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A 7.3-magnitude earthquake has shaken the northern border region between Iran and Iraq, killing at least 335 people and injuring thousands more.

One Iranian aid agency said 70,000 people needed shelter after the quake, one of the largest this year.

The majority of those who died were in Iran's western Kermanshah province. Nearly 4,000 were said to be injured.

Seven people died in Iraq, where people fled into the streets in the capital, Baghdad.

Mosques in the city have been broadcasting prayers through loudspeakers.

"I was sitting with my kids having dinner and suddenly the building was just dancing in the air," a Baghdad mother-of-three, Majida Ameer, told Reuters news agency.

"I thought at first that it was a huge bomb. But then I heard everyone around me screaming: 'Earthquake!'"

Iranian state news agency Irna quoted an emergency official as saying 3,950 were injured in Iran alone.

Most of the victims were in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab, about 15km (10 miles) from the border, Iran's emergency services chief, Pir Hossein Koolivand was quoted as saying on Iranian state television channel Irinn.

The town's main hospital was severely damaged, leaving it struggling to treat hundreds of wounded, state TV reported.

Many homes in the mountainous area are made of mud bricks and are at risk of collapse in a significant earthquake like the one that struck on Sunday.

Damage was reported in at least eight villages, the head of Iran's Red Crescent Organisation, Morteza Salim, told the channel.

"Some other villages have suffered power cuts and their telecommunications system has also been disturbed," he said.

Rescue teams were being hampered by landslides, Mr Koolivand said.

On the Iraqi side, the most extensive damage was in the town of Darbandikhan, 75km (47 miles) east of the city of Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdistan Region.

"The situation there is very critical," Kurdish Health Minister Rekawt Hama Rasheed told Reuters.

The Iraqi ministry of health said 321 people had been wounded in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

The BBC's Rami Ruhayem, in the regional capital Irbil, said shaking there lasted for more than a minute.

"For a few seconds at first it was barely detectable, I wasn't sure whether it was a minor tremor or just my imagination," he said. "But soon enough it was unmistakable as the building started swaying from side to side."

The quake hit at 21:18 local time (18:18 GMT) about 19 miles (30km) southwest of Halabja, near the northeastern border with Iran, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

It occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 23.2 km (14.4 miles), and tremors were felt in Turkey, Israel and Kuwait.

Why is Iran prone to earthquakes?
Analysis by Jonathan Amos, BBC Science Correspondent
Iran is one of those regions of the world that is all too familiar with quakes, and has experienced some very big tremors in the past.

In general terms, the big driver here is the clash between the Arabia and Eurasia tectonic plates. The former is pushing north by a couple centimetres a year.

In the south-east of the country, the Arabia plate is actually pushing under the Eurasia plate, but in the northwest these great slabs rub directly against each other. The Zagros mountains are a result of all this compression.

Early reports indicate the quake occurred on a thrust fault. This means the crust on one side of the break in the rocks is moved vertically up and over the other side - which fits exactly with this general picture.

Geological agencies now produce immediate bulletins on the likely expected casualties. This modelling work is based on factors such as the size of the quake, population density and what is known about local construction methods. It's inexact work, but the first bulletins suggested this event could produce many hundreds of deaths and perhaps thousands of injured individuals.

A major issue will be the number of weak buildings - it's a region that still has many mud-constructed properties. And as ever, in the more mountainous areas, landslides are always a concern, not least because they can block roads and hamper the emergency response.
Are you in the area? Have you been affected by the earthquake? If it's safe to share your experiences then please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
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A 7.3-magnitude earthquake has shaken the northern border region between Iran and Iraq, killing at least 335 people and injuring thousands more. One Iranian aid agency said 70,000 people needed shelter after the quake, one of the largest this year. The majority of those who died were in Iran's western Kermanshah province.

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The Fuego Volcano in south Guatemala burst into life on Wednesday plumes of ash blew into the sky in what has been described as on of "the largest recorded eruptions" in the volcano's history.

The volcano, known locally as Volcan de Fuego, which translates as 'Volcano of Fire', is an extremely active volcano, and this is the seventh time this year that it has erupted.

Guatemala's National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Insivumeh) stated that ash has been spread 20 kilometres in east and northeast directions.

Authorities have also warned that ash could spread all the way to Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala, some 50 kilometres northwards of the volcano.

Insivumeh warned that "in the eruptive behaviour of the volcano and the variability of the wind, experts do not rule out the possibility that this activity will continue to make ash fall at greater distances".

Guatemala's Volcano Observatory added: "These explosions are of a weak, moderate and strong character, expel columns of grey ash at a height of 4400-5,000m (14435-16,405ft) and are driven by wind at distances ranging from 16-20km to the east, northeast".

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Fuego volcano ERUPTS sending ash 5km into the sky after 12 eruptions in ONE HOUR

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The Fuego Volcano in south Guatemala burst into life on Wednesday plumes of ash blew into the sky in what has been described as on of "the largest recorded eruptions" in the volcano's history. The volcano, known locally as Volcan de Fuego, which translates as 'Volcano of Fire', is an extremely active volcano, and this is the seventh time this year that it has erupted.

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Tropical Storm Nate has killed at least 22 people in Central America as it battered the region with heavy rain while heading toward Mexico's Caribbean resorts and the US Gulf Coast where it could strike as a hurricane this weekend.

Several offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated and others had shut production ahead of the storm.

In Nicaragua, at least 11 people died, seven others were reported missing and thousands had to evacuate homes because of flooding, according to the country's vice president, Rosario Murillo.

Emergency officials in Costa Rica reported that at least eight people were had been killed , including two children. Another 17 people were missing, while more than 7,000 had to take refuge from Nate in shelters.

Two youths also drowned in Honduras due to the sudden swell in a river, while a man was killed in a mud slide in El Salvador and another person was missing, emergency services said.

"Sometimes we think we think we can cross a river and the hardest thing to understand is that we must wait," Nicaragua's Murillo told state radio, warning people to avoid dangerous waters. "It's better to be late than not to get there at all."

Costa Rica's government declared a state of emergency, closing schools and all other non-essential services.

Highways in the country were closed due to mud slides and power outages were also reported in parts of country, where more than 3,500 police were deployed.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said Nate could produce as much as 51 cm (20 inches) in some areas of Nicaragua, where schools were also closed.

Nate is predicted to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by the time it hits the US Gulf Coast on Sunday, NHC spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.

Blowing maximum sustained winds of 64 km/h (40 mph), Nate was expected to move across eastern Honduras on Thursday and enter the northwestern Caribbean Sea through the night.

The storm will be near hurricane intensity when it approaches Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula late on Friday, where up to 20 cm (8 inches) of rain were possible, the NHC said.

US officials from Florida to Texas told residents on Thursday to prepare for the storm. A state of emergency was declared for 29 Florida counties and the city of New Orleans.

"The threat of the impact is increasing, so folks along the northern Gulf Coast should be paying attention to this thing," the NHC's Feltgen said.

Some offshore oil producers in the Gulf of Mexico, including Chevron, BP plc, Exxon Mobil Corp, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Statoil had shut production or were withdrawing personnel from their offshore Gulf platforms, they said.

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Tropical Storm Nate kills 22 in Central America, heads for US

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Tropical Storm Nate has killed at least 22 people in Central America as it battered the region with heavy rain while heading toward Mexico's Caribbean resorts and the US Gulf Coast where it could strike as a hurricane this weekend. Several offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated and others had shut production ahead of the storm.

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The Monaro Voui volcano, located on the northern island of Ambae, has been simmering for weeks and finally erupted on Tuesday, September 26.

Some 7,000 residents - roughly 70 per cent of the population of Ambae - have forced to evacuate over the last few days as the threat of an eruption grew larger.

The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department raised the alert level from three to four over the weekend as it warned of "flying rocks and volcanic gas".

Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office director, Shadrack Welegtabit, said: "There's ash, fire, stones and lava being thrown out from the mouth of the volcano.

"There's a lot of activity going on."

The Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department said that villages within a 6.5 kilometre radius of the volcano could be affected by the eruption, but warned that areas even further afield could be exposed ash falls and acid rain.

The volcano has been active since 2005, when it last erupted, but there has been a notable increase in activity over the last few weeks.

The nation of Vanuatu is made up of 80 small islands and is located between Australia and Hawaii.

Manaro Voui is not the only volcano causing trouble south of mainland Asia.

Mount Agung volcano in tourist hotspot Bali has been hit by 300 huge tremors over a six-hour period, sparking fears it could erupt for the first time in 50 years.

Plumes of smoke were also detected rising up to 200 metres over the crater.

Officials said on Sunday morning that the volcano had not yet erupted and there did not appear to be any ash.

However, a 12km zone circling the mountain has been declared unsafe, they said.

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Ring of Fire state of emergency: Thousands in mass evacuation as Monaro volcano ERUPTS

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The Monaro Voui volcano, located on the northern island of Ambae, has been simmering for weeks and finally erupted on Tuesday, September 26. Some 7,000 residents - roughly 70 per cent of the population of Ambae - have forced to evacuate over the last few days as the threat of an eruption grew larger.

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Donald Trump will visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday, to see some of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria on the lives of 3.5 million Americans. As the president announced the visit, however, one Democratic congresswoman who was born in Puerto Rico warned that his lack of attention to the disaster so far risked making it "your Katrina".

The White House said on Tuesday Trump had also made additional disaster assistance available, "by authorizing an increase in the level of federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures".

But it took the president five full days to respond to the plight of the US territory. When he finally did so on Monday night, his comments on Twitter were so devoid of empathy it threatened to spark new controversy.

Hot on the heels of the billowing dispute he single-handedly provoked over African American sporting figures protesting against racial inequality during the national anthem, Trump effectively blamed the islanders - all of whom are American citizens - for their own misfortune.

"Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble," Trump wrote. The US territory was hit by Maria soon after the two states were struck by Harvey and Irma.

Trump acknowledged that "much of the island was destroyed" but caustically went on to say that its electrical grid was already "in terrible shape" and that Puerto Rico owed billions of dollars to Wall Street and the banks "which, sadly, must be dealt with".

The following morning, the president spoke to reporters at the White House before a bipartisan meeting on tax reform. Next Tuesday would, he said, be the earliest feasible day to visit the island, due to the extent of the damage. The island has been "literally destroyed", Trump said, expressing confidence "they'll be back". The people of Puerto Rico "are important to all of us", he said.

Federal authorities were landing relief supplies "on an hourly basis", Trump said, adding that he will also stop in the US Virgin Islands, also severely damaged.

Later, at a press conference in the White House Rose Garden, he denied that he had been preoccupied with the NFL issue, insisting that the government has had "tremendous reviews" for its response, which now includes the military. "We understand it's a disaster, it's a disaster that just happened," he told reporters. "The grid was in bad shape before the storm and Puerto Rico didn't get hit by one hurricane; it got hit by two hurricanes; and they were among the biggest we've ever seen.

"We are unloading on an hourly basis massive loads of water and food and supplies for Puerto Rico. And this isn't like Florida where we can go right up the spine or Texas where we go right down the middle and distribute; this is a thing called the Atlantic Ocean, this is tough stuff. The governor has been so incredible in his statements about the job we're doing: we're doing a great job."

Trump added for emphasis: "Everybody has said it's amazing the job we've done in Puerto Rico. We're very proud of it and I'm going there on Tuesday."

Trump's Monday night tweets were the first comments he had made on Puerto Rico since hours before Maria made landfall as a category 4 hurricane, pummelling the island and destroying its entire power network with winds up to 155mph (250km/h). On that occasion he told the people of Puerto Rico: "We are with you."

But for many Puerto Ricans the reality five days after the hurricane struck was that the US president had not been with them. About 700 Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) staff were on the island in a total of 10,000 federal workers, carrying out search and rescue missions and supplying basic food and water. But Trump spent those five days mired in his self-made battle with African American sports stars, seemingly oblivious to the plight of millions of Hispanic Americans in peril in a natural disaster zone.

"At the same time that he was doing all of that, we had American citizens in Puerto Rico who are in a desperate condition," said Hillary Clinton, Trump's defeated opponent in the 2016 election, in a radio interview which aired before Trump's late-night tweets on Monday. "He has not said one word about them, about other American citizens in the US Virgin Islands. I'm not sure he knows that Puerto Ricans are American citizens."

The Trump administration has refused to waive federal restrictions on foreign ships carrying life-saving supplies to Puerto Rico - a concession it readily made for Texas and Florida in the cases of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

In the last of his tweets on Monday night, Trump said "food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well". On Tuesday morning, while continuing to tweet about the NFL, he wrote: "Thank you to Carmen Yulin Cruz, the Mayor of San Juan, for your kind words on Fema etc. We are working hard. Much food and water there/on way."

Members of Fema's urban search and rescue team conduct a search operation in Yauco, Puerto Rico. Photograph: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

On the island, Governor Ricardo Rosselló, has warned that Puerto Rico is on the brink of a "humanitarian crisis". In the hard-to-reach interior of the country, thousands are struggling with destroyed houses, a heatwave and rapidly depleting supplies of clean water and food.

Earlier on Monday, Rosselló made a point of thanking George HW Bush and former Florida governor Jeb Bush for their calls of support.

Most Puerto Ricans were spared the experience of reading Trump's tweets as a result of the total blackout. But condemnation was swift in mainland US. Juliette Kayyem, a former senior official in the Department of Homeland Security under Barack Obama, said Trump's response showed "a lack of empathy of epic proportions".

On Tuesday Nydia Velázquez, a Democratic representative from New York, said she was concerned that Trump's continued tweets about NFL players showed he did not grasp the severity of the crisis. Referring to criticism of George W Bush following a hurricane that devastated New Orleans in 2005, she warned the president: "If you don't take this crisis seriously this is going to be your Katrina."

Velázquez also said she was "offended and insulted" by Trump's tweet that Puerto Rico's public debt contributed to the crisis.

Joe Crowley, another New York Democrat, said it was "absolutely ridiculous" for Trump to mention debt "when people are suffering and dying".

"Here's a president who's used bankruptcy throughout his entire career," he said.

This article was amended on 26 September 2017 to show Jeb Bush was the governor of Florida, not Texas as an earlier version said.

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Trump warned: send help or risk making Puerto Rico crisis 'your Katrina'

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Donald Trump will visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday, to see some of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria on the lives of 3.5 million Americans. As the president announced the visit, however, one Democratic congresswoman who was born in Puerto Rico warned that his lack of attention to the disaster so far risked making it "your Katrina".

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An undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 struck off the coast of Bali

The quake was detected north-east of Kemeduran and sparked tsunami fears

Quake was 125km north-east of Surabaya and a depth of 588km was measured

A huge undersea earthquake has struck off the coast of Bali, Indonesia.

The 5.7 magnitude quake was detected north-east of Kemeduran on Thursday, the US Geological Survey has confirmed.

