Rescuers Struggle to aid Philippines storm victims

Follow-up on Typhoon Bopha:

children recovering a bike (December 6)

Philippine navy personnel arrange donated coffins (Tuesday, December 11)

uprooted coconut trees lay in the mountains of Cateel, Davao Oriental province on December 11

residents queue up to receive relief goods from the government (Thursday, December 6)

More than 180,000 people were left homeless after Typhoon Bopha.  As of Thursday, December 6, the storm had left 325 dead, 411 injured, and 379 missing, the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported.  Many of the missing were in remote highland towns.

Fresh water is scarce--ocean water has contaminated many wells--and sanitation and hygiene are looming problems.  In one case in Davao Oriental, the evacuation centers--public buildings and schools--were also victims of flash flooding.  As a result, some people who were in an evacuation center died.

It's also difficult for evacuation teams and helpers to communicate because power lines and communication signals are down.

I read in a different article stating that the current death toll (as of Thursday, December 11) has surpassed 600.  How painful it must be for the survivors to find out that they've lost a brother, sister, or a parent.  In the New Bataan province, about 420 people were confirmed dead from Typhoon Bopha.  This area contained steep valleys, rivers criss-crossing through the town, and lush hillsides of banana, coconut, cocoa, and mango plantations.  Environment Secretary stated on December 6th that this isn't only an environmental issue, it's a poverty issue.  The people would say things like, "We are better off here. At least we have food to eat or money to buy food, even if it is risky".

Another perfect example of the difference in MDC's and LDC's.  Many of the people living in the New Bataan province are working as farmers, and if these farms are washed away, they have no work.  They have no other option of work, especially if that's all they have done their entire life.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57557467/philippines-typhoon-death-toll-passes-350/

Searching for Typhoon Victims

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/world/asia/typhoon-said-to-have-killed-hundreds-in-philippines.html?_r=1&

Follow-up on Philippines:

Things aren't looking so good.  In the article, "Philippines Struggles to Reach Typhoon's Victims," we learn that there are still hundreds of people missing, including soldiers who were on search-and-rescue operations.  Death toll (as of December 5, 2012) is now at least 325.  Out of these casualties, a total of 184 were from the Compostela Valley province I had mentioned in an earlier post.  Officials say that most of the typhoon's victims appeared to have drowned or been hit by falling trees or flying debris.

Local TV continue to broadcast footage of affected areas, grisly images of muddied bodies, completely washed out towns, and people with no homes.  Pictures were painful to look at.  The eastern coast of Mindanao, which was the area hardest hit by the storm, is a remote, impoverished agricultural area.  Tens of thousands of fallen coconut trees and many acres of destroyed banana plantations now reside in the area.

When informed that the water was coming down fast, resident Virgilia Babaag gathered up her three young nieces staying with her and ran through the night toward high ground.  When she later returned after the storm, her roof was gone.

Reading articles such as these are very hard for me.  I think I'm one of those overly sensitive people who sympathize for others.  I can't imagine having to flee for my life and losing a home.  Again, this is a great example of how MDC's often "survive" such hazards.  The victims of Hurricane Sandy were assisted right away and we had governmental aid that could potential restore the east coast.  Unfortunately, not all countries have that luxury.

Typhoon in the Philippines

http://news.yahoo.com/philippines-biggest-typhoon-kills-least-82-many-buried-041047352.html

As I was reading my daily Yahoo News, I came across this article and was absolutely heartbroken.  A typhoon hit hard in southern Philippines and had already killed at least 283 people.  Interior Minister Manuel Roxas said 300 people were missing.

Typhoon Bopha hit hardest and made landfall on the island of Mindanao.  The worst hit province was Compostela Valley, where waves of water and mud came crashing down mountains and swept through schools, town halls and clinics.  The last building standing in the area was the school.  The governor of that province was Arthur Uy, and he mentioned how unexpectedly fierce the winds and water came.  Uy also said that the irrigation reservoirs on topof mountains had given way sending large volumes of water to the valleys.  Torrential rain often triggers landslides down slopes stripped of their forest cover.

Many people in the area saw their friends and family being swept away by the flash flood.  It was very difficult to read towards the end.

