Large Landslide in Colombia

A landslide in Bogota, located in the southwestern mountainous area of Colombia killed 1 person and 15 people are still reported missing according to Colombian officials. The landslide occurred sometime around sunset on Monday, December 12th. Colombian officials have stated that the landslide buried three homes and the only body recovered was of a deceased 8 year old child. Blame for the landslide has been placed upon the heavy rains that have been pouring down on Colombia since September. Monday's landslide brings Colombia's rainy season death toll up to 145, which has greatly surpassed last years rainy season (September-December) death toll which reached 80 causalities.  

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45658613/ns/world_news-americas/

Fire Tornado Rages Above a Plastic Processing Plant

In Budapest, Hungary, a manufacturing plant for processing and developing plastics caught on fire. The cause of the fire is still unknown, however, no causalities were reported. Strong winds and intense heat lead to the creation of a fire tornado above the burning building. Thick black clouds of smoke filled the sky as the building and plastics within burned. The burning plastics and materials filled the air with harmful carcinogens and dangerous toxic gases. This toxic smoke and gas can be very harmful for people and wildlife living near the plant.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/110304-fire-tornado-picture-firenado-science-whirl-devil-budapest-hungary/

2011- The Most Expensive Natural Disaster Year

The year, 2011, has broken a record for the most expensive year due to natural disasters. The cost associated with natural disasters this year, has reached $52 billion in the United States alone. This is due in large part to 12 large scale disaster events that were each over $1 billion in damage. This broke the previous record, set in 2008, when there was 9 large scale disaster events that had over $1 billion in damage per event. The natural disasters that led to this 52 billion dollars of damage include 81 large tornadoes that struck the midwest and southeastern United States, a horrible drought that crippled the south and led to expensive wildfires. Some other events include the large snowstorms in the northeastern U.S. and the Tropical Storm Lee that ravaged the eastern coast. Flooding across several parts of the nation also added to the $52 billion in damage. Although some people like to blame these weather events on global warming, it is important to point out that as the population rises and new buildings are built, this leads to a "larger base" for natural disasters to strike in highly populated/developed areas of the nation which in turn leads to more expensive disasters.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/07/9279468-us-adds-more-billion-dollar-disasters-to-2011-list

Extreme Drought could lead to Flooding in Texas

A large rain system moving through the central United States could lead to large scale flooding in Texas, the weather channel warns. Heavy rain in the central states that already have saturated soil (Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky) could lead to flooding in the drought stricken state of Texas. These states are expected to receive 6 or more inches of rainfall that could directly affect their southern neighbor Texas. Although this rain will be good for Texas, where currently 83% of the state is being affected by an extreme drought, the heavy amounts of rain could have some negative effects. Chris Dolce, a meteorologist for the Weather Channel, stated that too much rain, too quickly, has the potential to cause heavy flooding in the drought stricken state of Texas.


http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/04/9201608-flood-threat-for-ark-tenn-ky-ohio-even-texas

Los Angeles being Hit by Hurricane Force Winds

The city of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas are being struck by strong Santa Ana winds that are moving with hurricane force speed. The Santa Ana winds develop during cooler months when westward flowing wind currents reach intense speeds as they squeeze through the mountain ranges in southern California. These strong winds lower the humidity of the area and can cause wildfires as a result. In Los Angeles, on Wednesday night, (11-30-11) a wind gust of 97 miles per hour was recorded. Several other areas around the region reported wind gusts of 85mph. These high wind speeds knocked down trees, which lead to power outages in some areas of L.A. The Los Angeles airport had to delay and cancel some flights due to the fierce wind gusts and debris flying across the runways. The National Weather Service has warned citizens living in and around L.A. to close their windows and secure all outdoor objects such as law furniture. These strongs winds are expected to stay for a few days untill this weather system moves through. 

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/30/9122369-97-mph-santa-ana-winds-knock-out-power-down-trees-in-la

U.N. says Climate Change is Causing more Weather Disasters

According to a report released by the U.N. natural weather disasters are on a rise due to climate change. They state that this climate change will lead to more extreme weather events such as large hurricanes and severe droughts. They believe that climate change is causing the long heat-waves and torrential rainfalls being experienced around the planet. The U.N. believes many low-lying states and countries are in danger of losing land as a result of rising sea levels brought on by climate change. This will lead to an increase in damage costs and potential deaths brought on by extreme storms or unusual weather patterns. The National Climate Data Center released a report that stated in the U.S, the cost of weather disasters has reached 50 billion dollars in 2011 alone. The U.N. states a major cause of the climate change is the large amounts of green house gases and air warming aerosols being used around the world.   