The quake was 125km northeast of Surabaya, Java, and was measured at a depth of 588km - immediately sparked fears of a tsunami.

It is the latest in a series of intense earthquakes that have rocked the Pacific ring of fire, including New Zealand, Vanuatu, Indonesia, Japan and Mexico, in the last 24-hours.

Although an official tsunami warning has not been issued, locals living near Mount Agung volcano were seen evacuating their homes following increased seismic activity in Karangasem.

One woman was pictured loading numerous items from her home into a truck before covering them with a tarp.

Groups of people were also seen gathering at a lookout point to watch Mount Agung for eruption.

Officials have more than doubled the size of the evacuation zone around the volcano on the tourist island of Bali and raised its alert level for the second time in less than a week.

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Bali tsunami warning as massive 5.7-magnitude earthquake strikes

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An undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 struck off the coast of Bali The quake was detected north-east of Kemeduran and sparked tsunami fears Quake was 125km north-east of Surabaya and a depth of 588km was measured A huge undersea earthquake has struck off the coast of Bali, Indonesia.

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Firefighters battling a fast-moving blaze in the hills of Orange and Riverside counties Tuesday will face another day of heat, light wind and low humidity -- factors that will that will continue to dry vegetation and fuel flames, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures near the Canyon fire in the Santa Ana Mountains will hover around 90 degrees with winds moving at about 5 mph over the ridge tops with the occasional 15-mph gust, said Miguel Miller, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

"Looking out, the biggest enemy is humidity," he said.

The winds will push the fire southwest most of the day Tuesday before steering flames east toward Corona in the evening, he said.

As many as 1,500 Corona residents were forced to evacuate Monday as flames spread rapidly across 2,000 acres in the Santa Ana Mountains near the Anaheim-Corona border and threatened homes. Officials said evacuation orders remained in effect overnight as helicopters continued to drop water on the blaze.

Late Monday, officials said the blaze had damaged one home in the Dominguez Ranch area and that the overall blaze was just 5% contained.

Authorities ordered residents of all homes south of Green River Road -- from the 91 Freeway to Trudy Lane, including the Orchard Glen Tract -- to leave as more than 300 firefighters trudged through steep, rugged terrain.

By 11 p.m. Monday, about 40 residents had gathered at an evacuation center opened at Corona High School. Officials announced that four schools - Cesar Chavez Academy and Adams, Coronita and Prado View elementary schools - will be closed Tuesday, citing poor air quality, active evacuations and road closures.

Green River Road was closed at Palisades Drive, Serfas Club Drive and Paseo Grande. Residents not affected by evacuations may enter with ID.

The following roads were also closed Monday night to incoming traffic: Dominguez Ranch Road, Nicholas Place, Canyon Crest Drive, Boulder Drive, Suncrest Drive, Ridgeline Drive (south of Green River), Serfas Club (south of Green River), Montana Ranch Road, and Del Mar and Trudy ways.

Two lanes of the eastbound 91 freeway near Coal Canyon Road remained closed Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
joseph.serna@latimes.com For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter. Staff writers Alene Tchekmedyian and James Queally contributed to this report.

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Crews battling wildfire near Corona face another day of low humidity and 90-degree heat

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Firefighters battling a fast-moving blaze in the hills of Orange and Riverside counties Tuesday will face another day of heat, light wind and low humidity -- factors that will that will continue to dry vegetation and fuel flames, according to the National Weather Service.

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Indonesian officials have drawn up plans to divert flights to 10 airports across the country and extend tourist visas for stranded travellers should Bali's Mount Agung - which has been rumbling perilously for days - erupt.

According to Indonesia's volcanology centre, Mount Agung, which has not erupted since 1963, is "exhibiting heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption".

With hundreds of internal volcanic earthquakes each day and a 4.2-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday afternoon, Agung's rising seismicity has put people in Bali on edge.

Indonesian transportation minister Budi Karya Sumadi said preparations had been made in anticipation of any disruption to air travel through the country's second-busiest airport.

The designated airports - in Jakarta, Makassar, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Solo, Ambon, Manado, Praya, Kupang and Banyuwangi - will serve as alternative routes should a volcanic eruption and expected ash cloud force Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport to close.

Budi also called for increased agency coordination to mitigate logistical issues, including the extension of visas for stranded travellers.

"If a tourist must overstay due to the eruption of Mount Agung, then immigration must provide assistance related to the extension of their tourist visa," he said in a statement.

Nearly five million people visited the popular resort destination of Bali last year, mostly from Australia, China and Japan. Bali's airport was operating as normal on Wednesday, but Virgin Australia and Jetstar have said they will carry extra fuel in case their planes are required to alter course.

In the coastal village of Amed, 10 miles (16km) from Mount Agung, the effects of the volcanic rumblings on tourism are already being felt.

Anna Richardson, a British diving instructor who works in Amed, said tourists had panicked and left when the the danger level was raised to the maximum level last Friday evening.

"The streets were suddenly really busy and there were a few tremors, so there was a mass panic, with roads blocked. It took some people six hours to get to Sanur," she said, of a drive that normally takes about two hours.

Richardson said most dive shops and many restaurants had shut down in Amed over recent days. In a town that relies on tourism, she said, prolonged uncertainty would likely hurt the local economy.

Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency has installed warning sirens to alert the public in the event of an eruption and about 75,000 people have been evacuated, seeking shelter in hundreds of temporary camps.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, and the first lady Iriana paid a visit to two of the camps on Tuesday afternoon. "While the government will continue to try to minimise the economic losses of the community, the most important priority is the safety of the people here," he said.

Volcanologists have stressed that it is impossible to say if and when Mount Agung might erupt, only that there is increased probability that it will.

"There is no certainty when it will erupt, or even if it will erupt. And we cannot predict exactly when and with how much intensity," said Jokowi.

The president's visit coincided with the delivery of trucks of government aid valued at 7.2 billion rupiah (£400,000/AU$685,000), including more than 18,000 mattresses, 12 tons of rice, 520,000 masks and books for children.

Mount Agung is located on the notorious ring of fire, a string of volcanoes and seismic activity that runs through the Indonesian archipelago and the edges of the Pacific Ocean. It last erupted in 1963, when more than 1,000 people were killed.

According to Devy Kamil Syahbana, a seismologist from Indonesia's volcanology centre, that eruption took one year to cease.

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Mount Agung volcano threat forces Bali to make plans for stranded travellers

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Indonesian officials have drawn up plans to divert flights to 10 airports across the country and extend tourist visas for stranded travellers should Bali's Mount Agung - which has been rumbling perilously for days - erupt. According to Indonesia's volcanology centre, Mount Agung, which has not erupted since 1963, is "exhibiting heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption".

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Hurricane Maria has been upgraded to a "extremely dangerous" Category 5 storm with sustained winds of up to 160 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Maria will affect portions of the Leeward Islands and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands in the next couple of days. It's likely to affect Puerto Rico with life-threatening storm surge, destructive waves and flash flooding.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, St. Eustatius, St. Martin, Anguilla, St. Lucia and Martinique.

Maria is currently on track to hit many of the same Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma in the last two weeks.

It remains too early to know if Maria's track will take it to Florida, which continues to clean up from Irma. The current National Hurricane Center forecast has it veering away from Florida after it goes over Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Earlier:
Hurricane Maria has been upgraded to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph as of Monday morning. It is expected to pick up strength and could reach Category 4 levels with winds of 150 mph by Tuesday.

It remains on track to hit the Caribbean but it's unclear whether it will make it to Florida, parts of which were ravaged last week by Hurricane Irma.

It is still too early to know if Maria's path will bring it to Florida but the NHC said it is closely monitoring the storm.
Original story:

Hurricane Maria has been upgraded to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph as of Monday morning. It is expected to pick up strength and could reach Category 4 levels with winds of 150 mph by Tuesday.

It remains on track to hit the Caribbean but it's unclear whether it will make it to Florida, parts of which were ravaged last week by Hurricane Irma.

It is not known yet if Maria's path will bring it to Florida.

"It is still way too early to tell what if any impacts Maria may bring to South Florida. Regardless, we continue to be in the middle of hurricane season, and it is always a good idea to keep that hurricane plan up to date," officials with the National Hurricane Center said.
Earlier:
Hurricane Maria - this year's 12th named Atlantic storm - is now a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 75-miles-per-hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The latest track has the storm hitting some of the same Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma earlier this month. Hurricane warnings are currently in place for Guadeloupe, Domica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. A hurricane watch is in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Saba and St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, and Anguilla, as well as the hard-hit areas of Antigua and Barbuda. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Maria is forecast to intensify to a Category 3 storm with sustained winds topping 125 mph by Thursday, just ahead of its arrival in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It's too early to know if Maria's path will take it to Florida, which is still cleaning up from Hurricane Irma, but officials said they are closely watching the storm.

More than 50 deaths - including 26 in Florida - are blamed on Irma, which made landfall in south Florida on Sept. 9.
Hurricane Maria track worrisome for islands; 'rapid strengthening' possible Irma clean-up continues
Even as the coast keeps an eye on Maria, the cleanup from Hurricane Irma continues.

As many as 1 million people remain without power in Florida, down from a high of 6.7 million last week. Access to fuel continues to be a concern, with Gov. Rick Scott ordering the Florida Highway Patrol to escort fuel resupply trucks to gas stations and waiving weight and driver restrictions so gasoline could flow more readily into the state.

More than 7,000 military personnel are in Florida to assist with cleanup. Sixty-five shelters remain open with a total population of some 4,000.

Flood warnings are in effect across the state and high waters had resulted in the closure of some roads. The Florida Department of Transportation said I-75 remains open as flood waters have receded from the Santa Fe River. The U.S. 41 bridge at the Santa Fe River has also opened.

Bridge inspections and debris clearance are ongoing throughout the state.

People in Key West are returning to what was perhaps the hardest-hit area, with officials telling residents they should have enough supplies to take care of themselves for a few weeks. Visitors to the Keys - a popular tourist destination - are being asked to delay any "near-term" trips.
Dangerous rip currents from Jose
Another Atlantic hurricane - Jose - is being blamed for dangerous rip currents for all of Florida's east coast beaches. Rough surf and swells as high as 7 feet are expected to remain through mid-week.

Jose, a Category 1 hurricane as of Sunday night, is moving northward and will approach New England later this week.

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Hurricane Marie upgraded to Category 5: Latest track, Irma cleanup continues in Florida

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Hurricane Maria has been upgraded to a "extremely dangerous" Category 5 storm with sustained winds of up to 160 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maria will affect portions of the Leeward Islands and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands in the next couple of days.

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Two days after Rosario Islas's cinderblock shack collapsed in Mexico's massive earthquake last week, a group of political operatives turned up at her ruined home, in the borough of Xochimilco in the south of the capital.

They had food, water, and building materials - but before they would hand anything over, they demanded Islas show her government-issued voter ID.

Parties often use such information to track potential voters - and even to sign them up as members without their knowledge.

But Islas was unable to comply.

"It told them it was buried under the rubble," she said. "What little we had was all lost."

The party operatives moved on - taking their relief packages with them.

Mexicans have responded to last week's magnitude 7.1 earthquake with an outpouring of neighborly charity, civic activism and national pride.

But some politicians and public officials have been accused of trying to take advantage of a tragedy that has left more than 300 dead and many more homeless.

The contrast has caused outrage in a country where recurring corruption scandals and pervasive impunity have fueled a deep mistrust of the political class and the state structure.

Such is the depth of skepticism that some relief workers went out of their way to stress that they were not affiliated with any grouping.

On a recent morning a group of young people from another Mexico City neighborhood brought blankets, building materials and food to Xochimilcho, a poor municipality best known for its network of canals and artificial islands.

"We're not from any political party," said the volunteers' leader Víctor Hugo Arzate, a consultant.

Arzate's caution was probably well-advised; several politicians have been jeered when touring earthquake-hit areas. Last week, President Enrique Peña Nieto was booed by students as he toured a damaged town in his home state.

"Grab a shovel," shouted one of them.

In Islas's community of San Gregorio Altapulco, where 13 people died, locals ran off the Xochimilco borough chief, Avelino Méndez, last Thursday, chasing him through the streets and pelting him with stones.

Locals say that much of the immediate disaster response concentrated on richer parts of the capital and official help was slow to reach Xochimilco.

"There hasn't been any assistance from the borough, the Mexico City government or the federal government," said Sergio de los Santos, one of the many small farmers in San Gregorio, who grow lettuce, spinach and greens on artificial islands known as chinampas.

Other grievances with local officials predate the earthquake - the rutted road into town, poor water service and too many unkept campaign promises - but the earthquake brought such frustrations to a head, said De los Santos.

"They ran off the borough chief because he hasn't done anything."
If the disaster prompted an outbreak of national unity, it has also revealed the depth of discontent with the country's political class.
Mexico's political parties were due to recieve roughly £165m in public funding in 2018, an election year, but following calls on social media from activists and celebrities, all the main groupings have pledged to divert part of the money towards earthquake relief instead.

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President Enrique Peña Nieto, right, inspects affected areas in Pueblo state. He was booed by students in his home state of Mexico. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock

Yet, few of the politicians have got their hands dirty.

"You haven't seen a single cabinet member hauling a bucket of rubble away from a building," said Adrián Rueda, a local political columnist.

In the state of Morelos, one of the regions closest to the quake's epicenter, Catholic bishop Ramón Castro accused the state government of diverting aid packages so that it could claim credit for the supplies.

Morelos's governor, Graco Ramírez, denied the allegations, but was jeered by crowds as he toured the state on Sunday.

Some have seen echoes of Mexico City's catastrophic 1985 earthquake, in which thousands died and survivors were left to fend for themselves in the face of an inept federal government response.
That episode indirectly led to a political upheaval in Mexico City, where the left won power in 1997 and has ruled ever since.

Some analysts believe that the 2017 earthquake could bring about similar change in the country's politics.

Ilán Semo, a historian at the Iberoamerican University, said that issues such as housing and reconstruction will come to the fore in next year's election campaign and could galvanize voters to create new political organizations.

But he warned that the traditional parties would want to prevent such a development. "They don't want people to organise over this," he said.

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Anger at response to Mexico earthquake could bring political aftershocks

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Two days after Rosario Islas's cinderblock shack collapsed in Mexico's massive earthquake last week, a group of political operatives turned up at her ruined home, in the borough of Xochimilco in the south of the capital. They had food, water, and building materials - but before they would hand anything over, they demanded Islas show her government-issued voter ID.

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A strong earthquake has struck central Mexico, killing more than 130 people and toppling dozens of buildings in the capital, Mexico City.

Rescuers are searching for survivors and there are reports of children trapped in a partly collapsed school.

The 7.1 magnitude quake caused damage in Morelos and Puebla states and in Mexico State.

