Paramedics are warning that heat is a silent killer as they work overtime dealing with callouts sparked by Melbourne’s record hot spell. Melbourne has made history with a nine-day heatwave of temperatures above 30C. The mercury hit 36.2C on Tuesday, marking the first nine-day run of 30-degree-plus days since records began in 1856, the weather bureau says. While the temperature in some parts of Melbourne reached 37 degrees, the official temperature gauge at Lonsdale Street, which has been the official recorder for 158 years, peaked at 36.2C at 4.16pm (AEDT). Bureau of Meteorology spokesman David Morrison said the remarkable hot spell will give way to strong winds as a cool change approaches on Wednesday. Ambulance Victoria operations manager Paul Holman said extra paramedics had been rostered to deal with heat-related callouts with a 25 per cent increase in workload.
He said overnight temperatures had not dropped, which did not give the ill and elderly time to recover from the heat. “The next 24 to 36 hours are going to be particularly dangerous for the community,” Mr Holman said. “Heat is a silent killer.” Mr Holman urged extra care for the elderly and young children and encouraged people to keep hydrated. The bureau predicts mild to warm weather for the rest of the week and cool, possibly rainy, conditions for the weekend. Fire authorities hold concerns over the strong winds, with an emergency warning issued but then later downgraded as a fast-moving grassfire burned around the Cashmore area in Victoria’s southwest. The fire prompted an evacuation notice, with firefighters protecting 30 homes in Portland West. The March heatwave comes on the back of a hot February, when Melbourne sweltered through six consecutive days above 30C. Overall, Melbourne experienced 14 days over 30C in February, equalling the previous record.
Melbourne festival goers are being urged to stay safe over the long weekend as a heatwave continues to scorch the city. Ambulance Victoria emergency manager Justin Dunlop said paramedics expected more heat-related callouts over the busy Moomba festival and Labour Day long weekend, including Monday’s Moomba parade. “We’re expecting a lot of people out in the environment, in the community, and that always leads to lots of work,” he told reporters. “What we’d like people to do is when they’re partying by all means drink responsibly but don’t forget to drink lots of water.” The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting Melbourne could swelter through a string of 10 days above 30C, which started with Monday’s 33C day. Mr Dunlop said days of extreme heat could be fatal. “The worst consequences of the heat is we have people in the community pass away,” he said. He urged extra care for the elderly and young children who had trouble regulating their temperature. “It’s been a long period of heat and it’s going to drain everyone’s energy and we need to protect ourselves,” Mr Dunlop said. Kids left in cars were especially vulnerable, Mr Dunlop said. “Ten to 20 minutes is disastrous for a child in the heat.” Weather forecaster Stuart Coombs said Melbourne temperatures could reach into the 30s over the weekend and peak into the high 30s next week before cooling off on Thursday.
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Melbourne’s current hot spell could smash records
Posted by: Michael James | 7 March, 2013 – 11:19 AM
Melbourne could be on the way to a new record if the current heat wave continues into next week.
The current record hot spell was set way back in February 1961 when the temperature stayed above 30°Cfor eight days in a row.
If this current run of hot days continues as the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast, it will smash the previous record by two days.
The streak started on Monday when the mercury reached 32.7°C, with the high temperature trend forecast to last until next Wednesday.
“We’re likely to see a cooler change come through next Thursday but that could be short lived,” Senior Forecaster Phil King said.
Perth is officially in a heat wave with temperatures expected to hover around 40 degrees for the next few days. A maximum of 41 degrees was forecast for the city on Sunday, with the mercury expected to remain that high on Monday and Tuesday. But it won’t be beach weather. The Bureau of Meteorology says thunderstorms are likely to develop at the start of the week but will clear by Wednesday when the temperature slips slightly. Temperatures for the rest of the week are expected to remain around the low to mid-30s. With hot days and warm nights expected, the Health Department is reminding people of the risks associated with heat stress. People over the age of 65 and children younger than two years are especially at risk, as well as women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people with heart disease or high blood pressure, and those on certain drugs such as medication for mental illness. People who work outside or who are not used to the heat, such as overseas travellers, may also be at a higher risk. Although the human body can cope well in temperatures less than 32 degrees, higher temperatures can make it hard for the body to cool itself, the department says. “The body loses heat by sweating, but when temperatures are consistently high, sweating isn’t enough to cool down adequately,” the department warns. The effects of heat stress can be mild and include muscle cramps, weakness and headache. Medical advice should be sought if a person experienced high body temperature, nausea, dry hot skin or a rapid heart rate, the department said. To avoid heat stress, people are reminded to remain hydrated, wear loose fitting clothing and stay indoors.
Budgerigars drop dead in the heat in Western Australia
Heat waves can be deadly for birds
As the heat wave in Australia continues, many birds may no longer be able to take the heat and large numbers could die as a result, researchers at the Universities of Cape Town and Pretoria warn.
“Heat waves in 2009 and 2010, which did not reach the intensity of the current record-breaking heat wave, led to large die-offs of birds in parts of Australia” says Prof. Andrew McKechnie. Over the last few days, people are beginning to report finding dead birds in their backyards on Twitter. Conditions are likely worsening as the heat wave wears on.
An international research team, led by researchers at the Percy FitzPatrick Instutute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, are investigating how heat waves affect the physiology and behaviour of birds. They are on high alert for reports of impacts of the current Australian heat wave as such events will be valuable for predicting how climate change will affect birds.
