Flash floods swept through several towns Friday in hilly central Italy after hours of exceptionally heavy rain, leaving 10 people dead and at least four missing. Dozens of survivors scrambled onto rooftops or up into trees to await rescue.

Floods invaded garages and basements and knocked down doors. In one town, the powerful rush of water pushed a car onto a second-story balcony, while elsewhere parked vehicles were crumpled on top of each other in the streets. Some farm fields near the sea were meters under water.

“It wasn’t a water bomb, it was a tsunami,” Riccardo Pasqualini, the mayor of Barbara, told Italian state radio about the sudden downpour Thursday evening that devastated his town in the Marche region near the Adriatic Sea.

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/italy-floods-ancona-marche-1.6585411

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Over 3,700 families or 13,000 people remain in evacuation camps, while many others are sheltering in the homes of relatives or friends, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

Heavy rains brought by Agaton triggered flooding in 195 areas in the Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Based on reports that reached the agency, one died, two were injured while one was missing.

Forty-nine houses were also damaged while three were destroyed in Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Caraga, it added.

Losses to crops in Soccsksargen and BARMM were estimated to cost P874,000.

The NDRRMC said more than 2,300 people were left stranded in various ports across the country due to Agaton. The operations of 1,180 rolling cargoes, six vessels and one motorbanca were suspended due to the weather condition.

Agaton weakens, storm signal 1 up in several areas
According to state weather bureau PAGASA, Agaton weakened into a tropical depression Monday morning.

The weather disturbance was last spotted over the coastal waters of Tanauan, Leyte as of 10 a.m. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour, with gusts of up to 60 kph.

Several areas were placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal Number 1.

Agaton is expected to remain a tropical depression as it slowly passes over the vicinity of northeastern Leyte and the southern portions of Samar and Eastern Samar before emerging over the Philippine Sea by Tuesday evening, PAGASA said.

It is expected to weaken as it interacts and assimilates with a stronger cyclone with international name of “Malakas,” eventually becoming a low-pressure area on Wednesday.

Source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/11/22/agaton-affects-136000-in-visayas-mindanao-ndrrmc

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The weather continues to present unpleasant surprises. Powerful downpours hit the city of Taif, causing a real flood. On the streets washed with powerful streams of water, cars and people were carrying.

Heavy rain across Saudi Arabia has caused flooding in several regions, while thick snow blanketed some areas of Ha’il city and the ‘Asir region.

Dozens of people shared pictures and videos of floods after heavy rainfall in Mecca, al-Aqiq, and several other parts of the Kingdom.

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Others shared pictures of snow enveloping the north-western province of Ha’il and the southwest region of ‘Asir.

Videos showed the mountains of Harrat Bani Rashid in Ha’il – Saudi Arabia’s largest volcanic field – covered in thick snow.

Several governorates and cities in ‘Asir witnessed intense rainfall, accompanied by snowfall, including Abha, Khamis Mushait, Tanuma, and al-Namas.

The National Center of Meteorology said it expects heavy thunderstorms and hailstorms in several areas, including Jizan, Asir, al-Baha, and Mecca.

Read more:

Hailstorm blankets Saudi Arabia’s Hail in white

Intense sandstorm engulfs several areas of Saudi Arabia; public urged to stay home

Saudi Arabia’s Hail sees unusual weather with heavy rain, snow, thunderstorms

Source: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/04/19/Heavy-rain-causes-flooding-across-Saudi-Arabia-as-snow-envelops-Ha-il-Asir-

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BEIJING – The heaviest average rainfall to lash a swathe of southern and eastern China in more than half a century brought torrential rain and floods, destroying houses, damaging crops, and forcing the evacuation of nearly 80,000 people, state media said.

Even more rain is expected, state television said Thursday, after average rainfall in the affected areas this week was recorded as 51% higher than in the corresponding periods of previous years, and the largest since 1961.

State television showed images of half-submerged buildings and flooded streets in some of the worst-hit areas. Trains along the Beijing-Guangzhou railway were delayed after rising waters blocked a bridge in the southern province of Hunan, it added.

The latest episode has caused losses of 2.69 billion yuan ($392 million), with 126,100 hectares (311,600 acres) of farmland damaged and 1,600 homes collapsed, the Ministry of Emergency Management has estimated.

Rescue workers wade through flood waters as they evacuate a woman with an inflatable swimming pool following heavy rainfall in Pingxiang, Jiangxi province, China, July 9, 2019.

As many as 77,000 people had been evacuated, it added. The affected areas include the southern provinces of Hunan and Jiangxi, eastern Zhejiang, the southeastern province of Fujian, and the northern parts of the southwestern Guangxi region.

The first three areas are expected to be doused again in a fresh burst of torrential rain Friday and Saturday, weather officials said, along with the central province of Hubei, eastern Anhui, and the province of Guizhou in the southwest.

