Global disaster watch update

http://home.att.net/~thehessians/disasterwatch.html

For more go to the link . this is their latest compilation ..

Monday, April 7, 2008 -

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -
What we call the freedom of the individual is not just the luxury
of one intellectual to write what he likes to write,
but his being a voice which can speak for those who are silent.
Stephen Spender

QUAKES -
World map of the quakes in the past 7 days.
Quake list.

Largest quakes yesterday -
4/6/08 -
5.3 VANUATU
5.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.0 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

TROPICAL STORMS -
Map.
Projected storm paths .
No current tropical cyclones.

FIJI - More tropical cyclones are expected to form in the region before the end of the cyclone season and the Nadi Weather office has called on people to be on standby. The cyclones are expected to indirectly affect Fiji until the cyclone season ends later this month. There have been seven cyclones reported in the region since the start of the cyclone season in November.

OMAN - Widespread rumours of a storm like last year's Cyclone Gonu about to hit Oman have been dismissed as baseless by the authorities. The Directorate-General of Meteorology and Civil Aviation said authentic information about the weather should only be obtained from the official source � the Civil Aviation Affairs Department, which publishes its reports through radio, TV and the print media. Civil Aviation Affairs Department offices work 24 hours a day to follow up weather conditions in the Sultanate. Any weather situation that may affect the country would be officially announced.

HEAVY RAINS / FLOODING / LANDSLIDES / UNUSUAL & OUT-OF-SEASON WEATHER -
INDIA - FREAK hailstorm hits harvesting - The UNUSUAL weather has not only impeded harvesting that was expected to pick up momentum this week, but has also damaged crops. It is a bad beginning of the harvesting season for rabi crops, especially wheat � the most vital crop vis-a-vis the food security of the country. Raging winds, accompanied by moderate-to-heavy rain in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan have played havoc on crops. Reports from the countryside say Saturday�s hailstorm hit different parts of Moga and Muktsar, causing considerable damage to crops. It is not clear yet how widespread the hailstorm was.

U.S. - Flood Season begins UNUSUALLY early across heartland - The flood season in the nation's midsection started early this year, and there's no letup in sight, spurring federal, state and local officials to brace for what looks likely to be an unusually watery spring. At least 16 deaths were linked to heavy flooding across Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and other states in March; another was tied to flooding Friday in Kentucky. Last week, snow that could set off more flooding blanketed parts of the Midwest. And Kentucky and parts of Arkansas and Missouri that are struggling to recover from previous deluges remained vulnerable to the threat of weekend rain. State and local agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been ramping up their readiness efforts: stocking up sandbags and other emergency supplies; inspecting levees for groundhog holes and errant trees that can take root and weaken them; and holding regular multi-agency meetings. This year's first flood in Missouri came a month earlier than usual. In the Midwest, flood season started before winter's end as heavy snow alternated with warm weather. "If rain falls on top of snow, the risk of flooding is much greater than any other time of year."

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
PAKISTAN - Six students were killed and four sustained severe injuries when they buried alive in an avalanche while going to Kala Dhaka from Dilbhori. The 10 students of Madrassa Darul Uloom, Islamia Dilbhori were going to their village and were buried at the place of Ghul. Six students were died on the spot while 4 injured students were taken out by the local people. The injured were not shifted to the hospital as roads were closed due to landsliding.

BRITAIN - April snow showers fell across much of the UK yesterday, blanketing parts of the country in unseasonal white and causing chaos on the roads. Much of England gripped by unseasonally cold spring temperatures and heavy snowfalls. There were reports of falls of up to 8cm in large parts of southern England and temperature as low as -2C. The heart of London was also coated in snow, a scene locals described as "BIZARRE" for this time of year. "Normally it only snows in London once every three years or so, and that's in winter. For such snow to fall in London in April it is bizarre."

