Archive | June 28, 2015
15 people struck by lightning; 5 rushed to hospital on Mount Bierstadt, USA
Fifteen people and one dog were hit by lightning on 14,060-foot Mount Bierstadt in Clear Creek County at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
“All victims are on their way down, some with assistance needed,” the sheriff’s office said at 2 p.m.
Three people were taken by ambulance to metro area hospitals. One of them was in serious condition and two had non-life threatening injuries. Five others refused further treatment, according to the sheriff’s office.
The dog that was struck died on the mountain. It was not recovered Sunday afternoon because of the danger of additional lightning.
“Some of these fine rescue people will probably go up and get the dog probably early (Monday) morning,” said Rick Albers, Clear Creek County Sheriff. “That way they don’t have to deal with the lightning.”
The lighting struck about 500 feet below the summit of Mount Bierstadt, the sheriff’s office said.
Responders from the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office, Clear Creek EMS, Summit County Search and Rescue, Gilpin County EMS, Clear Creek Office of Emergency Management, Clear Creek Fire Authority, Clear Creek Advocates, and Rocky Mountain Rescue responded to the scene.
Twenty-seven members of Alpine Rescue were also called in to assist getting the injured off the mountain. Other hikers helped the injured before first responders arrived.
.Shasta Johnson was hiking nearby, with her dog Axel, when she heard about the lightning strike and came to help.
“(To) see if there is anything we can do to help assist,” she said. “Whatever was needed.”
A hiker who had gone up Bierstadt earlier said there were about 100 people still on the trail at about 11:30 a.m. , including some on the summit and some still on their way to the top. That’s when thunder and lightning rolled in.
“It appears lightning developed shortly after 11, peaked before 11:30, then dissipated,” said Storm Station7 Meteorologist Matt Makens. “There were 16 strikes near Mount Bierstadt, a handful were right on the mountain.”
Bierstadt is a popular first “14er” for many hikers because of the easy access from the parking lot at the summit of nearby Guanella Pass.
Courtesy of thedenverchannel.com
Fuego volcano grows more active, spews ash in Guatemala
Guatemala’s Fuego volcano shook from explosions Sunday and spewed ashes over nearby communities as it entered a more intense phase of activity, authorities said.
The state Institute of Vulcanology reported “four or five explosions an hour accompanied by ashes (rising) to an altitude of 4,600 meters (15,000 feet).”
The volcano is located 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Guatemala City.
The sound of the explosions could be heard from a distance of 25 kilometers, and shock waves rattled roof-tops and windows in surrounding villages, it said.
Ash from the volcano was falling on villages on Fuego’s western slopes.
In February, a strong eruption forced authorities to close the international airport because of the ashfall.
Courtesy of jamaicaobserver.com
Big Dust Storm Of Monsoon Season Strikes Phoenix, USA
The first big dust storm of the monsoon season slammed the Phoenix area on Saturday with winds snapping utility poles and leaving thousands without power.
Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project, the two biggest utilities that serve metropolitan Phoenix, said Sunday that electricity had been restored to most customers.
APS initially reported outages at 14,000 homes the night before. SRP at one point had more than 15,000 customers with no power.
According to the National Weather Service, winds were up to 51 mph around Sky Harbor International Airport. There were also isolated showers in communities such as Globe and Carefree.
There have been no reports of serious storm-related injuries.
Meteorologists say there is potential for more intense wind Sunday afternoon and advise against driving in blowing dust.
Courtesy of abcnews.go.com
Flash floods sweep 4 boys away, but only 3 survive in New Mexico, USA
A young Boy Scout died when a flash flood swept through his campground in northern New Mexico, according to officials.
The victim was part of a group of scouts on a 12-day trek across Philmont Scout Ranch when a flash flood swept through their campsite before dawn on Saturday, according to NBC affiliate station KOB. Four boys were swept away but three were located immediately, KOB reported.
Philmont Scout Ranch — which has 214 square miles of wilderness — said its staff had “immediately” contacted crews and trekkers in the backcountry to check on safety and offer help after “significant” rainfall caused flooding in some areas of its property.
“During that process, our staff was unable to account for one youth participant, who we have since confirmed passed away,” the ranch said in a statement offering thoughts and prayers to the affected family.
“All other participants have been accounted for and there are no additional injuries,” it added.
