Global Disaster Watch: Nov 2011


Updated Dec 18

Nuclear Radiation

Japan

(Nov 23) Japan’s science ministry says 8 per cent of the country’s surface area has been contaminated by radiation from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant which went into meltdown after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country in March. More than 30,000 square kilometres of the country has been blanketed by radioactive caesium. Most of the contamination was caused by four large plumes of radiation spewed out by the Fukushima nuclear plant in the first two weeks after meltdowns. The government says some of the radioactive material fell with rain and snow, leaving the affected areas with accumulations of more than 10,000 becquerels of caesium per square metre. (Source)

(Nov 19) 8 months have passed since 311 without any improvement…according to the architect of Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 3, it is inevitable that melted fuel went out of the container vessel and sank underground, which is called China syndrome. He added, if fuel has reaches a underground water vein, it will cause contamination of underground water, soil contamination and sea contamination. Moreover, if the underground water vein keeps being heated for long time, a massive hydrovolcanic explosion will be caused. He also warned radioactive debris is spreading in Pacific Ocean. (Source)

(Nov 15) New research has found that radioactive material in parts of north-eastern Japan exceeds levels considered safe for farming. The findings provide the first comprehensive estimates of contamination across Japan following the nuclear accident in 2011. Food production is likely to be affected, the researchers suggest. (Source)

(Nov 8th) Tepco announced that water purifying system leaked liquid at spent fuel pool of reactor 4.
(Oct 25) Fukushima nuclear plant released far more radiation than the Japanese government has claimed.
(Oct 9) Fukushima Officials admitted that they have made a “mistake”- Actual fallout was 10 times more than reported.

(Oct 24) Twenty Million Tons of Japan Tsunami Debris is Closing in on Hawaii

Japan will soon be faced with an insurmountably wave of people that are suffering from radiation sickness. They were chosen as a doomed example for the rest of the world to look upon and ponder their own eventual fates.

Europe

(Nov 18) Elevated levels of the radioactive element iodine-131 that were detected in several nations in Europe have been identified as likely originating at a Hungarian research institute. The uptick in radioactive iodine was first detected in late October in the Czech Republic. The institute has acknowledged emitting higher quantities of iodine-131 than normal but denies being the source of any elevated radiation. (Source)

How would a large massive death toll that resulted in high levels of radiation causing a dead zone be handled by the world?

Earthquakes

Vietnam

(Nov 29) A minor earthquake, the third in a month, shook the central province of Quang Nam in Vietnam on Sunday night. There were many aftershocks until early the following morning. On Nov 17 a 3.5-magnitude earthquake accompanied by subterranean noises shook the Bac Tra My District. (Source)

Japan

(Nov 27) Two earthquakes hit Japan Thursday – a 6.0-magnitude earthquake near the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant and a 6.1-magnitude quake in the northern island of Hokkaido. (Source)

(Nov 24) Two strong earthquakes rattled northern Japan, but neither caused any apparent damage or a tsunami. A magnitude-6.1 quake struck Thursday evening south of the northern island of Hokkaido. It hit about 465 miles (750 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo and 19 miles (30 kilometers) below the sea surface. (Source)

(Nov 20) A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 jolted the Ibaragi Prefecture near Tokyo on Sunday, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

Bolivia

(Nov 23) A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake rattled Bolivia and was also felt in Peru and Chile, but the epicenter was deep underground and there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. (Source)

(May 9) Some two million people in Bolivia face the risk of a magnitude 8.9 megaquake, 125 times stronger than the previously calculated potential maximum, according to a new study. (Source)

India

(Nov 20) An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale rocked India’s northeast, Myanmar and Bangladesh. In September, more than 50 people died after a killer quake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale shook the region. (Source)

(Nov 18) Small cracks appeared at least at three points in the 115-year-old Mullaperiyar dam in India’s Kerala following two minor tremors have created panic among the people in River Periyar’s downstream areas. The district has more than a dozen large and medium-sized dams including Asia’s largest arch dam, Idukki. (Source)

El Salvador

(Nov 27) More than 700 slight to moderate earthquakes hit an area in eastern El Salvador in a 24-hour period, damaging dozens of homes but hurting no one. The brief quakes, which started Thursday, ranged from 1.8 to 4.6 in magnitude. (Source)

Guatemala and Ecuador

(Nov 17) A 5.1 magnitude strong quake struck Guatemala and was felt roughly twenty miles east in Chiapas, Mexico. The quake was roughly six hundred miles from Mexico City. Third minutes earlier, another quake, registering 5.0 magnitude struck the country as well. In related news, a strong 5.7 magnitude quake struck the night before in Ecuador. The quake registered a marginal depth of eighteen miles below the earth’s surface. Read more HERE.

Turkey

(Nov 30) Turkey’s Kandilli observatory says a magnitude-5.0 quake has shaken eastern Turkey — a region already devastated by two powerful tremors. (Source)

(Nov 17) Turkey was hit by another powerful 5.2-magnitude earthquake Tuesday morning. This is the nation’s third major quake in a matter of weeks, not including the dozens of tremors and aftershocks the people in the Van area have experienced. This quake follows another 5.7-magnitude quake last week and a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that killed over 600 people at the end of October. The string of violent disasters littered by tremors and aftershocks has thrown the citizens of eastern Turkey into a frenzy of fear. (Source)

New Zealand

(Nov 4) Scientists warned of an increased probability that another powerful earthquake will hit the earthquake-stricken New Zealand city of Christchurch in the next year. In a new report, government scientists said there was a 15 percent probability of a magnitude 6.0 to 6.4 quake in the next 12 months, up from 10 percent in September. The chance of a 5.5-5.9 magnitude quake was put at 46 percent from 37 percent two months ago. (Source)

