Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.2 earthquake hits Chiuquisaca, Bolivia.
5.1 earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.
5.0 earthquake hits potosi, Bolivia.
5.0 earthquake hits Colombia.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
Newsbytes:
Peru – Heavy rain has caused severe flooding in parts of northern Peru over the last few days. As many as 3,000 homes were flooded after a short period of torrential rain caused flooding in the city of Yurimaguas, capital of Alto Amazonas Province in Loreto region. The city recorded around 160 mm of rain in 24 hours to 20 March. Much of that total fell in a 3 hour period, according to media reports. Some areas of the city were under 2 metres of water as a result of the floods which affected 7 districts of the city in particular around Yurimaguas Airport. Heavy rain also caused flooding in parts of San Martín region in recent days. In Amazonas region, heavy rain triggered a landslide in Bagua Grande district, Utcubamba province on 17 March, damaging 7 homes and affecting 28 people. Meanwhile 10 homes were damaged after a landslide in the district of Corosha, Bongará province, displacing 6 people. On 18 March, heavy rain caused a landslide in the district of Camporredondo, province of Luya. Five homes were left uninhabitable and 5 families displaced. In Cajamarca region, heavy rain caused a landslide in the district of Chirinos, province of San Ignacio on 16 March 2021 where 20 homes were damaged. On the same day 5 homes, roads and infrastructure were damaged by a landslide in Jorge Chávez district, Celendín province. On 21 March heavy rainfall caused the Chililique canal to overflow, flooding 15 homes in the district of Jaén, province of Jaén and affecting around 45 people. Also on 21 March heavy rain caused the overflow of the Monzón River and a landslide in Monzón district, Huamalíes province, affecting around 10 people.
Environment
Mice Plague – Eastern Australia
Mice in the cabinets. Mice in the streets. Thousands upon thousands of mice in the barn, pooing so much it takes six hours to clean up their waste.
These are scenes from Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, where an out-of-control mouse infestation is making life miserable for farmers, grocers and other citizens of the eastern Australian states. One farmer described the rodent frenzy as “an absolute plague,” more severe than anything locals have seen in decades.
Some farmers have already lost entire grain harvests to the rampaging mice, according to local media reports, while hotels have had to close because they can’t keep the critters out of the rooms. Staff at a grocery store in a small town northwest of Sydney reported catching as many as 600 mice a night. So far, at least three people have visited the hospital with rodent bites.
Disease
Covid-19
The countries with the 10 greatest number of Covid-19 cases:
Lassa fever – Nigeria
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 30 confirmed Lassa fever cases the week ending March 14, bringing the country total to 191 for the year to date.
HIV-Aids – Ukraine
Ukrainian health officials reported in February 2021, 1,395 new cases of HIV infection were officially registered in Ukraine. In addition, 389 patients were diagnosed with AIDS, and 123 people died of AIDS.