Mudslide Causes Gold Mine to Collapse

Excavators search for the bodies of the mean.

In the province of Paramaribo in Suriname, South America seven men were killed when the gold mine they were working in suddenly collapsed due to a mudslide.  The mudslide eroded the pits 20-meter walls and killed the illegal miners who were inside.  The miners had been warned in the past about illegal mining and noted there would be penalties but in an LCD country people will work no matter the danger.  Statements had been made however that the "porknockers" as the illegal miners are called most likely took place in unsafe mining practiced which could have aggravated the soils and made them far less sturdy which could have also made the mudslide more imminent.  This is just one example of how unsafe practiced can lead to an environmental hazard.  It was reported that the miners were using a water hose to blast away sand in the walls when the mudslide began.    


http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5giTEDeIyO9VB40Aay_CMXQ1l5chw?docId=CNG.f849053e64b86a96d1e446e3e7aa8da9.321

Tornadoes in Wisconsin - In November!

Damage from a rare tornado in Northern Illinois

A rare sight in Southern Wisconsin on Monday as a tornado tore through Union Grove in Racine county and well as another county in Northern Illinois.  The tornado in Walworth County in Illinois was reported to be an EF-1 by the National Weather Service and it traveled 4 miles during which it damaged four homes and several farms.  In Racine County, semis were blown on their sides and 3,000 or more people were without power until Tuesday morning.  In Illinois several children and a school bus driver suffered minor injuries after the school bus they were in was blows over in the storm.  The storms hit 12 transformers in the effected area and left thousands without power in the cold weather of November, and in the small city of Caledonia where much of the damage was centered people didn't have a place to go for safety as the town hall was destroyed as well.  I could hardly believe this story when I saw it on the web, shouldn't it be snowing and what caused the strange November storm?  You also have to think that warnings were maybe not taken as seriously by people as many don't expect a tornado in Illinois and Wisconsin in November.  

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2010-11-22-midwest-storm_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Storms Bring High Winds to the Atlantic States

Planes were flipped over in Trenton-Mercer airport in Ewing, New Jersey.

The east coast has been hit hard by bad whether and in turn there are 82,000 people without power which can be detrimental as the nights are very cold this time of year.  The quick moving storm moved through the east coast and with it brought 55 mph winds which flipped several small planes and damaged other at Trenton-Mercer airport in Ewing, New Jersey.  Seven planes in all were severely damaged by the high winds.  In Maryland storms damaged 200 or more residences because of high winds and a tornado is even though to have touched down but it is still being determined by the National Weather Service.  The storm also reached to Charlestown, West Virginia where a Wal-Mart sustained damages as high winds knocked over trees and destroyed shopping cart kiosks.  No injuries have yet to be reported in these storm but many peoples livelihoods have been damaged as the clean up process or "Stage 3" of the disaster will now take place and for many it could take months or more than a year to get things back to normal. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40234460/ns/weather/

Flooding and Landslides Hit England




Lostwithiel, in the Cornwall region was hit hard by the flooding.

 
Very heavy winds that conjured up large gales on Wednesday sparked massive flooding in England's Cornwall region which is on the coast of England.  Police in Cornwall noted that many streets were impassable and there were many people who had become trapped in their homes and cars.  The owner of a bakery in Cornwall noted that the water came in so quickly there was hardly any time to react.  He is quoted as saying "One minute I was making bread, the next I was wading waist high through muddy water, we've had people coming in to help but it's pretty much destroyed the shop." There have not been any reports of injuries but the coastguard has been busy rescuing people from their cars where water stood at 5 feet in some places.  Rail services were also halted after a landslide triggered by the heavy rains made the track impassable and so many people are finding it hard to get to and from work or home.  This region has experience major flooding before and so I wonder as to whether they have any sort of coastal preventative measures to aid in diminishing flood waters?  I would assume if they do they are not very effective as this case would show. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40234497/ns/weather

