Deadly Flooding in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Continues Into The Weekend

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has been in the news a lot lately. The city has been selected to serve as the host of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics and construction has been underway since then to prepare for the festivities. What seemed like a great opportunity for Brazil at first has now been hit with a myriad of problems in construction and has been plagued with accusations of human rights violations. Adding to these recent issues is persistent heavy rain over the area that has been falling since Tuesday. The rain has rarely stopped since then and a normal situation in one of Brazil's wet seasons has took an ugly turn that took the lives of three people in Rio today.

(Flooding occuring right outside the Maracana Stadium in Rio)

The rising water levels in parts of the city has toppled houses and has cancelled trains and flight schedules. The mayor of the city, Eduardo Paes, advised residents to stay indoors and not try to travel through the flood waters. Sadly, I am sure the people Rio and all over the country of Brazil are getting used to seeing flooding such as this. Just three days ago at least 11 people were killed in Brazil's drought-stricken Bahia state. Local officials were quoted as being concerned with the possible impacts that global warming is having on the increase in flooding in recent years. This all may have some correlation but I there is no denying that Brazil is inflicting much of this pain upon themselves. 

Illegal construction, deforestation, and unregulated housing has been blamed for the rise in the frequency and severity of floods in Brazil and in other parts of the world where environmental degradation is ongoing. The removal of soil and vegetation from the landscape is causing increases in major floods and landscapes in the region. There is no signs of stopping such behavior however. Especially not when the city of Rio takes on billions of dollars in construction costs to bring the world's greatest sporting events to the city. While they pour their tax money into giant stadiums, the flooding that killed at least 903 people in 2011 alone and caused over two billion Reais in damage will continue until somebody does something about it.

Sources:

http://www.disaster-report.com/2013/12/flooding-in-rio-de-janeiro-brazil-kills.html

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/11/rio-de-janeiro-paralysed-downpours-world-cup-olympics

New Information Regarding the 'Supervolcano" Under Yellowstone National Park Revealed

A recent study has surfaced that shows that the magma chamber of the supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park is nearly two-and-a-half times the size previously estimated. This evidence will soon be presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco and was recently reported on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Scientists assured the public that even though the supervolcano is bigger does not necessarily mean that it increases the likelihood of an eruption. This is good news considering the last time it erupted, the ash cloud that was produced was so massive that it shifted the entire climate of the earth. Many environmental hazards cause damage to people and have major economic impacts on the areas that are impacted. Many of those events can be mitigated to a point to reduce the amount of damage that is cause or some can be prevented almost entirely. An eruption of this supervolcano would not be one of those circumstances. An eruption of that magnitude has the potential to alter life as we know it and definitely would change the history of North America at the very least. 

 

The newly recorded size may not increase the frequency of eruptions but that may not matter. Scientists believe that the supervolcano may erupt around once every 700,000 years and they believe it erupted last around 640,000 years ago. That should at least be a cause for careful examination of the supervolcano at the very least. It is hardly worth worrying about something that may or may not happen every 700,000 years though. Still, these new findings completely shocked the scientists who discovered it including Bob Smith, professor from the University of Utah, who has been working on the project for a long time. New scientific research on hazards such as this around the world are important in order to better predict the size and scale of threats to our environment. Information such as this can be used to educate governments and their citizens about their vulnerability to various hazards and ways to protect themselves against them.

(After taking in all that information: If you really want to get freaked out you can check out this awesome video that shows what would happen if the supervolcano really did erupt)

Sources:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/yellowstone-supervolcano-a-much-larger-system-than-scientists-had-thought-8997264.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25312674

http://www.earthmountainview.com/yellowstone/yellowstone.htm

Snow and Ice Storms Blanket Areas of the Northeast United States

Traveling conditions in different regions throughout the United States remain difficult and even dangerous in some areas as snow and ice continues to blanket the country. The Northeast continues to get hit hard as another major accumulation of deep snow and ice was dumped on the mid-Atlantic region yesterday. This particular storm was responsible for the ice accumulation in parts of Texas as late as Sunday and the front moved to the Northeast.

