Last week a large typhoon made landfall in Japan last week resulting in at least seven recorded deaths and one hundred injuries. The storm reached a massive size with it's gale winds reaching a diameter of 1,380 miles.
A gale is defined as sustained surface winds of 39-54 mph. This makes Lan the second largest recorded typhoon in history, and the largest of 2017.
The deaths were caused be debris blown around and landslides from the intense storm. While the death toll is relatively few compared to other natural disasters faced this year, the flooding and power outages can cause damage to property and people's livelihoods in farms and transportation.
Japan isn't out of troubled water yet, Tropical Storm Saola is developing into a typhoon, and it predicted to become such before it makes landfall in Japan.
While not expected to be as powerful as Typhoon Lan, Tropical Storm Saola will bring locally damaging winds, more flooding, and dangerous seas to Japan after already facing one typhoon this season.
It continues to develop through Friday and is taking a very similar course to Typhoon Lan. It could make landfall Saturday or Sunday. One thing is certain, nature doesn't take a break or become complacent, and neither should we! Keep wary, and be prepared.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
11 Dead as Fires Continue to Ravage California
11 Dead as Fires Continue to Ravage California
The 15 fires in Northern California have burned more than 100,000 acres. The images of destroyed homes and neighborhoods is heart breaking. 11 lives lost so far, in addition to the priceless photos and documents destroyed.
One can only imagine the scenes of chaos and fear as people escape on foot and car. More than a hundred people have been taken to hospitals and it is expected that the death toll will continue to rise.
It will take several more days if not weeks for these fires to be contained. Many people are still being evacuated including some in hospitals where patients were evacuated to other facilities. A large portion of the city Santa Rosa has also been evacuated.
There is hope that weather conditions will improve as today continues on and that the fire fighters will be able to make progress on the fires. Winds of up to 50 mph had pushed the fires in an unpredictable manner and have died down.
Meanwhile as Northern California has its own struggles, pictures of disneyland show the orange haze covering Anaheim as the Orange County fire storm burns 7,500 acres as of Tuesday morning. Fires up to 40mph have helped to spread the blaze quickly.
More than 5,000 evacuations in orange county are in place since the fire broke out on Monday morning, already burning 24 structures.
In the midst of this battle, containment crews are working to stop the fire by bulldozing trees, brush and other flammable material. We hope that as they starve the fire of fuel it will die down.
While one corner of the United States is concerned with massive rain and flooding, another corner fears for the destruction of thousands of acres ablaze.
This year has had more than it's share of heart break and lives lost. If there is one thing that I have been reminded of it's that no matter where you live the unexpected can happen and disaster can strike.
We want to help people create life choices that will help them and their families to be prepared for the unexpected disasters. That's why we don't just encourage creating emergency kits, but creating plans and a lifestyle that supports emergency preparedness.
The first two steps to being ready for any emergency are
- Stay up to date! Know what's going on around you, be aware of possible disasters in your area.
- Start a grab and go plan and kit! Know what you and your family need to do if you have to leave. Have important photos and documents easy and handy in case you do have to leave. Build more supplies as you go along to have in your kit.
Be ready and stay safe.
Author: Todd Norman
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)