Two bodies retrieved from landslide-hit orphanage, Malaysia - 21st May 2011

KAJANG, MALAYSIA: A landslide hit an orphanage and the bodies of two children from the Rumah Anak Yatim Hidayah, Madrasah Al-Takwa, FELDA Semungkis, 14th mile, Hulu Langat, near here have been pulled out.

Four, believed to be caretakers, are still trapped in the building.

Firemen and villagers managed to pull out several others who were critically injured and have been rushed to the Kajang Hospital, said Fire Department Chief Asst Comm Morni Mamat.

According to initial reports, the orphanage, with about 30 residents, was partially buried by a landslide at about 2.30pm on Saturday. Source

Now U.S. plagued by stink bug epidemic, causing $37m in damage as one-fifth of apple harvest is ruined - 21st May 2011

Brown stink bugs are causing millions of dollars in crop damage, with the apple industry being hit the hardest.

Growers in the mid-Atlantic region have reported the worst problems with about 18 per cent of the crop ruined.

The industry has reported $37million in damage to apple growers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia this spring.

The bug, a three-quarter-inch invader native to Asia, has a huge appetite and has no domestic natural predators.

It is believed to have been brought first to the Allentown area of Pennsylvania in 1998.

The bug began appearing in mid-Atlantic orchards in 2003-04 and exploded in number last year.

They have now been seen in 33 states, including every one east of the Mississippi River and as far west as California, Oregon and Washington.

Research entomologist Tracy Leskey, who works at the U.S. Agriculture Department's Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia, said: 'All that we do know for certain is that a tremendously large population went into overwintering in fall 2010.

'So, if they survived, there could be a very large population emerging.'

Mark Seetin, the association's director of regulatory and industry affairs, called it the worst threat to farmers he's see in his 40 years in agriculture.

America's biggest apple producer, Washington state, has yet to report serious so far.

Aside from apples, the bug, named for the foul smell it gives off when crushed, will feed on nearly anything, including cherries, tomatoes, grapes, lima beans, soybeans, green peppers and peaches.

It uses a needle-like mouth to pierce the skin of its host fruit or vegetable, leaving behind a spot that is disfigured and discolored.

Stink bugs wiped out up to 40 per cent of Tom Haas's peaches last season at his Cherry Hill Orchards in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Mr Haas, the owner of the family-run orchard, said: 'This is the worst, probably, that I've dealt with in 25 years. The damage they do to fruit is horrendous.' Read More

Japanese superquake moved ocean floor 79 feet sideways and 10 feet up - and new data shows region is under more strain - 20th May 2011

The ocean floor shifted sideways by 79 feet in the Japanese earthquake in March - much further than scientists originally predicted.

And researchers are warning that immense amounts of seismic stress remain stored in the area, putting it at risk of further devastating earthquakes.

The journal Science has published three new papers about the effects and causes of Japan's March 11 mega-quake, which paints a picture of an earthquake hot spot much more complex and potentially dangerous than scientists had ever anticipated.

In one paper, the Japanese Coast Guard has released data from five geodetic instruments that in 2000-04 they had placed underwater along the fault line responsible for the colossal quake.

One of the instruments had actually been placed almost on top of the epicentre of the Magnitude 9.0 quake, at a station called MYGI.

Measurements taken in the week following the earthquake showed that at the MYGI site, the sea floor had moved about 79 feet to the east-southeast since the previous measurement in February. It had also risen about 10 feet.

Dr Mariko Sato, a geodesist with the Japan Coast Guard in Tokyo, believes almost all this movement happened during the quake.

'The scale is almost double that estimated only from the terrestrial data,' Dr Sato told BBC News.

Under the seabed, the movement may have been even greater - perhaps 160 to 200 feet, by some estimates.

In another study sure to raise alarm in Japan, scientists from the California Institute of Technology have reconstructed how the Tohuku-Oki earthquake unfolded using GPS data recorded at more than 1,200 sites.

