Cyclone Phailan Causes Mass Evacuation in Eastern India

Tropical Cyclone Phailan, the strongest storm to hit India in the last 14 years, made landfall in Odisha state on Saturday the 12^th of October. The storm pulverized the eastern coast, causing littered wet streets and huge holes in buildings.  At least 13 people were killed from trees and buildings that collapsed when the storm hit, according to the Chief of Police, Prakash Mishra. The India Disaster Management Authority also confirmed an additional fatality in Andhra Pradesh state. The death toll had been feared to be much larger, but mass evacuations of the affected area prior to the storms arrival, considerably limited the number of deaths, according to officials. Naveen Patnaik, Odisha’s chief minister, commented on the favorable lack of fatalities, stating “It is a huge, huge relief.” One of the downfalls of the precautionary measures instigated before the storm was authorities cutting the electrical systems in the affected districts, which could take several days to restore according to authorities. According to meteorologists, Phailan made landfall as a category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds. By Sunday it ad depreciated to a level 1 hurricane with winds of about 80 mph. India evacuated nearly a million people before the storm hit, almost 900,000 in Odisha alone. Most of the evacuees were housed in 250 emergency shelters set up in sturdy buildings and government offices. The storm disrupted power and communication as well as affecting rail and roads from flooding. Additionally, crops are expected to suffer from the storms trail of destruction. Before Phailan made landfall, military units and National Disaster Response Force personnel were deployed to provide relief supplies and medical services, according to CNN-IBN.

Photograph of Cyclone Phailan

 Image of established relief operation in Orissa, India.

Image of one of the established storm centers for the evacuees.

Video of Cyclone Phailin with media coverage.

Article: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/13/world/asia/india-cyclone-phailin-aftermath/

Images: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-24487130

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak2OQL97xto

Extreme Blizzard Kills Thousands of South Dakota Cattle

A strangely large and untimely snowstorm hit South Dakota from 10/3 to 10/5, which averaged 30 inches of snow, with some areas recording almost 5 feet according to The Weather Channel. Unprepared ranchers and farmers were devastated by the snowstorm that killed tens of thousands of cattle, ravaging the state’s $7 billion dollar industry. According to state and industry officials, approximately 75,000 cattle have died since the record breaking storm hit the western section of the state. The South Dakota Stock Growers Association claimed that an estimated 15 to 20 percent of all the cattle in the state.  Many ranchers reported that they had lost more than half of their cattle. The snow storm came with hurricane-force winds, driving cattle herds miles away from their ranches in search of shelter. Martha Wierzbicki, emergency management director for Butte County, South Dakota, said that trails of dead cattle carcasses were present everywhere after the storm subsided. Many ranchers have no one to assist them for reimbursement because of the lack of new congressional subsidies for agriculture producers that would provide support in such circumstances. State Agriculture Secretary Lucas Lentsch, called the early-season blizzard “devastating to our producers.” The most immediate concern, following the blizzard, is the disposal of all the dead livestock. According to state law they must be burned, buried or rendered within 36 hours in order to prevent the spread of disease to other cattle or people in the surrounding communities. Dustin Oedekoven, South Dakota’s state veterinarian, attested to the importance of disposal, stating that they “can be a significant source of disease spread, so we want to make sure those carcasses are burned, buried or rendered as quickly as possible.” The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association warned that the effects of the snowstorm would be present years afterwards. The loss of tens of thousands of cattle, including the prospect of calves that would have been delivered by many of those cattle, has caused and will continue to affect the cattle numbers in South Dakota. Additionally, the stress of the storm will leave its mark on surviving herds, according to the South Dakota State University Agricultural Extension Service, from the host of ruinous diseases present from the decaying carcasses.

A shopper wades through a large snow drift in downtown Rapid City SOuth Dakota. 

Photograph: Chris Huber/AP

Radar image of snowfall for South Dakota during the snowstorm.

Frozen Cattle along Highway 34 east of Sturgis, South Dakota.

Video of the snowstorm from 10/5/2013

Article: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/08/20876196-shutdown-worsens-historic-blizzard-that-killed-tens-of-thousands-of-south-dakota-cattle?lite

Pictures: http://www.worldmag.com/2013/10/south_dakota_staggers_under_early_blizzard

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CRr-Xm516o

Red Alert as Typhoon Fitow Hits Eastern China

Hundreds of thousands of people evacuated from eastern China after Typhoon Fitow made contact with the shore. Winds were recorded at upwards of 151 km/h (93mph). The storm made landfall at 01:15 local time on Monday (17:15 GMT Sunday) in the city of Fuding, China according to Chinese meteorologists. The area received the highest alert status (red) by authorities. At first, the typhoon caused heavy rains and widespread power cuts. Areas of China were hit with up to 8 inches of rain, according to the AFP news agency. The Provincial Flood Control Office issued a statement explaining that the typhoon had affected 3 million people in Zhejiang while causing more than 300 million dollars worth of economic damage. According to Xinhua, the state-run news agency, the Fujian Province evacuated over 177,000 people before the storm hit the coast, while more than 574,000 people had to leave their homes. Additionally, Xinhua has confirmed at least two people killed by the typhoon. State media also reported that 65,000 boats were ordered to harbor for shelter in Zhejiang and Fujian, trains and coach services were suspended in several cities, and dozens of flights were cancelled. The storm is now moving north-west and is expected to weaken quickly. Typhoon Fitow is the 23^rd tropical storm to hit China this year according to Xinhua. Therefore China is used to dealing with extreme weather events but, nonetheless, the risk remains high.

Image of Zhejing and Fujian Provinces that experienced the hardest blow of Typhoon Fitow.

Image of a storm surge in eastern China brought by Typhoon Fitow.

Image of the standstill boats that were order by Chinese authorities to take shelter from Typhoon Fitow.

Video of Typhoon Fitow along with media coverage of the affects of the storm.

Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-24424336

Pictures: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-24424336

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12wx-qBL8ZA

Five Hikers Killed by Colorado Rock Slide

A rock slide killed five hikers and seriously injured another in south-central Colorado on September 30, 2013. According to Chaffee County Undersheriff, John Speeze, the boulders from the rock slide were reported as exceeding over 100 tons. The falling rock crashed into a viewing area on a popular day-hike site, which left a 100 yard gash below Mount Princeton. Rescuers located the five bodies and the injured13 year-old with a broken leg within the crash site. The girl was immediately flown to a Denver hospital. According to Speeze "It was totally unexpected. It caught everybody by surprise." Monica Broaddus, the sheriff's department spokeswoman, said rescuers left the mountain Monday afternoon and that the recovery effort would continue only after an engineer could survey the slide area to insure that it was safe to remove the bodies. The slide occurred at approximately 11 a.m. on a San Isabel National Forest trail that led to Agnes Vaille Falls. According to Margaret Dean, a regular hiker in the area, the trail was a highly recommended tourist location for hikers. The rock slides will most likely lead to a decrease in tourism in the area until the rocks can be removed from the trail and safety measures can be introduced to protect future hikers from vulnerability to the natural hazard. 

Image of the aftermath of the rockslide below Mount Princeton, a 14,197- foot mountain.

News Report of the aftermath of the rockslide with images of the affected area and emergency response teams.

Article: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57605367/rock-slide-kills-five-hikers-in-colorado/

Picture: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/us/colorado-hikers-rockslide/index.html

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqikcaKNeWk