Archive | August 30, 2015
Explosion in an underground manhole forces evacuations in Hawaii
Honolulu fire personnel, police and a Hawaiian Electric crew are responding to an incident on Hotel Street of black smoke coming out of a manhole cover due to an underground electrical fire.
An explosion was reported at 11:10 a.m. Sunday, but the cover did not blow off. No injuries were reported.
The incident was reported at around 10:15 a.m. Sunday.
Police have blocked off Hotel Street from Bishop Street to Bethel Street.
Surrounding businesses open Sunday on Fort Street Mall near the area have been evacuated, and the mall is closed to pedestrians.
Courtesy of khon2.com
Apocalyptic storm unleashes complete mayhem in British Columbia, Canada
Crews in Vancouver worked through the night in order to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers left without, after a powerful windstorm whipped through Lower Mainland, B.C. on Saturday.
Up to 500,000 customers were left in the dark as gale force winds toppled trees and knocked down hydro lines across the region. As of Sunday 10 a.m. PDT, crews had managed to whittle that number down to approximately 180,000.
Most outages were reported across the Greater Vancouver Area, where wind gusted to more than 90 kilometres per hour.
BC Hydro reported that they are hoping to have electricity restored to most areas by Monday. Additional personnel have been called in to relief crew members that worked long hours through the overnight to get a handle on the number of outages.
Officials urged people to stay indoors and off the roads as damaging gusts and heavy rain raked Vancouver Island and the South Coast, in the most damaging storm the area has seen since 2006.
At least one person was seriously injured during the height of Saturday’s storm. A woman in Surrey is facing life-threatening injuries after she was struck by a falling tree while out walking with her daughter.
South of the border, the same system took a deadly turn in the Pacific Northwest. At least two people were killed by falling trees in Washington state on Saturday. One man was driving when a tree came crashing down on top of his car. A 10-year-old girl was playing outside at a friend’s house when she was struck and killed by a fallen tree branch.
Environment Canada issued wind warnings for Metro Vancouver and the surrounding areas early Saturday afternoon, with gusts forecast to reach 90 km/h.
Soon after, Stanley Park was closed to the public. The east side of the park has since been reopened as crews work to clear the remaining trees and debris caused by the storm.
A number of ferry crossings were cancelled or delayed due to rough seas, and the Vancouver SkyTrain was temporarily delayed after a tree fell across the tracks, smashing the front of an oncoming train.
According to our forecasters, a summer’s worth of drought has made trees in the area vulnerable to the force of Saturday’s ‘fall-like’ storm.
“Many trees have become potentially stressed under severe drought conditions and their weak root systems were ill-prepared to deal with this ‘fall-like’ storm,” explains Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton. “The trees still have full canopies and deciduous trees have all their leaves.. This can act like a sail in the strong, gusty winds and the extra weight of wet leaves often proves too much for brittle branches to handle.”
Wind storms of this nature are more commonly associated with the fall season. “Subsequent storms after the first fall storm seem to cause less damage, as nature does some natural pruning of its own,” Hamilton says.
Courtesy of theweathernetwork.com
Major landslide hits areas of Kohima town, Highway block continues; Low Pressure area over Jharkhand, India
Continuous heavy rainfall, coupled with improper drainage system had caused major landslide and subsidence to around 140 feet, totally cutting-off the approach road of lower Naga bazaar area of Kohima town yesterday while a low pressure area lay over Jharkhand and its neighbourhood today. Official sources in Kohima said the road leading to Leprosy colony, LP school, cemetery and some houses was affected. Around 15 buildings under construction and five RCC buildings were totally damaged by the landslide yesterday. Several of the houses under construction, which had sunk, were gradually buried. A woman was injured when the house began to sink. Residents of the colony had to rebury a body when a grave was exposed by the landslide. The Gaon Burha of Naga Bazaar Khriengulie Rio expressed unhappiness with the authorities for not taking up adequate measures despite being informed about the impending landslide. He also said that after the landslide only the SDO(C) visited the site. The entire area of Poufii and nearby, with around 60 household plots had sunk down some 50 to 60 feet towards a stream. Due to the mudslide from the upper side, the open stream along with retaining wall, which flowed between the two colonies, Lower Naga bazaar and Kezieke, has created a artificial lake, accumulating water measuring around 12 feet deep in the middle. In Phesama, the National Highway 29 continued to be blocked for the 10th day today, cutting off the Southern Angami areas of Nagaland and the entire State of Manipur. The mudslide continued to flow from the hilltop, flowing over the Highway to the valley areas, gradually covering the standing paddy fields one after another. Due to the pressure of the mudslides, about five square kilometer areas of the both sides of the mudslide, continued to sink, forcing the residents to evacuate and demolish their house to re-construct in safer places. So far a total of 60 families had to evacuate from their houses and the paddy fields of around 200 villagers were covered by mudslide. The BRO workers are working to clear the mud along with debris, but due to uninterrupted mudslide, the highway could not be open till today. A report from Hyderabad said the Low Pressure Area over north Odisha and adjoining Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh now lay over Jharkhand and neighbourhood. Under its influence, moderate to rather heavy rain or thundershowers