Storm Season Causing Hunger in Haiti

Port au-Prince Haiti
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/07/study-underscores-hunger-problems-facing-storm-torn-haiti/

Haiti has had a very active storm season this year which has caused widespread food shortages. Hurricane Sandy and other storms that have come through Haiti have destroyed up to 90% of Haiti's harvest. 70% of households say that they are experiencing moderate to severe hunger.  
The food shortages in Haiti are a indirect result of the storms that went through the country. The food shortages that will affect the country will probably have more of an impact on them than the initial damage of the storm. 
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/07/study-underscores-hunger-problems-facing-storm-torn-haiti/

Tornado In New Zealand 

Photo of damage in New Zealand.
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/05/15708742-tornado-kills-3-in-new-zealand-tears-through-150-homes?lite

A tornado went through New Zealand on Thursday killing 3 people and destroying 150 homes. Two of the people died when a concrete slab from a house fell on the truck they were in. The other person died by having a tree fall on them.

There really isn't much to this post but I thought it was fitting since we just talked about tornadoes in class.

  http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/05/15708742-tornado-kills-3-in-new-zealand-tears-through-150-homes?lite

Philippines Typhoon 

Tagum City in the Southern Philippines
http://www.cafod.org.uk/News/Emergencies-news/Typhoon-Bopha-Philippines

Typhoon Bopha killed 484 people on Tuesday and 383 people are still missing. 306,000 people are now homeless and thousands of people are living together in public buildings. The government says it might take months before they will be able to find new homes. The area that was the most affected is prone to landslides and had been declared unsafe to build on. 

This natural hazard became a disaster pretty quickly because of people building in an unsafe area.The people living in these unsafe areas were all poor which shows the difference in how people with different economic statuses are affected by natural hazards. The lack of aid for the people who lost there homes is making a bad situation worse. Typhoon Bopha is a good example of the difference in MDC's and LDC'S. If this was an MDC the death toll would probably be much lower and it would have a more monetary affect on the country. A MDC would also be able to provide more government aid and the results would be less severe.  

http://www.weather.com/news/typhoon-bopha-20121203

Polar Ice Melting 

Ice burg in Greenland
 http://www.weather.com/news/ice-melting-rapidly-20121130

Scientist have found that the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica have been melting 3 times as fast as they were in 1990. They believe that this increase is caused by the additional carbon emissions in the atmosphere. The sea levels have increased slightly from the ice melting and may have contributed to super storm Sandy and may cause more extreme weather. Greenland is the biggest concern and is melting at a very fast rate. 

This is another article about global warming and is another example of why the Climate Talks are important. Hopefully they will be able to make a plan for dealing with these issues and preparing for the changes that will come from them. 

http://www.weather.com/news/ice-melting-rapidly-20121130

Storms Hitting the West Coast

Another storm is going to hit the west coast this weekend. The last series of storms that went though this week caused thousands of people to go without power and caused delays in transportation. The storms have  caused flash flooding and mudslides and they are afraid this next storm will make things worse. Mudslides are a major concern in areas that were affected by wildfires this summer. 

I thought this would be a good article to post because they talk a little bit about mudslides. The areas that were affected by fires this summer would be at a bigger risk for mudslides because they lost a large amount of vegetation causing the hills to lose some of there strength from the roots and the rain to hit the soil at a faster velocity. 

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/01/15597789-san-francisco-area-gets-set-for-third-storm-system-and-flight-delays-traffic-mess?lite

 

Permafrost and Climate Talks

Permafrost diagram
http://www.wunderground.com/climate/permafrost.asp

Scientists want countries to consider the impact that permafrost will have on our atmosphere at the climate talks. As the temperature of the globe increases, the permafrost has begun to melt. The permafrost contains lots of decaying organic matter and as the permafrost melts this matter is released in the form of carbon dioxide or methane. The earths permafrost contains twice as much carbon dioxide than the earths atmosphere. The permafrost melting is also an issue because it will make the ground in these areas unstable and cities built in these areas may have issues with buildings and other structures collapsing. 

