the equivalent of 14 million DKK in help / aid to the victims.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11641549

28 October 2010 Last updated at 12:42 GMT

INDONESIA's MOUNT MERAPI ERUPTS AGAIN AS VICTIMS BURIED

Rachel Harvey reports on the tsunami victims' funerals

Indonesia's Mount Merapi has erupted for a second time, hours after some of its victims were buried in a mass grave.

The volcano in central Java shot huge clouds of gas and ash into the air on Thursday afternoon, two days after its initial eruption.

At least 32 (34 according to ARD text) people were killed in the first eruption.

Tens of thousands of people remain in temporary shelters, and officials have urged them not to go home.

It was not immediately clear whether the latest eruption had caused any more casualties.

Officials issued the highest alert for the volcano on Monday and told residents to evacuate, but some stayed behind to look after crops and livestock.

A government vulcanologist said that the high alert level would remain.

The threat is still there which is why the status [will] still stay at red," said Surono, who goes by one name.

'Throat burn'

The renewed activity came shortly after at least 20 of those who died were buried in a mass grave in Sidorejo village, south of the volcano.

Coffins were placed in a large grave and covered with bamboo poles.

Relatives scattered flower petals on top before the graves were covered with earth.

Others were buried in private ceremonies, including Maridjan, the elderly man seen by local people as the spiritual guardian of the mountain.

Officials said most of the victims had died from burns or suffocation.

Teams are continuing to search the ash-covered slopes of the volcano for more

victims.

Some of those who did move to government-run camps are reported to be suffering from respiratory and other ailments caused by the volcanic ash.

"The dust gave them throat burn, influenza, respiratory problems and conjunctivitis. That is what we have found so far, most of them children," one paramedic told Reuters news agency.

German ARDtext and ZDFtext: INDONESIA: AT LEAST 370 DIED BY THE DISASTERS ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY, AND MORE THAN 400 ARE STILL MISSING

Danish DR1: NEW RUMBLING FROM INDONESIAN VOLCANO (MOUNT) MERAPI

Mount Merapi erupted last week killing 33 (34) people. The new eruption started today. Clouds of ash were spewed out.

The rumbling might indicate the coming of another big and powerful eruption.

By far most inhabitants in the area have been evacuated.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11643348

28 October 2010 Last updated at 17:53 GMT

AID AGENCIES FEAR HAITI CHOLERA MOVES TOWARDS CAPITAL

Aid agencies in Haiti say they fear that suspected new cases of cholera might mean the epidemic is moving closer to the capital Port-au-Prince.

Suspected cases are being investigated in three new departments, health officials

report.

They said nearly 300 people were now known to have died in the cholera outbreak.

The UN is investigating allegations that excrement from Nepalese peacekeepers caused the epidemic.

The Nepalese camp had become the object of local suspicion partly because cholera is very rare in Haiti but endemic in Nepal.

Tests taken from the peacekeepers' camp and adjacent waters last week were found to be negative, said a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Results from additional tests taken at the base this week were expected on Friday, added the spokesman, Martin Nesirky.

Sarah Jacobs from the aid organisation Save the Children told the BBC that 174 new cases of cholera were being investigated in the area around Arcahaie, a village in the northern Port-au-Prince district and about an hour's drive from the capital.

"These suspected cases are much nearer the capital," Ms Jacobs said.

So if this is actually confirmed as cholera as we suspect it will be, it means that the cholera has spread, it's that much nearer to the capital. And that's the thing we really need to avoid," she added.

So far a handful of cases have been reported in Port-au-Prince, but they were all people who had contracted the disease in other parts of the country.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said health workers were now investigating suspected cholera cases in three more departments - Nord, Nordouest and Nordest - in addition to the confirmed cases in Artibonite, Central and Ouest.

At least 292 people had died and more than 4,100 were being treated, PAHO deputy director Jon Kim Andrus said.

But the official case counts almost certainly underestimated the number of people infected, he added.

"We really don't know about communities where diarrhoea cases are occurring but not reaching health centres", Mr Andrus said.

Officials from the World Health Organisation recommended that Haiti should prepare for the disease to spread to Port-au-Prince and warned that the epidemic had not yet reached its peak.

ACCUSATIONS

On Wednesday, UN investigators took samples of waste from a UN base in Mirebalais after allegations that excrement from a newly arrived Nepalese peacekeeping unit had caused the epidemic.

The Associated Press news agency reported that local politicians blame the outbreak on the base, which is perched above the source of the Meille river, a tributary to the Artibonite river.

The Artibonite river is regarded to be the source of most cholera infections on Haiti's central plateau.

The UN rejected the accusations, and said the Nepalese unit at the base used sealed septic tanks.

The spread of the disease has alarmed locals in the region, who have vented their fears on the doctors who have arrived to help them.