Their data showed that - contrary to previous opinion - the area had built up massive amounts of strain prior to the earthquake. Read More

Britain Get ready for lots of dry summers as Government warns water companies of droughts - 21st May 2011

Areas of Britain left bone dry by near-drought conditions were yesterday warned they were experiencing ‘a taste of things to come’.

Environment minister Lord Henley said climate change would make parched springtimes more common and bring the threat of hosepipe bans.

England and Wales experienced a fifth of the normal rainfall in April, while March was the driest since 1961.

Rivers and reservoirs are lower than normal and in East Anglia the soil is as hard as concrete.

Lord Henley said: ‘The recent exceptionally dry weather is a snapshot of what we might expect from climate change.

‘Although there is no current need for drought measures, there has been understandable concern which underlines the importance of taking steps now to protect the water supply that could be under threat from a drier climate.’

His ministry, Defra, yesterday published reports from water companies on their plans to adapt to climate change and prevent hosepipe bans.

They say that less rain, changing rainfall patterns and increased demand in hot weather could affect water supplies and reservoir levels.

More treatment will be needed for poorer quality water during heatwaves. Lord Henley added: ‘I’m delighted that these reports show the positive action water companies are already taking to address the long-term risks of climate change. Read More

Extraordinary homemade dams holding back the Mississippi as desperate residents try to save their homes

We've all undertaken home improvements but these residents in flood-stricken Mississippi have had to embark on major construction projects just to protect their houses and livelihoods.

These homes in Vicksburg are all situated along the Yazoo River, a tributary of the overflowing Mississippi River, and their owners have surrounded themselves with tons of earth and sand.

With questions over whether the main levees that protect the area from floods would hold, these farmers took no chances and have so far saved their homes and crops from destruction. (View more amazing photos and a video here)

Atmosphere Above Japan Heated Rapidly Before M9 Earthquake -- Ionosphere also affected; Where does this lead?

Infrared emissions above the epicenter increased dramatically in the days before the devastating earthquake in Japan, say scientists.

Geologists have long puzzled over anecdotal reports of strange atmospheric phenomena in the days before big earthquakes. But good data to back up these stories has been hard to come by.

In recent years, however, various teams have set up atmospheric monitoring stations in earthquake zones and a number of satellites are capable of sending back data about the state of the upper atmosphere and the ionosphere during an earthquake.

Last year, we looked at some fascinating data from the DEMETER spacecraft showing a significant increase in ultra-low frequency radio signals before the magnitude 7 Haiti earthquake in January 2010

Today, Dimitar Ouzounov at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland and a few buddies present the data from the Great Tohoku earthquake which devastated Japan on 11 March. Their results, although preliminary, are eye-opening.

They say that before the M9 earthquake, the total electron content of the ionosphere increased dramatically over the epicentre, reaching a maximum three days before the quake struck.

At the same time, satellite observations showed a big increase in infrared emissions from above the epicentre, which peaked in the hours before the quake. In other words, the atmosphere was heating up. (read more)

Water in short supply in parts of eastern China as global drought worsens

Drinking water is in short supply in parts of eastern China where a months-long drought has reservoirs tapped, state-run media reported.

More than 230,000 people -- mostly in rural areas of Jiangxi Province -- are bearing the brunt of the water shortage, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said Tuesday.

For the first four months of 2011, the province has received about half its normal rainfall, the agency said. (Source)

Tornado rips through Perth suburb of Canning Vale, front dumps 26mm on city - 20th May 2011

A MINI-tornado has ripped through the Perth suburb of Canning Vale early today, damaging houses and cars and removing tiles from roofs.

Several houses have lost roofs and at least one house has lost a pergola which was propelled through a neighbour's car.

McLean Rd, Canning Vale appears to have borne the brunt of the destructive, but small min-tornado.

Part of a metal patio also wrapped itself around some overhead power lines.

Western Power have a cherry picker at the scene attempting to remove the entangled metal.

A cream coloured A-frame patio was torn off one McLean St house and over next door's house before it was impaled through the side of a Toyota people mover parked in a neighbour's driveway.

