Page 23 - Natural Disasters

Strong quake injures nearly 36 people in north Philippines; airport shut

A strong earthquake rocked a large swath of the northern Philippines, injuring at least 36 people and forcing the closure of an international airport and the evacuation of patients in a hospital, officials said on Wednesday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Tuesday night's magnitude 6.4 quake, which was set off by movement of a local fault, was centred 9 kilometres (5 miles) northwest of Lagayan town in Abra province at a depth of 11 kilometres (7 miles). The US Tsunami Warning System said no warning or advisory was issued. The quake was felt across a wide area of the main northern Luzon region, including in some parts of metropolitan Manila, more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Abra. At least 10 people received mostly minor injuries in Abra, mainly from falling debris, and 26 others were injured in Ilocos Norte, the home province of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The international airport in Ilocos Norte's capital city of Laoag was closed on ..

Strong earthquake injures dozens in northern Philippines, shuts airport

A strong earthquake rocked a large swathe of the northern Philippines, injuring at least 26 people and forcing the closure of an international airport and the evacuation of patients in a hospital, officials said Wednesday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Tuesday night's magnitude 6.4 quake, which was set off by movement in a local fault, was centred 9 km (5 miles) northwest of Lagayan town in Abra province at a depth of 11 km (7 miles). The US Tsunami Warning System said no warning or advisory was issued. The quake was felt across a wide area of the main northern Luzon region, including in some parts of metropolitan Manila, more than 400 km (248 miles) south of Abra. At least 26 people were injured in Ilocos Norte, the home province of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, where the international airport in the capital city of Laoag was ordered to close temporarily Wednesday due to damage from the quake, police and civil aviation officials said. In Batac city

Cyclone Sitrang: Over 1,000 people of 83 villages affected in Assam

The situation in Assam continues to remain grim on Tuesday as nearly 1100 people of 83 villages have been affected by the deluge caused by the cyclonic storm 'Sitrang'.

Cyclone Sitrang weakens into deep depression over Bangladesh: IMD

As the cyclonic storm "Sitrang" crossed the Bangladesh coast, its remnant which created a deep depression over Bangladesh further weakened into a depression, informed IMD scientist Umashankar Das

6.7-magnitude earthquake hits northern Philippines; damage expected

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 jolted northern Philippines on Tuesday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said, adding that it might cause damage.

TMS Ep288: Samvat 2079, T20 World Cup 2022, Rakesh Mohan, disaster relief

What's in store for the markets this week? What makes T20 World Cup 2022 different? What's economist Rakesh Mohan's view on inflation? What is a disaster relief fund? All answers here

What is a disaster relief fund?

Cyclonic storms, excess rains wreak havoc, triggering floods and landslides. Such calamities need govt intervention, which in turn, taps into the disaster relief funds. Let's find out more about it

Cyclone 'Sitrang' brings rain, high wind dampening Diwali cheer in Bengal

As cyclone 'Sitrang' moved north-northeastwards and lay 260 km southeast of Sagar island on Monday, the Met department warned of heavy rain in coastal Bengal and northeastern states, dampening festive spirits on Diwali and Kali Puja. Intermittent showers since morning forced people to remain indoors as most Kolkata streets wore a deserted look on a festive evening which would normally have attracted tens of thousands to visit marquees with idols of Goddess Kali and see the bring lights of the city. Squally wind accompanied by light to moderate rain affected the coastal districts of the state, while Kolkata also witnessed an overcast sky with light precipitation. Moving at a speed of 33 kmph in a north-northeastward direction, cyclone 'Sitrang' lay 260 kmph southeast of Sagar island at 2.30 pm over the northwest Bay of Bengal and is very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm, packing wind speed of 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph by Monday night. It is likely t

Bangladesh evacuates over 219,000 people amid approaching cyclone: Official

Bangladesh on Monday evacuated over 2.19 lakh people to safety as cyclone Sitrang approached the nation's southwestern coastlines and is expected to make a landfall around midnight, according to a senior official from the ministry of Disaster Management. Mohammmad Moniruzzaman, the spokesperson of the Disaster Management Ministry, said that Bangladeshi authorities have kept ready 6,925 cyclone centers expecting the last person exposed to cyclone dangers to take refuge there. At least 219,990 people have been taken to cyclone centers in 15 coastal districts by 5 pm on Monday, Moniruzzaman told PTI. Moniruzzaman's comments came as southwestern coastal districts already started witnessing the impacts of the cyclone's tip while incessant rains gripped most parts of the country, including Dhaka. The met office, meanwhile, said the epicenter of the cyclone advanced further and was located 170 kilometres south-southwest off Payra Seaport, 220 km south-southwest off Mongla seaport, 275 km

Bengal govt prepares to deal with adverse situations due to cyclone Sitrang

The West Bengal government has taken all precautionary measures, including evacuation of people and supply of relief materials to shelters, to deal with possible devastation under the impact of cyclone 'Sitrang', a senior official said on Monday. Several teams of the disaster management department along with SDRF and NDRF personnel have been posted in coastal areas of the state, he said. "No tourists and fishermen are being allowed to go into the sea. Special teams of police along with State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed. We are not taking chances," a senior official told PTI. Administrations of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur have been kept on alert as 'Sitrag' is expected to bring in its wake heavy to very heavy rain and wind reaching speed of 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph, in these districts, he said, citing the Met department bulletin. The weather system is expected to make a landfall ..