Looking at the effects that permafrost melting will have on the planet and preparing for the hazard is a good mitigation tactic and should be considered when looking at global warming. 

http://www.weather.com/news/climate-change-melting-permafrost-20121128

Climate Talks

The UN has formed a meeting to discuss the climate and global warming. The main goals of these talks is to find ways to reduce greenhouse gases and finding ways for developing countries to adjust to it. The climate talks in the past have not resolved the issues that are occuring and the temperature of the globe is still increasing at a higher than normal rate. The climate change is believed to increase flooding in coastal areas and cause problems with agriculture. The Kyoto Protocol which was a major climate agreement that was signed in 1997 expires this year and very few countries are willing to sign it again. The US does not agree with it because it does not give any restrictions to developing countries like China which is the largest carbon emitting country. China argues that they should not have any restrictions on carbon emissions because it would cause major problems with there economy and countries growth. 

I think global warming is a serious issue and I hope that these talks will help them reach some sort of agreement. I think developing countries need to take some responsibility for there carbon emissions and make an effort to reduce them.

 

http://www.weather.com/news/climate/climate-talks-open-20121126

Flooding in the UK

The River Exe flooded
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20488645

Storms causing heavy rainfall in England and Wales. Over 800 homes have flood damage and more flooding is expected. 260 flood warnings have been issued in England.  One women was killed when a tree fell on her. The government has made a lot of changes to there flood warning system and preparation for floods since the massive floods they had in 2007 and it's predicted that 20,000 houses were saved because of this. Some people think that the government still needs to do more and that the climate changes will increase the amount of flooding in the upcoming years. 

The warning systems and defenses that the government has put up is an example of mitigation and it has made a difference with the 20,000 homes that have been saved. The death toll for this event is low and while 800 homes were damaged, this event could have been worse if they hadn't been as well prepared. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20488645

Preparing For Another Storm Like Sandy

New York Harbor with barrier

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/25/new-york-harbor-barrier-storm-surge_n_2188684.html

City planners and builders want to put a large barrier in the New York Harbor to prevent a disaster like super storm sandy from happening again. Other storms such as Sandy are predicted to occur in the near future and putting a barrier in the harbor would help regulate the flooding. The barrier would be expensive but if it  prevents damage from other storms it will eventually save the city money. However, the barrier may not get put in because some people don't believe the risk of another storm and possible destruction will be worth the initial costs of the barrier. Other ideas for preparing the city for another storm is a rocky causeway and a better drainage system in Manhattan.

Putting in a barrier or a rocky causeway and drainage system is an example of mitigation. Determining whether or not to do this is determining the risk and probability of another storm hitting them again. I think that putting in a large barrier might be over kill but I think they should do something to prepare for other storms like Sandy.  

http://www.weather.com/news/nyc-superstorm-blocking-the-sea-20121125

Another Storm Hits after Sandy

Taken in New York City

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/04/looming-colder-weather-adds-urgency-to-recovery-efforts-in-areas-hit-hard-by/

The New York and New Jersey area are predicted to get hit by a Nor'easter storm this week. The storm won't be nearly as bad as super storm Sandy but there will be some heavy winds. The storm will delay the recovery and could make the damage worse. People who's homes have been badly damaged will have a hard time finding good shelter from the storm. There is also some cold weather coming that will make it difficult for the people who's houses still do not have power. 

This is another good example of the Swiss cheese model where certain events line up and make a natural disaster worse. The delay in recovery is going to make everything considerably worse. The longer people are without adequate shelter, the more issues there will be with people getting sick and even dying. 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/04/looming-colder-weather-adds-urgency-to-recovery-efforts-in-areas-hit-hard-by/

Super Storm Sandy and Election Day

The damage from super storm Sandy may effect the election on Tuesday. People in areas that were severely damaged will have difficulty getting to the polls and it's expected that there will be a very low turn out in those areas. The election officials promise that they will be ready but there is still a lot of confusion. The City Board in New York City doesn't have a plan to ensure the people without transportation to the polls will be able to vote. Another issue is that 59 of the polling areas had to be moved to a different location some of which will be in tents.This will make it even harder for people to know where to vote and how to get there.

