"Throat of Fire" Produces Fire - Volcano in Ecuador Erupts

Ecuador - As the country's National Agency of Risk Control issued a 'red alert' a few days ago, residents evacuated the area immediately.  Proving that an early warning and mandatory evacuations are effective; seeing as no casualties have been reported.  The volcano named Tungurahua means 'Throat of Fire' and last week it opened its throat right up and projected that fire straight up into the sky.  In fact, ash and lava shot a mile into the sky!!  An ash cloud eventually formed 2 miles above the volcano's caldera.  Tungurahua reaches an elevation of 16,478 feet and has erupted periodically since 1999.

Colombian Landslide

       Colombia's rainfall this year is the highest on record since the country's weather service was created 42 years ago.  The large amounts of rain have been partially caused by the La Nina weather phenomenon; also creating havoc for Venezuela and surrounding countries. In Colombia alone, an estimated 1.6 million people's houses have been damaged or completely lost due to massive amounts of flooding.  This number is so high because of terrible development planning; about 70% of the population lives in inundated flood plains.  Recently, a landslide buried a less developed suburb where 100 people are still missing and 23 deaths have been reported; 11 of which are children.  An estimated 1.7 million cubic feet of earth buried thirty brick houses.  The death toll from mudslides and floods for Colombia this year is now up to 199.  Last year they were at 110 and the previous year there were a total of 48 people killed.

Earthquake in Fiji

    A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck in the waters near Fiji this morning.  No immediate injuries or damages were reported.  The quake struck at a depth of 9.4 miles and 115 miles east-northeast of Lambasa.  Fortunately, no tsunami warning was in effect after the quake hit.

Venezuela Gets Dumped On

     Heavy rains have been hitting Venezuela hard over the last few days creating large floods and landslides.  Hugo Chavez has declared a state of emergency for the western part of the country as the military continues to aid victims.  As for the numbers; about 5,000 people have been displaced with 17 deaths reported in the last day - bringing the total death toll up to 30.  Officials say that the heavy rains in November have continued past the regular wet season causing 'ill-effects' on over 50,000 people nationwide.  Many of the deaths have been from people being washed away from rivers and mudslides.  These hazards have blocked a very important coastal highway in the city of Vargas.  The flooding has also caused power outages that have closed down two oil refineries for the time being; meaning an extreme loss of profits for the next few days.

    In December of 1999, thousands were killed in the same area (Vargas) as water and mudslides came down from the mountains close by.  This tells me that some sort of precaution needs to be set forth to protect from  floods/mudslides that are likely to happen in the future.  These precautions may include some sort of levee system, damn, or a canal that would diverge floods away from the city.  Other communities (like the one pictured below) may benefit from a wall at the base of the hillside to try to restrict mudslides from passing.

Death Toll Rises as Landslides Continue in Vietnam

    The death toll of the recent floodings in Vietnam is now up to a staggering 178 people.  Abundant amounts of rain began dumping on Central Vietnam in early October.  This is the 'third stage' of the viscous floodings within the last six weeks and it killed 11 Vietnamese yesterday.  An astonishing 30 inches of rain hit the country just within the last 72 hours.  Unfortunately, the recent 11 deaths include many children under the age of 10 years old.  Authorities have distributed at least 1,000 tons of rice so far to the flood victims, but the locals say they will at least need 5,000 more tons!  Vietnam is prone to floods and storms which kill hundreds of people each year.

    If Vietnam is so prone to these storms, the government should do a better job at notifying locals of future weather patterns and storms coming into the area.  If a large amount of rainfall is expected to fall, officials should go around to villages to tell the locals they may need to prepare for an evacuation.  This would help the death toll tremendously as well as saving the locals possessions and food.

FEAR OF CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN HAITI

    Hurricane Tomas, which swept over Haiti this past weekend, isn't done with its destructive ways just yet; a cholera outbreak that began last month is expected to worsen in the days to come.  The outbreak has already killed hundreds of victims and left thousands hospitalized within the last month.  An astonishing 8,000 cases have already been confirmed.  The biggest concern for disaster is the water flooding/flowing through towns causing latrines and septic tanks to overflow.  This would in turn contaminate the fresh drinking water all while spreading the bacteria around at a devastating rate.   

