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Meanwhile
a major typhoon is headed towards China.
Tropical
storm Isaac drenches Haiti and hits Cuba en route to Florida
Florida
governor declares state of emergency ahead of Republican convention
after storm kills at least three in Haiti
25
August, 2012
Tropical
storm Isaac pushed into Cuba on Saturday after sweeping across
Haiti's southern peninsula, where it caused flooding and at least
three deaths, adding to the misery of a poor nation still trying to
recover from the terrible 2010 earthquake.
Isaac's
center made landfall just before midday near the far-eastern tip of
Cuba, downing trees and power lines, and the storm's surge flooded
the seaside Malecon in the picturesque city of Baracoa.
Forecasters
said Isaac poses a threat to Florida on Monday and Tuesday, just as
the Republican Party gathers for its national convention in Tampa. It
could eventually hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 2 hurricane
with winds of nearly 100 mph (160 kph).
Florida
governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency, officials urged
vacationers to leave the Florida Keys and the US national hurricane
center said a hurricane warning was in effect there, as well as for
the west coast of Florida from Bonita Beach south to Ocean Reef and
for Florida Bay.
At
least three people were reported dead in Haiti. A woman and a child
died in the town of Souvenance, senator Francisco Delacruz told a
local radio station. A 10-year-old girl died in Thomazeau when a wall
fell on her, said Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste, director of Haiti's civil
protection office. She said as many as 5,000 people were evacuated
because of flooding.
Many,
however, stayed and suffered.
The
Grive River overflowed north of Port-au-Prince, sending
chocolate-brown water spilling through the sprawling shantytown of
Cite Soleil, where many people grabbed what possessions they could
and carried them on their heads, wading through waist-deep water.
"From
last night, we're in misery," said Cite Soleil resident
Jean-Gymar Joseph. "All our children are sleeping in the mud, in
the rain."
More
than 50 tents in a quake settlement collapsed, forcing people to
scramble through the mud to try to save their belongings.
About
300 homes in Cite Soleil lost their roofs or were flooded three feet
(one meter) deep, according to Rachel Brumbaugh, operation manager
for the US nonprofit group World Vision.
Isaac
was centered about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), the Hurricane
Center reported. It was moving northwest at 17 mph (28 kph).
Tropical
storm-force winds extended nearly 205 miles (335 kilometers) from the
center, giving Isaac a broad sweep as it passed.
Forecasters
said the storm was likely to march up the Gulf of Mexico, offshore of
Florida's west coast, as a hurricane on Monday, just as the
Republican National Convention is scheduled to start.
Tampa
is within the tropical storm watch zone, meaning forecasters believe
tropical storm conditions are possible there within the next 48
hours.
Gov.
Scott said during a media briefing that delegates were being told how
to stay safe during a storm, and officials were ready for storm
surge, bridge closures and other problems that could arise during the
convention.
Isaac's
center moved over Cuban soil late Saturday morning 28 miles (45
kilometers) west of Punta de Maisi, the extreme eastern tip of the
island, meteorologist Jose Rubiera said on state television.
In
Baracoa, authorities cut off electricity as a preventive measure.
Amid rain squalls and gusty winds, residents came out to gawk at the
powerful surf kicked up by the approaching storm. Waves crashing
against the seawall sent spray high into the air and deposited rocks
and other debris on land.
Flooding
was reported in low-lying coastal areas, and 230 people were in
emergency shelters, according to state TV.
Far
to the west, the Sol Cayo Coco beach resort moved guests out of
ground floor rooms. Intermittent rains and gusty winds buffeted
Havana, 560 miles (900 kilometers) away.
Cuba
has a highly organized civil defense system that goes door-to-door to
enforce evacuations of at-risk areas, largely averting casualties
from storms even when they cause major flooding and significant
damage to crops.
Near
the island's southeastern tip, the U.S. military was expecting winds
of up to 40 mph (65 mph) at the Guantanamo Bay naval base, said Navy
Capt. Robert Durand, a spokesman for the prison there.
Ahead
of the storm, roads were closed to all but emergency vehicles, the
Navy suspended the ferry service that connects the two sections of
the base across Guantanamo Bay and many smaller craft were pulled
from the water, Durand said. All 168 prisoners were in buildings
capable of withstanding storm-force winds and the guards were bunking
inside prison facilities instead of returning to their quarters for
the night.
Authorities
in the Dominican Republic evacuated nearly 3,000 people from
low-lying areas, and at least 10 rural settlements were cut off by
flooding, according to Juan Manuel Mendez, director of rescue teams.
Power was out in parts of the capital, Santo Domingo, but there were
no reports of injuries.
Myanmar
floods cause mass displacement
At
least 85,000 people displaced and 200,000 affected as heavy rainfall
causes country's most severe flooding in years.
25
August, 2012
Authorities
in Myanmar say at least 85,000 people have fled their homes after the
worst flooding in years submerged hundreds of thousands of hectares
of rice fields.
Soe
Tun, a government emergency official, said on Saturday 70,000 people
had fled their homes in the delta and were being housed at 219
emergency relief centres that have been set up at schools and
monasteries.
Tun
said heavy rains over the last few weeks had caused the inundation in
the country's southern delta region.
He
says another 15,000 people are displaced elsewhere in the country.
The
delta was devastated in 2008 by Cyclone Nargis, which killed about
130,000 people.
No
casualties have been confirmed during this month's flooding, which
has affected 200,000 people nationwide whose fields have been swamped
with water.
Tun
said some families that have not fled have moved to the upper floors
of their dwellings. Local newspapers have reported that heavy rains
and flooding have also damaged bridges, homes and rail lines.
Heavy
rain, floods kill 26 in Pakistan: officials
Flash
floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 26
people and destroyed hundreds of houses in northern Pakistan,
officials said on Thursday.
23
August, 2012
Chaudhry
Abdul Majeed, the prime minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir
said at least 17 people have been killed and nine others injured in
six districts since Monday.
"Some
685 houses and 125 shops have been damaged and roads washed away,"
Majeed said, adding that a request has been made to the federal
government for financial help.
"Some
685 houses and 125 shops have been damaged and roads washed away,"
Majeed said, adding that a request has been made to the federal
government for financial help.
I-95
reopens near NC-Va. line after flood closure
26
August, 2012
A
section of Interstate 95 has reopened near the North
Carolina-Virginia line after it was closed several hours because of
flooding.
Forecasters
say at least six inches of rain fell overnight across most of Halifax
County, with 11.5 inches of rain reported in Roanoke Rapids. The
deluge forced the Roanoke River and other nearby creeks over their
banks. 1 of those creeks sent water over I-95, closing the highway at
Exit 173 for about seven hours. Traffic backed up for several miles.
The interstate reopened around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
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Serb
villages evacuated, wildfires rage unabated
Police
in Serbia ordered the evacuation of several thousand villagers in the
southwest of the country on Saturday as over-stretched emergency
services, backed by a Russian plane, battled wildfires scorching the
western Balkans.
25
August, 2012
Near
the Serbian town of Cacak, fires raged through hillsides and
cornfields dried to a crisp by drought, a Reuters correspondent
reported. Several houses were ablaze.
Police
said they had ordered the villages of Miokovci and Gornja Gorevnica,
near Cacak, to be evacuated.
"The
situation ... is extremely serious and both settlements are
endangered," said Predrag Maric, head of the Serbian Interior
Ministry's Emergencies Department. "We are relocating manpower
from throughout Serbia as well as helicopters to fight this."
The
western Balkans is in the grips of a heatwave that has seen
temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit),
triggering hundreds of wildfires.
Serbia
and neighboring Bosnia appear to be worst hit.
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