Louisiana floods - The worst natural disaster in US since Hurricane "Sandy"

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Louisiana floods - The worst natural disaster in US since Hurricane "Sandy"

Posted by TW on August 19, 2016 in categories Featured articles, Floods, Severe weather

At least 13 people have died and more than 30 000 have been rescued from water-logged homes and cars by August 19, 2016, after extreme amounts of rain dumped by a very slow-moving storm caused historic flooding in Louisiana. Although some regions are still under historic flooding and the full extent of the damage will not be known anytime soon, the American Red Cross and state officials are already calling this disaster the worst in the United States since Hurricane "Sandy" devastated the East Coast in 2012. For Louisiana, this was one of the worst storms in history.

In a press conference on August 18, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said that over 40 000 homes have been impacted by the floods and warned that 20 atransarishes of Louisiana are facing a major housing crisis. In Livingston Parish, for example, around 75% of homes suffered a total loss.

86 500 people in the state have registered for FEMA assistance, officials say and almost 6 000 people are still in shelters, as of late August 18.

"The storm deposited 10 inches [254 mm] of rain or more on eight states with up to 23 inches [584 mm] in Mississippi and 31 inches [787 mm] in Louisiana," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jesse Ferrell said. Much of this rain fell during a two-day period and has a 0.1 percent chance of occurring, which translates to a 1 000-year rainfall event.

While the worst of the rain ended earlier this week, additional sporadic downpours will affect Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas over the next several days, AccuWeather warned. The ongoing downpours will not only hinder rescue, recovery and cleanup efforts but could also lead to additional incidents of flooding.

“The current flooding in Louisiana is the worst natural disaster to strike the United States since Superstorm Sandy,” Brad Kieserman, vice president for disaster services operations and logistics for the Red Cross, said in a statement on Thursday. “The Red Cross is mounting a massive relief operation, which we anticipate will cost at least $30 million and that number may grow as we learn more about the scope and magnitude of the devastation.”

"Already, Louisiana was facing the biggest fiscal shortfall in its history as a state, and then the rain started," Rachel Maddow of the MSNBC said.

"The whole country needs to know that even though the rain started a week ago, we are still very much in search and rescue and the response mode," Governor Edwards said.

"We still have historic flooding in Ascension Parish and we have floodwaters moving south into St. James Parish on the east side of the Mississippi River. On the west side of the Mississippi River, we have historic flooding in Acadia Parish down to Jefferson Davis Parish and Cameron Parish as well. This flooding is historic, it's unprecedented, there's nothing in the record books that told us what to expect, and that comes despite the fact that this was an unnamed storm. This was not a hurricane or a tropical storm, but it broke all the records nonetheless," Edwards said.

The total damages from the floods are still assessed and are likely to climb into the billions.

By comparison, Hurricane "Sandy" killed at least 88 people and racked up $71.4 billion in total U.S. economic damages.

The costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, with $108 billion, was Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 1 836 people lost their lives across Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Ohio.

The deadliest natural disaster in North American history was a tropical cyclone that hit Galveston, Texas in 1900. Between 6 000 and 12 000 people died when the cyclone hit.

Images courtesy of Civil Air Patrol

Featured image: Louisiana floods, August 2016

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M6.7 - NEW IRELAND REGION, PAPUA

M6.7 - NEW IRELAND REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Preliminary Earthquake ReportMagnitude6.7Date-Time31 Aug 2016 03:11:36 UTC31 Aug 2016 13:11:36 near epicenter30 Aug 2016 22:11:36 standard time in your timezoneLocation3.691S 152.788EDepth499 kmDistances39 km (24 mi) E of Namatanai, Papua New Guinea93 km (57 mi) NE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea253 km (156 mi) ESE of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea358 km (221 mi) NE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea888 km (550 mi) NE of Port Moresby, Papua New GuineaLocation UncertaintyHorizontal: 9.6 km; Vertical 8.3 kmParametersNph = 83; Dmin = 88.5 km; Rmss = 0.74 seconds; Gp = 20°
Version =Event IDus 10006iy0

For updates, maps, and technical information, see: Event Page or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
National Earthquake Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/neic/

Satanic Temple rolls out after-school program for kids

Satanic Temple rolls out after-school program for kids


 The Satanic Temple (TST) is planning to bring Lucifer to school by rolling out extra-curricular clubs across the US. ‘After School Satan’ is the Temple’s response to a Supreme Court ruling allowing evangelical religious programs to operate in schools.

Currently, nine clubs are listed as participating in the program including Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Washington DC. The clubs will focus on “rationalism, free inquiry... and fun,” according to a promotional video.


