Archive | September 19, 2015
Subject to change
Drought strikes Indonesia
A villager walks on a dried up dam after collecting some water in Rongkop, central Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. Several areas on the densely populated island of Java have been hit by drought during this dry season, forcing villagers to walk long distances to find clean water.
AP Photo/Trisnadi
Courtesy of http://newsok.com/
Landslide damages a home injuring 2 in Mecca
Two people were injured late on Friday night when part of a mountain in Mecca collapsed on their home, state news agency SPA said.
The incident comes after 107 people were killed last week when a crane collapsed near Mecca’s Grand Mosque.
Muslim pilgrims are flocking to Mecca to attend next week’s haj.
The Civil Defense authority said the landslide caused the ceiling of the four story building in the Batha Quraish area to collapse, injuring a man and woman.
An investigation is still ongoing to reveal the cause of the accident, the SPA said.
Courtesy of reuters.com
Severe flash floods kill at least 11 across Iran
At least eleven people have lost their lives in flash flooding across Iran including the capital Tehran.
Head of Relief and Rescue Organization of Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Naser Charkhsaz, said on Saturday the fatalities have occurred during the past 48 hours in the provinces of Tehran, Hormozgan in southern Iran, North Khorasan and East Azarbaijan in the country’s north, IRIB reported.
Meanwhile, floods triggered by torrential rain killed five people in Pakdasht town in southeast Tehran on Friday, said Hadi Rahmati, the director general of crisis management for Tehran Province.
He added that rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the flood-hit areas and are conducting relief operations.
Spokesman for IRCS Mostafa Mortazavi also said that eight people, including five members of a family, were missing following heavy rain in eastern parts of Tehran Province.
Relief operations are underway in the flood-affected areas, he added.
A top official in Hormozgan also said the bodies of four members of a family were identified in the flooding in western parts of the province Friday night.
Earlier in late July, at least 11 people were killed in flash flooding and a summer storm in the provinces of Tehran and neighboring Alborz.
The incident happened when an unexpected summer storm and heavy rain struck the Iranian capital and its suburbs. Combined with heavy rain and lightning, the strong winds battered the northern, northwestern and western parts of the Iranian capital.
Courtesy of presstv.ir
Severe flooding has caused complete havoc in Sierra Leone, Africa
Heavy flooding in Freetown, Sierra Leone has killed at least 12 people and displaced thousands more from homes that were damaged or destroyed. Emergency accommodations have been set up at the National Stadium to help deal with the disaster.
People are sitting in the bleachers, some are laying on mattresses provided, while others line up for food and water.
Naomi Koroma is one of the thousands of people displaced.
She sits in the packed stadium cradling her newborn, only two days old.
Koroma says she is scared and confused. Her house is still standing in her community called Congo Town, but not her belongings.
“All my things in my house were damaged, money, my clothes, all my items, everything just washed away,” said Koroma.
According to Indrias Kassaye, a communications specialist for UNICEF, almost 4,000 people have been registered so far at the stadium. He says the U.N. agency is helping women like Koroma by offering a medical clinic for children under five.
He adds that with an Ebola crisis still in effect, things can be challenging.
Sierra Leone was on a 42-day countdown to being declared Ebola free. But two districts are now in quarantine, after two deaths and several new cases.
“The floods came at a difficult time, as Sierra Leone is fighting to reach zero, in terms of Ebola and the affected communities, they are amongst some of the high risk communities for Ebola in the Freetown area, so definitely the Ebola response is part of overall package provided by UNICEF and partners here at the stadium,” said Kassaye.
He says crowding at the stadium can create risks for other diseases. So the response includes making sure proper hygiene is in place, such as additional clean toilets and hand-washing facilities.
Sierra Leone faces floods during its annual rainy season, but the effect of flooding this week was particularly bad. Deputy government spokesman Agibu Jalloh says one reason is overpopulation and people cutting down trees to build more houses. Trees help control soil and water, which helps stop major flooding.
He also says many people are living in unsafe flood prone areas.
“They have been building houses in creeks, they have been building under bridges, in slum areas, this has not helped at all,” said Jalloh.
Jalloh says the government is looking to move people affected by flooding to low-cost housing in safe areas.
Courtesy of voanews.com
Severe heatwave strikes Pakistan
This was stated by the Director of Regional Meteorological Centre Karachi, Abdul Rasheed on Saturday.
The maximum temperature recorded in Karachi on Saturday was 42.7 degree centigrade.
“Very hot weather will prevail in Karachi till Monday”, Abdul Rasheed remarked.
Later on, he added, the weather in the metropolis will start improving and the temperature will also start receding.
He said that the range of maximum temperature in Karachi on Sunday is expected to be between 41 to 43 degrees centigrade.
The following day the maximum temperature in the city is expected to be 40 degree centigrade.
Courtesy of brecorder.com
Tropical Storm Ida forms in the Atlantic
An area of low pressure we have been watching over the past couple of days has formed into Tropical Storm Ida this Saturday morning. She has sustained winds of 40mph and is moving to the northwest at 10mph.
Like all other storms this season, she is going to be affected by wind shear and dry air keeping her at tropical storm strength over the next 5 days. She is very far away from the Grand Strand and is likely not going to have any effects on the area.
Over the next few days she is forecast to move to the northwest and then curve out further into the Atlantic not posing any threat to the US coastline or any other landmass. We’ll continue to monitor Tropical Storm Ida as she continues to churn in the open waters of the Atlantic but for right now there is no need to worry.
Courtesy of wmbfnews.com
Huge gas explosion injures 8 in the Ushait area, India
Eight members of a family were today injured when portion of a house collapsed due to explosion in a gas cylinder in Ushait area here, police said.
The incident occurred this morning when the cylinder caught fire and exploded as family members of Phubram alias Munna were preparing for breakfast, Sub Divisional Magistrate O P Tiwari said.
He said that the injured have been admitted to a hospital.
Courtesy of business-standard.com
Oil tanker overturns causing a huge fire along the Kericho-Kisumu highway in Kenya, Africa
Courtesy of @Kiprotich_John (Twitter)
MAGNITUDE 5.6 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
Subject to change
Depth: 14 km
Distances: 92km (57mi) W of Ovalle, Chile
104km (65mi) SW of Coquimbo, Chile
114km (71mi) SW of La Serena, Chile
117km (73mi) W of Monte Patria, Chile
350km (217mi) NNW of Santiago, Chile
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