21 trapped in upstate NY hotel

Officials are concerned that the Gilboa Dam has been breached after all signals to the dam were lost this morning. Downstream from the dam, twenty-one people are stranded in a hotel threatened by the river's rising levels. Via myFOXNY:

A massive effort was underway Sunday to rescue 21-people, including several children, trapped in a Catskills motel as fast rising storm waters surrounded the building. The motel is in Prattsville, N.Y.  The N.Y. National Guard deployed 129 soldiers and several speed boats to try to get to the Green County motel.

John Esquivel spoke on the phone with Fox 5 News.  He is with his family in the Moore's Motel.  He says, when they woke up this morning, they saw rising water.  By the time they got ready to leave, the entire building was surrounded by a 450 yard wide river.

Everyone in the building rushed up to the second floor.  Brown, debris filled waters rose over the entire first floor of the building.  All power and phone service was lost in the building.
Their main concern was if a dam above the motel were to break.

"If that dam breaks, we're going to be in worse shape," Esquivel said in a phone interview with Fox 5 News...Things got so desperate that the adults starting planning what they were going to do if the build started breaking apart or floating away.  Their plans included tying sheets to each other so they would not be carried apart.  They were worried as several mobile homes and cars rushed by, but did not strike the building they are trapped inside.

Update: 51 People Saved From Upstate Motel

Eye of Storm could pass through NYC

Meteorologists are now saying Irene could make a second of third landfall in New York City itself on Sunday around 10 a.m., after skirting the Jersey Shore Saturday night. According to the city's mayor, effects of Irene on New York may be felt as soon as 9 p.m. Saturday local time. Irene's winds, rain and storm surge could flood lower Manhattan's streets and subway tunnels, and even put JFK underwater.

NYC subway shutdown scenario

According to the NY Daily News, the New York City subway system could be shut down as early as late Saturday afternoon, ahead of the expected arrival of Irene on Sunday morning. The MTA's hurricane plan describes a "worst possible scenario" in which the hurricane hits south of the city, sending of a wall of water onto New York:

The MTA battle plan, created in 2007, but still valid today, says the worst possible scenario is a hurricane making landfall at Atlantic City, 100 miles south of the city. Hurricanes spin counter-clockwise, so a big storm making landfall to the south would push a wall of ocean water onto New York.

Federal scientists say a Category 2 hurricane could drive a 20-foot storm surge into Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. If that is what appears to be looming, the MTA hurricane plan calls for bus service to begin to be curtailed at least 12 hours before landfall.

At least eight hours before landfall, the subways would start shutting down. At "zero hour" - approximately six hours before landfall, when winds reach 39 mph - all rail and bus service would be suspended, the MTA plan says.

See here for the possibility that NYC evacuations will take place on Shabbat and here for a map of potential NYC evacuation zones. You can also call 311 and give your address to check if you are in an area which may be under evacuation on Saturday morning.

NYC Evacuations may take place on Shabbat

As of early morning Friday forecasts, Hurricane Irene is set to hit North Carolina on Saturday morning local time, setting off what will be a predicted 36 hours of "destruction" until weakening to a tropical storm around Boston on late Sunday night.

In New York City, the storm is expected to hit early Sunday morning. According to Yeshiva World News, the call to evacuate low-lying areas may be made as late as Saturday morning, during Shabbat, posing a challenge for observant Jews. NYC Mayor Bloomberg's spokesperson made the following statement to YWN on Thursday:

Right now, we’re encouraging people with family who are shut-ins in low-lying areas like the Rockaways, Coney Island and Manhattan Beach, and the eastern edge of Staten Island to bring them to higher land on Friday. But there’s a possibility that on Saturday morning, the hurricane’s track may require mandatory evacuations of these areas before Shabbos is over. If you have family or friends in a low-lying area, it might not be the worst idea to invite them to you for Shabbos.

...As regards to the general public, we will make a decision about whether to order a mandatory evacuation of Zone A low-lying areas by 8:00 AM Saturday, the day after tomorrow. However, we recommend that people start going to alternative locations if they have them because of potential traffic jams and mass transit limitations on Saturday that Jay Walder is going to discuss in a couple of minutes. So if you live in one of these communities and have a relative or friend you can stay with in a safer, less vulnerable areas, you should think about arranging to stay there until the storm passes.

See here for the map of NYC Hurricane evacuation zones which will take effect should the mayor make the call Friday or Saturday.

Wishing all those in Irene's path a safe Shabbat, preferably on high land.

New York City Hurricane Evacuation Zones (Tentative)

Current tracks show Hurricane Irene is likely to hit all major US cities along the coast from North Carolina through New England, making it the worst the US has seen since 1821, when a hurricane wreaked havoc from Norfolk to Rhode Island. One scenario (see video above) shows the eye of the storm passing directly through New York city. According to one preparedness expert: "We're talking about something that could be cataclysmic if it goes full-scale."

