Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.3 earthquake hits offshore Atacama, Chile.
5.0 earthquake hits central Peru.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical storm 19e (Norbert), located approximately 701 nm south-southeast of San Diego, is tracking northwestward at 13 knots.
In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical storm 18w (Nangka), located approximately 59 nm southeast of Hanoi, Vietnam, is tracking west-northwestward at 11 knots.
NewsBytes:
Laos – At least 1 person has died and 3 are missing after flooding in Laos since 07 October. Almost 8,000 people have been displaced. Meanwhile the flood situation continues in neighbouring Vietnam and Cambodia, with 45 fatalities reported and dozens missing. Flooding struck in the southern provinces of Sekong and Savannakhet in Loas from around 07 October 2020. One person died and 3 are missing after flooding in Kaleum district of Sekong. Around 250 people from 50 households have been affected. Flooding has been reported in 52 villages in 8 districts of Savannakhet Province. Over 10,000 people have been affected and 7,539 displaced after flooding damaged hundreds of homes as well as roads, bridges, crops and livestock.
Global Warming
Great Barrier Reef corals have more than halved
Corals on the Great Barrier Reef have more than halved over the past 25 years, according to a study that prompted scientists to again warn the world-famous landmark will become unrecognisable without a sharp reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Researchers from the Townsville-based ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies assessed coral communities and size between 1995 and 2017 and found the number of small, medium and large corals had fallen more than 50%.
Disease
COVID-19
The countries with the 10 greatest number of Covid-19 cases:
Oropouche virus disease – French Guiana, France
On 30 September 2020, the French Guiana Regional Health Agency (ARS) reported the first detection of Oropouche virus (OROV) in French Guiana. On 22 September 2020 the Pasteur Institute in Cayenne notified the France IHR National Focal Point of seven laboratory-confirmed cases of Oropouche virus infection in the village of Saül.