Wednesday, March 24, 2010
I sure everyone is well-known by this news already...
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Sandstorms from China hit Hong Kong & Taiwan
Sandstorms whipped across a wide swath of China yesterday, forcing residents to don masks and scarves to protect themselves from the unhealthy grit.
The storms affected weather as far south as Hong Kong - which registered record pollution readings that were more than double the level at which the public is advised to stay indoors - and Taiwan, where drivers complaint that their cars were covered in a layer of black soot in just 10 minutes.
It was the latest sign of the effects of desertification. Overgrazing, deforestation, urban sprawl and drought have expanded deserts in the country's north and west.
The shifting sands have gradually encroached onto population areas and worsened the sandstorms that strike cities, particularly in the spring.
Winds blowing from the north-west were sweeping sand from the Xinjiang and Ningxia regions, as well as Gansu and Inner Mongolia provinces across China's arid north.
The Central Meteorological Station urged people to close doors and windows, and cover their faces with masks or scarves when going outside.
Sensitive electronic and mechanical equipment should be sealed off, the station said in a warning posted yesterday on its website.
China Central Television told viewers to clean their noses with salt water and remove grit from their nose ears with cotton swabs dippers in alcohol.
The sandstorm that engulfed the capital, Beijing, was the second one in three days.
Skyscapers were shrouded in a greyish mix of sand, dust and pollution. Residents scurried along sidewalks trying to avoid breathing in the fine particles, which can cause chest discomfort and respiratory problems even in healthy people.
Ms. Duan Li, a spokeman for the Beijing Meteorological Station, said conditions in the city seemed more severe because the previous sandstorm last Saturday had deposited grit on rooftops, sidewalks and trees.
The winds yesterday brought more sand and stirred up what was already there.
The worst recent sandstorm to hit Beijing was in 2006, when about 300,000 tonnes of sand was dumped on the capital.
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Hope my friends in China are alright. Anyway, I was having fever yesterday. Despite the pain from the sore throat, my voices are still able to produce as loud as I want, as high pitch as I want. Now, I just hope that my best friends will come and support my concert.
Weather & Natural Disaster Blogger, Cruyff
My mind's unweaving/ 2:11 AM
