Floods
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Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rains prompt La Paz authorities to declare state of emergency in Bolivia

This Sunday's rain caused the La Paz River to overflow.
© AMUNThis Sunday's rain caused the La Paz River to overflow.
Heavy rain in Bolivia's capital, La Paz, prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency, a government document showed on Sunday, after overflowing rivers destroyed many houses over the weekend.

Bolivian President Luis Arce pledged to send heavy machinery and 3,000 troops to prevent further damage, according to the document.

Heavy rains caused flooding in several neighborhoods and isolated parts of the city by cutting water, electricity and roads.

"We are deeply concerned by the difficult situation that our municipality in La Paz is going through," Arce said in a post on social media platform X.

One person died over the weekend in La Paz because of the heavy rains, while nearly 50 people have died in deluges across the country since the rainy season began in January, according to official data.

Reuters


Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods, landslides wreak havoc in Indonesia - 26 dead, 11 missing, over 80,000 flee - almost a FOOT of rain in just 6 hours (UPDATES)

Motorists drive through a muddy road following flash flooding in Pesisir Selatan Regency after days of heavy rain across the province.
© AFPMotorists drive through a muddy road following flash flooding in Pesisir Selatan Regency after days of heavy rain across the province.
Following flash floods and a landslide on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a local official reported Saturday that at least ten people had died and ten more were missing.

In the province of West Sumatra, torrential rains caused landslides and floods in the Pesisir Selatan regency, forcing about 46,000 people to flee to makeshift shelters.

"Ten bodies were discovered. According to a statement from Doni Yusrizal, acting head of the Pesisir Selatan disaster mitigation agency, "two victims were found in Langgai village, Sutera subdistrict; seven victims were found and identified in Koto XI Tarusan subdistrict; and one other victim was found in the Lengayang subdistrict."

Doni added that bad weather had hampered efforts to search for 10 missing people.


Comment: Update March 10

Al Jazeera reports:
Flash floods and a landslide on Indonesia's Sumatra island have left at least 19 people dead and seven others missing, officials have said.

Mud, rocks and uprooted trees rushed down a mountainside and engulfed villages in the Pesisir Selatan district of West Sumatra province late on Friday following torrential rains, Doni Yusrizal, who heads the local disaster management agency, said on Sunday.

Yusrizal said rescuers recovered seven bodies in the village of Koto XI Tarusan and three others in two neighbouring villages.

"Relief efforts for the dead and missing were hampered by power outages, blocked roads covered in thick mud and debris," Yusrizal said.

Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said six bodies were found in Pesisir Selatan and three bodies were found in the neighbouring district of Padang Pariaman, bringing the death toll so far to 19.

The agency said at least two villagers were injured and seven others were still missing, with more than 80,000 people fleeing to temporary government shelters.

Flash floods and landslides are a common occurrence in Indonesia, where millions of people live near floodplains, especially during the rainy season.

In December, at least two people were killed when a landslide and floods swept away dozens of houses and destroyed a hotel near Lake Toba on Sumatra.
Update March 11

Floodlist reports:
Days of heavy rain on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia triggered deadly flooding and landslides which have left at least 26 dead and 11 missing.

Rescue after flooding in Padang Pariaman Regency, West Sumatra, March 2024.
© BPBD Padang Pariaman RegencyRescue after flooding in Padang Pariaman Regency, West Sumatra, March 2024.
According to BNPB, Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency, heavy rainfall triggered flooding and landslides in a number of areas in West Sumatra Province from 07 March 2024.

By 10 March, BNPB reported at least 19 fatalities along with widespread damage to homes, forcing over 80,000 people to evacuate.

Flood waters swept through streets of Padang City, capital of West Sumatra province, impacting around 10,000 homes and displacing 3,734 people. Authorities reported flooding in 31 locations in eight sub-districts in the city area between 07 and 09 March. Landslides were reported in six locations. Figures show that almost 300 mm of rain fell in 6 hours late on 07 March 2024.

Communities in Pesisir Selatan Regency were also severely impacted. On 10 March, BNPB reported flooding had affected 25,794 families and displaced 76,178 people. At least 16 people lost their lives in the regency.

Fatalities were also reported in Padang Pariaman Regency, where severe flooding and multiple landslides have affected 2,958 people and displaced over 200.

Other affected areas include Solok City and the wider Solok Regency, Limapuluh Kota Regency, Agam Regency, Pasaman Regency and West Pasaman Regency.

Search and rescue teams have been working to find those reported missing. In the latest update of 11 March, BNPB confirmed 26 fatalities and 11 missing. BNPB reported damage to over 30,000 homes, 26 bridges, 45 buildings of worship, 25 schools, 13 roads and 5 public buildings.



Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rains, floods hit parts of United Arab Emirates

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The UAE experienced severe weather on Friday (March 8) night and Saturday (March 9), with heavy rain and thunderstorms hitting parts of the country.

Dubai faced transportation disruptions, with as many as 13 flights coming into the city diverted to nearby airports. In Abu Dhabi, lightning storms were observed overnight, accompanied by heavy rainfall.

Torrential rain was also reported in the south of the Emirate of Al Ain, leading to road closures and disruptions. Authorities across the UAE issued warnings urging people to stay indoors, avoid beaches, and drive cautiously.

The National Centre of Meteorology warned of continued unstable weather conditions, with heavy showers and thunderstorms forecast throughout the weekend.


Boat

Over 12,000 people displaced in flood-hit Brazilian state

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In Brazil, heavy floods have affected over 100 thousand people in the northwestern state of Acre. Over 12,000 people have been displaced in Acre state after heavy flooding hit the region following several days of torrential rain.


