Death toll rises as heavy rains batter northern India
At least 41 people have died and more than a dozen were missing after landslides and flash floods triggered by several days of heavy rain hit northern India, officials say.
Officials in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand said 35 people were killed in fresh landslides on Tuesday after six died in similar incidents a day earlier.
At least 30 of them were killed in seven separate incidents in the worst-affected Nainital region early Tuesday, after cloudbursts – an ultra-intense deluge of rain – triggered a series of landslides and destroyed several structures.
“So far 30 people have been confirmed dead, while many people are still missing,” Nainital senior civil officer Ashok Kumar Joshi told the AFP news agency.
Joshi said several remote areas in the hilly region witnessed widespread damage in the intense rainfall.
Five of the dead were from a single family whose house was buried by a massive landslide, another local civil officer Pradeep Jain said.
Prashant Jha, a journalist with the Times of India, said that the army, National Disaster Response Force and state’s disaster response force were all contributing to the current rescue efforts in Uttarakhand.
“The villages that have been struck are very far to reach and the roads are cut off,” he said.
Officials said that the rescue efforts will take at least two to three days and dozens are people are still missing,” he added.
Another landslide in the northern Almora district killed five people after huge rocks and a wall of mud demolished and engulfed their home.
At least six others were killed on Monday in two remote districts of the state.
The Indian Meteorological Department extended and widened its weather alert on Tuesday, predicting “heavy” to “very heavy” rainfall in the region during the next two days.
The weather office said several areas were drenched by more than 400mm (16 inches) of rainfall on Monday, causing landslides and flooding.
Authorities ordered the closure of schools and banned all religious and tourist activities in the state.
Television footage and social media videos showed residents wading through knee-deep water near Nainital lake, a tourist hotspot, and the Ganges bursting its banks in Rishikesh.
More than 100 tourists were stuck inside a resort in Ramgarh after the overflowing Kosi river deluged several areas.
Landslides are a regular danger in India’s Himalayan north, but experts said they are becoming more common as rains become increasingly erratic and glaciers melt.
Experts also blamed construction work on hydroelectric dams and deforestation.
In February, a ferocious flash flood hurtled down a remote valley in Uttarakhand, killing about 200 people. At least 5,700 people perished there in 2013.
Forecasters have also warned of more downpours in the coming days in the southern state of Kerala where floods have already killed at least 27 people since Friday.
Many dams in the state were nearing the danger mark and authorities were evacuating thousands to safer locations as major rivers overflowed.
India’s weather office said heavy rains will again lash the state in the next two days after a brief reprieve on Tuesday.
Courtesy of aljazeera.com
Storm leaves 3 dead, displaces thousands in Philippines
A tropical storm left at least three people dead and displaced thousands of villagers in the southern and central Philippines, where it triggered floods and landslides, officials said Wednesday.
Forecasters said the storm Choi-wan was blowing off Victoria town in Oriental Mindoro province south of Manila on Wednesday afternoon with sustained winds of 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 90 kph (56 mph). It was moving northwestward and may weaken as it blows toward the South China Sea on Thursday, they said.
At least three people died, including a 14-year-old villager who rushed with her father to a riverbank to rescue their farm animals in intense rain but were swept away by strong currents in Norala town in South Cotabato province. The father remains missing, disaster response officials said.
A baby died in a landslide that hit a mountainous town in southern Davao de Oro province and a 71-year-old man drowned in Davao del Sur province, also in the south, officials said.
Coast guard personnel rescued villagers who were trapped in houses engulfed in rising floodwater, including in Southern Leyte province, where they carried 40 residents, including children, in waist-deep waters to a gymnasium.
More than 2,600 people were displaced, mostly by floods, in 18 southern villages, including about 600 villagers who moved to evacuation centers. Thousands more were evacuated Tuesday from towns prone to floods and volcanic mudflows in Albay province, provincial safety official Cedric Daep said.
Officials also suspended work in Albay and ordered shopping malls closed to prevent people from converging and increasing the risk of coronavirus infections, Daep said.
More than 3,000 passengers and cargo handlers were stranded in central and southern seaports after sea travel was suspended by the coast guard due to stormy weather. A small cargo ship laden with sand and gravel was abandoned by its crew when it started to take in water near Albuera town in central Leyte province. The crew was safe, coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said.
About 20 tropical storms and typhoons batter the Philippine archipelago each year. The Southeast Asian nation is also located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active region where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur frequently, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
Courtesy of abcnews.go.com
Flash floods, landslides displace 2,000 residents in Cagayan, Philippines
MORE than 2,000 residents have been evacuated in 30 barangay (villages) in three northern Cagayan towns, with a 60-year-old male farmer missing and believed to have drowned during widespread flooding brought about by heavy downpours Maj. Stanley Banan, Sanchez Mira town police chief, said teams conducted rescue operations in flooded areas and for Artemio Bumiltac, who reportedly was trying to save his carabao from his rice field when he was swept by a flash flood on Saturday around 5 p.m. in Barangay Santiago.
Banan added that Bumiltac’s carabao had been rescued but its owner has not yet been seen by Santiago residents where more than 100 of them were also evacuated to higher grounds and brought to five evacuation areas in Sanchez Mira.
He said the rescue teams transferred more residents from 14 villages and low-lying areas in the town where houses were already submerged by floodwaters.
Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said the towns of Claveria, Pamplona and Santa Praxedes had been affected by flash floods and landslides, making roads and bridges not passable.
Most of the more the 2,000 evacuees were from 30 villages in Claveria with 1,400 individuals, followed by Santa Praxedes with 850 and the rest from Sanchez Mira and Pamlona towns.
The provincial Task Force Lingkod Cagayan (TFLC) reported that a bridge in Santa Praxedes had been damaged by floodwaters, which submerged parts of the national highway in Claveria, Pamplona and Sanchez Mira.
The task force said Daang Maharlika (national road) in Calvaria going to Santa Praxedes remained not passable as of Monday.
Mamba said the TFLC had teamed up with the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team-10 in the rescue operations of residents and livestock in the province.
Courtesy of manilatimes.net
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
Four missing in floods, landslides in West Java as Indonesia braces for extreme bad weather
Four people were reported missing, with one of them feared dead, as floods and landslides damaged houses and a bridge in Indonesia’s western province of West Java on Saturday (Oct 3) evening, according to disaster agency officials.
Heavy downpours has caused a river to overflow, engulfing houses in the surrounding areas in the Cianjur district, said Kuswara Retana, a senior official of the local disaster management agency.
“A man has drowned at a reservoir and confirmed dead, but his body is still missing. Three others were also reported missing after being swept away by the strong current,” he told Xinhua.
The flooding caused damages to some 10 houses and a bridge, forcing the residents to flee home and take shelters in a mosque and the neighbors’ two-story houses, Retana said.
Foods, clothes and other humanitarian aids were badly needed there, he added.
Seni Wulandari, an official from the provincial search and rescue office, said rescue workers were heading to the scene to search for victims and provide help for the affected people.
Heavy rains have also triggered landslides in three spots in the province, impacting the access to the affected areas and causing difficulties to disaster agency workers, Budi Budiman, head of the emergency unit of the provincial disaster management agency, told Xinhua.
The Indonesian weather agency has warned of intensive rains in the months ahead.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Saturday (Oct 4) warned of extreme weather that can happen due to the rainy season and the La Nina phenomenon.
The agency’s deputy for climatology Herizal said like the rainy season, the La Nina phenomenon in indonesia causes an accumulation of rainfalls up to 40 percent above the normal condition.
“The rainy season as well as the La Nina have potentials to trigger hydro-meteorological disasters such as floods and landslides,” said Herizal.
BMKG predicts that La Nina will continue to develop until the end of 2020.
La Nina begins to drop during the January-February period and will end around the March-April period 2021.
Courtesy of thestar.com.my
Floods wreak havoc in Rupandehi, Nepal #Floods #Rupandehi #Nepal
Floods triggered by heavy rains in the past few days have wreaked havoc in various parts of the country.
At least four people died, 17 houses were swept away and dozens of houses were waterlogged in separate incidents of monsoon-induced disasters in Rupandehi and Makwanpur districts on Friday night and Saturday.
The rain-swollen Rapti river entered Durganagar in Butwal Sub-metropolis Ward No. 12 and swept away 40-year-old Bishnu Rai on Friday night, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Pratit Singh Rathaur.
“Her body was recovered at Chankipur in Butwal-15 on Saturday morning,” he said.
According to the Area Police Office in Butwal, the floods in Tinau, Danab and other rivers in Rupandehi swept away 17 houses and damaged 24 others in the past 24 hours. Six people sustained injuries while around 100 houses were inundated in the disaster.
Police said five persons were injured when the floods in the Danab river destroyed the house of Prabhawati Mallaha in Debandi settlement of Sammarimai Rural Municipality. Khadga Bahadur Khatri, the spokesperson at the District Police Office in Rupandehi, said the injured were receiving treatment at Bhim Hospital in Bhairahawa. Similarly, a woman was injured when her house collapsed in Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality-13. She was taken to a neighbouring Indian town for treatment.
Similarly, the flooded Tinau river entered a settlement in Butwal-17 and swept away six houses. As many as 36 families have been displaced by the inundation.
In Butwal-4, the floodwaters from Chure hill swept away three houses in Gairiguan and displaced 16 households.
Likewise, the flooded Sukhaura stream swept away four houses in Tilottama Municipality of Rupandehi. According to the District Police Office, the floods damaged 15 houses in Marchawari Rural Municipality, five houses each in Omsatiya Rural Municipality and Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality and four houses in Mayadevi Rural Municipality.
The flooded Tinau and Danab rivers have wreaked havoc in several settlements of Sammarimai, Mayadevi, Marchawari, Kotihima and Lumbini Sanskritik and inundated hectares of paddy fields in the area. According to Jitendra Nath Shukla, chairman of Sammarimai Rural Municipality, wards 3, 5 and 7 were hardest hit by the floods.
“Around 40 families have been displaced by the floods. They are now taking shelter in the houses of their relatives and neighbours,” said Shukla, adding that the local body would distribute reliefs to the flood victims on Sunday.
Chief District Officer Pitambar Ghimire, who is also the chairman of the District Disaster Management Committee, said several settlements were affected, as the floods damaged many houses and paddy fields.
“We will assess the damage soon and provide relief to the victims,” Ghimire said.
In Makwanpur, three persons were swept away in separate incidents of floods on Saturday. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Sushil Singh Rathour, Priyanka Soni of Birgunj was swept away by the Trikhandi stream in Bhimphedi. Likewise, the flooded Chaukitar stream in Kailash and Jyamire stream in Hetauda swept away two persons. Police identified the deceased as Dhawa Syangtan of Kailash and Putalimaya Ghalan of Hetauda-19.
Courtesy of kathmandupost.com
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
State of Emergency After Deadly Floods in Senegal #Floods #Emergency #Senegal #Africa
Authorities have activated a state of emergency in Senegal, West Africa, in the face of ongoing floods in several parts of the country.
President Macky Sall activated the Plan Orsec – Organisation de la Réponse de Sécurité Civile – after heavy rainfall from 05 September 2020 caused widespread flooding, including in the capital, Dakar.
Senegal’s National Agency for Civil Aviation and Meteorology (Anacim) said that the areas of Joal, Khombole, Sokone, Passy, Thiare and Toubacouta all recorded more than 200mm of rain in 24 hours on 05 September. Parts of the capital recorded more than 100mm of rain on 05 September.
Local media reported that at least 6 people have died as result of flooding in several parts of the country on 05 and 06 September. Fatalities were reported in the regions of Dakar (1), Kaolack (2) and Sédhiou (3).
Courtesy of floodlist.com
Death toll from flooding in northwest Pakistan rises to 48 #Flooding #Pakistan
Flash floods triggered by week-long monsoon rains that have hit northwestern Pakistan, including the scenic Swat Valley, have brought the death toll to 48, a government spokesman said Thursday.
Hundreds of homes have been damaged or swept away. The army has joined relief and rescue operations across Pakistan, which has been hard hit by rains this summer.
Key roads that have been blocked by large rocks dislodged in mudslides are being cleared, according to Taimur Khan, spokesman for the disaster management agency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Before Thursday’s updated death toll, the province had said 15 died in the floods.
Overall, about 200 people have been killed in rain-related incidents since July, when monsoon rains began lashing many areas in Pakistan. According to government officials, 101 have died in rain-related incidents in southern Sindh province, which includes the country’s financial hub of Karachi.
Every year, many cities in Pakistan struggle to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about poor planning. The monsoon season runs from July through September.
Courtesy of abcnews.go.com
Please Donate To Support My Work
Earth Extremities 
Comments