Subj: Powerful Winds in Turkey Kill Two
Date: 4/6/00 3:31:03 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Powerful Winds in Turkey Kill Two

Associated Press
April 5, 2000; 9:49 p.m. EDT

ANKARA, Turkey –– Winds reaching 60 mph lashed Turkey's northwest
Wednesday killing two elderly people and fanning fires that burned down
scores of village homes, officials and news reports said.

The strong southwesterly winds lifted roofs, uprooted trees and knocked
down electricity poles, cutting power in many regions.

The winds blew down the minaret of a village mosque in the province of
Balikesir, killing a 71-year-old passer-by, the region's Gov. Alaadin
Yuksel said. A woman in her seventies was also killed after being hit by
an uprooted tree.

Fires ignited by overturned stoves and heaters raged through 23 homes
and stables in the village of Kiraz, Yuksel said. At least 50 homes
caught fire in three villages in the provinces of Bursa and Canakkale,
the Anatolia news agency said.

The winds also helped fan forest and brush fires in at least 19
different locations in the region, devastating more than 3,000 acres,
the agency said.

Meteorologists forecast that the winds would subside by early Thursday.

Subj: Forest fires across Turkey destroy 70 houses
Date: 4/6/00 4:53:29 AM Pacific Daylight Time

4/06/2000 07:13:00 ET

Forest fires across Turkey destroy 70 houses

ANKARA (Reuters) - Dozens of forest fires have damaged woodland across
Turkey and destroyed 70 houses, forestry ministry officials said on
Thursday.

They said the country experienced the worst day of forest fires in more
than 60 years with a total 83 fires, mostly in western Turkey.

Most of the fires, fanned by strong winds, are now under control. Planes
had been made available to go to the fire-hit areas.

"It is thought the fires broke out as a result of powerful winds ripping
power lines," a ministry statement said.

An electrical short-circuit triggered a forest fire near the Orhaneli
power station in western Turkey.

Koksal Konak, local forestry director in the industrial Bursa province,
200 km (125 miles) south of Istanbul, said a village had been evacuated
but there were no casualties.

Some 800 hectares (1,980 acres) of forest was burned there.

Subj: Moderate Quake Rattles E. Romania
Date: 4/6/00 5:04:28 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Moderate Quake Rattles E. Romania

Associated Press
April 6, 2000; 6:48 a.m. EDT

BUCHAREST, Romania –– A moderate earthquake shook eastern Romania today,
but there were no reports of damage or injury, the Earth Physics
Institute said.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4, occurred in the Vrancea
region in the eastern Carpathian mountains, 100 miles northeast of the
capital.

It was felt in the capital, the statement said.

More than 30 minor earthquakes hit the Vrancea region every year, most
causing no damage. Romania's last serious quake left more than 1,000
people dead and destroyed hundreds of buildings in March 1977.

Subj: Response to Ethiopia Drought Sought
Date: 4/6/00 5:09:13 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Response to Ethiopia Drought Sought

Associated Press
April 5, 2000; 11:44 p.m. EDT

UNITED NATIONS –– Relief organizations called Wednesday for a broad
international response to a drought in Ethiopia that threatens millions
of people with famine.

The United Nations has warned that nearly 8 million people in Ethiopia
are in need of international aid to survive because of the drought – and
that as many as 16 million in the region are at risk.

At a press conference, Oxfam America and Save the Children showed a
video, shot two weeks ago, showing the skeletal remains of cattle that
have died for lack of food and water and the parched earth where wells
and ponds used to be.

Oxfam America's humanitarian director, Michael Delaney said there was a
"small window of opportunity" for governments, aid groups and the people
of Ethiopia to "prevent this crisis from getting even worse than it is."

Poor rains over the past three years have depleted food stocks and
driven farmers to sell their tools, cattle and seeds to buy what little
food and water is available, Delaney said. That has raised the specter
of future food shortages even if rains arrive for the next planting
season in May and June.

"I urge those with the capacity to give, to give generously so that we
can save lives," Secretary-General Kofi Annan told reporters in Rome,
where he is to meet with the head of the World Food Program, Catherine
Bertini, before dispatching her to the region next week.

"It is not too late to save lives if we respond at this point," Annan
said.

Ethiopia's foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin, complained on Tuesday at a
Europe-Africa summit in Cairo that the rest of the world had been slow
to respond to Ethiopia's warning that famine was imminent.

But the European Union officials countered that Ethiopia's 22-month
border conflict with neighboring Eritrea was keeping relief food from
the hungry.

Meanwhile, Canada announced Wednesday it was giving $4.28 million for
emergency food aid in drought-stricken areas of Ethiopia.

International Cooperation Minister Maria Minna said the money would be
used by the World Food Program to purchase, transport and distribute
emergency food supplies.

Subj: Quake Rattles Red Sea Ports
Date: 4/6/00 6:07:47 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Quake Rattles Red Sea Ports

Associated Press
April 6, 2000; 8:06 a.m. EDT

JERUSALEM –– A moderate earthquake rattled the adjacent Red Sea resorts
of Eilat in Israel and Aqaba in Jordan this morning, but there were no
reports of injuries or damage.

The epicenter of the quake was in the Gulf of Aqaba, about 55 miles
south of the resort towns. The Israeli Geophysical Institute said the
quake's magnitude was 5 on the Richter scale while Jordan's Petra news
agency said it was 4.5.

The quake was strong enough to be felt on the coast of the Sinai
peninsula.

Khaled Hassan, a hotel receptionist in Aqaba, said that the tremor
caused "light shaking which was pretty swift."

Aqaba is 210 miles south of the Jordanian capital, Amman.

Subj: M2 Flare, CME, Magnetic Storm Watch
Date: 4/6/00 6:16:38 AM Pacific Daylight Time

At 0200 UTC, a moderate duration M2 Class Xray flare was detected. The
flare was accompanied by radio burst activity indicating a CME was
likely generated with a shock speed of 700 km/sec. No LASCO data is
available yet to get a visual analysis of the generated ejection.

The SEC has issued a magnetic storm watch for Magnetic-A indices of
greater than 20 for April 8 2000. Considering we have been experiencing
Mag-A readings of this level without watches in advance - this seems
nearly laughable in some respects, however it does indicate that an
increase in the already active magnetic field conditions may occur on or
about the 8th.

The unpredicted Proton event [both at ACE and here at Earth] has
continued for 36 hours now, despite official forecasts that it would end
yesterday. There has been a slight decrease in Proton levels at the GOES
satellites [Earth] while the readings actually continue on a gradual
rise at ACE.

Electron readings at ACE continue highly elevated.

Subj: Hurricane force winds accross the plains
Date: 4/6/00 6:51:31 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Yesterday afternoon and evening, hurricane force winds, not associated
with thunderstorms, swept accross a vast section of the northern and
central plains states. Winds of 60-90 mph were widely recorded from
Montana to the Dakotas and Minnesota and south to Kansas.

Numerous weather service damage reports were received of roofs blown
off, railroad cars blown off their tracks, 3' diameter trees felled,
etc. So far, I have not seen a news article about this event and its
extensive damage.

Additionally, high temperature records in the mid and upper 80s were
recorded accross much of that region ... while low temperature records
in the 30s and 40s were widespread across the east and southeast. Here
in central Florida where I live, we had one of the coldest mornings in
months - with temperatures dropping into the low to mid 40s - for April,
thats amazing.

Strange days indeed.