Update info
Updated every Friday.
What happened this week?
Chile.
1.
6.0 earthquake
punctuates a sustained seismic swarm off Valparaíso, 30 km (18 mi)
offshore of the major port city of Valparaiso, Chile. Santiago, Chile’s
capital, lies another 100 km (60 mi) inland, where the largest quake was widely
felt...Read more
2.
6.9 earthquake in Chile follows intense seismic
swarm. This earthquake’s epicenter was offshore of the port city of Valparaiso,
and occurred at a depth of 25 km according to both the USGS and EMS...Read more
Dominican Republic.
580 people are displaced and 47 sectors incommunicado due to the rains that
affected this week the Dominican Republic, where 15 of the 32 provinces are on
alert...Read more
Jamaica. Heavy, persistent rain caused by a trough in the
vicinity of Jamaica over the weekend brought disaster to sections of south-east
Clarendon Saturday...Read more
United States.
1.
A 3.5-magnitude earthquake shook extreme northwest
Colorado on Saturday morning, alarming residents in the town of Rangely...Read more
2.
A Flash Flood Watch was issued for portions of
southeastern Kentucky from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon...Read more
3.
Dozens of firefighters have spent Monday on the
lookout for hot spots, after a fast moving wildfire burned through the Golden
Gate Estates area over the weekend (Florida)...Read more
4. The
Sawmill Fire burning north of Sonoita is now estimated to be 18,000 acres in
size and is expected to grow as strong winds grounded air tankers on Tuesday
afternoon (Arizona)...Read more
Interesting
Facts
Forest fires
affect 3.9 thousand hectares in 2017 (Mexico). So far this year, 3,941 forest fires have been
registered in 31 states of the country, which affected an area of 122
thousand hectares, according to the National Forest Commission (CONAFOR)...Read more
Oroville Dam:
Disaster expert says spillway emergency ‘developed and propagated by DWR’. A disaster expert’s review of the Oroville Dam
spillway emergency says the Department of Water Resources could have prevented
everything with better design, better construction and better maintenance...Read more
Supercells: What
to Know About These Dangerous Thunderstorms.
The term supercell is used by meteorologists to describe a breed of
long-lasting thunderstorms which rotate and are accompanied by dangerous
weather conditions, including large hail, damaging winds and sometimes
tornadoes...Read more
What's new in Disaster Risk
Reduction?
$350 Million in National Disaster Fund (Jamaica). The establishment of the Fund forms part of the requirements under the Disaster Risk Management Act which seeks to strengthen the country’s overall national disaster preparedness, emergency management and response processes and mechanisms, and reflects modern, strategic, administrative and legal approaches consistent with current best practices...Read more
How to Reduce Risk from Extreme Weather Events. Events such as the Colombia mudslide, the recent
Peru floods which claimed 100 lives, and last October’s Hurricane Matthew in
Haiti which caused over 600 deaths and US$2.7 billion of economic losses, highlight
the need to address the underlying social and economic forces that place human
settlements at risk...Read more
Mobile networks and natural
disasters: How to prevent a second catastrophe? This global
initiative seeks to strengthen access to communication and information for
those affected by emergencies, helping to reduce loss of life and contribute
positively to humanitarian response...Read more
What happened this week?
Antigua and
Barbuda. On April 17 at 1:23
a.m. local time, a M=5.6 earthquake shook the eastern rim of the Caribbean near
Antigua and Barbuda. Several aftershocks were also recorded, including a M=4.8
approximately one hour after the mainshock. Fortunately, this region is
sparsely populated, and according to the USGS, no greater than light shaking
was felt. Having said that, over 100,000 people were exposed to shaking and 42
people reported feeling the quake on the USGS website...Read more
Canada. State of local emergency issued in B.C. community of
Kaslo after landslide. The Regional District of Central Kootenay ordered the
evacuation late Monday of 47 homes in Kaslo, a community of about 1,000 people
about 450 kilometres east of Vancouver...Read more
Colombia. A deadly landslide has rocked Colombia for the
second time this month, claiming at least 11 lives just weeks after more than
300 were killed in a similar disaster. Twenty remain missing after the
landslide hit several neighbourhoods in Manizales, near the Nevado del Ruiz
volcano...Read more
Peru. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake has struck an Amazonian
region of northern Peru. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries,
though the quake could be felt strongly as far away as Colombia and Ecuador...Read more
United States.
1.
Significant Mile-Wide Tornado, Rated EF3, Damages
Several Homes Near Dimmitt, Texas. A long-lived supercell thunderstorm in the
Texas panhandle Friday evening spawned multiple tornadoes, including one that
was a mile wide and caused EF3 damage just outside the town of Dimmitt...Read more
2.
A brush fire that has been burning just north of
Interstate 75 in Big Cypress National Preserve for two weeks has grown to
almost 17,000 acres and was 38 percent contained Thursday evening, officials
said...Read more
3.
