Earthquake & tsunami strike Japan

March 11, 2011 5 Comments

Japan was hit by a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake this afternoon, which trigger a tsunami up to 10 metres high. Video shows the three-metres wave hitting Sendai. Tsunami alerts have also been issued in other Pacific countries.

The tremor hit at 1446 local time, 130km off Japan’s Pacific coast. It’s the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the country. The death toll stands at 26 at the time of writing, with many feared missing. God bless.

[Update] Over 1300 confirmed dead, death toll could exceed 10000. You can make a donation to Red Cross Japan via Google’s Crisis Response project.

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Record snow in Gangwon, South Korea

February 16, 2011 2 Comments

South Korea’s Gangwon Province was blanketed by more than a meter of snow earlier this week, the heaviest snowfall in the northeastern province in a century.

Record snow in Gangwon, South Korea

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Guatemala sinkhole & Tropical Storm Agatha

June 1, 2010 6 Comments

A giant sinkhole appeared in Guatemala City on May 30…

Guatemala sinkhole, giant crater caused by Tropical Storm Agatha

A sinkhole is a natural depression in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, often both, by water [via wiki]. And it seems like Guatemala’s topography is particularly prone to the phenomenon in extremity.

[Update] Check out a short video showing the forming process of a giant sinkhole.

The crater is linked with the Tropical Storm Agatha which hit Central America. Guatemala was hit hardest with 90+ deaths. 100,000+ have been evacuated and many are living in temporary shelters. The president has called for help from international communities. Check your local news to see how you can help.

Photo by Paulo Raquec, released via Guatemalan Government’s Flickr.

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Taiwan badly hit by Typhoon Morakot

August 12, 2009 Leave a Comment

Taiwan suffered their worst flood in 50 years after being struck by Typhoon Morakot last week. At least 65 are confirmed dead, with hundreds still missing.

Kaohsiung County was the worst hit area; a deadly mudslide buried Hsiaolin Village and nearby neighbourhood, with over 600 villagers feared dead.

Philippines and China were also affected by the typhoon; while Japan was hit by tropical storm Etau at the same period. Death toll includes 23 in the Philippines, 13 in Japan and six in China [according to Guardian].

Morakot hit Taiwan late night on August 7 and caused 14+ hours of havoc before leaving for China; but heavy rain continued to pour, which caused massive flood (and landslide, mudflow etc.) particularly in southern Taiwan.

Taiwanese are no strangers to typhoon; but rescue effort appeared to be short-handed because of the unexpected scale of devastation. God bless.

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Earthquake hits Sichuan, China

May 13, 2008 12 Comments

An earthquake measuring 7.8 on Richter scale struck China’s Sichuan Province on Monday (May 12) at 2.28pm Beijing time.

The death toll is 11921 at the time of writing, and the number is expected to rise as rescue missions are being carried on. The worst hit area is the Beichuan county, about 160 kilometres northeast of the quake epicentre in Wenchuan.

This is the worst earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake which claimed around 250,000 lives.

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Myanmar: before and after Cyclone Nargis

May 11, 2008 4 Comments

The satellite image of Myanmar’s Hainggyi Island shows the devastating effect of Cyclone Nargis which hit the country on May 2. The top image was taken in late 2004 while the bottom image on May 5, 2008.

Satellite image of Myanmar before Cylone Nargis
Satellite image of Myanmar after Cylone Nargis
Hainggyi Island before and after the Cyclone Nargis

It’s estimated that 60,000-100,000 (different sources) people have lost their lives (or missing) while 1.5 million people are affected by this natural hazard. To make it worse the military rulers are disrupting cyclone relief efforts and trying to turn it into a propaganda campaign. Regardless, do try to help if possible… every bit counts.

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