Current Events

• All you need to know about the swine flu vaccine
  (Washington Post) Washington, DC — October 22, 2009
  Worried about the swine flu vaccine? Andrew Pekosz, an associate professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, was online Thursday, Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. ET to answer questions about the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.
• Swine Flu Widespread; Vaccine Not So Much
  (NPR) Washington, DC — October 22, 2009
  Most places in the country now have widespread cases of the new H1N1 virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest map shows.
• In US, thousands queue for half as many swine flu shots
  (AFP) ROCKVILLE, MD — October 22, 2009
  It is "vaccination by natural selection," lamented 51-year-old Cindy Rochen as she waited with thousands of others outside a clinic in this Washington suburb for a swine flu shot.
• Forget the rush on that H1N1 swine flu vaccine; 62% of Americans have no intention of getting it anyway
  (Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles, CA — October 22, 2009
  A whopping majority of Americans (62%) would rather risk illness than believe in their government's urgings of necessity and safety.
• Frequently Asked Questions about the swine flu vaccine (Canada)
  (CTV.ca) Canada — October 22, 2009
  CTV.ca, with the help of infectious diseases expert Dr. Neil Rau, answers your latest questions about the coming swine flu vaccine.
• Canadian turkeys sick with swine flu
  (AFP) Ottawa, ON — October 21, 2009
  Canadian health officials announced the first case of turkeys catching the swine flu in this country, likely from humans, and urged farm workers to get vaccinated soon.
• Flu shots urged for livestock workers after turkey farm outbreak of H1N1
  (Calgary Herald) Calgary, AB — October 21, 2009
  To reduce the risk of the H1N1 virus mutating, livestock workers were pressed Tuesday to get their flu shots following the discovery of a turkey flock with the illness.
• Shot in the Dark? Debunking Myths About Swine Flu Vaccine
  (New York Times) New York, NY — October 16, 2009
  What precautions should you take against the H1N1 flu? Should you get the vaccine? In this lesson, students identify and debunk some of the myths surrounding H1N1 flu, or swine flu, and the new vaccine for it.

FLOODS

• Flood victims lining up for food stamps
  Chicago Tribune - Oct 21, 2008
  Thousands of Chicago-area residents braved the morning chill Monday to apply for food stamps to recoup losses from last month's floods. More than 5,000 households from the seven-county area affected by the floods have already been approved for disaster...
• At least 3611 Bihar flood victims still missing
  Economic Times, India - Oct 21, 2008
  PATNA: More than two months after the worst floods in 50 years swept through Bihar, 3611 people are still missing and hopes of tracing them are receding ...
• Reburying the dead a grim task in Ike's wake
  The Associated Press - Oct 20, 2008
  IN THE MARSH OF CAMERON PARISH, La. (AP) -- Joe Johnson craned his neck from the airboat as it circled a patch of brown marsh grass. The runaway coffin was not where it was supposed to be. ...
• Flooding takes 11 lives in central Vietnam
  Xinhua, China - Oct 20, 2008
  HANOI, (Xinhua) -- Heavy rain and subsequent flooding in central Vietnam have claimed 11 lives, including seven in Quang Nam province and three in ...
• Wisconsin town fights to survive after 2 floods
  The Associated Press - Oct 14, 2008
  GAYS MILLS, Wis. (AP) -- Water built this southwestern Wisconsin village. Now water is draining the life out of it. ...
• US to help rebuild washed-out Haitian bridge
  The Associated Press - Oct 9, 2008
  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- The American Embassy in Haiti says the U.S. will help rebuild a key bridge that collapsed during this summer's devastating floods. ...

LANDSLIDES/MUDSLIDES

• Heavy rains cause flooding, landslides; kill 11 in Honduras, leave 2 missing
  The Associated Press - Oct 20, 2008
  TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) _ A week of heavy rains in Honduras has caused landslides and flooding that have killed at least 11 people and left two others missing, officials said Monday...
• Huge tarps cover hillside as rainy season threatens landslide area
  KATU, OR - Oct 20, 2008
  City work crews installed sprawling tarpaulins over the site of a landslide in Southwest Portland over the weekend before a wet weather system moved into ...
• Worst Storm In 108 Years; Landslide Shuts Down Interamericana Norte
  Inside Costa Rica, Costa Rica - Oct 17, 2008
  The mudslide occurred near the turn off to Monteverde on the major route that connects Puntarenas and Liberia and the Guanacaste beaches.

