This is natural disaster season. Storms, rains and floods wreak havoc in several parts of the world. The series of disasters this year began in July with monsoon floods causing mass scale destruction in Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Come mid August, a few storms and hurricanes swept across Carribbean countries causing large scale devestation of life and property. By end August, Kosi River in Nepal breached the embankments in Kusaha village, causing floods in as many as sixteen districts in Bihar, a north Indian state. Five districts of this state - Supaul, Saharsa, Araria, Madhepura, Katihar and Purnia - were inundated for days on end. September beginning also witnessed torrential rain and unexpected flood for a day in Wales and England. Apart from a death or two no major damages have been reported in these latter countries. Thousands were marroned overnight as Brahmaputra river in Assam, a northeastern state of India, breached mud embankments on Sept 9. Five million people were displaced, 50 villages with 600,000 hectares of land area affected and 27 killed.

What is appalling in all these cases is that impoverished regions, countries or states are completely devastated by natural disasters. On the other hand, developed regions undertake successful crisis management measures to minimize or even nullify the effects. Within hours after New Orleans received the Hurricane Gustav warning for this year, officials helped ninety five percent of city inhabitants to temporarily shift to other US states like Texas and Mississippi. Hurricane Gustav came, with a force less than expected, but no major damages were reported. Since the devastation and horror caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were fresh in everyone’s memory, authorities do not want to give it a chance anymore. Evacuation of 2 lac residents just before Hurricane Gustav in Sept 2008 has been considered the largest ever evacuation process in the city’s history

But look at the neighboring countries Haiti and Cuba. Granted that storms and hurricanes take a region unawares, there is still scope for precautionary meseaures. And when the evil strikes, people are left stranded on roof-tops, are starved for several days, diseases break-out in relief camps and everything becomes a big mess.

Several hundred people lost their lives in Haiti. Hurricane Ike killed less than hundred people in Cuba. In Bihar in India, more than two million people have been affected by the floods. Official figure of death toll is much less than the estimates of humanitarian agencies like Red Cross. Be it in poor Haiti, Cuba or Bihar, where 70% make a living through agriculture, the devastation caused by floods and storms will have serious repercussions in the country’s economy as a whole. Only with a proper disaster manangement system in place, can these poor countries provide any protection to the life and property to its inhabitants.

Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, 31st Aug. It is spiraling to southeastern coast of Louisiana. What is interesting is that it comes so as to disrupt the Republican Convention in Minnesota when John McCain will be selected as the Republican nominee for the forthcoming US elections. Bush and Dick Cheney have already canceled their plans to attend the convention.

Louisiana Governor, India-born Bobby Jindal, is doing a nice job by overseeing the evacuation of people from this state to safer places like Missisippi and Texas. Hope the havoc, chaos and dread caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 will not be repeated this time.

Hurricane Gustav may affect the offshore production of oil also. This, in turn, is likely to spread uncertainity in the international market. As crude oil prices are yet to ease up in the global market, the movement and strength of Hurricane Gustav will be decisive in determing the price of crude. Which means, even a local businessman in a remote place in Ethiopia or Guyana has to keep a watch on the movement and intensity of Hurricane Gustav.

Being a island country situated in South Eastern Pacific ocean, New Zealand is blessed with a rich and unique variety of flora and fauna. For this reason this country has always been a popular destination for the nature lovers. The country with its bountiful natural resources welcomes the travelers in the realm of nature.

The most important reason behind the concentration of the extraordinary variety of flora and fauna was the isolated location of the country in Australian continent and the island biogeography. 80% of the vegetation in this Island country are endemic in nature. You can find two types of forests in this island country. You will find podocarps and giant Kauris in different areas of the country that have a little warmer climate. You can also find a number of southern beeches in the region with a cooler climate. The other parts of the country is covered with lush green grasslands.

The animal kingdom of New Zealand also has a wide variety. Most of the trees and animals are descendants of Gondowanan wildlife. For long it was thought that other than some species of bats there are no non-marine mammals until in the year 2006 the scientists have found skeletons of some rat like non-marine mammals in the interiors of the country. Animals in the country include takahe, kakapo, kiwi, megafauna, Haast’s Eagle, kaka and kea parrots. However, several of these species are now endangered, some are even living on the verge of extinction. Efforts are being made to control the extinction process.

