Hurricanes and weather as 4D battles

[ellaya]

I'm aware that HAARP is used for mind control, but the C's mentioned that the Haiti earthquake was induced, though HAARP was not

mentioned . So perhaps these hurricanes were also induced in the same way.


From the 30 Jan 2010 session :


(L) I have a question. I've been waiting for somebody to ask it, but since nobody is going to ask it, I want to ask it: Was the Haiti earthquake an induced earthquake, or was it totally natural?

A: (Planchette swirls on board) INDUCED! Bet you didn't expect that, did you?!

Q: (L) Frankly, I didn't. Because I've already gone on record saying it wasn't. I just poo-pooed the whole idea as too far out there. (laughter) So now I've gotta...

(Joe) Well, it was the Russians who said that, wasn't it?

A: No!

Q: (Joe) Didn't you tell us the Russians reported that?

(L) The question I want to ask is, how do they induce earthquakes? (To Ark) How do you think they induce earthquakes? (Joe) Space-based satellite

(Ark) Well, just search the internet! (laughter) Yeah, it's on the internet. You create special waves that go into the earth and propagate in the right direction...

(L) I don't believe it. They don't have enough power to do that.

(Joe) I want to know who induced it?

A: U.S.

Q: (Joe) At the government level, or super-secret nonsense?

A: Secret gov.

Q: (L) And how did they do this? Was this from some kind of waves that Ark is talking about?

A: Close. And notice that no one is arguing with them right now!

Q: (L) In other words, you've got something that can do that, nobody's gonna mess with you.

(Ark) But the main question is, did they really want to induce it in the neighborhood of Haiti, or it was a mistake?

A: Yes, the prep was done.

Q: (Andromeda) So they intentionally did it to Haiti.

(Ark) What I would do, I would use a submarine and go near the fault, and do the job using these submarines as a so to say amplifiers for something. There are these faults under the ocean. It's enough to move this fault in the right direction with the right frequency, and you get it.

A: Too dangerous that way because the pulses would also destroy the sub. Better to use triangulated space-based weapons.

Q: (Belibaste) Why did they target Haiti specifically?

A: Close to South America. Convenient, oil, other factors of imperialistic nature.

Q: (Andromeda) Was it like a test?

A: No.

Q: (Burma Jones) Not a test, so they've used this thing a lot before?

(Joe) They used it on the Columbia.

A: Once or twice.

Q: (Joe) Used on the space shuttle.

(Psyche) That's why Chavez was so sure.

(Ark) It's probably much easier for the island than on the mainland...

(L) Yeah, because you've got separation with the ocean bed and different strata. It would be too uncontrollable if you started zapping a fault on a large land body.

(Andromeda) Like California?

(Joe) When they said, "notice how no one is arguing with them now", does that mean that most major nations in the world are aware that this was a...

A: Yes

Q: (Joe) Good way to shut people up.

 

[Ca.]

ellaya

(L) The question I want to ask is, how do they induce earthquakes? (To Ark) How do you think they induce earthquakes? (Joe) Space-based satellite

So think Star Wars 2017 plus 40 years advanced (MIC), weaponry for the means of global domination through intimidation.
Like the C's say the current 4DSTS power structure and residence is the USSA.

_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnMvITk5D6c

NASA Hacker Claims USA Has War Ships In Space

_http://yournewswire.com/nasa-hacker-claims-usa-has-war-ships-in-space/

Edit added:
We are all 9/11 victims now
http://theduran.com/we-are-all-911-victims-now/

 

[angelburst29]

Life-threatening storm surge expected for Southwest Florida

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/36250963/hurricane-irma-forecast-path-09-09-17-5a

Relevant extract -

All of Southwest Florida is under a Hurricane Warning.

There is also a Storm Surge Warning that extends all along the Southwest Florida coastline. Areas south of Captiva could see 10 to 15 feet of storm surge as the storm moves overhead and continues to push water onshore into Monday. Areas from Captiva north to Venice could see 6-10 feet of surge.

Normally dry areas near the coast will be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The storm surge forecast has steadily gone up over the last 24 hours. Evacuations are in place near much of the coastline due to the surge threat. The worst-case storm surge threat along the coast is extreme and life threatening.

Flash Flood Watches are in place for all of South Florida due to very heavy rain and flood potential from Saturday afternoon through Monday. Overwash or overtopping of the lake near the Herbert Hoover Dike construction sites around the lake also remains a concern.

