Prophecy, Drought, Earthquakes, Famine, Pestilence, War, and Strange Weather.

[Soldier4Christ]

China Using Artificial Rain to Clear Dust

 Beijing will use artificial rainmaking to clear the air after a choking dust storm coated China's capital and beyond with yellow grit, prompting a health warning to keep children indoors, state media said Tuesday.

The huge storm blew dust far beyond China's borders, blanketing South Korea and reaching Tokyo.

 The storm, reportedly the worst in at least five years, hit Beijing overnight Sunday, turning the sky yellow and forcing residents to dust off and hose down cars and buildings.

Hospitals reported a jump in cases of breathing problems, state television said.

The government was preparing to seed clouds to make rain to clear the air, state TV said, citing the Central Meteorological Bureau. It did not elaborate, and the bureau refused to release more information.

Storms carrying chalky dust from the north China plain hit Beijing every spring, but newspapers said this week's was the heaviest since at least 2001. The Beijing Daily Messenger said 300,000 tons of sand and dust were dumped on the city Monday.

That was "definitely one of the most serious pollution days in Beijing," weather forecaster Yang Keming said, according to the China Daily newspaper. "Small children had better stay at home during such days."

The dust reached Tokyo on Tuesday, the first time that has happened in six years, said Naoko Takashina of Japan's Meteorological Agency. Dust from China was found in more than 50 locations throughout the country, she said.

The Japanese agency warned of reduced visibility but did not say any health dangers were expected.

In South Korea, a light layer of dust blanketed the country, but no ill effects were reported. Rain was forecast overnight Tuesday, and the weather bureau said it should clear the air.

The dust storms are expected to last through at least Wednesday in Beijing, neighboring Tianjin and a swath of north China stretching from Jilin province in the northeast through Inner Mongolia to Xinjiang in the desert northwest, the China Daily and other media said.

That region is home to hundreds of millions of people.

More storms were expected later in the week in Xinjiang and other parts of the northwest, according to news reports.

China's government has been replanting "green belts" of trees throughout the north in an effort to trap the dust after decades when the storms worsened amid heavy tree-cutting.

Last week, the western Xinjiang region was hit by its worst sandstorm in decades, which killed one person and left thousands stranded after sand covered railways and high winds smashed train and car windows.

[Soldier4Christ]

sland at war as iguanas with attitude take over
From Jacqui Goddard in Miami

AS RESIDENTS of an upmarket community in Florida, they are perhaps more at home clutching cocktails than airguns. But after their island was overrun by 10,000 ill-tempered reptiles, the people of Boca Grande took up arms.

Outnumbered ten to one by spiny black-tailed iguanas — a non-native species with a big appetite and a bad attitude — citizens of the formerly serene town on Gasparilla Island are engaged in a furious turf battle to try to reclaim their homes, gardens and beaches from the prehistoric-looking interlopers.

"I think the iguanas may have met their match in the people of Boca Grande," Bill Sweetser, an animal trapper on the mainland, said. He recently set up a service, Iguanagon, in response to the problem. "It’s war down there."

Bonnie McGee, 60, who keeps a pellet gun at her back door to repel reptilian invaders, acknowledged that she had "taken out a few". She said: "Their behaviour and the destruction they cause are unbearable. They eat your flowers and shrubs. They invade your home, nest in your attic, get into the insulation.

"When they are mating they get very aggressive. A neighbour said that his gardener got bitten on the foot by one. These creatures aren’t cute — they’re out of control."

One of her friends, Ann Ingram, found one cavorting in her lavatory after it came up through the plumbing, and she slaughtered it by pouring in a bottle of bleach. Others have found that golf irons come in handy. At the local hardware store, meanwhile, traps are selling fast, and local newspapers have printed recipes for iguana stew.

County council officials have hired a biologist to set up an eradication scheme but have told the residents of Boca Grande that they will have to pay an "iguana tax" to cover the six-figure costs, prompting angry protests and heated public meetings.

It is all a far cry from the days when townspeople showcased the exotic fauna as the "Dragons of Gasparilla" in tourist guides, printed souvenir T-shirts in their honour and lobbied politicians to try to win them protected status.

In their heyday the iguanas — which are believed to have arrived on the island as pets several decades ago — could even depend on restaurateurs to feed them and on residents to cultivate juicy hibiscus plants, their favourite food, just for them.

But the iguanas have fallen from grace after breeding out of control, tearing up the landscape and invading homes. Some estate agents, while showing around clients, have found the three-foot beasts lounging defiantly on sofas.

Of particular concern is the impact the creatures have had on Gasparilla’s fragile coastline. They undermine the beaches with their vast network of burrows in the dunes, and they pose a threat to endangered birds and gopher tortoises.

However, some people suggest that the iguana problem has been whipped up by a few angry millionaires, who object to the reptiles hanging around their swimming pools and using their patios as lavatories.

Delores Savas, an environmental columnist for the local newspaper, the Boca Beacon, complained: "These people are supposed to be so refined, but when it comes to iguanas they are like a lynch mob."

[Soldier4Christ]

Avalanche hits Mammoth Mountain but no skiers reported missing

No one was reported missing and only a few people had minor injuries after an avalanche rumbled through a Mammoth Mountain ski run, authorities said.

Search crews spent hours Monday looking for people possibly buried under the snow, using poles to probe every six inches, said Joani Lynch, spokeswoman for the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

"We fielded a number of calls from concerned individuals looking for people and it turns out that the individuals who were not accounted for were helping with the search," Lynch said.

The avalanche hit shortly after 2 p.m., authorities said.

Three or four minor injuries were initially reported by fire dispatch, but no one was taken to the local hospital, said Fire Chief Brent Harper said. Lynch said the ski area had no reports of injuries related to the incident.

The slide, while fairly wide, occurred only in the area of a run called Climax, which is near the top of the 11,053-foot mountain that has had record snowfall this season, Lynch said.

The mountain's ski patrol had triggered controlled slides earlier, and had blasted the Climax area, too, Lynch said. But she did not know if that work had actually caused any snow to slide in Climax area.

Skier Katie Bloom, 26, said she saw the aftermath of the avalanche as she rode a gondola up the mountain.

"It was huge," said Bloom, a teacher. "You could see some people in snow up to their knees. I saw some patrollers digging. I couldn't tell if they were using a shovel or their hands. Everyone was screaming, 'Oh, no, not again.'"

The avalanche came on the heels of an April 6 tragedy when three members of Mammoth's ski patrol were asphyxiated by gas from a volcanic vent on the mountain. One of the three was the resort's avalanche expert.

The Mammoth Web site reported the resort closed operations for the day at 2:30 p.m. It also said 11 inches of snow had fallen in the 24 hours preceding 6 a.m. and the base depth was 18 feet to 20 feet.

The resort has had more than 52 feet of total snowfall since October.

Mammoth, 195 miles east of San Francisco, is very popular with skiers and snowboarders from Southern California. It has 3,500 skiable acres, 150 trails and 28 lifts.

The Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center had warned that there was considerable danger of both natural and manmade avalanches in the Mammoth Basin.

"Natural avalanches are possible and you will probably trigger a slab avalanche if you get into steep northwest to southeast facing terrain especially above treeline," the warning posted Monday said.

A slab avalanche sets loose an entire slope.

The April 6 deaths occurred as a ski patrol team was raising a fence around a well-known hazard, a vent that spews volcanic gases. Thick snow collapsed and two members of the patrol fell in. A third member, Charles Walter Rosenthal, was overcome and died after entering the hole in a rescue attempt.

[Soldier4Christ]

Three Killed in Plains Snowstorm

BISMARCK, N.D. — More than a foot of blowing snow closed major highways on the northwestern Plains on Wednesday, caused widespread power outages and was blamed for at least three deaths.

The deaths were in a three-vehicle crash on an icy North Dakota highway amid blowing sleet and snow, state police said.