It will be interesting to see what happens on election day. It will be harder for lower income people to vote because there is less of a chance that they will be able to get to the polls which could affect which candidate gets the majority of the votes. If the race is even somewhat close then I won't be surprised if there is a recall. I think that with the large amount of confusion going on with the make shift polling buildings/tents that it would be very easy to make mistakes and for the ballots to be miscounted..

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/storm-forces-poll-site-143-000-city-residents-article-1.1196596

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/02/nyc-nj-ct-to-carry-on-with-election-day-despite-massive-storm-damage/

Super Storm Sandy

Taxis in Hoboken New Jersey
http://www.annarbor.com/news/superstorm-sandy-stories-photos-and-videos-from-the-devastation/

Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast hard Monday night causing major blackouts and flooding. Millions of people didn't have power and many still don't. It could take over a week before the power is restored. The power being out has also caused several car accidents.  The subways in New York City are extremely flooded. The subways are an important method of transportation in NYC, with about 5 million people using the subway each day and without them it is extremely difficult for people to get around. several houses were destroyed by flooding. There were also several fires that destroyed houses as well. The overall death toll from this storm right now is 74 people. 

This is just a quick overview of the initial damaged that was caused by hurricane sandy. Hurricane sandy had such a huge impact on the country because it hit the most populated area of the country. The storm became worse because of the lunar cycle and then the cold air came in and caused a snowstorm. All of this is an example of the Swiss cheese model and shows how one hurricane that wasn't overly powerful can cause massive destruction under the right conditions. One good thing for the people being hit by the storm is that because they are in an important part of the country and it's around election time, they will get lots of aid swiftly which probably wouldn't be the case if this storm hit a more remote area of the country. It also is getting a lot more media coverage because of it's location. Another thing we can look at with this storm is the difference between MDC's and LDC's. The storm is causing massive damage and is definitely going to effect our country monetarily but the death toll is still only at 74. If we lived in a LDC country, we wouldn't be as effected monetarily but the death toll would be much much larger. 

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/hurricane-sandy-winter-storm-20121025

Scientist In Italy Found Guilty 

The scientists in Italy that I posted about yesterday were found guilty and were sentenced to six years in jail.

I don't think that the scientists should have been held responsible for something that they couldn't have predicted. This makes me worry about what will  happen in the future and if more scientists will be prosecuted.

Using GIS For Making Handicap Accessible Areas 

San Francisco is using GIS mapping for installing handicap ramps on street corners. One third of the street corners in San Francisco do not have handicap ramps and several of the ramps that they do have are outdated. The city is working on installing new ramps and updating the old ones by using the Curb Ramp Information System (CRIS) which is a map of curb ramps that was made on ArcGIS. The map shows where there are curb ramps and each ramp is color coded based on the condition it is in. The map is posted on the cities website for the community to use. It also is being used to help monitor the project and to determine which streets they want to do construction on. 

http://www.pwmag.com/ada-compliance/using-gis-to-meet-accessibility-requirements.asp

I've been using ArcGIS in class a lot to look at natural hazards and different enviromental trends but I didn't think about the advantages it could have for something like this. It just shows how useful technology like ArcGIS can be. 

The Top 13 Disasters In Western U.S.

A writer on the weather channel's web page put together a list of the worst disasters to hit the western U.S.. The worst 13 disasters are:

1. The San Francisco earthquake and fire in 1906

2. Noachian Deluge (the great flood) in California, Oregon,Idaho, and Nevada  1861-1862

3. The Great Fire in Montana, Idaho, and Washington 1910

4. Northridge earthquake in California 1994

5. Aleutian Islands earthquake and tsunami in Alaska, Hawaii 1946

6. Mount St. Helen's eruption in Washington 1980

7. The Columbus Day Big Blow (windstorm) in California, Oregon, and Washington 1962

8. Oakland Hills firestorm in California 1991

9. Good Friday earthquake and tsunami in Alaska 1964

10. Big Thompson's Canon flash flood in Colorado 1976

11. Hurricane Iniki in Hawaii1992

12. Wellington Washington avalanche in 1910

13. Heppner Oregon flash flood in 1903 

http://www.weather.com/news/worst-western-usa-disasters-20121011?pageno=2

This article goes on to described each disaster and the impact that it had. I thought it was an interesting article to read because it talks about multiple types of natural hazards and how each one turned into a disaster. For example the earthquake that happened in the Aleutian Islands cause very minimal damage but the tsunami it caused hit Hawaii and caused 159 deaths. I was surprised that an avalanche and a windstorm were in the top 13 disasters. Although, the avalanche wouldn't have been a disaster if there hadn't been a train there at the time or if the train had been under the tunnel. 

Scientists On Trial

In 2009 there was a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in L'Aquila Italy that killed over 300 people. The scientists studying the tremors before the earthquake did not make an official earthquake warning. The scientist also had interviews with the local media before the earthquake and reassured people that they didn't have to evacuate. The scientist argue that it was not there fault because it is impossible to really predict an earthquake and that the chances of them being hit was very improbable. The tremors that were felt before the earthquake were not uncommon in the area and most of the building that clasped were not up to the standards for earthquake prone areas. The verdict on whether the scientist are guilty will come in tomorrow. 

http://www.weather.com/news/italy-earthquake-trial-20121021

The scientist shouldn't be on trial for not accurately predicting an earthquake and stating to the media what they believed to be true. I can think of multiple times when I have check the weather and it has said it would be sunny and instead it's raining or the times when we are only expected to get a little bit of snow and instead there is a blizzard. Are we going to accuse all weathermen for giving us false information? Where do we draw the line? I understand the families being upset but accusing the scientist of manslaughter when they made their best assessment of the situation based on the probability of an earthquake occurring and other scientific knowledge isn't justice. If they had ignored the tremors completely or knew a warning should have been place but it didn't get done for whatever reason then yes the scientist would be at fault. If the verdict comes in that they are guilty, I can't help but wonder what that means for the scientific community. Science isn't exact, there is still a lot that can't be explained or predicted and with so many different variables in nature it's impossible for scientist to know exactly what will happen. If scientist are prosecuted for bad predictions then they will be afraid to make any predictions if there is a slight chance of them being wrong. This could extend to more than just the weather and there wouldn't be a lot of advances in science and technology if the entire science community is afraid of being prosecuted for things they couldn't have predicted.

Earthquake in China

South Western China after earthquakes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-19527691

An earthquake hit Yunnan and Guizhou China. At least 80 people are dead and a lot more are injured, thousands of houses were destroyed as well. The strongest earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6 and caused several landslides. One of the landslides killed 18 children and an adult at Tiantou Primary School. The school was buried by a landslide that was caused by the earthquakes that hit the area. The children that died normally don't have school this week and actually go to a different school but were at this school because they had to make up missing class from the last earthquake that hit and destroyed their school.

I read this article not long after we talked about direct and indirect causes. The earthquake indirectly caused the deaths of the children in the school because it caused the landslide. This article also relates to the Swiss cheese model of disaster. If the other earthquake hadn't caused them to miss class then the school would have been empty and no one would have died.  

This is a video of the landslide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRBHpIq5O68

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-19527695

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-198399

Shrinking Fish

Scientist believe that global warming might cause fish to decrease in size. As the temperature of water increases, the density of the water decreases which means there is less oxygen in the water. They believe that fish may decrease up to 24%  of there size by 2050 and that the overall amount of fish in the tropical oceans will decrease.

http://www.weather.com/news/global-warming-to-shrink-fish-20121001

I found this article interesting. Global Warming is considered a contextual hazard because the effects it may cause are still unknown.

Earthquake In Texas

An earthquake with a 3.4 magnitude hit Dallas Texas but no serious damage was done and there were no injuries. The airport was able to continue with their regular flight plans. Some houses had cracked walls and ceilings  but that was the extent to the damage. 

http://www.weather.com/news/dallas-earthquake-20120930

I posted this article because it is an example of how natural hazards in the United States get more attention than more serious hazards in other parts of the world. No one was injured and there was almost more damage but it got more coverage than the 7.3 earthquake that hit Columbia. 

