Earthwatch: A Diary of the Planet

Southern Cyclone

Tropical Cyclone Sose roared past the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, killing one man who suffered head injuries when he was hit by a coconut while trying to find shelter from the storm. Sose later whipped up waves described as “scary” by surfers along Australia’s Queensland coast who tested their skills in the pounding waves.

Earthquakes

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake that rocked the coast of central Chile is being blamed for the death of a woman who suffered a heart attack when the temblor hit. There were no other reports of injuries or damage from the shaking.

Earth movements were also felt in eastern Japan, Java, Sumatra, northeastern India, southern Greece and Albania.

Winter Sleep Deprivation

Forest rangers in Poland told reporters that bears in the southern Bieszczady Mountains were cheated out of their normal winter hibernation by unseasonably warm weather. Some of the bears got no more than a month’s sleep because of the temperate conditions. Tadeusz Zajac, a deputy forest inspector, said that he had seen confused, insomniac bears wandering through the forest all winter. Rangers put out 50 tons of food for the bears during what would have been their normal hibernating period. Zajac said the animals seem to be faring well, and that several females had recently been spotted with newborn cubs.

Biosecurity Breach

A disease-carrying mosquito was found in Auckland, New Zealand, the second time in a month that a nonnative species has been found at the port. The female yellow fever mosquito, along with larvae and pupae, that was discovered in a garbage barge at Freyberg Wharf was engorged with blood. The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, can transmit yellow fever, dengue fever, Barmah Forest virus and Ross River virus to humans. Authorities rushed to contain and eradicate any infestation. Workers fumigated the barge along with surrounding buildings and stormwater drains, and traps were set in the area. An Asian tiger mosquito found last month prompted health officials to go on alert at ports in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Borne on the Wind

A 18-month-old baby in Malaysia was blown hundreds of yards through the air while still in his cradle when a freak windstorm hit the region. The toddler was sleeping in a traditional cloth cradle suspended from the roof beam of his home in the east Malaysian state of Sabah when the storm hit. The winds ripped the roof off the home, carrying baby, cradle and all through the air. The child’s mother had been blown over by the powerful windstorm and was unable to reach the cradle before it was set aloft. The baby was found unconscious in a nearby tree and taken to a hospital, but reportedly did not suffer any serious injuries.