Floods
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Bizarro Earth

Torrential rains turn streets into rivers in Oman - 3 dead


Times of Oman
Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:41 UTC
Throwing normal life out of gear, heavy rain lashed several parts of the Sultanate, claiming three lives, even as international cyclone study centres and local weatherman yesterday predicted the possibility of tropical cyclone hitting Dhofar Coast.
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© A. R. Rajkumar / Times of OmanNarrow escape: Stuck in the strong currents of rain water in Hamriya area in Muscat yesterday, a motorist screamed for help, prompting several people to rush to his help.
"A tropical storm 'Keila' is forecast to strike land near Salalah and the probability for storm is 70 per cent within 12 hours. We have issued a yellow alert, which is CAT 1 (Severe Cyclonic Storm strength winds of at least 74 mph, 119 km/h or 64 knots 1-min sustained)," according to Tropical Storm Risk Centre.

The Directorate General of Meteorology and Air Navigation (DGMAN) of Oman has also confirmed the storm forecast and has urged citizens to exercise caution during rains.
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Cloud Lightning

Western Bangkok bearing large brunt heavy flooding in Thailand


The Nation, Thailand
Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:15 UTC
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© Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty ImagesA woman holds a toddler as she walks through floodwaters in an area near the Chao Praya river in Bangkok on October 29, 2011.
Western Bangkok looks set to bear the brunt of the flooding as run-off water from upstream continues to enter the capital.

Several districts of Bangkok, meanwhile, now have a high chance of being spared inundation. They include Phasi Charoen, Sathon, Din Daeng, Pom Prab, Suan Luang, Pathum Wan and Phya Thai, according to Deputy Bangkok Governor Thirachon Manomaipiboon.

He said some districts of western Bangkok, such as Bang Khunthien, would very likely be spared too.

"The chance is about 20 per cent," Thirachon said.

Science Minister Plodprasob Surassawadee, speaking in his capacity as operations chief at the Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC), said between 80 and 90 per cent of Bangkok's western zone was likely to experience flooding.
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Cloud Lightning

Spain: Elderly British couple swept to their deaths in Benidorm flash floods

Tom Worden and Lee Moran
Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 22 Oct 2011 01:54 UTC
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Swept away: In video footage which is slowly emerging of the flood, cars and vans can be seen being literally carried away by the water
A British couple have been killed in flash floods following torrential rain in Spain.

The married holidaymakers, aged 72 and 70, were seen clinging desperately to parts of a market street cafe in the quiet seaside resort of Cala Finestrat on the Costa Blanca.

According to one eyewitness, a market stall, which was being washed along by the flood water, smashed into them and carried them away.

It has now emerged that the town's council was fined 83,000 Euros in July 2010 for asphalting the bed of the ravine, where the market was held, without permission.

Dramatic new footage has emerged showing the ferocity of the flood water.

In a four minute video the brown water carries away cars, furniture and viewers can see frantic people wading through the path of the flood trying to grab possessions.
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Cloud Lightning

Record-breaking rainfall brings sudden and severe flooding to Dublin, Ireland


France 24
Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:36 UTC
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Water cascades down a staircase at Dundrum shopping centre in south-east Dublin. Image taken from a video posted on Youtube by Showars.
Dublin's officials began the onerous task of piecing the capital back together again on Tuesday after a torrential downpour the day before swelled the city's main waterways, causing them to burst their banks. Water spilled over into the streets, and the flooding quickly prompted Dublin's City Council to enact its "major emergency plan", which saw it send out Council staff and the Dublin Fire Brigade to help assist in the disaster.

According to Ireland's national meteorological service, Met Eireann, the Dublin region saw 82.2mm of rainfall Monday, the equivalent of one month's worth and by far the most since records first began there in 1954.

As rain continues to dump down on Dublin on Tuesday, the city has begun to take stock of the damage. Thus far, the flooding has wreaked havoc on transportation to and from the capital, with significant delays on several of Dublin's main routes and its DART commuter train service. Homes, main arteries and even one of the city's largest commercial complexes, Dundrum shopping centre, have been inundated with water.
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Cloud Lightning

Thailand: Bangkok braced for month of flooding as big evacuation gets under way

Robert Booth and Andrew Chambers
The Guardian
Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:38 UTC
Bangkok flood
© Paula Bronstein/Getty ImagesThai women use plastic containers in an attempt to bale floodwaters out of their home in Bangkok on Thursday.
Waters flood northern suburbs, swamp Don Muang airport and close in on city centre

By boat, truck and bamboo raft, residents evacuated Bangkok's outer suburbs on Thursday as rising floods - which have claimed close to 400 lives across Thailand since July - closed in on the centre of the capital.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, apparently close to tears as she briefed the media on Thailand's worst flooding for half a century, warned Bangkok's 12 million residents "we're fighting against the forces of nature" and said flood waters were damaging several of the city's dykes. Residents of Sai Mai district were told to evacuate to safer ground and Don Muang airport, location of the government's flood relief operations centre, was inundated.