would occur at a few places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh during the next 24 hours. Light to moderate rain or thundershowers would occur at isolated places over Rayalaseema during the same period. The outlook for the next two days indicated there would be no large change, Met Office sources said. The report also said that South West Monsoon also been active over Telangana and added that under the influence of low pressure area, heavy rain would occur at isolated places in the districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Khammam and Warangal during the next 24 hours. A report from Lucknow said the weather has turned pleasant following drizzle being experienced since the last 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh. The Met department said that heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places and rainfall of 12 centimeters was experienced in Ayodhya, Seven centimeters in Maharajganj, six centimeter in Allahabad, three centimeter each in Chandradeep Ghat and Agra. Meanwhile, several acres of farm land were flooded by the swelling Ghaghra, Rapti, Sharda and many other rivers at different places. Similar weather conditions are predicted in the next 24 hours by the Met department. Reports from Pune said heavy rain would occur at few places with very heavy rain at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya. Heavy to very heavy rain is also expected at isolated places over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. Heavy rain at isolated places would occur over Jharkhand, Bihar, east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chattisgarh during the next 24 hours. The southwest monsoon has been active over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, Vidarbha and Telangana. It has been subdued over Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat State. Rayalaseema and south interior Karanataka. Rain or thundershowers have occurred at most places in Arunachal Pradesh, Konkan and Goa and Lakshwadweep and at many places in Assam and Meghalaya, Gangetic West Bengal, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Telanagana and Andaman and Nicobar islands. It also occurred at a few places in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha, Jharakhand, east Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, coastal Andhra Pradesh and coastal Karnataka and at isolated places in Bihar, east Uttar Pradesh, west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat region, Saurashtra and Kutch, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu, interior Karnataka and Kerala. Mainly dry weather has prevailed in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, the report said.
Courtesy of netindia123.com
Catastrophic flooding strikes 27 villages in Sokoto State, Nigeria
Farm produce worth over N100 million were destroyed by flood in 27 villages in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the Chairman of the Local Government, Alhaji Shehu Chacho, has said.
Chacho disclosed this to newsmen in Wurno on Sunday.
He said the destroyed farm produce which were already maturing include; rice, millet, guinea corn, maize and beans.
According to the chairman, the flood was caused by the release of excess water from Goronyo dam and that it had affected no fewer than 7,577 farmers..
He said the villages affected by the disaster include; Dinbiso, Gidan-Kamba, Gidan-bango, ‘Yar-wurno, Tunga, Zayawa, Lahodu and Lugu.
Others are: Barayar-zaki, Kwargaba, Gidan-magori, Tuttudawa, Nasarawa, Gidan-Modi and Dabagin-manomi, among others.
Chacho said that no fewer than 2,500 hectares of farmlands under the Lugu canals had been submerged by the flood, which also destroyed similar farm produce there.
” We have, therefore, constructed five-kilometer embankment along the Gidan-Modi to Gidan-kamba road.
”The project which cost about N7.8 million is aimed at preventing the flood waters from submerging the nearby Tuttuduwa canals,” he said.
Two farmers, Alhaji Garba Gidan-modi and Alhaji Musa Maigadaje, lamented the development, saying,” we had incurred huge losses.
”We are therefore appealing for urgent assistance from the three tiers of government and public-spirited organisations,” the victims said.
Courtesy of ngrguardiannews.com
State of emergency declared as the Category 4 hurricane Ignacio edges closer to the outskirts of Hawaii
Hawaii is preparing for a Category 4 hurricane that is set to hit the The Big Island and Maui from tomorrow.
The current forecast has Hurricane Ignacio passing northeast of the Big Island on Monday and north of Maui on Tuesday. It’s possible that the storm will still be at hurricane strength during that time, reported the Maui News
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center says stormy weather could hit the Big Island on Sunday night and Maui on Monday.
Hurricane Ignacio is expected to pass north-east of the Big Island on Monday and north of Maui on Tuesday
As of 5 a.m. Sunday, the center said Hurricane Ignacio is 450 miles east-southeast of Hilo and likely at peak strength with sustained winds of 140 mph, reported the Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Hawaii Governor David Ige signed an emergency proclamation on Friday afternoon in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Ignacio that activates the fund set aside for disaster relief for the state.
Ige was prompted to act after the National Weather Service advised that even though Ignacio’s path is still highly uncertain, the system has the ability to cause widespread damage across the state.
The Major Disaster Fund allows easier access to emergency resources at the state and federal levels, along with the ability to suspend certain laws as needed for emergency purposes.
Hawaii Governor David Ige signed an emergency order in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Ignacio
Vern Miyagi, the executive officer of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said: ‘We thank Governor Ige for his support during this crucial time, and are taking advantage of this pre-landfall period to ensure that we are as best prepared as possible.
