Floods
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Rice production in Bangladesh to fall as floods ravage farmland

RICE
The food shortage over the last few months hiked the coarse rice price in local markets by Tk18 a kg compared to the same period a year ago

The production of rice is expected to fall in the next cycle as around 600,000 hectares of Aman paddy fields have been inundated with floodwater.

According to a floods bulletin issued by the Department of Disaster Management on Monday, a total of 591,647 hectares of Aman paddy field in 32 districts have been affected.

Unofficial sources, however, put the total damage to crops including paddy far higher.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the average Aman paddy production in Bangladesh is around 2.5 tons per hectare. Therefore the country is expected to produce around 1.5 million tons less Aman paddy this season.

Cloud Precipitation

9 dead as heavy rainfall causes floods and landslides in Indonesia (VIDEOS)

Flood Hits Several Regions in Indonesia
Flood hit several regions in Indonesia
Heavy rainfall in areas of Indonesia since 03 November 2017 has caused flooding and landslides in several provinces, according to the country's Disaster Prevention Agency (BNPB). At least 9 deaths have been attributed to the heavy rain. Over 3,000 people have been affected by flooding.

On 09 November 5 people died in a landslide in South Ogan Komering Ulu Regency, South Sumatra. Around 20 others were injured.

In Central Java a building collapsed in Tegal Regency as a result of heavy rain, also on 09 November. At least 4 people were killed and 5 were injured.

Arrow Down

At least four dead, 18 missing after mudslide in Corinto, Colombia

A street affected by the flooding of La Paila river in the municipality of Corinto
© Ernesto Guzman JrA street affected by the flooding of La Paila river in the municipality of Corinto, Colombia, Nov. 8, 2017.
A landslide killed at least four people and left 18 missing in southwest Colombia, authorities said on Wednesday, as the country grappled once again with the deadly pairing of heavy rains and poor infrastructure.

Landslides are common in rural, mountainous areas of Colombia, especially during wetter parts of the year. In April more than 300 people died in a landslide in Mocoa, Putumayo.

Warnings of flash flooding on Tuesday night near the town of Corinto, which sits at the foot of one of the country's Andean ranges in Cauca province, came too late, some residents told local media.

Videos on social media showed water rushing down darkened streets as rain-swollen rivers overflowed and sent mud and rocks down onto buildings.


Cloud Precipitation

Death toll increases to 12 as monsoon rain tops 450 mm (18 inches) in Chennai, India

A boy pushes another in a bathtub in a waterlogged street in Chennai, India, on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017.
© APA boy pushes another in a bathtub in a waterlogged street in Chennai, India, on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Incessant rainfall caused waterlogging and traffic jams in several parts of the southern Indian city on Friday.
Heavy monsoonal rain in India has amounted to more than 450 mm (18 inches) in Chennai and claimed 12 lives since the beginning of last week.

With the northeast monsoon in full swing, drenching rain and thunderstorms have caused flooding throughout much of southeast India.

Residents in low-lying areas trudged through floodwaters that ranged from knee- to waist-deep heights. Officials were forced to keep schools closed for several days last week, according to FirstPost.

Karaikal has also been inundated with more than 450 mm (18 inches) of rain since last Monday.

The death toll from incidents related to flooding and heavy rain in Tamil Nadu has risen to 12, according to the Associated Press.

Flooding, lightning strikes and collapsed walls have been responsible for the deaths.


Comment: To keep up to date on flooding events across the globe, check out our dedicated pages to this topic here.


Cloud Precipitation

Vietnam typhoon death toll rises to 61 ahead of Apec summit

Floods in Hoi An, Vietnam
© REUTERSA flooded street in Hoi An yesterday. The spouses of world leaders who will attend the Apec summit in nearby Danang were set to visit the Unesco World Heritage Site later this week, but it is unclear whether the visit will proceed.
At least 61 people have died after Typhoon Damrey tore through central Vietnam, disaster officials said yesterday, as heavy flooding cast doubt on a planned retreat for Apec leaders' spouses at the ancient town of Hoi An.

The weather system hit just days before Vietnam welcomes world leaders to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Danang, and has left several areas totally submerged in the worst flooding in years.

While Danang itself has not been seriously affected, heavy flooding has hit Hoi An, a Unesco World Heritage Site known for its unique blend of buildings, some dating back to the 15th century.

Large swathes of four central and southern provinces were submerged yesterday, officials said, with the death toll likely to rise further as the search for at least 28 missing people got under way.

"We are facing a major threat in all the affected areas. All the lakes and rivers are full," Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said at an emergency meeting on Sunday, according to the state-controlled VNExpress. He added that flood levels were close to surpassing records set in 1997.

Some 30,000 people were evacuated and around 116,000 properties were submerged or damaged after the typhoon hit last Saturday. Restaurants and hotels in Hoi An were inundated with water, and tourists were evacuated from hotels on boats.


Comment: Damrey was the strongest typhoon to make landfall in southern Vietnam in 16 years.


Cloud Precipitation

Seven dead in worst floods to hit Penang, Malaysia

Floods in Penang, Malaysia
© THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORKA sinkhole caused by a landslide in Tanjung Bungah. The state’s worst floods caused more than 3,500 people to be evacuated from Penang, mostly on the mainland.
Seven people have died and thousands evacuated as Penang was inundated by up to 4m of water after an 18-hour storm that ended yesterday morning.

The state's worst flooding caused its Chief Minister to enlist Malaysia's police and military to help with relief efforts.