"What we can do now is to manage it, so that it flows slowly, otherwise everybody will suffer," Yingluck told reporters, her voice trembling. "I haven't cried and I won't. I'll be strong to solve this problem for the Thai people. Right now we need to release floodwater to the sea as soon as possible and we need a quick rehabilitation plan."
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Cloud Lightning

Two Killed by Floods in Ireland


Wall Street Journal
Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:21 UTC

Dublin - A policeman drowned and a woman's body was located in a flooded residential apartment block, as a shopping mall and businesses in the Irish capital were hit early Tuesday by the heaviest rainfall in over 40 years.

Ireland's national weather service - Met Eireann - said rainfall of up to 85mm (3.3 inches), equivalent to an average month's rain, fell across the Dublin region in a period of three hours Monday night.

A policeman was washed away by flood water while directing traffic on a bridge on the River Liffey in County Wicklow. His body was located nearby. Irish police also said they found a body of a woman in a flooded apartment complex in Dublin.
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Cloud Lightning

Deadly Floods Tear Through Italian Riviera

Nick Pisa
Sky News
Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:08 UTC
debris in Brugnato, Italy
© SkyNewsA rescue worker walks through the debris in Brugnato, Italy
At least nine people have been killed and five others are missing after flash floods hit the Italian Riviera turning roads into rivers and washing cars out to sea.

The initial death toll was raised as the body of a missing rescue worker was recovered from the town of Monterosso.

Officials said Sandro Usai, 40, had drowned after being engulfed by flood waters as he tried to unblock drains in the town.

The huge downpour had triggered off landslides along some of Italy's most picturesque coastline, including the Cinque Terre which is a popular destination for British holidaymakers.

Fire crews and civil protection teams worked their way through the flood-ravaged towns of Vernazza and Monterosso where cars were washed into the sea and roads turned into rivers.

Distraught mayor Angelo Betta said: ''Monterosso does not exist any more.
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Cloud Lightning

Thousands Affected By Flooding In Mexico

Mark Dunphy
Irish Weather Online
Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:16 UTC
Several rivers in southeastern Mexico spilled over their banks in recent days. The Usumacinta River alone damaged homes and croplands in multiple cities, and isolated rural areas by washing out roads. The governor of the state of Tabasco estimated that regional floods had affected 90,000 residents.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured these images on October 23, 2011 (top), and October 30, 2009 (bottom). Both images use a combination of infrared and visible light to increase contrast between water and land. Water is dark blue, vegetation is bright green, and clouds are pale blue-green.

MODIS satellite map of Mexico
© MODIS Rapid Response Team/NASA GSFC
MODIS satellite map of Mexico 2
© MODIS Rapid Response Team/NASA GSFC
The Usumacinta River, visible as a thin river in 2009, flows past multiple lakes and ponds en route to the sea. In 2011, many of the water bodies have merged, and water sits on floodplains throughout the region. (This area also experienced severe flooding in 2010.)
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Cloud Lightning

Mounting Crisis: One-Third of Thailand Now Under Water

Panarat Thepgumpanat
Reuters
Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:53 UTC
flooded petrol station at Bang Phlat
© Reuters/Chaiwat SubprasomMen move their television and belongings at a flooded petrol station at Bang Phlat district in Bangkok October 25, 2011.

Thailand announced a five-day holiday on Tuesday to give people the chance to escape floods closing in on Bangkok as authorities ordered the evacuation of a housing estate on the outskirts of the city after a protective wall gave way.

The cabinet declared October 27-31 a holiday in Bangkok and 20 provinces affected by the country's worst flooding in 50 years as weekend high tides in the Gulf of Thailand could complicate efforts to divert water away from the low-lying capital.

The floods have forced the closure of seven industrial estates in Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani provinces bordering Bangkok, causing billions of dollars of damage, disrupting supply chains for industry and putting about 650,000 people temporarily out of work.

The cabinet announced a 325 billion baht budget on Tuesday to help rebuild the country, mostly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), small vendors and individuals.
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Bizarro Earth

Thailand Prime Mininister assumes emergency powers as scope of flooding disaster widens


Bangkok Post
Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:00 UTC
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© Surapol Promsaka na SakolnakornPrime minister Yingluck Shinawatra answers reporters' questions at Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) at Don Mueang Airport.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday assumed powers under the natural disaster law giving her full authority to implement a nationwide disaster relief plan.

Invoking the provisions of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act (2007) gives the prime minister full authority over state officials around the country. Those who refuse to follow orders can be prosecuted for negligence of duty. The prime minister becomes director of the relief operation.

Ms Yingluck said the move was necessary to streamline relief operations.

She has ordered the Defence Ministry and the army to oversee and protect key places including the Grand Palace, other palaces, Siriraj Hospital, flood barrier lines, utilities providers, and Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

The government has struggled to channel the massive amount of water that has caused widespread flooding in the country's Central Plains, around the outskirts of Bangkok.
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