NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

[Cobalt]

Sisterling got out of Moree on Saturday and is now chillin' in Melb

[nancyk58]

Sisterling got out of Moree on Saturday and is now chillin' in Melb

 

Nice to know. Thanks Emma. All the best to you and your family.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 8 FEBRUARY, 2012

 

So far 470 have died in East Europe due to the cold weather. 135 hereof - mainly homeless - died in Ukraine (info from Ukraine's health ministry).

 

In Italy, 40 are dead since the beginning of February due to the cold weather.

 

Source: German text-TV / ZDF text

[nancyk58]

News in relation to natural disasters on 9 February 2012

 

 

WINTER WEATHER COST 44 HUMAN LIVES IN ALGERIA IN NORTH AFRICA

 

The authorities have been criticized for not acting adequately in connection with the emergency.

 

The Algerian radio station Channel 3 cites official sources for saying that 30 were killed in traffic accidents. 14 died due to too low body temperatures due to inadequate / insufficient heating.

 

Source: Danish text-TV on TV2 News on 9.2.12

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 11 FEBRUARY, 2012

 

FROZEN DANUBE / DONAU STOPS SHIP TRAFFIC

 

 

Thick ice has blocked Danube's flow through 5-6 countries in one of Europe's busiest water thoroughfares (waterways).

 

Danube - the 2,860km long river, which flows through 9 countries and that is decisive for transportation, power, irrigation, industries and fishing, is partly or wholly blocked by ice from Austria and to the mouth at the Black Sea.

 

Among the countries affected is SERBIA where a government ban against using all the country's rivers and lakes is expected to continue (be maintained) for the next 10 days.

 

Source: 24 Timer (Danish free paper) on 10 February, 2012 citing ritzau / AFP as sources of information

 

 

DEATH TOLL NOW 550 AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE COLD WEATHER IN EUROPE

 

Thousands are hospitalized with frost-related injuries (such as frostbite) according to the news agency AFP.

 

Rumania and Ukraine are very hard hit.

 

In one day, 8 died in Rumania bringing the death toll in Rumania up to a total of 65.

 

The death toll in UKRAINE has passed 131.

 

Source: Danish text-Tv on TV2 News

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 12 JANUARY, 2012

 

AVALANCHE BURIED THE TOWN RESTELICA IN SOUTHERN KOSOVO / KOSOVA KILLING 7 PEOPLE

 

On Saturday, 11 February the avalanche buried 15 houses. 7 died, and 3 are still missing according to the police.

 

Inhabitants in the town and rescue team rescued a girl from one of the buildings. The girl was alive and taken to the hospital.

 

More than 500 - according to other sources more than 550 - have died in Europe due to the long period of freezing temperatures - in some areas down to minus 40 degrees Celsius.

 

Source: Swedish text-TV / SVT Text

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 13 FEBRUARY, 2012

 

 

215 DEAD IN COLD WEATHER IN RUSSIA

 

215 people have so far died in Russia between 1 January and 13 February, 2012. Only 5 days ago, the Russian health authorities stated the death toll to be 110.

 

More than 5,500 - including 150 children - suffer from too cold body temperatures and frostbites.

 

In the past 3 weeks in Russia the temperatures have been up to 14 degrees lower than average. The cold weather this winter has lasted longer than normal. Monday morning the temperature was minus 28 degrees. In Moscow the temperature was measured to be minus 20 Monday afternoon.

 

More than 600 have died in the cold weather in Europe since New Year, and with the 215 dead in Russia since the beginning of 2012, the total death toll = number of deaths in Europe due to cold weather during this period is more than 800.

 

Now Western Europe has got warmer weather again. Massive snowfall has been reported in Rumania and Bulgaria.

 

Sources: German text-TV / ZDF Text + Norwegian text-TV / NRK + Danish text-TV / DR Text

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NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 14 FEBRUARY, 2012

 

 

POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE IN EASTERN JAPAN ON TUESDAY 14 FEBRUARY

 

The epicentre of today's magnitude 6.0 earthquake was 166 north / north-east of Tokyo according to US Geological Survey (USGS).

