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Japan floods kill 26 and leave thousands cut off

Military airlift food by helicopters to stranded areas after torrential rain causes floods and mudslides

the Guardan,

15 July, 2012

Thousands of people in southern Japan remain cut off by floods and mudslides triggered by torrential rains that have killed at least 26 people, local authorities say.

Evacuation orders issued a day earlier for a quarter of a million people were lifted in most areas on Sunday as the rains subsided, allowing many people to return home.

But thousands remained cut off by landslides or fallen trees that blocked roads in mountainous areas.

More than 3,000 people were left stranded in Yame, in Fukuoka prefecture in south-west Japan, where roads were cut off to seven districts, the Kyodo news agency reported. The Japanese military airlifted food by helicopters to stranded areas.

Local officials raised the death toll from the torrential rains in the northern parts of the Kyushu region to 26 and six people remain missing in Kumamoto, Oita and Fukuoka prefectures, Kyodo reported. Most of the victims were in their 70s and 80s.

In Yame, a 70-year-old man died after being caught in a landslide, while another man died in Yanagawa, also in Fukuoka, after being retrieved from a car at an irrigation channel floodgate.

In Kyoto prefecture, in west Japan, heavy rainfall flooded about 100 houses in both Kameoka and Kyoto, Japan's old capital.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the worst was over, but predicted more rain and thunderstorms in some areas into Monday.

Wave of tornadoes hit Poland

A freak wave of tornadoes has ripped through northern Poland on Sunday, killing one person and another injuring 10 others. One person was killed and 400 hectares of woodland were flattened in the Baltic region of Pomerania. Al Jazeera's Emma Hayward reports

Fresh flooding threatens northeast India

A fresh wave of floods has threatened several districts of Arunachal Pradesh with reports of disruption in surface communication pouring in from various parts of the state.

Desdemona Despair,

15 July, 2012

According to the latest report, the rising water level of Kadang Korong River is creating havoc at Mebo sub-division in East Siang district.

A major portion of Siku bridge near Mebo along the Pasighat-Dhola road has already been washed away by floodwaters, snapping road communication along the route. However, the bridge has been temporarily repaired with some iron plates and light vehicles are now plying on it.

The river between Motum Tinali and Ngopok village is flowing above the danger level due to heavy rain and is getting diverted from its normal course, creating immense trouble to the people of Mongu-Banggo (Lower Mebo) and Lower Dibang Valley's downward villages along the Mebo-Dhola road.

Efforts are on to mend the damages with the PWD authorities pressing into service two JCBs which are being monitored by local MLA Ralom Borang.

Fresh floods have once again threatened the Tezu township in Lohit district due to the swelling Tezu Nallah, which has already washed away a 700-metre temporary earthen embankment erected by the water resources department (WRD) using river bed materials (RBM) at 5km point towards Shivajinagar road.

"Following incessant rains during the last two days, Tezu Nallah has almost made its way to the township and it could have created havoc, but the department swung into action on time and diverted the course of the river after a four-hours massive fight," informed S K Srivastava, assistant engineer WRD.

Meanwhile, food scarcity looms large in Dibang Valley district following disruption of road communication due to the recent floods. According to an official report here today, there are also shortages of all essential commodities in the market as per a random survey conducted.

While vegetables markets ran out of stock, the price of petrol shot up to Rs 250 per litre. Of the six food sorties approved, only two relief sorties could be materialized.

The district continued to remain cut off from the rest of the state for more than a month.

Kanchi Nallah Bailey Bridge, which was washed away by flash floods, was restored, bringing some respite to the people of Anini by cutting a diversion road adjacent to the old abutments. The diversion is of purely temporary nature constructed to tide over the present communication crises. "This was possible because of efforts put in by BRO," official sources said.

The Anini-Roing road remained cut off at numerous places. The restoration work of Endulin-Nallah block point got disrupted due to heavy downpour over the last two days while Deopani nallah was flowing above the danger level according to official reports from Roing.

