Revelation
8:8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great burning mountain was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became blood,

8:9 and one third of the living creatures which were in the sea died.

There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue, according to a major scientific study.

Stocks have collapsed in nearly one-third of sea fisheries, and the rate of decline is accelerating.

Holy infestation! Georgia town goes bat crazy

AMERICUS, Georgia (AP) -- The grand historic mansions of this Southern town have become infested with millions of bats -- so many that the sky turns black with each sunset. So many that not even the neighborhood Batman can help.

"This town is in bad shape," said George Perkins, a professional bat remover who often makes public appearances in the caped crusader's costume and drives his own Batmobile, a retro-styled Chrysler Prowler with bat emblems.

But homeowners are not laughing.

The bat problem began about a decade ago and got steadily worse as the number of the little furry beasts grew. Perkins alone cannot do the job anymore, and now the state has promised to help, proposing a yearlong program to capture and move the flying mammals to "bat houses" where they will no longer be a nuisance.

"They're perpetual crap machines," said Tripp Pomeroy, who spent $1,500 trying to evict bats from the attic of his 96-year-old home in Americus, a town of 17,000 people 116 miles south of Atlanta.

Bats are the leading cause of human rabies in the United States, and that makes Pomeroy reluctant to let his children sleep in their upstairs bedrooms.

Many of the bats have settled into the town's historic district, known for its antebellum and Greek Revival mansions built in the 1800s, and Victorian homes from the early 1900s. Many of the homes have white columns, wide porches and other touches that look like something straight out of "Gone with the Wind."

The homes "are like art," said Deanna Burgess, who recently moved into a house built in 1856. "They need to be brought back and preserved for future generations."

They were not meant to shelter free-tailed bats which normally dwell in caves in Texas and farther west. But over the past three decades, the creatures have flown into the Southeast.

Americus seems like a good spot to the bats because because it has an unusually large number of old houses, which are not as well sealed as new homes and have plenty of crevices in their attics for sneaking in.

The bats swarm out in the evening, helping to curb the insect population by eating mosquitoes and other pests. But as the sun comes up, they return to their dark attic lairs, where they urinate and leave piles of droppings.

Rescuers try to save horse herd threatened by high water


Rescue workers use small boats to evacuate trapped horses on a small piece of land in Marrum, Netherlands, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Rescue workers on Thursday were trying to save a herd of around 100 horses stranded two days ago on a tiny knoll when a fierce storm flooded their wilderness area.

Many of the animals have spent two nights knee-deep in water, and 18 have drowned in the area outside Marrum, a town 90 miles northeast of Amsterdam.

Marrum's fire department floated or ferried around 20 horses to safety with the help of small boats on Wednesday.

Dutch television and daily newspapers carried dramatic photographs and footage of the horses huddled together on a tiny patch of ground surrounded by rippling water.

The Dutch army tried to rescue the rest of the herd Wednesday night, but called off the operation when water levels receded slightly and pontoon boats were grounded.

Water levels continued to fall Thursday, and the surviving animals were expected to be able to walk or swim to safety, possibly led by "dummy" horses, the Netherlands' state broadcaster NOS reported.

The Netherlands's Party for the Animals said it planned to file a complaint against the horses' owner, or the operator of the wilderness area, since the Netherlands' national weather service had warned of rising flood waters.

One of the owners interviewed by local media said the animals had initially been brought to higher ground, but panicked Tuesday night when other herders and emergency service workers shone spotlights on them.

Crocs hamper Ethiopia flood aid, 1,000 dead this year

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Crocodiles and snakes hampered efforts on Wednesday to help more than 279,000 people left homeless by the latest massive floods to blight Ethiopia, which have killed 1,000 people this year, authorities said.

The overflowing in recent days of the Wabe Shebelle river in southeastern Ethiopia has submerged whole villages, washed away houses, cut off roads, killed at least 68 people and left corpses stuck in trees and undergrowth, relief officials said.

"The towns of Mustahel, Kelafo, East and West Emi, Hargele, Charati, Kebrei Dahar and Dolo Ado have all been devastated by the force of the flood," Muktar Mohamed, relief coordinator for the affected Somali region, told Reuters by telephone.

He confirmed that 279,075 people were homeless.

The latest disaster in the world's seventh poorest country follows the death of about 900 Ethiopians when various rivers burst their banks during the June-September rainy season.

In the latest floods in remote areas mainly inhabited by herders, relief workers said half a dozen bodies had been attacked by crocodiles, and rescuers in boats were at risk.

"Two boats sent by the federal government are operating in Mustahel. They are encountering problems of crocodile attacks," Muktar said. He added that poisonous snakes were another hazard for both rescue workers and victims of the floods.

The Ethiopian government and U.N. agencies have sent aid to the area, although communications and transport are poor.

"It is possible that the death toll could increase, because there were reports by families of children, women and the elderly unaccounted for," Muktar said.

About 1,000 head of cattle have been washed away and 17,000 hectares (42,010 acres) of crop-laden farmland ruined, rescuers said.

Aid workers say excessive land cultivation, over-grazing and deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous nation -- with 79 million inhabitants -- have contributed to this year's flood problems.

Typhoon Track Uncertain

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — With Typhoon Cimaron showing signs of a course change, Vietnamese officials have put on hold plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people from the central coast, officials and state media reported Wednesday.
The storm, which left 19 people dead in the Philippines, had been heading toward the central Vietnamese city of Danang but was changing direction as it crossed the South China Sea, said Duong Van Khanh, deputy director of the national weather forecast center in Hanoi.

Khanh said it's too early to say whether the storm would make landfall on Vietnam's central coast or veer northwest toward southern China.

The typhoon packed winds of up to 103 mph and was moving at about 4 mph, Khanh said.

Vietnamese weather forecasters had feared that the typhoon, which departed the Philippines on Tuesday, could land in Vietnam as early as Friday. Authorities had been planning to evacuate some 200,000 people from high-risk areas in the central coast region.

But as the storm changed course, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung asked disaster officials to put the mass evacuation on hold, the online newspaper VnExpress reported Wednesday.

Hung warned authorities in the central region to cope with possible floods, it said.

Cimaron killed 19 people and injured 58 others in the Philippines.

In the Philippines' northern Luzon island, the typhoon left 15 people missing, unleashed floods and landslides and knocked out power in hundreds of farming villages. It caused an estimated $8.8 million in damages.

Last month, Typhoon Xangsane left 230 people dead and missing as it ripped through Manila and neighboring provinces. Sixty-nine people were also killed in Vietnam.

Flash floods sweep southeast Turkey, killing 33

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The death toll from flash floods sweeping through impoverished southeast Turkey has risen to 33 on news that 11 people, including seven children, have died in the town of Batman, officials said on Thursday.

The floods were the worst to hit the mainly Kurdish region since 1937, said Hasan Tanriseven, a senior official, and more heavy rain is predicted for Turkey in the coming days.

The floodwaters hit Batman on Wednesday evening, officials said, when rivers swollen by torrential rains swamped streets and toppled buildings, killing 11 people and triggering a major rescue operation.

Troops joined rescue services in helping to evacuate homes. Local authorities opened municipal buildings such as sports centres to house families fleeing the disaster.

At least seven people were treated for injuries in hospital. Residents were also evacuated from their homes in the town of Elazig, northwest of Batman.

Diyarbakir, the biggest city in the region, was hit by floods on Tuesday night, the water rising with dramatic speed and taking thousands of residents by surprise.

"I suddenly found myself surrounded by water while sitting at home. My children and I climbed onto the roof to save ourselves," said housewife Emine Gungoren.

"We saw an artificial lake appear in just 15 minutes. Suddenly water and mud filled our homes," said Hasan Atmaca, a shop owner in Diyarbakir's Cinar district.

Local people were being evacuated from their homes by boat or trying to clear up the mess as the waters receded. Two people were still missing in the city.

A group of people protested at government offices in Cinar district, throwing stones and breaking windows, but later dispersed after calls for restraint.

The newspaper Milliyet attributed the high death toll in the southeast to shoddy construction and creaking infrastructure.

"Neglect, not fate," its headline read above a picture of flooded streets.

Roads linking Batman to Diyarbakir and other towns were closed to traffic.

Turkey's largest city Istanbul, some 1,300 km (810 miles) northwest of Diyarbakir, and the Mediterranean cities of Antalya and Mersin have also suffered flooding in recent days.

Cholera kills 28 in Cameroon

YAOUNDE, Nov 2 (Reuters) - A cholera outbreak has killed at least 28 people in Cameroon's Far North province neighbouring Lake Chad, state radio reported on Thursday.

Health authorities blame the outbreak on living conditions and lack of clean drinking water which forced people to fetch water from polluted sources, the radio said.

"The hardest hit is the Logone and Chari division where 28 people have died out of 541 cases registered so far," Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) reported.

The provincial delegate for Public Health provided the figures during an emergency meeting in Kousseri, capital of the Far North province, to seek a solution to the crisis.

Cholera, caused by water-borne bacterium, is a seasonal problem in much of West Africa. An outbreak last year killed more than 800 people across several countries in the region.

The bacterium spreads through contact with faeces and is associated with heavy rains that flood latrines and contaminate drinking water.