‘With our whole state engulfed in the cone of uncertainty, we ask the public to continue their preparedness efforts and monitor news media for the latest updates regarding Hurricane Ignacio.’
The hurricane intensified in strength on Saturday afternoon, with winds gusting up to 115 miles per hour. Then 835 miles southeast of Honolulu and 625 miles southeast of Hilo, it was moving northwest at eight miles per hour, said center spokesman Neil Honda.
‘It just became a hurricane from a tropical storm,’ Honda said, noting the weather became fierce enough to be classified a hurricane at 5am Pacific on Saturday.
Sunday into Monday waves as high as 20 feet were expected. Hawaii officials urged residents to prepare.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Jimena in the Pacific Ocean – about 1,900 miles to the southeast of the Big Island of Hawaii – was moving to the west-northwest at a speed of nine miles an hour, according to the National Weather Service.
The Category Four hurricane poses no immediate threat to land, according to the Weather Service.
It is expected to remain a major hurricane through Monday.
Courtesy of dailymail.co.uk
Tropical Storm Fred Forms in the Atlantic; Hurricane Warning Issued For Cape Verde Islands
Current status
Tropical Storm Fred formed in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Africa on Sunday morning.
Fred is forecast to move west-northwest on a path that will take it through the Cape Verde Islands Monday into Tuesday. Fred is forecast to become a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches and moves through those islands. As a result, a hurricane warning has been issued for the Cape Verde Islands by the Cape Verde Meteorological Service.
After passing through the Cape Verde Islands, Fred will turn westward over the open Atlantic Ocean. Southwesterly winds aloft, stable air and cooler water temperatures should begin to weaken Fred later in the week.
Fred Projected Path
There is no indication at this time that Fred will come anywhere near the Caribbean or North America based on the latest computer model guidance and the state of the atmosphere.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Fred is just the fourth Atlantic named storm to form east of 19 degrees West longitude.
Watches and Warnings
Courtesy of weather.com
Severe monsoon storm damage reported in Mesa, Chandler, Phoenix, USA
(Photo: Parker Leavitt/The Republic)
Thunderstorms moved into the Phoenix area on Saturday evening, causing damage across the East Valley.
Chandler and Guadalupe saw the most severe storms. Crews were working to clean up downed trees from roads in Chandler, especially near Desert Breeze Park.
In Mesa, about 13,000 people were without power for several hours, according to Salt River Project. Since a number of storms came into the area all at once, multiple electrical systems were affected.
In addition to the power outages, electrical poles were downed near Southern Avenue and Stapley Drive. SRP was working to restore power to customers on Saturday night.
By Sunday at 9:50 a.m., about 450 customers were still without power. Projected restoration times spanned from one to 15 hours.
“We’re anxious to get power to those affected as quickly as possible,” said SRP spokesperson Kathleen Mascarenas.
Charlotte Dewey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, reported that Saturday evening’s thunderstorms were consistent of monsoon season weather. Isolated showers and damaging downbursts weren’t widespread and largely stayed in the East Valley.
The forecast for Sunday and the first few days of the week calls for high temperatures around 105 degrees and low temperatures in the mid-to-low 80’s.
The chance of rain will drop to about 10 percent, and if any storms come into the area Sunday it will be in the late afternoon.
Chances of thunderstorms are expected to decrease gradually through the week, though high-terrain areas in the east have a higher likelihood of rainfall.
Courtesy of azcentral.com
Plane Crash Fatally Injures Pilot At The Austrian Air Show
A small plane crashed at an air show in southern Austria on Sunday, fatally injuring the pilot, authorities said.
The accident happened at the Hirt airfield, near the town of Friesach in the southern province of Carinthia.
The pilot, a 50-year-old local man, made a steep ascent and then went into a quick descent before crashing, Friesach police chief Marianne Makoru told the Austria Press Agency.
The air show was halted after the crash. About 500 spectators attended on Sunday, but Makoru said that “no other people were in danger.”
Courtesy of abcnews
Stunt plane crashes ahead of New York air show, killing pilot
Police say a stunt plane has crashed while practicing tricks for a weekend air show in New York, killing the pilot.
Trooper Steven Nevel says the propeller-driven plane crashed at around 2 p.m. Friday at Stewart International Airport in the Orange County town of New Windsor. The New York Air Show is scheduled to take place there this weekend.
The Federal Aviation Administration says the plane was an experimental aircraft owned by stunt pilot Andrew Wright, of Austin, Texas. Wright took a local reporter for a preview flight earlier Friday.
The pilot was the only person aboard the plane.
A woman at the air show box office said the show will go on as scheduled.
Courtesy of news10.com
Plane crashes on runway at Minute Man Air Field, Massachusetts, USA
A small ultralight aircraft crashed Saturday evening on a runway at the Minute Man Air Field in Stow.
Boxborough Police say the occupants were taken to the hospital with minor cuts and scrapes.
The single-prop aircraft took significant damage.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
Courtesy of wcvb.com
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