Flood in Australia

Thousands of people were forced out of their homes on Sunday in New South Wales due to a rise in floodwaters.  More than 1500 people were evacuated to shelters because of forecasts of heavy rain later in the week.  Police in the area found a woman's body and believe she was washed 500 meters away from her car on Tuesday in floodwaters.  An average of 50mm of rain was likely to fall in some areas and others could get more than 100mm. 

I'm really glad that Australia is on top of their game and evacuating people before the disaster occurs.  They have the technology and forecast more rainfall and are doing what they can to help these people get out of the bad situations.  This all is possible because Australia is a more developed country with the right infrastructure to withstand an event such as this.


http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2010/12/05/Floods-in-Australia-force-thousands-out/UPI-43761291582683/
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/hundreds-cut-off-by-deadly-floods-20101208-18pxi.html

Mudslide in Colombia

Heavy rains caused a massive mudslide in Bello, Columbia.  The mudslide buried between 30-50 homes.  Officials believe that this happened on Sunday afternoon, when families were together for meals.  Rescue teams have uncovered 30 bodies from the mud and debris.  There are still more than 60 people missing.  There had been weeks of rain and flooding in many of the states that caused this event.  This happened when a saturated hilltop above the La Gabriela neighborhood collapsed.  Those who died included children who were playing in an adjoining park.  According to government secretary of Bello, "The zone, geologically, is very unstable."  There is at least 194 people dead and 248 injured from the rains throughout Columbia. 

I'm not sure I know how to react to an event like this.  I would think that with all the rain they've been getting, Columbia would have kept an eye on event like this and trying to prevent them from happening or injuring the people it did.  The worst part of this is that it happened at a bad time, when families were getting together for a meal.  I'm glad to hear that there are rescue teams out looking for people.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/12/07/colombia.landslide/index.html?iref=allsearch
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7553236-30-bodies-pulled-from-mudslide-in-columbia-60-others-still-missing

Storm on the East Coast

Storms that were suspected to be tornadoes touched down in Louisiana and South Carolina and reached the northeast on late Wednesday.  As it made its way north, the rain turned into snow due to the colder air.  In parts of Virgina, sandbags were handed out to protect homes from flooding.  Along the east coast, at least three people were killed, flights were delayed, and thousands were without electricity.  According to police in New Jersey, a man was killed and his wife injured when a tree toppled and struck their car.  The National Weather Service said in Buford, Georgia a tornado went through with winds as high as 130 mph, damaging more than 50 homes.  There was flooding in Pennsylvania caused by wet, wintry weather. 

This is quite interesting because we just learned in class how the changes in the air can cause it to rain or snow and this is a perfect example because the rain turned into snow as it got colder.  This has impacted thousands of people because so many were without power and a few were even killed!  The only thing I can see that can be prevented is if people were not out driving and instead indoors in their basement, where it would be safe.  But at the rate the storm passed through you could have been like the one family where the mom didn't have time to get the kids to the basement and the storm already hit.  The homes that were damaged, will hopefully get their insurances to help pay for the damages. 


http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2010-12-01-east-coast-storm_N.htm

Winter Weather Blast in Europe

When I wrote about this heavy snowfall on Monday, there weren't as much information on it yet because it was just starting.  Now I will report on it again and hopefully have more information. 

In Poland, at least eight homeless people have been killed due to the heavy snow and subzero temperatures.  Major airports in Britain and Switzerland are closed.  London's second largest airport was forced to shut down Wednesday as staff struggled to clear runways of snow.  This winter weather caused some 2,000 accidents on German roads.  In Austria a 69-year-old retiree froze to death overnight when slipped on a snow-covered bridge on his way home and lost consciousness.  Many flights were delayed and canceled.  Meteorologist Heinz Maurer said, "We've got unusually cold air over large parts of the eastern Atlantic, and where that meets warm air coming for example from the Mediterranean you have a lot of snow."  In Poland, police were looking for homeless people and getting them into shelters. 

