Hurricane Ian struck the western tip of the island, left millions of Cubans without power and is headed towards Florida

The hurricane knocked out power across all of Cuba. Initially, there was loss of power in the western provinces, but later the entire grid collapsed. That meant nearly 11 million people were left without electricity. Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 3 storm and devastated Pinar del Rio province. That meant destruction of large numbers of the country's most important tobacco farms. The authorities had to arrange evacuation of tens of thousands of people as the disaster left behind damaged houses and floods. The US National Hurricane Center said Cuba suffered "significant wind and storm surge impacts." The hurricane had struck with top sustained winds of 125mph and it could gain strength as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico and nears the southwestern coast of Florida. Already orders are given for millions of people of Florida to leave. Hurricane Ian leaves 11 million in Cuba without electricity as it heads towards Florida. Warning is given to residents as well as holidaymakers to take precautions and not be complacent. This is because the hurricane could become a Category 4 storm, with wind speeds of 140mph across the whole state.

Deanne Criswell, spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), held an emergency briefing at the White House. She summed up the grim situation and said - “The storm surge is going to be significant, and you put 20 inches of rain on top of that…. We are talking about impacts in parts of Florida that haven't seen a major direct impact in nearly 100 years." Incidentally, Hurricane Ian is heading towards the Florida Keys. This is a popular holiday destination consisting several islands, some less than a mile wide. US President Joe Biden cancelled a planned trip and called mayors in three Florida cities to assure them federal support is ready to deploy food, fuel and shelter. FEMA has already set up 29 emergency community shelters. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to be prepared. There are predictions of floods for much of the Florida peninsula midweek. This could lead to heavy rainfall for the southeast of the US later this week.

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Typhoon Nock-Ten closes in on the Bicol peninsula and nearby islands of Philippines

Typhoon Nock-Ten closes in on the Bicol peninsula and nearby islands and thousands of residents were fleeing coastal and other hazardous areas in the eastern Philippines. The powerful typhoon is barrelled towards the disaster-prone archipelago and officials have warned of 2.5-metre high waves and landslides.
People were evacuated from a farming village of 3,300 people near the active Mayon volcano. There are large ash deposits on the slopes and, heavy rain could dislodge them and bury the homes in mud.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 25 December 2016.

Philippine and international weather services have indicated that Nock- Ten, named after a bird found in Laos, was set to hit Bicol on Sunday before reaching the rest of the main island of Luzon tomorrow. The US Joint Typhoon Warning Center has also made forecast of sustained windspeeds of 231-Kmph and gusts of 278-Kmph when Nock-Ten makes landfall.
The typhoon will affect an area populated by nearly 42 million people and will include the capital Manila. The government has carried out preemptive evacuations in the region with nearly 4,000 residents moving into emergency centres and more than 8,000 others seeking shelter elsewhere.
Nock-Ten is arriving outside the normal typhoon season and will disrupt the celebration of one of the most important holidays in the mainly Catholic country's religious calendar - all ferry services and some commercial flights suspended. The coastguard has ordered beaches south of Manila to be cleared of holidaymakers and all forms of recreational activity (on the coasts) remain banned.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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European tourists select Spanish destinations since Majorca, Ibiza and the other Balearic Islands are full

The hot spots for Britain's holidaymakers are Majorca, Ibiza and the other Balearic Islands but since these are chock full, they have to now opt for Spanish destinations. Spots in Majorca, Ibiza and the other Balearic Islands are considered to be 'safe haven' alternatives to terrorism-risk areas like Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 15 May 2016.

In view of the rush, environmentalists on the island feel the hotels, roads, beaches, water and sewer system will struggle to cope with the invading hordes and, the fight for spaces on sun loungers around hotel pools and the beaches would be fiercer than ever. Mallorca is already booked out.
British package holiday companies have cancelled flights to areas of north Africa and Turkey because of terrorist threats - already tourists have been targeted in these locations by terror groups that claim to have links to ISIS. Therefore, these travel agents have laid on extra flights and hotels in the Balearic Islands, the Spanish mainland, Italy and Portugal.
The islands are also braced for a big rise in stopovers by cruise ships - it seems 524 vessels are expected in the Majorcan port Palma. Ibiza also predicts 154 cruise ships this season - this is an increase of 28 per cent on last year. The Balearics has a permanent population of 1.1 million, but it had 13 million visitors last year.
The main airport in Majorca, Palma, is already pushing its airport capacity of 66 flights a day to 100 this season. But, even though people come to enjoy life, they will be stressed because they may not get a seat in the buses – the reason is that there are not enough buses.


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Group of 8000 Chinese tourists to come to Seoul for a £35,000 ginseng chicken soup party

A group of Chinese holidaymakers are set to create history when the group made up of 8,000 people from the same company in China will arrive in Seoul for tasting the famous traditional chicken ginseng soup - the soup will be transported to the site using 10 trucks weighing 2.5 tons each.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 4 May 2016.

The group consists of employees of Chinese healthcare company Zhongmai Group and they are expected to remain in Seoul from May 5 to May 9 and the planned activities will be held between May 6 and May 10 before the visitors return to China in groups.
The Seoul government will be setting up 400 tables in Banpo Hangang Park, by the Han River, so that the group can try samgyetang, or ginseng chicken soup. Since no fire is allowed at the park, the soup will be prepared in advance and transported in vacuum packs. The total cost of the 'chicken soup party' will be 60 million Won (£35,813) and it will be split between the chicken soup provider, Seoul government and Zhongmai Group.
The itinerary of the group is to enjoy a live performance of the soundtrack from Korean TV series Descendants of the Sun - it is extremely popular in China and is a regular trending topic on the country's main social media site Weibo. Other activities include visiting Dongdaemun Market, Gyeongbok Palace, Namsan Hanok Village and Myeongdong and spend time in Everland, Imjingak and Peace Park.
The trip is not only an incentive break for the employees but, the local government wants to take this opportunity to to promote samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup) abroad. South Korea is already selling this traditional dish to the USA to help people combat summer heat.


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