Monday, January 21, 2013

**Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power.
We have guided missiles and misguided men.**
Martin Luther King, Jr.


LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)

This morning -
None 5.0 or larger.

Yesterday -
1/20/13 -
5.0 REYKJANES RIDGE [1343 km (835 miles) SW of REYKJAVIK, Iceland]
5.2 REYKJANES RIDGE
5.0 REYKJANES RIDGE
5.1 NEAR COAST OF NICARAGUA
5.0 TAIWAN REGION
5.7 SOUTHEASTERN SAKHA, RUSSIA
5.0 NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND

VOLCANOES -
Volcano Webcams

Volcano activity of January 19

TROPICAL STORMS -
In the Indian Ocean -
- Tropical Cyclone Ten was located approximately 270 nm northwest of Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Australia - Monsoon starts off with cyclone threat. The start of the monsoon had most Top Enders rubbing their hands with glee as temperatures dropped yesterday. But with the monsoon came some severe weather and an upgraded cyclone warning.
Weather bureau senior forecasters said there was a high chance of a cyclone forming by Tuesday. "There's a low-pressure system sitting south-west of Borroloola. We think it's going to move out into the Gulf of Carpentaria. On Monday night it could be moving over water - where it can intensify quite quickly - so we'll be watching it closely."
Communities along the Carpentaria coast are most at risk. A severe weather warning was issued in the Arnhem district, with damaging winds of up to 90km/h expected in coastal areas. The Northern Territory Emergency Service advised people to secure loose outside objects and seek shelter when conditions deteriorate. Flood threats were issued for the Arnhem, Darwin-Daly, Victoria River and Roper-McArthur districts, with more heavy rain days on the way.
The wet weather was expected to continue for the Top End, with monsoonal showers predicted for the next three days. Alice Springs is also getting a taste of the wet weather, with 21mm recorded at the airport in the 24 hours until 9am yesterday.

EXTREME HEAT & WILDFIRES -

Australia - Victorian town of Wallan under emergency warning. A bushfire emergency warning has been issued for the central Victorian town of Wallan as a fast-moving grassfire approaches the area.

HEALTH THREATS -

Brazil city fights dengue fever - Health authorities in the Brazilian city of Campo Grande, in the southern state of Mato Grosso do Sul, are fighting a dengue fever epidemic. About 600 residents a day have reported suffering from the symptoms of the fever since the beginning of the year.
Heavy rains have increased the risk of reproduction of the mosquito which transmits the disease. Hundreds of workers have been hired to clear the streets of standing water, where the mosquitoes breed. A state of emergency is coming into effect in Campo Grande on Monday, which will allow city authorities to hire extra workers and purchase medicine without putting contracts out to tender.
The federal authorities said that nationwide two people had died from dengue fever. Apart from Campo Grande, the city of Vitoria in Espiritu Santo state has also seen a steep rise in the incidence of dengue cases with more than 1,500 cases reported this month. Brazil's health minister has warned local authorities to reinforce their dengue prevention programmes and to urge residents to cover any standing water, such as tanks.
In Paraguay, across the border from Mato Grosso do Sul, eight people have died from the fever and more than 8,500 suspected cases have been reported. There, the army and the police have been deployed to help clear potential mosquito breeding grounds. Global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically, about half of the world's population is now at risk.

More U.S. states reporting high flu levels - Thirty states are reporting high levels of flu-like illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

RECALLS & ALERTS