AVALANCHES

• Weather officials give advise to prepare now for winter onslaught
  Mountain Mail Newspaper, CO - Oct 21, 2008
  National Weather Service personnel include information about avalanche safety. Hikers, snowmobilers, snowboarders and skiers need to be aware of that danger ...
• Four missing after Himachal avalanche found dead
  SINDH TODAY, Pakistan - Oct 18, 2008
  Shimla, Oct 18 (IANS) Four people who were missing following an avalanche in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district Wednesday were found dead Saturday, ...
• Avalanche prone route up Mont Blanc du Tacul
  Chamonet, France - Oct 15, 2008
  Three alpinists were victim of another avalanche on Mont Blanc du Tacul on Monday, in almost exactly the same spot as August’s terrible accident that ...
• 3 Japanese climbers killed in Tibet avalanche
  International Herald Tribune, France - Oct 2, 2008
  AP BEIJING: Three Japanese climbers have been killed in an avalanche while scaling a mountain in Tibet, a mountaineering official said Friday. ...

TROPICAL CYCLONES (Hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons, tropical storms)

• Hurricane Ike Damage On Harris County Homes Estimated At $8.5 Billion
  AHN - Oct 21, 2008
  Houston, TX (AHN) - A preliminary estimate released Monday by the Harris County Housing Authority showed that Hurricane Ike damaged $8.5 billion worth of ...
• Exposing Anguilla’s coastline: Hurricane Omar and coastal ...
  Anguilla LNT, Anguilla - Oct 21, 2008
  (Anguilla National Trust, The Valley Anguilla) - It has been just over one week since Hurricane Omar swept by Anguilla, unleashing its Category 3 level ...
• Invention: Hurricane pacifier
  New Scientist (subscription), UK - Oct 20, 2008
  Interest in hurricane mitigation has peaked since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, and any means of limiting the damage wrought by these ...
• Post-Cyclone Aid Divides Myanmar
  New York Times, United States - Oct 20, 2008
  By THE NEW YORK TIMES SITTWE, Myanmar - The cyclone that ravaged Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta five months ago has led to an unexpectedly robust influx of ...
• Norbert weakens to tropical depression over Mexico
  The Associated Press - Oct 12, 2008
  PUERTO SAN CARLOS, Mexico (AP) -- Norbert dissipated into a tropical depression over the northern mountains of mainland Mexico on Sunday, after ripping off roofs, flooding streets, and forcing thousands to seek shelter ...
• Dozens die as typhoons slam Vietnam, Taiwan
  Bangkok Post, Thailand - Sep 29, 2008
  Taipei (dpa) - Typhoon Hagupit targeted Vietnam over the weekend, killing at least 42 people, while Typhoon Jangmi left two people dead in Taiwan before ...

TORNADOES

• Seneca R-7 gets storm shelter funding
  Neosho Daily News, MO - Oct 20, 2008
  By John Ford The Seneca R-7 School District will receive nearly $1.5 million in federal mitigation grants to construct a community tornado safe room. On ...
• Tornado wreaks havoc in NZ town
  The Age, Australia - Oct 16, 2008
  MetService severe weather forecaster Bob Lake said there were no reports of injuries or deaths from the tornado, which brought with it winds of at least 120 ...
• Storm spawns tornado in Fla., possibly one in Ala.
  The Associated Press - Oct 9, 2008
  (AP) - Forecasters say a tornado blew out windows and knocked down power lines in the Florida Panhandle, and another suspected twister damaged a civic ...

STORMS (thunderstorms, winter storms)

• First winter storms of season heading for southwest North Dakota
  DL-Online, MN - Oct 9, 2008
  Seven counties in southwest North Dakota – Stark, Billings, Bowman, Adams, Golden Valley, Hettinger and Slope – are in a winter storm watch. ...