A treatment centre set up by the international medical charity MSF in Saint-Marc was attacked by angry locals, who said they were afraid that the facility would bring more cases of the disease to their town.

UN peacekeepers were drafted in to sort out the disturbance, and no injuries were reported.

Health experts say they expect the outbreak will soon lessen but the disease will eventually join malaria and tuberculosis in becoming endemic in Haiti.

Dominican Republic fears

The public information campaign urges people to boil food and water, avoid raw vegetables and regularly wash with soap.

The health ministry has said it will train 30,000 staff over the next few months to join the anti-cholera campaign.

Special treatment centres have been set up in the worst affected area around the Artibonite River, as well as in Port-au-Prince.

Some 1.3 million survivors of January's devastating earthquake are living in tent camps in and around the capital.

Poor sanitary conditions make the camps and slums vulnerable to cholera, which is caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food.

Cholera causes diarrhoea and vomiting leading to severe dehydration, and can kill within 24 hours, but is easily treated through rehydration and antibiotics.

The PAHO said there was a "high risk" cholera could also spread to the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

Authorities there had closed popular farmers' markets on the border but have now reopened them after establishing sanitary controls in the region, the Dominican Republic's health minister said.

German ARDtext: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: INCREASING NUMBER OF CHOLERA INFECTED PEOPLE

There is a good chance that a major cholera disaster can be prevented according to WHO director Claire Chaignat in Geneva.

The number of deaths due to cholera rose to more than 290 people (292) until Wednesday, and more than 4,100 were infected.

Swedish SVT: WHO: MORE THAN 300 (303) CONFIRMED DEAD DUE TO CHOLERA IN HAITI AND ABOUT 5,000 ARE INFECTED

Most cases are recorded by the Artibonite river more than 10 miles north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The disease is not spreading in Port-au-Prince and to the tented villages / tent camps where hundred thousands (1.3 million people) are living under difficult conditions since the earthquake disaster in January 2010.

NEWEST FIGURES: 303 confirmed dead of CHOLERA in HAITI according to WHO and about 5000 infected.

nancyk58 · October 29, 2010

NEWS ON 29 OCTOBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

Danish DR1: FLOODS IN WEST AFRICA

MASSIVE FLOODINGS IN WESTAFRICAN TOGO COST 21 HUMAN LIVES, and 85 are injured according to the authorities.

As many as 82,000 people are AFFECTED by the FLOODS. 7,000 HOMES are DESTROYED.

The rainy season has resulted in FLOODS IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA.

MORE THAN 300 HAVE DIED, whereas 1.5 MILLION ARE AFFECTED BY THE WATER MASSES.

BENIN IS WORST HIT according to the United Nations. AID is URGENTLY NEEDED in several areas in BENIN.

German ZDFtext and ARDtext: VOLCANO ACTIVE AGAIN / RELIEF FOR QUAKE VICTIMS DIFFICULT

3 days after the POWERFUL ERUPTION WITH 34 DEAD, the VOLCANO / MOUNTAIN MERAPI ON the INDONESIAN ISLAND JAVA is ACTIVE AGAIN with clouds of ash and with lava streams. There is no report of casualties.

German ARDtext + Swedish SVT: DEATH TOLL AFTER TSUNAMI RISEN TO 408 IN INDONESIA

More than 300 remain missing. The hope of finding those missing alive is fading.

Even if the tsunami warning system had worked, the death toll would have been very high. Because the islands were so close to the epicentre that there had been no time to warn the inhabitants of the coming tsunami.

The situation is difficult on the MENTAWAI Islands west of SUMATRA where a magnitude 7.7 earthquake and a tsunami destroyed several villages last Monday.

Due to the massive devastation it is difficult to search for those missing. Bad weather is also making the relief efforts difficult.

nancyk58 · October 31, 2010

NEWS ON 30 OCTOBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

NEWS ON 30 OCTOBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

Danish DR1, Swedish SVT + German ZDFtext: MOUNTAIN MERAPI ON INDONESIAN ISLAND, JAVA ERUPTS AGAIN / VOLCANIC ASH REACHES CITY YOGYAKARTA

The eruption started at 1am local time in the night between Friday and Saturday OR at 19 o’clock Friday Central European Time. The duration of the eruption was 21 minutes.

The ash fell down on city Yogyakarta 25 km south of the volcano. Many quarters were covered by a thick, gray layer of ash according to the news agency ANTARA.

Soldiers and policemen fled in panic as Mount Merapi erupted again on Friday night. The roads away from the area were soon crowded. Fleeing policemen and soldiers as well as hundreds of civilians blocked the roads with their cars and motorcycles.

At least two persons were sent to the hospital with burns according to witnesses.

