vari volcanic

volcanic eruption

The lightning storm that engulfed an erupting volcano

Few sights in nature can compare to the sheer magnificence of a volcano erupting in full flow.

But while scenes of molten lava are relatively commonplace, this otherworldly picture of Chaiten Volcano in southern Chile shows a truly spectacular, and devastating, volcanic phenomenon.

This astonishing picture shows the Chaiten volcano erupting during storms in the middle of the night

As clouds of toxic ash and dust tower into the sky, they ionise the air, generating an explosive electrical storm. Colossal forks of lightning spark around the noxious plume as it spews from the volcano's crater, creating an image of raw, terrifying energy - as if the air itself were ablaze.

Now, the worst-case scenario is the collapse of the volcano accompanied by a "pyroclastic flow" - a devastating super-eruption of scorching dense gas and molten rock that would roll down the mountainside at 100mph or faster, incinerating and flattening all in its wake.

Thankfully, experts think this is unlikely at this stage.

The Chaiten volcano has triggered earth tremors and spewed ash two miles into the air

Seen from space, Chaiten's ash plume streams across Argentina towards the Atlantic

Locals wear masks to protect themselves from the all-pervasive ash near Futaleuf

The gigantic plume of smoke from the volcano dominates the skyline

Pyroclastic flows are also called nuees ardentes - or "burning clouds" - and are probably the single most destructive weapon in nature's armoury, capable of flattening cities in seconds.

It was such a catastrophe that destroyed the Roman town of Pompeii in AD79.

The 3,300 ft Chaiten Volcano, 800 miles south of the Chilean capital Santiago, is erupting for the first time in thousands of years, sending a plume of ash into the sky that stretches as far as Argentina.

It is also spewing out chunks of lava and hot rock. Authorities have already evacuated around 4,200 people from the town of Chaiten, six miles from the volcano, but 300 civilians and troops remain and are being evacuated now. Rescue is complicated by the fact that southern Chile is fragmented by fjords and access is often difficult.

The village of Chaiten, next to the volcano, was virtually emptied in a massive evacuation

Enlarge the image

Winds carried the ash to other towns in the region and across the Andes to Argentina

A local resident cycles through the ash as it settles across the town

The authorities are also evacuating a second town, Futaleufu. Some of Futaleufu's 1,000 or so residents had already crossed into neighbouring Argentina, where some areas have been showered with ash and where authorities last week closed schools and treated some for breathing problems.

The ash is more than six inches (15 cm) thick in places, and has contaminated water supplies.

Chile, which sits right on the Pacific's volcanic "ring of fire", has the world's second most active string of volcanoes behind Indonesia.

Natural Disaster Survival Kits

Disaster can strike at any time and it can happen because of an act of nature, or by an accident, or even by a deliberate act of man. Being prepared for any disaster can be difficult, but it can also mean the difference between health and injury, minor injury or major injury, or even life or death. Being prepared is critical, and that also means having the best equipment around to deal with a sudden emergency situation. Whether the disaster is urban based, or from terrible weather, a good natural disaster survival kit can help individuals to survive through the worst situations.

There are two ways to go when putting together a disaster preparedness kit. One is to simply buy a kit that has already been put together by professionals. Buying an already assembled survival kit is the most normal way of going, but then the problem is that many people never bother to open the kit and familiarize themselves with the tools or materials that are inside - which defeats the entire purpose of having a kit to help prepare you for an emergency.

The other option is to put together your own homemade disaster kit. By gathering the materials yourself, you will already know how to use the resources in your kit. Even better, you can make sure that every possible contingency you can imagine from a natural disaster is covered by the materials you know will be in your kit. When preparing for any type of a natural disaster or survival situation, this is not a bad way to go.

The Elementals Need Your Help to Mitigate Natural Disasters

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, severe storms, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes - we are experiencing more and more natural disasters at much greater intensities. A large part of the reason this is happening is because the elementals (nature spirits) are heavily overburdened! Most people are totally unaware of elementals, what they do and the fact that without them, the earth would be uninhabitable and we would not exist here! They have worked heroically day after day for centuries to clean up the earth, the air and the water on our planet.

The 2012 Transition

There has been much conjecture about 2012 - especially the date of December 21, 2012 and what it signifies. Some believe it means the end of the world - and others believe it is simply the end of the world as we know it CONSCIOUSLY. I am amongst many who believe we are now in transition to a potentially higher level of consciousness, which could hopefully bring in a new Golden Age. This transformation process not only involves a cleansing within ourselves of old negative energies, limiting beliefs and blocks, but also a cleansing of Mother Earth of untransmuted negative energy that has impacted the planet for thousands of years through wars, acts of violence, human discord, etc.

Elementals take on our negative energies, which can then be outpictured on the Earth

All energy moves in rhythmic flow. These energy patterns - whether positive or negative - must sooner or later recycle through the planet. In the process, these energies are assimilated and outplayed by the forces of nature. Elementals are great mimickers of humans and our myriad range of emotions. They easily take on the vibrations of their surroundings and the energy of humans. Their mimicry of our discord can cause severe storms, raging floodwaters, violent earth movement and searing heat.

Mankind is largely responsible for what is happening on earth now due to the impact of wars, violence, discord, negative emotions (anger, hatred, and the like), abuse of the environment through deforestation, the release of toxic chemicals and other pollutants. All of this severely affects the earth and the nature spirits responsible for helping to clean things up - both physically and energetically.

We are also seeing the effects of karma being outpictured in the unusual and calamitous manifestations of nature. Karma is the law of cause and effect which operates through all our lives. It states that we are responsible for our thoughts and actions and the affect that has on others as well as nature. According to this Law, The energy of those thoughts and actions MUST be returned to us as like energy (what goes around, comes around). The elementals also bear the weight of that karma.

Why so many feel like they are in crisis now

Everything vibrates at different frequencies - this includes physical things as well as light, sound, even thoughts and emotions. Lower level vibrations include those of anger, fear, distrust, doubt, etc. These lower density energies impact not only our physical beings, but seriously impact the earth. To move to a higher level of consciousness, these old energies that no longer serve us at the highest level, are being brought up to the surface in order for us to deal with them - or not. It's kind of akin to an erupting volcano! That is part of the reason why so many people now are feeling like they are in a crisis state.

Mother Earth is also in a crisis state as a result of the overburdening of the elementals!

Mother Earth is also in a crisis state as witnessed by manmade disasters such as the massive oil spill in the Gulf and the large number of natural disasters taking place - some of which are more intense than they have ever been before. These are also a result of the elementals and the earth throwing off negative energies and karma that cannot be resolved in other, more peaceful ways. For example, when sylphs take on too much negative energy, they will rid themselves of it by starting a whirling action in the air - which can sometimes result in enormous hurricanes.

The elementals have become supersaturated with the taking on of negative energies, along with the burden of cleaning up toxins and pollutants. They carry a great weight of oppression and depression, despair and discouragement. Just as when we get overworked, the nature spirits too can become tired and listless. When the burden becomes too great, they are forced to throw off the weight. This can result in floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, and unfortunately at times, large scale cataclysm!

We are all interconnected

Everything is energetically connected to each other - humans, nature and elementals. We cannot engage in negativity without affecting the whole. Whether we are engaging in gossip, criticism or blowing our tops, the result is that energy then contributes to the planetary mass of negative elements, weighing down the planet and the nature spirits. Also, the more negative energy we put out, the more energy of like kind is attracted to us through the return of karma. Once this return of energy becomes physical, there is little we can do about it.

WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP THE ELEMENTALS AND MAKE PEACE WITH MOTHER NATURE

Due to the severity of untransmuted negative energy and the imbalance in our ecosystem, it is a daunting task to clean things up, but if we do not, we will be guaranteed more natural disasters! However, if we all do our part to care for our planet, the elementals and Mother Nature, we can help restore balance, mitigate natural disasters and avoid calamities.

