Italian Cruise Ship Runs Aground

There are possibly still 40 people missing from the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia which ended up grounded on the west coastal area of Italy. The ship ran a ground and is lying on it’s side 650 feet off of Giglio Island.  Divers are frantically searching the cabins of the ship hoping to find any of the people missing still alive. The ship is half underwater at this time. They did locate a man and a woman in a cabin 2 landings down still alive. Three other people were not so lucky having perished. The ship ran a ground on Friday night. It was the first night that the passengers had been on the cruise ship. There were 4000 people on the ship at the time of the accident. Most of the passengers and crew were able to swim to the shore line.

It is not really know how many people could still be missing. It has been calculated that the number could possibly be 41 at this time. The numbers had been higher, but there is the possiblity of some passengers being taken care of in homes on the island. Until all who made it safely to land are located, the number is only an estimate.

The divers have checked the surrounding waters finding no bodies. It is possible that they could find more of the missing inside the belly part of the ship. Passengers and crew that didn’t swim to shore were rescued by lifeboats and helicopters.

The reason for the accident is unknown at this time. There is a big cut in the hull of the boat. It is possible that they ran into some rocks. Some reported hearing a loud noise during dinner time. The ship took on water quickly. A drill to teach passengers what to do if such an incident ever occured had not been done yet. Instructions were to be given on Saturday afternoon. Little to say there was a lot of panic.

 

Muslim Shia Pilgrims Hit by Suicide Bomb Killing 50

In Basra, as the Muslim Shia pilgrims where celebrating the festival of Arbain, one of thier main holy days on the Shia calender, a suicide bombing took 50 lives. There is always a fear that attacks may happen during the festival time and security was watching out incase insurgents came around. There have been quite a few deaths in the last few weeks in attacks against the pilgrims.

The pilgrims were at a check point area that they visit as they travel to a popular Shia mosque in the area of Zubeir. The mosque is located 12 miles on the south western side of Basra. It is a very popular area for the Shia pilgrims to visit that reside in the area of southern Iraq as they are not able to get to the shrines located in the main holy city of Karbala which is up north of them.

The insurgent was wearing a police office uniform and was using a false ID. He was able to make his way to the police check point where he set off his explosives blowing up himself, police officers and pilgrims. There were quite a few officers that died in the explosion.

 

Mudslides and Flooding Take Lives in Brazil

Even though this is the rainy time of year for Brazil, you can never be prepared enough. Mudslides and flooding water have hit the areas of Sapucais located in Rio de Janeiro taking the lives of 13 people plus one other in Laje do Muriae. Last year the rains in January caused flooding in Rio de Janeiro that took the lives of 800 people.

In Minas Ferais, a state that borders Rio de Janeiro, there were another 15 people that lost thier lives. The heavy rainfall in the area has caused 116 cities to declare a state of emergency. Many are in the area of  Rio de Janeiro. There is also reason to believe that there could be an additional 9 people buried beneath the mud in Sapucais.

It is not uncommon to get this type of rainfall in January. Only last there were 800 people that perished due to the large amount of rainfall causing much of Rio de Janeiro to experience heavy flooding.

 

 

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Tropical Storm

While many were sleeping, the water was rising unknowing to them. The area had been hit hard by Tropical Storm Washi. The storm dropped over the usual month of rain in only a 12 hour period on Mindanao. The trail the storm traveled is a rarely traveled one. A storm only travels that direction about once every 12 years.

As the water flowed down the mountains Friday night, many people awoke to water in their homes. They quickly grabbed up children trying to get to the roof of their homes or to neighboring homes to avoid the rising water. Many are missing. Whole villages were washed away. Victims have been left unclaimed possibly meaning that the whole family was swept away.

 

Victim of the storm

Children of families that survived are still looking for Christmas to happen. Parents are wondering how but plan on still doing their best to provide them with a Christmas celebration.