The Temple is taking aim at the Good News Club, an interdenominational Christian program for five to 12-year-olds operating in over 3,500 public schools across the US. The club’s curriculum was created by the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) and includes Bible studies.
TST said it is “not interested in operating After School Satan Clubs in school districts that are not already hosting the Good News Club.”

A spokesperson for TST, Lucien Greaves, said After School Satan clubs will bring diversity to the religious opinions children are exposed to in school. It will give them an option other than the Good News Club, which he claimed instills children “with a fear of Hell and God’s wrath.”

“We prefer to give children an appreciation of the natural wonders surrounding them, not a fear of everlasting other-worldly horrors,” Greaves said. Reasoning, social skills and science are listed on the clubs’ curriculum.


Read the rest here

12 Times Pope Francis Has Openly Promoted a One World Religion or a New World Order

12 Times Pope Francis Has Openly Promoted a One World Religion or a New World Order

8/1/2016 Michael Snyder




On Sunday, Pope Francis told hundreds of thousands of young people gathered for World Youth Day in Poland that they need to "believe in a new humanity" and that they should refuse "to see borders as barriers." Every two or three years, Catholics from all over the planet converge for one of these giant conferences, and as you will see below the Pope has not been shy about using historic occasions to promote his agenda. Unfortunately, it has become exceedingly clear that his agenda includes moving humanity toward a one world religion and a new world order. Of course Pope Francis is not going to use those exact phrases, but at this point it is very obvious what he is trying to do. If you don't believe me now, perhaps you will see things differently after you have viewed the evidence that I have compiled in the rest of this article.
Let's start with what the Pope had to say at the World Youth Day conference on Sunday...

"People may judge you to be dreamers, because you believe in a new humanity, one that rejects hatred between peoples, one that refuses to see borders as barriers and can cherish its own traditions without being self-centered or small-minded," Francis told his flock.

By itself, this statement is not that dramatic. But when you put it into the context of everything else Pope Francis has done and said over the past couple of years, a clear pattern begins to emerge...
May 2016: Pope Francis welcomed one of the top Sunni clerics in the world to the Vatican, and he reportedly told the cleric that "our meeting is the message". And mainstream news outlets all over the planet clearly understood what was being communicated. For example, the Daily Mail article about this meeting was titled "Pope embraces grand imam at historic Vatican meeting in a bid to bring the Catholic and Muslim churches together."
January 2016: The Vatican releases an extremely disturbing video in which Pope Francis declared that all of the major world religions are "seeking God or meeting God in different ways" and that ultimately "we are all children of God." The video also featured leaders from various major religions, and they are shown declaring fidelity to their particular gods. First, we see a female Buddhist cleric tell us "I have confidence in the Buddha", followed by a Jewish rabbi declaring "I believe in God". As the video goes on, a Catholic priest announces "I believe in Jesus Christ," and last of all an Islamic leader boldly declares "I believe in God, Allah." If you have not seen the video yet, you can watch the entire thing right here. After watching that video, nobody can deny that the Vatican is openly promoting a one world religion.
November 2015: Pope Francis declared that fundamentalism, even Christian fundamentalism, is a "sickness" during remarks in which he stressed the similarity of the major religions.
September 2015: Pope Francis traveled to New York City to deliver a speech that kicked off a conference during which the United Nations unveiled a "new universal agenda" for humanity.
September 2015: During a stop at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Pope Francis stressed the unity between Christianity and Islam. These words were directly spoken by him...

I would like to express two sentiments for my Muslim brothers and sisters: Firstly, my greetings as they celebrate the feast of sacrifice. I would have wished my greeting to be warmer. My sentiments of closeness, my sentiments of closeness in the face of tragedy. The tragedy that they suffered in Mecca.
In this moment, I give assurances of my prayers. I unite myself with you all. A prayer to almighty god, all merciful.

Magnitude 7.1 - North of Ascension Island

Time

2016-08-29 04:29:57 (UTC)

Location

0.041°S 17.826°W

Depth

10.0 km

Magnitude 4.3 - CENTRAL ITALY

Preliminary Earthquake Report

Magnitude 4.3
Date-Time28 Aug 2016 13:07:35 UTC28 Aug 2016 15:07:35 near epicenter 28 Aug 2016 08:07:35 standard time in your timezone

Location42.666N 13.249EDepth11 kmDistances5 km (3 mi) NW of Amatrice, Italy33 km (20 mi) SW of Ascoli Piceno, Italy36 km (22 mi) W of Teramo, Italy37 km (22 mi) NNW of L'Aquila, Italy106 km (65 mi) NE of Roma, ItalyLocation UncertaintyHorizontal: 4.6 km; Vertical 5.8 kmParametersNph = 49; Dmin = 21.6 km; Rmss = 0.56 seconds; Gp = 70°
Version =Event IDus 20006ut2