(Nov 1) The magnitude 6.2 temblor killed more than 180 people and damaged or destroyed more than 100,000 buildings, the deadliest quake to strike New Zealand in 80 years. The high intensity of shaking was greater than expected – much of the damage came from a phenomenon called liquefaction, where soils are shaken and begin to behave as a liquid, undermining buildings and other structures. This map shows the location of the initial magnitude 6.2 earthquake and the many aftershocks that shook the area in the ensuing days. (Source)

Taiwan

(Nov 8th) A 6.9 magnitude earthquake rattled the sea-floor just northeast of Taiwan – strongest to shake the island nation in a decade. One of the worst earthquakes to hit Taiwan was a 7.6 magnitude in 1999 that is commonly referred to as the “921 Earthquake.” It struck Taiwan’s central Nantou County, killing 2,415 people and injuring over 11,000, becoming the second deadliest quake to ever strike Taiwan. (Source)

Chile

(Nov 3) A series of moderate earthquakes have rippled up and down the northern coastline of Chile over a 24-hour period. The 2010 earthquake ripped apart buildings and bridges across Chile, and more than 300 people were killed while 1.5 million were displaced. (Source)

China

(Nov 1) At least 50 homes were destroyed by a moderate earthquake that struck the northwestern part of the country. The U.S. Geological Survey says a 5.4 magnitude quake struck Xinjiang province between the border areas of Yining and Gongliu counties, at a depth of 27 kilometers. So far, there are no reports of casualties. A separate earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude struck Tuesday morning in China’s southwestern Sichuan region. Sichuan was devastated by a powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people. (Source)

Peru

(Oct 29) A 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit near the coast of Central Peru (83 injured, 660 homeless and 132 houses collapsed). There have been numerous aftershocks. (Source)

There will never be a day on the international news cast that speaks of anything good happening on this planet to do with weather or other natural phenomena such as earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Troubling increase in global volcanic activity

Trinidad and Tobago

(Nov 28) Experts warn that the country is on the cusp of a big earthquake and it requires “serious political will” from Government and an almost equal contribution from civil society to provide funding and resources urgently to pre-finance and prepare. (Source)

Yellowstone

(Nov 28) The park is not only rising and falling, it’s also moving side to side. Over a four-month period in 2010, Yellowstone endured a swarm of 2,500 earthquakes. The temblors varied up to magnitude 3.8, which was recorded on Jan. 20. Scientists claim that if the world’s largest volcanic feature is beginning to stir, they would see it coming well in advance. (Source)

Extreme and Unusual Weather

(Nov 30) UK: Rare ‘tornado’ hits Greater Manchester. Trees were blown over and a chimney toppled in Heaton Moor. Floods hit the North following rain and gales. Some parts of Scotland were battered by a fortnight’s rain in just 24-hours. (Source)

(Nov 29) Canada: Toronto has gotten a major soaking and Tuesday’s rainfall has set a new one-day record – 42.2 millimetres, exceeding the previous one-day rainfall record of 20.2 millimetres set in 2005. (Source)

(Nov 29) Zimbabwe: The African country experienced RECORD-BREAKING TEMPERATURES which saw temperatures in some parts of the country soaring to 46 degrees Celsius, more extreme than ever in the last half a century. (Source)

(Nov 28) U.S. Deep South: Alabama gets first November snow in 35 years, cities in the Deep South are under winter weather advisories. (Source)

(Nov 28) Sweden: Some 80,000 households remained without electricity in southern part on Monday morning in the wake of the weekend’s storm dubbed Berit.Read more HERE.

(Nov 28) Norway: The “extreme weather system” known as “Berit” hit Norway’s northwest coast hard. Waves as high as 30 meters, hurricane-force winds and RECORD-HIGH TIDES generated plenty of drama but no casualties. (Source)

(Nov 24) Three people have been killed after a mudslide triggered by torrential rain on the Mediterranean island of Sicily des­troyed several houses. Heavy rain also pounded the eastern coast of Sardinia. (Source)

(Nov 18) Nebraska: A wind-whipped wildfire in Reno has destroyed more than 20 homes and forced the evacuation of thousands. Read more HERE.

(Nov 18) Alaska: For the second time in three days, a new low temperature in Fairbanks – 41 degrees below zero broke the old record of 39 below set in 1969. (Source) (Nov 15) Record snowfall levels have been reported in Juneau, and more snow was to arrive. (Source)

(Nov 18) US Southeast: Six US states were hit with ‘extreme weather’ in the form of tornadoes, straight-line winds, micro-burst, and wind shears. The storms were the worst bout of weather for the state since about 250 people were killed during the tornado outbreak in April.

The states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama S. Carolina, N. Carolina and Georgia suffered at least six deaths, numerous injuries, and severely damaged buildings. Suspected tornadoes were reported in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina. Dozens of homes and buildings were damaged, and thousands of people were without power as trees and power lines were downed.

(Nov 17) Bolivia: A rare tornado demolished buildings, uprooted trees and ripped metal sheeting from roofs. A Bolivian meteorologist says it is unusual for a tornado to hit a mountain city. Watch video HERE.

(Nov 15) Colorado: Winds estimated at above 100 mph tore through the gap in the Dakota Wall, uprooting trees, shearing off roofs and knocking out electricity in this tiny Las Animas County burg. Several long-time residents said the windstorm was the worst they had seen in the area. (Source)

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