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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Observations

Another Landslide Hits The Philippines
At least 15 people are dead and dozens more are missing.
Naga City, Naga, Philippines
New York Times

Left to Louisiana’s Tides, a Village Fights for Time
For the community of Jean Lafitte, the question is less whether it will succumb to the sea than when — and how much the public should invest in artificially extending its life.
Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, United States
New York Times

Canada’s Outdoor Rinks Are Melting. So Is a Way of Life.
Canada loves its ice, and outdoor hockey is part of the nation's cultural identity. So what happens when winters get too warm for backyard rinks?
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
New York Times

Dangerously Low on Water, Cape Town Now Faces ‘Day Zero’
One of Africa’s richest cities is threatening to turn off the taps to its four million residents, cutting off homes and most businesses.
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
The New York Times
Norimitsu Onishi and Somini Sengupta (The Daily Maverick)

‘It Burns and It Keeps Burning’: Scenes From Southern California’s Wildfires
Wildfires have burned more than 100,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Fighting them were professionals and homeowners with garden hoses.
Los Angeles, California, United States
The New York Times

Easter Island Is Eroding
Rising ocean levels are causing waves to break on the statues and platforms built a thousand years ago. The island risks losing its cultural heritage. Again.
Easter Island, Chile

Hurricane Maria Makes Landfall in Dominica as Other Islands Brace for Potential Disaster
Hurricane Maria barreled through the islands that curve through the Caribbean.
Dominican Republic, Caribbean
The New York Times

Powerful Quake and Tsunami Devastate Northern Japan
Japan was filled with scenes of desperation a day after an 8.9-magnitude quake, as survivors called for help and rescuers looked for people buried in rubble.
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

California fires see 200,000 evacuated while 3 million may lose power
For the third year in a row, an enormous wildfire is destroying homes and properties in California, with smaller fires raging elsewhere in the state.
Sonoma Valley, California, USA
New Scientist

Wildfires add to coronavirus misery across nine Siberian regions and republics
With Russia on Covid-19 lockdown, 77 houses were burned down in Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions.
Краснинское, Ленинск-Кузнецкий район, Кемеровская область, Russia
Siberia Times

Massive landslide damages houses, shuts highway at Ramban
A massive landslide damaged 28 houses in a village along Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, rendering hundreds of people homeless, officials said on Sunday.
Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Hindustan Times

State of emergency in Russian Far East as ice rain causes collapse of key systems
Overnight ice rain and north winds turned Vladivostok, Russia's Pacific capital, and most of the Primorye region into a frozen land with hundreds of power lines cut by wet snow. The storm left 120,000 people without electricity and many without heating and water.
Vladivostok, Primorskiy, Russia
Siberian Times

Permafrost is ablaze with hundreds of wildfires in world’s coldest region
Wildfires on permafrost are ravaging Yakutia - or the Sakha Republic - the largest and coldest entity of the Russian Federation. The scale is mesmerizing. There are some 300 separate fires, now covering 12,140 square kilometers - but only around half of these are being tackled, because they pose a threat to people. The rest are burning unchecked.
Sakha, Russia
Siberian Times

Avalanche hits ski resort near Norilsk
Father missing under snow; more than 200 people continue search and rescue at -23C, snowstorm and bleak light of polar night.
Norilsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia
Siberian Times

Warning of 'Collapse' in Siberia's Permafrost Cities
A new study has warned of the risk to buildings in urban areas across Russia's permafrost zone caused by climate change. The Russian-US analysis says a worst-case scenario could lead to a 75-95% 'reduction in bearing capacity throughout the permafrost region by 2050'.
Anadyr, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Flood apocalypse in Eastern Siberia kills five and maroons 9,919 whose homes destroyed or damaged
State of emergency in Irkutsk region as President Vladimir Putin flies in amid carnage from heavy rain - with ‘worse to come’.
Tulun, Irkutsk, Russia
Siberia Times

Roofs ripped off dozens of buildings, including maternity hospital, by stormy wind in Chita
The stormy wind at 30 metres per second rose in Chita in the afternoon on Wednesday 13 May.
Chita, Transbaikal Territory, Russia
Siberia Times

Nuclear town on fire, with residents 'choking' from smoke
Facilities for producing weapons grade plutonium believed safe despite fierce flames caused by wildfires.
Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia

First seismic sensor installed to give early warning on new 'exploding pingos'
The aim is to give warnings over seismic activity that could lead to the sudden formation of new craters, which could potentially damage key industrial infrastructure.
Sabetta, Yamalo-Nenets

State of emergency after dozens of houses destroyed in fearsome wildfires in TransBaikal region
At least 90 left homeless in one village after raging infernos, say reports.
Chita, Transbaikal Territory, Russia

2019 to be ‘worst-ever year’ for wildfires in Siberia and ‘only rain can now extinguish flames’
Some 5.4 million hectares of land are ablaze across Russia, mostly in Siberia and the country's far east. Water sprayed by planes to fight the fires is ‘now as expensive as Champagne’.

Black skies over Siberia as wildfires rage around the world’s oldest lake
Cries to urgently call state of emergency in Irkutsk region as it chokes in smoke.
Irkutsk, Irkutsk, Russia

Call for extra hands to clear Russian bridge, still shut after last week’s disastrous ice rain
Video shows hero climbers manually breaking ice off its cable stays at height of 324m (1,063ft) in Vladivostok.
Vladivostok, Primorskiy, Russia

Hilary leaves massive flooding, mudslides, upheaval across Southern California
The first tropical storm to hit Los Angeles in 84 years dumped record rainfall and turned streets into muddy, debris-swollen rivers.
Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

Next ‘stop’ Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean?
Toxic fuel from 21,000 ton leak reaches pristine lake, bypassing floating booms, as rivers of diesel pollution cover-up is exposed.
Norilsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia

Russia’s largest and coldest region is on fire - again, and this year wildfires strike early
Even school children are in firefighting brigades in some areas of Yakutia.
Srednekolymsk, Sakha, Russia

Wildfire infernos in Western Siberia as drivers in Novosibirsk region report zero visibility
Omsk region reported ‘record high’ number of wildfires and cases of dry grass burning, that turn into wildfires this spring, with one day last week counting nearly a thousand new events a day. Omsk region emergency services said the number of wildfires is seven to ten times above the norm.
Omsk, Omsk, Russia

Building breaks in middle and collapses 10 meters as thawing permafrost no longer supports stilts
Arctic permafrost is degrading much faster than expected, warn scientists from the extreme north of Yakutia. It took two years for a building in the port town of Chersky on the Kolyma River, to snap in the middle after the once solid permafrost could no longer hold its supporting foundation.
Черский, Нижнеколымский район, Sakha, Russia

Alarming wildfires rage near giant ‘Mouth of Hell’ gash in the tundra, a wonder of Siberia
The fires are now raging some 10 to 15 kilometers from the megaslump crater - a large hole in the frozen Arctic soil which highlights the dramatic speed of thawing permafrost.
Батагай, Верхоянский район, Республика Саха, Russia

Siberian Wildfires Swell Amid Historic Heatwave
Most of the blazes are in a region that saw possibly the hottest-ever temperature above the Arctic Circle this month.
Verkhoyansk, Sakha, Russia
The Moscow Times

String of collapses at Del Mar bluffs
Officials press forward with emergency plan following string of collapses at Del Mar bluffs.
Del Mar, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

Afghanistan floods devastate villages, killing 315
Northern Afghanistan devastated by flash floods, 315 dead, 1,600 injured. Thousands of homes damaged, livestock lost. Villagers lack essentials.
Nahrīn, Wilāyat-e Baghlān, Afghanistan
The Times of India

At least 35 killed and 17 missing after Typhoon Hagibis tears through country, flooding rivers and submerging cities
In the aftermath of the largest typhoon to hit Japan in decades, the nation on Sunday was still assessing the scope of the damage caused by the massive storm.
Japan
The Japan Times

President Tokayev Arrives in Kostanai Region as Forest Fires Burn Record 43,000 Hectares
The Kostanai Region declared a state of emergency on Sept. 4 after forest fires burned a record 43,000 hectares (the size of Сarribean Barbados island) and forced an evacuation of 1,841 people.
Аманкарагай, Әулиекөл, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
The Astana Times

Wildfires rage across Siberia and the Russian Far East
Dry conditions fuel dozens of fires and result in a state of emergency across the Siberian Federal District.
Bubnovka, Irkutsk, Russia