 

Buildings were swaying during the quake.

 

No tsunami alert was issued.

 

No further damage to the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

 

 

Also the SOLOMON ISLANDS were hit by a powerful earthquake on Tuesday - here the magnitude was 6.5.

 

Source: Norwegian text-tv on NRK

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 20 FEBRUARY, 2012

 

 

COLD WEATHER IN AFGHANISTAN HAS KILLED AT LEAST 40 CHILDREN THIS LAST MONTH

 

Aid agencies sound the alarm because even lower temperatures, i.e. down to minus 17 degrees Celsius (-17) - have been forecast for the coming days.

 

This winter is the worst for 15 years in Afghanistan.

 

24 children died of the cold on the outskirts of the capital KABUL in refugee camps housing thousands of people having fled war and threaths from Taliban in the southern part of Afghanistan.

 

Other died of the cold in mountainous parts in central Afghanistan according to a spokesman for the health ministry / department who talked to AFP.

 

According to SAVE THE CHILDREN families need CLOTHES, BLANKETS, SHOES, FOOD and FUEL.

 

Sources: Danish Text-TV (DR Text) + Norwegian text-TV (NRK)

 

 

 

AVALANCHE KILLED 4 SKIERS IN THE US STATE OF WASHINGTON

 

8 people who had been reported missing were later accounted for.

 

3 died when an avalanche hit near Stevens Passin of mountain range Cascade Mountains in the northern part of Washington according to a spokesperson for the police in Kings county.

 

The avalanche hit a road about 3 km from Stevens Pass and about 16 km from the town of Skykomish.

 

A 41-year-old man from Seattle who was snowboarding off-piste was killed by an avalanche at Alpental ski resort.

 

The area got up to 90 cm snow the last couple of days, and the snow triggered several avalanches in the area.

 

Sources: Danish text-TV (DR Text), Swedish text-TV (SVT Text) and BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17092780

 

 

THE MASSIVE FLOOD IN THAILAND LAST FALL / AUTUMN HAMPERS GROWTH. CONSEQUENCE: THAILAND'S ECONOMY REDUCED BY 9% COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD IN 2010

 

Thailand experienced a season of unusually massive rain that caused massive flooding that hit large parts of the capital BANGKOK last fall / autumn.

 

Source: Danish text-TV (DR Text)

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17100001

 

20 February 2012 Last updated at 14:06 GMT

 

Boats sink in Belgrade as thaw causes Danube ice chaos

 

A rapid thaw has brought chaos to the River Danube in the Serbian capital Belgrade, where ice damaged boats, pontoons and floating restaurants.

 

The thick ice covered one of Europe's busiest waterways during the recent freeze, but began to break up on Sunday as temperatures rose.

 

In Belgrade, boats crashed into each other but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

 

One boat owner said the ice had moved so fast, boats could not be saved.

 

"The damage will be hundreds of thousands of euros for sure," Dragan Jovanovic was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

 

Another boat owner, Mihailo Svilaric, told Reuters only a "handful" of boats remained intact out of about 100 moored in the the Serbian capital's Kapetanija marina.

 

Debris was scattered among the breaking ice for hundreds of metres along the river, and several floating restaurants, barges and boats were beached on river banks after the ice snapped anchor lines.

 

'Complacency'

 

The Danube flows 2,860km (1,777 miles) through nine countries and is vital for transport, power and industry.

 

It has been almost entirely frozen from Austria to the Black Sea, the Associated Press news agency reports.

 

Ice more than 30cm (11in) thick in places broke up over the weekend as temperatures rose.

 

Belgrade resident Miroslav Jagas told AP he believed that complacency had aggravated the problems caused by the freezing weather.

 

"We have not seen weather like this in a long time," he said.

 

"People were relaxed, the boats stayed there, the icebreakers did not remove the ice on time."

 

At least 20 people have died from the cold in Serbia in recent weeks and economists say damage from the cold snap may cost Serbia as much as 500m euros (£415m; $660m).