First Winter Storm of Season

http://www.mndaily.com/2010/11/13/first-snowstorm-season-batters-minneapolis

The first snow storm of the season hit the Midwest, particularly Minnesota and Wisconsin.  There were some 400 traffic accidents reported in Minnesota with one leading to the death of two people that occurred in Northern Wisconsin.  The storm dumped some 11 inches of snow in the Eden Prairie region of the Twin Cities and 10 inches in Forest Lake near Mankato, Minnesota.    In Northern Wisconsin, in Bayfield county they received are 5-6 inches of snow and all of it contributed to deteriorating road conditions quite quickly.  This is a case where education is important regarding winter weather and especially how to drive in it.  Many people are unaware of certain tactics when driving on icy or snowy roads and so the right education might prevent more accidents in the future however the first storms of the season are always the worst as everyone has to relearn winter driving all over again.  Fortunately the snow is said to not stick around very long as the mild weather will bring us green grass for another week.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2010-11-13-midwest-snow_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Landslide in Costa Rica Kills 23

Residents from San Antonio de Escazu carry a corpse from the landslide wreckage on Wednesday night.

Homes being swept away by the mass landslide after heavy rains on Wednesday.

On Wednesday in San Antonio de Escazu more bodies were recovered after a 48 hour rainfall led to the collapse of a rain logged hillside where 20 people were killed as the rush and mud and water swept aways people in their homes.  Fortunately during the golden hours of the tragedy there were many rescuers including some people from the Red Cross who were there with dogs searching for anyone who may have still been alive.  Many said it was eerie as you could hear people yelling for help but could not see where they were.  There are still thought to be a dozen or more residents missing and it is said that of the 20 found dead, four or them were children.  Prior to the landslide there had been two straight days of heavy rain and received 6.3inches total in just two hours on Wednesday that flooded a river near de Escazu and 600 or more people sought shelter in San Jose.  On Thursday the road leading into San Antonia de Escazu was littered with branches and stones that had been swept away by the mighty currents and some reported piles of boulders 10 feet high.  The debris made it very hard to get people in and out of the city who needed medical aid or for people trying to help the masses of people who were devastated by the landslide. The storm also caused some 9 bridges to collapse which will also hinder rescue efforts, however neighboring countries have been asked to provide aircraft to seek out those in need in some 65 communities in the effected areas.  So far at least 1,500 Costa Ricans have fled to shelter but the good sign is that of the many residents of these villages only a fraction were killed and so maybe warning systems were put into place and heeded with caution as the storms hit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40009265/ns/weather/

Italian Storms Cause Massive Flooding

There have been six Italians killed to date after horrible storms caused massive flooding in northern and central Italy over a three day period.  The storms caused secondary problems when the massive amounts of water also caused mudslides that killed a mother and her son after the muddy soup swept their house away and another mudslide killed a 38 year old man in a nearby city.  On Monday and Tuesday flood waters tore down power lines and flooded streets in Tuscany and other nearby villages.  In this case, there seemed to be a very novas warning system in place as many seemed to be caught off guard by the mudslides following the rains.  The rain was predicted to move southward in Italy which could cause more devastation as many of the area rivers are also already flooded. 

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2010/11/02/Storms-in-Italy-cause-deaths-evacuations/UPI-46781288711648/

Boulder Colorado Wildfires

                          
A wildfire west of Boulder has forced the evacuation of 1,700 people from their homes this past week and nearly 140 homes in three different subdivisions were evacuated.  Portions of the city were also evacuated including a court house buildings and two medical buildings.  The scary part is that the fire was spreading by some 134 acres per day and over 150 firefighters were sent to fight the blaze.  To make matter worse there were reported wind speeds of 17 to 23mph which made defending the blaze difficult but winds did die down by the following day.  This is a case were human error created a natural disaster as the fire was though to be caused in a open space in the city of Boulder.  This is an area where risk management has been assessed I am sure as one women who noted as saying she had to grab her possessions and flee her home because of wildfires for the second time in seven weeks.  Fortunately warning systems were helpful as people were able to grab some of their possessions in enough time before the fires reached their homes.  So far there have been no injuries or damage to buildings and hopefully the weather will prevent this from happening. 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hE8QpmXdDXcFSb13dcK_vu5frfkg?docId=ff6baab64cbd405789c9b0b9e7912581