Despite Texas drought, Hunting still high

Texas was gripped in a year-long, record-setting drought that included a summer of record heat.  Drought and heat had scorched the landscape, hurting vegetation crucial as cover and forage for deer, in addition to water sources drying up. Hunters, wildlife managers and landowners shared an uneasiness about the drought's impacts on Texas' deer herd.  Almost all hunters and wildlife managers expected the drought's effects on deer to be readily apparent and maybe even slim. Most went into the season with diminished expectations. 

Overall, deer are in surprisingly good shape, especially in places where deer densities are moderate and landowners manage their habitat.  The deers body condition has been better than expected.  They're not necessarily rolling in fat, but they are in good body condition.  Thankfully, this environmental hazard hit the Lone Star State very hard, yet these animals were able to adapt to their environment and strenuous conditions.

Article Here:
http://www.chron.com/sports/outdoors/article/Tompkins-Despite-record-drought-Texas-deer-2404096.php

Is the amount of natural disasters increasing? 2011 proves heavy

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) believes that 2011 will be a year that is remembered by its disasters. This year’s weather was the most extreme on record, at least financially, with 12 natural disasters causing $1 billion or more in damage each . That’s more billion-dollar catastrophes in one year than the U.S. saw in the entire decade of the 1980s, even if you factor in inflation.  Outside the U.S., 2011 was equally disastrous. Japan faced an earthquake and tsunami of devastating proportions. New Zealand had a giant quake, the worst natural disaster in 80 years. Australia had a biblical flood while the worst drought in Africa in 60 years endangered millions of lives. Turkey’s quake was followed by an unusual cold, and Thailand in parts is still flooded.

And the disasters are taking a hefty body count with them — 646 people died in the U.S. from natural disasters this year.  In addition to urging better government regulation, the NOAA advises that we all get a disaster plan, be it buying batteries or water or better understanding how the infrastructure around us works.

Here, we are questioning if the amount of natural disasters is actually increasing over time, or if we're developing better technology and media systems to monitor these events.  Also, what kind of regulated system should we have for a response code dealing with natural disasters?  Plus, who will provide this service, the government?  It is something to consider, because more than likely this money will be coming from taxpayers.

Article Here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/was-2011-the-year-of-disasters/2011/12/08/gIQADnKzrO_blog.html

~*Where do we get our data?*~ NASA uses aircrafts for Fire Data

(An example of NASAs fire data)

For a lot of labs we've worked with in class, fire data has been an important factor for analysis.  However, it is important to think how all this imperative data was taken.  NASA has started a new program where fire data is recorded.  obtaining this data and having the ability to use it quickly can provide the ability to save lives and structures like houses. For the 2011 wildfire season, NASA and Carnegie Mellon University’s Silicon Valley Campus teamed up to test new approaches to managing and obtaining information about these disasters using aircraft and a next-generation emergency operations center.

Information that once took one to two hours to get to fire commanders, now takes just 10 to 15 minutes.  The idea behind using unmanned aircraft for damage assessments and information gathering during and after an emergency isn’t new, but it’s constantly improving as researchers understand what’s needed most by decision-makers working in the field.  This is important because this new technology cuts cost and makes obtaining data much more efficient, plus using the data quicker cuts on the risk of damages.

Article here:
http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/NASA-Aircraft-Fight-Fire-With-Data.html

Earthquake in Mexico City shakes all the way to Acapulco

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck in Mexico's western state, shaking buildings and causing panic in the nation's capital and the Pacific resort of Acapulco. Officials said at least three people died, but there were no reports of widespread damage.  The USGS said the quake occurred at 6:47 p.m. Saturday at a depth of 40.3 miles. Mexico City's mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, reported by Twitter that no major damage had been reported. He said power failed in some parts of the city.  


Here is a video showing the detail numbers from the USGS and other maps.  Also, enjoy the sweet music.

New age technology is a way to spread the word of natural disasters that some people might now know of.  For example, the Mayor tweeted about things should be carried out after the disaster and what procedures to take.

Article Here:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jadZgyqqQNcJKq_BjoXBOaoxr2OQ?docId=257731d33c19415b89d3fb834f94fd7d

Failed efforts to stop Landslides in U.S. cost big

Efforts to stop landslides on the problem-plagued U.S. 20 realignment have failed, with costs nearing $230 million and no end in sight.