It struck while many people took part in an earthquake drill exactly 32 years after a quake killed thousands.

The country is prone to earthquakes and earlier this month an 8.1 magnitude tremor in the south left at least 90 dead.

The epicentre of the latest quake was next to Atencingo in Puebla state, about 120km (75 miles) from Mexico City, with a depth of 51km, the US Geological Survey said.

At least 139 people had died across the country, a civil protection agency spokesman told the BBC.

At least 64 people were killed in Morelos state alone, south of the capital, and 29 reported killed in Puebla state. Thirty-six are confirmed dead in Mexico City, with another nine in Mexico State, and one dead in Guerrero.

About two million people in the capital were without electricity and phone lines were down. Officials also warned residents not to smoke on the streets as gas mains could have been ruptured.

Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera told TV network Televisa that rescue services were dealing with collapsed or badly damaged buildings at 44 locations.

The earthquake drill was being held in Mexico City on the 32nd anniversary of a quake that killed up to 10,000 people.

Earthquake alarms did sound, correspondents say, but some residents apparently thought they were part of the day of drills.

Mexico City is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with more than 20 million people living in the metropolitan area.

The prolonged tremor hit at 13:14 local time (18:14 GMT) and sent thousands of residents into the streets.

Jennifer Swaddle, a teacher at the British International School in Mexico City, told the BBC that part of her classroom collapsed after the earthquake hit.

"Something that started as a tremor quickly escalated into something where the classroom shook," she said.

"As we were leaving, the outside of my classroom wall fell, so there was a big pile of rubble. Luckily, fantastically, nobody was hurt, but it was incredibly frightening."

A six-storey blocks of flats, a supermarket and a factory were said to be among the collapsed buildings in Mexico City.

Mexican media also reported that some children had been rescued from the partially collapsed Enrique Rebsamen school, in Mexico City's southern Coapa district, but that others were still trapped.

Across the city, teams of rescue workers and volunteers clawed through the rubble with picks, shovels and their bare hands.

"My wife is there. I haven't been able to communicate with her," said Juan Jesus Garcia, 33, choking back tears next to a collapsed building.

"She is not answering and now they are telling us we have to turn off our mobile phones because there is a gas leak."

President Enrique Peña Nieto urged people to avoid the streets so emergency services could reach the most affected areas.

Panic on the streets
By Juan Paullier, BBC News, Mexico City
Mexico City is a city all too used to earthquakes. But this tremor, on the anniversary of another one that left thousands dead in 1985, was especially powerful.

It sent thousands of people into the streets, trembling, shaking, crying, and trying to reach their loved ones by phone.

As time passes it is becoming clear that there are going to be many victims. In the capital alone, about 30 buildings collapsed.

In one of the worst-affected areas I saw dozens of people desperately removing rubble because they believed someone was trapped.

Alfredo del Mazo Maza, governor of the State of Mexico, said schools would be closed on Wednesday. He also ordered all public transport to operate services for free so that people could travel home.

Foreign leaders sent messages of support to Mexico as the scale of the disaster became clear.

US President Donald Trump, who has courted controversy with his plans for a border wall with Mexico, tweeted: "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also tweeted his support following the "devastating news".
Are you in the affected area? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

WhatsApp: +44 7555 173285

Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk

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A strong earthquake has struck central Mexico, killing more than 130 people and toppling dozens of buildings in the capital, Mexico City. Rescuers are searching for survivors and there are reports of children trapped in a partly collapsed school. The 7.1 magnitude quake caused damage in Morelos and Puebla states and in Mexico State.

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Bringing you the latest Hurricane Jose path updates, storm track, weather models, the latest forecasts, tracking maps and videos as the storm heads towards the Caribbean.

The category 4 hurricane currently has maximum sustained winds near 120mph and is moving towards the Leeward islands.

Jose is a much weaker storm than Hurricane Irma, which is currently tearing through the Caribbean towards Florida, USA.

We will have the latest Hurricane Jose news in one place, updated throughout the day and night until the storm has passed.

Here are live updates from the the NOAA, National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the National Weather Service (NWS) as well as the most advanced weather models from around the world. All times EDT.
HURRICANE IRMA PATH UPDATE LIVE

Hurricane Irma: Damage in the Caribbean latest pictures
Fri, September 8, 2017
Hurricane Irma sowed a trail of deadly devastation through the Caribbean, reducing to rubble the tropical islands of Barbuda and St Martin and claiming at least 14 lives

1pm: Hurricane Jose is now a category 4 hurricane
Data collected by an Air Force Hurricane Hunter plane indicates that Hurricane Jose has reached category 4 cyclone winds.

Maximum sustained winds near the eye of the storm are being picked up at near near 150 mph (240 km/h).

At 1pm EDT (3pm BST), Jose was only 435 miles (700 km) east-southeast of the devastated Leeward Islands.

The cyclone is moving forward at a speed of 18 mph (30 km/h).
10.00am: Guadeloupe scrap boat links ahead of Jose's arrival
Boat links from Guadeloupe to St Martin and St Barts - all three of which were badly hit by Hurricane Irma - have been cut due to the arrival of Jose.

Officials said that "weather conditions are deteriorating and the northern islands are now in orange alert".

9.25am: Barbuda evacuation underway
Government offices will shortly (at 12pm) close in Barbuda as a mandatory evacuation gets underway.

Barbuda's 1,600 residents are being moved to its sister island Antigua as Hurricane Jose approaches.
8am: Latest NOAA advisory
Earlier this week Hurricane Irma left Barbuda "barely habitable", destroying 90 per cent of its buildings and killing at least one person.

The latest NOAA update puts Jose on track to arrive at the Leeward Islands on Saturday.

The latest storm path shows Hurricane Jose skirting past the Leewards, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic before going into the North Atlantic.

Landfall is not forecast at this time.

Hurricane winds will bring heavy rain and dangerous swells to the Leewards.

The NOAA said: "Jose is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph.

"A slower west-northwestward motion is expected during the next couple of days."

"Hurricane conditions are possible within the hurricane watch area on Saturday, and tropical storm conditions are expected within

the tropical storm warning areas by Saturday morning.

"Tropical storm conditions are possible in the tropical storm watch areas by Saturday morning.

"Jose is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 2 to 6 inches in the Leeward Islands from Dominica to Anguilla.

"Isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches are possible in the northern Leeward Islands from Antigua and Barbuda to Anguilla.

"This rainfall will maintain any ongoing flooding and may cause additional life-threatening flooding.

"Swells generated by Jose are expected to affect portions of the Leeward Islands by later today.

"These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

There are no changes to watches and warnings at this time.

Hurricane Jose: Latest Maps
Fri, September 8, 2017
Hurricane Jose is hurtling through the Caribbean and is set to follow Hurricane Irma, updated daily

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST HURRICANE JOSE PATH UPDATES. 4am: Jose to strengthen into category 4 hurricane
Hurricane Jose is expected to strengthen into a category 4 hurricane.

Alain Muzelec of Météo-France forecast that the storm will continue to strengthen, adding that it should not directly affect the Antilles.
2am: Jose swells to hit Leeward Islands
The latest NOAA advisory warns that swells generated by Hurricane Jose are expected to affect portions of the Leeward Islands later today.

"These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," the NOAA said.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 120mph, with some strengthening possible during the next day or so.

The storm is located about 600 miles east-southeast of the northern Leewards, and is hurtling through the Atlantic at 18mph. It is on track to reach the islands by Friday night and Saturday.

After that, the hurricane is expected to move northwestward and then northward into the Atlantic.
11pm: Category 3 Jose 'maintaining strength' as it follows Irma.
The latest NOAA public advisory said the Category 3 Hurricane was "maintaining its strength" as the storm follows a similar path to Irma.

A Tropical Storm Warning for Antigua, Barbuda, and Anguilla has now been issued by the Antigua government in addition to an earlier Hurricane Watch status.

Antigua and Barbuda - which was struck by Irma on Wednesday evening with the nation's prime minister describing island announcing the island had been left "almost uninhabitable" by the Hurricane.

The eye of Hurricane Jose is around 635miles (1020km) from the Leeward Islands.

Anguilla, Montserrat, St Kitts, Nevis, Saba and St Eustatius are also under Tropical Storm Watch.

The NHC public advisory said: "At 11pm AST (3am UTC), the eye of Hurricane Jose was located near latitude 15.6 North, longitude 53.9 West. Jose is moving toward the west near 18mph (30 kmph).

"A slower west-northwestward motion is expected during the next couple of days. On the forecast track, Jose is expected to be near the northern Leeward Islands on Saturday.

"Maximum sustained winds remain near 120mph (195 kmph) with higher gusts. Jose is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

"Some slight strengthening is possible during the next day or so.

"Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35miles (55km) from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115miles (185 km).

"The estimated minimum central pressure is 966mb (28.53inches)."
8.00pm: NOAA National Hurricane Center publishes it 8pm public advisory
The advisory says the eye of Hurricane Jose was moving west-northwest as the storm follows a similar path to Irma.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Antigua and Barbuda - which was struck by Irma on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, Anguilla, Montserrat, St Kitts, Nevis, Saba and St Eustatius are under Tropical Storm Watch.

Jose is expected to be near the northern Leeward Islands on Saturday and the NOAA warns that "some strengthening is forecast during the next day or so".
5.45pm: Jose nearing Caribbean
Hurricane Jose, according to the latest alert, is now 590 miles east of the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles islands.
5.25pm: Detailed warnings given by NHC
The NHC has issued detailed warnings for the Caribbean as Jose approaches.

Hurricane Watch is now in effect for Antigua and Barbuda.

Storm Surge Watches are now in effect for Anguilla, Montserrat, St Kitts, and Nevis, Saba and St Eustatius just hours after the islands were hit by Hurricane Irma.

Jose is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 2 to 6 inches in the Leeward Islands from Dominica to Anguilla. Isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches are possible in the northern Leeward Islands from Antigua and Barbuda to Anguilla. This rainfall will maintain any ongoing flooding and may cause additional life-threatening flooding.

Swells generated by Jose are likely to affect portions of the Leeward Islands by Saturday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
4.40pm: Hurricane Jose upgraded to Category 3
Hurricane Jose has now been upgraded by the National Hurricane Center to a Category 3 storm.

Sustained winds are now as high as 120mph, the NHC said.
4.20pm: Lifeline for western Caribbean and Florida?
According to NHC Hurricane Jose may take a more northernly route than Hurricane Irma - but not before passing through an already devastated Barbuda.

The NHC said: "Beyond that time, the global models suggest that an approaching mid-latitude trough will cause the ridge to retreat, causing Jose to turn more toward the northwest, and eventually toward the north."
3.45pm: Hurricane Jose nears Caribbean
Hurricane Jose is now 815 miles east of the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles islands.
2pm: Hurricane Jose is now a category 2 cyclone
Hurricane Jose has breached the category 2 threshold as it speeds towards the devastated Leeward Islands.

The cyclone is getting closer to the Lesser Antilles, and is now only 660 miles (1,060 km) away.

Jose is travelling at a speed of 18 mph (30 km/h).

The NHC said: "Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 105 mph (165 km/h) with higher gusts.
"Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Jose is expected to become a major hurricane on Friday." 1.10pm: Islands ravaged by Irma face new threat
The tiny Caribbean islands of Barbuda and Antigua face being devastated once more by the arrival of Hurricane Jose over the weekend.

Meteorologist Michael Ventrice tweeted: "Back to back Major Hurricane landfalls across the northern Leewards in just 1 week of time. You have got to be kidding me."
11am: Jose to become 'major hurricane' by Friday
Hurricane Jose is now only 715 miles (1,150 km) east from the Lesser Antilles.

Anticipating the impeding cyclone, the Government of Antigua has issued a Hurricane Watch for Antigua and Barbuda.

Tropical Storm Watches have also been issued across Anguilla, Montserrat, St Kitts, and Nevis as well as St Saba and St Eustatius.

Jose is now pushing maximums sustained winds of up to 90 mph (150 km/h) and is moving at a speed of 18 mph (30km/h).

The NHC warns: "Jose is developing an eye. Convection remains very symmetric around the centre, and a well-defined mid-level eye has been evident in microwave imagery throughout the morning.

"Outflow remains well established in all quadrants, despite the close proximity of Irma to the west, perhaps in part due to the small size of Jose.

It added: "However, the overall trend of intensification is not likely to have ended, and Jose is still forecast to become a major hurricane in about 24 hours."
10.00am: Barbuda Jose update 9.50am: Incredible satellite images show Jose tearing through Atlantic
Scott Williams, chief meteorologist for WTXF-Fox 29 News in Philadelphia, has warned that Barbuda could be hit by Hurricane Jose on Friday night or Saturday morning.

NASA has released satellite images of Hurricane Jose raging in the Atlantic.

Though not as large as Irma, Jose is still an intimidating storm that has become more well-defined in the past 24 hours.

9.15am: Jose's possible loop explained
The Met Office's Julian Heming has shed some light on the possible loop that has been predicted for Jose.

"If we look into the medium-range period, once it gets past the Leewards and heads in the direction of Bermuda it's being steered north west by the same weather system which will cause Irma to move north and turn towards Florida," he explained.

"The issue is how much Jose engages with that system further north."

Some models show Jose performing a loop around the Atlantic if it interacts with this system, however these are long-range forecasts which can not be relied upon.

"This is very speculative, and we could find in a few days that the model forecasts could change again," Mr Heming said. "It's not something to push the panic button about."

It is possible that Jose will disengage from the system, "and what might happen is that Jose just then stops moving or becomes very slow moving in that area".

Alternatively, a high pressure area could build further north, "which could then cause Jose to move very erratically in a loop motion or a south-by-southwest motion".

Mr Heming explained: "Sea temperatures get cooler as you go further north, if the storm moves south-west it moves towards warmer waters which gives it the potential to strengthen."
8.50am: Barbuda could evacuate entire population if Jose hits
The Prime Minister of two-island state Barbuda and Antigua has said that he will consider moving the entire population of Barbuda to Antigua if Hurricane Jose threatens the region.
8.27am: Jose's track to be dictated by Irma
Barbuda has been flattened by Hurricane Irma, with 90 per cent of its buildings damaged and at least one person dead. Antigua escaped relatively unscathed.

Hurricane Jose's future track will be "dictated by track and mid-latitude interaction" of Hurricane Irma, meteorologist Michael Ventrice has tweeted.

7.35am: Forecasters worried that Jose could hit areas impacted by Irma
As Hurricane Jose continues to race across the Atlantic, weather forecaster fear Jose could reach areas already devastated by Hurricane Irma.

Meteorologist Rich Hoffman tweeted: "HURRICANE JOSE could impact the same areas as IRMA."

The NHC also advises that Hurricane Watches will likely be put in place for parts of the Leeward Islands later today.
6.45am: Fears grow for 'unreachable' St Martin
Hurricane Irma has left the Dutch part of St Martin "unreachable", the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said, as Jose heads toward the island.