New York city officials will announce Friday at the earliest whether to evacuate areas of New York City in danger of flooding. New Jersey and Delaware are also preparing for mass evacuations, although the geography of the New York Harbor makes it particularly vulnerable to become the storm's harbor. The city's Office of Emergency Management has prepared the following hurricane contingency plan should the storm's path warrant evacuations (via Business Insider; PDF available here):

• Residents in Zone A (Orange) face the highest risk of flooding from a hurricane's storm surge. Zone A includes all low-lying coastal areas and other areas that could experience storm surge in ANY hurricane that makes landfall close to New York City. 

• Residents in Zone B (Yellow) may experience storm surge flooding from a MODERATE (Category 2 or higher) hurricane. 

• Residents in Zone C (Green) may experience storm surge flooding from a MAJOR hurricane (Category 3 & 4) making landfall just south of New York City. A major hurricane is unlikely in New York City, but not impossible.

An interactive map can be viewed here.

* * 

Are you in Hurricane Irene's path? Be prepared:

• Stock up on batteries, non-perishable foods, first-aid supplies, drinking water and medications. Get supplies NOW, not later, as streets may be blocked by fallen trees. 

• Fuel and service your vehicles. 

• Have cash on hand in case power goes out and ATMs don't work.

• Park your car indoors if possible 

• Do not open windows during a hurricane 

Sources: MSNBC, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center. See Long Island's Hurricane Preparedness Guide for more suggestions

* *

The first verse of this week's Haftorah, along with the two verses preceding it, speak of the destructive power of water, as opposed to the unshakable love of God for the Jewish people:

כִּי-מֵי נֹחַ, זֹאת לִי, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי מֵעֲבֹר מֵי-נֹחַ עוֹד, עַל-הָאָרֶץ--כֵּן נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי מִקְּצֹף עָלַיִךְ, וּמִגְּעָר-בָּךְ

כִּי הֶהָרִים יָמוּשׁוּ, וְהַגְּבָעוֹת תְּמוּטֶינָה--וְחַסְדִּי מֵאִתֵּךְ לֹא-יָמוּשׁ, וּבְרִית שְׁלוֹמִי לֹא תָמוּט, אָמַר מְרַחֲמֵךְ, יְהוָה

עֲנִיָּה סֹעֲרָה, לֹא נֻחָמָה; הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מַרְבִּיץ בַּפּוּךְ, אֲבָנַיִךְ, וִיסַדְתִּיךְ, בַּסַּפִּירִים

For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I sworn neither to be wroth with you nor to rebuke you.

	For the mountains shall depart and the hills totter, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace totter," says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.

 

O afflicted city, who was not consoled, behold I will set your stones with carbuncle, and I will lay your foundations with sapphires.

* * 

 

		Israel Rising points out that the first US state to feel the storm's hit is North Carolina, where Jonathan Pollard has been held inhumanely for over 25 years.

Nancy Grace: State of emergency declared in California

Nancy Grace insists that the governor of California governor has declared a state of emergency following the nuclear radiation hazard from Japan. Her weatherman disagrees.

Nancy Grace may not be a scientific authority, but she is asking the questions that no one else is. Last week the IAEA said if the radiation in Japan continues, the health hazard to the US would have to be reassessed. This week temperatures at Fukushima are rising and the radiation continues. Who's reassessing the threat?

Yesterday, the EPA measured an aberration in Hawaii radiation levels:

As of 6:30pm (EDT) preliminary monitor results in Hawaii detected minuscule levels of an isotope that is consistent with the Japanese nuclear incident. This detection varies from background and historical data in Hawaii. This isotope was detected at our fixed monitor in Hawaii, and it is far below any level of concern for human health. The sampling filter from this monitor is being sent to our national radiation lab for further analysis.

California's state of emergency may be complicated by nuclear fallout, but at this point it's weather-related. The governor declared a state of emergency in California following heavy rainstorms across six counties. According to forecasts, the strongest part of the storm is set to hit California Wednesday morning. Two have already died from the storm.

Is California taking the next hit? A few months back, scientists warned of a deadly California superstorm in the state's future. Now a Newsweek columnist says after Chile, New Zealand and Japan, California is next up for a major quake.

And today, March 23rd, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's two tsunami warning centers in Alaska and Hawaii will be simulating earthquake and tsunami warnings along major Pacific ocean fault lines.

Japan Nuclear Power Plant Emergency, Tsunami Arrival Times for US West Coast now in, Pacific islands UNDERWATER

Ocean energy distribution forecast map from the U.S. NOAA

Updates from MSNBC:

7:32 a.m. ET:  The death toll from the earthquake rises to 59, according to Kyodo.

7:22 a.m. ET:  Kyodo is reporting that 2,000 residents near Fukushima nuclear power plant have been urged to evacuate. This is the plant that that developed a mechanical failure in the reactor cooling system after it was shut down in the earthquake.

Emergency Declared at Japan Nuke Plants (MSNBC)

Japan's top government spokesman and local administrators say emergencies have been issued at two nuclear power plants over cooling-system fears in the wake of Friday's giant earthquake.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says the nuclear power plant in Fukushima developed a mechanical failure in the system needed to cool the reactor after it was shut down after the earthquake. He said there was no radiation leak.

Edano said the measure was a precaution and there was no radiation leak at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant. He said the facility was not in immediate danger.

Meanwhile, an administrator at the Tohoku Electric Power Co's Onagawa facility said the process for the cooling reactor is "not going as planned," adding that "nuclear emergency situation" has been declared. The company asked people nearby to stay calm, the official TV news channel NHK reported.

A fire broke out at the plant following the quake, the Kyodo news agency said. Prior to the Kyodo report, the company had said it had not received information on whether there had been any problems at the plant after the disaster.

7:16 a.m. ET:  A huge number of people are stranded in Tokyo after all railway services in the capital's metropolitan area are suspended, Kyodo News reports.  The East Japan Railway Co. suspended its services for all railways in the metropolitan area as well as bullet train services on the Tohoku, Joetsu, Nagano, Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen Lines.

7:13 a.m. ET:  The American military is preparing for rescue operations and is ready to help if the Japanese government asks for assistance, according to NHT. Russia has also said it is ready to send aid. 

6:31 a.m. ET:  This just in from Reuters: A ship carrying 100 people was swept away by the tsunami that smashed into northeastern Japan, Kyodo news agency reports.

6:31 a.m. ET:  Officials fear tsunami may have washed over entire islands in the Pacific, CNN reports.
  
6:15 a.m. ET:  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Tsunami Warning Center issues a list of estimated tsunami arrival times for locations along the North American Pacific coast

From Wikipedia: An oil refinery was set on fire by the quake at Ichihara Chiba Prefecture to the east of Tokyo.

Earthquake, Tsunami hits Japan; Tsunami Alert for 20 countries

20 Countries on Alert for Tsunami:

The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in at least 100 years unleashed walls of water that swept across rice fields, engulfing towns, dragging houses onto highways and tossing cars and boats like toys.

...As the city grappled with the devastation, a massive tsunami swept across the Pacific Ocean.
An earthquake of that size can generate a dangerous tsunami to coasts outside the source region, the National Weather Service said.

In Philippines alone, the tsunami is expected to hit in the early morning and the government has evacuated 20 provinces along the coast.

Authorities in at least 20 countries and numerous Pacific islands issued tsunami warnings, the National Weather Service said.

The wide-ranging list includes Russia and Indonesia, Central American countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica and the U.S. state of Hawaii, where warning sirens were sounded in the morning. A tsunami warning was also issued for areas along the United States and Canadian west coasts (CNN)

Coastal California Tsunami Warning: Could Hit Friday Morning

Recent Earthquake Activity:

MAP	5.3	2011/03/11 10:35:36	37.044	141.298	25.8	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.9	2011/03/11 10:28:44	39.447	143.531	29.3	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.6	2011/03/11 10:20:27	36.966	142.289	21.7	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.0	2011/03/11 10:10:35	39.248	142.779	28.9	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.2	2011/03/11 09:59:57	36.703	142.207	41.6	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.5	2011/03/11 09:47:02	39.685	142.938	29.7	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	2.7	2011/03/11 09:45:07	19.295	-154.944	10.8	HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP	5.2	2011/03/11 09:42:22	39.438	142.749	30.2	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.4	2011/03/11 09:37:08	35.877	141.585	29.9	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	3.0	2011/03/11 09:33:58	19.382	-155.015	7.6	ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP	2.9	2011/03/11 09:24:53	19.351	-154.999	8.7	HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP	2.8	2011/03/11 09:14:36	19.329	-154.970	11.0	HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP	2.8	2011/03/11 09:10:26	19.355	-155.000	5.4	ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP	5.5	2011/03/11 09:09:15	37.717	143.267	36.2	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	2.5	2011/03/11 09:07:01	19.347	-154.989	0.1	HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP	2.8	2011/03/11 09:05:23	19.373	-155.001	8.5	ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP	5.4	2011/03/11 09:04:10	37.299	142.655	30.5	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	3.3	2011/03/11 09:03:38	19.349	-154.950	31.4	HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP	5.2	2011/03/11 09:00:20	37.056	141.966	20.0	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	4.6	2011/03/11 08:58:26	19.340	-154.992	9.3	HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP	5.4	2011/03/11 08:52:26	36.763	141.910	35.8	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.5	2011/03/11 08:46:48	37.421	142.453	37.3	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.9	2011/03/11 08:40:56	37.465	141.122	38.6	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.1	2011/03/11 08:31:08	37.428	141.200	25.0	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.5	2011/03/11 08:19:24	36.200	142.000	19.9	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.2	2011/03/11 08:15:41	37.034	144.612	27.8	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.2	2011/03/11 08:12:05	36.606	141.557	19.8	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.5	2011/03/11 08:10:31	36.394	140.631	30.4	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.9	2011/03/11 08:01:59	37.071	142.734	22.6	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.6	2011/03/11 07:56:16	37.130	142.305	34.0	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.7	2011/03/11 07:54:45	37.742	141.565	45.3	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.8	2011/03/11 07:42:55	36.406	141.919	29.9	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.9	2011/03/11 07:38:27	39.250	142.783	29.1	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	3.2	2011/03/11 07:32:13	33.508	-116.576	9.0	SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP	6.1	2011/03/11 07:28:12	36.802	141.911	24.0	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.1	2011/03/11 07:25:33	37.916	144.621	15.0	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.3	2011/03/11 07:14:59	36.648	141.811	25.0	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.9	2011/03/11 07:13:47	36.051	142.347	28.5	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	5.8	2011/03/11 07:11:00	37.899	142.734	30.0	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.3	2011/03/11 06:57:15	35.758	140.992	30.2	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.3	2011/03/11 06:48:47	37.993	142.764	22.3	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	7.1	2011/03/11 06:25:51	38.106	144.553	19.7	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	3.2	2011/03/11 06:18:04	19.350	-154.991	9.5	HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP	6.8	2011/03/11 06:15:40	36.186	141.192	35.0	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.4	2011/03/11 06:07:22	36.401	141.862	35.4	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	6.4	2011/03/11 06:06:11	39.025	142.316	25.1	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	8.9	2011/03/11 05:46:24	38.322	142.369	24.4	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP	3.4	2011/03/11 04:51:25	35.349	-118.564	8.6	CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

Australian insurers: Overflowing rivers are not floods

Some Australian insurers have informed customers that while their policies cover flash floods and storm water damage, an overflowing river is not defined as a flood, according to Monsters and Critics.

Did the rivers swell on their own?

Chabad in Canberra to open a new mikvah

(source: lubavitch.com)

As Australia is experiencing the worst floods in its history, the Chabad in its capital city will open a new mikvah (Jewish ritual immersion pool) in February.

From crowneights.info:

After more than half a century with no rabbi, no Jewish school or kosher butcher in town, Canberra’s 2000 Jews are beginning to see change.

One of the first projects that Rabbi Dan and Naomi Avital launched when they opened a Chabad center in Australia’s capital city, in March 2009, was the construction of a mikvah. For a community that has been lacking the basics, says Rabbi Avital, it’s imperative to start from the beginning.

“A mikvah is what a Jewish community needs most. It’s the first thing that must be built. That’s the foundation and it’s essential for the infrastructure of a Jewish community.”

For local women who were making the three hour trip to Sydney for the nearest mikvah, Canberra’s new mikvah will make life a whole lot easier. What’s more, the Avitals expect that many additional women for whom the three hour trip was too much, will also begin using Mikvah Chaya Mushka Canberra. Naomi Avital, director of Mikvah Chaya Mushka who will be teaching classes on the laws and traditions of the mikvah, says that 15 women have already expressed an interest using the mikvah.

“By exploring the spirituality and importance of the mikvah in the new classes, we’ll hope to remove stereotypes and any fears about the mikvah,” she says.

The new mikvah will be formally opened in February by US Ambassador Jeff Bleich. The elegant, state-of-the-art ritual bath was co-sponsored by Eliezer Kornhauser, a Melbourne based developer and a major supporter of Chabad activities in Canberra.

Land slides across the world

Slide nearly devours 2 homes in Newport, Oregon

For the mountains may move, and the hills may shake; but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, says Hashem, who has compassion on you.

כִּי הֶהָרִים יָמוּשׁוּ, וְהַגְּבָעוֹת תְּמוּטֶינָה--וְחַסְדִּי מֵאִתֵּךְ לֹא-יָמוּשׁ, וּבְרִית שְׁלוֹמִי לֹא תָמוּט, אָמַר מְרַחֲמֵךְ, יְהוָה

In Washington state, landslides closed sections of three state highways. In Portland, what started as a sinkhole washed away over 50 feet of Highway 22 near the Oregon Coast. Meanwhile, on Thursday the National Weather Service warned of further landslides as heavy rains are expected for western Washington, where soils are already saturated.

