Page 16 - Natural Disasters

Foxconn cancels first shift at Indian iPhone facility after extreme weather

Foxconn's operations in the facility near the south Indian city of Chennai were likely to resume after the first shift, the sources said

Centre should extend all help to states affected by cyclone: Congress chief

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday urged the Centre to provide all possible help to states affected by Cyclone Michaung. In a post on X, Kharge said it is distressing to witness the impact of the cyclone in Tamil Nadu, where precious lives have been lost. "The cyclone is expected to make its presence felt in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Puducherry, and may cause heavy rains in Jharkhand. "All the state governments must receive every possible assistance from the Union Government in this hour of need. We must be together to avert any crisis," the Congress chief said. Asserting that the safety of the people is paramount, he also requested the Congress workers to provide all help to fellow citizens. Cyclone Michaung wreaked havoc in Chennai and its suburbs on Monday, leaving five people dead. The cyclone is likely to move nearly northwards parallel and close to the south Andhra Pradesh coast and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam, close

Cyclone Michaung: 8 people dead, subways, roads closed in Tamil Nadu

"Traffic has been closed on Manjambakkam to Vadaperumbakkam Road due to the release of water from the Puzhal Lake," police said on Tuesday

Cyclone Michaung: Massive waterlogging in Chennai, Koovam River rages

Fields in several parts of Machilipatnam in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh were submerged due to rainfall and waterlogging as an impact of Severe Cyclonic Storm Michaung

IMD forecast offers some respite for Chennai, predicts light rainfall

- North coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are expected to experience light to moderate rainfall in most places and isolated heavy rainfall on Tuesday morning, decreasing thereafter, according to the latest IMD bulletin. The forecast of reduced rainfall intensity comes as a relief after Cyclone Michaung wreaked havoc across Chennai and adjoining districts, causing flooding and disrupting normal life on Monday. Residents in some parts of Chennai reported no rain since early hours on Tuesday and mentioned that power services had been restored in those areas. However, train services to and from the city remain suspended. The latest bulletin from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) states that coastal Andhra Pradesh will also continue to receive light to moderate rainfall at most places. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Tuesday. Additionally, exceptionally heavy rainfall

Magnitude 5.1 earthquake shakes Turkey; No damage, injuries reported

A moderately strong earthquake struck northwest Turkiye on Monday, sending people out into the streets in fear. There was no immediate report of injuries or damage. The magnitude 5.1 earthquake was centred in the Sea of Marmara, off the town of Gemlik in Bursa province, according to the disaster management agency, AFAD. It struck at 10:42 a.m. local time (07:42 GMT), at a depth of some 9 kilometres. HaberTurk television said it was felt in Istanbul and other nearby regions where people left homes and offices in fear. In February, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated 11 southern and southeastern Turkish provinces as well as part of northern Syria. More than 50,000 people were killed in Turkiye.

11 bodies recovered, 22 missing after volcanic eruption in Indonesia

The bodies of 11 climbers were recovered Monday after a furious eruption of the Mount Marapi volcano as Indonesian rescuers searched for at least 22 others reportedly missing. Mount Marapi in Agam district in West Sumatra province spewed thick columns of ash as high as 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) into the sky in a sudden eruption Sunday and hot ash clouds spread several miles (kilometers). Villages and nearby towns were blanketed by tons of volcanic debris. About 75 climbers started their way up the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) mountain on Saturday and became stranded. Eight of those rescued Sunday were rushed to hospitals with burn wounds and one also had a broken limb, said Hari Agustian, an official at the local Search and Rescue Agency in Padang, the provincial capital. West Sumatra's Search and Rescue Agency head Abdul Malik said rescuers on Monday morning found 11 bodies of climbers as they searched for those who still missing and rescued three others. The evacuation proces

Himachal CM distributes Rs 11.31 cr to disaster-affected families in Solan

The compensation included rupees three lakh each as the first installment to 377 families whose houses were completely damaged due to the monsoon-led disaster

India saw extreme weather almost daily in first 9 months this year: Report

India experienced extreme weather events almost every day in the first nine months of this year which led to nearly 3,000 deaths, according to a report released on Wednesday. Published by the independent think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the report said the climate-vulnerable country had extreme weather on 86 per cent of days from January to September 2023. The CSE said 2,923 people died, almost two million hectares of crops were ruined, 80,000 homes were destroyed and more than 92,000 animals were killed. But these numbers might be even higher because not all the data is collected, it said. "'India 2023: An assessment of extreme weather events' attempts to build an evidence base on the frequency and expanding geography of extreme weather events in the country. As this assessment clearly shows, what the country has witnessed so far in 2023 is the new 'abnormal' in a warming world," said the CSE director general Sunita Narain. Madhya Pradesh reported the highest .

All trapped workers safe, says CM Dhami on Uttarkashi tunnel collapse

The NDRF teams say they have been able to establish communication with the trapped workers and all of them are in a safe position

Sikkim flood: Part of NH-10 highway restored for 4-wheeler movement

Over two weeks after parts of Sikkim were devastated by a flash flood, the authorities have opened the damaged National Highway 10 for one-way movement for four-wheelers, according to a government notification on Saturday. People now can use NH-10, considered the lifeline for the state, to drive between Sikkim's capital Gangtok and Siliguri in West Bengal for 12 hours from 6 am. The transport department notification also provided two routes for heavy vehicles to move between these two places, avoiding the NH-10. The government has taken several measures so that prices of essential commodities such as food items and medicines do not escalate, as the suggested routes are longer than the ones used to be taken earlier, the notification said. The flash flood in the Teesta river that hit the Himalayan state in the wee hours of October 4 left at least 78 people dead in Sikkim and northern West Bengal. In its 7 pm bulletin on Saturday, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA

Afghanistan earthquake death toll over 4000, nearly 2,000 houses destroyed

The Ministry of Disaster Management of Afghanistan has announced that on Saturday that 1,983 residential houses have also been destroyed in 20 villages in Herat

Sikkim flood: 62 missing people found alive, death toll rises to 33

The toll in the flash flood in Sikkim rose to 30 as four more bodies were found on Saturday, while 62 people who were reported missing for the past three days were found alive, a government agency said here. The number of missing people thus came down to 81, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin on Saturday evening. An inter-ministerial central team will visit the flood-hit state from Sunday to assess the damage due to the natural calamity, Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra said here. The flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday affected 41,870 people in four districts of the Himalayan state, with Mangan bearing the brunt of the calamity as a population of around 30,300 were hit by the disaster, it said. The other three affected districts are Gangtok, Pakyang and Namchi. Of the 30 deaths - four were in Mangan, six in Gangtok district, 19 in Pakyong and one in Namchi. The report said that the 19 deceased peop

Two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes kill nearly 100, injure 500 in Afghanistan

Two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes killed at least 15 and injured nearly 40 others in western Afghanistan on Saturday, said a spokesperson for the country's national disaster authority. Mohammad Abdullah Jan said four villages in the Zenda Jan district in Herat bore the brunt of the quakes and aftershocks. Dozens of houses have been damaged. The United States Geological Survey reported the 6.3 magnitude tremblors. It said the epicentre was 40 kilometres (24.8 miles) northwest of Herat city. There was an aftershock with a 5.5 magnitude. A map on the USGS website indicates seven earthquakes in the area. At least five powerful earthquakes struck the city around noon, Herat city resident Abdul Shakor Samadi said. All people are out of their homes, Samadi said. Houses, offices and shops are all empty and there are fears of more earthquakes. My family and I were inside our home, I felt the quake. His family began shouting and ran outside, afraid to return indoors. Telephone connections went

Central team to visit flood-hit Sikkim from Sunday to assess damage: Govt

An inter-ministerial central team will visit flood-hit Sikkim from Sunday to assess the damage due to the natural calamity, Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra said. Mishra, the union minister of state for home affairs, arrived here on Saturday for a three-day visit to the Himalayan state. He said the Centre has been monitoring the flood situation in Sikkim and assured the state administration of all necessary support and assistance. Mishra held a meeting with Chief Secretary V B Pathak and senior officials of the state government, army and other organisations. "The Centre is closely monitoring the situation in Sikkim and all the necessary support and assistance for the state is underway," Mishra said. Officials of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDC) and NHPC Ltd were also present at the meeting. Mishra also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Global infra faces losses worth $300 bn due to climate change: Report

The report said the annual investment required to fund the infrastructure deficit, achieve the sustainable development goals, and strengthen resilience by 2050 is about to $9.2 trillion

Cabinet Secy reviews situation in Sikkim, emphasises evacuation of people

Gauba's directions came while chairing the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting

8 dead, 23 army men among 49 missing as flash flood wreaks havoc in Sikkim

At least eight people died and 49 others, including 23 army personnel, went missing on Wednesday after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta River basin, officials said. Three of the dead were washed up in north Bengal, they said. The flood in Sikkim that started around 1.30 am was made worse by the release of water from Chungthang dam, the officials said. Five bodies have been recovered from Golitar and Singtam region, Gangtok Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mahendra Chettri said. Another official said besides the 23 army personnel, 26 civilians were also missing, while 45 people rescued, including 18 injured. A steel bridge at Singtam, known as Indreni bridge, 30 km from the state capital Gangtok has been completely washed away by Teesta river water early Wednesday, the official said. The Sikkim government, in a notification, said the natural calamity has been declared as a disaster. The release of water from the Chungthang dam led

People moving to high flood zones, increasing risk of disasters: Study

Far more people are in harm's way as they move into high flood zones across the globe, adding to an increase in watery disasters from climate change, a new study said. Since 1985, the number of the world's settlements in the riskiest flood zones has increased 122 per cent, compared to 80 per cent for the safest areas, according to a study in Wednesday's journal Nature by researchers at The World Bank. The authors looked at settlement extent and expansion using satellites instead of population, with the world's built-up regions growing 85 per cent overall from 1985 to 2015. People are on a search for better lives and better jobs and then sort of get stuck in bad lands because that's what they can afford, said study co-author Stephane Hallegatte, a World Bank senior climate adviser and expert on disaster economics. He said they know it's dangerous when they arrive. The problem is driven by middle- and low-income countries, the study found. Richer countries like the United States and

Earthquake of magnitude 6.3 jolts Philippines, no loss of life reported

An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 on the Richer scale jolted the Philippines on Wednesday, the National Centre of Seismology (NCS) informed through a post on social media.The earthquake occurred at 16:51:49 IST on Wednesday, at a depth of 160 kms."Earthquake of Magnitude:6.3, Occurred on 04-10-2023, 16:51:49 IST, Lat: 5.34 & Long: 126.43, Depth: 160 Km, Location: Philippines," read a post on the official handle of NCS on X.Earlier in June, a deep earthquake shook parts of the Philippines, southwest of the capital. The 6.2 magnitude earthquake on Thursday morning near Hukay, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) below the earth's surface, the US Geological Survey said.Deep quakes are often widely felt but with less potential to cause major damage. Hukay is about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Manila.Earlier, two strong earthquakes of magnitudes 6.2 and 4.6 struck Nepal on Tuesday, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported, adding that the tremors were felt across large parts of ...