Super Typhoon Rai Smashes Into the Philippines,
Super Typhoon Rai smashed into the Philippines on Thursday, knocking down trees, tearing roofs off of houses, and rapidly flooding areas with its heavy rains. The typhoon gained strength suddenly just before it made landfall. With winds as fast as 120 mph (193 kph), the typhoon had roughly the same strength as a Category 5 hurricane (the most powerful).
Before the typhoon hit, nearly 100,000 people were evacuated. About 10,000 villages lie in the expected path of the typhoon, and many of them are likely to flood. Rescuers rushed to get people to safety, at times wading through waters at chest-height.
(Source: Philippine Coast Guard, via Twitter.)
The typhoon is one of the strongest storms of the year for the Philippines, which has already been hit by 14 other serious storms in 2021. Flights have been canceled, and the government has stopped travel by land and sea.
There are concerns about having so many evacuated people in close contact in temporary shelters. The Philippines has been hit hard by the coronavirus, and the first cases of the new Omicron variant have recently been reported.
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There are concerns about having so many evacuated people in close contact in temporary shelters. The Philippines has been hit hard by the coronavirus. The first cases of the Omicron variant were recently reported. Above, people in a temporary shelter yesterday.
Canary Islands Volcano May Be Calming Down
The Cumbre Vieja volcano, which first began erupting on September 19, appears to be calming down. The volcano, which is on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, hasn’t shown any earthquake activity since Monday. Smaller earthquakes often come before an eruption. Involcan, a local group that studies volcanoes said, “This is the longest length of time with no earthquakes since the eruption began.”
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The Cumbre Vieja volcano, which first began erupting on Sept. 19, appears to be calming down. The volcano, which is on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, hasn’t shown any earthquake activity since Monday. Above, Cumbre Vieja on Thursday.
The nearly three-month eruption has been the longest ever recorded for the Cumbre Vieja volcano. There have been no deaths or injuries from the eruption, but many people on the island have paid a great price. The flowing lava has destroyed over 1,000 buildings, and buried many local farms on the southwest side of the island. Several thousand people have been forced from their homes.
Scientists say it’s too early to be sure, but it seems like the eruption may be coming to an end.
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The flowing lava has destroyed over 1,000 buildings, and buried many local farms on the southwest side of the island. Several thousand people have been forced from their homes. Above, a house buried in lava.
Magnus Carlsen Wins 5th World Chess Championship
Last Friday, Magnus Carlsen of Norway defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia to hold onto his title as the World Chess Champion. Mr. Carlsen first earned the title in 2013. He has now earned the prize five times in a row.
Many people thought Mr. Nepomniachtchi might have a decent chance at beating Mr. Carlsen. Coming into the championship, Mr. Nepomniachtchi had a winning record against Mr. Carlsen. He’s also good at playing chess quickly, which has been one of Mr. Carlsen’s strengths.
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Last Friday, Magnus Carlsen (left) of Norway defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi (right) of Russia to keep his title as the World Chess Champion. Mr. Nepomniachtchi made several unexpected mistakes. After the 11th game, Mr. Carlsen had a lead that couldn’t be beaten
The first five games ended in draws, with neither player winning. But things changed after Mr. Carlsen won the sixth game, which lasted nearly eight hours. The game was the longest championship match in the last 135 years.
In the following games, Mr. Nepomniachtchi made several mistakes that most people didn’t expect him to make. By the end of the 11th game, Mr. Carlsen had a lead that couldn’t be beaten, 7.5 games to 3.5 games. (In a draw, each player wins half a game.)
Did You Know…?
Mr. Carlsen, 31, is the highest rated player ever, but he says he may choose not to play in the next world championship. Mr. Carlsen isn’t just the world champion of classical chess, he’s also the current champion in two faster styles of chess, called rapid and blitz.