In the Phillippines, at least 60 people have been killed by floods and landslides, and 27 are missing.
On Thrsday, Phillipine weather authorities warned that a northeast monsoon and a wind convergence may trigger flash floods and landslides in thea areas of Eastern Luzon and Eastern Visayas.

In Brazil, in recent flooding and landslides that are now being called the country's worst natural disaster, over 700 have died and over 200 are missing. Here is a video of a man miraculously rescued after being buried alive in mudslides.

Brazil floods deathtoll likely to hit 1k

Flood stream in Terespolis, Jan. 12th
Vladimir Platonow / Agencia Brazil

The final deathtoll from Brazil floods and landslides is likely to hit 1,000 as hundreds are still missing, with entire towns buried and entire families wiped out. 'There are families that were so decimated that there is no one left to confirm who is missing,' said a spokesperson for the Nova Friburgo Civil Defense agency. Hundreds are still at risk of fresh mudslides, cut off by damaged raods and bridges.

Destroyed homes in Nova Friburgo
Valter Campanato / Agencia Brasil

Icaro Moreno, president of EMOP, a government public works company described the damage: 

Streams turned into wide, deep rivers. There is a huge geographical change; it's as if towns were completely reshaped.

Meanwhile, yesterday Brazil blamed Israel for the demise of talks with the Palestinians and condemned Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria, which includes Jerusalem. Brazil is also leading the current trend of South American countries recognizing a Palestinian state outside of the context of negotiations with Israel.

We will not fear when the earth changes and when mountains collapse into the heart of seas. His waters shall stir and be muddled, mountains shall quake from His pride forever. 

The river's streams shall cause the city of God [Jerusalem] to rejoice, the dwelling-place of the Most High.
God is in its midst that it should not tremble; God shall help it as morning approaches.

- Psalm 46

 

תהילים מו

לַמְנַצֵּחַ לִבְנֵי-קֹרַח--    עַל-עֲלָמוֹת שִׁיר

אֱלֹהִים לָנוּ, מַחֲסֶה וָעֹז;    עֶזְרָה בְצָרוֹת, נִמְצָא מְאֹד

עַל-כֵּן לֹא-נִירָא, בְּהָמִיר אָרֶץ;    וּבְמוֹט הָרִים, בְּלֵב יַמִּים

 יֶהֱמוּ יֶחְמְרוּ מֵימָיו;    יִרְעֲשׁוּ הָרִים בְּגַאֲוָתוֹ סֶלָה

נָהָר--פְּלָגָיו, יְשַׂמְּחוּ עִיר-אֱלֹהִים;    קְדֹשׁ, מִשְׁכְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן

אֱלֹהִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ, בַּל-תִּמּוֹט;    יַעְזְרֶהָ אֱלֹהִים, לִפְנוֹת בֹּקֶר

הָמוּ גוֹיִם, מָטוּ מַמְלָכוֹת;    נָתַן בְּקוֹלוֹ, תָּמוּג אָרֶץ

יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמָּנוּ;    מִשְׂגָּב-לָנוּ אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה

לְכוּ-חֲזוּ, מִפְעֲלוֹת יְהוָה--    אֲשֶׁר-שָׂם שַׁמּוֹת בָּאָרֶץ

מַשְׁבִּית מִלְחָמוֹת,    עַד-קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ: קֶשֶׁת יְשַׁבֵּר, וְקִצֵּץ חֲנִית;    עֲגָלוֹת, יִשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ

הַרְפּוּ וּדְעוּ, כִּי-אָנֹכִי אֱלֹהִים;    אָרוּם בַּגּוֹיִם, אָרוּם בָּאָרֶץ

 יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמָּנוּ;    מִשְׂגָּב-לָנוּ אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה

Australia calls for a halt to settlement building

On Tuesday, Australia and Britain called on Israel to halt settlement building. The remarks were made at a summit between British Foreign Secretary William Hague, his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd and Australian defence ministers Liam Fox and Stephen Smith. “Our joint belief (is) that the parties involved should return to direct talks and refrain from acts that undermine confidence such as settlement building,” Hague said.

California faces 'superstorm' risk

Rolling thunderstorm in the Netherlands, 2004 / John Kerstholt

In what Yahoo! News says "sounds like the plot of an apocalyptic action movie", a group of more than 100 scientists and experts say California faces risk of massive "superstorm" that could flood a quarter of the states' homes and last over 40 days.

