Deadly flooding displaces thousands across Mekong region
Elderly residents and small children clung to inflatable tyres as soldiers and police used rope lines to bring them to safety beyond rising floodwater in Cambodia’s western province of Battambang, which is expected to worsen on Sunday.
Hundreds of families in three Cambodian provinces – Pursat, Battambang and Pailin – have been forced to evacuate amid extreme rainfall heralding the arrival of a tropical depression across the Mekong region.
“A two-year-old child and 57-year-old man have drowned in the flood,” Seak Vichet, a spokesman for the Cambodian national committee for disaster management told the AFP news agency late on Saturday.
Authorities do not yet have a clear picture of the extent of the damage or people affected but expect the situation to get worse.
Five people have died with eight still missing as floodwaters inundated more than 33,000 homes and forced more than 26,000 people to evacuate, the official disaster management authority said.
The national highway linking northern Vietnam to the south has been flooded, while airlines cancelled some domestic flights, local media report.
Roads also turned to rivers and water inundated properties in Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima province, as residents scrambled to place sandbags and move their belongings to higher ground.
Provincial Governor Vichien Chantaranothai said the Pak Chong district was the hardest hit, with 8,000 households and 12,000 people affected. About 200 homes were inundated.
Authorities were distributing food packages and urged people to evacuate to community shelters.
“The water is three metres deep in some parts,” he told reporters on Saturday.
The Khao Yai National Park was closed this weekend because of heavy rain and landslides.
In Laos, rising floodwaters have damaged villages and rice fields along the Xepon and Xebanghieng rivers in Savannakhet province with more rain on the way.
Courtesy of aljazeera.com
Nearly 500,000 power outages reported across Texas & Louisiana as Hurricane Delta pummels gulf coast with 80mph gusts
Nearly a half-million residents in Texas and Louisiana have been left without power after Hurricane Delta made landfall along the US gulf coast, battering cities with winds up to 80 miles per hour.
Delta hit land in southwest Louisiana on Friday night, inflicting widespread damage and knocking out electricity for some 379,636 people in the state and another 108,402 in neighboring Texas, according to PowerOutage.us, a project that aggregates data from utility companies around the country.
Footage circulating on social media showed powerful gusts sweeping through the streets of multiple Louisiana cities, including Jennings and Lake Charles, where power lines were also seen downed by the wind.
As the storm surge began to swell ocean tides along the Louisiana coast on Friday evening, flooding could be seen in some areas of the state, including in the town of Delcambre. According to the New Orleans National Weather Service, however, no flash flood warnings are currently in effect.
Though the storm was initially classified a Category 2 hurricane, producing winds up to 100 miles per hour, it was downgraded to a Category 1 soon after making landfall. Delta is expected to continue to lose steam as it moves northeast across Louisiana and will eventually become a tropical storm, according to forecasts from local meteorologists.
The storm comes on the heels of a number of destructive weather systems in recent months, with the Category 4 Hurricane Laura pounding Louisiana and neighboring states in August with winds up to 150 miles per hour, resulting in some 77 deaths in total and more than $14.1 billion in damage. Tropical Storm Beta also hit Texas last month, wreaking destruction across parts of the state’s coast.
Courtesy of rt.com
Storm Alex: Two dead and nine missing after heavy rain batters France and Italy
A storm in France and Italy has caused severe flooding and at least two people are dead and nine are missing with hundreds of rescues taking place.
The UK has been hit by the fringes of the storm, with heavy rain and winds set to persist throughout the weekend.
In France, Nice and its surrounding areas were the hardest hit overnight as 500mm (20ins) of rain was recorded over 12 hours in some areas, according to Meteo France.
That amounts to nearly a year’s worth of average rainfall, more than on 3 October 2015 when 20 people died in floods in Cannes and the surrounding area on the French Riviera.
In the village of Sambughetto, in the northwest Italian region of Piedmont, a record 630mm (24.8ins) of rain fell in 24 hours.
Roads have been swept away and homes have been badly damaged in the mountainous region on the border of France and Italy.
French authorities said firefighters were looking for at least eight people who are missing.
They include two firefighters whose vehicle was carried away by a swollen river.
Christian Estrosi, Nice’s mayor, expressed his “sympathy” for the families of those missing and said the flooding was the worst in the area for more than a century, adding that he was shocked by what he saw when he flew over the scene in a helicopter.
He said more than 100 homes have been destroyed or severely damaged.
Firefighters said several dozen people were evacuated from their homes overnight.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he is thinking of the victims and their loved ones as he expressed his gratitude for rescue workers.
“Together, we will get through this,” he tweeted.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin are expected to arrive in the area later on Saturday.
The storm caused heavy winds of more than 112mph (180kph) in Brittany between Thursday and Friday.
In Italy, a firefighter was killed after he was hit by a falling tree and another man died after his car was swept into a river when the road subsided. Another Italian was missing as night fell.
There were fears the storm would bring flooding, with the water level in the Po river, one of northern Italy’s biggest rivers, rising by 3 metres.
