Stories about Disaster from July, 2012
Spain: Fighting Catalonia's Wild Fires
The terrifying fires that continue to devastate the Catalan comarca of Alt Empordà have given way to the citizens' initiative #1Català1Arbre, launched on Twitter by Oriol Puig. The goal is to "create coordination, cooperation and a strong collective consciousness until the fires are extinguished."
Tunisia: The Plight of Palestinians in Iraq
Tunisian blogger Nawel Abdullah posts an interview [ar] she conducted with the founder of The Australian Society for the Palestinian-Iraqi Refugee Emergency Yousef Alreemawi, who speaks to her about the...
Ukraine: Forest Fires in Yalta, Crimea
On Facebook, Andrey Klimenko of BlackSeaNews.net posted night photos (here and here; ru) of the fire raging in the mountainous forest reserve near Yalta, Crimea. On July 31 [ru], there...
Hong Kong: Signal Ten Typhoon
Beijing cream collects some citizen videos that show typhoon Vicente, the strongest typhoon in 13 years, passed through Hong Kong on July 24.
Russia: The Denver Cinema Shooting As A Case for Gun Rights in Russia
Anti-Kremlin blogger Vladislav Naganov responded to this week's shooting in a Denver, Colorado, movie theater by arguing [ru] that American gun violence proves the need for expanded gun rights in Russia,...
Hungary: Community News Site Takes On Neglected Fire Hydrants
Faulty and out-of-order fire hydrants made it difficult to control a fire that broke out in the Kutya mountain, close to the town of Nagykovácsi in Hungary. This inspired the founder of a community news site Nagykovácsi.net Dávid Fáber to launch a community-driven data gathering initiative to document all of the town's fire hydrants through his website's registered users.
Egypt: Conflicting News on Casualties in Cairo Train Crash
Information remains sketchy about the number of casualties from a train crash in a Cairo suburb earlier today. Reports on mainstream media ranged from deaths and injuries - to no deaths and just injuries, in the accident where a passenger train derailed and caught fire.
Russia: A Law to Regulate Volunteer Efforts
Last week, Russia's Public Chamber announced that it is preparing the foundation for a draft law designed to regulate volunteer activities. Critics of the idea claim that the law (like recent bills raising fines for illegal demonstrations and 'blacklisting' parts of the RuNet) is another government attempt to oppress the political potential of civil society (specifically the strengths of Internet-enabled activists).
Syria/Turkey: Syrian Refugees Protest Water Shortages at Kilis Camp
Syrian refugees at the Kilis Refugee camp, on the Syrian-Turkish border, protested against water shortages. Four policemen and 10 refugees are reportedly injured.
Peru: 20 Years Later, Bloggers Remember Bomb Blast in Tarata Street
At 9:15 pm, on Thursday July 16, 1992, a bomb blast rattled the small and then almost unknown Tarata Street, in the Limean district of Miraflores. Days before the blast, Lima experienced many bomb blasts, but none had the same impact as the blast in Tarata. Twenty years after, netizens remember and reflect on that day.
Mauritania: Military Plane Crashes Killing Seven
On July 12, 2012, a Mauritanian military plane crashed in Nouakchott airport. The accident took the life of 3 soldiers (among them one officer) as well as two custom officials, in addition to two contract security guards working on the behalf of the Canadian company. Netizens had their say about the incident. Here is a collection of reactions by Ahmed Jeddou.
Yemen: Another Suicide Blast Rocks Sanaa
As police cadets were leaving the Police Academy in Sanaa yesterday, July 11th, for their holiday, a suicide bomber detonated himself at the southern gate, killing nine and injuring 15. Netizens react to the attack.
Russia: Caught Stealing Supplies from Flood Victims
The social documentary film makers behind “Srok” [ru] (“The Term”) have published footage [ru] on YouTube of two men who apparently tried to steal supplies from a collection point in Moscow at Vorob'evy...
Uganda: Remembering the 2010 Bomb Blasts
Ugandans have taken to Twitter and Facebook to remember the 2010 victims of bomb blasts at Kyaddondo Rugby Club and Ethiopian Village bar in Kampala Uganda. The attacks took place when soccer fans were watching the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands in South Africa.
Russia: Online Platforms Coordinating Aid for Flood Victims
Floods in Kuban have completely destroyed 640 homes, with more than 5,000 partially submerged. According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Crisis Centre, 150 have been killed as of July 8.
Russia: Netizens Respond Online and Offline to Devastating Krymsk Floods
On July 6-7, more than 170 people died in the devastating floods in the south of Russia. Bloggers have been arguing about possible causes of the tragedy in the hardest-hit town of Krymsk; many are already there as volunteers and journalists, and much of the current online discussion focuses on the relief effort, too.
Russia: Parkhomenko Chronicles Krymsk Statements
In a widely shared Facebook post [ru], journalist Sergei Parkhomenko lists a series of contradictory official statements by the Russian authorities about the flooding in Krymsk, arguing that the state is...
Russia: Krymsk Footage & the Reservoir's Owners
Krasnodar environmental activist Suren Gazarian blogs videos from the wreckage in Krymsk, dismissing the theory [ru] that the flooding was caused by water released from the Neberdzhaevsky Reservoir. Marina Litvinovich, meanwhile, provides background [ru]...
Russia: Krymsk Floodgate Conspiracies
In the aftermath of flooding in Krymsk that has claimed over 140 lives, bloggers debate whether officials are to blame for water that may have been released from a nearby...
Philippine Flood Hazard Map
The Philippine Flood Hazard Map identifies the flooded areas in different parts of the Philippines.
India, Pakistan: Working Towards Thawing the Siachen Conflict?
On April 7, 2012, a deadly avalanche hit a Pakistani military camp in the Gayatri Sector, 30km west of the Siachen glacier, killing over 130 people, most of them military personnel. The scale of the tragedy once again brought into focus a long-standing conflict between India and Pakistan over Siachen, often referred to as "the world's highest battlefield".
