We examine the predominant natural hazards in West Bengal, along with an analysis of the prevalent disaster mitigation and management perspectives. Pre-hazard activities towards its mitigation are emphasized and explicated.

Freak Hailstorm Kills Five In Central China CHINA: April 9, 2008 BEIJING - A freak hailstorm that lasted only half an hour killed five people, injured 66 others and damaged thousands of homes in central China on Tuesday, the official Xinhua news agency said. The storm, with wind gusts of over 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour, hit Dangyang city, Hubei province, in the early hours of the morning and doused it with 6 centimetres of rain.

Haneda closes one runway due to flooding as storms pummel eastern Japan Tuesday 08th April, 01:48 PM JST TOKYO

Tornado hits central Arkansas By Mike Wintroath, AP A tree lays across a car at a home in Little Rock, early Friday, April 4, 2008. A tornado hit parts of Little Rock and its suburbs Thursday, injuring an unknown number of people while damaging businesses and downing trees and power lines.

Canadian Researchers Warn Of New Arctic Worries CANADA: April 4, 2008 VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Canada's massive Mackenzie Delta is feeling the impact of climate change faster than expected and could foretell of problems elsewhere in the Arctic, a Canadian researcher said on Thursday. Melting ocean ice is apparently allowing larger storm surges to flood into the delta in Canada's far north, a change that could have an impact on energy development plans for the region, said Lance Lesack, who has been tracking environmental changes in the region for more than a decade.

A federal study released documents the significant impact that climate change is expected to have on the U.S. transportation system. Its conclusion, says Henry Schwartz, the former head of one of the country's largest highway engineering firms, is "a pretty damning tale of what could happen."

London: Forget Jaws. Sharks can save lives too by giving early warning of storms.

From delicate orchids and magnolias to rare Chinese yews and Kwangtung pines, the flora of Guangdong Nanling National Nature Reserve is considered so precious that ecologists call the reserve "a treasure trove of species." But winter storms have reduced the biological hot spot to a splintered ruin.

The distribution of microorganisms, and especially pathogens, over airborne particles of different sizes has been ignored to a large extent, but it could have significant implications regarding the dispersion of these microorganisms across the planet, thus affecting human health. March 2008

Mangrove ecosystems are threatened by climate change. We review the state of knowledge of mangrove vulnerability and responses to predicted climate change and consider adaptation options. Based on available evidence, of all the climate change outcomes, relative sea-level rise may be the greatest threat to mangroves. Most mangrove sediment surface elevations are not keeping pace with sea-level rise, although longer term studies from a larger number of regions are needed.

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