Back when I was in my early twenties one summer we had what was reported to be a cross emergence of both the 13 and the 17 year cicadas. They were EVERYWHERE, either living or their shells, or them crawling out of them. You'd walk outside and they'd land on you. I was teaching then, those poor little kids--they'd go out to play and get bombarded by the things. It was awful. I'm not scared of bugs but the kids were terrified and it was all I could do to shoo/pluck them off the children and try to calm them down before another one would attack.
BFC, if every other nation wasn't experiencing the same thing I'd wonder along with you. But Australia and California have had fires, Japan has had earthquakes, the ice caps are diminishing, and Italy, home of the POPE has had its share of woe. I think it's just a coincidence, but if not maybe it's all because that Shoney's in Donelson got a BAR inside. My MIL would blame it on that. ;-)