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Signs Of The Times, End Times, Last Days, Hurricane, Ophelia, Katrina, Alpha, Flooding, Rescue, New Orleans, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Signs Of The Times, World Events, Disasters, Tsunami, earthquake, volcano, tidal wave, 666, storms, hail, end times, last days, more... It is being reported... Human Hand Behind Earthquake 's and Tsunami's ? Was this an earthquake creation experiment that ran out of control? Many countries are working on methods of creating massive earthquakes/storms as means to defeat the enemy. The technologically advanced countries are working on this project. [or is it God's hand!?!...therev]It is being reported... NASA Funds Sci-Fi Technology - Ross Hoffman has had a vision: to use tiny changes in the environment to alter the paths of hurricanes, slow down snow storms and turn dark days bright. ...Hoffman tweaked a weather-prediction program to show that moving a hurricane was possible -- at least in theory. Here's how: You need a ring of satellites in orbit, channeling the sun's energy, stretching around the Earth. The machines would beam power to the planet, using microwaves. But, tuned to 183 GHz, they could also heat up small regions of the atmosphere by a degree or two. Those small changes could have enormous impact, Hoffman's simulation showed." Editor: Or, existing HAARP technology could do the same thing. It is being reported 09.05.05...
Harnessing Weather: Allegations Surface That US, Russia Have Technology to
Manage Hurricanes HEBREWS 12:25-29." See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven 26. Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29. For our God is a consuming fire." NOTE: The reports here are deleted when page load slows LINK: Go BACK to News & Views READ THEM NOW !
It is being reported...
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Posted March April 6-8, 2007 -------------------------------- Reported by Maria... Worldwide Events QUAKES - 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.0 VANUATU 5.0 LOYALTY ISLANDS 5.0 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION 5.0 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.0 EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN 5.1 FIJI REGION 5.1 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.2 BURYATIYA, RUSSIA 5.1 NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND 5.1 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION 5.2 KURIL ISLANDS 5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.3 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.3 KURIL ISLANDS 5.4 MAURITIUS - REUNION REGION 5.4 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION 6.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 6.1 AZORES ISLANDS REGION 6.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 6.2 LOYALTY ISLANDS 6.2 AZORES ISLANDS REGION Quakes in the U.S. are up to 702 this past week - the average has usually been about 2/3 of that. The Nevada/California border area has been unusually active, along with Alaska, and now Oregon. Worldwide large quakes have reached 259 for the past week - they had been averaging about 139. SOLOMON'S VIRGINIA - The shaking from the devastating 8.1 magnitude earthquake that struck near the Solomon Islands on Sunday at 4:39 p.m. took just shy of 16 minutes to reach Virginia Tech's statewide seismic network 8,400 miles away. The shock waves lasted about two hours. An earthquake of such magnitude occurs worldwide about once every 18 to 24 months. The station at the University of Richmond showed the state shuddering about 2 millimeters, mostly in a north-south direction. The Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory installed seismological equipment on the university grounds a year ago to track the increased seismic activity in central Virginia over the past few years. Virginia has had more than 160 earthquakes in the past three decades, but only about one-sixth of them were felt. The state's biggest earthquake, a magnitude 5.8 temblor in Giles County, came in 1897 and was felt in 12 states. Since the 2004 Sumatran temblor and tsunami, U.S. researchers have worked to prepare coastal communities, including Virginia Beach, for the possibility of tsunami and storm-related flooding. TSUNAMI - SOLOMONS - relief workers are now fighting an outbreak of diarrhea among the thousands of people who were displaced by the earthquakes and subsequent tsunami that devastated parts of the Solomon Islands. Scores of people were still missing and up to 5,400 people are crammed into makeshift camps in hills behind their coastal villages, too scared to go home. People "are now starving in Western and Choiseul provinces as aid slowly makes its way around the provinces." 30 people are presumed dead, with 100 still missing and 2,000 still homeless. "We are preparing for a worsening of the known numbers of the dead, of course in a situation like this, many people may just simply disappear when there's a tsunami, a giant wave in low lying areas, we may not find some of those who've been lost." VOLCANOES - LA REUNION - spectacular volcanic eruption - Raging lava has spewed out of one of the world's most active volcanoes on the French island of La Reunion. The red hot lava cut roads in half, damaged homes and created huge clouds of steam as it flowed into the Indian Ocean. It is the third eruption of the Piton de la Fournaise or 'Mountain of the Furnace' this year alone. About 50 teenagers were taken to hospital from three schools in Saint Joseph with respiratory problems caused by the volcano's sulfur fumes. Researchers on the island are concerned the recent activity may be creating more cracks lower down the volcano, which will allow the molten lava to spread further. The volcano is about 530,000 years old and has erupted an estimated 170 times since the mid 17th century. La Reunion is a small island wedged between Madagascar and Mauritius. (great photos) AFRICA - Lake Kivu sits in an area of high volcanic activity, and a large flow of lava into its waters could cause an explosion, prompting a catastrophe. Reserves of methane gas under the lake are currently estimated at around 55 billion cubic meters (two trillion cubic feet). There is four times as much carbon dioxide under the lake as there is methane. "The danger with the gas is that it is explosive when in a very strong concentration." Around two million people live around the lake. If the methane exploded, carbon dioxide would be released, killing tens of thousands of people. DR Congo and Rwanda have a recent agreement to extract methane gas from under Lake Kivu, hoping not only to produce power but also to defuse the massive time bomb. When Mount Nyiragongo last erupted in 2002, the volcano spewed out 38 million cubic meters of lava, engulfing parts of the nearby city of Goma. "If a similar amount went directly into the lake at high velocity, that could reach the deep waters and cause a gas explosion." The resulting disaster would be even worse than when gas escaped from Lake Nyos in Cameroon in August 1986, when carbon dioxide seeped out of the lake after an explosion and suffocated 1,800 people. Taking out the gas would reduce the risk, although the project is not scheduled to be operational before 2009. INDONESIA is forging ahead with plans to build its first nuclear power plant in the shadow of a dormant volcano, despite mounting opposition from environmental groups who fear a catastrophe in the country which is beset by earthquakes and natural disasters. The favored site on the north coast of Java is overlooked by the brooding presence of Mount Muria. Critics are concerned that the slightest tremor could trigger a fresh eruption and spell disaster for any nuclear reactor in its path. The consequences of a radioactive leak, through earthquake or eruption, could prove disastrous for Java - home to 100 million Indonesians. "It's a highly risky proposition: 83% of Indonesia is very dangerous - prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and landslides." A new geological study has unearthed minor faults in the area that suggest the government is playing with fire. "This is just a showcase project to give the government a bargaining chip at the nuclear table. But we'll pay if it goes wrong." ARIZONA - the most recent volcano eruption here created Sunset Crater northeast of Flagstaff. It blew sometime around 1065 and continued to erupt off and on for about 200 years. There are all sorts of volcanoes around Arizona. The San Francisco Volcanic Field up by Flagstaff covers about 1,800 square miles and has probably produced about 600 volcanoes over the past 6 million years. The Superstition Mountains are volcanic, as are the Chiricahuas, and there were volcanoes around the Grand Canyon. The eruptions that created the Chiricahuas about 27 million years ago were about 1,000 times more powerful than the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. And here's something to think about: The San Francisco Volcanic Field is quiet now, but is considered to be potentially active. TROPICAL STORMS - Cyclone JAYA was 641 nmi WNW of Saint Pierre, Reunion. Cyclone CLIFF was 967 nmi NE of Auckland, New Zealand. FIJI - Many areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Cliff in the North remain inaccessible. Red Cross teams are unable to get into the affected areas as yet due to the number of landslides that have restricted or cut off access to these places and they are concerned over the welfare of the villages who remain stranded. TONGA - Tropical Cyclone Cliff is now moving away from Tonga after bringing strong winds last night. The gusts were weaker than predicted, with the strongest reaching 56 kilometres per hour rather than the 93 kilometres expected. The storm stayed well off shore. GUAM - much of Guam's waters remain dangerous today. Large north swells generated by Typhoon Kong-Rey will bring hazardous surf to north and west facing reefs. A high surf advisory remains in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday along all reefs. The rip current risk is at high, which means pounding surf will produce dangerous rip currents at reefs and beaches. Tropical storm KONG-REY was 594 nmi NNE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands. FIJI - School children narrowly escaped a mudslide through their school as Tropical Cyclone Cliff struck Fiji yesterday at category 1. The cyclone peaked about 2pm yesterday when gusts of up to 120km/h hit the northern island Vanua Levu. "We don't know all the damage yet. We know there were roofs blown off and some infrastructure completely destroyed. There were big sea swells. In some places the shores were inundated by the sea." A woman died on Tuesday night while trying to cross a bridge above swollen waters. The cyclone today drifted over the Lau group of islands in Fiji's south east, and was expected to be downgraded to a tropical depression as it headed towards Tonga. Cyclone season in Fiji lasts from about November to the end of April. Tropical Cyclone Cliff caused considerable damage to a number of roads, some due to landslides and some due to wash-outs. MADAGASCAR - Tropical cyclone Jaya made landfall on Madagascar's northeastern coast on Tuesday on a projected trajectory that will see it rage through areas already devastated by cyclone Indlala just over two weeks ago. It was the sixth mayor cyclone to hit this season. "This is the WORST CYCLONE SEASON IN THE RECORDED HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY." Officials expressed concern over the lack of international media attention the emergency in Madagascar had received, considering the extent of the multiple disasters and the vulnerability of the island and its people. "It is striking that so little attention is being paid to a crisis that affects so many that are already vulnerable because of poverty." With the cyclone season continuing until the end of April or early May, expectations are that Jaya will not be the last disaster to strike the island. (photo) HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / WIND - USA - TEXAS - Kerrville has seen an unusual amount of rain since the start of 2007 with more in the forecast for April. A NEW RECORD was reached in March for rainfall with a total of 9.65 inches during the month. The previous record was 6.96 inches recorded in 1979. Kerrville’s weather already has been much wetter than just one year ago. The total rainfall for the first three months of 2006 had been 3.44 inches, while total rainfall for all of 2006 was 21.56 inches. So far this year, the county has seen 13.03 inches. The City of Fredericksburg has recorded a RECORD-BREAKING total of 8.33 inches of rain for the month. Not only did the city receive 6.70 inches more than it usually does in March alone, but last month’s 8.33-inch total also easily surpasses the annual average of 4.64 inches (by 3.69 inches) that fall here during the first three months of any year. Never since 1962 has the park rain gauge had a wetter March than this year’s. The city has now tabulated a total of 11.05 inches of rain for the year. KENTUCKY - storms tore through Tuesday, reminding many longtime residents of the prelude to the tornadoes that swept the region 33 years ago to the day. Those twisters claimed 126 lives in Kentucky and Indiana and devastated several Louisville neighborhoods. Thunderstorms toppled trees and power lines this time. Winds of more than 60 mph and large hail accompanied the storms. Tuesday's high was 83, while 28 is expected tonight. Rapid changes in the weather are not unusual for April, but it is UNUSUAL for the temperature changes to be so extreme. Southern African communities, local authorities and humanitarian partners are finding their resources stretched to the limit with the early arrival of the rainy season and relentless precipitation as well as an UNPRECEDENTED series of cyclones and tropical storms. Despite recent improvements in the capacities for disaster and emergency preparedness and response, areas of Angola, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia are working to rebuild their homes and recover their livelihoods after months of heavy rains. SANDSTORM - CHINA - On Monday a RARE sandstorm blanketed the city of Shanghai with yellow dust, causing its WORST AIR QUALITY CRISIS SINCE MONITORING BEGAN. Concentrations of respirable particulates jumped to 0.623 milligrams per cubic meter of air, seven times the daily average for last year. Last Friday the sandstorm originated in the deserts of western Mongolia, dumping 14,000 tonnes of sand in Shenyang, Liaoning province, alone over the weekend. In the last few years, many of the natural obstacles that held the sand in check, like forests and rivers, have largely disappeared in favor of economic development. Unchecked industrial growth and pollution, deforestation, lower water flow in rivers are changing China’s weather with serious consequences for the climate. Millions of people are suffering from drought and the overall economic cost is huge. China’s uncontrolled industrial growth is the culprit. Not only is it destroying the country’s environment but it is also rapidly changing its climate with unexpected consequences. Hydro-electric power stations are taking huge quantities of water from rivers, entire forests have been cut down, and industrial plants that pollute air and water have multiplied. One aspect of climate change that is particularly worrisome is the drop in precipitation. In Chongqing rainfall last winter and this spring is 30 per cent lower than in previous years. The city of Chongqing had already experienced its worst drought in more than a century last summer with temperatures up to 43 degrees Celsius and 1.61 million residents struggling to find drinking water. HEAT / DROUGHT/ CLIMATE CHANGE- U.S. - the "dust bowl", a Depression-era environmental disaster that drove 500,000 people from the southwestern American states, may soon return, US scientists have warned. The same area is “expected to dry up notably in this century and could become as arid as the North American dust bowl of the 1930s.” The process may already be under way. “The recent prolonged drought (in that area) is probably the beginning of the climate change.” The more arid climate will be UNLIKE ANY CONDITIONS THAT EXIST ON RECORD FOR THE AREA, which covers the southwest of the US and parts of northern Mexico and will leave the American Southwest in perpetual drought for the next 90 years. Unlike that area's recent droughts, which were caused by sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean know as El Nino, “the new aridity is caused by a poleward expansion of the subtropical dry zones.” Earth's dusty neighbor Mars is grappling with its own form of climate change as fluctuating solar radiation is kicking up dust and winds that may be melting the planet's southern polar ice cap, scientists said on Wednesday. Researchers have been watching the changing face of Mars for years, studying slight differences in the brightness and darkness of its surface. These changes in brightness have been generally attributed to the presence of dust, but until now their effect on wind circulation and climate has not been clear. Variations in radiation from the surface of Mars are fuelling strong winds that stir up giant dust storms, trapping heat and raising the planet's temperature. The red planet has warmed by around 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.65 degree Celsius) from the 1970s to the 1990s, which may in part have caused the recent retreat of the southern polar ice cap. Large swaths of the surface have darkened or brightened over the past three decades. These albedo changes strengthened winds, picking up and circulating dust, creating a vicious cycle that is warming the planet. SNOW / COLD - USA - MICHIGAN - Negaunee Township measured 24 inches of snowfall Wednesday, BREAKING A 1974 RECORD of 12 inches. In Houghton County, Painesdale was hit the hardest with a storm total of 38 inches. "The extended winds we've had have been pretty incredible in this storm." The snowfall total was the second-largest 24-hour total in their history. Spring storms are not uncommon, but an April storm with these winds and snowfall accumulation is UNUSUAL. "We've had spring storms like this, but this is RARE for April." USA - OHIO - Newly planted vegetables, recently sprouted flowers and fresh fruit tree blooms were thriving in balmy 80-degree weather just a couple of days ago. Now, that springtime bounty faces damage, or even death, from a sharp blast of Canadian air that is plunging temperatures into the 20s for several nights. The cold wave may hurt this year's peach, apple and cherry crops. While a sub-freezing night or two in April isn't unusual, a sustained cold snap in the 20s this time of year is. In two words, the sustained low temperatures are "NOT NORMAL," said the National Weather Service office in Wilmington. "Just like a few days ago when it was UNUSUAL to have temperatures in the 70s and 80s, it's not normal to have several nights in a row in the 20s." Average highs and lows this time of year are around 60 and 40. The cold is just the latest batch of UNUSUAL WEATHER over the past three months that has disrupted the normal pattern of plant life. "It all started back in January when we had