Welcome to Sott.net
Sun, 19 Aug 2018
The World for People who Think

Floods


Cloud Precipitation

'Worst flooding in a century' kills 106 across Kerala state in India - UPDATE: Death toll rises above 300


Sky News
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 20:25 UTC
The Shiva Temple in Kochi was submerged when water was released from a dam

The Shiva Temple in Kochi was submerged when water was released from a dam
The state's chief minister says there is "unprecedented flood havoc" in Kerala - a magnet for millions of tourists each year.

Sixty-seven people have been killed over the past week in the worst floods to hit India's Kerala state in nearly a century.

At least 25 died on Wednesday, with the disaster management authority saying that the number is likely to increase.

Tourists, who flock to the southern state for its beaches, scenic landscapes and tea plantations, have been warned to stay away from many popular areas because of flooding.

The Sabarimala hill shrine is threatened by rising river levels in nearby Pampa River - the Hindu pilgrimage centre attracts around 45 million people a year.


Comment: Like we said before, just because it's 'monsoon season in India', doesn't mean that it too isn't reaching unprecedented extremes...

See also: 'Unprecedented' flash floods kill dozens in Kerala, India

UPDATE: BBC on August 17th reports:
More than 100 people are thought to have died in devastating monsoon floods in India's southern state of Kerala, the worst in almost a century.

Rescuers battled torrential rains to save residents, with nearly 150,000 reportedly left homeless.

The state government said many of those who died were crushed under debris caused by landslides.

With more rains predicted and a red alert in place, the main airport has reportedly been shut until 26 August.

A state official told AFP that 106 people had now died, while the Economic Times in India reports 114 have been killed.

Hundreds of troops have been deployed to rescue those caught up in the flooding, alongside helicopters and lifeboats.

Kerala flooding
© AFP/GETTY
The Kerala chief minister has said the state has "never seen anything like this before"
The government has urged people not to ignore evacuation orders. It is distributing food to tens of thousands who have fled to higher ground.

"We're witnessing something that has never happened before in the history of Kerala," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters.

"Almost all dams are now opened. Most of our water treatment plants are submerged. Motors are damaged."

He added that the failure of the state government of neighbouring Tamil Nadu to release water from a dam had made the situation worse.

Kerala has 41 rivers flowing into the Arabian Sea.

Parts of Kerala's commercial capital, Kochi, are also underwater, snaring up roads and railways across the state - a popular tourist destination.

India's Prime Minister and Home Minister have both offered federal support.

Schools in all 14 districts of Kerala have been closed down and some districts have banned tourists citing safety concerns.

UPDATE: Guardian on August 18th reports:
The state is "facing the worst floods in 100 years", chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Twitter, adding that at least 324 lives have been lost so far.

Roads are damaged, mobile phone networks are down, an international airport has been closed and more than 220,000 people have been left homeless after unusually heavy rain in the past nine days.

Casualty numbers are expected to increase further, with thousands more people still stranded. Many have died from being buried in hundreds of landslides set off by the flooding.



      Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Thousands displaced as rivers continue to rise in Colombia and Venezuela

Richard Davies
FloodList
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 19:43 UTC
flood
Thousands in Colombia and Venezuela continue to be affected by flooding from several rivers including the Orinoco, Caroní and Inírida rivers. Flooding first struck in June but worsened after a period of heavy rain in July.

Venezuela

In Venezuela, authorities said that a red alert has been declared on the Orinoco and Caroní rivers where flooding has reached historical levels.

The government says aid and relief operations have been deployed in the states of Amazonas, Delta Amacuro, Apure, Monagas, Guárico, Bolívar and Táchira.

      Read More...
Arrow Down

Couple dead, child missing after landslip collapses house in Malappuram, India after heavy rainfall


The New Minute
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 11:07 UTC
According to locals, one side of the house got buried
© Manorama
According to locals, one side of the house got buried in the landslide occurred around 1.30 am
A huge mound of earth fell on the house in Kondotty in the wee hours of Wednesday.

At least two people have died and a child is missing in Kondotty in Malappuram district, after a huge mound of earth fell on a house in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The bodies of Asees and his wife Muneera were recovered in the search and rescue operation. Search is on to find the couple's 6-year-old child. Their two other children, who were sleeping in an adjacent room, escaped unhurt.

Kondotty police told TNM that the incident happened at around 1 am on Wednesday morning, when the family was asleep in their home. The officials were able to first recover Muneera's body, following which, they found Asees's body. They are yet to find the 6-year-old child. The bodies of Asees and Muneera have been shifted to Medical College hospital for post-mortem.
      Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Evacuations, rescues as 'historic' floods hit the US Northeast


The Weather Network
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 13:46 UTC
Pennsylvania flash floods
© GETTY/ACCUWEATHER
Pennsylvania has been hit by flash floods following heavy downpours
New Jersey declared a partial state of emergency on Tuesday as forecasts for further heavy rainfall posed new danger in parts of that state, New York and Pennsylvania, where rescuers hauled people from waterways, flooded cars and homes.

Following several days of torrential rain throughout the northeastern United States, the National Weather Service issued new warnings for flooding in areas around Binghamton, New York, near the Pennsylvania border, and in New Jersey.

Federal forecasters warned that areas in the region could see as much as 4 inches (10 cm) more rain on Tuesday.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement five of the state's 21 counties were under a state of emergency, where additional rainfall could further complicate flood cleanup."

"Parts of our state have received nothing less than historic amounts of rain, and some communities received an entire month's worth in just a few hours," said Murphy.

