Disasters

Burma (Myanmar): 1 Million Displaced, as Many as 100,000 Killed by Cyclone Nargis

Date: May 8th, 2008 |

Unless on a humanitarian mission with an official aid organization, now is not the time to go to Burma after the devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis. Asia’s worst storm since 1991 pummeled the Irrawaddy Delta and Rangoon, killing at least 22,000 people with estimates as high as 100,000 and displacing at least 1 million. The [read more]

Bolivia: “Highway of Death” Claims More Victims

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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Bolivia’s “Highway of Death” claimed its second tourist in a week April 24 when an SUV carrying 12 passengers hit a group of cyclists and then careered off the road and tumbled 100 feet down an embankment. A British cyclist and eight passengers in the vehicle were killed. The cyclists, who had just started their [read more]

Tajikistan: Harsh Winter Causes Severe Power Shortage

Date: January 30th, 2008 |

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The coldest winter in 25 years has frozen the rivers that flow into Tajikistan’s primary hydroelectric reservoir, causing a severe power shortage that has forced electricity rationing in the capital, Dushanbe, and several other towns, and a full cutoff in some rural areas. Areas in Dushanbe have been restricted to between one and two hours [read more]

Australia: Fires on Kangaroo Island; Daintree Rainforest May Be Restricted

Date: December 13th, 2007 |

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Fires on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island burned for more than a week scorching 115 square miles of scrub and wilderness, with one fire in the Flinders Chase National Park still burning out of control Dec. 12. Tourism operators urged visitors not to cancel their trips to the popular island following moves to reopen tourist areas [read more]

Vietnam: Floods Wreak Havoc in Central Vietnam

Date: November 15th, 2007 |

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Floods in central Vietnam killed at least 29 people and trapped some 3,000 tourists in the city of Hue, 2,500 of them foreign visitors. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hoi An was inundated, with some 150 historic houses submerged. Rains let up and floodwaters began to recede, but more rain was forecast. Health officials [read more]

Chile: Chaiten Volcano Eruption Causes Evacuations, Flight Cancellations

Date: May 8th, 2008 |

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The long-dormant Chaiten volcano spewed lava and blasted ash some 20 miles high May 6, forcing the total evacuation of the provincial capital of Chaiten, six miles from the volcano, and causing most of the residents to evacuate the border town of Futaleufu, 75 miles east of Chaiten. More than 4,000 people had fled [read more]

Jordan: American Dies in Petra Because of Snowfall

Date: February 7th, 2008 |

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An unusually heavy snowfall in Jordan created slippery conditions at the famous historical site of Petra, prompting authorities to advise travelers to avoid the area. A group of French tourists had to be rescued when they got stranded by snow there Jan. 31, and two days later an American visitor slipped off a bridge and [read more]

United States: West Coast Rail Service Suspended by Landslide

Date: January 30th, 2008 |

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Amtrak’s Coast Starlight service between Seattle and Los Angeles was suspended Jan. 24 because a major landslide buried the tracks near Oakridge, Oregon. The slide occurred Jan. 19 and Amtrak provided alternate bus service around the closure but found that demand did not justify the expense, so service along the entire route was suspended. Amtrak [read more]

Indonesia: Security Tightened in Bali, Sharia Law a Tourist Attraction in Sumatra, Floods in Jakarta

Date: November 29th, 2007 |

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The UN Climate Change Conference will be held at Nusa Dua, Bali Dec. 3-14. Security in the area will be tight and hotel rooms nearby will be in short supply. Demonstrations are possible. An ongoing terrorist threat against Western interests exists in Indonesia, and places frequented by foreigners have been targeted in the past. In [read more]

Portugal: Signs in English to Appear on Algarve Beaches

Date: October 31st, 2007 |

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The tragic deaths of three of four parents who drowned saving their children from an unseen whirlpool in the Algarve have prompted officials to order signs in English posted on every dangerous beach in the region by next June. Signs warned of dangerous currents but all were in Portuguese, which the British visitors could not [read more]