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Scientists probe mysterious 1908 Siberian mystery
On 30 June 1908 an explosion equivalent to 15 megatons of TNT occurred approximately 3-6 miles above the Stony Tunguska River in a remote area of central Siberia; 80 million trees felled by the explosion over an area of some 2,100 square kilometres; the night sky was lit up across Europe and Asia and the shock waves were detected as far away as Britain; to date, there is no agreed explanation of the event
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Is flooding really as big a risk to Britain now as terrorism?
In 2007 the U.K. saw disastrous summer flooding in Yorkshire and the Severn valley around Gloucester and Tewkesbury. These floods caused the largest peacetime emergency in Britain since the Second World War
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Protecting IT infrastructure
The U.S. National Weather Service says that 910 storms had already been recorded by mid-May, a considerable number when compared with 1,093 confirmed tornadoes for all of 2007; U.S. business had better be prepared
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Extreme weather events may unleash perfect storm of infectious disease
Climatic conditions can alter normal host-pathogen relationships; diseases that are tolerated individually may converge and cause mass die-offs of livestock or wildlife
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Floridians believe global warming will have dangerous impacts on the state
Florida Residents want government to do more to address climate change; new survey of Floridians finds that most are convinced that global warming is happening now and that more should be done by key leaders to help Florida deal with climate change
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Universal biosensor would detect disease, bioterror attack, pollution
A consortium of U.K. research institutions, in collaboration with a Chinese University, work on developing a universal biosensor which would help in many types of detection — from home diagnosis of disease to chemical plant monitoring, anti-bioterrorism, and pandemic outbreak
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Lower Mississippi River region braces for major flood
Floodwaters are projected to crest at St. Louis at 38 feet on 22 or 23 June, marking the eleventh time since the Civil War that St. Louis has reached that flood stage; during the flood of 1993 waters at St. Louis crested at 49.6 feet
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Assessing landslide risk
Researchers develop new technique for assessing areas most at risk from landslides
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Midwest floods threaten IT infrastructure
More than 100 blocks in the Cedar Falls’s downtown are underwater and 3,900 homes have been evacuated; companies must cope with the threat of rising water to IT infrastructure
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Royal Mint issues urgent call for disaster recovery system
Tender comes after critical review warns about inadequate contingency plans
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Continuing communication in disaster-stricken areas
The BBC World Service’s transmission and distribution department offers a four-stage approach to re-establishing and maintaining vital communication in disaster areas
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Experts: Surprise quake shows Japan's vulnerability
Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude quake was the most powerful to strike inland Japan in eight years; experts say the Big One may hit anywhere in the country, in a repeat of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake which left 142,807 people dead
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Flood protection call for utilities
Twelve months after the devastating U.K. floods a government agency says much more must be done to tackle the vulnerability of buildings such as power stations and hospitals to flooding
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FEMA announces fiscal year 2008 CEDAP application period
FEMA is open to applications from state and local emergency services for funding the purchase of emergency equipment; $16 million in funding will be awarded, and the application period ends at the end of the month
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EU funds disaster modeling project
Do people from different countries and cultures behave differently during disasters — for example, when evacuating a burning building? EU-funded research aims to find out whether different disaster-behavior patterns should influence the design of buildings and the fashioning of emergency policies
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The long view
Millions of Buildings at Risk from Sea Level Rise
Sea level rise could put more than 100 million buildings if fossil fuel emissions are not curbed quickly. The analysis focused on Global South and considered multiple scenarios, underscoring urgent need for planning.