And now New Zealand has some of its own fires to worry about.
Via Stuff - http://www.stuff.co.nz/4767284a11.html.
Rural firefighters are today continuing to dampen hot spots after a bush fire swept through more than 60 hectares of Department of Conservation land at Ngawha in the Far North overnight.
More than six fire engines and three helicopters battled through the night to contain the blaze which threatened Ngawha Village and Top Energy's newly commissioned geothermal power plant. Kaikohe volunteer fire brigade chief, Bill Hutchinson, said the fire looked to have been deliberately set. Fire investigators are at the scene this morning.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Californians return to burnt out homes
via Stuff - http://www.stuff.co.nz/4765003a12.html
Shocked residents began returning home to three areas of Southern California ravaged by wildfires, some finding their houses and cars reduced to piles of smoking, melted rubble.
Three fires have over the past five days destroyed around 1,000 homes and blacken 55 square miles (142 sq km) across Southern California - ranging from mobile homes to apartments and multimillion-dollar mansions.
No deaths or major injuries have been reported and the cause of the fires was not known.
Southern California is in a drought after minimal rainfall for two years that has turned the terrain bone dry. Population growth over the past 20 years has seen once arid brushland on city outskirts turned into housing developments.
Shocked residents began returning home to three areas of Southern California ravaged by wildfires, some finding their houses and cars reduced to piles of smoking, melted rubble.
Three fires have over the past five days destroyed around 1,000 homes and blacken 55 square miles (142 sq km) across Southern California - ranging from mobile homes to apartments and multimillion-dollar mansions.
No deaths or major injuries have been reported and the cause of the fires was not known.
Southern California is in a drought after minimal rainfall for two years that has turned the terrain bone dry. Population growth over the past 20 years has seen once arid brushland on city outskirts turned into housing developments.
Indonesian quake - 7.5
Via Stuff - http://www.stuff.co.nz/4766334a12.html
Almost 10,000 people have been displaced from their homes following a powerful earthquake that rattled Indonesia's Sulawesi island. The strong 7.5 magnitude undersea earthquake struck early on Monday, killing at least six people and injuring more than 150. Indonesia's meteorology agency briefly issued a tsunami alert following the quake, but the warning was lifted later.
Indonesia launched a new hi-tech system last week aimed at detecting potential tsunamis and providing faster alerts in a region battered by frequent earthquakes, though experts say large parts of the country are still not covered and the system will not be fully operational until 2010.
Almost 10,000 people have been displaced from their homes following a powerful earthquake that rattled Indonesia's Sulawesi island. The strong 7.5 magnitude undersea earthquake struck early on Monday, killing at least six people and injuring more than 150. Indonesia's meteorology agency briefly issued a tsunami alert following the quake, but the warning was lifted later.
Indonesia launched a new hi-tech system last week aimed at detecting potential tsunamis and providing faster alerts in a region battered by frequent earthquakes, though experts say large parts of the country are still not covered and the system will not be fully operational until 2010.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Did the earth move for you?
Apparently there was an earthquake near Wellington this morning. I haven't felt an earthquake in ages, I'm beginning to feel that it's all just a conspiracy of seismologists.
Anyway, here's what GeoNet says happened:
NZ Daylight Time: Tuesday, November 11 2008 at 6:20 am
Latitude, Longitude: 41.75°S, 174.40°E
Focal Depth: 60 km
Richter magnitude: 4.0
Region: Marlborough
Location:
30 km east of Seddon
50 km south-east of Blenheim
60 km south-west of Wellington
Felt in Rarangi and Wellington.
Did you feel this earthquake? If you did, fill in a GeoNet Felt Earthquake Report and then comment here to gloat about it.
Anyway, here's what GeoNet says happened:
NZ Daylight Time: Tuesday, November 11 2008 at 6:20 am
Latitude, Longitude: 41.75°S, 174.40°E
Focal Depth: 60 km
Richter magnitude: 4.0
Region: Marlborough
Location:
30 km east of Seddon
50 km south-east of Blenheim
60 km south-west of Wellington
Felt in Rarangi and Wellington.
Did you feel this earthquake? If you did, fill in a GeoNet Felt Earthquake Report and then comment here to gloat about it.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Windy!
It's been a bit windy overnight (rubbish day again...). I was watching the wind speeds on Mt Kaukau climbing steadily via the MetService's MetConnect. At about quarter to ten last night the 10-minute average wind speed on Kaukau was 100kph! A large slip had closed the Manawatu Gorge (http://www.stuff.co.nz/4749564a11.html) and vehicles were being advised to come over the Rimutaka Hill Road, but the strong winds made that a rather hazardous prospect, especially for high-sided vehicles, and police were advising people not to go that way too!
I really hope the wind dies down tonight - strong winds and Guy Fawkes' night do not go well together, especially from the point of view of the fire crews. Take care with your fire works (or better yet, go and enjoy the free displays), and please don't set fire to Porirua tonight, or anywhere else for that matter!
I really hope the wind dies down tonight - strong winds and Guy Fawkes' night do not go well together, especially from the point of view of the fire crews. Take care with your fire works (or better yet, go and enjoy the free displays), and please don't set fire to Porirua tonight, or anywhere else for that matter!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Raining cats
Looks like we're in for a bit of a soggy evening. The MetService has upgraded the watch to a severe weather warning for heavy rain.
The Wellington area can expect that rain may become heavy for a time this evening as a southerly windchange passes over the area. In the 4 to 6 hours from about 5pm, 40 to 60mm is possible with peak intensities around 15mm per hour.
