'1 dead, 15 missing in Colombia slide'
I was very pleased to see an article on the front page of MSNBC's weather channel that dealt with a country other than the US. Usually most of the stories involve something nominal that only affects a people on a very small scale, and the media just makes a big deal out of it. Apparently people dying and going missing in Colombia give merit for a front page story though, so I would argue against printing it.
This article basically states that heavy rains during this season have caused multiple slope failures that have led to mass movement events. Overall this year 145 people have died, as opposed to the 80 who died during last years rainy season.
I understand that there is more rain this year, but if that rain falls in the same region every year where these people are losing their lives wouldn't it make sense that there would be more preventative measures in place in this region? I feel as if this is a case where the government has just sort of turned a blind eye to what is going on here in this region. It will be interesting to see how the government reacts to future problems in this region as the wet season progresses.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
It's Winter in New Mexico too
"New Mexico struggles with winter blast aftermath"
Snowstorms are generally synonomous with the midwest and east coast, but now apparently New Mexico has thrown it's hat into the ring. Some areas in New Mexico were dumped upon with up to 12 inches of snow, which led to the closure of many schools, roads, and businesses. The image below shows some residents of the village of Corrales making the harsh trek to work through the blizzard conditions.
New Mexico isn't an area of the United States where one would expect to see excessive amounts of snow like this, and for that reason they as a state lack the capacity to handle a situation such as this one. The article states they used over 700 workers and 500 seperate pieces of equipment in order to plow, salt, and sand roads.
I would imagine that the cost for mitigating this kind of weather is quite high in a place like New Mexico. The equipment and manpower probably had to be brought in from other areas in the state, and those related time and transportation costs couldn't have been too low. Thats what happens when a low frequency hazard hits an area such as this, they are ill prepared and it takes much longer to mitigate and get things up and running again.
Snowstorms are generally synonomous with the midwest and east coast, but now apparently New Mexico has thrown it's hat into the ring. Some areas in New Mexico were dumped upon with up to 12 inches of snow, which led to the closure of many schools, roads, and businesses. The image below shows some residents of the village of Corrales making the harsh trek to work through the blizzard conditions.
New Mexico isn't an area of the United States where one would expect to see excessive amounts of snow like this, and for that reason they as a state lack the capacity to handle a situation such as this one. The article states they used over 700 workers and 500 seperate pieces of equipment in order to plow, salt, and sand roads.
I would imagine that the cost for mitigating this kind of weather is quite high in a place like New Mexico. The equipment and manpower probably had to be brought in from other areas in the state, and those related time and transportation costs couldn't have been too low. Thats what happens when a low frequency hazard hits an area such as this, they are ill prepared and it takes much longer to mitigate and get things up and running again.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Storm Strikes Several Southeast States
"1 dead, several hurt as storm hits Southeast"
Okay so I'm not posting so much on this article becuase I thought it was interesting, but more or less because it pissed me off. There are plenty of other things to worry about right now in the world in terms of weather or hazard events but the one that gets reported is "severe wind damage" due to a possible tornado. Imagine if Kansas got put on the news everytime some wind damaged a couple of houses. I mean I understand that someone died and a few people got hurt but this really shouldn't be such a big deal. To put this in perspective the article clearly states that four, yes FOUR houses in Alabama were damaged. They go on to say this was "the worst bout of weather the state has seen since April" This picture below really does a justice to this whole situation
This picture displays one of the destroyed homes in the Louisiana town of Houma, where as far as I can tell from this news report was the ONLY
home that was destroyed. This goes hand in hand with what we talked about in class where if a few people die or something moderately bad happens and happens on US soil you'd better damn well believe that its getting reported over something that's happening in Africa. While this report was being typed up by some journalist at the MSNBC headquarters I'd be willing to bet that there was an earthquake that happened somewhere in southeast Asia that caused more damage, and will subsequently get .2% of the coverage this does.
Extra Note: The article also mentions that gusts of wind were 'up to' 30 mph. I think when we walk across the footbridge here in Eau Claire we experience anywhere from 15-30 mph wind gusts, and that's when it's already 0 degrees outside, and I don't get blown over, how the hell does a house fall from 30 mph gusts? I cant wrap my head around this.
