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The Future of Mankind and Nature Urgent

Here’s what we’re watching for the week of Oct. 4, 2021.

New or emerging disasters Tropical Cyclone Shaheen: Unlike many areas in the Atlantic Ocean, it is relatively uncommon for a tropical cyclone to make landfall in the Arabian Peninsula. For the first time since 2019, a tropical cyclone made landfall in the Sultanate of Oman, located across the Arabian Sea from India on the western tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Tropical Cyclone Shaheen made landfall on Sunday as the equivalent of a Category 1 Hurricane with winds 74-95 mph (119-153 km/h). Officials evacuated people along the coastal regions ahead of the storm, but three people had already died by the time Shaheen came ashore. While damage assessments are still underway, at least 12 people are confirmed dead while an unknown number of others remain missing both on land and at sea.

Flooding – Thailand: Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Dianmu brought flooding and landslides across 27 provinces that had seen days of heavy rain in September. At least seven people have been killed by the flooding that has affected over 229,000 households across the 6,827 villages. Rescuers worked to reach people stranded in their homes, while officials had to suspend train service as the floodwaters overwhelmed the tracks and increase the amount of water being discharged from dams in an attempt to ensure their stability.

Flooding – Indonesia: Heavy rains and high winds affected the Indonesian province of West Sumatra on Sept. 29, causing at least nine landslides and flooding up to 6 feet (2 meters) deep. Officials report that seven people died due to flooding or landslides while an eighth person was killed as a result of wind damage.

Oil Spill – California: Approximately 126,000 gallons of oil leaked from a pipeline that runs between an offshore rig and the mainland. The leak wasn’t noticed until lifeguards along area beaches began reporting an unusual odor. The leak still hadn’t been sealed as of the morning of Oct. 4. Globs of crude oil have been found along local beaches and in sensitive ecological areas. Clean-up crews are rushing to look after birds and other animals that were exposed to the spilled oil.

Fire – Honduras: Tourism-dependent regions have struggled during the pandemic as global tourism dissipated. Among those dependent on tourism is Guanaja, an island about 44 miles off the north coast and the site of a major fire last week. The cause is unknown at this point, but the fire consumed 90 homes or businesses and damaged another 120 as residents battled the flames without any official support as the island doesn’t have firefighting services.

Drought – Paraguay: Two years of severe drought have left Paraguay without one of its most important export routes as water levels in the Paraná continue to fall. In addition to providing a vital export route for 96% of soy products that pass through, the Paraná also provides irrigation, electricity and food security for the people who live along it.

Previous/ongoing disasters Volcanic Eruption – Spain: La Cumbre Vieja, on the island of La Palma, continued to erupt into its third week, with new fissures and lava flows creating new risks. Officials are crediting the rapid and early evacuation of residents from the area with preventing fatalities as the volcano has emitted approximately 2,825 cubic feet (80 cubic meters) of molten rock – more than double the amount than when it last erupted in 1971. While it has consumed approximately 1,752 acres (709 hectares), including more than 1,000 buildings, it has also created approximately 50 acres (20 hectares) of new land along the coast of La Palma.

2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season: As of Oct. 4, officials are monitoring Hurricane Sam and Tropical Depression Victor, which aren’t expected to make landfall anywhere.

Although most communities don’t have the budget to hire their own meteorologists, New York City is doing just that after the damage caused by Hurricane Ida earlier this year. The city will hire a private company to provide a second opinion on National Weather Service predictions as well as create hyper-local forecasts.

Please read our 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season disaster profile for the latest information.

North American Wildfires: As of Oct. 3, the National Interagency Fire Center listed 46,527 wildfires in the U.S. that had burned more than 5.9 million acres. A total of 12,023 personnel are deployed on 53 active fires across the country; 34 are considered large uncontained fires.