View full size

The landslide mitigation and earlier fines for pollution caused by erosion added about $76 million to the original $153 million cost and set the original completion date of October 2009 back by what was expected to be about two years.  These landslides are constantly in a state of movement, and the mitigation efforts involved moving about 700,000 cubic yards of earth.
This confirms idea that many different factors can easily stir up a landslide, even if the threat seems low.  Builders in this area are unfortunate to deal with such unpredictability, and the only hope is to build defense mechanisms from the engineering paradigm.


Article here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/11/oregon_highway_officials_lands.html

High Winds pose threat in Southern California

Southern California felt strong winds up to 100mph last weekend that causes power outages and a mass amount of damage for nearly 200,000 residents.  An additional 94,000 L.A. Department of Water and Power customers were without electricity.  Winds did reach above 50 mph in some mountain areas, such as east of Lake Castaic, and strong gusts are expected to pick up as the sun rises and into the morning, then fade into the afternoon. 

In Pasadena, where officials had declared a state of emergency because of wind, schools remained closed Friday, but city libraries and parks were scheduled to reopen.  This relates to the mass movement topic we've discussed in class, because high winds in the mountains can cause the land to move in malleable, susceptible lands.  My only fear is that this will affect the Rose Bowl.  Go Badgers.

Article Here:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/winds-substantially-weaker-friday-morning.html

San Francisco receives grant for earthquake early warning research

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has awarded $6 million to three West Coast universities to create a prototype earthquake early warning system for the Pacific Coast of the United States.

Here is an example of what the program will look like:

The grant, in collaboration with the USGS, will allow seismologists in larger cities to learn about the science of earthquakes and the best way to capture and analyze seismic data. The goal is to give schools, utilities, industries and the general public as much time as possible, most likely seconds to several minutes, before the ground begins to shake.  A warning system has the potential to save thousands of lives and millions of dollars in the event of an earthquake, andit is important to resolve any scientific questions that could stand in the way of implementing such a system. 

The technology and scientific expertise exist to create a sophisticated West Coast earthquake early warning system even more advanced than Japan’s now four-year-old system, which functioned well after the magnitude 9.0 Tohoku quake earlier this year.  This is a great way to implement proper preventive mitigation measures.  Since the technology is constantly changing, Americans have developed a better system, so accurate that people will know the exact minute or second they will need to find rescure.  This will cut down on the "golden hour" and increase the chance of survival after an earthquake.


Article Here:
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/11/29/moore-foundation-awards-6-million-for-earthquake-early-warning-research/

Lead Crisis Blamed on Post Katrina Renovations

Research says that exposure to lead has increased because of the post-Katrina demolitions and renovations.  After sampling 109 homes across the city, sixty-one percent of homes had lead hazards, and that's defined, not as detectable lead, but lead at a level higher than what the government deems safe.  They were higher income, non-minority households, home owners, which typically isn't the profile of the high risk population, so the findings were somewhat surprising.  This had to do with the renovation and demolition of old homes in a manner that was not lead safe after the disaster struck. 

This deals with the post measures taken after a disaster has hit.  It has been almost 7 years since Katrina hit, and just now they are discovering problems with lead and other hazardous material.  This is a long term effect resulting from poor maintance after a disaster and is easily blamed on poor conditions and not enough supplies to these areas.

Article Here:
http://www.fox8live.com/news/local/story/Post-Katrina-renovations-and-demolitions-blamed/GBokDXRa7kuFvzbJQryS8A.cspx

~*Climate Watch Edition!*~ LDC's vs. MDC's

Over the years, environmental protection agencies have agreed with the Kyoto Protocol in that more developed countries contribute more to green house gases, over 95%, compared to less developed countries.  Therefore, the argument has always been that industrialized nations should equally bear the brunt of financing the mechanisms that will make LDC's and developing countries adapt and overtime lessen the impacts of climate change on their people.  The major disagreement has been the emission reduction target set by the KP, which holds the industrialized nations to reduce their emissions by 5.2% of the 1990 levels by the year 2012. This deadline is approaching fast, and crucial decisions will be made if green house gasses want to be significantly reduced.  

One of the developing countries that will stand for change is Nigeria, who has many demands of how they want their funds to be distributed.  However, even as a LDC, one major emission problem  of Nigeria is the flaring of associated gas by the petroleum companies operating there, which could account for significant percentage of the overall Nigeria’s green house gas levels.  Other factors include poverty, and poor regulations to maintain "eco rules" on citizens cars which produce a large amount of emission.  This relates to how many different factors can influence how a simple decision is made.  In this case, politics, poverty, and unregulated rules all combine together so a LDC will continually be held down by MDC's so standards won't be met.  This is hurting not only LDC's, but MDC's because they have to deal with the wrath of global climate change and this problem won't be going away anytime soon.

