Typhoon Mekkhala closing in on Philippines, heading for Vietnam’s sea

The new tropical storm Mekkhala has been formed and is active in the waters off the central Philippines' coast, international weather forecast agencies warned on Saturday.
According to a Japanese meteorological agency website, Typhoon Mekkhala was raging in the central coast waters of the Philippines with the strongest winds reaching 103-133 kilometers per hour, and even 150-183km per hour, near the eye of the storm.

The tropical storm’s name, given by Thailand, means the God of Thunder.

The typhoon was forecast to move in a west-northwesterly direction at a speed of 20km per hour, and to hit the central region of the Philippines before entering the East Vietnam Sea on January 20.

But Mekkhala will likely weaken after making landfall in the Philippines, according to Vu Anh Tuan, head of a department under Vietnam’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

It will probably become a tropical depression before entering the waters of Vietnam, because of the influence of cold air in the area, so it is less likely to affect the country, Tuan added.

Due to the cold air, there will be strong northeast winds blowing at 29-61km per hour in the sea off the central Vietnamese coastal provinces of Quang Ngai to Ninh Thuan and in the middle of the East Vietnam Sea, causing rough seas with waves rising 2-3 meters and even higher.

In addition, there will be strong northeast winds reaching 39-61km per hour – and even 62-88km per hour – in the northern area of the East Vietnam Sea, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, the waters from the central Vietnamese province of Binh Thuan to the southern province of Ca Mau, and the area west of the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, creating rough seas.tuoitrenews.vn
18/1/15
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A magnitude 5.8 earthquake rocked Luzon (Philippines) at Sunday morning.

The quake’s epicenter was in located 13 kilometers southeast of San Antonio, Zambales with a depth of 85 kilometers said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

The tremors were also felt in Metro Manila. Phivolcs said aftershocks are expected from the quake although no damage to infrastructure is expected.
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• Earthquake M 5.8 - LUZON, PHILIPPINES....75 km W of Manila ... local time: 03:32

Magnitude    Mw 5.8
Region    LUZON, PHILIPPINES
Date time    2015-01-10 19:32:02.9 UTC
Location    14.80 N ; 120.32 E
Depth    80 km
Distances:
  

•  75 km W of Manila, Philippines / pop: 10,444,527 / local time: 03:32:02.9 2015-01-11

• 5 km SE of Olongapo, Philippines / pop: 220,021 / local time: 03:32:02.9 2015-01-11 

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• Earthquake M5.8 - 4km N of Mabayo, Philippines 

Nearby Cities:

1. 4km (2mi) N of Mabayo, Philippines
2. 6km (4mi) S of Olongapo, Philippines
3. 10km (6mi) N of Morong, Philippines
4. 13km (8mi) SSE of Subic, Philippines
5. 77km (48mi) WNW of Manila, Philippines

Death toll from tropical storm rises to 35 in Philippines

Tropical storm Jangmi, locally known as Seniang, has claimed at least 35 lives in the central and southern parts of the Philippines, the government disaster relief agency said Wednesday.

Jangmi also left 26 others injured and eight missing, while forcing more than 5,000 families to live in 79 evacuation centers, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in a report issued Wednesday morning.

The tropical storm maintained its strength as it moves closer to the Palawan Island in the western part of the country, packing peak winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 80 kph.

Due to bad weather, 17,656 passengers have been stranded at ports, 14 domestic flights have been canceled, 43 roads and 22 bridges are not passable in Visayas and Mindanao regions. Some provinces in central Philippines are experiencing power or water interruption, the agency said.
 Source: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
31/12/14
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Related:

• Philippine officials said Tuesday that Tropical Storm Jangmi had triggered floods and landslides, killing at least 21 people in the central and southern parts of the country, many in areas not yet fully recovered from last year's Typhoon Haiyan...

Typhoon Hagupit strikes Philippines (video aljazeera)

Typhoon Hagupit has killed at least three people, destroyed homes and and flooded coastal communities across the eastern and central Philippines, affecting millions of people.
The storm moved in from the Pacific Ocean and struck remote fishing communities on Samar island on Saturday night, but weakened from 210km to 165km an hour as it continued its path through the country on Sunday.

The wind strength made Hagupit the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, exceeding a typhoon in July that killed more than 100 people.


In a span of just 24 hours, the storm brought 396mm of rain, which is equivalent to half a month of precipitation.

Two people, including a baby girl, died of hypothermia in central Iloilo province at the height of the typhoon, officials said.
Another person died after being hit by a falling tree in the eastern town of Dolores, where the typhoon first made landfall, according to Mar Roxas, interior secretary.

Two women were injured when the tricycle taxi they were riding was struck by a falling tree in central Negros Oriental province.
"Tin roofs are flying off, trees are falling and there is some flooding," Stephany Uy-Tan, the mayor of Catbalogan, a major city on Samar, told AFP news agency.
According to reports from news agencies and local media, close to a million people had fled to shelters in areas along the path of the typhoon.
So far, the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur and Masbate have declared emergency.
Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas, reporting from the capital Manila, said that the storm had made another landfall in the central island of Masbate, but had slightly weakened as it moved northwest.
Witnesses in Masbate told him that roads had been blocked from typhoon debris, making it difficult to deliver food packages to evacuees.

Lessons of Haiyan
In a statement to Al Jazeera, the UN office in Manila said the humanitarian needs in the Philippines would not be fully known until Hagupit passed over.
Fearful of a repeat of last year when Supertyphoon Haiyan claimed more than 7,350 lives, the government launched a massive evacuation effort to provide shelter to people in the path of Hagupit.
"The government is absolutely determined to do this better," Al Jazeera's Thomas said............................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/12/typhoon-tears-into-disaster-weary-philippines-201412713344420641.html
7/12/4
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Related:
 

• Philippines Start to Evacuate Residents Amid Fears of Powerful Typhoon (3/12/14)

• About half a million people have fled coastal villages and evacuated their homes in the Philippines as a powerful storm approaches the archipelago (6/12/14)

• ***le super typhon Haiyan

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Philippines Start to Evacuate Residents Amid Fears of Powerful Typhoon

The Philippines have started to evacuate residents of coastal villages and landslide-prone communities following warnings of typhoon Hagupit, which is expected to hit the central part of the country, Reuters said.
 Typhoon Hagupit, which translates “lash” from Filipino, is currently near the Palau islands, but is expected to hit the eastern Philippines after picking up more strength – Hagupit’s winds are expected to reach up to 140 km per hour and gusts more than 170 km per hour.

“Definitely we will now strictly enforce forced evacuation,” said vice-mayor of Tacloban City in Central Philippines Jerry Yaokasin, as quoted by Reuters. “We have no more excuse, we have gone through Yolanda, and to lose that many lives, it’s beyond our conscience already”.

Last year, Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,000 people dead or missing. Tacloban City was almost entirely flattened, accounting for nearly half of the dead, Reuters reported.
[sputniknews.com]
3/12/14
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***le super typhon Haiyan

US to pay for damaged reef (Philippine official)

The 87 million pesos (about $1.94 million) that the Philippines has been asking from the United States as payment for the damage caused by its Navy ship on a marine sanctuary is now on the "documentation stage," a senior government official said Saturday.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the 87 million pesos were the amount of compensation that the Philippine government sought from the US after USS Guardian, a minesweeper ship of America, ran aground on the south atoll of the Tubbataha Reefs off western Philippine province of Palawan in January 2013.

"According to Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, the coordination of the two countries regarding the compensation for the damage caused to Tubbataha Reefs has been on documentation stage," he said.

Coloma said the Philippine government would just await for the documentation to be completed and for the finalization of the compensation.

USS Guardian damaged 2,345 square meters of coral in Tubbataha Reefs, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in 1993.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
26/10/14
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Related:

• Philippines to pursue compensation from US on reef damage

Super Typhoon Vongfong, World's Strongest Cyclone of 2014; Dangerous Threat to Okinawa, Japan This Weekend (FORECAST)

As of 12 a.m. Japanese time Thursday (11 a.m. EDT Wednesday in the U.S.), the eye of Vongfong was just under 600 miles south-southeast of Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, moving northwest at 8 mph.

Maximum sustained winds had tailed off a bit, but were still an estimated 165 mph, solidly the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, according to the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

With low vertical wind shear (change in wind speed and/or direction with height), impressive outflow (winds in the upper levels spreading apart from the center, favoring upward motion and thunderstorms) and warm western Pacific water, Vongfong intensified explosively.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Vongfong surpassed Genevieve for the most intense western Pacific typhoon of 2014 by estimated central pressure (900 millibars). On the JMA typhoon intensity scale, Vongfong is the third "violent typhoon" of 2014, following Genevieve and Halong.

"It's safe to say Vongfong was the strongest storm on earth since Haiyan last year," said Michael Lowry, storm specialist for The Weather Channel. Haiyan killed over 6,000 people when it slammed into the Philippines in November 2013 with maximum sustained winds estimated at 195 mph by JTWC.............http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/typhoon-vongfong-japan-threat-20141006
8/10/14
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Related:

• Some 400,000 told to evacuate in Japan amid Typhoon Phanfone

• Japon: le typhon Phanfone a fait 6 morts...

• Death toll in Typhoon Fung-Wong climbs to 7 in Philippines. (A total 118,839 families or 530,438 persons were affected by the storm)

• Some 22 million displaced by natural disasters in 2013, UN-backed report reveals

Night flight operations in N. Philippine airport halted due to typhoon damage

Night flight operations in an international airport in northern Philippines have been suspended after its runway was partly damaged by tropical storm Fung-Wong (local name Mario), the state aviation agency said Monday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said that it has informed the airline operators that arrival and departure of their aircraft were temporarily halted from sunset to sunrise at the Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte province.
It cited the breakdown of the airport's runway edge light after the heavy rains spawned by Fung-Wong inundated the runway, grounding electrical connections.