Okay so I'm not posting so much on this article becuase I thought it was interesting, but more or less because it pissed me off. There are plenty of other things to worry about right now in the world in terms of weather or hazard events but the one that gets reported is "severe wind damage" due to a possible tornado. Imagine if Kansas got put on the news everytime some wind damaged a couple of houses. I mean I understand that someone died and a few people got hurt but this really shouldn't be such a big deal. To put this in perspective the article clearly states that four, yes FOUR houses in Alabama were damaged. They go on to say this was "the worst bout of weather the state has seen since April" This picture below really does a justice to this whole situation
This picture displays one of the destroyed homes in the Louisiana town of Houma, where as far as I can tell from this news report was the ONLY
home that was destroyed. This goes hand in hand with what we talked about in class where if a few people die or something moderately bad happens and happens on US soil you'd better damn well believe that its getting reported over something that's happening in Africa. While this report was being typed up by some journalist at the MSNBC headquarters I'd be willing to bet that there was an earthquake that happened somewhere in southeast Asia that caused more damage, and will subsequently get .2% of the coverage this does.
Extra Note: The article also mentions that gusts of wind were 'up to' 30 mph. I think when we walk across the footbridge here in Eau Claire we experience anywhere from 15-30 mph wind gusts, and that's when it's already 0 degrees outside, and I don't get blown over, how the hell does a house fall from 30 mph gusts? I cant wrap my head around this.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Second large quake strikes Turkey
'5.7 quake in Turkey collapses damaged buildings'
This is a very brief article, and thus will require a slightly more brief analysis. This is sort of a follow up to a previous article that was run by MSNBC about the earthquake that happened in the Van province of Turkey a few weeks ago.
Two weeks ago there was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck an area of this province and 600 people were killed. This quake, while only a 5.7 magnitude essentially finished off what the other earthquake failed to destroy in the first place.
This isn't even what is significant about this hazard event though. Upon further investigation I was able to find out that while this earthquake affected people on a physical level, they were also hit religiously if you will. This image that was used in a Turkish newspaper displays the religious divide that this earthquake has in turn caused.
This reads "divine warning", which apparently many inhabitants of this country are taking as a sign that the growing unease and conflict in this area of the world may be leading to more severe religious implications.
There are also added problems regarding disaster mitigation. This province is home to many Muslims who identify themselves as Kurds, who are currently unhappy with the conditions of the current government. Various factions within the Kurdish sect have been staging riots, and occasionally killing public and government employees (soldiers and police officers). But when these earthquakes hit, these radical groups cry for help from no one other than the government. Because of the tensions shared between those two organizations, the disaster relief effort is virtually non-existant, with only a percentage of the required aid being delivered. A writer for the Foreign Policy Journal notes that usually when disasters happen people come together and rally for the good of those who have been affected, regardless of prior conflicts or tension. This does not seem to be the case in Turkey and it will be interesting to see how this develops now that the severity of the disaster has increased.
This is a very brief article, and thus will require a slightly more brief analysis. This is sort of a follow up to a previous article that was run by MSNBC about the earthquake that happened in the Van province of Turkey a few weeks ago.
Two weeks ago there was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck an area of this province and 600 people were killed. This quake, while only a 5.7 magnitude essentially finished off what the other earthquake failed to destroy in the first place.
This isn't even what is significant about this hazard event though. Upon further investigation I was able to find out that while this earthquake affected people on a physical level, they were also hit religiously if you will. This image that was used in a Turkish newspaper displays the religious divide that this earthquake has in turn caused.
There are also added problems regarding disaster mitigation. This province is home to many Muslims who identify themselves as Kurds, who are currently unhappy with the conditions of the current government. Various factions within the Kurdish sect have been staging riots, and occasionally killing public and government employees (soldiers and police officers). But when these earthquakes hit, these radical groups cry for help from no one other than the government. Because of the tensions shared between those two organizations, the disaster relief effort is virtually non-existant, with only a percentage of the required aid being delivered. A writer for the Foreign Policy Journal notes that usually when disasters happen people come together and rally for the good of those who have been affected, regardless of prior conflicts or tension. This does not seem to be the case in Turkey and it will be interesting to see how this develops now that the severity of the disaster has increased.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Alaska about to get absolutely hammered by storm
'Life-threatening' storm bears down on Alaska's west coast
Okay so this storm will basically be the most intense storm to rock the coast of Alaska in a very long time, if not ever. This storm is likely to hit the Western coasts of Alaska today and tomorrow this week, but it appears as if the inhabitants of these local towns are prepared. (sort of)
A mayor of one of these tiny towns on the coast said he is confident that rock wall that their town has built will be more than enough to handle the storm. The wall has not yet been tested by a storm of this magnitude, but their mayor is still confident that it will hold. He has also instructed all residents to seek shelter in the school, which is at the highest point in town.
So knowing what little I know about these kind of storms, I don't necessarily agree with what this town is doing. It is said that the tides will go up 8 to 10 feet, and from what I've learned, if water rises by that much, there are some potentially devastating things that that can do. I personally wouldn't think that a rock wall could take the constant battering of an extra 10 feet of water constantly crashing into it at much higher speeds than normal.
It is also said that this storm is expected to produce record blizzard conditions and excess snowfall levels and up to 80 mph winds and that does nothing to help the cause for that rock wall, and that could also lead to other problems. People may not be able to evacuate and protect themselves as planned.
It will be interesting to see what happens as this storm system progresses throughout the day today and into tomorrow, and see if the evacuation procedures and safety measures taken by these towns will be effective enough to weather this storm with minimal damage.
This is a goes satellite image of the storm that is currently battering Alaska. The GOES satellite provides some of the highest resolution imagery available when it comes to displaying weather patterns such as this one. This picture of the storm is basically what you could call "gnarly"
Okay so this storm will basically be the most intense storm to rock the coast of Alaska in a very long time, if not ever. This storm is likely to hit the Western coasts of Alaska today and tomorrow this week, but it appears as if the inhabitants of these local towns are prepared. (sort of)
A mayor of one of these tiny towns on the coast said he is confident that rock wall that their town has built will be more than enough to handle the storm. The wall has not yet been tested by a storm of this magnitude, but their mayor is still confident that it will hold. He has also instructed all residents to seek shelter in the school, which is at the highest point in town.
So knowing what little I know about these kind of storms, I don't necessarily agree with what this town is doing. It is said that the tides will go up 8 to 10 feet, and from what I've learned, if water rises by that much, there are some potentially devastating things that that can do. I personally wouldn't think that a rock wall could take the constant battering of an extra 10 feet of water constantly crashing into it at much higher speeds than normal.
It is also said that this storm is expected to produce record blizzard conditions and excess snowfall levels and up to 80 mph winds and that does nothing to help the cause for that rock wall, and that could also lead to other problems. People may not be able to evacuate and protect themselves as planned.
It will be interesting to see what happens as this storm system progresses throughout the day today and into tomorrow, and see if the evacuation procedures and safety measures taken by these towns will be effective enough to weather this storm with minimal damage.
This is a goes satellite image of the storm that is currently battering Alaska. The GOES satellite provides some of the highest resolution imagery available when it comes to displaying weather patterns such as this one. This picture of the storm is basically what you could call "gnarly"
Friday, October 7, 2011
Irony at its best; Island nations need water
'Drinking water rushed to 2 island nations in drought'
Thousands of people on Tuvalu and Tokelau getting outside help
Apparently these two island nations were down to their last week of fresh drinking water due to drought, and countries like the United States, Australia, and New Zealand have now sent thousands of gallons of water to these island atolls. Now these countries are not very big at all, and do not really have that many people, but a lack of rainfall on a geographically isolated atoll can have dramatic effects.
For One, neither of these countries have high numbers of desalination machines, so it's difficult for them to keep up with the high demand for water. This relates back to how disaster magnitude can be amplified due to the fact that these are very undeveloped countries. They rely much more on rainfall as a source of drinking water because they don't have the capacity to desalinize enough other water.
Secondly, such small land masses are hard pressed to get hit with copious amounts of rain as it is. Even during an extremely wet season the rain still has to fall within the confines of land for it to be usable. A drastic change in wind speed and direction because of something like La Nina can cause a severe climate change on the island. If that storm that normally hits is forced Westward by just a few miles, these islands run the risk of not reaping it's benefits.
So for now the forces of Australia and New Zealand have been able to deliver an actual desalination plant to Tuvalu, in hopes that this will allow for at minimum a short term solution to what could very well be a long term problem. Hopefully this drought ends and these people are able to get some much needed rain very soon.
Thousands of people on Tuvalu and Tokelau getting outside help
Apparently these two island nations were down to their last week of fresh drinking water due to drought, and countries like the United States, Australia, and New Zealand have now sent thousands of gallons of water to these island atolls. Now these countries are not very big at all, and do not really have that many people, but a lack of rainfall on a geographically isolated atoll can have dramatic effects.
For One, neither of these countries have high numbers of desalination machines, so it's difficult for them to keep up with the high demand for water. This relates back to how disaster magnitude can be amplified due to the fact that these are very undeveloped countries. They rely much more on rainfall as a source of drinking water because they don't have the capacity to desalinize enough other water.