EARTHQUAKES

• Earthquake confirmed in Dillsburg area
  The Patriot-News - PennLive.com, PA - Oct 20, 2008
  by The Patriot-News A local seismological expert confirmed that the ground rattling Dillsburg-area residents felt Sunday morning was indeed an earthquake ...
• Five Most Dangerous US Earthquake Hotspots Beyond California
  Wired News -  Oct 20, 2008
  California isn't the only state with a serious earthquake hazard. There are several lesser ...
• Powerful Earthquake Shakes Central Sulawesi Province
  Bernama, Malaysia - Oct 20, 2008
  TOLITOLI (CENTRAL SULAWESI), Oct 20 (Bernama) -- A tectonic earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale shook Tolitoli, Central Sulawesi Province, at 11 ...
• Strong earthquake off Guatemala-Mexico coast
  Bernama, Malaysia - Oct 20, 2008
  TOLITOLI (CENTRAL SULAWESI), Oct 20 (Bernama) -- A tectonic earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale shook Tolitoli, Central Sulawesi Province, at 11 ...
• The coming quake
  High Country News - Oct 20, 2008
  A 7.8 earthquake ripped open the fault's northern segment just south of San Francisco, shaking many of the city's buildings to rubble and sparking fires ...
• Earthquake strikes east of Tonga
  BBC News, UK - Oct 19, 2008
  A strong earthquake has hit a remote area of the South Pacific ocean, about 150km (95 miles) east of the island nation of Tonga...
• Earthquakes hit Kyrgyzstan, Tibet
  eTaiwan News, Taiwan - Oct 7, 2008
  A strong earthquake hit Kyrgyzstan late on Sunday, killing 72 people mainly in a remote village near the border with China that rescuers were racing to ...

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

• Russia's tallest volcano erupts in Far East
  RIA Novosti, Russia - Oct 16, 2008
  Continuous flows of lava running down Klyuchevskoy's slopes could trigger mudslides as the molten rock melts the snow and ice, endangering people living in ...
• What caused the LUSI mud volcano eruption?
  innovations report, Germany - Oct 14, 2008
  Two competing theories about the cause of a massive mud volcano eruption in Indonesia will be debated next week, in a special session at a conference held ...
• USGS RELEASES VIDEO OF LATEST VOLCANO ERUPTION
  Big Island Video News, Hawaii - Oct 14, 2008
  The US Geological Survey's Hawaii Volcano Observatory has released video of the recent explosive eruption at Halema`uma`u vent on the summit of the Kilauea ...
• Volcano in lab may help predict real eruptions
  Reuters - Oct 9, 2008
  By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have recreated conditions found in an erupting volcano in the laboratory, offering a new way to understand ...
• Volcano activity and fears of eruption rise
  Colombia Reports, Colombia - Oct 7, 2008
  The volcano has ejected only mud and ashes so far, but a large eruption at any moment, or at least more solid materials, that would leave disastrous results ...

TSUNAMIS/TIDAL WAVES

• Malaysia to enhance tsunami early warning system
  Xinhua, China - Oct 6, 2008
  KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia is expected to enhance its national tsunami early warning system through implementing a second phase program, ...
• Tsunami threat 'is growing in UK'
  BBC News, UK - Oct 4, 2008
  The UK could be at increasing risk from tsunami, and especially amid climate change, two experts have claimed. Oceanographer Professor Simon Haslett, ...

WILDFIRES

• Wildfire breaks out in Fontana north of I-15
  The Associated Press - Oct 22, 2008
  (AP) - Authorities say homes are being evacuated and at least 100 acres have burned in a wildfire that has broken out in California's San Bernardino County ...
• Wildfire lessons change strategy
  San Diego Union Tribune, United States - Oct 22, 2008
  By Michael Gardner SACRAMENTO - The firestorms that engulfed swaths of Northern and Central California earlier this year were turned back with the help of ...
• Wildfire fully contained in northern Los Angeles
  The Associated Press - Oct 18, 2008
  LOS ANGELES (AP) - A wildfire in northern Los Angeles that destroyed 15 homes has been surrounded. State and local fire officials announced Saturday that ...
• Despite major wildfire year, firefighting reforms go up in smoke
  San Jose Mercury News,  USA - Oct 18, 2008
  By Paul Rogers California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited firefighters camped at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy working the Summit Fire in the Santa ...