Thus New Zealand is a beautiful country with a rich biodiversity. If you are a nature lover and want to spend a peaceful vacation in the lap of nature then New Zealand is sure to be your favorite tourist destination.

Nothing interests me more than beaches, when the concerning matter comes to traveling. That day, every one of my friends was head over heels to approach a conclusion on where to go in the summer vacation. I was the savior to their confusion and convinced them to start for Rugen in Germany. I showed them a number of picturesque snaps of Rugen beaches on the travel sites over the Internet. They couldn’t help appreciating my decision.

We chose to reach the heavenly Rugen Island by ferry from the city of Stralsund. Baltic Sea welcomed us with a turquoise smile to the sand beaches of Rugen. The weather was really nice. The day temperature was around 16 degrees Celsius. It was a heavenly experience to enjoy the panoramic view of Rugen from the rooftop of our hotel. We stayed in the hotel – Steigenberger Resort Hotel Rugen.

But one unfortunate thing seemed to haunt us in the island. We saw there a number of resorts (you may also call them castles). After a bit of inquiry, we collected the bitter information that those were once built on Nazi fascist ruler Hitler’s orders. Legends say that this killer ruler was so becharmed by the beauty of this beach that he built resorts for his lackeys.

The Nazi holiday resort, Prora really haunted us for a day. The memory of concentration camps in which the Jews suffered inhumane death in 1940s captured our mind. But the pristine beaches did not let us be gloomy for more than a day. The beaches of Rugen showed the valor of beauty overtaking the brutality of Nazis. The fact that Hitler is dead and Rugen is alive proves the fact that beauty overhauls brutality.

Have you heard of Twiga at Twilight? This is a program planned by the Safari West Wildlife Foundation, which is going to take place on September 27, 2008.

The venue for the event is the Safari West Wildlife Preserve, located in the wine country, California. Drive to Napa Valley, California in the western part of the United States of America. Here you can get a flavor of the famous African safari.

Safari West Wildlife Preserve is home to about 500 animals belonging to 80 species. Starting from endangered species like African Cape Buffalo, Addax, Blue Wildebeest and Damara Zebra to Red Lechwe, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Springbok and Eland—on the safari, a great number of animals can be seen.

Twiga at Twilight 2008 will offer a wildlife presentation to the visitors. It is a golden opportunity for nature lovers (like me) to come face to face with the animals. There will be Chef Bruce Riezenman of Park Avenue Catering, who specializes in African inspired cuisine. It does not end here—there will be the best of wines from the local wineries. The program will start at 1730 hours with a cheese and wine reception, and continue till 2300 hours.

Tickets for the event will cost $150 per head, while for a VIP treatment you will have to pay $250. For overnight accommodation, there are Safari West luxury tent cabins. You can also stay at the rooms blocked by the Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa, a sponsor of the event. At Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa, you will have to pay between $200 and $300 for a room. Special offer for the Twiga at Twilight 2008 include early Check-in and late Check-out.

So, what are you waiting for? Drive west and be a part of Twiga at Twilight 2008. I have already booked my seat there.

A safe haven for a number of marine species, Hawaii Marine Sanctuary is one of the most significant marine reserves of the world. Besides offering a refuge for the Humpback Whales, the marine sanctuary also houses rare species like the Monk Seal and the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle.

Located in the warm waters of the Pacific surrounding Hawaii, the Marine Sanctuary is the world’s largest marine sanctuary, as proclaimed in 2006. It is also one of chief research and education facilities with regard to marine biology in North America.

Established in 1992 for protecting Humpback Whales, the Hawaii Marine Sanctuary offers a splendid opportunity to watch these amazing creatures. Accessible from the Hawaiian mainland via ferries, the Marine Reserve is a wonderland of aquatic creatures.

The scope of observing some of the endangered marine species in their natural habitat is an unforgettable experience. So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags for Hawaii, one of the most popular travel destinations of USA, to see the creatures who have made this sanctuary their home!