Sundance, Wyo., reported 13 inches of snow by midmorning with wind gusting to 60 mph, and an additional 1 to 3 inches was forecast. A foot of snow had fallen at Bowman, in North Dakota's southwest corner, and more was falling Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service said.

"I wish I was in Hawaii," said Bowman County Sheriff Rory Teigen.

Some towns in western North Dakota could be without electricity for another day, said the Mountrail-Williams County Electric Cooperative.

Authorities closed about 100 miles of Interstate 94 during the night from Glendive, Mont., to Dickinson, N.D., although the North Dakota portion was reopened Wednesday morning. A stretch of about 140 miles of I-90 was shut down from Gillette, Wyo., to Rapid City, S.D.

I-90 had icy pavement, zero visibility and trucks blocking parts of the road, said South Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Greg Ingemunson.

Up to 10 inches of snow was reported in parts of South Dakota's Black Hills, and the weather service said parts of western North Dakota could get up to a foot. Wind gusts as high as 71 mph were reported in eastern Montana, the weather service said.

Some parts of the region got rain, with 1.76 inches Tuesday at Rhame, N.D., the weather service said. The rain was expected to move into parts of northeastern North Dakota still experiencing flooding along tributaries of the Red River. The weather service said the rain was unlikely to have a major effect on the flooding.

[Soldier4Christ]

Peru volcano ash sickens 1,000 people, kills llamas

AREQUIPA, Peru, April 19 (Reuters) - At least 1,000 people have suffered respiratory problems from a tower of ash spewing from the Ubinas volcano in southern Peru, and 20 llamas have died after eating poisoned grass, a local official said on Wednesday.

Ubinas, in the Moquegua region 550 miles (900 km) south of Lima, has been belching for much of the month and this week sent smoke and ash 2,600 feet (800 meters) into the air, spreading a thick carpet of ash on areas north of the volcano.

Officials said the volcano continued to spit out ash and smoke on Wednesday, and the wind was carrying it north.

"Approximately 1,000 people from several small towns north of the volcano have had breathing problems and itching eyes from the sulfur in the rain of ash," Agustin Quispe, mayor of the town of San Juan de Tarucani de Arequipa, one of the towns north of the volcano affected by ash, told reporters.

In recorded history, Ubinas has never had a lava eruption, according to experts at the university of Arequipa in southern Peru.

Quispe said ash carried north by the wind had affected five towns that are within six miles (10 km) of the volcano. He also said 20 llamas in his village died from eating "contaminated grasses."

In the hamlet of Querapi, home to 42 farming families three miles (4.5 km) from the 18,700 foot (5,670 meter)-high volcano, Civil Defense authorities distributed gas masks and recommended evacuation earlier this week.

But the people of Querapi were reluctant to leave despite the yellow alert declared by Civil Defense.

[Soldier4Christ]

Indonesians ignore call to flee rumbling volcano

Villagers living near a rumbling and swelling Indonesian volcano have ignored calls to evacuate after local officials were told to prepare for the worst. Authorities have placed Mount Merapi, which overlooks the ancient city of Yogyakarta, on Orange Code, the second highest alert level, amid fears of an eruption.

"Up until now, the intensity of volcanic tremors is still high and the crater wall is swelling, signaling internal pressure and accumulation of magma inside Mount Merapi," said Subandriyo, chief of Mount Merapi Observation Unit at the state-run Centre for Volcano Research and Technology Development. Local authorities and governments around Merapi have been advised to take all precautionary actions to mitigate
disaster scenarios from possible volcanic eruption.

Villagers living nearest to the slopes of Merapi, however, are still ignoring calls to flee the rumbling volcano as they go about their daily chores without much concern. Subandriyo said the complacency stemmed from the fact that the volcano's swelling, a sign of imminent eruption, was not yet visible to the naked eye.

Officials said the military had supplied more than 200 trucks and buses to evacuate villagers living on the slopes of Merapi near Yogyakarta, 460km west of the capital, Jakarta. Merapi's last major eruption was in 1994 when more than 60 people were killed.

One of its most destructive eruptions was in 1930, when 1 300 people died. Indonesia sits astride the geologically active Pacific "Ring of Fire" and has more than 100 active volcanoes.

[Soldier4Christ]

Another earthquake rattles Greek Ionian islands

Athens - A strong earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale rattled Greece's western Ionian islands Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of injury.

The underwater earthquake occurred at 1816 (1516 GMT), the Athens News Agency (ANA) said. Its epicentre was 240 kilometres west of Athens, just south of the island of Zakynthos.

Reports said residents on the island were upset over the latest earthquake, with many running out of their homes in panic. The island is counting on the upcoming Greek Orthodox weekend for the arrival of tourists, but the latest shocks have kept many away this year.

The island has been the scene of nine strong earthquakes since April 11, ranging from 5.0 to 5.9 on the Richter scale.

[Soldier4Christ]

10,000 Black Hills Homes Without Power


A spring snow storm in western KELOLAND has closed several roads and schools. Parts of the Black Hills are in the dark after the storm knocked out power to several communities.

Black Hills Power says it has more than nine thousand customers without power throughout the northern hills from Lead to Sturgis. As for Butte Electric Cooperative another 2,000 customers were affected.

There are over 400 broken poles and many snapped lines in an area from Sturgis north to the Harding County line, and from Newell west to Wyoming.

Emergency crews were hoping to get power restored to the Whitewood-Sturgis area today and also get Belle Fourche back on line, but it could be Saturday before people in Newell have power again.

Because of those outages, shelters are opening for people who may not get power back on tonight. The Whitewood Volunteer Fire Department, the Whitewood Baptist Church, and the Belle Fourche Community Center are all open tonight for people without electricity.

Fierce winds and blowing snow whipped through the Black Hills, rustling trees, knocking over signs, and wiping out power to nearly 10,000 homes.

Black Hills Power Barbara Zar said, "When it gathers on the line it can cause fuses to blow and the lines trip out."

A caravan of electricians followed each other to restore power.

Zar said, "It had been a long night for them and it looks like it'll be another long night tonight."

They've been working since late yesterday afternoon helping homes north of Sturgis and throughout the northern Hills.

Zar said, "As soon as we get one area back on, another one goes off."

The harsh conditions could mean many will spend another night in the dark.

Zar said, "For them we really want to urge them to go to one of the emergency shelters if they are not backing up their own electrical systems with some sort of emergency generation."

Getting to a safe place is another challenge. The blizzard shut down Interstate 90 between Rapid City and Wyoming, but that didn't stop some drivers.

S.D. Highway Patrol Trooper Shann Barrick said, "There are troopers on the interstate right now. They're assisting with vehicles in the ditch, getting people out of vehicles that are stuck, and getting them to shelters."

Despite the rough conditions, South Dakota highway patrol says it hasn't heard of any accidents. But three deaths in North Dakota are being blamed on the storm.

[Soldier4Christ]

Blackouts affect parts of county


The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) called a statewide emergency Monday afternoon and began rolling blackouts that left citizens in scattered areas without electricity.

Residents living in Blessing, Wadsworth and parts of Bucks Bayou were without power from 4:40 to 6:40 p.m.

Electrical suppliers perform rolling blackouts by dropping electrical loads at low risk areas at alternating times to make up for the lack of electrical supply.

“During the spring, plants are performing maintenance duties and, due to the recent high temperatures, are not able to supply as much electricity as people are using,” said Bob Noster of Jackson Electric Cooperative Inc.

“We try to limit the blackouts to 30 or 40 minutes but if they are not performed major damage could occur to the entire power grid, leaving even more people without power for a longer period of time,” said Noster.

Because of the rising temperature and the lack of electrical supply residents are asked to conserve as much energy as possible.

“Turn your thermostats to the highest comfortable setting, wait until late evening to use washers, dryers and other high load appliances and turn off lights when they aren’t needed,” said Noster.

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is also responding to the high temperatures and power demands with an increase in hydroelectric generation from its Highland Lakes system of dams.