"Airlines are only allowed to operate during day time from 6 a. m. to 6 p.m. until the grounded portion of runway are fixed," CAAP said.

Technical personnel were already deployed in the area to fix the problem, it added.

As of Monday, Fung-Wong has left 11 people dead, 12 injured and two missing.

• Of the 258,976 families affected in 1,126 villages in 27 provinces in northern part of the Philippines, including Metro Manila, 30,266 families or 129,676 individuals were being assisted at 324 evacuation centers.

Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
22/9/14
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Related:

• Powerful Storm Blows Through Taiwan, Hits China 

• Death toll in Typhoon Fung-Wong climbs to 7 in Philippines. (A total 118,839 families or 530,438 persons were affected by the storm)

• The tropical storm Fung-Wong which begun in Philippines earlier this week causing heavy flooding and five deaths is expected to hit Taiwan by Monday, according to the Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan....

Powerful Storm Blows Through Taiwan, Hits China

Taiwan has begun cleanup efforts after Tropical Storm Fung-Wong pounded the island with massive downpours, while China braced for the onslaught of the upgraded Typhoon Fung-Wong.

The powerful storm arrived in Taiwan Sunday, pounding the north and south of the island but causing only limited damage. It blew into the South China Sea Monday morning, leaving at least one person dead and four injured.
East China's Zhejiang Province faced a strengthened storm as Fung-Wong made landfall Monday afternoon.

Authorities say more than 157,000 people have been evacuated from coastal areas.

Fung-Wong, which means "phoenix" in Chinese, caused severe damage when it moved through the Philippines Friday and Saturday, killing at least five people.http://www.voanews.com/content/powerful-storm-blows-through-taiwan-hits-china/2457819.html
22/9/14
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Related:

• Death toll in Typhoon Fung-Wong climbs to 7 in Philippines. (A total 118,839 families or 530,438 persons were affected by the storm)

• The tropical storm Fung-Wong which begun in Philippines earlier this week causing heavy flooding and five deaths is expected to hit Taiwan by Monday, according to the Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan....

Death toll in Typhoon Fung-Wong climbs to 7 in Philippines. (A total 118,839 families or 530,438 persons were affected by the storm)

Typhoon Fung-Wong, which was enhanced by southwest monsoon, left at least seven people dead in the northern parts of the Philippines, including Metro Manila, the state disaster management agency said Saturday.

In its 8:00 a.m. report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that six other people were injured, while one was missing.

Of those who died, two were female and the rest were male, who were either drowned, electrocuted or hit by falling objects.

A 55-year old male was reported missing in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

• A total 118,839 families or 530,438 persons were affected by the storm, of which 23,581 families or 93,062 individuals were inside 181 evacuation centers.

Some areas in the provinces of Apayao, Abra, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Laguna and Occidental Mindoro were experiencing power interruption.

A total of 2,400 passengers, 15 vessels, 254 rolling cargoes were stranded in central region of Visayas due to rough sea condition.

Meanwhile, 46 flgihts, six international and 40 domestic, were diverted or canceled.

An estimated 87 roads and five bridges are still not passable in the capital region of Metro Manila and southern Luzon island.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
20/9/14
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Related:

• Heavy Rain Floods Philippine Capital; Markets, Schools Shut

• Some 22 million displaced by natural disasters in 2013, UN-backed report reveals 

• Typhoon shuts down Philippine capital, triggers mass evacuations

• VIDEO. Philippines : Haiyan, "le typhon le plus puissant jamais connu"./Officials say death toll in Leyte province expected to be as high as 10,000

• Vers des cyclones plus violents et pluvieux .

  Typhoon Rammasun leaves at least 27 dead in Philippines

• Προειδοποίηση για εκδήλωση Ελ Νίνιο (ΜΕ ΞΗΡΑΣΙΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΛΗΜΜΥΡΕΣ)

• Climate catastrophe? Weather anomalies to double in 20 years – expert

Heavy Rain Floods Philippine Capital; Markets, Schools Shut

A tropical storm dumped heavy rain on the Philippine capital on Friday, flooding many parts of the city, shutting schools, government offices and financial markets.

Thousands of residents in low-lying areas were moved to higher ground, officials said, as flood waters rose quickly after the equivalent of half a month's usual rain fell in six hours.

The Philippine Stock Exchange suspended trade after the government cancelled work and classes in the capital.

Trading at the electronic foreign exchange platform Philippine Dealing System was also suspended, with clearing and settlement cancelled for the day.

Tropical storm Fung-Wong, with maximum winds of 85 kph (50 mph) and gusts of up to 100 kph (62 mph), was hovering about 210 km (130 miles) east of Casiguran town in northern Aurora province.