    This is a great example of how devastating a secondary disaster/hazard caused by a primary disaster (in this case a hurricane) can be.  The hurricane itself only killed 20 people and injured 36, but this secondary disaster (flooding/cholera outbreak) has killed 544 people as of today; proving to be much more of a disaster then the hurricane itself.  Locals should evacuate the affected area, if at all possible, and only drink clean water from the surrounding non-affected areas.  It would be smart to stay out of the flooded towns until the cholera-contaminated water recedes.   

VOLCANO KILLS

MOUNT MERAPI, INDONESIA --

        An eruption this morning from Mount Merapi was the deadliest and most explosive yet of a string of eruptions that have occured for the past week.  It sent more villagers fleeing for safety and left three locals dead this morning - setting the death toll at 44 people within 8 days.  Most of these deaths came from the initial explosion/first day (October 26th) and the chaotic evacuations that followed.  But it appears that there is more to come - state volcanologists predict that the worst is still yet to come.  Mount Merapi is one of the world's most active volcanoes; killing 60 people in 1994 and destroying more than a dozen villages in 1930 - leaving up to 1,300 dead!  Locals are crowded in government camps where 70,000 people may be staying for weeks or maybe even months.  Ash fallout burst into the air as high as 20,000 feel - preventing planes to fly over the area.  Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanoes due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

     To prevent further injuries and deaths, locals should stay clear of the hazardous areas and work corporately with the people giving aid/government camps.  Volcanologists and Seismologists need to keep a close eye on Mount Merapi's actions and give fair advance warnings if danger is near.

      

TROPICAL STORM TOMAS

      Prime Minister Stephenson King (St. Lucia, West Indies) issued a declaration of disaster last weekend as the death toll attributed to Hurricane Tomas reached 12 today.  The storm moved over the island very slowly at only 8 miles hour, causing a great amount of damage.  In fact, two years worth of rainfall was dropped in a time period of 24 hours!!  Tomas is rated as a Category 1 hurricane and damaged schools, houses, and very important roads and bridges - some that were the only means of reaching villages.  Aid from the United States and France were expected to arrive today.  Hurricane Tomas is currently heading towards Jamaica and is expected to hit Haiti by Friday with sustained winds of 100 mph!
 
     The people of Haiti have obviously been warned but they need to assess the damage this storm has already caused.  The Haitians need to be prepared for what is to come of this slow moving storm.  They should try to pack up anything and everything they can and take it to safe ground, since Tomas moved across St. Lucia at only 8 mph.  This is extremely slow for a hurricane to move - meaning it has more time to damage the area it is moving across.  Aid relief in St. Lucia should be focusing on finding any missing people first, while also repairing roads and bridges that can be used for evacuation.

WInter Wonderland in October

50 MPH WINDS, RAIN, AND SNOW TO HIT VERMONT -

       Two low pressure systems are combining out east right now creating a massive 'nor'easter' expected to bring winds up to 50 mph, rainfall, and even up to 16 inches of snow in the Vermont and New Hampshire Mountains before the weekend is done.  Five inches of snow have already blanketed parts of Vermont this morning.  The two systems are said to be pulling moisture from the Atlantic Ocean creating strong winds and up to 4 inches of rain.  This combination of strong winds and freezing rain/snow/sleet could have a disastrous effect on trees; knocking limbs and foliage to the ground.  Because of this, power outages are expected.  Flights are already being delayed at the Newark and La Guardia airports.  This 'nor'easter' is expected to cover most of the northeastern half of the nation, ranging from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.  So for all the Easterners out there, it looks like they will be doing their trick'r'treatin' in snowshoes this year.     