In Venice, the Italian city’s long-delayed flood barriers were deployed for the first time on Saturday.
Forecasters warned the storm could combine with high tides to inundate the sinking city.
The network of 78 bright yellow barriers that guard the entrance to the Venetian lagoon started to lift from the seabed more than three hours before high tide was scheduled.
Driven by strong winds and heavy rain, the tide was expected to reach 130cm (51ins), well below the 187cm (74ins) tide that plunged much of Venice under water last November, but enough to leave low-lying areas deep under water.
The barrier system, called Mose, was designed in 1984 and was due to come into service in 2011 but the project was plagued by corruption, overrunning costs and prolonged delays.
It successfully protected the city from major flooding, bringing relief after years of inundation
Courtesy of Sky News
Disaster declared due to extreme drought in Aroostook County, Maine, USA #Drought #AroostookCounty #Maine #USA
The federal government has declared Aroostook County a “drought disaster” area as the region faces a prolonged dry spell.
This summer was one of the driest on record for The County — which has been placed under a severe drought status known as D2 — brought on by low soil moisture, lack of rainfall, drying vegetation and low stream flows.
The designation is given to areas experiencing severe droughts for eight consecutive weeks or a higher level drought intensity value for any period of time. Water levels in Aroostook and Penobscot rivers reached an all-time low earlier this year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The only other drought in Maine as severe as this was nearly 20 years ago — from 2001 to 2002.
“We have over 150 years of records at [the Penobscot water monitoring] location,” Nick Stasulis, the geological survey’s data section chief, told The Houlton Pioneer Times earlier this month. “So certainly that is a significant data set when you’re looking at the historical perspective.”
Due to the severe drought conditions, farmers in Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset and Washington counties are eligible for emergency assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency.
Farmers have eight months from the date of a disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans from the USDA. The Farm Service Agency considers the extent of production losses on the farm and the operator’s security and repayment ability in reviewing emergency loan applications.
These emergency loans can be used to restore or replace “essential property,” pay off production costs accrued during the disaster year, cover family living expenses, reorganize farming operations and refinance debts, the agency said.
Other services such as the Livestock Forage Program, Emergency Livestock Assistance Program, the Emergency Conservation Program and the Non-insurable Crop Assistance Program are also available to farmers in counties in a severe drought.
Farmers in need of hay for their livestock can use the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Hay Directory, too.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry also encourages farmers to plan for future droughts by upgrading their water supplies and improving soil. Farmers should contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District or local Natural Resources Conservation Service for help with soil health practices.
Courtesy of bangordailynews.com
Storm Ianos: Two dead after ‘medicane’ lashes Greece and sparks islands emergency #StormIanos #Medicane #Greece
At least two people have been killed after a “medicane” – a rare Mediterranean hurricane – toppled trees, cut power and flooded streets in Greece.
Storm Ianos hit the Ionian islands and the western Peloponnese on Friday before lashing the centre of the country on Saturday.
Greece’s weather agency warned of damage and threat to life as it issued alerts for many areas.
An elderly woman was found dead in a flooded house in Farsala and the body of 63-year-old man was discovered near a hospital in Karditsa.
“We’re dealing with a total catastrophe,” one Farsala resident told state television.
Areas of Karditsa, one of Greece’s biggest plains – around 125 miles (200km) north of Athens, were swamped with water and a bridge collapsed.
The fire service said it had received more than 2,450 calls since the storm began – to rescue people, cut down trees and pump water from houses and businesses.
Five boats also sank off the holiday islands of Zakynthos (also known as Zante) and Lefkada on Friday, said the coastguard.
Greece’s civil protection agency declared a state of emergency on Kefalonia, Ithaca and Zakynthos as power was cut in many areas.
Kefalonia’s mayor, Theofilos Michalatos, said no one was hurt but that homes, roads and water facilities had been damaged.
The storm reached the Athens area on Saturday but there have so far been no reports of damage. Trains between the capital and the second city of Thessaloniki were suspended.
A medicane is a hybrid phenomenon with “some characteristics of a tropical cyclone and others of a mid-latitude storm”, according to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization.
They have strong winds spinning around a central core and torrential rain, but are smaller in diameter than hurricanes and don’t last as long – typically 24 to 48 hours.
Such storms first appeared in Greece in 1995 and, while far less common than hurricanes, have become more frequent in recent years.
Courtesy of Sky News
Deadly Floods Destroy Crops and Homes in Northern Parts of Nigeria #Floods #Nigeria #Africa
Thousands and homes and wide areas of crops have been destroyed in recent flooding in the states of Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi and Sokoto, northern Nigeria. As many as 30 people are thought to have died.
Jigawa State
Flooding in the state of Jigawa has reportedly damaged or destroyed 50,000 homes and affected 17 out of the 27 local government areas (LGAs). Wide areas of farmland is under water, damaging or destroying crops.
