-
-
By air, boat and truck, search on for Ike victims
HOUSTON (AP) -- Rescuers in boats, helicopters and high-water trucks set out across the flood-stricken Texas coast Saturday in a monumental effort to reach tens of thousands of people who stubbornly ignored warnings of "certain death" and tried to ride out Hurricane Ike.
The storm roared ashore hours before daybreak with 110 mph winds and towering waves, smashing houses, flooding thousands of homes, blowing out windows in Houston's skyscrapers, and cutting off power to more than 3 million people, perhaps for weeks.
By evening, it appeared that Ike was not the single calamitous stroke that forecasters had feared. But the full extent of the damage - or even a rough sense of how many people may have perished - was still unclear, in part because many roads were impassable.
Some authorities feared that this could instead become a slow-motion disaster, with thousands of victims trapped in their homes, waiting for days to be rescued.
"We will be doing this probably for the next week or more. We hope it doesn't turn into a recovery," said Sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Marlow in Orange County, where more than 300 people had to be rescued from flooded homes. He said that was only "a drop in the bucket" compared with the number still stranded.
By some estimates, more than 140,000 of the 1 million or so people who had been ordered to evacuate the coast as Ike drew near may have tried to tough it out. Many of them evidently realized the mistake too late, and pleaded with authorities in vain to save them overnight. HOUSTON (AP) -- Rescuers in boats, helicopters and high-water trucks set out across the flood-stricken Texas coast Saturday in a monum... more -
Doctors Without Borders: Ongoing needs in hurricane-damaged Haiti
Fourteen days after Tropical Storm Gustav made landfall, followed by Tropical Storm Hanna and then Hurricane Ike last week, many areas are still inaccessible in devastated Haiti.
Since arriving in the northern Haitian city of Gonaïves on September 4, one of the worst affected areas in the country, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams have carried out 641 medical consultations and performed 25 surgical procedures. Half of the people screened so far by MSF have suffered at least minor injuries. The remaining patients are suffering from diarrhea (and related dehydration), respiratory diseases, infections, and skin problems linked to polluted water, with such cases on the increase. While most of the patients are adults, an increasing number are children.
With floodwaters now receding slightly, people are beginning to return to Gonaïves, adding additional stress on already strained health and sanitation facilities. Temporary health clinics in some schools are lacking basic materials and equipment. MSF teams have donated medical materials and plans are underway to open a field hospital in Gonaïves.
Currently, MSF has five medical personnel (two doctors and three nurses) and six logistical staff (three general logisticians and three water and sanitation specialists) in Gonaïves.
Clean Water a Priority
At the Rabouteau Health Center in Gonaïves, MSF has carried out over 150 consultations as of yesterday. One-third of the people examined were children under five years of age. Two water bladders were also set up at the center in order to provide clean drinking water, which is in very short supply in the city.
Limited Access to Other Devastated Areas
Access to other hurricane-affected areas outside of Gonaïves is extremely difficult; many roads and airstrips are flooded, bridges are destroyed, and there is a general lack of fuel, which is reducing, if not preventing, relief assistance—including clean water, food, or basic medical needs—from reaching many parts of the country. MSF is doing its best to access these areas to provide adequate care to affected populations and to monitor the health situation.
On Monday night, MSF sent an additional five vehicles and one truck to Gonaïves by boat. In the coming days, a team of four medical personnel and two logisticians will attempt to start mobile clinics and surveillance activities in the northwest area between Gonaïves and Port de Paix (including Terre Neuve, Anse Rouge, and Gros Morne) which has an overall estimated population of close to one million people. An additional 13.2 tons of medical and logistical materials (medical kits, pumps, tents, mosquito nets, water treatment kits, water tanks, generators, and blankets) are on the way from Europe and from Panama.
