Cruise Ship w/105 passengers stuck in Antarctica for 4 Days!

11/16/09

Description

More than 100 people, mostly British tourists, have been trapped in the ice off Antarctica aboard a Russian ice-breaker cruise ship but are in no danger, a Russian shipping official said on Monday. "Today is the fourth day and that's not long," German Kuzin, an official with Far Eastern Shipping Company that operates the vessel, Kapitan Khlebnikov, said in comments broadcast on Russian television.

It was not clear whether Kuzin meant the ship had been stuck in the ice for four days, and no one from the company could immediately be reached to clarify the situation. "There's nothing to worry about there," Kuzin said. "To put it plainly, the ship got stuck between an island and an ice massif." "The wind will soon change and it will leave," Kuzin said of the ice breaker. Russian media noted that it was springtime in Antarctica and the weather was often capricious.

The Kapitan Khlebnikov was currently at the north-eastern extremity of the Antarctic Peninsula, next to Snow Hill island, a landmark in the area. The Maritime Bulletin, a Russian website specialising in shipping affairs, said there were 105 passengers aboard the vessel including members of a BBC television crew who were filming in the region. Scientists aboard the vessel were entertaining the tourists with "additional lectures" to pass time, the website said, citing information it had received from South Africa. It provided no further details.

Michael Bradbury reporting for Viewzone

11/18/09

Event: Epidemic

Location: Ukraine MultiStates Ternopil, Lviv, Zakarpattya, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts

Number of Dead: 328
Number of Infected: 1,457,564

Situation

The death toll from the flu epidemic in Ukraine has reached 328, with 12 deaths registered over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Wednesday. The number of officially confirmed H1N1 strain swine flu deaths in Ukraine has reached 15, with 166 people infected. Last week, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) chief, Raisa Bohatyryova, said there were "constitutional prerequisites" for a state of emergency amid the flu epidemic, which has left a total of 1,457,564 people infected as of November 18.

A state of emergency, if it is declared, could delay the presidential polls scheduled on January 17, 2010 until May. Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said she saw no need for such measures. The Ukrainian government imposed quarantines in nine western regions in late October in an attempt to curb the spread of flu. All educational establishments in Kiev were closed, and people were obliged to wear medical masks in all catering establishments, shops and social services facilities across the former Soviet republic. The Ukrainian parliament has approved the allocation of 1 billion hryvnias ($125 million) on measures to fight swine and seasonal flu.

However, President Viktor Yushchenko has not signed the allocation plan, citing it would accelerate inflation and cause a decline in Ukraine's standards of living. Yulia Tymoshenko said the president's refusal to allocate money would impede governmental efforts to fight the epidemic. Yushchenko and Tymoshenko, as well as Party of Regions leader and former premier Viktor Yanukovych, who lost the previous vote to Yushchenko following the 2004 "orange revolution" are among the 16 candidates to run in the Ukrainian presidential election.

Comparatively speaking, the numbers are still in the seasonal flu parameters, as odd as that may sound.

The USA, which has a population 10x that of the Ukraine, has already declared a 'state of emergency'.

Michael Bradbury reporting for Viewzone

11/19/09

2009-11-19 19:07:24 - Flood - United Kingdom

!!! ALERT !!!

Damage level: Heavy

Hundreds of people have been forced to flee severe flooding in parts of Cumbria as the county is battered by high winds and torrential rain. Keswick, Cockermouth, Kendal and Burneside have been among the worst affected areas, with 175mm (6.9in) of rain falling in 14 hours. Several rivers have burst their banks, with forecasters and the Environment Agency warning of worse to come. Six severe flood warnings are in force across the county. More than 20 Cumbrian schools were closed and a nursing home in Keswick was evacuated as a precaution. Police said more than 100 people sought shelter at rescue centres set up in Keswick and Cockermouth.

The Environment Agency said emergency services and local authority staff went house-to-house evacuating properties in Keswick, Kendal and Cockermouth, as well as ensuring people were taking precautions in Carlisle, Appleby, and Low Crosby. The agency said an additional 100mm (3.9in) of rain was expected over Cumbria by early Friday. Robert Runcie, the agency's director of flood and coastal risk, said: 'After persistent heavy rain combined with saturated ground and full rivers across Cumbria, the decision was taken to evacuate residents in towns and villages across the Lake District, before the onset of serious flooding. 'Since early on Thursday we have been helping emergency services coordinate community groups that are going house-to-house ensuring people were taking precautions and evacuated where necessary.' Cumbria Police said it had received 90 flood-related calls for help, while Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said it had responded to 150 incidents, including multiple rescues. Several major roads were closed, including parts of the A591, the A6 and the A595.