Floods hit South Africa

40 are missing in after heavy rains led to swelled rivers and flooding in South Africa and Mozambique, where thousands of homes were also destroyed, as reported on Monday.

Oprah in Australia: Avoda Zara?

Oprah at her 50th birthday party / Alan Light

Coverage of Oprah's Ultimate Australian adventure', in which Oprah brought 300 US guests to tour Australia and film four shows out of her final season, reveals an inordinate degree of 'Oprah-worship':

• Australia spent $5 million to bring Oprah to Australia

• Sydney's landmark opera house was re-named the "Oprah House" for the filming

• BBC's Nick Bryant: "Her eight-day tour has felt like a presidential, papal and royal visit all rolled into one."

• Australia's Herald Sun: "If it was even possible, 6,000 of her dearest fans who gathered to worship her on the steps of the Sydney "Oprah" House for her first show this morning, found more love in their hearts for their hero. Oprah grooved her way through the audience onto centre stage to the beat of I Come From The Land Down Under, her bright orange dress swaying in the wind, opening the show with an obligatory chant of 'Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi.' It was church, Oprah style. The object of worship? A much-loved TV icon, all smiles and full of words of affection. The congregation? Screaming Oprah-files, the lucky 6,000 who beat 350,000 others to score tickets to her first of two tapings. Another 6,000 will see her second show this afternoon."

• Oprah, in her final words to the camera: "This experience for me and my 300 guests has been of a divine order, really heaven sent. We thank you. We thank you for your open faces, we thank you for teaching us it much better to work to live rather than live to work. Thank you for teaching us how to do it."

• Oprah: "I have made myself an official ambassador of Australia and I have a big mouth and a big platform. It is immeasurable what four hours of a love festival about your country, broadcast in 145 countries around the world can do." She vowed to share Australia's 'open faces' ("There’s a sense of openness and warmth I haven’t seen in any other country") with her global audience: "I have the biggest mouth on earth and the biggest platform, aren’t you glad I like it? When we do cooking shows and people might do something I don’t like, I just say I don’t like it."

• Oprah told the audience she now understands why they call Australia 'Oz.': "Because it truly is at the end of the yellow brick road. After being here a week, I know this. I love Australia."

• An audience member: "Oprah made me the person I am today. She is my inspiration."

• The Herald Sun:"Another fan in the audience said she had skipped her child's sixth grade graduation to be at the Sydney show."

  לָמָּה, רָגְשׁוּ גוֹיִם; וּלְאֻמִּים, יֶהְגּוּ-רִיק

Why are the nations in an uproar? And why do the peoples mutter in vain? (Tehillim 2:1)

Water, Flooding and Mashiach

A big wave crashing in Santa Cruz, CA / Mila Zinkova

 Exodus 1:8-10



A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

Rashi (11th-century commentator) on the phrase 'A new king': Rav and Shmuel [differed in their interpretation]. One said [the king himself was] really new, and one said his decrees were new.

rsm: Brazil and Australia, two nations recently hit by major flooding, are led by two newly-elected leaders, both of whom come in the footsteps of a past leader who was infamously anti-Israel. Brazil's Lula recently established the first Palestinian embassy in Brazil. Australia's Rudd left a deep diplomatic divide between Australia and Israel.

He said to his people: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are greater and stronger than we are. Let us outwit him, lest he multiply; if a war occurs, he too will join our enemies and fight against us, and depart from the land.

Rashi on the phrase 'Outwit him': [Him refers to] the nation. [As in] be witty regarding what to do to him. Our sages taught, let us outwit the savior of Israel, by judging them with water, for He has already sworn that He will not flood the world [again] (but they did not understand that He swore He would not bring a flood upon the whole world, but He will bring one on one nation).

 rsm: Major flooding is occurring now in Brazil, Australia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. In Brazil, over 620 people have been killed by floods and mudslides. In Australia, the worst floods in the country's history have devastated large parts of Queensland and are now 'spreading' to parts of Victoria, with more rain in the forecast. Floods in the Philippines and Sri Lanka have left one million people displaced.

Exodus 1:22

And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, 'Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile, and every daughter you shall allow to live.'

All his people: He commanded his people as well. On the day Moses was born, his astrologers told him, today their savior is born, and we do not know if he is Egyptian or Israelite, and we see that his end is to brought down by water, therefore he made a decree that day on the Egyptians as well, as it says 'every son who is born', and not 'every son who is born to the Hebrews', yet they did not know that his end was to be brought down by the waters of Merivah [when Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it, failing to sanctify God's name, and losing his privelege to enter the land of Israel].

 rsm: Moses was destined to save the Jewish people, take them out of exile and bring them into the land of Israel. Egyptian magic foresaw that water was his 'weak spot' and attempted to foil his plan by drowning him. In return, God drowned the entire Egyptian people in the Red Sea. Every generation since includes an individual with the soul of Moses, who has the potential to bring redemption. In this sense, the war between the Mashaich and His enemies is negotiated with acts involving water. Current flooding may be merely warnings.