It is expected to hit land at around noon on Friday and move northwest at 22 kph (13 mph) towards the South China Sea.

About 7,000 people were evacuated in Marikina City in the eastern part of the capital where a swollen river caused flooding, said Del De Guzman, city mayor.

"We are now on sweeping operations for those trapped by the floods. The rains were so heavy, so fast, some were not able to evacuate," De Guzman said in an interview with GMA TV, adding the government was sending amphibious vehicles and rubber boats to help get people out.
http://indian.ruvr.ru
19/9/14
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Philippines to pursue compensation from US on reef damage

The Philippine government vowed Wednesday to continue seeking compensation from the United States for the damage caused by its navy ship to parts of a protected marine reserve.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued a statement a day after the Supreme Court junked a petition by environmental groups for a writ of kalikasan (nature) against the minesweeper USS Guardian that ran aground in the Tubbataha Reef in January 2013.

"We will continue our ongoing discussions with the US government on the matter of securing full compensation for the damage caused to the Tubbataha Reef, and will be guided by the Supreme Court decision and the advice of the Office of the Solicitor General," the DFA said.

The department said it will also continue to work with other government agencies to enhance navigational safety in the protected marine sanctuary and preserve the reef and its marine environment.

The SC ruled that it has no jurisdiction over the petition filed by several groups calling on the court for the issuance of a writ of kalikasan for possible criminal, civil and administrative prosecution of American Navy officials responsible for the grounding incident.

The high court instead deferred to the executive branch the matter of seeking compensation and rehabilitation of the damaged area of Tubbataha Reef from the US.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
17/9/14
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Over 12,000 evacuated ahead of Philippines volcano eruption

MANILA - The Philippines has evacuated more than 12,000 people from around the foot of its most active volcano as the crater glows red and authorities warn of a possible eruption.
Mount Mayon, known for its near-perfect cone shape in the coconut-growing central Bicol region, has recorded a series of recent quakes and rockfalls, indicating a possible eruption within weeks.

"We are now raising the alert status of Mayon Volcano from alert level 2 to 3," Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said on Tuesday.

Joey Salceda, governor of the central Albay province, said more than 12,000 people were forcibly evacuated.
"What the alert level 3 did was to fast-track the preparation to evacuate 12,000 families in the 6-8 km extended danger zone," he said.
The evacuees would be housed in temporary shelter for as long as three months, he said. More villagers, facing the southeastern crater rim, would be moved to safer areas if Mayon erupts.
Troops were enforcing the no-go area, preventing people from returning home.
A major eruption is not expected to impact the country's farm output with mostly subsistence farmers tilling the land around the volcano. There is also no major industry in the area.
But an eruption could boost tourism, as happened the last time Mayon erupted in 2009. It has erupted nearly 50 times over the last 600 years.
The most destructive eruption was in February 1841, when lava flows buried a town and killed 1,200 people. 
REUTERS
http://www.todayonline.com/world/philippines-evacuates-thousands-volcano-glows-red
16/9/14

Typhoon Rammasun leaves at least 27 dead in Philippines

MANILA: The death toll from the first typhoon of the Philippines' rainy season climbed to at least 27 on Thursday, authorities said, as millions in the capital and elsewhere endured a second day without power.

As Typhoon Rammasun moved further towards southern China, streets across Manila remained littered with fallen trees, branches and electrical posts while repairmen struggled to restore power services.

The head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Alexander Pama, said that his agency had confirmed 20 fatalities as of late Wednesday, but he expected the death toll to rise with more reports coming in.


"Most of the deaths were hit by falling trees, primarily by debris," Pama told ABS-CBN television.

The council listed five people missing and seven injured. Governors of provinces outside Manila said they had recorded seven other deaths not yet on the council's total.

The typhoon slammed into the eastern Philippines on Tuesday before crossing over the main island of Luzon and then moving westward out to the South China Sea by the middle of Wednesday. 
AFP
[timesofindia.indiatimes.com]
17/7/4
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• Typhoon shuts down Philippine capital, triggers mass evacuations

• Typhoon kills 10 in Philippines, shuts Manila, cuts power, prompts evacuations...

• VIDEO. Philippines : Haiyan, "le typhon le plus puissant jamais connu"./Officials say death toll in Leyte province expected to be as high as 10,000

• Vers des cyclones plus violents et pluvieux .

Typhoon shuts down Philippine capital, triggers mass evacuations

MANILA - Philippine authorities evacuated almost 150,000 people from their homes and shuttered financial markets, government offices, businesses and schools on Wednesday as typhoon Rammasun gathered strength and hit the capital, Manila.
The typhoon, the strongest to hit the country this year, has already torn through eastern islands, toppling trees and power lines and causing blackouts. On Wednesday, it brought storm surges to the Manila Bay area and prompted disaster officials to evacuate slum-dwellers on the capital's outskirts.

