Page 14 - Natural Disasters

5 dead, over 100 injured in Jalpaiguri cyclone; WB CM Mamata meets victims

Four people died and over 100 were injured as a sudden storm wreaked havoc in parts of Jalpaiguri district in northern West Bengal on Sunday, officials said. Several hutments and houses were damaged, trees uprooted and electric poles came crashing down as strong winds accompanied by hail struck most parts of the district headquarters town and many areas of neighbouring Mainaguri, they said. Among the most affected areas were Rajarhat, Barnish, Bakali, Jorpakdi, Madhabdanga and Saptibari, the officials said, adding that several acres of agricultural land and crops suffered damages. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the storm, and said he had spoken with officials and asked them to ensure proper assistance to those affected by it. "My thoughts are with those affected by the storms in Jalpaiguri-Mainaguri areas of West Bengal. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones," Modi said on X. "I would also urge all @BJP4Bengal Karyakartas to assist those .

Natural calamities pushed disaster damages above $100 billion in 2023

In the US, homeowners are already struggling under rising insurance premiums

6.9 magnitude quake in Papua New Guinea kills 3, wrecks nearly 1,000 homes

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake has hit a remote part of western Papua New Guinea killing at least three people and causing extensive damage to around 1,000 homes, officials said. The quake rocked the East Sepik region at about 6.20 am Sunday (2020 GMT Saturday) near the town of Ambunti, about 470 miles (756 kilometres) northwest of the capital of Port Moresby, and at a depth of 25 miles (about 40 kilometres), according to reports by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. East Sepik province Governor Allan Bird posted on Facebook Sunday that initial estimates show the earthquake had destroyed about 1,000 homes in the area which was already dealing with widespread flooding from earlier in March. The flooding actually covers an area more than 800 kilometres long, and so there's about maybe 60 or 70 villages involved all along the Sepik River, Bird told the ABC on Monday. Local emergency crews were already active in the region because of the flooding when the earthquake struck. The floo

Death toll from heavy rains in southeastern states of Brazil jumps to 23

Heavy rains in Brazil this weekend killed at least 23 people in the southeastern states of Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo. Espirito Santos' state government said Sunday that 15 people died and almost 5,000 were out of their homes due to heavy rains falling since Friday night. Rio authorities reported eight deaths Saturday. Thirteen deaths in Espirito Santo were registered in Mimoso do Sul, a countryside city 74 kilometers (46 miles) south of the state capital, Vitoria. Rescue teams in both states had to stop their work Friday night because of risks of new landslides, with efforts restarting Saturday afternoon. Mayors and governors of Brazil's southeast region had alerted residents of potential problems for the weekend since Thursday.

4.3 magnitude earthquake hits Western Nepal, no damage, casuality reported

An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Ricther scale hit Western Nepal on Monday evening. However, there was no report of any damage or casuality. The 4.3 magnitude earthquake with epicentre located at Judaga hit the Bajura district at 4:56 pm, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre in Kathmandu. Western Nepal has been witnessing tremors quite frequently in the recent past.

Earthquake of magnitude 3.2 hits Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul, Spiti

Tremors were felt in parts of Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul and Spiti after a magnitude 3.2 earthquake hit the district on Monday afternoon, officials said. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 5 km. No reports of loss of life or property have been received so far, they said. The tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti falls in seismic zone IV, which is a high damage risk zone.

Organisations work to help dozens of families displaced by Texas wildfires

A gush of red-coloured water spilled from an air tanker on Sunday as it flew over the eastern side of the Smokehouse Creek fire, one of several wildfires that have burned over 1.2 million acres in the northern Texas Panhandle. As firefighters battle against strong winds in their efforts to contain the unprecedented wildfires in the Texas Pandhandle, humanitarian organizations are pivoting their attention to victims who have lost their homes and livelihoods in the blazes. Residents began clearing affected property on Saturday, and by Sunday the extent of the loss began mounting. Julie Winters, the executive director for Hutchinson County United Way, said the organization has heard estimates of over 150 homes being impacted in the county, noting that the fires extend to at least five other counties. "We already know that a large group of people are uninsured who lost their homes. So without monetary assistance, it's going to be very hard for them to start back over," Winters said. A

World Civil Defence Day 2024: All you need to know about civil defence

World Civil Defence Day, inter alia, promotes joint effort and participation among countries to reinforce resilience and reaction capacities in the face of developing dangers and challenges