 

Hundreds of people remain stranded by snow and ice in rural areas, where they can only be reached by helicopter.

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 26 FEBRUARY, 2012

 

 

MAGNITUDE 5.9 EARTHQUAKE HITS TAIWAN

 

A powerful earthquake hits Taiwan's second-largest town of KAOHSIUNG today (i.e. on sunday 26.2.12). This was reported by US Geological Survey according to the news agency AFP.

 

The earthquake was measured at 5.9 on the Richter scale and had its epicentre 57 km east of the Asian city at a depth of only 4 km.

 

The Hong Kong observatory measured the quake at 6.0 on the Richter scale, whereas Taiwan's seismological center measured the tremors at 6.1.

 

The inhabitants of Kaohsiung ran out in the streets in panic as they feared that the buildings would collapse.

 

No reports of casualties.

 

Taiwan is often hit by earthquakes.

 

2,300 people were killed in 1999 by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake.

 

Sources: Text-TV from Denmark (DR1 + TV2 News) and Germany (ZDFtext)

 

 

MAGNITUDE 6.8 EARTHQUAKE IN RUSSIA

 

There has been a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in the Russian republic of TUVA near the border to Mongolia.

 

The epicentre of the quake was 10 miles east of the capital KYZYL.

 

No reports of casualties or any damage caused by the quake.

 

Source: Swedish text-TV (SVT Text) on Sunday 26.2.12

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News in relation to natural disasters

 

 

35 CHILDREN FROZEN TO DEATH IN THE NORTH-EASTERN AFGHANISTAN DURING THE LAST 2 DAYS

 

The children died in districts in the Badakhshan province after large amounts of snow caused closed roads.

 

It is the coldest winter for 15 years in Afghanistan.

 

One week ago, the health department / ministry reported that almost 40 children had died due to the very cold weather during the last month.

 

More than half of the children had died in refugee camps in the outskirts of Kabul.

 

 

Source: Norwegian text-TV / NRK

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 29 FEBRUARY, 2012

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17210325

 

29 February 2012 Last updated at 19:03 GMT

 

US Midwest storm leaves nine dead and dozens injured

 

At least nine people have been killed by a storm system in the US Midwest that brought devastation to parts of Illinois, Missouri and Kansas.

 

Six died in Harrisburg, Illinois, and another died near Buffalo, Missouri, while more than 30 were hurt.

 

US officials earlier reported 13 deaths, before revising down the death toll.

 

Rescue workers are searching for survivors trapped in wrecked homes, including a trailer park near Buffalo.

 

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has declared a state of emergency.

 

The mayor of Harrisburg, Eric Gregg, told CNN: "We've got homes toppled, cars thrown in lakes. You can't imagine how devastating it is until you're there."

 

"In small communities it's just heart-breaking - we all know each other, we all care very much about each other."

 

In downtown Branson, Missouri, a country music hub, debris and scattered road signs littered the streets.

 

One witness, John Moore, who owns a diner that was damaged in the storm, said a twister rampaged down the main street, appearing to "jump side to side".

 

"The theatre next to me kind of exploded. It went everywhere. The hotels on the two sides of me lost their roofs. Power lines are down. Windows are blown out," he added.

 

"There's major, major destruction. There has to be millions dollars of damage all down the strip."

 

Branson is about 110 miles (177km) from Joplin, where a deadly tornado in May 2011 killed 161 people.

 

The tornadoes are said to have been generated by a cold storm moving down from the Rocky mountains that hit a warm front as it moved east, said Corey Mead, lead forecaster at the US Storm Prediction Center, Oklahoma.

 

Sixteen twisters were sighted in the US states of Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky.

 

Tornado season begins in March, but correspondents say twisters are not unusual earlier in the year.

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 1 MARCH, 2012

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17210325

 

US Midwest storm leaves 12 dead and dozens injured

 

At least 12 people have been killed by a storm system in the US Midwest that brought devastation to parts of Illinois, Missouri and Kansas.

 

Three people died in Tennessee hours after reports of deaths in Illinois and in Missouri.