At least 2 are reported dead in the chaos on the roads when hundreds of people tried to flee the lava streams and the rain of ashes according to the news agency AFP.

At least 36 died due to the volcanic eruption on JAVA earlier this week.

MOUNT MERAPI IS THE MOSTACTIVE OF INDONESIA’s 69 VOLCANOES.

More than 50,000 are living in makeshift camps after their evacuation last Monday.

The almosts 3,000m high volcano / Mountain MERAPI erupted again Tuesday after being “sleeping” for 4 years.

Danish TV2 NEWS + DR1 + Swedish SVT: 135 FOUND ALIVE 5 DAYS AFTER POWERFUL INDONESIAN TSUNAMI ON THE NORTH PAGAI aka. PAGAI UTARA ISLAND

They had sought refuge in the mountains over their destroyed homes as they feared new tsunamis.

5 rescuers who were reported missing have been found according to news agency AFP.

Around 13,000 became homeless on the MENTAWAI islands off SUMATRA.

nancyk58 · October 31, 2010

NEWS ON 31 OCTOBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

NEWS ON 31 OCTOBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

Danish DR1 and Swedish SVT: HURRICANE TOMAS THREATENING HAITI / HURRICANE PASSED THE LESSER ANTILLES

The warm water in the Caribbean Sea and the southern Atlantic continues to generate energy for the formation / creation of tropical hurricanes.

Tonight the tropical hurricane TOMAS passed the LESSER ANTILLES on the border between the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. The hurricane reached BARBADOS and St Lucia and St Vincent with wind speeds of more than 40m per second. The category 1 hurricane is now heading for JAMAICA.

Material damage is reported on Barbados and several other islands. House roofs were torn off, and the power supply was affected.

It is feared that TOMAS will affect HAITI where 1.5 million are living in tent camps and where cholera has cost 300 human lives.

Swedish SVT: INDONESIAN VOLCANO CAUSED PANIC

Clouds of gas and ash over the volcano. According to news agency AFP, people fled from the town, Umbulharjo on foot, on motorcycles or by car.

DEATH TOLL AFTER THE TSUNAMI OFF SUMATRA, INDONESIA HAS RISEN TO 435.

110 are missing. Bad weather makes the search after survivors difficult.

nancyk58 · November 1, 2010

NEWS ON 1 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

Danish TV2 News: LAVA STREAMING OUT OF MOUNT MERAPI IN INDONESIA – VILLAGERS FLEEING

Last Tuesday, the 3,000m high MOUNT MERAPI in INDONESIA ERUPTED.

Thousands of villagers were forced to leave their homes.

AT LEAST 31 ARE REPORTED DEAD in the hot clouds / plumes of ash streaming out of the volcano and down the sides of the mountain.

The eruption is clearly not over. Today orange lava streamed out of Mount Merapi for the first time according to BBC News.

Many villagers had returned to their villages to make sure that their houses and domestic animals / pets were okay. They are now fleeing the area again.

German ZDFtext: MOUNT MERAPI ERUPTION IN INDONESIA HAS KILLED 38 SO FAR

In a massive and powerful eruption, ash and rocks were spewed 1,000m up in the air and spread over an area of 6km.

No reports of damage or casualties after the latest eruption which was followed by several explosions.

69,000 villagers have been evacuated from the region to safer ground since the beginning of the eruptions last Tuesday.

So far 38 have DIED.

The 3,000 m high MOUNT MERAPI is among Indonesia’s most active and dangerous volcanoes.

The level of warning / alert for 21 other volcanoes has been increased.

German ARDtext: AT LEAST 3 DEATHS AFTER LANDSLIDES IN NORTH ITALY

NORTH ITALY was struck by FLOODS and LANDSLIDES, and roads were blocked today, Monday when NORTH ITALY was UNDER WATER due to an extended depression bringing storm, heavy rain and thunder.

AT LEAST 2 WERE KILLED BY SEVERAL LANDSLIDES.

Rescue teams recovered the dead bodies of a 39-year-old woman and her 2-year-old child from the masses of mud near MASSA in TOSCANA. A rock slide had destroyed their house.

According to Italian media, the dead body of a 48-year-old man who was trapped by a landslide was recovered Monday afternoon.

nancyk58 · November 3, 2010

NEWS ON 2 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

German ZDFtext and ARDtext: TEN THOUSANDS ARE FLEEING THE WORST FLOODS FOR DECADES IN THAILAND

After 2 days of heavy rain on the border between Thailand and Malaysia, thousands of people have fled their houses due to massive floods in SOUTHERN THAILAND. Worst affected is the Hat Yai district in the Songkhla province where the water level is mostly up to 2 m, but in some areas even 4 m in the streets according to mayor Prai Pattano.

