Two people in New Jersey were killed after their vehicle was swept up in flood waters during a storm that moved across the U.S. Northeast overnight, authorities said Tuesday. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, noted the deaths occurred in the northern New Jersey city of Plainfield where there were two storm-related deaths July 3. A third person was killed in North Plainfield during that previous storm. We're not unique, but we're in one of these sort of high humidity, high temperature, high storm intensity patterns right now, Murphy told reporters after touring storm damage in Berkeley Heights. Everybody needs to stay alert. The names of the two latest victims were not immediately released Tuesday. Local officials said the vehicle they were riding in was swept into a brook during the height of the storm. Emergency personnel responded quickly, but tragically, both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement the city posted online. The heavy rains also caused
More heavy rains in Texas on Sunday temporarily paused a weeklong search for victims of catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River and led to dozens of high-water rescues elsewhere as storms damaged homes, stranded motorists and put some residents under evacuation orders. It was the first time a new round of severe weather had paused the search since the July Fourth holiday floods, which killed at least 132 people. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County alone, and 10 more in neighboring areas. In Kerrville, where local officials have come under scrutiny over whether residents were adequately warned about the rising water in the early morning hours of July 4, authorities went door-to-door to some homes after midnight early Sunday to alert people that flooding was again possible. Authorities also pushed phone alerts to those in the area. By late Sunday afternoon, the Kerr County Sheriff's Office announced that search teams in the western part
Emergency crews suspended their search for victims of catastrophic flooding in central Texas on Sunday morning amid new warnings that additional rain would again cause waterways to surge. It was the first time a new round of severe weather has paused the search since the flooding earlier this month. Ingram Fire Department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County until further notice, warning the potential for a flash flood is high. Search-and-rescue teams have been searching for missing victims of the July 4 weekend flooding that killed at least 129 people and left more than 170 missing. As heavy rain fell Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters warned that the Guadalupe River could rise to nearly 15 feet (4.6 metres) by Sunday afternoon, about five feet above flood stage and enough to put the Highway 39 bridge near Hunt under water. Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous, a weather service
At least 200 homes were damaged during a deadly flash flood in the mountain village of Ruidoso, and local emergency managers warned Wednesday that number could more than double as teams survey more neighborhoods. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was among the officials who took an aerial tour of Ruidoso and the surrounding area as they looked to bolster their case for more federal assistance for the community, which has been battered over the past year by wildfires and repeated flooding. The governor said the state has received partial approval for a federal emergency declaration, freeing up personnel to help with search and rescue efforts and incident management. She called it the first step, saying Ruidoso will need much more. "We will continue working with the federal government for every dollar and resource necessary to help this resilient community fully recover from these devastating floods, she said. An intense bout of monsoon rains set the disaster in motion Tuesday afternoon. .
The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people, including 28 children, Kerr County officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke only hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced that they lost 27 campers and counselors to the floodwaters. Meanwhile, search-and-rescue teams carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece b
Before heading to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather while staying at a friend's house along the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast alarmed him. Hours later, he was rushing to safety: He woke up in darkness to electrical sockets popping and ankle-deep water. Quickly, his family scrambled nine people into the attic. Phones buzzed with alerts, Flowers recalled Saturday, but he did not remember when in the chaos they started. What they need is some kind of external system, like a tornado warning that tells people to get out now, Flowers, 44, said. The destructive fast-moving waters that began before sunrise Friday in the Texas Hill Country killed at least 43 people in Kerr County, authorities said Saturday, and an unknown number of people remained missing. Those still unaccounted for included 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered. But as authorities launch
At least two persons died in flood in Odisha's Balasore district, even as the number of affected villages came down to 60 with the water levels in several rivers, including Subarnarekha, receding, officials said on Wednesday. Fire and Emergency Services personnel recovered the body of a 90-year-old man, identified as Dibakar Giri of Kusuda village in Bhograi block, while members of an Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team found the body of Rakesh Singh in the flood water, they said. Singh hailed from Bishnupur village and was swept away in the floodwater currents on Tuesday. People of around 60 villages in northern parts of the district continued to grapple with inundated roads and fields, as heavy rains under the influence of a low-pressure belt lashed the region, an official said. The plight of the people in these villages has aggravated due to the release of water from dams in neighbouring Jharkhand, he said. The number of flood-hit villages was 100 in Balasore distri
Relief operations are in full swing, with emergency shelters established and essential supplies such as tents, blankets, and food being distributed
The India Meteorological Department has warned of light to moderate rainfall at many places in the districts of Bilaspur, Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur, Hamirpur, Mandi, and Kangra
Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range Deputy Inspector General, Shridhar Patil, acknowledged the situation and urged people to stay away from rivers and overflowing streams
Several areas in Bihar's Nalanda district experienced a flood-like situation as portions of some small dams were damaged due to a sudden rise in water level in Falgu River following heavy rainfall in neighbouring Jharkhand over the past few days, officials said on Saturday. According to a statement issued by the Disaster Management Department (DMD) of the Bihar government, "Authorities released 73,000 cusecs of water from Uderasthan Barrage (in Jehanabad) due to a sudden increase in water level in Falgu River on June 19. The release of water from the barrage damaged portions of certain small dams causing a flood-like situation in several areas in Hilsa, Karaiparsurai and Ekangarsarai in Nalanda district." The authorities concerned are providing relief materials, including food packets and drinking water, to the affected people. Temporary tents have been set up for the victims, it said. Two teams of NDRF have been deployed in the area for relief and rescue operations.