Most that died were in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. Many bodies have been found floating on the shorelines on the north western coast line of Mindanao Island. They are thought to have been sleeping when the waters hit and drowned.

Tropical Storm Washi has left behind flooded streets full of debris, people in many areas have no electric or fresh water. Many people are now living in shelters where there is not enough room. There are approximately 100,000 people who have had to go to shelters, not able to return to their homes.

Washi has moved on, but other storms are lurking and may be bringing in even more rain to the already saturated area.

 

Indonesia Boat Heading For Australia Full of Migrants Sinks

It is possible that there were close to 400 people on board the boat bound for Australia’s Christmas Island. It is where many go go seek asylum.

The boat, made out of fiberglass, broke apart is the rough waves approximately 55 miles outside of Java. There were more than 250 people and possibly as many as 400 on board. They are thought to be from Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran. At this time only 33 had been rescued according to reports. Fishermen found them hanging onto parts of the boat. Two children were found. Their ages are 8 and 10 years old. People rescued reported they had been in the water for over 5 hours.

Rescue operations are continuing for possible survivors, but the weather has made it hard to see if there are any out there still.

It is possible that only 20 or 30 people were able to get lifejackets on once the boat was known to be going down. The boat only had 25 lifejackets on board and it was reported that 9 of the jackets were given to crew members.

At this time, the number who have perished in the accident is unknown.

 

 

168 People Die from Drinking Toxic Moonshine in Eastern India

The people possibly responsible for the deaths of 168 people in West Bengal which is located in the eastern part of India, have been arrested. There are 10 people being held for selling the moonshine, which was illegally produced and was also toxic.

Many more people got very sick from drinking the moonshine which was sold for about 10 cents a pouch. A pouch contains  200 milliliter or less than 7 ounces. When the liquor is made in a legal way, the least it sells for is close to 70 cents for a 600 milliliter container.

More than 100 people had to be admitted into the hospital after drinking the moonshine. They found methanol in the bodies of the people who died after drinking it. The drink was appealing to the poor people of the area and they are the main ones who drank it.

 

 

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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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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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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 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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Joplin experienced the most deadly single tornado in the history of the US since 1953. While most are obviously concerned with the lives of people affected in the area, we tend to forget about the animals that are lost, maybe wandering around not sure what happened. Many no longer have a home to return to just as their owners don’t. The owners have had to take up lodging somewhere else. The pets have no idea where that could be.

We have a picture here of what an aerial view of Joplin looked like before the tornado hit and another one afterwards. Where there were homes and a school, now show only debris.  All was wiped out.

The numbers keep increasing as to the deaths of people from the tornado, but we hear little or nothing about the deaths of the animals or where they are.

There is an animal rescue also happening for the lost pets of Joplin. There are people who are trying to help these animals find their families.There are centers open that people who find a lost pet can take them to so that maybe they can be reunited with their families.

Facebook is also trying to help locate these pets and get them back to their families.

If you go to Flickr, you will find pictures of pets that have been located that they are trying to find their homes for them. Some have found their families and have been reunited.  This is a wonderful thing that is being done for these animals that have no idea why their lives were turned upside down.

If you are interested in helping in some way, go to this link to find ways you can.

 

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It was Sunday afternoon, some were returning home from a graduation ceremony in the city of 50,000 when the tornado struck. As one father and son were traveling home following the sons graduation, the father instructed his son to pull over. A family member in a car in front of the father and son saw the Hummer H3 that her father and brother were in start rolling. The brother was sucked out of his seat belt and hasn’t been found yet. The Hummer was destroyed.

Rescue efforts started right away. More then 40 agencies were there on Monday to help.  Dealing with down pouring rain out in the stormy weather and getting hit by lightening proved to be obstacles faced by a few of the teams. Their efforts paid off with finding 17 people, but Will Norton, the young man in the Hummer, remains missing.

There are numerous apartment buildings and entire groups of homes are gone. All that is left is piles of debris. There is anticipation that there could be people alive yet that  need to be found.