"Alas, the island is not reachable at this point because of the huge damage to the airport and the harbor," Rutte told reporters.

He confirmed that there have not yet been any reported deaths on the Dutch side of the island. At least eight people have been killed on the French side.

Mr Rutte said that there were renewed fears about Hurricane Jose, which could make landfall over the weekend.
6.30am: Jose could loop towards Florida
Hurricane Jose could loop around the Atlantic and head directly towards Florida, new weather models show.

Meteorologist James Spann tweeted a video and wrote: "00Z Euro (ECMWF) continues to show a dangerous situation for the Atlantic coasts of FL/GA/SC."

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Hurricane Jose path update LIVE: Latest NOAA track & models as Jose follows Irma's path

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Bringing you the latest Hurricane Jose path updates, storm track, weather models, the latest forecasts, tracking maps and videos as the storm heads towards the Caribbean. The category 4 hurricane currently has maximum sustained winds near 120mph and is moving towards the Leeward islands.

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Bringing you the latest Hurricane Irma path updates, storm track, weather models, the latest forecasts, tracking maps and videos as the storm heads towards the Caribbean.

Hurricane Watches have been issued for nearly a dozen islands as Hurricane Irma brings dangerous winds, storm surge and torrential rain towards the Caribbean.

Uncertainty hangs over the level of threat to the US, although Americans in hurricane-prone areas have be told to make sure they have escape plans in place.

We will have the very latest Hurricane Irma news in one place, updated throughout the day and night until the storm has passed.

Here are live updates from the the NOAA, National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the National Weather Service (NWS) as well as the most advanced weather models from around the world.

5.30am CDT: Hurricane Irma heading towards Caribbean - Latest Met Office storm track
The Met Office storm tracker shows that the Hurricane Irma is heading towards the Caribbean islands under Hurricane Watches.

The storm track map should not be taken in isolation because it is only a 'single solution' from the latest run of the global model.

Meanwhile, spaghetti models are showing a vast spread of possible tracks because there is so much uncertainty over where Irma will go next.
4.12am CDT: Uncertainty over threat to the US
The NHC said: "It is too early to determine what direct impacts Irma might have on the continental United States.

"Regardless, everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place, as we are now near the peak of the season."

4.11am CDT: Irma to remain a 'dangerous hurricane'
The NHC warned that Hurricane Watches are likely to be issued for the British and US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later today.

It said: "Irma is expected to remain a dangerous major hurricane through the upcoming week and could directly affect the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas."

4.10am CDT: More Hurricane Watches likely to be issued today
The NHC said: "Hurricane watches have been issued for portions of the Leeward Islands, and additional hurricane or tropical storm watches or warnings will likely be issued later today."

Hurricane Watches in effect for Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St Kitts, Nevis, Saba, St Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy.
4.05am CDT: Irma to affect the northeastern Leeward Islands
The NHC said: "Irma is expected to affect the northeastern Leeward Islands within a couple of days as a major hurricane, accompanied by dangerous wind, storm surge, and rainfall impacts, along with rough surf and rip currents."

4am CDT: Hurricane Irma approaches Leeward Islands
Hurricane Irma was located about 625 miles (1,010km) east of the Leeward Islands. Irma was moving 14 mph (22 km/h) west-southwestward.

The NHC said: "On the forecast track, the center of Irma will move closer to the Leeward Islands through Tuesday and then be near the northern Leeward Islands Tuesday night."

Irma is continuing to strengthen with maximum sustained winds nearing 115 mph (185 km/h), just below the 130 mph threshold for category 4 hurricanes.

3.55am CDT: Irma poses 'serious threat' to Caribbean and US
AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said: "Irma is a serious threat for the Caribbean islands and United States."
READ MORE: PREVIOUS HURRICANE IRMA LIVE UPDATES

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Hurricane Irma path LIVE UPDATES: Irma bears down on Caribbean - Latest USA threat

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Bringing you the latest Hurricane Irma path updates, storm track, weather models, the latest forecasts, tracking maps and videos as the storm heads towards the Caribbean. Hurricane Watches have been issued for nearly a dozen islands as Hurricane Irma brings dangerous winds, storm surge and torrential rain towards the Caribbean.

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LOS ANGELES - Smoke filled the sky and ash rained down across Los Angeles Sunday from a destructive wildfire that the mayor said was the largest in city history - one of several blazes that sent thousands fleeing homes across the U.S. West during a blistering holiday weekend heat wave.

In Oregon, crews rescued about 140 hikers forced to spend the night in the woods after fire broke out along the popular Columbia River Gorge Trail. Search and rescue crews air-dropped supplies on Saturday as flames prevented the hikers' escape. Wildfires also burned in a 2,700-year-old grove of giant sequoia trees near Yosemite National Park, forced evacuations in Glacier National Park and drove people from homes in parts of the West struggling with blazing temperatures.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared a local emergency and at the state level, Gov. Jerry Brown did the same for the county after the wildfire destroyed three homes and threatened hillside neighborhoods. More than a thousand firefighters battled flames that chewed through more than 9 square miles (23 kilometers) of brush-covered mountains as authorities issued evacuation orders for homes in Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale.

Temperatures were in the mid-to-high 90s but crews got a break from increased humidity and winds that calmed to less than 5 mph.

"That can change in a moment's notice and the winds can accelerate very quickly," Los Angeles Fire Capt. Ralph Terrazas told reporters Sunday. "There is a lot of fuel out there left to burn."

Officials were keeping an eye on thunderstorms in the mountains to the north, which could bring welcome rain but also the risk of flash floods and lightning.

Burbank resident George Grair was not in the evacuation zone but watched uneasily as flames blackened a hillside in the near distance.

"It's very difficult to feel safe. I've got kids in the house," he told KABC-TV. "I probably slept two hours all night."

The high at Los Angeles International Airport reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) Sunday, topping the previous mark of 92 (33 Celsius), set in 1982. Records were also set in parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, where the temperature hit 101 degrees (38 Celsius).

San Francisco residents, meanwhile, stifled under a third day of a rare heat wave in the coastal city, although highs in the San Francisco Bay Area fell Sunday from all-time records set the previous two days.

"I went to Home Depot, Walgreens, Office Depot, Target. They were sold out!" downtown office worker Alganesh Ucbayonas said Sunday, detailing her unsuccessful search for a fan. "CVS!" she remembered.

On Sunday, Ucbayonas sat at her desk in a building lobby squarely between two fans, both scrounged from her office building's storage and trained straight at her face.

Fires burning up and down the Sierra Nevada and further to the northwest cast an eerie yellow and gray haze over much of California, and much of the state was under alerts because of poor air quality.

California authorities ordered evacuation for a third small town Sunday in one of the wildfires, a blaze that has burned 9-square-miles (23 square kilometers) near Yosemite National Park.

Firefighters battling that blaze were making it a priority to safeguard a 2,700-year-old grove of giant sequoia and a pair of historic cabins at the grove, fire spokeswoman Anne Grandy said. Fire crews had wrapped the two 19th-century cabins and an outhouse in shiny, fire-resistant material to protect them from the flames that had entered the Nelder Grove, Grandy said.

The flames were consuming old brush and dead wood on the forest floor, but had not burned the giant sequoia, some of which top 20 stories in height, she said. The millennia-old trees already had "survived thousands of fires," she said.

California crews are also protecting homes from a fast-moving wildfire that forced evacuations in Riverside County.

In the Pacific Northwest, high temperatures and a lack of rain this summer have dried out vegetation that fed on winter snow and springtime rain. Officials warned of wildfire danger as hot, dry, smoky days were forecast across Oregon and Washington over the holiday weekend. In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee proclaimed a state of emergency across all counties as three major fires closed recreation areas and prompted evacuations.

Flames in Montana's Glacier National Park prompted officials to evacuate all residents, campers and tourists from one of the most popular areas of the park. The order Sunday affects the Lake McDonald area, the western side of the dizzying Going-to-the Sun Road and some of the most visited trails in the area. The Lake McDonald Lodge, built in 1913, closed last week due to heavy smoke in the area.

Forecasters said more heat could be expected when remnants of Tropical Storm Lidia move north from Mexico's Baja California during the weekend.
Knickmeyer reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Justin Pritchard in Los Angeles, Matt Volz in Helena, Montana, and Martha Bellisle in Seattle contributed to this report.

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Wildfires surge amid scorching heat across Western U.S.

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Smoke filled the sky and ash rained down across Los Angeles Sunday from a destructive wildfire that the mayor said was the largest in city history - one of several blazes that sent thousands fleeing homes across the U.S. West during a blistering holiday weekend heat wave.

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With hundreds dead and millions either left homeless, or facing huge damage to their properties, catastrophic flooding has devastated many parts of the world. Nature's fury may seem unstoppable, but can technology at least help us to cope better?

Savage hurricanes and record rains have struck around the world, bringing chaos to many countries and regions, including Bangladesh, India, the Caribbean, China and Texas in the US.

Each year on average, flooding affects 96.9 million people worldwide, and causes $13.7bn (£10bn) in damage, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Those figures are likely to rise dramatically after this year's deluges.

"There are now many indications that the incidence of storms and persistent rainfall events is increasing with climate change," says Dr Justin Butler, chief executive of Brighton-based flood risk assessment firm Ambiental.

But more accurate data from satellites and ground-based sensors, coupled with supercomputer modelling and machine learning, are giving us a clearer picture of which areas are likely to be most affected, says Mr Butler.

"Tens of thousands of simulations need to be run to capture a range of possible events," he explains, "so the number of calculations that have to be carried out every second runs into the billions."

This kind of modelling is helping authorities plan flood defences more effectively, insurers price risk more accurately, emergency services improve how they respond, and homeowners take better protective measures.

Ambiental's "digital terrain models", built up using Lidar (light distance and ranging) laser technology and other data, map how water flows across urban and rural landscapes.

Its Flowroute modelling engine crunches all the data from sensors on land and in the sky - as well as historic data - to simulate complex flood flow patterns and make predictions.

All this extra data and computing power is helping insurance companies improve their pricing.

Liz Mitchell, founder of flood insurance specialist Flood Assist, says: "Recent flood events have seen insurers invest in more sophisticated data, which is allowing them to assess the flood risk of an individual property rather than that of a postcode.

"You can have many properties registered at a postcode, and some could literally be at the top of a hill and others at the bottom - they would represent very different risks."

In the 2011 Brisbane floods, Ambiental's model was 95% accurate, claims Mr Butler, correctly predicting flooding in 19 out of every 20 flooded properties.

More accurate modelling means some householders in previously "high risk" areas could see their premiums coming down.

But other householders, of course, could see their premiums rising after a reassessment.

"The use of data varies greatly from insurer-to-insurer. The more sophisticated the data the more accurate - theoretically - their pricing should be," says Ms Mitchell.

Given that the cost of winter flooding in the UK last year was estimated to be £1.3bn, insurers are desperate to get a clearer picture of their likely liabilities.

More extreme weather needs more sophisticated monitoring, which is why Nasa has funded the Global Flood Monitoring System (GFMS), an experimental online computer program run by the University of Maryland.

It can make almost real-time flood analysis by combining data from satellites with a sophisticated land surface model that incorporates vegetation cover, soil type, and terrain.

If water cannot soak away into the land, flood surges are more probable, and knowing where these are likely to hit is crucial for saving lives.

Organisations like the Red Cross and the UN World Food Program are already using GFMS before, during, and after floods to supplement other on-the-ground intelligence they may have.

Dr Robert Adler, a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland and one of the system's developers, says new Nasa satellite data has helped increase the accuracy of the model significantly - particularly useful during the recent Hurricane Harvey.

But he is not complacent.

"We've made a lot of progress and have had success," he says, "but there is still far to go. Improvements in the satellite rainfall estimates will lead directly to improved flood analysis."

Computational power is useless without accurate data to work with, so groundbreaking new satellites, such as the Japanese Himawari-8, are making a big difference.

More Technology of Business

It generates about 50 times more data than previous satellites, and can analyse average rainfall using thermal infrared images that read the temperature of cloud tops.

As well as advances in satellites, more sophisticated ground-based sensors are also improving modern flood prediction.

For example, the UK's Flood Network is harnessing the "internet of things" with the aim of creating an extensive, localised, early-warning system for flood-prone areas.

It uses wireless sensors monitoring water levels in streams, groundwater and river basins. The data is transmitted over a Low-Power Wide-Area Network designed for long-range communications at a low bit rate.

The initiative between Oxford-based Nominet and the Oxford Flood Network was launched in 2015, less than a year after the city was hit by floods that cut off major routes and homes for days.

"Although the Environment Agency provides blanket warnings, it has limited resources and uses just a few, expensive, professional sensors," says Adam Leach, Nominet's head of research and development.

"We thought that a higher density of sensors with more detailed data would make a real difference to monitoring water levels in flood-prone areas, particularly in small waterways.

"It's still relatively early days for the Flood Network," he adds, "but it demonstrates the huge potential the internet of things has to deliver the 'smart city' projects we've all heard so much about."

Forewarned is forearmed, they say, but a future Technology of Business feature will look at the technologies helping protect householders and businesses from the damage such floods can cause.

Follow Technology of Business editor Matthew Wall on Twitter and Facebook

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Where will the deadly floods strike next?

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With hundreds dead and millions either left homeless, or facing huge damage to their properties, catastrophic flooding has devastated many parts of the world. Nature's fury may seem unstoppable, but can technology at least help us to cope better?

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BANGKOK (Reuters) - Up to 80 percent of Thailand's tsunami warning system needs maintenance work, the deputy director-general of its disaster prevention department said on Monday, more than a decade after the region was hit by a tsunami that killed 226,000 people.

A 9.15 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004 and triggered a massive tsunami that caused large scaled destruction and loss of life throughout the Indian Ocean.

Popular tourist destination Thailand was among the worst affected, along with Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. Many of the 5,395 people killed in Thailand were foreign tourists holidaying along the shores of its idyllic islands and beaches.

Thailand's warning system includes warning towers, a network of detection buoys in the sea and public announcement systems.

"Around 70 to 80 percent, or around 2,000 pieces, need to be taken care of. We set up this system since 2006 so it needs to be maintained," Kobchai Boonyaorana, deputy director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, told Reuters, referring to various equipment.

"Batteries need to be changed," he added, "I've ordered that this needs to be done urgently particularly in the southern region which is a tourist region. There might be some places where the equipment is damaged but not many places."

Prasert Kunneang, public relations officer at the National Disaster Warning Center in Bangkok, said the tsunami warning system is tested daily and Thailand is prepared in the event of a future tsunami.

"If there is a tsunami tomorrow, the warning system would work," Prasert told Reuters.