Article Here:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/climate-watch-green-house-gas-and-vehicular-emission-in-nigeria/

Earthquake Shakes up Oklahoma

Oklahoma experienced its largest earthquake recorded on history Saturday evening while the aftershock continued to shake cities on Sunday morning.  There were no reported injuries or deaths, but there was a significant amount of widespread damage including demolished chimneys and cracked foundations.  The magnitude 5.6 earthquake was centered near Prague, Okla., 44 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. It could be felt throughout the state and as far away as Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, northern Texas, and even Wisconsin.  

Between 1972 and 2008, there have been about two to six earthquakes a year throughout the state.  In 2009, the number jumped to 50 quakes, all centered in the area struck on Saturday.  This may be linked to the Wilzetta fault line shifting and creating a lot more earthquakes.  We learned from lab that the majority of earthquakes happen on or near fault lines, and this is an interesting case because Oklahoma is located near the center of the continent, not near many fault boundaries.  The people in Oklahoma were a bit "shaken" up because they do not regularly have earthquakes, so their preparedness was under developed compared to areas with high vulnerability. 

Article Here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203733504577022110603813068.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Wild card Winter could outdo last years Winter

La Niña will influence weather patterns across the country, for the second winter in a row, but it’s the ‘wild card’ factor that is the less predictable Arctic Oscillation that could produce dramatic short-term swings in temperatures this winter.  La Niña is associated with cooler than normal water temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean and influences weather throughout the world. 

This is bad news for areas like Texas, who was already struggling with a massive drought this summer.   Texas experienced its driest 12-month period on record from October 2010 through September 2011.

However, mitigation and prevtion measure are being taken with this important data.  Data gathered from the model will support local weather forecast office efforts to prepare for and protect the public from weather events. This service is helping the country to become more alert at a time when extreme weather is on the rise.



Article Here:
 http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20111020_winteroutlook.html

East Coast hit with wet, heavy snow

An unseasonal date for a type of storm more associated with midwinter has hit the east coast already, bringing problems to an unprepared community out east.  Communities inland in mid-Atlantic states were getting hit hardest. Heavy snow was falling in western Maryland, and the Frostburg area could receive 8 or 9 inches. Along the Blue Ridge Mountains between Hagerstown and Frederick, significant snowfall was also expected.

Officials warned that the heavy, wet snow combined with fully leafed trees could lead to downed tree branches and power lines, resulting in power outages and blocked roads. The storm also led to delays at several airports Saturday morning. Flights were delayed at Newark, N.J., and flights headed to New York's Kennedy and LaGuardia airports or Philadelphia's airport weren't allowed to depart until early afternoon.

Article Here:
http://www.aolnews.com/story/early-storm-pelts-east-coast-with-wet/2015497/

Bangkok’s Riverside Communities Brace for Floods

                                                       ^ (Chao Phraya River in Bangkok)

The slum communities alongside the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok are expecting high waters and flooding due to recent typhoons and heavy rains.  Community organizers are scrambling to evacuate the elderly and the young before the tide rises too far.  Access to food and knowing where to evacuate to when the floods hit are the main concerns of the local community. This flooding is the most severe disaster to hit the community in over 50 years.

It appears that this community is taking a lot of preventative measures in prevention aid and is preparing for the worst to come, which is one of the most important steps in risk assessment.  Also, it seems that panic has struck many and many citizens are quite fearful, but it is better to be prepared than not to be.  The floods are expected to cost the Thai economy in excess of $6 billion with over 600,000 jobs lost, especially among skilled workers in over a dozen major industrial states inundated by the floods.

Article Here:
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Bangkoks-Riverside-Communities-Brace-for-Floods-132609128.html

Eastern Turkey rocked by powerful earthquake

On Sunday, a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Turkey, collapsing apartment buildings and cutting communications and power in the city of Van and surrounding cities.  Early today, the Prime Minister of Turkey declared the death toll at 264 and the number of wounded at 1,300, as the number keeps rising quickly and the full picture of the damage is still unclear.  After the earthquake, more than a dozen aftershocks were felt, the strongest one at a magnitude of 5.7, shook Van just before midnight local time.

International relations can be a touchy subject when asking for help after a disaster between countries that have a bad history.  Israel, with which Turkey recently downgraded diplomatic relations, offered help dealing with the quake, as did the U.S., Greece and several other nations. Relations between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated sharply over Israel's refusal to apologize for the killing of nine pro-Palestinian activists from Turkey by Israeli commandos last year, when the troops boarded a Turkish aid ship that was seeking to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.  Therefore, politics can become an issue when dealing with emergency relief because not all counties are on the best terms with each other, despite the type of emergency. 


