Archive | March 15, 2015
MAGNITUDE 5.1 OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=432003
Subject To Change
Depth: 40 km
Distances: 257 km W of Guatemala City, Guatemala / pop: 994,938 / local time: 10:25:39.0 2015-03-15
137 km SW of Retalhuleu, Guatemala / pop: 36,656 / local time: 10:25:39.0 2015-03-15
103 km SW of Champerico, Guatemala / pop: 7,761 / local time: 10:25:39.0 2015-03-15
93 km SW of Ocós, Guatemala / pop: 9,463 / local time: 10:25:39.0 2015-03-15
MAGNITUDE 5.2 BANDA SEA
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=431995
Subject To Change
Depth: 60 km
Distances: 605 km NE of Dili, East Timor / pop: 150,000 / local time: 23:22:57.4 2015-03-15
342 km SE of Ambon, Indonesia / pop: 355,596 / local time: 23:22:57.4 2015-03-15
266 km W of Tual, Indonesia / pop: 39,502 / local time: 23:22:57.4 2015-03-15
Cyclone Pam reaches New Zealand
New Zealand is braced for a stormy night at its northern and eastern extremities as Cyclone Pam passes by with reduced fury.
Powerco, New Zealand’s second-largest power company, has fixed some outages on the Coromandel peninsula and schools are already saying they won’t be open tomorrow.
The official death toll stands at six people, although the United Nations says there are unconfirmed reports of 44 people killed in just one Vanuatu province.
Dozens of people are feared dead after Cyclone Pam slammed into Vanuatu on Friday and a state of emergency has been declared.
In New Zealand, the fire service has moved crews to coastal areas expected to be affected by the now category four storm and at 8pm today they had nothing to report.
Southeast winds have built off the east coast of Northland and Auckland, MetService said.
Winds in Hauraki Gulf are gusting 110km/h and in Kaeo they’re nudging 117km/h.
The north-east coast of Auckland and the Great Barrier Island will be hit by severe weather this evening, Auckland Council civil defence controller Clive Manley says.
“Areas north of Whangaparaoa and Great Barrier have a good chance of river and stream flooding, strong winds, large swells, waves and coastal erosion,” he said.
An Eagles concert in Auckland today is being held early at 6pm and organisers of other events shut them down early.
Horses already in Napier for next week’s Horse of the Year Show are being moved to safety and competitors are being urged to delay travel to the nation’s largest equestrian event.
Some people are self-evacuating in the Gisborne area, media report.
Weatherwatch.co.nz says the eye of the storm is going to track far enough east to avoid causing major damage to Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.
“The main concern is still for East Cape, eastern Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and northern Hawke’s Bay which likely to be walloped by potentially destructive winds on Monday,” the forecaster said.
“The advice that I have is that this is not of the strength that has hit Vanuatu,” Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye told Q+A today.
“But it’s going to be a severe storm and people need to be prepared for that,” she said.
Cyclone Pam is expected to be 420km north of East Cape at about midnight.
“A high sea warning with hurricane force wind is in force with this system, which also brings torrential rain, unusually heavy swells and very large waves,” MetService said.
Courtesy of 3 News
Devastating bus crash kills at least 54 people in Brazil
Firefighters working at the scene of a bus accident in Campo Alegre, state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Photograph: Salmo Duarte/AFP/Getty Images
At least 54 people died on Saturday when a passenger bus drove off a cliff in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, police said.
The bus, en route from the neighbouring state of Parana, swerved off a curve and fell dozens of metres before crashing in a wooded area. Rescue crews were bringing up dozens of bodies as well as survivors.
The bus was about six miles (10km) from its destination in the city of Joinville when it crashed. Highway and weather conditions at the time were good, a police spokesman said.
Though no immediate cause for the crash had been determined, police said it appeared the brakes on the bus failed.
Brazil has some of Latin America’s deadliest roads. Despite nearly a decade of sustained economic growth that only slowed in recent years, the country has done little to improve or expand its creaky infrastructure.
The country averages more than 18 highway deaths per 100,000 people per year, compared with only about 10 in high-income countries, according to a report by the Inter-American Development Bank.
The tolls in nearby Argentina, Colombia and Chile average about 13.
