Floods
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Cloud Precipitation

Thousands evacuated following flooding in Malaysia and Indonesia

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:53 UTC
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© BombaFloods in Sarawak, Malaysia, January 2015.
Heavy rainfall in Borneo and Sumatra over the last 3 days has left parts of Malaysia and Indonesia struggling with yet more flooding. Malaysia is still recovering from the floods of December 2014 in the north of the country, which were some of the worst flooding seen in years.

Sarawak, Malaysia

In Borneo, over 5,000 people have been evacuated in the flood-hit state of Sarawak. This figure has dropped slightly from almost 7,000 earlier today. 38 relief centres have been set up to house those displaced by the floods.

The worst affected area is around the state capital of Kuching, where at one point almost 5,000 were staying in temporary accommodation. Just over 1,000 people have been displaced in Padawan.

One flood-related death has been reported in Mukah, when a teenage girl drowned after a boat capsized in rough waters.


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© BombaFloods in Sarawak, Malaysia, January 2015.
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Cloud Precipitation

71 people die in Mozambique floods

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:45 UTC
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© Qari Ziyaad Patel
Mozambique's National Disaster Management Institute today confirmed that 71 people have died in the flooding that has ravaged parts of the country over the last 10 days.

The worst affected province is Zambezia, where 49 of the victims died. The area has been badly hit by flooding after the Licugno river overflowed. The province of Nampula has also been badly affected by flooding caused by heavy rainfall over the last two weeks.

The country's authorities have set up 34 relief centres to house those displaced by the floods. It is understood that around 30,000 people are currently staying in the centres.

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Bizarro Earth

Catastrophic flooding continues in southern Africa, considered one of worst disasters in years

Katy Migiro
Reuters
Mon, 19 Jan 2015 16:57 UTC
malawi floods
© AFPThe heavy rains washed away plantations, roads and destroyed power lines in Malawi
Aid agencies raced on Monday to reach tens of thousands of people displaced by catastrophic floods across southern Africa, as more heavy rain was forecast in the coming days.

More than 200 people have died in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar in one of the worst disasters to hit the region in years. Rivers have burst their banks, flooding vast areas and destroying homes, bridges and crops.

"After surveying the flooded districts from the air, we know that the scale of flooding is immense, and with the rains still falling, the water is unlikely to recede quickly," UNICEF's representative in Malawi, Mahimbo Mdoe, said in a statement.

"Stagnant water and poor sanitation can be deadly for young children, so we are in a race against time to reach displaced communities with clean water, sanitation and medical supplies."

More downpours were forecast in Malawi and Mozambique, said the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Comment: The floods have been ongoing for weeks, yet the rains show no signs of abating. Unprecedented flooding has been besieging the entire globe recently, in addition to all types of extreme weather patterns. To fully understand the reasons behind these changes, read Pierre Lescaudron's book Earth Changes and the Human-Cosmic Connection.

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Cloud Precipitation

Flooding hits Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Fri, 09 Jan 2015 18:29 UTC
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Heavy rainfall in parts of south east Africa over the last 2 weeks has resulted in flooding in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.

As reported earlier this week, as many as 10 people have died in flooding in Zimbabwe. According to media reports, 6 people have been killed in Malawi and as many as 9 people have died as a result of recent severe weather in Mozambique. Heavy rainfall has also been reported in Madagascar and Zambia although no flooding has as yet been reported.

Change in Monsoon - Rainfall 150% higher than normal

According to a report (pdf) on Africa Hazards Outlook by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the heavy rainfall is a result of a change of the southern Africa Monsoon. The report says:
"Since late December, the character of the southern Africa monsoon has shifted considerably, as several regions of southeastern Africa continue to experience a significant increase in rains and available ground moisture. This increase has helped both alleviate and completely offset seasonal moisture deficits associated with a poor/delayed start of the monsoon during November and December."
The report goes on to say that areas of south east Africa have seen rainfall amounts 150% higher than normal.
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Cloud Precipitation

South Australia prepares for flooding: 15 times their monthly rainfall

Helen Davidson
The Guardian
Fri, 09 Jan 2015 18:44 UTC
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© Parks Australia Rain running off Uluru in the Northern Territory, Australia.
South Australian towns have been told to expect up to 15 times their monthly rainfall in the coming days, and there are severe weather warnings in place for several states and territories.

In Alice Springs, Northern Territory emergency services have found a body after a search for a 24-year-old man who was swept away while tubing in the swollen Todd River on Thursday.

Police told Guardian Australia they have not confirmed the identity of the man found or spoken with next of kin yet.

The Todd began flowing on Thursday for the first time since April after heavy rains dumped more than 100mm in its catchment area. The shallow river bed is generally dry for most, if not all, of the year.

