Puerto Rico's governor has declared a state of emergency following heavy rains, widespread flooding and landslides in the U.S. territory. One person has been reported missing.
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi also activated the National Guard on Wednesday to help 22 of the island's 78 municipalities that were hardest hit by incessant rains.
More than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain were reported over two days in Puerto Rico's interior, with some streets turning into flowing rivers.
Police issued a statement Thursday noting that numerous rivers have broken their banks and that several roads are impassable. They said an unidentified man was swept away by a river in the northwest town of San Sebastián, where several people also were trapped by rising waters, waiting on a roof before they were rescued.
Flooding has also decimated crops across the island.
Work has stopped on a section of the Viking Wind Farm site in Shetland after a landslide.
SSE said the peat slip happened in an area of hillside at Upper Kergord in the centre of the islands on Tuesday afternoon.
As a safety precaution the energy company said all work had been stood down and an investigation was under way to assess the extent of damage to the hillside.
The sudden rain in Klang Valley has caused flash floods and traffic congestion in Kajang.
Videos and images shared on social media showed parts of Kajang inundated by waters almost at knee length, with vehicles caught in the flood waters.
The flash floods also caused several main roads in Kajang to be closed, with social media users informing others to use alternative roads and to be careful.
Jacqueline Charles Miami Herald Fri, 03 May 2024 13:20 UTC
At least a dozen people are dead in northern Haiti, where heavy rains have triggered deadly landslides and washed out thousands of homes.
Most of the deaths occurred in Cap-Haïtien, where heavy downpours on Thursday destroyed a home in the southern part of the city, Barrière Bouteille. The house then took out two other homes below it.
"Initial assessments show 2,225 houses flooded and 15 houses damaged," Haiti's Civil Protection office said in its latest situation report.
The agency said heavy and moderate rains over the last four weeks have affected several regions of the country but the second largest city, Cap-Haïtien, has been hard it. Since gangs began launching coordinated attacks against key government infrastructure on Feb. 29 in the capital in hopes of bringing down the government, Cap-Haïtien has increasingly become a place of refuge for those trying to escape the violence or leave the country through its Hugo Chavez International Airport. The migration, however, is creating pressure on an already crowded city.
The first days of Haiti's rainy season continue to prove destructive and deadly for the country's vulnerable population. The death toll from heavy rains has risen to 17, while the number of homes flooded has doubled to more than 4,000, the country's Civil Protection authorities said.
Most of the destruction has occurred in the northern region of the country in Haiti's second largest city, Cap-Haïtien, the office said in its most recent update on the weather-related disaster.
The report shows that in addition to the loss of lives, more than 4,910 homes have been flooded while at least 40 homes have been either been damaged or destroyed during the rains.
Heavy rainfalls have led to significant flooding across 21 regions in Iran, affecting residential areas and agricultural lands.
According to the Red Crescent's emergency response organization, the floods have sparked a crisis that spans much of the country.
The Meteorological Organization of Iran warned of a new wave of precipitation starting Sunday and spreading to multiple regions.
The latest natural tragedy comes after mid-April's rainfall which caused severe flooding and waterlogging in Sistan-Baluchestan province, destroying dozens of villages and disrupting utilities for at least 300 others.
Landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rains in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province have killed at least 15 people after dozens of homes were swept away and roads damaged, the country's disaster management agency said.
Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, which began in January, with the problem aggravated in some areas by deforestation, and prolonged downpours caused floods in parts of the country that comprises 17,000 islands.
The landslides struck Luwu regency in South Sulawesi on Friday, said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), in a statement on Saturday.
Sanstuti Nath News18.com Fri, 03 May 2024 13:01 UTC
Railway services have also been disrupted between Jatinga-Lampur and New Harangajao due to landslides.
Heavy rainfall led to a flood-like situation and landslides in Assam's Dima Hasao district, snapping road and rail communication at several places in the hill district. The entire Barak Valley was also cut off from rail connectivity due to severe waterlogging in many areas.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed authorities to ensure connectivity is restored at the earliest and all assistance is provided to those affected due to incessant rain.
"Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma is monitoring the flooding & landslides caused by heavy rainfall in Dima Hasao and Barak Valley. CM has directed authorities to ensure connectivity is restored at the earliest and all assistance is provided to those affected," the Chief Minister's Office said in a tweet.
Incessant rain led also to waterlogging in several areas of the district, including Haflong Town. Schools have been closed in Haflong and people advised to avoid unnecessary travel by local authorities.
A life-threatening situation continues to unfold across portions of Southeast Texas on Thursday as torrential rain and severe weather pounded the region, causing rivers and streams to overflow their banks, flood numerous communities along the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers and trigger urgent evacuations.
That region of Texas has been pounded by relentless rain since Sunday, with rain gauges near Trinity reporting 6-9 inches and Groveton picking up nearly 11 inches of rain from a round of storms at the end of last weekend and into the start of the workweek.
Multiple Flash Flood Warnings were in effect Thursday for several Texas communities as more precipitation fell across many of the same areas Tuesday and Wednesday, only adding to the epic rainfall totals.
Waterwood picked up more than 10 inches of rain Wednesday, and Sebastopol wasn't far behind with 9 inches.
Due to heavy rainfall that began yesterday evening in the capital, metro services between OSB Törekent and Atatürk Cultural Center stations were suspended.
Yesterday evening's heavy rain in Ankara also disrupted transportation. Following the downpour, which also caused damage to some metro stations, passengers encountered warning signs when heading to the stations to use the metro in the morning.
Information hung at metro entrances stated: "Due to disruptions in certain sections of our line caused by heavy rains affecting our city on April 30, the metro service will not be available between OSB Törekent and Atatürk Cultural Center stations. Service between these stations will be provided by buses."
Passengers are being transported by buses between OSB Törekent and Atatürk Cultural Center metro stations due to their temporary closure.
Heavy rain was effective in the evening hours, causing pools to form on streets and avenues in Sıhhıye and other parts of the city, as well as electrical cutouts. As a result, vehicles encountered difficulties moving forward due to the accumulated water. In certain areas, cars grappled with the challenges posed by heavy rain and flooding, navigating through difficult conditions to reach their destinations.
Comment: Update May 7
The Miami Herald reports: