March 24, 2017

What happened this week?

Mexico. Ten forest fires are active in the state of Morelos, confirmed the Unified State Forest Fire Command. It has deployed a task force of more than 150 forest fighters from the National Forestry Commission of the Secretariat of Sustainable Development, Civil Protection and rural brigadistas that work to control and extinguish the fire... Read more

 

Peru. An unusual bout of heavy rains powered by El Niño conditions have drenched parts of Peru with 10 times more rainfall than normal, causing rivers to overflow, and mudslides to destroy roads and farms. More than 70 deaths have been attributed to the flooding, which has isolated hundreds and displaced thousands... Read more

United States. Heavy precipitation leads to seventh disaster declaration. Gov. Butch Otter has now signed state disaster declarations for seven north central and northern Idaho counties currently managing flooding-related issues associated with snowmelt and ongoing precipitation..Read more

Interesting Facts

Climate breaks multiple records in 2016, with global impacts. The year 2016 made history, with a record global temperature, exceptionally low sea ice, and unabated sea level rise and ocean heat, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Extreme weather and climate conditions have continued into 2017...Read more

California faces significant flood risk and funding shortfalls. With its aging dams, collapsing levees and outdated flood control systems, a state report Wednesday said California is ground zero for devastating floods — as San Jose experienced last month — and that billions of dollars in additional funding is needed to fix decaying infrastructure...Read more

 

Peru floods in line with climate change models, says climatologist Mojib Latif. Peru is being hit by devastating flooding. Is it a natural weather cycle or an impact of climate change?...Read more

 

Under the dead sea, warnings of dire drought. Nearly 1,000 feet below the bed of the Dead Sea, scientists have found evidence that during past warm periods, the Mideast has suffered drought on scales never recorded by humans—a possible warning for current times. Thick layers of crystalline salt show that rainfall plummeted to as little as a fifth of modern levels some 120,000 years ago, and again about 10,000 years ago...Read more

Tornadoes in the Southeast May Be Influenced by Mountainous Terrain; VORTEX-SE Project Investigating This Spring. Scientists this spring will gather more details on evidence that suggests tornadoes are influenced by terrain in parts of the southeastern U.S. Of particular interest for this investigation is a mountainous area of northern Alabama, where it's thought that the local environment has aided in tornado development in past events...Read more

 

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

The governments of Argentina, Brazil and Chile will convert the Hercules in hydrant planes. If a significant fire, the other two countries could attend the third. Personnel of the Argentine Aircraft Factory Brigadier San Martín (Fadea) in Córdoba, where the 4 Hercules C-130 are currently located, assures that the airplane allows the incorporation of a removable hydrant system...Read more

 

Living close to risk (Argentina): 7 out of 10 informal settlements are only yards away from a danger factor. According to Techo, most of the settlements are next to a stream, a high traffic route or a landfill; urbanization dilutes the possibility of accidents and health problems...Read more

Hancock Co. to spend $500,000 to repair tornado sirens. “It’s the last means of letting them know that the severe weather is actually here in our backyard,” said Misty Moore, director of Hancock County Emergency management agency...Read more