Villages In Hungary Overtaken By Toxic Mud

   A reservoir burst in Kolontar, Hungary yesterday October 4th spilling toxic mud into the village.  So far at least a  million cubic meters of the red toxic mud has flowed into the villages of Kolontar, Devecser, and Somlovasarhely, among others, causing many injuries, four deaths, and 7 people unaccounted for.  This disastrous mud contains a waste product from aluminum production and may soon run into the Danube and the Raba Rivers.  Having already ran into the Marcel River, crews are desperately trying to prevent further spreading.  The four casualties include two babies, a man trapped in his car, and a woman in her house.  Most of the injured (116 people) were airlifted by helicopter to the capital of Budapest.  The sludge was said to burn peoples skin and eyes, and may even cause blindness.  Hopefully crews can contain this mudslide and prevent further damages and casualties.  I feel that tests should have been regularly completed on the reservoir to check for cracks, leaks, and other deformities/damages.  This simple measure could have protected the population of these villages in Hungary.

5TH HIGHEST HISTORICAL CREST OF THE CHIPPEWA RIVER IN EAU CLAIRE

   The two rivers in Eau Claire crested Saturday from the tremendous amounts of rainfall we have had the past week; the Eau Claire river cresting at 16.5 feet - about 5 feet above flood stage - and the mighty Chip cresting at 777.7 feet - 4.5 feet above flood stage.  This flooding cause multiple closures around town including: -The Chippewa River Trail - Hobbs boat landing - Lake Street - Owen Park - Riverview Park - Old Abe Trail from Phoenix Park to Dewey Street - First Avenue - Haymarket parking lot - amongst others.  Most of these closures will be back in operation today or tomorrow as the water continues to recede for the next week and a half or so.  Minor damages reported include flooded basements and minor road damage (erosion).

Wisconsin River Flooding - Portage, WI

      As water levels near record highs around the state, a few towns are in moderate danger.  The Portage area has been hit hard by the recent rainfalls.  The town of Caledonia, just west of Portage, has been nearly fully evacuated; just 75 of the town's 300 people remain in their flood-stranded homes.  This could be a terrible idea for these folks as the current levee system is weakening rapidly.  Part of this 14-mile levee system includes dikes primarily made up of sand and dating all the way back to the late 1800's.  If the levee breaks, it could destroy an already flooded access road to one of the town's neighborhoods.  The Wisconsin River raised to an all time (recorded) high this morning of 20.59 feet; the previous record of 20.50 feet was recorded in 1938.

A Hard Rains Gonna Fall - Georgette Nears Mexico

 A Tropical Depression (or cyclone) named 'Georgette' is expected to hit Mexico sometime this evening as reported by the National Hurricane Center.  As of 11 o'clock this morning, Georgette was about 40 miles south of Mexico, heading northwest.  The storm is believed to have sustained winds of 35 miles per hour and is expected to drop 6 inches of rain in parts of Mexico.  A tropical storm watch has been issued by the Mexican government for the coast of mainland Mexico.  Though Georgette is expected to weaken as it hits land, the southern United States (Arizona) is likely to be affected within the next few days. 

WILDFIRE OUT WEST - BOULDER, COLORADO

  The wildfire that started in Boulder, Colorado over the Labor Day weekend was confirmed 100% contained as of Monday by the Incident Command.  During its rampage, The Fourmile Canyon Fire destroyed a reported 169 homes costing approximately $80 million in damage on top of a reported $7 million used to fight the fire.  It took about 1,400 firefighters and six days to finely get a hold of the blaze.  Investigators now believe that the blaze was ignited from a home owner's fire pit that was never fully extinguished.  The irony of it is; the 71 year-old-man whom they believe started the fire is a 20 year veteran of the Fourmile Canyon Fire Department.  Charges could include a fourth-degree arson charge which is when a person "knowingly or recklessly starts or maintains a fire or causes an explosion, on his own property or that of another, and by so doing places another in danger of death or serious bodily injury or places any building or occupied structure of another in danger of damage."  Some homeowners were allowed back into their neighborhoods September 10th to assess the damage, while the rest were allowed back the 14th.  The Boulder blaze ended up burning 6,427 acres of Rocky Mountain territory and if one lesson was learned; no matter how experienced you are with fighting fires - never under estimate the power of some hot unextinguished coals.