At least seven people have died due to the storm, said police. Five of them have been identified.

The remaining two victims are still unknown, though one of them is believed to be a Bangladeshi man who died when his home was crushed by a falling tree. One person, a resident of Bukit Tambun, is reported to be missing.

More than 3,500 people were evacuated from Penang, mostly on the mainland, with another 2,000 in neighbouring Kedah forced to leave their homes.

Winds from the storm - which the authorities said were due to Typhoon Damrey which killed at least 27 people in Vietnam - were so strong that a ferry was washed ashore in Butterworth, the main town of mainland Penang, while a landslide-cum-sinkhole tore up a road in front of a row of newly built luxury houses on the island.


Comment: Penang recorded the highest rainfall in its history at 315mm - 45 mm more than the previous record of 270mm recorded on Sept 15, this year which also resulted in huge flooding.


Cloud Precipitation

Ottawa flooding damages homes, forces Canadian PM Trudeau to take ATV to work

Flooding Ottawa
© Justin Tang / Canadian Press
Record-breaking rainfall in Ottawa on Monday flooded homes and forced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take an ATV for part of his commute.

Trudeau had to take a John Deere Gator ATV through washed-out back roads from his Harrington Lake residence in the Gatineau Hills to meet his motorcade on drier land before continuing to downtown Ottawa Monday morning, his office confirmed. The property is approximately 26 km from Parliament Hill.

Floodwaters rose so high inside the Pebb Building off Bank St. that frefighters had to carry one trapped woman to safety.

At least 175 homes were flooded, according to the city.


Dollar

15 billion-dollar natural disasters have already impacted the U.S. this year; 2017 tied for second-most all-time which was last year

Billion dollar US weather disasters
© The Weather Channel (screen capture)
A new record for the number of billion-dollar natural disasters in the United States may be set this year, with 15 such events already confirmed through September.

There were 12 billion-dollar weather disasters that began during the first half of 2017, and hurricane season has brought three storms that resulted in massive damage, including Harvey, Irma and Maria. The official damage costs are not available yet for these storms but are expected to be billion-dollar weather disasters, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Tornado and severe thunderstorm events have made up the largest share and have added seven billion-dollar weather disasters to the list.

Two flooding events are also on the list: one in Missouri and Arkansas in late April early May and one in California in February. On the other side of the precipitation spectrum, the ongoing drought in Montana and the Dakotas has already reached more than $2 billion.

Rounding out the list is the severe March freeze in the Southeast that was preceded by unusually warm temperatures, resulting in $1 billion in damage to crops, and the wildfires in the Northwest.

In addition to the economic impact, these 15 events have resulted in the deaths of nearly 300 people.

Through September, 2017 is now tied with 2016 for the second-most billion-dollar disasters in a year, according to NOAA's database, which dates back to 1980. The year with the highest number of billion-dollar weather disasters is 2011, which had 16.

Comment: As well as the financial cost, the psychological toll of natural disasters needs to be considered also. See also:

New FEMA Director calls for Americans to develop "a true culture of preparedness" - but no one is listening


Tornado1

Storm Herwart batters Central Europe - 5 killed, emergency declared

germany storm Herwart
© Daniel Bockwoldt / DPA / Global Look PressA car is parks on the flooded parking lot at the fish market in Hamburg, Germany, 29 October 2017
Storm Herwart has caused major traffic disruptions, floods and chaos across Central Europe. Powerful gusts of more 100 km/h uprooted trees and damaged public infrastructure, killing several people in the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.

Two people died in Poland and two in the Czech Republic, all four hit by falling trees. Poland's meteorology institute issued gale warnings for as many as 11 provinces and said wind speeds there could reach 140 km/h, Radio Poland reports. Thousands of homes in the Czech Republic and Poland were left without power as a result of the storm.

In the German state of Lower Saxony, a 63-year-old camper drowned as flooding caught him by surprise. In Bavaria, a train collided with an uprooted tree leaving the train driver and a crew member injured, German media report, adding that the passengers were unharmed.

In Hamburg, a major city in Germany's north, strong winds uprooted trees and caused flooding. Local fire brigades have been scrambled 550 times to respond to emergency calls, the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper reported.

Cloud Precipitation

5 dead, thousands affected as floods hit Central America

Nicaragua floods
© ReutersBoy walks in a muddied house in Nicaragua after heavy rains hit the country and neighboring Honduras.
Thousands of people have been affected by flooding and heavy rain in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala over the last few days. Five fatalities have been reported in Nicaragua.

Local meteorological agencies say the rain was caused by two low-pressure centres, one off the Pacific coast and another off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. Some areas have recorded over 300 mm of rain in 24 hours. Rivers have overflowed in all three affected countries.

Nicaragua

In Nicaragua, the Las Canoas Dam has reached all time highs - beating previous records set in 1998 during Hurricane Mitch - threatening to flood the homes of around 20,000 people downstream.

So far affected departments include Managua, Granada, North and South Caribbean, Boaco and Jinotega.

Nicaragua's National System for the Prevention, Mitigation and Attention of Disasters (SINAPRED), reports that 2,713 houses have been flooded and 30 destroyed in the municipalities of Teustepe, San Lorenzo, Tipitapa, Mateare, Managua, Granada and Bocana de Paiwas.

One person died crossing a swollen river in Jinotega. Four miners were also reported killed when the Oconwás River overflowed in Las Minas, Rosita municipality, North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region. At least 2 people are still missing.