On the other hand, Upper Siang district plunged into darkness in the last two days following disruption of power supply due to flood and landslides. […]

Violent storm turns night into day over Washington- residents claim the ‘most intense’ lightning storm ever seen

Cisco Wilkinson of west Pasco took this photo at 4 a.m. Saturday. “It was so bright, I was temporarily blinded,” Wilkinson said. “It looks like it’s daytime.”

Extinction Protocol,

15 July, 2012

July 15, 2012 – WASHINGTON – 

There were a lot of tired people in the Tri-Cities on Saturday after an early morning electrical storm rattled homes and flashed bright lights through windows. The system that led to a severe thunderstorm warning from the National Weather Service also cooled down the Mid-Columbia after a string of 100-plus degree days. The light show and downpour didn’t appear to cause any significant damage, with police and fire officials surprised at how few calls were received. However, it might not be over, with the forecast calling for a slight chance of thunderstorms through the rest of the week as the temperatures heat up again. Those storms continue to bring the threat of lightning sparking wildfires. The thunder and lightning that moved through the area earlier Saturday seemed anything but normal to the dozens of residents who took to social media to describe the experience. Some referred to it on the Tri-City Herald’s Facebook page as “the best storm ever” or the “most intense” they’ve experienced in the Northwest. People awakened by the loud booms reported staying up through the early morning hours because they were fascinated by Mother Nature’s spectacular display, or simply realized that attempts at sleep were futile. A severe weather alert issued at 2:37 a.m. said two storms were located six miles southwest of Kennewick and moving north at 30 mph. Within minutes, the storms moved over the Tri-Cities and seemed to hunker down for almost three hours, with cloud-to-cloud lightning that often was so bright it appeared to be daytime. The National Weather Service’s warning described it as “a dangerous storm,” and told residents to prepare for damaging winds, destructive hail and deadly lightning that could strike the ground. People were instructed to seek shelter inside a strong building, but away from windows. The weather service took two calls from the public reporting hail the size of a quarter in Kennewick. Public reports of wind speeds in Kennewick ranged from gusts of 35 to 40 mph to gusts up to 60 mph that drove the rain and hail sideways. “I’m sure it’s been a blast for people to watch the lightning,” Brooks said. The weather service had been expecting the storms to form for a couple of days because of instability with a low-pressure system and warm temperatures, Brooks said.

–News Tribune

Submarine summer: More Russian regions drenched in tropical downpours

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RT,

15 July, 2012

Russia is being battered by massive tropic-like downpours in various regions, turning city streets into rivers. The latest disasters hit the city of Chelyabinsk, in the Urals, and the Republic of Chechnya, destroying communications and vehicles.

Chechnya is the latest in a string of Russian regions to experience the rage of nature, as heavy rains in the mountains which started on Saturday night have already left over 47,000 people without electricity. 

 

The republic is now extensively using available emergency power supplies, while the weather forecast is negative, promising more heavy rains and hails.

Shortly beforehand, Chelyabinsk – a city in the Urals Mountains with a population over a million – was drenched after a two-hour rainfall poured on to city streets. A thunderstorm combined with wind squalls, causing a series of power cuts.

The local railway station was completely flooded. Outside, knee-deep water left pedestrians housebound and damaged countless cars parked in lowlands.

It follows a similar disaster in Moscow when, on Friday July 13, it was affected by a record rainfall. Three were reportedly killed by lightning, and some of the streets in the capital’s historic center turned into furious streams, sinking dozens of parked cars. In some places the water was about one meter deep.

But evidently, it cannot be compared to the tragedy a week ago when record rainfall caused massive flood in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region on July 7. 

The wave of water coming from the mountains inflicted massive destruction in the area. According to the latest reports, 172 people lost their lives, while some 35,000 people have been affected by the catastrophe in total. The city of Krymsk was worst hit by the deluge, with Gelenzhik and Novorossiysk also sustaining serious damage.

Over 5,000 houses were devastated by the flood waters in the Krasnodar Region, 4,600 of them in the city of Krymsk. Altogether in the region some 250 houses were completely destroyed. Electricity, water and gas supply was discontinued for several days and locals are still struggling with the aftermath of the catastrophe