Existing MSF activities in Port-au-Prince are continuing. MSF provides medical and surgical care at La Trinité Trauma Center, emergency obstetrical care in Jude Anne Hospital, and emergency health-care services and essential health services through mobile clinics in the Martissant slum.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
To help the people of Haiti you can also do so through Doctors Without Borders
http://doctorswithoutborders.org Fourteen days after Tropical Storm Gustav made landfall, followed by Tropical Storm Hanna and then Hurricane Ike last week, many areas... more -
More floods In northern India predicted due to glacier melt of Himalayas
With over a million people and 250,000 homes damaged due to the recent floods this prediction does not bode well for India, especially the poor of India. And without governments and social mores changing to accomodate a moral standing regarding this crisis, many will die and that is not an exaggeration. In the recent flooding, "untouchables" were either the last to be rescued or were not rescued at all. So how will that play out in the event of other major environmental climate change catastrophes? Those deemed unworthy of aid will simply be left to die?
From the article:
With over 2.7 million people affected by the floods caused by the change of course of the Kosi river in Bihar, researchers have now warned of more floods in northern India in coming years following changing stream flow patterns in the Himalayan rivers. The researchers from Pune University and College of Military Engineering, Pune, found an increase in the number of ‘high-magnitude flood’ events in four rivers - Chenab, Ravi, Satluj and Beas in northwestern Himalayas in the last four decades.
The researchers analysed the discharge of glacial melt into these rivers and found changing water flow patterns in the river due to global warming.
“The high-magnitude events in Himalayan rivers are generally in monsoons; hence they may lead to floods in plains too,” researcher M.R. Bhutiyani, professor at the College of Military Engineering, told IANS.
Bhutiyani said a “high magnitude flood event” is defined as an event when river flow at a particular point exceeds its average value.
“The data analysis shows that there was a significant number of high magnitude flood events in the rivers in the last four decades and the frequency of such events has been increasing,” he said.
The researchers found that due to global warming smaller glaciers in the Himalayas have receded at a relatively faster rate than the larger ones. This may ultimately lead to their disappearance in the near future.
“It is the glacier contribution which is going to be impacted because of global warming. There will be variations in response to the monsoon rainfall. Glaciers, which acted as natural regulators of discharge, will no longer play an important role in the hydrological regime of such basins,” Bhutiyani said.
The researchers found a significant increase in the glacial discharge in the Chenab and Satluj rivers, attributing this to a larger number of glaciers in the basin being on the retreat. With over a million people and 250,000 homes damaged due to the recent floods this prediction does not bode well for India, especially... more -
Flood victims face caste discrimination
Hundreds of thousands of people are still homeless after floods hit the Indian state of Bihar last month. Some of the victims face the additional hardships that come from being members of the low caste dalit community. Rajan Khosla of the charity Christian Aid has been meeting some of them in the village of Mirzawaa, where 500 families live in temporary shelters.
-------------------
"Let me be born again as an animal rather than as a harijan (dalit). We face more humiliation than they," says Tetar Rishidev, a dalit from Mirzawaa village, in the district of Supaul.
After the floods in Bihar millions of people lost their homes, belongings and even family members. But for the dalits of Bihar there is further misery: the caste system.
In Mirzawaa village, Sakal Sadah is a dalit.
Today - unusually - he is happy. There is a food distribution and his family will get food. His children have been surviving on some leftover rice once in a day.
Sakal Sadah is a landless agriculture labourer and earns about 40 rupees (80 cents) for a 12-hour day. Hundreds of thousands of people are still homeless after floods hit the Indian state of Bihar last month. Some of the victims face the... more -
Trouble the Water with Danny Glover and the filmmakers
Conversation with the filmmakers and stars of Trouble the Water, Winner of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. A dramatic look into the real stories of New Orleans residents who battled Hurricane Katrina's deadly floodwaters, journeyed across post-disaster stumbling blocks, and seized a chance for a new beginning. Moderator: Judith Bell, President, PolicyLink Panelists include Danny Glover, Tia Lessin, Carl Deal, Kimberly Roberts, and Scott Roberts. Conversation with the filmmakers and stars of Trouble the Water, Winner of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. A dramati... more
-
Flash Floods!