Emergency reception centres were opened at Cockermouth School, Keswick Convention Centre, Southey Street Methodist Hall and Skiddaw Hotel. Up to 40 residents in the Waterloo Street and Gote Street areas of Cockermouth were moved to one of the centres as water up to 3ft (1m) deep entered properties. Scores of police officers and mountain rescue volunteers helped evacuate others in the town, where the River Derwent burst its banks.Keswick Convention Centre manager Simon Overend said: 'We are taking people from the Lakehead Court residential care home. 'We have capacity of 41 beds but we're getting in sleeping bags to accommodate more if needed.' Around half a dozen elderly householders were being accommodated at Cockermouth School. A number of elderly residents from Victoria Court in Cockermouth were also evacuated to the town's Sheep and Wool Centre. Allerdale Borough Council said it had been inundated with requests for sandbags.

The council's interim deputy chief executive David Martin said: 'Staff are working hard to clear a backlog of requests. 'But residents are being warned it may take some time to get sandbags out to properties due to the sheer volume of inquiries.' Demand for sandbags was also high in Kendal, where river levels also rose drastically.,p> A spokesman for South Lakeland District Council said: 'More than 1,000 sandbags have already been collected from our depot and we have ordered 4,000 more to meet the demand." The mayor of Keswick, Andrew Lysser, said homes in the lower lying western part of the town had been evacuated after the River Greta burst its banks. Fire crews were called in from surrounding towns to help paramedics, mountain rescue teams and police evacuate at-risk homes. Mr Lysser said: 'It is all hands to the pump, really. The emergency services are well co-ordinated and have been fantastic.' Kevin Curran, general manager of the Skiddaw Hotel in Keswick, said around 30 people had been given shelter there. He said: 'People are upset, especially some of the elderly ones - it is not the first time for a lot of them. 'We are going to feed them and allocate them rooms and get them settled down for the night.' Twelve flood warnings, the second most serious of the Environment Agency's alerts, have also been placed throughout the county.

Michael Bradbury reporting for Viewzone

11/21/09

Event: Technological Disaster
Location: United Kingdom England Northside Bridge Workington
Number of Missing: 1 person (a police officer)

Situation

Ten of the 11 people feared missing after torrential rain caused rivers to burst their banks in the North West have been found and over 50 airlifted to safety by the RAF. The only person still unaccounted for is a policeman who disappeared when Northside Bridge in Workington collapsed.

Hardest hit by the deluge was Cumbria where more than 200 people had to flee their homes and take refuge in emergency shelters. Four bridges have collapsed, roads have been blocked, schools closed and rail and bus services severely disrupted. The Environment Agency says hundreds of properties in Cumbria have been flooded with the towns of Cockermouth and Keswick the worst affected. RAF helicopters airlifted over 50 people from buildings in Cockermouth, where police said around 960 homes were at risk of flooding. Dozens of others were helped to safety by the RNLI, the coastguard, police, fire and rescue and mountain rescue teams.

The Army has also been helping with door-to-door searches of flooded properties. Sky weather presenter Isobel Lang said the village of Seathwaite recorded a massive 320mm (12.5in) of rain in 24 hours. She said the weather has now cleared but more rain from the south is expected on Saturday - up to 50mm (2in). Flooding has also been reported in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, north-west Wales and Ireland.

Michael Bradbury reporting for Viewzone

11/24/09

Area: India, State of Karnataka, Koppal District, Sangapur

!!! WARNING !!!

Number of Injured person(s): 27

Description:

A mysterious animal spread fear among public in Sangapur village in Gangavati taluk of Koppal district on the wee hours of Monday by injuring around 27 people including women, children and the elderly, and fled away. All the injured have been admitted to Sangapaur primary health centre and are being treated by a team of doctors including Mahesh, Praveenkumar and Manjula. All the injured are out of danger and would require treatment for about a week, said the doctors.

Panic gripped the village as the animal was not traced till Monday evening. Noting that load-shedding has thrown the village into darkness during night and led to such mishaps, villagers staged a protest seeking protection. Gangavati MLA Paranna Munavalli visited the village on Monday and said that the Forest Department officials have been instructed to trace the animal. Gram panchayat president Satyshekhar, tahsildar Kallurmath, GP secretary Nandu Pawar and PSI RR Patil were present during the MLAís visit to the village.

Michael Bradbury reporting for Viewzone