Krasnodar, Russia Flood - July 2012
On the night of July 7, 2012, a major storm dumped more than a foot (30 centimeters) of water on the Krasnodar area of southern Russia, near the Black Sea. The resulting flood was likened to a tsunami, where more than 170 people died, most in the city of Krymsk. The Moscow Times reported that more than 19,000 people lost everything. Krymsk is located in the western foothills on the northern slope of the Caucasus Mountains, a range that stretches between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The vast amount of rain quickly overwhelmed the small river channels that flow north from the mountains to the Russian lowlands and the Kuban River. Krymsk was directly in the pathway of the flash flood. The two images above compare the city of Krymsk before and after the flooding. The image on the left is a satellite image from Google Earth taken on July 1, 2011. The image on the right is an astronaut photograph taken by cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station, and shows the city of Krymsk on July 10, 2012. Regions that were flooded along the channel have tan to brown color in the ISS image, likely due to the mud and debris that was left behind by the floodwaters.
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Fires in Ecuador - September 2012
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Between the months of June and September 2012, over 2,900 wildfires affected Ecuador, destroying some 15,500 hectares of land. The fires left behind three deaths and several wounded while some 4,000 persons were affected by the interruption of the water supply. Fires, believed to be the result of arson, were fought in the provinces of Pichincha (in the north near Quito) and in both El Oro and Azuay in the south of the country. Several provinces around the affected area were on alert with the potential for more fires. The worst affected provinces were Pichincha, El Oro and Azuay and eight provinces were issued with an Orange alert.
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