Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.4 Earthquake hits Coquimbo, Chile.
5.4 Earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.
5.3 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
New Zealand – Less than a week after severe floods caused by Cyclone Debbie, residents of the North Island are preparing for the arrival of another storm system, ex-Tropical Cyclone Cook. An active frontal system has already brought more than 60mm of rain to the northern half of the South Island. This represents almost one month’s worth of rain in a typical April. In the coming hours, Cook’s remnants will make their presence felt across the North Island.
Canada – A series of intense rain storms forced waves further up the beaches near Toronto than seen in decades past. Several old buildings were saved by local residents who built sand and rock berms to protect against the flood waters.
Wildlife
Cyclone Debbie Demolishes Great Barrier Reef
As severe bleaching wreaks havoc on the coral, the Great Barrier Reef has had to deal with another devastating blow — Cyclone Debbie.
Fierce 260kph winds tore through the Whitsunday Islands before making landfall at Airlie Beach, and news.com.au went underwater to see the destruction first hand.
The once dazzlingly beautiful coral has been reduced to rubble by the cyclone, the diverse life that dived between its delicate fronds wiped out, with bloodied pieces of dead fish lying on the seabed.
Branches have snapped off and huge pieces of coral lifted up and thrown aside as Debbie raged through the reef.
Wildfires
Wildfires – Florida, USA
Firefighters are battling wildfires from the top of Florida near the Georgia line to Miami-Dade County in the south as the governor declared a state of emergency Tuesday.
Wildfires are burning on a total of more than 23,800 acres (9,600 hectares) of land and have destroyed 19 homes, authorities said. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said this is the most active wildfire season since 2011, with some 107 fires statewide.
Disease
Melbourne, Australia: Legionnaires’ Disease
The Victoria Department of Health and Human Services has recently identified five cases of Legionnaires’ disease (Legionella pneumophila, serogroup 1) involving individuals who have spent time in the eastern half of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) and/or Southbank. All five required treatment in hospital.
Tonga: Typhoid
The Tonga Ministry of Health has reported eleven typhoid cases since January, including five cases from the village of Veitongo. This has prompted health officials to temporarily ban kava drinking in public halls in an effort to get the outbreak under control.
Volcanos
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity – New Activity for the week of 5 April – 11 April 2017
Aira | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that an explosion from the Minamidake summit crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) at 1004 on 4 April generated an ash plume that rose 1.2 km above the crater rim. During field work later that day, scientists observed ashfall in Sakurajima Koike-cho in Kagoshima (3 km NW). The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).
Banda Api | Indonesia : PVMBG reported that seismicity at Banda Api had been increasing since the beginning of March, though during 1-4 April seismic patterns were similar to those recorded before an eruption in 1988. The Alert Level was raised to 2 (on a scale of 1-4); visitors and residents were warned not to approach Banda Api within a 1-km radius of the summit area.
Cerro Azul | Isla Isabela (Ecuador) : IG reported that deformation data showed continued inflation after 20 March, indicating that the volume of the magma intrusion below Cerro Azul’s SSE flank had increased. Seismicity decreased after 25 March possibly signifying a halt in the intrusion.
Dempo | Indonesia : Observers at the PVMBG Dempo observation post reported that during January and February no plumes rose from Dempo’s crater, and during 1 March-4 April diffuse white plumes rose no higher than 50 m above the crater. Seismicity increased from 21 March to 4 April. The Alert Level was raised to 2 (on a scale from 1-4) on 5 April. Visitors and residents were advised not to approach the craters within 3 km.
Ibu | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on ground observations, PVMBG reported that during 7-8 April ash plumes from Ibu rose to an altitude of 1.7 km (5,500 ft) a.s.l. and drifted N. During 10-11 April ash plumes rose to altitudes of 1.5-1.6 km (4,900-5,200 ft) a.s.l. and drifted S.
Kambalny | Southern Kamchatka (Russia) : Based on satellite data, KVERT reported that Kambalny was quiet on 1 April. Explosions on 2 April generated ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 7 km (23,000 ft) a.s.l., and then minor ash emissions occurred at least through 6 April. Ash plumes drifted 200 km E and SE during 2-4 April, and a thermal anomaly was identified in satellite images during 3-4 April. The Aviation Colour Code remained at Orange.