Earth Changes

Torrential rain delivers flooding from Paris to Prague

euronews
You Tube
Wed, 01 Jun 2016 21:03 UTC

Northern Europe has continued to be lashed by torrential rain, bringing extensive flooding to Belgium, Germany and France.

Paris has never experienced so much rain in May since records began in 1873.

The scenes of flooding along the River Seine have been known in winter - though the fact it has been happening in June has caused surprise.

The A10 near Orleans resembled less a motorway on Wednesday than a river or a canal.

Hundreds of motorists became stranded. The army intervened to take them to emergency centres in nearby towns. Some cars later became totally immersed in water.

In northern France, fire crews have been called out hundreds of times, having no other option but to travel by boat to rescue people from their homes.

Rainstorm and flooding hits central China, thousands evacuated

Xinhua
Wed, 01 Jun 2016 20:42 UTC

© Chinanews.com
Heavy rainfall hits central China's Wuhan in Hubei province on June 1, 2016, resulting in serious flooding in the downtown area.

Torrential rain battered central China's Hubei Province on Wednesday, trapping people and inundating cities, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said.

As of Wednesday evening, more than 100 trapped people had been rescued and more than 1,000 evacuated to safer places, officials with the headquarters said.

Red alerts for rain were issued on Wednesday in several cities across the province including the capital Wuhan.

© Chinanews.com
Many parts of the city were flooded and precipitation in downtown Wuhan reached 115 millimeters. Public transportation had also been disrupted, the city government said.

On Wednesday afternoon, 79 people trapped in Jiangjiamiao village in Yichang City, including 39 students, were rescued. More than 40 people who had been trapped in the middle of a road in Wuhan were also rescued.

Update: Lightning strikes kill 17 and injure 12 in Odisha, India; bolt kills 21 cattle

Odisha Sun Times
Wed, 01 Jun 2016 19:57 UTC

Lightning strikes amidst heavy thunderstorms this afternoon claimed at least 17 lives and injured another 12 in various parts of Odisha.

As per reports, at least four people died and three were severely injured in and around Bhubaneswar. While three died in Panchagaon near Sundarpada, one more death was reported from Dhauligiri area of the city suburbs.

Reports of three deaths each came from Keradagada village under Pattamundai block of Kandrapara district and Shikharpur village under Hinjili block of Ganjam district.

Two deaths each were reported from Bishrampur and Kandagaradi villages under Chandabali Tehsil of Bhadrak district. Two more have died and another two have been grievously injured in Khuntapala village under Rasagobindapur block of Mayurbhanj district.

One month later Fort McMurray wildfire still raging out of control

The Big Wobble
Wed, 29 Jun 2016 19:24 UTC

© NASA
May 29, 2016
Clear skies during the Suomi NPP satellite's pass over the Fort McMurray Fire area show the blaze is still raging in the Canadian Province of Alberta.

The Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry reports that the wildfire is now estimated to be over 522,892 hectares in size (or 1,292,094 acres-- an area larger than the entire state of Rhode Island). There are currently 1,267 wildland firefighters, 57 helicopters, and 186 pieces of heavy equipment being used to battle the blaze, with more expected to arrive over the next few days.

In total, the province plans to add an additional 1,000 firefighters over the next two weeks.

The Fort McMurray wildfire continues to grow, and now covers over 580,663 hectares including 3,200 in Saskatchewan.
That's grown to nearly 4,000 hectares since Friday.

Right now there are 17 wildfires burning in Alberta, but the Fort McMurray blaze is still the only one out of control.
There are also 2,267 firefighters battling the blazes in Alberta, thanks to reinforcements from around the world this week.
Those include 298 from South Africa and 199 from the United States.

Temperatures in Fort McMurray are expected to be moderate over the weekend, with some possible showers, which should give firefighters a bit of a break.

Dwarf sperm whale found dead on shore in Telchac, Mexico

The Yucatan Times
Wed, 01 Jun 2016 17:08 UTC

© yucatan.com.mx
Marine biologist Diana Madeleine Antochiw Alonzo had dedicated part of her career to the research of strandings

A dying female dwarf sperm whale got stranded in shallow water near the shore on Friday May 27, just meters away from the Reef Hotel in Telchac; specialists tried to save it by keeping it at sea, but the cetacean only survived a few more hours and finally passed away.

At 6 am an employee of the State Ministry of Urban Development and Environment, who guards the turtle camp on the beach near the Reef Hotel, spotted the sperm whale near the coast and reported the situation to his superiors.

