Hawaii’s volcanic gases spur renewed disaster declaration for the agriculture industry

The U.S. department of Agriculture has renewed a disaster claim for Hawaii regarding lingering volcanic gasses that are causing damage to agriculture. The state is well known for its many volcanoes, which have become an attraction for tourists around the world. While the volcanoes are famously beautiful and awe inspiring, they are also the source of dangerous emissions that can kill plant life and cause serious health problems. The renewed disaster declaration concerns gasses coming from Kilauea Volcano, which began spewing fumes late last year. The declaration will allow farmers…

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Flash Flooding from Tropical Storm Washi in Philippine Island of Mindanao

According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Tropical Storm Washi pummeled the northern part of the Philippine island of Mindanao late Thursday night. Heavy rainfall from Washi (locally called Sendong) lasted for ten hours, after which flash flooding caused rivers to overflow and coastal cities to flood. In some locations of Mindanao, as much as 20 centimeters of rain fell within a 24 hour period-roughly four times as much rainfall as the region typically receives in the whole of December. In isolated locations, the storm delivered up to 50 millimeters…

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