Attention

Large ingenous events, cosmic impacts and crises in the history of life

Impact
© Randall Carlson Newsletter - March 2024
Last month, in the February 2024 issue of the Kosmographia Newsletter I reported on new research correlating a series of large-scale igneous events which produced the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) and the Siberian Traps with mass extinction episodes. On February 8 another paper was published in the journal Global and Planetary Change which further supports correlations between mass extinction episodes with gigantic volcanic eruptions and catastrophic cosmic impacts. The lead author of the paper is Michael Rampino, who has for decades been in the forefront of researching catastrophic events in Earth history. I have been following his work since the early 1980s and hold him in high regard as a scientist who is willing to think outside established paradigms of Earth history. The abstract to the paper begins:

"We find that Large Igneous Province (LIP) volcanism, mostly continental flood basalts (CFBs), along with the largest extraterrestrial impacts show significant correlations with mass-extinction events in the Phanerozoic geologic record. The ages of the 6 major marine mass extinctions (≥ 40% extinction of genera) of the last 541 MY ̶ the end-Ordovician (~444 Ma), late Devonian (~ 372 Ma), end-Guadalupian (~259 Ma), end-Permian (~ 252 Ma), end-Triassic (~201 Ma), and end-Cretaceous (66 Ma) extinctions are significantly correlated with high-quality U — Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar ages of 6 continental flood basalts (CFBs) ̶ the Cape St. Mary's, Viluy, Emeishan, Siberian, CAMP, and the Deccan Basalts.

U — Pb zircon dating (Uranium-lead) is a widely used method for dating metamorphic rocks typically employing a thermal ionization mass spectrometer. Zircon is used because it includes uranium and thorium atoms in its crystalline structure when forming but rejects lead, so any lead found in a zircon crystal is radiogenic, meaning it results from radioactive decay. Argon dating can measure Argon isotopes from a single mineral grain. The ratio of Argon 40 to Argon 39 yields the age of the sample.

The extinctions listed above are considered to be major events in the history of life on Earth. A number of less severe extinctions have taken place, although these events are somewhat more difficult to discern in the geologic/palaeontologic record. Nevertheless, a correlation can be discerned between these extinctions and both volcanic eruptions and cosmic impact.

Kayak

The cities of Corrientes, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay under water due to heavy rains

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The city of Corrientes, the capital of the Argentine province of the same name, was left under water Sunday as 209 millimeters of heavy rains caused floods and material damage while vehicles were swept away by the current. Classes were suspended for Monday amid widespread power outages, with streets turned into temporary rivers.

Relief teams were deployed as City Hall authorities urged the population to follow the safety indications and avoid unnecessary displacements as victims were evacuated. The province is under an orange storm alert issued by the National Meteorological Service (SMN).

"It is the worst natural catastrophe since official records exist," Corrientes City Undersecretary of Risks and Catastrophes José Pedro Ruiz said. "We are working intensively with all the equipment at the disposal of the citizens. We started with the most complicated areas, but we are going to be all over the city. The teams will be working for the next 48 hours," he also explained. "Unfortunately there were floods and very damaged sectors because the reality is what we always say: the city's drains are not enough to cope with such intense phenomena, no matter how unblocked and clean they are. It is like unloading a 500-liter tank in a kitchen sink at once, it will clearly collapse."


Cloud Precipitation

Rain kills at least 37 within 48 hours in Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa worst hit

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At least 37 people were killed in rain-related incidents across Pakistan in the past 48 hours, authorities said on Sunday.

The rains that have swept across Pakistan have led to the collapse of houses and triggered landslides that blocked roads, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, they said.

At least 27 people, mostly children, reportedly died in rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan since Thursday night, the provincial disaster management authority said.


Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rains bring floods to Peru at the end of February

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Heavy rains and storms led to streams reaching critical levels that caused flash floods in Piura, northern Peru, on Thursday (Feb 29).


Cloud Precipitation

Two children drowned after heavy rains in Oman on February 29

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Two children have drowned in a wadi in Wilayat of Ibri in Al Dhahirah Governorate, said the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA) on Thursday, February 29, 2024.

Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority said: "Rescue teams from the Civil Defense and Ambulance Department in ⁧‫Al Dhahirah ‬⁩ Governorate responded to the accident of two children drowning in water logged area in Al-Raiba area in ⁧Wilayat of Ibri ‬⁩. The teams were able to recover the bodies of the two children."

‎The Authority calls on everyone to monitor children and keep them away from dangerous places during rain for their safety.


Boat

1 dead, thousands displaced by floods in Malawi

Malawi Flood Crisis: 1 Dead, Thousands Displaced in Nkhotakota, Karonga Districts
Malawi Flood Crisis: 1 Dead, Thousands Displaced in Nkhotakota, Karonga Districts
In a devastating turn of events, flash floods have wreaked havoc on Nkhotakota and Karonga, two districts in Malawi located along the shores of Lake Malawi. Authorities have confirmed one fatality and the displacement of thousands, highlighting an urgent call for humanitarian assistance.

Unprecedented Flood Damage

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) has reported that more than 7,000 individuals in Nkhotakota have been forced to evacuate to safer grounds, with nine camps set up to shelter the displaced. This crisis follows continuous heavy rainfall that has not only claimed lives but also destroyed homes, businesses, and vital infrastructure.

In Karonga, over 600 households face similar dire circumstances, with their livelihoods disrupted by the loss of crops and property due to the swollen North Rukuru River.