Snow storm in Upper Midwest!!

A snow storm hit the upper Midwest Sunday dumping more than a foot of snow in some areas.  In Minneapolis the storm system dropped 10.6 inches of snow where Menomonie, WI got 13.8 inches and Eau Claire 13 inches by Sunday night.  These conditions made roads treacherous and unsafe, leading to at least one fatal crash in Minnesota.  This has been Minneapolis' heaviest snowfall since the blizzard two years ago that caused the Metrodome roof to collapse.  Stadium officials took precautions and blasted the heat in an effort to melt the snow from the roof as quickly as possible.  Minnesota state patrol reported more than 600 crashes by Monday morning, 1,140 spinouts, and 63 other accidents which also reported injuries.  Many schools were closed Monday across Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Around 150 flights were cancelled on Sunday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, but flights were operating on time Monday morning.  Snowplows worked on clearing highways, ramps, and bridges for drivers, but many crashes still occurred.   According to meteorologist Paul Douglas, Every storm is different, and this one was especially fickle, for a number of reasons. Usually a thick layer of cold air needs to be in place for a major snowfall. We didn’t have that with this storm, temperatures aloft fairly close to freezing this morning. But the upward motion, the vertical velocities associated with this storm are unusually intense. Not only does this create moderate to heavy snow, but strong upward motion cools the column of air overhead, preventing a changeover to ice or rain, which would keep final amounts down.  Nevertheless, many people are welcoming the snow because there was not much snow last winter and it is getting people more into the Christmas spirit!!

 http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2012/12/10/upper-midwest-minnesota-snow/1758335/
 http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50143431/#50143431
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/snowstorm-buries-minneapolis-northern-plains/2012/12/10/f95df9aa-42d8-11e2-9648-a2c323a991d6_blog.html

Death toll continues to rise from Typhoon Bopha

Authorities say the death toll has climbed above 700 from the destructive typhoon that hit southern Philippines last week.  Typhoon Bopha is the strongest and deadliest storm to hit the Philippines this year and nearly 900 more people are still unaccounted for in the aftermath..  Both the number of deaths and missing people have risen during the past few days and are still likely to increase further this week said Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Control.  If not many people are found a live, Bopha could prove to be more deadly than Tropical Storm Washi, which killed 1,268 people only a year ago.  Hundreds to thousands of people have to live in evacuation centers, must rely on the government for some form of assistance, and are begging for food and water everyday. 

Farming communities were the worst hit and it may take years for them to recover, which is not good for the community, which rely on it for their livelihood.  The United Nations announced a global appeal to raise $65 million to help people affected by the storm and emergency funds are being released due to President Benigno Aquino III declaring a state of national calamity.  Local authorities are being criticized for not anticipating the scale of the destruction, thus why so many people lost their lives.  Also it was said the illegal logging and mining may have contributed to landslides and flash floods around the area.  Ramon Paje, Environmental Secretary of Aquino's government said the devastation on Mindanao is now proving that timber harvesting must stop especially in natural forests.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/11/world/asia/philippines-typhoon/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Rare Tornado Hits New Zealand

A rare tornado killed 3 people in New Zealand earlier this week and damaged more than 250 peoples' homes causing $11 million worth of damage. These residents that lost their homes were taken to an air force base in Whenuapai, where council staff and welfare workers assisted them. People described this unusual storm as a "mini tornado", uprooting trees, damaging buildings, and flooded roads causing them to close.  Sam Nuthall told reporters "You couldn't see it coming ... there was debris flying everywhere, steel getting thrown around."  Others described it as getting very still and very very black and all of a sudden it hit.  New Zealand isn't prone to large destructive tornadoes like the Midwest in the U.S. because of its temperate maritime climate.  Daniel Corbett a meteorologist said that there was very warm, humid air hanging around that created the conditions for this tornado to occur.  Meteorologists also failed to warn people of this fatal tornado saying that it is harder to predict these tornadoes because they are too small to see on radar.  But they did give out warnings of strong tornado like wind gusts. This tornado also equalled the deadliest recorded in New Zealand's history.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/new-zealand-tornado-auckland_n_2249360.html
http://news.sky.com/story/1021425/new-zealand-tornado-hundreds-flee-storm
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10852906

Typhoon Bopha hits the Philippines

Typhoon Bopha hit southern Philippines and destroyed buildings while setting off floods and landslides early this December.  Bopha is the most powerful typhoon to hit this area in decades with top winds at 110 mph.  Millions of people were in its path that lived in unprepared communities.  The typhoon has affected more than 213,000 people and more than 179,000 people are in evacuation centers.  A landslide occurred blocking a national highway leaving hundreds of people stuck on the road.  Today, the official death toll has climbed to 325 people with nearly 400 Filipinos still unaccounted for.  It appears the Typhoon Bopha could be twice as deadly as Hurricane Sandy.  This typhoon has washed away villages, roads and buildings, flattened cornfields and banana plantations, destroyed fishing fleets, and buried homes under landslides.  Local authorities have been doing their best relocating people and preparing evacuation centers.  Maintenance workers have also been working on clearing mud and rocks on roads so traffic is able to get through.  The fact that some areas did not have the best preparation of typhoons really made a difference in how they were affected by the storm. 