For updates, maps, and technical information, see: Event Page or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
National Earthquake Information Center
U.S. Geological Survey
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/neic/

Magnitude 6.8 - BURMA

M6.8 - BURMA

Preliminary Earthquake Report

Magnitude 6.8 Date-Time 24 Aug 2016 10:34:55 UTC24 Aug 2016 17:04:55 near epicenter24 Aug 2016 05:34:55 standard time in your time zone

Location20.919N 94.579EDepth84 kmDistances25 km (15 mi) W of Chauk, Burma59 km (36 mi) NNW of Yenangyaung, Burma70 km (43 mi) SW of Pakokku, Burma87 km (53 mi) NNW of Minbu, Burma207 km (128 mi) NW of Nay Pyi Taw, Burma

Location UncertaintyHorizontal: 5.2 km; Vertical 3.7 kmParametersNph = 117; Dmin = 199.8 km; Rmss = 1.35 seconds; Gp = 24°
Version =Event IDus 10006gbf

WARNING: Geomagnetic K-Index of 6 expected

Space Weather Message Code: WARK06 Serial Number: 345 Issue Time: 2016 Aug 24 0204 UTC WARNING: Geomagnetic K-Index of 6 expected

Valid From: 2016 Aug 24 0205 UTC Valid To: 2016 Aug 24 0600 UTC

Warning Condition: Onset NOAA Scale: G2 - Moderate NOAA Space Weather Scale descriptions can be found at www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation

Potential Impacts: Area of impact primarily poleward of 55 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude. Induced Currents - Power grid fluctuations can occur. High-latitude power systems may experience voltage alarms.

Spacecraft - Satellite orientation irregularities may occur; increased drag on low Earth-orbit satellites is possible. Radio - HF (high frequency) radio propagation can fade at higher latitudes.

Aurora - Aurora may be seen as low as New York

Magnitude 6.2 - CENTRAL ITALY

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 6.2

Date-Time24 Aug 2016 01:36:34 UTC24 Aug 2016 03:36:34 near epicenter
23 Aug 2016 20:36:34 standard time in your timezone
Location42.714N 13.172EDepth10 kmDistances10 km (6 mi) SE of Norcia, Italy35 km (21 mi) E of Spoleto, Italy36 km (22 mi) WSW of Ascoli Piceno, Italy42 km (26 mi) NE of Rieti, Italy107 km (66 mi) NNE of Roma, ItalyLocation UncertaintyHorizontal: 5.0 km; Vertical 1.8 kmParametersNph = 123; Dmin = 14.0 km; Rmss = 0.69 seconds; Gp = 35°
Version =Event IDus 10006g7d

Magnitude 6.4 - SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND REGION

M6.4 - SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND REGION

Preliminary Earthquake Report Magnitude 6.4Date-Time21 Aug 2016 03:45:24 UTC21 Aug 2016 01:45:24 near epicenter

20 Aug 2016 22:45:24 standard time in your time zone
Location55.278S 31.755WDepth10 km
Distances325 km (201 mi) ESE of Grytviken, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands2310 km (1432 mi) ESE of Ushuaia, Argentina

THREE volcanoes erupt in just three days

Clouds of ash cover the skies over Indonesia: Flights are disrupted as THREE volcanoes erupt in just three days

• Mount Rinjani on Lombok island near Bali erupted on Monday, disrupting flights from one airport in Bali
• Sinabung volcano on Sumatra island and Mount Gamalama in the Moluccas chain of islands erupted late yesterday
• Farms and trees around the volcanoes were covered in gray ash, but nearby towns and villages were not in danger

By Associated Press and Abigail Beall For Mailonline

Published: 23:40 EST, 2 August 2016 | Updated: 08:06 EST, 3 August 2016

Giant clouds of ash engulfed the skies as Mount Sinabung became the third volcano to erupt in Indonesia, in the space of just three days.

Mount Rinjani on Lombok island near Bali erupted on Monday, with the Sinabung volcano on Sumatra island and Mount Gamalama in the Moluccas chain of islands following suit late yesterday.