DROUGHTS

• Drought-stricken island of Cyprus welcomes rain
  Earthtimes (press release), UK - Oct 22, 2008
  Athens/Nicosia - The drought-stricken island of Cyprus welcomed its first rain storm in recent months Wednesday which ended up causing flooding to many ...
• Fears grow that drought may last through winter
  Greenville News, SC - Oct 21, 2008
  By Amy Clarke • PICKENS COUNTY NEWS • Predictions for a drier-than-normal winter may take a toll on water resources across the Upstate ...
• Drought leaves 78000 people short of drinking water in central China
  Xinhua, China - Oct 21, 2008
  CHANGSHA, (Xinhua) -- Authorities in central China are considering closing polluting factories and opening a large reservoir to ease a drought that ...
• Isle of Wight wants drought disaster declaration
  Tidewater News, VA - Oct 21, 2008
  By Charlie Passut | Tidewater News ISLE OF WIGHT - Isle of Wight is on a list with 17 other counties asking to be part of a drought disaster designation by ...

INSECT INFESTATIONS

• Volunteers sought to find tree- killing bug
  Bennington Banner, VT - Oct 22, 2008
  Esden said that aside from the first sighting, which he made, all adelgid infestations that have been discovered were found by citizens, not foresters or ...
• Invasive insect discovered in western parts of county
  Escanaba Daily Press, MI - Oct 20, 2008
  GARDEN - The Michigan Department of Agriculture, which had confirmed the presence of the emerald ash borer in eastern Delta County, has also discovered ...
• Air Force Reservists Fight Insect Infestation In Wake Of Hurricanes
  Aero-News Network, FL - Oct 10, 2008
  An Air Force Reserve C-130 crew recently sprayed insecticide in southern Louisiana to combat insect infestation seen in the aftermath of last month's ...
• Woolly adelgid infestation discovered at Ferry Beach State Park
  KeepMEcurrent.com, ME - Oct 10, 2008
  SACO (Oct 10, 2008): Staff with the Maine Forest Service and the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands are taking steps to fight an infestation of a highly ...
• Pest infestation spreads in 2 N. Cotabato towns
  Sun.Star, Philippines - Oct 12, 2008
  In September last year, mussel scale insect (Lepidosaphes ulmi) infestation resulted in the losses of P5 million to lanzones growers in the town of Magpet ...

• Bridge of hope plunges into river
  Calcutta Telegraph, India - Oct 21, 2008
  The bridge had raised hopes of a convenient business route, but this sudden collapse has made the people apprehensive about whether the bridge will be ...
• 2 killed, 11 wounded in New Delhi bridge collapse
  International Herald Tribune, France - Oct 19, 2008
  AP NEW DELHI: A partially built bridge collapsed in New Delhi on Sunday onto several vehicles below, killing two people and wounding 11 others, police said. ...
• Team assembled to investigate cause of bridge collapse in Giles County
  WDBJ7.com, VA - Oct 16, 2008
  A team of engineers and scientists have been assembled to determine the cause of Sunday's pedestrian bridge collapse in Giles County. The bridge over Walker ...
• AT&T Study: Nearly One in Five North Carolina Businesses Does Not ...
  RedOrbit, TX - Oct 13, 2008
  ... just as important for local governments and businesses to make plans for their continued operation in the event of a natural or technological disaster. ...
• Four dead in Hungary train wreck, minister resigns
  National Post, Canada - Oct 6, 2008
  Karoly Arvai/ReutersHungarian emergency workers rescue an injured passenger from a train wreck after a run-on collision involving two trains in Monorierdo, ...