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=79924
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/04/world/asia/philippines-typhoon/index.html
http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/typhoon-bopha-hurricane-sandy-times-two/
 

Train cars leak toxic chemical in New Jersey

Four train cars crashed into a creek near the Deleware River after falling off a failed bridge in Paulsboro, New Jersey.  All four train cars were carrying vinyl chloride a highly toxic and flammable substance, which leaked from at least one car into the creek. 71 patients went to the local hospital with respiratory issues and scratchy throats with 68 being discharged later, 3 still remained in stable condition.  Nearby schools were placed on lockdown and areas were evacuated around the accident.  Officals say that the air surrounding the wreck is being monitored and is safe. 
Vinyl chloride is a chemical used to make plastic and vinyl products and according to the Environmental Protection Agency is a Group A human carcinogen.  Just a short time exposure to this chemical in the air can result in central nervous system effects, such as dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches.  Agencies are working to remove the wreckage and getting the rest of the material out of the train car with great caution.  Luckily no one was severely injured in this incident, but this could have happened if people were around the area where the train cars derailed.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/30/us/new-jersey-train-derail/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

Flooding in the UK

Heavy rains flooded the UK earlier this week and forecasters say nearly a month's worth of more rain (70 mm) could fall by the end of the week.  There were more than 500 flood warnings and alerts in place and with cold weather coming, there may be treacherous freezing conditions as well.  A total of three people died in the flood over the weekend including a 21 year old girl, 50 year old man and a 77 year old man.  More than 100,000 people were  contacted via telephone, letter, or text message of the flood coming because they had signed up for the Environment Agency's free Floodline Warnings Direct system.  Train networks were closed down or delayed up to seven hours, while some residents just kayaked down the streets.  Residents were also warned to boil tap water for fear that the water may have been contaminated by the floods.  The Environment Agency estimated that 940 properties have been flooded since last Wednesday and also flood defenses in England and Wales have protected nearly 50,000 properties.

We just talked about floods in class on Tuesday and one of the statistics was that the United Kingdom has a 4.8% flood-prone population which isn't very high compared to Bangladesh at 80%.  Flood prone environments include areas that are low lying parts of major floodplains, low lying coasts and deltas, small basins, areas below unsafe or inadequate dams, low lying inland shorelines, and alluvial fans.  The article did not touch on if the area was flood prone, but they did mention how flood defenses protected nearly 50,000 properties which shows how MDCs have ways to prevent damage.  Overall the major physical cause of this flood was heavy excessive rainfall and they were lucky to have forecasting and warning systems in order to prepare for what was to come.  Insurers and the government are attempting to strike up a deal in order to help the residents get back on their feet, but as the water level continues to rise, people are getting more uneasy.  The insurers want the place a surcharge on all insurance premiums to create new funding to cover flooding, but they also want the government to back up any shortfalls during intense flooding; so far there has been no deal on that  The events that just happened in the UK shows why insurance is so important and it is also important for homeowners to learn their rights and what they can ask of insurance companies why they pay claims.

http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC121127-0000072/More-flooding-in-the-UK,-icy-weather-on-the-way

A Blast from Natural Gas

A gas leak triggered an explosion in Springfield, Massachusetts that injured 18 people.  The explosion blew out every window within a three block radius and a 6 story apartment building was evacuated because the foundation started to buckle.  People were literally knocked off their feet by the blast and those that were injured included firefighters, policemen, gas company employees, and civilians.  According to Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray, the blast was heard for miles and  it was a miracle that no one was killed.  The gas leak was located in a strip club, but thankfully everyone was had evacuated by the time it ignited.  A fire marshall told the press conference that the explosion took place 15 minutes after the gas was shut off.

A gas leak is a serious concern as you can see in the case of the explosion in Springfield.  Most people can tell a gas leak by the rotten egg odor or a hissing sound.  If someone hadn't noticed these signs in the strip club, many more people may have been injured or killed.  It is important to leave the area immediately and to not use any electrical devices that could trigger the gas to ignite. It is important for pipes to be checked for leaks regularly by a professional.  Also it is essential for land use planning, that buildings or houses are not to built over natural gas pipelines.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/23/15394216-blast-tied-to-natural-gas-rips-through-springfield-mass-buildings-18-hurt?lite#__utma=238145375.1944660864.1346965793.1353642130.1353727584.30&__utmb=238145375.8.9.1353727627939&__utmc=238145375&__utmx=-&__utmz=238145375.1353727584.30.28.utmcsr=google|utmccn=%28organic%29|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=%28not%20provided%29&__utmv=238145375.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc|us%20news=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.msnbc.msn.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=164249980