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

Indonesia Tsunami and Volcanic Eruptions

Mt. Merapi erupting on Friday.

Tsunami survivor being provided aid in a makeshift clinic. 

The death toll has now increased to 441 people dead following the volcanic eruption of Indonesia's Mount Merapi and an intense 7.7 magnitude earthquake that caused a tsunami.  Unfortunately there are still some 300 people missing.  Just as talked about in class, following the golden hours crews are finally starting to arrive in the effected areas however other areas are still not getting aid because there are not boats or other modes of transportation to get there.  This is another consequence of an LDC country where infrastructure is not up to its full potential.  Other sparsely populated island chains are feared to not have adequately stocked hospitals and so the concern for the spreading of disease is on everyones mind.  As for the eruption of Mt. Merapi, following the largest eruption on Tuesday scientists are hoping that the smaller eruption will help deplete the pressure in the volcano which would diminish another larger eruption.  Health officials fear that respiratory problems could become a problem because so much of the ash is floating around the air.  While people are sleeping on cold surfaces which can also drive up chances of flu and other illnesses.  Due to this concern officials would be shipping out some 65,000 masks to relieve people from the dusty air however it seems as though this is not the only concern.  Fortunately the infrastructure near Mt. Merapi is far better than in the tsunami stricken areas and so aid has been able to come much easier making the death toll far less in this area.  This is a key idea as to how good infrastructure can save lives. 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304879604575582252072604656.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Massive Windstorm in Midwest

Pictures taken from http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Massive-storm-slams-Midwest-South/ss/events/us/102610midweststorm#photoViewer=/101026/480/urn_publicid_ap_org868d402ed29745ef9880175922431f9c

Here in the midwest we have been dealing with moderate temperatures along with gusty winds up to 81mphs and drenching rains.  What was so strange about this particular weather system was that is had the barometric pressure of a Category 3 hurricane but did not cause near the damage that a hurricane would have in this case and also had the force of a blizzard without snow thankfully!  All of this mesmerized meteorologists who were very surprised by how low the pressure system actually was; it had the lowest recorded pressure ever recorded for a non-tropical storm in the United States!  As the storm moved into the midwest it sucked in warm air which fueld the high winds which would also fuel storms and tornados for some.  Adding insult to injury, the storm was moving very quickly at around 50 to 60mph which caused the winds to blow harder than usual.  It was estimated on Tuesday that 145,000 or more people were without power not only in Wisconsin but also in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and the St. Louis region of Missouri which is an accoutn to how large the storm actually was.  There were 500 + flights cancelled at O'Hare airport and the Sears Tower  sky deck had to be closed because of the high winds.  Eau Claire had its fair share of wind as well with rain and cold tempertures effecting the surrounding areas as well. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101026/ap_on_re_us/us_midwest_storms