Disasters

Ecuador: Tungurahua Volcano near Baños Calms Down

Date: June 30th, 2010 |

Seismic activity at Tungurahua volcano 80 miles from Quito near Baños has diminished significantly in the past few weeks, prompting Ecuadorian authorities to reduce the warning level from orange to yellow and the U.S. Embassy in Quito to lift its notice to avoid the area around the volcano. Small explosions and emissions continue but without [read more]

Philippines: Rumbling Luzon Volcanoes Draw Tourists, Prompt Warnings

Date: June 23rd, 2010 |

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Two volcanoes on the island of Luzon are getting the attention of tourists and authorities, who are warning visitors to stay off the mountains for their safety. Taal Volcano in Batangas province about 30 miles from Manila is a popular tourist attraction, with a lake within a massive crater and an island in the lake [read more]

Ecuador: Tungurahua Volcano near Baños Appears Ready for Major Eruption

Date: June 9th, 2010 |

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Volcanic activity at Tungurahua volcano near Quito increased, prompting authorities to raise the alert to yellow-orange and the U.S. Embassy in Quito to issue an alert recommending tourists defer travel to Baños and the surrounding area. The volcano threw off large plumes of ash amid heavy explosions and officials consider the situation volatile, with a [read more]

Suriname: Blue Wing Airlines’ Antonovs Grounded After Crash, US Embassy Prohibits Employees from Using Airline Domestically

Date: June 9th, 2010 |

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After three crashes of Blue Wing Airlines’ flights since 2008, with the most recent occurring May 15, the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo has prohibited its employees from flying with the airline on domestic flights. All three crashes involved Antonov 28 planes, which Blue Wing uses only domestically. The government has grounded all Antonov planes and [read more]

Iceland: Second Volcano About to Blow?

Date: June 2nd, 2010 |

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Scientists warned that Iceland’s Katla volcano, much larger than Eyjafjallajokull, may be on the verge of eruption. A research paper prepared by the University College of London Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction analyzed the last decade of seismic activity around Katla and found that an eruption soon is a strong possibility. Historically, Katla has [read more]

China: Floods Swamp Southern Provinces

Date: June 23rd, 2010 |

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Floods ravaged 10 provinces in southern China, killing some 200 people and displacing more than 2 million. Some of these areas had just suffered their worst drought in decades only to see three times the normal rainfall for the period come in a week. With rivers bursting their banks and at least one dike having [read more]

Australia: Northern Territory Might Offer Cane Toad Safaris

Date: June 9th, 2010 |

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Cane toads are considered a scourge in the Northern Territory, where they were introduced in 1935 and whose numbers are estimated to have swollen to 92 million. If Darwin’s lord mayor gets his way, tour operators will be able to offer toad safaris to tourists where part of the attraction of camping out in the [read more]

Guatemala: Pacaya Volcano Continues to Flow; Many Roads Affected by Tropical Storm Agatha

Date: June 9th, 2010 |

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Authorities warned tourists to stay away from erupting Pacaya volcano and closed Pacaya National Park, but enterprising locals continued to take visitors near the lava flows via a private farm. Emergency officials said the volcano, which erupted dramatically May 27 and killed a reporter in a shower of volcanic rock, is still very dangerous. In [read more]

Central America: Tropical Storm Agatha, Pacayo Volcano Wreak Havoc

Date: June 2nd, 2010 |

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Tropical storm Agatha ravaged Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador over the weekend, causing scores of mudslides and significant flooding, and killing at least 179 people. The eruption of Guatemala’s Pacayo volcano a few days before Agatha hit compounded the country’s problems, dumping tons of ash on Guatemala City and elsewhere that turned to thick mud [read more]

Central Europe: Floods Force Thousands to Evacuate, Disrupt Rail Service

Date: May 19th, 2010 |

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Floods due to heavy rain in central Europe forced thousands of people to evacuate in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Electricity was knocked out in some areas and rail travel was disrupted. In Poland, officials closed the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau and moved museum artifacts and displays to upper floors to [read more]