Local media quoting Jigawa State Emergency and Management Agency (SEMA) reported on 05 September that as many as 20 people have died in the flooding. Many of those fatalities were a result of building collapse.
Kano State
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 4 people have lost their lives after heavy rainfall and flooding in Kano state, northern Nigeria.
NAN said that the Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has confirmed four persons killed and thousands of houses destroyed due to flooding.
The worst affected areas is Danbatta where around 5,000 houses were destroyed and 2 people died. Around 200 houses were destroyed in Rogo, where 2 other fatalities were reported.
Kebbi State
Meanwhile flooding has also affected north-western parts of the country, where 6 people have died in Kebbi state and 15 in Sokoto.
Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has sent a technical team to carry out full assessment of the recent flood that has devastated communities and farmlands in Kebbi state from late August.
Flooding has affected the 11 LGAs of Argungu, Birnin Kebbi, Bunza, Suru, Koko-Besse, Yauri, Shanga, Bagudo, Maiyama, Jega and Dandi. At least 5 bridges were destroyed and as much as 500,000 hectares of crops including rice, millet, sorghum, maize and sugarcane.
At Kende in Kebbi, the Sokoto River stood at 5.03 metres as of 30 August. The Sokoto joins the Niger river just south of Kende. The Niger at the Jidere Bode measuring station in Kebbi jumped from 1.4 metres in mid July to 5.74 metres by late August.
Recently the Niger river caused severe flooding in the neighbouring country of Niger, including the capital Niamey. According to Niger’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, as of 24 August, over 40 people had died, 226,563 people from 24,259 households were affected and 19,234 houses destroyed.
Sokoto State
At least 15 people have died in flooding in 6 LGAs in Sokoto state in north western Nigeria.
A total of 5,254 people have been displace and 27,000 affected across the local government areas of Goronyo, Rabah, Sokoto-North, Wamakko, Silame and Binji.
Another 12 persons were said to have sustained various degrees of injuries as a result of collapsed buildings. Wide areas of crops have also been damaged.
Courtesy of floodlist.com
At least 14 dead, 41 missing in flood and landslide in Baglung, Nepal #Floods #Landslide #Baglung #Nepal
Nim Bahadur BK, a resident of Lankuribot in Dhorpatan Municipality Ward No. 9, Baglung district, woke up to find his house shaking on Wednesday midnight. The 45-year-old woke his wife and three children up and rushed outside just before the floodwaters from Bhuji River swept his house away.
“We spent the night under the open sky in the pouring rain,” said BK.
Fourteen people died while at least 41 others went missing in Wednesday night’s flood and landslide in Dhorpatan Municipality.
“Three individuals have been injured in the disaster and are currently receiving treatment at Burtibang Health Post,” said Inspector Prakash Singh Bhandari of the Area Police Office in Burtibang.
“The bodies of 14 individuals were recovered from the landslide site and by the banks of Bhuji River by late Thursday evening,” said Chief District Officer Suresh Neupane. “The identities of two of the deceased have been established so far.”
According to Yam Bahadur Kayat, principal at Gyanodaya Secondary School in Dhortapan, a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall had occurred at Deurali along the Dhorpatan-Saljhandi road section on Wednesday night.
“The landslide debris led to a dam formation, blocking the flow of Bhuji River. The dam burst and the flooded river entered the settlements,” Kayat said.
The incident site is some 130km west of Baglung district headquarters.
A preliminary report on the incident says the flooded river swept away at least 40 houses downstream in Wards 7, 8 and 9 of Dhorpatan Municipality.
According to Neupane, the flood also swept away large swathes of cultivable land in the municipality.
Security personnel with the help of locals carried out search and rescue works on Thursday.
“The search for the missing individuals is still on,” said Inspector Bhandari.
But conducting rescue operations has been difficult given the incessant rainfall the area has been witnessing for the past few days.
“We were informed about the incident on Wednesday night but could start rescue operations only in the morning when the rain had turned into a slight drizzle,” said Neupane.
Vehicular movement along the Dhorpatan-Saljhandi road section had been affected since the beginning of the monsoon season but the recent disaster has brought movement along the road section to a complete halt.
“The disaster has caused massive damage to various road sections, hydropower projects, health posts and drinking water spouts in the area,” said Dhan Prasad Pokharel, chief administrative officer at Dhorpatan Municipality.
However, locals say that there were fewer casualties, as most of the houses along the Bhuji river banks were unoccupied when the disaster struck.
“Most of the villagers had gone to the upper regions with their cattle when the monsoons arrived. The casualties might have been higher if all the villagers had been home on Wednesday night,” said Fulmaya Pun, a local who survived the incident.
Dhorpatan Municipality Mayor Devkumar Nepali said that the municipal office is making arrangements to provide relief to the victims of the disaster.
“We will move the villagers to a safe location and make arrangements for their food and shelter,” Nepali said. “We will also assess the destruction caused by Wednesday’s flood and landslide and will plan on the long-term relocation of the victims to safer areas.”
Courtesy of kathmandupost.com
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