http://www.enn.com/press_releases/3884

Concerns over Japanese exports

New research reported in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal has found extremely high levels of radioactive material in north-eastern Japan, especially in areas near the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The Fukushima nuclear power plant was damaged after a large earthquake and tsunami struck Japan earlier in 2011. The high levels of radioactive material exceed the levels considered safe for farming and food consumption. An earlier study, conducted by Japan, suggested that the levels of radiation were under the safety limit and therefore safe for consumption. However, as new research shows, areas around the Fukushima power plant were eight times the safety limit and neighboring regions were either at the safety limit or just slightly under it. Areas of western Japan are below the safety limit and scientists credit these low radioactive levels to the large mountain range that splits down the center of Japan, which helps to shelter western Japan from the dispersal of airborne radioactive material. Scientists are concerned most over the radioactive element, Caesium-137, because it has been known to linger in an environment for decades. Caesium-137 is the same radioactive element that was released during the Chernobyl disaster. This is a large concern for Japanese food exports because the north-eastern part of Japan, near the Fukushima plant, is one of Japan's main agricultural areas.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15691571

Huge Blizzard Hits Alaska's Western Coast

A large blizzard moving through the Bering Sea has struck Alaska's western coast causing damage and flooding. This is the largest storm to strike Alaska since 1974. The blizzard has brought along hurricane force winds, heavy snows, and lots of flooding along coastal cities. The flooding is a result of the large storm surge, in some areas the flooding has reached 10ft of water. The strong hurricane force winds have knocked out power in many communities and has even torn the roofs off of houses and buildings. Residents in the coastal communities have been advised to seek higher ground. As of now, Novemeber 10th, there has been no reported deaths due to the blizzard.

Coal Ash Landslide into Lake Michigan

On Monday, October 31st, a large coal ash pile slid into Lake Michigan as the result of a bluff failure. The disaster occurred at WE Energies (Wisconsin Energies) plant in Oak Creek, Wisconsin near Milwaukee. Doug Cherkauer, a geo-sciences professor at UW-Milwaukee, stated that water was a main factor in the bluff failure because coal ash is less compact and less stable than the natural clay rich soils found in the area. Water caused an area between the coal ash pile and the clay rich soil to become very lubricated which lead to a bluff failure that sent tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan. Drinking water from Lake Michigan is used by 10 million residents who live along the lake's borders. A spokesman for WE Energies said there is no need to worry because coal ash is a non-hazardous material. However, according to the Natural Resource Council and the EPA, coal ash contains 24 known pollutants. These pollutants include arsenic, boron, cadmium, lead and mercury just to name a few. A study conducted by the EPA on residents living near unlined ash ponds showed that these residents have a high risk of getting cancer due to aresenic contamination. Taking an engineering paradigm approach towards this issue I would say that coal mines should have more restrictions placed on them regarding their ash piles and structures should be built that can properly house coal ash to reduce the risk of contaminated drinking water.
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/
http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2011/11/clean-wisconsin-disputes-we-energy-on.html

Huge Snowstorm Strikes the NorthEastern United States

Over the weekend a unusually large snowstorm for this time of year affected over 60 million people in the north east. Around 2.3 million people were left without power as a result of the snowstorm, this is about the same amount of people who had no power after Hurricane Katrina. This large snowstorm resulted in Halloween being canceled in many cities and 11 people lost their lives from the storm. 20-30 inches of snow fell in areas across the north east resulting in people being stranded without food or gasoline. In New York City's Central Park, over 1000 trees collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45110762#45110762

Human activity causes Thailand flooding disaster

Thailand is experiencing the worst flooding it’s had in over half a century and humans are largely to blame. Smith Dharmasaroja, the former director general of the Thai Meteorological Department, states that the main factors behind Thailand’s horrible flooding is deforestation, overbuilding in water catchment areas, the damming and diversion of natural waterways, urban sprawl in swamp areas, filling in of canals and overall bad planning by government officials. Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, is on track to be hit hard by the flooding in coming days. Around 45 miles of sandbags have been deployed along the Chao Phraya River, which runs through the middle of Bangkok. Levees and drainage canals are being built all around the city but some have caused fighting between civilians. Two villagers got into a gunfight over a dike that would protect one side of a street but would destroy the other once the floods arrived. Bangkok is in grave danger due to the fact that much of it is built in low-lying areas, the city is completely overcrowded and many of the canals meant to remove water from the city are clogged up with garbage.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44900674/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/

