Two cyclones in Australia's north have caused storms and flooding, affecting mining and energy projects for companies including Rio Tinto Group and Woodside Petroleum Ltd.
Tropical Cyclone Dianne was 385 kilometers (240 miles) northwest of the Western Australian town of Exmouth and near stationary at about 11 p.m. local time, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The storm is forecast to intensify from Category 2 to Category 3 by 11 p.m. tomorrow as it moves southwest. Flood warnings are in place for some Pilbara and Mid West regions.
The storm slowed transport at Rio Tinto's iron ore operations in the Pilbara and halted production at Woodside's Enfield oil field. A La Nina event has brought wet weather to Australia's east and north and typically increases the number of cyclones during the November to April period, according to the bureau.
Floods
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While heavy rain slowed traffic and caused flooding throughout the country, the ports of Tyre and Sidon were closed to maritime activities, as fishermen stayed home.
The head of the fishermen's union, Khalil Taha, urged the agriculture minister to look into the situation of fishermen, who are complaining of inadequate government responses to calls for social assistance and benefits.
Tyre, which is undergoing extensive public works as part of a city-wide development plan, experienced flooded streets and major traffic congestion, as police and municipal officials sprung into action to clear the situation.
South of Tyre, one person was in critical condition after a car accident blamed on the heavy weather. Abbas Musa Aqil and his brother Muslim were driving a vehicle that slammed into an electricity pole during the storm. The National News Agency said both underwent surgery at a local hospital, and that one of them remained in critical condition.
In Sidon, the municipality ordered emergency crews to take action after the heavy rain caused flooding in areas near the coast, compounded by sewage networks that were overflowing.
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Tropical Cyclone Bingiza made landfall on Madagascar on February 14, 2011
Tropical Cyclone Bingiza made landfall on Madagascar on February 14, 2011
Between 4,000 and 9,600 households, equivalent to as many as 48,000 people, are likely to be affected by flooding in the Zambezi river valley in Mozambique, OCHA, as the organization is known, said in an e-mailed statement today.
Flooding in southern Africa has affected South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola during the last eight weeks. Crop damage in South Africa, the continent's largest economy, could cost the nation more than $282 million after grape farms were submerged, while OCHA estimates that almost 1 percent of Mozambique's crops have been destroyed by rising water.
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A car stuck in floodwaters at Canterbury Rd, Bayswater North.
A car stuck in floodwaters at Canterbury Rd, Bayswater North.
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Severe storms have swept through Melbourne, hitting suburbs including Bayswater.
Severe storms have swept through Melbourne, hitting suburbs including Bayswater.
Bureau of Meterology forecaster Terry Ryan said our summer deluge will continue well into the weekend, the Herald Sun said.
"There will be more rain today, and possible storms, with the heaviest rain expected in the ranges," Mr Ryan said.
"And we're expecting heavy falls tomorrow night or early Saturday morning."
Mr Ryan said the weekend storms, which could see 50mm rainfalls, could cause significant flash flooding around the state.
Last night, dozens of motorists were rescued by SES volunteers as storms lashed the city and suburbs.
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Heavy rains in Arequipa have caused irreparable damage to the homes of at least 71 families, and affected 300 more.
Heavy rains in Arequipa have caused irreparable damage to the homes of at least 71 families, and affected 300 more.
Provincial mayor of Arequipa Alfredo Zegarra announced that the decree would last for 30 days, during which time the authorities would be in permanent session to attend to emergencies as they arose.
He added that they would request resources from Peru's ministry of finance to assist 71 families who need to be relocated after rains destroyed their housing, as well as 300 more families affected by the extreme weather conditions. According the authorities' estimates, these efforts will require approximately 1 million soles.
It was also announced at the meeting that 50 percent of the sewer system of the city had ceased to function due to overflow, and that the most affected districts were Mariano Melgar, Miraflores and Alto Selva Alegre.