CANADA - A combination of unpredictable weather and heavy snowfall this past winter is causing monumental headaches for maple syrup producers. Producers in areas around Quebec City and eastern Ontario are digging out pipes buried beneath two metres of snow. Freezing temperatures mean the sap is rock-solid in some places. Quebec accounts for nearly 80 per cent of maple syrup production in the world. But low production in that province combined with growing exports have burned through massive syrup stockpiles amassed during years of bumper yields. The cupboards are now bare. 2007 production was among the worst in 40 years. Producers say they are weeks behind on the 2008 harvest. Ontario producers are similarly snowed under. 90% of production is collected in the last week of March and the first three weeks of April. "What we need is freezing at night and temperatures above zero during the day." The ideal climatic situation is about -5 C at night and about +5 C during the day. "But if there's a big warm-up, it could also mean problems for the producers," as a quick melt darkens syrup and diminishes quality.

EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE-

AUSTRALIA - There has been a jump in the area of New South Wales affected by drought. Latest figures show almost 43% of the state is now in drought, up 3% since February. Farmers are anxiously awaiting decent rain so they can plant winter crops.

ISRAEL - The lack of water, which has hit agriculture in the south of the country particularly hard, is stinging farmers' profits and is liable to force up prices of fresh produce. By next month, what is currently termed 'low rainfall' could turn into a drought year. The lack of rain means a 70-percent decline in wheat yields this year. Wheat is not usually irrigated artificially and depends on rain alone. Nearly 100 million cubic meters have been cut from the allocations of fresh water for agriculture - from 550 million cubic meters to 454 million. Ministry officials cannot predict exactly how the cuts will affect crop yields. "We used about 15 percent of our total allocation in the past several months that we hadn't planned for. In the end we'll have to reduce plantings." Deciding which crops not to plant is no easy matter. One option is to put in crops that require less water, but they are less profitable. Hothouse growing is another option, but while it uses less water it is not suitable for every crop. "Reducing water allocations dramatically in the future, if it comes to that, will change the face of Israeli agriculture." Some propose a reduction in field crops for a period of three or four years. "It could change the color of the land, with large areas that are no longer green."

TURKEY - last year's drought caused YTL 5 billion in agricultural production losses. The drought affected grain production the most and wheat production in Turkey declined by 14 percent and barley production decreased by 23.5 percent. Other agricultural produce did not experience dramatic drops.

SPAIN - After months of low rainfall, parched Catalonia has had to appeal to Madrid for help - and now ecologists fear the costs of a long-term solution. The country is struggling to deal with the worst drought since the Forties: reservoirs stand at 46% of capacity and rainfall over the past 18 months has been 40% below average. Catalonia, in the parched north east, has been worst affected, with reservoirs standing at just a fifth of capacity. The president of the Catalan regional government had hoped that water would be transferred to Catalonia from the river Segre in neighbouring Aragon. But Spanish Prime Minister Jos� Luis Rodr�guez Zapatero refused. So in an emergency measure, the Catalan regional government is planning to ship in water from one of Spain's driest regions, Almer�a in the south east, and from Marseille in France. It may bring in more water by train. Spain already has 950 desalination plants which produce 2 million cubic metres of water a day, enough to supply 10 million people. Another is due to open near Barcelona next year. The Socialists claim that the plants will end Spain's almost yearly scramble to stop its reserves drying up. But the Spanish Association for the Technological Treatment of Water says that each desalination plant indirectly produces one million tonnes of CO2 a year and contributes to climate change.

Global warming is making many people anxious. Constant reports about the dangers of climate change add to the burdens already felt by many people and distress farmers. "While it is clear that the wellbeing of many farming communities will be directly affected by more frequent droughts, the mental health impacts of climate change will not be restricted to rural areas. People with depression and anxiety have a low threshold to taking on the negative information about climate change . . . which feeds into a hopelessness about the future." Healthcare professionals need to brace for a wave of climate change mental illness.

HEALTH THREATS -
Latest bird flu news from the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy.
Global Bird Flu Breaking News - updated every 10 minutes.