Secondly, such small land masses are hard pressed to get hit with copious amounts of rain as it is. Even during an extremely wet season the rain still has to fall within the confines of land for it to be usable. A drastic change in wind speed and direction because of something like La Nina can cause a severe climate change on the island. If that storm that normally hits is forced Westward by just a few miles, these islands run the risk of not reaping it's benefits.
So for now the forces of Australia and New Zealand have been able to deliver an actual desalination plant to Tuvalu, in hopes that this will allow for at minimum a short term solution to what could very well be a long term problem. Hopefully this drought ends and these people are able to get some much needed rain very soon.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Rare Twisters Strike South Africa
'Rare South African Tornadoes'
Article:
"Rare South African tornadoes killed at least two people and left hundreds more homeless. The tornadoes struck on Sunday, roaring through the towns of Duduza, Ficksburg and Nigel east of Johannesburg.
Officials say nearly a thousand homes were damaged and trees and power lines were also brought down.
On average, South Africa gets a tornado every other year. The tornado season usually starts in November."
The Engineering Perspective
The term 'rare' should tell you all you need to know. South Africa is really not prepared for tornados at all. As the article said thousands of houses were destroyed and trees and power lines were also brought down. If you watch the video posted at the end, you can see that the tornado doesn’t look like its ripping through areas of high population, so the estimate of 1000 houses damaged is quite high. These people probably would’ve never expected a tornado of this magnitude to strike them, and will probably not do a whole lot to take preventative measures in the future.
The Behavioral Perspective
I think in looking at this from a behavioral perspective there was really nothing that they did wrong that increased the severity of this hazard. The only thing I could think of is since these homes were in rural countryside, maybe there was no short-term system of warning. In terms of long term planning they probably won’t change a lot because this area doesn't generally get hit by hazards such as this one.
The Development Perspective
I guess it’s difficult to assess this disaster in a long term developmental approach. This wasn’t a case of low income families being forced to move onto tornado ridden flat land. This wasn’t a case of human exploitation of the land leading to more severe disasters. This was simply a case of these people happening to have their houses in the wrong part of South Africa.
The Complexity Approach
So I guess this is where the Swiss cheese and chaos theory stuff is located. So I suppose the series of factors which led to the severity of this disaster would be: Lack of response time due to the rural environment, Homes not structurally sound due to rarity of tornados, or the government slow to respond with aid due to being unprepared for this type of hazard/disaster.
Interesting Fact: This tornado was an F-2, the ones that came through Joplin were F-5's. And proportionately in terms of death and destruction the Joplin tornado was probably still a lot worse.
Link to Tornado Video: http://wxch.nl/n0WjLI
Article:
"Rare South African tornadoes killed at least two people and left hundreds more homeless. The tornadoes struck on Sunday, roaring through the towns of Duduza, Ficksburg and Nigel east of Johannesburg.
Officials say nearly a thousand homes were damaged and trees and power lines were also brought down.
On average, South Africa gets a tornado every other year. The tornado season usually starts in November."
The Engineering Perspective
The term 'rare' should tell you all you need to know. South Africa is really not prepared for tornados at all. As the article said thousands of houses were destroyed and trees and power lines were also brought down. If you watch the video posted at the end, you can see that the tornado doesn’t look like its ripping through areas of high population, so the estimate of 1000 houses damaged is quite high. These people probably would’ve never expected a tornado of this magnitude to strike them, and will probably not do a whole lot to take preventative measures in the future.
The Behavioral Perspective
I think in looking at this from a behavioral perspective there was really nothing that they did wrong that increased the severity of this hazard. The only thing I could think of is since these homes were in rural countryside, maybe there was no short-term system of warning. In terms of long term planning they probably won’t change a lot because this area doesn't generally get hit by hazards such as this one.
The Development Perspective
I guess it’s difficult to assess this disaster in a long term developmental approach. This wasn’t a case of low income families being forced to move onto tornado ridden flat land. This wasn’t a case of human exploitation of the land leading to more severe disasters. This was simply a case of these people happening to have their houses in the wrong part of South Africa.
The Complexity Approach
So I guess this is where the Swiss cheese and chaos theory stuff is located. So I suppose the series of factors which led to the severity of this disaster would be: Lack of response time due to the rural environment, Homes not structurally sound due to rarity of tornados, or the government slow to respond with aid due to being unprepared for this type of hazard/disaster.
Interesting Fact: This tornado was an F-2, the ones that came through Joplin were F-5's. And proportionately in terms of death and destruction the Joplin tornado was probably still a lot worse.
Link to Tornado Video: http://wxch.nl/n0WjLI
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