Floods

IIT report flags flood, drought risk in 11 Bihar, Kerala, Odisha districts

At least 11 districts, including Patna, Alappuzha and Kendrapara, are at a "very high" risk for both floods and droughts, necessitating immediate intervention, according to a climate risk assessment report compiled by two IITs. The report was released by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and Mandi, in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Bengaluru. According to the report titled "District-Level Climate Risk Assessment for India: Mapping Flood and Drought Risks Using IPCC Framework", 51 districts in India face "very high" flood risk, with 118 more categorised as "high" risk. Vulnerable regions include Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Odisha, and Jammu and Kashmir. The report has flagged that 91 districts were identified with "very high" drought risk and 188 districts faced "high" drought risk, primarily in Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra. Alarmingly, 11 districts, including Patna (Bihar

10 dead, 2 missing after landslides, floods hit Indonesia's Java island

Indonesian rescuers recovered 10 bodies that were swept away in flash floods or buried under tons of mud and rocks that hit hilly villages on the country's main island of Java, officials said on Monday. Two people are still missing. Torrential rains since last week have caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through more than 170 villages in Sukabumi district of West Java province, as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down mountainside hamlets, said Lt. Col. Yudi Hariyanto, who heads a rescue command post in Sukabumi. Landslides, flash floods and strong winds devastated 172 villages and forced more than 3,000 people to flee to temporary government shelters, Hariyanto said. Authorities have warned nearly 1,000 people to evacuate as more than 400 houses are threatened by extreme weather. The disasters also destroyed 31 bridges, 81 roads and 539 hectares (1,332 acres) of rice fields, while 1,170 houses were flooded up to the roof. Extreme weather has also damaged more than 3,300 other

Landslides, floods hit Indonesia's Java island; 10 dead, 2 missing

Indonesian rescuers recovered 10 bodies that were swept away in flash floods or buried under tons of mud and rocks that hit hilly villages on the country's main island of Java, officials said Monday. Two people are still missing. Torrential rains since last week have caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through more than 170 villages in Sukabumi district of West Java province, as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down mountainside hamlets, said Lt Col Yudi Hariyanto, who heads a rescue command post in Sukabumi. Landslides, flash floods and strong winds devastated 172 villages and forced more than 3,000 people to flee to temporary government shelters, Hariyanto said. Authorities have warned nearly 1,000 people to evacuate as more than 400 houses are threatened by extreme weather. The disasters also destroyed 31 bridges, 81 roads and 539 hectares of rice fields, while 1,170 houses were flooded up to the roof. Extreme weather has also damaged more than 3,300 other houses and building

TN CM announces cyclone relief fund of Rs 2,000 to rain-affected families

The families in Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi districts which bore the brunt of damage caused by Cyclone Fengal would be provided a relief of Rs 2,000 each, Tamil Nadu Chief M K Stalin announced on Tuesday. Chairing a meeting at the Secretariat here to assess the damage due to rain in the state, the chief minister directed the officials to provide a relief sum of Rs 2,000 on the basis of family ration cards to families whose livelihood was affected due to a very heavy rain in Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi districts. These districts witnessed unprecedented rain for more than two days. The meeting decided to extend relief assistance to the rain-hit people in Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Thiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, and extend Rs 5 lakh as compensation each to the families who lost their kin due to cyclone or floods. The government has decided to provide Rs 10,000 as compensation for damaged huts, give priority to construct houses und

Over 30 killed, thousands displaced due to floods in Malaysia, Thailand

Severe floods caused by monsoon rains killed more than 30 people and displaced tens of thousands in Malaysia and southern Thailand, officials said Tuesday, with both countries preparing shelters and evacuation plans in anticipation of more heavy rain. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said five days of heavier-than-expected rain that battered the country's east coast last week was equal to the rainfall over the past six months, wreaking havoc in the northeastern state of Kelantan and neighbouring Terengganu. The heavy downpours damaged roads and houses in Kelantan and other parts of Malaysia. Rescue workers used boats to distribute food to victims trapped in their homes. Anwar said it would cost the government an estimated 1 billion ringgit (USD 224 million) to repair infrastructure damaged by the floods. The rain eased over the weekend, but the Meteorological Department forecast heavy rains later Tuesday. Anwar said the government is bracing for another monsoon surge that is .

Cyclone Fengal: Tamil Nadu braces for heavy rain, flooding, & strong winds

Cyclone Fengal is expected to bring heavy rain, strong winds, and flooding to Tamil Nadu, prompting school closures and heightened disaster preparedness

Heavy rains trigger flooding in Sri Lanka; 8, including 6 children, missing

Eight people, including six children returning from school, have gone missing in Sri Lanka when the farm tractor they were traveling on was swept away by floods triggered by heavy rains, police said Wednesday. Army and navy troops were deployed to rescue victims and provide food and other essentials to those affected. Sri Lanka has experienced heavy downpours and strong winds over the past two days that have flooded homes, fields and roads and forced authorities to suspend train services in tea-growing mountain areas. In the worst incident, a farm tractor carrying 11 school children was swept away Tuesday evening in the eastern region of the country, police said. Five children were rescued while six other children along with the driver and another adult are still missing in the incident near the town of Karaitivu. A search operation is underway, police said in a statement. Separately, a woman died when a brick wall collapsed on her in the mountainous region of Badulla in the centr

