every warship launched,
every rocket fired,
signifies in the final sense a theft
from those who hunger and are not fed,
those who are cold and are not clothed.**
Dwight D. Eisenhower
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
Yesterday -
8/7/11 -
5.0 KEPULAUAN KAI, INDONESIA
5.0 GREECE
5.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.7 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS REGION
5.1 ST. LUCIA REGION, WINDWARD ISLANDS
VOLCANOES -
Indonesian volcano unleashes fresh burst - Mount Karangetang, which has been spewing lava and clouds of searing gas high into the air, has let out a new, powerful burst, sending panicked villagers streaming down the sides of the mountain. A man who fell as he was fleeing was injured. The victim suffered only cuts and bruises.
Mount Karangetang on Siau - part of the Sulawesi island chain - started spitting clouds of gas and lava up to 600 metres on Friday. Earlier today, hot ash tumbled down its slopes triggering fresh panic. Nearly 600 people living along Karangetang's slopes have been evacuated. It's last big eruption was in August, killing four people.
18 Indonesian volcanoes on alert status - Eighteen Indonesian volcanoes are on “alert” status, two of which are at Alert Level 3 - the erupting Mount Lokon in North Sulawesi and Mount Ibu in North Maluku. The conditions at Mt Lokon and Mt Ibu are currently considered most worrisome because they have been consistently erupting searing clouds affecting a radius of 2.5 kilometers. Te eruptions had not yet endangered people living around the volcanoes. “The eruptions are heading west, while people are concentrated in east."
16 other volcanoes were at Level 2 alert status, including Mt. Papandayan and Mt. Guntur in West Java. “Locals have reported several quakes." Ideally there should be an expert monitoring the activities of each volcano in Indonesia, as is the case in Japan. “Currently an expert handles five mountains.”
TROPICAL STORMS -
-Typhoon 12w (Merbok) was located approximately 815 nm E of Yokosuka, Japan.
-Tropical Storm 11w (Muifa) was located approximately 160 nm west-northwest of Kunsan air base, South Korea.
Muifa approaches China's Shandong peninsula - Authorities in the northern Chinese port city of Qingdao have shut beaches and piled sandbags along its waterfront in preparation for Typhoon Muifa. The region's most powerful storm in years is forecast to hit the Shandong peninsula near Qingdao early on Monday. Further south, the financial capital of Shanghai avoided a direct hit, though strong winds downed power lines and blew away billboards. More than 300,000 people were evacuated and thousands of ships called ashore. Muifa has already left four people dead in the Philippines and 27 injured on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
On Sunday, the category-one typhoon was about 210 miles (340km) south-east of Qingdao and moving north-west at about 15mph (23km/h). Its winds are gusting at up to 85mph (138 km/h). After hitting Shandong, Muifa is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm. The storm earlier skirted China's eastern coast, causing strong winds and torrential rain. But Shanghai was spared serious damage. "It does not feel like a typhoon at all. I would think a typhoon would feel much stronger and there should be no-one walking in the streets." Power cuts were reported damaged in at least two residential areas. A 24-year-old man was also reported missing while swimming in heavy surf in the city's Jinshan district. In addition to evacuating residents and calling ships back to harbour, the authorities cancelled more than 200 flights and closed two bridges to outlying islands. Train and bus services were thrown into disarray.
In South Korea, the authorities have issued a tidal-wave and flood warning along the country's western and southern coasts. Many domestic flights between Seoul and the island of Jeju have been cancelled. Heavy rain is also forecast for parts of North Korea, which suffered flooding late last month. About 30 people died, thousands of homes were destroyed and farmland was badly damaged.