Texas nuclear weapons facility pauses operations amid widespread wildfires

Rapidly moving Texas wildfires on Tuesday prompted evacuation orders in small towns and shut down a nuclear facility as strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fuelled the blaze in the state's rural Panhandle. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties as the largest fire burned nearly 400 square miles (1,040 square kilometres), according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. That is more than twice its size since the fire sparked Monday. Authorities have not said what might have caused the blaze, which tore through sparsely populated counties surrounded by rolling plains. Texans are urged to limit activities that could create sparks and take precautions to keep their loved ones safe, Abbott said. The largest blaze, known as the Smokehouse Creek Fire, closed highways and remained 0 per cent contained as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Forest Service. The main facility that assembles and disassembles America's nuclear arsenal shut

CM Sukhu presents supplementary Budget of Rs 10,307 cr for 2023-24

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday presented the first and last instalment of the Supplementary budget of Rs 10,307.59 crore, including Rs 7,267.41 crore under State Schemes and Rs 3,040.18 crore under centrally sponsored schemes. Presenting the demands, Sukhu said that major expenditure proposed under the State Schemes included Rs 3,367.76 crore for repayment of ways and means, advance/overdraft, 696.44 crore for water supply and sanitation, Rs 598.71 crore for pensions and other retirement benefits, Rs 442.09 crore for assistance to Himachal Road Transport Corporation, Rs 279.32 crore for construction of hospitals, HIMCARE yojana and Mukhya Mantri Chikitsa Sahayata Kosh. A sum of Rs 215.02 crore proposed for roads and bridges, Rs 110.76 crore construction of multipurpose buildings, Mini Dwarka, Secretariats, State Guest House in New Delhi and maintenance of various office building, Rs 110.67 crore rail projects, Rs 102.47 crore for Urban Local Bodies

Himachal suffered loss of Rs 9,905 cr due to heavy rains: Revenue minister

Himachal Pradesh suffered losses to the tune of Rs 9,905.77 crore due to heavy rains during monsoon in 2023, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said in his reply to a question of Congress MLA Rajinder Rana. Negi said that Rs 1,254.22 crore rupees were released to the districts and various departments for relief and Rs 483.16 crore have been released for compensation. No special package has been provided by the central government for disaster relief to the state and a total of Rs 787.25 crore has been given to the state, he said. Replying to another question of Chaitanya Sharma (Congress), Industry Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said that online registration of workers would be done and gaps would be reviewed. He said that 80 per cent employment is being given to the state's youths in many industries but this is not happening in some industries. He said that Rs 350 per day is given to unskilled labourers, Rs 387 to semi-skilled, Rs 435 to skilled and Rs 518 to highly skilled labourers

Highlights of the day: Bengal transferring money to 2.1 mn MGNREGA workers

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Death toll from Chile's wildfires reaches 131, more than 300 people missing

The death toll from wildfires that ravaged central Chile for several days increased to 131 on Tuesday, and more than 300 people were still missing as the blazes appeared to be burning themselves out. The fires in Valparaiso are said to be Chile's deadliest disaster since an earthquake in 2010. Officials have suggested that some could have been intentionally set. President Gabriel Boric during a visit to the region announced that furniture used for the 2023 Pan American Games will be donated to victims. He said the government also will forgive the water bills for 9,200 affected homes. The fires began Friday on the mountainous eastern edge of Vina del Mar, a beach resort known for a festival that attracts the best in Latin music. Two other towns, Quilpe and Villa Alemana, also were hit hard as the fires spread quickly in dry weather and strong winds. The Vina del Mar Festival cancelled its opening gala as a sign of mourning. Many participating singers including Alejandro Sanz, Pablo

Los Angeles sees more than 300 mudslides during storm, no deaths reported

One of the wettest storms in Southern California history began to ease up on Tuesday after bombarding Los Angeles with nearly half of its seasonal rainfall in just two days. Although the rain was tapering off, the threat of potentially deadly landslides persisted. The slow-moving storm that parked itself over the region on Monday and dumped a record amount of rain on sections of the nation's second-largest city could linger into Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. Scattered showers and possible thunderstorms were expected to bring light to moderate rain to the region, but some places could get brief yet fierce downpours that could dump up ton an inch (roughly 2.5 centimeters) of rain in an hour. Crews have responded to 307 mudslides and five buildings have been deemed uninhabitable since the atmospheric river-fuelled storm moved into the region over the weekend, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said at a news conference on Tuesday. Despite the torrents of rain, ...

