Earthquakes

5.2 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits south-western Siberia.

 

Wildfires

Several wildfires burn across California, USA.

Wildfire in Kelowna, near Edmonton, Canada.

A farmer in Greece shoots two spectators videotaping a wildfire after an argument that they should rather have been helping to fight the fire.

 

Floods and Storms

Typhoon Saola dumps torrents of rain on the Philippines. 7 people have been reported to have died with several others missing. 40 000 people in Manila evacuated.

More heavy rain in an already flooded North Korea causes more flooding.

25 people die in a mudslide in a China mine.

Tornado hits near the summit of Mount Evans in the Colorado mountains, USA.

Transportation and Power

A fire on a passenger train in Andhra Pradesh, India leaves at least 32 people dead.

Northern India suffers its worst power failure in 10 years, leaving hundreds of millions of people without power for several hours.

 

Earthquakes

5.4 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

Small cluster of quakes hits the Dodecanese islands in Greece.

Small cluster of quakes hits Hawaii.

 

Storms

Tropical storm Damney forms south-east of Japan.

Tropical storm Saolo brings rain and strong winds to northern Luzon in the Philippines on its way to Taiwan and southern China.

At least 6 tornadoes were spawned in Pennsylvania and New York on Thursday during last week's storms.

Several tornadoes were also spawned in storms that hit southern Alberta, Canada on Saturday.

Disease

Typhoid outbreak in Harare and Chitungwiza in Zimbabwe after people once again start eating their own faeces.

 

Floods

Floods in central and eastern Costa Rica after heavy rains.

 

Earthquakes

6.6 Earthquake hits the New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea. No tsunami alert issued.

6.0 Earthquake hits offshore Chiapas, Mexico. Near the coast of Guatemala.

5.7 Earthquake hits Myanmar.

5.7 Earthquake hits Primor'ye, Russia.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Sunda Strait, Indonesia.

 

Disease

Outbreak of Erysipelas, a disease normally found in pigs has been discovered in the Northwest Territories in Canada having killed at least 100 muskox. This is the first time the disease has been found in muskox in northern Canada. The disease can infect humans; symptoms including itchy hands - the disease responds to treatment with antibiotics.

 

Tropical Storms

Tropical Storm Saolo forms east of the Philippines in the Pacific.

 

Floods

Severe flooding in North Korea during July has claimed 88 lives, destroyed 5 000 homes leaving more than 60 000 people homeless.

 

Wildfires

Lightning sparks three new wildfires in Fort Hall, Idaho, USA and 4 new wildfires in Utah USA. Evacuations have been ordered in the Fort Hall area.

The wildfires burning in Nebraska, USA have destroyed 14 homes.

 

El Niño

A weak El Niño has formed in the Pacific, showing a shift from neutral conditions following last year's La Niña. El Niño conditions are expected to persist.

 

Earthquakes

The past couple of days have seen few magnitude 5.0 earthquakes.

5.0 Earthquake hits north of Svalbard in the Arctic.

 

Wildfires

Wildfire near Colombus, Ohio, USA prompts evacuations.

Wildfires continue to rage in Siberia.

 

Famine

A United Nations report finds more than 1.6 million people in Zimbabwe are living in famine conditions. Until 2000, when President Mugabe deliberately destroyed the country's means of food production so that he and his friends could seize white-owned farms for themselves, Zimbabwe was a breadbasket in Africa where famine was unknown.

 

Earthquakes

5.4 Earthquake hits the Marianas islands region.

 

Storms

Tornado hits Elmira, New York, USA.

 

Earthquakes

6.7 Earthquake hits north of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. No reports of a tsunami.

5.6 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.3 Earthquake hits Tajikistan.

5.2 Earthquake hits south-east of the Loyalty islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits south of the Fiji islands.

5.1 Aftershock hits the Solomon islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

 

Volcanos

Sakurajima volcano in Japan has explosive eruption, sending large blocks of rock flying up to 1 300m from the crater and spewing an ash plume up to 11 000 ft.

New activity also reported:

Cumbal and Galeras volcanos, Colombia.

Ijen volcano, Eastern Java (Indonesia).