unusually warm weather. I had daffodils blooming for three weeks in January. The problem is when plants have a warm January, they get tender and soft and that makes them more susceptible to cold damage. They think spring is here in January and start coming out of dormancy and get ready to grow. And then it turns cold." February's sustained temperatures around zero weakened the plants further. "Then we had a hot early spring and the plants came out again in all their glory. Now, with it getting really cold again, there could be a lot of blackened flowers and even blackened leaves." MASS BIRD DEATHS- FEBRUARY - COSTA RICA - February 14 - Authorities are investigating the mysterious deaths of about 500 brown pelicans along the country's Pacific coast over five days but do not suspect bird flu was the cause. The first dead birds were spotted by a fisherman on San Lucas Island, about 10 miles from the coastal city of Punta Arenas. More turned up in the following days at nearby islands and rivers. "This is a situation that is enormously worrisome. But it is hard to know what happened, and so it is better not to speculate." Investigators were collecting tissue samples from the dead birds. Investigators do not think the deaths were caused by bird flu, which is primarily spread by migration. Brown pelicans are not migratory birds, and form stable, permanent colonies. Hospitals have been checked for possible cases of diseases like West Nile virus that could infect both birds and humans. Mosquitoes can spread that disease by biting infected birds and then biting humans. No such cases have been found so far. CALIFORNIA - February 14 - HUNTINGTON BEACH – Dead and dying shorebirds are turning up around the Santa Ana River mouth, the survivors suffering from seizures and the cause unknown. Up to 50 seabirds, and possibly more, may have been affected. "We're fighting like heck to get the toxins out of them." While the symptoms the birds exhibit in some ways resemble those of domoic acid poisoning – the result of an ocean-borne toxin that can affect birds and sea mammals – there was no apparent evidence of the red tide associated with domoic acid. "We don't think it's in the food chain. It seems more like they're sharing the same area, the same water." It was unknown whether there was a threat to people swimming in the area. There were no signs of unusually high bacteria levels and no indications of chemical spills that might be affecting the water. Some high bacteria levels were seen Monday, which happens typically after storms, but those levels had dropped by Tuesday. The bird species affected included western grebes, eared grebes, ring-billed gulls, California gulls, a pelican, brants, cormorants, double-crested cormorants, a rare rhino auklet and a lesser scaup. Most of the affected birds appeared to be cormorants. An American avocet brought in Monday with seizures was among the sick birds that have survived the illness. FOLLOW UP, April 5 - Early in February and March, the beaches of Orange County saw the onset of a rash of illness and death among a variety of species of marine fowl. With many different birds found suffering within only a week's time, scientists are still looking for a cause. An estimated 25 to 30 dead cormorants were reportedly found in Newport Beach between the Santa Ana River and the city's pier. Other birds fell from the sky. Analyses were done on the blood and stomach contents of several of the birds brought into the care center that were seizing and displaying other symptoms potentially indicative of toxic algae poisoning. Algal species that produce demoic acid can bloom along the Orange County coastline, and if planktivorous fish, such as sardines and anchovy, consume the algae, they can become a demoic acid-contaminated food source for seabirds and sea lions. Only one of seven samples tested positive for demoic acid. "It's not enough to suggest that this is algal toxin-related." Lab techs were looking for evidence of fungal bacteria, and tests came back negative for organic phosphates and neoplasia. Of the birds that were brought in alive, only 10 percent recovered and were released into the wild. "As of yet, we do not know the exact cause of these deaths, but what we do know is that something acute and neurological happened to the affected birds. It's interesting that we had 14 different species that were affected the same way by the incident, and yet they all have different eating habits." With the heavy rainfall that came just before the onset of the illness in these different indigenous species to the Santa Ana River mouth, scientists are speculating that the problem may be riverborne and could have originated as far up the river as the Prado Dam. USA DENVER, COLORADO - February 16 - The number of mysterious duck deaths is higher and more widespread than first thought and the problem is not just limited to the Metro wastewater treatment plant. Not only have dead ducks turned up at the metro Denver plant, but also along the South Platte River. Wastewater treatment plants in Thornton, South Adams County, Westminster, Northglenn, and Littleton-Englewood have also reported a higher than normal number of duck deaths. Dead ducks have also been found at the Sunfish Lake near The Breakers apartments in Denver. But at this point, nobody knows why. "No one remembers ducks dying in these kinds of numbers." The problem first showed up at the Metro wastewater treatment plant. Employees found more than 400 ducks dying from hypothermia but don't know what caused it. Plant operators have scrambled to figure out why and have come up empty. "Right now, we haven't found anything different in the water now as opposed to years past." Crews have taken the surviving ducks to rehabilitation facilities around the state. Since no one knows why the ducks are getting sick, treatment is limited. "We just give them things to help flush out what is new in their systems because wildlife are involved with a lot of environmental toxins." Scientists have ruled out avian flu and avian cholera and state health officials said the deaths may have nothing to with the treatments plants. "Histology from the birds shows no clinical signs of disease. There are no conclusive test results pointing to the cause. Additional tests are being conducted...We are focusing on what causes the ducks to lose their waterproofing as well as the cause of the malnutrition evident in many of the birds. There are many factors we need to consider in trying to investigate a die-off and we are doing all we can to methodically apply the science available to us." The state health department said one possible cause for the deaths is the abnormally cold winter. FOLLOW-UP, March 8 - State and federal biologists have ruled out several causes in the deaths of 850 ducks this winter and were still trying to figure out how they died. Avian flu, bacterial infections and exposure to heavy metals and toxins have been ruled out as culprits in the only mass duck die-off its kind nationally. "We've got more answered questions than we have answers." But the worst appears to be over, just a few dead ducks have been found in the past few days. Starting in January, several dead ducks were found at a northeast-Denver wastewater treatment plant. Others were found at other treatment plants and a lake between Boulder and Highlands Ranch. Biologists believe that most of the ducks died from hypothermia after losing their waterproofing and getting wet. One suggestion is that detergents or substances to keep water from foaming might be responsible. The cold, snowy weather likely contributed to the deaths. About 50 ducks found along the South Platte River were dry but had starved to death. Most of the ducks were Northern Shovelers, which have a large, spoon-shaped bill. The ducks have wintered in Colorado for the past several years. Some ailing ducks were nursed back to health at a sanctuary and released. About 40 ducks are still being treated. ALBERTA, CANADA - February 22 - Wildlife experts are examining another 50 ducks found dead along the Bow River on Wednesday, bringing the total number of dead birds discovered this week to 115. Test results won’t be available to confirm the cause of death until later this week, but the likely culprit is a bacteria or viral infection. It’s not likely the H5N1 strain of avian bird flu that’s been responsible for bird deaths and mass culls in other parts of the world. "There’s no reason for the public to be concerned." The rapid spread of disease isn’t uncommon among birds during the winter months when large areas of their habitat freezes, forcing them to live in closer proximity. "When we have concentrated groups of animals, it’s a breeding ground for diseases, infections (and) bacteria. This is a natural phenomenon." In previous years, large groups of birds have fallen victim to avian cholera in Calgary. MARCH - NEW ZEALAND, March 16 - Veterinarians at the University’s Wildlife Ward are investigating the cause of death of the last of a population of endangered yellow-eyed penguins hatched on Stewart Island this breeding season. Although all of the 32 chicks in the island’s Anglim coast monitoring area died, the mainland population did not appear to be affected at this stage. The last chick died of a blood parasite recently discovered on the island, but a number of diseases and environmental factors are believed to be involved in the overall mortality. Investigation is now being focused on the role of disease in Yellow-eyed penguin chicks and methods of reducing mortality. The Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust says this year’s breeding season is the WORST SINCE MONITORING BEGAN four years ago. SPACE WEATHER - Scientists confirm that GPS services were impacted by a December 2006 solar eruption. Solar radio bursts can have a significant effect on global positioning systems (GPS). Solar flares have also been known to cause power outages and disrupt satellite functions. Forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration observed two solar flares on December 5 and 6, 2006, which occurred during a solar minimum when solar activity is supposed to be much calmer. However, these solar radio bursts were powerful enough to stop receivers from reading the GPS signal on the entire sunlit side of the Earth, and "… produced as much as 10 TIMES MORE RADIO NOISE THAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD." "In December, we found the effect of GPS receivers were more profound and widespread than we expected. Now we are concerned more severe consequences will occur during the next solar maximum." DISEASE THREATS - RECALLS & ALERTS The recall of contaminated pet food and treats is being widened to include dog biscuits and more Menu Foods products. ConAgra Foods said Thursday that moisture from a leaky roof and faulty sprinkler was the cause of the salmonella bacteria that contaminated peanut butter at its Georgia plant last year, sickening more than 400 people nationwide. Posted March April 5, 2007 -------------------------------- Reported by Maria... Worldwide Events QUAKES - 6.2 LOYALTY ISLANDS 5.1 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION 5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.3 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.0 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.1 NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND 6.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 6.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.6 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA 5.3 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 6.1 LOYALTY ISLANDS 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS 5.0 MOLUCCA SEA 5.1 TAIWAN REGION 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.5 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.5 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.5 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.5 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 6.0 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN 5.1 D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS REGION SOLOMONS - Thousands are homeless, food and water are in short supply and officials are struggling to reach inaccessible west coast villages. Survivors scavenged for food and drinking water in towns hammered by a tsunami on the Solomon Islands' west coast, while officials said the death toll was 28 and would rise as they struggled to reach remote communities. The first television footage of the devastated region taken by helicopter after Monday's double disaster - a huge undersea earthquake followed minutes later by a surging wall of water - showed building after tin-and-thatched-roof building collapsed along a muddy foreshore. Among the dead were a bishop and three worshippers killed when a wave hit a church during an ordination ceremony on the island of Simbo, the United Church said. Few of the homeless had even basic supplies, and their situation will quickly turn desperate. VOLCANOES - PERU - The active Ubinas stratovolcano, located in Southern Peru’s region of Moquegua, continues to rumble. According to the seismic monitors of Peru’s Geophysical Institute, four explosions have been registered since March 23rd. On March 23, an explosion took place at 5:59 p.m. local time (22:59 GMT), causing a tremor (prolonged seismic vibration) of at least nine minutes. Six days later, on March 29th, a tremor lasted 280 minutes and the next day another explosion was registered with an aftermath lasting more than 16 hours. The last observed explosion was on Sunday, April 1st at 09:04 a.m. (14:04 GMT), causing seismic vibrations that lasted more than 21 hours. The volcano’s latest unrest is worrying local townspeople and authorities who demand greater support. Regional health authorities have intensified their efforts to monitor the drinking water situation to make sure it is not contaminated by volcanic gases and ashes. RUSSIA - Scientists have discovered caldera of an ancient super volcano at Kamchatka. "The eruption of the Kamchatka super volcano took place more than about a million and a half years ago." Now the volcano has "cooled off," so some specialists say it would be incorrect to speak of any possibility of new eruptions. But the eruption of such a volcano could be ten thousand times more powerful than that of an ordinary one. The discovered caldera is a giant oval 35 kilometers long. The caldera is stretched between the head of the Paratunka River and Banniye hot springs. Scientists suppose that these particular springs might be heated by the warmth of the ancient super-volcano. The Yellowstone Caldera measures about 55 by 72 kilometers. The last supervolcano eruption occurred 74 thousand years ago in the region where Sumatra is located today. Then the average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere fell 21 degrees Centigrade. TROPICAL STORMS - Cyclone CLIFF was 1250 nmi NNE of Auckland, New Zealand. Cyclone JAYA was 641 nmi WNW of Saint Pierre, Reunion. Typhoon KONG-REY was 357 nmi N of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands. MARIANA ISLANDS - Typhoon Kong-Rey 01W passed and headed away from the Marianas yesterday with no major damage to crops and property. Packing winds of up to 75 miles per hour Typhoon Kong-Rey O1W's nearest approach to CNMI was at 7am when its center was located 50 miles east-northeast of Saipan and 60 miles east-northeast of Tinian. The typhoon caused minor power outages on Saipan, particularly Kagman, Dandan, and the entire southern part of the island. Although the typhoon is moving away from the NMI, the outer or feeder bands of the typhoon could still bring heavy rains and winds resulting in power outages. The heavy rains have flooded some farms. If the rains don't let up soon, some crops will die. In 2005, when Typhoon Nabi struck the islands, agriculture sustained major damage, specifically on vegetable and root crops. HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES - CENTRAL ASIA - Avalanches and floods triggered by heavy rains and spring snow melt have killed about 150 people in recent days in the mountains of central Asia. In Afghanistan, the death toll reached 88 on Monday, and more than half of the country’s provinces had flooded. The government has distributed tents, blankets and sandbags to people, but aid agencies were still trying to reach an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 people in remote areas. Meanwhile, flooding and avalanches have killed more than 50 people in the past 10 days in northwestern Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. The toll includes 38 people who died in weekend avalanches, some of whose bodies were found Monday in the rubble of demolished homes in a remote village. And in Tajikistan, a woman and her seven children between the ages of 5 and 20 were killed Sunday by an avalanche that swallowed their home. The destruction has been most widespread in Afghanistan, where residents say this year’s spring rains are HEAVIER THAN THEY HAVE SEEN IN YEARS. The once-trickling Kabul river breached its embankments early Monday, destroying 170 homes in the capital, Kabul. Families were evacuated, and no casualties were immediately reported. In central Bamiyan province, 60 homes were reportedly destroyed by an avalanche Sunday night. The area is difficult to access because of flooding, which has reportedly killed about 28 people. In Panjshir, north of Kabul, six districts have suffered avalanches and floods, killing nine people and destroying 40 homes. Heavy rains and snow have been lashing Pakistan’s rugged Chitral district, about 170 miles northwest of the capital Islamabad, since late last week. In some areas, 6 feet of snow has fallen in the past several days. One of the weekend avalanches in Pakistan hit 26 homes in the village of Wasij, killing at least 34 people. Another avalanche hit a home in the village of Postaki, killing four. And 11 people were missing when an avalanche hit Olas village on Sunday. SNOW / COLD - The Arctic in 2005 saw little renewal of the thick, perennial sea ice that normally melts and is replenished every year, a NASA study has found. Renewing the layer is crucial to maintaining the summer ice cover's stability, and the new findings suggest it may continue to decrease by as much as 10 per cent a year. "The area of seasonal ice that survives the summer may no longer be large enough to sustain a stable perennial ice cover, especially in the face of accelerating climate warming and Arctic sea ice thinning." Perennial ice coverage was 14 per cent lower in January 2006 than it was at the same time in 2005 — only about four per cent of the 2.5 million square kilometers of seasonal ice formed the previous winter survived the summer. The depletion of the sea ice was also affected by ABNORMAL wind conditions that resulted in about seven per cent of the perennial ice coverage area migrating out of the Arctic — an UNUSUALLY HIGH amount. FISH KILL - JAMAICA - The National Environment and Planning Agency last Friday said it was not sure of the cause of the huge fish kill in St Elizabeth, nearly three weeks after the hundreds of dead fish washed up on the shores of the Black River and its tributaries in the parish. Fish and water samples collected from the river on the days immediately