Salem-News.com Disaster articles Page 22

Watch Out for Haiti Earthquake Scams

Salem-News.com knows that both the Willamette Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross and Medical Teams Intl. in Portland are both legitimate agencies raising funds to help the people in Haiti.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon Attorney General John Kroger is warning Oregon consumers to be on the lookout for unfamiliar organizations soliciting funds for victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Scammers exploit current events – from fears about a swine flu pandemic to the sale of Michael Jackson memorabilia – to defraud consumers. Scammers will seek to gain access to credit card numbers and bank accounts in order to commit identity theft.

Haiti Rocked by Major Catastrophic 7.3 Earthquake

Thousands are thought to have perished.

(SALEM, Ore.) - An earthquake with preliminary magnitude 7.3 occurred in the Haiti region at 5:53 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time on January 12th, 2010, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

According to reports from the area, damage to the densely crowded capital city of 2 million people was apparently widespread.

Strong Earthquake Rocks Tajikistan

Earthquakes are relatively frequent in Tajikistan, which is one of the poorest of the former Soviet nations.

(PAMIR MOUNTAINS, Tajikistan) - At least 10,000 people have been left homeless in Tajikistan after an earthquake hit the Gorno-Badakhshansky region in the east of the country.

The Emergency Situations and Civil Defence Committee said no casualties were reported after the magnitude 5.3 quake struck about 10 villages in the Pamir Mountains.

Veterinarians Volunteer for Emergency Response Teams

The state has recruited, trained, and organized nearly 180 private practitioners and veterinary technicians in Oregon who can help during an event that requires a lot of emergency assistance.

(SALEM, Ore.) - It’s the animal health world’s version of a volunteer fire department.

But instead of firefighters, a team of veterinarians and technicians can now be called upon to help during an animal health emergency or a disaster event that affects animals.

Today is the Centenial Anniversary of Russia`s Tunguska Explosion

Scientists believe the blast was about 1000 times as powerful as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan and about one third the power of the Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated.

(SALEM, Ore.) - June 30th 2008 is the Centennial anniversary of an event that rocked the very soul of Russia, known as the Tunguska Event, or Tunguska explosion. Historic accounts describe it as a massive explosion that happened near the Podkamennaya or Lower Stony Tunguska River, in an area now known as Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia. It happened June 30th, 1908 around 7:14 AM.

That is when Tungus natives and others living in the hills northwest of Russia's Lake Baikal reported seeing a column of bluish light, that they described as being almost as bright as the Sun, moving across the sky.

Salem Police Offer Advice on Disaster Donations

This detective says that whenever major disasters happen the scammers come out and try to make a profit on those willing to help.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Recently, there have been a number of natural disasters throughout the world, including the earthquake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar.

When these disasters happen, the good people of the world attempt to help the unfortunate victims of these events by donating time, money and goods. Unfortunately, criminals attempt to make another group of victims… the good Samaritans that are willing to donate to relief agencies.

UN Secretary-General Visits Cyclone-Ravaged Myanmar

Tomorrow, Mr. Ban is scheduled to meet with Myanmar’s leader Senior General Than Shwe.

(YANGON, Myanmar) - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has now seen the devastation in Myanmar left by Cyclone Nargis, which has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted the lives of 2.4 million others since it struck the country earlier this month.

He visited the makeshift Kyondah relief camp where many women and small children who have lost their homes and family members have taken shelter.

Top UN Official Visits Cyclone Ravaged Myanmar

The UN has deployed 100 satellite terminals to facilitate in-country coordination of the humanitarian effort.

(PYAPON, Myanmar) - The United Nations’ top relief official John Holmes has travelled to the Irrawaddy delta, the area in Myanmar hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis, which struck early this month and has affected up to 2.4 million people.

As the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs travels within Myanmar, UN agencies report that they are making progress in reaching victims of the cyclone, but that the operation still needs to be ramped up.

UN Humanitarian Chief Arrives in Myanmar Today

“If rice seed is not received within the next 40 to 50 days planting will not happen in time for harvesting this year.” - UN Food and Agriculture Organization

(GENEVA) - The top United Nations relief official plans to talk directly with the authorities in Myanmar in an effort to accelerate the relief effort for victims of Cyclone Nargis which may have left more than 100,000 people dead and severely affected up to 2.5 million others.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes flies into Myanmar today. UN aid officials say there has been some slow progress in getting relief supplies and humanitarian workers into the most affected areas across the Irrawaddy delta in the south of Myanmar.

Myanmar Faces New Catastrophe Without More Food Access

The official death toll reported by Myanmar’s Government has reached almost 32,000, with over 34,000 others missing.

(GENEVA) - Unless more access to Myanmar is granted to allow aid to flow more quickly to victims of this month’s deadly cyclone, a second catastrophe could result, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned today.

Despite some progress, efforts to help the 1.5 million people affected by Cyclone Nargis must be enhanced, a spokesperson for OCHA told reporters in Geneva.