Tongariro volcano, North Island (New Zealand).

 

Disease

Outbreak of Legionnaires disease in Stoke-on-Trent in England. 9 People affected.

 

Climate Change

Nearly all of Greenland's massive ice sheet suddenly started melting a bit this month, a freak event that surprised scientists.

Three satellites show unprecedented melting of the ice sheet that blankets the island, starting on July 8 and lasting four days to 12 July. Most of the thick ice remains. While some ice usually melts during the summer, what was unusual was that the melting happened in a flash and over a widespread area.

A wave of warm air washed over the Greenland ice sheet and melted it. The ice melt area went from 40 percent of the ice sheet to 97 percent in four days, according to NASA.

 

Earthquakes

6.6 Earthquake hits Simeulue, Sumatra, Indonesia. One person killed while thousands flee in panic. No tsunami generated.

6.5 Earthquake hits the Solomon islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits Catamarca, Argentina.

 

Wildfires

The wildfires in Nebraska, USA spread, prompting the evacuation of two small towns.

 

Heat Wave and Drought

Heat waves hit southern Europe, wilting the corn crop and reducing yields. Corn supplies are expected to be under severe pressure worldwide over the present season. Southern Africa estimates a shortfall of more than 8 million tonnes. Corn/maize being the staple food for millions of people in the region.

 

Storms and Floods

Typhoon Vicente drenches southern China.

Chinese authorities have come under fire for allegedly under-reporting the death toll in the recent severe floods in Beijing, China. Criticism has also been levelled for the spending of vast sums of money on development and modernisation of the city rather than on proper planning for storms and flood infrastructure.

 

 

Climate - El Niño

After a bout of La Niña and three years of drought, Chilean agriculture is anxiously awaiting a spell of El Niño to arrive. The industry hopes it could bring beneficial rains with it to help refill reservoirs, groundwater and reduce the country's water deficit.

Floods

Flooding in Jos in central Nigeria kills at least 35 people.

 

Earthquakes

5.2 Earthquake hits Oaxaca, Mexico.

5.2 Earthquake hits western Iran.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Kermedec islands off New Zealand.

 

Storms

Typhoon Vicente hits Hong Kong before moving into southern China.

 

Volcanos

New activity has been reported at the following volcanos:

Cumbal volcano, Colombia.

El Hierro volcano, Canary Islands (Spain).

Pagan volcano in the Marianas Islands.

 

Wildfires

Wildfires in north-eastern Spain are fanned by strong winds. A family of five leaps into the sea from a 50 metre cliff to escape the flames. Two die from the jump. The wildfires disrupt transportation throughout Catalonia.

Wildfires burn 100 000 acres in north-central Nebraska, USA.

New wildfire in Utah, USA.

 

Earthquakes

5.3 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.2 Earthquake hits near the north coast of Papua, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits near the coast of Nicaragua.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Near Islands in the Aleutian Islands.

 

Drought

Brazil ships corn to drought-stricken US to satisfy concerns by the livestock, poultry and ethanol industries over available and future stocks. This situation seems strangely akin to Saudi Arabia importing oil, but underlines the severity of the USA drought.

 

Storms and Floods

Tornado hits near Smeaton, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Death toll in Beijing floods rises to 37. Residents angry at lack of flood preparation and response by authorities.

 

Floods

Neck deep floods hit parts of metro Manila in the Philippines as tropical storm Ferdie passes through. At least 2 people die with 6 more missing.

Beijing, China is hit by massive flooding, the worst floods in 61 years after unusually heavy downpours. 20 people are reported to have died and 50 000 have been evacuated.

Heavy thunderstorms bring flash flooding to Pittsburgh, USA.

 

Earthquakes

5.5 Earthquake hits the Bismarck Sea.

5.4 Earthquake hits the New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.

5.2 Earthquake hits Myanmar.

5.1 Earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan.

5.0 Earthquake hits central Turkey.

 

Storms

Tropical storm Vicente is heading for China. Expected to make landfall tomorrow, 23rd July.

Tornado hits Locustville, Virginia, USA.

Tornado hits Verona, Italy.