Death toll rises to 112 as wildfires continue to wreak havoc in Chile

President Gabriel Boric announced on Sunday, following his visit to the affected districts, that Monday and Tuesday would be designated as national mourning days in honour of the fire victims

Earthquake of 4.0 magnitude hits Gujarat's Kutch district; no casualties

An earthquake of 4.0 magnitude hit Gujarat's Kutch district on Sunday evening but there is no report of damage to property and life, officials said. The epicentre of the earthquake was located near Bhachau in Kutch district, as per the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR). The tremor was recorded at 4:45 pm on Sunday with its epicentre around 21 km north, northwest (NNW) from Bhachau, the ISR said in its latest update. "No damage to property or life was reported as per the preliminary information," said Kutch collector Amit Arora. Kutch district is located in a "very high risk" seismic zone, and tremors of lower intensity are a regular occurrence. In 2001, a massive earthquake shook the Kutch district affecting several towns and villages, killing around 13,800 people and leaving 1.67 lakh injured.

Colombia declares disaster over wildfires, asks for international help

Colombia's government declared a disaster on Thursday and asked for international help to combat raging wildfires that are expected to worsen in coming days due to warm, dry conditions associated with the El Nio weather phenomenon. Officials raised the number of fires from 25 to 31, and said nine of them were under control. They did not order mandatory evacuations despite some fires burning in the mountains that surround some municipalities. President Gustavo Petro said Chile, the United States, Peru and Canada have already responded to the call for help, without specifying when the assistance will arrive to the South American country. The government also asked for aid from the United Nations and European Union. To the extent that we know that in the coming days and weeks crisis events are going to increase, we want to make sure that we have the physical capacity to address and mitigate them, Petro said. Colombia's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies repo

Remaining landslide victims found in China, bringing death toll to 44

The bodies of the remaining victims of a landslide in southwestern China were recovered Thursday, bringing the death toll to 44 after four days of searching through the rubble of dirt and crumbled homes, state media said. The final body was found in the evening, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which posted photos of excavators and teams of searchers in orange uniforms and helmets, part of a contingent of more than 1,000 rescuers. The landslide slammed into houses at the foot of a slope early Monday morning in Liangshui, a village in a remote and mountainous part of Yunnan province. It left a barren swath on the slope after hitting the village, which sits between snow-covered, terraced fields. Two survivors were found on Monday. A preliminary investigation found that the landslide had been triggered by the collapse of a steep clifftop area, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It did not elaborate on the cause of the initial collapse. Rescuers struggled with snow, icy roa

Death toll in China landslide rises to 31 while 16 people still missing

The death toll from a landslide that struck southwest China's mountainous Yunnan province has climbed to 20, with 24 people still missing, local authorities said on Tuesday. The landslide occurred in Liangshui Village in the city of Zhaotong at about 6 a.m. on Monday, trapping a total of 47 people. At least 20 people have been found dead, while 24 others remain missing, state-run CGTN news channel reported. The Ministry of Emergency Management upgraded the emergency response level to the second-highest level from the Level-III emergency response for disaster relief activated by the Provincial Commission for Disaster Reduction immediately after the landslide. The ministry dispatched teams to the disaster-hit area to guide the rescue and relief work, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. The Chinese government has allocated funds totalling 50 million yuan (about USD 7 million) to support disaster relief and emergency rescue work focusing on search and rescue, the relocation

8 killed, 39 people missing as landslide strikes southwest China region

At least eight people were killed and 39 others went missing after a landslide struck southwest China's mountainous Yunnan province on Monday. The disaster struck the Liangshui village of Zhaotong city at 5:51 am Beijing time, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Eight people were confirmed dead in the landslide, official media reports said. As many as 39 others are missing. All the 47 victims are from 18 different households, rescue officials said. Over 500 residents were evacuated from the landslide-hit areas as the provincial commission for disaster reduction activated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief, state-run CCTV reported. Efforts are on to rescue the people trapped under the landslide, official media reported. A total of 795 rescue workers equipped with one drone and 120 vehicles, including excavators, loaders and transport vehicles, are carrying out search and rescue work at the site. As many as 33 firefighting vehicles and 10 loading machines are