I had some idea Florida was low-lying but didn't realise it was as much as shown in the following images. There is a lot of land under 16 feet!

The very low topography of southern Florida is evident in this color-coded shaded relief map generated with data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The image on the left is a standard view, with the green colors indicating low elevations, rising through yellow and tan, to white at the highest elevations. In this exaggerated view even those highest elevations are only about 60 meters (197 feet) above sea level.

For the view on the right, elevations below 5 meters (16 feet) above sea level have been colored blue, and lighter blue indicates elevations below 10 meters (33 feet). This is a dramatic demonstration of how Florida’s low topography, especially along the coastline, make it especially vulnerable to flooding associated with storm surges. Planners can use data like these to predict which areas are in the most danger and help develop mitigation plans in the event of particular flood events.

Elevation data used in this image were acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on Feb. 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect 3-D measurements of the Earth’s surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter (approximately 200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices.

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=4818

Looking at the two images above of low elevations - and the evacuations issued for Florida and the Coastal areas - reminded me of previous predictions on earth changes by Edgar Cayce and Gordon-Michael Scallion. A few years back, there was a frenzy over Scallion's "Future Map of The World".

The purpose of the Future Map of The World is to present a visual representation of probable geophysical events that may occur in the future.

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/mapas_antiguos/mapasantiguos01.htm
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/mapas_antiguos/images_future/mapa_NorthAmerica.jpg

Scallion's predictions "of possible" earth changes.
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/mapas_antiguos/mapasantiguos04.htm

 

[Palinurus]

News update on the Dutch part of St. Martin and the other islands:

https://nltimes.nl/2017/09/11/dutch-king-visit-hurricane-struck-islands

By Janene Pieters on September 11, 2017 - 08:33

King Willem-Alexander will visit Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba on Monday to see the aftermath of Hurricane Irma with his own eyes, Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations said on Curacao on Sunday afternoon, ANP reports.

Plasterk spoke with the press after visiting patients at the Sint Elisabeth Hospital, who were flown to Curacao after the hurricane to get medical treatment. Before that, he and the King visited the meteorological service in Curacao and the Parera naval center.

"The message I have for Sint Maarten the following: We realize what happened to you and we will do our best to help anyone who needs help. Trust the help", King Willem-Alexander said on Sunday afternoon, local time.

Hurricane Irma's death toll on Sint Maarten increased to four, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced in a press conference on Sunday. The identities of the victims were not revealed. Two victims washed ashore. A third died a natural death, according to ANP.

Rutte said that the security situation on the island is improving, but still called it fragile. Residents are still not allowed to go outside. Plasterk also said that looting on Sint Maarten decreased. "But you still can not speak of a safe situation. On the main cross roads there are now people who are visibly armed. But in the neighborhoods, this has not been sufficiently achieved", he said.

Emergency relief for Sint Maarten picked up again on Sunday, after it was halted while Hurricane Jose passed by the island. The hurricane just missed the island. According to the KNMI, Jose caused strong winds and heavy rain on the Caribbean islands that form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but the wind power on Sint Maarten remained limited to wind power 6 or 7. "We can now really get started on rebuilding our country", Parliament President Sarah Wescot-Williams said, according to the news wire.

The priority for the coming days is to make sure that everyone gets shelter and to get the hospital on Sint Maarten operational again, Rutte said. On Sunday a total of 392 soldiers were helping out on Sint Maarten. Their task is to provide security and distribute emergency supplies. On Monday another 44 soldiers will arrive on the island, and another 120 will leave the Netherlands for Sint Maarten. The plane that took soldiers and emergency supplies to Sint Maarten on Sunday, also flew tourists from the island to Curacao.

On Sunday the Dutch Red Cross took drinking water and food to Sint Maarten. On Monday the aid organization hopes to send another plane carrying 5,800 tarpaulins, 2 thousand kitchen sets and 9 thousand jerrycans. The Red Cross team consists of 30 members - 18 from Curacao, 17 from Aruba and five specialists from the Netherlands. One expert will chart how the drinking water supply on the island can be restored. Two others will use drones to scout over the island to estimate damages and see who needs help most urgently. The aid workers will also attempt to get a radio station back on air to improve communication.