 

Disease

Cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone sickens more than 3 800 and kills 66.

 

Earthquakes

5.8 Earthquake hits off the east coast of North Island, New Zealand.

5.8 Earthquake hits the Vanuatu region.

5.3 and 5.0 Earthquakes hits the Flores region, Indonesia.

5.2 and 5.1 Earthquakes hit offshore northern California, USA.

5.1 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Sangihe, Indonesia.

4.5 Earthquake hits southern Victoria, Australia.

 

Storms

Tropical storm Khanun has destroyed scores of houses, buildings and transportation infrastructure in southern parts of North Korea this week, killing at least seven people.

 

Global Warming

A new study has shown that dumping iron into the oceans can alleviate global warming.

The introduction of iron into the ocean has the effect of fertilising algae which prompts blooms of algae and phytoplankton. The fast growing algae absorbs relatively large quantities of carbon dioxide. When the algae dies, it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, taking the carbon with it - thereby removing the carbon from the atmosphere.

The value of such geoengineering remains in question. Iron fertilization of the oceans could at most remove about 1 gigatonne of CO₂ per year compared to annual emissions of 8-9Gt.

More research concerning the possible long term effects on the ocean environment of dumping huge quantities of iron needs to be done.

 

Asteroids

There are presently 1322 potentially hazardous asteroids that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are pieces of space rock generally larger than approximately 100m in diameter. None of the known PHAs is on a collision course with the Earth, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.

 

Disease

The whooping cough epidemic in the USA is now the worst in half a century with about 18 000 cases.

 

Earthquakes

6.3, 6.1 and 5.0 Earthquakes hit the Kuril Islands.

5.6 Earthquake hits the Fiji island region.

 

Drought

Wheat, soybean and corn prices rise to record highs as adverse sentiment due to the US drought hits world markets.

 

Wildfires

Bushfires on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Dozens of homes evacuated.

 

Transportation

An overcrowded ferry has sunk near Zanzibar off the east coast of Africa. At least 68 people have drowned.

 

Wildfires

Wildfires in southern Greece. State of emergency has been declared.

 

Earthquakes

5.6 Earthquake hits the Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan.

5.4 Earthquake hits the south Sandwich Islands region.

5.1 Earthquake hits offshore Tarapaca, Chile.

 

Disease

7 000 primary schools and 2 700 kindergartens have been closed in Cambodia due to hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak.

 

Storms

Tropical Storm Fabio weakens and heads for California, USA. Expected to bring rain.

Tropical storm Khanun is about to make landfall in South Korea.

 

Climate Change

A chunk of ice twice the size of Manhattan island has broken off the Petermann glacier in Greenland due to warmer ocean temperatures. Not only are the glaciers seen to be retreating, but the volume of ice covering Greenland has substantially diminished due to extraordinary melt.

 

Earthquakes

5.9 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.3 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Philippine islands region.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Pacific-Antarctic ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits the south-east Pacific rise.

 

Willdfires

Wildfires burn more than 2 000 acres on the Canary islands in tinder dry conditions.

 

Disease

29 schools have been closed in Bangkok, Thailand as the hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak spreads. 12 500 cases have been confirmed in Thailand this year.

East coast fever outbreak kills more than 1 200 livestock in Kenya.

 

Storms

Tropical storm Khanun forms in the Pacific and strengthens to become a typhoon. Khanun hits Kyushu, Japan, bringing heavy rain, floods and landslides. The typhoon is headed for South Korea.

Tornado hits Troy, Pennsylvania.

 

Volcanos

4 volcanos are presently erupting on the Kamchatka peninsula in far east Russia: Shiveluch, Klyuchevskaya, Bezymianny and Karymskya volcanos.

 

Earthquakes

5.6 Earthquake its near the north coast of Papua, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

 

Disease

112 people, mostly children have died in the latest hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak in China. Authorities are urging parents to bring their children for immediate treatment.

 

Wildfires

Bushfires rage on the island of Sardinia. 800 people flee the island.

Wildfires in Montenegro threaten an ancient forest of 400 year old pine trees. At least a dozen houses have also been destroyed.

 

Poaching

281 endangered rhinoceros have been killed by poachers in South Africa in the first 6 months of this year to satisfy the demand for the horn in the Far East where it is used as an aphrodisiac.

 

Insects

A plague of cockroaches has engulphed the southern Italian city of Naples. Hot weather and garbage left outdoors has caused the red insects to multiply exponentially. Pest control teams are spraying sewers around the clock in an attempt to avert a further spread of the insects which are carriers of typhoid and hepatitis.

 

Climate Change

The U.S. government has concluded for the first time that man-made climate change is likely connected to a rash of recent extreme weather events across the country, in particular the drought affecting Texas and the corn belt as well as the severe wildfires that have hit Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah.

 

Solar Activity

A geomagnetic storm is in progress as Earth's magnetic field is hit by the effects of recent strong solar activity. Sky gazers in Scandinavia, Canada, Alaska and northern-tier US states from Maine to Washington may see spectacular auroras after nightfall. The hours around local midnight are usually best for aurora watching.

On July 14-15 Northern Lights could be seen in the United States as far south as California, Colorado, Missouri, Utah, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Washington, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan and Arkansas.

Meanwhile in the southern hemisphere, the aurora australis has been sighted in New Zealand, Australia, and directly above the South Pole itself.

Storms

A wave of freak tornadoes has hit northern and western Poland. At least 1 person is reported to have died in the storms with 10 having been injured. More than 100 houses were destroyed as well as 400 hectares of forest.

 

Earthquakes

5.5 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.

5.0 Earthquake hits central Peru.

Disease

The number of reported cases of cholera in Cuba has risen to 158. No new deaths have been reported.

 

Earthquakes

More Earthquakes hit the Kuril islands. This time, 5.0 and 5.3 magnitude.

5.6 Earthquake hits the India-Myanmar border region.

4.2 Earthquake hits Bulgaria.

 

Tornadoes

Tornado hits Locusville in Virginia, USA.

 

Wildfires

Smoke from wildfires burning in Siberia brings haze to Seattle, Washington, USA.

 

Floods

More heavy rains hit an already soaked England. Floods in the east of England are expected to become widespread.

250 000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes in Japan, as the floods continue to worsen with continuing rain.

Drought

The worst drought in 25 years stretches across the United States as more than 1 000 counties are declared disaster areas in 26 States. Corn futures continue to rise as crop estimates are downgraded.

 

Earthquakes

5.2, 5.1 and 5.0 Earthquakes hit the Kuril Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits southern Peru.

5.0 Earthquake hits the western Indian-Antarctic ridge.

 

Floods

Floods swamp southern Texas, USA after heavy rains. Dozens of homes are flooded.

 

Earthquakes

5.1 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits Manahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

 

Transport - Trains

A collision between a coal train and a truck in Mpumalanga province, South Africa leaves 23 people dead and 26 injured.

 

Storms

Tropical Storm Fabio forms in the Pacific off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.

 

Wildfires

3 new wildfires sparked by lightning in Utah, USA.

 

Floods

Unprecedented rainfall of 20 inches in 24 hours in Kyushu, Japan leaves 19 people dead and 20 missing after floods and landslides. Rainfall at 4 inches an hour was measured during the downpour.

 

Earthquakes

5.8 Earthquake hits the Hindu Kush region affecting northern India and Afghanistan.

5.7 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.5 Earthquake hits Seram, Indonesia.

5.3 Earthquake hits Guatemala.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits near the coast of central Peru.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Galapagos Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the central mid-Atlantic ridge.

 

Floods & Avalanche

Heavy rain triggers flooding and mudslides in Japan. 15 people are dead with 11 more still missing.

An avalanche in the French Alps leaves at least 9 people dead with several missing.

 

Disease

8 000 infected ostriches have been slaughtered in the southern Cape, South Africa in an attempt to stamp out avian flu.

 

Wildfires

Wildfires rage in south-eastern Oregon, USA.

 

Transportation

Train derails in Colombus, Ohio, USA. The train was carrying agricultural chemicals and caught alight. All people within a mile radius of the accident were evacuated.

 

Earthquakes

5.7 and 5.3 Earthquakes hit the Kuril islands.