The Yangtze River in Jiangxi is expected to exceed its warning level for the first time this year around Sunday, swelled by heavy rain that could last until Tuesday, state TV said.

Extreme weather is becoming increasingly frequent in China, with temperatures in some parts hitting records this year.

Weather officials warned on July 3 that rainfall in the south could surpass the average by 30% to 70% over a 10-day stretch.

Source: https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/heavy-rain-flooding-china-force-evacuation-nearly-80000

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The National Weather Service (NWS) said the Tittabawassee River in the city of Midland reached its highest level ever Wednesday morning at 33.97 feet and is expected to rise up to 38 feet by midday.

“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in Midland County,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at a news conference on Tuesday. ”If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now.”

WHITMER ISSUED A STATE OF EMERGENCY AFTER 2 DAMS WERE BREACHED IN MIDLAND COUNTY

Whitmer, who declared a state of emergency for Midland County, said that downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by midday Wednesday as the water released from the dam failures reaches the city.

Water floods the Midland Area Farmers Market and the bridge along the Tittabawassee River in Midland, Mich., on May 19. (Kaytie Boomer/MLive.com/The Bay City Times via AP)

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“We are anticipating a historic high water level,” the governor said.

A view of the flooded area near the Sanford Dam on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer/MLive.com/The Bay City Times via AP)

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The NWS on Tuesday evening urged anyone near the river to seek higher ground following “catastrophic dam failures” at the Edenville Dam, about 140 miles north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about 7 miles downriver.

Midland, a city of 42,000 about 8 miles downstream from the Sanford Dam, faced an especially serious flooding threat. Dow Chemical Co.’s main plant sits on the city’s riverbank.

The NWS said a flash flood emergency continued for the area until at least 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

Flash flood emergencies continue Wednesday in Michigan due to flooding after two dams burst. (Fox News)

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“This is a life-threatening situation,” a forecast advisory said. “Seek higher ground now!”

Significant flooding was reported in the city by daybreak.

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Villagers mill around a house that had collapsed and killing one person on spot over ongoing heavy rains. File

The ongoing rains have killed at least 100 people since last month, authorities have said.

Most of the victims lost their lives in landslides, while others drowned in swollen rivers and flash floods.

On Monday, more bodies were recovered from cold mud in West Pokot where a landslide on Saturday buried parts of Tamkal and Nyarkulian villages.

Area Senator Samuel Poghisio said at least 56 people died, while Governor John Lonyangapuo said 43 people were killed in the disaster.

In a press conference in Nairobi on Monday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said the national government would verify the numbers.

In Kajiado, five members of a family died on Monday morning after their car was swept off as they crossed a flooded Ng’tataek bridge between Namanga and Bissil.

Kajiado Central sub-county police commander Daudi Ole Lornyokwe said the victims included a woman, her two children, and two men.

The deaths bring to more than 100 people killed since the short rains began last month.

Earlier this month, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, citing figures from the Kenya Red Cross Society, said the rains had killed at least 48 people by November 8.

Matiang’i asked those living in low-lying areas in Murang’a Kiambu, Nyeri and Taita Taveta counties to take precaution because those places were prone to mudslides.

“We are urging people to move to safe grounds. Of course, it’s uncomfortable. But at this time we’d rather they feel funny but safe,” Matiang’i told reporters during a press conference at Wilson Airport.

He was accompanied by Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa and Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai.

Matiang’i said they were forced to turn back mid-air on their way to West Pokot.

He said they were traveling in two police helicopters but the pilots were advised the weather was too risky.

“We were forced to land in Eldoret. We had left Nairobi at 8 am but in Eldoret we were told it gets even worse in the afternoon. But we will try again tomorrow (Tuesday) morning,” he said.

Matiang’i said the Meteorological Department has warned the ongoing rains will continue until mid-December.

“Because of technology, these warnings are highly reliable and should not be ignored,” the CS said.

Mutyambai said police in North Rift had joined efforts to distribute food and non-food items like blankets and mattresses to victims in West Pokot.

“All county commissioners and police commissioners are on alert,” he said.

The heavy downpour has been attributed to the unusual warming of the Indian Ocean.

The phenomenon, called the Indian Ocean Dipole, happens nearly every 10 years, unleashing destructive rains and flooding across East Africa.

More than one million people have been displaced in Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Tanzania – but scientists say more misery is coming.

The Indian Ocean dipole, sometimes called the Indian El Niño, is an irregular change in the sea temperature in the western (near Kenya’s coast) and eastern (closer to Australia) areas of the Indian Ocean.

When the ocean around East Africa is far warmer than usual, there is higher evaporation and moist air flowing inwards into East African countries as heavy rains.

Scientists say this year the strength of the dipole is of a magnitude not seen in years, perhaps even decades.

edited by peter obuya

Source: https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2019-11-26-at-least-100-killed-since-start-of-heavy-rains/

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