Italian scientists sentenced to prison for failing to predict earthquake accurately!

Six scientists in Italy have been sentenced to prison for manslaughter for failing to properly predict an earthquake that killed 309 people in 2009. Judges in Italy found the men guilty of giving "falsely reassuring" statements before the earthquake. The scientists lawyers insisted that there is no way of accurately predicting earthquakes. The men have been sentenced to 6 years in jail.

It is pretty much impossible to give accurate predictions about earthquakes, so many believe that sentencing the scientists is unfair. It is hoped that the decision will be overturned.

Read the full BBC report here

Can we predict earthquakes?

Hazards being seen all over the world

Natural Hazards are always occurring. Most of them we never we hear about, earthquakes that are too minor to report, storms that don't quite make it hurricane status. This week has seen some serious incidents around the world.

1. The UK
Heavy rain has been seen all over the UK. Localised flooding has been experienced in many areas, causing disruption to traffic and people. Over a months worth of rain has fallen in 24 hours in some places. Devon has been worst hit. One man died after his car came off the wet road. Events such as motor car racing and music concerts have been cancelled (including the Godiva festival in Coventry)
Click here to read more about English floods

2. Russia
If you think our rain has been bad, they've had much worse in Russia. In one area at least 155 people have been killed after they experienced 5 times more rain than normal and severe floods occurred.
Click here to read more about Russian floods

3. India
In NE India, over 120 people have been confirmed killed after heavy Monsoon rains flooded towns and approximately 2000 villages. 2.2 million people have been displaced (made homeless).Hundreds of animals have also been killed.
Click here to read more about India floods

4. USA
It's not rain that is the problem (yet) in America, but the heat. A heat wave has killed 42 people across the East of the country. The temperatures should drop by Monday (9th July) but there could be thunderstorms and floods afterwards.
Click here to read more about USA heatwave

So, as we wonder if we're ever going to have some sun and a summer, be grateful were not experiencing the loss of life that some parts of the world, rich and poor, are experiencing.

Two years since the Haiti earthquake

Two years have passed since a ferocious earthquake levelled much of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and killed about 250,000 people. It was one of the worst natural disasters of recent times, striking one of the poorest nations. There is still lots of work to do in Haiti (60,000 people still live in tents) and it is worth reading some reports that show how difficult it is for poor countries to recover after such devastating disasters, even with the assistance of foreign help.


Click on the title to read one report about the earthquake


Click here to read a different article


Click here to read a blog from UNICEF about the earthquake

Philippines Flood Death Toll Nears 1,000

2011 ends with yet another natural disaster. This one has claimed the lives of 1000 people in the Philippines. The flooding was caused by tropical storm Washi, which swept through the southern Philippines on Friday evening, dropping a month's worth of rain in 24 hours. About 143,000 people were affected in 13 southern and central states.

Conditions remain chaotic at the evacuation centres, mainly schools and gymnasiums, and with no running water fire trucks were being used to deliver supplies. Officials warned that the crowded conditions could lead to outbreaks of leptospirosis, diarrhoea, cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and dysentery, with children and pregnant women the most vulnerable. 

"The problem is we only have one or two toilets per school, and they have to cater to 3 000 or 4 000 users," said Iligan health officer Levy Villarin.

Click on the headline to read more on the story or click here to be taken to the recent Channel 4 documentary "The Year the Earth went wild"

Toads can predict earthquakes!

Scientists believe they have an explanation for Italian toads' apparent ability to sense the earthquake that struck the city of L'Aquila on 6 April 2009. Animals may sense chemical changes in groundwater that occur when an earthquake is about to strike and this could be the cause of bizarre earthquake-associated animal behaviour.

By chance, Dr Rachel Grant of the UK's Open University was monitoring a toad population at San Ruffino Lake, around 74km from the quake's epicentre. Five days before the 6.3 magnitude shake, "the number of male common toads in the breeding colony fell by 96 per cent", while "most breeding pairs and males fled" three days before the earth moved.


click on the title for more information

Over 100 dead and thousands suffering from effects of Cholera in Haiti

It's been 9 months since the devestating earthquake that hit Haiti in January. Although the story might not be in the news headlines as often now, thousands of people are still living in tents in temporary camps.
An outbreak of Cholera has killed 135 people and the fear is that if the disease spreads to these camps, then many more hundreds or thousands will also die. This shows how the effects of earthquakes can be felt for long periods after the actual disaster.