Kapiti can expect rain to be come heavy in the 6 to 8 hours from 9pm this evening, 40 to 60mm possible in some areas with peak intensities around 10mm per hour.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tornado in Cambridge
A mini tornado ripped through Cambridge early this morning, lifting roofs, downing trees and leaving the area without power as a number of power lines were downed. Emergency services said they received around 30 calls between 3am and 3.30am, when the tornado travelled in a near straight line through the middle of the town. The Fire Service says up to 100 houses have been affected. No one is believed to have been hurt but Cambridge chief fire officer, Don Gerrand, said damage was widespread, and many homes and parts of Cambridge were without power at first light.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4730293a19715.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4730293a11.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4730293a19715.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4730293a11.html
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Fire season
Southern California is currently on fire, with hot dry winds fueling fires around neighbourhoods on the fringes of Los Angeles. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4726651a12.html
Since Sunday, the blazes have scorched 15,000 acres, destroyed or damaged at least 50 structures, including 30 gutted mobile houses, and forced many hundreds to evacuate.
The more ferocious of two San Fernando Valley fires doubled in size overnight, authorities said.
A third fire broke out on Monday on the sprawling US Marine base of Camp Pendleton, 80 miles south of Los Angeles, forcing officials to evacuate thousands from base housing. Some 3,000 acres burned, and the fire was about 25 percent contained early Tuesday.
The simultaneous blazes, marking the first big conflagrations of the region's high fire-risk season - come one year after 30 wildfires swept through Southern California in one week, killing a dozen people, destroying 2,000 homes and forcing the historic evacuation of 500,000 residents.
An update:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4727945a12.html
The New Zealand Fire Season began on October 1, but some little ...unmentionables... decided to start early in Porirua by setting fire to bits of Bothamley Park & Ngati Toa Domain before then. There have been at least 8 vegetation fires since the beginning of September. Some of the incidents have been arson, and police have dealt with some of the perpetrators.
Porirua operates either a Restricted fire season, or a Total Fire Ban. This means that you either need to have a permit to have an open-air fire, or you're not allowed to have one at all. For more information look on Porirua City Council's website - www.pcc.govt.nz - it's under Consents & Services - Licences & permits.
Since Sunday, the blazes have scorched 15,000 acres, destroyed or damaged at least 50 structures, including 30 gutted mobile houses, and forced many hundreds to evacuate.
The more ferocious of two San Fernando Valley fires doubled in size overnight, authorities said.
A third fire broke out on Monday on the sprawling US Marine base of Camp Pendleton, 80 miles south of Los Angeles, forcing officials to evacuate thousands from base housing. Some 3,000 acres burned, and the fire was about 25 percent contained early Tuesday.
The simultaneous blazes, marking the first big conflagrations of the region's high fire-risk season - come one year after 30 wildfires swept through Southern California in one week, killing a dozen people, destroying 2,000 homes and forcing the historic evacuation of 500,000 residents.
An update:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4727945a12.html
The New Zealand Fire Season began on October 1, but some little ...unmentionables... decided to start early in Porirua by setting fire to bits of Bothamley Park & Ngati Toa Domain before then. There have been at least 8 vegetation fires since the beginning of September. Some of the incidents have been arson, and police have dealt with some of the perpetrators.
Porirua operates either a Restricted fire season, or a Total Fire Ban. This means that you either need to have a permit to have an open-air fire, or you're not allowed to have one at all. For more information look on Porirua City Council's website - www.pcc.govt.nz - it's under Consents & Services - Licences & permits.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Disaster Awareness Week
Distaster Awareness Week 2008 began on Sunday 5th October. On Monday, I set up a display of our new 15L emergency water containers (available from the PCC office, $15 each) in the Spine at Pataka, but unfortunately Porirua's Emergency Management team had a training course that we needed to attend from Tuesday through to Thursday - Coordinated Incident Management System training with the NZ Police College, and today the Wellington Region EMOs have their monthly meeting up in Kapiti, so we've kind of missed out on doing anything really exciting with regards to Disaster Awareness Week.
But at least we didn't have to get up super early on Wednesday to hand out useful things to commuters at the Wellington Railway Station like many others in the Wellington CDEM Group. I really hadn't been looking forward to getting up to be at the station for 7am!
Stayed home on Wednesday night to watch the NZ-made movie Aftershock about a 8.2 earthquake on the Wairarapa Fault near Wellington. That definitely got people talking about disaster preparedness - it was the prime topic of discussion in the tearoom, and our councillors are now asking for a briefing on Porirua's plans - great stuff!
Thursday's followup programme was also a great reminder of the kinds of things you need to do to be prepared - don't forget to store your emergency supplies somewhere easily accessible!
For those that missed both shows, they can currently be viewed on TV3's website. They'll be available until October 23 for the movie, and October 24 for the follow-up.
The weather during the week was also a good reminder for people - strong winds knocked down trees, took the roof off at least one shed that I saw, and the rain gave people in Hutt City a bit of excitement as several streets were closed due to flooding.
But at least we didn't have to get up super early on Wednesday to hand out useful things to commuters at the Wellington Railway Station like many others in the Wellington CDEM Group. I really hadn't been looking forward to getting up to be at the station for 7am!
Stayed home on Wednesday night to watch the NZ-made movie Aftershock about a 8.2 earthquake on the Wairarapa Fault near Wellington. That definitely got people talking about disaster preparedness - it was the prime topic of discussion in the tearoom, and our councillors are now asking for a briefing on Porirua's plans - great stuff!
Thursday's followup programme was also a great reminder of the kinds of things you need to do to be prepared - don't forget to store your emergency supplies somewhere easily accessible!
For those that missed both shows, they can currently be viewed on TV3's website. They'll be available until October 23 for the movie, and October 24 for the follow-up.
The weather during the week was also a good reminder for people - strong winds knocked down trees, took the roof off at least one shed that I saw, and the rain gave people in Hutt City a bit of excitement as several streets were closed due to flooding.
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