following the fish kill (March 12, 13 and 14) have been analyzed but said the results were so far "inconclusive". The water was tested for biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, acidity (pH) and total suspended solids. The fish kill sparked allegations from residents and business persons alike who live and work in Black River and the surrounding communities that the fish may have died as a result of dunder - dark-colored by-product of rum distillation which smells like stale sugar - released in the river by Appleton. Dunder is known to deplete the oxygen levels in water. Appleton's Chief Executive Officer refuted the claim saying the dunder it produced was stored in large ponds which were sealed and therefore leak-proof. NORTH DAKOTA - Something fishy is going on between Bismarck and Jamestown at Lake Isabel, thousands of times over. Carp, some up to two feet long, are washing up on shore after a severe winter kill. Some nearby residents say it`s the WORST FISH KILL SINCE THEY'VE BEEN LIVING THERE. Carp are normally a hearty fish. But this winter, even the heartiest fish couldn't survive the conditions in Lake Isabel. "We`re in the seventh year of a pretty significant drought and Lake Isabel water levels have been declining for the past seven years and so decreased water levels increase the chance of kills happening." USA GREAT LAKES - Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, more commonly called VHS, has already infected the Great Lakes, including Lake Michigan, and is causing massive fish kills. "I think people know about invasive species in general but I think this one is such a large threat. It's probably AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE GREATER THAN ANYTHING WE'VE SEEN TO DATE." The Wisconsin state Department of Natural Resources is asking for the public's help in keeping the deadly fish virus at bay. To help keep VHS out of local waters, experts recommend the public empty any water from boats after boating on any of the Great Lakes, because the virus can live in water. They also suggest not using live bait from outside of the state because other states don't screen live bait for health issues. The virus isn't a threat to humans, only to fish. DISEASE THREATS - RECALLS & ALERTS: Eight In One, Inc., a division of United Pet Group, Inc., is voluntarily recalling nationally all lots of Dingo(r) CHICK'N JERKY treats due to Company concerns that the jerky treats have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination, in people, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. The products affected were sold at Target, PetSmart and other retailers. The contaminated wheat gluten that prompted an extensive recall of pet food was not used in food for humans, the ingredient's importer confirmed. BIRD FLU - WEST VIRGINIA - More than 25,000 turkeys on a farm in Pendleton County, W.Va., are being destroyed after some of the birds tested positive for avian flu. State agriculture officials said the strain of the disease is not harmful to human beings. But the birds are being destroyed to prevent the virus from mutating and spreading. Poultry farmers in several counties along or close to the Virginia line were being told not to move the litter at their farms. Litter is the bedding material where the birds roost. It's sometimes used as fertilizer or thrown away. Preliminary tests indicated the turkeys had a low-pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza virus. USDA officials said they can say "for certain" it's not the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. This strain of avian flu is the same one that caused an outbreak in Virginia in 2002. Since then, routine tests have been done on flocks before they're slaughtered. Bird flu is on the decline around the world, the United Nations food agency said on Monday, while warning that the potentially deadly disease is still spreading where containment is inadequate." "There have been fewer cases of the disease this year than last year at the same time, indicating that there is a reduction in overall viral load." Outbreaks were recorded in 17 countries as of March 15, 2007. Overall last year, a total of 53 countries had outbreaks of H5N1, which has killed at least 171 people worldwide since its appearance in 2003. "The risk of a pandemic will be with us for the foreseeable future. However, looking on the positive side, many countries have managed to control the disease." Insulin produced by genetically modified plants - with a human gene added - could be on the market in three years, a Canadian company has claimed. Sembiosys said it has made scientific breakthroughs and found a shortcut through current drug regulations. If the firm can demonstrate that the plant-based insulin is identical with human insulin, it won't have to go through all the long and costly stages of full clinical trials. However, critics believe that these products pose greater environmental and health risks than GM food crops. Most insulin is now produced by genetically modified bacteria, inside sealed tanks. The new technique uses GM plants grown out in the open. The company is growing insulin in the seeds of safflower. The safflower is being grown on a trial basis in fields in Chile, the US and Canada. Their crop is grown counter-seasonally to reduce the risks of the insulin-producing genes crossing to other plants. A professor at the University of Cape Town has modified tobacco so it produces a vaccine for cervical cancer. Furthermore, there are plans to produce spider silk from potatoes and to make non-polluting engine lubricants in seed oil plants. A Danish company is even trying to create plants that will help clear minefields. The flowers of the modified thale cress would change from white to red if their roots absorb traces of explosives - showing where the landmines had been laid. There have already been contamination incidents with experimental pharmaceutical plants. One American company, Prodigene, was heavily fined for its mistakes in 2002. Similar problems have occurred recently with GM food crops. Posted March April 4, 2007 -------------------------------- Reported by Maria... Worldwide Events QUAKES - 5.4 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.1 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.4 D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS REGION 5.0 D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS REGION 5.9 MOLUCCA SEA 5.9 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.5 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS 6.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.9 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.7 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS 5.2 KURIL ISLANDS 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS 5.5 AISEN, CHILE SOLOMON ISLANDS - Officials said 900 homes were destroyed and 5,000 people affected after the 8-magnitude quake. Today will be a "telling day" on whether the death toll of 20 would rise, they said. Whole villages are said to have been wiped out around the main town of Gizo in the western Solomons. Unconfirmed reports suggest widespread damage in other islands. Huge waves, some 10 meters (30 feet) high, were reported and a tsunami alert was raised around the Pacific. The Red Cross said the tsunami had left 2,000 homeless in Gizo and that reports suggested similar or worse damage elsewhere. The quake was the BIGGEST TO HIT THE SOLOMON'S SINCE 1900. The disaster could have been worse if it had happened only a few hours earlier in darkness, when more people would have been asleep. The initial tremor was followed around seven minutes later by a second one, centered further west, of magnitude 6.7. Eyewitness account - "Our most urgent need is for water. We have no water at all. The water tanks have collapsed. Then we need food. For now we sit outside and wait for the danger to go away and for help to reach us. We are really scared. We don't know what's to come. We have seen these kind of things happening to other people on our TV screens. We thought we were safe but now it has happened to us, too. " An Australian quake expert says the Solomon Islands should brace for another big earthquake in the next few weeks. "I have just gone through my records of earthquakes in the Solomon Islands region and although we have earthquakes of magnitude seven and above ... we've never had a magnitude of just over eight before. Any earthquake of that magnitude would have aftershocks for days and weeks." "One of the characteristics of this area is that you will often get days or weeks or even a couple of months later, another big earthquake. "There is absolutely no way of knowing for sure, but there is a significant chance of another big one.'' "One side of the fault ruptured on a fault break that was probably 100 kilometers long or more and 100 kilometers deep. One side moved about two or three meters relative to the other. It's a big earthquake by normal standards. But the Sumatra earthquake was gigantic. It was over 1,000 kilometers long by a couple of hundred kilometers deep." RUSSIA - A probability of a strong earthquake on Kuriles and Sakhalin Islands in April remains, an official of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry’s information department said on Monday. The high seismic activity in the area of the Kurile Range is related to aftershocks events after a violent earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean east of the Simushir Island. The magnitude of that quake was 8. Besides that, the activity of Shiveluch, Bezymyanny and Klyuchevskoy volcanoes remains high. Their ash discharges pose a danger for flights of local airlines. Because of an increase in the activity of Klyuchevskoy Volcano, lava effusion, mud and rock slides are possible. Two tremors of 4.9 were registered off the Iturup Island on Monday. Earthquakes off the Kurile Island have been almost incessant since last November. There have been over 630 quakes in this area since then, but none were destructive. TSUNAMI - SOLOMON ISLANDS - Confusion and panic have again seized the Solomon Islands with reports some islanders are expecting another tsunami today. A dive operator based on the tsunami-hit western island of Gizo that another wave is expected shortly. "We're waiting at the moment, there's another wave coming at lunchtime — it's building in the deep water, apparently. There's a lot of confusion, people are telling lots of different stories — it's difficult to really fathom just how much damage has been done. I can see from here where a couple of villages should be and they're just gone." AUSTRALIA - Since 1900, the Solomon's has borne the brunt of 36 earthquakes registering 7.0 or more on the Richter scale, but none had reached 8.0 until yesterday. "This is a one-in-100-year earthquake for this area. The motion of one plate pushing under the other is extremely conducive to changes on the sea floor that can cause a tsunami. The trench along where this rubbing of the plates occurs is very steep, creating the possibility of a huge undersea landslide. If that happens, that's when tsunamis can be huge." A big tsunami could easily have headed Australia's way from that location. "We knew yesterday morning the earthquake was big enough, but we weren't sure for some hours if a tsunami heading toward Australia was going to result...But if you want to have an earthquake that generated a tsunami that could impinge on Australia, this is one of the prime locations." VOLCANOES - CHINA - A RECORD decline in the water level at Huguangyan's volcanic lake in Guangdong has raised concern that the sleeping volcano is about to have a wake-up call. At 2.3 square kilometers, Huguangyan is the world's largest volcanic lake. It is located in the southwest city of Zhanjiang. It has recorded its lowest water level in 10 years and during the second half of 2006, the level dropped 5 meters. The phenomenon, however, should not be a cause for worry, said the director of Zhanjiang's seismology bureau. He ruled out the possibility of an eruption. "Our observation has not shown any abnormal sign indicating that a re-eruption will occur at Huguangyan." The water level drop was due mainly to a decline in rainfall last year. Officials at the scenic spot have been trying to deal with the issue. They have submitted proposals to Zhanjiang's municipal government to preserve Asia's only Maar lake. TROPICAL STORMS - Cyclone JAYA was 383 nmi NW of Port Louis, Mauritius. Typhoon KONG-REY was 62 nmi N of Saipan, N. Mariana. MADAGASCAR - Natural disasters continue hitting Madagascar, affecting hundreds of thousands of people with the 6th cyclone since December, cyclone Jaya, on the way. Due to the cyclone caused flooding, tens of thousands of hectares of rice, the basic food source for the Malagasy, have been destroyed. Communication infrastructure, roads, schools and health centers have been badly damaged. Since December 2006, approximately 450,000 people have become the victims of natural disasters across Madagascar. GUAM - Typhoon Kong-Rey, as of 5 a.m., was located 75 miles east southeast of Saipan and 80 miles east of Tinian, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Kong-Rey is moving northwest at 16 mph, according to the National Weather Service, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The NWS cancelled the typhoon warning for Guam at 8 last night. Kong-Rey was located 120 miles east northeast of Rota, which could still feel tropical storm winds last night and this morning. HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / WIND - CHINA - Seven people were killed and one was injured when a passing bus was hit in a landslide in a mountainous county in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Monday. A torrential downpour on Sunday night caused the landslide near the highway connecting Pengshui to the Tujia Autonomous County of Shizhu, north to Pengshui. More than 120 cu m of rock fell off from a slope, hitting the bus which was passing through the spot. Among the seven killed was the bus driver. The exact number of people aboard the bus is still unknown. Another 200 cu m of rocks are about to fall off the slope and rescuers are taking measures to deal with the emergency. NAMIBIA - About 15,000 Namibians in the north-east of the country bordering the Zambezi River have been displaced by flooding caused by heavy rains and are in urgent need of aid. Further rains are expected through to the end of April in both Namibia and Zambia. Several people have died and thousands have been made homeless in months of flooding caused by heavy rains in Zambia. SNOW / COLD - PAKISTAN - A fresh avalanche swept through a village in northern Pakistan and 11 people were missing and feared dead a day after 26 people were killed in another avalanche in the same area. The avalanche struck Mongi village in the Chitral region of the Hindu Kush mountains last night after heavy rain fell across deep snow blanketing the mountains. Many villages have been cut off for days by heavy snow and landslides. CLIMATE CHANGE- People around the world have been reporting the odd weather changes they are observing. FISH DIE-OFFS - THAILAND - A decrease in sea temperatures caused by the El Nino phenomenon is blamed for the deaths of huge numbers of fish off Tarutao island. A number of fish were found dead on Sunday near the western part of the island in the Andaman Sea. The incident coincided with a change in the color of the water to red. "Water off the Son Bay, where most fish died, became very cold." The fish, which inhabit deep water, came to the surface to escape the cold. Those which could not adjust to the different environment died. Officials also spotted whales which came near to shore to escape cold water. El Nino, or ocean warming, normally refers to an increase in ocean water temperatures around the equator. When that happens, it causes cold, nutrient-rich currents to flow toward the Andaman Sea, with temperatures plunging from 26C to below 20C. The cold water, together with strong sunlight and still water, led to the 'red tide' off Tarutao. A red tide is a sea condition in which phytoplankton grow in large numbers. The plankton, some of which are harmful, feed on nutrients in the water. "I think marine fish died from eating poison phytoplankton." However, the Tarutao Marine National Park said examinations of the dead fish showed no traces of toxic substances, and the park has allowed villagers to eat the fish. An expert is worried about the next 'red tide', which he expects will occur in a river mouth in neighbouring Trang province, saying breaching coral has been detected in Satun and Trang. "The pale colour is a sign that soft coral has been damaged. This has happened before, 10 years ago in the north of the Andaman Sea, including Surin Island." He said that condition was also caused by a reduction in temperature to below 20C from the normal temperature of 26, due to cold currents flowing from the Pacific Ocean to the Andaman Sea. THAILAND, on March 15, embarked on a two-week investigation to find out whether a ship sinking with 650 tons of raw sugar aboard or factory waste devastated fish farms in the Chao Phraya River. Environment, industry and irrigation officials were probing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of fish raised in pens along the river in the central provinces of Ayutthaya and Ang Thong. One suspect was a monosodium glutamate factory opposite the pens in Ang Thong where the fish started dying. Fish farmers in Ayutthaya below the site of the sinking and the factory were also hit as the river flowed south. Officials released a rush of water into the river from a dam to flush the contaminant out to sea. SOUTH AFRICA - Residents have been warned that dead fish will continue washing up on beaches along the False Bay Coast for some time. Decaying planktonic plants, which were in bloom during the red tide along the coast, are resulting in a lack of oxygen in the water, leading to the deaths of fish and other marine life. A number of dead fish have already washed up on beaches along Gordons Bay. Usually the blooms are dispersed by the wind, but this has not happened this time. “The problem in False Bay is that the blooms are not easily dispersed. The fact that it is a bay makes it have a longer retention time. So we have seen these blooms building up over several months now, and although we have had various wind patterns during that period, the blooms have persisted. Through a more exposed coast these blooms would be dispersed by the wind, but this has not been the case now because of detainment in the bay system.” MICHIGAN - State officials are telling people not to be alarmed when seeing dead fish floating on lakes and ponds this time of year. It's natural, they say. Hundreds of fish have been found floating on Pleasant Lake after the warm weather melted ice on top of the water. "We expect the typical winter kill. Over the winter, lakes lose oxygen and (dead fish) are hidden under the ice and snow." When the ice melts, the dead fish surface and drift. Pleasant Lake was stressed going into the winter and shows evidence of low oxygen. People living near the lake could have contributed to the problem with lake weed treatments, but that has not been proven. The weeds provide oxygen to the water. "(Fish) can