Click on the post title to read the full story and watch the latest video news from Haiti

Typhoon Megi leaves 200,000 homeless in Philippines

Typhoon Megi is gathering strength and heading towards southern China, meteorologists said, after leaving 200,000 Filipinos homeless.

The severe storm left a trail of destruction in its wake after hitting the northern Philippines on Monday.

Officials there said at least 200,000 people remained homeless with the cost to infrastructure still unknown.

The storm is described as the worst in many years, but predictions vary about where it will make next landfall.

People in the Chinese province of Guangdong and Hong Kong are stockpiling food ahead of the storm, which has been gathering strength over the South China Sea.

Ships and fishing boats have been told to stay in harbour, as Hong Kong's weather officials predicted winds of up to more than 185 km/hour(115mph).

The Philippines hit by "super typhoon"

The Philippines declared a state of calamity in a northern province after super typhoon Megi made landfall on Monday, cutting off power, forcing flight cancellations and putting the region's rice crop at risk.

A typhoon is a tropical storm. In the Atlantic ocean they are known as Hurricanes and in South Asia they are called Cyclones.

Forecasters said Megi was probably the most powerful storm in the world this year and the strongest to hit the Philippines since Typhoon Durian unleashed mudslides that buried entire towns and killed more than 1000 people in 2006.


With the storm forecast to sweep into the South China Sea, Chinese authorities have issued a disaster warning across southern coastal areas.

Megi pummelled remote coastal areas of the northern Philippines with gusts of up to 260km/h yesterday morning as it made landfall, tearing roofs off houses and bringing down power lines.

"We are marooned inside our home. We cannot go out. The winds and rain are very strong. Many trees are being uprooted or snapped in half," Ernesto Macadangdang, a resident of Burgos town in Isabela province, told DZBB radio.

Click on the title for a more detailed report or the photo for some footage of the typhoon

Volcanic Ash from Iceland continues to cause disruption

The UK is enduring a fourth day as a virtual no-fly zone, as the travel chaos caused by volcanic ash drifting from Iceland shows no sign of ending.

Flight restrictions have been extended until at least 7pm and forecasters say the ash cloud could remain over the UK for several more days.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said the disruption risked becoming a "major business and economic disaster".

He said a number of European airlines were facing financial difficulties.

Our correspondent said: "If [the disruption] goes on many days longer, a number of European airlines will run into financial difficulties and may need bailing out by governments - or so I am told by senior airline figures."

On Friday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned airlines would lose at least $200m (£130m) per day in revenues during the disruption.

Meanwhile, Dutch airline KLM and German airline Lufthansa have carried out test flights in their countries' airspace to see if it is safe for planes to fly.

KLM said its aircraft had been able to fly at its normal operating altitude of 13km (8 miles) over Dutch skies and no problems had been reported. The plane's engines were being inspected for possible damage, with a view to getting permission from the aviation authorities to start up operations again.

The disruption has affected hundreds of thousands of travellers since Wednesday, when the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano began erupting.

Among those affected were British wedding guests who had to watch on an internet connection as a bride and groom stranded in Dubai took their vows.

Link to live webcam of the volcano

The silver lining?

In the shadow of the volcano

Chile earthquake: nation in shock as death toll climbs

The death toll from the massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on Saturday has reached 300 and is expected to climb further as authorities estimate two million people were affected by the disaster and half a million homes were severely damaged or destroyed.

The country is in shock after the most powerful earthquake in a century hit 200 miles southwest of the capital Santiago.

The number of dead is expected to exceed 300 and the country’s president has declared a “state of catastrophe".

Following the earthquake, Chileans fearful of strong aftershocks - one as powerful as the devastating Haiti quake of Jan 12 - camped outside on the streets, as officials struggled to grasp the scale of the damage to the country’s transport, energy and housing infrastructure.

The earthquake tore apart houses, bridges and motorways, and Chileans near the epicenter were thrown from their beds by the force of the temblor, which was felt as far away as Sao Paulo in Brazil — 1,800 miles to the east.

"We think the real (death) figure tops 300 and we believe this will continue to grow,” said Carmen Fernandez, head of the National Emergency Agency

Chile earthquake: death toll passes 200

A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile early yesterday, killing at least 140people, bringing down homes and hospitals, and setting off a tsunami that triggered warnings and evacuations across the entire Pacific. At the time of writing, a tidal wave of as yet undetermined height is heading, at a speed of hundreds of miles an hour, towards places as far away as Australia, the Philippines and even Russia. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii called for "urgent action to protect lives and property".

Yesterday's quake was far stronger than the 7.0 magnitude tremor that killed more than 200,000 in Haiti in January, but it happened in a country that is better prepared than most. Yet the impact was immediate and, for those feeling it, severe. Chilean TV showed images from the city of Concepcion of collapsed homes, broken roads, large buildings engulfed in flames, the injured lying in the streets or on stretchers, and residents huddled in streets strewn with glass and masonry.

Many were terrified by the powerful and repeated aftershocks. In just a few hours after the quake, there were no fewer than 29 that registered a magnitude greater than 5.0, and one at 6.9 – within a whisker of the main Haiti tremor. The country's President, Michelle Bachelet, wasted little time in declaring a "state of catastrophe" in central Chile. The death toll is expected to rise, but not, according to the country's Interior Minister, Edmundo Perez, dramatically. He may yet be proved wrong.

Click on the headline to find out more and see footage

Click here to read more about earthquakes and why larger earthquakes don't always kill more people - this earthquake is 500 times more powerful than the Haiti one.

Massive earthquake hits Chile

A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 has struck central Chile, the country's largest in 25 years.

The quake struck at 0634 GMT about 91km (56 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 317km south-west of the capital, Santiago.

Chilean television is reporting 16 deaths so far. President Michelle Bachelet also said a large wave had affected one southern island group.

The US issued an initial tsunami warning for Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

That was later extended to Colombia, Antarctica and Central America. Japan's meteorological agency warned of a potential tsunami across large areas of the Pacific.

Click on the headline for more detail about this story

Click here for more information about earthquakes

Why did so many people die in the Haiti earthquake?

The devastating earthquakes that hit China on 12 May 2008, Italy on 6 April 2009 and Haiti one month ago all measured above 6.0 and took many lives. But why was the human cost so much greater for Haiti?

Click on the title to go to a BBC report on why the Haiti earthquake was so devestating. It has lots of graphics to look at and provides a fascinating insight into what happened in Haiti.

Haiti earthquake - 2 weeks on

The Haiti earthquake took place over two weeks ago now. The full extent of the horror is becoming clearer. Although there are some heart warming stories, as people are still being found alive (the latest is a 16 year old girl found under the rubble of a house, 15 days after the quake) there are also many terrible reports coming out of Haiti.

If you click the headline above you will be taken to a report that suggests that many of the orphans and vulnerable children left behind in Haiti (up to a million are estimated to have either no parents, one parent or be unattended) are in danger of being sold or abused.

There are also reports of increased sexual crimes against women and lawlessness in the country. Speaking on American TV on Wednesday night, Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said he has received reports of kids being sold, and he believed human organs were also being taken from victims of the quake for profit.

Read more here

Eruption at Mayon Volcano imminent say experts

The Mayon volcano in the Philippines, which has blown its top nearly 40 times in 400 years, menaced nearby residents with small eruptions of ash and lava on Wednesday as Philippine authorities moved more than 30,000 people to shelters in case of a larger eruption.
Trickles of lava rolled down the 8,070-foot mountain towering over the Albay Gulf in the central Philippines, while five new ash explosions, one of them reaching 550 yards in the air, shook Mayon's steep slopes.
During the day, the summit (the top of the volcano) is shrouded in white clouds of dust and ash, and dark orange lava becomes clearly visible in the nighttime. Residents of Legazpi city on the foothills of the cone-shaped mountain converge in a downtown park at night to watch the spectacle from a safe distance.

Look to the left to see video footage of the volcano

Philippine volcano fears force thousands to evacuate

More than 20,000 people have evacuated homes in the Philippines after lava and ash flowed from one of the nation's most active volcanoes.
Soldiers and police directed the evacuation from around the foothills of Mayon volcano amid concerns that a big eruption could occur at any moment.
Philippine officials raised the alert level for Mayon on Monday.
Mayon, 330km (206 miles) south-east of the capital Manila, has erupted 48 times since records began.
The head of the disaster relief operations in the region, Cedric Daep, said the authorities aimed to evacuate nearly 50,000 people from villages within eight kilometres of the volcano by Thursday.

In pictures: Filipinos flee
He said that after a series of ash puffs and ash explosions up to 1,000m high, a major explosion could not be ruled out.