Hurricane Beta may not be threatening the US (yet) but it has already hit South America, and is now hitting Central America:
Hurricane Beta moved on Central America's Caribbean coast after blasting the Colombian island of Providencia.
Residents of the one-time pirate outpost about 200 kilometres east of Nicaragua took refuge in brick shelters on higher ground in Providencia, while the storm ripped the roofs off wooden homes and disrupted communications.
The record 13th hurricane so far this year in the Atlantic lashed the mountainous island owned by Colombia with damaging winds, torrential rains and high surf, said the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
In the neighboring Colombian-owned island of San Andres, just south of Providencia, only the storm's outer bands touched land, bringing light rains and wind. After the storm passed, tourists returned to the beaches.
President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia said Saturday that no one had died on Providencia, but several people had suffered minor injuries.
CTV.ca | Hurricane Beta advancing on Nicaragua, Honduras
A drought is threatening many families in Paraguay:A period of prolonged drought is once again affecting 4,900 families in the department of Boquerón in Paraguay this year, where little o t no rain has fallen since April. The western region of Paraguay, called the "Paraguayan Chaco", which includes the department of Boquerón, covers an area of 246,925 km², equivalent to 60 percent of the country, and has a population of 160,214 inhabitants. This region experiences droughts on an almost annual basis.
The main limiting factor for the development of the Chaco region is the recurrent scarcity of drinking water due to the climate, which varies from sub-humid and semi-humid to semi-arid and arid. Drought also frequently affects neighbouring regions of Argentina and Bolivia. This problem has generally been tackled with two different types of cisterns used for rainwater harvesting: cisterns or storage tanks called aljibes, and cutwater cisterns called tajamares. These cisterns are now totally dry. The drought has also damaged crops throughout the area, which is primarily populated by subsistence farmers.
On 26 September 2005, the Paraguayan National Conference declared a state of emergency in the Chaco region for six months. Government ministries, the National Emergency Secretariat (SEN) and other organizations working in the region will work together with farmers and residents to provide assistance in response to this situation. The department of Boquerón has a Departmental Emergency Committee (CDE) to work on problems such as severe drought; however this committee has not held meetings for 2 years now.
An estimated total of 11,518 families (52,990 people) in 265 communities in the 3 departmentsin the Chaco region have been affected
ReliefWeb » Document Preview » Paraguay: Drought Minor Emergency No. 05ME060 Bulletin No. 2
But Gene Glasscock, a former missionary, has a unique way to try to help some of the young people of Paraguay:Seventy-year-old Gene Glasscock began a mission in 2002 to visit 48 state capitols on horseback.In more local news (local as in a small part of South America), a bus colliding with a truck killed and injured many in Brazil:On his way to Lansing, his 47th capitol, he stopped in Vicksburg this week to stay with Bill and Becky Ruh, owners of Ruh Horse Farm.
Glasscock's goal in his 20,000-mile, three-year equestrian journey is to help the young people of Paraguay.
A former missionary and teacher there, he is raising money for the Philips Scholarship Fund, which offers underprivileged young adults from Paraguay the opportunity to attend Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Fla. The only stipulation is that students must return to Paraguay after graduation to help others.
SAO PAULO, Brazil – A bus carrying more than 40 passengers collided head-on with a truck in central Brazil on Friday, killing at least 14 people and injuring 21, authorities said.
Seven people remained hospitalized in serious condition after the early morning accident near the city of Catalao, 600 kilometers (375 miles) north of Sao Paulo in Goias state, federal highway police officer Joao Henrique Souza de Oliveira said.
The bus collided with the truck after illegally entering the opposite lane to try to pass a slower bus, police said.
Both drivers died instantly, police said, while 14 people suffered minor injuries.
Authorities said the most serious injuries were sustained by passengers who were thrown from the bus. Rescue workers said several of them were stuck in the wreckage when they arrived on the scene.
Local media said the bus was taking the passengers from Sao Paulo to the northeastern state of Ceara, but authorities could not immediately confirm the information. AP
The Daily Journal - Bus accident kills 14 in central Brazil
And, finally, a volcano is erupting on the Galapagos islands off the coast of Equador:
Tourists flock to Galapagos eruption
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - Fiery lava flows have attracted hundreds of tourists to the largest of the Galapagos Islands, less than a week after a volcano began erupting, officials said Saturday.
The number of tourists to visit seahorse-shaped island Isabela has been restricted after roughly 200 people visited the island each day last week, Susanna Villagomez, an Isabela municipal official said.
The 1.6-kilometre-high Sierra Negra volcano began erupting Oct. 22 but the island's unique flora and fauna, including the famed Galapagos tortoises for which the archipelago is named, were unharmed.
Still, tourists have been eager to go close to Sierra Negra's crater.
"Every two hours, a group of a maximum of 32 tourists is sent out, taking all the necessary precautions," Villagomez said.
"The people want to go at night because the sight that Sierra Negra offers is impressive," she added.
Pablo Samaniega, a vulcanologist at Ecuador's Geophysics Institute said the eruption shows no signs of stopping and on average, these eruptions can last four weeks.
The last time Sierra Negra erupted was in 1979.
CANOE -- CNEWS - World: Tourists flock to Galapagos eruption
And that will be the round-up for the day... *deep sigh of relief*