even continue to die into the spring with the increase in temperature all at once. It can be quite stressful on the fish." DNR officials do not run tests on the fish that die over the winter. PENNSYLVANIA - The explanation for the fish kill at Mermaid Pond in January remains uncertain after two months, although the investigation is continuing. Laboratory results received earlier this month showed traces of a family of chemicals called carbamates in the pond water, although the source and exact nature of the compounds is unknown. Carbamates have many industrial uses and are found in pesticides, fungicides, rubber accelerants, wastewater treatment and metal finishing. It was not definite whether the carbamates were actually responsible for the kill. More than 600 fish - mostly bluegills and few bass - were found dead in the pond and surrounding streams the evening of January 18. Examination of the corpses by investigators from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission was inconclusive. Residents of surrounding neighborhood in Wyndmoor reported finding more dead fish during the first weeks of March, but because of their advanced state of decomposition, investigators concluded they had died in January with the others and floated to the surface of the water after an ice melt. TEXAS - March 15 - Biologists believe toxic Golden Algae is behind a fish kill on the Brazos River in Waco. It’s left hundreds, if not thousands, of fish dead. The problem has also plagued a number of other Texas lakes. The Texas Parks and Wildlife staff said the Golden Algae is new to the area and just has to run its course. The algae gives off a toxin that paralyzes a fish's gills, suffocating it. However, the algae isn’t harmful to most other animals. A fisherman says lately he's noticed a change. "The fish, they're dying. You catch a fish every once and awhile, but very seldom." This latest fish kill has been going on for the past month. If you walk along the riverbanks, you'll see fish, after fish, after fish. This is the second year this fish kill has affected this portion of the Brazos. The Golden Algae blooms during winter months. U.S. SOUTHERN COAST - In the summer of 2005 marine animals suddenly started dying off Florida's southwest coast, with scores of bottlenose dolphins, manatees and turtles washing up on shore. In October alone, 22 dolphins became stranded and died, compared with the usual monthly average of three. Hoping to unravel the mystery, nearly 50 researchers, part of the Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events, commissioned a study of the deaths. After taking samples from 130 stranded dolphins, they concluded that red tide - an algae bloom that creates a neurotoxin, brevetoxin - caused the massive die-off. The working group has investigated scores of such events. At present, the panel is handling eight such cases simultaneously, an UNPRECEDENTED high. Experts believe a range of factors are contributing to the algae blooms and viruses linked to the die-offs, including nutrient runoff from farming, rising ocean temperatures and discarded waste such as cat litter. The group are still struggling to figure out whether environmental contaminants or other factors might have weakened the mammals that fell prey to the 2005 algae bloom. This month the rapid-response team sprang into action again after 64 dead bottlenose dolphins and numerous fish washed ashore on the Texas and Louisiana coasts. The experts are concerned that the morbilli virus, which is similar to distemper in dogs and killed tens of thousands of European animals in 2004, may be responsible for the recent dolphin deaths. Marine mammals dying in waves can serve as indicators for human health. "They can be early messengers, really, for broader changes." DISEASE THREATS - RECALLS & ALERTS The third pet food company since late last week has added its name to the pet food recall list, out of fear that contaminated wheat gluten may have tainted its products. San Francisco-based Del Monte Pet Products is voluntarily recalling Jerky Treats Beef Flavor Dog Snacks, Gravy Train Beef Sticks Dog Snacks and Pounce Meaty Morsels Moist Chicken Flavor Cat Treats. Del Monte's announcement immediately follows the weekend recall of one of the best-known brands of dog food, Purina. The company pulled its Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy product from U.S. store shelves. Both companies have said that the wheat gluten supplied to them from a Chinese plant contained melamine — a chemical used in fertilizers in Asia and to make plastics and laminates. Many shipments of fish products from China and Vietnam had been refused entry into the U.S. because of contaminants found in the fish. As imported Chinese wheat gluten takes the blame for the recent deaths of dozens of American pets, new concerns have risen over the safety of Asian-grown foods imported to the United States for human consumption. "During the twelve months ending January 2007, forty-nine shipments of Chinese farmed catfish were refused by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, because they contained banned and potentially dangerous chemicals and antibiotics. In January 2007 alone, 10 shipments were refused entry, up from 2 refusals in January 2006." AUSTRALIA - Residents of Esperance already worried about lead poisoning from rain water tanks have now been warned not to eat seafood caught off the West Australian port. People in the southern town have been undergoing blood tests and having their rain water tanks tested since discovering this month that 4000 MYSTERY BIRD DEATHS around the town were probably caused by lead poisoning. High lead and nickel levels have been found near the port but the WA Department of Environment and Conservation says the levels of most serious concern have been found at the port. However, testing of a few marine sediment samples had revealed nickel and lead levels nearly 130 times those considered safe. BIRD FLU - Cities that quickly closed schools and discouraged public gatherings had about 50% fewer deaths from the great flu pandemic in 1918 than cities that did not. Decisive, immediate action can reduce the most acute effects of a pandemic, while allowing the population to build some natural immunity to the virus, the US government study found. The current US government flu plan calls for similar measures, including allowing employees to stay home for weeks or even months, telecommuting and closing schools and perhaps large office buildings. Experts agree that a pandemic of some virus, most likely influenza, is almost 100 percent certain. What is not certain is when it will strike and which virus it will be. Posted March April 3, 2007 -------------------------------- Reported by Maria... Worldwide Events QUAKES - 5.0 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION 5.0 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS REGION 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.2 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.5 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.5 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION 5.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.7 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.7 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. 5.9 SOLOMON ISLANDS 6.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 6.4 SOLOMON ISLANDS 6.7 SOLOMON ISLANDS 8.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS - a TSUNAMI was created. SOLOMON ISLANDS - More than 15 people were killed in the area of the Solomon Islands closest to the epicentre of the 8.0 earthquake when it triggered a tsunami. "Reports have come in that more than 15 people died, just around Gizo, but with the other islands I cannot tell you. "What we desperately need now is water, tents, and food because almost 3,000-4,000 people are now living on the hill at Gizo." Residents of Gizo were still fearful as aftershocks continue to rock the area. The main town in the western Solomon's, Gizo, was hit by waves several meters high that swamped buildings and washed people out to sea. "There wasn't any warning - the warning was the earth tremors. It shook us very, very strongly and we were frightened, and all of a sudden the sea was rising up." The water "moved toward the island and hit all the houses on the coastal area, and all of their property was washed away to the open sea." "A lot of houses have collapsed. The whole town is still shaking," several hours after the earthquake struck. "There was 10ft of water rushing through town". Local officials fear the numbers of dead could rise, with reports of outlying villages being completely destroyed. A tsunami warning for the Pacific from Australia to Alaska was issued but later cancelled. The quake struck 345km (215 miles) north-west of the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara, north-east of Australia at a depth of 10km (six miles) below the surface. Four people were also missing from Mono Island. The Solomon Islands has a population of about 500,000 people - some of them living on remote islands. "Those western islands are very scattered and it's very difficult for us to get there or communicate, but we are sending a team to investigate." Residents of the Papua New Guinea port city of Rabaul reported seeing the sea recede down the beach, followed by high waves, but no damage was reported. ALASKA - 43 years ago on March 27, 1964, the entire village of Valdez, Alaska was swept out to sea by a tsunami that was 70m (about 210 feet) high, coming up the fjord. It was triggered by the second largest earthquake ever recorded (magnitude 9.2) that was centered 120 km outside of Anchorage. The Good Friday earthquake was the largest ever recorded in North America. The temblor and ensuing tsunami killed 115 people in Alaska. The tsunami waves triggered by the quake also killed 16 people in California. VOLCANOES - INDONESIA - A control post officer assigned to Indonesia's Mount Slamet said Sunday the volcano's activity has increased after the area endured heavy rains. The officer said the increased activity at the volcano in the Central Java province was visible over the past two weeks as more intense smoke has been spewed from the volcano at more frequent intervals. The control post officer also said the smoke has reached up to 328 feet and temperatures in the surrounding mountain region have also risen. The officer said the smoke could even be seen from the provincial capital of Semarang. TROPICAL STORMS - Cyclone JAYA was 320 nmi NNW of Port Louis, Mauritius. Typhoon KONG-REY was 216 nmi ESE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands. Intense tropical cyclone Jaya is forecast to strike Madagascar as a category 1 tropical cyclone at about 02:00 GMT on April 3. Jaya is expected to bring 1-minute maximum sustained winds to the region of around 138 km/h (86 mph). Wind gusts in the area may be considerably higher. Tropical Storm Kong-Re continues to build in intensity as it heads northwest towards Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The storm is continuing on its track at about 11 miles per hour and Guam continues to be in Condition of Readiness Level "2", with winds expected to get near storm intensity tonight through the wee hours of Tuesday. The Government of Guam urges island residents to secure their homes, buy materials, fuel vehicles and and take appropriate measures to prepare for the storm's arrival. The National Weather Service projects that Guam will feel winds blowing at 39 MPH starting at 9pm tonight. The storm is packing maximum sustained speeds of 80 MPH with higher gusts. The storm is still about 400 miles to the east-southeast of Guam and Rota. HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / WIND - AFGHANISTAN - Flooding and an avalanche have killed at least 51 people and destroyed hundreds of homes over the last 10 days following warm weather and heavy spring rains across much of Afghanistan. All the province's districts are flooded after heavy hail and rain storms on Thursday and Friday. An avalanche yesterday also killed an unknown number of people. All the roads are blocked, and aid can only be delivered by helicopter. About 300 people are shoveling snow to clear a road between Daykundi and neighboring Bamiyan province that was buried under 35 meters of snow after the avalanche. Thousands of cars are stranded in areas where an avalanche has blocked at least 3 kilometers of roads near the Salang Pass. In Ashtarlai and Khidir districts, a total of 781 homes were destroyed and 4,200 cattle were killed by the flooding. USA MINNESOTA - The weather pattern that seems parked over Central Minnesota dropped 0.67 inches of rain Friday on St. Cloud, BREAKING THE PREVIOUS PRECIPITATION RECORD for the date by .06 of an inch. The fallen record was 14 years old. An older — and more formidable — record of 1.3 inches set in 1896 also was within reach Saturday. Totals were not available at press time but a meteorologist recorded 0.95 of an inch of rain by 5 p.m. More rain was expected through the night. While the rainfall has pushed the year-to-date total more than 1 inch above normal, "the effect on the drought situation is going to be limited." Lake Superior was at record low levels in January and many lakes and rivers in northern Minnesota are in dire need of replenishment. SNOW / COLD - PAKISTAN - Avalanches in remote northern Pakistan have left at least 29 people dead, with another 13 still missing. In the worst case, snow buried 26 houses in the village of Washik Chitral Tor yesterday. Another avalanche crashed down on a house in Garam Chashma village, killing five members of the same family. There were no further details about injuries, as communication systems in the area had broken down because of the bad weather. Rescue efforts were also hampered by heavy snowfall which had closed roads in the region. Thirty hours of continuous torrential rain, with heavy snowfall, has wreaked havoc along the Chitral valley. Reports of houses collapsing and damage to cattle and property are coming in. Life is at a standstill in Chitral with people listless and petrified over this all-time FREAK WEATHER PHENOMENON, coupled with a total breakdown of services, particularly electricity and the road network. HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT/ CLIMATE CHANGE- CALIFORNIA - Nature is pulling a triple whammy on Southern California this year. Whether it's the Sierra, the Southland or the Colorado River Basin, every place that provides water to the region is dry. It's a RARE and troubling pattern that, if it persists, could thrust the region into what researchers have dubbed the perfect Southern California drought - when nature shortchanges every major branch of the far-flung water network that sustains 18 million people. Usually, it's reasonably wet in at least one of those places. But not this year. The mountain snow pack vital to water imports from Northern California is at the LOWEST LEVEL IN NEARLY TWO DECADES. The snow pack in the eastern Sierra is shaping up as ONE OF THE LOWEST SINCE THE START OF RECORD KEEPING in 1940. The Los Angeles area has received RECORD LOW RAINFALL this winter. And the Colorado River system remains in the grip of ONE OF THE WORST BASIN DROUGHTS IN CENTURIES. Ancient tree ring records indicate these droughts can go on for a couple of decades - much longer than anything experienced in modern times. The western mega-droughts that occurred between 900 and 1300 AD took place during a warming period that drove up temperatures in the western Pacific. Los Angeles is going through its LONGEST DRY SPELL IN AT LEAST 130 YEARS, fueling fears of rampant wildfires which have plagued the US west coast in recent years. "The rain season is currently the driest to date in downtown Los Angeles since records began in 1877." The city had received just 2.47 inches (6.27 centimeters) of rain since July 1, 2006, far from the normal precipitation of 13.94 inches (35.4 centimeters) in the same period. The worst earth-scorching year on record in the United States was last year in 2006, when fires burned nearly 15.5 thousand square miles (39,957 square kilometers) - an area close to the size of Switzerland. MOZAMBIQUE - Drought is affecting 25 of Mozambique's 128 districts as a result of irregular rainfall during the 2006/07 rainy season. Most of the drought-stricken districts are in the south of the country, and their situation is in dramatic contrast to that of the Zambezi valley which has been suffering from severe flooding. CROP FAILURE / FOOD SHORTAGES - Northern nations such as Russia or Canada may be celebrating better harvests and less icy winters in coming decades even as rising seas are washing away Pacific island states. "At least for a few decades there will be a few winners," says the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But he says most scenarios foresee an extended rise in temperatures this century, stoked by rising concentrations of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. "Clearly there would be no winners left anywhere." "And in many regions, farming cannot simply move north; Russia and Canada simply lack suitable soils." ZIMBABWE - MAIZE - Drought has wiped out 95 per cent of maize crops in a province of southern Zimbabwe. Matabeleland South was now expected to harvest just 5,580 tons of maize, out of the province's required 115,565 tons. 226,893 school pupils are in need of supplementary food this year and livestock in the cattle-rearing province would require supplementary feeding from May, when grazing would no longer be adequate. Last week Zimbabwe's Agriculture Minister declared 2007 a drought year. He announced that crops in some areas were a complete write-off. Even traditional greenbelt areas have been affected by the dry spell. MASS FISH KILL - USA ARIZONA - Something’s fishy at Canyon Lake. Roadside overlooks boast red rock cliffs plunging into sparkling blue water. One does not suspect what a closer look reveals: Hundreds or even thousands of dead fish lying or floating along the lake’s rocky shoreline. The silver-colored fish ranged from one to six inches long, a mix of minnows and shad. Both are varieties that fisherman typically use as bait. “(The fish kill) makes us think the water’s contaminated.” But why had only small fish had died and washed ashore? In April 2005, biologists linked a toxic algae to more than 2,000 dead fish in Saguaro Lake, northwest of Canyon Lake. A toxic species of golden algae was killing threadfin shad, the typical first victims of toxic algae. The toxic algae also was found in Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch that year. VIRGINIA - Scientists and volunteers are working this spring on the Shenandoah River to find the source of the mysterious fish kills on the river for the past several years. State scientists, with freshwater fish experts at Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University, have a lengthy list of tests to be performed on river water, sediment and fish. A minor fish kill was reported last week on the North River, a Shenandoah tributary, but it didn't fit the pattern of the past three years: large kills involving several species beginning in March. "We're holding our breath. This is really right at the time when they began the last three years." Last