Nocere – Earth Disasters

It was 108 hours after the earth quake hit Turkey that Ferhat Tokay, a 13 year old boy, was pulled out of the rubble that had held him captive since the building in Ercis, Van Turkey fell on him. It was in the early hours on Friday that workers using flood lights to enable them to see rescued him. He had been helped to stay alive by drinking rain water that had oozed in through openings in the rubble surrounding him. On Saturday, the official death toll from the earthquake rose to 582. Ferhat is one of the lucky ones to be found in time.

The earthquake that hit eastern Turkey last Sunday was a 7.2. The number of people injured is 4,152. 582 have died and 455 of the deaths happened in Ercis where 13 year old Ferhat was rescued. The good news is that there have been 231 people found alive and have been rescued..

There have been 1,309 after shocks since the main quake on Sunday. The US and China are sending people in to help out people who survived the quake.

Georgia Swamp Fires Continue to Burn

In Savannah Georgia, a fire that has burned since last spring continues to spread slowly through the Okefenokee Swamp. It is burning beneath the ground being fueled by dead plants. The fire has at this time cost $52.7 million and as it continues to burn, the costs will rise.

The fire was started during a storm by lightning on April 28th. It hit the Honey Prairie area in the Okefenokee Swamp near the Florida-Georgia border. The fire at this time spurts up unannounced from areas on the surface of the swamp. There is concern that the fire could return to its fury it showed back in the spring. 14,000 acres of private land has burned, 309,199 total acres or 14 square miles. The cost to taxpayers per day is between $30,000 and $40,000 per day.

17 Killed by Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan

As a bus transporting the International Security Assistance Force was traveling in the Afghan capital, a car loaded with explosives crashed into the bus. 17 people on board died. There were 8 civilians and 5 soldiers killed. They were all Americans. One Canadian solder, three Afghan civilians and a police officer were also killed. It is being labeled as one of the worst ground attacks against foreign troops since 2001.

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Residents of Bangkok Leaving Flooded Homes

In Thailand, the worst flooding in a half century has sent residents leaving their homes taking with them all their possessions they could. Floods have now taken the lives of 320 people and there are close to 9 million affected by it. The water continues to flow and with it comes the destruction of homes, stores, other buildings and possessions. People were out walking in the water that was as high as their waiste with plastic bags containing belongings perched on their heads. Many also holding on their pets for lack of a boat.

The opening of the floodgates took away any possible relief the area was hoping to have. They are hoping that opening the gates will take some of the pressure off the dams and levees possibly sending it out to sea. They are hoping the water will remain in the canals and not spill out into the streets of the capital city area. The army has brought in 100 boats to assist people trapped in homes.

As Many as 60 Die in Heavy Rainfall in Central America

The rain continues to pelt down on Central America, already taken at least 60 lives, it is showing no sign of letting up any time soon. El Salvador has been the hardest hit so far by the rainfall. There have been as many as 32 people that died there which included many children. As residents tried to cross the flooded rivers, many would get swept down river. Others died when their homes fell in around them.

Guatemala is also being heavily affected by the rains. At this time, there have been 28 people die in the flooding. There are another 110.000 that have been affected by the heavy rain that doesn’t seem to have an end.

In Honduras, the situation is much the same. Most of the countries departments have been put on alert and at this time 13,000 people have been affected.

Ever since Jova hit Central America’s shores last week, the country has been being blasted with heavy rainfall. It hit as a category 2 hurricane, but then settled down into more of a tropical storm and later a tropical depression as it crossed the western parts of Mexico. All the while another tropical depression, 12-E dropped heavy rainfall to El Salvador and the neighboring areas.

It continues to rain and no relief is on the way yet.

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Thailand is experiencing the worst flooding in 50 years.

283 people have so far died in the flood waters in Thailand and there are two people they are still searching for. Across the county, 61 of the 76 provinces have felt the affects of the flooding. This has caused havoc to over 8 million people.

Water is being let out of the Bhumibol Dam daily which is located in the northern part of Thailand. People are moving as fast as they can to get barriers set up. The flooding waters are moving towards the south, heading towards Bangkok on Friday. People living in the area are being instructed to be ready for the worst as the spring high tide and the large amount of water draining down the Chao Phraya River join together over the next few days.

