Storm Surge in Philippines on Wednesday, 01 August, 2012 at 12:58 (12:58 PM) UTC.

At least 63 fishermen either survived or were rescued from a smashing big wave at dawn on Wednesday in Butuan Bay in Agusan del Norte, many of them who were alerted tying themselves at their boats as lifelines. Rescue workers said, however, that the number could still rise as survivors told them of other fishermen floating at the distance. They also said they could not identify who the other fishermen were and where they came from. Ryan Osores, 33, said all six fishermen from his group of six small fishing boats reached ashore Barangay 10 of Buenavista town, at 8 a.m., four hours after a rogue big wave smashed through the fishing boats that scattered off Butuan Bay. He said they spread their nets shortly after the moon disappeared from the horizon at 4 a.m. Moments later, all were surprised by a big wave that rammed through their boats. Though pitched dark, he was able to spot another fisherman, Julius Montebon, from Purok 3, also of Barangay 10, already standing atop a capsized boat and waving for help. “I told him not to mind his net anymore and save himself,” he said. All of them steered through the waves to reach shore. Marife N. Rosales, training officer at the Butuan City Search and Rescue Team (Busart), said many sustained only minor bruises and three complained of elevated blood pressure, with one of them, Norman Tirona, 35, rushed to the Buenavista clinic nearby.

The Busart rescuers said 29 fishermen came from Barangay 10, seven from Barangay Tinago and 26 from Manapa. Other fishermen from these villages rushed to the mid sea to rescue them, many of whom did not leave the scene until they have secured their fishing nets. Osores and five others were the first ashore at 8 a.m. but the others were able to come back at 10 a.m. The seven others who were earlier declared missing were located alive by midafternoon of the same day. A Swedish national, who resided at the coast of Barangay 10, said he pitied the fishermen in the place for going to sea without life vests. “It’s disheartening to see them leave for the deep sea with vests, when it could definitely save them,” he said, but requesting not to be named. He said he was a fisherman also but used big fishing boats that would sometimes take them to the waters off Norway.  “I’ve seen friends and known fishermen who were lost to sea. With a vest, they could survive at least another hour in the frigid waters, but here, locals could survive for days with a life vest,” he said. “It’s crazy, but there must [be] a law that should require fishermen to put on a life vest,” he said.

- RSOE EDIS

Extreme Weather in Netherlands on Thursday, 05 January, 2012 at 12:24 (12:24 PM) UTC.

Dutch villagers have been asked to leave their homes and farms because strong winds and heavy rain have led to fears of coastal flooding. Some farmers in Tolbert in the northern province of Groningen refused to leave their cattle, despite reports that an inland dyke was at risk of breaking. There are flood warnings for the Dutch west coast.

- RSOE EDIS

Storm Surge in Norway on Wednesday, 04 January, 2012 at 10:02 (10:02 AM) UTC.

The latest storm to hit Norway’s coast, called Emil, wasn’t as severe as predicted but it left coastal areas under threat of extremely high sea levels. Emergency crews in the southern town of Mandal were scrambling to shield buildings from water damage, and considered closing off the downtown area. State meteorologists withdrew their hurricane warnings on Wednesday and replaced them with warnings of rising sea levels, after Emil blew in over the North Sea following a destructive and deadly path over Scotland. Instead of ramming the southwestern Norwegian coast as expected, though, Emil veered farther south over Skagerrak and northern Denmark before moving on towards Sweden. The storm churned up high seas that still posed a threat to coastal areas. The meteorologists’ warnings applied to the western and southern coasts (of Vestlandet and Sørlandet) and also southeastern Norway including areas around the Oslo Fjord. The high sea levels were expected to hit their peak sometime Wednesday night, with warnings they could rise by 60 to 100 centimeters around the Oslo Fjord. The state meteorological institute also warned that winds along the coasts of Vest-Agder and Rogaland counties would continue to be strong on Wednesday morning, but die down during the day. In Mandal, a popular summer holiday destination on the southern tip of Norway, crews from the local fire department and civil defense force were setting up barricades made of sandbags, in an attempt to protect historic wooden buildings. The work was to continue throughout the day, reported Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK), because of fears the sea would flood into town. Tuesday’s storm forced closure of the area’s main airport, Kjevik outside Kristiansand, but it reopened Wednesday morning.

- RSOE EDIS