Some spots received a foot of snow which stopped vehicles on the highway completely and caused power outages, and school delays and cancellations. This particular storm canceled more than 2,800 flights and delayed thousands more over the past few days and the dangerous traveling conditions are not expected to cease anytime soon. The winter is already seems to be shaping up to be full of snowy conditions and it is just getting started. Storms like these are predicted to continue in parts of the United States over the course of the next week. A large snowstorm currently traveling north from Virginia is expected to cause freezing rain in New York and Boston, among other places. A snowstorm along the Utah-Arizona border caused hundreds of drivers to be left stranded on the highway and pile-ups are frequently being seen in the news. Take extra time on the roads, check your weather forecasts regularly, and stay safe out there!

(Snowstorm causes dangerous driving conditions in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah)

Sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/us-winter-storm-slams-us

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=82469&eocn=home&eoci=nh

New Report Shows Weakening Of Earth's Crust In New Zealand

Recent surveying of the terrain in New Zealand has scientists convinced that recent powerful earthquakes from 2010 and 2011 have weakened the Earth's surface in areas of the country. Seismic waves detected before and after the earthquakes were analyzed by a network of seismographs across New Zealand and it was determined that a broad region of the area affected by the recent quakes has led to cracking around the fault. This widespread weakening of the crust can be detrimental to New Zealand. The country is located along the Ring of Fire where 90 percent of the world's earthquakes occur. The government needs to look at this information closely as it plans for future hazard mitigation that could occur from stronger earthquakes because of this.

Aerial view of Christchurch New Zealand. This was the site of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck on February 22nd, 2011.

The magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 2011 was the deadliest and most costly in the entire history of New Zealand and just 172 days earlier in 2010 a magnitude 7.1 earthquake also caused millions of dollars in damage, although thankfully nobody was killed. These powerful earthquakes were strong enough to cause abnormal amounts of cracking in the earth along the fault lines in New Zealand. It is possible that another devastating earthquake could occur along the same fault and cause even more damage because of it.

Earthquakes obviously cannot be prevented but mitigation efforts need to be in place now in case another earthquake hits this region. The 'golden hours' after a quake only last so long and emergency relief services need to be well organized in order to act rapidly and efficiently.

(Video of a magnitude 6.5 earthquake in January of this year. Some structural damage was accounted for and thankfully nobody was seriously injured.)

Sources:
http://www.livescience.com/41446-new-zealand-earthquakes-weakened-crust.html

Climate Change and its Effect on Powerful Storms

It has been a slow past couple of days in the severe weather department for the most part so I thought I would shift gears a little bit. One of the best sources for up-to-date severe weather information including statistics, videos, and pictures are the people at weather underground. Recently they came out with a story on global climate change and specifically talked about the rising sea waters that will impact the globe in our lives. They use information taken from a project called "Sea Level Rise in My Lifetime," which is a report on rising waters that was recently done by Florida Atlantic University. TEDxTalks on rising tides

This is an important topic. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, global climate change is happening. There is no debating it and the evidence is overwhelming. With the overall increase in global temperatures, we can see the ice caps melting and record high temperatures happening currently and this is contributing to the rising sea waters that may have a lasting effect on our world's coastlines.

(OK maybe a little extreme)

Climate change is going change not just the amount of ice in the polar ice caps. Climate change can very well cause the frequency and severity of some of our world's most powerful hazards to increase. We have already seen historic storms like Superstorm Sandy and Typhoon Haiyan devastate different populations around the world. Is it possible that we will start to see more of these unprecedented storms gracing a with their presence? Maybe they already are. 

This will be an important time for hazard prevention, protection, and mitigation as we continue down this path. There is no stopping it and unfortunately for us, they may be no stopping these storms. 

*For more information of Weather Underground's report on rising sea levels click here.

Sources:

http://www.wunderground.com/news/future-sea-level-rise-around-us-photos-20131203

UPDATE: Time to Reflect on Typhoon Haiyan

11 days have now passed since the typhoon hit the Philippines on November 8th. Aid is beginning to come in from many countries around the world, most notably the United States, Britain, and Australia, and attempts to estimate the damage of the storm is underway. It is estimated that the storm has killed or has left missing more than 5,000 people and displaced an estimated 4 MILLION PEOPLE! This was not your average typhoon.