So it's that time of the year again when Britain gets its inevitable end of summer show down with nature. Some areas of the country saw as much as 50mm rain which left plenty of places completely under water and causing hundreds of thousands of pounds in damage.
One girl was killed in the floods in Wales after the 4x4 she was travelling in lost its footing and turned over into a river. So it's that time of the year again when Britain gets its inevitable end of summer show down with nature. Some areas of the count... more -
17-year-old gir dead as storms move across UK
Storms which left one person dead in mid-Wales and caused floods across Wales and south-west England are set to spread to other parts of the UK.
Persistent rain is forecast for north and north-east England and south-east Scotland, with the risk of flooding.
One severe flood warning and 52 flood warnings are in place.
On Friday afternoon, a 17-year-old girl died when a 4x4 vehicle overturned trying to cross a swollen river at a ford near Llyn Brianne in Powys.
Several rivers in Wales have already burst their banks
On the weather prospects for Saturday, BBC forecaster Jay Wynne said: "It's going to be pretty wet throughout northern England generally, and south-east Scotland too.
"The ground is already saturated so the water will run off pretty quickly into the rivers, so we could see some flooding problems in those areas.
"The rain won't be as heavy as it was in Wales and south-west England on Friday but it will be persistent, raining pretty much all day."
The Environment Agency's severe flood warning is for Cringle Brook in the Fallowfield, Withington and Burnage districts of Manchester. In addition to the warnings, the agency has 170 flood watches in place for England and Wales.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency has one flood watch, for across the Scottish Borders where up to 50mm (2ins) of rain are possible.
The teenager who was killed in Powys was airlifted to Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth - along with a male and another female both suffering from hypothermia - but died after arrival.
It's been atrocious here on the east coast of Ireland too, my garden here is basically a swimming pool. Storms which left one person dead in mid-Wales and caused floods across Wales and south-west England are set to spread to other parts ... more -
Haiti facing storm 'catastrophe'
Haiti faces a "catastrophe" after being hit by a series of storms in recent weeks, President Rene Preval has said.
Three storms in less than 21 days have killed 170 people and forced thousands to flee their homes in the Caribbean nation, officials say.
The latest, Tropical Storm Hanna, could prove even more deadly than one that killed more than 3,000 people in 2004, Mr Preval warned.
Hanna is now approaching the Bahamas, where storm warnings have been issued.
At 0030 GMT on Thursday, Hanna was about 355 miles (575km) south-east of Nassau and moving north-west, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says.
Separately, storm Ike has strengthened rapidly into an extremely powerful Category Four hurricane in the open Atlantic, the NHC says.
See a map of Atlantic storms
However, it says it is too early to determine if Ike poses any threat to land.
'No water, no food'
"It is believed that compared to Jeanne, Hanna could cause even more damage," Mr Preval said.
The Haitian leader was referring to the deadly Tropical Storm Jeanne which hit the country in 2004.
Mr Preval said he would hold emergency talks with donor countries to appeal for aid.
Haitian officials say that Hanna has left at least 61 people dead when it struck on Tuesday, but there are fears that the death toll will rise further.
The northern city of Gonaives bore the brunt of Hanna's maximum sustained winds of 100km/h (65mph), with people on roof-tops screaming for help as floods reached depths of 2m (6.5ft).
"There are a lot of people who have been on top of the roofs of their homes over 24 hours now. They have no water, no food and we can't even help them," Haitian Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime told Reuters news agency.
UN peacekeepers and aid workers have been trying to reach stranded survivors.
"The situation is as bad as it can be," the UN's Vadre Louis told the Associated Press news agency.
"The wind is ripping up trees. Houses are flooded with water. Cars can't drive on the street. You can't rescue anyone, wherever they may be."