The police department in Brick, a town of 75,000 on the Atlantic coast, said on Facebook that residents were barred from returning to 105 homes without a security escort until township officials finished inspecting them.

      Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

19 dead following torrential rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, India - Nearly 7 inches of rain in 24 hours

Richard Davies
FloodList
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 16:28 UTC
floods
At least 19 people have died in floods and landslides in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India over the past few days.

According to the Press Trust of India, the highest number casualties were in Solan district (eight), followed by Mandi district (four), three in Kangra district, two in Hamirpur district and one each in Bilaspur and Una districts.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) figures, in a 24 hour period to 13 August, Hamirpur recorded of rain, Kangra 165.6 mm, Mandi 122.2 mm and Solan 154.4 mm.

Water from the overflowing Beas river has flooded parts of Nadaun in Hamirpur district, according to ANI news agency. The heavy rain in has increased levels of the Giri River, a tributary of Yamuna, in Sirmaur District, according to India's Central Water Commission Official Flood Forecast‏.

      Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

'Unprecedented' flash floods kill dozens in Kerala, India

Sugam Pokharel and Sheena McKenzie
CNN
Sun, 12 Aug 2018 23:50 UTC
Kerala floods

The Shiva Temple in Kochi, Kerala state, is partially submerged on August 9
Dozens of people have been killed, and tens of thousands more evacuated, after "unprecedented" flash flooding in a tourist hotspot in southern India.

At least 37 people have died since heavy monsoonal rains first struck the state of Kerala on Wednesday, the state's relief commissioner P.H. Kurian told CNN on Sunday. The area, located on the tropical Malabar Coast, is famed for its network of idyllic waterways. Another 40,000 people living in low-lying areas have now been evacuated to 350 relief camps, as the downpour caused landslides and overflowed reservoirs.

Monsoon rains are to be expected in India this time of the year. But after days of abnormally heavy rains, authorities on Friday opened the shutters of water reservoirs in an effort to prevent potentially disastrous breaches. "Our state is in the midst of an unprecedented flood havoc," explained Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement Friday.

"For the first time in history, 27 dams in the state had to be opened. Never before has the state witnessed a calamity of this scale," the minister added.


Comment: Flood, landslips kill 22 across Kerala, India

      Read More...
Eye 1

Mother Nature is not to blame - Five metropolises are sinking dangerously


RT
Mon, 13 Aug 2018 17:11 UTC
Man wading in water
© Manuel Silvestri / Reuters
They may seem like impressive monuments to humanity's control over Mother Nature but did you know that many of the world's biggest and most famous cities are sinking into the sea?

Rising sea levels have put scores of cities at risk of being flooded out of existence. In many cases the city itself is also sinking, further adding to the danger.


Comment: Even if the article would like to give the readers the view that rising sea levels is the cause, then as the article goes to show, it is not sea level rising that is the cause, but rather the sinking of these cities due to excess water extraction and other natural causes.


Here's five of the most imperilled cities.

Jakarta, Indonesia

Indonesia's capital on the island of Java is home to 10 million people and has a whopping 13 rivers running through it. As much as 40 percent of the city is below sea level. The city also has the dubious title of the fastest sinking city in the world.

Comment: None of the above examples given by the authors support their assertions that it has something to do with rising sea levels.

      Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Flood kills 6 in the Philippines, over 59,000 displaced


Free Malaysia Today
Mon, 13 Aug 2018 14:41 UTC
Monsoon rains by recent storms in the past weeks worsen Philippine floods.
© Bloomberg
Monsoon rains by recent storms in the past weeks worsen Philippine floods.
At least six people died and tens of thousands fled their homes as monsoon rain triggered flooding in the Philippine capital and nearby areas, reminiscent of the deadly Typhoon Ketsana nine years ago.

About 1.1 million people have been affected by the weekend rain, with 59,100 of them moved to safer ground, the disaster monitoring agency said. President Rodrigo Duterte's scheduled aerial inspection of flooded areas this afternoon was canceled because of the weather, his communications team said.

Authorities shut schools in Metro Manila and other parts of the main Luzon island but kept financial markets open. Five dams in the island opened their gates at the weekend, according to the weather bureau, which may have worsened the flooding. The judiciary suspended work in the capital from noon on Monday.

      Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Watch as massive landslide caused by heavy rains collapses onto road in suburban Beijing - More rain forecast


Sptunik
Mon, 13 Aug 2018 13:00 UTC
.
landslide beijing
Strong downpours caused a landslide in Beijing. Luckily no one was hurt, but the road was blocked for several hours.

Beijing authorities temporarily closed 168 different natural and architectural tourist sites near the Chinese capital in expectation of strong downpours, according to the capital's tourism committee.

Weather forecasters expect that up to 300 millimeters of precipitation will occur in the next 24 hours in some areas of Beijing and its neighboring provinces.

Comment: While some areas of the world suffer extreme drought, other areas are inundated with epic flooding, and as if that wasn't enough, sinkhole, earthquake and volcanic events are on the rise too: Also check out SOTTs monthly documentary: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - July 2018: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

      Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Video shows cars floating down river after flash flood in Little Falls, New Jersey


New York Post
Sun, 12 Aug 2018 13:03 UTC
Off-road traffic jam

Off-road traffic jam
Almost a dozen cars were sent floating down a river in Little Falls, N.J. after a dealership was flooded Saturday evening.

About five inches of rain had fallen in the area, causing flash flooding, NJ.com reported.

In video posted to Facebook some of the cars still had their sticker prices on the windshields, as they bounced off each other on their nautical journey down the Peckman River.

      Read More...
SOTT.NET
Amazon Smile
Revolt! T-shirts