Record floodwaters on Australia's east coast left one person dead and three others missing, officials said Thursday, as more heavy rain was forecast in the area. Some 330 people were rescued in the flooding emergency in New South Wales state north of Sydney. The area has been hit with heavy rain since Tuesday. The flooding exceeds local records set in 1929. News South Wales Premier Christopher Minns said some areas were forecast to receive as much as 30 centimetres of rain in the next 24 hours. He said 50,000 people were warned to prepare to evacuate or be isolated by floodwaters, telling reporters: We are bracing for more bad news. The body of a 63-year-old man was recovered from a flooded house in Moto in New South Wales on Wednesday afternoon, Fire and Rescue Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said. A coroner will determine whether a pre-existing medical condition played a part in his death, he added. Three people including a 60-year-old woman, a 25-year-old man and a 49-year-old man
The Uttar Pradesh government has approved Rs 200 crore for flood protection projects in the vulnerable districts ahead of the monsoon season, officials said on Sunday. According to an official statement, the funds will focus on strengthening the embankments along the Saryu, Ganga, Rapti and Rohin rivers. The irrigation department has been directed to urgently implement the state and NABARD-funded projects, which include building RCC pillars, embankment repairs, anti-erosion measures, and setting up new pumping stations, the statement said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has emphasised timely completion of the projects and zero tolerance for negligence, it added. The key projects include allocations for pumping stations and embankment work at Gorakhpur, bridge replacements at Amethi, embankment strengthening at Shravasti, slope pitching at Azamgarh, anti-erosion measures at Ghazipur, protection work at Bulandshahr, and embankment construction at Sitapur, the statement said.
Weather extremes of 2024 are wreaking havoc with how water moves around the planet, contributing to ferocious floods and crippling droughts, according to a new report. India saw record-high precipitation, along with countries in West Africa and Europe, it found. Global warming, caused by fossil fuel burning, is increasing the strength and rainfall intensity of monsoons, cyclones and other storm systems, an international ream of researchers, led by those at The Australian National University (ANU), said. "2024 was a year of extremes but was not an isolated occurrence. It is part of a worsening trend of more intense floods, prolonged droughts, and record-breaking extremes," lead author Albert van Dijk, a professor of water science and management, ANU, said. About four billion people, or half the world's population, from across 111 countries are estimated to have experienced their warmest year yet. "Rising sea surface temperatures intensified tropical cyclones and droughts in the Amaz
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Centre and the Karnataka government should resolve the issue of release of financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the state for drought management. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, requested a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan that he needed some time to file an affidavit in the matter. "You should resolve it," the bench said. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by the Karnataka government seeking a direction to the Centre to release financial assistance from the NDRF to the state for drought management. During the hearing, the bench asked, "How much amount is released so far?" The counsel appearing for Karnataka said the state requested for Rs 18,171 crore and has been granted Rs 3,819 crore. The bench posted the matter for further hearing in January. On April 29, the Centre told the apex court that around Rs 3,400 crore has been released to the Karnataka governme
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry remain on high alert, battling relentless rainfall and looming flood threats, even as Cyclone Fengal weakens in the region
Rescuers in Indonesia recovered 16 bodies under tons of mud and rocks or that were swept away in flash floods that hit mountainside villages on Sumatra Island, officials said Monday. Six people are still missing, officials said. Mud, rocks and trees tumbled down a mountain after torrential rains over the weekend and rivers burst their banks, tearing through four hilly districts in North Sumatra province, washing away houses and destroying farms. Police, soldiers and rescue workers used excavators, farm equipment and their bare hands to sift through the rubble looking for the dead and missing in Semangat Gunung, a resort area in Karo district, said Juspri M. Nadeak, who heads the local disaster management agency. Rescuers recovered six bodies after a landslide hit two houses and a cottage late Sunday, he said. Nine injured people managed to escape, he said. Rescuers on Monday were still searching for four missing people, including two children. Rescuers on Sunday pulled two bodies