Courtesy of The Guardian News
Hurricane-force gusts and up to 50 cm of snow to strike Atlantic Canada
The Maritimes and Newfoundland had to contend with blizzard conditions, loads of snow and strong winds, with some areas in PEI projected to receive up to 40 cm of snow.
The Weather Network said “snow totals are expected to hover between 20 to 25 cms in Halifax, but other parts of the Maritimes could see localized amounts approaching 50 centimetres by the time the system moves out.”
And Environment Canada issued blizzard warnings for parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
“Blizzard conditions with gusty winds and visibility frequently near zero in snow and blowing snow are expected or occurring,” said Environment Canada in a statement. “An intensifying low pressure system passing just south of Nova Scotia brings snow over the region today. Strengthening northeasterly winds gusting up to 80 km/h will result in blizzard conditions.”
If you’re flying in and out of the region, you’re advised to call your airline before heading to the airport.
Courtesy of Toronto Sun
Massive hailstorm leaves destruction across many parts of Nagpur, India
The Second Capital City of Maharashtra, Nagpur on Sunday evening was bruised and battered by the brief spell of heavy unseasonal rains accompanied by hailstorm that caught citizens unaware and left a trail of destruction. The strong winds and grape-sized hails smashed windows, flattened dozens of trees and dented several vehicles following the nature’s fury. However, the toll of casualty or injury to citizens could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.
The heavy rain wreaked havoc in rural areas of Nagpur District as well and caused damage to crops, private and public property.
What made matters worse was the hailstorm. Road traffic came to a grinding halt due to poor visibility. Citizens stated that the rains gained in intensity after 4.30 pm and people started running for cover as the winds were literally forcing lightweight items to move around with its force.
Reports of fire and emergency services personnel put on the toes and gearing up to tackle any untoward incident flooded Nagpur Today.
It was also revealed that roof tiles of several houses were blown off with the winds. Electricity was also cut off in several localities causing further inconvenience to the citizens. Adding to the woes the low-lying areas of city saw water gushing and logging in front of houses. Roads too were flooded pushing the vehicle owners in ‘troubled waters.’
The land of Nagpur city turned a carpet of white marbles raising curiosity of many who were witnessing the phenomenon for the first time in their lives. Kids and even elders scurried to gather the grape-sized hails not worrying the injuries it may cause. The proud collection was displayed by many with their hands full of the white stuff.
Pleasantly, the picture changed rapidly after ceasing of nature’s fury. A spectrum of fascinating rainbow dotted the skies forcing the citizens to forget the pain caused by heavy rains and hailstorm.
Courtesy of Nagpur Today
MAGNITUDE 4.7 NORTHERN ALGERIA
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us10001mic#general_summary
Subject To Change
Depth: 10 km
Distances: 3km (2mi) ESE of Ras el Aioun, Algeria
21km (13mi) W of Merouana, Algeria
37km (23mi) NNW of Ain Touta, Algeria
41km (25mi) NE of Barika, Algeria
266km (165mi) ESE of Algiers, Algeria
MAGNITUDE 5.8 PAGAN REG., N. MARIANA ISLANDS
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=431929
Subject To Change
Depth: 50 km
Distances: 401 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands / pop: 48,220 / local time: 14:47:20.6 2015-03-15
1990 km S of Tokyo, Japan / pop: 8,336,599 / local time: 13:47:20.6 2015-03-15
2665 km E of Taipei, Taiwan / pop: 7,871,900 / local time: 12:47:20.6 2015-03-15
MAGNITUDE 3.0 GERMANY
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=431922
Subject To Change
Depth: 10 km
Distances: 178 km E of Luxembourg, Luxembourg / pop: 76,684 / local time: 04:08:15.6 2015-03-15
37 km SE of Mainz, Germany / pop: 184,997 / local time: 04:08:15.6 2015-03-15
15 km S of Darmstadt, Germany / pop: 140,385 / local time: 04:08:15.6 2015-03-15
3 km NW of Zwingenberg, Germany / pop: 7,082 / local time: 04:08:15.6 2015-03-15
MAGNITUDE 5.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=431910
Subject To Change
Depth: 80 km
Distances: 165 km SW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga / pop: 22,400 / local time: 15:17:04.7 2015-03-15
160 km SW of Vaini, Tonga / pop: 2,976 / local time: 15:17:04.7 2015-03-15
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