On the Physical Level:

On the physical level, there needs to be a concerted effort by both individuals and nations to clean existing pollution and to take steps to not create more. Better choices need to be made to restore Mother Earth to health and harmony. This can involve the choice to use "green"/organic products, recycle, reduce emissions, minimize consumption of nature resources, etc.

On the Emotional Level:

KEEP YOUR HARMONY! That is probably the one single most important thing we can do emotionally for the elementals. When we are in harmony, they are in harmony. Of course, it's probably impossible for most people to maintain their harmony all the time, but if we can all try to do that as much as possible, we will eliminate much of the negative emotional energies that burden the nature spirits and contribute to natural disasters.

On the Spiritual Level:

There are a number of spiritual techniques available - some that specifically target each elemental group - and can be a HUGE assistance to them. They include prayer, decrees, mantras, meditations and use of the violet flame - which can even transmute karma! In the pocket book, "Is Mother Nature Mad? - How to Work with Nature Spirits to Mitigate Natural Disasters", it explains how to work with the elementals and gives numerous examples of these techniques as well as specific prayers and decrees we can give to assist the nature spirits. I HIGHLY recommend this book and it can be obtained on Amazon new for under $6.00 and used for under $2.00. A very small price to pay to help the elementals and our planet!

An easy meditation:

One of the keys to working with the elementals is to give them the love of your heart. They respond to love and that, along with the energy of joy is very uplifting to them. Regularly giving to the nature spirits also builds trust.

To do this meditation, center in your heart and remember a time when you felt very loving and joyous. Strongly feel the energy of love and joy in your heart. Then visualize yourself in the blazing white fire core of Mother Earth. Send the energy of love and joy out to all the elementals and through the earth. See it radiating out in all directions as dazzling rays of white, pink and gold. Keep this up for a minute or more and do it daily whenever you have a little spare time.

You will be amazed at the difference this simple meditation can make to you personally too! What you send out vibrationally will be returned to you multiplied. The elementals will be grateful and will in return assist you. It also helps connect you with your Higher Self.

An Important Key: Your Higher Self

Another very important thing we can each personally do is work on reuniting with our Higher Self. This Self is our True Self and has not only the power to change and improve our own lives dramatically, but can contribute in much greater ways to helping the elementals.

Reconnecting with your Higher Self will also help you navigate the 2012 transition in a much more harmonious way as that Self will guide you each and every step of the way! By establishing a strong connection with your True Self and working with the elementals, it can also keep you out of harm's way.

What can be done if a natural disaster is about to or already has occurred?

There is much that can be done before or once a natural disaster has occurred to help mitigate its impact. In the book, "Is Mother Nature Mad?", it gives specific, practical strategies for dealing with fires, hurricanes, drought, floods and earthquakes.

Will you help the elementals?

Each and every one of us has elementals who depend on us! Considering the cataclysmic events that have already taken place recently, it is definitely in our best interest to do all we can to help the nature spirits. They have helped us for so long and now we can repay that assistance. So will you commit to helping the elementals to heal and renew our planet? The 2012 transition does not have to be cataclysmic if we will all do our part!

Asset Preservation and Business Continuity

Disruptions due to natural phenomena are far more prevalent than many individuals and certainly companies are aware. For some inexplicable reason people appear to be unable to retain the frequency, probability, damage, disruption and location of natural disasters in comparison to other events such as terrorism or political unrest. Ask yourself, do you remember more details around the Union Carbide leak, the Exxon Valdez spill, World Trade Center attack or the Sichuan Quake, Myanmar Typhoon or PNG Tsunami which all singularly killed more people than the 3 prior events in total? It is perhaps due to the fact that many individuals and more concerning companies, relies on living memory to determine the planning requirements and probability of natural events. The impact and frequency however is far greater than that of most other business disruption events and catastrophic incidents.

Over the past few decades increasing numbers of the world's population have migrated to the long-term cities and developing mega cities across the globe. It is in part the reason why in recent years the impact and devastation from natural disasters has become greater than that of years gone by. Additionally, one of the few consensuses by experts is that the predictability and probability of natural disasters is still an inexact science with far more research or study required. This has led to locations thought to be free of Mother Nature's fierce reprisals suffering surprising events with often catastrophic outcomes. Further amplifying the affects of such unpredicted incidents has been the diverse and inconsistent building or development standards engaged as cities and communities increase their economic and infrastructure development. Tragically, the worst natural calamities in recent history has been where poor preparation and standards have met with moderate to extreme natural disasters that most likely would have had less impact had it hit those locations with the higher level of development and standards due to their acknowledgement that they are within the accepted area of natural disaster events.

The adoption of the term natural disaster is perhaps more applicable to man's response and preparation to natural events. While a flood, fire, quake, eruption, wave and wind is not indicative of a disaster, it is often the inability of governments and companies to protect their assets in the wake of such events that determines the true scale of a disaster. The concentration of population, insufficient infrastructure, limited emergency procedures, poor emergency services provision, the potential for loss of life and suffering of affected communities along with extended duration of loss of acceptable living standards following the event all contribute to the overall formula for determining if a natural phenomena is indeed a disaster or calamity.

Planning and preparation for natural disasters is relatively simple when compared to other business disruption events. By using a threat-based approach and determining as many of the plausible outcomes (such as power failure, denied access to premises, stranded commuters, etc) planners discover that many of these events are similar if not common with other business disruption events albeit not occurring simultaneously. Identifying existing resources and required resources to mitigate or prevent negative outcomes is also a straightforward process. While the training and preparation of personnel is not that demanding it is important to ensure travelers and expats receive a more targeted and frequent training curriculum. The reason for this is that due to their business mobility requirements they may be exposed to a wider variety of natural phenomena than that of the fixed office location, therefore requiring a wider range of information and response knowledge. Furthermore, the level of support or footprint of disaster could be significantly wider in locations of their travel than that of their location of origin. They should also assume that a higher degree of self-assistance or vendor support will be required when traveling, especially in developing countries as the government response is often generic in application, non-commercially aligned, minimalistic in design and hampered by inter-agency communications and language barriers.

It is becoming increasingly paramount that businesses maintain and monitor a higher level crisis management system such as at the country or regional level as many local offices are the first affected in such calamities and potentially unable to notify corporate support due to the failure of communication infrastructure. Similar planning consideration should be applied to travelers. This monitoring and surveillance should have both predictive and preventative intervention capabilities coupled with continuous activation and notification capacity. Businesses will also find that such systems result in business and operational efficiencies due to the elimination of false activations and failures in activation due to ill-perceived assumptions on whether or not the company had people, facilities, equipment or processes exposed. Moreover, such systems will be the governing factor for the time taken from identification to response and the ability to preserve assets or prevent loss of life, damage to other company assets or continuity of operations.

In the wake of the global economic challenges that are resulting in many governments even less capable of large scale emergency response, diminished safety and quality standards as well as a decrease in internal company resilience at a time when we continue to see an unprecedented change in climate, environmental hazards, fierce natural phenomena and multiple large scale incidents it is possibly more hazardous to people and property now than it has been in the past decade. Individuals should be reviewing their immediate action plans for such events, specific to each location of travel and companies should be reviewing or implementing consistent applicable training programs for those affected personnel and assets. All of these tactile preparedness measures are underpinned by a wider business resilience plan and allocation of resources.

Natural Disasters - Think Tank Top

It seems it is hard to keep people interested in planning and strategic thinking to mitigate the damages caused by natural disasters. Everyone is completely interested in the topic just after a big disaster. For instance after Hurricane Katrina everyone was interested in all the technologies, techniques, and strategies to help people in flooding natural disasters, building seawalls, and mitigating the problems from disease which occurs afterwards.

Then, a couple of years later and everyone forgets about it. After the great tsunami in Sumatra earthquake everyone was gung-ho about setting up tsunami warning systems around the planet for those that live close to the seashore. Eventually that political push and demand from human societies subsided, along with much of the funding for such projects.