 

More than 100 were hurt and buildings badly damaged across multiple states, with at least 16 tornado sightings.

 

Rescue workers are searching for survivors trapped in wrecked homes, including a trailer park near Buffalo.

 

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon have declared a state of emergency.

 

It is not clear if the reported tornados were the cause of the deaths in Tennessee.

 

'Major destruction'

 

The mayor of Harrisburg, Illinois, Eric Gregg, told CNN: "We've got homes toppled, cars thrown in lakes. You can't imagine how devastating it is until you're there."

 

He added that he was optimistic that rescue teams would be able to find survivors.

 

In Missouri, the towns of Branson, Buffalo, Cassville, Lebanon and Oak Ridge suffered extensive damage.

 

In downtown Branson, Missouri, a country music hub, debris and scattered road signs littered the streets.

 

One witness, John Moore, who owns a diner damaged in the storm, said a twister rampaged down the main street, appearing to "jump side to side".

 

"The theatre next to me kind of exploded. It went everywhere. The hotels on the two sides of me lost their roofs. Power lines are down. Windows are blown out," he added.

 

"There's major, major destruction. There has to be millions dollars of damage all down the strip."

 

Branson is about 110 miles (177km) from Joplin, where a deadly tornado in May 2011 killed 161 people.

 

The tornadoes are said to have been generated by a cold storm moving down from the Rocky mountains that hit a warm front as it moved east, said Corey Mead, lead forecaster at the US Storm Prediction Center, Oklahoma.

 

Sixteen twisters were sighted in the US states of Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky.

 

 

Tornado season begins in March, but correspondents say twisters are not unusual earlier in the year.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17216408

 

1 March 2012 Last updated at 04:03 GMT

 

Australia state of New South Wales hit by floods

 

Torrential rain has brought flooding to the Australian state of New South Wales and forced evacuations in some areas.

 

Large parts of the state were either flooded or under threat, local media said. Canberra had received its entire monthly average rainfall in one day.

 

The rain has been caused by a weather system moving across southern and central parts of the state.

 

Several roads are said to be closed and a dam to the west of Sydney was reportedly at risk of overflowing.

 

"We've got a very serious situation developing in New South Wales, about 75% of the state is flood-affected or in flood watch," State Emergency Services spokesman Dieter Geske told ABC News.

 

"This rain band has been an extraordinary event as in we rarely see rain of this magnitude in this part of the state, and we rarely see a low trough hang around for as long as this trough's going to."

 

The Age newspaper reported that Canberra had been hit by 53mm of rain in 24 hours, compared to an average monthly total of 50.7mm.

 

Evacuations had been ordered in at least four areas of New South Wales, including in Cooma where two creeks were said to be rising rapidly.

 

The Bureau of Meteorology said some areas in New South Wales could expect more than 100mm of rain on Thursday and warned of possible flash floods in the coming days.

 

Northern parts of the state and southern areas of Queensland were also hit by flooding last month.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 3 MARCH, 2012

 

 

CONTINUED RAVAGING OF TORNADOES / TWISTERS IN CENTRAL USA

 

28 people have lost their lives in tornadoes ravaging 8 US sates in the central USA, and at least 8 are seriously injured.

 

The ravaging of the tornadoes across the central parts of the USA has cost at least 28 human lives in 3 US states. A small town - Marysville - in the southern Indiana is reported totalled destroyed. So according to the news agency AP citing the media newsday.com.

 

It is not clear whether anybody lost their lives here.

 

SO FAR 13 DIED IN INDIANA - 12 IN KENTUCKY + 2 IN OHIO. .

 

On TV you could see pictures of houses torn to pieces, totally destroyed - a bus was thrown through a wall and uprooted trees.

 

According to the authorities, the damage is worst in the south-eastern INDIANA - i.a. in the communities Henryville and Marysville and in Pekin and New Pekin.

 

The US weather warning service recorded as many as 74 twisters in 7 US states and warns against the possibility of several, more powerful / massive ones being underway.