Chemical plant explodes in Waxahachie, Texas

The Magnablend Inc. facility in Waxahachie, Texas caught fire on Monday, October 3rd. The city is located 30 miles south of Dallas and around 1,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes due to the raging fire. Officials say they believe the fire was started when some chemicals at the plant were mixed incorrectly resulting in a spark that started the massive fire. Donald Golden, the Magnablend spokesman stated that all employees who were working at the facility during the fire safety evacuated the building but he was not able to confirm what chemicals originally sparked the fire. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been consistently monitoring the air quality around Waxahachie in order to make sure the hazardous materials do not spread. For the engineering hazard paradigm, the Magnablend Inc. building should have been built to be more fire resistant and better sprinkler systems to deal with a fire once it starts. The behavioral paradigm involves not building a chemical plant next to residential areas that could be potentially harmed due to air quality or spreading flames. The development approach to this situation would be re-building a more fire resistant facility located further away from residential areas in order to minimize the chance of this hazard occurring again. For the complexity approach, a chemical lab built with bad fire resistant materials started on fire near a residential community. In order to minimize the chance of this occurring in the future, a more fire resistant building should be built far away from residential communities and regulations should be put in place in order to ensure chemicals are mixed safely.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/10/fire-rages-at-texas-chemical-plant/

Ancient city becomes victim to flooding in Thailand

The province of Ayutthaya in Thailand has been hit hard by floods in the past month. The floods occurred due to a large tropical storm that was followed by seasonal monsoon rains. 200 of the 500 ancient temples have been affected by the flooding, including a 400 year old temple known as the Chai Wattanaram Temple. These temples belong to a World Heritage Site and are a main attraction for tourists visiting Thailand. Although many people would say these temples are an intangible cost, Thailand’s Culture Minister estimates the damage costs at 3.2 million. The flooding has also displaced more than 215,000 families and flooded over 3 million acres of farmland.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44772469/ns/weather/

Monsoon rain causes flooding in Inida

Heavy monsoon rain has caused widespread flooding throughout India, especially in the regions of Orissa, Uttar, Pradesh and Bihar. More than 2 million people have been affected by the flooding; most of the people affected already lived in poverty conditions prior to the flooding. Around 80 people have already perished due to the torrential flooding. The government is using hundreds of boats to rescue the stranded survivors that have been cut off due to the high flooding waters.

Bears hungry due to drought

The drought hitting the southwestern United States has had not only an effect on people living in the states but also on the wildlife that call the area home. In Crestone Colorado, bears have started to come out of the woods in search of food because resources have dried up due to the drought. The bears are seeking dumpsters to find their nutrition. A bear spends around 20 hours each day searching for food and on average a bear will consume 20,000 calories per day. Anchorman- "Bears can smell the menstruation, now you've put the whole station in jeopardy!"

http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/news-41/top-stories-169/drought-brings-the-bears-to-town-21969#loc=41/169/21968

Typhoon Roke on track to hit Japan

Typhoon roke is expected to hit Japan Tuesday night, September 20th, and has already caused Japanese officials to tell 1.3 million people to evacuate central Japan. The city of Kyoto in central Japan is expected to be hit by the Typhoon. Heavy rains from the approaching typhoon have already caused flooding and damage to roads and bridges. Rescue workers in boats are helping stranded citizens that can't evacuate due to the overflowing rivers. Two people have already been reported missing, a nine year old boy and 84 year old woman.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44594003/ns/weather/

Drought continues to devastate Texas and the southern United States

There is no end in sight for the horrible drought that has caused many wildfires across Texas and the southern United States. The drought is expected to get worse as a La Nina weather system is supposed to hit the southern United States. A La Nina weather system tends to bring warmer weather for the southern states. As of now 97% of Texas is classified as being under a exceptional or extreme drought conditions. The past 12 months, ending August 31st, were the 12 driest months in Texas history. However Texas is not the only state facing these horrible conditions. The entire state of Oklahoma is under some type of drought conditions, whether it be extreme, severe, or exceptional drought. Other states hit by drought include Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44534812/ns/weather/

Monsoon rain flooding Pakistan

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44501924/ns/weather/

Monsoon rain has hit Karachi, Pakistan's largest city. The flooding has left 300,000 people homeless and without shelter or food. This has only set Pakistan back further because Pakistan has still not fully recovered from the 2010 flooding that left 11 million people homeless and killed around 2,000 people. The 2010 flooding left 1/5 of Pakistan submerged under water. Since August of 2011, this year's floods have destroyed 1.2 million houses and left 4.5 million acres of land flooded. The death count from the 2011 floods has risen to 226 people. These floods have greatly affected the people living in Pakistan and many of Pakistans citizens blame the government for not providing good relief efforts or trying to control and prevent the flooding. These floods may have been prevented through better land conservation and the creation of levies. The government should also take better steps of warning citizens who are in danger of the floods.

Hurricane Irene viewed from space

HEY THERE HEY!

First post just making sure everything is working right!