After reading this article, I posted on my Facebook status, "praying for the Philippines".  Immediately, I had about four friends commenting, "What happened?".  Earlier this semester, we learned about LDC's and MDC's and how this relates to hazard.  When Hurricane Sandy took out electricity on the east coast for a few days, America went berserk and covered that shit on the news like crazy.  But then we read stuff like Typhoon Bopha killing 283 people and families being swept away by the water, hardly anyone hears about it (one of the reasons why I love my major).  As we can see here, the Philippines were particularly vulnerable to typhoons because of their geographical location and because it's a country consisting of many islands.  I do hope that there will be more aid headed towards their way.  Continuously sending prayers and will be keeping up to date with this unfortunate situation.

New Zealand Volcano Erupts; No One Hurt

Mount Tongariro erupted with a brief blast of dark ash on Wednesday, November 21, 2012, cancelling flights but causing no significant damage.  Schoolchildren and dozens of other hikers who were walking on trails along the mountain's base were safe.  This was the second time the New Zealand volcano has erupted in less than four months, and it sent a dark ash plume about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) into the sky.  A no-fly alert above the mountain located in the sparsely populated area of central North Island was issued by authorities.

National carrier Air New Zealand advised travelers that some of its flights could be delayed or cancelled because of the eruption.  Airline spokeswoman Brigitte Ransom said two flights had been cancelled by midafternoon.

Tongariro National Park is a popular tourist destination (being the backdrop for many scenes in "The Lord of the Rings" movies.

Tony Hurst, a volcanologist with GNS Science, said the eruption lasted about five minutes and was unexpected.  Hurst believes that the dark ask indicated magma pressure deep underground, causing the eruption.

I thought this article was interesting in that no one was actually hurt during the eruption.  Even though no on was seriously injured, I'm curious to see how the public would have responded if there was indeed a large group of people who were injured.  Since Hurst stated the eruption was unexpected, it can be awfully difficult to mitigate for such an event.

Importance of Mitigation for Extreme Weather

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/roads-extreme-weather-20121121

 

After Superstorm Sandy, America is second-guessing the strength and capabilitiy of their infrastructure.  Roads, airports, railways, and transit systems are getting hammered by extreme weather beyond what their builders imagined.  The article, "U.S. Roads, Airports Unready for Extreme Weather," published on Nov. 21, 2012 and written by Joan Lowy, discussed the too politically sensitive to say aloud the source of their weather worries:  climate change.

 

Sustainable Transportation, Energy Infrastructure and Climate Solutions Steering Committee executive director John Horsley commented, "There is a whole series of standards that are going to have to be revisited in light of the change in climate that is coming at us."

 

For example, Superstorm Sandy inflicted the worst damage to the New York subway system in its 108-year history.  Flooding in Nebraska also threatened the Omaha airport, and caused sinkholes and soil boils in the area.  Record-smashing heat from Colorado to Virginia last summer caused train tracks to bend and highway pavement to buckle.

 

With the weather pattern being so erratic, it can be difficult to predict the kind of winter or summers we'll be having.  In order to decrease risk, improvements must be made on our nations infrastructure.

 

A congressional commission estimated that all levels of government together are spending $138 billion a year less than is needed to maintain the current system and to make modest improvements.

 

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With our sophisticated technology, I am certain that we will be able to construct sustainable, cost-effective (loosely said) infrastructure that can mitigate extreme weather.  It will be difficult to fork up the money for that because so many people don't believe in our changing climate.  I also think it's important to implement affordable, safe, green transportation options (such as hybrid cars).  It's eco-friendly overall and can come hand in hand in with infrastructure.

 

As terrible and damaging as Hurricane Sandy was, I think it was important that such an event occurred, because it was a huge wake up call for our government and the people who live on the east coast (or coasts in general).  As I have mentioned before in blogposts, I think the only way for us to better our technology and increase in efficiency, we need to go through such events.  Learning from our mistakes can only improve our mitigation efforts.

SC Marsh Rat Invasion... Yikes!!

I stumbled upon an article a couple of weeks ago titled, "Blame Rain for SC Marsh Rat Invasion".  First off, people often call me, "Sandy, the Fearless".  Okay, no one calls me that, but I like to think of myself as someone who isn't afraid of anything and doesn't hold any phobias.  As most people are deathly afraid of spiders and bugs, I am deathly afraid of rodents.  Rats, mice, you name it.  I cringed when I read the title of the article, but I heard somewhere that the more you are exposed to your fear, the less you will be afraid of it.  So I read the article.

Published on Nov. 24, 2012 and written by Tom Barton, the article discussed the increase in rat population in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  Pest-control companies have been busy the past few weeks due to this problem.  Billy Karijanian, director of operations for Critter Management on Hilton Head, said the population has exploded because of last winter being warmer than usual and plenty of rain this year.  "A freeze last year would have killed off some of the population," Karijanian added.  Abundance in food and water has also supported the rat population.

John Kaiser with island Pest Control on Hilton Head and education director at the LowCountry Institute Tony Mills mentioned that the rat population actually didn't increase by that much.  They contested that due to high tides covering their habitats, these rats are ending up in people's yards and homes because there are fewer places for them to go.  Other worries with the rats include health hazards and infectious diseases.

The hantavirus, a severe, sometimes fatal respiratory disease that kills about a third of those infected.  There have been no reports of hantavirus in South Carolina in recent years, mentioned S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control spokesman Mark Plowden.  The virus is located in the rodents' urine, droppings, and saliva, and primarily spread when people breathe in air contaminated with the virus.  People can also get the virus by touching items contaminated with rodent urine, droppings or saliva, and then touching their nose or mouth.

The agency recommends removal of food, water, and items that produce shelters for rodents; covering gaps around fireplaces, walls, pipes, dorrs, vents, and etc. where rats and mice can get inside.  Setting traps and cleaning up mouse and rate urine, droppings and nests with a disinfectant or mixture of bleach and water and also help mitigate againt this virus.

It's interesting that rain water can contribute to the "increase" of pests in residential areas.  I've come to understand that though we (humans) often feel like we're on top of things, we're actually a part of a huge cycle within the environment.  A part of us want to have contol of our surroundings and blame the environment when things go wrong, and this article is a perfect example of that.  Being so afraid of rats, I appreciate the tips given at the end, but I certainly don't have to worry about a rat population (at least not yet) in Eau Claire.

Though this article didn't exactly cover a "hazard", I felt that it was important to be contributed into this blog for its environmental relevance.  As we all know, the east coast was affected by Superstorm Sandy recently, and there has been a fear of the possibility of an increase in the rat population, specifically in New York (http://www.weather.com/news/winter-crab-dredging-20121123).

Winter Crab Dredging

http://www.weather.com/news/winter-crab-dredging-20121123

 

Weather.com posted an article a couple of weeks ago (Nov. 23, 2012) titled, "Va. to Study Effects of Winter Crab Dredging," that caught my attention immediately.  I LOVE, and by LOVE, I mean I would drive to places out of my way to get to a store to purchase blue crabs (refer to image above).  I actually have a really good recipe for a Hmong-style Blue Crab dish that involves plenty of ginger, garlic, shrimp and crab pastes, and of course, oyster sauce for a wonderful concoction of seafood goodness (we'll stop it there before I am compelled to drive to the cities to get blue crabs).  Another reason why the article caught my attention was because as it is written in the title, I was interested in the effects of crab dredging.  I do purchase my blue crabs from the cities, but I am not exactly sure where the crabs were dredged.  Though I am uncertain whether the ones I purchase come from Virginia, this was an interesting article, nonetheless.

 

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and contains huge amounts (though less in recent years due to over-harvesting) of seafoods including blue crabs, oysters, clams, and fish.  State regulators have a moratorium on winter dredging for the protection of hibernating females.  Doing so will allow the next generation of crabs to be born in the spring.

 

Virginia is paying for a scientific study starting in December-March to determine how harmful dredging for blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay may be to the ecosystem and crab population.  The study will be overseen by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.  It will pay four watermen to dredge as many as 40 bushes of crabs a day that they can sell for a profit.  Officials and regulators will standby to see how the dredges tear up mud, sand, and underwater grasses.  John Bull, a spokesman for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, said, "Everyone has an opinion of the winter dredge fishery, but we need facts, not opinions."  Money for the study is coming out of funds paid by watermen for their commercial fishing licenses.

 

I am curious to see the outcome of this study.  I've learned about the Chesapeake Bay from my Conservation of Environment course I took a couple of semesters ago.  From what I remember, it's lush aquatic ecosystem has depleted dramatically due to over-harvesting and pollution from urban areas upstream.  Because the area is such a hot spot for tourism and seafood production, I hope the study is able to come with a solution to conserve and sustain the bay.  It would be very unfortunate to lose such a gem.