 

Earlier this week / Last Tuesday, 13 people died due to tornadoes / twisters. The bad weather is forecast to continue Saturday.

 

Sources: Text-TV in Denmark (DR1) + Sweden ( SVT Text) + Norway (NRK) + Germany (ZDFtext)

 

 

SOUTH-EAST AUSTRALIA FLOODED

 

The heaviest rains for 125 years have caused vast parts of Australia to be under water.

 

Thousands of house owners in South-East Australia were forced / urged by the authorities to leave their houses according to the authorities.

 

Bridges and roads are impassable.

 

About 3,500 inhabitants in New South Wales and in the north-western part of the city of SYDNEY are affected.

 

More than 3/4 of NEW SOUTH WALES IS FLOODED!!

 

"It has been raining for a long period - to a so far unknown extent", said the head of the disaster management authority in New South Wales. This year the region had one of the most rainy summers for decades.

 

In some areas, the amount of rain falling within a few days corresponded to the amount of rain falling in a full, normal year!! [/b][/color]

 

Wydney's Warragamba dam - one of the greatest water reservoirs in the world - is full / filled up for the first time for 14 years.

 

Sources: German text-TV (ARDtext + ZDFtext)

[nancyk58]

Latest on the US TWISTERS:

 

ALMOST 50 DEATHS CAUSED BY TORNADOES / TWISTERS IN THE USA

 

Many deaths have been reported in an "enormous outbreak" of tornadoes in 4 US-states.

 

Today (Saturday 3.3.12) at least 14 deaths have been recorded in INDIANA, 18 in KENTUCKY, 3 in OHIO and 1 in ALABAMA after that the storms have ravaged in these states since Friday.

 

If similar bad weather earlier this week (Tuesday) is included when 13 died, then the number of deaths is close to 50 (36+13).

 

Every house in the little town of MARYSVILLE north of Charlestown in INDIANA is reported destroyed. "Marysville is no more - it is totally destroyed", said Chuck Adams in Clark County to local media.

 

Source: Swedish text-TV (SVT Text)

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MAGNITUDE 5 EARTH QUAKE OFF NORTHERN GREECE

 

An earthquake occurred around 5:30am local time off northern Greece and shook in particular the peninsula of Chalkidiki. Thousands of people woke up due to the earthquake.

 

The quake was measured to be magnitude 5 by the geodynamic Institute in Athens. The quake occurred in a depth of about 10 km.

 

Inhabitants of the holiday resort Sarti told the news agency dpa that the tremors had been very powerful.

 

No reports of any casualties according to the state-run radio.

 

 

 

 

Source: German text-TV (ARDtext)

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISSASTERS ON 6 MARCH, 2012

 

AUSTRALIANS FLEEING WATER MASSES

 

Thousands of Australians have left their homes in the south-eastern part of Australia out of fear of rivers overflowing their banks.

 

The flooding has hit Australia's 3 eastern states - New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria - hard this week and has so far cost 2 human lives (2 men trying to cross the water masses by car).

 

More than 8,000 have been urged to leave their homes in the town of Wagga Wagga in the state of NEW SOUTH WALES. The river Murrumbidgee is at risk of overflowing its banks.

 

In the entire state of NEW SOUTH WALES, about 13,000 people were urged to evacuation. More than 250 houses are already under water.

 

The damage amounts to millions of dollars.

 

Source: Danish text-Tv on TV2 News + German text-TV (ZDFtext) + Swedish text-Tv (SVT Text)

 

 

DAMAGE CAUSED BY NATURAL DISASTERS HAS NEVER BEEN AS HIGH AS IN 2011

 

According to the United Nations, natural disasters in 2011 have reached higher economic damage with at least 287 billion Euro than ever before. The main reasons are the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand (ChristChurch) and the flooding in Thailand.

 

Better pre-warning systems and emergency plans contributed to a lower death toll (= the number of deaths). The economic losses were 2 thirds higher in 2011 than in the so far worst year in terms of catastrophes, i.e. 2005 when a hurricane ravaged the southern USA.

