japanDisaster: Earthquake Tsunami: BBC, Australia Tsunami Research Center, video of tidal wave floods Japan

BBC News (Mar11,2k11)

Japan hit by tsunami 

after massive earthquake

11 March 2011 Last updated at 02:34ETHelp

A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage.

Japan's TV showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away in the Fukushima prefecture, after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake.

Officials said a wave as high as 6m (20ft) could strike the coast.

The quake struck about 250 miles (400km) from Tokyo at a depth of 20 miles, shaking buildings in the capital for several minutes.

Chris Ryan, head of the Australian Tsunami Warning Centre, describes the impact of the Tsunami.

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• Tsunami after massive Japan quake

Brazil: Floods: Death toll rises to 400

Financial Times email newsletter jan14,2k11

Financial Times - World

Brazil floods kill at least 400

Brazil is reeling from floods and landslides that have killed at least 400 people in the mountains near Rio in one of the nation’s worst natural disasters in four decadeshttp://link.ft.com/r/6NPSBB/3ON3U2/KDK28/ZBSVPU/OJ257U/9A/h?a1=2011&a2=1&a3=13 Even with Brazil flooding expected to continue, many remain in perilous areas Rescue workers are encouraging residents of hillside slums at risk from Brazil flooding to seek safety. More rain is expected this weekend. Christian Science Monitor [jan14,2k11] -- Politicarp

Australia: Flood disaster: Region as large as 'France and Germany combined'

Matthew H J  Bartlett of New Zealand posted this video from NewsAustralia [jan102k10]. The video has had almost 300,000 viewings on YouTubeServices.  It's available at yUT2ube, vid partner of refWrite.
Matthew H J  Bartlett also points us this meditative, lengthy and quite amazing essay, 'Flood' by Dan

H

ill on City of Sound blog.




''Toowoomba Flash Flooding, Amazing Footage [jan10,2k11]'', by whitelitebringer


Australian churches come together in flood crisis

Canberra (ENInews)--As northern Australia suffers the worst flooding in more than 30 years, Australian churches have moved rapidly to respond to the community‚s urgent needs. Flooding has continued to build since late December with flood waters covering an area the size of Germany and France combined. Sixteen people are now confirmed dead, with 53 missing and more than 200,000 people stranded. Local church leaders who spoke with ENInews on 13 January said they are dealing with the immediate effects of the crisis. [ENI-11-0013, 782 words]  Ecumenical News International email newsletter


Further reading;

Australia Floods Boost World Commodity Prices

by ANTHONY KUHN  national public Radio [npr, january 24,2k22] 

  

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EnlargeJanie Barrett/AP

Crops are inundated by rising floodwaters west of Rockhampton, Australia.

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January 14, 2011

Australia's economy has generally outperformed those of other developed nations during recent downturns. It has managed this partly on the strength of its commodity exports, from iron ore to cotton. But disastrous floods in northeast Australia have hurt production and caused global commodity prices to spike.

As Australia's third-largest city, Brisbane, dries out from what some locals call "The Big Wet," Australia is tallying the economic losses. Some Australian media have speculated that the damage may be greater than what Hurricane Katrina inflicted on the U.S. economy in 2005.

-- 

P

oliticarp

PakistanFloods: Christian Relief: Anomalies of compassion in a world torn by religion and terrorism

I was struck to the heart when I happened upon Kristen deRoo VanderBerg's article below regarding international Christian diaconal work in Pakistan, a Moslem country where Christians are often persecuted.  VandenBerg is Communications officer for Christian Reformed World Relief Commission, a denominationally-mandated active arm of compassion in many Third World countries.  

In Pakistan,  CRWRC is a lead respondent to the terrible massive floods that have devastated parts of the country.  It's been all too sadly interesting to me that rich Pakistanis of the wealthy landlord variety (with tenant farmers totally dependent on their landholding masters) apparently do nothing to mobilize their resources to be of assistance to their poor and displaced.  

On the one hand, there are the Taliban-type terrorists and their sympathizers, on the other hand there are the wealthy who finance the mainstream political parties.  The broad generality of the  people are cawt between these rending forces.  That my favourite Christian relief org can function in such a milieu and get the aid to the people in the maelstrom is another miracle, altho I can't think of the NT text that m+t best function analogously to that of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes by our Lord Jesus.  Yes, He's done it again!

Pakistan: A Modern Miracle of Multiplication

CRWRC Newsroom | November 9, 2010

CRWRC's volunteer International Relief Manager Jacob Kramer was in Pakistan in October to assist with the response.

CRWRC has seen miracles at work as it took on the challenge of respond-ing to floods in Paki-stan.  Perhaps the greatest of these miracles has been the multiplication of funds.

CRWRC originally put forward $105,000 of its existing funds for its Pakistan flood response.  With this initial contribution, CRWRC worked through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) - a partnership of Canadian churches and church-based agencies working to end hunger - and was able to deliver $2,515,000 in food assistance to the devastated Nowshera and Charsadda districts of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to the Rahim Yar Khan district of Southern Punjab.  This was carried out in collaboration with CRWRC’s Christian partner organization in Pakistan, the Interfaith League Against Poverty (ILAP). 

["Interfaith" in Pakistan means Muslims and Christians are cooperating. Now that's good news!]


-- Politicarp


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