Residents in the Central Highlands experienced smouldering heat yesterday, proving summer is well and truly here. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Brendan Bradford said the temperatures, which peaked at 38 degrees yesterday, would ease today, but only slightly. “It looks like the temperatures do start to drop off during Wednesday and Thursday for the Central Highlands,” he said. “It will still be a hot day (today)… fine conditions and temperatures still around 40 degrees for places like Clermont and Moranbah, but easing to about 38 (degrees) for Emerald.” Mr Bradford said the scorcher we had been hit with in the first few days of summer was well above average for this time of the year, and would continue into next year. “This has been building up over the west of the state for about a week,” he said. Following damaging wind gusts up to 81kmh which struck Emerald and surrounding districts on Monday night, the 17mm of scattered rain over parts of the region was the last drop before the mercury soared on Tuesday. Rain solace is expected for some parts of the region, with isolated showers and storms forming during today in the north-eastern parts of the Central Highlands. “Moranbah might see a shower, and isolated showers developing anywhere north or east of the line from about Emerald,” Mr Bradford said. Assistant director weather services Alasdair Hainsworth said the heatwave was the first for a while: “We haven’t seen an early season, prolonged heatwave like this since November 2009, which was a record hot month.”
WILMINGTON OH
PITTSBURGH PA
KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
QUAD CITIES IA IL
LA CROSSE WI
GREEN BAY WI
TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
ABERDEEN SD
DES MOINES IA
MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
SIOUX FALLS SD
CHARLESTON WV
ST LOUIS MO
NORTH PLATTE NE
RAPID CITY SD
Several storms caused major damage around the Tennessee Valley Sunday. The Claysville Snack Bar in Guntersville bar was completely blown away by the storm. In Limestone county, a huge tree landed on top of an RV in Coxey. It’s unknown if anyone was inside. Extreme heat from the Midwest to eastern parts of the U.S. helped fuel severe thunderstorms that knocked out power to millions over the weekend. Crews are still working to restore electricity to the millions who are without power as they try to cope with the heat. A grocery store chain helped in parts of Virginia and Maryland Sunday by giving away 10-pound bags of ice to those in need. “People have been clearing debris from roads together so we like the sense of community, but we would like our power back just because it is so hot and we’d like to get back to normal if we possibly can,” said one storm victim. So far, 16 people have died and four governors have declared a state of emergency.
02.07.2012
Extreme Weather
Germany
MultiStates, [Bavaria, Hessen, Saxony and Baden-Wurttemberg]
Weekend electrical storms killed four people, injured at least 100 others, caused power outages and disrupted train service across Germany, officials said. Officials said a woman was killed in Bavaria Saturday when a tree fell on her car while three women golfers were killed by a lightning strike Friday in Hessen. Many of the people who were wounded sustained their injuries while outdoors, reported on Sunday. At least 51 festival-goers were hurt, nine seriously, when lightning struck a mast at the “With Full Force” heavy metal outdoor festival in Saxony. A festival in Baden-Wurttemberg was cut short Sunday after wind tossed tents and debris, injuring at least 10 attendees. Eighteen others were injured at a Volksfest in Bavaria when wind-blown tree branches were hurled into the crowd, officials said. The German weather service said 8,135 lightning strikes were recorded in the Berlin area alone.
Violent storms in the DC area have killed at least 13 people, uprooted thousands of trees and left over 1.3 million homes and businesses without power across the Mid-Atlantic during a powerful heat wave. Popular Internet services went down too.
States of emergency were declared in Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, Ohio, and West Virginia on Saturday after storm winds hit almost 130 kilometers per hour and caused a series of fatalities, while reports from power companies have warned it may take up to a week to restore electricity. Officials are extremely concerned about the outage occurring in the middle of a record heat wave. The area affected by the storms was far ranging, including New Jersey and Indiana. However, the most extensive damage occurred in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.
At least four people were killed by falling trees, reports the Washington Post, citing local police officials. Two of the fatalities occurred in the Springfield area of Virginia’s Fairfax County. A male driver was killed at Old Keene Mill Road and Bauer Drive when a tree struck his car. A 90-year-old woman was killed in her bed when a tree fell on her house.
A falling tree has also killed a 71-year-old woman in her bed in Silver Spring in Maryland’s Montgomery County. And a 25-year-old Edgewater man died when a tree fell on his car as he drove on Harwood Road in Anne Arundel County.
One person died in Washington, DC, after accidentally touching a live electrical wire. Following the incident the Pepco electric service provider issued a warning urging people to be cautious around the numerous downed power lines.
Two more deaths have been reported in Albemarle county and two others in Bedford county, both in the state of Virginia. One person is reported missing after a boat capsized Friday night off Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County, Maryland. Four others have been rescued.
Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell said Friday night’s storm had triggered the largest non-hurricane power outage in state history. It has also forced the closure of 250 roads because of fallen trees.
“This is a very dangerous situation for Virginia,” McDonnell said. “Recovery will be difficult… It’s going to be days before power is fully restored in the commonwealth.”
President Barack Obama has called McDonnell and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, as well as the governors of Ohio and West Virginia, to offer the federal government’s help.
Hurricane-like storms have also knocked out an Amazon data center in Ashburn, Virginia. A number of popular Internet services, including Netflix, Pinterest, Heroku and Instagram have been cut off for several hours, something that did not go unnoticed by their users worldwide.
