Floods
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Cloud Lightning

Heavy Pakistan monsoon rains triggered flashfloods - 78 people dead and more than 1,600 houses destroyed


NYDailyNews.com
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:59 UTC
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Pakistan floods: monsoons bring more misery to millions
At least 78 people have died and dozens more injured in torrential rains and flash floods that have wreaked havoc in Pakistan over the past three days, a government spokesman said Monday. Heavy monsoon rains which began falling last week have destroyed more than 1,600 houses and damaged a further 5,000, Irshad Bhatti, a spokesman for the country's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) told AFP.

"A total of 78 people have died and 68 injured in rains and flash floods in the country so far," he said, adding that the casualties were caused mostly by houses collapsing and people being caught in floods.

The worst-hit region was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where 32 people have died and 26 injured in several districts, he said, adding that 83 houses were totally destroyed and another 4,200 were partially damaged.

In the northwestern district of Swabi eight Afghan refugees were killed when the roof of their mud house collapsed overnight, police official Mohammad Ali said.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning kills 3 in Rajkot as Gujarat faces rain fury


The Indian Express
Mon, 03 Sep 2012 22:04 UTC
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Traffic was thrown out of gear by the downpour
Three people died after they were struck by lightning in Rajkot district as heavy rains lashed many parts of the state, including Kutch and Saurashtra, regions on Monday.

Many parts of Saurashtra received up to 75 mm rainfall in the last 36 hours. Jamnagar recorded 65 mm, Amreli 77 mm, Junagadh 40 mm and Gondal in Rajkot 75 mm of rainfall, district control room said.

Police said Devgan Jhala (14) and his cousin Kisan Jhala (13) were working in their field at Kotda Sanghani in Rajkot when lightning struck them. The duo sustained serious injuries and were taken to Rajkot Civil hospital where they died, said Dr Harsha Patel.

In another incident, a farmer was killed by lightning when he was working in his farm in Jagdan town of the district, officials said.

Meanwhile, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm lashed Ahmedabad and nearby areas on Monday evening, leading to waterlogging which disrupted vehicular movement at many places.
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Cloud Lightning

Hurricane Isaac kills seven, cities still underwater after storm hits US


RT
Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:53 UTC
The degree of damage handed out by Isaac has thankfully been but a sliver of what Katrina caused seven years earlier, but the latest storm has managed to be impressively ravaging still. Isaac has so far taken at least seven lives.


Now with the worst of the storm behind the state of Louisiana, residents are returning to their homes - or what's left - and taking inventory of the destruction caused by the Isaac and assessing the devastation.
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Cloud Lightning

Weakening Isaac hovers over water-logged Louisiana

Cain Burdeau and Michael Kunzelman
Associated Press
Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:03 UTC
People rescue cows from floodwaters after Isaac
© AP Photo/Gerald HerbertPeople rescue cows from floodwaters after Isaac passed through the region, in Plaquemines Parish, La., Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. Isaac staggered toward central Louisiana early Thursday, its weakening winds still potent enough to drive storm surge into portions of the coast and the River Parishes between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
New Orleans - Isaac hovered over Louisiana for a third day Thursday, shedding more than a foot of additional rain that forced authorities to hurriedly evacuate areas ahead of the storm and rescue hundreds of people who could not escape as the rapidly rising waters swallowed entire neighborhoods.

The huge spiral weather system weakened to a tropical depression as it crawled inland, but it caught many places off guard by following a meandering, unpredictable path. The storm's excruciatingly slow movement meant that Isaac practically parked over low-lying towns and threw off great sheets of water for hours.

"I was blindsided. Nobody expected this," said Richard Musatchia, who fled his water-filled home in LaPlace, northwest of New Orleans.

Inside the fortified levees that protected New Orleans, bursts of sunshine streamed through the thick clouds, and life began to return to normal. But beyond the city, people got their first good look at Isaac's damage: Hundreds of homes were underwater. Half the state was without power at the one point. Thousands were staying at shelters.
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Cloud Lightning

Hurricane Isaac Leaves Rescues and Outages in its Path


Reuters
Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:05 UTC
Isaac's whistling winds lashed this city and the storm dumped nearly a foot of rain on its desolate streets, but the system of levee pumps, walls and gates appeared to withstand one of the stiffest challenges yet. To the north and south, though, people had to be evacuated or rescued as Isaac lingered over Louisiana.

The rain fell almost constantly for more than a day, flooding neighborhoods in a rural part of the state and in neighboring Mississippi. Officials had to respond quickly because the waters were rising fast - even as Isaac meandered slowly northward Thursday on a path toward Arkansas.
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© AP Photo/David J. PhillipChuck Cropp, center, his son Piers, left, and wife Liz, right, wade through floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in New Orleans.
President Barack Obama declared federal emergencies in Louisiana and Mississippi late Wednesday, allowing federal aid to be freed up for affected areas.

