Archive | November 2, 2014
Tornado leaves path of destruction with windows shattered and trees uprooted in Leicestershire, UK
Local resident said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like it’.
After basking in freak 24C heat during the hottest Halloween on record – the UK has today been hit by heavy showers, plummeting temperatures and a tornado – prompting the Met Office to declare it is ‘back to business as usual’.
The tornado wrought havoc in Coalville, Leicestershire, this morning reaching the the town centre at around 7am.
Roof tiles came crashing down into the street, damaging cars, and bins were sent flying through the air.
Streets were strewn with debris, trees uprooted and part of the roof of a store at the Belvoir Shopping Centre was ripped off while other images – forcing the shopping precinct to close.
Several buildings had their windows shattered and teams of council workmen have been sent in to aid in the clean-up job. It is believed no-one was injured.
Commenting on the freak weather, A Met Office spokesman said: ‘The set up was conducive to tornadic activity and we have had some reliable reports today.’
Resident Vincent Bates, 64, said: ‘I woke up with a start and heard this loud rumbling followed by a bang.
‘At first I thought it was a huge lorry but when I opened my curtains and looked out of my window I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a wheelie bin flying past and down the street, about ten feet up in the air.
‘There were roof tiles crashing down into the street and landing on cars and debris flying everywhere.
‘It felt like a tornado. The whole thing can’t have lasted more than two minutes before everything went dead quiet.
‘I had a wander around the town and there is debris lying across a square mile area. A house across the road from me has half its roof missing. It was incredible, I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Over 2,000 persons lose homes; DMC says number may increase as landslide threats hover in Sri Lanka
More than 2,300 people in several parts of the country have been evacuated from their homes due to the threat of landslides.
Pradeep Kodippili, the Deputy Director of the Disaster Management Centre, notes that this figure could change further.
About 260 families were evacuated in Bandarawela, Kandy, Bulathkohupitiya and Bandaragama, due to the threat of landslides. One hundred and eighty people from 50 families in Bandarawela have been given shelter at the Malwaththa Tamil College, due to the risk of landslides.
Cracks were seen on many of the walls of houses in the area.Our reporter says the people were evacuated to the camp for the displaced on the instructions of the Grama Niladhari.
Our reporter says that about 200 families in Pathanawaththa, Nagasthenna in Kandy, have left their homes. They say they have left their homes as they are no longer safe due to the threat of landslides.
Residents say they have been given land in the Galaha area in Kandy due to the risk of landslides.
Eight families in the Ihalagama area in Thunbahe, Bulathkohupitiya, have been evacuated due to the risk of landslides. They are being temporarily sheltered at the Kendewa Junior College.
Four families in Boosikawaththa, Atalugama in Bandaragama, have been temporarily evacuated from their homes due to the threat of landslides.
Part of an earth embankment in the area collapsed prompting area residents to inform the police via the emergency hotline. The police and officials from the Disaster Management Centre, the Bandaragama Divisional Secretariat and the National Building Research Organisation, inspected the area and decided to evacuate four families deemed to be living in high-risk homes.
Meanwhile, roads in several parts of the country were inundated today as well due to the prevailing rainy weather conditions.
The Kalubulu Oya broke its banks, submerging the Hettipola – Narammala road for the fourth time in two months. Vehicular movement on the road was hampered as a result.
Heavy rains also caused the Gampaha – Ja Ela and Gampaha – Kandana roads to be inundated on Sunday. Our reporter says several roads in the Kirindiwita and Makilangamuwa area were inundated after the Attanagalu Oya broke its banks.
The Met Department meanwhile, is forecasting that rainy weather conditions will continue. The Met Department is forecasting showers in most parts of the country on Sunday night tonight and Monday morning.
