Over 33,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as Guatemala’s Fuego volcano experienced a violent eruption Thursday night.
Volcanologists have reported that burning rocks are flying as high as half a mile above the volcano’s crater and that lava is rushing down the mountain’s slopes. The eruption is being called the biggest since 1999. Continue reading
The San Cristobal volcano began spewing ash and gas forcing the Nicaraguan government to evacuate around 3,000 residents from around the mountain.
Government officials say that up to 20,000 people could be displaced by the volcano. The volcano began to erupt on Saturday morning following the sound of violent explosions on the mountain. A 2.5 mile column of smoke and ash is being seen coming from the top of the mountain. Continue reading
Sixty-four people are dead and 715 injured after a series of earthquakes in south-west China. The USGS estimates the quakes at magnitude 5.6. The damage was complicated by the mountainous area which caused a number of landslides.
The death toll is expected to rise as roads to remote villages are cleared of debris. Rescuers have been climbing mountains to reach areas that cannot be accessed by vehicle due to the landslides. At least 100,000 people have been evacuated from areas that can be reached and an estimated 20,000 homes have been damaged. Continue reading
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake rattled Coast Rica Wednesday cutting power to cities and sending residents rushing into the streets.
Costa Rican authorities reported no casualties from the strong quake but the Red Cross reported two people died during the quake, one from a heart attack. The second reportedly died when they were crushed by a collapsing wall. Continue reading
Over half a dozen earthquakes struck off the coast of the Philippines on Friday triggering a tsunami alert.
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake just 21.6 miles underneath the ocean floor triggered the tsunami 60 miles east of Sulangan at 8:47pm local time. The major quake was followed by a series of seven lesser quakes (5.5, 5.4, 5.1, 4.8, 5.4, 4.9, 5.0) in a two hour span. Continue reading
Unlike Hurricane Katrina which rushed through New Orleans and Louisiana, the remnants of Hurricane Isaac have stalled sending over two feet of rain that has flooded the areas around New Orleans.
The upgraded levee system put in place after Hurricane Katrina spared the city itself of flooding but surrounding towns are under several feet of water. Continue reading
On the seventh anniversary of the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, the less powerful Hurricane Isaac is hitting New Orleans. However, Isaac has already breached one levee in the city causing flooding of hundreds of homes.
The storm currently is maintaining sustained winds of 80 miles per hour.
Plaquemines Parish spokeswoman Caitlin Campbell said water is currently running over an 18-mile stretch of levee. The storm made landfall in their Parish and then went back out to sea before touching down further west to hit the city a second time. Continue reading
Surveys of American agriculture released Tuesday showed higher than expected crop damage driving commodity prices to record highs.
Corn jumped 1.7% to $8.39 a bushel while soybeans finished up 2.8% at $17.30 a bushel. In the last three months, corn prices have jumped 68%. Soybeans have jumped 39%. Continue reading
Greece, already under extreme financial pressure, is facing a major blow to several agricultural industries due to a major wildfire raging on the island of Chios.
The fire began on Saturday and has been driven by gale force winds. The out of control blaze has burned over 16,000 acres of forest and farmland. Residents of nine villages have been evacuated due to the blaze. Continue reading
Thousands of acres of land have been destroyed due to wildfires raging across the western US according to wildlife officials. The US Forest Service reported 62 large and uncontained fires in Idaho, Nevada, Utah and California.
In Washington, a fire has burned 60 houses and 24,000 acres since it started on Monday. The town of Cle Elum in central Washington has been evacuated although civilians and firefighters have reported no injuries. Continue reading