Rivers play major roles in the United States. Apart from the commercial help they bring to this country, they are also the integral parts of the environment of USA. Therefore the environmentalists have become concerned about protection of these water bodies throughout the country. Go through a map of the United States of America and you will get to know everything about the rivers, especially their locations and paths through the land.
There are special river maps of USA which will help you a lot. Mississippi is the longest running river in the country. Many of the most important cities are located by its side. Therefore maintaining the environment of this river and regular cleaning it from the industrial wastes have become matters of grave importance. According to the survey there are 800 short and long rivers throughout the land. All the rivers have some amount of contributions in the environment of this country. It is mentionable that some of the important people are associated with the projects of cleaning these rivers. Pete Seeger, the famous US folk singer is long associated with a project which concerns the Hudson River.
Among the main river of United States the mentionable ones are Colorado, Columbia, Rio Grande, Sacramento, Snake River, Missouri, Ohio, Yellowstone, San Joaquin and many others as well.

Torrential rain followed by devastating flood has hit North Ireland. The first 17 days of August saw about 178 millimeter of rain, which is well above the average rainfall recorded in August. Weather in Ireland is undergoing a drastic change this summer.

The northern part of Ireland has experienced torrential rain in two successive weekends. Further rain and flooding on Monday worsen the weather condition in Ireland. The most affected areas on the Ireland map are Carlow Town, Limerick, Belfast and Dublin.

On Sunday, more than 100 people have been evacuated from their houses in Carlow Town, when overflowing river drowned the area. Traffic has been brought to a halt in Belfast, where highways have been flooded. The Broadway Underpass went under 20 feet deep water after the heavy rain during the last weekend.

Life in Ireland is totally disrupted due to the rainfall in past few days. The Ulster Grand Prix was cancelled on Saturday; soccer matches were abandoned—all due to bad weather condition prevailing in the region. On Saturday, a train was derailed on the Dublin-Cork line due to mud slide.

Authorities have rescued a number of people, who were trapped in their homes or cars. It is suspected that the changing weather pattern owing to global warming has caused this calamity in Ireland. Government is taking precautionary measures to cope with the bad weather in the country. New guidelines are being set to prevent flash flooding and coastal erosion. But, global warming is a big concern—if temperature on earth cannot be controlled, the day, when most of the islands and the coastal areas of the countries will be flooded, is not far away.

You must have read that the Beijing Summer Games is being referred to as the Green Summer Games. You must also have noticed the Green Summer Games logo in newspaper, magazines or on television and web that stands as a promise of an eco-friendly sports event. The beautiful logo displays the five circles in the form of a green tree. The 2008 summer games happens to be the biggest event in Asia this year. It is also the most important event in China, the hosting nation of the game. The China Government has taken up many measures to live up to its commitment. It has introduced solar electricity and solar heating equipments in the summer game village. It has also set up many waste-water treatment plants in different locations in China. But the most important step towards a green summer games was controlling the level of air pollution in different summer games venues.

Since the preparation days the government of China was worried about the high rate of pollution in different venues of the game including Beijing, the capital of China. Since 08.08.08, the day when the opening ceremony of summer games took place in Beijing, the government of China has taken up some remarkable steps to prevent the air pollution from affecting the game. More than 2 million vehicles were removed from the city streets and many of the factories that were emitting harmful gases and chemicals were shut down. These measures prove to be beneficial for improving the

The air pollution level of Beijing, China was quite high prior to the summer games and the city was often rated among the most polluted cities of the world. Some steps taken up by the government during the preparation and planning of the summer games 2008 has considerably reduced the air pollution level of the city and has helped it in keeping the promise of organizing a green summer games.

Last week I was reading an informative article about global warming and learned that one of the most important areas that can suffer the most from the upcoming threat of global warming is the biomes. Biome refers to the climatically and geographically defined area that is often termed as ecosystem. Every country depending on its area, location, geology and other aspects has one or more biomes. Did you known that all the biomes in the world can be classified into terrestrial biomes, marine biomes and freshwater biomes?

Different biomes supports living of few or a wide variety of species. It can be seen that those biomes or ecosystems that are far from the pole areas support a wider range of life. (It is an interesting fact … isn’t it) I have learned many such informations about biomes and have also learned about the importance of biomes. It was great to know that all of us are part of a biomes and how the biome around us has a direct relation with our features, food habits and physical attributes. I also learned that different biomes have different names which may also vary from country to country.

Reading all about biomes I felt more attached with our ecosystem and biodiversity. I also felt the urge that we should protect our biome and the lives it supports from the harmful effects of global warming.