Minutes after the report, marine biologist Diana Madeleine Antochiw Alonzo arrived to Telchac, she is a specialist in marine mammals, mainly whales, and had dedicated part of her career to the research of strandings.

The biologist found the sperm whale alive and, with help from members of the local PROFEPA station, kept the cetacean at sea, trying to save it.

3 waterspouts seen over north Auckland, New Zealand

stuff.co.nz
Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:48 UTC

A waterspout surprised Whangaparaoa residents

A procession of waterspouts in north Auckland has wowed and alarmed residents.

Sir Peter Blake Marine Education & Recreation Centre operations manager Chris Robertson said staff spotted three waterspouts from their Long Bay centre.

Two were on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula coast and one headed towards Long Bay, he said.

Waterspouts get their energy from the sea but don't typically come ashore, MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said.

Because Whangaparaoa is a thin strip of land they will come close to the coast. But they'll dissipate as soon as they come to shore."

"Most of their energy is in that nice warm water underneath."

Lightning strike casualties on the rise in Nepal: At least 553 killed in 5 years

The Himalayan Times
Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:55 UTC

- 28 deaths, 60 injuries in a month - At least 553 killed in five years

In recent years, lightning has emerged as one of the deadliest natural disasters with 28 deaths and 60 injuries recorded from April 13 to May 31 in this year alone.

According to Nepal Disaster Report 2015 released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, it may be due to climate change or increasing population.

If the 8,979 deaths and 23,302 injuries caused by the devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake of April 25, 2015 and its subsequent aftershocks are excluded from the data of the last five years (2068-2072 BS) ,casualties from lightning outdo all other types of natural disasters.

A five-year figure maintained by the National Emergency Operation Centre under the MoHA shows that as many as 553 persons were killed and 1,132 other injured by lightning strikes during the period.

Lightning bolt kills 3 and injures another 3 in Bhubaneswar, India

The New Indian Express
Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:45 UTC

In a tragic incident three persons were killed and as many sustained injuries after lightning struck at the Labanagiri hill at Panchagaon on outskirts of the Capital City on Wednesday.

Fire Services personnel shifted the injured persons to Capital Hospital. There condition is stated to be critical. The incident occurred at around 4.10 pm when the six persons were engaged in construction of a thatched house at Jagannath Mutt on the footsteps of Labanagiri hill.

As a thunderstorm accompanied by downpour started at 4 pm the people took shelter in the half completed hut. Few minutes later they were struck by a bolt of lightning in which the hut was charred. A rescue team rushed to the spot from Kalpana Fire Station and shifted the injured to hospital.

The deceased have been identified as Ram Patra, Santia Harichandan and Tutu Ojha. Till last reports came in, the injured - Saroj Samantara, Santia Behera and Mitu Sahu are undergoing treatment.

Parts of Central and Northern France see worst flooding since records began

Euronews
Tue, 31 May 2016 18:23 UTC

Scenes in parts of France looked like something straight out of a Jules Verne novel, with cars and houses under water after a deluge of rain.

Parts of Central and Northern France have been drenched by the downpour with water levels rising to over one and a half metres in some areas, in what is reported as the most rainfall for this time of year since records began.

A total of seven departments across the country had issued severe weather warnings, with the Loiret, one of the worst affected areas, being placed under red alert, an extremely rare event.

Firefighters and rescue services were only able to make patrols by boat, looking out for those stranded by the muddy water.

In other parts of the country, traffic was disrupted, coming to a complete standstill in some areas and large stretches of motorway have been closed in others.

Comment: Elsewhere in Europe this week torrential rain has caused devastating flash flooding to parts of Germany and Italy.

Lightning strikes kill four in Noakhali and Barisal, Bangladesh

en.prothom-alo.com
Tue, 31 May 2016 14:40 UTC

Four people, including three members of a family, were killed in separate lightning strikes in Noakhali and Barisal districts on Tuesday, reports news agency UNB.

In Noakhali, three members of a family were killed as a thunderbolt struck them at Gucchhagram in Companyganj upazila in the afternoon.

Locals said Shahidul Islam, 35, along with his wife Parveen Akter Laizu, 25 and son Antar, 2, was going to his in-laws' house at Musapur riding a motorcycle.

On the way, when they took shelter in a cowshed due to heavy rainfall a thunderbolt struck them around 1:00pm, leaving the trio dead on the spot.

In Barisal, farmer Abu Akand, 45, received injuries as lightning hit him when he was working in the field around 11:00am.

Later, he was whisked off to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital where physicians declared him dead.