Even now, due to the enormous amount of clean-up yet to be done, it is difficult to get aid to people inland who are in dire need of assistance. Transportation systems in some areas are essentially shut down and people are without food and clean water in areas that are the hardest to reach. This typhoon, although it was properly forecast and the Philippine Government made attempts to evacuate some of its citizens, the storm was massive in power and scope. The storm itself was historic. Experts including those at NASA have concluded that it may have been the most powerful tropical cyclone to ever make landfall. EVER!

The storm's width was 370 miles wide and contained sustained winds of 195 mph and gusts were reaching 235 mph. There was a 17 foot high storm surge in the heavily populated city of Tacloban and 27 inches of rain fell as a result of the storm. Some of these numbers are unfathomable. Relief efforts are underway and the time for reflection has started, even as some are waiting with little to no aid reaching them. Did the government do everything it could to protect its people from this storm? Why were thousands still living in unsafe, temporary housing structures as the storm approached? Why were so few people evacuated from the area? I do not know if we should start placing blame on the Philippine Government at this time when millions of people are still in need of help but one thing is for sure, we will be talking about extensively about this storm and the impact that it has had for a long, long time.

Take a few minutes and listen to an National Public Radio (NPR) story that shows hazard mitigation at work as NPR's Christopher Joyce reports on if displaced Filipino's should rebuild their homes in their previous locations due to the regions vulnerability by clicking here.

Sources: 

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/17/21496134-typhoon-haiyan-a-crisis-by-the-numbers?lite
http://www.wunderground.com/news/americans-killed-philippines-typhoon-haiyan-20131119
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=245949244&m=246015345

Typhoon Haiyan UPDATE

Recent news reports out of Tacloban, Philippines have been mixed. On one hand, death and destruction are everywhere and thousands are still waiting for help as Philippine and international aid are still on their way in some areas. There is good news though. Philippine President Benigno Aquino was interviewed today and lowered the estimated death count to 2,000 to 2,500. These numbers are far more encouraging than the 10,000 people that were estimated to have died in Tacloban alone after last weeks typhoon.

The path of the storm ripped through the Philippines and traveled all the way into Vietnam late last week. It was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded. Military aircraft and ships from the United States and the United Kingdom are on their way as we speak. Hundreds of thousands are without food, water, or shelter. In fact, there is little information about about the more rural communities that were affected by the storm because it is so difficult to get into those areas and the government has been working to aid those heavily populated areas that were hit hardest. These people need help now. Hopefully more international aid will continue to come into the area over these next few days, or weeks, or months. Some areas have been completely demolished and will take years to build up these areas once again. We just have to be glad that forecasting predicted this storm so accurately and the death toll is not as high as previously estimated because of that.

Sources:

http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/western-pacific/2013/Tropical-Storm-Haiyan?MR=1

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-typhoon-haiyan-philippines-20131112,0,4089787.story

"Super-storm" Typhoon Haiyan Hits The Philippines

The first "super-storm" (definition of super-storm is up to interpretation) hit the Philippines yesterday. Officials knew the storm was coming and it appeared as though steps were taken to protect the lives of the Filipino people by evacuating thousands away from the coast. Still, the impressive power of the storm threatened millions of people. Reports coming in today have estimated that the death toll in the central Philippine city of Tacloban could reach 10,000 people! The video below shows that the storm was accurately tracked and forecast before it reached land.

It appears drowning and collapsed buildings are the likely factors contributing to the most deaths in the area. The city of 200,000 people has been completely devastated. Hundreds of bodies have already been recovered. The typhoon came through with winds that reached 147 miles per hour and saw wind gusts of 170 miles per hour. The storm could be considered comparable to a Category 4 hurricane and even close to reaching a Category 5. Thankfully, the storm has slowed some and as the it reaches Vietnam today, winds have died down some. It is important that precautions are still taken in these other areas to protect the citizens of mainland Asia that will be affected by the storm.