"The wind is very strong, stronger than the rains. It's something that I've never experienced in the past," Mark Leviste, vice governor of Batangas province south of the capital, said in a radio interview.

• Parts of the Philippines are still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan, one of the biggest cyclones known to have made landfall anywhere. It killed more than 6,100 people last November in the central provinces, many in tsunami-like sea surges, and left millions homeless.

Typhoon Rammasun was gusting up to 185 kph (115 mph) on Wednesday with sustained winds of 150 kph (93 mph) near its centre.
A 25-year-old woman was killed when she was hit by a falling electricity pole as Rammasun entered the country's eastern coast on Tuesday, the Philippine disaster agency said.
Nearly 150,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in low-lying and coastal areas. More than 60 international and domestic flights have been cancelled over the past two days.
Trading at the Philippine Stock Exchange and Philippine Dealing System, used for foreign exchange trading, were suspended after government offices were ordered shut.
Tropical Storm Risk rated Rammasun as a category-three typhoon, on a scale of one to five where five is the most severe. It is expected to bring heavy to intense rainfall of up to 30 mm per hour within its 500-km (300-mile) radius.
Rammasun was expected to bring storm surges of up to three metres (10 feet) in coastal villages, the weather bureau said. REUTERS
http://www.todayonline.com/world/typhoon-shuts-down-philippine-capital-triggers-mass-evacuations
16/7/14
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Related:

• VIDEO. Philippines : Haiyan, "le typhon le plus puissant jamais connu"./Officials say death toll in Leyte province expected to be as high as 10,000

• Vers des cyclones plus violents et pluvieux .

 

EU warns Philippines, Papua New Guinea over illegal fishing

The European Commission on Tuesday warned the Philippines and Papua New Guinea over insufficient action to fight illegal fishing, threatening them with further trade sanctions, according to an EU statement.

Both countries identified as non-cooperative in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, are being given a yellow card warning and a reasonable time to respond and take measures to rectify the situation.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki said, "If half of the Western Pacific's tuna is exported to the EU, we cannot ignore illegal fishing activities in this region."

She urged the Philippines and Papua New Guinea to fight the practice "which puts the livelihoods of fishermen at risk", adding that "in the end, sustainability of fisheries in the Pacific Ocean means sustainability here in Europe, on our plates."

The Commission has also proposed an action plan for each country to address the shortcomings, such as lack of system of sanctions to deter IUU activities or lack of actions to address deficiencies in monitoring, controlling and surveillance of fisheries.

The countries need to amend their legal framework to combat IUU fishing, improve control and monitoring actions and take a proactive role in complying with international law rules, the statement said.

Should the situation not improve within six months, the EU could take further steps, which could entail trade sanctions on fisheries imports.

The decision is based on the EU's IUU Regulation, which entered into force in 2010, aiming at allowing access to the EU market only to fisheries products that have been certified as legal by the flag State concerned. 
Sources: Xinhua -  globaltimes.cn
11/6/14
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Related:

• EU takes concrete action against illegal fishing. -European Commission

• Less is More: We Need a Global Strategy to End Fishing Overcapacity

• Ευρωπαϊκή «κίτρινη κάρτα» σε 8 κράτη για παράνομη αλιεία

• Today, the European Commission stepped up its action to fight illegal fishing worldwide by warning eight third countries that they risk being identified as countries it considers non-cooperative in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). The countries in question are: Belize, Cambodia, Fiji, Guinea, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu. 

Οι φυσικές καταστροφές το 2013 στοίχισαν 92 δισ. ευρώ

Σε 125 δισεκατομμύρια δολάρια (92 δισ. ευρώ) εκτιμάται ότι ανήλθε το κόστος των φυσικών καταστροφών το 2013 σύμφωνα με μελέτη της γερμανικής αντασφαλιστικής Munich Re. Επίσης η μελέτη κατέγραψε μικρότερες ανθρώπινες απώλειες συγκριτικά με φυσικές καταστροφές στο παρελθόν. 

Ειδικότερα, για το 2013 το ποσό για τον τομέα της ασφάλισης ανήλθε σε 31 δισεκατομμύρια δολάρια, δηλαδή λιγότερο από το μέσο όρο των 56 δισ. δολαρίων των τελευταίων δέκα ετών, τονίζει στη μελέτη της η εταιρεία.
Σύμφωνα με τη μελέτη οι φυσικές καταστροφές με το μεγαλύτερο οικονομικό κόστος ήταν οι πλημμύρες στη νότια και ανατολική Γερμανία και στις γειτονικές χώρες, τον Ιούνιο και προκάλεσαν ζημιές 11,7 δισ. ευρώ.

Για τον ασφαλιστικό τομέα, το μεγαλύτερο κόστος είχε η χαλαζόπτωση στη Γερμανία τον Ιούλιο και τον Αύγουστο καθώς προκάλεσε ζημιές 3,9 δισ. ευρώ, από τα οποία τα 3.1 δισ. κάλυψαν οι ασφαλιστικές εταιρείες. 