Wildfires continued to break out in Florida on Thursday
as the U.S. Drought Monitor showed the drought has intensified and spread
across much of the central and southern parts of the state. More than 100
wildfires burning up to 20,000 acres continue to blaze across Florida...Read more
Interesting
Facts
New Discoveries
About San Andreas Fault Afterslip Shed Light on Earthquake Risk. Scientists have discovered that the San Andreas
Fault in California continued to slip for up to 12 years after the magnitude 6
Parkfield earthquake that hit the state in 2004. Experts say the discovery
indicates other parts of the fault that are predicted to rupture in the near
future could be at greater risk of afterslip than previously thought...Read more
Retreating Yukon
glacier caused a river to disappear. Last
spring, its retreat triggered a geologic event at relatively breakneck speed.
The toe of ice that was sending meltwater toward the Slims River and then north
to the Bering Sea retreated so far that the water changed course, joining the
Kaskawulsh River and flowing south toward the Gulf of Alaska...Read more
USGS Assessment of
Brackish Water Could Help Nation Stretch Limited Freshwater Supplies. This study, the first of its kind in more than 50
years, found that the amount of brackish groundwater underlying the country is
more than 800 times the amount currently used each year. With issues like
drought, groundwater depletion, dwindling freshwater supplies, and demand for
groundwater expected to continue to rise...Read more
When a natural
disaster isn’t a disaster. Humans
often do more harm than good when we try to rebuild damaged landscapes. We
tried to return the forests and beaches to what they looked like before
disaster struck. But in doing so, we disrupt the natural recovery of those
ecosystems...Read more
What's new in Disaster Risk
Reduction?
How can Peru prepare to withstand more devastating floods and landslides? After record rains caused $3bn worth of damage, Peru must build infrastructure to prepare for any more extreme climate events in the future...Read more
New Jersey American Water Breaks Ground on $65 Million Flood Protection Project. New Jersey American Water is breaking ground today on a significant, long-term flood protection project at its Raritan-Millstone Water Treatment Plant. This $65 million investment will help ensure protection from the increased risk of flooding during extreme weather events, and maintain a sustainable water supply for more than 1 million people in Central New Jersey...Read more
Texas introduces new earthquake-monitoring system. As part of the TexNet Seismic Monitoring Program,
scientists and engineers at UT’s Bureau of Economic Geology are installing
seismometers, devices that measure the ground’s motion, throughout Texas in
order to better understand the rise in earthquakes in recent years. The sensors
will help researchers locate where earthquakes occur, measure their intensity
and determine potential causes...Read more
Tuscaloosa finishes drought plan. While
officials expect Lake Tuscaloosa to never run dry, the city of Tuscaloosa -- at
the insistence of the state -- has completed a plan of action in case that day
ever comes...Read more
What happened this week?
Argentina. Macri visited the areas affected by the floods in
Tucumán. The President met with a group of families affected by the floods at
the Emergency Operations Center in the town of Monteagudo and committed the
provision of "all the tools" of the Government to assist the victims...Read more
El Salvador. More than 370 small to moderately strong earthquakes
were recorded under San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, since Monday,
April 10, 2017. At least one person has been killed and three injured.
Authorities said the shaking is attributed to the movement of local geological
faults...Read more
United States.
1.
A brush fire
that has been burning in western Broward County grew to 6,600 acres on
Saturday, according to the Florida Forest Service. No
structures were threatened and the efforts to reduce the flames Friday night
were successful...Read more
2.
The weather service
confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down in the Irvington area and an EF0
touched down in Chesapeake on Thursday. No
injuries or fatalities were reported...Read more
3.
The National Weather
Service confirmed Friday that two tornadoes touched down in the District during
Thursday’s storms. Though tornadoes have hit the region in previous years, a
twister touching down in the District is a rarity...Read more
Interesting
Facts
A powerful new
tool reveals how climate change could transform your hometown. The updated system lets you zip across the 48
contiguous states (and Washington DC), and see for yourself how the local
climate in any given neighborhood is likely to change between 2010 and 2100...Read more
California
Governor Declares End to Drought Emergency.
One of the worst droughts in California history has officially ended,
Governor Jerry Brown declared on Friday, but not before it strained the state's
farm economy and threatened water supplies for millions of residents...Read more
Floods hit at
least seven countries in South America. Floods
caused by heavy rains affect several countries in Latin America: Argentina, Uruguay,
Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, where hundreds of people were
forced to leave their homes, while at least three people are reported...Read more
New state museum
exhibit explains why natural disasters occur. Nature Unleashed, a new exhibit at the Indiana State
Museum, aims to help Hoosiers understand why tornadoes, earthquakes,
hurricanes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions occur, and show how they can
prepare in advance to have the best chance of survival no matter what the
planet throws their way...Read more
Scientists study
why Sand Mountain is tornado magnet. Researchers
said that of 49 tornadoes that touched down in the Sand Mountain area in the
last 10 years, 32 of them formed on top of the mountain. This spring
researchers will deploy scores of weather balloons in Northeast Alabama in
advance of approaching storm fronts to collect data...Read more
What's new in Disaster Risk
Reduction?