 

Source: German text-TV / ZDFtext

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17273198

 

6 March 2012 Last updated at 18:42 GMT

 

Afghanistan avalanche kills 42 in Badakhshan

 

At least 42 people have been killed and many more are missing in an avalanche in Afghanistan's north-eastern Badakhshan province.

 

The provincial governor's office said that one village near the Tajikistan border had been completely swept away.

 

The number of people killed in the village in Shekay district is expected to rise, a spokesman for the governor told the BBC.

 

Badakhshan is one of the country's poorest and most remote regions.

 

Parts of it are shut off by heavy snow for at least six months every year.

 

The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says Afghanistan is suffering one of its harshest winters in many years.

 

Nasir Hemat, director of the Red Crescent in Badakhshan, said rescue teams had reached the remote site.

 

"There were 190 people living in the village - 39 people have been killed, six injured," he told the BBC.

 

Correspondents say the rescue effort has been hampered because all roads to and from the village are closed. Many more people in the village are missing or presumed dead.

 

Mr Hemat said three people had also died in a nearby district.

 

Officials told the BBC that provincial governor Shah Wali Ullah had been visiting at the time the avalanche hit on Monday night.

 

He was rescued by helicopter and taken to a remote area on the border with Tajikistan, he said.

 

About 60 people have been killed by snow in Badakhshan this year and homes and thousands of cattle have been lost.

 

Up to 4m (13ft) of snow is lying in some areas of the province and roads between the capital, Faizabad, and remote rural areas are impassable.

 

"It has been a tragedy this year," Mr Hemat said.

 

Local officials said in January that the winter conditions were at an emergency level and appealed for help.

 

They repeated their call on Tuesday, because dozens of homes remain at risk from further avalanches.

 

They said that some food, medicine and blankets had arrived from Tajikistan, but it was not nearly enough.

 

 

65 DIED IN STORM IN SOUTHERN PART OF MADAGASKAR

 

At least 65 people lost their lives when the southern part of Madagaskar was hit by a cyclone named IRINA last week that brought a lot of rain and massive/powerful winds.

 

3 people are missing after the storm.

 

At first it was reported that only one person died as the storm passed across Madagaskar last week.

 

The majority of those affected by the storm live in the Ifanadiana district south-east of the big island off Africa's eastern coast.

 

The cyclone moved on to Mozambique and South Africa.

 

Source: Norwegian text-TV (NRK) + Swedish text-TV (SVT Text)

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 7 MARCH, 2012

 

CHOLERA FEAR IN WEST AFRICA

 

UNICEF demands that West Africa does everything to prevent a new outbreak of cholera.

 

Last year, 105,248 cases of cholera were reported in 17 countries according to Unicef. 2,898 of the cases resulted in deaths.

 

Now there is a period between two rain seasons, and the occurrence of cholera is close to zero in the hardest hit countries.

 

UNICEF demands that countries take advantage of the period (between the rainy seasons) to take preventionary measures, so NTB.

 

Source: Norwegian text-TV / NRK

 

 

GAMBIA ASKS FOR HELP

 

The westafrican state of GAMBIA is facing famine and is asking the world community for help. According to Gambia's agricultural ministry 70% of last year's harvest failed. More than 1 million of the 1.7 million inhabitants are dependent on aid according to the ministry.

 

This means that the food crisis in the western part of Africa expands.

 

Aid agencies have warned that in 2012 more than 9 million people in MAURETANIA, NIGER, BURKINA FASO, MALI + TSCHAD are threatened by famine.

 

Source: German text-TV / ARDtext

 

 

DEATH TOLL RISING TO 72 IN THE ISLAND OF MADAGASHAR FOLLOWING CYCLONE IRINA

 

The death toll has risen to 72, and 78,000 have lost their homes after the ravaging of cyclone Irina off the island of Madagaskar.