The impoverished Caribbean island was first drenched by Tropical Storm Fay, before Hurricane Gustav wreaked havoc last week, with torrential rainfall over heavily deforested and hilly terrain causing floods and mudslides.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
I can't imagine how the people of Haiti are surviving. This is beyond all human comprehension. I do know that Haiti needs help, and that this is more important than any bogus political campaign speech. Haiti faces a "catastrophe" after being hit by a series of storms in recent weeks, President Rene Preval has said. ... more -
Louisiana floodwalls stuffed with newspaper
An unlicensed contractor, hired by the US Army Corps of Engineers, used newspaper to patch Louisiana floodwall joints instead of using the appropriate material, "sponge rubber". See article/video for details. An unlicensed contractor, hired by the US Army Corps of Engineers, used newspaper to patch Louisiana floodwall joints instead of using... more
-
Flood-Prone Haitian City of Gonaives Under Water
Heavy rains triggered by Tropical Storm Hanna triggered severe flooding and killed at least 10 people in the Haitian city of Gonaives, where thousands died four years ago during a similar catastrophe, officials said.
"The city is flooded and there are parts where the water gets to 2 meters (6.5 feet)," said Alta Jean-Baptiste, the head of the Caribbean country's civil protection agency.
"A lot of people have been climbing onto the tops of their houses since last night to escape the flooding."
Gonaives police commissioner Ernst Dorfeulle said much of the population of the city—thought to be Haiti's fourth largest—had been forced to climb onto their rooftops.
"The police have seen 10 bodies but the death toll must be be much heavier," Dorfeulle told Reuters by telephone.
"It is a very serious situation. Those people on the top of their roofs are being lashed by rain and cannot be rescued."
Eyewitnesses in Gonaives, a northern port city, said roads there were completely impassable.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is extremely vulnerable to disastrous flash floods because most of its hillsides have been stripped of trees by people desperate for charcoal to use as cooking fuel.
Mudslides and flooding caused by Tropical Storm Jeanne in 2004 killed around 3,000 people in Gonaives. Spring floods earlier that year were blamed for another 2,000 deaths near the border with the Dominican Republic.
The passage last week of Hurricane Gustav left at least 76 people dead in Haiti while Tropical Storm Fay in August killed more than 50, most of them when a crowded bus was swept away as it tried to cross a rain-swollen river.
Haitian Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime was on the way to Gonaives to supervise rescue operations, Jean-Baptiste said.
"The hospital in Gonaives is completely flooded," she said. "We are now evacuating the patients. For now we are taking them to a higher place in the hospital but they cannot stay there."
Jean-Baptiste said the government had asked United Nations peacekeepers in the country to organize a flight to Gonaives to carry firefighters capable of carrying out search and rescue operations.
Tropical Storm Hanna was located some distance away from Haiti over the southeastern Bahamas on Tuesday. But it was a large, messy storm and Haitian meteorologists said heavy rains falling over the country were an indirect result of Hanna. Heavy rains triggered by Tropical Storm Hanna triggered severe flooding and killed at least 10 people in the Haitian city of Gonaives,... more -
Vancouver airport at risk of flood
Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport are at risk of being washed out as a result of rising sea levels, flooding and more frequent storm patterns, a climate researcher says. Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport are at risk of being washed out as a result of rising sea levels, flooding and more f... more
-
Katrina survivors struggle years after hurricane
TRNN Replay: Voices of Katrina survivors still fighting for survival (filmed spring 2008)
New Orleans has been busy reinventing itself as a post-Katrina tourist Mecca. But scarce attention has been paid to an invisible wall cutting across the city. Way beyond the renewed glitz of the French Quarter and downtown casinos the true post-Katrina story is actually told by homeless people living in a tent city under a flyover, or by struggling families trying to rebuild their homes and their lives in the Lower Ninth Ward. TRNN Replay: Voices of Katrina survivors still fighting for survival (filmed spring 2008) ... more -
Big Easy to Big Empty: a film by Greg Palast
The untold story of the drowning of New Orleans. Courtesy of Greg Palast. You can buy a copy of the DVD at http://www.gregpalast.com
August 29th 2006 marked the one year anniversary of the devastation in New Orleans caused by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This Special Greg Palast Report brings you exclusive footage and the stories you won’t hear on the other networks — the hidden political agendas and the suppressed eyewitness reports.
