Megastorm Sandy has impact on Eastern Wisconsin Communities

Evacuation was urged along the shoreline in Kenosha County because of a threat of strong waves on lake Michigan from Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast of the US. The image above shows the pier and lighthouse in Port Washington, WI in Ozaukee County. The pier usually sits 10 to 15 feet above the water level, but in this image it is hard to make out where the wall is. Sandy is so powerful that communities 800 miles west are feeling its impacts. The National Weather Service predicted winds of 45 to 60 miles per hour on Lake Michigan. The areas west of the metra rail and lower than an elevation near or below 595 feet are urged to evacuation as waves as high as 18 feet were expected to hit the shore.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/east-coast-storms-could-lead-to-33foot-waves-on-lake-michigan-6h7csjs-176231341.html

Megastorm Sandy's cost upwards of $50 Billion and Counting

Streets are flooded, electricity is out, and some neighborhoods are completely washed away as the Megastorm called Sandy led a destructive path into the New Jersey shore on the East Coast of the US. The recent economic costs of this storm is estimated to be $50 billion and counting. The unique nature of the storm and the combination of a strong storm surge has made way for huge amounts of damage in many areas along the East Coast. Two factors for such a cost: loss of economic business activity (stocks were also shut down) and damages to uninsured property losses. Meteorologists report most of the damage was done because of the powerful storm surge. The storm, combined with a full moon brought huge storm surges to the coastlines even though Sandy was a category 2 hurricane when it hit. Damages are high even for a developed country like the US, however they are already calling this close or equivalent to the perfect storm that hit Massachussetts decades ago. Sandy had all the right ingredients to have an impact that it did. The recovery will be a long process and not everything will be rebuilt. If New Jersey were to rebuild its coastline with better storm surge protection, it would mitigate the impact of another storm of similar magnitude. Also important is the high population area that was in the path of Sandy. It affected people as far inland as the west Lake Michigan shoreline in Wisconsin.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/49622885

Strong Earthquake strikes Costa Rica

Wednesday October 24, 2012

A powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica yesterday close the Pacific coast. People are still shaken up as this natural hazard always comes unexpected. Costa Rican and US seismologists are calling this quake an aftershock of the more powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the same coast last month. This most recent quake, however was also followed by a smaller after immediately after with a magnitude of 4.5. There has not been a lot of damage reported by authorities, but residents of the region should be cautious about being inside unstable or weak structures as there is still a chance of more aftershocks to follow.

http://www.weather.com/news/costa-rica-earthquake-20121024

Scientists guilty for Manslaughter after 2009 Italian Earthquake

Seven scientists who are part of the National Great Risks Commission were convicted of manslaughter on Monday October 22nd for failure to sufficiently warn residents before an earthquake struck in Italy in 2009 killing more than 300 lives. The scientists defended in the case that there is no reliable way to predict earthquakes and warn people. Seismologists in the US are in disbelief at the convictions stating that it is a sad day for science. These Italian experts who were convicted of this crime are some of the most internationally respected seismologists and well-known throughout the world. A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the historic town of L'aquila in 2009 and killed 308 people. They were accused of giving incomplete, inexact, and contradictory information for explaining the tremors that occurred months before the quake had hit. Prosecutors in Italy are comparing this disaster to the magnitude that Hurricane Katrina had on the US in 2005 even though that was a different disaster in itself. One American geologist Brooks Hanson of the American Association for the Advancement of Science states that "with earthquakes we just don't know how a swarm will proceed." It is a well-known fact that this natural disaster is hard to detect and warn residents before striking. It is a shame that people who are passionate about this science have to pay for not being able to warn residents in time of the disaster and shows how different the reaction of this disaster has on another country. Some areas of Italy are prone to earthquakes and have historic buildings that are in bad shape to withstand them.
http://www.weather.com/news/italy-earthquake-trial-20121021

Typhoon Prapiroon causes problems for Japan's southern Islands

Typhoon Prapiroon made landfall on Japan's southern islands this morning on October 18th 2012 including Okinawa. This is one of the many typhoons or hurricanes that have hit the area this season. Thankfully this typhoon is not as strong as the previous ones such as Jelawat and Bolaven, which were considered to be "super" storms that caused a lot of damage to Japan earlier this year. The island of Amami Oshima was hit yesterday by the storm and reports 1,200 without power. Air travel has also been affected as flights were cancelled for the day leaving people stranded for the time being until the storm passes. Even though it is not as powerful as the previous storm that have hit the area, residents should still take precaution when going outside and are advised to stay out of flooded roadways and downed power lines. This region is accustomed to hurricanes and therefore the magnitude is not as great as it could be worse for an area that seldom sees these natural hazards.
http://japandailypress.com/typhoon-prapiroon-wreaks-havoc-causes-blackouts-in-japans-southern-islands-1816552