5.4 Earthquake hits the Solomon islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Obi in Indonesia.

 

Disease

TB outbreak in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. 13 people have died, while 99 infections have been confirmed. It seems that the authorities in Jacksonville kept the outbreak secret for several months.

 

Floods

At least 9 people die in floods on Turkey's Black Sea coast after torrential rains.

 

Earthquakes

5.6 Earthquake hits the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

5.5 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu islands off Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits near the north coast of Papua, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.1 Earthquake hits Myanmar.

4.5 and 4.6 Earthquakes hit South Island, New Zealand.

 

Storms

Tropical storms Daniel and Emilia strengthen to become hurricanes in the eastern Pacific.

 

Disease

The mystery disease that has claimed the lives of more than 50 children in Cambodia has been linked to the virus that causes hand, foot and mouth disease.

 

Wildfires

235 square mile wildfire burns in southern Idaho, USA.

 

Earthquakes

5.4 Earthquake hits Sulawesi, indonesia.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Sea of Othotsk.

5.2 Earthquake hits Salta, Argentina.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Alamagan region in the north Marianas islands.

Wildfires

Smoke from the Colorado, USA wildfires blankets British Columbia, Canada.

Wildfires burning out of control in northern Alberta, Canada.

 

Volcanos

Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo erupts.

Stromboli volcano in the Eolian Islands in Italy has small lava eruption.

Galeras volcano in Colombia continues to be rattled by small seismic events.

 

Earthquakes

6.0 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands region.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Dominican Republic.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Mauritius-Reunion region.

5.0 Earthquake hits south-west of Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Mentawai, Indonesia.

 

Floods

The death toll in the floods that hits Russia's Black Sea Krasnodar region rises to 150. 11 inches of rain fell overnight which represents 3 months worth of normal rainfall. Floodwaters reached ceiling height in homes in the town of Karymsk. Bodies were seen floating in the streets.

Storms

Tropical Storm Emilia forms 480 miles SSW of Acapulco, Mexico, moving away from land.

Storms in Germany kill 3 people, injure 20.

 

Oceans

The North Atlantic is currently bursting with color as blooms of microscopic plants erupt on the surface of the chilly sea. These expanses of plankton, which provide the basis for the area's food chain and help to take in enormous quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, wouldn't be possible without swirling whirlpools of water created by wind and ocean currents which actually prompt the growth of these colorful plankton blooms on the surface and keep them afloat.

 

Solar Activity

Giant sunspot AR1515 fires off the biggest solar flare of the summer season. It is expected to arrive at the Earth within the next 2 days causing spectacular northern lights and possible geomagnetic disturbances.

 

Drought

Significant droughts have struck the food producing regions in USA, Russia, China and the Koreas, raising the prospect of higher commodity prices and localized food shortages, especially in the poorer developing nations.

 

Bushfires

Bushfire near Dundee Beach, Northern Territory, Australia.

 

Floods

At least 99 people die in flash floods in Russia's Krasnodar region.

Torrential rains across Britain and Ireland. More than 200 flood alerts issued. A website is providing a real time flood map of Britain at http://www.shoothill.com/flood/.

 

Earthquakes

5.6 Earthquake hits the New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea.

5.4 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits Turangi, lower North Island, New Zealand.

 

Disease

TB outbreak in northern Quebec, Canada.

 

Climate Change

An unprecedented heat wave across south-eastern and midwest USA. 3 200 high temperature records have been broken or tied during the last month.

University of Adelaide researchers have found that certain Australian plants are narrowing their leaves in response to changes in climate.

 

Earthquakes

6.3 Earthquake hits off the coast of Vanuatu.

5.0 Earthquake hits Golfo de Corcovada, Los Lagos, Chile.

An Earthquake map has been posted online showing all earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 and greater that have happened around the world since 1898 to 2003. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/7225068/Map-plots-quakes-from-1898

 

Drought

Somalia suffers more drought. Famine in the horn of Africa remains a huge problem for aid agencies.

 

Floods

The monsoon floods in Assam, India are also taking a toll on animals. Officials have recovered 537 carcasses of large animals, including 16 rhinos.