Big Easy to Big Empty - The Untold Story of the Drowning of New Orleans
In this half-hour film, Greg Palast and his team travel to New Orleans to investigate what has happened since Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast last year. On his visit, he discovers that the population of New Orleans is miniscule, the reconstruction sparse, suicide rates are climbing, and many have not, nor know how to, return to the city that care forgot. He examines why residents had to leave, what really caused the flood and why they aren’t returning.
Bonus Features include:
Tomorrow’s New Orleans: Whose City Will it Be? A half-hour conversation with Amy Goodman and Greg Palast sit down to discuss who is accountable for the ongoing disastrous situation in New Orleans.
“If the mass media were doing the type of investigative reporting that you can see and hear in Greg Palast’s “Big Easy to Big Empty” the residents of New Orleans would be getting the help they need. Palast’s reporting reveals the utter disregard for the people of this city and the criminal lack of common sense or human decency in addressing the aftermath of Katrina. Please watch this DVD and share it with your friends, your family, your place of worship- with everyone!”
Gregory Palast is a New York Times-bestselling author and a journalist for the British Broadcasting Corporation as well as the British newspaper The Observer.[4] His work frequently focuses on corporate malfeasance but has also been known to work with labor unions and consumer advocacy groups. Notably, he has claimed to have uncovered evidence that Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, and Florida Elections Unit Chief Clay Roberts, along with the ChoicePoint corporation, rigged the ballots during the US Presidential Election of 2000 and again in 2004 when, he argued, the problems and machinations from 2000 continued, and that challenger John Kerry actually would have won if not for disproportional "spoilage" of Democratic votes.[5] Palast lectured at Cambridge University and the University of São Paulo. He lives in London and New York City. Palast is originally from Los Angeles, and was educated at the University of Chicago,where he studied with the "Chicago Boys", and eventually earned an MBA. On September 13, 2006, after filming a camp of Hurricane Katrina refugees in Louisiana near a massive Exxon oil refinery, Palast reported that a complaint had been filed against him for the unauthorized videotaping of a "critical infrastructure asset." Palast's office later indicated that Exxon had "called off the dogs" and that no charges would be filed. The untold story of the drowning of New Orleans. Courtesy of Greg Palast. You can buy a copy of the DVD at http://www.gregpalast.com ... more -
India's 'Untouchables' Last to be Helped in Floods
In the two weeks since a monsoon-swollen river burst its banks, ancient prejudices have run just as deep as the floodwaters. India's "untouchables" are the last to be rescued — if at all — from a deluge that has killed dozens and made 1.2 million homeless.
Dalits, the social outcasts at the bottom of the Hindu caste ladder, have borne the brunt of the devastation as the rampaging Kosi River swamped hundreds of square miles in northern India after it overflowed and shifted its course dozens of miles to the east.
On Sunday, one Dalit, Mohan Parwan ran up and down a half destroyed bridge that has become the headquarters for rescue operations in this town near the border with Nepal, desperately scanning arriving boats for signs of his family.
Dozens came in but each time he was disappointed.
Parwan, 43, is from a Dalit village just 2 miles away but completely cut off by a deep lake created by the swirling waters. As the village headman, he was put on the first rescue boat that came and was promised his wife, four children and the rest of the community would follow.
"It's been six days and since then no boat has come from the village," he said, tears welling in his eyes.
Dalits have long been shunned, holding a status so low they are considered outside the complex caste system that is all pervasive in India, dividing people into hundreds of groups defined by livelihood, class and ethnicity.
Even India's emergence as a global force — fueled by its economic growth and high-tech hubs — has failed to break down the barriers and stigmas that hold them down.
Huddled away from the others
When it comes to rescue operations, it appears Dalits are at the bottom, too.
In Triveniganj, Dalits huddled together in a small group at the end of the bridge away from everyone else. They said rescuers were saving the upper castes and the rich first, leaving their people to suffer without food and clean water.
"We are 200 people on a roof for days. Two children fell in and drowned. No one is coming to help us," said Kishore Ram, 22, who got out on one of the few boats to visit his village.