'Stay away from Maaseik' as dyke threatens to break, mayor warns
As experts are expecting that the water level of the Meuse river will continue to rise until noon and the water has starting flowing over the dyke, the mayor of Maaseik in the Limburg province urged people to stay away.
Maaseik, Limburg, Belgium
The Brussels Times

Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport Gets Stranded By Floods
Heavy rains flooded the roads around Moscow's largest airport on Friday, with the floods reaching knee-high depths and blocking cars from bringing passengers to and from its terminals.
Moscow, Moscow, Russia
The Moscow Times

'Unprecedented' Siberian Oil Spill Reaches Arctic Glacial Lake
President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency last Wednesday, several days after 21,000 metric tons of diesel leaked from a collapsed fuel tank outside the city of Norilsk.The pollution now risks running north into the Arctic Ocean.
Norilsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia
The Moscow Times

Tornado touches down near Port Orchard, rips roofs off homes
The tornado touched down and damaged homes on the Kitsap Peninsula. No injuries were discovered in a primary search, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Port Orchard, Washington, United States
The Seattle Times

Siberia Feels the Brunt of Climate Change as Wildfires Rage
The driest summer in 150 years has turned Yakutia into a tinderbox and seen wildfires tear through the region.
Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia

Intense Rainfall Brings Floods to Russia's Far East Primorye Region
Intense rainfall in Russia's Far East Primorye region caused floods, power outages, and evacuations, with water levels exceeding the norm by eightfold in some areas, following previous flooding caused by tropical storm Khanun.
Vladivostok, Primorskiy, Russia

As the Caspian Sea Disappears, Life Goes on for Those Living by Its Shores
Scientists predict the world’s largest inland sea will shrink by a quarter due to climate change by the end of the century. In Derbent, waves that once threatened to engulf entire streets have retreated by around 100 meters, leaving miles of fresh sand dunes up and down the former shoreline.
Derbent, Dagestan, Russia

Siberia Rushes to Extinguish Fast-Spreading Wildfires
Gallery | The fires, which were swept in from Mongolia by high winds, have caused almost $9.4 million in damage.
Zabaikalsky Region, Russian Federation

2 Dead After Dam Collapses in Northwestern Russia
Two people were killed after a torrent of water poured over a cofferdam in northwestern Russia early Monday and flooded the surrounding area, authorities said.
Надвоицы, Сегежский район, Karelia, Russia

Unmasked: the scale of Arctic junk polluting the pristine environment
One region alone - Yakutia - has 5 million tons scrap metal dumped in polar regions, an ugly Soviet legacy.
Kotelny island, Yakutia Region, Russia
The Siberian Times

Over 1,000 families flee Davao del Norte floods
At least 1,130 families in some villages in Santo Tomas town in Davao del Norte were displaced by flash floods early morning of April 11, 2021. The Santo Tomas LGU, together with these three affected barangay (villages), are set to discuss the reoccurring flooding issue attributed to the various drainage canals or the lack of them.
New Visayas, Davao, Philippines
The Manila Times

Intense Flooding Hits Russia's Black Sea Resort Sochi
Local power supplies were cut off, apartment buildings were flooded, cars were seen being washed away and a river overflowed, leading to one civilian death and several injuries.
Sochi, Krasnodarskiy, Russia

Typhoon Maysak Batters Russia’s Far East
High winds reached speeds of up to 154 km/hr. At least three people died and dozens were injured. The storm unmoored a floating dry dock, causing it to slam into some of the vessels making up Russia's Pacific Fleet.

Russia’s 2020 Wildfires Cover Greece-Sized Area
Wildfires in Russia have burned across a combined area the size of Greece so far in 2020, surpassing official estimates threefold. Experts warn that this year’s blazes could become the most destructive in history.
Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia

Shiveluch Volcano Erupts in Eastern Russia
The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka region has erupted, spewing ash some 13km above sea level.Officials from the region's Emergency Situations Ministry have confirmed that the ash is not expected to land on nearby settlements, Meanwhile a "red warning" has been issued to passing planes, urging them to avoid the site.The Shiveluch volcano is extimated to be between 60,000 and 70,000 years old.
Shiveluch Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia

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