With its picturesque beaches, gilded palaces and temples and balmy climate, Thailand remains a firm foreign tourist favorite.

Tourism accounts for 12 percent of Thailand's economic output, and has been a rare bright spot for Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, whose growth has lagged peers in recent years.

Other forms of communication will be used to warn people about a tsunami while the equipment undergoes maintenance, said Prasert, including television and radio announcements.

Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Michael Perry

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Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpanat

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Up to 80 percent of Thailand's tsunami warning system needs maintenance

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BANGKOK (Reuters) - Up to 80 percent of Thailand's tsunami warning system needs maintenance work, the deputy director-general of its disaster prevention department said on Monday, more than a decade after the region was hit by a tsunami that killed 226,000 people. A 9.15 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia on Dec.

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MACAU (Reuters) - Chinese People's Liberation Army troops were deployed on the streets of Macau on Friday to help clean up in the aftermath of a devastating typhoon and amid mounting criticism authorities were unprepared for the severity of the storm.

Macau public broadcaster, TDM, reported some 1,000 Chinese PLA troops left their Macau barracks to assist in the recovery. Chinese troops are rarely seen on Macau streets.

Dressed in fatigues and caps, some used shovels to shift mounds of stinking rubbish and debris cluttering public spaces, including smashed furniture, sofa and televisions, while processions of green military trucks rumbled along roads.

Macau's leader Fernando Chui requested the Chinese army's involvement in "disaster relief" after the highest category 10 Typhoon Hato pummeled the world's biggest gambling hub on Wednesday, the government said.

Under Macau law, the assistance of Chinese troops can be sought for such humanitarian purposes.

The death toll from Hato stood at nine, with scores missing. Hato, with destructive winds of more than 200 kph (124 mph), was the worst storm since 1968 to hit Macau, causing almost city-wide blackouts, flooding, disrupting water supplies, smashing scores of vehicles and damaging buildings.

"This is horrible, horrible. We live like refugees," said a resident in her 60s surnamed Yeung.

Hong Kong's weather observatory said there were indications another storm, brewing close to the Philippines, could hit southern China in the next few days, though it wasn't expected to be as strong as Hato.

"NO TIME TO PREPARE"

Amid mounting outrage at the government's handling of the storm, including the perceived failure to adequately warn residents as it approached, Macau leader Chui apologized and said the head of the local observatory would step down.

Some residents said it wasn't enough.

"The official who left is just a scapegoat to protect Chui...the government is useless," said Protia Chow, a resident in her 50s who helps run a trading company.

"Chui will not step down but many people think he should," said Macau resident Cheng Kin-ching. "People are angry at the local government ... people were still going to work and it was very dangerous. People died and it's the government's responsibility. People had no time to prepare."

Sonia Chan, an official with the Secretariat for Administration and Justice, who visited some badly affected areas, deflected questions on the public outrage.

"We are here today for disaster relief. We hope to do something concrete," she said.

As nearby Hong Kong shut down and closed financial markets on Wednesday ahead of Hato, Macau's authorities failed to raise a sufficiently high typhoon warning signal, critics said, leading many residents to go to work that day.

Authorities have struggled to restore order in the city of 600,000, with some residents having to queue for water from fire hydrants. Many of Macau's large casinos were relying on back-up generators.

Macau has been rapidly transformed since its return from Portuguese to Chinese rule in 1999 into a gambling hub many times larger than Las Vegas, with major U.S. casinos piling in.

Infrastructure, however, has mostly failed to keep pace with its development despite the rise of a wave of glitzy casino resorts.

Macau gambling stocks fell again in Friday trade with shares of MGM China leading the slide and down nearly 2.5 percent. Wynn Macau fell nearly 2 percent, and Melco International dropped 1.6 percent. Galaxy Entertainment eased 1.5 percent.

Reporting by Venus Wu, Farah Master and Tyrone Siu; Additional reporting by Donny Kwok; Writing by James Pomfret; Editing by Michael Perry and Richard Borsuk

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Macau enlists Chinese army as authorities struggle with typhoon fallout

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MACAU (Reuters) - Chinese People's Liberation Army troops were deployed on the streets of Macau on Friday to help clean up in the aftermath of a devastating typhoon and amid mounting criticism authorities were unprepared for the severity of the storm.

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HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tropical storm Pakhar brought strong winds and heavy rain to Hong Kong and Macau on Sunday, just four days after one of the strongest typhoons on record, Hato, caused serious flooding and damage in the territories and killed at least 10 people in the gaming hub.

The two cities lowered their typhoon signal to No.3 in the early afternoon, after Pakhar brushed passed and landed in the southern Chinese city of Taishan in the morning.

Both cities issued their third-highest weather warnings, storm signal No. 8, early in the day as winds intensified and heavy rain lashed down, churning up rough seas and prompting alerts of flooding in low-lying areas.

No serious damage has been observed in Hong Kong so far. The government said it has received 13 reports of flooding and 159 reports of fallen trees.

Hong Kong's weather observatory said in the early hours that winds occasionally reached storm force in the southern part of the territory and hurricane force on high ground on Lantau Island to the west of the city where the airport is situated.

Pakhar's arrival comes as the cities are still reeling from Hato. While Hong Kong escaped major damage, Hato devastated Macau, the world's largest gambling hub, killing at least 10 people, injuring 244 and exposing critical infrastructure flaws after it left the city without water and power for days.

The maximum sustained winds recorded at Cheung Chau and Chek Lap Kok were 114 and 76 kilometers per hour (71 and 47 miles per hour), respectively, in the morning, with maximum gusts at 136 and 101 kmh.

China's Meteorological Administration maintained its yellow typhoon warning, the third-highest of four levels, as of midday Sunday and said torrential rains are expected in several southern provinces through Monday afternoon.

Airport Authority Hong Kong reported 300 flights have been canceled or delayed, and around 30 diverted to other places by noon. Hong Kong's flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, said the storm would cause delays and cancellations to flights arriving and departing on Sunday and Monday.

Some ferries to Macau and outlying islands in Hong Kong resumed service after the typhoon signals were lowered.

In Macau, the storm will pose a major setback to clean-up efforts that saw Chinese People's Liberation Army troops deployed to help remove mountains of stinking debris strewn across some heavily flooded districts battered by Hato.

Power has been restored in the territory but some areas still lacked water supply as of Saturday evening, the Macau Government Information Bureau said on its official website.

The government said the city still faced a severe challenge in removing huge piles of waste from the streets, with 2,600 tonnes of debris collected on Saturday alone. Shower facilities and changing rooms at four public swimming pools have been opened to accommodate residents with no water facilities.

Four Hong Kong journalists were denied entry to Macau on Saturday to cover the storms and relief effort on grounds they "posed a risk to the stability of internal security," according to reports from the media companies they represented. The Hong Kong Journalists Association expressed "deep regret" over the incident and urged Macau to respect press freedom. Police chief Ma Io-kun told a press conference on Saturday he was not aware of the case, but said the government respects press freedom "very much".

Reporting by Anne Marie Roantree, Clare Jim, Venus Wu and Farah Master; Additional reporting by Elias Glenn; Editing by Andrew Hay and Paul Simao

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hotels and entertainment services (trbc)

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wind / hurricanes / typhoons / tornadoes

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machinery / equipment / components (legacy)

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Storm Pakhar hits Hong Kong and Macau days after deadly Hato

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Tropical storm Pakhar brought strong winds and heavy rain to Hong Kong and Macau on Sunday, just four days after one of the strongest typhoons on record, Hato, caused serious flooding and damage in the territories and killed at least 10 people in the gaming hub.

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Extreme heatwaves that kill even healthy people within hours will strike parts of the Indian subcontinent unless global carbon emissions are cut sharply and soon, according to new research.

Even outside of these hotspots, three-quarters of the 1.7bn population - particularly those farming in the Ganges and Indus valleys - will be exposed to a level of humid heat classed as posing "extreme danger" towards the end of the century.

The new analysis assesses the impact of climate change on the deadly combination of heat and humidity, measured as the "wet bulb" temperature (WBT). Once this reaches 35C, the human body cannot cool itself by sweating and even fit people sitting in the shade will die within six hours.

The revelations show the most severe impacts of global warming may strike those nations, such as India, whose carbon emissions are still rising as they lift millions of people out of poverty.

"It presents a dilemma for India between the need to grow economically at a fast pace, consuming fossil fuels, and the need to avoid such potentially lethal impacts," said Prof Elfatih Eltahir, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US who led the new study. "To India, global climate change is no longer abstract - it is about how to save potentially vulnerable populations."

Heatwaves are already a major risk in South Asia, with a severe episode in 2015 leading to 3,500 deaths, and India recorded its hottest ever day in 2016 when the temperature in the city of Phalodi, Rajasthan, hit 51C. Another new study this week linked the impact of climate change to the suicides of nearly 60,000 Indian farmers.

Eltahir said poor farmers are most at risk from future humid heatwaves, but have contributed very little to the emissions that drive climate change. The eastern part of China, another populous region where emissions are rising, is also on track for extreme heatwaves and this risk is currently being examined by the scientists.

Their previous research, published in 2015, showed the Gulf in the Middle East, the heartland of the global oil industry, will also suffer heatwaves beyond the limit of human survival if climate change is unchecked, particularly Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and coastal cities in Iran.

The new work, published in the journal Science Advances, used carefully selected computer climate models that accurately simulate the past climate of the South Asia to conduct a high resolution analysis of the region, down to 25km.

The scientists found that under a business-as-usual scenario, where carbon emissions are not curbed, 4% of the population would suffer unsurvivable six-hour heatwaves of 35C WBT at least once between 2071-2100. The affected cities include Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Patna in Bihar, each currently home to more than two million people.

Vast areas of South Asia - covering 75% of the area's population - would endure at least one heatwave of 31C WBT. This is already above the level deemed by the US National Weather Service to represent "extreme danger", with its warning stating: "If you don't take precautions immediately when conditions are extreme, you may become seriously ill or even die."

However, if emissions are reduced roughly in line with the global Paris climate change agreement, there would be no 35C WBT heatwaves and the population affected by the 31C WBT events falls from 75% to 55%. About 15% exposed are today.

The analysis also showed that the dangerous 31C WBT level would be passed once every two years for 30% of the population - more than 500 million people - if climate change is unchecked, but for only 2% of the population if the Paris goals are met. "The problem is very alarming but the intensity of the heatwaves can be reduced considerably if global society takes action," said Eltahir.

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Distribution of maximum wet bulb temperature (WBT) from 1976-2005 (B), from 2071-2100 with 2.25C of warming (C), from 2071-2100 with 4.5C of warming (D). WBT of more than 31C is considered extremely dangerous and over 35C is fatal within hours. Photograph: Courtesy of AAAS

South Asia is particularly at risk from these extreme heatwaves because the annual monsoon brings hot and humid air on to the land. The widespread use of irrigation adds to the risk, because evaporation of the water increases humidity. The projected extremes are higher in the Gulf in the Middle East, but there they mostly occur over the gulf itself, rather than on land as in South Asia.

The limit of survivability, at 35C WBT, was almost reached in Bandar Mahshahr in Iran in July 2015, where 46C heat combined with 50% humidity. "This suggests the threshold may be breached sooner than projected," said the researchers.

Prof Christoph Schär, a climate scientist at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and who was not involved in the study, said: "This is a solid piece of work, which will likely shape our perception of future climate change. In my view, the results are of concern and alarming."

The report demonstrates the urgency of measures to both cut emissions and help people cope better with such heatwaves, he said. There are uncertainties in the modelling - which Schär noted could underestimate or overestimate the impacts - as representing monsoon climates can be difficult and historical data is relatively scarce.

Prof Chris Huntingford, at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: "If given just one word to describe climate change, then 'unfairness' would be a good candidate. Raised levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are expected to cause deadly heatwaves for much of South Asia. Yet many of those living there will have contributed little to climate change."
Topics

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Climate change to cause humid heatwaves that will kill even healthy people

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Extreme heatwaves that kill even healthy people within hours will strike parts of the Indian subcontinent unless global carbon emissions are cut sharply and soon, according to new research. Even outside of these hotspots, three-quarters of the 1.7bn population - particularly those farming in the Ganges and Indus valleys - will be exposed to a level of humid heat classed as posing "extreme danger" towards the end of the century.

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Up to 100 people are feared dead after an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 rattled south-west China.

Seven people died and 88 were injured in the quake late on Tuesday, 21 of them seriously, the official Xinhua news agency said. It said all the dead were visitors to the area.

But China's national commission for disaster reduction estimated that as many as 100 people may have died, based on 2010 census data of the mountainous, sparsely populated region.

More than 130,000 houses may be damaged, it added in a statement posted on its website, based on a preliminary analysis of the disaster in a remote region of Sichuan province.

The president, Xi Jinping, called for "all-out efforts to rapidly organise relief work and rescue the injured people", according to Xinhua.

Tang Sesheng, a restaurant owner, fled her establishment in the town of Jiuzhaigou after she felt the earth moving under her. " I was also in Jiuzhaigou in 2008 during the last big quake, so I knew what it was. This felt even stronger," she told AFP.

She said people had come out of their homes to sit out in the town's large public square, far from any tall structures, afraid to go back inside for fear that buildings might topple. Many were also sitting in cars, thinking it safer. She added: "People didn't dare grab anything like money or clothes - we just all ran outside right away."

The quake occurred about 9.20pm (1320 GMT), not far from the site of a massive magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck in 2008 leaving 87,000 people dead or missing.

Its epicentre was 284 kilometres (176 miles) north of the provincial capital Chengdu and struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said. The affected region, Jiuzhaigou county, includes one of the country's most famous national parks, a Unesco World Heritage Site known for karst formations and lakes. More than 38,000 people visited the tourist site on Tuesday, according to the official Xinhua news agency, which added that electricity was cut off briefly.

Some houses at the scenic spot collapsed after the quake and authorities were organising young people to help evacuate residents, a staff worker at the park told Xinhua.

Photos from the area posted on social media showed masses of people milling about on streets scattered with light debris, and a taxi dented from being hit by a large boulder.

More than 600 fire officers and soldiers have been deployed, the People's Daily newspaper said.

The Red Cross Society of China said it was deploying emergency specialists and volunteers to assist affected communities.

"The quake hit at night, communications lines and electricity are disrupted and people are no doubt shocked and scared," said Gwendolyn Pang, a spokeswoman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in China. "It may take some time to learn the extent of damage and casualties."

China is regularly hit by earthquakes, especially in its mountainous western and south-western regions.

Earlier on Tuesday, a landslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least 24 people in a different, mountainous region of Sichuan to the south of Chengdu.

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As many as 100 people feared dead in Chinese earthquake

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Up to 100 people are feared dead after an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 rattled south-west China. Seven people died and 88 were injured in the quake late on Tuesday, 21 of them seriously, the official Xinhua news agency said. It said all the dead were visitors to the area.