"The officials don't listen to us little people. We can't offer bribes and influence, I'm just a poor student," Ram said.
Hearing about the flood, Prithvi Chand Baswan, a 38-year-old Dalit, rushed home from the neighboring state of Punjab where he works as a farm laborer, searching for his wife and six children, ages 3 to 12. Four miles from home, he was stopped by flooding.
"People from the village say they are sheltering in the temple, but I can't get to them and they won't send a boat for a Dalit village," he said, holding his head in despair.
Ravindra Prasad Singh, a state government official coordinating rescue work in Triveniganj, about 875 miles east of New Delhi, denied that Dalits were being ignored.
"It's ridiculous. They are lying," he said, but he could not explain why only a single boat of Dalits had come in during all of Sunday afternoon even though they make up more than half the region's people. In the two weeks since a monsoon-swollen river burst its banks, ancient prejudices have run just as deep as the floodwaters. India... more -
The Katrina Myth; the truth about a thoroughly unnatural disaster
Few people understand what really happened in New Orleans or what caused it. Fewer still realize that they too may be living under a similar or an even greater threat. This video exposes the key myths and misunderstandings about the New Orleans flood.
http://www.levees.org Few people understand what really happened in New Orleans or what caused it. Fewer still realize that they too may be living under a s... more -
Three million displaced in India floods
Authorities struggling to provide aid after devastating floods in eastern India said on Sunday they needed more boats and rescuers to help hundreds of thousands of people still marooned in remote villages.
Bad weather and heavy rain over the past few days have hampered rescue and relief operations in the worst-ever floods to hit Bihar state in 50 years, officials said.
"I can't say specifically how many people are still stranded in floods," Nitish Mishra, the state's disaster management minister said on Sunday.
"But their numbers are in lakhs (hundreds of thousands) and we require more resources, more boats, army and rescue efforts to evacuate them."
Floods have killed more than 1,000 people in South Asia since the monsoon began in June, mainly in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where 785 people died, and deaths were also reported in Nepal and Bangladesh.
In Bihar, the toll rose to 90 on Sunday with five more people drowning overnight in separate districts.
At least 3 million people have been displaced and those figures could rise as heavy rain continued, officials said. Authorities struggling to provide aid after devastating floods in eastern India said on Sunday they needed more boats and rescuers to ... more -
Indian monsoon floods leave a million homeless
More than a million people have been forced from their homes and 250,000 houses destroyed in one of the worst floods in northern India for decades, sparking accusations that the destruction was man-made.
Described by the country's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, as a "national calamity", the flooding occurred after the Kosi river burst its banks in Nepal ten days ago, sending floodwaters across a swath of the eastern flank of the Himalayas and submerging large parts of the Indian state of Bihar.
Today the Indian army mobilised, evacuating more than 100,000 people and dropping food supplies from the air. Pratyaya Amrit, Bihar's secretary for disaster management, said that a further 300,000 people would be moved to relief camps in the next 48 hours.
Experts have said that the flooding was not simply an act of nature, and that the failure of the Indian authorities played a large part in the making of the disaster. The Kosi river's flood defences are supposed to be able to handle flows of almost a million cubic feet of water per second. Yet they were breached when the flows were a little more than a tenth of that capacity, pointing to serious defects.
Nepal, where the Kosi originates from, has accused the Indian government of failing to uphold its commitment under a 1954 treaty to maintain the river's embankment. India countered that its engineers could not get access to river.
"We know the monsoon comes every year. Why weren't they ready for the disaster? The fact is that there was much less flow in the river than the stated capacity which exposes the kind of maintenance that was done," said Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the independent South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People.
Thakkar said that there was an "unfortunate lobby consisting of politicians, bureaucrats, builders and engineers who take money and don't do any work. There is no oversight of this process. That's why we get flooding every year."
Relief agencies said that Bihar's status as the poorest, most deprived state in India meant that victims of the annual monsoons were especially vulnerable.
