Earthwatch: A Diary of the Planet

Killing Heat

A scorching heat wave with high humidity that gripped the eastern half of the United States for more than a week has been blamed for the deaths of at least 49 people. Sixteen died in Illinois, 18 in Missouri and 10 in Ohio, with heat-related deaths also reported in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Residents in the hottest regions were urged to check on elderly and ill neighbors. The stifling weather, which began to cool this week, is also causing drought and is withering crops in many northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. Utility companies are concerned that electrical grids may not be able to cope with increased demand caused by the heat wave.

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Eruption

Taal Volcan, south of the Philippine capital of Manila, has begun to spew mud geysers, prompting officials to formulate a warning plan for local residents. The director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the geyser emissions from a vent in the volcano usually last from a few minutes to about an hour. But recent emissions have lasted for as long as a day, and have occurred more frequently. The 1,026-foot-high volcano last erupted in 1977.

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Blazes Threaten Gorillas

The mountain gorillas of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are seriously threatened by forest fires that have been raging through the area for more than a week. Uganda is one of only three African countries where the gorillas can still be found in the wild. The Uganda Wildlife Authority fears that the gorillas will flee the region and that the park’s ecosystem will be destroyed. Residents and park officials have been battling the blazes in the midst of a nationwide drought.

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Chinese Floods

Nearly 130,000 Chinese residents were evacuated from three townships in the province of Hunan when floodwaters ripped through a dike near the city of Yiyang and submerged more than 8,200 acres of farmland. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the force of the water.

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Earthquakes

Several coastal towns in northern Japan were shaken by a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that was centered off the northern tip of Honshu Island. Earth movements were also felt in eastern Taiwan and northeastern India.

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Fish Kill

Nearly 1 million fish died in tributaries of Maryland’s Pocomoke River in the second major fish kill in the area in less than a month. Schools of small menhaden were discovered dying in Bullbeggar Creek. The fish--trapped in shallow areas depleted of oxygen by algal blooms--were found piled along the banks of the waterway by the thousands in what officials called the worst fish kill in decades.

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Copyright 1999 Earth Environment Service

Distributed by L.A. Times Syndicate