A group of 59 volunteers from Urban Search and Rescue will fly to Curacao on Monday, from where they will travel to Sint Maarten. The team includes Defense personnel, employees of Dutch safety offices and hospital workers. They will provide emergency assistance and coordination and will help get the local ambulance services and fire brigades working again.

People in the Netherlands already donated over 1.5 million euros to Giro 5125, which the Red Cross established to help the islands hit by Hurricane Irma. The aid organization called on people to donate money, instead of items.

Teams from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom relations will go to Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius to see what is needed for long-term recovery. After that, a plan will be drawn up, according to the news wire. Hans Leijtens, former head of the Koninklijke Marechaussee, was appointed to lead this project.

France also asked to use the port and airport on Sint Maarten to bring emergency supplies to the French part of the island, Rutte said. "We help each other where we can", the Dutch Prime Minister said, according to ANP.

According to Rutte, the situation on Saba and Sint Eustatius is normalizing somewhat, but supplying food and drinking water remains a problem. Cleanup and repairs are underway on the two islands and the roads on both islands are usable.

Defense provided a new water supply to Saba and expects that the drinking water factory will be working again within a few days, according to the news wire. New delivery routes are being sought for food delivery. And the hospital on the island is supplied with the regular medicines.

On Sint Eustatius the fixed telecommunications network is working, but the mobile network is limited. The seaport is virtually undamaged and the airport's state is such that it can be used for military transport. The most urgent need is still water and food supply, and that is being worked on, ANP reports.

More news here:
https://nltimes.nl/2017/09/11/first-plane-sint-maarten-evacuees-returning-netherlands
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/09/first-100-evacuees-from-sint-maarten-being-flown-to-netherlands/

 

[angelburst29]

Hurricane Irma has caused widespread devastation in the northern Caribbean, with low-lying islands most affected. A meteorologist told Sputnik if hurricanes continue to pound low-lying islands, they may reach a point when the inhabitants decide to abandon them.

Hurricane Irma: Storms Could Eventually Make Some Islands Uninhabitable (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/environment/201709081057211039-hurricane-irma-abandoned-islands/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzjTMvciy-Y (0:44 min.)

Hurricane Irma has slammed into the Turks and Caicos Islands, causing massive damage to the archipelago, which lies just east of the Bahamas.

It comes as the full extent of the storm damage to another low-lying British overseas territory, Anguilla, becomes clear.

Richard Allan, a professor of climate science at Reading University, said hurricanes were likely to get worse as the oceans warmed due to the climate change caused by greenhouse gases.

Professor Allan said it was not "scaremongering" to suggest that islands like Anguilla, Barbuda, as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands could even become uninhabitable one day.

"If you're on a low-lying island that's in the path of tropical cyclones, when you do get hit and the sea level is higher and you are getting bigger storm surges, more rainfall and stronger winds, then there will inevitably be much more damage and there will be a certain threshold above which society on such an island would not be viable. It's not make-believe," Professor Allan told Sputnik.

"There's not too much you can do about it, apart from adapting to these situations," he said, which might include building special hurricane-proof shelters.

"There might be a point where if your damage is so intense and too often, then it doesn't make sense to remain. But that would obviously be an extremely painful decision for any low-lying island to contemplate," Professor Allan said.

'Pathetic' and 'Disgraceful' UK Response - A former EU representative to Anguilla has criticized the British government for its "pathetic" and "disgraceful" response to Hurricane Irma.

Dorothea Hodge contrasted London's response to that of the French government, which has set up an emergency fund and has a reconstruction plan for St. Martin, which has been hit by Irma.

Ms. Hodge criticized International Development Secretary Priti Patel for her slow response to the damage to Anguilla.

"Homes have been destroyed, schools and the only hospital badly damaged, and already one death is being reported, and more is to come as there are two more hurricanes scheduled to hit Anguilla in the next few days," she said, referring to Hurricanes Jose and Katia.

"In comparison to the French president who has set up an emergency fund, an emergency hotline and a reconstruction fund her response after the storm has passed is absolutely pathetic," Ms. Hodge told the Guardian.

Legacy of the British Empire - The Royal Navy ship RFA Mounts Bay, which was in the Caribbean tackling drugs smuggling, is on hand to help out in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The former prime minister of the Turks and Caicos, Michael Misick, posted a video of the hurricane hitting the islands on Thursday, September 7.

"Turks and Caicos is low lying coral islands and it's predicted that we may experience 15 to 30 feet waves that would completely flood all of our islands," he told Sputnik earlier this week.

Mr. Misick has been campaigning for the islands to become independent of Britain and says there is no reason why they could not be as successful as neighboring Saint Kitts and Nevis, which was granted independence in 1983.

Britain, France and the Netherlands conquered most of the Caribbean islands in the 18th century and ruled them until the 1960s and 1970s.

Jamaica gained independence in 1962 and was followed by Trinidad, Barbados and most of the smaller islands.

But Britain retains a handful of overseas territories in the Caribbean — Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Montserrat.

Having just survived the awesome devastation caused by deadly Hurricane Irma, it was possibly the last thing the inhabitants on one small Caribbean island expected to endure - fake news.

Hurricane-Hit Islanders Slam British Government Over 'Fake' Photo
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201709111057282912-hurricane-british-fake-photograph/

As residents on Anguilla surveyed the destruction resulting from the 175mph blasts, they must have taken heart from a photograph released on Downing Street's official Twitter feed.

The image revealed a floating platform bearing military vehicles launched from a relief ship, with the caption: "RFA Mounts Bay is delivering disaster relief."

What baffled the locals, however, was the vehicles and aid supplies were actually unable to disembark from the landing raft due to difficulties caused by shifting sands.

Instead the platform had to return to the ship before the relief was eventually transferred painstakingly to the island by helicopter.

Now No.10 has been accused of deliberately misleading the general public by giving the impression it was mounting a swift reaction to help islanders on British Overseas Territory, many of whom are homeless.

Having already been slammed for its 'pathetic' response to the crisis, the government has been now been severely criticized over its attempts to paint a false picture.

Josephine Gumbs-Cooms, a barrister on Anguilla, led the attack, saying: "It is a message that makes them (the UK government) look good, that gives the impression to the world that we have already been put in a decent position, as though all the major hiccups have been past. That is quite contrary to the facts."

A Ministry of Defense spokesman later confirmed aid was delivered by helicopter, adding that the heavy lift vehicles were not necessary, so they were not landed.

Conflicting accounts were also given about the power supply on the island that lies in the Eastern Caribbean.

Sir Michael Fallon, the defense secretary, said in a television interview that "Mounts Bay was on Anguilla first and has restored power on Anguilla."

Such information left many islanders distinctly in the dark as they later insisted electricity was still out.

There was further disparity over the impact the British relief team had on the island's hospital. A tweet on the Royal Navy's official account, which was accompanied by photographs of the personnel at work, suggested "Engineers from RFA Mounts Bay repaired the only hospital on Anguilla just in time for an islander to give birth."

An MoD spokesman said the engineers had fixed a generator allowing medical services to restart. He explained that Mounts Bay and its crew managed to stabilize the situation at the island's ferry terminal which had been destroyed during the hurricane before moving their attention to the British Virgin Islands, which is where the "main effort" was required.

Ms. Gumbs-Cooms disputed this, claiming the scale of the devastation on Anguilla was equally as bad.

The recent spate of hurricanes which caused floods of biblical proportions in the Caribbean and in US states bordering the Gulf of Mexico has been predicted to affect the weather as far away as in Scandinavia, which is otherwise not known for tropical cyclones.

Far-Reaching Consequences: Tropical Hurricanes to Affect Weather in Scandinavia
https://sputniknews.com/art_living/201709111057288640-tropical-hurricanes-scandinavia/

While large masses of hot sea water above 25 degrees are the foremost prerequisite for a hurricane like Irma, which recently hit the US East Coast with torrential rains, its consequences may reach as far as northern Europe, albeit in a less destructive way.

"A weakened hurricane can interact with a low-pressure zone via the Westerlies on its way here," meteorologist Mattias Lind at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) told the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet.

The newspaper cited a similar instance of a hurricane reaching the northern shores that happened in July 23, 1985, when the aftershocks of a tropical storm triggered a fierce gale off the coast of Småland County in southern Sweden. Many boats capsized in what was later dubbed the Öland Storm (after Öland County), flooding the ether with signals of distress. The Baltic aftershocks reportedly cost two people their lives.

