Winter Storms Hit France Spain and Scotland

Paris after the 4 inches of snow it received this past week.

Heavy snow in Paris not only shut down the airport but the Eiffel Tower as well as 4 inches of snow fell which is very unusual for this region.  Bad weather also caused travel woes in Scotland and after bad flooding hit Spain a child's body was found.  The Eiffel Tower was closed because they did not want salt to sprinkled on the structure as it may rust the metal.  What is interesting about Paris is that they do not usually get snow, the risk of high accumulation is very low and therefore the people are not prepared to travel in it and there are not really any modes to clean it up which throws the city into chaos. A news conference was actually called in Paris to let people know that 5,000 additional police would be on duty due to the weather.  It is so funny how Paris reacted to 4 inches of snow when Wisconsinites think 4 inches of snow is nothing!  In Spain the young boy who was found after torrential rains flooded parts of the Alcudia River where the boy was traveling.  Other areas of Spain were also evacuated due to the unexpected flooding.  Maybe because these countries are considered MDC's their warning systems are better equipped and fortunately there was only one death from the disastrous and unexpected weather.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/winter/2010-12-08-france-scotland-snow-winter-weather_N.htm

Columbia Mudslide

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos looks over rescue efforts. 

Over 100 people are presumed to be buried in mud and rubble after heavy rains have caused a state of emergency in Columbia.  The President, Juan Manuel Santos has entered the region in Bello in Antioquia province were 38 bodies have already been recovered from the debris.  Unfortunately the rescue efforts following the golden hours of the disaster have been hindered as the threat of more flooding and landslides threaten the area.  So far this flood has been the worst of the rainy season which has already claimed some 200 lives and forced 1.7 million people from their homes while destroying many peoples livelihood.  The government have issued a 30 day state of emergency so that they may get orders ready for aid and other rescue efforts and reconstruction.  The government is expected to spend around $550 million in disaster aid although the Inter-American Development Bank has offered to give a $350million dollar credit which will be helpful but now the coffee, coal and agricultural sections of commerce are in jeopardy of loosing millions of dollars which will effect the economy of Columbia.  And with the flooding of farm lands and the erosion of roads this will drive up the prices of food, another element to this natural disaster.  


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/08/colombia-venezuela

Bad Weather in South

Uprooted tree in Starksville, Mississippi.

A possible tornado and bad weather ripped through several states in the South including Yazoo City, Mississippi where high winds tore through the city and left many homes damaged.  Although Yazoo City is not directly on the coast it was stated in class that some of the most severe weather occurs in this area because it is near warm coastal waters.  Many of the cities prized public buildings were also badly damaged, a hardware store from the movie "O' Brother Where Art Thou" was badly damaged and the courthouse was ravaged by numerous down trees.  In all some 24 businesses were damaged following the tornado which means that phase three of the disaster, reconstruction will take some time as will normal life.  Many of these storms happened later in the evening when people were going to sleep or had already done so and therefore the warnings were quick which didn't leave much time to get to safety.  Fortunately no one was hurt this time but a tornado in the same area in April, which is peak month for tornadoes killed 12 people.  People in Alabama and South Carolina were also affected by the storms that passed through this past week.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2010-11-30-south-storms_N.htm

Flooding in Yogyakarta, Indonesia Caused by Lahar

 A man gathers his belongings from his home in the flooded area.

The city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia is under a state of emergency after massive flooding caused by a lahar from Mt. Merapi pushed thousands of gallons of water and volcanic debris through the city.  Hundreds of houses have been damaged by flooding and many have been evacuated; this is not to say the visitors cannot enter one man has said.  Four districts in Indonesia have been effected by the flooding including Gondolayu, Danurejan, Prawirodirjan and Keparakan with some flooding reported to be up to 2 meters in some areas.  There are many refugees from the lahar however there have not been any deaths reported.  Evacuation was difficult however as the lahar blocked several main roadways and dismantled several bridges this in turn has made rescue and aid difficult to enter in the golden hours after the flooding.  What is most fascinating is that people showed up in droves to see such a disaster which in turn also led to massive traffic jams which left rescue and aid difficult.  Makeshift levees were created along the river but scientists are warning that the river will not be able to contain the massive lahar flows that may still occur and so people are still being warned to stay at least 300 meters aways from the river.  What is really great is that the government has a very good evacuation plan in place and have set up 94 evacuation points for nearly 13,000 residents and they also have shelters to accommodate people as well.  It is thought that the lahar was caused after numerous eruptions and a heavy rainfall within the last few days which led to the large lahar. 

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/flooding-pushes-yogyakarta-into-a-state-of-emergency/409395