פרשת שמות, פרק א, פסוקים ח-י

וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ-חָדָשׁ, עַל-מִצְרָיִם, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָדַע, אֶת-יוֹסֵף

וַיֹּאמֶר, אֶל-עַמּו:  הִנֵּה, עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--רַב וְעָצוּם, מִמֶּנּוּ

הָבָה נִתְחַכְּמָה, לו:  פֶּן-יִרְבֶּה, וְהָיָה כִּי-תִקְרֶאנָה מִלְחָמָה וְנוֹסַף גַּם-הוּא עַל-שֹׂנְאֵינוּ, וְנִלְחַם-בָּנוּ, וְעָלָה מִן-הָאָרֶץ

רש"י: ויקם מלך חדש: רב ושמואל חד אמר חדש ממש. וחד אמר, שנתחדשו גזרותיו

נתחכמה לו: לעם. נתחכמה מה לעשות לו. ורבותינו דרשו נתחכם למושיען של ישראל לדונם במים, שכבר נשבע שלא יביא מבול לעולם (והם לא הבינו שעל כל העולם אינו מביא, אבל הוא מביא על אומה אחת)

 שמות א, כ"ב: וַיְצַו פַּרְעֹה לְכָל עַמּוֹ לֵאמֹר כָּל הַבֵּן הַיִּלּוֹד הַיְאֹרָה תַּשְׁלִיכֻהוּ וְכָל הַבַּת תְּחַיּוּן

רש"י: לכל עמו: אף עליהם גזר. יום שנולד משה אמרו לו אצטגניניו היום נולד מושיען, ואין אנו יודעין אם ממצרים אם מישראל, ורואין אנו שסופו ללקות במים, לפיכך גזר אותו היום אף על המצרים, שנאמר כל הבן הילוד, ולא נאמר הילוד לעברים, והם לא היו יודעים שסופו ללקות על מי מריבה

Heavy flooding worldwide

Flooding in Toowoomba, Australia 2011 / Kingbob86

UK:

Flood warnings are in place on nearly all of Scotland's rivers following heavy rain. Areas along the River Eden in Cumbria, a county in Northwest England, were also on high alert. North Wales had four flood warnings overnight.

Phillipines:

Two weeks of heavy rains in the Philippines have killed 51, left 400,000 displaced people, and have overall affected 1.5 million people.

Brazil:

More than 656 people have died from floods and mudslides in the mountains around Rio De Janeiro, in the country's worst disaster on record. "It's impossible to know the extent of the catastrophe," James Barros, a colonel from a state police battalion in the region, told the Globo news network. "There are areas where mudslides carried away entire families, with no one left to recognize bodies."(WSJ)

Sri Lanka:

Floods have killed 32 and displaced 300,000 in Sri Lanka, spurning fears of water-borne diseases and massive economic hardship following destruction of rice fields.

Australia:

Australia's flood crisis spread to Victoria on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of 3,000 residents, just after floods killed at least 20 and ravaged Queensland in the worst disaster in Australia's history. Sharks have been spotted swimming through flood-hit streets of a town in Queensland. Some towns still do not have clean tap water.

The Talmud teaches that while God promised he would not bring a flood upon the whole world again, he will bring a flood upon one nation (Sotah 11a).

Click here for a current map of Australia river levels
 

A flood on one nation

the cover of the sefer Kishutei Kallah,
from hebrewbooks.org

The following is taken from the sefer Kishutei Kallah ('Decorations of the Bride') of Rabbi Nathan Neta of Shinyiva zt"l on Parashat Beshalach:

וישובו המים על מצרים, כי לפי שנשבע ה' שלא יביא מבול לעולם, אבל על אומה אחת מביא. או שיביאם אל תוך המים (על זה לא נשבע) - סוטה יא ע"א

'That the waters may come back upon the Egyptians', for יהוה swore He would not bring a flood on the world [again], but on one nation He would bring it; or, He would bring them into the water (on this He did not swear). (Sotah 11a)


Sources:

שמות י"ד, כ"ו: וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, נְטֵה אֶת-יָדְךָ עַל-הַיָּם; וְיָשֻׁבוּ הַמַּיִם עַל-מִצְרַיִם, עַל-רִכְבּוֹ וְעַל-פָּרָשָׁיו

Exodus 14:26: And יהוה said unto Moses: 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.'

