Thailand flooding continues...

In this image, vegetation is displayed in red, and flooded areas are black and dark blue. Brighter blue shows sediment-laden water, and gray areas are houses, buildings and roads. The image covers an area of 35.2 by 66.3 miles (56.7 by 106.9 kilometers) and is located at 14.5 degrees north latitude, 100.5 degrees east longitude.


Tens of thousands of Bangkok residents are fleeing the city after the worst flooding Thailand has seen in half a century reached the capital. The city’s governor ordered residents of two swamped northern districts to evacuate for safer city shelters, and waist-high water turned Bangkok’s roads into rivers and washed over homes and businesses. Some lucky city residents escaped on military trucks and buses, while others had to make do on paddle boats, plastic tubs, inner tubes and rubber rafts. Several men, the AP reports, “floated down a flooded road in a makeshift boat made of empty oil barrels tied to a rectangular plank.”
Since the flooding began in July, it has claimed the lives of 373 people and racked up billions of dollars in damage. Flood water has engulfed a third of the country inched closer to downtown areas and foreign governments urged their citizens to avoid unessential travel to the threatened city.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/thailand-flooding-continues-bangkok-resident-brace-for-worsening-conditions/2011/10/26/gIQAO4plMM_story.html

Powerful South Pacific Earthquake Generates Small Tsunami

A powerful earthquake struck off the Kermadec Islands in the South Pacific Ocean on early Saturday morning, generating a small tsunami but causing no damage. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake was centered about 105 miles east of Raoul Island, which is part of the Kermadec Islands. It struck about 20.4 miles deep, making it a shallow earthquake.As a result of the powerful earthquake, the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management issued a tsunami advisory, warning people in coastal areas to stay away from beaches. The advisory, which also prompted New Zealand to activate its National Crisis Management Center, was later canceled after experts determined there was no threat to New Zealand. Saturday’s earthquake was the fifth most powerful earthquake so far this year.

http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/earth-science/geology/powerful-south-pacific-earthquake-generates-small-tsunami/42711.html

Storms Kill 55 in Mexico and Central America

The death toll in Mexico and Central America climbed to 55 Saturday as torrential rain storms continued, causing deadly mudslides and massive flooding. More than 250,000 people were affected across the region -- 62,700 in Mexico, 118,704 in Guatemala, about 60,000 in El Salvador, 7,862 in Honduras and 4,463 in Nicaragua. Authorities worked against the clock to evacuate thousands of people from the most vulnerable regions ahead of the rain which had been forecast for the upcoming days. The continuing presence of a storm system over southern Mexico "is expected to produce locally heavy rains over the Yucatan peninsula, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands during the next couple of days."

By Saturday, civil protection authorities had evacuated over 17,700 people in the five countries worst hit by the ongoing torrential rains caused last week by Hurricane Jova, Hurricane Irwin, Tropical Depression 12-E and two other independent storm systems.

Guatemala's death toll rose to 23, after one reported missing was found dead, and the country's National Coordinating Agency for Disaster Reduction raised the number of affected people to as many as 118,704 from Friday's 55,000. The death toll in El Salvador rose by one to a total of seven, while the number in the neighboring Honduras rose to 10 as the continuous rains caused flooding in over 50 percent of southern Honduras. In Nicaragua, the death toll remained unchanged at eight, while in Mexico, the reported death toll was 10, up from eight previously. According to weather forecasts, southern Mexico and Central America are facing situations similar to Hurricanes Stan and Mitch, as months-long torrential rains from an intense 2011 hurricane season have left soils saturated with water and extremely vulnerable to landslides.

 

 

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/10/16/2724s662956.htm

100 crocodiles escape during deadly floods

Around 100 crocodiles have escaped from a farm in central Thailand, sparking new fears as the country struggles to overcome crippling floods that have left more than 250 people dead. The crocodiles escaped when Crocodile Farm Uthai Thani was inundated with floodwater over the weekend. Thailand's Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department is now seeking to calm fears, saying most of the escaped crocodiles were young and less than 1m long. "The crocodiles are not fierce like those living in the wild. On the contrary, they are rather scared of people." Still, the department was recruiting specialist crocodile hunters to help catch the reptile escapees.
Government officials in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam say more than 500 people have died across the three countries during the heavy monsoon rains over the past two weeks. More than 250 of the deaths were recorded in Thailand, while more than 200 - including 83 children - have died in Cambodia. Huge efforts are now underway to stop the waters from reaching low-lying Bangkok, home to 12 million people, with prevention measures including sandbags along the Chao Phraya river. A large amount of runoff water is expected to reach the city in the next few days, while high tides will make it harder for the floods to flow out to sea.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15255038

volcano on Alaska’s remote Aleutians

Lava has reached the edge of a crater in a volcano in Alaska's remote Aleutian Islands, indicating the mountain could explode and send up an ash cloud that could threaten aircraft. The Alaska Volcano Observatory says satellite images show lava at the edge of the crater rim of 5,675-foot Cleveland Mountain on uninhabited on Chuginadak Island, about 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. Volcano monitors say if the dome continues to grow, it could overflow the rim and increase the possibility of an explosion. The observatory says an eruption could send up an ash cloud 20,000 feet or more. The nearest village, Nikolski, is on another island about 50 miles east and has 18 permanent residents. The village was not considered in harm’s way in previous eruptions of the volcano.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/observatory-spots-lava-at-edge-of-summit-crater-of-volcano-on-alaskas-remote-aleutians/2011/10/07/gIQAGme6TL_story.html

Lab 4: Philippine typhoon death toll reaches 82

UPDATE

Last week I blogged on the Typhoon Nesat where the death toll was at 35. A week later and the death toll has risen up to 82. Already in a chaos, another typhoon (Nalgae) has been the blame for an increased death toll. Meteorologists said Nesat and Nalgae were the most powerful storms this year to hit the Philippines. Nesat triggered dramatic storm surges in the capital Manila, while its massive rain band caused flooding across Luzon's agricultural plains that forced people on to their roofs.Water as high as 3.6m swamped dozens of towns across Luzon's fertile rice growing central region, stranding residents on their roofs or the upper floors of their homes for a week before they started subsiding.The damage bill for infrastructure and agriculture has reached $A230 million, the office says.
Looking from the complexity paradigm approach, there has to be a long-term solution to reduce death tolls and infrastructure costs and not just for the short term. The philipines, on average get about 20 typhoons a year. With that said, maybe its time for them to upgrade infrastructures. In the report, the damage bill for infrastructure and agriculture has only reached $230 million. If i knew there were atleast 20 tornados dont you think I would want a basement, atleast. I know that economy plays a part in what people can and can't do, but I hope that the Philippine government will find a long term solution to typhoon disasters.