People participating in activities on the Colorado River need to be cautious because increasing the hydroelectric generation will cause an increase in current and a rise in water level downstream of the dams.

Though blackouts were not scheduled to occur Tuesday, there is still a possibility for a repeat in the future depending on the completion of maintenance and the growing demand for electricity.

[Shammu]

Summer forecast doesn’t hold water

Plains likely to see drought, service says

By Eric Weslander (Contact)

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

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A dire weather forecast issued Monday calls for a hot, dry summer across the Plains reminiscent of the 1930s — the era of the devastating Dust Bowl drought.

The Pennsylvania-based forecasting service AccuWeather.com predicts a high-pressure system will be parked across the central United States much of the summer. The system would lead to scorching-hot days and prevent moisture from coming into the region — something that in turn causes even higher temperatures.

“It’s kind of a vicious cycle,” said Ken Reeves, the company’s director of forecasting operations. “Drought begets heat begets more drought.”

The forecast said it was possible that temperatures in some states would challenge the seemingly untouchable heat records set during the 1930s. But Mary Knapp, Kansas’ state climatologist, is skeptical.

“I would say it’s kind of jumping the gun to say it’s going to rival the ’30s,” she said.

Just how hot were the 1930s in Kansas?

The all-time record temperature for the state is 121 degrees, which was recorded on two separate days in July 1936 in Fredonia and Alton.

Lawrence’s record high temperature is 114 degrees, which occurred once in August 1934 and again in August 1936.

Overall, Knapp said, the AccuWeather.com temperature prediction for this summer in Kansas — with temperatures about 3 degrees higher than average — doesn’t amount to a dramatic increase.

Kansas’ average high temperature for the month of July the last 35 years has been 90.6 degrees, she said. But in July 1936, the average high temperature was 103.2 degrees.

“If you’re 3 degrees warmer than normal for your average high temperature, yeah, it’s going to be hot,” Knapp said. “But when you look at your record … there’s not anything showing that it’s going to be a repeat of ’36 or ’34.”

Still, this winter was the fourth driest in state history. In recent weeks, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ office has been issuing drought watches or warnings for counties throughout Kansas.

Bill Wood, Douglas County’s agriculture agent for K-State Research and Extension, said the lack of moisture in the soil was causing local farmers to brace themselves for the possibility of poor crop yields.

“Right now, it’s looking kind of scary,” he said.

The forecast comes as a research group headquartered at Kansas University is preparing to launch a $9.25 million project aimed at predicting large-scale environmental changes such as the Dust Bowl. The grant, announced Monday, will link researchers at KU, Kansas State University and Fort Hays State University in a study of environmental changes along the Kansas River basin.

“If we would have had this grant with the equipment and the computational power … before the Dust Bowl, we would have been able to predict that the Dust Bowl was coming,” said Leonard Krishtalka, director of the KU Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, the lead researcher on the project.

The three-year grant was awarded to the Kansas NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. It comprises $6.75 millionfrom the National Science Foundation and $2.5 million from the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp.

At Baldwin Feed Co., 1600 High St., owner Steve Wilson has recently heard a few customers make reference to the Dust Bowl days. But overall, it’s not the greatest topic of concern.

“They’re probably still more concerned with high fertilizer prices,” he said.
Comments

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Posted by Souki (anonymous) on April 18, 2006 at 8:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"'If we would have had this [$9.25 million] grant with the equipment and the computational power … before the Dust Bowl, we would have been able to predict that the Dust Bowl was coming,' said Leonard Krishtalka, director of the KU Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, the lead researcher on the project."

* * *

Apparently, AccuWeather can do it today without nearly $10 million in grant funds.

Posted by local_support (anonymous) on April 18, 2006 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Global warming? It couldn't be.

(Now go gas up that Hummer @ $4/gallon)

Posted by Fatty_McButterpants (anonymous) on April 18, 2006 at 2:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Man, our parents and grandparents were some tough ombres. I wouldn't want to go through a summer that hot now, let alone when there was no air conditioning!