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This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2017. For other storms of the same name, see Tropical Storm Harvey.<p><b>Hurricane Harvey</b> is an active ...

<b>(CNN) -</b> Highways in Texas filled with cars Thursday into the night as coastal residents made their way north and out of the path of a hurricane that forecasters say will bring "life-threatening" amounts of rain.<p>Some areas could get as many as 35 inches of rain from Hurricane Harvey and many will ...

<b>(CNN) -</b> Even after Hurricane Harvey's immediate flooding threat goes away, Texas residents will still face a host of potential health problems from the water -- and from what the water leaves behind.<p>Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Tom Price declared a public health emergency in Texas on ...

<b>(CNN) -</b> Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday night between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas, as a Category 4 storm with winds of 130 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.<p>Harvey is the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Charley in 2004.<p>The storm ...

<b>(CNN) -</b> The toll that Harvey is taking on Texas is staggering.<p>Already, it has dumped 11 trillion gallons of rain over the state, says Ryan Maue with WeatherBell, a weather analytics company. And by the time Harvey dissipates, the state will have seen 25 trillion gallons of rain, he predicts.<p>Between ...

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This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2017. For other storms of the same name, see Tropical Storm Harvey. Hurricane Harvey is an active ... (CNN) - Highways in Texas filled with cars Thursday into the night as coastal residents made their way north and out of the path of a hurricane that forecasters say will bring "life-threatening" amounts of rain.

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Forest fires have cut off a town of 2,000 people in Portugal, as firefighters struggle to control two large blazes in the centre of the country.

"It's impossible to leave or to enter Mação because of the flames and the smoke," Vasco Estrela, mayor of Mação, told Lusa news agency.

The blaze erupted on Tuesday evening, and by Thursday morning it had surrounded the town. "It is continuing unabated," he said.

A large fire destroyed 80-90% of the Mação municipality at the end of July, Estrela pointed out.

Rescuers had evacuated about 130 people from nearby villages, said Patrícia Gaspar, spokeswoman for the civil protection agency (ANPC).

Emergency teams were particularly worried about the advancing fires around Mação, she said. They hoped that firefighting aircraft, which could not be used at night, would tip the balance in their favour.

Firefighters were also concerned about forecasts for hotter weather, which would increarse the risk of extinguished fires reigniting and blazes erupting at new sites, Gaspar said.

Firefighters and local residents were also struggling to control fires in nearby villages, including Vale de Abelha.

The blazes this year are the deadliest the country has faced. The latest wave has injured 86 people, seven seriously.

In mid-June, wildfires near Pedrógão Grande in central Portugal killed 64 people and injured more than 250 others. In once incident, flames spread so quickly that some people died after being trapped in their cars as they tried to drive to safety.

Fires have destroyed 141,000 hectares of land in Portugal this year, civil protection officials said on Wednesday, citing provisional figures.

Firefighters have tackled more than 10,000 separate fires this year - 2,500 more than at the same period in 2016. The exceptional heat and strong winds had intensified the scale of the destruction, said Rui Esteves, commander of the ANPC.

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Cars destroyed in a forest fire block the road connecting Castanheira de Pêra and Figueiró dos Vinhos in June. Photograph: Armando Franca/AP

Police say they have arrested 61 suspected arsonists in connection with the wildfires.

After the deadly infernos in June, Portugal requested international help to battle forest fires for the second time this summer. At the weekend, Spain sent 120 firefighters, 27 engines and three planes to bolster Portuguese efforts, as part of an EU programme of mutual aid in emergencies. Morocco has also sent a firefighting plane.

The fires in June prompted a national debate about forest management and an overhaul of the emergency response plan in those regions.

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Wildfires trap 2,000 people in town in central Portugal

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Forest fires have cut off a town of 2,000 people in Portugal, as firefighters struggle to control two large blazes in the centre of the country. "It's impossible to leave or to enter Mação because of the flames and the smoke," Vasco Estrela, mayor of Mação, told Lusa news agency.

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Heavy monsoon rains have brought Mumbai to a halt for a second day as the worst floods to strike south Asia in years continued to exact a deadly toll.

More than 1,200 people have died across India, Bangladesh and Nepal as a result of flooding, with 40 million affected by the devastation. At least six people, including two toddlers, were among the victims in and around India's financial capital.

The devastating floods have also destroyed or damaged 18,000 schools, meaning that about 1.8 million children cannot go to classes, Save the Children warned on Thursday.

The charity said that hundreds of thousands of children could fall permanently out of the school system if education was not prioritised in relief efforts.

"We haven't seen flooding on this scale in years and it's putting the long-term education of an enormous number of children at great risk. From our experience, the importance of education is often under-valued in humanitarian crises and we simply cannot let this happen again. We cannot go backwards," said Rafay Hussain, Save the Children's general manager in Bihar state.

India, Nepal and Bangladesh flooding map

"We know that the longer children are out of school following a disaster like this the less likely it is that they'll ever return. That's why it's so important that education is properly funded in this response, to get children back to the classroom as soon as it's safe to do so and to safeguard their futures."

On Wednesday, police said a 45-year-old woman and a one-year-old child, members of the same family, had died after their home in the north-eastern suburb of Vikhroli crumbled late on Tuesday, and a two-year-old girl had died in a wall collapse.

They said another three people had died after being swept away in the neighbouring city of Thane.

The rains have led to flooding in a broad arc stretching across the Himalayan foothills in Bangladesh, Nepal and India, causing landslides, damaging roads and electric towers and washing away tens of thousands of homes and vast swaths of farmland.

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says the fourth significant floods this year have affected more than 7.4 million people in Bangladesh, damaging or destroying more than 697,000 houses.

They have killed 514 in India's eastern state of Bihar, where 17.1 million have been affected, disaster management officials have been quoted as saying. In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, about 2.5 million have been affected and the death toll stood at 109 on Tuesday, according to the Straits Times. The IFRC said landslides in Nepal had killed more than 100 people.

The IFRC - working with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and the Nepal Red Cross - has launched appeals to support almost 200,000 vulnerable people with immediate relief and long-term help with water and sanitation, health and shelter.

A passenger bus moves through a waterlogged road in Mumbai. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade

Streets in Mumbai have turned into rivers and people waded through waist-deep waters. On Tuesday, the city received about 12.7cm (5ins) of rain, paralysing public transport and leaving thousands of commuters stranded in their offices overnight.

Poor visibility and flooding also forced airport authorities to divert some flights while most were delayed by up to an hour.

The National Disaster Response Force has launched a rescue mission with police to evacuate people from low-lying areas but operations were thwarted by the continuous rain.

"The heavy rains, flooding, are delaying our rescue work. Even we are stranded," said Amitesh Kumar, the joint police commissioner in Mumbai.

Images and video posted on social media showed the extent of the flooding.

Rainwater swamped the King Edward Memorial hospital in central Mumbai, forcing doctors to vacate the paediatric ward.

"We are worried about infections ... the rain water is circulating rubbish that is now entering parts of the emergency ward," said Ashutosh Desai, a doctor in the 1,800-bed hospital.

The rain water is circulating rubbish that is now entering parts of the emergency ward

Ashutosh Desai

Although Mumbai is trying to build itself into a global financial hub, parts of the city struggle to cope during annual monsoon rains.

Floods in 2005 killed more than 500 people in the city. The majority of deaths occurred in shanty town slums, home to more than half of Mumbai's population.

The meteorological department warned that the rains would continue for the next 24 hours.

Unabated construction on flood plains and coastal areas, as well as storm-water drains and waterways clogged by plastic garbage, have made the city increasingly vulnerable to storms.

Snehal Tagade, a senior official in Mumbai's disaster management unit, said 150 teams were being deployed to help the population in low-lying residential areas.

Low-lying parts of the city with a population of more than 20 million people experience flooding almost every year but large-scale flooding of this magnitude has not been seen in recent years.

"We are mapping all the flooding zones to launch a project to build emergency shelters to make evacuation easy," said Tagade.

Many businesses asked employees to leave early in expectation of worsening traffic jams. Rains and a high tide in the western coastal city threaten to overload an ageing drainage system.

People walk along a flooded street in Mumbai. Photograph: Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images

Several companies have arranged for food and resting facilities for employees stuck in offices. Temples and other Ganesh pandals have been offering food and water to people stranded on streets.

People on social media have been offering help to strangers who have been stuck at various locations.

The education minister has asked all schools and colleges in the city to remain shut on Wednesday.

The flooding led to some power outages in parts of the city and the municipal corporation warned of more such cuts if water levels continued to rise.

A spokeswoman for Mumbai international airport said flights in and out of the airport, India's second busiest, were delayed while some had had to be diverted.

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South Asia floods kill 1,200 and shut 1.8 million children out of school

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Hundreds dead in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, while millions have been forced from their homes and 18,000 schools shut down across the region

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There have been over 500 earthquakes in Iceland in the last four days, leading experts to believe that a volcanic eruption could be imminent.

A series of 40 small earthquakes occurred just North East of Mount Fagradalsfjall two days ago, with the final one felt in Reykjavik, measuring at almost 4 on the Richter scale.

"It's quite normal for Reykjanes, there have been a series of quakes there in the past few years," the Met Office commented.

According to a post on volcano enthusiast site Volcanocafé, eruptions occur in Iceland every three to seven years.

The ash cloud caused by Mount Eyjafjallajökull's eruption that caused enormous disruption to air travel across Europe for three months took place in 2010 - seven years ago.

"We have never seen a large powerful intrusion at a Mid Oceanic Ridge at such a well instrumented place," Carl Rehnberg wrote on Volcanocafé.

"We now know that the initial swarm rapidly transformed from tectonic earthquakes, via volcano-tectonic, to earthquakes consistent with moving magma in a surprisingly short timeframe. As such this is turning into a potential eruption, or a state of volcanic unrest."

Normally, this kind of data would lead experts to believe that an eruption could be days or even weeks away.

But at this unusually high rate of magma ascent - five kilometres in four hours - Rehnberg believes that a major eruption could be just hours away.

If, however, the "current unrest" stops, there will be no eruption, he claims.

But, he explains, "At the intensity and force of the current seismic unrest, it is likely that an eruption will occur if the seismic crisis is prolonged."

He speculates that there is currently a 50 per cent chance of an eruption, but that number is increasing by the hour.

The final call, however, will be made by the Icelandic Met Office, who are currently not concerned about a major volcanic eruption, citing the recent seismic activity as "normal for an active region".

"Earthquake swarms like the one presently taking place around the hill Fagradalsfjall are not unknown," Icelandic tour guide Gunnar Birgisson told The Independent, "The last swarm of this magnitude happened in July 2004. During that swarm we had an earthquake of magnitude 4.7, and the largest quake this time around has been 4.0.

"At the moment the seismic activity at Fagradalsfjall is dwindling," he explained. But he added: "Some earthquakes in that area are perfectly normal and there are earthquakes almost every day, but nothing like this - they are all in the same place."

Bárðarbunga was one of the most recent eruptions to occur in the country - it erupted over a six month period in 2014-15. The eruption took place in the Holuhraun lava field and there were no long-term sociological damages. The eruption was preceded by a swarm of 1,600 earthquakes, the largest of which being of magnitude 4.5.

So far, the recent earthquakes felt in Iceland have all been at magnitudes 4.0 and under.

Volcano enthusiasts wait with bated breath.
Click here to find hotels in Iceland
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Iceland could be about to experience a huge eruption in a matter of hours

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There have been over 500 earthquakes in Iceland in the last four days, leading experts to believe that a volcanic eruption could be imminent. A series of 40 small earthquakes occurred just North East of Mount Fagradalsfjall two days ago, with the final one felt in Reykjavik, measuring at almost 4 on the Richter scale.

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Heart surgeons don't want to perform surgery if we don't have to. Whenever possible, the smart approach is to invest first in keeping a heart healthy enough to avoid the risk and cost of surgery. Surgeons are brought in when needed to help avert disaster, but an ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure.

Since America's forests are the heart and lungs of our nation, it is no surprise the same principle applies there. Forests clean our drinking water and trees filter the air we all need, so the work of keeping them healthy shouldn't suffer because we must also fight wildfire disasters.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) are often forced to choose between the two.

While we use emergency funds for damages and recovery from earthquakes, floods and other disasters, we pay to fight wildfire disasters directly from the budgets of these federal agencies.

In bad fire years like this one, when the budgeted amount isn't enough, the Forest Service and DOI must take money away from the very programs that are designed to reduce wildfire risk. This only exacerbates the problem and increases the likelihood of future fires.

You wouldn't perform bypass surgery on a patient but then neglect to prescribe the heart medication necessary to maintain heart health, but that is exactly what we're doing by fighting catastrophic wildfires while starving the programs needed to reduce a reoccurrence.

It is time to fix how we fund wildfire disaster relief.

In 2016, spending on wildfire management was more than three times what it was in the 1990s, with the average annual acreage burned by wildfires more than doubling in that time.

In my home state of Tennessee that year, for example, a massive wildfire started in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Driven by strong winds, it reached the city of Gatlinburg and tragically cost 14 people their lives. More than 130 others were injured, and the fire destroyed or damaged thousands of homes and businesses.

A few months ago, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke Ryan Keith Zinke 10 ways the Trump White House has waged war on smart climate policy Scott faces GOP headwinds ahead of potential Senate bid Puerto Rico to privatize its power system MORE presented the agency's official report on the fire. The report recommended the National Park Service should be more proactive about removing "dead and dying timber" in the park, he said.

It is an understandable and reasonable approach. When you get rid of the material that fuels a fire, the fire goes out. In fact, federal agencies have had programs to do this and other forest management work to reduce wildfire disasters for many years.

But, sadly, these programs are the work that the Forest Service and DOI are often forced to cut when the agencies' funds instead must go toward fighting wildfires. Our public lands are deprived of vital investments in conservation, land management, recreation and watershed protection and critically, hazardous fuel reduction to thin out dense tree stands and reduce flammable underbrush.

Nobody would deny the need to spend resources protecting people and property when a fire is raging and the need is urgent. But why should that come at the expense of the very work that could reduce risks of future fire disasters?

Congress can fix this problem, and there has been strong, bipartisan support for doing so for years. Conservation organizations, sportsmen's groups, firefighters, timber interests, recreation businesses and more have all joined members of Congress from both parties to advocate for a swift but comprehensive solution.

With the problem only getting worse, there is no reason for delay. Congress can act now by passing a comprehensive wildfire funding fix.

The solution should address the continued erosion of agency budgets due to increasing wildfire suppression costs, access disaster funding for extraordinarily costly fires, and significantly reduce the need to transfer funds from other programs. It would provide a fairer, more efficient, and more effective way to address federal fire suppression costs.

As heart surgeons know well, when a big problem needs a quick solution, you don't wait to act. The stakes are too high.

