Earth Report – Global Disaster Watch
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.2 Earthquake hits Tonga.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Volcano Islands off Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Balleney Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Talmud, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquake hits southeast of Easter Island.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the North Atlantic: Hurricane Nicole is located about 675 mi…1090 km SSE of Halifax Nova Scotia with maximum sustained winds…85 mph…140 km/h. Present movement…ENE or 65 degrees at 21 mph…33 km/h.
In the Eastern Pacific: Invest 99E is an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific that has the potential for further tropical development.
In the Western Pacific: Tropical depression 22w (Aere), located approximately 36 nm north of Da Nang, Vietnam, is tracking westward at 07 knots.
Tropical Storm 24w (Sarika), located approximately 328 nm east of Manila, Philippines, is tracking westward at 07 knots.
In the Central Pacific: Invest 95C is an area of disturbed weather in the Central Pacific that has the potential for further tropical development.
Newsbytes:
Bermuda – Hurricane Nicole damaged roofs and uprooted trees in Bermuda, before moving out into the Atlantic Ocean. According to Bermuda Electric Light Company Ltd (BELCO), more than 27,000 households were left without power. Several schools, government offices and bank offices have been closed in Bermuda on October 14 to assess damage and conduct clean up.
Pacific Suffering – Ongoing effects of a severe El Niño, climate change and two deadly cyclones this year have left many people across Oceania suffering from lack of food and clean water, according to the Catholic relief group Caritas. More than 4.7 million people from Papua New Guinea to Tonga have been affected by food and water issues. The group points to reports of starving children forced to eat cassava roots softened with a liquid containing the pain reliever acetaminophen, added to ease the suffering. “We heard of people walking days to get food and water in Papua New Guinea, with many becoming sick and some people dying,” said Caritas.
Philippines – Emergency teams late Wednesday evacuated 40 Moro families from farming communities in Sultan Mastura town in Maguindanao hit by flash floods caused by heavy rains. The Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Relief Team (HEART) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Thursday said 2,370 families were affected by the flash floods that swept through Barangays Tariken and Solon in Sultan Mastura. Rivers that pass through the two barangays overflowed due to the heavy downpour, inundating farms nearby and forcing villagers to relocate to higher ground. Rampaging floods also swept through 30 other villages in five Maguindanao towns that were near rivers and were dotted with swamps that connect to the Liguasan Delta.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week’s hottest temperature was again 112.0 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 degrees Celsius) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The week’s coldest temperature was minus 99.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 72.7 degrees Celsius) at Russia’s Vostok Antarctic research station.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Pacific Garbage Patch Survey
A new survey of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch finds that the enormous floating mass of trash is far denser and larger than previously believed.
In a series of low-altitude, low-speed aerial flights over the plastic accumulation zone between Hawaii and California, the Dutch-based Ocean Cleanup foundation found chunks of garbage, mostly plastics. Many of the debris items measured more than half a yard in diameter.
The field also contains far smaller bits that were detected by experimental plastic- scanning equipment.
The foundation plans to soon begin testing a V-shaped rubber boom designed to “herd” the floating debris into a recovery cone.
Monkeypox in Central African Republic
On 6 September 2016, the Ministry of Health staff from Haute-Kotto health district alerted the central level of suspected monkeypox cases admitted at Ira Banda health centre. The index case was a hunter who fell ill on 17 August and died in his village without specimens being collected for laboratory testing. Between 4 September and 7 October, 26 cases have been admitted and of these, three have been laboratory confirmed for monkeypox. Epidemiological investigations are currently on-going to evaluate the magnitude of the outbreak.
Arkansas (USA) mumps outbreak tops 500
The mumps outbreak in northwest Arkansas has topped 500 cases in Benton, Washington, and Madison counties. The case tally is at 520 as of Thursday, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. Two-thirds of the cases have been reported in children ages 5-17.
US Virgin Islands Zika case count tops 500
The number of locally acquired Zika virus cases reported in the US Virgin Islands increased by 62 in the past week, bringing the total to 524. According to health officials, while the number of confirmed cases continues to grow, there has been a downward trend in new cases for more than five weeks.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Colima | Mexico | 19.514°N, 103.62°W | Elevation 3850 m
Based on webcam and satellite images, and information from the Mexico City MWO, the Washington VAAC reported that ash plumes from Colima rose to altitudes of 4.3-6.1 km (14,000-20,000 ft) a.s.l. during 5-6 and 8-11 October. Thermal anomalies were observed on most days; a strong hotspot consistent with lava flow was observed on 9 October.
Karymsky | Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) | 54.049°N, 159.443°E | Elevation 1513 m
Based on satellite image analysis, KVERT reported that during 5-7 October gas-and-steam plumes containing small amounts of ash rose from Karymsky and drifted 100 km SE. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Yellow. Ash emissions continued to drift SE on 8 October; the total length of the ash plume grew to 388 km. The Aviation Colour Code was raised to Orange.
Tengger Caldera | Eastern Java (Indonesia) | 7.942°S, 112.95°E | Elevation 2329 m
Based on analyses of satellite images, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 5-6 October ash plumes from Tengger Caldera’s Bromo cone rose to an altitude of 2.7 km (9,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted almost 40 km SW and W. On 7 October PVMBG reported that activity at Bromo cone remained high. Grayish-white and blackish-brown plumes rose 100-300 m above the crater rim and drifted NW.
Ulawun | New Britian (Papua New Guinea) | 5.05°S, 151.33°E | Elevation 2334 m
Based on analyses of satellite imagery and observations from RVO, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 11-12 October ash plumes from Ulawun rose to altitudes of 1.8-2.4 km (6,000-8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 65 km WSW and W.