“Severe thunderstorms caused us to lose primary and backup generator power to an Availability Zone in our east region overnight,”
an Amazon spokeswoman Tera Randall said on Saturday.
“We have restored service to most of our impacted customers and continue to work to restore service for our remaining impacted customers.”
Meanwhile, temperatures have been breaking the 100°F-mark (38°C) for two days in a row, and are not expected to be any lower on Sunday. Local authorities have open libraries, swimming pools and cooling centers to provide residents with respite from the heat.
Malls around the region are jammed with people buying power outlets for their phones and computers. Long lines are also reported at gas stations where power is still available.
More storms are expected later on Saturday, though they are unlikely to be as widespread or powerful as Friday’s.
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Local resident Betty Coll (L) shows friend Joe Straub (R) damages in front of her house after a powerful overnight storm in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012 in Falls Church, Virginia (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)“>
Local resident Betty Coll (L) shows friend Joe Straub (R) damages in front of her house after a powerful overnight storm in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012 in Falls Church, Virginia (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)“>
Debris from the storm-damaged Park Tanglewood apartments, some of which were exposed when high winds tore open a hole in the roof and knocked out the electricity, sits atop cars and utility lines in the parking lot in Riverdale, Maryland, June 30, 2012 (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)“> “>
People react upon seeing storm damage in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington, June 30, 2012 (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
Crews battled a wildfire near Townsend. Officials said it charred about 450 acres as of Sunday evening. The blaze was reported at about 3:15. Broadwater County crews have enlisted the assistance of the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service, according to Sheriff Brenda Ludwig. The fire is off of Indian Creek Road and was actively burning in Bureau of Land Management and Montana National Guard lands. It has entered the Limestone Hills Range. No structures were threatened as of Sunday evening. Indian Creek Road and Old Woman’s Grave Road were closed to help fire crews. Even though the roadways have been reopened, Ludwig urged nonresidents to stay out of the area. Broadwater County Fire Chief Ed Shindoll said the cause of the blaze is under investigation. His department has about 25 firefighters, Forest Service has a crew of 17 on the blaze and the DNRC has nine personnel. A DNRC helicopter was being used Sunday afternoon but had to leave due to high winds, Shindoll said. A storm was making its way through the area at about 6 p.m. “It just started sprinkling here,” Ludwig said. Broadwater County, as well as Lewis and Clark and Jefferson counties, were under a severe thunderstorm watch until late Sunday night. “We have to watch and see what the storm brings,” Shindoll said. “Winds have been pretty steady at probably 30 miles per an hour plus and they haven’t died down yet.” Ludwig said the fire area got a small amount of moisture.”Every little bit helps,” she added. Crews will be on the fire throughout the night.
Today
Forest / Wild Fire
USA
State of Arizona, [Safford Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest]
Firefighters continue to battle the 8,000-acre Grapevine Fire in the Safford Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest. The blaze is burning at low elevation in grass and bush, and crews continued to hold the fire south of Highway 266 from the west side Forest Boundary east to Gillespie Wash, fire officials told KPHO-TV on Sunday. The fire has led to the closure of Coronado National Forest lands south of State Route 266, known as Greasewood and Kane Spring Mountains. No structures have been destroyed. Firefighters said the fire, which was caused by lightning, is 10 percent contained.
Gov. Dave Heineman has declared a state emergency due to the current drought conditions throughout Nebraska. The declaration allows state workers to help with emergency situations that arise from the drought, and frees up resources for the effort. It also gives greater flexibility to the Nebraska National Guard and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency to use resources as needed. Heineman says the drought poses an imminent threat to the ability of local governments to respond. The governor has also directed the state Department of Roads to move up the scheduled start of roadside haying in 55 counties.
There is a risk of locally damaging thunderstorms on Independence Day, which could not only impact daytime picnics and festivals, but also evening fireworks in the Northeast.
Just about every major city and small community has some sort of fireworks display on or around the Fourth of July. However, storms erupting in over a dozen states could impact activities and have some folks running for cover.
Dry air nosed into the Northeast late in the weekend, reducing the risk of violent thunderstorms for a couple of days.
Unfortunately, another surge of humid air ahead of an approaching cool front could have the atmospheric volatility index on the rise for July Fourth from the Ohio Valley states to the mid-Atlantic and New England.
While not quite the same setup and crushing outcome as the Derecho of this past Friday and Saturday, thunderstorms that form in the afternoon and evening will have the potential to bring localized power outages from damaging wind gusts and frequent lightning strikes.
Brief downpours from the storms can also cause disruptions to outdoor plans.
The storms are likely to hit some areas that were missed (New England and the northern mid-Atlantic) by the Derecho and could overlap areas that were hit (Ohio Valley and the southern mid-Atlantic) by the system.
Southeastward progress of the cool front will be critical for the bulk of the thunderstorm activity.
Odds favor showers and thunderstorms to be in the vicinity of the Great Lakes during the morning and midday hours on Independence Day. Slightly cooler, more stable conditions are likely in the region by the evening.
During the afternoon, building storms are likely to be passing through the northern Appalachians and part of the Ohio Valley. Much of this area will clear out in time for evening fireworks, but a few places may not. Cities on the bubble with the storms include Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and State College.
During the evening, the risk of strong to severe storms is likely to extend from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., to the central and southern Appalachians.