At least 100,000 people are trapped in their houses.

In Hai Yai the roads were blocked and the railway traffic disrupted.

In October more than 100 human lives were lost in NORTHERN THAILAND due to 2 weeks of floods.

In NORTH MALAYSIA ten thousands had to leave their houses / district.

Danish TV2 News: HURRICANE / CYCLONE TOMAS KILLED 12 ON THE ISLAND OF SAINT LUCIA.

Swedish SVT: HAITI PREPARES FOR EVACUATIONS BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF HURRICANE TOMAS

The authorities in HAITI prepare for the evacuation of ten thousands of Haitians from the tented villages where they have lived since the January earthquake.

The evacuation must take place before the tropical storm TOMAS reaches HAITI later this week. TOMAS is expected to gain strength and reach HAITI on Friday.

In the capital, Port-au-Prince, the Civil Defense recommends those living in the cholera-hit camps to leave the tents which may collapse due to the strong winds.

German ZDFtext + ARDtext: INDONESIAN MOUNT MERAPI CONTINUES ITS ERUPTION

Black clouds of smoke are generated by the volcano. The eruption may last several weeks or even months according to the governments’ volcanologists.

Since the beginning of the eruption last Tuesday, almost 70,000 villagers have been evacuated.

SO FAR 38 HAVE DIED due to the powerful eruption last Tuesday. The latest eruption started Monday.

nancyk58 · November 4, 2010

NEWS ON 3 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

Swedish SVT + German ARDtext: NEW ERUPTION IN INDONESIA / MAGNITUDE-6.0 EARTHQUAKE IN EASTERN PART OF INDONESIA

The new eruption is described as more powerful than the one last week when 36 were killed.

Lava, gas and rocks shot up in the air from the crater of MOUNT MERAPI.

Residents in the area panicked, and those living within 15 km of the volcano were told to leave the area.

The eastern part of INDONESIA was shaken by a magnitude-6.0 earthquake today (3.11.10). No reports of damage or casualties according to news agency AFP.

German ZDFtext: THAILAND: TOWN WITH 30,000 INHABITANTS UNDER WATER

A town with 30,000 inhabitants is under water after very heavy rain in Thailand.

80% of Hat Yai in southern Thailand was under water. The water level was 1-2m according to mayor Prai Pattano. The marine provided the inhabitants with necessities and patients were evacuated from the hospitals.

On Monday the region had very heavy tropical rain. Some roads leading to the town had to be cordoned off.

Swedish SVT, German ARDtext + ZDFtext and Danish TV2 News: 2 KILLED BY EARTHQUAKE IN CENTRAL SERBIA

The magnitude of the earthquake which occurred Wednesday morning has been reported to be 5.1, 5.3, 5.4 and 5.6. The epicenter of the earthquake was between 125 and 150 km south / south-west of the capital Belgrade and 2km north of Kraljevo with 70,000 inhabitants.

Local media report that the town KRALJEVO is hard hit. Many buildings have been destroyed, and the electricity, water and telephone connections are down. The earthquake was followed by several aftershocks.

According to Serbia’s Interior Minister a couple who are at least 50 years old died in Kraljevo when their house collapsed. More than 50 are reported injured.

The tremors could be felt in all Serbia including Belgrade 150 km away. In several towns the inhabitants ran out of their houses in panic.

nancyk58 · November 5, 2010

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 4.11.10

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 4.11.10

Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende on 1.11.10: CYCLONE TOMAS CONTINUING ITS RAVAGE / HAITI THREATENED

Bridgetown: After having torn off houseroofs and uprooted trees and electricity poles in the eastern Caribbean, CYCLONE TOMAS weakened to a tropical storm yesterday while moving westwards where the earthquake-stricken HAITI is now threatened.

TOMAS is the 12th hurricane in a very active 2010 hurricane season.

Tomas reached winds of up to 150km/h. Prognoses show that the cyclone may develop into a category 3 or 4 storm tomorrow when passing south of The Dominican Republic and Haiti tomorrow. The wind speeds might reach more than 178km/h. “This is a very dangerous hurricane which has started to gain strength / speed”, said the hurricane expert Jeff Masters.

Last Saturday Tomas swept St. Lucia and St. Vincent where it destroyed many homes, caused power cuts and flooded roads.

Danish TV2 News on 4.11.10: NUMBER OF CHOLERA DEATHS INCREASING CONSIDERABLY IN HAITI

Since Saturday 105 more have died due to cholera in Haiti so that THE CHOLERA DEATH TOLL IS 442 according to Haiti’s health authorities citing BBC.

At the same time the NUMBER OF INFECTED HAS RISEN BY 40% to 6,742 according to the authorities. Since Saturday 2,000 patients have been brought to the hospital with cholera symptoms.

