Tag: Weather event

Deadly storm sweeps across Greece, PM postpones keynote speech

At least six people have died and more than six were still missing on Thursday after storm Daniel swept across central Greece, triggering landslides, destroying roads and bridges and carrying away dozens of cars.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis postponed an annual economic speech scheduled for this weekend and will instead visit areas hit since Monday by torrential rain that has flooded homes and destroyed key infrastructure, including power poles.

“The state mechanism’s absolute priority right now is the rescue and evacuation of people from the areas affected,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told a press briefing.

“Our country is facing for the third day a phenomenon unlike any other we have seen in the past,” Marinakis said, before announcing that the recently re-elected leader’s main economic policy speech would be held in the middle of next week instead of Saturday.

The mainland port city of Volos, the surrounding mountainous Pelion area and the cities of Karditsa and Trikala were among the worst-hit areas.

Heavy rainfall, which came days after a two-week deadly wildfire died out in the north and authorities said was the most extreme on record, has turned many villages in the low-lying area of Karditsa, in the mainland Thessaly plain, into a lake.

Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said during a press briefing on Thursday that six people had been reported missing in the area of Karditsa.

The fire brigade said the bodies of two elderly women were recovered from a house at the community of Astritsa near Karditsa on Thursday. The body of a man had been found in the town of Domokos earlier in the day.

HOUSES SUBMERGED

Rescue personnel operate during an evacuation from an area flooded due to the impact of storm Daniel, in Astritsa, Greece, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

Reuters footage showed houses submerged in flood water in the Trikala region.

In the town of Palamas, near Karditsa, dozens of people were trapped inside their flooded residences, Mayor Giorgos Sakellariou, told Open television. Residents speaking to local media called for help and for food supplies.

A fire brigade helicopter airlifted people from the village of Agia Triada, where at least 20 people had been trapped, the government said.

Since Tuesday, 820 people have been evacuated across the country, 750 of them in the Thessaly region.

A fire brigade official said that emergency crews assisted by the army and coastguard used lifeboats in an effort to reach the storm-hit villages in Karditsa, where water was 2 metres (6.5 feet) deep.

“Operations are been carried out very carefully as flood debris obstructed the boats, while, in other cases, the power of the water does not allow us to approach,” fire brigade spokesperson Vasilios Vathrakogiannis told a briefing.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greek-pm-postpones-keynote-speech-after-deadly-storm-2023-09-07/

At least 39 dead as cyclone hits Brazil’s southernmost state

Affected houses are seen in a flooded area after an extratropical cyclone hit southern towns, in Mucum, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, September 6, 2023. REUTERS/Diego Vara Acquire Licensing Rights

At least 39 people have died and nine remain missing after a cyclone battered Brazil’s southernmost state Rio Grande do Sul, flooding homes and swelling rivers, local authorities said on Thursday.

All those not yet accounted for are from the small town of Mucum, one of the hardest hit by the floods, where 14 deaths have been reported. Nearby cities such as Roca Sales and Cruzeiro do Sul also registered multiple casualties.

Governor Eduardo Leite declared a state of public calamity and canceled statewide parades meant to celebrate Brazil’s Independence Day on Thursday.

“We’ve mobilized to rescue the victims and rebuild everything that was destroyed by the storm,” Leite wrote on social media network X.

According to the Rio Grande do Sul government, heavy rains caused by the extratropical cyclone have affected 80 cities and left more than 2,300 people homeless and over 3,900 displaced.

In addition to the 39 fatalities in Rio Grande do Sul, one person died in neighboring Santa Catarina state while driving through the city of Jupia when a tree fell on their car. Winds there exceeded 110 km per hour (68.4 miles per hour).

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will travel to India for the G20 summit later in the day, said the federal government would fully support the region and put Vice President Geraldo Alckmin “on standby” to travel there.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/least-39-dead-cyclone-hits-brazils-southernmost-state-2023-09-07/

Hong Kong, Shenzhen deluged by heaviest rain on record, 83 hurt

The Asian financial hub of Hong Kong was drenched on Friday by the heaviest rain since records began 140 years ago, with 83 people hurt, three seriously, as unusually wet weather caused by typhoons brought more disruption to southern China.

Videos showed cascades of water surging down steep hillsides in the former British colony, flooding waist-deep in narrow streets, and inundating malls, metro stations and tunnels.

The extreme weather also brought chaos to the nearby Chinese city of Shenzhen, a tech hub of more than 17.7 million people, with business and transport links across the economically important Pearl River Delta severely hit.

The torrential rain was brought by Haikui, a typhoon that made landfall in the Chinese province of Fujian on Tuesday. Although it weakened to a tropical depression its slow-moving clouds have dumped huge volumes of precipitation on areas still soaked by rain from a super typhoon a week earlier.

Hong Kong’s weather bureau issued its highest “black” rainstorm warning, and said more than 200 mm (7.9 inches) of rain was recorded on Hong Kong’s main island, the Kowloon district and the northeastern part of the city’s New Territories from late on Thursday.

The city’s leader, John Lee, said he was very concerned about the severe flooding in most parts of the territory and had instructed all departments to respond with “all-out efforts”.

Hong Kong authorities shut schools on Friday and told workers to stay at home. The stock exchange did not open for morning trade and would remain shut in the afternoon if the “black” rainstorm warning remained in place at noon.

MTR Corp (0066.HK), which operates the city’s rail network, said at least one line was shut while others were operating with delays. One video clip showed metro workers wading waist-deep in a station.

The city’s cross-harbour tunnel, one of main arteries connecting Hong Kong island to Kowloon, was inundated and a shopping mall in the Chai Wan district was half-submerged.

Some passenger and cargo clearance operations at two border points between Hong Kong and Shenzhen were suspended due to flooding.

Macau ferry operators in Hong Kong said several sailings would be suspended to the gambling hub.

People make their way through a flooded area after heavy rains, in Hong Kong, China, September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

GUANGDONG SWAMPED
The China Meteorological Administration said heavy rain would fall until early Saturday on the central and southwestern areas of Guangdong province.

All schools, some subway stations and offices in the Guangdong city of Shenzhen were shut on Friday.

Residents holding onto safety lines stepped gingerly through knee-deep water in the metropolis of 17.7 million people, videos from state media showed.

Rescuers cordoned off overflowing manholes, carried a child from a stranded vehicle and guided motorcyclists through the murky flows.

A rainfall log showed 465.5 mm (1.5 ft) of rain fell in Shenzhen over a 12-hour period, the highest since records began in 1952.

Daily rainfall in the city in the Pearl River Delta linking Hong Kong to China’s mainland was expected to exceed 500 mm, Shenzhen media said.

Videos showed both the exit and entry areas of the Shenzhen railway station were flooded, with trains connecting the city and the provincial capital of Guangzhou suspended. About 100 people were stranded at the station.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hong-kongs-heaviest-rain-least-140-years-floods-city-streets-metro-2023-09-08/

Hurricane Idalia latest: Tropical storm now heading for Georgia – Florida homes submerged, 250,000 lose power and flights axed

Hurricane Idalia has wrought havoc in Florida, leaving 250,000 homes without power and submerging properties. The storm has now been downgraded as it heads into Georgia – but storm surges and rainfall pose new risks.

Idalia is now a tropical storm – what has happened so far?
Flooded roads, evacuations and downed power lines – there’s no doubt Idalia has caused havoc in the US over the last 24 hours.

It was originally classed as a category 3 hurricane, but as the day comes to an end it has been downgraded to a tropical storm.

Here’s what has happened so far:

Idalia roared ashore early this morning with 125 mph winds and unleashed devastation along a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast.

Homes and vehicles were submerged, streets turned into rivers, and small boats were unmoored before the hurricane went sweeping into Georgia.

Almost 438,000 customers in Florida and Georgia lost power while rushing water covered streets near the coast.

The centre of the hurricane then moved inland, causing high winds to shred signs, send sheet metal flying and snap tall trees.

Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula.

It made landfall as a high-end category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph.

There were no confirmed storm deaths in Florida, although fatal traffic accidents in two counties may end up being storm-related, Florida governor Ron DeSantis said.

State officials, 5,500 National Guardsman and rescue crews were in search-and-recovery mode, inspecting bridges, clearing toppled trees and looking for anyone in distress in one of Florida’s most rural regions.

On the island of Cedar Key, downed trees and debris blocked roads, and propane tanks exploded.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/hurricane-idalia-latest-unprecedented-hurricane-to-hit-florida-residents-told-youve-really-got-to-go-now-12950589

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

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