Earthwatch: A Diary of the Planet

Eruptions

Dozens of people were evacuated from communities at the foot of Guatemala’s Volcan de Fuego after it spewed ash and steam. The volcano, just southwest of the capital, Guatemala City, covered the nearby town of San Juan Alotenango with ash and debris.

Increased activity at Mexico’s Colima Volcano could be a sign of an impending eruption, government officials warned.

Nicaragua’s Telica Volcano spewed steam and ash from its crater, prompting warnings of an imminent eruption.

Caterpillar Invasion

An invasion of caterpillars is devouring farmland in eastern Africa at alarming rates, threatening thousands of acres of crops. The caterpillars, known as African army worms, have already eaten away at grass and grain fields in Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda. The worms have destroyed more than 247,000 acres in Kenya alone. Officials said the problem threatens to worsen already famine-like conditions in several countries in the region.

Earthquakes

Alarmed residents ran into the streets in the Cyprus capital of Nicosia during a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.

Earth movements were also felt near the Philippine capital of Manila and a 5.0 temblor near Palm Springs.

Heat and Fires

Brush fires flared as temperatures soared in Israel and the Palestinian territories, with temperatures in the Jordan Valley reaching 113 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest in a decade for the month of May. Israeli firefighters battled dozens of blazes in the northern coastal region near Haifa as forests and grasslands, dried out by a severe drought, burst in flames.

A series of wildfires in south Florida triggered a severe automobile accident on a smoke-shrouded highway that left one person dead and 20 others injured. The fast-moving blazes have destroyed more than 20,000 acres in the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Park.

Tropical Cyclone

Disaster officials in southeastern Pakistan recovered at least 400 bodies and rescued thousands of survivors from coastal communities that were submerged during a severe cyclone on May 20. Cyclone 02A smashed into the coastal Thatta and Badin districts of Sind province with winds of 170 mph.

Record Drought

Northern Mexico is in the midst of its worst drought in recent memory, with five states now being called disaster areas. Farmers have witnessed extensive damage to their crops because of the extended hot and dry spell. Ranchers have also had to sell off herds because the cattle have no grass to graze on. Rainfall from January through April was 93% below average for the period.

Additional Sources: U.S. National Earthquake Information Center, Japan Meteorological Agency and the United Nations World Meteorological Organization.