Posted by The_Original_Bob (anonymous) on April 18, 2006 at 8:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Oh crap. Drudge linked this article. What is it with him and the LJW lately?

Posted by Husker_Fan (anonymous) on April 19, 2006 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If global warming is the cause now, why was it so hot and dry in 1934? It's laughable that every time extreme weather hits people immediately blame the farce that is global warming!

Posted by Shelby (anonymous) on April 19, 2006 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

global warming was behind 9/11

Posted by chazmuz (anonymous) on April 19, 2006 at 2:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

We can blame global warming for the end of the ice age, too. Too bad we didn't have factories, automobiles or Bush way back then to blame. I guess it was dinosaur flatulants or too many cavemen fires. (Hey, I'm NOT a Bush fan!!!) There's more to global warming than meets the eye.

Posted by cowtater (anonymous) on April 19, 2006 at 7:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Dimming the sun (continued)
The coincidence of the dimming effect on global warming's effects is that there has been an increase in global temperature but it has been subdued due to the interferance of sunlight by our particulate pollution. The implication is that, as we become more pollution free and clean up emmissions, the rate of global warming will increase exponentially. This will result in the increased reduction of the ice caps of the world which will raise the sea levels by the middle of this century approximately 25 meters. This can be further complicated by a unique probability that the methane beds of the oceans can become destabilized due to the changes in sea levels and release billions of tons of methane, an even more significant greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, which will futher warm the planet.

The increasing particulate load in the atmosphere will also reduce rainfall over the South American rainforests, making them more susceptible to fire, which will futher add to the greenhouse gasses and accelerate global warming to the extent that by the year 2100, temperatures globally can become 18 deg F warmer. Desertification of nearly all arable lands will become inevitable, with severe famine following this.

It is anticipated that we have approximately 10 years before we reach a point of no return where this scenario will become inevitable.

Summer forecast doesn’t hold water

[Shammu]

Peru volcano ash sickens 1,000 people
Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:02pm ET7

AREQUIPA, Peru (Reuters) - At least 1,000 people have suffered respiratory problems from a tower of ash spewing from the Ubinas volcano in southern Peru, and 20 llamas have died after eating poisoned grass, a local official said on Wednesday.

Ubinas, in the Moquegua region 550 miles south of Lima, has been belching for much of the month and this week sent smoke and ash 2,600 feet into the air, spreading a thick carpet of ash on areas north of the volcano.

Officials said the volcano continued to spit out ash and smoke on Wednesday, and the wind was carrying it north.

"Approximately 1,000 people from several small towns north of the volcano have had breathing problems and itching eyes from the sulfur in the rain of ash," Agustin Quispe, mayor of the town of San Juan de Tarucani de Arequipa, one of the towns north of the volcano affected by ash, told reporters.

In recorded history, Ubinas has never had a lava eruption, according to experts at the university of Arequipa in southern Peru.

Quispe said ash carried north by the wind had affected five towns that are within six miles of the volcano. He also said 20 llamas in his village died from eating "contaminated grasses."

In the hamlet of Querapi, home to 42 farming families three miles from the 18,700 foot (5,670 meter)-high volcano, Civil Defense authorities distributed gas masks and recommended evacuation earlier this week.

But the people of Querapi were reluctant to leave despite the yellow alert declared by Civil Defense.

Peru volcano ash sickens 1,000 people

[Shammu]

Second cyclone hits Australia's northeast coast

Wed Apr 19, 2:31 AM ET

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A tropical cyclone with winds of up to 200 kph (125 mph) crossed Australia's remote northeast coast on Wednesday, officials said, the second cyclone to hit northern Queensland in a month.
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There were no early reports of damage in the area, where there are few major settlements or infrastructure.

Residents had been warned to take shelter as Tropical Cyclone Monica, a mid-range category-three storm, closed in on Lockhart River, an Aboriginal community of about 600 people in Queensland state's sparsely populated Cape York Peninsula.