Landslide, flash floods hit Indonesia's Sumatra; 16 dead, 6 missing

Rescuers in Indonesia recovered 16 bodies under tons of mud and rocks or that were swept away in flash floods that hit mountainside villages on Sumatra Island, officials said Monday. Six people are still missing, officials said. Mud, rocks and trees tumbled down a mountain after torrential rains over the weekend and rivers burst their banks, tearing through four hilly districts in North Sumatra province, washing away houses and destroying farms. Police, soldiers and rescue workers used excavators, farm equipment and their bare hands to sift through the rubble looking for the dead and missing in Semangat Gunung, a resort area in Karo district, said Juspri M. Nadeak, who heads the local disaster management agency. Rescuers recovered six bodies after a landslide hit two houses and a cottage late Sunday, he said. Nine injured people managed to escape, he said. Rescuers on Monday were still searching for four missing people, including two children. Rescuers on Sunday pulled two bodies

Tropical depression Sara heads to Mexico after floods, 1 dead in Honduras

US National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast that Sara will weaken as it moves further inland over Mexico's Quintana Roo state

Week after Spain's floods, people hope missing are alive as 89 unaccounted

Francisco Murgui went out to try to salvage his motorbike when the water started to rise. He never came back. One week after catastrophic flooding devastated eastern Spain, Mara Murgui still holds out hope that her missing father is alive. He was like many people in town who went out to get their car or motorbike to safety, the 27-year-old told The Associated Press. The flash flood caught him outside, and he had to cling to a tree in order to escape drowning. He called us to tell us he was fine, that we shouldn't worry. But when Mara set out into the streets of Sedav to try to rescue him from the water washing away everything in its path, he was nowhere to be found. He held up until 1 in the morning, she said. By 2, I went outside with a neighbour and a rope to try to locate him. But we couldn't find him. And since then, we haven't heard anything about him. Spanish authorities issued their first tally of the missing on Tuesday when a Valencia court said that 89 people are confirm

Spanish residents appeal for help, three days after floods left 205 dead

Three days after historic flash floods swept through several towns in southern Valencia, in eastern Spain, the initial shock was giving way to anger, frustration and a wave of solidarity on Friday. Many streets are still blocked by piled-up vehicles and debris, in some cases trapping residents in their homes. Some places still don't have electricity, running water, or stable telephone connections. Residents turned to media to appeal for help. This is a disaster. There are a lot of elderly people who don't have medicine. There are children who don't have food. We don't have milk, we don't have water. We have no access to anything, a resident of Alfafar, one of the most affected towns in south Valencia, told state television station TVE. No one even came to warn us on the first day. So far 158 bodies have been recovered 155 in Valencia, two in the Castilla La Mancha region and one more in Andalusia after Spain's deadliest natural disaster in living memory. Members of the security .

Spain searches for bodies after unprecedented flooding claims 158 lives

Crews searched for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings Thursday as residents salvaged what they could from their ruined homes following monstrous flash floods in Spain that claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 deaths confirmed in the eastern Valencia region alone. More horrors emerged Thursday from the debris and ubiquitous layers of mud left by the walls of water that produced Spain's deadliest natural disaster in living memory. The damage from the storm late Tuesday and early Wednesday recalled the aftermath of a tsunami, with survivors left to pick up the pieces as they mourn their loved ones. Cars were piled on one another like fallen dominoes, uprooted trees, downed power lines and household items all mired in mud that covered streets in dozens of communities in Valencia, a region south of Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast. An unknown number of people are still missing and more victims could be found. Unfortunately, there are dead people inside some vehicles, Spain

Spain searches for bodies after flooding claims at least 158 lives

Crews searched for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings Thursday as people tried to salvage what they could from their ruined homes following monstrous flash floods in Spain that claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 deaths confirmed in the eastern Valencia region alone. More horrors emerged from the debris and ubiquitous layers of mud left by the walls of water that produced Spain's deadliest natural disaster in living memory. The damage recalled the aftermath of a tsunami, with survivors left to pick up the pieces as they mourn their loved ones. Cars were piled on one another like fallen dominoes, uprooted trees, downed power lines and household items all mired in mud that covered streets in dozens of communities in Valencia, a region south of Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast. An unknown number of people are still missing and more victims could be found. "Unfortunately, there are dead people inside some vehicles," Spain's Transport Minister scar Puente said early Thurs

Spain searches for bodies after flash floods claim at least 95 lives

Survivors of the worst natural disaster to hit Spain this century awoke to scenes of devastation on Thursday after villages were wiped out by monstrous flash floods that claimed at least 95 lives. The death toll could rise as search efforts continue with an unknown number of people still missing. The aftermath looked eerily similar to the damage left by a strong hurricane or tsunami. Wrecked vehicles, tree branches, downed power lines and household items all mired in a layer of mud covered the streets of Barrio de la Torre, just one of dozens of towns in the hard-hit region of Valencia, where 92 people died between late Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Walls of rushing water turned narrow streets into death traps and spawned rivers that ripped into the ground floors of homes and swept away cars, people and anything else in its path. The neighbourhood is destroyed, all the cars are on top of each other, it's literally smashed up, said Christian Viena, a bar owner in Barrio de la ...