UN chief Guterres seeks early-warning coverage for global climate disasters

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he will soon launch a plan for universal early-warning coverage for climate disasters

Odisha government starts prepping for upcoming 'cyclone season'

The Odisha government has asked its officials to prepare for possible cyclones over the next two months despite no such forecast by the weather office. Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra directed officials concerned to take all precautionary measures at the state-level cyclone preparedness meeting on Monday. Odisha faces severe cyclonic storms in October and November, sometimes even till December 15. This two-and-a-half month is considered the "cyclone season" in the state, he said. "Odisha usually witnesses the wrath of cyclones during the withdrawal of monsoon in October and November. Odisha's geographical situation and climate change have also caused cyclones during the summers since 2019," he added. Regional Meteorological Centre director HR Biswas, who attended the meeting, said the IMD has not forecast any such cyclone for the next 15 days even as there are favorable conditions for a cyclonic storm. The chief secretary asked all the departments to remain prepared to deal with any

5.1-magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan's Fayzabad; third in 4 months

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hit Fayzabad, Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, the National Center for Seismology said.The earthquake struck 89 kilometre east of Fayzabad and had a depth of 112 km."Earthquake of Magnitude:5.1, Occurred on 11-10-2022, 04:53:06 IST, Lat: 36.91 & Long: 71.53, Depth: 112 Km, Location: 89km ESE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan," the National Center for Seismology tweeted.This quake follows June 22 earthquake that struck south-eastern Afghanistan, leading to wide-scale destruction across already vulnerable districts in Paktika, Paktya and Khost provinces.A second 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurred on July 18, with an epicentre in Spera district, only 3 km from the epicentre of the June 22 earthquake.In addition to the loss of life and devastating injury, the earthquake resulted in the destruction of critical infrastructure -- including homes, health facilities, schools and water networks -- leaving thousands vulnerable to further harm.The multi-sectoral ...

N Korea draws up guidelines for emergency health crisis, natural disasters

North Korea has come up with new guidelines on how to cope with the country's emergency health crisis and natural disasters at a key parliamentary meeting, its state media said on Friday

Uttarakhand's all-weather road project hamstrung by landslides, blockages

Owing to frequent and prolonged disruptions during monsoon, the 150-km Tanakpur-Pithoragarh stretch of the all-weather road' project has not been able to achieve its basic objective of providing uninterrupted connectivity to the India-China borders and smooth transportation of defence supplies. The stretch which is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious all-weather road project for Uttarakhand was closed more than 300 times due to landslides during monsoon over the past two years, officials said. "The stretch along NH-9 remained closed for 350 hours in 55 days in 2022 and 545 hours in 110 days in 2021," Champawat's District Disaster Management Officer (DDMO) Manoj Pandey said. The Pithoragarh portion of the road has been blocked since Tuesday, Pithoragarh DDMO BS Mahar said. The stretch has been blocked many times this monsoon, he added. "The road could be of an all-weather nature only after the landslide sensitive points are treated and a 167-metre-long bridge at Chalthi

Hurricane Ian one of strongest storms to make landfall in Florida, US

After rapidly intensifying over warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Ian slammed into southwestern Florida yesterday as a massive Category 4 storm

Hurricane warning extended in Florida ahead of potentially devastating Ian

A hurricane warning has been extended southward on the west coast of the southeastern US state of Florida to Chokoloskee, forecasters said

Typhoon Noru to bring heavy rainfall, thunderstorm to most of Laos

Typhoon Noru is expected to hit the central and southern provinces of Laos today, bringing heavy rain and thunderstorm to most of the country, Department of Meteorology and Hydrology said

Over 200,000 affected by natural disasters in Afghanistan: Report

Occurrences of floods and earthquakes across several provinces of Afghanistan have affected more than 2,23,000 people over the past several months, a UN report said

Powerful typhoon headed for Philippines strengthens; prompts evacuations

A powerful typhoon shifted and strengthened in an explosive intensification on Sunday, prompting evacuations from high-risk villages as it approached the northeastern Philippines where it might sideswipe the capital, officials said. Typhoon Noru was swirling at sea about 175 kilometres (110 miles) east of Infanta town in Quezon province with sustained winds of 195 kilometres (121 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 240 kph (149 mph) at midday. Forecasters expect it to smash into the coast later on Sunday. While blowing toward the archipelago, Noru shifted southward as it was pushed down by a high-pressure area to its north. It gained considerable strength from a storm that had sustained winds of 85 kph (53 mph) on Saturday to a super typhoon just 24 hours after in an explosive intensification at sea, Vicente Malano, who heads the country's weather agency, told The Associated Press. Thousands of villagers were evacuated, some forcibly, from the typhoon's path, as well as from ...