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Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

8.0 earthquake hits northern Peru.

A large earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 struck the Amazon jungle in north-central Peru early Sunday. The quake, at a moderate depth of 110 kilometers (68 miles) struck at 2:41 a.m., 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of the village of Lagunas and 158 kilometers (98 miles) east-northeast of the larger town of Yurimaguas. There were no immediate reports of casualties, although some buildings collapsed and power cuts were reported in a number of cities. Earthquakes that are close to the surface generally cause more destruction. In Yurimaguas, a number of old houses collapsed, and the electricity was cut, according to the National Emergency Operations Center, which gave the magnitude of the quake as 7.2. In the capital, Lima, people ran out of their homes in fear.

5.7 earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.1 earthquake hits the Banda Sea.

5.0 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.

5.0 earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are no current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Afghanistan – The most recent rain storms started on Thursday and have hit large areas of Afghanistan, including the capital, Kabul. Floods have swamped communities where people had already been displaced by winter flooding. At least 24 people have died and 11 have been injured as a result of the most recent floods. Heavy snowfall during the winter has added to the recent flooding. More than 100 people have died in the last few months.

Oklahoma, USA – Officials on Saturday warned some Tulsa residents to prepare to head to higher ground because old levees holding back the swollen Arkansas River are stressed and more rain is expected for the flood-weary region. The river was four feet above flood stage on Friday and was already causing flooding in parts of Oklahoma’s second-largest city, including in south Tulsa where the murky brown water had inundated low-lying neighborhoods. Levees were built in the 1940s and haven’t had to hold back this much water since 1986. Officials also said they don’t expect the river to recede in Tulsa until Wednesday at the earliest.

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Global Warming

Students Strike for Climate Change

Hundreds of thousands of students around the world walked out of their schools and colleges Friday in the latest in a series of strikes urging action to address the climate crisis. According to event organizers Fridays for Future, over 1664 cities across 125 countries registered strike actions, with more expected to report turnouts in the coming days.

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Disease

Syphilis – Auckland, New Zealand

The Auckland District Health Board is warning people of the increased danger of the transmission of syphilis amid an outbreak of the disease. So far this year, there have been 124 cases of the sexually-transmitted disease reported. Regional Public Health Service figures show 78 percent of cases reported in the last year were men. People who had contracted the disease were predominantly between the ages of 20 and 49.

Syphilis is a serious disease that, if left untreated over time, can affect the brain, spinal cord and other organs. The infection can also have a serious impact on unborn babies, leading to stillbirth or congenital syphilis, as well as potentially causing abnormalities such as blindness, deafness and meningitis.

Legionnaires Disease – Belgium

The Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in the Evergem area, Flanders, Belgium has reached 29 cases, according to Zorg en Gezondheid. Of the 29 patients infected, 10 of these people are at home, 17 patients are still in the hospital, 4 of whom are in intensive care (though not in danger). 2 people died.