Spotty storms and showers can erupt ahead of the “main batch of thunderstorms and linger in their wake.” The details of which may not be known until July 4th itself.
We will continue to update you on the situation. Be sure to check AccuWeather.com for the latest radar in your local area.
Since the holiday is in the middle of the week, there may be no desirable options for rescheduling fireworks, if storms come calling at the wrong time. Fortunately, most storms in this pattern will be brief. Despite some delays, the storms should generally move on in less than an hour.
In areas where rain falls and ceases just prior to fireworks, calm, moist conditions in its wake potentially could inhibit smoke from clearing, perhaps leading to poor viewing conditions.
In other parts of the nation, it is drought and fire danger that is foiling fireworks plans.
Just a Reminder
Keep an eye out for rapidly changing weather conditions on your holiday ventures.
During a thunderstorms, severe or not, lightning poses the greatest risk to your life.
If you can hear thunder, you are at risk for being struck by lightning.
Seek shelter in a building or hard-top vehicle as storms approach. (Picnic pavilions, trees and golf carts are not safe places to be during thunderstorms.)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Relentless heat gripped much of the eastern United States for a fourth straight day on Monday, with about 2.1 million homes and businesses without power after violent storms and soaring temperatures killed at least 18 people.
Power companies warned it could take several days to restore electricity completely in some areas as much of the United States sweltered in a heat wave. Two hundred and eighty-eight temperature records were set nationwide on Sunday.
“Above-normal temperatures will continue to affect a large portion of the country from the northern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic over the next few days,” the National Weather Service said.
Many areas will see temperatures from 90 degrees Fahrenheit to more than 100 degrees (37.7 C), it said in a statement. Excessive heat warnings and advisories remained over much of the mid-Mississippi Valley and southern states.
Severe thunderstorms were possible in Kentucky and Missouri and in the north-central states, the weather agency said.
Emergencies were declared in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington because of damage from a rare “super derecho” storm packing hurricane-force winds across a 700-mile (1,100 kilometer) stretch from the Midwest to the Atlantic Ocean.
About 2.1 million homes and businesses from Illinois to New Jersey were still without power, with the biggest concentration in the Washington area.
With power lines down across the region, the U.S. government told federal workers in the Washington area they could take unscheduled leave or work from home on Monday and Tuesday.
Baltimore Gas & Electric said about 213,000 customers remained affected. Almost 1,200 utility workers from 12 states and Canada are helping restore power or are on their way to central Maryland, the company said.
A dust storm known as a “haboob” rolls into downtown Phoenix on Tuesday night, July 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers)
Monsoon moisture will be on the increase across the Four Corners region this week, increasing the rain chances for the region and putting Phoenix at risk for another haboob.
A haboob is a type of intense dust storm carried by strong winds that are usually the aftermath of a thunderstorm.
Recent thunderstorms that have dotted the Four Corners region have produced more dry lightning strikes than substantial rainfall.
That will change starting Tuesday when the door is opened for monsoon moisture to start streaming northward.
The initial surge of moisture will help ignite a cluster of thunderstorms across southeastern Arizona and southern New Mexico Tuesday afternoon.
The desert areas of southern Arizona, including Phoenix, may then become the target of a haboob Tuesday night as these thunderstorms track westward. Gusty winds racing away from the thunderstorms would trigger the massive dust storms.
The added moisture in the air will also allow the thunderstorms to drop substantial rainfall Tuesday afternoon and night.
The same can be said across more of the Four Corners region as the week progresses and the monsoon moisture spills northward.
Significant rain-producing thunderstorms are definitely great news for a region where numerous wildfires are burning, but the welcome rain could come at a cost.
Too much rainfall in a short amount of time threatens to trigger flash flooding. Streams, creeks and arroyos could quickly turn into raging waterways.
Areas recently burned by wildfires are highly susceptible to not only flash flooding, but also mudslides with the severely charred soil not able to absorb the rain as quickly as normal.
Where the rain pours down on the burn areas in the mountains, the flooding rain and mud could flow down to impact the neighboring lower elevations.
Gusty winds racing away from the thunderstorms will not only be confined to the desert areas of Arizona but could also occur elsewhere across the Four Corners region. A shift or increase in wind where a wildfire is burning will create serious problems for firefighters.
AccuWeather.com meteorologists will also be monitoring the potential for some of the thunderstorms to turn severe with damaging winds.
Witnesses were able to film a huge waterspout moving along the shoreline near the Russian coastal city of Sochi. It closely passed vessels at sea before hitting the city with heavy rain and hail. There are no reports of damages.
Heavy rain that persisted for more than two hours from noon on Monday resulted in several major roads in George Town being cut off due to a flash flood. A check by Bernama found that among the roads that were affected were Jalan P. Ramlee, part of Jalan Perak, Jalan Logan, Kampung Makam, Jalan Sungai Pinang, Jalan Anson and Jalan Patani. The water level in certain areas rose to as high as 1.5 metres but no one was evacuated. However, the flood resulted in hundreds of vehicles being trapped for almost four hours due to traffic congestion. A senior officer of the Jalan Perak Fire Station, Shahrulnizam Che Hassan said the station had received a report from the public that a handicapped woman was trapped in her home. “During the incident at 1.44pm, the water level rose up to chest level and firemen had to break open the door of the 40-year-old woman’s house to take her out,” he said when contacted, here. He said the woman did not suffer any injury and had to stay with her neighbour until the flood subsided. A resident in Jalan P. Ramlee, Lee Eng Hong, 60, said his house was damaged by mud brought by the flash flood. He said he could not remove is car and motorcycle to higher ground as the flood occurred swiftly and the flood water entered his home. Meanwhile, Disaster and Operations Officer of the Department of Civil Defence, North-East District, Noor Mohd Saidi Noor Lajis said the department was monitoring the flood situation which was reported to be receding.
