MetaFilter posts tagged with calamity

Typhoon Ondoy / Tropical Storm Ketsana leaves Northern Philippines in a state of Calamity

drea — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:51:03 -0800

410mm of rain fell over Northern Luzon, Philippines on September 25, 2009, leaving much of the country's capital and the surrounding regions submerged in water, reaching up to nine feet in some areas. As of latest coverage, over 100 were killed and 340,000 affected by the Typhoon. This amount has been the highest recorded amount of rainfall since the country's weather Bureau started recording rainfall levels in 1967, and exceeds the rainfall level of Hurrican Katrina (380mm). Two more tropical depressions could be under way in the midst of Ondoy's wake. As of now, there are still families stranded on the rooftops of their homes without food and potable water. Most relief aid is coming from volunteers. As for the country's president? She used the Php800M(USD16.8M) emergency fund for foreign trips. See the damage. International News Coverage: NYT Reuters CNN BBC Here are locations in the Philippines placed under a state of calamity due to Typhoon Ondoy/Tropical Storm Ketsana. Here's a situation map of those affected in Metro Manila / Marikina (hardest hit by the flood). Conversely, a Google map of drop-off points for donations./ Send relief (local / international) : How to help. Aggregated information at Ondoy Relief. Typhoon Ondoy. PinoyTumblr. Ondoy Tumblr. At this point, Social Media (facebook, twitter, etc.) has been helping more than cellphones, landlines, which are dead. Telecom infrastructure could not support calamity. The massive number of volunteers and donations is offsetting the incapacity of the government to help. Filipinos call it the bayanihan spirit. And so I leave you with this post on the matter that will hopefully stir and inspire us all.

Alas! regardless of their doom, the little victims play!

KokuRyu — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:23:46 -0800

Limited nuclear war would damage ozone layer. Apart from the human devastation, a small-scale nuclear war between India and Pakistan would destroy much of the ozone layer, leaving the DNA of humans and other organisms at risk of damage from the Sun's rays, say researchers at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. Michael Mills at the LASP and his colleagues used computer models to study how 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs would affect the atmosphere. They say that their scenario – in which each country launches 50 devices of 15 kilotons – is realistic, given the countries' nuclear arsenals. "The figure of 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs compares pretty accurately to the approximately 110 warheads that both states reportedly possess between them," agrees Wyn Bowen, professor of non-proliferation and international security in the War Studies Group at King's College, UK. Here is an earlier 2006 report by Michael Mills about the devastating effect even a limited nuclear war would have on the ozone layer.

The Mumbai Floods

Gyan — Sun, 31 Jul 2005 17:57:55 -0800

Tuesday, July 26th, 2005, was a wet day for the city of Mumbai, India (formerly Bombay), to say the least. Within 12 hours, it rained more than half the average annual rainfall. Upwards of 400 people are believed to have died, with more in adjacent regions. In many regions, the water rose as high as five feet. All transportation links to the rest of India were severed. Within the city, many commuters who left work, for home, on Tuesday evening, didn't reach home till Wednesday night. There have been substantial financial and ecological damages. The state apparatus was caught offguard and proven unprepared; the police were nowhere to be found, and the meteorological department found wanting with their warnings. The rumour-mongering of an incoming tsunami or cyclone also didn't help, as 24 people died in the resulting stampede. Alas, just as one is relieved that the ordeal is over, it appears there's yet more to come.

This Is How Historical Fiction Should Be Done!

absalom — Fri, 10 Dec 2004 10:18:11 -0800

HBO's Deadwood is quite possibly the best television show ever produced. Not only is it amazingly gripping stuff, it's also meticulously researched. (Pretty easy to do when the entire city is a registered historic landmark.)
Sure, we all know that Wild Bill and Calamity Jane were real people. As it turns out, though, almost every main character in the show (and many minor ones) had a real life counterpart, as did many of the events.
Deadwood notables EB Farnum, Reverend H W Smith, Seth Bullock and his partner Sol Star, Colorado Charlie Utter, Al Swerengen with his Gem Saloon, and the crosseyed gambler Jack McCall all lived and breathed in one of America's most storied cities.