From January 2–8, 2026, Earth experienced a cluster of notable natural hazards, including damaging earthquakes, ongoing volcanic eruptions, and significant storm systems affecting multiple continents; the events listed below highlight major, well‑documented disasters but do not capture every single hazardous incident that occurred worldwide during this period. This report is merely to indict that the earth is indeed "groaning."

Earthquakes

• Mexico – Guerrero (San Marcos/Acapulco area): Magnitude 6.5 on January 2; at least 2 deaths and significant damage to homes and infrastructure in southern and central Mexico.

• Martinique – NE of Fort‑de‑France: Magnitude about 5.4–5.5 on January 2; no major casualties reported.

• Peru – northern region (near Ecuador border): Magnitude 5.5 on January 8; no serious injuries or structural damage reported.

• Ecuador – near Yantzaza (Ecuador–Peru border): Magnitude 5.5 on January 8; deep event, no major impacts reported.

• Argentina – San Juan Province: Magnitude 5.2 on January 8; shallow, felt locally, no major damage reported.

• China – Xinjiang (Tashkurgan area): Magnitude 5.2 on January 7; no casualties or property damage reported.

• Tajikistan – Hindu Kush/Pamir region: Magnitude 5.3 on January 8–9; tremors felt in Pakistan and nearby countries, no large‑scale fatalities reported.

• Papua New Guinea – near Ambunti: Magnitude 5.0 on January 8; deep quake, mainly a felt event.

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Volcanoes

• Mayon – Luzon, Philippines: Ongoing eruption with ash plumes typically around 2–3 km above the summit, plus pyroclastic density currents and rockfalls; high‑hazard zone maintained, but no specific deaths reported in this week.

• Kīlauea – Hawaiʻi, USA: Summit eruption in a paused phase; earlier episode (late December) produced lava fountains up to about 1.4 km high, but during January 2–8 only low‑level spattering and gas emissions were noted, with no reported fatalities.

• Santiaguito – Guatemala: Active dome complex with typical ash and block avalanches; ash plumes generally on the order of 1–3 km above the crater, no deaths reported in the weekly summary.

• Fuego – Guatemala: Frequent explosive activity with ash plumes rising several kilometers above the summit; no specific fatalities reported for this week.

• Popocatépetl – Mexico: Persistent ash emissions commonly 1–3 km above the crater; no deaths noted in the period summary.

• Krakatau / Anak Krakatau – Indonesia: Ash‑producing explosions with ash clouds rising to modest altitudes (exact height not consistently specified for this week); no deaths reported.

• Soputan – Indonesia: Explosive/ash activity; plume heights not clearly specified in the brief global summary, no fatalities reported.

• Kusatsu‑Shirane – Japan: Unrest/fumarolic or minor phreatic activity; plume heights and casualties not specified for this interval.

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Storms and Flood‑Related Hazards

• United States – Central and Eastern regions: Major winter storm system with severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, and tornado risk affecting parts of the Plains, Mississippi Valley, Midwest, and South; widespread disruption but no widely reported deaths in early coverage.

• Northern California – Atmospheric river (Sacramento Valley and Bay Area): Strong atmospheric river January 2–5 causing localized flooding, water rescues, and king‑tide‑enhanced coastal flooding around the San Francisco Bay; no large fatality figures reported.

• Southern California – Santa Barbara and Ventura coasts: Heavy rain and mudslides combined with king tides, leading to flooded airports and highway closures; no prominent death toll reported.

• Australia – NE Queensland (Coral Sea/Queensland coast): Tropical low expected to strengthen into a tropical cyclone off the northeast coast, bringing very heavy rain, river flooding, and damaging‑wind risk to coastal and inland areas; warnings highlighted potential isolation and infrastructure impacts, with no deaths reported in early advisories.

Famines and Pestilences

• Sudan – Darfur and Kordofan regions: Famine conditions, formally declared in late 2025 for El Fasher and Kadugli, continued into early January 2026 amid ongoing war; in the first week of January, drone strikes and renewed fighting further affected areas described as the epicenter of Sudan’s hunger crisis, with extremely high levels of acute malnutrition and large‑scale displacement.

• Sudan – Nationwide food insecurity: As of recent assessments, roughly 21 million people (nearly half the population) were facing high levels of food insecurity, with millions of children and vulnerable adults at risk of severe acute malnutrition, and aid groups warning that famine could spread to additional localities if conflict and access constraints continued.

• Influenza (global, especially US and Europe)

  • A mutated influenza A(H3N2) strain known as subclade K was driving a strong 2025–2026 flu season, with very high levels of flu‑like illness and hospital strain in the United States and increased activity across parts of Europe and other regions.

  • By early January 2026, U.S. estimates for the season were already around 11 million cases, 120,000 hospitalizations, and about 5,000 deaths, including several pediatric deaths, with flu activity at or near the highest levels seen in about 25 years.