Babylonian Talmud Tractate Sotah Page 11a:

This section of the Babylonian Talmud collects commentaries of the sages (200-500 CE) on the Biblical story of the Jewish people under Egyptian slavery, as told in the first chapters of the book of Exodus. The text is composed of quotations from the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), followed by interpretations of the sages, whose views are grounded in the quotations themselves, or in quotations from other parts of the Torah:

"A new king arose..." (Exodus 1:8) Rav and Shmuel [differed in their interpretation]: One said [the Pharoah was] actually new and one said his decrees were new. He who said actually new [based his view on the verse] as it is written 'new'; and he who said his decrees were new, as it is not written 'And he died and he reigned.'

[Note: Brazil and Australia have new leaders, who come in the footsteps of a past leader who was infamously anti-Israel. Brazil's Lula recently established the first Palestinian embassy in Brazil. Australia's Rudd left a deep diplomatic divide between Australia and Israel.]

"Who knew not Joseph" — he was like one who did not know [Joseph] at all.

"And he said unto his people, Behold the people of the children of Israel." A Tanna [sage who lived prior to 200 CE] taught: He originated the plan first, and therefore was punished first [referring to Pharoah]. He originated the plan first, as it is written: 'And he said unto his people' (Ex 1:9); therefore he was punished first, as it is written: 'Upon you, and upon your people, and upon all your servants.' (Ex. 7:29)

"Come, let us deal wisely with him" — it should have been "with them" [plural, not singular] — Rabbi Chama in the name of Rabbi Chanina said: [Pharaoh meant,] 'Come and let us outwit the Saviour of Israel. With what shall we afflict them? If we afflict them with fire, it is written: "Behold יהוה will come in fire" (Isaiah 66:15) and it is written "יהוה will judge by fire". [If we afflict them] with the sword, it is written: 'And by His sword all flesh." No, let us afflict them with water, because the Holy One, blessed be He, has already sworn that he will not bring a flood upon the world; as it is said: "For this to Me is like the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor will I rebuke you." (Isaiah 54:9) They were unaware, however, that He would not bring a flood upon the whole world, but upon one people He would bring it; or alternatively, He would not bring [the flood] but they would come and fall into it. Thus it says: "And the Egyptians fled towards it" (Exodus 14:27)...

Rabbi Chiya son of Abba said in the name of Rabbi Simai: There were three in that plan: Balaam, Job, and Yitro. Balaam who devised it was slain; Job who silently acquiesced was afflicted with sufferings; Yitro, who fled, merited that his descendants should sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone.

 בבלי מסכת סוטה דף י"א ע"א

ויקם מלך חדש וגו

רב ושמואל חד אמר חדש ממש וחד אמר שנתחדשו גזירותיו מאן דאמר חדש ממש דכתיב חדש ומאן דאמר שנתחדשו גזירותיו דלא כתיב וימת וימלוך

אשר לא ידע את יוסף דהוה דמי כמאן דלא ידע ליה כלל

ויאמר אל עמו הנה עם בני ישראל

תנא הוא התחיל בעצה תחילה לפיכך לקה תחילה הוא התחיל בעצה תחילה דכתיב ויאמר אל עמו לפיכך לקה תחילה כדכתיב ובכה ובעמך ובכל עבדיך

הבה נתחכמה לו להם

מיבעי ליה א"ר חמא ברבי חנינא באו ונחכם למושיען של ישראל במה נדונם נדונם באש כתיב כי הנה ה' באש יבא וכתיב כי באש ה' נשפט וגו' בחרב כתיב [(ישעיהו סו, טז) ובחרבו את כל בשר] אלא בואו ונדונם במים שכבר נשבע הקב"ה שאינו מביא מבול לעולם שנאמר (ישעיהו נד, ט) כי מי נח זאת לי וגו' והן אינן יודעין שעל כל העולם כולו אינו מביא אבל על אומה אחת הוא מביא אי נמי הוא אינו מביא אבל הן באין ונופלין בתוכו וכן הוא אומר (שמות יד, כז) ומצרים נסים לקראתו והיינו דא"ר אלעזר מאי דכתיב (שמות יח, יא) כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם בקדירה שבישלו בה נתבשלו מאי משמע דהאי זדו לישנא דקדירה הוא דכתיב (בראשית כה, כט) ויזד יעקב נזיד
א"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר סימאי שלשה היו באותה עצה בלעם ואיוב ויתרו בלעם שיעץ נהרג איוב ששתק נידון ביסורין יתרו שברח זכו מבני בניו שישבו בלשכת הגזית שנאמר (דברי הימים א ב, נה) ומשפחות סופרים יושבי יעבץ תרעתים שמעתים סוכתים המה הקנים הבאים מחמת אבי בית רכב וכתיב (שופטים א, טז) ובני קיני חתן משה וגו'