02.07.2012
Complex Emergency
Bangladesh
Multiple Regions, [Between Chittagong and Coxs Bazar]
More than 55 people have been killed in landslides in southeast Bangladesh after three days of rains that triggered flash floods and severed transport links, officials said Wednesday. The army has been deployed to help with search and rescue efforts in the affected hill region of Chittagong, said the region’s chief administrator, Sirajul Haq Khan, who warned that the toll could rise. According to Khan, at least 26 people died in a series of landslides and flash floods in and around Chittagong port and the district of Cox’s Bazar. In neighbouring Bandarban district, 30 bodies have been recovered from multiple landslide sites, local administrator Tariqul Islam said. “Rescue efforts had been hampered as communications have been largely snapped because of flash floods and heavy rain,” Islam said. “Ten of the victims were children and scores of others were injured,” he said. Bandarban police chief Saiful Ahmed said most of the victims were asleep when the huge chunks of mud buried them alive. “One family has lost 12 members,” Ahmed said. Chittagong port received 40 centimetres (16 inches) of rain in a single 12-hour period on Tuesday. Flights in and out of Chittagong’s Shah Amanat International Airport have been suspended since Tuesday afternoon. According to the state Disaster Management Information Centre, around 50,000 people were affected by the flash floods, and many of them forced to take shelter on higher ground. Train links between Chittagong and the rest of the country were also severed after a railway bridge collapsed due to a rain-triggered flash flood.
Two people died and more than 50 remain hospitalized in the eastern city of Manzanillo, where an outbreak of cholera required authorities to set up a quarantine at the Celia Sanchez Manduley Provincial Surgical Clinic,” reported the Miami-based Café Fuerte website, though there has been no confirmation or denial of the incidents in the official state-run media. “The hospital can’t cope, the aisles are full of stretchers with patients…now with more than 50 people, including children and adults who are hospitalized as a result of the disease,” was a statement attributed to Manzanillo resident Misleidi Calvente Figueredo. Calvente said several communities have been quarantined, while all Manzanillo health care workers have been mobilized. Police and State Security officers are reported to be guarding the medical center, according to testimonies received from residents. Fortunately, Cuba is not without experience in fighting cholera, as hundreds of Cuban doctors have worked in a campaign against the disease in the neighboring country of Haiti.
Biohazard name:
Cholera
Biohazard level:
2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
A cholera out break has been reported at Karambo near Bunagana border post and Busanza border line at Uganda’s border with DR Congo, Kisoro District Health Officer Dr. Steven Nsabiyunva has said. The outbreak comes at the peak of the influx of refugees from DR Congo to Uganda. Speaking to the New Vision at his office on Friday, Dr Nsabiyunva said the district health team was considering making a quarantine to protect refugees already at Nayakabande refugee reception center and the district population at large. He urged health officials at Nyakabande to ensure proper use of mobile toilets and to emphasize hand washing. “We are considering isolating new comers as one way of controlling spread of the disease and protecting the district population. Cholera is spread through exposing food to excreta of an infected person. It is characterized by acute vomiting and diarrhea. If left untreated it can kill in 24 hours. Asked about cross border trade in food items, the doctor said his office was still trying to put in place control measures. In February this year, an outbreak of dysentery hit the camp and has reportedly lingered on due to poor disposal of excreta. “Saucepans are used for bathing and washing clothes while basins are used for serving food” said a source at the refugee center who preferred anonymity.
Biohazard name:
Cholera Outbreak
Biohazard level:
3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Solar activity continued at moderate levels on Sunday with a pair of M-Class flares around Sunspot 1513. The largest of these events was an M2.8 flare at 19:18 UTC Sunday afternoon. Sunspot 1515 located in the southern hemisphere is largest region on the visible solar disk, but has so far only produced C-Class solar flares. Both 1513 and 1515 retain Beta-Gamma magnetic configurations and may produce additonal M-Class flares on Monday.
The solar wind remains above 600 km/s and minor geomagnetic activity will be possible at very high latitudes. Visible aurora will be possible around the polar regions. – Solarham.com
Earth Facing M5.6 Solar Flare + Coronal Mass Ejection – July 2, 2012
Strong M5.6 Flare – Sunspot 1515 Around 10:52 UTC Time – July 2, 2012. There is an associated coronal mass ejection which may have an earth directed component. However, early data from Stereo Ahead shows that it will mostly head south and miss us entirely. The next variable will be whether or not the coronal mass ejection cloud expands enough to encompass the Earth as well.
Big sunspot AR1515 erupted on July 2nd at 10:52 UT, producing an M5.6-class solar flare that almost crossed the threshold into X-territory. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:
A pulse of x-rays and UV radiation from the flare illuminated Earth’s upper atmosphere, producing waves of ionization over Europe. Such waves alter the propagation of low-frequency radio transmissions. In Lofoten, Norway, Rob Stammes recorded the ionospheric disturbance using a 60 kHz receiver: data.