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Bizarro Earth

Flooding, landslides and power outages hit Washington state

Eric M. Johnson
Reuters
Tue, 06 Jan 2015 04:16 UTC
Floods Carnation, WA
© Reuters/Jason RedmondElevated water levels of the Tolt River pass near a residence after heavy rains caused the river to rise in Carnation, Washington January 5, 2015.
An unusual burst of heavy rainfall in western Washington state caused landslides and flooding early on Monday, knocking three homes off foundations and forcing the evacuation of a nursing home, officials said.

Several landslides in rain-soaked coastal Grays Harbor County pushed muddy floodwater and debris across key state highways, county and rural roads, most of which remained closed at nightfall in and around Aberdeen and Hoquiam, the county's largest cities.

"It's not one of these snow-melt events, it's the inundation of rain over the last 24 hours," said Dave Porter, a spokesman for the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office, adding no injuries have been reported.

Drier forecasts for Monday night and Tuesday could aide emergency crews working to clear roadways, although it was uncertain when roads would be re-open, Porter said.

Comment: Devastating floods have been increasing around the globe. These bizarre weather events seem to be indicative of worldwide swings that will in all likelihood continue to become more extreme in the future. See the SOTT topic on floods for a listing of recent flood events.

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Cloud Precipitation

Uruguay suffers severe flooding with much of Montevideo under water

Everton Fox
aljazeera.com
Wed, 30 Dec 2015 21:07 UTC
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© EPATorrential rain left much of Montevideo under water
Montevideo suffers its worst flooding in more than 50 years.

Several days of torrential rain has led to widespread flooding across Uruguay. Among the worst hit is the capital city, Montevideo, much of which has been left under water.

Thousands of homes and businesses have been damaged in the process. This has been described as the worst flooding in almost a century.

Friday saw an incredible amount of rainfall with 63mm of rain falling in around half an hour. The average rainfall for the entire month of December is 78mm.

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Bizarro Earth

31 dead, 7 missing after Tropical Storm Jangmi triggers floods, landslides in Philippines


CTVNews.ca
Tue, 30 Dec 2014 23:09 UTC
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© AP / Fruhlein EconarMotorists drive past a fallen marker which was toppled by Tropical Storm Jangmi at Alcantara township, Cebu province in central Philippines Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014.
Flash floods and landslides triggered by Tropical Storm Jangmi left at least 31 people dead and seven missing in the Philippines, including in areas still recovering from last year's Typhoon Haiyan, officials said Tuesday.

Jangmi, packing winds of 65 kilometres (40 miles) per hour and gusts of 80 kph, dumped heavy rains Monday on southern Mindanao Island, where floods destroyed bridges and highways, sending thousands of residents to evacuation centres. The storm then pushed its way through eastern and central islands, where most of the deaths occurred Tuesday.

The government weather bureau said that as of late Tuesday afternoon, the eye of the storm was 140 kilometres (87 miles) southwest of central Iloilo City, moving west at 19 kph toward western Palawan Island.

Mayor Stephanie Uy-Tan said 12 people died when a landslide buried two vans and six houses near a mountainside highway in eastern Catbalogan City. She said voices could still be heard from one of the vans and that rescue efforts were ongoing.
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Cloud Precipitation

14 killed and 750,000 affected by flooding, mudslides in Sri Lanka


economictimes.indiatimes.com
Fri, 26 Dec 2014 20:21 UTC
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At least 14 people have been killed and 750,000 affected in Sri Lanka due to floods and mudslides caused by heavy rains across the country in the past three days as the air force deployed helicopters for rescue operations in the central hills today.

"At least 14 people are dead while 11 remain missing in Badulla," police said.

Helicopters were deployed after flash floods caused mudslides and several roads were rendered impassable due to incessant rains.

The worst affected was Rilpola town in the central hill district of Badulla where five people were killed as mounds of earth fell on homes.
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Cloud Precipitation

100,000 flee worst flooding in decades in Malaysia


Daily Mail, UK
Fri, 26 Dec 2014 05:38 UTC
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© Agence France-PresseA boy plays in floodwaters near a petrol station in Pengkalan Chepa, near Kota Bharu on December 26, 2014
Malaysia's worst flooding in decades forced some 118,000 people to flee as premier Najib Razak came under fire after photos showed him golfing with US President Barack Obama during the storms.

At least five people have been killed by the rising waters and there appeared little respite on the way on Friday, with forecasters predicting further heavy rainfall across previously unaffected southern parts of the country.

As local media carried photographs of people wading through flood waters as deep as two metres (6.5 feet) and entire houses submerged by rising water, the government faced criticism for not declaring a state of emergency to help devastated communities.
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