NEWS: Typhoon Nan Madol Displaces Thousands in Philippines, page 1

A massive typhoon sliced through Philippines on Friday at speeds of 185 km/h (115 mph) and producing gusts unto 220 km/h (138 mph). The typhoon sliced through the northern part of the island on Friday and is headed to the South China Sea, off the Taiwanese coast it is expected to travel in the NORTHWESTWARD direction. Thousands of victims are fleeing for their lives to higher ground in the rising waters. The number of displaced has been put at about 170,000 people, most of whom are cut off from rescue workers due to blocked roads and strong winds. Based on recent official reports the death toll is put at 480 dead and 560 are declared missing. The main causes for the present crisis is being blamed on the three successive typhoons that have hit the nation in past few weeks and on the indiscriminate logging in the region.

www.cnn.com
REAL, Philippines -- More than 1,000 people are dead or missing after flash floods and mudslides struck three Philippine coastal towns, a military spokesman said

Hundreds of soldiers battled to find and rescue scores of people marooned by rising floodwaters before the typhoon made its landfall.Nanmadol is the third major storm to strike the region in the past two weeks.

Japan said it would provide tents, generators, water tanks and other items, and the United States said it would give $100,000 in aid and provide engineers to help clear roads and build bridges."Based on reports from our troops in the field, they have listed 479 dead and 560 missing in three towns in Quezon province," Reuters quoted military spokesman Lt. Col. Buenaventura Pascual as saying.

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The present climatic conditions around the world should be an eye opener to all those who are reading this and also remind us take more care of the world we live in. Almost every region in the world this year has seen extremes in climate that were never witnessed before [successive storms, extremes in winter and summer], this shows the growing burden of the human race on Earth’s climate. As the New Year approaches I hope that we are not faced with the climatic onslaught we faced this year.

The indiscriminate logging in Philippines has been blamed for the present state of affairs in the country. A ban has been imposed on logging in the region from a long time but the authorities have not made it a priority to enforce the ban. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has declared a crack down on illegal logging in the nation but it is too little too late. The disregard of one nation can effect the entire region collectively and thus it is the onus in on the entire region to maintain its ecosystem to prevent further worsening climatic conditions. Their may come a time in the future where governments may face sanctions on their non compliance to international environmental protocols (Ex: Kyoto Protocol) or may even be subjected to UN rule to maintain environmental safe guards.

Most of the people who have died have either drowned or electrocuted due to heavy rains and Filipino army personnel are engaged in rescue operations while Japan and the US provide assistance to the region. Around 1000 food rations have been distributed according to reports that are expected to last for four days and the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is appealing for donations of medicines and assistance from medical workers to attend to the injured and the sick. Doctors fear that due to the delay in disposing the dead the health situation is epidemic and unless the waters recede and the dead are effectively buried the situation could get much worse as they can't reach all the affected regions yet and also such an epidemic will spread very quickly.

Related News Links:
www.alertnet.org
story.news.yahoo.com
news.bbc.co.uk
www.npmoc.navy.mil

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
New forum for the discussion of climate change and related issues.
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weather in the future

[edit on 12-3-2004 by Zion Mainframe]