Currently, the Philippine Government is attempting to restore communications, power, and water in order to aid the victims and rescuers in the area. The United States and other countries from around the world are stepping up to provide disaster relief aid because of the devastation from this unbelievable storm. News reports have called this typhoon "one of the most powerful storms in the history of mankind." However you want to look at it, there are going to be thousands of people dead, hundreds of thousands affected, and communities simply reduced to rubble. Continued updates on the continuation of the storm and the relief efforts in the Philippines will be forthcoming...

Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/11/09/typhoon-haiyan-philippines-vietnam/3483099/

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-officials-typhoon-haiyan-death-toll-could-soar-to-10000-in-philippines-20131109,0,6461436.story

Sonia Upgraded To Tropical Storm As It Approaches Mexico

The United States National Hurricane Center has upgraded Sonia from a tropical depression to a tropical storm as it has gained strength in the pacific. This is yet another powerful storm that is threatening the western coast of Mexico and the Baja California peninsula. There is expected to be very heavy rain, leading to life-threatening flash floods and mudslides that could threaten the people of Mexico when the storm makes landfall.

Winds from the storm have grown to only 40 mile per hour winds but those numbers could grow before Sonia makes landfall. This is an area that has seen an increasing number of tropical storms as of late. Most recently, Tropical Storm Karen moved through relatively the same area. Although North America has been spared of any major hurricanes this year, the western coast of Mexico has been hit with many smaller storms that have dropped heavy rains and caused landslides because of it. Each added storm that reaches areas that already have the ground saturated with water increase the risks of these hazards. Sonia is only a couple hundred miles away from coast now. I will continue to update the storm if its strength picks up.

Sources:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_ep3+shtml/203222.shtml?5-daynl

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/03/tropical-storm-sonia_n_4208321.html?ir=World

Typhoon(s) Headed For Japan...AGAIN!

A few days after Typhoon Wipha, the largest typhoon to hit the area in over a decade, hit southern Japan, two more typhoons are expected to hit the area around Tokyo. It is not just two more storms on the way that is the problem. The problem is these two storms appear to be headed for one another and will most likely collide on an area that is still recovering from the recent typhoon.

Typhoon Wipha (pictured above) recently swept through the Tokyo area, causing damage and even killing one person in the heavily populated city. The biggest cause for concern was on the small island of Oshima, located 75 miles south of Tokyo, which had 29 confirmed deaths in the area and 15 people reported missing. Heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides that stropped transportation and basically crushed entire houses along the hills of Oshima. Residents need to prepare themselves though, because it appears the worst is not yet over.

Typhoon Francisco is on its way from the south and will appear to run along the east coast of Japan. Originally, this storm was not supposed to be a major problem. Francisco, although still a strong storm, is much weaker than Wipha was. It looks like this storm is going to be much more of a problem now that Typhoon Lekima looks like it will collide with Francisco and disrupt its path. It originally looked like Francisco would move slowly past Japan and out into the north Pacific but now it will likely linger longer over the Izu island chain south of Tokyo and dump heavy rain on the area for much longer than expected (explained further in graphic below).

The stronger winds from Lekima will push Francisco from the east and prevent it from moving along. The increased rainfall will undoubtedly cause conditions for more landslides in the area. Thankfully, Japan is used to storms like this and their proactive government is already planning to evacuate a few hundred people. If this was a much less developed country, the process for evacuating many people would be a much  more difficult undertaking for their governments. We just have to hope that by Thursday, when the storms are projected to enter the area, some of their power dissipates or they change their coarse to cause less rainfall than is expected. If not, lets hope everyone can get out of the area in time because when large mudslides begin to happen it may be too late. 

Sources:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/23/national/big-typhoons-may-collide-off-honshu/#.UnAptPmsiG4

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://jto.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/p1-typhoon-a-20131024.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/23/national/big-typhoons-may-collide-off-honshu/&h=1559&w=1840&sz=966&tbnid=hHITtIH5DN4b4M:&tbnh=130&tbnw=154&zoom=1&usg=__HXR0AbHSOIM1rtLx3VnAZOidafw=&docid=w_MEd88SKF0hyM&sa=X&ei=0C9wUoHbMIri2QW69YCIDg&ved=0CEsQ9QEwCQ

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/16/world/asia/japan-typhoon-deaths/index.html?hpt=wo_bn4

High Winds Tear Through Northern Europe

Powerful storms swept across Europe on Sunday that left at least 13 people dead, caused major transportation delays, damaged homes and businesses, and kept hundreds of thousands of people in the dark when their power went out. Reporters have called this one of the most powerful storms in Europe in years. The United Kingdom was hit the worst as winds gusted up to 99 miles per hour. Five people were killed in the UK alone caused by the storm.

Train companies were shut down and planes flying into Gatwick, Stansted, and Heathrow airports were delayed for some time. This was a powerful storm folks! People interviewed today said they could not recall having winds whipping that strong since the 1987 storm that brought 115 m.p.h. winds to the UK. 

 It is funny, you can read about this storm online and you can read through my other posts on environmental hazards on this blog, but it is different when you feel directly related to the storm. Yesterday my girlfriend was trying to fly into London from Dublin, Ireland and planes were delayed all over the airport. When her plane finally touched down in London, train services were down and people, including my girlfriend, had to find alternate routes of transportation. The train service to Stansted Airport I planned to take in late November looks like it will still be out of service and I have made alternate plans to travel by bus at that time. 

I have been fortunate to have never been caught in the middle of a large environmental hazard. Part of that is that I do not live in an area that has frequent hazards, but the threat is always there for something to happen. It just puts it in a different perspective when you are following the storm online and hoping people you care about are going to be able to avoid powerful storms like this. 

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/world/europe/powerful-storm-blasts-northern-europe.html?_r=0

Mexico Dodges Bullet In Hurricane Raymond

Hurricane Raymond had been in the cross-hairs of the Mexican government for some time as the storm gained strength in the Pacific. At one point, Raymond became the first major hurricane of the year (in a relatively quiet hurricane season) when it  reached the status of a category 3 storm three days ago. The storms winds reached 120 miles per hour at that point and the western coast of Mexico was bracing as it appeared the storm was headed their way.



Thankfully the storm never came ashore and it lost some of its strength on its way. That is important because Mexicans have been hit hard by tropical storms this year and the heavy rainfall that would have resulted from a major hurricane could have been a serious issue. Water has been dumped on many areas of the country recently and anything added to that could have been problematic for the citizens along the coast (especially in the vicinity of Acapulco where the storm's center was hit).



This was the 17th large storm in the eastern Pacific Ocean this year. This is above the average but the storms have largely been limited in strength with the worst part being heavy rainfall. The frequency of these storms has to have these communities prepared for flood issues and it looks like they got very lucky with Raymond.

Sources:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82224&src=ve
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2013/ep17/ep172013.public.007.shtml

Update- New South Wales Fires Headed For More Populated Areas

56 fires continue to scorch hundreds of thousands of acres of land across New South Wales, Australia and they do not appear to be letting up. Hot, dry, and windy conditions are expected again for the next couple days and you have to start asking yourself when are these people going to catch a break? Sadly, it appears the answer is not anytime soon.


The weather reports in eastern Australia coupled with the fact that the fires are headed toward much more densely populated areas has forced the New South Wales Premier, Barry O'Farrell, to declare a state of emergency for the state. Thankfully there is still only one confirmed death from these fires but emergency response workers are still collecting this data.

What is even worse about these fires is the direction they are going. They are headed to the heavily populated Australian coast. Specifically, the area covered under O'Farrell's state of emergency includes the city of Sydney. This is a city of over 4.5 million people and although I do not fear that most if not all of the fires would be stopped before they reached a major city like that, but there is no guarantee of that. 12 of these fires are still considered out of control and the heavy winds expected tomorrow could add to that.


Thankfully very few personal injuries have occurred due to the fires and that has to do with terrific government response from the Australian government. Rain is expected to fall on the area on Tuesday. Lets just hope that the weather man is right for once.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/20/world/asia/australia-fires/

Bush Fires In New South Wales, Australia Claim First Life

Bush fires threaten New South Wales homes and residents tonight in Australia. The fire has already claimed hundreds of homes and today has taken its first victim. A 63-year-old man died after suffering a heart attack while battling the blaze outside of his Lake Munmorah home.