Having originated in North America, the hurricane crossed the Atlantic through an unlucky combination of winds and low pressure, releasing energy by condensing vapor into water droplets and subsequently developing into an intense storm over the Baltic Sea, with wind speeds of about 27 meters per second. According to eyewitnesses, the wind became stormy in almost no time. The Öland Storm became a starting point for a heated discussion on forecasting methods and observation techniques.

An even more powerful example of the same phenomenon of a tropical cyclone reaching Europe occurred in October 1987, when dying hurricane Floyd triggered a low pressure area that developed into the worst storm in London since 1703. At least 22 people died in gales reaching as high as 200 kilometers per hour.

"In trade jargon, we talk about tropical low pressure turning into extratropical low pressure. Interaction via the Westerlies may initiate another low pressure zone. It's all about timing," Mattias Lind said.

 

[Palinurus]

More Dutch updates:

https://nltimes.nl/2017/09/12/dutch-king-visits-sint-maarten-first-evacuees-arrive-netherlands

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/09/willem-alexander-sint-maarten-destruction-worse-than-any-war-zone/
https://nltimes.nl/2017/09/12/destruction-upheaval-everywhere-sint-maarten-dutch-king

Of the three Dutch islands affected by Hurricane Irma, Sint Maarten sustained most of the damage. About 70 percent of the homes on the island were seriously damaged or collapsed, according to NU.nl. The water- and power supply also sustained damage and communication with the island is still difficult.

https://nltimes.nl/2017/09/12/sint-maarten-recovery-take-two-years-hurricane-irma-damage

Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs expects that the European Union will give some financial support to Sint Maarten, according to the Telegraaf. There are doubts about whether Sint Maarten can count on aid from the EU disaster fund, as the autonomous country does not form part of the European Union. But as Sint Maarten is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Koenders believes that it is possible. "We certainly think that everybody should benefit from that money", he said to the newspaper.

 

[Palinurus]

The situation on St. Martin (both sides) covered on SOTT (RT-article):

https://www.sott.net/article/361815-Saint-Martin-Evacuations-fights-over-food-and-looting-follow-the-devastation-of-Hurricane-Irma

 

[Laura]

Anything about Cuba? They sure got a hammering!

 

[Palinurus]

Situation on Cuba (quick google search): at least ten dead.

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/09/hurricane-irma-crashes-across-northern-cuba/539331/ (30 photos with captions)
http://nypost.com/2017/09/09/hurricane-irma-leaves-cuba-in-ruins/#1 (23 photos with captions)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/photos-highlight-irmas-path-destruction-cuba/story?id=49742241 (photo reportage)

http://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/851951/Hurricane-Irma-Cuba-damage-pictures-NOAA-NHC-Florida (text report interspersed with photos)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-storm-irma-cuba/hurricane-irma-kills-10-in-cuba-castro-calls-for-unity-idUSKCN1BM1NX (illustrated news item)

http://<iframe width="560" height="...HE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Ant22]

Anything about Cuba? They sure got a hammering!

Some info on Cuba from RT:

https://www.rt.com/news/402770-hurricane-irma-aftermath-cuba/

Cubans are dealing with the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Irma, the most powerful storm to hit the country since 1932.
Irma was a Category 5 storm, the highest possible ranking on the Saffir–Simpson scale, when it bashed Cuba on Saturday morning.

The hurricane, which had already wrought havoc across the Caribbean and killed 22 people, brought winds of 200kph, uprooting trees, tearing off roofs and leaving widespread flooding in its wake.

The government had ordered the evacuation of more than a million people in advance of the storm landing. Juan Pablo Carreras, a photographer with Cuban news outlet ACN, captured pictures of many of the evacuees taking refuge in underground bunkers in advance of Irma’s arrival.

The storm weakened to a Category 3 as it moved north along a 320-km stretch of the coastline.

However, it later regained strength as it moved further north towards Florida. Cubans awoke Sunday morning to find destruction similar to that suffered by other Caribbean islands lashed by the powerful storm.

Residents of the fishing town of Caibarien were hit with a barrage of waves following a storm surge. When the water receded, it left the streets covered with green seaweed. Many described it as the worst storm ever to hit the town.

"Sheets of zinc that came flying into our backyard also damaged the kitchen wall and we lost many roof tiles,” 52-year-old Angel Coya told Reuters.

While the eastern and northern coasts were the worst hit, the force of the storm sent flooding further inland and for a period on Saturday, Irma covered most of the island.

ACN noted that the Civil Defense put the provinces of Mayabeque and Artemisa and the capital Havana in an "alarm phase" at 8am on Saturday.

Authorities shut off power in large parts of Havana and evacuated around 10,000 residents, even though the storm was expected to miss the city by around 240km. Regardless of this distance, two blocks along Havana’s famous sea front were flooded after the sea surged into the streets.

The city of Cococum also fell victim to widespread flooding after the Holguin River burst its banks.

The island’s famous tourist areas, including Cayos Coco, Guillermo, and Varadero, all sustained serious damage as the storm walloped the island’s eastern seaboard. However, no deaths have been reported.

"This is a beautiful town but now it is a disaster,” Remedios resident Sandro Sanchez told Reuters while walking through the main square.

The town was a scene of widespread destruction with lampposts knocked down and corrugated iron from roofs strewn in the streets alongside rubble.

"You can’t do anything against nature," he said. "We never had a storm wreak so much damage here. This is really a mess.”

Putin: Russia Ready to Help Cuba in Relieving Aftermath of Hurricane Irma: https://sputniknews.com/latam/201709101057265406-putin-cuba-irma-aid/

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready to assist Cuba in dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma that hit the Caribbean island.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The news comes after the head of Russian Emergencies Ministry said Russia was ready to provide support to France and Cuba after the hurricane.

"Yes, we are ready. The head of the Emergencies Ministry has already offered their help. We are ready," Putin told a Cuban reporter in Moscow.

Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm, descended on the Caribbean islands on Wednesday, striking St Barthelemy and St Martin. On Friday, the hurricane made landfall in the Camaguey Archipelago in Cuba's north-east and continued towards Florida.

The damage caused by the hurricane is significant. Irma hit the Camaguey Archipelago with nearly 160 miles per hour winds, according to local authorities and US media reports.
The hurricane is one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic basin and has already caused more than 20 deaths.

The eye of the storm is forecast to move near the north coast of Cuba throughout Saturday, near the Florida Keys on Sunday morning, and then near the southwest coast of Florida on Sunday afternoon.

 

[angelburst29]

Anything about Cuba? They sure got a hammering!

Pictured: The devastation wrought on Cuba after Hurricane Irma battered the island with 120mph winds and 30ft waves - leaving cities under water and homes destroyed
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4868728/Hurricane-Irma-hits-Cuba.html

'We never had a storm wreak so much damage here,' resident says

Havana hit with flooding from Hurricane Irma (Photos)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/hurricane-irma-cuba-1.4282846

Hurricane Irma uprooted trees and tore off roofs in Cuba on Saturday with 200 km/h winds that damaged hotels in the island's best-known beach resorts and forced evacuations as far along the coast as low-lying areas of the capital, Havana.

Power was out and cellphone service was spotty in many regions as Irma neared the end of a 320-kilometre trek westward along the top of the island. It was heading north toward Florida in the evening.

In the fishing town of Caibarien, residents swept mud from beachside homes after storm surge drove one metre of seawater up the shore. In streets carpeted with fresh green seaweed as the water receded, people said it was the strongest cyclone ever to hit the town.

Irma's turn northward was expected to occur around 240 kilometres east of the capital. Nevertheless, authorities shut off power in large parts of the city and evacuated some 10,000 people from central Havana near the Malecon seawall because of fears of flooding from the storm surge.

By Saturday evening, the sea had penetrated two blocks over parts of the city's historic seafront boulevard, and the waters were expected to advance farther as the surge grew. Restaurants on the seaside drive pulled down their shutters and stacked sandbags against the storm.

Authorities were trying to restore power, clear roads and warning that people should stay off the streets of Havana because flooding could continue into Monday.

Still, many Cubans expressed a sense of relief after the eye of the first Category 5 storm to make landfall on the island since 1932 passed over the northern keys, just grazing the mainland with its full force.

As recovery efforts begin in Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma, some islands are bracing for the potential impact of another storm churning in the Atlantic.

Cuba cleans up after Hurricane Irma tears through Caribbean Mon September 11, 2017
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/10/americas/cuba-caribbean-hurricane-irma/

Irma made landfall in Cuba overnight on Friday as a Category 5 storm, blasting into seaside towns and causing flooding in low-lying areas of the capital Havana. Hurricane-force winds of 125 mph (over 200 kp/h) whipped roofs clean off buildings, ripped trees from the ground and forced evacuations along the coast.

As Irma made its way toward the US mainland on Sunday afternoon, the last remaining hurricane warning in Cuba was discontinued for the provinces of Matanzas and La Habana.

But rainfall is expected to continue through Wednesday, producing an additional one to three inches in western Cuba and up to five inches in isolated areas. Authorities will be on alert for flash floods and mudslides amid recovery and clean-up efforts, while Hurricane Jose swirls in the Atlantic.

Irma's blinding rain and powerful winds began pummeling Caibarién, a small coastal city about 200 miles (320 kilometers) east of Havana, late Friday. The outer bands of the massive storm knocked out power in a town that normally would be busy with tourists.

By dawn Saturday, waves were rolling down the town's main street. Within hours, the whole town was flooded with several feet of water.

Most people in the coastal area live in one-story homes, putting them at great risk as floodwaters rose to roof level in some places. Residents were overwhelmed by the damage and said recovery will take time. Many had left town before the storm hit and all foreigners were urged to evacuate. Those who remained told CNN they were prepared, though they knew this was a storm like few had ever experienced.

Meanwhile, as dusk fell Saturday in Havana, the churning waters moved inland from the city's popular seafront boulevard. Flooding continued Sunday afternoon along the malecón, spreading into adjacent streets with waist-level water in some areas. At the US Embassy in Havana, part of a fence that guards the compound was knocked over. US Marines and Cuban police surrounded the area.

Water battered the city's pier and flooding some low-lying areas of Havana on Saturday.

So far there have been no reports of deaths in Cuba. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, 26 deaths have been attributed to Irma. Nine were in various French territories, one in Barbuda, one in Anguilla, four in St. Maarten, four in the British Virgin Islands, four in the US Virgin Islands, and three in Puerto Rico.

The Cuban government prepared by staging emergency supplies and building equipment ahead of the arrival of Irma. Authorities cut power to parts of the city and evacuated around 10,000 people from central Havana amid concerns of storm surge flooding, according to Reuters.

Elsewhere in the country, Irma struck the archipelago north of Cuba's Camaguey and Ciego de Avila provinces with gusts so strong they destroyed an instrument used to measure wind, Cuba's meteorological agency reported.

Hurricane-strength winds later were recorded in the northern half of Camaguey province, the agency said. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to hit Camaguey in 85 years, according to the province's state media radio station.

As Irma advanced over neighboring Ciego de Avila province, waves of between 16- and 23-foott waves (5 to 7 meters) were recorded.

In the resort town of Varadero in the Matanzas province, 14,500 foreign tourists rode out the storm, according to state-run news organization Granma.

Irma left a string of small Caribbean islands devastated, many of which are still assessing damage as they prepare for Hurricane Jose.

The tiny island of Barbuda was perhaps worst hit. Prime Minister Gaston Browne described the result as "total devastation."

Antigua, Barbuda's sister island and home to about 80,000 people, was spared the brunt of the storm. Many Barbuda have been evacuated ahead of Jose.

 

[Ant22]

A video of the Hurricane Irma aftermath in Cuba:

http://<iframe width="560" height="...dg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And from Florida:

http://<iframe width="560" height="...xE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Ca.]

Unbelievable Lightning Storm San Francisco 09/12/2017

http://<iframe width="560" height="...ik" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[angelburst29]

More Dutch updates:

https://nltimes.nl/2017/09/12/dutch-king-visits-sint-maarten-first-evacuees-arrive-netherlands

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/09/willem-alexander-sint-maarten-destruction-worse-than-any-war-zone/
https://nltimes.nl/2017/09/12/destruction-upheaval-everywhere-sint-maarten-dutch-king

Palinurus, are you coming across any reports of chemical spraying on Sint Maarten? The U.S. Air Force is spraying Eastern Texas for " Mosquitoes'?

U.S. Air Force Is Spraying 6 Million Acres With Chemicals in Response to Harvey Sep. 12, 2017
https://www.ecowatch.com/harvey-pesticide-naled-2484385387.html

Amid statewide efforts to clean up the aftermath left by the historic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, the Pentagon announced last week that it had dispatched C-130H Sprayers from the Air Force Reserve's 910th Airlift Wing in order to "assist with recovery efforts in eastern Texas." However, these "recovery efforts" have little to do with rebuilding damaged structures or with the resettlement of evacuees. Instead, they are set to spray chemicals in order to help "control pest insect populations," which they allege pose a "health risk to rescue workers and residents of Houston."