Huge Oil Spill in New Zealand

In New Zealand, a massive oil spill from Rena, a Liberian-flagged vessel that ran into the Astrolabe Reef, which is close to 12 nautical miles off the coast of Tauranga is causing many problems. The vessel was carrying 450,000 gallons of fuel spilling around 300 tonnes of it. At this time 95.45 tonnes of the solid waste and 6 tonnes of the liquid that has been cleaned up. There is s till more out there.

Beaches in many of the areas are closed to visitors due to health concerns. There is close to 60 kilometers of beachfront area along the town of Maketu to the town of Mount Maunganui that is contaminated from the oil spill.

The environment is suffering from  the spill. So far 500 birds have been found dead in the area. 51 animals are being treated for the exposure to the oil at a center in Tauranga.

Oil spills at sea are such an impact on the enviroment. This spill,  along with affecting people and business’s in the area, is also affecting, birds, the blue whales, and the dolphins are all at risk.

23 Die in Clashes in Egypt

Clashes between Coptic Christians and soldiers in Cairo end up in bloodshed, injuries and 23 deaths. Of the dead, 17 are civilians. Late on Sunday, Oct 9th, it was told that there were 180 people wounded. There were 12 military members killed and 50 were wounded.

The protest followed the burning of a Coptic Church a week earlier in the southern parts of Egypt. The protestors were asking for equality and for the protections of Coptic churches or places they worship in.

The protest started off peacefully. As they were heading in the direction of the Egyptian state TV building, they were attacked by people bearing swords and clubs according to a protestor.

Car Bombs in Iraq Take 28 Lives

There were 2 cars filled with explosives that were set off only minutes apart on Oct 12th in Baghdad. 22 people died in the bombings set off by suicide bombers in the north west Hurriya area and in the central al-Wiya area. There were 6 other people that died in other bombings.

There were over 50 others wounded in the attacks.

There has been a revival of suicide bombings in Baghdad. It is a concern as the US is finalizing it’s withdrawing of their troops that is suppose to be completed by the end of the year.

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Satellite image of Typhoon Nesat.

In the Philippines, just as many were starting pull their lives back together from Typhoon Nesat, a typhoon that had taken the lives of 52 people on Tuesday, Typhoon Nalgae moved in on Saturday morning.

Wind damage in the Philippines

The initial damage started in Dinapigue. Nalgae dropped 0.6- to 1 inches of rainfall per hour as it traveled through the Philippines area. The two typhoons together have changed the lives of for nearly 3 million Filipinos. Landslides, flooding, closure of roads and bridges are also hampering getting people out or relief in. Many of the ports had to be closed temporarily but were to be reopened on Sunday.

People were being evacuated from Santa Barbara, Calasiao, and Dagupan which is located on Luzon island. On Sunday flood gates had to be opened to release pressure of water being they had reached their top levels. While there were people receiving help with recovery from Nesat, the first typhoon, it had to be stalled while the second typhoon made it’s way across the area. Many people are unable to cook food or have fresh water to drink. There is a great need for ready to eat food and drinking water. There are no supplies in the area for survivors to purchase, even though they have the funds needed.

Flooding in Thailand

As the Philippines are cleaning up from the typhoons, in Thailand, four long months of ravaging floods have taken the lives of 237 people. They are gearing up for the typhoon Nalgae which has lost some of it’s power after hitting the Philippines and is now a tropical depression. The country is already water soaked and more rainfall will only result in more flooding. The flooding has been felt in 28 different provinces and over 2 million people have affected by it.

Many of Thailand’s  historic buildings and tourist sites have been affected by the flood waters.

Typhoon Nesat entering China

Typhoon Nesat in China affected over 2 million people. Of this number, 132,2000 people had to be evacuated out of Nanning which is the capital of the area. Nesat hit China on Friday following it’s ravaging of the Philippines. Flooding of the Qinjiang River, which is amongst 5 rivers that have surged to dangerous levels, has overflowed it’s banks. Flood waters have entered Qinzhou causing roads to close due to being under water. There have been thousands of homes destroyed along with thousands of acres of farmland. As Nalgae entered China last Tuesday, it was now a tropical storm and not nearly as devastating as it had been in the Philippines.

China is still in the stages of cleaning up from Nesat, but will now be faced with days of rainfall from Nalgae.

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