Page 12 - Natural Disasters

India announces financial aid of $1 mn for landslide-hit Papua New Guinea

India on Tuesday announced an immediate financial aid of USD 1 million to provide relief and assistance to people hit by a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea. A massive landslide hit Enga province of the island nation on May 24 that buried hundreds of people and caused major destruction. Over 2,000 people were killed in the landslide, according to media reports from that country. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep condolences and conveyed India's readiness to extend all possible support and assistance to the Pacific island country in its time of difficulty. "As a close friend and partner under the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) and as a gesture of solidarity with the friendly people of Papua New Guinea, the government of India extends an immediate relief assistance of USD 1 million to support relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts," it said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday

2,000 feared dead in Papua New Guinea landslide, challenges for rescuers

The Papua New Guinea government said more than 2,000 people are believed to have been buried alive in a landslide in the South Pacific island nation, after the side of a mountain came down in the early hours of Friday morning when the village of Yambali was asleep. The settlement is located in a restive and remote area in the interior of the poor, rural nation off the northern coast of Australia, making search and rescue efforts complicated and hazardous. The government death toll is roughly triple the UN estimate of 670 killed. The remains of only six people had been recovered so far. In a letter seen by The Associated Press to the United Nations resident coordinator dated Sunday, the acting director of Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Center Luseta Laso Mana said the landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive and caused major destruction at Yambali village in the Enga province. Estimates of the casualties have varied widely since the disaster occurred, and it was not ...

Cyclone Remal: CM Mamata thanks administration for taking adequate steps

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed concern regarding the impact of severe cyclone Remal in the state, emphasising that the relatively lower loss of lives amidst the calamity was largely attributable to the precautionary measures enforced by the administration. With five recorded deaths, one in the city and the remaining in districts, Banerjee underscored the necessity of immediate compensation for affected families, while assuring that the administration would adhere to legal protocols in distributing aid for crop and property damages. She pledged to address these issues more comprehensively post the withdrawal of the Model Code of Conduct following the ongoing elections. "West Bengal is a riverine state, on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Every year, we have to face various natural disasters. This time due to the impact of Cyclone Remal, our state has suffered a lot of damage," she wrote on X. "But above all, is human life. Fortunately and certainly due

Cyclone Remal ravages West Bengal, leaves millions without electricity

With winds gusting up to 135 kilometres per hour, severe cyclonic storm 'Remal' made landfall between the coasts of Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal, bringing heavy rains that flooded homes and farmland, and leaving a trail of destruction. The landfall process began at 8:30 pm on Sunday over the adjacent coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh between Sagar Island and Khepupara, near the southwest of Mongla in the neighbouring country. 'Remal' flattened fragile dwellings, uprooted trees and knocked down electric poles. One person was injured after being hit by debris in the Gosaba area of the Sundarbans. More than one lakh people were evacuated from vulnerable areas in West Bengal before the cyclone struck. "Severe cyclonic storm Remal made landfall between Sagar Island in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh on Sunday night with wind speeds reaching up to 135 kmph," the meteorological office said. News footage showed gigantic tidal waves crashing into a seawall in coastal res

Cyclone Remal update: IMD issues red alert in Tripura; 3 injured in Kolkata

Updates on Cyclone Remal: At least seven people died in Bangladesh, and millions were left without power. Services begin to resume as reports of the cyclone weakening emerge

Over 2,000 could be buried in Papua New Guinea landslide, says official

The landslide crashed through Yambali village in the country's north at around 3 a.m. on Friday while most of the community slept

Papua New Guinea govt says landslide buried 2,000; formally asks for help

The Papua New Guinea government said a landslide on Friday buried more than 2,000 people and has formally asked for international help. The government figure is around three times more than a United Nations' estimate of 670. In a letter seen by The Associated Press to the United Nations resident coordinator dated Sunday, the acting director of the South Pacific island nation's National Disaster Center said the landslide buried more than 2000 people alive and caused major destruction. Estimates of the casualties have varied widely since the disaster occurred, and it was not immediately clear how officials arrived the number of people affected. Australia prepared on Monday to send aircraft and other equipment to help at the site of a deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea as overnight rains in the South Pacific nation's mountainous interior raised fears that the tons of rubble that buried hundreds of villagers could become dangerously unstable. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marl

Oz plans aid to Papua New Guinea as rain raises fears at landslide site

Australia prepared on Monday to send aircraft and other equipment to help at the site of a deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea as overnight rains in the South Pacific nation's mountainous interior raised fears that the tons of rubble that buried hundreds of villagers could become dangerously unstable. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said his officials have been talking with their Papua New Guinea counterparts since Friday, when a mountainside collapsed on Yambali village in Enga province, which the United Nations estimates killed 670 people. The remains of only six people had been recovered so far. The exact nature of the support that we do provide will play out over the coming days, Marles told Australian Broadcasting Corp. We've got obviously airlift capacity to get people there. There may be other equipment that we can bring to bear in terms of the search and rescue and all of that we are talking through with PNG right now, Marles added. Papua New Guinea is Australia

Cyclone Remal: Assam braces for heavy rain, several districts on high alert

Several districts of Assam are on high alert in the wake of forecast for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from Monday under the impact of Cyclone Remal, which made landfall in neighbouring West Bengal and Bangladesh. The administration has urged people to maintain safety measures, and set up helpline numbers in case of emergency. The Northeast Frontier Railway, in a release, said 42 trains have been cancelled for two days from Monday. Several parts of Assam, including Guwahati, received rainfall since late Sunday evening, bringing down soaring mercury levels in the state. No reports of damage due to the impact of the cyclone have been received yet, official sources said. "Cyclone Remal can bring inclement weather in parts of Assam. We are taking several precautionary measures," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X. He added that teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are on standby and control rooms are operation

