Tag: Disaster preparedness

Jaishankar, US Secy of State Antony Blinken discuss global developments amid India-Canada standoff

India and the US agreed to continue their cooperation in the areas of defence, space and clean energy as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Secretary of State Antony Blinken, amid a simmering diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Washington, US.

India and the US agreed to continue their cooperation in the areas of defence, space and clean energy as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Secretary of State Antony Blinken, amid a simmering diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.

Jaishankar is currently on a five-day official trip to Washington DC. This is the highest-level interaction between the two countries after the recent G20 Summit in New Delhi.

“Great to meet my friend US Secretary of State @SecBlinken at State Department today. A wide ranging discussion, following up on PM @narendramodi’s June visit. Also exchanged notes on global developments. Laid the groundwork of our 2+2 meeting very soon,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

The two top diplomats “discussed a full range of issues, including key outcomes of India’s G20 presidency, and the creation of India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and its potential to generate transparent, sustainable, and high-standard infrastructure investments,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

The two leaders did not take any questions from the media.

“The Secretary and the External Affairs Minister also emphasised the continued importance of cooperation ahead of the upcoming 2+2 Dialogue, in particular in the areas of defence, space, and clean energy,” Miller said in a statement after the meeting.

New Delhi will host the fifth edition of India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, Jaishankar announced on Thursday. Although he did not reveal the dates of the meeting, it is learnt that the ministerial dialogue would be held in the first half of November.

The US delegation would be represented by Blinken along with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation.

“I actually look forward to seeing you in Delhi for the 2+2,” Jaishankar told Blinken, as the latter welcomed him at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department for the meeting.

The last 2+2 ministerial was held in Washington DC on April 11. Started during the previous Trump administration, the first 2+2 ministerial was held in New Delhi on September 6, 2018.

“Focused discussion on India-US collaboration on critical and emerging tech and creating resilient supply chains at discussion convened by @USISPForum,” Jaishankar said in another post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/india/eam-s-jaishankar-meets-us-secretary-of-state-antony-blinken-amid-india-canada-diplomatic-row-2705479

Idalia projected to hit Florida as Category 4 hurricane with ‘catastrophic’ storm surge

Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave as Hurricane Idalia gained steam in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and authorities warned of a “catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds” when the storm moves ashore Wednesday morning.

Idalia was packing sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph) early Wednesday, after growing into a Category 2 system on Tuesday afternoon. It was projected to make landfall later Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with winds of at least 130 mph (209 kph) in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. The result could be a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend.

On the island of Cedar Key, Commissioner Sue Colson joined other city officials in packing up documents and electronics at City Hall on Tuesday. She had a message for the almost 900 residents who were under mandatory orders to evacuate. More than a dozen state troopers went door to door warning residents that storm surge could rise as high as 15 feet (4.5 meters).

“One word: Leave,” Colson said. “It’s not something to discuss.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis repeated the warning at Tuesday afternoon news conference.

“You really gotta go now. Now is the time,” he said. Earlier, the governor stressed that residents didn’t necessarily need to leave the state, but should “get to higher ground in a safe structure.”

Tybee Island, Ga., resident Bryan Moore helps his friend board up his house on the island, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, ahead of Hurricane Idalia. (Stephen B. Morton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Not everyone was heeding the warning. Andy Bair, owner of the Island Hotel, said he intended to “babysit” his bed-and-breakfast, which predates the Civil War. The building has not flooded in the almost 20 years he has owned it, not even when Hurricane Hermine flooded the city in 2016.

“Being a caretaker of the oldest building in Cedar Key, I just feel kind of like I need to be here,” Bair said. “We’ve proven time and again that we’re not going to wash away. We may be a little uncomfortable for a couple of days, but we’ll be OK eventually.”

Tolls were waived on highways out of the danger area, shelters were open and hotels prepared to take in evacuees. More than 30,000 utility workers were gathering to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane’s wake. About 5,500 National Guard troops were activated.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/florida-hurricane-idalia-2136985ceea53f5deb600c43aeea1138

Hilary: California braces for first tropical storm in 84 years as Mexico reels from its impact

California is bracing for its first tropical storm in 84 years with almost 1,000 flights cancelled and the ongoing actors’ strike called off due to the impending extreme weather.

Storm Hilary was previously classed as a Category 4 hurricane but weakened as it approached the Mexican coast, from where it was due to head to California and other states in the southeastern US.

At least nine million people in southern California were under flood warnings as they faced “life-threatening” rain, mudslides, tornadoes, high winds and power outages.

People walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame during the tropical storm Hilary

Up to 10 inches of rain were set to fall as mud spilled onto highways, water overwhelmed drainage systems and tree branches fell in places from San Diego to Los Angeles. The storm sustained winds of up to 65mph.

Authorities also said there was a 5% risk of tornadoes in southern California – the first time there has been this level of risk since at least 2002.

Residents in some counties were ordered to evacuate while Governor Gavin Newsom declared southern California in a state of emergency.

Authorities ran out of sandbags and supermarket shelves were empty as residents stockpiled supplies.

Disneyland closed early, football games were rescheduled and some beaches were closed in anticipation of the storm.

Schools also were set to close on Monday – postponing the start of the new school year.

Long time resident of Long Beach, Gabriella Holt, prepares her home that sits on the strand for Hurricane Hilary’s arrival
A worker drags caution tape to block off Pico Boulevard after a tree fell in Los Angeles Pic: AP

Airports in Las Vegas, San Diego and Los Angeles cancelled close to 1,000 flights on Sunday afternoon while two airlines, Southwest and Frontier, suspended all flights to Ontario International Airport in southern California. Dozens more flights across California were also delayed.

The Writer’s Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, cancelled their scheduled pickets on Monday due to the storm.

Hollywood writers have been on strike since May, with the actors union joining them on strike last month in a row over pay and the impact of streaming and new technologies on the industry.

The unions plan to resume picketing on Tuesday.

Other states such as Nevada, Oregon and Idaho are also set to experience once-in-a-century rain as Storm Hilary moves east, with the Nevada governor declaring a state of emergency on Sunday afternoon.

Bad weather during summer is rare for California – the average rainfall for Los Angeles in August is 0 inches.

The city is predicted to have at least three to five inches, while hills not far away are predicted to get up to 10 inches.

Michael Brennan, director of the US National Hurricane Centre said some areas could get the amount of rain in hours that they typically get in an entire year.

“You do not want to be out driving around, trying to cross flooded roads on vehicle or on foot,” he said during a briefing from Miami.

“Rainfall flooding has been the biggest killer in tropical storms and hurricanes in the United States in the past 10 years and you don’t want to become a statistic.”

As preparations were under way, southern California got another surprise when an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 struck near Ojai, about 80 miles (130 km) northwest of Los Angeles, according to the US Geological Survey.

No immediate reports of major damage or injury were issued.

It comes as one person died when deadly flooding from Storm Hilary made landfall in Mexico’s Baja California state.

Deadly floodwaters have left streets inundated along the length of the Baja California peninsula, reported AP.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/hilary-california-braces-for-first-tropical-storm-in-84-years-as-mexico-reels-from-its-impact-12944315

Hurricane Hilary floods could threaten lives – US

Hurricane Hilary is moving towards Mexico’s Baja California peninsula

Hurricane Hilary, heading to Mexico’s Pacific coast, has weakened but can still cause “life-threatening” flooding, US meteorologists warn.

With winds up to 100mph (175km/h), it is now a Category 2 storm, the National Hurricane Center says. Hillary is due to make landfall later on Saturday.

The NHC is already reporting heavy rain in parts of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and the south-western US.

Hilary will weaken to a tropical storm before it reaches southern California.

It would be the first tropical storm to hit the US state in more than 80 years.

In its latest update at 21:00 GMT on Saturday, the NHC says the hurricane is now roughly 285 miles (459km) south-east of Baja California’s westernmost point of Punta Eugenia.

“Hilary appears to be weakening quickly,” John Cangialosi, a senior hurricane specialist at the NHC, is quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency on Saturday.

“The eye is filling and the cloud tops in the eyewall and rainbands have been warming during the past several hours,” he adds.

Hilary was earlier a powerful Category 3 storm with winds up to 130mph.

Rainfall could reach 10in (25cm) in some areas of southern California and southern Nevada, the NHC says. “Dangerous to catastrophic flooding is expected,” it adds.

In San Diego, the National Weather Service (NWS) earlier issued a warning for the “high potential” of flash flooding. Nearly 26 million people in the south-western US were under flood watch.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) had “pre-positioned personnel and supplies in the region.

“I urge everyone in the path of the storm to take precautions and listen to the guidance from state and local officials,” he said.

Parts of Mexico are under a tropical storm watch and its government has placed 18,000 soldiers on standby to assist in rescue efforts.

As the storm bears down, Major League Baseball has rescheduled three games in southern California, while SpaceX has delayed the launch of a rocket from its base on the central California coast until at least Monday.

The National Park Service also closed Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve, both in California, to prevent visitors from being stranded in the event of flooding.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66499946

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