MAGNITUDE 3.9 WYOMING, YELLOWSTONE, USA
Distances: 258 km SSE of Billings, United States / pop: 110,000 / local time: 06:22:35.8 2021-04-13
Cyclone Seroja destroys homes, cuts power to 31,500 on Australia’s west coast
A tropical cyclone on Australia’s west coast destroyed several homes and cut electricity to tens of thousands of people overnight before weakening on Monday morning.
Officials said around 70% of the structures in the coastal town of Kalbarri, about 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of state capital Perth, had sustained damage when the category three storm made landfall late on Sunday.
“The devastation caused by Cyclone Seroja is widespread and severe,” Western Australia state premier Mark McGowan told reporters.
Around 40% of the damage was “major”, WA Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said.
No deaths or major injuries have been reported.
A recovery effort is now underway as the biggest threat has passed, McGowan said. There are 31,500 customers still without power supply, which he said could take days to restore.
Tropical cyclone Seroja was downgraded after making landfall to a category two system and was later downgraded further to a tropical low, but bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
Photos on social media and local broadcasts showed downed powerlines, debris and houses stripped of roofs and walls. Western Australia state authorities opened three evacuation centres for displaced residents.
The region was on high alert for the storm, given that houses and other buildings were not built to withstand tropical cyclones, which usually do not push so far south.
“This is a rare weather event for people in southern and eastern parts of WA,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Courtesy of whbl.com
Death toll of Cyclone Seroja rises to 179 in Indonesia
The death toll of Cyclone Seroja in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province rose to 179 and 45 others are still missing, an official said on Monday.
“We have been able to reach all the affected areas and there are no more isolated villages,” East Nusa Tenggara’s Deputy Governor Josef Nae Soi told a virtual press conference with the National Disaster Management Agency.
Soi said several broken bridges have not yet been rebuilt, hampering economic activities.
He said temporary solutions including using army ships and state-owned ferries have been suggested.
Courtesy of xinhuanet.com
Large explosion reported at La Soufrière Volcano in St Vincent
The Trinidad-based Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of the University of the West Indies (UWI) today reported a “large explosion” at the La Soufriere volcano.
In a brief update posted on its website, the SRC said that its team monitoring the volcano, which erupted last Friday, “has observed a large explosion at approximately 4:15 am (local time) and pyroclastic density currents(flows) have been observed on the flanks of the volcano”.
The SRC said that it is continuing to monitor the situation and will update later.
Volcanologist Professor Richard Robertson yesterday warned that the ongoing eruption of La Soufriere volcano is in keeping with the events surrounding the 1902 eruption which claimed 1,600 lives at a time when early warning systems and evacuation capabilities were not as advanced.
Speaking on the state-owned NBC Radio, Professor Robertson, the lead scientist monitoring the volcano, said that while most people know of the 1979 eruption, what is currently happening at La Soufriere is more akin to more a century ago.
“The activity pattern we have currently is more similar to a 1902 type of eruption of that kind of scale, rather than a 1979 scale. The people who lived through 1979 know the kind of eruption we have had.
“What does that mean? It means, unfortunately, that it is likely going to cause more damage and destruction to St Vincent but it also means that there will always be a safe place in the south of the country, which might have a lot of ash every now and then, but you can still sustain life and limb and it would not — which is what we all worry about — get so big that it destroys the whole country. That currently doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Courtesy of jamaicaobserver.com
Explosive activity and volcanic ash continues at Fuego Volcano in Guatemala
Satellite image of Fuego volcano by (c) Google Earth View
Explosive activity continues with volcanic ash plumes at Fuego Volcano in Guatemala
Courtesy of volcanodiscovery.com
34 earthquakes rattle Mauna Loa, world’s largest active volcano, Hawaii and scientists say eruption is possible
The Big Island of Hawaii, home to the world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, was rocked by 34 earthquakes on Sunday. While most of the earthquakes were low in magnitude, and none were strong enough to cause a tsunami, scientists warned citizens that an eruption from Mauna Loa could be possible in the near future.
“While an eruption of Mauna Loa is not imminent, now is the time to revisit personal eruption plans,” said a recent press release from scientists with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. “Similar to preparing for hurricane season, having an eruption plan in advance helps during an emergency.”
The largest active volcano on Earth, Mauna Loa reaches a height of 13,681 feet above sea level, and 3 miles below the Central Pacific to the ocean floor. “Mauna Loa” is Hawaiian for “Long Mountain.” The volcano covers half of the island.
The Big Island of Hawaii is also home to three other active volcanoes: Kilauea, Mauna Kea and Hualalai. Kilauea has been erupting since December.
Concern from scientists stems from the rate at which deformation, or changes to the volcano’s surface, are affecting Mauna Loa, as well as its seismicity, or the frequency of earthquakes. The Big Island has had more than 744 earthquakes in the last of a magnitude 1.5 or greater in the last 30 days.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists recommended residents have response plans and a “go-bag” ready in the case of an evacuation order.
“Nowadays, people pack ‘go’ bags containing essential items in case you have to leave your house under an evacuation order,” the USGS said. “You may want to include important documents, like your birth certificate, deeds, legal papers, and medications.”
According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843. Its last eruption lasted from March 25 to April 15, 1984.
Courtesy of thehill.com
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