"During our flood response last year we found that the levels of children trafficked from the state increased in large numbers. Two of the affected districts Arraria and Katiyar according to our study have the highest instance of child trafficking. The current disaster will increase levels of poverty and desperation and create a favourable environment for traffickers," said Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children More than a million people have been forced from their homes and 250,000 houses destroyed in one of the worst floods in northern India... more -
Food riots as Indian floods destroy 250,000 homes
Food riots erupted on Wednesday in eastern India, where more than two million people have been forced from their homes and about 250,000 houses destroyed in what officials say are the worst floods in 50 years.
One person was killed in Madhepura district when angry villagers fought among themselves over limited supplies of food and medicines at overcrowded relief centres.
The Kosi river in Bihar, one of India's poorest states, smashed through mud embankments and changed course last week, unleashing huge walls of water that inundated hundreds of villages and towns.
The floods have since killed nearly 50 people in Bihar.
Torrential rains have killed more than 1,000 people in South Asia since the monsoon began in June, mainly in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh but also in Nepal and Bangladesh.
Some experts blame the floods on heavier monsoon rains caused by global warming, while others say authorities have failed to take enough preventive measures to improve infrastructure.
Officials said flood victims had looted grains at some places in Bihar. Others ran for miles under helicopters that were dropping food packets. One boy was killed and about 30 people were injured in Supaul district when food packets fell on them.
"We have enough stock of food grains but the problem is that we have limited means of transport to supply them among the villagers," Rajesh Kumar Gupta, a government official in Madhepura, told Reuters by telephone.
**********************
I believe this to be due to a combination of global warming and inferior infrastructure. Again, a foretaste of what is to come for others if we continue to only talk and write about this. This is playing out in exactly the regions the IPCC warned it would. I do not believe we can any longer dismiss global warming/climate change as a reason for it. Food riots erupted on Wednesday in eastern India, where more than two million people have been forced from their homes and about 250,0... more -
Hurricane Gustav hits Haiti, oil prices rise
Tropical Storm Gustav reached hurricane strength as it swirled through the central Caribbean and bore down on Haiti on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
A hurricane hunter aircraft reported the storm's top sustained winds were near 80 mph (130 kph) -- above hurricane strength of 74 mph (120 kph) -- as it approached southwest Haiti.
Gustav threatened the impoverished Caribbean nation of 9 million with up to 25 inches of rain in some areas, which could trigger deadly floods and mudslides.
Oil prices rose as Gustav stirred concerns about disruptions to U.S. oil and gas output in the Gulf of Mexico and served as another reminder that this storm season is shaping up to be busier than usual.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Amazing, just in time for Labor Day weekend. If I didn't know any better I could believe these storms are being steered to exactly where oil companies make the most profit. Just by the National Weather Service stating it "could" veer that way, prices go up. And nevermind the devastation it left behind in Haiti... Gotta protect those oil rigs! Tropical Storm Gustav reached hurricane strength as it swirled through the central Caribbean and bore down on Haiti on Tuesday, the U.... more -
Flood devastation in Bihar state
Over a million people have been affected by floods in three districts of the northern Indian state of Bihar, officials say.
The banks of the Kosi river overflowed days after the part of the river in neighbouring Nepal breached an embankment there. Bihar's districts of Supaul, Araria and Madhepura which border Nepal are the worst affected. Floods in South Asia are common. About 28m people were affected last year.
Officials say that crops on tens of thousands of hectares of land have been damaged by the Bihar floods. Over 50 relief camps have been opened in the three affected districts, and Indian air force helicopters are dropping food packets in the area.
People in the area have taken refuge on embankments, highways, and buildings to escape the flood waters. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has described the floods as a "catastrophe". Over 170 country boats have been pressed into service to rescue stranded people, and reach relief supplies.
However, the affected people say they have not been receiving any government help. They chased away three senior legislators who had arrived in the area to meet flood victims during the weekend. "All the relief material is being siphoned off by government officials," alleged farmer Kameshwar Prasad, who has taken shelter in a school in Supaul district. Over a million people have been affected by floods in three districts of the northern Indian state of Bihar, officials say. ... more
-
related topics
Floods
Contributors (271)
Floods
