Panama Canal Closed due to Flooding

The Panama Canal has closed for the 3rd time in its 96 year history on Wednesday.  The canal closed around noon but was in hopes of reopening by nighttime.  The heavy downpour was around the Chagres River which helped cause the water at the Gatun Dam to rise.  This dam is what creates Lake Gatun, which is a very important player in the Panama Canal.  The last time that it closed was back in 1989. 

http://www.ubalert.com/a/36772

Isreal caught in flames with its largest recorded wildfire!

Just days ago a fire broke out in Israel.  This massive fire killed 43 and injured 17.  It was a long and intense struggle to put it out.  They extinguished many sections while other parts continued to burn.  The finance ministry is allocating them around 16 million dollars to aid communities affected by this terrible fire.  They had been working day and night to put out the fire from the air.  Israel mobilized 30 different planes for other countries to help with these efforts.  While the fire continued on, 17,000 people had been evacuated from close communities. 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/12/05/israel.forest.fires/index.html?hpt=T2

More believed trapped under Colombian landslide.

Rescuers have been digging for victims of the Colombian landslide.  So far they have recovered 43 bodies.  The Red Cross National Deputy Director Jorge Ivan Nova stated that the best chances of finding someone alive is within the first 48 hours.  They believe there is still 100 people left buried due to people missing.  These torrential rains that hit Colombia has affected near to 1.6 million people.   

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/12/08/colombia.landslide/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Effects of a Tsunami and ones childs return home.

When Tsunamis strike any area they leave behind a huge impact on that community.  When a tsunami struck Sri Lanka in 2004 many children were lost and gathered into orphanages.  One small girl is now found who was thought to be dead.  She is living with a family who claims falsily to be her parents.  They are doing DNA tests on her now and will return her to her actual family.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11958312

A move to airlift Malaysians as Merapi volcano continues...

Mount Merapi continues to erupt!  The volcano began erupting 2 weeks ago and has killed at least 130 people since.  230,000 people have been forced to flee from the area.  Ash still covers much of the area such as villages in Central Java.  The ash is so bad here that many airlines stopped flying to Jakarta due to fear of ash damage.  The volcano is the most active it has been for a century and it looks as if it is not letting up.  Malaysia sent in 3 C-130 transport aircraft to collect 664 stranded people.  Many of the victims have been placed in separate wooden caskets and will be buried in a massive grave site in a green field that is in the shadow of the volcano. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11706635

Tropical Storm Tomas strengthens back into a hurricane

Tomas strengthened back into a hurricane on Saturday just hours after it was downgraded to a tropical storm.  Tomas just finished passing through Haiti where it brought extensive damage.  Six people have been killed, streets have turned to rivers, and homes have been destroyed because of Tomas.  I cant believe that all of this is happening to a nation who is still recovering from a detrimental earthquake and a current cholera outbreak.  Keep your thoughts with the people who need your help the most in such a unfortunate event. 

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/category/latest-news/weather/tropical-weather/

Land Slide in Costa Rica kills at least 20

A landslide caused by heavy rain has killed at least 20 people in a suburb outside of the capital in Costa Rica.  The rain caused the hillside to give way which sent tons of rock and earth to fall on the houses below it.  The government was considering to declare a national emergency.  In some parts of Costa Rica, they have seen 3 times the rainfall in November within 3 days.  This event occur ed on November 4th.  I truly hope that the families that were effected are taken care of so they can continue with their lives.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11699598