China to relocate millions of people away from disaster zones. The government says it has already assisted in resettling 1.2 million “ecological migrants” and aims to move 1.4 million more people “away from geological threats” by 2020, according to its five-year social and economic development plan...Read more
Five million euros for flood protection in the Mekong Delta cities. The Swiss Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs (SECO) will finace 5 million euros to help prevent floods in three Mekong Delta cities including An Giang, Kien Giang and Ca Mau in the 2017-2019 period...Read more
Mongolia to lead on disaster strategy target. Mongolia has pledged to lead by example and inspire countries across Asia to meet the most pressing target of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, a global blueprint for tackling natural and human-induced hazards...Read more
New brochure alerts landowners to landslide hazards and what to do. Geology experts in Washington and Oregon have produced an easy-to-read brochure that can help people understand landslide risks, the underlying geology of slides and precautions that could avoid a disaster...Read more
Reducing risk after the flood. Over 90 percent of federal dollars for flood risk
reduction is appropriated to flood-damaged areas in the aftermath of a disaster
through off-budget, supplemental legislation. Very little money for risk
reduction is available before floods occur...Read more
UN, humanitarian partners to launch $40M appeal for
flood-hit Peru. The funds will be used to assist more than 400,000
people battling high waters and landslides from rains that began in early
March...Read more
What happened this week?
Canada. Three municipalities in southwestern Manitoba
declared local states of emergency due to overland flooding in their regions. The
rural municipalities of Two Borders declared the state of emergency late
Thursday, while the municipalities of Dufferin and La Broquerie followed suit
on Friday...Read more
Colombia. Reports of the exact number of those killed in the
rugged, remote area vary. The Colombian military said at least 254 are dead and
around 400 more injured. The Red Cross reports 234 deaths and said that 158
people were missing. A police officer was among the victims, federal officials
said...Read more
Mexico.
After seven hours, 100 elements of Civil Protection, the
Fire Department and the Secretary of Public Security of the delegation of
Xochimilco, managed to extinguish the fire reported that affected 10 hectares...Read more
A fire on the Tepopote hill in Zapopan this afternoon
mobilizes the fire corporations of that municipality, Guadalajara and forest
brigade. The Environment and Territorial Development Secretariat (Semadet)
specifies that the forest fire is outside the Protected Natural Area of La
Primavera Forest...Read more
United States.
A tornado flipped a mobile home Sunday in Louisiana,
killing a mother and her 3-year-old daughter as a storm system with
hurricane-force winds crawled across the Deep South, damaging homes and
businesses. Parts of Arkansas and Mississippi were also under a threat of
tornadoes, but the bullseye was on much of Louisiana...Read more
Fire crews battled a
brush fire that burned roughly 26 acres in Mojave Narrows Park Thursday as
authorities arrested an arson suspect in the area. Fire quickly spread due to
light grass and heavy winds...Read more
NWS estimates 20
tornadoes touched down in Georgia Monday. Crews have been working nearly round
the clock cleaning the mess left by the tornado that churned through
Carrollton, tearing the roof off a fire station in a long path of destruction...Read more
Interesting
Facts
Flood-drought cycle can deteriorate drinking water. The findings, published in the journal Biogeochemistry, indicate that "whiplash weather," in which weather veers from drought to flood, for example, will lead to changes in farm production, with particular concern about how it will affect fertilizer use...Read more
Mocoa, the endless
tragedy of Colombia. Mocoa is
one of those cities of Colombia that gathers all the evils that prevent this
country from getting rid of the label of chronic inequality. The Saturday landslide
that killed 250 people is just one more chapter of the black history of this
region of Putumayo plagued by poverty, the violence of more than half a century
of conflict and the cruelty of nature...Read more
Water shortages expected in New Mexico. In all but one corner of New Mexico, water managers are
projecting shortages in drinking and irrigation supplies given expected demand
and variability in rainfall over the next few decades...Read more
What's new in Disaster Risk
Reduction?
Disaster resilience: top issue for tourist trade. In a nation where tourism represents close to one-tenth of the economy, the issue of Mexico’s hotel trade’s resilience to natural hazards is top of the list. It’s fitting that Cancun is hosting the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction next month, given that all 175 of the Caribbean resort’s hotels are built to withstand a category 3 hurricane...Read more
Local,
strategic and economic: a recipe for risk reduction. Local governments,
strategic thinking and the economic bottom line are driving forces of efforts
to curb the impacts of natural and human-induced hazards. Delegates at the
European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction put the focus on a 2020 target for
having national and local risk strategies in place, set by the international
community two years ago...Read more
Palestinian
task force seeks to improve disaster management. Palestine will
start preparing a risk analysis study and a national disaster risk management
strategy in early 2018. In the second half of the year, a risk map will be
established for Palestine for the coming years...Read more
Turkey
tackles earthquake risk. The lamp in the classroom begins to
sway. The desks start to shake. If you’ve never faced an earthquake, Turkey’s
AFAD national disaster management authority can give you a taste. “This is
based on real experiences,” said Mr. Zekeriya Ozturk, information officer for
AFAD’s simulator truck, at the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction...Read more