A volcano has erupted on the same island in Indonesia where an earthquake and tsunami last week killed at least 1400 people. Gift of the Givers has responded to a call for assistance from the President of Indonesia. Gift of the Givers search and rescue teams are heading for Indonesia today with highly specialised equipment, accompanied by a select number of medical … [Read more...]
Underwater ruins of lost Roman city discovered in Tunisia
A vast 1,700 year old Roman settlement has been discovered off the coast of Tunisia after several years of archaeological exploration in search of the ancient city of Neapolis. Neapolis is believed to have been submerged after a tsunami in the 4th century AD destroyed most of it, as recorded by Roman soldier and historian Ammien Marcellin. The natural disaster also badly … [Read more...]
Krugersdorp tornado moves over Delmas
Nine people were left injured in the Delmas and Bapsfontein area last night after what is believed to be the same tornado as that which tore through the Krugersdorp area descended on the area, damaging a business and a home. Krugersdorp and its surrounds were devastated when a tornado hit the area on Monday, 9 October at about 3pm, passing over the Netcare Pinehaven … [Read more...]
Thunderstorms hit Gauteng as hail lashes province
An afternoon thunderstorm has hit Gauteng, bringing with it hail and strong winds. On Monday morning the weather service issued a watch for severe thunderstorm in the afternoon. Forecaster Madimetja Thema said: “Thunderstorms are starting to pop out of the North West province. There is a line that has formed from Rustenburg down to Klerksdorp and is slowly moving towards … [Read more...]
Mexico death toll reaches 361 after massive earthquake
The death toll from Mexico's magnitude 7.1 earthquake rose to 361 on Sunday after another casualty was confirmed in the capital, where a search continued at a collapsed seven-story office building in a central neighborhood. National Civil Defense chief Luis Felipe Puente reported on Twitter that the dead include 220 people killed in Mexico City by the Sept. 19 quake. The … [Read more...]
Vietnam’s poorest worst hit by Typhoon Doksuri
Six people lost their lives when Typhoon Doksuri smashed into central Vietnam on September 16, the most powerful storm in a decade to hit the country. Although widespread evacuations prevented a higher death toll, the impact on the region’s most vulnerable people will be extensive and lasting. Government sources report that more than 193,000 properties have been damaged, … [Read more...]
From Paris to Houston, climate change is an undeniable truth
It's been over 10 years since the release of former US Vice President Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The 2006 documentary film premiered at Sundance and went on to win two Academy Awards with its combined use of breathtaking shots of Earth’s landscapes and Gore's politician's charm in order to talk about environmental issues. But the real lasting legacy of the film is how … [Read more...]
Typhoon Talim bringing wind and floods to China and Taiwan
A strengthening tropical system has its eyes set on Taiwan and eastern China during the second half of this week. Talim is currently a typhoon about 400 miles east of Taiwan. Further intensification is expected as Talim tracks to the northwest towards Taiwan through late Wednesday. “Favorable environmental conditions along the path of Talim will allow the typhoon to … [Read more...]
3 Dead as Hurricane Irma batters Florida coast
Hurricane Irma bore down on southern Florida on Sunday with 130 mile-per-hour (210 kph) winds, flooding Miami streets and knocking out power to more than 1.6 million homes and businesses. Even before it came ashore, Florida was feeling Irma's fury with at least one man killed, a woman forced to deliver her own baby and trees and apartment towers swaying in high winds. The … [Read more...]
Nightmarish scenes in Houston: a global warning
Let there be no doubt: the horrific damage wrought by Hurricane Harvey was an almost entirely man-made catastrophe, one fingerprinted by all-too-human neglect, corruption and denial. If we needed a reminder of the power of water to destroy an American city, Hurricane Harvey provided it. In Houston, a fast-growing metropolis of more than 2 million people, it wasn't the wind that … [Read more...]
Strongest ever Atlantic storm causes ‘major damage’ in Caribbean
The most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history has destroyed buildings and caused major flooding on several Caribbean islands, as British tourists are evacuated from the region amid warnings the storm will be "potentially catastrophic". The island of Barbuda was the first to bear the brunt of Hurricane Irma - a category five storm with winds of 185mph - early … [Read more...]
Sierra Leone mudslides: responding to the crisis
It was a strange thing to be supporting Street Child’s response to the mudslides in Sierra Leone from Maiduguri, the epicenter of the Boko Haram crisis in North-East Nigeria. As head of programmes for West Africa, I am normally based in Sierra Leone, in Freetown, where mudslides and floods killed at least 500 people in the early hours of Monday 14th August when an entire … [Read more...]
Experts warned about Garden Route fires
A group of scientists led by eminent NMMU botanist Professor Richard Cowling warned nearly a decade ago that the uncontrolled spread of alien vegetation posed a fire threat that could devastate the Garden Route. Contained in an article in the 2009 edition of the Veld & Flora magazine, which The Herald accessed yesterday after an alert from the Endangered Wildlife Trust … [Read more...]