News of the blaze has been airing for days across local news media and fire crews have been battling the fires since the beginning. There have been over 100 fires burning coming into Thursday and emergency workers cannot keep up.

When temperatures are hot and the wind is strong there is always going to be a chance of fires getting out of control. In this typically dry area, residents need to realize that they are putting their homes and their family's lives at risk by living among this dense, dry foliage. Thankfully fire crews were able to put out six of the fires today and the weather is finally calling for cooler temperatures and rain tomorrow. There is still an emergency warning continuing at this point and people are being ordered to stay out of the path of the fires. Emergency Services Minister Michael Gallacher was quoted today on ABC as saying, "They're saying if we get away with 100 house losses just in homes being lost in Springwood we're going to come off very lucky." He continued, "Given what we saw yesterday it's pretty clear we're going to have some absolutely shattered people and a shattered community this morning."

Although this area is known for frequent bush fires, reportedly none have ever been this severe. Lets just hope that no one else is hurt by these fires and lets hope that people realize the power that hazards like this can have and learn how to not put themselves in harm's way again.

Sources:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/bushfires/nsw-bushfires-still-very-dangerous-as-first-fatality-is-revealed/story-fngw0i02-1226742219464
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/17/world/asia/australia-fires/index.html?hpt=wo_c2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nry__T_G4nc

Early Detection Of Cyclone Saves Countless Lives In India

The availability of media coverage of a cyclone that hit Gopalpur, India today most likely saved many saved as 800,000 were evacuated. In an area comprised mainly of mud and thatch homes, it is amazing that more people were not injured or killed.



Just 14 years ago, a similar storm came through the same area and killed more than 10,000 people. The infrastructure of the area cannot withstand the high wind gusts and heavy rainfall that comes power cyclones. News stations had been reporting on the potential storm for weeks. Early detection and emergency broadcast procedures are some of the best ways to prevent hazards from becoming devastating disasters in areas where there is not enough money to build fortified infrastructure that could  prevent disasters from getting worse.

This important information needs to be available in all corners of the globe. While it may not be realistic to be able to provide expensive means of prevention and reaction to environmental hazards, it is imperative that everyone who is in the path of a storm knows the potential danger it could cause and the best ways to avoid being caught in the storm. The only realistic way to make sure information like this reaches everyone is to have government intervention. National governments need to protect their citizens in any way they can and if early detection systems were installed in all corners of the world, then maybe we would stop seeing the high death counts on the news after storms like this hit.

Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/world/asia/india-cyclone.html?_r=0

Tropical Storm Karen Posed No Serious Threat To US

Tropical storm Karen never reached its full potential and that is good news for the people on the Gulf Coast. Since last week, reports showed that the storm would likely reach hurricane strength by the time it made landfall on Sunday. These forecasts proved to be false as Karen winds coming from the north slowed the storm and stopped it from reaching high wind speeds itself. The satellite image below shows the dissipating as it reached the US, making landfall first in Louisiana.



This is great news for the coastal cities that were projected to be in the path of a powerful storm. The National Hurricane Center did not issue any warnings or watches as the storm approached. It has now been eight years since the US has had a major, Category 3 or higher, hurricane make landfall.

In fact, this entire hurricane season has been noticeably quiet. At a time when major storms are thought to be on the rise due to climate change, the US seemed to get lucky this year when it came to hurricane hazards. At least that is what Robert Korty, an associate professor of atmospheric science at Texas A&M University, concluded. If Korty had to guess it would be that dryer than normal air coming from across the Atlantic prevented some of these storms from happening.

It's great news for a country that has already been hit hard by wildfires, floods, and other environmental hazards to have powerful hurricanes generally absent this year. Thankfully we will never know what sort of damage this storm could have caused. This is especially important since the National Hurricane Center is still understaffed due to the government shutdown and when a major storm hits it is important for all possible means of preventing and responding to hazards to be in place.

