Page 6 - Natural Disasters

No provision to declare calamity as 'national disaster': Nityanand Rai

The MoS stated that the financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation

China provides Rs 3 cr assistance to Sri Lanka after natural disasters

China has provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs 30 million to compensate for damage caused due to natural disasters from January to October this year, the government said on Saturday. Furthermore, material assistance worth 10 million Yuan is expected from China under the Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Programme, a statement from the President's Media Division (PMD) said. Sri Lanka saw two rounds of massive flooding this year with over two dozen deaths and displacement of more than 50,000 people across the country. The Chinese financial assistance totaling approximately Rs 30 million has been forwarded to the Treasury, the PMD said. Earlier on October 30, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka had handed over USD 1,00,000 (approximately LKR 30 million) and relief material worth LKR 400 million as aid on flood relief to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In addition, the Department of National Budget has allocated further financial provisions to the Ministry of Defence for t

Govt strengthening SDRF for effective emergency response: Himachal CM

To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the emergency response system in Himachal Pradesh, the state government is working diligently to strengthen the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday. In this effort, the state government has taken two important decisions. First, the entire response framework will be unified under the additional director general of home guards and civil defence, ensuring a coordinated approach to any emergency or disaster management. Secondly, home guards will be assigned to SDRF for a period of two years to reinforce the system's capacity and resilience, a statement issued here said. "The state government is prioritising the strengthening of SDRF in view of the increasing frequency of cloudbursts and other natural disasters," Sukhu said in the statement. "The state government intends to make the system more organised and effective to safeguard lives and reduce losses. Himachal Pradesh is vulnerabl

Indonesian rescuers dig through volcanic ash after eruption kills 9

Rescue workers on Tuesday were sifting through smoldering debris and thick mud in search of survivors, a day after a volcano on Indonesia's remote island of Flores erupted with fury, killing at least nine people with its searing lava and ash. Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki spewed thick brownish ash as high as 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) into the air, and searing lava, gravel and ash were thrown up to seven kilometers (4.3 miles) from its crater, blanketing nearby villages and towns with tons of volcanic debris and forcing residents to flee. The National Disaster Management Agency on Tuesday lowered the known death toll from an earlier report of 10, saying it had received updated information from rescuers that a victim trapped under tons of debris in a collapsed house who was feared dead was eventually rescued alive and was now in critical condition at a hospital. The agency said 63 other people were hospitalized, 31 of them with serious injuries. More than 2,400 villagers streamed into ...

World Tsunami Awareness Day 2024: History, significance, theme and more

World Tsunami Awareness Day is celebrated every year on November 5 to boost people's understanding of the harmful effects of tsunamis and the safety measures during tsunamis

Cyclone Dana caused Rs 600 cr worth damage in Odisha: Minister Pujari

Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari on Monday said as per preliminary assessment severe cyclone Dana has caused damage to public and private properties worth around Rs 600 crore in the state. 'Dana' struck the eastern coast early on October 25, triggering torrential rain and high-speed winds uprooting trees and electric poles and causing significant damage to infrastructure and crops in 14 districts of Odisha. Speaking to media persons here, Pujari said as per preliminary estimate the state suffered Rs 600 crore damage due to the cyclone. The final damage assessment report will come up in a day or two, he said. The minister said that a total of 166 blocks in 14 districts have been either partially or fully affected by the cyclone. The districts are - Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Khurda, and Puri. A huge volume of standing crops and houses have been damaged in the ..

Understanding the deadly floods that have taken over 200 lives in Spain

In a matter of minutes, flash floods caused by heavy downpours in eastern Spain swept away everything in their path. With no time to react, people were trapped in vehicles, homes and businesses. Many died and thousands saw livelihoods shattered. Four days later, authorities have recovered 205 bodies 202 of them in the eastern Valencia region, two in Castilla La Mancha and one in Andalusia. They continued to search for an unknown number of missing people on Friday. Thousands of volunteers were helping to clear away the thick layers of mud and debris that still covered houses, streets and roads, all while facing power and water cuts and shortages of some basic goods. Inside some of the vehicles that the water washed into piles or crashed into buildings, there were still bodies waiting to be identified. Here are a few things to know about Spain's deadliest storm in living memory: What happened? The storms concentrated over the Magro and Turia river basins and, in the Poyo riverbed,

Spain mounts biggest disaster recovery operation as death toll reaches 211

In a televised statement, Sanchez said the government was sending 5,000 more army troops to help with the searches and clean-up in addition to 2,500 soldiers already deployed

Committed to Sendai Framework for disaster reduction: Principal secy to PM

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P K Mishra has affirmed India's commitment to the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction and called for increased international collaboration on knowledge sharing, technology transfer and sustainable development to enhance disaster resilience globally. Mishra said this while participating in the G-20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) ministerial meeting in Belem, Brazil, according to an official release. He led a high-level Indian delegation which took part in the meeting held from October 30 to November 1. With the active participation of the Indian delegation, a consensus was arrived at on finalising the first ministerial declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), the release issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said. During various sessions, Mishra shared the progress made by the government of India in reducing disaster risks and in upscaling disaster financing. He emphasised India's proactive approach to ..

2 dead, 500 injured as Typhoon Kong-rey causes massive damage in Taiwan

As of Friday morning, strong winds and heavy rain from the storm had caused two deaths, injured 515 people and left four others unaccounted for

Spanish residents appeal for help, three days after floods left 205 dead

Three days after historic flash floods swept through several towns in southern Valencia, in eastern Spain, the initial shock was giving way to anger, frustration and a wave of solidarity on Friday. Many streets are still blocked by piled-up vehicles and debris, in some cases trapping residents in their homes. Some places still don't have electricity, running water, or stable telephone connections. Residents turned to media to appeal for help. This is a disaster. There are a lot of elderly people who don't have medicine. There are children who don't have food. We don't have milk, we don't have water. We have no access to anything, a resident of Alfafar, one of the most affected towns in south Valencia, told state television station TVE. No one even came to warn us on the first day. So far 158 bodies have been recovered 155 in Valencia, two in the Castilla La Mancha region and one more in Andalusia after Spain's deadliest natural disaster in living memory. Members of the security .

