Floods in Seoul take lives, paralyzes the city – another instance of climate crisis

Torrential rainfall led to floods and landslides as Seoul witnessed death of at least nine persons. Forecasters cautioned about more rain to come. Three died when they were trapped in a flooded semi-basement. Many others suffered injuries and whereabouts of at least seven more are not known. Record rainfall kills at least 9 in Seoul as water floods buildings, submerges cars. The authorities have evacuated hundreds of people and made available aid in the form of tents, blankets and other essentials. They have also launched cleanup and rescue operations. This is because of damages to houses, shops, retaining walls and other pieces of infrastructure.

The rainfall recorded was the highest since authorities began keeping records in 1907. Photos in social media showed people wading across roads up to their thighs in water. In parts of Seoul, there was blockage of drains. These led to travel problems in the streets and subway stations. The Seoul Metro suspended services in some portions because of the floods. Damages included crumbling of parts of pavement apart from damaged vehicles that were swept up by floodwater. Loss of power left many without power in some areas south of the Han River. Yoon Suk Yeol, president of South Korea sent condolences to the victims. He also assured about conducting an on-site inspection and work to prevent additional damage. He realized the need to review the disaster management system. This is necessary in view of increasing instances of climate crisis. Countries in East Asia are experiencing more intense rainfall. The summer monsoons could grow stronger and more unpredictable due to global warming. This is according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Parts of Japan also faced similar situation as parts of Hokkaido reporting floods with possibilities of flash floods and landslides.

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Nature gifts Japan with a new strip of land that rose from the ocean floor

#Rausu #Japan #HokkaidoIsland Japan has been gifted with a 300m-long strip of coastline by Nature – this strip of land has apparently risen from the seabed and that stands 10m-high in some places. This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 27 April 2015.
This incident has taken place near the town of Rausu on Hokkaido Island situated at the country's northern tip.
This new stretch of shoreline, which resembles what used to be the sea floor, had initially sparked fears that a major earthquake was imminent. It may be recalled that in 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake had struck Japan and devastated large stretches of land and left thousands dead.

The quake of 2011 coupled with a Tsunami had led to meltdowns and radioactive leaks at the Fukushima nuclear plant. However, as far as Rausu is concerned, geologists have assured that the phenomenon was probably a result of a nearby landslide, caused by melting ice and snow that displaced a portion of the seabed that rose and came in sight.
Of course, Japan has also seen the creation of a new island – it emerged from the sea 620 miles south of Tokyo and continues to grow because of the volcano at its center that spews out magma. In the month of February, it measured around a square mile. Therefore, Rausu is not the only place where Japan is expanding.

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Japan worried about China and Russia – scrambles fighter planes more frequently

#coldwar #Japan #EastChinaSea #HokkaidoIsland Japan is worried about the activities of its nearest neighbors namely China and Russia and their provocative tactics. Proof of this is in the increase of the number of incidences when Japan Air Force had to scramble its fighter jets.
As reported in news.sky.com dated 15 April 2015, fighter jets scrambled by Japan have soared back to Cold War levels. Japanese warplanes were sent up 943 times in the year to March – this was a 16% increase on the previous year as revealed by the country's Self Defense Force (SDF).

While Chinese fighter incursions are usually localized in the East China Sea, close to disputed uninhabited islands near Taiwan, the Russian bombers and patrol planes usually encroach into Japan's airspace close to the northern Hokkaido Island and in the vicinity of four smaller islands which are claimed by both countries.
Statistically speaking, this is the second highest number of intercept flights ever recorded over a 12-month period ever since records began to be maintained in 1958 and was only one less than a record of 944 scrambles in 1984.
This, taken by itself, cannot be said to be a direct measure of Russian and Chinese military activities in the region but, it does indicate an increase in operations by the two countries and can be presumed to be a reflection of an increasingly assertive China. It has hiked its defense spending by more than 10% a year. Coupled with China is a resurgent Russia following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea last year.
To bring parity, Japan has also hiked defense spending, albeit to a lesser extent, and is buying a range of new military hardware, including longer-range patrol aircraft, cargo jets, helicopter carriers and stealth fighters.

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