Twelve of the province's 29 mayors participated in the meeting, where they agreed to continue coordinating relief and prevention efforts. The national weather service predicts that heavy rains will continue into March.
© Bureau of Meteorology, Australia
A radar image of Darwin as Cyclone Carlos batters the city on Wednesday afternoon.
A radar image of Darwin as Cyclone Carlos batters the city on Wednesday afternoon.
School has been cancelled for today and tomorrow and Darwin Airport remains closed after the Bureau of Meteorology declared a cyclone warning for coastal areas from Daly River Mouth to Goulburn Island, including Darwin, Croker Island and the Tiwi Islands.
At least one house was destroyed overnight by a fallen tree, while an ambulance transporting a patient to Royal Darwin Hospital was crushed by a tree, but there were no serious injuries.
Emergency services crews received more than 2,000 calls for help, including reports of 91 trees and 31 powerlines down and several cars abandoned in rising water.
A 52-year-old man had to be rescued last night after his car became stranded in the fast-flowing Berry Springs.
A pedestrian clinging to traffic lights also had to be rescued from the swollen Rapid Creek overnight.
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More than 100mm of rain fell in 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday in and around the central Karoo towns of Graaff-Reinet and Nieu Bethesda, The Herald Online reported on Monday.
In some places, 75mm fell in just 30 minutes, causing farm dams to burst.
Police and disaster management officials were on high alert and ready to evacuate residents where necessary.
In Graaff-Reinet, the town's Nqweba Dam swelled to its highest level in more than 36 years on Sunday.
The Herald Online reported that the dam rose to 116 percent capacity on Sunday morning.
"It looks like more rain is on the way," said the area's disaster management head, Christopher Rhoode.
© Masoud Popalzai/IRIN
Bad weather hampers deliveries
Bad weather hampers deliveries
At least 20 people died and 53 have been injured in Parwan, Herat, Wardak and Daykundi provinces, the Afghanistan National Disasters Management Authority (ANDMA) said. Five people lost their lives in mudslides and snowstorms in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, the provincial department of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) said.
Shindand District in the western province of Herat is among the worst affected areas where, in addition to four deaths and over a dozen injured, almost 2,600 families have been affected, officials said.
"In the beginning we had difficulties in delivering aid to Shindand because of insecurity and road inaccessibility," said Shafiq Behrozyan, a spokesman for the governor of Herat, adding that some humanitarian agencies had also opposed the transportation of aid items by military planes. "But we managed to send aid consignments by road."
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it had dispatched 250 tons of food aid to Shindand and that distribution was ongoing.
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Warburton received twice its monthly rainfall in a day
Warburton received twice its monthly rainfall in a day
The town has received more than 100 millimetres of rain in five hours.
The Shire of Nungarin says the heavy rain has caused damage to local infrastructure and inundated the entire road network.
Nungarin Shire's Chief Executive, Bill Fensome, says many residents had to sandbag their properties.
"Like a river that you wouldn't believe, we had to drag one of our residents out of his house, an elderly gentleman, the water pressure trying to get him out was unbelievable," he said.
Local farmer Garry Coombs says the rain is continuing to fall.
"And I went and looked in the gauge at 7pm. It hasn't let up for the last two and a half hours, it's just been constant rain," he said.
Meanwhile, residents of the remote Aboriginal community of Warburton are in recovery mode after a flash flood inundated the community.
83 millimetres of rain fell on the town yesterday flooding parts of the town to two metres.
© Amantha Perera/IRIN
Food prices have increased after the floods
Food prices have increased after the floods
"We expected a yield of around 2.75 million metric tons from the harvest due in March to April," Kulugammanne Karunathileke, secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, told IRIN. "After the heavy rains we will only get around 1.75 million."
Karunathileke, the highest ranking official at the ministry, said the country had expected a bumper crop - until flooding, which began in January, left some paddy fields under water for up to 11 days. The worst-hit areas are in the eastern districts of Ampara, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee and the north-central district of Anuradhapura.
Together they account for over 1.2m tons of the harvest.
