Monday, April 24, 2006

PERU VOLCANO AUSTRALIA CYCLONE

Well we see a Volcano is erupting in Peru And in Australia, the 3rd Major Cyclone (Hurricane or Typhoon) in a Month Monica could be the worst yet Officials say.

Peru Evacuates Village Near Volcano Sun Apr 23, 9:47 PM ET

LIMA, Peru - Authorities evacuated some 200 people from their southern Peruvian village in the shadow of the erupting Ubinas volcano Sunday, an official said. Sixteen families from the southern Andean town of Querapi were evacuated to a village three hours away, Alfredo Siu, the regional director of the Civilian Institute in Arequipa, told The Associated Press. About 60 other residents had already been evacuated from the same village over the past three days.

Some families refused to be evacuated, fearing they would lose their livestock and belongings, Siu said. President Alejandro Toledo issued a state of emergency for the area Saturday after Ubinas — about 470 miles southeast of the capital, Lima — spewed acid-laden ash and vapors into the air, killing livestock and causing eye and respiratory problems for nearby residents.
The volcano started erupting in February. Between 40 to 60 livestock, including vicuna and llamas, died near the slopes of the crater, and many more were reported ill, probably from drinking acid-contaminated water or eating ash-coated grass.Toledo sent a plane full of tents, blankets, food and medicine to the area Sunday.

Tropical Cyclone Monica Threatens Australia's Northern Coast

April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Australia's far north is set to be hit by ``very destructive'' winds later today as Tropical Cyclone Monica, categorized as the most severe cyclone, hits the northern coast of Arnhem Land, the Bureau of Meteorology said. The cyclone, which has caused the shutdown of Alcan Inc.'s alumina refinery at Gove, was upgraded to Category 5 late yesterday.
The bureau today warned of ``dangerously high tides'' that may cause ``extensive flooding'' along part of the coast and ordered the sounding of emergency sirens in the Gove area, including the town of Nhulunbuy.

Arnhem Land is land belonging to Aboriginal communities. About 200 residents of Nhulunbuy have sought protection at the town's cyclone shelter, many of them from the area's Aboriginal population, Australian Broadcasting Corp. said on its Web site. Schools in the area will be closed tomorrow, it said. The cyclone should remain close to its current intensity as it moves
toward the west along the north coast today,'' the bureau said. Tropical Cyclone Monica was about 175 kilometers (109 miles) east north-east of Nhulunbuy and moving west north-west at 8 kilometers an hour at 7 a.m. local time today, the bureau said on its Web site. The cyclone has wind gusts of as much as 320 kilometers an hour.

Alcan, the world's second-biggest aluminum producer, yesterday warned customers of potential interruptions to supplies on contracts from its Gove refinery. Work has also stopped on a $1.3 billion expansion to almost double alumina production at the site. The Montreal-based company intends to resume production and work on the expansion project ``as soon as weather
conditions stabilize and it is deemed safe to do so,'' Jacynthe Cote, chief executive officer, Alcan Bauxite and Alumina, said in an April 22 statement on Alcan's Web site. Company officials in Australia and Canada didn't immediately return phone calls seeking further information.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a ``cyclone warning'' for coastal and island communities between Cape Shield and Croker Island, including Nhulunbuy. It issued a ``cyclone watch'' for areas including Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory. A ``cyclone warning'' advises of gale force or stronger winds during the next 24 hours, while a ``cyclone watch'' warns of possible gale force or stronger winds within 24 to 48 hours. Cyclone Larry, the most powerful storm to hit Australia in 30 years, last month struck Queensland state with winds of 290 kilometers an hour, wiping out more than 90 percent of the nation's A$350 million ($260 million) banana industry.

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