Flooding bring Crocodiles and Hippos into Nigerian Homes

 

 In the span of a few months between July and October 2012, the swollen rivers (Niger and Benue) in Nigeria began to flow through the streets of several communities. These floodwaters brought along a few a dangerous animals including crocodiles, hippos, and snakes into the homes of residents. There are hundreds of thousands that have been displaced from this flood, which is the worst the country has seen in many decades. The flood has also claimed hundreds of lives in the worse hit communities. One resident describes coming back to her home in waist high water and found a hippo inside. Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency is urging people not to return to their homes because of these dangerous animals that are everywhere. For now people need to remain on dry land until the ok is given and the waters have receded. Nigeria is a third world country located in a warm climate where animals such as these exist and create more problems during floods. If this happened in one of the MDCs, the effects would not be as great and there would be less fatalities. Flooding is a major natural disaster for many third world (LDC) countries and can affect this area for years after the event.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19818180

The Supreme Court Rejects Chevron's $19 billion appeal

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2010/2010-05-26-092.html
In what is not a traditional natural hazard caused by nature but rather by humans creating a hazard against nature, Chevron's appeal was denied on October 9th, 2012 by the US supreme court for inheriting the damages done to Lago Agrio in Ecuador. The oil company bought Texaco in 2001, which is blamed for causing major damage to the environment in this area between 1964 and 1992 totaling up to $19 billion dollars owed by the company. Although the court did not explain the exact reason for making the decision, Chevron still expects to fight the fradulent Ecuadorean judgment. The amount was originally supposed to be $8.6 billion in damages to the environment, but because the company at the time (Texaco) did not apologize to the public, that total more than doubled. Residents of the area are still dealing with the environmental impacts of this disaster, which greatly affects their drinking water and the marine life they depend on for a food source.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19892561

West African Sandstorm spreads over the Atlantic

A huge dust formation blew off the western coast of Africa near the Cape Verde islands in the Atlantic on October 8th, 2012. NASA's aqua satellite captured this image during the second consecutive day of the dust storm. There are large amounts of sand seas spreading across many West African countries such as Mauritania, Western Sahara, and others that neighbor them. This Saharan air layer commonly forms over the region between late spring and early fall bringing the dust westward across the Atlantic Ocean. One major problem with dust storms moving across the Atlantic to the Carribean is that they are linked with coral declines. However, the Amazon and Carribean islands benefit from these regular dustings as it provides soils to the ground. For people in southern Florida, the dust can cause problems for some people with breathing. It is advised that people with respiratory problems should take precautions before going outside. There is not a method to prevent this natural hazard from occurring, but warn people about the health problems associated with it.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=79358

October snowstorm in the Upper Midwest

An early snowstorm hits parts of the upper Midwest today and is expected to drop 6-12 includes in some places of North Dakota and Minnesota. The first snowfall of the season is usually the hardest for drivers as they have not experienced slippery road conditions in 8 months. Wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour are also expected to make it blizzard conditions, which drivers should take caution before leaving the house. Excel has also reported power outages to as many as 6,500 people in the Fargo region for 6 hours. This early October snowstorm is uncharacteristic of the unusually warm winter experienced last year. Nevertheless, people should be smart and safe when there is a winter storm warning in effect.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2012/10/04/early-snowstorm-hits-plains/1613225/

Typhoon Jelawat flips cars in Okinawa

Super Typhoon Jelawat slammed the island of Okinawa in the East Pacific on Saturday with sustained winds of 87 miles per hour and gusts up to 137mph, capable of flipping large vehicles over. Over half of the population was without power when the storm hit and it claimed one life and injured 50. Jelawat also hit mainland Japan on Sunday causing more power outages and injuring 145 residents. This was the third typhoon to hit Okinawa in a month and many are already calling it the worst out of the three. People needed to take cover from the strong winds as they were dangerous enough to move vehicles as big as semis around.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/typhoon-jelawat-slams-okinawa-and-mainland-japan-video/2012/10/01/e04c1e6a-0bec-11e2-bd1a-b868e65d57eb_blog.html