spring, northern hog suckers died in the mainstream Shenandoah River, and small mouth bass and sunfish died in the North Fork of the Shenandoah and in the South River. The year before, 80% of the small mouth bass and redbreast sunfish died in the South Fork, and a similar kill occurred on the North Fork in 2004. There was a kill in December on the main branch of the Shenandoah that affected several hundred fish, mostly hog suckers. Friday there were about 25 dead white suckers on a 3-mile stretch of the North River. The fish had been dead for a couple of days, so it won't be possible to determine how they died. The most likely reasons for fish kills have been ruled out, and so far officials have no explanation for the symptoms of chronic stress that the dead fish displayed. Many bore lesions that resembled cigar burns, and some had males and female characteristics. Scientists have tested fish samples for nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous, and this spring, they plan to look for compounds such as heavy metals and pesticides and other chemicals used specifically in the largely agricultural Shenandoah Valley. AUSTRALIA - Last week a man emailed and said he knew a big fish kill was about to happen in Lake Colac - and his prediction turned out to be true, with roughly 1,000 fish turning up dead this week. His evidence is based upon aerial photographs taken of the lake before the events, in a region which has seen massive deaths in eel and carp populations over the past years of drought. Photographs taken 5 days before fish kills show a very strong foam pattern that looked like sand dunes moving across a perfectly stil lake. The other tell-tale was the shore was thickly covered in foam. These are precursors, generally, to a significant fish kill to follow. "The intriguing part of the pattern was it appeared the bottom of the lake was erupting with gas-type bubbles that were forming the foam pattern on the surface...The intriguing part of the observation on both occasions is that Lake Colac is generally very turbid - usually a pretty unhealthy grayish color. On both occasions, you'll see the 2006 photograph, the lake looks pristine, almost crystal clear. More startling on the 2007 photograph, when the lake is significantly lower and more turbid, where the event is taking place you can clearly see patches of the [lake] bottom. This is extraordinarily uncharacteristic of Lake Colac." Does he know what is causing these events - and the ensuing fishkills? He said, "I wouldn't have a clue." The unlikely explanations being put forward by the EPA are that the surface disturbance is the result of fish spawning, and the fish kills are attributed to increasing salinity in the lakes due to the drought and water evaporation. DISEASE THREATS - CHINA - A 16-year-old boy has died from the bird flu virus in China. There have been a total of 15 human deaths attributed to the bird flu virus in the country. Initial investigations failed to reveal that the teenager who died had had any "history of exposure to fowl that died because of illness." Animal health experts have failed to find signs of the virus among birds in the area. China has now reported a total of 24 human cases of H5N1 since 2003. The latest case brings total worldwide deaths from bird flu to 170, mostly in Vietnam and Indonesia. A conference on bird flu has just ended in Indonesia, and the message that emerged is that the H5N1 virus remains mysterious and baffling. Indonesian scientists said they remained baffled by the “random” behavior of the bird flu virus afflicting the country. Indonesia’s 69 bird flu deaths deaths came from 89 reported cases. Wide differences were seen in the patterns of human infections and development of various stages of the disease, making it difficult to predict. “There was no correlation found between (a patient’s) age, sex, genetics, and other (attributes). What is clear is the risk factors, such as contact with sick birds, sanitation, and so on, but this is very general. All we know is that patients died of multi-organ failure at the late stages of the illness.” For two years or more, we've known that multi-organ failure has been a hallmark of this disease, but we really don't know why. Influenza is primarily a disease of the lungs, and rarely attacks other organs. Less than 10 fatal cases worldwide and none of the victims died in Indonesia have undergone autopsies. Posted March April 2, 2007 --------------------------------
10 foot high Tsunami Hits Solomons; 12 Reported Dead Reported by Maria... Worldwide Events QUAKES - 5.0 VANUATU 5.0 LOYALTY ISLANDS 5.0 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS 5.1 GUERRERO, MEXICO 5.1 MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA 5.1 EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN 5.2 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION 5.4 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE 5.4 VANUATU 5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE 5.5 KURIL ISLANDS 5.5 KURIL ISLANDS 5.5 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE 5.7 FIJI REGION MONTANA - A small earthquake that rattled southwestern Montana caused no damage but could be felt about 90 miles away. It was centered about 15 miles northeast of Dillon and could be felt as far as Helena. The magnitude-3.7 earthquake, which struck late Wednesday, was an aftershock of a 5.6-magnitude quake that hit the same area in July 2005. "It's the biggest (aftershock) we've seen in quite a while." About 5,000 aftershocks have been recorded from the 2005 quake, which cracked walls and damaged bridges. The region averages about five aftershocks a day, most too small to be felt. VOLCANOES - PERU - Just over a year after the Ubinas Volcano registered increased activity, a strong explosion was felt and seen by townspeople early Friday morning, causing panic in the towns adjacent to the volcano, located in the Andean department of Moquegua, Peru. The explosion occurred at approximately 5:15 a.m. and afterwards a large plume of smoke was observed from the volcano's summit. "We observed falling rocks, a long column of smoke, and then we were hit with a blanket of falling ash which has caused problems to our eyes and noses." The volcano has experienced an increase of activity during the past weeks, with this explosion being the strongest. A geological expert stated that monitoring efforts will be stepped up in the wake of the increased activity. "At the beginning of the month, small explosions occurred every 6-8 days, but now that rate has gone up considerably." Two major eruptions have been recorded in the past. ECUADOR - Reventador volcano in the Andes mountain range in Ecuador has erupted, shooting ash nearly two miles into the sky but causing no injuries or damage. Reventador volcano had been showing increasing signs of activity since January, and Friday's eruption did not pose a threat to any nearby villages. The volcano previously erupted in 2002, spreading ash over the capital, Quito, about 65 miles to the east. Earlier this month, authorities evacuated about 100 families from the slopes of the Tungurahua volcano in central Ecuador after flaming rocks and ash showered nearby villages. (photo) RUSSIA - Road traffic resumed Saturday in the Russian region of Kamchatka Oblast one day after Shiveluch volcano expelled gas and ash into the air. While flowing water and mud closed area roads around the settlement of Ust-Kamchatsk during Friday's eruption, the natural danger is now past. Activity at the Shiveluch volcano had begun on Thursday and the ensuing eruption of steam, gas and ash caused a massive mudflow to cover the main road into the region. That mudflow eventually covered more than 2,950 feet of the road, including a large portion of a regional bridge crossing. Yet by Saturday the road was cleared enough for traffic to resume and no damage was found on the bridge. Officials are still monitoring the volcano for further activity, but it poses no immediate threat because of its remote location. MINNESOTA VOLCANO ERUPTS - An imitation volcano in a hotel and water park's swimming pool developed delusions of grandeur, forcing guests to flee to the parking lot in their bare feet and swimsuits. The 20-foot-tall plastic volcano at the Edgewater Hotel and Waterpark in Duluth started belching black smoke and shooting flames Thursday. Firefighters helped put out the fire, but not before part of the volcano melted. A malfunctioning internal speaker ignited the fire. The Edgewater had reopened in January 2006 after a 14-month, $20 million remodeling project. [TRUE STORY - BUT KIND OF AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE!] RUSSIA - Two volcanoes are emitting lava and gas in Russia's Far East. Mount Klyuchevskaya, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, has started emitting lava and Shiveluch spewed out gas and ash. Scientists said that the lava flow will grow more powerful. Streams of lava with a temperature of about 1,100 C (2,012 F) are encountering ice caps, producing powerful explosions of vapor. Experts are warning of devastating mudflows that can reach 500 meters (1,640 feet) in width and can descend the volcano's eastern slopes. Local officials said "the population and companies working in the area that could be affected by mudflows" had been told to take precautions. It was the LARGEST GAS AND ASH EMISSION IN FIVE YEARS from Mount Shiveluch, Kamchatka's northernmost volcano. Clouds of volcanic ash are spreading to the northeast of the mountain, posing a threat to people's health and air flights. Volcanic tremors are being registered in the nearby area. There are more than 150 volcanoes on Kamchatka, 29 of them active. Experts say volcano activity has recently increased on the Peninsula. ITALY - Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, spouted a "fountain of lava" early Thursday before slipping back into its fitful slumber. The eruption, a fountain of lava, lasted about an hour and happened in an uninhabited area. "We also saw two (lava) flows, one of which was very weak." They were proceeding down the mountain at a rate of about 10 metres (35 feet) per hour. A small cloud of ash produced by the eruption is floating towards the Italian mainland. Mount Etna was last active in December, spewing clouds of ash and causing the closure of Catania airport for about two weeks.
TROPICAL STORMS - Map. Projected storm paths . Tropical depression 01W was 706 nmi ESE of Agana, Guam and 720 nmi SE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands. Tropical storm KONG-REY was 472 nmi ESE of Agana, Guam and 480 nmi SE of Saipan, N. Mariana Islands. Cyclone JAYA was 325 nmi NNE of Port Louis, Mauritius. MARIANA ISLANDS - At 6pm Saturday the National Weather Service announced that tropical storm conditions could be possible this Monday or Tuesday for the Mariana Islands. A tropical storm disturbance west of Pohnpei is expected to develop and move northwest, possibly bringing tropical storm conditions to the region by the beginning of the workweek. It is too early yet to say exactly where this developing disturbance will go and how quickly it will intensify, but heavy rain and tropical storm force winds in excess of 40 miles per hour are possible by late Monday or Tuesday as the system approaches and passes the Marianas. HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / WIND - USA IOWA - In the community of Atlantic Friday morning, firefighters were called out after lightning struck a tree, traveled down its roots, blew a hole in a gas line 30-feet underground, and set fire to the gas that came spewing out of it. The Fire Chief says they couldn’t believe what they saw as they approached the scene. "It's just the weirdest thing. It ignited the gas, of course, and so right in the middle of the yard they had this three-foot flame." It’s EXTREMELY RARE for lightning to travel through the ground and burst a gas line. The rupture let gas leak out of the pipe before it got as far as the nearby house and it kept coming out the break in the pipe and burning up before it could travel to the house. The hole around the area where the blue, yellow and gold flame was jetting out was about one-foot wide and six-inches deep. It took the energy company crew about an hour to get to the source of the rupture because there were so many tree roots in the area. USA OKLAHOMA - The latest wave of storms set a NEW RECORD FOR RAINFALL in Oklahoma City. The National Weather Service says more than 3.4 inches of rain fell in Oklahoma City yesterday, making it the RAINIEST MARCH DAY ON RECORD in the city. The most rain to fall on a March day previously was 2.84 inches on March 28th, 1988. The storms spawned tornado warnings in three counties, but the weather service has received no reports of twisters touching down. The main threat was considered flooding, and flash flood warnings were issued for much of southern and central Oklahoma. USA TEXAS - Lubbock has received more than 700 percent of its normal March rainfall, with much of the RECORD-BREAKING RAIN falling within the last week. The city has officially received 5.94 inches of rain since March 1, smashing the previous record for the entire month (3.56 inches), which was set in 1941. Also joining the record books is San Antonio, which has received 7.06 inches of rain so far this month, making it the WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD. The previous record was 6.12 inches set in March 1992. The cold side of the massive storm system continues to bring snow to the northern Rockies and the High Plains. The automated recording station in the mountains west of Lander, Wyo., has reported that 72 inches of snow has fallen since Tuesday, while more than two feet has fallen in Lander. OREGON - Astoria officials have appealed for federal help with a landslide that is edging an estimated 300,000 tons of earth downhill, has dropped segments of streets 10 to 12 feet, and is threatening several homes. So long as the ground is saturated and moving, the city can't do much but protect lives and preserve services. Geotechnical engineers say the earth in the four-block slide area is moving as deep as 20 to 30 feet below the surface. The slide is following the path of one in 1954 that affected 18 homes. Both slides followed a wet decade leading to intense rain. A November storm bombarded Astoria with nearly 10 inches of rain in three days and helped break the city's record for rainfall in the month. Multiple storms battered the coast in December, with winds over 90 mph. USA COLORADO - The tornado that devastated the southeastern Colorado town of Holly, killing one, had winds up to 165 mph as it cut a 15-mile swath of destruction through Prowers County on Wednesday night. It was the first fatal tornado in Colorado since 1960, and only the second Category 3 tornado to hit southern Colorado since 1995. The path of damage was 600 feet wide. “We typically don’t get these longtracking, very violent tornadoes in Colorado." Tornadoes form at the dividing line between cool dry air and warm moist air, coming from different directions. This time of year, that line is usually several hundred miles to the east, which appeared to be the case Wednesday night. A tornado watch was in effect for neighboring Kansas, but not in southeastern Colorado. So forecasters were surprised when radar showed some circulation, which they were still evaluating when a spotter called at 7:57 p.m. to report a funnel cloud touching down a mile south of Holly. It moved fast, 50 to 60 mph, and hit the town at 7:58, before the warning could be sent to local media and emergency officials. Early estimates indicated 35 homes destroyed and 32 heavily damaged, or 15 percent to 20 percent of the homes in the town of about 1,000 people. NEW ZEALAND - A heavy rain warning remains in place over the Bay of Plenty and Gisborne Ranges. Severe weather that buffeted Northland on Thursday was still causing problems as it moved eastwards. Steady rain had been falling since Thursday afternoon. Climate scientists say such heavy rain is a RARE event. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research says the rain that fell during the past two days in some parts of the region was a ONE-IN-150-YEAR EVENT. Three months' worth of rain fell within 36 hours in several parts of Northland Thursday. There were no reports of injuries or death due to the storm despite the widespread damage to the region. The Waitangi River was reported to have burst its banks and swept away a hillside, along with four apartments and a camping ground. "The river is now in most of our rooms and up to the front of our restaurant. (It's) normally 150 meters away." ARGENTINA & URUGUAY - Floodwaters claimed four lives and forced more than 13,000 people to flee low-lying homes in northeast Argentina as days of heavy rain pushed the Parana River over its banks into two major cities. Some people wept as they carried mattresses and TVs through knee-deep water in the city, which was also hit hard two years ago by floods. Farther downstream, at least 3,000 others were evacuated from low-lying neighborhoods on the outskirts of Rosario. Rain has pelted central and northeastern Argentina for four days. "The situation is worrisome because it just doesn't stop raining." Forecasts called for at least 24 more hours of downpours. Flooding was also reported in neighboring Uruguay, where civil defense officials readied food rations and converted sports stadiums into shelters as heavy bands of rain swept over the country. In Uruguay, soldiers and police began helping people evacuate areas where several small rivers burst their banks. Police said several highways were flooded, but there were no reports of fatalities. "We are taking all the necessary precautions as we expect a sizable number of evacuees." U.S. - A massive spring storm spawned dozens of tornadoes from the Rockies to the Plains, killing at least four people in three states, including a woman in Colorado who was flung into a tree by a twister as wide as two football fields. In Oklahoma, a twister Wednesday killed a couple as it blew their home to pieces. In Texas, a man was found dead in the tangled debris of his trailer. Sixty-five tornadoes were reported late Wednesday in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska. The storms continued Thursday afternoon, with a tornado injuring at least five people in Oklahoma City. The Colorado tornado killed dozens of cattle and injured others so severely they have to be shot. The same storm system dumped snow on Wyoming, causing highway pileups and closing large portions of three interstates. In the Wind River Mountains, 58 inches of snow had fallen by Thursday morning. NEBRASKA - There were 11 reports of tornadoes in six western Nebraska counties Thursday morning, but the weather service has not yet determined how many of those were repeat sightings. A tornado destroyed or heavily damaged three homes in Perkins County and did minor damage to another. It also destroyed 10-12 miles of power lines and several pieces of irrigation equipment. "For western Nebraska, it's VERY UNUSUAL for us to get a tornado outbreak this early and to get this significant of a number of tornadoes reported from a storm. It's not as rare at all for down in the southern Plains, but up here, in Nebraska, it's quite rare." A