Hiroshima, Japan – Two people were killed and 174 were injured when a 6.4-magnitude earthquake shook southwestern Japan on March 26. Over 5,000 buildings were damaged and about 120 people fled their homes. Strong aftershocks rattled the town enough to disrupt train service.

Central Japan – Two tremors rocked the Shizuoka state in Japan on April 3, but caused no serious damage. The first earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9, shook Hiroshima and surrounding areas. The larger quake, about 95 miles from Tokyo, measured 5.1 on the Richter Scale. It shattered windows, burst pipes and injured four people.

Great Plains – Snow, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail pummeled the Great Plains area on April 11. The storm trailed from Colorado and Wyoming where it dumped a foot of snow. The blizzard conditions closed the Denver International Airport, caused power outages and closed interstates. The storm moved onto the south and east were it claimed two lives with its thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail.

Davenport, IA – The Mississippi River crested on April 25 in the Midwest, and left millions of dollars in damages. Residents in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois declared disaster areas in their states which, last reported, totaled almost $9 million. Melting snow and rain caused the flooding. The Rhythm City Casino in Davenport was inaccessible for about a week and the Coast Guard halted traffic over a 403-mile area.

Ruidoso, NM – Firefighters in New Mexico evacuated about 1,200 residents from their homes on May 3 after wildfires pushed way through some 700 or 800 acres. Winds fueled the fires as they gusted to about 40 m.p.h.. No injuries were reported. The fires’ cause was under investigation.

San Vicente, El Salvador – Over 100 small earthquakes rumbled though central El Salvador on May 8 and 9 and killed one person. The tremblers ranged from 2 to 5.3 on the Richter Scale and caused landslides. A total of 44 homes destroyed and 70 homes were damaged.

Northfield, MN – Six tornadoes touched down in southwestern Minnesota on May 10 causing farm damage. Eastgate Farms, which houses turkeys, was examined hours after the twisters ripped through the area. No serious injuries were last reported.

Walbridge, OH – A runaway train crashed into cities and farms in Ohio on May 15. The 47-car train that carried hazardous materials rolled about 70 miles for about two hours without anyone aboard. Investigators reported that the accident occurred because the engineer pressed the throttle instead of the brake
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Orlando, FL – Wildfires came within two miles of Disney World in Orlando on May 22 almost causing the park to close. Because of one of Florida’s worst droughts in a century, fires also raged through west of Miami in Alligator Alley.

Siberia – Ice blocks were destroyed on the Lena River on May 22 after they were found to have caused extreme flooding. Emergency workers used bombs on the blocks that jammed water and prohibited it from moving downstream. At least five people were killed, almost 50,000 people were evacuated from their homes and thousands of houses were swept away in flooding. The river reached its record high of 30 feet three inches.

Fort Wayne, IN – Forty-five people were evacuated on May 26 after a tornado tore a roof off a retirement complex. Many cars were demolished after debris flew off a roof at a shopping center. Several gas leaks and fires were also reported.

Sutcliffe, NV – Evacuations were made after a 4,000 acre wide wildfire swept through a community 40 miles northeast of Reno on May 27. Officials cleared the many people visiting the recreational park on Pyramid Lake’s west shore for the Memorial Day holiday. Nevada Highway 445 was also closed. No injuries were reported but two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

Chile – Five people were killed and more than 1,000 had fled their homes on May 28 after severe flooding drowned the area of Concepcion, Chile. The lives taken included a boy as he tried to cross a flooded river on a tree trunk and a farmer as he tried to cross a river by horse. A couple also died when their car flipped over into a canal.

Southern CO – Eighteen people were injured when a tornado swept through the small town of Ellicott, Colorado on May 29. Nine mobile homes were crushed. The area high school’s roof was torn off and blown over a quarter of a mile away. Bricks from the school also were scattered around a 200 mile radius.

Midwestern U.S. – The National Weather Service reported that two dozen rivers in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas rose above flood stage on June 5. Heavy rains hit along the Mississippi River and counties in Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas were warned of possible flash floods.

Houston, TX – President Bush declared 28 counties in Texas a disaster area on June 9. Tropical Storm Allison dumped almost 3 feet of rain and 60 m.p.h. winds in some areas of Texas and Louisiana. As the storm moved to the Northeast, seven inches of rain fell in Pennsylvania. In its two weeks span in the U.S., Allison claimed a total of 47 lives and caused almost $2 billion in damages. The storm was noted as the first storm of the 2001 hurricane season.

Peru – Blankets, water, food and medicine were sent to Peru after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit 120 miles west of Arequipa in the Pacific Ocean on June 23. The Peruvial Civil Defense reported at least seventy casualties, 500 injuries and 20,000 homes destroyed. More than 70 aftershocks were felt with some reading as high as 6.2 on the Richter Scale. The quake was felt as far away as Chile and Bolivia.

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