I'm glad to hear that in Poland they have police out searching for homeless people and finding shelters for them.  This kind of relates to what we learned recently in class with cold air and warm air meeting, which gives a lot of snow.  I'm just waiting to see what they aftermath will be.  At this point Europe is taking precaution by cancelling flights and closing airports.  Europe is a more developed country, so I am thinking that they will have a plan for what to do once the storm is over.  They can also forecast what the weather will be like and warn people about what's coming their way.  With these warning, I would hope that people will make some wise decisions and stay indoors and not end up like the one person who froze to death.  This event has caused many tragedies and I hope it doesn't do any more damage than it already has.  


http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/winter/2010-12-01-europe-winter-weather_N.htm

Earthquake in Japan

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's southern coast Tuesday, shaking a broad swath of the country and swaying buildings in downtown Tokyo.  There were no damage or injuries immediately reported.  Japan's meteorological agency said there was no danger of a tsunami. 

I have to say I am not surprised an earthquake of this magnitude hit Japan.  Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.  Back in 1995, Japan had an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 killed 6,400 people in the western port city of Kobe.  Japan is a more developed country, so they will have the technology to predict when such an event is going to happen.  However, it would take a lot to have people evacuate an area incase an earthquake did happen.  If an earthquake was to occur, it would affect a lot of people like it did back in 1995. 


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/29/AR2010112906715.html

Snowstorm in Scotland



Scotland was hit by heavy snow and freezing temperatures, bringing chaos to roads and transport links across the country.  The Met office issued a severe weather warning for areas across Scotland with snowfalls of five to 15 cm.  Drivers were advised to not travel unless absolutely necessary.  Drivers on A82 were at a standstill with 200 vehicles stranded at one point.  Hundreds of schools across the country were closed.  In total, some 800 schools were closed in Scotland.  In the North-east and Scotland, some areas had snowfalls of more than 16 inches.  Traffic came to a standstill in heavy snow, where cars broke down and lorries struggled with the ice.  More snow is expected to fall in coming week and temperatures are dropping as well. 

Wow 16 inches of snow is quite a lot and more is expected!  The closest experience to this kind of heavy snowfall I can remember is last December when school was closed due to the snowstorm that occurred.  Since Scotland is a more developed country, I suspect that they will do all that they can to keep the roads clear and get traffic moving.  Scotland also has technology that will allow them to forecast what the weather will be like in the coming days, so people will know what to expect and better prepare themselves.  At this point there are many people affected by this event.  This snowstorm can get worse if snow continues to fall, but only time will tell.  Scotland can prepare themselves by making sure they have sufficient salt to salt the roads and have snow removed.

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/212645-weather-brings-scotland-to-a-standstill/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11856694

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Snow-Weather-Severe-Weather-Warnings-Arctic-Temperatures-Treacherous-Commuting-Conditions/Article/200907415838366?lpos=UK_News_Top_Stories_Header_4&lid=ARTICLE_15838366_Snow_Weather%3A_Severe_Weather_Warnings_Arctic_Temperatures_Treacherous_Commuting_Conditions

Tornadoes in the Midwest

Last Monday, November 22, a tornado ripped through Wisconsin.  Officials said severe storms moved throughout the region leaving significant damage.  A twister passed near Walworth County on Monday afternoon.  The twister caused damage to eight homes according to the National Weather Service.  It is suspected that a second tornado may have caused some heavy damage in Racine County, but the National Weather Service has not confirmed reports of a second twister.  Some residents of an assisted-living facility had to be moved after heavy winds caused structural damage and forced the facility to rely on generator power. 

In Illinois, some children were injured when the bus they were riding rolled over due to high winds.  The emergency management director said  heavy winds destroyed the Caledonia town hall and one home, damaged three others and knocked out power to more than 500 residents.  According to the weather service, one business was severely damaged and a cracked grain silo was leaking grain. 

It is quite strange that there is a tornado at this time of year.  People in this area expect something like that to happen in the summer months.  The damage in Wisconsin and Illinois were both pretty bad causing all the damage that it did.  I think people may have been better prepared had this happened in the summer.  However, the upside of it is things are being down to help people get back to their homes safely.  In the case of the bus that rolled over, I think it should have not been operating in the first place if winds were strong enough to tip it over.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/11/22/illinois.wisconsin.storms/index.html?iref=allsearch
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/11/23/wisconsin.severe.weather/index.html?iref=allsearch