Monsanto already dominates America�s food chain with its genetically modified seeds. Now it has targeted milk production. For centuries � millennia � farmers have saved seeds from season to season: they planted in the spring, harvested in the fall, then reclaimed and cleaned the seeds over the winter for re-planting the next spring. Monsanto has turned this ancient practice on its head. Monsanto developed G.M. seeds that would resist its own herbicide, Roundup, offering farmers a convenient way to spray fields with weed killer without affecting crops. Monsanto then patented the seeds. For nearly all of its history the United States Patent and Trademark Office had refused to grant patents on seeds, viewing them as life-forms with too many variables to be patented. But in 1980 the U.S. Supreme Court turned seeds into widgets, laying the groundwork for a handful of corporations to begin taking control of the world�s food supply. Just as frightening as the corporation�s tactics � ruthless legal battles against small farmers � is its decades-long history of toxic contamination. For most of its history Monsanto was a chemical giant, producing some of the most toxic substances ever created, residues from which have left us with some of the most polluted sites on earth. The company now profoundly influences � and one day may virtually control � what we put on our tables. So far, the company has produced G.M. seeds for soybeans, corn, canola, and cotton. Many more products have been developed or are in the pipeline, including seeds for sugar beets and alfalfa. The company is also seeking to extend its reach into milk production by marketing an artificial growth hormone for cows that increases their output, and it is taking aggressive steps to put those who don�t want to use growth hormone at a commercial disadvantage. Even as the company is pushing its G.M. agenda, Monsanto is buying up conventional-seed companies.

Rice prices rose more than 10 per cent on Friday to a fresh all-time high as African countries joined south-east Asian importers in the race to head off social unrest by securing supplies from the handful of exporters still selling the grain in the international market. The rise in prices � 50% in two weeks � threatens upheaval and has resulted in riots and soldiers overseeing supplies in some emerging countries, where the grain is a staple food for about 3 billion people.

EGYPTIANS angry with the government about high prices set fire to shops and two schools in a Nile Delta textile town after police thwarted plans for a general strike and countrywide protests. Egypt's urban consumer inflation jumped to an 11-month high of 12.1% in the year to February. Higher prices for food have hit the poorest Egyptians hardest. Police fought battles through the streets of Mahalla el-Kubra with the protesters, led by textile workers who tried to go on strike for more pay to compensate for inflation. The demonstrators set ablaze a primary school, a preparatory school and a travel agency, among other shops in the working-class town, and stopped an incoming train by putting blazing tyres on the railway tracks. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the protests. About 40 people were injured and hundreds of others had breathing problems from gas inhalation. Protesters threw stones at police, attacked police vehicles and tore down the posters of the ruling party's candidates in Tuesday's local elections.

India has not yet experienced riots over rising food prices that have hit other countries like Zimbabwe or Argentina. But what is worrying everybody is that the current rise in inflation is driven by high food prices. In the capital, Delhi, milk costs 11% more than last year. Edible oil prices have climbed by a whopping 40% over the same period. More crucially, rice prices have risen by 20% and prices of certain lentils by 18%. Rice and lentils comprise the staple diet for many Indians. Roughly one out of four Indians lives on less than $1 a day and three out of four earn $2 or less. All of which is bad news for ruling politicians because the poor in India vote in much larger numbers than the affluent. Per capita output of cereals (wheat and rice) at present is more or less at the level that prevailed in the 1970s. The problem acquires a serious dimension since farming provides livelihood to around 60% of India's 1.1 billion people. The crisis in farms is exemplified by the state of the country's cereal stocks. Six years ago, the stocks were at record levels. Stocks have come down over the past three years because of low production and exports. The problem has been compounded by the fact that whenever India has imported wheat in recent months, world prices of wheat have shot up. Indian farmers are particularly vulnerable since 60% per cent of the country's total cropped area is not irrigated. They are also dependent on the four-month-long monsoon during which period 80% of the year's total rainfall takes place. The crisis in agriculture has been manifest in the growing incidence of farmers taking their own lives. There has never been an acute shortage of food in India, not even during the infamous famine in Bengal in 1943 in which more than 1.5 million people are estimated to have died of starvation. The problem then - and now - is access to food at affordable prices.