Around 1 600 people were forced to evacuate as Five Mile Swamp Fire continues to rage in the Florida Panhandle. As of Friday morning, May 8, 2020, the fire covered 882 ha (2 180 acres) of land and was 35 percent contained, according to Florida Forest Service (FFS)…
A shallow earthquake registered by the Iranian Seismological Center (IRSC) as M5.1 at a depth of 7 km (4.3 miles) hit the city of Damavand in Tehran, Iran, at 20:18 UTC on May 7, 2020 (00:48 LT on May 8). Both USGS and EMSC reported it as shallow M4.6. At least two…
Another unprecedented wave of locust plague is expected to hit Pakistan by the end of May 2020, posing threats of food security crisis and livelihood losses. The invasion will start from the southwestern province of Balochistan, passing through the cropping area of…
Torrential rains and flash floods have claimed at least 16 lives and affected more than 200 000 people across Somalia since April 2020. About 10 others remain missing due to floods and at least 2 000 farms have been washed away since the Gu or rainy season in the…
Severe flooding affecting Ethiopia since late April has impacted at least 219 000 people and displaced as many as 104 000. Tens of thousands have been displaced following major inundations that affected mostly those in the Somali region. Flash floods also killed…
The severe drought in North Island, New Zealand– the worst in 50 years in some areas– has prompted the Auckland Council's Emergency Committee to introduce mandatory water restrictions, which will be effective across the region beginning May 16, 2020. This…
Heavy rains caused severe flash flooding in the provinces of Baghlan and Samangan, northern Afghanistan, leaving thousands of partially or totally damaged houses and at least 4 injured people, National Disaster Management Authority head Sibghatullah Sayad confirmed…
A high-resolution satellite has captured detailed images of a rocky cliff on Mars, revealing the first evidence of ancient rivers that existed for more than 100 000 years on the surface of the planet, 3.7 billion years ago. The international team of scientists used…
A strong and deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit Bougainville region of Papua New Guinea at 11:21 UTC on May 7, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 466 km (289 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.7 at a depth of 493 km (306 miles). The epicenter was…
New activity/unrest was reported for 3 volcanoes from April 29 to May 5, 2020. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 12 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Bagana, Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) | Kavachi, Solomon Islands | Kikai, Japan. Ongoing…