Many are unable to find out if love ones who live in other parts of the city are still alive or not.

The tornado traveled through a highly inhabited area of the city. It either took out or caused damage to 2,000 buildings. Where once stood a high school, it is no longer. One of the hospitals in the city of two, was hit hard.

Stats at this time put the twister as having winds that were between 190 and 198 mph.

President Obama declared a disaster declaration for the area. This enables the area to get federal help faster.

The help Joplin is receiving has been wonderful. People are coming from all over and offering to help those in need. It has all helped the citizens of Joplin get through things so far.

The weather news isn’t getting any better for those trying to collect and start again after the tornado. News of more possible tornado’s are on the way Tuesday. There is a 45% chance of another outbreak of them. The estimated time for them is between 4pm and midnight. The watches for them are in areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska and again Missouri. Joplin is located in the area that could be seeing more tornado’s today.

 

 

 

 

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Tornadoes hit the southern part of the US very hard this past week. Destroying all that was in their path and killing many people.

The total number who died in these tornadoes spawned by storms going through the states is now 340.

This has become one of the deadliest tornadoes in the US history.

Over 200 tornadoes slammed 6 of the southern US states on Tuesday and Wednesday. People hid where they could. Many found no safe place.

President Barack Obama visited the stricken area and was reported as saying he had, “never seen devastation like this”.

The President was speaking to people in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where a mile wide tornado ripped through the town on Wednesday.

He has pledged to help the people rebuild their homes.

In Alabama, 250 people are known to have died from the tornadoes on Wednesday.

There are possibly over a million homes and businesses that are still without power in Alabama.

With the death toll from all the states, this tornado has been recorded as the second deadliest tornado ever recorded in the US.

The tornado that is considered the worst was in 1925 when 747 people died in the states of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

There were also deaths from the storms and tornadoes in Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, Georgia, and Virgina.

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In Pleasant Grove, Alabama, there were fire personnel searching through one pile of debris and then others trying to find survivors of the massive tornado and storms that went through the area on Wednesday.

What was once home for local residents has been turned into piles of brick and lumber.

The tornado was the deadliest tornadoes in nearly 40 years. It left possibly more then 290 people dead in the 6 states it hit. Most of the deaths occurred in Alabama.

Even though people had prior warning of the tornadoes approaching them, as much as 24 minutes, there was little they could do to prepare. The tornado was too wide and too strong as it moved into the communities of homes.

If you didn’t have a an extra sturdy room built to survive a tornado, or a basement in an underground area or a storm shelter, and had a direct hit from the tornado, your chances of survival were slim.

The storm systems were very strong super cells. One of the strongest believed ever to be witnessed by some forecasters. There were multiple storm cells that moved through the area, one after another for hours.

It ran along interstate highways and moved like out of control vehicles destroying all in it’s path.

There was a report of one family who survived by staying in the basement of a funeral home while another hunkered down in a tanning bed.

There are many stories of how people found places to hide in and survived the storm only to find the house around them in shambles afterwards.

The governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley has said that there are 204 deaths that have been confirmed in Alabama. In Mississippi there were 33 deaths, Tennessee 33, 14 in Georgia, 5 in Virgina and 1 in Kentucky.

The search continues for the missing in Tuscaloosa. A curfew was implemented on Thursday at 10pm. On Friday it will be 8pm. On Friday they plan on using cadaver dogs to search the rubble.

It is possible that the tornado in Tuscaloosa, one of the hardest hit area was an EF5. That is the strongest rating for a tornado. In a tornado of that category, the winds would be over 200 mph. If not an EF5 then it was the next lower down EF4.

There were possibly one million homes and area business’s in Alabama without electrical power on after the storms. National Guard has been called to action and state of emergency has been put effect in Mississippi and Georgia. for areas of the states.

The rebuilding will start. Lives will move on, but this will be a storm many will never forget.

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