Devastating flash floods cause around 95 deaths, destruction in Spain

Flash floods in Spain turned village streets into rivers, ruined homes, disrupted transportation and killed at least 95 people in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory. Rainstorms that started Tuesday and continued Wednesday caused flooding across southern and eastern Spain, stretching from Malaga to Valencia. Muddy torrents tumbled vehicles down streets at high speeds while debris and household items swirled in the water. Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from their homes and rubber boats to reach drivers stranded atop cars. Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed a death toll of 92 people on Wednesday. Another two casualties were reported in the neighbouring Castilla La Mancha region, while southern Andalusia reported one death. Yesterday was the worst day of my life, Ricardo Gabaldon, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE on Wednesday. He said six residents perished a

Nearly 130 dead and missing in massive flooding, landslides in Philippines

The number of dead and missing in massive flooding and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines has reached nearly 130 and the president said Saturday that many areas remained isolated with people in need of rescue. Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 85 people dead and 41 others missing in in one of the Southeast Asian archipelago's deadliest and most destructive storms so far this year, the government's disaster-response agency said. The death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from previously isolated areas. Dozens of police, firefighters and other emergency personnel, backed by three backhoes and sniffer dogs, dug up one of the last two missing villagers in the lakeside town of Talisay in Batangas province Saturday. A father, who was waiting for word on his missing 14-year-old daughter, wept as rescuers placed the remains in a black body bag. Distraught, he followed police officers, who carried the body bag

At least 115 dead, missing in massive flooding, landslides in Philippines

The number of dead and missing in massive flooding and landslides wrought by Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines has exceeded 100 and the president said Saturday that many areas remained isolated with people in need of rescue. Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 81 people dead and 34 others missing in one of the Southeast Asian archipelago's deadliest and most destructive storms so far this year, the government's disaster-response agency said. The death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from previously isolated areas. Dozens of police, firefighters and other emergency personnel, backed by three backhoes and sniffer dogs, dug up one of the last two missing villagers in the lakeside town of Talisay in Batangas province Saturday. A father, who was waiting for word on his missing 14-year-old daughter, wept as rescuers placed the remains in a black body bag. Distraught, he followed police officers, who carried the body bag down a .

Tropical storm battering Philippines leaves 23 dead in flooding, landslides

Widespread flooding and landslides set off by a tropical storm in the northeastern Philippines on Thursday left at least 23 people dead, swept away cars and prompted authorities to scramble for motorboats to rescue trapped villagers, some on roofs. The government shut down schools and offices except those urgently needed for disaster response for the second day on the entire main island of Luzon to protect millions of people after Tropical Storm Trami slammed into the country's northeastern province of Isabela after midnight. The storm was blowing over Aguinaldo town in the mountain province of Ifugao after dawn with sustained winds up to 95 kph and gusts up to 160 kph. It was blowing westward and was forecast to enter the South China Sea later on Thursday, according to state forecasters. At least 23 people died, mostly due to drowning in the hard-hit Bicol region and nearby Quezon province but the toll was expected to rise as towns and villages isolated by flooding and roads ...

Moderate flooding expected from glacial dam outburst in Alaska's capital

A flood warning was issued Saturday after an outburst from a glacial lake in Alaska's capital. Suicide Basin is a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above the city of Juneau. Since 2011 it has released glacier lake outburst floods each year that cause inundation along Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River. We expect moderate flooding from this event, not major flooding, said Nicole Serrin, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau. Residents had 24 to 36 hours to prepare for flooding, she said. The flood warning was in effect until Monday. The forecast called for the river to crest at around 3.35 to 3.5 metres early that day, the weather service said. Officials warned people to stay away from the river. Recent snow has made the banks very slippery. Suicide Basin fills with rainwater and snowmelt during the spring and summer and at a certain point builds enough pressure to force its way out through channels it carves beneath Mendenhall Glacier

Human induced climate change behind recent flooding disasters in Nepal

World Weather Attribution, an international collaboration, has underscored the urgent need for Nepal to limit development in low-lying, riverside areas of the cities and scale up early warning and prompt action to avoid repeat of flooding disasters. Climate change was responsible for the extreme three day downpours in Nepal about 10 percent more intense, concluded the organization in its recently published report. The flood and landslide triggered by heavy rain in Nepal in late September caused heavy loss to the country as it claimed at least 244 lives. The rainfall became 10 percent more intense by human-induced climate change, pointed out the report. Bursts of rainfall will become even more heavier, risking more destructive floods until the world replaces fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy, warned the organization. Reducing development in flood-prone areas of cities will help protect people in Nepal from future floods, according to the report. The explosive monsoon ...