Swedish SVT: NEW TRIALS FOR THE HAITIANS

HUNDRED THOUSANDS OF HAITIANS ARE THREATENED BY MASSIVE FLOODS WHEN TROPICAL STORM, CYCLONE TOMAS REACHES HAITI. Then the CHOLERA EPIDEMIC that has so far COST MORE THAN 440 HUMAN LIVES will worsen according to the United Nations.

The tropical storm TOMAS is expected to reach HAITI on Friday with heavy cloudbursts and waves up to 2-3m.

1.5 MILLION HAITIANS are THREATENED of which many live in tent camps, says Nigel Fisher who is UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Haiti.

Swedish SVT + German ARDtext: AT LEAST 20 DEAD IN MUDSLIDE IN COSTA RICA

At least 20 DIED IN A MUDSLIDE NEAR COSTA RICA’s CAPITAL, SAN JOSÉ today. 12 are missing.

According to rescuers the accident was caused by a wave of mud and rocks damaging houses in the suburb San Antonio de Escazu.

The slide was triggered by heavy rain that caused floods. Hundreds of people were evacuated. Schools were closed in several areas.

President Laura Chinchilla appealed to neighbouring countries for help to reach inaccessible parts of Costa Rica.

FLOODS AND LANDSLIDES HAVE KILLED AROUND 300 IN CENTRAL AMERICA IN 2010.

Swedish SVT: MORE PEOPLE IN INDONESIA EVACUATED AFTER VOLCANIC ERUPTION

Additional 15,000 living near Indonesia’s volcano – MOUNT MERAPI – have been ordered by the authorities to leave their homes.

Today’s eruption was the most powerful in one week, AP writes. Experts think that it might get worse: “Hot steam and volcanic material shot up in the air”. No reports of casualties after today’s powerful eruption.

Last week, 36 died after several volcanic eruptions.

nancyk58 · November 5, 2010

NEWS ON 5 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

Danish TV2 News / DR1 + German ZDFtext: FEAR OF HURRICANE “TOMAS” WHICH HAS COST 3 HAITIAN LIVES

A new natural disaster is threatening the Haitians 10 months after the powerful earthquake in January 2010: The hurricane “TOMAS” which reached the Caribbean state Friday at noon central European time with heavy rain and stormy winds – up to 130 km per hour. The storm seems to have lost strength, but it is still feared that the storm will have devastating consequences for the Haitians.

In the last couple of days Haiti’s inhabitants have prepared for the storm.

More than 1 million Haitians (seen the figures 1.3 and 1.5 million people) continue to live in tent camps in the capital, Port-au-Prince after the earthquake 10 months ago, i.e. in January 2010.

Both the government and relief organizations / aid agencies have appealed to the earthquake victims who are living in the tent camps around the capital, Port-au-Prince to leave their emergency shelter. But the Haitians are reluctant to do so out of fear that the camps will then be closed. And where to go?

The relief organizations prepare for a race against time to bring the homeless to a safer place. Some people have been evacuated, but in that connection there has been some unrest as the inhabitants fear that they cannot return as the tent camps will be closed. They do not want to lose that little they have left.

Due to the enormous amount of rain, floods might come down from the mountain sides and worsen the situation in cholera-stricken Haiti. The situation is not expected to be better before in 36 hours at the earliest.

380 mm rain is expected in only 24 hours!! The centre of “TOMAS” will pass near the western HAITI.

More than 300,000 died in the devastating earthquake in January 2010, and 1.5 million Haitians became homeless.

German ARDtext evening plus DR1 News / TV2 News: HURRICANE NOW RAVAGING HAITI

Numerous towns in the earthquake-marked Caribbean state were fully flooded as “TOMAS” swept the western part of HAITI with heavy rain and storms.

Close to the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince, a tent camp – the home of earthquake victims - was fully flooded.

Danish DR1/TV2 news, Swedish SVT and German ZDFtext: AT LEAST 77 DIED IN THEIR BEDS IN JAVA, INDONESIA DUE TO A NEW VOLCANIC ERUPTION FROM MOUNT MERAPI

Mount Merapi erupted again today in its most powerful eruption for more than 100 years – even since 18xx (18 hundred and something).

Red-hot ash / lava killed at least 77 people burying them as they were lying in their beds or before they could get out of their houses.

Some villagers managed to flee the streams of ash and lava.

According to the authorities 77 are confirmed killed by today’s eruption and about 160 are injured with serious burns, many of them children from the village Argomulyo 18 km from the crater of the volcano. Villages within 18 km were set on fire by the streams of lave / red-hot ash and fully destroyed.

The authorities extended the danger zone from 15 to 20 km around the crater of the volcano. The authorities ordered the villagers to leave the danger zone, but many refused to do so because they did not want to risk losing their cattle.