Typhoon Kong-rey hits Taiwan: 2 dead, 500 injured amid widespread damage

The Ministry of National Defence said that it had mobilised to support regional recovery from Typhoon Kong-rey

Asia needs to spend more to adapt to climate change, limit damage: Study

Countries in Asia will suffer worse damage from the climate crisis than other regions and are falling far behind in spending on improvements to limit the damage and adapt to changing weather patterns and natural disasters, the Asian Development Bank said in a report released Thursday. The report said financing needs in developing Asian countries to cope with climate change range from USD 102 billion to USD 431 billion a year. That far exceeds the USD 34 billion committed to those purposes in 2021-2022, the Manila, Philippines-based regional development bank said. Developing Asia accounted for nearly half of all global emissions in 2021, the latest year for comprehensive data, with China accounting for two-thirds of that and South Asia nearly 20 per cent, the report said. That's because even though emissions per person remain far lower than in Europe, Japan and North America, it is the world's most populous region, home to about 70 per cent of all human kind. Most countries in the ..

2.37 lakh young volunteers to be trained as first responders to disaster

Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan has launched a special scheme to train 2.37 lakh young volunteers in 315 districts across the country as the first responders to disaster preparedness and response. The 'Yuva Apada Mitra Scheme' was launched at the 20th formation day function of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) here on Monday, an official release said. According to the plan, under the 'Yuva Apada Mitra Scheme', 2,37,326 young volunteers from the youth organisations such as National Cadet Corps (NCC), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Bharat Scouts & Guides (BS&G) and National Service Scheme (NSS) will be trained in 315 districts of 28 states as a first respondents to disaster preparedness and response. Besides, 1,300 trainers will also be prepared under the up-scaling of 'Aapda Mitra Scheme' with an estimated total cost of Rs 469.53 crore. The theme of the formation day event was 'Empowering Communities for Disaster Risk Reduction through Awareness for ...

At least 115 dead, missing in massive flooding, landslides in Philippines

The number of dead and missing in massive flooding and landslides wrought by Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines has exceeded 100 and the president said Saturday that many areas remained isolated with people in need of rescue. Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 81 people dead and 34 others missing in one of the Southeast Asian archipelago's deadliest and most destructive storms so far this year, the government's disaster-response agency said. The death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from previously isolated areas. Dozens of police, firefighters and other emergency personnel, backed by three backhoes and sniffer dogs, dug up one of the last two missing villagers in the lakeside town of Talisay in Batangas province Saturday. A father, who was waiting for word on his missing 14-year-old daughter, wept as rescuers placed the remains in a black body bag. Distraught, he followed police officers, who carried the body bag down a .

Cyclone Dana: Zero casualty claims by BJP after storm not true, says BJD

The opposition BJD in Odisha on Saturday alleged that the ruling BJP's claims of zero casualty' after severe cyclonic storm Dana struck the eastern state were false, and it failed to handle the natural calamity in a proper manner. BJD spokesperson Lekhashree Samantsinghar also claimed that four people died in the state due to the cyclone, which struck the eastern coast early Friday, triggering torrential rain and high-speed winds. The regional party, headed by former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, demanded a white paper from the BJP, mentioning the actual evacuation figure, and the number of people shifted to cyclone shelters. The Odisha government's zero casualty' claims are false. We have information regarding the death of four people one in CM Mohan Majhi's assembly segment in Keonjhar district and three others at Rajnagar in Kendrapara district, Samantsinghar told a press conference here. Majhi had Friday said the state had achieved its zero casualty' mission, with no reports

Odisha safe now, no casualties reported: CM Majhi on Cyclone Dana situation

CM Majhi said eight lakh people have been evacuated so far and restoration of electric wires is underway

Around 10 districts likely to be affected by Cyclone Dana: Odisha minister

Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Deoranjan Singh asserted that everything is under control as of now

Ports ministry takes precautionary measures as Cyclone Dana approaches

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) on Thursday said it has initiated comprehensive safety measures to safeguard ports, vessels, and personnel in response to cyclone Dana. Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Shantanu Thakur, chaired a detailed review meeting to assess the preparedness of the Ministry, the Directorate General of Shipping, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Thakur praised the proactive measures taken by the concerned agencies and urged them to stay vigilant in monitoring the situation as the cyclone intensifies, according to an official statement. The cyclone, currently centered over the East-central Bay of Bengal, is expected to intensify and make landfall between Odisha and West Bengal on the night of October 24, with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, gusting up to 120 kmph. The ministry has directed that all dredgers, barges, and support crafts in Paradip Port be secured for heavy weather. According to the statement, ...

Telcos activate intra-circle roaming as Cyclone Dana set to hit Odisha

Telecom service providers in Odisha have activated intra-circle roaming in seven districts of the state which were put under red-warning' for cyclone Dana, a minister said on Thursday. State Electronic and IT Minister Mukesh Mahaling said the intra-circle roaming allows telecom operators to use each other's network and such an arrangement has been activated in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur and Cuttack districts since 8 am. As per a circular issued by the Department of Telecommunication, the intra-circle roaming facility has been activated among all four service providersBSNL, Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone, he said. "With the activation of the facility, telecom users can avail uninterrupted service in the seven districts," he said. DG sets have been made available at all telecom towers to manage the situation if there is an electricity failure, the minister said. The telecom service providers have also kept their technical teams ready to repair any da