Not long ago, I was discussing this topic with an acquaintance at our online think tank, and as the coordinator, I know how serious this issue can be. You see, most of us know about the common natural disasters that kill the most people, things like floods for instance. Natural disasters can also be plagues, viruses, typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and all sorts of other non-man-made things.

Obviously there have been natural disasters in the past such as comets the earth, asteroids, and meteor fragments that wiped out other species. Then there are the possibilities of solar flares, space weather, and even our Sun expanding and then burning out. The most interesting thing about natural disasters is that man is coming very close to being able to control the weather.

It is also estimated that some of the earthquakes, although mostly minor ones have been caused by taking oil, water, or natural gas out of the ground. In the future we will be able to control natural disasters, cause them, and prevent the most serious of all natural disasters which may cause events so large that it could bring forth extinction of all species on the surface of Earth.

Coming together in a common cause to prevent natural disasters, or cause them from harming is a great thing to do for humanity. It's unfortunate that such destruction actually brings people so close together, but as long as we know that to be the case, perhaps we can come together in advance of the problem and then congratulate ourselves for a job well done. It was truly amazing the devastation that was caused in the earthquake not too long ago in Haiti.

And yet it was interesting that just months later there was a giant earthquake in Chile which was much worse on the Richter Scale, however it caused a lot less damage, this is because Chile is known to have earthquakes because they are along the Pacific Rim of fire, and they have built their buildings stronger to withstand such a quake, and the citizens take it in stride - much the same way as the Japanese have.

Lesson Planning Tips - How to Teach Students About Natural Disasters

In light of hurricane Katrian and the impending hurricane season, teaching about natural disasters is just as important as natural disaster recovery and aid.

In most cases, the government provides assistance when a natural disaster strikes. However, it is often volunteer relief organizations that come to the aid of the community, helping natural disaster victims in many ways. this article will give lesson plan idea on how to go about teaching this emotionally traumatic and difficult subject to kids.

The following first lesson plan on helping natural disaster victims has important implications for volunteering, its benefits and aspects of community service.

Discuss with the class:

* What do you think is the main purpose of volunteer relief organizations?

* Who do you think work for these organizations?

* How do you think these organizations get funding for their projects?

In pairs, students list the qualities they think an individual needs if he or she wants to be a volunteer for a disaster relief organization. Then have them share with another pair and finally with the entire class. Ideas are gathered collectively on the board.

Then, have students present a disaster relief card by searching on the Internet for information. Have students pick an organization and think in what way this organization helps people in times of a natural disaster.

Fill in the natural disaster relief card.

* Name of organization: _________________________________

* What the organization does to help_________________________

* How can a person volunteer: ____________________________

* What I thought about the information I found:_________________

FEMA For Kids (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has a wonderful resource center for parents and teachers called "Young Americans: Becoming Disaster Ready," which includes disaster relief organizations sites and lesson plans.

Finally, in groups, create a disaster relief organization and post a message on a disaster relief message board, telling about your organization and request volunteers.

Lesson Plan 2- Introduction to sensitizing students to government and volunteer aid

1. Bring photos of people helping others during a natural disaster. Brainstorm what the volunteers are doing in each photo. The Fema site has vivid photos.

2. In pairs, list examples showing when the government helped people after a natural disaster.

3. Again, in pairs, describe how you or your partner and family helped a person in need. How did it make you feel? Share your ideas with the class. This could easily open into a discussion on the subject of volunteering in general leading to the pros and cons of volunteers and the underlying importance of giving help to others in need. Students can discuss what other ways there are to give.

Student Presentations - Summarizing News Briefs on Disaster Relief Organizations

1. Brainstorm types of relief and aid such as: doctors and medicine, donations of food and clothing, money, legal and emotional help, engineers

2. Bring news briefs of recent natural disasters to the class. Have students summarize the information based on: Who? What? When? Where? Why?

3. Make sure their summaries include the important information such as: the place and type of natural disaster, the damage caused and the relief that was needed.

4. Have students present their summaries to the class.

Natural Disasters Contingency Planning

We have recurring natural disasters, seasonal in their patterns, just like the floods in the monsoon season. That's when things could wrong with damages to structures, property, and even loss of life. With natural disasters intensifying to greater scale and their destructive force getting worse, there's a dire need to ensure that we have a Contingency Plan devised for such circumstances to be prepared for anything that could happen. Contingency planning for natural disasters call for specific strategies and actions to deal with particular problems like floods, landslides, fires, and typhoons. Contingency Plans include a monitoring process and phases for activating planned actions.(i)

Natural disasters can happen anywhere, anytime, with little or without warning. Our chances of surviving natural disasters improve greatly with the application of common sense and some preparation.(ii) Although for some countries, they are less prone to natural disasters, the present decade tells a different story of emerging trends at increasing weather-related disasters. These trends have been attributed to climate change notably global warming. The massive floods in Malaysia in 2006-2007, the impact of Typhoon Morakot which hit Philippines and continued its destruction in Taiwan recently are indicative of the increasing intensity these natural disasters brought. With these recent disasters, an important question crops up. Despite the recurring floods, the bad experience with the natural disasters and the economic loss therein, where do we stand with natural disaster safety guideline especially to the communities living in disaster prone areas?

Events such as Typhoon Morakot epitomize the unpredictable nature of our world. Without proper Contingency Planning, many countries and communities are left vulnerable to disaster. Contingent evacuation planning has become an operational necessity during floods to ensure safety of the vulnerable groups in the affected communities. For most of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the increasing number of natural disasters poses one of the gravest threats. Obviously, contingency planning have to move with the times, never static, always updated to accommodate new or increased risks. The International Strategy for Disaster reduction observed that the number of storms, droughts, and floods has increased threefold over the past 30 years. As these natural disasters increased, so did the number of those affected - a fivefold increase in the same period. (iii)

So how do communities reconcile these risks? In developing a contingency plan to address realistic threat scenarios, all the concerned stakeholders should form strategic partnerships and maximize all resources to ensure that when activated its implementation is one concerted effort by all.

Local authorities with limited knowledge of disaster contingency planning have the options of choosing a strategic partner with demonstrated emergency preparedness experience. In this context, apart from the available civil society organizations experienced in humanitarian assistance, the Red Cross Red Crescent Societies have excellent resources for creating effective disaster contingency plans. Their experience bear them in good stead as regards best practices for developing contingency plans, reducing potential damages, and especially protecting vulnerable groups (elderly, women, and children) during a crisis.

Once the contingency plan is formulated, dissemination is crucial to communicate the crisis response and actions necessary to all partners. Rapid response and appropriate steps to manage the emergency can make all the difference during disasters. The essence of contingency planning is that the safety and security of community members should never be left to chance.

Building capacity for contingency planning calls for collaboration between international agencies with the local authorities especially in Training of Trainers (TOT) in Contingency Planning. (iv)The cascading effect of having these trainers organize contingency planning sessions within their respective departments and states will serve to enhance the capacity on a broader platform. Apparently, there has been positive progress in there areas. With the massive floods of 2006-2007 still fresh in our minds, there have been intense discussions on preparing contingency plans. Working in close collaboration with the state authorities the Red Cross Red Crescent societies, together with other concerned parties have developed impressive documentations which will serve as guidance in outlining the framework of response and actions. Where the collaboration is effective, effective governance could ensure the formulation of a common strategy in handling natural disasters.

References:-

(i) Wikipedia. Contingency Plan. Relief web. Unicef Contingency 2000

(ii) Emergency Preparedness: Contingency Planning in Today's Unpredictable World, Tuesday, January 15 2008, David McCown.

(iii) OCHA. Resources, Contingency Planning.

Critical and essential factor of ensuring safety and security of community members in facing natural disasters evidently lies in Contingency Planning.