Sources:
http://science.time.com/2013/10/07/as-tropical-storm-karen-dissipates-the-debate-grows-over-a-quiet-hurricane-season/
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2013/al12/al122013.public_a.003.shtml

Tornadoes Hit Midwest

Tornadoes ripped through parts of the Midwest Friday night. Powerful storms created funnel clouds in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, causing injuries to people and totaling impressive amounts of property damage. According to the National Weather Service, a two mile wide tornado tore through the town of Wayne, Nebraska. Other tornadoes were also spotted near Sioux City, Iowa, Jefferson, S.D., and Moville, Iowa. Thankfully no one was killed during the storms and the people injured do not appear to have life threatening injuries.



Tornadoes are defined as narrow, rotating column of air that extends to the ground. They are caused by the contrast of air masses, heating and cooling, and low-pressure forming near the ground. Friday's tornadoes damaged several local homes, businesses, and wreaked havoc on state and local parks. Tornadoes in places such as Nebraska are more frequent during the summer months and they are much more infrequent at this time of year. The tornadoes came at an odd time in other respects as well. Winter storms have hit the Rocky Mountain states hard over the past few days and Tropical Storm Karen is close to making landfall in the southeast. The powerful storms are just another reminder that the world's climate is continuing to change and powerful storms such as these could possibly become more severe in our near future.

Sources:
http://www.weather.com/news/midwest-severe-weather-tornado-destroys-multiple-homes-nebraska-20131004
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/04/us/nebraska-tornado-western-storms/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Smith, Keith. Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster. Sixth Edition. (New York: Taylor and Francis Group, 2013). 247.

Tropical Storm Karen Almost Certain To Be Upgraded To Hurricane

It is that time of year again. Hurricane season is upon us and hurricane Karen is on its way to the United States Gulf Coast. A watch has been put into effect for parts of coast as this storm is suspected to stretch from Grand Isle, Louisiana, east to Indian Pass, Florida. Early detection systems are in place and this storm has been tracked for days now as residents prepare for the storm.

An added element to this storm is that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is recalling some of the workers that had been furloughed during the government shutdown that happened earlier this week. It is important that these organizations and emergency response workers are made available for the people that will be effected by the storm. An important factor is the United States hazard mitigation efforts of these people that aid in the recovery after a big storm hits. 

The storm has made it past portions of Central America that saw it dump heavy rainfall over the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and also in western Cuba. As it stands now, the Gulf Coast is just hours away from the storm's impact which is expected to make landfall late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. I will continue to update as the storm reaches the US.

Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/10/04/tropical-storm-karen-gulf-coast/2921343/

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/03/world/americas/tropical-storm-karen/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Earthquake Faults in Western United States

October 1st, 2013





This is a map of earthquake faults in the western United States. Earthquake faults are clearly related to the engineering paradigm of environmental hazards. Homes and other structures built on or near earthquake fault lines need to be constructed in a way that is resistant to the potential hazards that it causes. Buildings in the area seen on the map need to have foundations that can resist sideways loads that can be present during an earthquake's series of shockwaves. This can be aided by having lighter roofs and walls and constructing the walls in a way so they can move equally in different directions. The measures are taken because of the engineering paradigm. Earthquakes in these areas occur frequently so the sites have been given added protection against them.

This is not always the case in other areas of the world, such as LDCs, where the government regulations are not as stringent. More government regulations in this area would benefit many people in the world who are extremely vulnerable to potential earthquakes. This data shows the exact location of the fault lines and even shows how old they are believed to be. This helps deal with the complexity paradigm for environmental hazards by showing locations for potential earthquakes. If it is known where a potential earthquakes epicenter could be, there is potential for that disaster to be reduced.

For further information on earthquake hazards visit the U.S. Geological Survey website (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/) which has up to minute tracking of earthquakes around the globe and extremely detailed maps that can help you learn about earthquakes and the steps taken to prepare for them by monitoring fault lines and seismic activity and the research that goes into the preparation process.

Sources:

http://www.reidsteel.com/information/earthquake_resistant_building.htm

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

Kilauea Volcano The Next To Go?

