BREAKING: -UPDATED. Solomon Islands flooding sweeps away people, homes - at least 16 dead ... and now a mag 6 earthquake!

Wow ! How sad. Sending prayers their way.

Yes

Yikes! Thanks for posting this, Lamplite! I have a relative in Honiara, I've just emailed her to get a first hand account. I'll share anything she tells me, at least if it's interesting...

Thanks

In the meantime, check out these photos of snow, hail, water spouts and ominous cloud formations in Hawaii:

[link to www.wnem.com]


Things are going crazy everywhere!

Not sure why, but the slide show won't load for me.

Maybe I'm in a wrong country of something?

Somebody has one stared this thread.

Dead people in the water, rates as one star.

Only on GLP

Please do...

and it rolled off the first page

GLP =

So far no word from my sister or other contacts in Honiara. Her phone just rings and rings, no voicemail. From the news reports, they've lost a lot of infrastructure, which is saying a lot because they didn't have much to start with. They do have remarkably good cell coverage, but it looks like that may have been damaged, too.

They've had major earthquakes, including one a few years ago that literally raised the beach in Honiara a couple of feet, tsunamis, and major civil unrest, but the paper is saying that this is by far their biggest disaster. Very sad, the people are very poor.

Thanks for the report.

Not to mention the race baiting. I guess they decided crass sells. KKKaa-ching!

[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

Aussies should care. St Barbara LTD has a whopping big gold mining operation there - 2.5 million tons of pretty high grade ore a year:

[link to www.stbarbara.com.au]

And they should care because they have a lot of military and government people working for RAMSI there:
[link to www.ramsi.org]

New Zealand and Australia both have sunk a lot of money into the Solomons as a backstop against the Chinese, who have big aspirations in the South Pacific and the Solomons have a lot natural resources that they'd love to have. The US has been involved, too, for the same reasons.

Thanks, Rose - that was short but at least a glimpse of what their dealing with.

The latest from a friend of my sister:

"She is ok but water is rising fast and has reached the slab at Lungga. That would mean the river has risen 20 feet or more. I suspect the island is getting badly hit.

It is really bad here. Chinatown bridge collapsed and washed away with several fatalities and missing persons. Many houses destroyed, mainly custom construction, thousands stranded or displaced. Main bridge over the Mataniko has started cracking and is closed. So town is cut in two and if the bridge goes it will be for a long time.

I will let you know if I hear any more from her - internet permitting. If the lines go, we will have a communication problem."

By the island, he means a small resort island in Marau Sound. A singularly lovely and pristine place.

[link to tavanipupu.com]

The story has been updated on stuff news.

There are some incredible pictures on there now.

[link to www.stuff.co.nz]

prayers for everyone affected.

.

I've noticed.

Here's the latest from Honiara - she's on the Lunnga River, near Henderson Field, the main airport:

"THIS IS BAD!!! H0RRIBLE IN FACT. THE WATER IS RISING AND I MUST DEAL WITH IT! PE0PLE ARE DYING AND N0, I WILL N0T BE 0NE 0F THEM! SH0CKING, NEVER BEEN IN A FL00D BEF0RE, D0N'T TRY IT! N0W, D0N'T W0RRY, Y0U KN0W ME, JUST AN0THER ADVENTURE!!!! HAHAHHAHA, I L0VE Y0U!

WAS BAD LAST NIGHT, WE M0VED EVERYTHING UP, 0NLY 0NE D00R T0 THE D0WN STAIRS, HAVE T0 BARRICADE THAT! ALL THE TREES ARE G0NE!!!! M0ST 0F THE BRIDGES, IT IS SERI0USLY BAD! THE RIVER IS LIKE A WILD THING, HUGE TREES AND WAVES AND RUSHING BY AT AN INCREDIBLE SPEED! INTERNET JUST CAME 0N, P0WER AND INTERNET SP0RATIC S0 D0N'T W0RRY IF Y0U D0N'T HEAR BUT THE M0MENT I CAN I WILL GET BACK T0 Y0U, 0K?"

Thanks for keeping us posted.
.

You're welcome, Lamplite. Thank you for posting this, I wouldn't have known otherwise. She emailed yesterday to say there was a really bad storm, but I had no idea it was this bad.

No worries. Pleased to be of service.

I noticed it on our local news and wondered if it had made it here, apparently it hadn't.

Ever notice how mass casualty events due to extreme weather events are often ignored by mainstream media, especially in the usa?

Meanwhile, mindless stupid crap is a main focus.

I've had enough. This is important. It's destroying many people's lives and homes and it deserves some attention and hopefully updates.

KARMA PIN!