Earthwatch: A Diary of the Planet

Tropical Cyclones

Hurricane Floyd roared ashore in North Carolina, creating the largest hazardous material disaster in the state’s history. Resulting flood waters washed toxic material from waste treatment plants and farms into populated areas. Some of the worst flooding on record occurred along the Eastern Seaboard northward to New England.

* Hurricane Gert battered the island of Bermuda with high winds and pounding surf even though the center of the storm passed well to the east of the British colony. The storm liberated four dolphins at the Dolphin Quest facility when high waters from the Atlantic washed into their holding tank and allowed them to swim out to sea.

* Tropical Storm Harvey drenched South Florida but produced no significant damage as it passed over the Everglades into the Atlantic.

* At least two people were killed when super-typhoon Bart lashed Japan’s southernmost island of Okinawa before weakening and giving a glancing blow to other areas of southern Japan.

* Hurricane Hilary skirted Baja California and then brought vivid lightning and isolated flash flooding to California and the Desert Southwest.

Ethiopian Hyena Attack

A hyena attacked and ate a 50-year-old Ethiopian man who was stumbling home after a night of heavy drinking. The victim, who was the father of 15, had left a bar in the southern city of Hosa’ina and was making his way home when the animal attacked. The man’s relatives searched the area for two days before they discovered his remains in the bush.

Earthquakes

Nearly 2,000 people were killed when a magnitude 7.6 temblor struck central Taiwan, causing widespread destruction. A massive international effort was launched to locate those still trapped in the rubble.

* Earth movements were also felt in western Turkey, southeastern Bulgaria, southern Iran, Portugal, New Zealand’s North Island, Guatemala’s Pacific coast, Acapulco, northeastern Ohio, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Alaskan Peninsula.

Canine War Heroes

Two Kosovar dogs that were shot several times while defending their owner’s farm from Serbian paramilitaries have been described as heroes by a British charity, the World Society for the Protection of Animals. The dogs, Sari and Cuba, were left behind when their owner, Nizajo Buduri, was forced to flee his farm near the town of Prizren in Kosovo during the height of the conflict. His loyal pets stayed to guard the house, refusing to leave when the paramilitaries came to loot it. An elderly neighbor said Sari was shot six times, but still found the strength to bite his attacker. Cuba also suffered gunshot wounds. Both dogs have made a complete recovery after extensive treatment by local veterinarians operating with medicines delivered to Kosovo by the WSPA.