• Another Marriott bombing suspect remanded
  Daily Times, Pakistan - Oct 22, 2008
  RAWALPINDI: Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) No I on Tuesday remanded another Marriott bombing suspect in the custody of Secretariat police for three days and ...
• UN Security Council Urges Cease-Fire in Eastern Congo Conflict
  Bloomberg - Oct 22, 2008
  In each instance, Rwanda sent its forces to combat ethnic Hutu militias that the central African nation claims took part in the massacre of about 800000 ...
• We will solve ethnic issue after 'finishing' terrorists: Lanka
  Hindu, India - Oct 22, 2008
  ... Wednesday promised to address the decades-old ethnic conflict in the island nation through a political settlement but only after "finishing" terrorists. ...
• Somali pirates 'hard to defeat'
  BBC News, UK - Oct 22, 2008
  ... is the most ignored tragedy in the world. Somalia has lacked a functioning central government since 1991 and has been afflicted by continual civil strife.
• Nuclear weapons debated in Sydney 
  BBC News - Oct 20, 2008
  The first meeting of the newly established International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament has been held in Sydney...
• Refugees flee Congo fighting; medical team trapped
  The Associated Press - Oct 14, 2008
  KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- Heavy fighting in eastern Congo has driven at least 1,700 people from a refugee camp, the U.N. said Tuesday...

• Sudan's Kordofan Region May Become Second Darfur, Group Says
  Bloomberg - Oct 22, 2008
  The conflict in Darfur in western Sudan started in February 2003 when insurgents demanding a greater share of Sudan's political power and wealth attacked ...
• Darfur violence caused 230000 to flee in '08: UN
  Reuters South Africa, South Africa - Oct 22, 2008
  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Nearly a quarter of a million civilians have been forced to flee violence in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region ...
• Early impacts from the World Bank's Global Food Response Program
  ReliefWeb - October 16, 2008
  Washington, D.C. - The $1.2 billion Global Food Response Program (GFRP) – the World Bank's fast-track food crisis initiative – was created in May 2008 to rapidly disburse assistance to countries hardest hit by the food crisis. " ...
• Somali UN worker shot dead as death toll rises
  The Associated Press - Oct 20, 2008
  MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Gunmen killed a Somali engineer employed by the United Nations in the latest deadly attack against aid workers in the war-ravaged country, an official said Monday.
• Overcoming the threat to aid workers
  BBC News - Oct 21, 2008
  The killing of a British aid worker in Afghanistan has again highlighted the dangers posed to humanitarian staff in many parts of the world....

• World leaders to meet on economy in Washington
  The Associated Press - Oct 22, 2008
  WASHINGTON (AP) -- World leaders will meet Nov. 15 in Washington to address the global financial crisis - the first in a series of summits to mitigate what economists predict could be a long and deep downturn, a senior Bush administration official said...
• Top global businesses gather for UN ‘Caring for Climate’ initiative
  UN News Centre - Oct 21, 2008
  A United Nations-backed “Caring for Climate” gathering today is drawing representatives from more than 150 corporations, civil society organizations and governments from around the world...
• Tropical cyclones can bury greenhouse gases-study
  Reuters UK, UK - Oct 19, 2008
  By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent OSLO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Tropical cyclones may be a tiny help in slowing global warming by washing large amounts ...
• Tropical species also threatened by climate change
  The Associated Press - Oct 9, 2008
  WASHINGTON (AP) -- If you can't stand global warming, get out of the tropics. While the most significant harm from climate change so far has been in the polar regions, tropical plants and animals may face an even greater threat

• Wildlife group lists diseases that global warming may spur
  CIDRAP News - Oct 8, 2008
  The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has included avian influenza, Ebola fever, Rift Valley fever, and plague on a list of 12 diseases and pathogens that it believes may spread to new regions as a result of climate change...

• New National Alert System Is Set Back
  The Wall Street Journal - Oct 22, 2008
  WASHINGTON -- White House officials have asked the Department of Homeland Security to put on hold any new spending on an alert system that carries a price tag of more than $150 million ...