A comprehensive wildfire funding solution is necessary, urgent, and has broad support. Congress should not miss the opportunity to enact it quickly in a government funding package to help reduce risks of future disasters. The health of our public lands and the safety of our communities are at risk.
William Frist M.D. is a heart transplant surgeon, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and serves on the Global Board of Directors of The Nature Conservancy.

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Fixing the wildfire funding problem starts with prevention

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Heart surgeons don't want to perform surgery if we don't have to. Whenever possible, the smart approach is to invest first in keeping a heart healthy enough to avoid the risk and cost of surgery. Surgeons are brought in when needed to help avert disaster, but an ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure.

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CLOSE

I remember looking out the window of our family Chevy at the wreckage that was Bel Air in 1962. This would be my first encounter with California wildfires that, like a river, has burned through my life. It culminated in my older book, California Wildfire Landscaping, that is suddenly relevant again this year. While I digitize the photography for a new edition I am reminded of the big picture once more.

In 1793, Vancouver wrote in his journal: "These clouds of smoke containing ashes and dust soon enveloped the entire coast. The easterly wind prevailing brought with it from the shore vast volumes of this noxious matter ..."

Later that same year, the Spanish governor decreed that all kinds of burning shall cease. "Not only in the vicinity of the towns but even at the most remote distances." This was the first official fire suppression act in California.

This fire was the result of widespread Indian burning distorted by mission agriculture. It lost the original parameters of hunter-gatherer plant management with fire. Before the Spanish, California tribes burned regularly, so the landscape was one already managed by people. What the Europeans found was a mosaic of fast grass fires, slow moving duff fires, and violent lightning strikes in the mountains that could burn indefinitely. Nomadic people took all this in stride, but it became a problem after permanent settlements were established.

Second growth shrub and tree growth on the west slope is a hazard growing worse every year. (Photo: Maureen Gilmer/Special to The Desert Sun)

More: This plant can survive African droughts and areas with little light

The true state of California's original plant communities would have to be based on conditions prior to the arrival of the current indigenous peoples who used fire as a tool. This very early composition of vegetation would be altered only by lightning strike ignition.

Until the rapid population growth of 20th century California around 1940, housing expanded as close as possible to open space preserves. This is when the modern era of large damaging wildfires began.

In his book, Fire in America, Steven J. Pyne writes of the dilemma of preserves. "It was thought that creation of reserves would prevent fires. Instead, they worked to preserve one of the most conflagration-prone environments in the world..."

Pyne also explains the politics of unmanaged wildland denied natural fire or the mechanical equivalent: "Fire officials found themselves in a hopeless dilemma: they could not modify the environment without damaging the watershed or threatening housing developments; yet to leave the watershed unmodified was to preserve an inevitable cycle of holocaust fires."

What we saw in 2017 was indeed the holocaust fires at work. Bel Air was threatened again proving wind patterns repeat, so lightning may indeed strike twice. In 1958, Los Angeles began the Fuel Break Program that "sought to break up expanses of chaparral to more manageable units, to provide conflagration barriers within the reserves, and to construct a sort of fire free zone between reserves and the developments that crowded to their boundaries."

The rare Lilium humboldtii, after years of shrub cover burned off and exposed this ground to sunlight. (Photo: Maureen Gilmer/Special to The Desert Sun)

More: Many birds visit the Coachella Valley in the winter. Make your backyard a wildlife oasis

This program was dropped in 1972, likely to reestablish habitat and native vegetation in roads and other disturbed places for a more integrated native plant community. Ventura County saw the results of this over thousands of acres made inaccessible by difficult terrain and dense climax chaparral shrub communities denied fire for well over a century. This illustrates the problem of no access into our wildlands due to disappearing logging roads and other rural avenues through heavy fuel. Such avenues are not only vital to vegetation management, they are essential during wildfires.

Having lived intimately with most plant communities in this state, my experience in every scenario is the same. It's far too dense due to the lack of ground or duff fires that thin out seedlings without ever flaring up. If we don't come to terms with the fact that our wildlands are decadent and must burn or decline, we'll never get a handle on fire. When we refuse to discipline them as Mother Nature does with fire, they become unhealthy, overweight and unproductive. Perhaps the holocaust fires are her not-so-subtle way of insisting we get our act together, or she'll do it for us.

After the burn that skirted our ridge but took out over 90 neighbor homes, (Photo: Maureen Gilmer/Special to The Desert Sun)

Read or Share this story: http://desert.sn/2Dxz5aE

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How dense vegetation plays a continued role in California wildfires

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CLOSE I remember looking out the window of our family Chevy at the wreckage that was Bel Air in 1962. This would be my first encounter with California wildfires that, like a river, has burned through my life. It culminated in my older book, California Wildfire Landscaping, that is suddenly relevant again this year.

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For example, Santa Rosa - the largest city in Sonoma County - had about 3,000 homes, or 5 percent of its housing stock, go up in flames from last October's wildfires. It also is the deadliest wildfire in state history with 44 victims.

The insurance losses from October's wildfires in California topped $9.4 billion in residential and commercial claims, according to the state's Department of Insurance.

In Southern California, more than 13,500 homes in Los Angeles and Ventura counties are considered at high or extremely high wildfire risk, according to CoreLogic, a real estate information firm. Last month, Corelogic also indicated that nearly 73,000 other homes in the region were at low or moderate risk of wildfire hazards.

Jones said the private insurers today use computer models to assign fire risk scores to homes, and they are using that data sometimes when deciding to decline renewal on certain insurance policies or to stop writing policies in wildfire-prone areas.

More than 2 million homes in California are considered at high or extreme risk from wildfires, making the Golden State the most wildfire-prone state in sheer numbers, according to Verisk, a data analytics supplier to the insurance industry. It also estimates that 15 percent of the state's housing stock is exposed to elevated wildfire hazards.

"The fires that occurred at the end of 2017 burned areas, including significantly urbanized areas like parts of Santa Rosa where whole subdivisions burned to the ground," Jones said. Previously, he said that area was considered at a low risk under the insurance industry models.

Jones said he anticipates that the insurance industry will update its models based on the recent disasters.

"Some areas of the state that have been historically modeled at lower risk will have homes modeled at higher risk, and there may be additional challenges in those areas in finding private residential homeowners insurance," he said.

Still, the big fire losses last year don't mean California homeowners can expect a massive rate hike right away.

A state ballot measure passed in 1988 by California voters means insurers cannot take all the losses associated with one event, such as the 2017 wildfires, and then simply put them into the next year's property and casualty insurance rates.

"At least 20 years of catastrophes are essentially averaged out," said Jones. "It has the effect of preventing cramming all of the $9.4 billion and counting into next year's rates. There will be some impact, but it's not going to be that they can put the entirety of losses into next year's rates."

After the huge losses from the 6.7 magnitude earthquake of 1994 in LA, some insurers such as Allstate Insurance stopped writing new homeowner policies in the state. Allstate returned nine years later, though, and that was after the state established the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), a publicly managed organization to sell earthquake insurance policies.

Jones, a Democrat who is running for California attorney general, doesn't expect to see insurers leave California due to the string of natural disasters.

The state official said the reason why some insurers left after the 1994 earthquake was due largely to a California requirement at the time that they offer insurance earthquake policies for homeowners. Today, the CEA is the largest provider of residential earthquake insurance in the state and has dozens of participating insurance companies offering its policies, including Allstate.

"Homeowner insurers still have the ability to decide where the risk is too high in parts of California, and decline to renew or write [policies]" he said. "And that's what we're beginning to see."

Meantime, there are at least eight insurance-related bills being proposed by state lawmakers in the aftermath of the disasters, including a measure that would limit insurers' ability to cut coverage in areas after a wildfire disaster. At least five other states already curb insurance companies from canceling or non-renewing policies after a natural disaster.

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Insurers take a hard look at California and see growing wildfire risk

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For example, Santa Rosa - the largest city in Sonoma County - had about 3,000 homes, or 5 percent of its housing stock, go up in flames from last October's wildfires. It also is the deadliest wildfire in state history with 44 victims. The insurance losses from October's wildfires in California topped $9.4 billion in residential and commercial claims, according to the state's Department of Insurance.

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LEGAZPI, Philippines: Millions of tonnes of ash and rocks from an erupting Philippine volcano could bury nearby communities due to heavy rain, authorities said on Saturday (Jan 27), as tens of thousands flee over fears of a deadly explosion.

The official Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) issued the warning as heavy rains lashed the surroundings of the Mayon volcano, which has been emitting flaming lava and giant clouds of superheated ash for the past week.

Rainwater could combine with the volcanic ash and rock to form deadly, fast-moving mudflows - called "lahars" - that could sweep away entire settlements, authorities said.

"The important thing is to move out in case of heavy rains... this is a precautionary measure," Phivolcs chief Renato Solidum told AFP.

The institute earlier said in an advisory that 25 million cubic metres of ash and other volcanic material had recently been emitted by Mayon, settling on its slopes and elsewhere nearby.

It warned that this could result in lahars flowing into waterways, and called on officials to move residents near rivers to higher ground.

An explosion of the 2,460-metre Mayon in August 2006 did not directly kill anyone but four months later, a typhoon unleashed an avalanche of volcanic mud from Mayon's slopes that claimed 1,000 lives.

Phivolcs said Mayon had emitted fountains of lava on Friday but bad weather was preventing observation of the volcano's activity on Saturday.
CEMENT SWEPT AWAY
Residents living by a river in Daraga town in Albay province expressed fear of a repeat of the 2006 incident.

"We are worried that lahar will flow again. We cannot sleep soundly at night. We sleep like chickens, waking up at the slightest rumble of the volcano," Virginia Tuscano, 47, told AFP as rain poured outside her home.

"Back in 2006 the lahar flow was so powerful it was like waves sweeping away even homes made of cement."

The mother-of-three said she had packed her bags and was ready to leave her home.

Observers saw a shroud of steam covering the entire mountain as heavy rain met the hot lava and volcanic material on Mayon's slopes.

Steam could also be seen rising from the volcano's crater as rainwater entered its interior.

Volcanic mudflows are a perennial problem during and after volcanic eruptions in the Philippines, which sits on the "Ring of Fire" - islands in the Pacific that were formed by volcanic activity.

The government has already evacuated more than 84,000 people from a "danger zone" stretching as far as nine kilometres around Mayon over fears of a possible deadly eruption.

Provincial disaster relief head Cedric Daep said he expects the number of people evacuated to increase as residents flee from areas threatened by lahar.
MIXED BLESSING
However, the rains were also washing away the thick, choking carpet of ash that has covered many communities in the shadow of Mayon in the past week, Daep said.

"The rains also washed away the ashes on grasslands. That means that cattle could now feed on the grasses which they could not do in the past days," he added.

Mayon, located about 330 kilometres southeast of the capital Manila, is the most active of the country's 22 volcanoes - and one of the deadliest.

Four foreign tourists and their local tour guide were killed when it last erupted in May 2013.

In 1814, more than 1,200 people were killed when lava flows buried the nearby town of Cagsawa.

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Deadly mudflows threaten residents near erupting Philippine volcano

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LEGAZPI, Philippines: Millions of tonnes of ash and rocks from an erupting Philippine volcano could bury nearby communities due to heavy rain, authorities said on Saturday (Jan 27), as tens of thousands flee over fears of a deadly explosion.

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Surge in volcanic activity could cause global catastrophe, but not just yet

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Mount Mayon is the third volcano in South-East Asia to erupt in recent months but the explanation of their proximity should ally fears of impending doom

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The eruption of Mount Mayon volcano in the Philippines has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes Photo: AFP

A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what's the link?

The spate of activity around the so-called Ring of Fire has raised concerns that a major and potentially deadly volcanic eruption or earthquake could be on the way. Here is what the experts say:

Where are these events happening?

The recent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurred along a belt that runs around the Pacific Ocean and is known as the "Ring of Fire."

Reaching from Indonesia to the coast of Chile in a 40,000-kilometer arc, the belt is home to most of the world's active and dormant volcanoes and is where the vast majority of earthquakes occur.

It is an interconnected circle of fault lines -- cracks in the Earth's hardened upper crust -- which are under constant pressure from super-hot molten rock beneath.

Occasionally the fissures give in and explode, creating volcanic eruptions and causing the land on either side of the fault line to shift and buckle violently, triggering earthquakes.
Why are they happening now?
Earthquakes occur around the Ring of Fire on a daily basis, but the recent string of quakes and eruptions sparked talk of an uptick, with the U.N.'s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction tweeting that the Ring of Fire was "active".

"The Pacific rim is in a period of activity," acknowledged Toshiyasu Nagao, head of Tokai University's Earthquake Prediction Research Center.

"In terms of volcanic history, however, the current activity is still regarded as normal," he told AFP.

"It's not referred to as the 'ring of fire' because it sits there doing nothing... it is normal to have so much activity," tweeted volcanologist Janine Krippner.
Are these events linked?
The recent spectacular eruptions and earthquakes have caused some speculation about a potential "domino effect," but experts say that simply isn't how the Ring of Fire works.

"Volcanic activity at each volcano is not correlated," said Yosuki Aoki, assistant professor of physical volcanology at the University of Tokyo.

He said volcanos "cycle through active and inactive periods, and this is part of it."

"I don't think something abnormal is taking place."

"This is pretty normal activity for Earth, the media is just reporting on more of them right now," Krippner added on her Twitter account.
Will there be more?
The Ring of Fire has produced the world's strongest recorded earthquake and volcanic eruption, but experts say the recent activity does not necessarily presage a major natural disaster.

"We cannot predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Earth science has not developed that far," said Shinji Toda, professor at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University.

"Such predictions are often made routinely after major events. If you say that everyday for a long time, naturally you will get it right at some point."

Nagao said the volcanic activity seen in Japan could continue, but that the region was experiencing a relatively quiet period for earthquakes.

"In terms of earthquakes, the region is not that active now. There was an earthquake in Alaska the other day, but quakes with such strength have occurred regularly in the region."

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Volcanoes, earthquakes: Is the Ring of Fire alight?

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A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what's the link? The spate of activity around the so-called Ring of Fire has raised concerns that a major and potentially deadly volcanic...

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The eruption of Mount Mayon volcano in the Philippines has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes Photo: AFP

A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what's the link?

The spate of activity around the so-called Ring of Fire has raised concerns that a major and potentially deadly volcanic eruption or earthquake could be on the way. Here is what the experts say:

Where are these events happening?

The recent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occurred along a belt that runs around the Pacific Ocean and is known as the "Ring of Fire."

Reaching from Indonesia to the coast of Chile in a 40,000-kilometer arc, the belt is home to most of the world's active and dormant volcanoes and is where the vast majority of earthquakes occur.

It is an interconnected circle of fault lines -- cracks in the Earth's hardened upper crust -- which are under constant pressure from super-hot molten rock beneath.

Occasionally the fissures give in and explode, creating volcanic eruptions and causing the land on either side of the fault line to shift and buckle violently, triggering earthquakes.
Why are they happening now?
Earthquakes occur around the Ring of Fire on a daily basis, but the recent string of quakes and eruptions sparked talk of an uptick, with the U.N.'s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction tweeting that the Ring of Fire was "active".

"The Pacific rim is in a period of activity," acknowledged Toshiyasu Nagao, head of Tokai University's Earthquake Prediction Research Center.

"In terms of volcanic history, however, the current activity is still regarded as normal," he told AFP.

"It's not referred to as the 'ring of fire' because it sits there doing nothing... it is normal to have so much activity," tweeted volcanologist Janine Krippner.
Are these events linked?
The recent spectacular eruptions and earthquakes have caused some speculation about a potential "domino effect," but experts say that simply isn't how the Ring of Fire works.

"Volcanic activity at each volcano is not correlated," said Yosuki Aoki, assistant professor of physical volcanology at the University of Tokyo.

He said volcanos "cycle through active and inactive periods, and this is part of it."

"I don't think something abnormal is taking place."

"This is pretty normal activity for Earth, the media is just reporting on more of them right now," Krippner added on her Twitter account.
Will there be more?
The Ring of Fire has produced the world's strongest recorded earthquake and volcanic eruption, but experts say the recent activity does not necessarily presage a major natural disaster.

"We cannot predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Earth science has not developed that far," said Shinji Toda, professor at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University.

"Such predictions are often made routinely after major events. If you say that everyday for a long time, naturally you will get it right at some point."

Nagao said the volcanic activity seen in Japan could continue, but that the region was experiencing a relatively quiet period for earthquakes.

"In terms of earthquakes, the region is not that active now. There was an earthquake in Alaska the other day, but quakes with such strength have occurred regularly in the region."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Volcanoes, earthquakes: Is the Ring of Fire alight?

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A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what's the link? The spate of activity around the so-called Ring of Fire has raised concerns that a major and potentially deadly volcanic...

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I deal with the rocky road to our modern understanding of earth Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Long ago Earthquake and Thunder decided to travel south, but they found only a desolate and dry land there. Earthquake was unhappy. "The humans will have no food if there is no place for the creatures of the sea to live in!" Earthquake began to shake, stronger and stronger until the earth finally collapsed and the sea inundated the land. Earthquake was satisfied. "Here they will obtain what they need to live, where land has become water..." Thunder acknowledged what Earthquake had done "It is true. So the humans will thrive!" And so they continued to travel and together they lowered the land and created the sea.
The creation of the world according to a Yurok myth.

January 26, 1700, a tsunami hit the coasts of Japan without warnings. In Japan, a land with a long history of earthquakes and tsunamis, the connection between those two natural disasters was well known. Inscriptions on 600 years old stone markers, located near the coastal city of Kesennuma, warn "If an earthquake happens, beware of tsunamis." An earthquake happening on the bottom of the sea can displace large quantities of water, triggering a series of waves on the surface of the sea. Near the coast the waves build up in height, inundating large areas. But the tsunami in 1700 was different, apparently preceded by no earthquake, it became known in the scientific literature as the Orphan Tsunami.

Only three centuries later the truth was discovered, in part by studying myths from British Columbia and California. In many ancient stories, earthquakes are the results of a fierce battle between Thunderbird, the master of the sky, and Whale, master of the sea. Thunderbird tries to lift Whale into the air and drop him onto land, this causes the earthquakes. Whale tries to defend himself by creating large waves with his tail, inundating the land, this causes the tsunami.

Geologists nowadays think that such stories are based on real observations of earthquakes and tsunamis. The Cascadia region of North America is characterized by a chain of volcanoes, like the famous Mount St. Helens, feed by magma rising from the underground. The magma forms when parts of the Pacific plate, pushed beneath the American continent, slowly melts. The subduction zone, where the Pacific plate disappears beneath the continental crust of the American plate, is characterized by strong earthquakes and known also as the Cascadia-Megathrust. As friction is building up over the slow movements of both plates, the accumulated energy is suddenly released when the rocks in the underground can no longer sustain the pressure. On the surface an earthquake happens. Stories about a mythical battle between Thunderbird and Whale dating back just some generations suggested that an earthquake and a tsunami happened just some centuries ago, coinciding with the reports from Japan. Carbon dating on trees killed by the tsunami and preserved in swamps along the coast put the age of that earthquake in the range of the years 1695-1720. The earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 8.7-9.2, was powerful enough to send a tsunami across the Pacific Ocean. Crossing the sea at jetliner speed, the tsunami came ashore in Japan, to produce flooding and minor damage there.

This simulation produced by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center shows that tsunami wave, starting off the coast of Washington and Oregon as the megathrust ruptures. It traveled up the bays and coastlines of these areas, inundating locations, depositing sediments there and killing the trees, that later made it possible to date this event.

The orphan tsunami makes it clear, that large earthquakes generated along megathrusts all over the planet can pose a danger to coastal areas even thousands of miles distant.

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The Day An Earthquake In America Caused A Tsunami In Japan

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I deal with the rocky road to our modern understanding of earth Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Long ago Earthquake and Thunder decided to travel south, but they found only a desolate and dry land there. Earthquake was unhappy.

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Ariane Hoehne/Shutterstock.com

Geologists predict the Earth could see about twice as many major earthquakes this year as in 2017.

That's because the world is turning a little slower than usual, prompting the equator to shrink slightly, they say.

A skinnier equator makes the edges of tectonic plates squeeze together, so earthquakes are likely to happen faster.

2018 has been a shaky year so far.

The biggest earthquake yet happened early Tuesday morning, when a magnitude 7.9 quake shook the ocean floor in the Gulf of Alaska, about 174 miles off the coast.

Just three hours before that, a 6.0 magnitude quake struck less than 25 miles from the shores of Binuangeun, Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Tuesday's two earthquakes were not the only big ones we've seen so far - as of January 23, there have already been three earthquakes that registered above a magnitude 7.0 in 2018. In 2017, the Earth only saw seven quakes that strong the entire year.

Scientists say an Earth-slowing phenomenon is likely contributing to the recent uptick in earthquakes around the globe.

You may not have noticed, but the Earth is taking things a little slow right now. Since 2011, our planet has been rotating at a pace a few thousandths of a second slower than usual.

Our planetary spin cycle changes constantly - it's influenced by ocean currents and atmospheric changes, as well as the mantle and molten core underneath the Earth's crust. According to geologists Roger Bilham and Rebecca Bendick, the Earth's slowing could lead to more than twice as many earthquakes with at least magnitude 7.0 in 2018 than there were last year.

Tectonic plates get squeezed together

Bilham, who studies earthquakes at the University of Colorado, told Business Insider that when the Earth's pace lags for years at a time, its middle contracts. That shrinks the equator, but it's hard for the tectonic plates that form Earth's outer shell to adjust accordingly.

Instead of falling in line with the slimmer waistline, the edges of those plates get squeezed together.

This takes time for us to feel on the ground. But after five years without many high-intensity quakes, we're approaching the moment when the effects of this squeeze could start to be felt around the globe, Bilham said. He estimates the planet could see, on average, 20 high-magnitude earthquakes in each of the next four years, from 2018 to 2021.

Ako Rasheed - Reuters

This lagging-Earth phenomenon isn't prompting any earthquakes that weren't already in motion. Instead, Bilham said, the slower spin adds more stress and pressure to some of these impending quakes, pushing them to happen more quickly, especially in earthquake-prone zones.

Preparing for more quakes

Bendick, who studies geologic hazards at the University of Montana, wrote a report with Bilham last year warning about the trend of more frequent earthquakes, but their latest findings are still under review.

She said it's important to remember that the Earth's rotation changes all the time, for all kinds of reasons - storms, snow buildup, and ocean patterns can all have an effect.

But Bendick said earthquake records from the past 117 years suggest plate movement is sensitive to a special kind of 10-year rotational slowdown like the one we seem to be experiencing now. This is most likely because of "interactions of the lithosphere, mantle, and core," she told Business Insider in an email.

The researchers suspect the effects of the phenomenon may be felt the most in spots near the equator, like Indonesia. At least four different tectonic plates meet up in Indonesia, and the most recent quake there happened less than 500 miles from the Earth's mid-line.

In the US, Alaska is home to 75% of all earthquakes that register higher than 5.0.

The researchers say they hope city planners and politicians in earthquake-prone zones will heed their warning and work quickly to retrofit buildings or update emergency plans. They also advise people to talk to loved ones about disaster preparedness.

"There is no good reason for people not to take simple steps to be better prepared," Bendick said.

SEE ALSO: Much of the US could see a warmer-than-average winter season - here's the forecast for your region

NOW WATCH: Middle America has become an epicenter for earthquakes - and scientists now know why

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We could see twice as many big earthquakes this year, scientists warn - because the equator has shrunk

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Geologists predict the Earth could see about twice as many major earthquakes this year as in 2017. That's because the world is turning a little slower than usual, prompting the equator to shrink slightly, they say. A skinnier equator makes the edges of tectonic plates squeeze together, so earthquakes are likely to happen faster.

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A new report from the National Hurricane Center takes stock of exactly how big, damaging and deadly Hurricane Harvey really was.

"Harvey was the most significant tropical cyclone rainfall event in United States history, both in scope and peak rainfall amounts, since reliable rainfall records began around the 1880s," the report says.

According to the report, the storm directly killed at least 68 people, all of them in Texas, and indirectly killed some 35 more.

Harvey, which started as a wave off the west coast of Africa in mid-August, was a Category 4 storm when it slammed into Texas on Aug. 26. Then, it rapidly weakened and stalled in the area for some four days, pouring down record rainfall.

It happened over a very large area, impacting hundreds of thousands of structures. "It is unlikely the United States has ever seen such a sizable area of excessive tropical cyclone rainfall totals as it did from Harvey," the report says.

Here are some of the key figures that tell the story of the historic storm:

$125 billion: The latest damages estimate from the storm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While the figure is not final, it is second only to Hurricane Katrina when adjusted for inflation and other cost increases.

Over 300,000: Number of structures flooded in southeastern Texas, where extreme rainfall hit many areas that are densely populated.

Up to 500,000: Number of cars flooded.

About 336,000: Number of customers who lost power during the storm.

Approximately 40,000: Number of people who stayed in shelters in Texas and Louisiana.

60.58 inches: The highest storm total rainfall, found in Nederland, northeast of Houston. Rainfall within a tenth of an inch of that total was recorded in Groves, a neighboring community. These both exceed the previous U.S. rainfall record of 52 inches, set by Hurricane Hiki in Hawaii in 1950.

18: The number of places in southeastern Texas that broke the previous tropical rainfall record in the contiguous United States, which was set during 1978's Tropical Storm Amelia in Medina, Texas.

9 out of 19: The number of official river gauges in Harris County, Texas, that recorded all-time-high water levels.

6 to 10 feet: Maximum water levels above the ground, which occurred near the areas where Harvey made landfall. The report states the highest levels were likely found "along the western shores of San Antonio Bay and adjacent Hynes Bay."

57: The number of tornadoes that were reported during the storm, the report states, "about half of which occurred near and south of the Houston metro area."

After Hurricane Harvey, the U.S. was hit by two other major storms - Irma and Maria. All the bad weather comes with a high price tag. As NPR's Chris Joyce has reported, last year had 16 events that caused damage of more than $1 billion each, creating a situation of unprecedented costs.

"The cumulative impact of these 16 events exceeds $300 billion in damage," NOAA researcher Adam Smith told Chris, "which is a new U.S. annual record."

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Harvey The 'Most Significant Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Event In U.S. History'

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A new report from the National Hurricane Center takes stock of exactly how big, damaging and deadly Hurricane Harvey really was. "Harvey was the most significant tropical cyclone rainfall event in United States history, both in scope and peak rainfall amounts, since reliable rainfall records began around the 1880s," the report says.

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By: Brittany Bedi | WCTV Eyewitness News
January 25, 2018

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) -- Florida is prone to tropical weather. While hurricanes have always been around, the past two hurricane seasons tested the state. Most recently, Hurricane Hermine hit the Big Bend in 2016 and Hurricane Irma moved up the Florida peninsula a year later.

While different types of weather are covered during Severe Weather Awareness Week, hurricanes can bring multiple threats.

Hurricanes are often known for damaging winds. Each storm is categorized by wind speed on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. A Category 1 hurricane has winds of 74 to 95 mph.

Category 2 winds run 96-110 mph. A Category 3 or stronger storm is considered a major hurricane, which could cause widespread devastation to buildings and infrastructure.

Category 3 winds are 111-129 mph. Category 4 winds run from 130-156 mph and anything with maximum sustained winds of 157 mph or stronger is a Category 5.

The winds are just one aspect of the storm. Hurricanes can cause damaging storm surge that leads to coastal flooding. Tornadoes can spin up in rain bands of a hurricane. Heavy rain could also lead to freshwater and river flooding. Just one foot of floodwater can knock over a person or move a small car. High surf and strong rip currents can also accompany hurricanes.

It doesn't take a major hurricane to cause widespread damage. Winds of 40 mph could easily knock down trees and power lines. For reference, a 40 mph wind is tropical storm-force strength. Hurricane Hermine and a weakened Irma knocked out power, knocked over branches, and toppled trees in the Big Bend.

Technology allows meteorologists to forecast tropical storms and hurricanes several days in advance. This will help give people enough forewarning to make any necessary preparations. However, it is still important to know that forecast tracks can change based on several elements that may affect the storm.

The best way to prepare for a hurricane is to have a plan before hurricane season even starts. If ordered to evacuate, have an idea of where to go. A disaster supply kit will make evacuating or hunkering down at home less stressful.

Don't forget about your furry family members when making your hurricane plan! Make sure their food/medicine is part of your ready kit & your shelter will accept them if you evacuate. pic.twitter.com/erNlkaCLh3
- NWS Tallahassee (@NWSTallahassee) January 25, 2018

If local officials order an evacuation at your home, obey their orders. Do not wait until the last minute to do so, as roads and gas stations become crowded. If you are not ordered to evacuate and plan to ride out the storm at home, make sure the building is a permanent home (not a mobile home) and that the house can withstand the strength of the storm.

Getting through the storm is just the beginning. If you plan to sit at home after the storm, be sure to have enough supplies to last a least a week without running water or power.

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florida severe weather awareness week - hurricanes

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Florida Severe Weather Awareness Week - Hurricanes

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By: Brittany Bedi | WCTV Eyewitness News January 25, 2018 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) -- Florida is prone to tropical weather. While hurricanes have always been around, the past two hurricane seasons tested the state. Most recently, Hurricane Hermine hit the Big Bend in 2016 and Hurricane Irma moved up the Florida peninsula a year later.