Πάντως η μελέτη καταλήγει ότι οι κατασττροφές ήταν μέτριες σε σχέση με τα προηγούμενα χρόνια, ενώ τα τελευταία δέκα χρόνια οι φυσικές καταστροφές προκάλεσαν ζημιές συνολικού ύψους 184 δισεκατομμυρίων δολαρίων σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο. 

Η φυσική καταστροφή που προκάλεσε τις μεγαλύτερες ανθρώπινες απώλειες ήταν ο τυφώνας Χαϊγιάν στις νότιες Φιλιππίνες στις αρχές Νοεμβρίου, από τον οποίο έχασαν τη ζωή τους 6.000 άνθρωποι και εκατομμύρια έμειναν άστεγοι. 

Συνολικά, οι 880 φυσικές καταστροφές που σημειώθηκαν το 2013 προκάλεσαν το θάνατο 20.000 ανθρώπων, περισσοτέρων σε σχέση με το 2012, αλλά πολύ λιγότερων από το μέσο όρο των τελευταίων δέκα ετών (106.000), σύμφωνα με τα στοιχεία της γερμανικής εταιρείας.
Newsroom Enet, με πληροφορίες από ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ 
enet.gr
7/1/14
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ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

• Παγκόσμια Τράπεζα: 200δις $ ετησίως οι απώλειες από τα ακραία καιρικά φαινόμενα.

• Τετραπλασιάστηκε το κόστος των φυσικών καταστροφών. -Έκθεση της Παγκόσμιας Τράπεζας

• 160 δισ. ευρώ το κόστος φυσικών καταστροφών παγκοσμίως, το 2012/ Natural disasters’ damage reaches $140 bln in 2012

• Καταστροφή σε όλα τα επίπεδα

 --------------------

• Φονικός και για την Ατμόσφαιρα ο Τυφώνας Χαϊγιάν, Λόγω της Απελευθέρωσης Τεράστιας Ποσότητας CO2.

• Vers des cyclones plus violents et pluvieux .

• Ποιός πληρώνει τις περιβαλλοντικές καταστροφές;

• Natural disasters: 'for whom the bell tolls'

Φιλιππίνες: Σε αναζήτηση καθαρού πόσιμου νερού

Μετά το καταστροφικό πέρασμα του τυφώνα Χαϊγιάν χιλιάδες άνθρωποι στις Φιλιππίνες δεν έχουν πλέον πρόσβαση σε καθαρό πόσιμο νερό. Οι εργασίες αποκατάστασης στο δίκτυο υδροδότησης αναμένεται να διαρκέσουν μήνες. 

Στο πλευρό των κατοίκων και των τοπικών αρχών βρίσκονται από το περασμένο Σάββατο ομάδες της γερμανικής Τεχνικής Υπηρεσίας Εκτάκτων Αναγκών THW. Οι ειδικές αυτές ομάδες έχουν φέρει από τη Γερμανία έναν υπερσύγχρονο εξοπλισμό καθαρισμού νερού: μεταφέρουν συνολικά 20 τόνους σωλήνες, αντλιών και φίλτρων.
Με τον εξοπλισμό τους είναι σε θέση να καθαρίζουν 12.000 λίτρα νερού ανά ώρα. «Δεν μπορείς βέβαια να στήνεις παντού έναν τέτοιο εξοπλισμό», εξηγεί ο επικεφαλής της ομάδας Σβεν Γκέρικε προς την Deutsche Welle. Δεδομένου ότι θέλουν να βοηθήσουν όσο το δυνατόν περισσότερους ανθρώπους, προσπαθούν μέσω επιτόπιων ερευνών να εντοπίσουν τα κατάλληλα σημεία, όπως εξηγεί.
Γι΄ αυτό το λόγο άλλες τρεις ομάδες «χτενίζουν» τις πληγείσες περιοχές, αναζητώντας τέτοια σημεία. Από συναδέλφους του η ομάδα του Γκέρικε ενημερώθηκε για την δραματική κατάσταση στη Σάντα Φε. Οι άνθρωποι εκεί χρειάζονταν επειγόντως καθαρό πόσιμο νερό καθώς ο τυφώνας είχε ως αποτέλεσμα να καταρρεύσει το δίκτυο υδροδότησης. Μέσα σε λίγες ώρες η ομάδα του THW ετοίμασε τον ειδικό εξοπλισμό και με τρία φορτηγά κατευθύνθηκε στη Σάντα Φε για να προσφέρει στους πληγέντες καθαρό νερό.

