Earth Changes

South Asia floods displace 9.6 million people, kill 550

Julhas Alam and Wasbir Hussain
Star Tribune
Wed, 22 Jul 2020 20:28 UTC

More than 9.6 million people across South Asia have been affected by severe floods, with hundreds of thousands struggling to get food and medicine, officials and aid organizations said Wednesday.

About 550 people have died in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, while millions have been displaced from their homes since the flooding began last month, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC.

The organization warned of a humanitarian crisis, saying that close to one third of Bangladesh has already been flooded, with more flooding expected in the coming weeks. It said that 2.8 million people have been affected, and that more than 1 million are isolated.

100-ton dead blue whale found stranded, decomposing in Kupang Bay, Indonesia

Djemi Amnifu
The Jakarta Post
Wed, 22 Jul 2020 20:14 UTC

Local flock to Na Batu Kepala Beach in Nunhila subdistrict, Alak district, East Nusa Tenggara, where a 100-ton dead blue whale was found stranded and decaying on Tuesday afternoon.

© Sigiranus Marutho Bere
Local flock to Na Batu Kepala Beach in Nunhila subdistrict, Alak district, East Nusa Tenggara, where a 100-ton dead blue whale was found stranded and decaying on Tuesday afternoon.

Fishermen found a 100 ton dead blue whale stranded and decaying in Kupang Bay, specifically on Na Batu Kepala Beach in Nunhila subdistrict, Alak district, East Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday afternoon.

The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth. The discovery of the 29-meter-long carcass immediately went viral and became a spectacle for thousands of residents of Kupang city and its surrounding areas.

"[We] responded quickly to reports from residents regarding the marine mammal stranded at the beach," Kupang Water Conservation Area Agency (BKKPN) head Ikram Sangadji said on Tuesday.

Over 2,400 villages submerged, death toll mounts to 87 in Assam, India

DNA India
Wed, 22 Jul 2020 19:52 UTC

The floods in Assam have affected 30 districts, causing enormous damages to the livelihoods of more than 55 lakh and claiming 87 lives, according to the flood situation report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

The report also stated that 2,409 villages in the state have been affected.

Incessant rainfall since the past four days in the state has led to water levels rising in the Brahmaputra and its tributary Krishnai river in the region.

1,09,358.67 hectares of crops have been damaged across the states due to the deluge.

Niger hit by devastating floods, 9 killed

The North Africa Journal
Tue, 21 Jul 2020 14:25 UTC

Heavy floods in Niger have claimed nine lives and destroyed more than 2,000 homes, affecting at least 20,000 people, the interior ministry said on Tuesday. The southwestern Dosso region, central-south Maradi and Tahoua and Tillaberi in the west have been worst hit, it said in a statement. Niger, one of the world's driest as well as poorest countries, often experiences intense rainy seasons, which typically last two or three months.

Severe floods hit Nizhniye Sergi, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Disaster Compilations
YouTube
Tue, 21 Jul 2020 14:17 UTC

In the Sverdlovsk region on the evening of July 20, the city of Nizhnie Sergi, in which nine thousand people live, flooded . Due to heavy rainfall, two rivers Serebryanka and Storozhevaya overflowed their banks; water poured through the streets, blowing away garages, cars, trees and even an iron footbridge.

As stated in the Ministry of Emergency Situations on the night of July 21, a total of 231 residential private houses, where more than 550 people live were flooded.

Read more (article in Russian).

Bangladesh floods claim 54 lives, affect 2.4 million people, says UN

Times of India
Wed, 22 Jul 2020 13:28 UTC

Photo shows flood-affected houses in Faridpur, Bangladesh, July 19, 2020.

Severe flooding in Bangladesh, which has killed at least 54 people and affected over 2.4 million people, could be the worst since 1988, the United Nations has said.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Tuesday (local time) that some 56,000 of those impacted already have been displaced and are taking refuge in government shelters, Xinhua reported.

"At least 54 people have reportedly been killed to date as a result," Dujarric told reporters at a regular briefing.

"The UN and our humanitarian partners are helping the government respond to the situation by providing food, water purification facilities, hygiene and dignity kits, as well as emergency shelter supplies," he said.

The UN Central Emergency Response Fund recently provided UN agencies with 5.2 million US dollars to help families most at risk, the spokesman said.

Lightning strikes kill 18 in 24 hours in Bihar, India - toll nearly 200 dead over the last several weeks - floods affect 413,952

huaxia
Xinhua
Wed, 22 Jul 2020 12:40 UTC

Lightning strikes continue to kill people in India's eastern state of Bihar as floods have affected over 400,000 people in eight districts, officials said on Wednesday.

According to officials at Bihar disaster management department, 18 people lost their lives in the past 24 hours due to lightning strikes in nine districts of the state.

The deaths have taken place in Banka, Jamui, Nalanda, Nawada, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Jehanabad, Lakhisarai and East Champaran.

"Six people were killed in Banka district, three each in Jamui and Nalanda, and one each in Nawada, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Jehanabad, Lakhisarai and East Champaran districts," an official at Bihar disaster management department said.

Comment: Also on July 21, lightning strikes killed at least 8 in Birbhum, West Bengal.

Two killed in elephant attack in Odisha, India

Ommcom News
Mon, 20 Jul 2020 12:20 UTC

Two persons have been killed in elephant attack near Gailo village under Dhenkanal Sadar Forest range in Odisha.

The deceased have been identified as Phagua Dehury and Siba Dehury of Gunudei village said police.
Phagua and his nephew Siba, who belong to the fishermen community, had gone to river Brahmani yesterday for fishing.

"Two persons of our village Gundeipur have been killed in an elephant attack. One is Phagunath Dehury(55) and other is his nephew Siba(20). They are fishermen and their occupation is fishing. While they were returning home after fishing they were attacked by an elephant leading to their death," said Sarpanch Gundeipur Panchayat Jyotirmayee Lenka.

Alaska rocks under 7.8M earthquake, triggers tsunami warning

RT
Wed, 22 Jul 2020 06:58 UTC

A tsunami warning has been issued for coastal parts of the northern US state of Alaska after the USGS confirmed a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of 10km, roughly 100km offshore.

The quake struck at approximately 06:12:42 (UTC). The US Tsunami Warning System raised the alarm over 'hazardous waves' due to strike coastal communities from Sand Point to Kodiak and Cold Bay.