Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 Earthquake hits Luzon in the Philippines.

5.0 Earthquake hits Samoa.

5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Angola - Flash floods in the Tchioco neighbourhood, in Lubango, southern Huila province in Angola have claimed the lives of at least 24 people when the Capitão river bridge collapsed as a result of the rains. More than 30 people are believed to be still missing.

DR Congo - More than 550,000 people have been affected by floods since October last year in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Wednesday. The revelations were made during the UN’s weekly press conference in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa. OCHA said at least eleven of the country’s 26 provinces were affected, and Tshopo province was the most affected with close to 400,000 people displaced. “Last weekend in Tanganyika province, torrential rains caused landslides which destroyed roads. Humanitarian activities were suspended, yet over 64,000 people are in need of humanitarian needs,” OCHA Spokesman in DR Congo Sylvestre Mudingayi said. According to OCHA, the floods have equally destroyed close to 65,000 houses and some 5,000 hectares of farm-land. “The Congolese authorities, with support from the humanitarian community, have already responded to some needs, especially by providing financial assistance and medical as well as food aid,” Sylvestre said. The spokesman said many of the humanitarian needs for the victims such as foodstuff, household items, blankets and water have not been satisfactorily addressed.

Philippines - Continuous heavy rains have caused severe flooding in some parts of Camarines Norte province, leaving some motorists stranded and some classes suspended. In Daet town, floodwaters have already reached some residential areas and caused the stranding motorists on flooded roads.

UAE - Flash floods following good rains in the United Arab Emirates have raged through Fujairah forcing police to evacuate residents from waterlogged homes in the Eastern Region of the country.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.9 Earthquake hits the western Indian-Antarctic ridge.

5.3 Earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.

5.1 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Alor, Indonesia.

Disease

Newcastle Disease in the Philippines

A Newcastle disease outbreak has been declared in seven towns in Ilocos Norte due to the increasing number of chicken deaths. The provincial veterinary office reported that more than 7,000 chickens have died due to the virus in the towns of Pagudpud, Burgos, Bangui, Adams, Dingras, Marcos and Banna.

It said that some dead chickens have been found on the streets. The veterinary office added that majority of those affected by the virus were native chickens and fighting cocks.

It said that vaccines have been distributed in other towns in Ilocos Norte to prevent the virus from spreading.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits South Island, New Zealand.

Cliffs have collapsed in New Zealand during an earthquake in the city of Christchurch on the South Island. Beaches to the east of Christchurch were busy with swimmers and surfers when rocks began to fall into the sea. No serious damage or fatalities were reported in the Valentine's Day quake that struck at 13:13 local time (00.13 GMT).

5.3 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.1 Earthquake hits Oklahoma, USA.

5.1 Earthquake hits south of Java, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits Leyte, Philippines.

5.0 Earthquake hits Lake Baykal, Russia.

Drought

Drought in Hawaii

Drought fears rise as lack of January rain sets records. Last month’s weather may have been great for the beach, but the lack of rain made it the driest January on record in several locations in Hawaii. “Drought impacts, mainly to the agriculture sector, started on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island and will likely spread and intensify over the coming weeks."

All of Oahu’s rain gauges recorded below average rainfall. Only .03 inches fell at the Honolulu Airport, about 1 percent of the normal 2.3 inches for January, setting a new record for the month. All of the rain gauges at lower elevations on Oahu — from Downtown Honolulu to Waianae — got less than 10 percent of normal rainfall. The highest rainfall total of 5.6 inches was recorded at Poamoho, but that is still 31 percent of the average for January.

Philippines

Farmers in 17 of Maguindanao’s 36 towns lost their rice and corn crops to the now two-month dry spell, feared to cause widespread hunger without downpours until summer. Field workers are still validating reports on the extent of crop damage in the other 19 Maguindanao towns. Rats have also destroyed vast swaths of rice and corn farms in Maguindanao in January.

Disease

Zika Virus Outbreak in South Pacific

The tiny South Pacific kingdom of Tonga said Friday it has a Zika epidemic after five people tested positive for the virus and another 265 are suspected of having it.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in addition to Tonga, the Pacific islands of American Samoa and Samoa have also reported Zika outbreaks and it is warning Pacific travellers to protect themselves from mosquitoes, which spread the virus.

Newcastle Disease in the Philippines

An outbreak of Newcastle disease in Central Luzon in the Philippines has killed more than 40 000 chickens according to the Department of Agriculture.

It is suspected that the spread of the virus was enhanced by recent typhoons that have stressed the birds and weakened them.

The department had already implemented measures to prevent the further spread of the disease, including the distribution of vaccine and disinfectant particularly to backyard raisers.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.

5.2 Earthquake hits Luzon in the Philippines.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Andaman Islands off India.

5.1 Earthquake hits Lake Kivu, Congo.

5.1 Earthquake hits Luzon in the Philippines.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Pagan region in the North Mariana Islands.

Three 5.0 Earthquakes ht offshore Coquimbo, Chile.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Pacific-Antarctic ridge.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.8 Earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.

5.2 Earthquake hits off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Talaud, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Tarapaca, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits Samar in the Philippines.

Fracking operation closed indefinitely after earthquake

A hydraulic fracturing operation near Fox Creek, Alberta, Canada, has been shut down after an earthquake hit the area Tuesday.

The magnitude 4.8 quake was reported at 11:27 a.m., says Alberta Energy Regulator, which ordered the shutdown of the Repsol Oil and Gas site 35 kilometres north of Fox Creek.

The energy regulator automatically shuts down a fracking site when an earthquake hits a magnitude of 4.0 or higher in the area in which a company is operating.

The quake was "quite large for the area, larger than normal”, according to the regulator.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.9 Earthquake hits the Mariana Islands.

5.3 Earthquake hits the Pacific-Antarctic ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits North Korea.

An artificial earthquake of magnitude 5.1 has been detected in North Korea Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. local time near the site of previous nuclear tests. Later, North Korea confirmed that it had conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Philippines.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits southeast of Shikoku, Japan.

5.4 Earthquake hits the Pacific-Antarctic ridge.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines.

5.1 Earthquake hits North Island, New Zealand.

5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Oaxaca, Mexico.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.4 Earthquake hits the Dodecanese Islands, Greece.

5.2 Earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.

5.1 Earthquake hits offshore Coquimbo, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Coquimbo, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits the southern east Pacific rise.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits Coquimbo, Chile.

5.6 Earthquake hits Java, Indonesia.

5.2 Earthquake hits Samar in the Philippines.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

China - A massive landslide buried an industrial park in the southern Chinese city Shenzhen on Sunday morning. The number of casualties is unknown. At least 27 people remain missing, and rescuers have pulled four people alive from collapsed or buried buildings. About 1,500 rescue workers have been dispatched to the scene.The landslide occurred at 11:40 a.m. and covered an area of more than 215,000 square feet in Shenzhen’s Guangming New District, including the Liuxi Industrial Park. At least 900 people have been evacuated.

Philippines - Heavy rains pummelled the entire Philippines today, threatening to aggravate flooding that has prompted the government to declare a state of "national calamity". The number of deaths after a week of devastating weather has risen to 41, according to confirmed reports from national and local disaster monitoring agencies. Poor farming communities in the main southern island of Mindanao were flooded Saturday after at least two rivers burst their banks.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Philippines - Heavy rains pummelled the entire Philippines on Saturday, threatening to aggravate flooding that has prompted the government to declare a state of emergency in affected areas.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.4 Earthquake hits Luzon in the Philippines.

5.2 Earthquake hits Tonga.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical depression 28w (Melor), located approximately 78 nm south of Manila, Philippines, is tracking west-northwestward at 06 knots.

NewsBytes:

Philippines - Tattered lanterns, festive lights and tin roofs littered towns in the central Philippines on Tuesday after Typhoon Melor swept through, killing at least four people and leaving millions without power ahead of Christmas. Melor weakened slightly as it cut across the central islands of the archipelago, but on Tuesday afternoon its wind gusts were still reaching 170 kilometres an hour as it passed over the island of Mindoro. It was due to move out into the South China Sea on Tuesday afternoon.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical depression 28w (Melor), located approximately 177 nm southeast of Manila, Philippines, is tracking westward at 11 knots.

NewsBytes:

Swaziland - A severe hailstorm damaged hundreds of homes in the Hluti and Lavumisa areas of Swaziland on Saturday.

Philippines - As many as 700 000 people have been evacuated as Typhoon Melor (known locally as Nona) made landfall around 11 a.m. over Batag, Northern Samar. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Typhoon Melor is expected to cause flooding, landslides and storm surges of up to four metres. Typhoon Melor is expected to make a second landfall by Monday night in Sorsogon province. Melor has maximum sustained winds of 150 kph and gusts of up to 185 kph moving west at 17 kph.

South Island, New Zealand - Hail, heavy rain and several tornadoes battered parts of the South Island on Sunday. One tornado lifted a silage wagon off the ground and threw it onto a nearby tractor in Carew, near Geraldine, while hail stones the size of large pebbles had people across the region ducking for cover.