Επικίνδυνο το νερό για τα παιδιά;

Στη Σάντα Φε ο απεσταλμένος της DW Πέτερ Χίλε συνάντησε και την 64χρονη δασκάλα Λεονόρα Αρνταπάτ. Μαζί με τους τρεις μαθητές της προσπαθούν να αντλήσουν νερό από ένα πολύ παλιό πηγάδι, την ύπαρξη του οποίου αγνοούσαν στο μεταξύ οι περισσότεροι. Όπως λέει η ηλικιωμένη γυναίκα, το συγκεκριμένο πηγάδι εξυπηρετεί τώρα κόσμο από την ευρύτερη περιοχή. «Υπάρχουν όμως περιστατικά διάρροιας και δεν ξέρω εάν το νερό είναι επικίνδυνο για μικρά παιδιά».
Γι΄ αυτό το λόγο η είσοδος του δημαρχείου της μικρής πόλης είναι γεμάτη με μπουκάλια νερό. Υπάλληλοι του δήμου πηγαινοέρχονται διαρκώς μεταφέροντας μπουκάλια που έχουν αποστείλει ανθρωπιστικές οργανώσεις. Εντούτοις δεν επαρκούν για το σύνολο του πληθυσμού. Ο δήμαρχος Χοσέ Εσγκάνα εναποθέτει τις ελπίδες του στην αποστολή των Γερμανών. «Χρειαζόμαστε επειγόντως πόσιμο νερό. Γι΄ αυτό ευχαριστώ το Θεό που ήρθαν εδώ οι υπάλληλοι της THW. Σημαίνει πολλά για εμάς».

Γρήγορες διαδικασίες

Η γερμανική Τεχνική Υπηρεσία Εκτάκτων Αναγκών διαθέτει μάλιστα και ένα κινητό εργαστήριο όπου μπορεί να αναλύσει την ποιότητα του νερού που αντλείται πριν ξεκινήσει ο καθαρισμός του. Μέσα σε λίγες ώρες αρχίζει να συγκεντρώνεται καθαρό πόσιμο νερό και να διατίθεται δωρεάν –όπως έχει συμφωνηθεί με τον δήμαρχο- στους πολίτες. Ο Μίχαελ Ντάινινγκερ από την THW είπε προς τη DW ότι «είναι ένα πολύ ωραίο συναίσθημα να μπορείς να αξιοποιήσεις την επαγγελματική σου εμπειρία και να βλέπεις ότι προσφέρεις κάτι πολύ χρήσιμο».
Στη Γερμανία, όπου οι άνθρωποι έχουν συνηθίσει σε πολύ υψηλά στάνταρ, η επικοινωνία με τους πελάτες δεν είναι πάντα εύκολη, όπως λέει, σε αντίθεση με τις Φιλιππίνες όπου αισθάνεσαι αμέσως την ευγνωμοσύνη των ανθρώπων. «Είναι υπέροχο να είσαι εδώ και να εφοδιάζεις τους ανθρώπους με το σημαντικότερο, που είναι το νερό».
Peter Hille / Κώστας Συμεωνίδης
Υπεύθ.σύνταξης: Μαρία Ρηγούτσου 
Deutsche Welle
21/11/13 
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• VIDEO. Philippines : Haiyan, "le typhon le plus puissant jamais connu"./Officials say death toll in Leyte province expected to be as high as 10,000

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VIDEO. Philippines : Haiyan, "le typhon le plus puissant jamais connu"./Officials say death toll in Leyte province expected to be as high as 10,000

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La Croix-Rouge philippine parle d'au moins 1 200 morts. 15 000 soldats sont dépêchés vers les zones les plus touchées...

La Croix-Rouge philippine a déclaré, samedi 9 novembre, avoir reçu des informations laissant penser que le super typhon Haiyan avait fait au moins 1 000 morts à Tacloban et 200 autres dans la province de Samar. Le bilan officiel provisoire, communiqué dans la matinée, n'est encore que d'au moins 100 morts. Il ne concerne que Tacloban, une ville de 220 000 habitants sur la trajectoire du typhon. De nombreuses villes sont injoignables pour le moment dans cette région où vivent 4 millions de personnes.

"On peut voir flotter plus de 1.000 corps à Tacloban, selon nos équipes de la Croix-Rouge", a déclaré le secrétaire général de la Croix-Rouge philippine. "A Samar, il y a autour de 200 morts. Les vérifications sont en cours."

Le typhon le plus puissant de l'Histoire ?
Le gouvernement a dépêché, samedi matin, 15 000 soldats vers les zones les plus touchées par Haiyan. Il a notamment envoyé des avions chargés de matériel de secours et de communication, des hélicoptères et des unités d'infanterie par camion et à pied.
Le typhon, doté d'un front de 600 km, a frappé les provinces orientales de Leyte et Samar, avec des vents atteignant des pointes de 315 km/heure, devenant ainsi le typhon le plus violent enregistré cette année sur la planète. C'est aussi l'un des plus forts à avoir atteint les terres depuis des décennies. Il devrait toucher les côtes vietnamiennes dimanche.
Jeff Masters, météorologue américain chez Weather Underground, une entreprise privée de météorologie, a indiqué cette semaine que Haiyan était "le plus puissant cyclone à toucher terre de l'Histoire". Il a été classé en catégorie 5, la plus élevée, avant d'être rétrogradé en catégorie 4. Le typhon le plus violent de 2012, Bopha, avait frappé les Philippines, laissant quelque 2 000 personnes mortes ou disparues sur Mindanao, une île du sud du pays.
 francetvinfo.fr
9/11/13 
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• As super typhoon Haiyan hits Philippines, UN and partners prepare to provide support

