Floods
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Cloud Precipitation

2 killed by flash floods in Switzerland

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Mon, 08 Jun 2015 20:50 UTC
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Floodwater in Switzerland
Rain and thunderstorms over central parts of Switzerland late on Sunday, 07 June 2015, caused flash flooding in several cities and the deaths of two people in a village in Lucerne canton.

Zurich and Bern, as well as Lucerne, were all affected. Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) the Swiss broadcaster, reported the deaths of the 2 victims - a mother and daughter - earlier today. Reports say that the victims died in the basement of their home in Dierikon, in the canton of Lucerne. Swiss police say that the force and speed of the floods took the victims by surprise.

Swiss police also said that the floods and storms caused severe damage in the municipalities of Lucerne, Sörenberg, Adligenswil, Udligenswil, as well as Dierikon. Flooded streets were also reported in Bern and Zurich earlier today, where emergency crews responded to 100s of call outs. The heavy rain, which followed a period of high temperatures in the country, also caused landslides which have blocked several roads.
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Landslide
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Cloud Precipitation

Heavy downpour floods Bangkok, Thailand with over 5 inches of rain in 3 hours


Bangkok Post
Mon, 08 Jun 2015 12:57 UTC
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An image posted on the Facebook page of JS100 shows the floods on Sukhumvit Soi 22 on Monday morning.
A heavy overnight downpour that lasted more than five hours caused traffic chaos and disruption throughout Bangkok.

At least three schools simply announced they were closing for the day.

Floods at Monday morning rush hour extended from Rama 4 Road and Asoke to Ratchadaphisek and in the east as far as Samut Prakan's BTS Bearing BTS station.

The rain began before 2am in many areas, and did not let up until after 6am. Heavy thunder and lightning accompanied the storm system.

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Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods kill 16 in Pakistan


The Mayal Mail
Sat, 06 Jun 2015 17:30 UTC
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© AFP Nuclear-armed but economically underdeveloped Pakistan regularly battles natural calamities such as floods.
Flash floods caused by torrential rains in southwest Pakistan killed at least 16 people including 14 women, officials said yesterday.

The floodwaters swept away many people in two remote villages of Khuzdar district in Baluchistan, around 370 kilometres (230 miles) south of the provincial capital Quetta.

"The torrential rains in the hilly areas created flash floods which swept away some gypsy people sleeping in makeshift tents in the dried water channel," Akbar Harifal, a senior administration official in the region, told AFP.

"Some people saved themselves but could not rescue their family members because the floodwaters came suddenly," he said.

Nuclear-armed but economically underdeveloped Pakistan regularly battles natural calamities such as floods.
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Cloud Precipitation

Deadly floods in West Africa: Togo, Benin and Ghana struck by heavy rain

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Thu, 04 Jun 2015 16:11 UTC
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Flooding in Bénin
Heavy rain over the last 2 days has caused flooding in the west African countries of Togo, Benin and Ghana. Parts of Côte d'Ivoire have also been affected, in particular Abidjan, which saw 76 mm of rain fall in the last 24 hours.

Ghana

At least 90 people have been killed in a fuel station explosion in Accra, said to have been caused after flood waters swept stored gasoline into a nearby fire. Hundreds of people in Accra have been forced from their homes by the flooding, which has also affected power supplies.

Ghana's Communications Ministry said in a statement: "Many suburbs of Accra and surrounding parts have been heavily affected, leading to heavy restriction of movement of people. The general public is kindly advised to avoid fast-moving rainwater and areas they know have big drains. Stay on higher ground, where necessary, to prevent loss of life."

Axim, South Ghana, which lies about 300 km east of Accra saw 88 mm of rain fall in 24 hours to 03 June 2015.

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Fire

Toll rises to 90 in petrol-station blast in Accra, Ghana


aljazeera.com
Thu, 04 Jun 2015 15:53 UTC
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About a dozen people were taken to the hospital after Thursday's blast in the petrol station in Accra
A huge explosion at a petrol station in Ghana's capital Accra has killed at least 90 people and set alight neighbouring buildings after floods swept stored fuel into a nearby fire, according to authorities.

The blast happened on Thursday as dozens of people sought shelter at the petrol station and in nearby shops in central Accra to escape the torrential rains.

The disaster raised anew concerns over the city's inadequate infrastructure.

Al Jazeera's Ama Boateng, reporting from Accra, said the city and the rest of Ghana have been experiencing torrential rains.

"This is a very busy area of Accra. Lots of people. Lots of car traffic. And because of the heavy rains people gathered at this gas station to seek shelter and this explosion happened," she said.


