Richard Davies Floodlist Thu, 10 Nov 2016 20:01 UTC
Thousands of people have been displaced by flooding in the Dominican Republic over the last few days.
Heavy rain began to fall in the country from 07 November, causing flooding in several provinces. Over 200 mm of rain fell in 24 hours between 07 and 08 November in Luperón, Puerto Plata. Several other locations recorded more than 100 mm of rain in 24 hours.
Both countries, in particular Haiti, suffered severe damage and loss of life from Hurricane Matthew in October this year.
Severe flooding also struck both countries in May this year. Powerful storms were measured dropping rain at a rate of almost 300 mm (11.8 inches) per hour on 08 May 2016, according to NASA.
October 2016 Land Surface Air Temperature Anomalies (GHCN-CAMS through KNMI Climate Explorer)
...has apparently extended eastward. It is now influencing the sea surface temperatures of the North Pacific and creating an atypical large swath of cooler-than-normal observations that stretches almost fully from eastern Asia to western North America. See Animation 1, which is a gif animation of daily sea surface temperature anomaly maps from CMC Environment Canada for the past 30 days. Depending on your browser, you may need to click on the animation here .
If (big if) those below-normal anomalies persist in the North Pacific, they should influence reported global sea surface temperatures in coming months. Then again, they could well result from a short-term weather pattern like the one that caused the recent resurrection and demise of THE BLOB.
Time will tell. Sure would be fun to report on if they persist.
Severe flooding has been reported in areas of Peninsular Malaysia, northern Indonesia and southern and central Thailand over the last few days.
Over 7,000 people have been affected in Aceh, Indonesia and over 20,000 in four states in Thailand, including the southern states of Krabi and Satun.
Parts of Penang state in Malaysia have been flooded for the fourth time in a matter of weeks. Landslides have also been reported in the state.
Indonesia
Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB reports that at least 7,300 people from 2,143 families have been affected by flooding in five sub-districts in Aceh Jaya district, Aceh.
Heavy rain fell from Sunday 06 November causing flooding by early Monday 07 November in Jaya, Darul Hikmah, Indra Jaya, Sampoiniet and Setia Bakti subdistricts. In some areas flood water is 150 cm deep.
Temporary shelters have been set up for those displaced and a joint team including Military, Aceh Police, Disaster Agency personnel, Red Cross and volunteers, is working in the area to ensure the health and safety of any flood victims. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.
Further heavy rain has been falling in the area and the number of displaced is expected to grow.
As the drought continues to linger in the South East, wildfires are now spreading throughout the Blue Ridge mountains, and now into the Piedmont of North Carolina.
Evacuations have even begun to take place around Lake Lure, which is about an hour and a half west of Charlotte.
Emergency personnel are now going door-to-door to evacuate residents in Rutherford County.
Dozens of parks, including the South Mountains State Park are now closed due to the fires.
North Carolina firefighters are now expecting wind gusts of over 20mph today to push the fires even further.
Burn bans enacted until further notice in these counties:
Comment: There arereports of extensive fires in Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia as well as North Carolina. According to NASA, more than 30 have ignited since a wildfire began 6 days ago in Maple Springs, North Carolina. The agency's satellite image shows just how far the wildfires have spread across the southeast:
Residents in some villages in Rambah district, Rokan Hulu regency, Riau, have become restless after a bear attacked a farmer and caused serious injuries to the 54-year-old woman.
Rasmi Hasibuan of Hulu Sei Deras hamlet, Rambah Tengah Barat village, was attacked by the wild animal during a lunch break on her rubber plantation last Friday.
The bear, believed to be of the sun bear species, attacked her from behind and caused injuries to her head and back.
Rasmi managed to escape and tried to walk home, only to collapse from exhaustion when she was about to reach her house 1 kilometer away from the farm.
She was helped by her son-in-law who took her to the hospital. Rasmi received a number of stitches for wounds caused by bear scratches and bites.
"The bear has actually been terrorizing the community since it first appeared in early September," said Koto Tinggi villager Amran Maksum. Residents had often spotted the bear when walking along village roads, he added.
Three people of Chief Puta's area in Chienge district in Luapula Province have died after being struck by lightning.
Luapula Province commissioner of police Hudson Namachila said in an interview yesterday that the incident happened on Sunday around 17:00 hours.
Mr Namachila identified the victims as Agnes Chanda, 4, Kabaya Chipili, 22, and Kakaso Makamba, 55, all of Kapata village.
"We received a report of death in which the three, all of Kapata village in Chief Puta, were struck by lightning and died on the spot," Mr Namachila said.
Wahyoe Boediwardhana The Jakarta Post Thu, 10 Nov 2016 12:01 UTC
Authorities in East Java province called on local residents to stay alert during heavy rainstorms after three villagers were fatally struck by lightning on Wednesday.
The three victims, who lived in Tragah district in Bangkalan regency, were taking shelter from heavy rain and thunderstorms in a small, semi-open hut in the middle of a paddy field when they were struck by lightning.
"Witnesses reported that the victims were squeezing together in the hut when the lightning struck them," East Java provincial administration's National and Political Unity Office (Kesbangpol) head Eddy Supriyanto confirmed to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday evening.
Seven houses have been evacuated after a sinkhole of unknown depth appeared in gardens in North Yorkshire.
Emergency crews were called to the 20-metre-wide (66ft) hole in Magdalen's Road, Ripon, on Tuesday night, fire and rescue service confirmed.
A spokesman said: "Two fire crews and an officer from Ripon attended a sinkhole that had appeared at the rear of two properties. There were no injuries but seven properties were evacuated.
"The hole measured approximately 20 metres by 10 metres, with an unknown depth.
Heavy rain in the Balkans caused swollen rivers to overflow Tuesday, flooding some homes and cutting electricity to remote areas. Authorities in Albania reported two deaths.
Serbia's state TV said surging waters cut a regional road in the southwest of the country and forced a dozen people to leave their homes.
A second day of rain caused floods in northern Montenegro, near the border with Serbia. Authorities in the town of Berane warned residents not to drink tap water.
Albanian authorities said a body was found in a river in Tirana, the capital, while another man died while trying to cross a stream with his car, and there were unconfirmed reports of other deaths as the country struggled to cope with up to 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain in some areas.
About 3,500 soldiers and emergency personnel have spread across the country to evacuate residents, more than 100 families, mainly ones living near rivers.
Comment: There are reports of extensive fires in Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia as well as North Carolina. According to NASA, more than 30 have ignited since a wildfire began 6 days ago in Maple Springs, North Carolina. The agency's satellite image shows just how far the wildfires have spread across the southeast: