FALL '98
DRJ
Fall 98 Volume 11, Issue 4
AROUND THE WORLD
Ceyhan, Turkey— A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Anatolian fault in southern Turkey on June 28 injuring 1,100 people and leveling five downtown buildings in Ceyhan. The quake’s effects were felt along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey to the island of Cyprus. The death toll rose over a hundred as the rescue workers cleared debris. Thirty-five individuals at a U.S. Air Force base were injured. The quake caused substantial structural and electrical damage to buildings on the base.
Donaldsonville, LA— An oil barge began leaking crude oil after a tugboat collision on the Mississippi River on June 29, leaking at a rate of 20 gallons a minute. To prevent the barge from sinking, workers tied it to riverside trees; the oil spill was contained by booms. Authorities estimated the amount of oil lost was in excess of 70,000 gallons.
Sissano, Papua New Guinea— Three tidal waves struck the southern Pacific island of Papua New Guinea during the week of July 16, killing at least 3,000 people. Six thousand were reported missing. More than 8,200 villagers were injured. An approximate population before the tsunamis hit reached 8,000 to 10,000. Only 2,527 people have been found alive. The disaster struck the northwest coast leaving the living homeless. Helicopters and speedboats were used to transport victims to a local hospital. More than $1 million of U.S. assistance was donated to help. The thirty foot tsunamis were caused by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, 18 miles off the coast. Children were the main victims.
Central Europe— Three European countries fell victim to flash floods on July 16, killing at least 10 people and forced people from their homes. Eastern Slovakia, southwestern Poland, and the Czech Republic all reported various incidents of damaged and loss of life.
Houston, TX— For over twenty days, Texas suffered under triple digit temperatures creating drier than normal weather conditions. Precipitation for the state was the lowest on record from April through July: 4.46 inches. More than $1.5 billion in damages to crops and livestock resulted due to the severe drought and high temperatures. This persuaded the government to declare all 254 counties as disaster areas. Overall, the drought cost the Texas economy an additional $5 billion. In some south Texas cities, water was rationed due to low levels of water supplies. In Fort Worth, heat stress on water pipes ruptured water mains, cutting off water supplies to two hospitals and tourist attractions in the city. Over 100 deaths were attributed to the heat wave. President Clinton approved financial relief for Texas and ten other states in the southern and western sections of the U.S. Researchers predicted a 12 percent drop in farmers’ income due to the heat conditions, wheat diseases in the Northern Plains, and global grain glut. Thirty-seven percent of Texas’ cotton crop was destroyed, resulting in the lowest harvest in twenty years. It is believed ranchers and farmers will sustain $1.8 billion in drought-related losses of cotton, corn, and in cattle.
Los Cerezos, Cuba— The worst drought in 40 years affected the eastern portion of the island of Cuba this summer, a result of the El Nino phenomenon. Forty-two percent of crops in five providences were destroyed by late July. More than 400,000 people were affected by the water shortage. Cuba’s sugar harvest is reported at its lowest level.
Yemen— A reported $19 million in damages resulted from flooding in a small country located on the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula during the first weekend in August. Near the capital, 11 people were killed, swept away by the waters, or under collapsed buildings. A week long series of severe storms were blamed as the cause of the flooding.
Bucharest, Romania— Eastern Europe experienced record high temperatures during a heat wave over the summer months. In the period of one week, 61 deaths were attributed to the searing heat. Hospitals were filled with people suffering from heart attacks, strokes, or sunstroke. Such conditions have not been this extreme since half a century ago.
Campesino, Guatemala— Over the last year, a series of disasters have struck the farming communities in the Latin American country Guatemala. Beginning last fall, a drought hurt much of the agricultural economy, drying out the primary crops of the region. Wildfires, fueled by the dry-weather conditions, destroyed more than 400,000 acres of vegetation in the month of May. During the closing months of summer, it was reported that an infestation of caterpillars attacked the few remaining corn crops. The natural predators of the insect were dimished by the wildfires, which in turn allowed for an over abunadance of the caterpillars. The caterpillar eats the entire stalk of the corn plant; forty percent of the Guatemalan crops have been destroyed as of August.
Bejing, China— During late July, severe thunderstorms and flash floods flowed into Yangtze River, the largest river in Chinese territory, swelling it to a record size. More than a million people were forced from their homes while torrential rains continued falling, raising the level of the river to its highest level since 1954. Along the river, three dikes burst forcing states of emergency in several provinces. A million people in three providences alone were forced from their homes along the 3,900 mile long river. More than two thousand people died in the flooding since the beginning of this year. It is believed that a major reason for the flooding problem is that during the Mao years farmers drained thousands of lakes to create rice paddies, leaving the river as the only source for draining surplus water. On Aug. 2, a secondary series of levees broke in two counties in China’s Hubei province. Human rights groups in the area reported at least 150 soldiers and civilians were swept away after the river breached the barriers. More than a thousand people were missing at the time of the publication of the report. The flooding continued into early September, where it was reported that a loss of $20.2 billion affecting the Chinese economy. More than 5 million homes and businesses were lost in the disaster.