Dozens of schools in Puerto Rico closed on Monday following torrential rains that caused widespread flooding and several landslides across the U.S. Caribbean territory over the weekend.
The severe weather also knocked over several trees and forced authorities to close various main roads, with more than a dozen people remaining in shelters after their homes flooded.
Up to six inches of rain fell in less than six hours in some places, said Nino Correa, commissioner for the Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration.
Power outages have hit parts of North and West Auckland as heavy rain continues to affect parts of the North Island on Monday.
A Vector spokeswoman said the wild weather caused a number of outages across Auckland with the biggest impact to Karekare, Huia, Torbay Heights and Parau.
She said crews were working to restore power for those areas, and the majority of customers had their power back as of 9.14am on Monday.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) had received 28 weather related call-outs overnight across Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Northland.
At least 11 people have died and 9 are missing after catastrophic flash flooding swept through parts of Quito, capital of Ecuador, on 31 January 2022.
Heavy rainfall, floods and landslides have affected other areas of the country over the last few days, in particular the provinces of Guayas, Cotopáxi, El Oro and Los Ríos.
In a statement, Mayor of Quito Dr. Santiago Guarderas Izquierdo said flooding struck in western parts of the city after 75 mm of rain fell in a short period during the afternoon of 31 January 2022. This is the highest rainfall intensity seen in the city since 2003 the mayor said. The mayor said flood debris blocked the flow of the swollen El Tejado creek, which in turn sent torrents of mud, flood water and debris through the streets of the La Gasca neighbourhood of the city.
Landslides kill at least 24 as rains deluge Ecuador capital
A rain-weakened hillside collapsed in Ecuador's capital, sweeping over homes and a sports field and killing at least 24 people, city officials said Tuesday.
The Quito Security Department said at least 48 more people were injured, while eight houses collapsed and others were damaged when the hillside gave way late Monday. The authorities also reported 12 missing people.
Neighbors joined rescue workers in hunting through the ruins for survivors of the disaster that hit following nearly 24 hours of rainfall.
The storm was pounding outside when Imelda Pacheco said she felt her house move as if an earthquake had struck. Suddenly water and rocks began to pour in through doors and windows and she fled before the building was destroyed.
"I barely had time to grab the hand of my 4-year-old son and I ran to the stairs, to the terrace. Suddenly the walls in front and to the side disappeared," she told The Associated Press.
"We shouted to the neighbors on the first floor, but the water carried away the mother and daughter," she said, standing before the ruins of her home.
"I thought I was going to die with my son. I hugged him strongly and we shook, I think from the cold and the fear.. We barely survived," she added, breaking into tears.
Waves of mud, some 3 meters (10-feet) high, carried vehicles, motorcycles, trash bins and other debris under a heavy rain in the neighborhoods of La Gasca and La Comuna below the slopes of the Ruco Pinchincha mountain.
As the rescue began, police called for silence so cries of those trapped could be heard.
Quito Mayor Santiago Guarderas said the intense rains saturated the soils, setting off the landslide.
Smaller waves of muddy water continued pouring down the ravine Tuesday past weary neighbors trying to move stones, tree trunks and debris. An overturned taxi and other vehicles were partly buried in mud on a sports field.
"I've lost everything. I don't have anything. Everything is over," said 65-year-old Laura Quiñónez, who stood beside an ambulance as her neighbors tried to recover appliances from their destroyed homes.
Thousands of people have been forced from their homes after flooding in parts of Haiti and Dominican Republic following a period of heavy rainfall.
Haiti
A cold front brought heavy rain and strong winds to the region from 30 January 2022. Civil Protection in Haiti said rain fell for 36 hours and several rivers have broken their banks including the Port-Margot, Les Trois Rivières and the Grande Rivière du Nord.
Flooding has affected 20 municipalities in the Nord, Nord-Est and Nippes departments. As many as 2,578 houses have been flooded and 3 destroyed. Civil Protection added that nearly 2,500 families were now in need of temporary shelter. Civil Protection also reported damage to a a power plant and a bridge, leaving some areas isolated.
