Earth Watch : Thursday, March 1, 2012

 Thursday, March 1, 2012

**Love is like war: Easy to begin but hard to end.**
Anonymous
No update tomorrow, March 2 or Sunday, March 4,
due to other obligations.http://globaldisasterwatch.blogspot.com/2012/03/thursday-march-1-2012.html


LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.1 VANUATU
5.0 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Yesterday -
2/29/12 -
5.0 JAVA, INDONESIA
5.4 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.8 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.4 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
5.6 VANUATU
5.2 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -


Indonesia - Mount Marapi, a volcano located in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, briefly erupted on early Wednesday morning, officials said. It comes after activity was also reported at the volcano in August 2011.


TROPICAL STORMS -
In the Indian Ocean -
-Tropical cyclone 14s (Irina) was located approximately 225 nm west-northwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
-Tropical cyclone 15s was located approximately 525 nm northeast of Port Louis, Mauritius.


Tropical Cyclone Irina is set to strengthen between Mozambique and Madagascar and could ultimately make a destructive landfall in the region. Flooding rain could target a wide area along with a growing threat of damaging wind this week.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -


U.S. - The belt of severe storms that earlier killed at least nine people in the Midwest crashed east through Tennessee Wednesday night, where officials reported that three people died and several homes were destroyed. Severe storms hit central Tennessee, between Nashville and Knoxville, in the early evening, with reports that a tornado touched down near Crossville. An unknown number of others were injured after becoming trapped under several houses destroyed in the storms. Emergency officials were working to rescue those trapped and several were evacuated from the scene by a medical helicopter. Much of Tennessee was under a tornado watch Wednesday, as the deadly storm system rolled east towards North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Virginia - where the NWS also issued tornado watch alerts.
Late Wednesday the NWS was reporting widespread damage to homes, barns and power lines - as well as numerous trees blocking roads - in eastern Tennessee, Alabama and West Virginia. Earlier six people were killed when a tornado reportedly touched down in Harrisburg, Illinois, while three others were killed as the storms struck Missouri. In Harrisburg, officials have not yet confirmed figures for structural damage and injuries, though close to 100 were wounded in the disaster that killed four women and two men.
The twister came out of a severe storm system that ripped through Kansas, Missouri and Illinois overnight and early Wednesday - before many people were awake to tune into local warnings - leaving dozens injured and possibly hundreds of businesses and homes damaged or destroyed across the region. Weary residents may get some good news today as the monster storm system is expected to weaken.


Australia - Residents in a Victorian town are being warned to evacuate, people have been rescued from cars and several towns have experienced RECORD RAINFALL as heavy rain hits the state's northeast. Some parts of the state's northeast exceeded their monthly average rainfall today. Wodonga recorded 88mm of rain this morning compared to the previous March record of 84mm in 1926, Rutherglen had 81mm of rain compared to the last record of 61mm in March 1939 and Mangalore recorded 71mm, compared to the previous record of 65 in March 1970. "February and March are usually the driest months. Normally in summer and autumn there's a lot of dry days, but this has certainly gone above the monthly average in one day." Heavy showers were forecast again for Saturday.
Residents in Tallygaroopna, north of Shepparton, are being advised to prepare to evacuate. Tallygaroopna received about 70mm of rain overnight and up to 40 properties had experienced flooding. The town was "pretty well inundated". While residents have been advised to evacuate, most people remained and were trying to save properties.


Tunisia - A combination of melting snow, overflowing rivers, and heavy rains flooded parts of northwestern Tunisia in late February.