high-level low-pressure system over Colorado was expected to move east on Thursday, forcing flash flood warnings across central Nebraska and Kansas. TEXAS - a pair of rainy spells have brought much-appreciated relief to a drought-plagued Fredericksburg area. With three days remaining in the month and more rain anticipated Thursday and Friday, the turn-around had been so substantial that the county is experiencing ITS WETTEST MARCH IN 45 YEARS, SINCE RAINFALL RECORD-KEEPING BEGAN HERE in 1962. The Fredericksburg area is almost five inches ahead of where it normally would be by this time of the year. The latest relief came in the form of thunderstorm activity Sunday and Monday that delivered 3.34 inches of rain. Together with the 3.18 inches that fell here earlier on March 11 and 13, the new accumulation brings to 6.52 inches the total amount of rain that has fallen here this month. That total is well above the average local March moisture measurement of 1.63 inches. The 9.24 inches recorded so far in 2007 is also well ahead of the 3.34 inches measured here at this time last year. HEAT / DROUGHT/ CLIMATE CHANGE- Climate change is causing health problems to spread across every region on the planet, a panel of scientific experts said. "We're looking at impacts that can be sudden and wide scale." Climate change is allowing some insect-borne infectious diseases to creep up into climates where they don't belong, while natural resources, such as western North American forests must cope with new infestations of the Mountain Pine Beetle. Previous estimates global warming could cause up to 150,000 excess deaths do not even take into account the latest research. "This is a very conservative estimate because it doesn't look at forests and air quality and water sheds or corral reefs and marine life and livelihoods and fisheries. These ultimately affect our food and are water and our shelter, and these are more important in terms of life support systems." "The small amount of warming has already driven more than 70 species extinct and already caused the loss of massive amounts of coral reefs worldwide, so if you look into the future, even the most optimistic minimum projections of 1.8 C (rise in temperature) are more than twice what we've already seen." Climate change has also thrown off migratory patterns and growth of birds, plants and other species, because of unpredictable weather patterns in the winter and spring. Climate change will inflict steadily rising costs that could become astronomical if greenhouse gas emissions rise unabated and countries delay preparations for the likely impacts, UN experts will say next week. Their vast report will shed light on the costs from heightened water stress, tropical storms, floods, droughts, species loss and human disease this century as a result of global warming. "(The) vulnerabilities could be considerable." Climate change can have a knock-on effect in many areas and there are also poorly-understood triggers that scientists fear could dramatically accelerate the warming. Depending on the scenario of CO2 concentrations, "by 2080, it is likely that 1.1 to 3.2 billion people will be experiencing water scarcity; 200 to 600 million hunger; two to seven million more per year, coastal flooding." A very high increase (5.5 Celsius) would widely damage crop and livestock production. Global cereal prices would rise by 30 per cent. The biggest potential costs will come from extreme weather events, such as storms, droughts and floods, which are "very likely" - a 90 per cent certitude - to become more powerful and possibly more frequent too. Up to the middle of the century, a mix of mitigation and adaptation will be effective, "but even a combination of aggressive mitigation and significant investment in adaptive capacity could be overwhelmed by the end of the century." The number of species going extinct rises with the heat, as does the number of people who may starve, or face water shortages or floods. The degree-by-degree projection is being called a "highway to extinction, but on this highway there are many turnoffs. This is showing you where the road is heading. The road is heading toward extinction." While humanity will survive, hundreds of millions — perhaps billions — of people may not if the worst scenarios happen. Global warming has already degraded conditions for many species, coastal areas and poor people. USA MISSISSIPPI - Some farmers are delaying planting water-sensitive crops and frustration is growing in the Mississippi Delta as dry conditions rapidly drain moisture from the soil. With the traditional rainy season a bust so far, drought appears to be taking hold across many areas of the country, including the Southeast. "Everybody is worried about this type of weather. This is VERY UNUSUAL. VERY." Mississippi is quickly falling behind in annual rainfall. The statewide average for the last month has been about half an inch, 5 inches below normal. Rainfall is 10 inches off average in the Delta and this March will likely finish as the second driest on record since 1950. March and April are typically the rainy season in Mississippi and across the Southeast. Soil moisture readings show the water content is more than 50 percent short. "Springtime is a time when we're getting lots of rain and charging up the soil moisture and all that, and that's not happening. So this is a really bad time to be having a drought, if we're having one." Dry and drought conditions are quickly entrenching in parts of the nation that have been suffering dry spells for the last three years or more. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows extreme drought conditions have already taken hold in five points around the country - along the Mississippi-Tennessee border, in southwestern Texas along the Rio Grande, in southern California and Arizona, in most of Wyoming and portions of Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota, and along the Canadian border in northern Minnesota. Dry conditions have accelerated in March and, at least in the Southeast, it looks like they will continue into the summer. USA ALABAMA is as dry as it has been in generations. Alabama's drought - in its 27th month --reaches this severity ONLY ONCE EVERY 50 YEARS. The lack of rain has reached every corner of the state. 100 percent of the state is abnormally dry, with almost 78 percent under moderate or worse drought and more than 43 percent under severe or worse drought conditions. Officials from the Tennessee Valley Authority and Alabama Power said reservoirs are far below where they should be at this time of year. With extremely low stream flows, it is unlikely the utilities can fill those lakes by summer. Alabama Power officials said if lake levels don't improve, the company will be looking at hydroelectric generating levels similar to those witnessed in the 1930s. Most rivers and streams across the state are experiencing below-normal stream flow, and many of those waterways are at RECORD-LOW LEVELS. In many Alabama locations, the first three months of 2007 have been the DRIEST ON RECORD. INDIANA - Spring has sprung early this year in the Tri-State. Maybe as much as six weeks, according to the National Weather Service whose data show consistent 70- and 80-degree temperatures such as the area has experienced over the past couple of weeks shouldn't arrive until early May. "This is QUITE UNUSUAL to be this warm, this long, this early. I'm trying real hard to not turn on my air-conditioning before Easter, but I'm not sure I'm going to make it." TAIWAN - A warm and dry fohn wind boosted temperatures in southeastern Taitung County to 37.6 degrees Celsius at around noon Tuesday, the HIGHEST LEVEL IN A CENTURY. Officials said it was HIGHLY UNUSUAL for this to take place during the month of March. The temperature for March in the Taitung area averages between 20 to 25 degrees normally. The high temperature of 37.6 degrees is a NEW RECORD WITHIN THE PAST 200 YEARS, breaking the previous record of 37.2 to 37.4 degrees set in 1996. Fohn winds are formed by the compression of air that descends from high elevations, especially from mountain slopes. The sudden high heat can cause certain vegetables and fruits to ripen earlier than anticipated. Many fruits are expected to fall off trees in the next two days. The leaves of some vegetables and fruit trees have already changed color due to dehydration. USA WISCONSIN - 100 YEAR RECORD HEAT - On Monday, in Madison, the high of 79 BEAT THE PREVIOUS RECORD for the date (76) set in 1907. A high of 80 at Milwaukee topped the previous record for the date of 75 set in 1998. Even Wausau's high of 77 far exceeded the previous record for the date of 69 set in 1991. Wausau's normal high on March 26 is 44. USA ARIZONA - Mount Lemmon — a retreat from the desert heat — is becoming hotter and more vulnerable to environmental disaster. Mount Lemmon is one of the "sky islands" — the high, green spots perched above the desert area — that are experiencing UNPRECEDENTED climate change. Summerhaven, the tiny community near the 9,157-foot summit of Mount Lemmon, was usually 20 degrees cooler than the desert floor. Not anymore. Higher temperatures have put Mount Lemmon at risk for catastrophic fires and they are endangering native species. The American Southwest has been warming for nearly 30 years - Mount Lemmon's winter snows are melting earlier, and "predatory insects have taken to the forest that mantles the upper mountain, killing trees weakened by record heat." "A lot of people think climate change and the ecological repercussions are 50 years away. But it's happening now in the West. The data is telling us that we are in the middle of one of the first big indicators of climate change impacts in the continental United States." CROP FAILURE / FOOD SHORTAGES - Scientists say it has become increasingly clear that worldwide precipitation is shifting away from the equator and toward the poles. That will nourish crops in warming regions like Canada and Siberia while parching countries like Malawi in sub-Saharan Africa, which are already prone to drought. “Alaska will probably become good for agriculture, Siberia will probably become good for agriculture, but where does that leave Africa?” In the face of warming, it might be necessary to abandon the longstanding notion that all places might someday feed themselves. Poor regions reliant on unpredictable rainfall, should be encouraged to shift people out of farming and into urban areas and import their food from northern countries. While the richer northern nations may benefit temporarily, “As you march through the decades, at some point - and we don’t know where these inflection points are - negative effects of climate change dominate everywhere.” CHAD - The World Food Program warned on Friday that 80 thousand Chadians are running out of food in the eastern border region with Sudan and face a desperate struggle to survive unless new donations meet the needs of a rising tide of people driven from their homes. "These people were forced to leave their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They are completely dependent on host communities who can barely feed themselves, and their living conditions are going from bad to worse." The UN agency said it was racing against time to pre-position as much food as possible before the rainy season, which is expected to start in late June, making most roads in eastern Chad impassable. "The vast majority of displaced live in flimsy shelters patched together from straw or millet stalks, which will not survive the seasonal rains. One in five families do not even have a roof. Few have access to potable water or latrines, and local health services are unable to handle the unexpected flood of new patients." DJIBOUTI - WFP has said that a critical shortage of funds has set in motion preparations to cease vital food aid rations to 53,000 people in Djibouti, where malnutrition rates among children under five are well over the international emergency threshold. Over the past five years, a series of droughts have hit Djibouti. The most severe was in early 2006, when rains failed completely, and pastoralist families lost many or all of their animals. The series of recurring droughts have stretched to the limit the traditional survival strategies of many pastoralists. Malnutrition rates among children younger than five are already alarming in Djibouti. Thousands of households would run short of food in the coming months, with livestock in some inland areas already showing signs of stress. NORTH KOREA - A senior North Korean official has admitted to a severe food shortage in the communist country, saying it is currently short of some 1 million tons. The North will need between 5.24 million tons and 6.47 million tons of food this year. Depending on climate conditions, the availability of fertilizer and other factors, the communist state may be able to produce only 4.3 million tons by itself. Experts are concerned that climate change will threaten some 132 million Asians with starvation by the year 2050, according to a dire report. "Grain harvests in the Asian region will drop by as much as 30 percent, leading to skyrocketing food prices and the starvation of 132 million people in Asia in the 2050s, if fossil fuels continue to be consumed at the current rate." Harvests have already declined in some parts of Asia, and the report says rising temperatures are only part of the problem. Flooding, heat waves and droughts are said to have contributed to the shortfall. WATER SHORTAGES - USA FLORIDA - Using words like "grave" and "critical" to describe the drought, water managers warned that existing watering restrictions may not be enough to deal with conditions that they said are AMONG THE DRIEST ON RECORD and likely to worsen. New information shows water levels dropping dramatically in areas that supply South Florida's drinking water. "In just the past week, the water shortage situation has grown considerably more grave. And with little or no rain in our short-term forecasts, we could potentially be facing a critical water shortage situation the likes of which our residents have never experienced. Just two weeks ago, no one could have predicted the precipitous water level drops we've seen recently, and we want residents to be mindful of the severity of this shortage." USA NEVADA - Santa Cruz residents will soon be facing restrictions on water use due to some of the DRIEST WEATHER IN OVER A DECADE. Santa Cruz's water system is different from other local systems in that it's 98 percent dependent on surface water sources such as the San Lorenzo River. Without rain the streams and San Lorenzo River are running very low. Of the four levels of water conditions affecting the Santa Cruz water supply, the fourth and highest level, "critically dry," is in effect now. Santa Cruz's water is tied into the rest of the state as part of the same hydrological system connected to the Sierras. And the Sierras have had a bleak winter as well. The California Department of Water Resources conducted its fourth survey of the Sierra snow pack for the 2006-2007 snow season Wednesday morning and found that the amount of water in the statewide snow pack is at 46 percent of normal levels. THAILAND - This year's drought has already affected more than eight million people in 58 provinces, with water levels in several major rivers ''critically low''. The total number of drought-hit villagers since the dry season began in November has jumped to 8.2 million, and the number was likely to increase with the drought crisis expected to grow even more severe this month. About 114,000 rai of farmland has been affected. To relieve water shortages, the department has installed water pumps and distributed drinking water to villages in the worst-hit areas. The Irrigation Department reported on its website that water in major rivers had dropped to critically low levels. The chief of the artificial rainmaking unit in the Central Plains, expressed concern over the worsening drought situation in Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, and Lop Buri, with no rain in the region for months. Water storage in Central Plains reservoirs are expected to drop to critical levels within the next two months because unusually high temperatures, triggered by the El Nino weather phenomenon, have caused more rapid evaporation of stored water than normal. INDIA - As summer begins, Bangalore like many other Indian cities face water shortage forcing residents to walk long distances in search of it. Long lines of pots before taps is a common sight in Lingarajapuram, which receives water supply just three times a week. Water sometimes just trickles or sometimes it doesn't come at all. "We keep fighting over water, we cannot do anything else. We cannot take our children to school. This is the biggest problem". "They [People in other areas] fight with us and say don't come here. We do not have water for ourselves". INDONESIA - Water shortages are forcing authorities in India's remote Andaman Islands to tap dozens of Second World War wells. The return of tourism after the 2004 tsunami, combined with a lack of rain, has caused severe shortages in the archipelago, located about 1,200 km east of the Indian mainland. Authorities are rationing water and cleaning old wells dug by Japanese forces in the mid-1940s, but many people think this is only a temporary solution. "There is an urgent need to build water reservoirs." NIGERIA - As an acute water shortage persists in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital and its environs, the Governor has pronounced a State of Emergency on the water situation in the state. The State Government has spent over N7billion on water provision, but portable water supply in the state has become elusive. Findings also indicated that there are cartels who specialize in vandalizing water pipes in a bid to secure inflated contracts to fix such water equipments that were vandalized by them. IRAQ - a water shortage is threatening the lives of children in Iraq. This month, due to a lack of funding, UNICEF was forced to stop its water tanker program, which delivers clean water to tens of thousands in Baghdad. The UNICEF program, which also supplies sanitation and hygiene services, is currently $30 million short because the organization underestimated the amount of time it would be serving children in Iraq. The Iraqi government has said its water systems will not be able to provide an adequate supply for at least 18 months. The UN said that the incidence of diarrhea has been increasing, and UNICEF is stockpiling millions of sachets filled with oral re-hydration salts to use in case of an outbreak. Scientists have not ruled out the possibility of a future war because of water shortage and they urge national governments to implement long-term policies to avert this and secure peace. "This war will be either between states or it will be a conflict between let’s say farmers and population. When a country does not manage its water resources correctly, then it will have to buy and transport water from other countries. But I am not sure that this transport from one country to the other will be a peaceful one.” Today, around 30 million people living in the Mediterranean are deprived of access to water, research shows. The world is running out of water. Humans are