Rescuers have recovered 31 dead bodies in some houses in the villages. The victims were still lying in their beds, and their bodies were burnt.

120 have died since Mount Merapi’s first eruption on 26 October.

nancyk58 · November 7, 2010

NEWS ON 6 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11700977

6 November 2010 Last updated at 00:15 GMT

FATAL FLOODS AS HURRICANE TOMAS SWEEPS OVER HAITI

Heavy rain from Hurricane Tomas has battered WESTERN HAITI, causing FLOODS which have killed at least four people.

The eye of the storm clipped the island with winds of 140km/h (85mph). Up to 25cm of rain was forecast.

There is a danger of MUDSLIDES and further flooding, which could worsen the current cholera epidemic affecting parts of the country.

But the storm appeared to have spared the hundreds of thousands of people who rode it out in flimsy tent camps.

The BBC's Laura Trevelyan, in Haiti, said many people have already spent one miserable, windy, muddy night in exposed conditions.

The government had urged those living in tented homes to find better shelter, but many said they had nowhere to go.

Our correspondent says that the storm has underlined the fact that nearly a year after Haiti's devastating earthquake, more than 1.3m people are still living in makeshift canvas homes.

CHOLERA FEARS

Rains continued off and on for hours after the storm moved on to Cuba.

And there were fears that the death toll could rise once isolated areas of the country were reached.

On Friday evening, the southern town of LEOGANE was completely under water three metres (10 feet) deep in places, civil defence official Philippe Joseph was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.

"We are going to have more victims because of the floods and mudslides, but we cannot yet reach the communities most affected," the official said.

In the city of Port-au-Prince, Haitians were up to their ankles in water in some of the refugee camps that have grown up around the city since the earthquake.

There are fears that the conditions could help incubate and facilitate the spread

of cholera, our correspondent says.

Few refugees heeded the government warning to evacuate, although mothers and babies were evacuated from an exposed camp near the mountains, our correspondent says.

Four people were killed attempting to cross rivers by car or on foot in the mountainous region to the west of Leogane, Haitian officials said. Two more people were missing in Leogane.

SITUATION 'PRECARIOUS'

President Rene Preval had earlier pleaded with people to "protect" their lives. But he acknowledged that the authorities did not "have enough places [on buses] to move everyone".

TWO CATASTROPHES that we are managing. The first is the HURRICANE and the second is CHOLERA," the president said in a television and radio address.[/color]

Stefano Zannini, Medecins Sans Frontieres' head of mission in Haiti, described the situation as "precarious".

The US National Hurricane Center has warned of hurricane conditions - winds of 74mph or greater - for HAITI, the south-eastern BAHAMAS, the CAICOS ISLANDS and the CUBAN province of Guantanamo.

It also issued a tropical storm warning for JAMAICA and the CUBAN PROVINCES of Santiago de Cuba and Holguin. Doctors have warned that torrential rain could flood sanitary installations and contaminate drinking water, worsening a cholera epidemic in the country.

On Wednesday health officials said there had been a 40% jump in the number of new cholera cases and the death toll was 442, with 105 more deaths since Saturday.

Danish TV2 news + DR1 + Swedish SVT: HURRICANE TOMAS IN HAITI HAS COST 6 HUMAN LIVES

So far 6 people has been killed in Haiti by the hurricane Tomas which hit the Caribbean state on Friday.

The enormous amounts of rain that fell over HAITI caused the loss of human lives. The victims died due to the floods or because their houses collapsed according to local media.

The relief organizations estimate that HAITI has got off cheap from the hurricane.

It was feared that the flimsy refugee camps established after the January earthquake could not withstand the rain.

The tropical storm passed during the daytime between CUBA and HAITI. So far only 7 deaths have been reported compared to the hurricanes in 2004 and 2008 when thousands of people died.

As expected the storm has damaged the tent camps where many earthquake victims have lived since the January earthquake.

German ARDtext and ZDFtext: HURRICANE TOMAS SWEEPS OVER HAITI – AT LEAST 4 DIED

The seaport LEOGANE was flooded, and at least 2 were missing according to the authorities.

The town is situated in south-west Haiti and was 90% destroyed in the devastating earthquake in January.

Numerous families fled the floods thus leaving their emergency / makeshift shelters.

Relief organizations feared that the tropical storm could lead to a further spread of cholera in Haiti. The max speed reached by hurricane Tomas was 140 km per hour.

Also the streets in capital Port-au-Prince are partly under water.

Danish DR1, evening: HAITI GOT OFF CHEAP FROM HURRICANE TOMAS

According to Peder Damm who is Danish Red Cross’ country coordinator for Haiti, the country got off much cheaper than expected.