 

Source: Swedish text-TV / SVT Text

 

 

CITIES FLOODED IN PERU (from Danish TV2 News)

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 8 MARCH, 2012

 

 

AUSTRALIA: FEAR OF DAM BREACH

 

The flooded areas in Australia are expanding. The authorities in the community of Nathalia in the northern part of the state of VICTORIA sounded the alarm. All 1,400 inhabitants have been asked to prepare for evacuation. The dykes that should hold back the water of Broken Creek could breach.

 

"We are preparing for evacuation of all of Nathalia", said the spokesman for the rescue service, Lee Gleeson.

 

In just 7 days, the region about 750 km south-west of Sydney had got as much rain as the region normally gets in one whole year - according to meteorologists.

 

Source: German text-TV ( ARDtext )

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 9 MARCH, 2012

 

13 million Africans are in shortage of food

 

Serious shortage of food threatens about 13 million people in the western and central Africa. And the shortage may develop into a serious crisis if aid does not arrive very soon.

 

So OXFAM writes.

 

It is a dangerous combination of drought, high food prices, poor harvest and poverty that has generated the shortage of food for many million people in CHAD, BURKINA FASO, MALI, MAURETANIA, NIGER and the NORTHERN SENEGAL.

 

Source: Danish text-TV / TV2 news

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 9 MARCH, 2012

 

 

170,000 PEOPLE FLEEING HUNGER IN MALI

 

More than 170,000 people have so far left their home area / region due to clashes between the army and rebels in the northern part of Mali. The United Nations reports this.

 

For the past 2 months there have been hard clashes between the army and rebels in the region that is also hit by a serious food crisis in progress.

 

Source: Norwegian text-TV on NRK

 

 

OXFAM WARNING OF FAMINE IN AFRICA

 

The aid organization Oxfam has warned of a massive famine in the countries in the Sahel zone. [/color]"A coordinated humanitarian action is required in order to prevent ten thousands of childrens from dying" is the wording of an appeal from Oxfam published in the westafrican Senegal.

 

As many as up to 13 million people could be affected by the famine in progress.

 

For the time being the malnourishment rate in Tschad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauretania, Niger and in the northern part of Senegal is between 10 and 15%.

 

Source: German text-TV on ZDFtext

 

 

 

OXFAM: 1 MILLION CHILDREN THREATENED BY MASSIVE AND SERIOUS MALNOURISHMENT IN THE AFRICAN SAHEL ZONE

 

About 1 million children are - according to the international aid agency OXFAM -threatened by "massive malnourishment" in the African Sahel zone.

 

There are several crisis factors inclusive of a period of drought, high food prices, widespread poverty and violent conflicts such as fights between the Tuareg rebels and the army in Mali.

 

If the signals of warning are ignored, then the drought will "soon develop into a disaster".

 

In East Africa last year the world community did not act / respond in time to the hunger disaster there.

 

Source: German text-TV on ZDFtext

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17308913

 

9 March 2012 Last updated at 03:04 GMT

 

Oxfam warns of West Africa drought 'catastrophe'

 

Urgent action is needed to stop drought in West Africa's Sahel region turning into a humanitarian disaster affecting 13 million people, Oxfam says.

 

The charity says the international community waited too long to respond to famine in East Africa last year.

 

Oxfam has launched a £23m ($36m) emergency appeal to help reach more than a million of the most vulnerable.

 

A BBC correspondent says refugees fleeing fighting in northern Mali are adding to the problem.

 

Launching its appeal, Oxfam said that malnutrition rates across Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and northern Senegal are hovering between 10% and 15%, and in some areas have risen beyond the emergency threshold level of 15%.

 

It says that more than one million children in the Sahel region are at risk of severe malnutrition.

 

In parts of Chad, Oxfam says, some villagers are digging up ant hills to gather grain that the ants have stored.

 

The agency says that drought, high food prices, severe poverty and regional conflict are causing the crisis.

 

"Millions of people are on the threshold of a major crisis," said Mamadou Biteye, Oxfam Regional Director for West Africa.

 

"All signs point to a drought becoming a catastrophe if nothing is done soon. The world cannot allow this to happen. A concerted aid effort is needed to stop tens of thousands dying due to international complacency."