Yasmaine Millson, whose vehicle was damaged by the flying pergola said she was getting ready to go to school when the tornado hit.

"I just heard a sudden bang. We didn't know till we came out of our house that it had crashed into the car,'' said Mrs Millson, who lives at the house with her husband and four kids.

"It just happened for two or three seconds.''

Suma Kamath, who lives in McLean street, said the side fence at her property had been knocked over, her laundry is flooded and the roof is damaged.

Her BMW car, which was parked in the garage was also damaged. "I think it was the fence that hit the car,'' she said.

"The storm was a loud noise like a train, it was just a fraction of time. It is devastating.'' Read More

Forecasters predict further misery for Americans as up to 10 hurricanes due for Atlantic storm season - 20th May 2011

With freezing blizzards, wildfires and devastating floods, America has suffered enough weather related disaster so far this year to last a lifetime.

But in its first storm forecast this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an 'above normal' season with six to 10 hurricanes expected - of which around half could become major.

The news heaps further misery on Americans who have already suffered five billion dollars in weather related damage in 2011 so far - the highest ever recorded for a half year.

Tornadoes, blizzards, floods, wildfires and storms have inflicted record costs because of their severity and their location - hitting populous areas such as Memphis, Tennessee, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Six to 10 of those storms were seen developing into hurricanes, of which three to six could become major at Category 3 or above, with winds of more than 110 miles per hour, the agency said.

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco told a news conference: 'NOAA's forecast team is calling for an above-normal season this year.'

But she added NOAA's forecasting capacity could not yet pinpoint where or when a hurricane would hit: 'This hurricane outlook does not make any predictions about landfall, either place or timing.

NOAA's 2011 outlook mirrors that of earlier predictions from private forecasters calling for an active hurricane season this year.

The hurricane season officially starts on June 1 and typically peaks between late August and mid-October.

An average Atlantic hurricane season brings 11 tropical storms with six hurricanes, including two major hurricanes, NOAA said. Read More

A warning sign? Atmosphere above epicentre of deadly Japan earthquake heated up 'rapidly' in days before disaster - 20th May 2011

The atmosphere directly above the fault zone which produced Japan's recent devastating earthquake heated up significantly in the days before the disaster, a study has shown.

Before the March 11 earthquake, the total electron content in a part of the upper atmosphere, called the ionosphere, increased dramatically over the earthquake's epicentre, reaching a maximum three days before the quake struck.

It is believed that in the days before an earthquake, the stresses on geological faults in the Earth's crust causes the release of large amounts of radon gas.

This radioactive gas ionises the air, giving it a charge, and since water is polar it is attracted to the charged particles in the air.

This then leads to the water molecules in the air condensing (turning into liquid) - a process which releases heat.

It was this excess heat which was observed in the form of infrared radiation in recordings taken three days before the deadly magnitude 9 earthquake struck.

'Our first results show that on March 8 a rapid increase of emitted infrared radiation was observed from the satellite data,' said Dimitar Ouzounov at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland, one of the scientists behind the findings.

Because Japan is a known earthquake hotspot, scientists had set up atmospheric monitoring stations there, using satellites to measure the state of the atmosphere before an earthquake. Read More

Public Warning: Ohio again posting no swimming signs at lake in western Ohio after algae outbreak covers water - 19th May 2011

ST. MARYS, Ohio — Water warnings are going up again at Ohio's largest inland lake after another algae outbreak.

The state is telling visitors at Grand Lake St. Marys not to swim or wade in the lake because of the algae. It's the same kind that can produce toxins that shut down the lake last summer.

They're also warning against touching any of the algae on the water.

Officials say the algae bloom is visible across the western Ohio lake.

The state is planning to treat the water this summer in hopes of improving quality.

Marinas, campgrounds and other places that count on tourists lost much of their business last year after the state warned against swimming, boating and fishing. Source

Public Warning: Atlantic Coast, Hampton Harbor Shellfishing Closed - 'Red Tide' - 19th May 2011

To protect the public from the possible consumption of contaminated shellfish, officials from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department have closed New Hampshire's Atlantic coastal waters, and the waters of Hampton/Seabrook Harbor, to the taking of all species of molluscan shellfish (mussels, clams and oysters) until further notice.

This action is in response to elevated levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning or PSP, commonly known as "red tide," detected in blue mussels collected from the Isles of Shoals and from Hampton/Seabrook Harbor.

“Toxicity levels are increasing right now, in both offshore and near-shore waters, because of a ‘bloom' of red tide, which is toxic algae,” said Chris Nash, Shellfish Program Manager for DES. “It is too soon to know how severe this red tide bloom will be, or how long it might last.” He noted that additional sampling will be necessary to track the severity and duration of the bloom.

Nash emphasized that the closure affects those who dig their own shellfish, but it remains OK to eat shellfish from a reputable dealer or restaurant. “These shellfish have been sourced from shellfish beds that recently tested negative for red tide and other contaminants.” Read More

Giant wave hits Fiji and More Expected - 20th May 2011

Fiji's Meterological Service says a heavy swell generated by a high pressure system over the Tasman Sea was responsible for a giant wave which reached Sigatoka's highway.

A Fiji Rugby team, which witnessed the wave hit, has told the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation it went right over their car and left fish and debris on the highway.

Rajneel Prasad from the Fiji Meterological Service is urging people in Fiji to secure boats and other belongings and says more waves are expected at high tide.

"It must have coincided with the high tide that was at 8am this morning, and we can expect similiar stuff to happen at around 9pm when the high tide comes back again and probably another one at 9am tomorrow morning when we have a two metre high tide," he said. Source

Calculations may have overestimated extinction rates - 18th May 2011

THE destruction of nature is driving species to extinction - but perhaps not as rapidly as has been thought. While the most widely publicised estimates predict the loss of natural habitat will condemn 18 to 35 per cent of all species to extinction by 2050, these figures could be about twice as high as the actual number - all because of a mathematical error that has gone unnoticed for decades.

We still face an extinction crisis, warn Stephen Hubbell of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Fangliang He of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. But the pair's work will allow biologists to more precisely define how habitat destruction leads to extinction.

It is impossible to accurately measure extinction rates. Dozens of new species are identified each year, and counting those that disappear is hard because many are small and live in poorly studied, mainly tropical environments.

Instead, extinction rates are often predicted from a mathematical model based on habitat loss, which is more easily measured. The larger the area you survey, the more species you encounter. Ecologists calculate a curve called the species area relationship (SAR) for an ecosystem by measuring the area they must survey to encounter the first individual of each successive species. To establish the number of extinctions caused by habitat destruction, they run the SAR calculation in reverse.

"We had a feeling there were problems with this, but we could not say why mathematically," Hubbell says. So Hubbell and He checked the method using data from forest plots located all over the world. The pair could calculate the SAR for each plot, and also see what happened to species unique to these plots if they "destroyed" a certain area of each plot in their mathematical model. As the area of destruction widened, these species began to die out. But after each simulated loss of habitat, "more species always remained than were expected from the SAR", says Hubbell.

The pair's analysis explains why. Using the reverse SAR method, biologists have assumed that a species is lost with the destruction of an area of habitat equivalent to the area needed to first encounter it. But in reality, the species is lost only with destruction of the habitat area that includes every individual of the species, which is always larger. Consequently, the SAR method loses species too fast. Read More

Ahmadinejad says West to blame for drought in Iran -- Is weather manipulation fiction, or indeed very real?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday accused Western countries of devising plans to "cause drought" in the Islamic republic, as he inaugurated a dam in a central province.

"Western countries have designed plans to cause drought in certain areas of the world, including Iran," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in the central city of Arak in Markazi province.

"According to reports on climate, whose accuracy has been verified, European countries are using special equipment to force clouds to dump" their water on their continent, he said.

By doing so, "they prevent rain clouds from reaching regional countries, including Iran," Ahmadinejad charged.

Iran has experienced several droughts in recent years.

Ahmadinejad also recalled, according to IRNA, an article by "a Western politician", whom he did not identify, in which "droughts in some regions spanning from Turkey and Iran to east of Asia are predicted for the next 30 years."

"The regions (referred to in) the article... include countries whose culture and civilisation frighten the West," Ahmadinejad said in support of his argument. (read more)

Strange Lights Showing Up at Every Big Event Around the World? What are they?

Record Mississippi flooding to linger in Vicksburg: US

The flood-swollen Mississippi River held at historic levels at Vicksburg early Thursday -- a status it's not expected to relinquish for days.

Hitting its expected peak of 57.1 feet hours ahead of the original forecast, the National Weather Service predicts the crest will hold through at least Saturday morning.

"Residents who live along the river need to keep an eye out and be vigilant," said Marty Pope, a senior hydrologist with the weather service's Jackson, Mississippi office. "We're not going to fall to the kind of levels we got to during the large 2008 flood until early June, and won't fall below flood stage until mid-to-late June."

The river, initially forecast to crest at Vicksburg Thursday morning, began cresting ahead of schedule Wednesday night probably because an old levee system in Greenville, Mississippi, was breached last Friday and spread the flood's flow, Pope said.

The Mississippi is more than 14 feet above flood stage at Vicksburg and more than a foot over the record set in the city in 1927. (read more)

Wildlife rush for high ground in Mississippi flood areas: US

Please don't feed the animals. Or touch them. Or do anything to keep them from crossing levees to escape rising floodwaters.

At a time they are already under stress, deer, bear, turkeys and other animals don't need any interference from humans, wildlife officials said Tuesday.

Across woodlands near the Mississippi and other large rivers, wildlife is on the move. Louisiana has reported deer drownings and Mississippi officials are worried about a spike in deer-vehicle collisions.

Much of the focus is on the Atchafalaya Basin in south-central Louisiana. Over the weekend, the Morganza Spillway was opened, easing the crisis in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but ensuring millions of gallons of water will flood communities in the basin.

Four black bears have been seen on the move in the Morganza area, said Christina Stephens, a spokeswoman for the governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. "We've received lots of wildlife sightings." (read more)

Bloom of blue-green algae - Health warning issued for parts of Lake Rotorua & Lake Rotoiti, New Zealand

A health warning has been issued for parts of Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti. The affected areas include the eastern side of Lake Rotorua from Holdens Bay to Ohau Channel and the Okere arm portion of Lake Rotoiti.

Routine water test results provided by Bay of Plenty Regional Council have confirmed a bloom of blue-green algae.

“The health warning means that people should avoid any activity which results in significant contact with the water,” says Dr Jim Miller, Medical Officer of Health. “Blue-green algae have the potential to release toxins which can affect health by aggravating hayfever and asthma, causing skin rashes, and even neurological effects such as tingling around the mouth, headaches, breathing difficulties and visual problems,” advised Dr Miller.

“As we have many recreational waters in the area, the sampling points are limited. Blooms can also occur quite quickly in the right conditions, so it is always safest to check the water before you get in,” says Dr Miller. “Look before you leap; if the water looks discoloured, smells unusual, or if there is scum on the surface of lakes or on the beds of rivers, go somewhere else to swim or do motorsports.”

Rotorua District Council will be erecting signs at Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti advising potential lake users of the algal bloom. Read More

Hailstorm destroys 53 houses, Mpumalange, South Africa - 19th May 2011

Mbombela - A hailstorm has damaged 53 houses in the Hoyi area of Mpumalanga, the provincial government said on Thursday.

Some of the houses were totally destroyed in the storm on Tuesday night, the co-operative governance and traditional affairs department said.

Blankets and tents were given to the 341 people affected.

"The department of social development will distribute food parcels to the affected families today [Thursday]," the department said. Source