Divya Chandrababu Hindustan Times Tue, 19 Dec 2023 14:33 UTC
The Indian Air Force, the army, and other rescue teams are conducting relief operations.
Extremely heavy rains lashed several parts of Tamil Nadu over the past 24 hours, inundating vast swathes in at least four southern districts, including Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi, where villages and towns resembled rivers, prompting authorities to shift at least 7,500 people marooned in residential colonies to relief camps, officials said.
At least four people were killed in rain-related incidents on Monday, officials said and added that details regarding the incidents have been sought from local authorities.
Intense rainfall and heavy inundation have wreaked havoc in Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tenkasi districts in southern Tamil Nadu, with several parts witnessing their highest-ever downpour in a day. Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi registered 96 cm rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Monday, according to the Met department.
At least 31 people were killed in floods and heavy rain in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu this week, a top federal minister said on Friday, as rescuers struggled to reach scores still stranded in high waters.
Heavy rains have paralyzed several districts of the state, inundating entire neighborhoods, roads and railway tracks, days after a cyclone hit India's south-eastern coast, causing widespread damage.
"The (toll) number could change," federal Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman told reporters, adding that more than 40,000 people have been rescued so far and efforts are underway to reach those still stranded.
The state is one of the major electronics and manufacturing hubs in India. Some southern neighborhoods remained waterlogged on Friday.
"We're struggling to get tractors and boats with food and essentials through water in the worst-affected areas," said M. Balamurugan, who along with other volunteers have been distributing foods and essentials.
Tamil Nadu recorded over 64 mm of rainfall this week, more than triple the 20 mm that would be normal at this time of year, the weather department said, predicting more rainfall in parts of the state over the next five days.
For some the floods are reminiscent of rains eight years ago in state capital Chennai that killed 290 people and inundated large swathes of the city.
Hydrometeorological disasters have hit some areas in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, killing two people, an official said.
West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah told local media on Monday that the two people were killed after being buried in a landslide that hit the regency of Agam on Monday morning. The identified victims, he said, are aged 18-year-old and 33-year-old.
He added that in another regency of Lima Puluh Kota, a flood and a landslide occurred, cutting off some major roads and inundating dozens of buildings.
The governor also called on the public living near rivers that have waters flowing from Marapi volcano to be aware of the cold lava floods that potentially occur if the intensity of rain increases.
Citing the government's official data, he said that 23 rivers originate from the mountain. He said that his subordinates are currently observing the rivers and will further inform the public of the results.
Indonesia frequently experiences hydrometeorological disasters during the rainy season.
The Crooked River knocked Eric Ruby down Wednesday afternoon as he tried to return to his house and save a generator and other equipment from the rushing waters that flooded several homes at the end of Hancock Road in Casco.
Wearing camouflage bib waders, Ruby's voice wavered as he described the frustration and anxiety of dealing with flooding that has affected many homes in low-lying areas across Maine after Monday's storm. He's also one of nearly 500,000 customers who have lost power at some point during the last three days, and he doesn't expect to get it back anytime soon.
"I'm so screwed," he said, his eyes red from crying. "Everything I have is floating away."
Ruby, 36, and his neighbors found slight hope in seeing the river recede a few inches Wednesday afternoon, in keeping with what experts saw happening around the state.
Comment: Severe flooding was also apparent across other states in New England:
Ben Domensino Weatherzone Thu, 14 Dec 2023 12:57 UTC
Major flooding is occurring along Queensland's North Tropical Coast and Tablelands this morning after Tropical Cyclone Jasper dropped more than half a metre of rain in the last 24 hours.
Jasper made landfall as a category two tropical cyclone late on Wednesday, crossing the coast between Port Douglas and Cooktown in the vicinity of Wajul Wajul.
As Jasper approached and crossed the coast, bands of heavy rain and thunderstorms were driven over Qld's North Tropical Coast and Tablelands in a persistent stream of moisture-laden winds to the south of the cyclone's core.
A rain gauge at Yandill in the Daintree region picked up 624 mm of rain during the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday. This included two separate periods of very intense rain, with 3-hour rain rates reaching 148 mm between midnight and 3am, and 130 mm between 6 and 9am. If valid, Yandill's 624 mm of rain during the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday is Australia's 2nd heaviest daily rainfall on record.
The Meteonews service reported on Tuesday that up to 100 litres of rain per square metre had accumulated in affected regions. The heavy precipitation on already humid soil and melting snow have raised the levels of many watercourses. Maximum levels are expected in many places on Thursday.
The situation is particularly critical in canton Valais, especially on roads, where many incidents have been reported across the southern region.
"The situation is dangerous all over," Frédéric Favre, the head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport, told reporters on Tuesday.
The dead bodies of two people who were trapped under the collapse of a two-story detached house due to landslide in the northwestern province of Zonguldak have been reached.
The search for 82-year-old Perihan Çakar and her son 51-year-old Sait Çakar, who were trapped under the cave-in after a landslide caused by heavy rains in Zonguldak on Dec. 9, restarted at dawn.
After the teams determined that the cave-in area was safe, Zonguldak Municipality, gendarmerie and Turkish Coal Corporation rescue teams entered the area under the coordination of the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).
In the area where police teams took extensive security measures, efforts were made to find the mother and son.
"On Dec. 9, a two-story house collapsed due to a landslide in the central district of Zonguldak province and two citizens were trapped under the cave-in. As a result of search and rescue operations, the dead bodies of two of our citizens were reached," AFAD said.
Heavy rains and thunderstorms hit areas of Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to the country's National Centre of Meteorology.
Videos surfaced online showing streets in Makkah flooded as heavy rains lashed the region. The NCM has issued a yellow alert in several parts of the country.
Rains, thunderstorms and dust storms are expected to continue until Wednesday, as per the country's weather authority.
Several videos from Arab Storms show cars trying to get past flooded streets with water reaching window level near some parked vehicles.
"The purpose of GLADIO was to attack civilians, the people - women, children, innocent people, unknown people, far removed from any political game. The reason was quite simple: to force the public to turn to the State and demand greater security. Under a strategy of tension, you 'destabilize in order to stabilize', to create tension within society and promote conservative, reactionary social and political tendencies."
~ Italian neo-fascist whose prosecution led to the discovery of NATO's 'Gladio' networks across Western Europe
- Vincenzo Vinciguerra
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