The Pentagon has requested that the planes treat more than 6 million acres throughout the Houston area. The Air Force noted that the current effort is "expected to significantly surpass previous [spraying] missions in scope," specifically the spraying campaigns that followed Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Naled's Toxicity Not Confined to Mosquitoes

While the Pentagon has framed its efforts to "assist" as seeking to eliminate a potential human health risk, the particular chemical it is using to control insect populations is likely to do more harm than good. According to the Air Force, the mosquito control protocol involves spraying the "Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved and regulated material, Naled," which the Air Force insists will not be used in amounts large enough to "cause any concern for human health."

However, the insecticide Naled, manufactured and sold by a strategic partner of Monsanto, is currently banned in the European Union due to the "unacceptable risk" it presents to human health.

Naled is a known neurotoxin in animals and humans, as it inhibits acetylcholinesterase—an enzyme essential to nerve function and communication—and has even been known to have caused paralysis. Mounting scientific evidence, including a recent Harvard study, has also pointed to Naled's responsibility for the mass die-off of North American bees. Just one day of Naled spraying in South Carolina killed more than 2.5 million bees last year.

Yet, the most concerning consequence Naled poses for human health is the chemical's ability to cross the placental barrier—meaning that Naled freely crosses from mother to fetus. A study conducted at the University of Oslo found that Naled's breakdown product, dichlorvos, caused a 15 percent decrease in the brain size of newborn guinea pigs when their mothers were exposed to Naled for only three days during pregnancy. Doctors from Puerto Rico have also claimed that Naled harms fetuses.

Studies in the U.S. have also shown that pregnant women exposed to Naled had a 60 percent higher chance of having a child with an autism-spectrum disorder.

This is especially troubling given that the manufacturer of Naled, Sumimoto Chemical Corp., is also the manufacturer of the mosquito larvicide SumiLarv, a chemical now believed to have been the real culprit behind the spike in birth defects in Brazil originally attributed to the Zika virus.

At the height of the Zika scare, a group of Argentine doctors, Médicos de Pueblos Fumigados, published a report citing a pesticide used to kill mosquito larva as the real cause of the birth defects. According to the report, the area where most of the affected Brazilian families live, Pernambuco, had its drinking water treated for 18 months with a chemical larvicide that produces fatal birth defects in mosquitoes.

Pernambuco subsequently reported more than 4,000 cases of microcephaly in 2015. In contrast, in Colombia, public health officials diagnosed more than 17,000 pregnant women with Zika last year, yet only 18 cases of Zika-associated microcephaly were reported—less than 0.2 percent of the total.

In addition, the Air Force's characterization of Naled as an "EPA approved and regulated material" omits the important fact that the EPA is currently re-evaluating the chemical for safety. According to the EPA's website, "the EPA expects to issue new human health and ecological risk assessments for Naled before the end of 2017." Scientists and concerned citizens have noted that Naled will likely be banned as the EPA found it to harm 22 out of 28 endangered species exposed to it.

Agrochem Corp Pressures to Keep Naled on the Market

However, political pressure could keep it on the market. Such pressure was manifest in last year's "Zika Vector Control Act," which passed the House but failed in the Senate and narrowly missed becoming law. If it had been passed, the act would have exempted mosquito-control operations from environmental regulations and would have kept Naled on the market regardless of the EPA's decision. It also would have ended monitoring of and limits to pesticide use.

Though the act ultimately failed to become law, there will likely be another effort at preventing the chemical from being banned by the EPA. It is currently "one of the most widely used pesticides in the United States for aerial mosquito control" and has been applied to "about 16 million acres per year in the continental United States."

Given its wide use, the chemical's manufacturer and its strategic partner Monsanto will likely want to keep such a profitable product on the market, lest they face a mass drop in sales and revenue.

 

[Palinurus]

Palinurus, are you coming across any reports of chemical spraying on Sint Maarten? The U.S. Air Force is spraying Eastern Texas for " Mosquitoes'?

Negative, angelburst29.

Moreover, when I read about this spraying a couple of days ago it was also mentioned that the chemicals used in the USA are not allowed within the EU.