An unusual report I just read tonight, January 14, 2012 at the website of the Philippines Star. A rain of fish in a certain place in Agusan del Sur is really a rare phenomenon I ever heard.
Original post from philSTAR.com:
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Xinhua) - Residents of a southern Philippine town got the surprise of their lives yesterday after tiny fish fell on roofs of houses following a heavy downpour, police and local officials said today.
The unusual precipitation occurred amid torrential rains in Poblacion village, Loreto town, in Mindanao's Agusan del Sur, said town vice mayor Joy Legaspi.
The fishes, measuring three inches, fell on roofs or stuck on walls of houses, according to residents.
"In my 25 years here, this was the first time an unusual event like this ever happened," Legaspi said.
The fishes resembled fingerlings of local mudfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa), with streaks of yellow and black on its belly, according to local fisheries officials.
The locality is a farming village but is far from swamps or a major river, according to Chief Inspector Wilson Corpuz.
"I was shocked to see some fishes on my roof and in the walls of my house," said village councilor Eliseo Ong, adding that "I went out and collected some of them which were still alive."
Legaspi said dozens of the fish collected by residents would be sent to the local Bureau of Fish and Aquatic Resources office for study. An investigation into the incident would also be conducted, the vice mayor said.
But Lolit Binalay, an official of the state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or Pagasa, suspected a waterspout which formed after the downpour could have sucked the fishes from a river or swamp and dumped them into the community (philSTAR.com).
In my research, similar phenomenon already occurred in other countries. The Rain of Fish is common in Honduran Folklore. It occurs in the Departamento de Yoro, between the months of May and July.
The explanation generally offered for the rain of fish is meteorological, in terms of strong winds or waterspouts, as for other accounts of raining animals. The most likely source of the fish is the Atlantic Ocean, about 200km (140 miles) away. This explanation is seen as improbable as it requires the unlikely coincidence of waterspouts collecting fish in the open sea every year in May - June and transporting it directly to Yoro.
According to Wikipedia, an alternative story claims that the fish are not sea water fish, but fresh water fish, and that they swim from a nearby river into a subterranean water current. Some of the fish then leave this current and appear on the ground inland. It is claimed that in the 1970s National Geographic sent some professionals to report on this phenomenon. They discovered that all the fish were approximately the same size, around 6 inches (15.2 cm), and completely blind. The experts identified the species but found no record of it in any surrounding bodies of water. Their theory was that these fish are from underground rivers, never exposed to light and thus blind.
In the other side, many people believe this phenomenon occurs because of Father José Manuel Subirana, a Spanish Catholic missionary and considered by many to be a saint. He visited Honduras from 1856-1864, and upon encountering so many poor people, prayed for 3 days and 3 nights asking God for a miracle to help the poor people by providing food. The Rain of Fish has occurred ever since.
The phenomenon is also quoted in recent appeals by missionaries for funds to alleviate poverty in Honduras.
A history of amazing 'rainfull' (source: Mail Online)
There is a long history of strange objects raining from the sky, with these strange occurrences among the most notable:
A history of amazing 'rainfull' (source: Mail Online)
There is a long history of strange objects raining from the sky, with these strange occurrences among the most notable:
1st Century: Pliny The Elder wrote about storms of frogs and fish, foreshadowing many modern incidents.
1794: French soldiers stationed in Lalain, near Lille, reported toads falling from the sky during heavy rain.
1857: Sugar crystals as big as quarter of an inch in diameter fell over the course of two days in Lake County, California.
1876: A woman in Kentucky reported meat flakes raining from the sky. Tests found the meat was venison.
1902: Dust whipped up in Illinois caused muddy rain to fall over many north-eastern U.S. states.
1940: A tornado in Russia brought a shower of coins from the 16th Century.
1969: Golf balls fell from the sky on Punta Gorda in Florida (above).
1976: In San Luis Opisbo in California, blackbirds and pigeons rained from the sky for two days.
1794: French soldiers stationed in Lalain, near Lille, reported toads falling from the sky during heavy rain.
1857: Sugar crystals as big as quarter of an inch in diameter fell over the course of two days in Lake County, California.
1876: A woman in Kentucky reported meat flakes raining from the sky. Tests found the meat was venison.
1902: Dust whipped up in Illinois caused muddy rain to fall over many north-eastern U.S. states.
1940: A tornado in Russia brought a shower of coins from the 16th Century.
1969: Golf balls fell from the sky on Punta Gorda in Florida (above).
1976: In San Luis Opisbo in California, blackbirds and pigeons rained from the sky for two days.
Photo Credits: http://fishrainandplantains.blogspot.com
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