Page 19 - Natural Disasters

1,000 evacuated as heavy rains create flood-like situation in Maha's Nanded

Nearly 1,000 people from Biloli tehsil in Maharashtra's Nanded district have been shifted to safer places as heavy rains created a flood-like situation in 12 villages, officials said on Friday. Rescue teams comprising revenue department personnel and others carried out the rescue operation from Thursday evening that continued till late night, a district administration official said. "Nearly 1,000 residents of 12 villages, including Harnali, Machnur, Biloli, Golegaon, Aarali, Kasarali, Belkoni, Kundalwadi and Ganjgaon, were moved to safety. There was a sudden increase in water level in these villages following rains, which created a flood-like situation," he said. People were shifted as water entered settlements and farms in these villages, he added. The rescued people were given temporary shelter in nearby Zilla Parishad-run schools or houses located in high-lying areas, the official said. Several local people also contributed to the rescue operation, he said.

3 earthquakes jolt Jaipur in span of half an hour, no casualties, damage

Three earthquakes were felt in Jaipur in the early hours of Friday in a span of half an hour.The latest earthquake of magnitude 3.4 occurred at around 4.25 am, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) reported. According to the NCS, it occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres."Earthquake of Magnitude:3.4, Occurred on 21-07-2023, 04:25:33 IST, Lat: 26.87 & Long: 75.69, Depth: 10 Km ,Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India," the National Center for Seismology (NCS) tweeted.Earlier the earth quake of magnitude 3.1 was felt at 4.22 am at a depth of 5 kilometres."Earthquake of Magnitude:3.1, Occurred on 21-07-2023, 04:22:57 IST, Lat: 26.67 & Long: 75.70, Depth: 5 Km ,Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India," the NCS tweeted.Prior to this, the first quake was felt at 4.09 am at a depth of 10 kilometres.The NCS had tweeted, "Earthquake of Magnitude:4.4, Occurred on 21-07-2023, 04:09:38 IST, Lat: 26.88 & Long: 75.70, Depth: 10 Km ,Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India."No reports of ...

Earthquake of magnitude 6.4 jolts El Salvador's San Salvador: Officials

An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 jolted Southeast of San Salvador, El Salvador on Wednesday early morning, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. According to NCS, the earthquake occurred at 05:52 am IST on July 19. The quake was recorded at a depth of 88 kilometers."Earthquake of Magnitude:6.4, Occurred on 19-07-2023, 05:52:10 IST, Lat: 12.74 & Long: -88.02, Depth: 88 Km, Location: 167 km SE of San Salvador, El Salvador," the NCS said in a tweet. No reports of casualties or damages have been reported. Earlier on Tuesday, an earthquake of magnitude 4.2 jolted 79 kilometres Southeast of Afghanistan's Fayzabad. According to NCS, the earthquake occurred at 1:28 pm on Tuesday. The quake was recorded at a depth of 110 Kilometers.This was the second quake to have taken place within a week.On July 15, an earthquake of magnitude 4.3 jolted 185 kilometres South-Southeast of Afghanistan's Fayzabad. According to NCS, the earthquake occurred at 12:49 am IST. The quake was recorded at .

Higher losses during disasters due to abysmally low insurance cover of 8%

Calling for out-of-the-box solutions to address the rising cases of natural disasters, which have since 2001 killed almost 85,000 people and thousands of crores in losses, a report has said the higher losses are due to the abysmally low insurance cover of just about 8 per cent. India has been ranked third, after the US and China, in recording the highest number of natural disasters since 1900. The country had 764 natural disasters, such as landslides, storms, earthquakes, floods, droughts etc since 1900, with 402 events occurring during 1900-2000 and 361 during 2001-22, indicating the preponderance of tail events at an alarming frequency and each such event setting new records of economic stress, SBI Research said in a report Monday. By disaster type, the country is marred mostly by floods. Almost 41 per cent of disasters that occurred were floods, followed by storms. Since 2001, as many as 100 crore people have been impacted, and almost 85,000 people lost their lives. And the coun

Centre approves release of Rs 7,352 crore disaster relief fund to 22 states

The fund is the primary fund available with state governments for responses to notified disasters

Earthquake of 4.1 magnitude, 150 km depth jolts Afghanistan, no casualties

An earthquake of magnitude 4.1 struck the Fayzabad region in Afghanistan on Thursday, reported National Centre for Seismology (NCS).The depth of the quake was reported at 150 km.According to NCS, it took place at 17:05:05 (IST) and the epicentre of the earthquake was found to be at Latitude- 36.85 and Longitude- 71.18, respectively."Earthquake of Magnitude:4.1, Occurred on 29-06-2023, 17:05:05 IST, Lat: 36.85 & Long: 71.18, Depth: 150 Km, Location: 62km ESE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan," the NCS stated in a tweet.Further details are awaited, and no reports of material damage or casualties are known as of yet.This is the second earthquake incident in Afghanistan's Fayzabad region in one week.On June 26, an earthquake of magnitude 4.2 struck the southeastern region of Fayzabad.

Flood situation deteriorates in Assam, nearly 120,000 people affected

The administration has been operating 14 relief camps in five districts, where 2,091 persons have taken shelter, and running 17 relief distribution centres in five districts

5 earthquakes hit Jammu region in a day, educational institutes shut

Five earthquakes jolted the Jammu region on Wednesday and triggered panic among residents, a day after a 5.4 magnitude quake hit the Doda district of the Union Territory. The fresh earthquakes have prompted the administration to shut down educational institutes in twin mountainous districts of Doda and Kishtwar. Officials said the earthquakes that occurred in the Jammu region on Wednesday causes some damage to property but there were no reports so far of any casualties. In Kishtwar, a 3.3 magnitude quake was recorded at 8.29 am. Its epicentre was at a depth of five kilometers, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). Prior to that, tremors of magnitude 3.5 were recorded in Doda at 7.56 am and the epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers, data from the NCS showed. Two more earthquakes were recorded in the early hours of the day as well. At 2.20 am, a 4.3 magnitude quake was recorded in the Doda district at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the data. The other

Mild tremor of 3.5 magnitude recorded in Gujarat's Kutch district

A tremor of 3.5 magnitude was recorded in Gujarat's Kutch district on Wednesday evening at a time when cyclone 'Biparjoy' is approaching the coast in the region, officials said. No damage to property or life was reported. The tremor was recorded at 5:05 PM at a distance of 5 km West South West (WSW) of Bhachau in Kutch district, the Institute of Seismological Research at Gandhinagar said in its update. The powerful cyclone is very likely to cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts and make landfall near Jakhau Port in Kutch by June 15 evening, according to Met department. Kutch district is located in a "very high risk" seismic zone, and earthquakes of lower intensity occur regularly there. The 2001 earthquake was the third largest and second most destructive in India over the last two centuries. A large number of towns and villages in Kutch district suffered extensive damage, killing thousands of people and leaving 1.67 lakh injured.

Natural disasters caused 2.5 mn internal displacements in India in 2022

Natural disasters, heavy floods and cyclones triggered around 2.5 million internal displacements in India in 2022, according to a report by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. South Asia witnessed 12.5 million internal displacements due to disasters in 2022 with 90 per cent of the movements in the region being triggered by floods. "All countries recorded flood displacement but Pakistan, India and Bangladesh were the most affected. Most movements occurred during the southwest monsoon between June and September," the report said. Last year, India and Bangladesh started to experience flooding even before the official onset of the monsoon season. Assam was affected by early floods in May and the same areas were once again flooded in June. Nearly five million people were affected across the state. Torrential rain that hit India in May also caused rivers to overflow in neighbouring Bangladesh, triggering nearly 5,500 displacements. Storms triggered around 1.1 mill

Natural disasters: 2.5 million displaced in India in 2022, shows data

Extreme weather events and disasters have been on the rise in the region

Sinking town Joshimath yet to see long term land subsidence measures

Nearly four months since Joshimath made headlines as the "sinking town", the gateway to Himalayan pilgrimage sites is yet to see enough curative steps that address the land subsidence issue, environmental experts have said. People in unsafe zones have been moved to safety, cracks in the roads filled and unsafe buildings demolished but environmentalists feel long-term measures to save the town from further damage are yet to be initiated. More than 100 days have passed since the crisis reared its head in early January but cracks have still not stopped appearing in the hill town, which is situated on old landslide rubble. The cracks that appeared in buildings, roads and public facilities in Joshimath have not widened further of late but sporadic appearances of newer ones leave no room for complacency, said locals. Atul Sati, the convenor of the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, told PTI, "Cracks are still appearing here and there." Sati was the first to raise the issue of land ...