Courtesy of nbcnews.com
MEGA DIP SPIKING ON THE MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 14:45 hrs UTC
**VERY URGENT**
MEGA DIP SPIKING ON THE MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 14:45 hrs UTC. FURTHER EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANO ACTIVITY & ADVERSE WEATHER PATTERNS WILL BE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY THE COSMIC RAYS STRIKING THE EARTH’S CORE
***BE ALERT***
Train crashes into platform at Churchgate railway station in Mumbai, India
Mumbai Local Train Accident :A local train on Sunday stabbed into the dead end at Churchgate railway station , and a woman get seriously injured and interrupted all suburban train services on the Western line. The fast train coming from Bhayander struck into the dead end on platform no.3 of Churchgate station at around 11.25 AM when the driver of the train could not stop the local train.As a result, the first coach of the local train jumped onto the south-end of the platform and was seen lying in a slant position.
Courtesy of theindiantalks.com
Major power outage targets more than 90,000 across southeast Michigan, USA
DTE Energy says more than 90,000 people are still without power after high winds and rain took out power across southeast Michigan. The total is down from nearly 150,000 Saturday night.
Most of the outages are located in Wayne and Oakland counties. Right now, there are 50,000 people without power in Wayne, 25,000 in Oakland, 6,000 in Macomb and 3,000 in Washtenaw.
DTE says they expect most of the power to be restored by late Sunday night, but some customers will be out until Tuesday.
More than 1,000 power lines were knocked down after wind gusts reached more than 40 mph Saturday.
If you see a downed power line, stay at least 20 feet away and do not come in contact with them. Also, do not cross yellow caution tape.
Courtesy of wxyz.com
Boat Swept Over Dam On Lake Linganore in Maryland, USA; 1 Killed, 8 Rescued
Still images from a rescue after a boat crashed over a dam and into a spillway at Lake Linganore in Maryland on Saturday night, June 27, 2015. (Frederick News Post/Sam Yu)
A boat operator was killed and eight passengers were rescued Saturday evening at a Maryland lake when the current pushed their boat over a dam and sent it crashing into a spillway.
The passengers said the swiftly moving water on Lake Linganore caught them off guard, and they were thrown from the boat at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday night, according to WJLA.com. The current was strong enough to pull the boat over a dam and into a spillway, the report added. It’s not clear if nearby storms contributed to the tragedy.
“Rainy conditions were in place much of Saturday until about 4 p.m. at nearby Frederick Municipal Airport,” said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. “Winds gusted to near 20 mph at times during the late-afternoon hours.”
Candy Thomson, spokesperson for the Maryland Natural Resources Police, said the 62-year-old man operating the boat was killed in the accident, the Frederick News-Post reported. His body was found about 5 hours after the crash was first reported, the News-Post also said.
After neighbors heard people screaming for help, authorities were alerted to the passengers stranded in the water, ABC News reported. Rescue crews rushed to the area and worked for an extended period of time to save the surviving eight passengers. Some were pulled out of the water by ropes, while others were airlifted by helicopter.
Lake Linganore is some 40 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.
Courtesy of weather.com
Historic crisis as crippling drought hits Brazil
South America’s largest city is having its worst drought in a century. The city’s reservoir system is at historic low levels and may be completely dry by August.
A drought seems like a strange concept in a country that still appears relatively lush and which is home to 12 percent of the world’s freshwater.
“It doesn’t look dry here like in California,” says Tommaso Protti, an Italian photographer who has lived in São Paulo for the past year.
The causes of the drought include large-scale weather patterns, deforestation (which has changed cloud formation), a soaring urban population, insufficient and leaky infrastructure, pollution of local streams, and lack of planning.
“Many people think the government hasn’t taken enough measures to avoid the crisis,” says Protti. “There have been protests in the streets.”
While some areas of the city still have reasonably good water delivery, several peripheral areas are nearly cut off. The crisis hit home for Protti late last year, when his downtown apartment building lost water for a week.
Some residents are buying water from tanker trucks while others are going without doing laundry or washing dishes.
Since Brazil gets about 80 percent of its electricity from hydropower, lower water levels may also threaten the country’s energy sector.
“I really wanted to focus on the variety of factors involved in the drought,” Protti says of his photographs.
Parched: The Jaguari-Jacareí Reservoir 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of the city is drying out from drought and overuse. Critics say the government should have expanded capacity and reduced water waste – Photo By Tommaso Protti
Too Many Straws: Water pipes suck the last drops out of the Jaguari-Jacareí Reservoir north of São Paulo – Photo By Tommaso Protti
Long Slog: A woman in São Paulo collects water from the only working tap in her downtown apartment building, in the basement. The building’s 300 residents have had intermittent water service since September 2014 – Photo By Tommaso Protti
Courtesy of nationalgeographic.com
MAGNITUDE 5.2 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=448586
Subject To Change
Depth: 10 km
Distances: 1182 km NE of Wellington, New Zealand / pop: 381,900 / local time: 00:53:49.8 2015-06-29
771 km NE of Whakatane, New Zealand / pop: 18,602 / local time: 00:53:49.8 2015-06-29
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