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

The current volcano alert level for the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea has been updated to WATCH. Formed at the southern coast of Hawaii's big island, Kilauea is the most active of the island's volcanoes. Somewhat recently, Kilauea has formed a caldera at the summit of the volcano. It seems to not be a matter of if but when Kilauea will erupt.

Photo taken from from a previous Kilauea eruption in 2010 that sent a lava flow into Kalapana.

As early as last Sunday, warnings have been issued on the USGS website for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. This makes the Kilauea volcano one of the most active volcanoes in North America. This could create hazards for the people and infrastructure surrounding the area. Vent areas on the volcano could erupt or collapse without warning. Gas plumes could be sent into the air that carry potentially-deadly amounts of sulfur dioxide gas at least 1 kilometer downwind.

Fortunately for the citizens of Hawaii, many precautionary measures have taken place to warn individuals of the dangers of volcanoes in the area. On top of that, the Kilauea volcano has had a long active history so an eruption that is not of any considerable size should not be problematic for that people or buildings in the area. Volcanoes still need to be taken seriously however. There are around 500 active volcanoes in the world today and around 50 erupt each year according to Environmental Hazards expert Keith Smith. Smith continues to say that although few deaths occur directly from volcanoes in the modern world, the hazards that they create such as famine from crop failure.

Hawaii may be prepared for Kilauea, but it is important to understand that these hazards can, although not very often, dangerous and it is important to not overlook the environmental impacts that they have on the world around them.

Sources:
http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2010/7/21/Kilauea_Volcano_sends_lava_flow_into_Kalapana_again
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php
Smith, Keith. Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster. Sixth Edition. (New York: Taylor and Francis Group, 2013). 176-177.

Rain Continues Falling On Northern Colorado

Monday, September 16th, 2013

Rains continued through the day on Sunday as communities that have been devastated by flash floods in northern Colorado have been wondering when they will see any relief. Water levels were still rising in some areas of Boulder County. The water is responsible for as many as six deaths and hundreds still unaccounted for.



The economic losses have been nearly as significant. Thousands of homes have been completely destroyed, transportation systems such as roads and bridges will need to be re-built. Officials are still assessing  the damages but estimations are in the hundreds of millions of dollars and that amount is rising. As the National Guard and other disaster relief groups attempt to ensure the safety of the people and buildings affected by this disaster, the rain continues to fall. This makes it much more difficult for people and emergency vehicles to help the people that need it the most. These people need federal assistance and I think they deserve a sunny day.

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/us/colorado-flooding/index.html?hpt=us_c1

The Fuhe River Is The Most Recent Victim Of Environmental Injustices In China

Monday, September 9, 2013

Local residents of Wuhan, an area along the Fuhe river in China's Hubei province have been working tirelessly to remove massive amounts of dead fish that have blanketed the river and its shoreline. The exact mount of dead fish is unknown at this time but at least 110 tons of the fish were removed from the river by Wednesday, September 5th. The fish deaths are thought to be caused by high levels of ammonia that occupies the river. The official Wuhan municipal government's emergency office has stated that culprit for the high levels of ammonia in the water is a chemical plant in the city of Yingcheng. The plant, Hubei Shuanghuan Science and Technology Stock Co., has been subsequently suspended by the Hubei environmental authorities.  

CNN has reported that the Ministry of Environmental Protection admitted that roughly 30% of the rivers it monitors are polluted. The Chinese track record for environmental protection is simply becoming embarrassing. It is widely known that air pollution in some Chinese cities is at an all-time high. How long will these issues affect other countries because of these poor conservation choices? The answer is it already has. The Atlantic Wire reported that research conducted by the National Institute for Environmental Studies concluded that in 2007 and 2008, 29% of particulate pollution found in California had originated in Asia. How long will it be before smog covers cities that would otherwise be considered Eco-friendly? The international community needs to step up and challenge countries such as China in regards to their poor environmental practices. 

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/05/world/asia/china-river-dead-fish/index.html?iref=allsearch
http://photos.denverpost.com/2013/09/03/photos-over-66000-pounds-of-dead-fish-block-the-fuhe-river-in-china/
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2013/04/china-air-pollution-2013/63836/