The eruption also hurled a CME into space, but not directly toward Earth. The south-traveling cloud could deliver a glancing blow to our planet’s magnetosphere on July 4th or 5th.
China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has reported an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced Monday. The disease has killed 1,600 chickens raised by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a unique economic and semi-military government organization of about 2.5 million people. A total of 5,500 XPCC-farmed chickens showed symptoms of suspected avian flu on June 20, according to the MOA. The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory Monday confirmed the epidemic was H5N1 bird flu after testing samples collected at the farm, the MOA said. Local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area, where a total of 156,439 chickens have been culled and safely disposed of to prevent the disease from spreading, according to the MOA. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. It can be fatal to humans.
Biohazard name:
H5N1 – Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Biohazard level:
4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:
Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR-Bohol) raised an alarm against gathering and eating shellfish from the tide flats of Tagbilaran City bay following a suspected case of red tide. BFAR-Bohol head Cresencio Pahamutang explained the alarm is based on an algal bloom, which is what caused the red coloration in the waters (red tide) that witnesses observed on the sea below Matig-a Lodge along Burgos Street, Tagbilaran City. Pahamutang said BFAR confirmed the reports based on the latest results from the 10 monitoring stations set up at specific points between Dauis Bridge in Junction Mansasa to Maribojoc Bay. According to Pahamutang, a worker at the Matig-a Lodge reported the unusual discoloration in the waters, prompting the BFAR to investigate by going to their monitoring stations. From their tests, Pahamutang shared that from the usual three cells per liter average yield in the collecting stations, they noticed around 1,475 to 1,365 cells per liter. A total ban and alarm against shellfish gathering and eating was issued when the mirco-organisms monitored reach 10,000 units per liter, he explained. With the noticed unusually high concentration of algal micro-organisms in the Tagbilaran Strait, the BFAR said they have coordinated with the Provincial Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council as well as Poblacion 1 Barangay Chairman Arlene Karaan to advise people to stop harvesting shellfish from the mentioned areas. Pahamutang said these algae, also called dinoflagellates have toxins that are usually absorbed by bottom feeding shellfish, making them unfit for human consumption. For fishes from the area, the BFAR chief said as long as the fish is properly prepared before cooking, it may not be affected as much.
Biohazard name:
Red Tide
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Algal bloom happens when an unusually large concentration of aquatic micro-organisms amass in a coastal area, often causing discoloration. When the algae is present in high concentrations, water can be discolored from murky, to purple to pink or red, thus, its common name the red tide.
Status:
02.07.2012
HAZMAT
Israel
Southern District, [Mekorot Water Company, Near to Ein Yahav]
One person was killed and ten were injured on Monday when a pipe of flowing hydrochloric acid exploded at a drilling installation operated by the Mekorot water company near Ein Yahav in the Arava region of the South. The injured were evacuated by helicopters and ambulances to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. One person was in critical condition, four in serious condition, and five others were lightly injured. The Environmental Protection Ministry said there is no danger to area residents as a result of the explosion. After exploring the area, a team of ministry workers determined that the risk range is only 200 meters, and that the closest residential population is five kilometers away from the site. The staff members provided instructions to police officers on site as to how to properly protect themselves and enter the facility, the ministry added. MK Dov Henin (Hadash), chairman of the Knesset’s Joint Committee on Environment and Health, warned of the dangers that such glitches in a pipe system can cause and called for firmer regulations in response to Monday’s event. “Time and time again we see that the status quo in the field of hazardous materials in Israel is forfeiting the lives and health of citizens, workers and bystanders,” Henin said. “Glitches in hazardous materials are not inevitable and we can prevent them but in order to do this, a true revolution in regulations of this field is required.” Such new regulations, Henin explained, should include high standards for hazardous material facilities as well as for all the transmission systems associated with the plants. “I intend to convene the committee to discuss the accident that occurred and the lessons that need to be learned from it from corner to corner,” Henin said. Police closed Highway 90 to traffic in both directions.
A suspected chemical leak left 30 people needing medical treatment. A 400 metre exclusion zone was set up in Severalls Business Park in Colchester and hundreds were told to leave the area as noxious fumes filled the air.
The above graphic is circulating on Twitter referring to the lockout of union workers from Consolidated Edison after reaching an impasse in contract negotiations. Tweeted by user J. Simone Posner.
Customers are fearing a blackout across New York state, as temperatures continue to push into the 90s this week and Consolidated Edison is without more than 8,000 of its utility workers.
Negotiations between Con Ed and the workers union collapsed on Sunday just hours after the existing contract expired, causing Con Ed to close its walk-in centers, suspend meter reading and limit work on major construction projects.
Negotiations between Con Ed and the union lasted more than ten days and involved various issues, such as pensions, wages and health care.
After Con Ed’s request for the union to sign a two-week contract extension fell through, Con Ed ordered that union workers not show up for work on Monday. The impasse was a result of Con Ed’s demand that the union not strike without giving seven days notice.
Con Ed said it is has trained managers working on essential operations in the absence of its utility workers, but the union has responded publicly that Con Ed managers don’t have the technical knowledge to handle serious problems.
This has many customers fearing the worst: a blackout amid a heat wave.
“So, is there a betting pool running to see how long it takes for a black out because of the ConEd lockout?” twitter user Allison Sommer’s tweeted this morning.
Garnering support for the union, a graphic is also circulating on Twitter, adorning the Utility Workers Union crest and the phrase “We didn’t strike, They locked us out.”
There’s no word yet how long the lockout will last, but Con Ed has stated that they will call in management retirees if it becomes necessary.
New York state may see severe, gusty storms across New York state Tuesday night through Wednesday, increasing the risk for power outages.
“The main concern with these storms will be strong and potentially damaging wind gusts, and locally flooding downpours,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Erik Pindrock. “There will also be just enough wind shear for an isolated tornado; however, that will not be the rule.”
It is not expected that the storms will be particularly damaging.
“Anyone that experiences a severe thunderstorm could face a loss of power; however, I don’t believe this particular setup will be close to as bad as what we saw last Friday with millions of people losing power,” Pindrock said.
But tensions remain high between Con Ed and many of its 3.2 million customers.
“If theres a blackout and someone dies,” Brian Konash tweeted Monday, “only NYPD will stand between [Con Ed] and the pitchforks.”
The Con Ed power outage map updated as of 1:45 p.m. EDT on Monday.
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EMSC Fiji Region
Mar 18 12:21 PM
4.5 Mag 571.0 MAP
USGS Fiji Region
Mar 18 12:21 PM
4.5 Mag 571.3 MAP
USGS Virgin Islands Region
Mar 18 12:05 PM
3.4 Mag 101.6 MAP
EMSC Greece
Mar 18 11:43 AM
3.1 Mag 5.0 MAP
USGS Alaska Peninsula
Mar 18 11:16 AM
2.7 Mag 200.8 MAP
USGS Virgin Islands Region
Mar 18 11:05 AM
3.1 Mag 56.0 MAP
USGS New Mexico
Mar 18 10:57 AM
2.9 Mag 5.0 MAP
USGS Virgin Islands Region
Mar 18 10:52 AM
2.9 Mag 41.7 MAP
USGS Halmahera, Indonesia
Mar 18 10:43 AM
4.8 Mag 68.0 MAP
EMSC Halmahera, Indonesia
Mar 18 10:43 AM
4.8 Mag 52.0 MAP
GEOFON Halmahera, Indonesia
Mar 18 10:43 AM
4.6 Mag 10.0 MAP
USGS Alaska Peninsula
Mar 18 10:37 AM
4.6 Mag 54.7 MAP
EMSC Alaska Peninsula
Mar 18 10:37 AM
4.6 Mag 55.0 MAP
EMSC Western Turkey
Mar 18 10:32 AM
2.4 Mag 9.0 MAP
EMSC Dodecanese Islands, Greece
Mar 18 10:22 AM
3.3 Mag 10.0 MAP
EMSC Dodecanese Islands, Greece
Mar 18 09:21 AM
2.4 Mag 21.0 MAP
USGS Alaska Peninsula
Mar 18 09:16 AM
3.0 Mag 91.7 MAP
EMSC Western Turkey
Mar 18 08:35 AM
3.6 Mag 7.0 MAP
EMSC Alaska Peninsula
Mar 18 07:56 AM
4.7 Mag 47.0 MAP
USGS Alaska Peninsula
Mar 18 07:56 AM
4.0 Mag 31.4 MAP
EMSC Central Turkey
Mar 18 07:41 AM
2.5 Mag 5.0 MAP
EMSC Georgia (sak’art’velo)
Mar 18 06:59 AM
3.6 Mag 2.0 MAP
EMSC North Of Ascension Island
Mar 18 06:00 AM
4.9 Mag 10.0 MAP
USGS North Of Ascension Island
Mar 18 06:00 AM
4.9 Mag 9.8 MAP
GEOFON North Of Ascension Island
Mar 18 06:00 AM
4.8 Mag 10.0 MAP
EMSC Near The Coast Of Western Turkey
Mar 18 05:49 AM
2.8 Mag 26.0 MAP
EMSC Southwestern Siberia, Russia
Mar 18 05:00 AM
4.5 Mag 10.0 MAP
EMSC Southern Italy
Mar 18 04:47 AM
2.6 Mag 9.0 MAP
EMSC Western Iran
Mar 18 04:38 AM
3.6 Mag 4.0 MAP
EMSC Santa Cruz Islands
Mar 18 04:33 AM
4.4 Mag 50.0 MAP
USGS Santa Cruz Islands
Mar 18 04:33 AM
4.4 Mag 50.2 MAP
EMSC Western Turkey
Mar 18 03:51 AM
3.6 Mag 6.0 MAP
USGS Virgin Islands Region
Mar 18 03:47 AM
3.0 Mag 122.0 MAP
EMSC Bangladesh
Mar 18 02:56 AM
4.7 Mag 80.0 MAP
USGS Bangladesh
Mar 18 02:56 AM
4.6 Mag 15.7 MAP
Light tremor jolts parts of Bangladesh
Dhaka, Mar 18 (bdnews24.com) – A Meteorological Department official said a light earthquake jolted parts of Bangladesh on Sunday morning.
Assistant director of Bangladesh Meteorological Department Shamsuddin Ahmed told bdnews24.com that the 4.6-maginitude tremor shook buildings in the capital Dhaka at 8:56 am and lasted 10 seconds.
SINAIT, Ilocos Sur, Mar. 18 (PIA) — Three mild quakes rocked some areas in Northern Luzon on Saturday afternoon and this morning but no damage to properties was reported, the PhilippineInstitute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) satellite office here said.