No one has been injured but flights at two airports have been disrupted.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3721081/Eruptions-3-Indonesian-volcanoes-disrupt-flights.html#ixzz4GePksFTn

Clueless in the Vatican

By Jim Zumwalt, for TheBlaze


Onboard his plane to attend World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland, Pope Francis spoke to reporters. Queried about terrorism committed by radical Islamists, he suggested, while what is being fought is a war, it is “not a religious war.”
He then added:

“It’s a war of interests, a war for money. A war for natural resources and for the dominion of the peoples. Some might say it’s a religious war. Every religion wants peace. The war is wanted by the others. Understood? Let’s not be afraid to say the truth. The world is at war, because it’s lost its peace!”

The real truth is the world has lost its peace because Islam mandates perpetual war until its global caliphate is established.


It appears, just like President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel who claim Islam can do no wrong, the Pope has joined the naiveté scene.


With so much ongoing violence in the world linked to Islam, we simply cannot continue to accept the naiveté of leaders refusing to admit it.


Christians in the Muslim world are being forced to leave their religion to escape persecution, or to pay a tax, or to be put to death—all as a matter of Islamic doctrine—and Pope Francis refuses to see it.
Is love for his fellow man blinding the pontiff to the reality of Islam or does the reality of Islam intimidate him from speaking truth?


Read the rest here.

Stop Making Excuses For Militant Islam, Pope Francis

Stop Making Excuses For Militant Islam, Pope Francis


Pope Francis does a disservice to his followers and world leaders, who would look to him for the confidence and moral backing to call out Islamic terrorism and face it head-on.

On Sunday, Pope Francis responded to questions from reporters about why he won’t call out Islamic violence or reference Islamic terrorism when responding to terrorist attacks like the one that took the life of French priest Jacques Hamel last week. The pope denied any associations between Islam and violence and said “If I speak of Islamic violence, I should speak of Catholic violence.” By speaking this way, he does a disservice to his followers, and world leaders, who would look to him for the confidence and moral backing to call out Islamic terrorism and face it head-on.

According to Pope Francis, every religion has the potential for violence, including Catholicism. This, of course, is true, because every single human person has the potential to do wrong, as Catholicism itself teaches. So we’ve seen violence play out in the history of the Catholic Church. But that doesn’t mean that today some religions’ adherents don’t encourage it more than others, or have a greater potential for violence. Context and culture matters.


The Islamist ideology and doctrine terrorists follow today wasn’t created out of thin air in the past few years or decades. It has roots in an early interpretation of Islam dating from the first centuries after Mohammed’s revelations. In the world of Islamic jurisprudence, it’s just as legitimate as other interpretations of the faith. But as far as I know, there is no early church interpretation of Christianity still popular today that promotes violence like Wahhabism or Salafism does.

Islam Has Ties to Violence, Plain and Simple

The pope also described reading about murders Catholics have perpetrated. Therefore, in his convoluted reasoning, Francis surmises he couldn’t possibly draw a distinction between Catholic violence and Islamic violence. But what the pope misses, either intentionally or through naïveté, is the crucial difference between committing a crime and happening to belong to a given religion, and committing a crime in the name of that religion. No one is claiming that every murder, assault, and robbery a Muslim perpetrates is an example of Islamic radicalism. But, as Europe is discovering, a significant minority of Muslims commit violence explicitly in the name of Islam.

Pope Francis apparently can’t see the difference between crimes that share a single motivation and those that don’t. According to French officials, there are approximately 11,000 suspected Islamists in France who are on what they call their “Fiche S” list. This means there are thousands of people in France alone who might be willing to kill, not randomly, but in the name of Islam.

Islamic terrorism is more threatening than the unconnected crimes Christians might commit because it’s based on shared beliefs. This also makes it more preventable. We know what radical Islamists believe, and in many cases we know who teaches them, where they’re radicalized, and how they coordinate. It all revolves around a certain interpretation of their religion. But if we ignore those signs, as Pope Francis does, we will be at a loss to stop them.


Read the rest here.

Magnitude 6.3 - VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION

M6.3 - VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION

Preliminary Earthquake Report

Magnitude 6.3 Date-Time4 Aug 2016 16:24:34 UTC5 Aug 2016 01:24:34 near epicenter4 Aug 2016 11:24:34 standard time in your timezone

Location24.948N 142.007EDepth510 km Distances70 km (43 mi) ENE of Iwo Jima, Japan1116 km (691 mi) SSE of Shimoda, Japan1130 km (700 mi) SSE of Oyama, Japan1131 km (701 mi) S of Tateyama, Japan1146 km (710 mi) NNW of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Location UncertaintyHorizontal: 8.0 km; Vertical 1.8 kmParametersNph = 346; Dmin = 238.5 km; Rmss = 0.78 seconds; Gp = 13°
Version =Event IDus 10006a2k

For updates, maps, and technical information, see: Event Page or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program