MAGNITUDE 4.9 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=406774
Subject To Change
Depth: 52 km
Distances: 377 km N of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea / pop: 283,733 / local time: 05:09:01.0 2014-11-03
77 km N of Lae, Papua New Guinea / pop: 76,255 / local time: 05:09:01.0 2014-11-03
MAGNITUDE 4.4 STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=406770
Subject To Change
Depth: 60 km
Distances: 76 km E of Gibraltar, Gibraltar / pop: 26,544 / local time: 19:32:08.7 2014-11-02
68 km E of Ceuta, Spain / pop: 78,674 / local time: 19:32:08.7 2014-11-02
MAGNITUDE 5.3 ZAMBIA, AFRICA
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=406767
Subject To Change
Depth: 10 km
Distances: 266 km E of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo / pop: 1,373,770 / local time: 20:25:42.2 2014-11-02
104 km E of Mansa, Zambia / pop: 42,277 / local time: 20:25:42.2 2014-11-02
58 km NE of Samfya, Zambia / pop: 20,470 / local time: 20:25:42.2 2014-11-02
MAGNITUDE 5.2 BALLENY ISLANDS REGION
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000stig#summary
Subject To Change
Depth: 10 km
Distances: 686km (426mi) NW of Young Island,
1930km (1199mi) SSW of Invercargill, New Zealand
1979km (1230mi) SSW of Gore, New Zealand
2053km (1276mi) SSW of Dunedin, New Zealand
2121km (1318mi) S of Hobart, Australia
MAGNITUDE 4.9 NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=406761
Subject To Change
Depth: 5 km
Distances: 1436 km NW of Lisbon, Portugal / pop: 517,802 / local time: 16:27:29.0 2014-11-02
771 km N of Ponta Delgada / pop: 20,056 / local time: 15:27:00.0 2014-11-02
MAGNITUDE 3.7 ICELAND REGION
Subject to change
Depth: 1.1 km
Depth: 1.1 km
Distances: Latitude, Longitude 64.610 -17.410
(6.5 km ESE of Bárðarbunga)
Earthquake location 02 Nov 19:30 GMT
Time and magnitude of earthquake 02 Nov 19:30 GMT
MAGNITUDE 5.3 ICELAND REGION
Subject to change
Depth: 4 km
Depth: 4 km
Distances: Latitude, Longitude 64.709 -17.311
(9.3 km SSW of Kistufell)
Earthquake location 02 Nov 19:30 GMT
Time and magnitude of earthquake 02 Nov 19:30 GMT
Major snow storm causes tens of thousands of people to be without power in South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, USA
An early season snow is combining with gusty winds to cause power outages, road closures and other adverse impacts across the South.
At the peak of the snow, tens of thousands of people were without power in South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia According to weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman, the unique combination of snow, wind and the time of year is contributing to these power outages.
“The end of October/start of November is typically near the peak time of year for fall foliage in the southern Appalachians and adjacent piedmont,” said Erdman.
“Trees with leaves have an increased surface area with which to catch accumulating snow, compared to those whose leaves have already fallen. Throw strong winds into the equation, and you have a recipe for downed limbs and trees that can fall onto power lines and cause power outages. The force of wind plus wet snow can also down power lines, leading to additional outages.”
And road closures were also reported across the region. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) reported that all lanes on I-40 were closed for roughly 15 miles in Haywood County “due to multiple vehicle accidents and inclement weather.” The closure lasted for multiple hours, but as of 2 p.m. EDT, NCDOT tweeted that the stretch of I-40 had been cleared and traffic was once again moving in the area.
Here are the latest power outages and other reports from multiple southern states experiencing snow this weekend:
South Carolina
The state’s two utility companies were reporting that more than 26,000 people were without power across the state just before 10 a.m. local time, during the peak impacts from the storm. By late afternoon, those outages still applied to more than 6,200 customers across the state. The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) said that all lanes were closed on a stretch of I-20 near Calks Ferry Road after trucks couldn’t make it up a hill in the area, but the stretch of I-20 has since reopened.
Virginia
The state’s utility providers report that around 5,240 people remain without power. There were more than 7,000 people without power during the peak of power outages.
Tennessee/North Carolina
All of the roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, were closed Saturday due to treacherous slick conditions. WBIR reports that park rangers also evacuated campers over fears that trees could come crashing down on campsites.
North Carolina utility providers are also reporting more than 8,500 customers are without power across the state as of 4 p.m. local time.
Georgia
Georgia Power reported that more than 10,000 customers were without power across the state during the peak impacts of the storm. As of late afternoon, power outages across the state had dropped to a little more than 6,600 customers. A large portion of those outages were located in the Atlanta metro area, where gusts exceeding 40 mph were reported, downing limbs and trees onto power lines.
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