The disease can kill within 24 hours by inducing vomiting and diarrhoea that cause severe dehydration and shock, but it is easily treatable with a mixture of water and rehydration salts.

According to the United Nations, West and Central Africa has the lowest levels of clean water and sanitation in the world. One in five children die before the age of five, often due to diarrhoea and water-borne diseases.

Thousands head home in Sri Lanka as floods subside

COLOMBO, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Thousands of Sri Lankans displaced by heavy monsoon flooding which killed 26 people have returned to their homes as waters subside, government officials said on Thursday.

The floods, triggered by heavy rains that began a week ago, destroyed 77 homes, damaged 358 and briefly forced more than 330,000 people from their homes, but most have now returned. Heavy monsoon rains died down on Tuesday.

"People started returning to their homes as the rains stopped and the floods started to subside," said N.D. Hettiarachchi, Director General at the National Disaster Management Centre in Colombo.

He said around 1,500 people still remained in makeshift camps built to house the flood-displaced in the western province of Gampaha, which was worst affected.

Floods and landslides are common during monsoons in Sri Lanka, where much infrastructure has long been neglected as successive governments focused on a two-decade civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels.

Sri Lanka's Red Cross said its aid workers had helped to clear drains in affected areas to help the floodwaters go down, and were giving cooked meals and dry rations to affected families.

The United Nations said on Wednesday its agencies were ready to send in water and sanitation kits, temporary shelter, bed sheets, sleeping mats, soap and kitchen utensils, if required.

Little Earthquakes

Cars, or lack of them, a factor in evacuations

Almost 10 million American households — about 9% — have no car. Most are poor. Many live in cities such as New York or San Francisco, where walking and mass transit can get them just about anywhere. Others live in remote rural areas.
Who has a car and who doesn't has taken on greater significance in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita just over a year ago.

The storms produced nightmarish evacuation scenes. About 1 million people fled the New Orleans area before Katrina, but too many stayed behind. Thousands were trapped in attics or stranded on rooftops after levees broke and floodwaters rose. More than 1,000 died.

Barely three weeks after Katrina, millions hit the roads around Houston to flee Hurricane Rita. Highway backups stretched 100 miles, and motorists ran out of gas and water.

The disastrous outcome in New Orleans was partially blamed on the fact that many residents did not have cars. The gridlock in Houston might have been a case of too many cars — only about 6% of households in the sprawling metropolitan area have no vehicle.

Six weeks on from India floods - Concern's response

Six weeks ago a series of heavy floods struck the Indian state of Orissa. Over two million people were marooned on highways and embankments around the state after their homes and fields were submerged. Concern distributed 4,000 tarpaulins to villagers in the badly affected districts of Sambalpur and Kendrapada.

The receding waters revealed the extent of the damage: thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged and 200,000 hectares of crops were ruined just one month before the harvest was due. People have now returned to their villages but the disaster will leave a lasting legacy on those whose crops, homes and livelihoods were destroyed. Concern and its partners in Orissa are working with affected communities to help people get their lives back on track.

Many of those affected were landless labourers who were already living in poverty. "You have to remember that when living on the margins, any small loss can have significant consequences," said Concern Country Director in India, Matt Pickard.

The injection of cash into affected communities is vital in allowing people to purchase vital necessities and reinvigorate the local economy. Concern are engaged in a "Cash for Work" programme whereby people work on damaged fields and houses in response for cash. Concern and its local partners are also distributing seed to 19,000 families to plant for the upcoming winter crop. An estimated 110,000 people will benefit from the cash for work and seed distribution programme.

Orissa is situated on the east coast of India and has a population of 37 million people. Concern arrived in Orissa in response to the 1999 "Supercyclone" which killed over 10,000 people but have stayed on to help tackle the chronic poverty that exists there. Concern is working in seven districts in Orissa.

98 percent of cluster bomb victims are civilians: report

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Civilians make up 98 percent of the tens of thousands of victims of cluster bombs in the 30 years since their introduction during the Vietnam war, according to an NGO report.

Cluster munitions are imprecise weapons, designed to strike a large surface area, and have killed or maimed 104,000 people since then, said Angelo Simonazzi, director general of Handicap International which carried out the study.

"For 30 years governments have failed to address the disproportionate, long-term harm these weapons cause to civilian populations," he told reporters in Brussels as the report was published

The war between Israel and Hezbollah militants was the most recent conflict to see the use of cluster bombs.

Quoting from UN figures, Simonazzi said that 1.2 to 1.6 million of the four million submunitions Israel dropped on Lebanon during the conflict have not exploded.

Cluster bombs were also used by Hezbollah against civilian areas in northern Israel, according to US ONG Human Rights Watch.