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.
The Bolivian government has declared a disaster in the Amazon region after floods killed 40 people and forced more than 500 families to evacuate the area.
The majority of regions in Spain were under orange alert for snowfall, as snow, wind and rain disrupted daily life.
A storm of snow, wind and rain has hit Spain, disrupting or complicating traffic on many roads across almost the entire country.
All regions except Extremadura were put on yellow or orange weather alert in the last few hours.
The orange alert for snowfall has been activated in Cantabria, the Pyrenees and Galicia. In Cantabria, snow accumulations of up to 15 cm are expected from 800 metres above sea level.
In the Basque Country, Navarra and Castilla y León, heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, with flooding cutting off roads in various areas.
Italy is once again dealing with bad weather. With weather warnings issued from north to south of the country, including in Sardinia.
The most critical situation remains that of Liguria and Veneto, an area already affected by numerous landslides and where the rivers are under special observation.
Schools closed in Vicenza, where flooding also blocked the ring road and the railway, with the high-speed train diverted via Bologna.
"These are complex hours", the words of the governor Luca Zaia who follows the evolution of the situation.
Heavy rainfall in Iran's impoverished province of Sistan and Baluchestan has caused the Kajoo river to overflow its bank, cutting off access to dozens of villages.
"Rains have caused significant damage to homes, agricultural land and roads in Qasr-e Qand district," district governor Ahmadreza Hashemzehi said.
"The road connecting 33 central villages on the riverbank remains cut off," Hashemzehi added.
Lack of government assistance has compounded the woes of the flood victims, who urgently require aid, the Haalvsh news agency quoted local sources as saying.
The mudslide covered the entire village of Laquina, in the department of Cochabamba, and buried 30 houses, a farm, vehicles and crops in mud.
The disaster occurred after the dam of a nearby lagoon burst, sending torrents of mud down the mountainside and flooding everything in its path.
Authorities said 40 families lost their homes but no fatalities were reported.
Meanwhile, in the Andean region of Potosi, heavy rains over the weekend caused rivers to burst their banks, leaving streets covered in dirt, stones and mud and more than 400 homes destroyed.
A landslide has left at least four people dead and six others injured in the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi on February 26 morning.
According to the provincial disaster mitigation agency, the disaster, affecting more than 20 people in Bastem Utara, was triggered by torrential rain that hit the area on February 25 evening. More than 10 motorcycles and two cars were buried, with the roads damaged.
The agency also warned of the possible occurrence of subsequent landslides due to the current weather.
Disasters like floods and landslides often occur in Indonesia during the rainy season.
Flash floods and landslides again hit several regions in Sumbawa District, Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara Province (NTB) on Saturday (February 24) afternoon, according to Sumbawa Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD).
Acting Head of BPBD-Sumbawa Office Muhammad Nurhidayat informed that heavy rainfall triggered floods and landslides at 4.30 p.m. local time, affecting the villages of Labangkar and Ropang in Ropang Sub-district.
"The flash floods and landslides were induced by high-intensity rain in the upstream area of Ropang Sub-district," he remarked in Mataram City on Sunday.
In Labangkar Village, he said, the floods inundated dozens of houses and were followed by landslides that resulted in material losses.
Nurhidayat then noted that a total of 30 families were affected by the floods, while four houses were damaged by the landslides in Labangkar.
Comment: At the same time in the Iranian part of Balochistan: Floods in southeast Iran cut off roads, cause damage