Here is the link for the article on the earthquake in Columbia:  http://www.weather.com/news/deep-earthquake-columbia-20120930

Artifacts Found In Poland Because Of Drought

Artifacts from the 17th century and World War II have now come to the surface of the Vistula river. In the 17th century Poland was looted by Swedish invaders, one of the Swedish ships sunk on the Vistula river leaving the stolen goods at the bottom of the river. Until now, the artifacts have been under too much water to get to but now the water levels are low enough that they can retrieve them. Artifacts from World War II are also being found. While being able to retrieve these artifacts is good, the low water levels are also causing problems. The Vistula river is the lowest it has ever been recorded and if it continues to decrease powers stations on the river will be shut down.

http://weather.yahoo.com/drought-poland-reveals-400-yr-old-sunken-treasures-131207446.html

 This is a map I made in ARCGIS! This map shows the different earthquakes that have happened in California and the different fault lines that run through the state. ARCGIS uses an engineering paradigm. It uses technology to look at enviromental hazards and the affects they have. If I want to view California's earthquakes with a complexity paradigm, I would have to have information about the different economic status of each area that was hit by an earthquake.

Typhoon Hits North and South Korea

 Yeosu South Korea

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49063467/ns/weather/#.UFfQUo1lRoE

Typhoon Sanba caused severe damage to North and South Korea. At least one person was killed and several homes and businesses were destroyed. In South Korea, the storm caused the power to go out in over 20,000 homes and businesses. Typhoon Sanba also hit Japan; killing one man, taking the power out at 67,000 homes, and causing flooding in several areas. North and South Korea have been hit by three typhoons this year. Typhoon Bolaven caused some serious damage to homes and farmland. A food shortage from the bad weather it becoming a problem for North Korea. In June, already two thirds of the country was suffering from a food shortage. 

The damage caused directly from the Typhoons is really only a small part of the problem for the Korea's. The food shortage that was already a problem in June is going to be a major problem for them now. I think it's going to be very hard for them this year if they already were having a food shortage before Typhoon Bolaven damaged there farmland. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49063467/ns/weather/#.UFh7541lRoH 

Tree Leaves Are Changing Early

Trees In Gays Mill Wisconsin

http://www.weather.com/travel/driving-fall-foliage/fall-colors-drought-20120907

The leaves in several areas of the US are changing early because of drought and warm weather. Leaves start to turn brown and die when they don't get enough water. This is called leaf scorching and is happening around a lot of  the Midwest. The leaf scorching causes the cells in the leaves to die and causes the brown color instead of the different colors we usually see when leaves change. Trees in Wisconsin and Ohio have been effected by this and leaves are already turning brown. 

I thought this article was interesting because when I think about the drought I automatically think of it's effects on crops and I wouldn't even consider what kind of effect it would have on tree leaves. It just makes me realize how large of  an effect a drought can have on everything in the area. 

http://www.weather.com/travel/driving-fall-foliage/fall-colors-drought-20120907

Flash Flooding in Las Vegas

Students at the University of Nevada Las Vegas

http://www.weather.com/news/vegas-flooding-20120912

Las Vegas became flooded yesterday after a severe thunderstorm hit the area. Several homes had serious flood damage and had to be evacuated. Motorists became stranded in there cars and had to be rescued by helicopter. Las Vegas usually only gets 4.5 inches of rain a year but yesterday it was reported that they got 1.18 inches of rain. It was the most rain they had ever gotten in one day in September. Luckly, no serious injuries were reported. The Clark County Regional Flood Control District did prepare the town for the flood however, by putting in 573 miles of storm drains and 90 basins in the area. 

It's a good thing the County had prepared for the flood! The damages from the flooding could have been a lot worse if they hadn't put in the storm drains. 

http://www.weather.com/news/vegas-flooding-20120912