The cyclone began crossing the coast just south of Lockhart River, about 2,000 km (1,200 miles) north of the Queensland capital Brisbane, soon after 2 p.m. local time (0400 GMT), meteorologists said.

"It will take a couple of hours to cross the coast. It should weaken slightly as it moves across Cape York Peninsula," Queensland Weather Bureau meteorologist Manfred Greitschus told Sky television.

"It still could produce destructive winds for crops or vegetation and weaker shelters."

Cyclone Monica was much weaker than maximum category-five Cyclone Larry, which caused at least A$250 million ($185 million) in damage when it hit near Innisfail, well south of Lockhart River, last month, smashing houses and destroying banana crops.

Second cyclone hits Australia's northeast coast

[Shammu]

Huge Quake Rattles Russian Hinterlands

By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer 55 minutes ago

MOSCOW - A 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit a distant, sparsely populated region of Russia's Far East on Friday, and there were reports in at least one coastal village of minor injuries and damaged buildings — including schools and a hospital.

The quake hit at around 12:30 p.m. local time in the Koryak region, nearly 4,350 miles east of Moscow and some 625 miles north of the largest city in the area Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, said Oleg Kotosanov, a duty officer with the regional emergency situations ministry.

The U.S. Geological Survey and Japan's Meteorological Agency estimated the quake's magnitude at 7.7. There were numerous aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.5 to 5.4.

Kotosanov told The Associated Press by phone that there were reports of damage in some villages in the Pacific region, and that emergency officials were flying by helicopter to several locations. Federal emergency officials in Moscow said they had no information about the quake.

Russian news agencies said buildings had been damaged in the coastal village of Tilichiki, including schools, a hospital and an airport. The agencies said there were also some minor injuries in the village, which has a population of about 2,000.

Russia's north Pacific coast sits along a major tectonic plate and is frequently hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

"It's the largest event in this area since 1900," A.B. Wade, a spokeswoman for the USGS, told the AP. "It's a sparsely populated area; up to 2,000 people were exposed to intensive shaking."

By comparison, the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906, which destroyed more than half of the city's buildings and left between 3,000 and 6,000 people dead 100 years ago this week, was estimated at a magnitude of between 7.7 and 7.9.

The Russian quake, centered about 30 miles below the surface, posed no tsunami risk to the western United States and Canada, according to the West Coast and Alaska
Tsunami Warning Center.

Huge Quake Rattles Russian Hinterlands

[Shammu]

Siberia hit by 7.7 magnitude earthquake

28 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A magnitude 7.7. earthquake struck the Kamchatka peninsula in Russian Siberia, 3,930 miles north/northeast of Moscow, on Friday, The U.S. Geological Survey said.

The temblor, which occurred at 12:25 p.m. local time (2325 GMT Thursday), was located 125 miles northeast of Il'pyrskiy at a depth of roughly 7.8 miles, the survey said on its Web site.

Russia's Itar-Tass news agency, monitored by the BBC, said there were no reports of damage or casualties, according to a seismic research team in the Kamchatka region.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that some 2,000 people would have been exposed to "intensive shaking," A.B. Wade, a spokeswoman said.

It was largest seismic event in the area since 1900, she said.

Itar-Tass said the quake's epicenter was the Olyutorskiy cape on Kamchatka's eastern coast.

Underground tremors were felt in several settlements, including the villages of Tilichiki and Ossora, the news agency said.

Siberia hit by 7.7 magnitude earthquake

[Shammu]

 Flash floods kill 23 in Indonesia
Flash floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rain have killed at least 23 people in Indonesia, the state news agency Antara reports.

The worst-hit district was that of Bendungan in the east of the main island of Java, Antara reported.

Water in some areas had risen as high as two metres (6.6 ft), a local official said.

Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, especially during the period of the rainy season.

At least 24 people died in landslides and floods caused by heavy rains in eastern Indonesia in February.

In the latest floods, heavy rains had swelled the Ngasinan river, causing mudslides and blocking roads, the official said.

Telephone communications were also disrupted, he added.

Flash floods kill 23 in Indonesia