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13 Jan 2012 09:43

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World: Two years later, Haiti continues its slow march towards recovery

  • Where does haiti stand after the deadly 2010 quake? While about $15 billion of aid money is still missing in Haiti, progress is still being made. “Recovery is here. It is painfully slow, it is agonizing to watch, but it is recovery,” said Harvard professor Paul Farmer. He has spent three decades in Haiti and is opening a new hospital. Big factories could also stimulate the country’s economy, creating 20,000 jobs at just one plant. Progress can also be measured somewhat superficially; HuffPo “Good News” writer Cameron Sinclair finds the silver lining in other ways. He noted the lesser-but-still-positive positives of Haiti, such as its fast WiFi and rich history. (Perhaps that’s looking too hard in the forest to see trees, but y’know.) So, while recovery is still being sought after, it is still coming. And in some ways, it is already here. (Photo by Ken Cedeno / The Washington Post) source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 May 2011 10:27

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U.S.: In perspective: The possible costs of 2011’s U.S. natural disasters

  • $3B the estimated peak cost of the Joplin tornado, which hit on Sunday
  • $5B the estimated costs of the storms that slammed the South in April
  • $2.2B the estimated costs of the deliberate flooding on the Mississippi source
  • » A particularly deadly year for natural disasters: Before April, the weather was relatively calm, but then strong storms in the South and Plains states — complete with tornadoes and flooding — started hitting fast and furious. And with 482 killed by this year’s storms already, it’s been a year filled with heartbreak already.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Apr 2011 10:40

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U.S.: Guy behind iconic Tuscaloosa storm video speaks out

  • Actually, I was zoomed out to try to get the whole tornado, and I still couldn’t catch it, the whole thing. I mean, we were probably maybe 200 to 300 yards away from it.
  • University of Alabama employee Christopher England • Describing how he was able to get this video — you know the one, the one with the heavy breathing. England, speaking from one of the now-greatly-damaged areas he filmed, was in one of the strongest, safest buildings in the entire region — Coleman Coliseum, the campus’ men’s basketball complex — while filming the clip. England filmed for a minute and a half before things got too dangerous and he fleed for safety. Speaking of being near the destruction, he noted: “It’s kind of surreal to be down here now and kind of seeing it, because this is the first time I’ve seen it.”  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Mar 2011 00:38

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U.S.: Earthquake preparedness: Bay Area bridges in bad shape

  • 34% of bridges in San Francisco are structurally deficient source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jan 2011 12:08

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World: Mudslides now second-worst disaster in Brazilian history

  • 1,500 died in a meningitis outbreak in the mid-1970s, according to United Nations data
  • 803+ have died in the recent mudslides, caused by a month’s worth of rain falling in 24 hours source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jan 2011 10:26

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World: Queensland Premier Anna Bligh: Brisbane flooding like a “war zone”

“What I’m seeing looks more like a war zone in some places,” Bligh said. “All I could see was their rooftops … underneath every single one of those rooftops is a horror story.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jan 2011 10:50

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World: Reminder: Snow sucks, but not as much as Australia’s flooding

Brisbane-area floodwaters have reached the second story of some homes. “This is an extraordinary, once in a 100 year event or more,” said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

11 Jan 2011 10:38

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World: Australian floods: Brisbane about to get gobsmacked

One of Australia’s largest cities (2 million people and counting) is bracing for the largest flood its faced since at least 1974. More than a third of the city is in danger. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Oct 2010 09:50

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World: An update on Indonesia’s deadly twin disasters

  • 34people killed by Tuesday’s eruption; it erupted again, too
  • 343 people confirmed dead in the massive tsunami in Indonesia
  • 338 people still missing; officials fear as many as 500 could be dead
  • 16k people displaced by the tsunami, which created 10-foot waves source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2010 13:33

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U.S.: North Dakota lake gobbles up buildings, towns

  • over the last twenty years, North Dakota’s aptly-named “Devil’s Lake” has almost quadrupled in size, and will probably continue doing so for the next ten years. It’s swallowed hundreds of buildings, thousands of acres, and even two towns. The problem lies with the fact that it’s a “closed basin,” meaning there are no natural waterways by which rainwater can flow out of the lake. So, it just gets bigger and bigger. For an idea of how big, check out AP’s interactive map. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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