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Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods take 13 lives in Khuzdar, Pakistan


pakistanviews.org
Thu, 04 Jun 2015 15:13 UTC
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Flash flood
At least 13 bodies were recovered in Khuzdar district's Sarona area near Shah Noorani on Thursday, after 20 people were washed away in a flash flood caused by torrential rains.

Around 20 people were traveling in vehicle which was washed away in the floods caused by heavy rains that started in Balochistan on Wednesday night.

Balochistan government spokesperson confirmed that 13 bodies were recovered and a rescue operation under the local administration and Frontier Corps (FC) is underway.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed grief and sorrow over the deaths caused by the torrential rains. He directed the local and provincial governments to speed up relief efforts and try to save as many lives as possible.

Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch also took notice of the incident.
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Cloud Precipitation

Texas floods death toll reaches 31 and snake bites soar as they flee flooded areas

Kieran Corcoran
Daily Mail, UK
Sun, 31 May 2015 12:31 UTC
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Waterways: This couple have turned to a canoe to navigate the streets of Houston as flooding continues. The death toll stood at 31 Saturday evening
The deadly floods in Texas continued Saturday as the number of people killed by the rising waters reached 31.

The latest deaths were confirmed as more bodies were pulled from the water around the Blanco River, which catastrophically burst its banks earlier in the week.

Even more rain fell at the start of the weekend, causing even more flooding in parts of the Lone Star State as the repercussions of the bad weather continue to make themselves felt.

In Houston, which has been devastated by the deluge, the Minute Maid Park baseball stadium was flooded during a game between the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox.

Concourses of the stadium were soaked in the afternoon as fans were left to cope with pounding rain - but the game continued, ending in victory for the home team.

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Pedal to dry land: An umbrella-wielding cyclist tries his best to navigate flooded Houston
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Health

At least 18 dead in Texas, Oklahoma flooding as region is again battered


RT
Thu, 28 May 2015 18:54 UTC
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© Reuters / Daniel KramerMotorists survey the flood waters in southwest Houston, Texas May 26, 2015
The record-breaking weekend storm that pounded parts of Texas and Oklahoma with heavy rains and spawned widespread flooding has claimed upwards of 18 lives as of Wednesday, officials say.

According to Reuters, the death toll from the floods now stands at 18, up from 10 only a day earlier. Authorities were still looking to locate 13 people who vanished during the storm, CNN reported.

Five of this week's fatalities occurred in Houston, Texas--the fourth most-populous city in the United States--where a new flash flood warning was announced by the National Weather Service on Wednesday, as nearly 2.2 million Texans are reeling from the weekend's disaster.


"This rain has the potential to cause additional street flooding so residents are advised to be careful as they commute to work," city officials in Houston announced on Wednesday.

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© Reuters / Daniel Kramer
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Cloud Precipitation

Massive rainfalls have devastated more than half of Texas state parks

Shannon Tompkins
Houston Chronicle
Thu, 28 May 2015 14:47 UTC
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© UnknownFlood waters inundate the Birch Creek Unit of Lake Somerville State Park. The park is one of more than two-dozen state parks wholly or partly closed because of damage from recent rains.
More than a dozen Texas state parks, including some of the most visited sites in the 95-unit system, are closed to the public as a result of damage caused by a month of heavy rains capped by torrential downpours over the Memorial Day weekend.

Portions of a dozen or so other state parks are closed to visitors, with most of the closures tied to flooding from rivers and reservoirs swelled with runoff from rains that have soaked much of the state over the past weeks.

More than half of Texas' state parks have suffered weather-related damage during the past month or so. A handful of those parks, including Blanco State Park, which was devastated by a record-setting surge of the Blanco River, could be wholly or partially closed for weeks as damage is repaired or, in the case of several parks on the shores of swollen reservoirs, flood water continues covering campgrounds and other facilities.

Comment: Also see: Record rainfall for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Nebraska

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Cloud Precipitation

'Epic' flooding on Alaska's Dalton highway near Deadhorse

Alex DeMarban
Alaska Dispatch News
Thu, 21 May 2015 13:20 UTC
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© Loren Holmes / ADNThe Dalton Highway is washed out south of Deadhorse on Thursday, May 21, 2015.
Unprecedented flooding continues to interfere with daily operations on the North Slope oil patch after surging waters wiped away swaths of the Dalton Highway and isolated a section of Deadhorse, the jumping-off point for the sprawling industrial region.

"This is just epic," said Mike Coffey, commander of the unified incident command, a response team consisting of the state, the North Slope Borough and oil companies. "People who have been here for decades say they've never seen anything like it."

The state has estimated the costs of the damage and repairs since March at $5.1 million. The federal government may pay for much of that, since the icing and flooding on the highway has been declared a disaster, said Coffey, the director of state transportation maintenance and operations.
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© Loren Holmes/ADNA washed down stop sign
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