16 miners are trapped in a flooded coal mine in China. China has the world's deadliest coal mines, although the death rate has fallen.

Britain faces more severe flooding after more heavy rains.

 

Tropical Storms

Tropical storm Daniel forms in the Pacific off the coast of Baja California.

 

Disease

Death rate soars in refugee camps in southern Sudan. The camps have become a swamp after recent heavy rains, but there is little or no available fresh water. Diarrhea and other preventable diseases are claiming 9 children every day.

International health officials are investigating an outbreak of an unidentified disease in Cambodia.

 

Drought

Bihar, India suffers serious drought due to a late monsoon. Drinking water is hard to find in most villages, while the planting season for the area's staple crop of wheat has passed. Famine is feared if the government does not intervene to provide assistance.

 

Wildfires

Cool weather and rain cool the Colorado, USA wildfires. Dozens of wildfires, however still burn in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

Storms

3 tornadoes touch down in Saskatchewan, Canada.

 

Earthquakes

5.4 Earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.

5.1 Earthquake hits the small island of Auquilla, part of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean.

 

Disease

Small botulism outbreak in Oregon, USA. Home canned food is implicated in the outbreak.

Swine flu outbreak in Bolivia. 11 people have died while more than 900 are infected.

Cholera outbreak in northern Mali leaves 2 people dead.

 

Floods

Flash flooding caused by torrential rain has killed at least 9 people in Turkey. 4 more are still missing.

Flash floods also in Waihi Beach, New Zealand after heavy rains.

 

Climate Change

Global warming is no longer the number 1 environmental concern in the USA. Water and air pollution has become the most pressing environmental concern.

 

Aircraft

Two RAF Tornado jets crash on the coast of Scotland. Two pilots missing.

 

Earthquakes

5.1 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands off New Zealand.

 

Disease

Rare cholera outbreak in eastern Cuba. 3 people dead with 53 tested positive for the disease. This is the first cholera outbreak in Cuba for 130 years.

 

Mining

An underground fire in a gold mine in Carltonville, Gauteng, South Africa has claimed the lives of 5 miners and is still burning. It is feared the death toll could increase.

 

Earthquakes

6.2 Earthquake hits off the west coast of North Island, New Zealand. No reports of damage due to the depth of the quake which was widely felt.

5.7 Earthquake hits the north coast of Peru.

5.6 Earthquake hits the Solomon islands.

5.4 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.1 Earthquake hits northern Peru.

 

Wildfires

A military cargo plane that was helping with the firefighting in South Dakota, USA has crashed killing the crew on board. 7 other military air force tankers have been grounded.

Floods

Serious floods in Metro Manila in the Philippines after heavy rains.

The monsoon floods in Assam, India worsen. 81 people have now lost their lives with almost 2 million affected.

 

Storms

Tornado hits north Cotabata in the Philippines, destroying local crops, mainly bananas.

Tropical Storm Debby not only washed away large areas of beach in Florida over the past week, but the pounding waves also destroyed scores of sea turtle nests in what was a record nesting season. Researchers are hopeful that many of the nests survived although most of the nest markers have been washed away.

 

Earthquakes

5.3 Earthquake hits north-eastern Iran.

5.2 Earthquake hits Atacama, Chile.

 

Volcanos

Colombia evacuates communities close to the Nevado del Ruiz volcano after new eruptions of ash.

Galeras volcano in Colombia is also rumbling and emitting large quantities of sulphur dioxide..

Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador and Popocatepetl volcano in Mexico have small eruptions, sending up ash accompanied by small earthquakes.

 

Earthquakes

5.5 Earthquake hits the Myanmar - India border region.

5.0 Earthquake hits western Iran.

 

Storms

A severe summer storm, known locally as a 'derecho' hits the US midwest to Washington DC. At least 12 people have been killed with more than 3 million left without power in the Washington DC area, while the area suffers from a heatwave with temperatures of more than 40 degrees C.

 

Disease

Bird flu outbreak on large, commercial chicken farms in Mexico. More than 600 000 birds affected and to be culled.

Hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak in Jamaica. At least 25 children affected.