polluting, depleting, and diverting its finite freshwater supplies so quickly, we are creating massive new deserts and generating global warming from below. In many parts of the world, surface waters are too polluted for human use. Ninety per cent of wastewater in the Third World is discharged untreated. Eighty per cent of China's and 75 per cent of India's surface waters are too polluted for drinking, fishing, or even bathing. The story is the same in most of Africa and Latin America. Humans, using powerful new technology, are mining groundwater sources far faster than they can be replaced, creating drought in once-fertile areas. When water is taken from an aquifer to grow crops in the desert, another desert is created. A recent scientific report from the United Kingdom warned of "coming anarchy" in Asia as water is sucked out of the ground by untold millions of bore wells. Water is also massively displaced through the building of large dams, the main reason so many of the great rivers of the world no longer reach the oceans. Around the world, a massive network of pipelines is being constructed to move water from place to place, similar to the pipeline network that now moves oil and gas. Huge amounts of water are also displaced through the trade in "virtual water" where poor countries grow water-intensive crops for export to countries trying to conserve their water supplies. They are left with dead lakes and rivers. In Canada, they have tended to ignore water problems, believing that they have plentiful supplies. But recent studies suggest otherwise, particularly in the western prairies, where water has been scarce at the best of times. The climate of the Prairie provinces has already warmed by from 1to 4C, and is predicted to warm that much again by mid-century. Already, snow packs and glaciers of the Rocky Mountains, the "water towers" of the prairies, are dwindling, and increasing evaporation is stealing more water from lakes, rivers and soils as a result of warmer temperatures. One concern is for agriculture, because soil moisture is predicted to decrease over vast semi-arid areas of the prairies where crops are already limited by water supplies in many years. Two-thirds of the world's population could be threatened by water shortages by 2025. SNOW - AFGHANISTAN - At least 12 people were killed and 12 wounded when avalanches in the northern Badakhshan province of Afghanistan buried their houses under snow. This year Afghanistan has been experiencing greater rains and snowfalls after six years of severe drought. The rain has caused severe flooding and mudslides in various parts of the country, leaving at least a dozen of people dead in the past fortnight through out the country. DISEASE THREATS - RECALLS & ALERTS: -PET FOOD RECALL WIDENS AGAIN, THIS TIME TO DRY FOOD - The Hill's cat food now being recalled is labeled Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food. Testing has detected melamine and melamine byproducts (used to make plastic) in wheat gluten received by the company to make dry cat food. The tainted wheat gluten has been traced to a supplier from China. The FDA is conducting an investigation into pet food products made with wheat gluten that contains melamine and their association with reports of injury and deaths in cats and dogs. FDA officials said scientists were no longer investigating any connection between the deaths and the rat poison aminopterin. The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals demanded earlier Friday that U.S. regulators expand a recall of nearly 100 brands of Menu Foods pet foods to also cover dry varieties. PETA members said they know of pet owners whose cats and dogs became sick after eating dry food. The Veterinary Information Network reported Tuesday that at least 471 cases of pet kidney failure have been reported since the recall, and more than 100 pets have died. Alpo Added to Pet Food Recall - The popular dog food Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy is now being pulled from store shelves. -RECALLED - Guida's Dairy of New Britain, Connecticut is voluntarily withdrawing Guida Label Lowfat Chocolate Milk Half-pints from the market. These products are being recalled because they may contain a presence of food grade sanitizer. These products were distributed in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. -RECALLED - Nationwide recall of Cerignola, Nocellara and Castelvetrano Olives because they have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that can cause a life-threatening illness or death. Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled. Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can cause the following symptoms: general weakness, dizziness, double vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention. ***WATCHMAN... And you think this isn't terrorism??? Have you ever seen this many CONTAMINATIONS - day after day before??? Remember under COMMUNISTIC SOCIALISM the general population is kept in the DARK - LITERALLY HELL... The Last Days SIGNS - The End Times - ARE - Upon The Earth! Posted March 30 - April 1, 2007 -------------------------------- Reported by Maria... Worldwide Events QUAKES - 5.0 SOUTHERN 5.0 GULF OF CALIFORNIA SUMATRA, INDONESIA 5.1 NEAR WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN 5.6 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND 5.8 LAKE TANGANYIKA REGION TROPICAL STORMS - Cyclone BECKY was 1047 nmi NNW of Auckland, New Zealand. Cyclone Kara is crossing the Pilbara coast at Wallal between Port Hedland and Broome, Australia. It has been downgraded to a category one system with winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, after earlier generating winds of up to 220 kph. It will soon weaken to a rain-bearing, low pressure system. The communities on Eighty Mile Beach will be more affected by the rain than the wind. AUSTRALIA - A RARE and UNUSUAL phenomenon deep in the Southern Ocean is creating extreme weather conditions, including hurricane-force winds, off the South Australian coast. Winds of 80 knots, or 150km/h, were recorded south of the Great Australian Bight yesterday, resulting from an intense low which developed since Tuesday. Swells up to 7m were expected to pound the coast last night. Winds greater than 64 knots, or 118km/h, are classified as hurricane-force - a new category introduced by the Bureau of Meteorology for areas on southern latitudes. It describes more extreme winds than storm winds, which is the warning given for winds greater than 48 knots or 88km/h. Hurricane-force winds are usually associated with tropical cyclones. A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said it was a "rare and unusual" event but the phenomenon was not a cyclone or hurricane in the Southern Ocean. "The low is well to the south of us and the winds won't impact the SA coastline but it will produce heavy swell along the open ocean coasts. We are predicting the swell to get to 5-7m." The swell was expected to peak late last night and, while some big waves could hit the coasts this morning, they will reduce during the day. HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / WIND - AUSTRALIA - The Kimberley and Pilbara in northern Western Australia have had ONE OF THEIR WETTEST MONTHS ON RECORD due to three cyclones and a low-sitting monsoon trough. Broome Airport has received 288 millimeters of rain over 24 days in March, compared to the monthly average of 100mm. The high rainfall has not reached Broome's record of 493mm set in March 2000. Meanwhile, in Port Hedland, three cyclones have given the Pilbara town close to its wettest month on record. A Port Hedland weather observer says the average rainfall for March is only 42mm. "Well, it's VERY UNUSUAL, the previous wettest March on record was only 250mm back in 1967, so 426mm is well and truly the NEW RECORD." NEW ZEALAND - Northland has been completely cut off from the rest of New Zealand after almost two months worth of rain (about 245mm) has fallen in the Far North in less than a day today. Roads are closed, rivers are flooding and people across the region are being told to go home. Flooding has also caused some houses to be swept away. People living in the Opua region are being urged to evacuate their houses as potential cliff-top slips are endangering some properties. Police are warning people to stay off the roads as swelling rivers increase flooding. The severe weather also kept coast guards busy. In Whangarei, rain mixed with raw sewage has flooded streets in the city, forcing business owners to sandbag their doors. The city's rivers are already close to bursting their banks with high tide on the way. MetService says the worst is far from over and is predicting the area from Whangarei south could get another 60 to 90 millimeters this evening. Ruakaka residents are already describing the rain as THE WORST IN MEMORY, with roads blocked and businesses swamped. While Northland is bearing the brunt of the storm at the moment, other parts of New Zealand are being warned they are next. There are already reports of some North Shore houses being flooded in Auckland. The bad weather was caused by a very moist northeast flow that has spread rain over much of northern and central New Zealand. The reason the rain has lasted so long is because of a large anticyclone over the Chatham Islands. "This stationary high-pressure center is what we call a blocking high. Northern New Zealand is now in the region where subtropical moisture flows down from the northeast." In the 24 hours ending 9am Thursday, 150mm of rain had fallen in Kaikohe and 268mm had fallen in Kerikeri. In these places the average March rainfall is around 100 millimeters. The bad weather has also caused power outages throughout the North Island and some outages of phone service. SOUTH KOREA - Thunder crackled and tiny hailstones rained on parts of Seoul and Gyeonggi province Wednesday as a low-pressure weather system swept across the region. The BIZARRE weather pattern dropped heavy rain and hail on certain areas while skipping nearby neighborhoods entirely. It was the first hailstorm in South Korea this year. CANADA - The latest rainstorm to soak B.C.'s south coast has led to another major landslide in Vancouver's Stanley Park. The weekend drenching also cost two families their homes when the earth gave way beneath a hilltop in the Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver. A two-kilometer stretch of the storm-damaged Stanley Park Seawall will remain closed until at least August after the debris came down near Prospect Point. About 50 meters of the seawall was covered with rubble, adding to the excavation and repair work already required on the 10-kilometre promenade. "The new pile is three meters high and topped with uprooted trees. Every time it rains, more debris falls." Winter storms and winds have knocked down about 10,000 trees since late November, closing trails and inflicting heavy damage on the seawall. USA OHIO - A landslide that reduced traffic on Route 416 a week ago has now closed the road just north of New Philadelphia’s city limits. The Ohio Department of Transportation said the landslide, which developed early last week along the southbound lane, continues to show movement this week. Cracks now have appeared in the northbound lane of the road, also known as Seven Mile Drive. Weak soils and excessive ground water is causing the slide. Weather forecasts showing rain also contributed to the decision to close the road. Officials expect excavation and reconstruction of the embankment to take several months to complete. USA ILLINOIS - Receding water may have been the expediting factor that caused a significant landslide along the eastern bank of the Vermilion River just south of the Main Street bridge near downtown Streator. The landslide happened avalanche-style about 6:50 a.m. Tuesday and could be heard at least a block away. "It was an extraordinary set of circumstances and you can't pin what happened on one particular thing." The one factor that definitely contributed was the crested Vermilion River soaking the loosely-packed ground along the river bank and pulling it down as the water receded. The resulting scene was like a smaller-scale version of a California mudslide. Dirt, rocks, trees and loose material that had been dumped along the upper bank over the years now are down by the river or in it. "I've never seen anything like it, with trees in the middle of the river channel standing up like that." Where there once was enough room to park a truck, there now is nowhere to walk behind two business buildings, both of which have been evacuated. The northern end of the landslide came close to the Main Street bridge. Officials are worried more erosion may occur. "We don't know if it's going to slide anymore. We're going to have to wait and see what we can do after it stabilizes itself. There's still a little bit of loose dirt and stuff up at the top that could still wash down. Hopefully we won't get any more rain." At 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service was forecasting a 30 to 50 percent chance of showers daily through Saturday. USA CALIFORNIA - Volatile weather swept through Southern California on Tuesday, bringing downpours, hail, snow and fierce winds that capsized boats and downed power lines and trees, cutting power to more than 157,000 utility customers. The roof was torn off the Orange County Fire Authority's aviation building in Fullerton, and harbor patrol officers made numerous rescues involving capsized watercraft in Newport Bay and offshore. A large section of roof laminate and asphalt tile landed on four cars and caused minor damages but no injuries. Fire crews also were responding to "tons" of reports of downed trees and power lines. "It was pretty crazy out there. I was driving on the freeway and saw many dust storms." Winds gusting up to 40 mph caused a small powerboat and three outriggers to capsize. Snow and flurries were reported in desert and mountain areas. "The sky went dark, and for about 10 minutes it kind of snowed. I've never seen weather like this. It's March and I'm wearing a coat and starting a fire at the fireplace." Four electrical transmission towers blew down and a fifth was damaged in the eastern Los Angeles County city of Commerce, and a dozen power poles came down, too. Strong winds accompanied by sporadic showers and hail were driven by a fast-moving cold front that moved from the Central Coast down to Southern California. CLIMATE CHANGE- ANTARCTICA - A piece of the Antarctic ice sheet the size of Texas is thinning, possibly due to global warming, and could cause the world's oceans to rise significantly, polar ice experts say. They said "surprisingly rapid changes" were occurring in Antarctica's Amundsen Sea Embayment, which faces the southern Pacific Ocean, but that more study was needed to know how fast it was melting and how much it could cause the sea level to rise. It holds enough water to raise world sea levels 6m. The scientists blamed the melting ice on changing winds around Antarctica that they said were causing warmer waters to flow beneath ice shelves. The wind change appeared to be the result of several factors, including global warming, ozone depletion in the atmosphere and natural variability. Other parts of the continent also are losing ice, but generally not as quickly. SPACE WEATHER - NEW ZEALAND - Flaming debris of a possible meteor almost hit plane - The pilots of a Chilean passenger jet reported seeing flaming debris fall past their aircraft as it approached the airport at Auckland, New Zealand. The captain "made visual contact with incandescent fragments several kilometers away". New Zealand and Australian media suggested the debris was from a Russian satellite expected to enter the atmosphere later in the day. But the US space agency Nasa said it was more likely to have been meteors. The pilots reported the near-miss to air traffic controllers, reportedly saying the noise of the debris breaking the sound barrier could be heard above the roar of his aircraft's engines. The debris missed the jet by a margin of 40 seconds. An orbital debris expert at Nasa had checked with the Russians and their vessel - a spacecraft resupplying the International Space Station - had fired its re-entry rockets as scheduled, 12 hours after the Chileans reported the near miss. The Nasa expert said no other space junk was expected to be re-entering atmosphere at that time so the pilots probably saw a meteor. Posted March 29, 2007 ------------------------------------ Reported by Maria... Worldwide Events QUAKES - 5.2 TONGA 5.6 KURIL ISLANDS Houses that heal themselves following earthquakes are being developed at Leeds University. A special substance that flows into cracks and hardens could limit the damage caused by natural disasters. The polymer particles form part of the wall structure. When put under pressure and squeezed, they turn to liquid, filling up gaps caused by earthquakes, then they harden. TROPICAL STORMS - Cyclone BECKY was 1047 nmi NNW of Auckland, New Zealand. THAILAND - The Meteorological Department warned of a tropical storm during the next two days due to the high pressure from China. High pressure from China will cover Thailand, while the country is facing the low pressure. The weather conditions will result in tropical storm. As a result, they are warning local residents to stay vigilant of the tropical storm expected to affect agricultural areas. HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / WIND - HAITI, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Heavy flooding has left at least 11 people dead and affected many others. Officials estimate that more than 4,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in both countries. In Haiti, hundreds of houses in the capital, Port-au-Prince, have been flooded following several days of heavy rain. At least eight people died in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic after unexpectedly heavy rain, that started on Sunday, lashed the Caribbean island that the two countries share. Mudslides have destroyed dozens of houses and left more than 400 families homeless in Haiti alone. Most of the homeless will be people who lived in very low-quality housing which could not withstand the strong winds and rain. Local radio stations are warning people against crossing the swollen rivers and are advising people to get themselves and their livestock to higher ground. More rain was predicted for late Tuesday and early today. INDONESIA - Heavy rains over the past week have resulted in cold lava flows on Mount Semeru, worrying the Lumajang regency administration in East Java, which is now preparing for heavy floods. Riverflow areas were the main paths of cold lava from Mount Semeru and volcanic material such as sand and rocks has been pouring down the mountain since March 23. "It still contains a million cubic meters of material at its peak that could fall down." The office has also urged hundreds of traditional sand miners in those areas to be wary. "The Lumajang administration cannot prohibit them (from working), but only urge them to be careful in carrying out their activities." Earlier reports said that a cold lava flow had destroyed a 20-meter stretch of river dikes in Pasru Jambe district and a bridge in Pandansari village. Mount Semeru's status is classified as "alert". Images in February showed thin white sulfurous gas from medium to high pressure at a height of 25 to 75 meters above its crater, while 107 eruptions have occurred, spewing gray smoke at medium to high pressure at 300 to 600 meters above the crater. Crater growth and molten lava has not been observed since February. In Malang, flash floods on March 23 stemming from the Lesti River, a tributary of the Barantas River, killed one person and damaged seven bridges, three irrigation dams, hundreds of hectares of crops and water pipes. ARGENTINA - Unusually heavy late-summer rains led to extensive flooding across northern Argentina from January through March. Late summer rains pounded Northern Argentina, triggering the floods. The rains started in mid-January, and by March 21 the rainfall had caused floods along the Parana and Dulce Rivers and around Laguna Mar Chiquita. The rains were the HEAVIEST SEEN IN ARGENTINA IN 45 YEARS. The resulting floods killed 5 and forced 5,000 from their homes. The floods stretch out over tens of kilometers east of the Parana River. (satellite photos) GUYANA - Sudden thunderstorms broke out in Guyana. According to those in the know here, it does not rain at this time of the year and they described it as FREAK WEATHER. Thunderstorms are forecast for the next eight days. Temperatures in Guyana's capital Georgetown will be around 87 F into the middle of next week and a daily downpour is expected. OREGON - A landslide along Burnside Street in Northwest Portland was cinching traffic down to two lanes and it will take months for crews to fix the roadway. The slide developed when a basalt wall fractured in ongoing rain and began to crumble. Rocks as big as 24 inches in diameter tumbled down on the busy roadway, but there were no reports of damage to cars. Cement barricades will extend five to six feet into the traffic lanes, as a buffer to protect against falling rocks. The barricades will likely stay in place through the summer, when conditions dry out and allow workers to complete the road repair projects. HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT/ CLIMATE CHANGE- For the first time, a scientific study has identified the world's low-lying coastal areas that are vulnerable to global warming and sea-level rise, and urged major cities from New York to Tokyo to wake up to the risk of being swamped by flooding and intense storms if nothing is done. 