Article here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204777904576650613185173524.html

Papua New Guinea rattled by Earthquake

The U.S. Geological Survey announced an earthquake in Papua New Guinea with a magnitude of 6.7 on Friday afternoon. The quake was centered about 200 miles northeast of Port Moresby and had a depth of 28 miles.  No tsunami warning was issued, according to the Tsunami Warning Center.  Papua New Guinea is on the Ring of Fire that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.  


I was surprised to see this article as the main page for the "world" section of the news.  This earthquake was a moderate one, and caused little damage, which surprises me why they actually did an article on it.  This area is very vulnerable to earthquakes, plus it has high resilience to recover from a quake, so this is nothing new or large in the realm of environmental hazards.




Article Here:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/14/world/asia/papua-new-guinea-earthquake/index.html?hpt=wo_bn4

~*Government Aid Edition! *~ U.S. avoids shutdown of Government

Federal disaster officials realized that they had enough money to pay for hurricane, earthquake, and other disaster recoveries without needing an emergency $1 billion cash infusion, and kicked the date for more decisions until November 18th.  Democrats had argued that cutting the budget to fund disaster relief would set a dangerous precedent. Without having to pay the extra money for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster activities, the Senate eliminated a $1.5 billion cut that House Republicans had made to an energy-efficiency program targeted to carmakers.


This brings up the debate of who should pay for disasters and why.  Currently, many states have easy access to this money when they don't really need it, compared to states who are less vulnerable to disasters yet receive little money.  I believe that this money should come from the state level, because they are the ones who are mainly affected by certain disasters.  In other words, why should citizens in Maine have to pay for earthquake relief in California, each and every time? Yet, if California cannot pay for disaster after disaster, the government should then step in and provide a pool of money for relief.  Also, this stands for a poor example of how a nation this strong would not come together and lend a hand at helping other Americans.


Article here:


http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/27/government-shutdown-averted-with-senate-bill-and-discovery-of-fema-money.html

40 Sq. Miles burned in Nebraska

^Remnants of a hay stack smouldering

Firefighters battled wind-swept grass fires that demolished more that 20,000 acres of farmland and caused millions in farmland and property damage.  It's too early to know an exact dollar amount, but the fire hit as local farmers were harvesting and storing crops for winter.

The fire started after 3 p.m. on Tuesday and was caused by exhaust heat from a combine that was harvesting beans.  Since the land is so hot and dry in that area, just like in Texas, fires easily come and go, adding some additional threats with heavy winds.  An earlier post I made dealt with how a drought has hit Texas, and now the same is lashing in Nebraska.

Article Here:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/nebraska-wildfire_2011-10-05

Industies become more aware of Climate Change

*~Risk Management Special!~*

Due to the frequent number of natural catastrophes this year, there is a hot debate between scientists on whether these hazards are fueled by man and are a direct result from climate change. Business have claimed $67 billion from natural catastrophes, compared to $27billion in the same period last year. 

Cliff Warman, head of the environmental practice for Europe, the Middle East and Africa,  has developed a database of severe weather events on a global basis, which allows clients to assess whether a location is less vulnerable to a severe weather event than in the past, and to model the effects in terms of losses if it were affected.  Catastrophe models have been used for some time to help price risk. However, no one could, or would, attribute a particular natural catastrophe to climate change, because if losses associated with a natural catastrophe were attributed to a population of emitters, then someone would be directly liable.  In order to understand how the climate is changing, and price this into insurance and reinsurance, Mr Warman says trends need to be assessed through actuarial data.

 

Mr. Warman says the level of risk, and risk management, is already taken into account when it comes to environmental insurance, which covers events such as site emissions, environmental damage, pollution and risks to human health.

Article here:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3b6ba70-e506-11e0-9aa8-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1Zqmbk7jv

Typhoon Nesat hits China

A typhoon rampaged past Hong Kong and Hainan Island, one of China's biggest financial centers where schools, businesses, and financial markets closed down.  After passing through the Philippines, killing 39 people and missing 31, the typhoon brought heavy rains and winds, causing many delays on export-dependent harbors.  Tropical cyclones regularly hit Hong Kong, the Philippines and other coastal regions of south China in summer and early in autumn.              