Study says warming-fuelled killer tornados to hit South of US more often

America will probably get more killer tornado- and hail-spawning supercells as the world warms, according to a new study that also warns the lethal storms will edge eastward to strike more frequently in the more populous Southern states, like Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. The supercell storm that devastated Rolling Fork, Mississippi is a single event that can't be connected to climate change. But it fits that projected and more dangerous pattern, including more nighttime strikes in a southern region with more people, poverty and vulnerable housing than where storms hit last century. And the season will start a month earlier than it used to. The study in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society predicts a nationwide 6.6 per cent increase in supercells and a 25.8 per cent jump in the area and time the strongest supercells twist and tear over land under a scenario of moderate levels of future warming by the end of the century. But in certain areas in the South the ...

Mississippi tornadoes kill 23 people, destroy buildings overnight

Emergency officials in Mississippi said 23 people have been killed by tornadoes that tore through the state on Friday night, destroying buildings and knocking out power as severe weather that produced hail the size of golf balls moved through several southern states. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency confirmed there had been 23 deaths as of 6:20 a.m. Saturday with dozens of injuries and four people missing throughout the state. The agency said in a Twitter post that search and rescue teams from numerous local and state agencies were deployed along with personnel to assist those impacted by the tornadoes. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado caused damage about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of Jackson, Mississippi. The rural towns of Silver City and Rolling Fork reported destruction as the tornado swept northeast at 70 mph (113 kph) without weakening, racing towards Alabama through towns including Winona and Amory into the night. The National Weather Servi

Govt plans to establish 100 observatories to expand seismological network

India plans to establish 100 more observatories in the next two to three years to further enhance seismic monitoring capabilities, Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply, Singh said the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) maintains a network of 152 observatories for monitoring of seismic activity in and around the country. He said the National Seismological Network has a detection capability down to magnitude 3.0 earthquake for most parts of the country. Singh said natural disasters are triggered by natural processes and not always affected by the human consequences. However, vulnerability of any region is always affected by non-engineered structures, he said. "Thus, there is a need to devise proper mitigation strategies by adopting scientific and engineering solutions to reduce the associated risks," the minister said. He said seismic microzonation study was important as it helps generate inputs for constructing ...

Need proactive approach to minimise damage from natural disasters: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday pitched for a "proactive rather than reactive" approach and the use of future technologies in handling natural disasters to minimize damage. Inaugurating the third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) here, the prime minister said, "We cannot stop natural disasters but we can come up with systems to minimize damage from them." "We have to be proactive rather than reactive. What was the situation in the country (earlier) for being proactive and what is the situation now? Even after five decades of Independence, there was no law in the country to tackle disasters," he said. He said that after the 2001 earthquake in Kutch, Gujarat was the first state to come up with a disaster management act. On the basis of this act, the Centre enacted the National Disaster Management Act in 2005, he said. Subsequently the National Disaster Management Authority was set up. The prime minister said traditional housing and town plan

Uttarakhand: Chamoli DM inspects landslide-affected areas in Joshimath

The District Magistrate said that the buildings which have developed excessive cracks due to landslides should be evacuated and shifted to safer places

NZ cyclone fatalities reach 8; widespread flooding, landslides reported

The death toll from New Zealand's cyclone reached eight on Friday with more than 4,500 people still unaccounted for four days after the nation's most destructive weather event in decades brought widespread flooding, landslides and power outages, the prime minister said. Cyclone Gabrielle struck the country's north on Monday and the level of damage has been compared to Cyclone Bola in 1988. That storm was the most destructive on record to hit the nation of 5 million people. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said three more fatalities had been confirmed since Thursday and police held grave fears for other missing persons. Police report that there are 4,549 persons reported as uncontactable. A team of 80 people are working now to narrow down this list as quickly as possible and to prioritize contact with those who are most likely to be missing, Hipkins told reporters. Hipkins said he didn't know how far the death toll would climb. The thing is we don't know. We're not talking huge numbers

Seismic dangers

The disaster in Turkey and Syria holds lessons for India

J-K land subsidence: GSI team visits Doda after 19 houses develop cracks

Earlier in December the people in Doda started witnessing cracks in their residences