8 November 2013 – The United Nations and its partners are supporting the Government of the Philippines in assessing the damage caused by super typhoon Haiyan, which made landfall this morning in Guiuan on Samar Island and is currently making its way across the country.
“We are working closely in support of Government and local authorities to assess the life-saving needs of the people affected by this typhoon,” said Julie Hall, acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines.
The super typhoon, known locally as Yolanda, has ripped roofs off housing, uprooted trees and affected businesses, but the full extent of the damage will not be known until the storm has passed.
According to media reports, it is one of the strongest storms ever recorded, with sustained winds of 295 kilometres per hour (kph), placing it above the 252 kph threshold for a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Three people have reportedly died, and seven others have been injured.
Haiyan is expected to travel over eastern, central and western Visayas, Bicol and Southern Tagalog, which have a combined population of 29.4 million people. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) described the typhoon as “violent” but said it is expected to weaken slightly on a trajectory towards Viet Nam.

08 Nov 2013: Philippines, Vietnam – Tropical Cyclone HAIYAN

Click on map to download PDF version (846.38 KB)

The Government has taken preventative steps to save lives by moving people from coastal and low-lying areas known to be prone to flash flooding and landslides. The UN Humanitarian Country Team and partners have complemented these efforts by pre-positioning stocks to respond to life-saving needs of affected people.
“The Humanitarian Country Team and partners are fully prepared to support and assist the Government in response to this latest typhoon,” said Ms. Hall. “We will continue to support their efforts as we wait to see exactly the extent of the damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan.”
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 2.5 million people will require immediate assistance in the aftermath of the typhoon, and said it would participate in the Government-led assessment.
Haiyan is the third major crisis to hit the Philippines in just two months. In October, the Bohol earthquake affected more than 3 million people, triggering landslides engulfing entire homes, ripping apart bridges and tearing down centuries-old churches. Seven cities in three different provinces were initially affected. In September, tens of thousands were forcibly displaced by armed clashes in Zamboanga City in the southern part of the country.
 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46448&Cr=Philippines&Cr1=#.Un5ZSCeIzJc
8/11/13
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• Regional officials say that the death toll after Super Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines could reach as high as 10,000.

Chief Superintendent Elmer Soria said early on Sunday that he was briefed by Leyte provincial Governor Dominic Petilla and told that there were about 10,000 deaths on the island, mostly by drowning and from collapsed buildings.
Tacloban city administrator Tecson Lim said the death toll in that city alone "could go up to 10,000".
Soria said that as much as 80 percent of the area in the path of Haiyan in Leyte province was destroyed.


"Imagine a strip one kilometre deep inland from the shore, and all the shanties, everything, destroyed," Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said after visiting coastal towns in Leyte, which was one of the worst-hit provinces in the east of the archipelago.
Earlier, the Philippines Red Cross estimated that more than 1,000 people had been killed in Tacloban and at least 200 in hard-hit Samar province when one of the strongest typhoons in history slammed into the country.
Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross, said on Saturday that those numbers came from preliminary reports by Red Cross teams in Tacloban and Samar, among the most devastated areas hit by Typhoon Haiyan on Friday.

"An estimated more than 1,000 bodies were seen floating in Tacloban as reported by our Red Cross teams," she told Reuters. "In Samar, about 200 deaths. Validation is ongoing."

She said she expected a more exact number to emerge after a more precise counting of bodies on the ground in those regions.

Communications cut off
The Philippines has yet to resume communications with officials in Tacloban, a city of about 220,000 that suffered the worst of the typhoon. Reports say the sea flooded the entire city.
It was a similar situation in the town of Palo, further south. It was said to be under three and a half metres of water.
One UN official said the damage was similar to the devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
The 'category five' storm weakened after hitting six spots in the Philippines and has been downgraded to 'category four', though forecasters said it could strengthen again over the South China Sea on its course to hit Vietnam.
More than 500,000 people have been evacuated in central and northern Vietnam as forecasters predict the typhoon will make landfall there on Monday morning.

According to Vietnam's national Television station, VTV, heavy rain and floods triggered from the typhoon have already killed six people in central provinces.
An average of 20 typhoons strike the Philippines every year, and Haiyan was the 24th in 2013.
Last year, Typhoon Bopha flattened three towns in southern Mindanao, killing 1,100 people and causing damage of more than $1bn.
 aljazeera.com
10/11/13 
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