Authorities in Ecuador report severe flooding and landslides in the provinces of Guayas, Cotopáxi, El Oro and Los Ríos after heavy rainfall from 28 January 2022.
According to the country's National Risk and Emergency Management Service (SNGRE) rivers in Guayas province broke their early on 28 January 2022. Personnel from the military and SNGRE helped to evacuate several families from flood-damaged homes in the cantons of Balao and Tenguel. Authorities said 2,000 people were affected in the canton of Balao, which has declared a state of emergency.
The government of São Paulo State in Brazil reported at least 19 people have died due to landslides and flooding after a period of heavy rainfall from 28 January 2022.
Five fatalities were reported in Várzea Paulista after a landslide destroyed a house. Three people died in similar circumstances in Embu das Artes in Greater São Paulo. Other rain-related fatalities were reported in Arujá (1), Francisco Morato (3), Franco da Rocha (5), Jaú (1) and Ribeirão Preto (1). Authorities said around 500 families were displaced as a result of landslides and flooding.
Many of the fatalities occurred after landslides caused houses to collapse. Heavy rain also caused severe flooding in Caieiras, Arujá, Jaú and Franco da Rocha where the Juqueri river overflowed.
Esther Marshall Daily Express Sat, 29 Jan 2022 20:14 UTC
A downpour of heavy rain in the centre of Palm-Mar in Spain's Tenerife caused several incidents yesterday. An underground car park was completely flooded on the popular tourist island.
Streets were also flooded and local media reported that some residents and tourists' cars suffered damage.
One Facebook user posted a video of the flood of water gushing down into the underground carpark in Palm-Mar.
Kasia Karkowska said: "All the year's worth of rain just falls down at once and has it over with!"
Michael Keating said: "Who said it doesn't rain in Tenerife."
Levi Parsons Daily Mail Fri, 28 Jan 2022 20:02 UTC
The empty meat section at Coles supermarket in Alice Springs after a flood blocked trucks and rail freight
Residents in outback Australia have been forced to drive hundreds of kilometres for basic groceries after a 'once in a lifetime' desert storm blocked off their communities.
One woman said she drove 330km from her home to Alice Springs to stock up on supplies at Coles only to find empty shelves and 'food running out fast'.
The supply chain chaos was sparked by a 'once in a lifetime' desert storm this week which flooded the transcontinental freight line linking the Northern Territory and South Australia.
At least 2 people have died, one was injured and dozens of homes and roads were damaged after heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in Tolima Department in central Colombia.
Heavy rain from 24 January 2022 caused landslides and flooding in the municipalities of Palocabildo, Fresno, Falan, Armero Guayabal, Herveo and Casabianca in Tolima Department.
Two young people died when a landslide destroyed a house in Palocabildo, where a further 25 homes were damaged and gas supply interrupted. One person was hospitalized after being rescued from a landslide in Falan.
At least 70 people have now died after as a result of floods and severe weather in Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi over the last few days. Flooding began after heavy rain in Madagascar on 17 January, and worsened after heavy rain brought by Tropical Storm Ana which passed over the countries from 22 January 2022.
Madagascar
Heavy rain affected areas of Analamanga Region in Madagascar, including the capital Antananarivo, several days before Tropical Storm Ana passed over the island. At least 10 fatalities were reported as of 19 January.
Since then the country's disaster management agency BNGRC reports that a total of 41 people have now died as a result of sever weather since 17 January 2022. Furthermore 110,394 people have been affected across 10 regions of the country: Analamanga, Mangoro, Atsinanana, Boeny, Diana, Matsiatra Ambony, Sofia, Vakinankaratra, Analanjirofo and Itasy. Around 10,000 houses have been damaged and as of 26 January, 71,781 people had been displaced from their homes, including 55,859 in Analamanga.
BNGRC reported some people in areas of the capital and Analamanga had started to return to their homes after levels of the Ikopa and Sisaony rivers had started to fall.
Comment: Update: Fox News carried this AP report: Ecuador - Thousands affected after floods in 4 provinces