Many houses are partly under water. “200-300 tents have been destroyed, but it could have been much worse. It’s over in 3-4 days.”

He has received information that 2 died due to the hurricane. Earlier, several media reported that 6 have been killed in the hurricane.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11704165

6 November 2010 Last updated at 14:50 GMT

Several airlines have temporarily suspended flights between Singapore and Jakarta because of volcanic ash spewing from Mount Merapi in central Java.

Among those affected were Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific.

Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, began erupting two weeks ago and has killed more than 130 people.

Airline officials say the ash is a safety threat and could damage aircraft. Domestic flights have been unaffected.

Azharuddin Osman, director of operations for Malaysia Airlines, said "the volcanic ash presence in the airways surrounding Jakarta could cause severe damage to our aircraft and engines, which could impair the safety of our operations."

Indonesia has already been forced to close its international airport at Yogyakarta and divert flights to the nearby city of Solo. A Silkair flight to Solo was also cancelled.

Mount Merapi has been producing thick clouds of ash and superheated gases in its biggest eruption in a century. In addition to the loss of life, some 200,000 people have been evacuated from the area.

HOT ASH

Officials say about 85 people died when the last major eruption on Friday blasted hot ash and molten debris into local communities. Scores more suffered severe burns.

A mass burial is being prepared for dozens of victims from the village of Argomulyo 18km (11 miles) from the crater.

Rescue teams were still picking through the rubble of villagers' homes on Saturday.

One rescuer, named Utha, told AFP news agency: "I found three bodies - a child, mother and father, still in their bed. They must have been sleeping when the hot ash struck their house. "We also found a dead man with a phone still in his hand.

Danish DR1 and Swedish SVT: MASS BURIAL FOR VICTIMS OF VOLCANIC ERUPTION

The death toll since Mount Merapi had its first eruption in more than 100 years is stated to be 128.

For the first time today, the ash disrupted air traffic to and from the region including the capital Jakarta.

200,000 have now been evacuated, and all have been asked to leave the danger zone.

90 lost their lives after yesterday’s powerful eruption. 130 have died since the eruption started.

We will have a mass burial for dozens of people who died in the town of Argomulyo, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho from the Civil Defense. The eruption started on 26 October.

German ARDtext and ZDFtext: MOUNT MERAPI ERUPTIONS: DEATH TOLL RISES TO AT LEAST 138

Almost 200,000 inhabitants had to be placed in makeshift shelters.

Volcanologists recorded new activity in the crater. "The situation remains dangerous", said Sutopo Nugroho from the authority in charge of disaster management.

The airport in nearby town Yoguakarta was buried in a layer of volcanic ash and remained closed.

According to a hospital in Sardjito, 20 patients died from injuries caused by a cloud of fire and gas. Numerous victims had been hospitalized there - some with burns on 95% of their bodies.

The volcano continues to spew small clouds of ash in the air.

Several airlines including Lufthansa have cancelled flights to Jakarta due to the ash clouds.

The volcano is situated in the middle of the island of JAVA - 450 km from the capital, Jakarta.

nancyk58 · November 7, 2010

NEWS ON 7 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

http://www.care2.com/causes/human-rights/blog/helping-benins-flood-victims/

Posted by Nicole Huss

By Kyna Rubin, SOS Children's Villages

Hundreds of thousands of people in West Africa are struggling with floods brought on by unusually heavy seasonal rains. The death toll is 400, with some 1.5 million people displaced, according to United Nations Radio.

The nation of Benin, wedged between Togo and Nigeria, has been especially hard hit, with 680,000 of its 9 million people reportedly affected. The torrential downpours, more than twice the normal amount this time of year, have caused a level of flooding that far exceeds what the population is used to.

An alarming number of cholera infections have been recorded, and sanitation has become a preeminent concern, according to SOS Children's Villages, which has been in Benin for 23 years. Thousands of displaced people have taken shelter in public buildings, while access to clean water is restricted or non-existent. The floods have led to contamination of water used for drinking and cooking.

Health officials say that an outbreak of water-borne diseases, to which children are especially vulnerable, is likely.

Francois Bellet, a UNICEF water and sanitation expert, told United Nations Radio, "Our main concern is that people go back to their destroyed villages and start using the damaged wells which are contaminated. There's a high risk of child mortality and of an epidemic."

Many clinics across the country have been inundated and therefore are unable to function, according to the IRIN news service. This situation limits the care available to help people suffering from diarrhea and water-related infections.

Benin is a poor country whose residents have low literacy rates. According to UNICEF statistics, 47 percent of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day. Poverty and limited education often exacerbate public health problems caused by natural disasters such as floods.