 

He added: "We witnessed last year the situation spiralling out of control in East Africa as the aid community failed to act swiftly. The worst can be avoided and thousands of lives will be saved if we act now. It's that simple."

 

BBC world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge says that recent fighting between rebels and the army in northern Mali has caused more than 100,000 people to flee their homes - half of them crossing into Niger and other countries that are already hard-pressed.

 

In January, Oxfam and Save the Children said that thousands of people in East Africa died needlessly from famine last year because the international community failed to heed early warnings.

[chuck kottke]

How great the need is, and something to ponder is long-term solutions to the droughts and food shortages - pondering how much better off we would all be if aid arrived in the form of pumping and desalination equipment, powered by the near-constant sun and winds in the Sahel region.

From famine to productive paradise, I think it's possible - how much more resilient and self-reliant the people there would be, and able to help others as well - problems like these we must work to make a thing of the past.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 10 MARCH, 2012

 

 

AFGHANISTAN: 145 PEOPLE DIED IN AN AVALANCHE

 

At least 145 people are missing and they are presumably dead after a village in north-eastern Afghanistan was hit by several avalanches last week. So the United Nations reported today, Saturday.

 

The Shekay district in the mountainous Badakhshan province has been hit by a number of avalanches since 4 March 2012.

 

UNs humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan fears that in addition the population may be hit by flooding as a consequence of melting snow in the coming weeks.

 

Afghanistan is hit by the hardest winter for 15 years that has already caused the loss of many human lives.

 

Source: Norwegian text-TV on NRK

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 12 MARCH, 2012

 

 

NEW DEADLY AVALANCHE IN AFGHANISTAN

 

At least 45 people have died in a new avalanche in Afghanistan today / Monday, 12.3.12 after the country has experienced its worst winter for 30 years.

 

The avalanche occurred in the Nuristan province situated in eastern part of Afghanistan on the border to Pakistan.

 

The avalanche is said to have buried 13 houses, and several roads are reported to be closed. Consequently, it is difficult for rescuers to come to the affected area.

 

Only one week ago, at least 50 people lost their lives after an avalanche in the Badakhstan province in the northern part of the country. So far this winter, at least 90 people have died in this province.

 

Source: Norwegian text-TV on NRK + Swedish text-TV / SVT Text + German text-TV / ARDtext

 

 

MILLIONS IN NEED OF URGENT HELP IN NIGER

 

More than 6 million people in NIGER need immediate help / aid as the country is facing shortage of food as a consequence of drought and a number of other factors. So the United States and the aid agency OXFAM report.

 

"The situation for the population - in particular women an children - is deteriorating quickly", said the organizations in a statement Monday.

 

They hope for a prompt and massive response in order to prevent the situation from becoming irrevocable and in order to further sustainable / durable solutions. So the news agency AFP writes.

 

Source: Swedish text-TV / SVT Text

 

 

THREATENING DROUGHT IN SPAIN

 

For months vast parts of Spain have seen no rain. According to the stately Meteorological Institute, Spain experiences its most dry winter for 40 years. The drought is expected to continue until the end of this month.

 

Agricultural Minister Miguel Angel Arias Canete talked about "a worrying" situation.

 

As a consequence of the drought, Spain has experienced unusually many wildfires in the first months of 2012 - in particular in Catalonia and Galicia.

 

The Spanish peasants fear considerable losses in connection with the harvest of products such as legumes, crops, melons and olive.

 

Source: German text-TV / ZDFtext

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 16 MARCH, 2012

 

 

MAGNITUDE 5.9 EARTHQUAKE SHOOK THE PHILIPPINES

 

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the southern part of the Philippines today / Friday 16.3.12 causing the masses to flee into a shopping centre in the province capital Surigao City with 20 injured.

 

The tremor near the province Surigao del Norte caused only little damage according to the authorities. But a teacher and 2 pupils were injured in a school.

 

The Philippines is situated in the socalled Ring of Fire in the Pacific, and there are often quakes and volcanic activities.

 

Source: German text-TV / ARDtext