Tornadoes rip through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas; at least 18 dead

At least 15 people, including two kids, have died as powerful storms ravaged the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas in the central US, destroying homes and plunging thousands into darkness amid rising temperatures over the Memorial Day weekend. Seven fatalities were reported in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado Saturday night ripped through a rural area near a mobile home park, officials said. Storms also caused damage in Oklahoma, where guests at an outdoor wedding were injured. "It's just a trail of debris left. The devastation is pretty severe," Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington said. The dead included two children, aged 2 and 5, and three members of a family, the sheriff said. A tornado tore apart houses and businesses, flipped mobile homes and knocked down trees and power lines. Areas near the community of Valley View were especially hard-hit. Sappington said 60 to 80 people were injured at a truck stop called the AP Travel Center on Inters

Widespread rains cause damage to property in Kerala; heavy downpour likely

The ongoing spell of heavy rains in Kerala has affected normal life, with scores of houses suffering damage, roads being submerged, trees uprooted, flood water entering houses and trains running late as a result of the steady downpour that continued to lash the state on Saturday. Flood water entered houses, schools and shops located in low-lying areas of Kuttanad in coastal Alapuzha district. Potholes appeared on roads, posing a threat to vehicle users in many places there. Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department today forecast heavy rainfall at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, and Kottayam districts. At Kaikulangara in Kollam district, a family of four had a narrow escape as the tiled roof of their house collapsed due to heavy showers. Residents of the house escaped with minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital, police said. Another house in Kannettumukku here was completely damaged following downpour in the small hour

Disasters caused over half million internal displacements in 2023: Report

India experienced over half a million internal displacements due to floods, storms, earthquakes, and other disasters in 2023, a significant dip from around 2.5 million displacements in 2022, according to a global report released on Tuesday. In Delhi, identified as a "flood displacement hotspot", the Yamuna River overflowed after heavy rains on July 9, 2023, prompting authorities to evacuate residents from their homes. The report by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) said around 27,000 displacements in the national capital. On July 9, Delhi recorded 153 mm of rainfall in just 24 hours, the highest single-day rainfall since July 25, 1982. Overall, South Asia reported around 3.7 million internal displacements in 2023, with disasters causing 3.6 million, the lowest figure since 2018. Researchers attributed the decline in displacements due to disasters partly to the El Nino event, which brought below-average rainfall during the monsoon and a weaker cyclone

Brazil floods death toll rises to 90, dozens still stranded: Report

The flooding has hampered rescue efforts, with dozens of people still waiting to be evacuated by boat or helicopter from stricken homes

Over 15,000 houses damaged in hailstorm in Manipur: CM Biren Singh

Over 15,000 houses were damaged in the hailstorm that hit Manipur on Sunday, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said. Addressing a press conference on Monday, Singh said several vehicles were also damaged in the disaster. "The state sustained massive damage in yesterday's hailstorm. Further assessment is going on. So far, 15,425 houses have been severely damaged. The Imphal West district is worst affected with 6,053 houses being damaged," Singh said. "A total of 5,600 houses were damaged in Imphal East, while in Churachandpur district, 540 houses were damaged," he said. The hailstorm damaged 1,179 houses in Bishnupur, 800 houses in Thoubal, 292 in Kangpokpi, and 200 in Ukhrul, he added. Singh said 42 relief camps were opened following the disaster, and relief materials were being provided through the deputy commissioners. "A total of Rs 6.19 crore has been sanctioned to meet the relief expenses, of which Rs 50 lakh each for the valley districts and Rs 40 lakhs each for the hill distric

70 people killed by flooding in Kenya; more rain expected through weekend

Flooding and heavy rains in Kenya have killed at least 70 people since mid-March, a government spokesperson said on Friday, twice as many as were reported earlier this week. The East African country has seen weeks of heavy rains and severe flooding in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, as well as in the country's western and central regions. Kenya's government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Friday refuted claims that hundreds of people have died in the ongoing flooding and said the official tally now stands at 70. Five bodies were retrieved on Friday from a river in Makueni county, east of the country, after a lorry they were travelling in was swept off a submerged bridge, local station Citizen TV reported. Another 11 were rescued. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said on Friday at a news briefing that the government had set aside 4 billion Kenya shillings (USD 29 million) for emergency relief efforts, but did not provide further details. More than 130,000 people are currently affected with

Tipping point: Climate disasters have cost India over $120 bn since 2000

About 2 per cent of the total deaths in 2022 were due to forces of nature, NCRB data shows. Over 8,000 people lost their lives due to such events that year compared to 6,800 in 2018

Invest in 'resilient infra' to ease impact of natural disasters: PM Modi

Vulnerable nations must get international support, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says at international conference

Asia world's most 'disaster hit' region with rising climate crisis: Report

WMO climate report reveals record high temperatures in Asian countries with flooding and heat waves are major issues in India

Asia world's most disaster-prone region in 2023, shows WMO report

Asia continued to bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023, making it the world's most disaster-hit region, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization. Floods and storms led to the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses, and the impact of heat waves intensified, said the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) State of the Climate in Asia - 2023 report. According to the report, sea-surface temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean hit record highs, and even the Arctic Ocean experienced a marine heat wave. "Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heat waves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives and the environment that we live in," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. Citing

Heavy rains: UAE grapples with flood damage, death toll in Oman rises to 18

Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding out portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai. Meanwhile, the death toll in separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18 with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm. The rains began overnight, leaving massive ponds on streets as whipping winds disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel and the home of the long-haul carrier Emirates. Police and emergency personnel drove slowly through the flooded streets, their emergency lights flashing across the darkened morning. Lightning flashed across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. Schools across the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, largely shut ahead of the storm and government employees were largely working remotely if able. Many workers stayed home as well, though some ventured out, with the