'Migration away from the zone at risk will be necessary, but costly and hard to implement.' In all, 634 million people live within such areas - defined as less than 10m above sea level - and that number is growing. Of the more than 180 countries with populations in the low-elevation coastal zone, about 70 percent have urban areas of more than five million people that extend into it, including: Tokyo; New York; Mumbai, India; Shanghai, China; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Dhaka, Bangladesh. Asia is particularly vulnerable. The five countries with the largest total population living in threatened coastal areas are China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia. Coastlines already are showing the impact of sea-level rise and global warming and it is expected to worsen. An IPCC report is expected to say that about 100 million people each year could be flooded by rising seas by 2080. By the time the location of the coastal settlements at the most risk becomes evident, "most of the easier options for shifting settlement patterns, and modifying them so that they are better adapted to the risks of climate change, will have been foreclosed." Many such areas have long been vulnerable to natural disasters such as flooding and tropical storms, but climate change is likely to increase that risk. In North America, the two biggest cities, Los Angeles and New York, are at risk of a combination of sea-level rise and storms with waters rising "up to several meters deep." By 2090, under a worst-case scenario, megafloods that normally would hit North America once every 100 years "could occur as frequently as every three - four years." SOUTH AFRICA - Tons of photos & video of the monster wave damage. photos of the actual waves hitting. [This is the kind of coastal damage the article above is warning about.] Citing one of the worst cyclone seasons in recent memory in Madagascar as an example, the United Nations body that seeks to mitigate the impact of natural disasters called on the international community to invest more in programs to reduce the effects of extreme weather spawned by global warming. What is currently happening in Madagascar is a good illustration of what can happen in many countries. "The increased severity and frequency of extreme weather events prevents people from recovering before facing the next event, making them more vulnerable to disasters." People in Madagascar are well prepared to face cyclones, and the country has strong national mechanisms in place. But the unusual number of cyclones makes the situation extremely difficult. In November, Madagascar's National Bureau on Disaster Reduction put in place a program of sand bags that seems to have protected many houses from destruction. The bags were placed on top of the roofs to reduce wind impacts, saving a lot of people. "But we could not avoid the intensity of rains. Soils were completely saturated and many people died because of mud and debris avalanches that could not be stopped." In some parts of the world, climate change will mean more intense and frequent hazards, in others, it will mean facing hazards that communities have not encountered before. USA TENNESSEE - this month has been one of the WARMEST AND DRIEST MARCHES IN TENNESSEE HISTORY. Normally the wettest month of the year, an average of less than one inch of rain has fallen in the Middle Tennessee region, which sees nearly five inches of precipitation during the period in a typical year. Temperatures in Lafayette reached 86 degrees this Monday, March 26, matching a record set in 1910. Sunday's 86 degree high BROKE THE 100-YEAR RECORD for that date. While February was one of the coldest on record, March temperatures have averaged about six degrees above normal. Many Tennessee municipalities had already ordered a ban on outside burning due to the unseasonal hot and dry conditions, but Monday afternoon the state forestry division announced it will issue no rural burn permits whatsoever until the state receives a significant amount of rainfall. ODD - Scientists have revealed details of the world's only known case of "semi-identical" twins. The twins are identical on their mother's side, but share only half their genes on their father's side. They are the result of two sperm cells fertilizing a single egg, which then divided to form two embryos - and each sperm contributed genes to each child. Each stage is unlikely, and scientists believe the twins are probably unique. Normally, twins either develop from the same egg which later splits to form identical twins - who share all their genetic material, or from two separate eggs which are fertilized by two separate sperm. This creates non-identical (fraternal) twins - who share on average 50% of their genetic material. Sometimes, two sperm can fertilize a single egg, but this is only thought to happen in about 1% of human conceptions. Most embryos created this way do not survive. Genetic tests show both are "chimeras", and have some male cells (which have an X and Y chromosome) and some female cells (which have two X chromosomes). One child was discovered to be a hermaphrodite, while the other child is anatomically male. The twins are now toddlers, and doctors say they are progressing well. "The number of these cases is very small, but before they were reported, most people would have said THIS COULD NEVER HAPPEN. Whether these things are academic curiosities, or whether we've overlooked something significant is hard to say." The Cassini spacecraft has photographed a bizarre geometrical figure encircling Saturn's north pole: a hexagon. NASA scientists say they've never seen anything like it on any other planet. It is twice as wide as Earth. First observed by the Voyager spacecraft in the 1980s, the hexagon has been sighted anew by the Cassini probe. The hexagon could be a distant cousin of Earth's polar vortex, but while Earth's vortex is a circle, Saturn's may be molded into a hexagon by some strange pattern of atmospheric waves. "Saturn's thick atmosphere where circularly-shaped waves and convective cells dominate is perhaps the LAST place you'd expect to see such a six-sided geometric figure." In short, it's a mystery. (photo) DISEASE THREATS - Men whose mothers ate a lot of beef during pregnancy have lower sperm counts. A Human Reproduction study found they were three times more likely to have a sperm count so low they could be classified as sub-fertile. The findings suggest that exposure to growth promoters contained in the beef eaten by the boys' mothers was to blame. This evidence suggests that Europe was right to ban the beef industry from using growth promoters to increase yield. A US study has linked use of the chemicals to damage to human sperm. Other possible causes, such as exposure to pesticides, or lifestyle factors, could not be ruled out. AUSTRALIA - Almost one hundred people have now been affected by an outbreak of gastroenteritis linked to a bread shop in Sydney's west. Eighteen people have been hospitalized. All of the cases interviewed so far had eaten either pork rolls or chicken rolls from the French Golden hot bread shop in Homebush West. Posted March 28, 2007 ------------------------------------ Reported by Maria... Worldwide Events QUAKES - 5.0 SOUTHEASTERN IRAN 5.1 NEAR COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU 5.2 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES 5.3 TARAPACA, CHILE 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.5, 5.4 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION 5.5 MOLUCCA SEA JAPAN - Victims of a powerful weekend earthquake in central Japan that killed one person and destroyed hundreds of homes faced an uncertain future on Tuesday, with few signs of when life would return to normal. About 1,900 people spent a second night in evacuation centers as hundreds of aftershocks continued to jolt the area following Sunday's 6.9 magnitude quake, which struck the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, about 300 km (190 miles) west of Tokyo. The tremor demolished 57 houses and seriously damaged more than 700 others, many of them old wooden structures with heavy tile roofs. More than 200 people were hurt, although most injuries were minor. Electric power was fully restored but some 8,700 homes still lacked running water, and troops and aid workers were distributing emergency supplies. Rain was forecast for the region in the evening, prompting fears of landslides. (photos) KANSAS - An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.1 is considered small anywhere and would be barely noted in quake-prone areas. But a temblor of that intensity felt in northeast Kansas early Friday was one of only a few recorded in the region in 150 years. Records show a small earthquake was felt in 1881 at the Leavenworth-Douglas County lines and a minor quake was recorded in 1902 south of Lawrence. The largest-ever earthquake recorded in Kansas was in 1867 between Wamego and Manhattan, and registered between 5.2 and 5.5. GREECE - The archaeological museum of the Greek Ionian Sea island of Cephalonia was closed on Monday after a weekend of seismic activity damaged the building and smashed items. An undersea tremor measuring 5.9 points on the open-ended Richter scale on Sunday toppled a number of exhibits at Argostoli Museum, smashing three of them. The museum building itself sustained minor damage, with cracks appearing in its walls. The museum, which displays antiquities from Prehistoric to Roman times and includes a valuable Mycenaean collection, will remain closed until the seismic activity is over. A number of aftershocks up to 5.1 points Richter were recorded on Monday. The Argostoli Museum was entirely destroyed in a 1953 earthquake that devastated the island. There were reports on Sunday of minor damage to homes and limited rock slides on roads, but no injuries. VOLCANOES - WASHINGTON - Mount St. Helens may be following the example of Kilauea in Hawaii with magma being replaced from a reservoir beneath the volcano as fast as it emerges as lava at the surface. While the two volcanoes are different in many respects, St. Helens appears to have become an "open system" as its domebuilding eruption that began in the fall of 2004 continues at a pace that has been unchanged for the past year. Since last April it has been fairly constant about 0.6 of a cubic yard per second - the equivalent of about nine truckloads every two minutes. The longer the eruption continues at that rate, the more likely it is that a direct pathway has developed for molten rock to emerge from deep within the planet's crust. "That situation could go on for a long time. The ongoing eruption (at Kilauea) in Hawaii, for example, started in 1983." Other evidence indicating the development of an open system at St. Helens is the slowing of deformation around the flanks of the volcano, indicating the magma chamber beneath the surface is being refilled rather than deflating, which would cause sagging. TROPICAL STORMS - Cyclone BECKY was 1093 nmi ENE of Townsville, Australia. Cyclone KARA was 101 nmi NNW of Port Hedland, Australia. Cyclone Becky - A tropical cyclone, that has formed northwest of Vanuatu, is now expected to affect land areas as early as this afternoon. Cyclone Becky is moving East-Southeast, bringing gale force winds to the Banks group and extending over Sanma and Penama tonight. Winds are estimated to increase to 55 knots. The sea will be rough with heavy swells. “People including sea going vessels are strongly advised not to go out to sea until the system moves out of the area. Heavy rainfall and flooding, including coastal flooding is expected in the affected areas.” Cyclone Kara - Oil and gas operations and iron ore ports are being shut as the West Australia coast braces for its fourth tropical cyclone this year. A severe cyclone warning is current for coastal areas from Mardie to Wallal, and Pilbara communities are being warned to take precautions. WIND - GREENLAND is not known for hurricanes, but the frigid land mass does host some of the strongest — and most mysterious — winds on the planet. Now scientists say the bizarre winds could be linked to weather and climate phenomena far away. After two weeks of flying head-on into hurricane-force winds that whipped recently around the southern tip of Greenland, a group of scientists has a better idea of just how these winds relate to broader weather patterns, global ocean circulation and climate. Weather experts have only really known about these so-called tip jets for less than a decade. Tip jets form at Greenland when cyclones, large rotating weather systems, meet with the island's hulking mass on their northward journey across the Atlantic Ocean, causing air flow to be distorted and winds to speed up. Depending on the cyclone's position relative to Greenland, either a reverse tip jet, which blows from east to west, or a forward tip jet, which blows from west to east, forms. When the low pressure system is south of Greenland, a reverse tip jet forms, and when it is northeast of Greenland a forward tip jet forms. This dual wind behavior is HIGHLY UNUSUAL: in the United States, for example, large-scale winds blow primarily from the west, while winds from the east are rare except on local scales where mountains or other landforms control the flow. "Cape Farewell is this really odd place where you get really strong winds of both directions, and that's very rare. There are very few places in the world where the winds blow very strong from two different directions." What makes these narrow jets of sometimes 100-mph winds so important? They could be one of the drivers of the ocean's main circulation. MUDSLIDE - GAZA STRIP - At least three people died and many more were missing after sewage and mud flooded a northern Gaza Strip village today. The village, Umm Naser, was flooded when the earth wall of a large cesspool sewage pool collapsed. 25 people were injured. At least 25 houses were completely submerged in the sewage, and residents said more than 200 people were still missing in the village of 3,000. The cause of the collapse was not immediately clear. Angry residents blamed local authorities for what they described as an environmental catastrophe. The sewage erupted from a new pool that was built on high ground. Local residents had objected to the project. When the pool overflowed, the sewage burst through fencing near the village of makeshift tin huts and Bedouin tents. Witnesses said hundreds of school children escaped unharmed because their school stands on higher ground. HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT/ CLIMATE CHANGE- Many of the world's climate zones (48 per cent of the earth's landmass) will vanish entirely by 2100, or be replaced by new, previously unseen ones, if global warming continues as expected, a US study predicts. By that point, close to 40 per cent of the world's land surface area would also have a "novel" or new climate. Rising temperatures will force existing climate zones toward higher latitudes and higher elevations, squeezing out climates at the colder extremes, and leaving room for unfamiliar climes around the equator. The sweeping climatic changes will likely affect huge swaths of land from the Indonesian rainforest to the Peruvian Andes, including many known hotspots of diversity, disrupting local ecological systems and populations. "The warmest areas get warmer and move outside our current range of experience and the colder areas also get warmer and so those climates disappear." Even if emission rates slowed due to mitigation strategies, the changes would still affect up to 20 per cent of the earth's landmass in each scenario. USA MINNESOTA - The Twin Cities reached a RECORD HIGH of 81 degrees on Monday and it was still 70 degrees in Minneapolis at 9 p.m. - anything but typical weather for March 26. The former record high for March 26 in the Twin Cities was 74 degrees, set in 1991. It was the second consecutive day that the temperature was over 70. A reading of 70 degrees or higher in March in the Twin Cities is not unheard of, but two consecutive days of 70 degrees-plus is very rare. It has not happened since 1986, when temperatures went above 70 on March 29 and 30. There are 65 days left in the snow season and cold snaps are still possible. DISEASE THREATS - RECALLS & ALERTS: -RECALLED - Woodridge Labs, Inc., has voluntarily recalled all lots of its DermaFreeze365(tm) Instant Line Relaxing Formula and DermaFreeze365 Neck & Chest products. This recall was a result of certain limited lots testing positive for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. The organism, Pseudomonas aeruginosa may cause serious eye infections, urinary tract infections, respiratory system infections, dermatitis, soft tissue infections, bacteremia, bone and joint infections, gastrointestinal infections and a variety of systemic infections. 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