Along the shores of Lake Ponchartrain, officials sent scores of buses and dozens of high-water vehicles to help evacuate about 3,000 people as rising waters lapped against houses and left cars stranded. Floodwaters rose waist-high in some neighborhoods, and the Louisiana National Guard was working with sheriff's deputies to rescue people stranded in their homes.
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Cloud Lightning

Hurricane Isaac batters New Orleans seven years to the day since Hurricane Katrina

Rory Carroll & Tom Dart
The Guardian
Thu, 30 Aug 2012 08:54 UTC
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© Mario Tama/Getty ImagesA rescue boat passes a partially submerged stop sign in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
New Orleans issues curfew as torrential rain and harsh winds remain serious threat as storm weakens with little relief in sight

Heavy rain, high winds and floodwaters swept over Louisiana and Mississippi on Wednesday, as Isaac was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm and a fortified levee system appeared to have saved New Orleans from disaster.

Rescuers picked up dozens of residents who had ignored warnings to leave low-lying areas, seven years to the day after hurricane Katrina devastated the city.

Power lines were cut and debris littered the streets, prompting authorities in New Orleans to declare a dusk-to-dawn curfew. Louisiana officials said they would intentionally breach a levee in Placquemines parish, south of New Orleans, as Isaac lumbered inland from the Gulf of Mexico.

Authorities feared many residents would need help after a night of torrential rain and harsh winds knocked out power to more than 700,000 households and businesses.

Comment: Hurricane Isaac hit New Orleans seven years to the day Hurricane Katrina levelled the city... is the Universe sending the US a message?



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Cloud Lightning

After Isaac slams tent camps, Haitians try to return to normal

Erika Angulo
NBC News
Sun, 26 Aug 2012 21:35 UTC

Haiti - Since Isaac stormed through this island country, streams of dirty water run through many of the tent camps earthquake refugees call home.

Floods represent the main threat, aid workers say. They not only destroy the fragile tents, but also bring with them a range of diseases, from stomach illnesses, to skin infections, to parasites, doctors here fear.

At the Marassa tent city in Port au Prince, residents feared what the storm would do to La Riviere Grise, or the gray river, named for its dirty color. After more than more than 24 hours of rain Saturday, La Rivere Grise became a fierce current that flooded part of the camp. Refugees who had been able to accumulate key survival belongings since the earth shook on Jan. 12, 2010 -- a tarp, a cooking pan, some clothes -- lost all again, in a few minutes.

The situation is similar in post-earthquake camps outside Port au Prince. Some tents survived the storms, others were blown away, shredded or buried under mud.
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Cloud Lightning

Floods hit Pakistan again


Pak Tribune
Sun, 26 Aug 2012 04:30 UTC
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Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are facing flood threat as the Met Office has forecast heavy rains in the next two days.

There was a low-level flood in River Ravi at Baloki but the water level was gradually increasing.

According to Indus River System Authority (IRSA), in River Indus the water inflow at Tarbela was 256,000 cusecs and outflow was 140,000 cusecs, while in River Jhelum at Mangla the water inflow was 63,000 cusecs and outflow was 13,000 cusecs.

In River Chenab, the inflow was 126,800 cusecs and outflow was 91,800 cusecs at Marala. Water inflow recorded in

River Sutlej near Head Sulemanki was 16,777 cusecs and outflow remained 4,792 cusecs.

According to the Meteorological Department, the three rivers of Punjab, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum, were facing flood threat. The department also forecast that within next 48 hours scattered rain/thundershower was expected over Azad Kashmir, Hazara, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Lahore and Gujranwala divisions. The department predicted hot and humid weather elsewhere in the country.
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Cloud Lightning

Myanmar flooding forces 85,000 to flee homes


Press TV
Sun, 26 Aug 2012 03:53 UTC
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Heavy flooding has displaced at least 85,000 people in Myanmar.
The Myanmar government says at least 85,000 people have been driven from their homes by heavy flooding.

According to government relief officials, the people fled their homes on Saturday, following the worst monsoon flooding in years, which covered about 250,000 hectares of rice fields.

The Irrawaddy Delta, which was devastated in 2008 by Cyclone Nargis, was reported the worst hit area.

Cyclone Nargis killed about 130,000 people in the delta in 2008.

Heavy rains over the past few weeks have been the reason for the flooding, which initially hit the southern delta region.
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Umbrella

South Florida on alert as Tropical Storm Isaac exits Haiti, killing 3


NBC News
Sat, 25 Aug 2012 09:35 UTC

At least three people died in Haiti as Tropical Storm Isaac triggered mudslides and flooding there before heading back over water and towards Cuba. Isaac should become a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday just as it nears the Florida Keys, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, and then grow into an even stronger Category 2 storm.

"Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area in southwest Florida and the Florida Keys on Sunday," the center said in a Saturday morning advisory.

The center now expects Isaac to build to a Category 2 hurricane, with winds up to 110 mph, after it enters the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

In Haiti, a woman and a child in the town of Souvenance were killed in the storm, a local official reported.

In the capital Port-au-Prince -- where some 350,000 people are still living in tents or shelters after the 2010 Haiti earthquake -- a girl, 10, was killed when a wall fell on her.
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