Rising waters flooded parts of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia, in March 2012, forcing some residents to evacuate their homes. On March 15, evacuation orders were lifted for the northern Victoria town of Nathalia, which had faced possible inundation. Although allowed to return home, residents were warned to stay vigilant for rapidly rising waters, news reports said.
An intense dust storm spanned hundreds of kilometers over Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan on March 19, 2012. The dust spread southward over the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and swept northeastward along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
While it was unseasonably warm across most of the United States Sunday, a late winter storm dropped upward of 5 feet of snow on Arizona’s mountains with more expected Sunday night.
The snow forced the closure of numerous roads and there were reports of many vehicles skidding into ditches and other accidents. A winter storm warning was in effect from the Mexican border to the northern outskirts of Utah Sunday, at the same time the East and Midwest was experiencing temperatures in the 70s — 76 in Bangor, Maine. Phoenix was experiencing the storm in the form of its first rain since December. An inch of rain fell in the region Sunday. “Phoenix is known for its dry climate, but this is normally a wet time of the year. Phoenix typically receives nearly 3 inches of rain from late December through mid-March.”
The winter of 2011-12 might well earn the title of “the winter that wasn’t” in many parts of the United States.
The season has entered the books as the fourth warmest on record for the Lower 48 states. Despite several powerful snowstorms that crossed the continent during the season, the extent of the country blanketed with snow was the third smallest since satellites began keeping track 46 years ago. The amount of rain was also below normal.
What a contrast with the winter before. Who could forget the seemingly endless conga line of storms that traversed the country? That winter also was somewhat colder than normal, which meant the snow didn’t melt significantly between storms. “This year was dramatically different.” Yet both winters began the same way – with La Niña reigning in the tropical Pacific. La Niña is the cooler half of what’s called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. El Niño brings warmer-than-normal waters to the equatorial eastern Pacific, where it piles up against the coasts of Central and South America. La Niña brings colder-than-normal waters to the same region. Both alter atmospheric-circulation patterns in ways that are felt far beyond the tropics.
Typically, La Niña pushes the eastward-flowing jet stream – which serves as a kind of superhighway for storms – farther north than usual. That pattern appeared last year in a relatively stark boundary between a very wet northern half of the country and a parched southern tier, stretching from Arizona to northern Florida and up into the Carolinas. This year, even with a somewhat weaker La Niña, the average path of the jet stream has moved farther north still, leaving the northern US drier than normal. Without extensive snow cover to help keep a lid on winter temperatures, the stage was set for a warmer-than-normal winter.
The back-to-back La Niñas have a marked effect on rivers in the Southwest and Southeast. “We’ve had 10 cases in the last century of double-dip La Niña events.” If the initial event is strong – last year was one of the Top 3 La Niñas in the past 50 years – the second, weaker one tends to bring drier conditions to the Southwest and southern tier. The difference shows up strikingly in river flows. They tend to be even lower coming out of the second event than they were at the end of the first event. “That’s what we’re looking at now for the Colorado River, and it’s also what we’re looking at for parts of the Southeast – Florida, Georgia, places like that.” One glaring exception this winter was Texas, where several storms helped moderate the state’s severe drought.
Elsewhere, the reduced blanket of snow is likely to give areas ravaged by last year’s floods along the Mississippi River a much-needed break. A year ago, runoff from heavy snows, combined with intense spring storms, brought record floods in many parts of the Midwest.
Historic March heat wave continues in Chicago; headed towards another record breaking day.
Coming off their warmest St. Patricks Day in 141 years of records, the historic March heat wave continues. Sunday was expected to become their 5th straight record breaking day and 5th consecutive 80+ degree day across the Chicagoland area. This RECORD-BREAKING STREAK HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE SO EARLY IN THE SEASON in Chicago. Over the past week, more than 1,200 RECORDS HAVE BEEN SET and for the month of March, more than 2,000 RECORDS HAVE BEEN SET.
This UNPRECEDENTED March heat wave is as a result of a weather pattern known as a “blocking pattern” where a stubborn high pressure has just been stuck over the eastern two-thirds of the nation. This pattern has been responsible for pumping in heat and Gulf moisture into the Great Plains, Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast regions. This historic March heat wave is expected to continue into the middle of next week before a cooler airmass moves into the region late next week. Until then, there will be the likelihood of more records broken.
U.K. adds solar storms, volcanoes to national threat list
LONDON — Britain has added volcanoes and solar storms to floods, flu and terrorism on a list of threats to national security.
The highest-priority risks to Britain are pandemic influenza, coastal flooding, terrorist attacks and – a new addition – volcanic eruptions in countries like Iceland, according to the recently published 2012 edition of the government’s National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies.
“Severe space weather” poses a threat to communications systems, electronic circuits and power grids, the list said. Solar storms – eruptions of magnetic energy and charged particles – are part of the sun’s normal 11-year cycle, which is expected to reach a peak next year.
A dust storm known as a “haboob” rolls into downtown Phoenix on Tuesday night, July 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers)
The above graphic is circulating on Twitter referring to the lockout of union workers from Consolidated Edison after reaching an impasse in contract negotiations. Tweeted by user J. Simone Posner.
The Con Ed power outage map updated as of 1:45 p.m. EDT on Monday.