I learned from this article about the different types of warnings that are used to evacuate cities.  Hong Kong has a series of different typhoon warnings. Schools, businesses and government services stop when any No.8 or above typhoon warnings are issued.  Nearly 20 shelters were also set up around Hong Kong, while the government cancelled public events, including the daily flag raising ceremony at the city’s Victoria Harbor. 

Article here:

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/09/29/typhoon-nesat-hits-china

Guatemala landslide kills 15

A landslide in northern Guatemala killed a total of 15 people on tuesday, 3 of them children.  Heavy rains in the morning caused the disaster that loosened the ground and eventually tumbled over houses and crushing people.  Rain and unstable terrain prevented rescue teams from reaching the landslide on foot and crews have been removing dirt with heavy machinery.

This is a classic example of how degradation of the land can easily cause the land to fall apart and cause disasters.  This farm land was already unstable, so with the help of a little rain and previous earthquakes in the weekend, it was a perfect formula.  Farms need to not cut down so many trees and keep some around for their roots to soak up some of the water.

Article Here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/21/us-guatemala-landslide-idUSTRE78K0TH20110921

Earthquake Victims struggle in Himalaya's overnight

After a devastating earthquake that hit the Himalaya's on Monday, rescue workers struggled to provided relief for citizens who were stuck in the high mountains.  Heavy rains and mudslides prevented any sort of help, yet eventually helicopters managed to drop food and supplies and roads were eventually cleared of mud.  This 6.9 earthquake killed 53 people and damaged more than 100,000 homes. 

It is surprising to hear how much of an impact this quake had on surrounding cities; for instance, two men and a child were crushed when a brick wall toppled outside the British Embassy in the capital, Katmandu. Almost 70 more people were injured, and were transported to hospitals across Nepal.  The majority of deaths in India occurred when houses, already weakened from recent monsoon rains, collapsed from the force of the earthquake.

Article here:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iX2jeXsAw-L5eNjWO_uWTss_glhA?docId=1fbea8b8514845efb5e0372d048c4412

6.6 Magnitude Earthquake hits Japan

Location of 6.6 earthquake in Japan

This Saturday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported a decent shake to the southern coast of Japan.  No casualties or damage was immediately reported, but this 6.6 earthquake hit 67 miles southeast of Hachinohe and was shallow, at 22.6 miles beneath the surface.

Due to the recent tsunami Japan had, the country has been quite prepared and on guard for any sort of repeated disaster.  It has been reported that only about 10% of Japanese tsunamis now cause death or damage because of hazard mitigation policies, yet a lack of protection or communication can cause true damage.  I feel that it is important for Japan to be on their toes after their recent disaster, because they never know when disaster will strike.

Article Here:
http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110917/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_earthquake

Texas drought hurts ranchers

As things heated up this summer in Texas with record setting highs, the Lone Star State is beginning to feel the affect of the heat wave as farmers and ranchers struggle to feed animals or grow anything.  The rich land was burnt up, leaving nothing but dry riverbeds, withering grass, compared to the never-ending land of green.  The most affected by this are cattle and sheep ranchers, but has cost the state a record $5.2 billion in livestock and crop losses.


The state received just 7.33 inches of rain this year through August, which is the lowest in four decades.The drought is a result of La Niña, which creates drier-than-normal conditions in the southern United States.  To adapt to this crisis, Texans are adjusting their lifestyles in order to conserve the minimal amount of water left in the state.  For example, restaurants are not giving their guests free water when being served. 

Article here:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/drought/story/2011-09-12/texas-drought-Dust-Bowl-ranchers/50373618/1

Hurricane Irene disrupts natural wildlife & habitat

After the recent devastation that hurricane Irene caused on the east coast, people are finally beginning to become aware of how this natural disaster affected wildlife and the overall ecosystem of animals and other biolife.  As naturalist and green groups have finally caught up with the recovery of personal and human tragedy, the next to facilitate is the environment around them.  This exemplified a classic example of nature vs. nature, rather than man vs. nature.  This enormous storm scattered and tossed around objects as large as boats, causing a large amount of pollution and oil, chemical, and sewage spills.

However, one of the biggest problems environmentalists are facing are not the pollution aspect, but the large scheme crisis of complete destruction of forests or reshaping river-bends.  These natural occurring areas have taken hundreds, even thousands of years to create, but this hurricane tore it all up in a measly day.  This affects animals because not they're natural habitat which they've been living at for years is suddenly gone and wiped away.

^Small fish were swept into a flooded basement in Ausable Forks

Story here:
http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/18370/20110908/irene-s-environmental-legacy-wildlife-habitat-hit-hard-by-storm