SOS Children's Villages on Site to Provide Emergency Assistance

SOS Children's Villages will launch an emergency relief program in Benin to support 500 children and families affected by the floods. SOS efforts will focus on flood victims in the town of Bonou, in southeastern Benin. In this area crops were destroyed, houses damaged, and livestock decimated. SOS will provide basic necessities such as food, drinking water, mosquito nets, blankets, tents, and medical supplies.

Swedish SVT: COSTA RICA: DEATH TOLL AFTER MUDSLIDE RISEN TO 23

Rescuers recovered 3 more dead bodies on Saturday. The mudslide was caused by heavy rain near the capital San José.

Swedish SVT/German ARDtext + ZDFtext: MORE THAN 500 DEAD DUE TO CHOLERA IN HAITI

7,359 are treated for the disease at the hospital.

Since Wednesday the disease has caused almost 60 new deaths according to the Health Department and more than 600 additional Haitian have been hospitalized.

The first cases of cholera appeared 2 weeks ago. Before then cholera did not appear in the Caribbean state. The infection is mainly caused by contaminated water.

The Haitian authorities fear that the death toll will rise due to Friday's rain and floods after the tropical storm TOMAS.

Out of HAITI's 20 million inhabitants, 1.3 million are living in tents, refugee camps or are sleeping in the open which implies a HIGH RISK of RAPID SPREADING of CHOLERA INFECTION.

Danish TV1, TV2 news, Swedish SVT and German ARDtext: CHAOS IN AIR TRAFFIC AFTER THE VOLCANIC ERUPTION

The ash cloud after volcano Mount Merapi's eruption might result in chaos in the air traffic in Indonesia on Sunday.

- 50 flights to and from Jakarta have been cancelled as a precautionary measure - in particular flights passing Singapore.

The DEATH TOLL has been corrected to 117 Sunday and will rise further.

On Tuesday, US president Obama is scheduled to visit Indonesia, and he plans to come to Indonesia despite the volcanic eruption and the ash clouds. But the situation is observed carefully.

The volcanic eruption has resulted in a 6,000m high ash column. Enormous explosions could be heard - coming from the crater. The volcanic ash made Lufthansa and numerous other airlines cancel their flights to Jakarta which is located 550 km from the volcano.

So far more than 128 have died due to the volcano and more than 150,000 had to be evacuated.

nancyk58 · November 8, 2010

NEWS ON 8 NOVEMBER 2010 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11709101

8 November 2010 Last updated at 12:04 GMT

CHOLERA MAY HAVE REACHED HAITIAN CAPITAL, SAYS DOCTOR

A doctor in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, says she has seen cases of suspected cholera, sparking fears that the epidemic has spread to the city.

Dr Kara Gibson of the American charity Samaritan's Purse told the BBC that some people in the city's biggest slum have symptoms of the disease.

The country's health ministry says 501 have died from the disease so far. But health workers say the figure could be higher as many areas have been cut off by flooding after Hurricane Tomas.

More than 7,000 people have been infected across the country, according to the ministry.

Haitian officials have not confirmed the presence of cholera in the city, but there has been concern that the disease is spreading.

'Maxed out'

The BBC's Laura Trevelyan says diarrhoea is common in the country, because so many live in cramped and unhygienic conditions, often without toilets.

But some patients in the slum of Cite Soleil, in Port-au-Prince, have a more severe form of watery diarrhoea - which Dr Gibson says appears to be cholera.

She says there are concerns that the disease will now spread even faster, despite humanitarian efforts to stem it.

"Now that it is in Cite Soleil, you can expect to see it just explode," Dr Gibson told the BBC.

"The hospital in that areas is already at capacity. It is maxed out in a manner of a day and there is just no other site," she says.

Local authorities and relief agencies have been attempting to get clean drinking water to those areas worse affected by Hurricane TOMAS, which caused flooding and left eight people dead.

There was flooding in Leogane, Les Cayes, Jacmel and Gonaives, while many mountain towns have been cut off by flooded roads and landslides.

Although the hurricane passed without destroying the tented camps in and around the capital - which house about 1.3 million survivors of January's earthquake - there were fears over the increased risk of cholera.

Cholera is caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food.

It causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to severe dehydration, but can kill quickly. It is treated easily through rehydration and antibiotics.

On Friday, Haiti's government and the United Nations appealed to donors for nearly $19m (£11.7m) to cover urgent humanitarian needs.

BBC World News: RAINY AND STORMY WINDS BATTER UK

The first major storms of autumn are sweeping across the UK, with downpours and gusts of up to 65mph.

Motorists are advised to drive with extreme caution after reports of flooding and debris on the roads following overnight storms.

Roads Service NI has said it dealt with 49 fallen trees and there could also be ice in some areas.

The Glenshane Pass which was affected by snow was treated on Sunday night and is expected to be clear of snow on Monday.

nancyk58 · November 8, 2010