Page 4 - Natural Disasters

Indonesia quake: 6-yr-old pulled alive from wreckage, death toll at 271

The 5.6-magnitude quake that hit Indonesia's Cianjur region resulted in the deaths of 271 persons, however, the hopes for survivors persist after a six-year-old boy was pulled alive

At least 68 injured after 5.9 magnitude earthquake strikes northwest Turkey

An earthquake with a magnitude 5.9 has hit a town in northwest Turkey on Wednesday, Turkey's government-run Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said. The earthquake was centred in the town of Golkaya, in Duzce province, some 200 kilometers east of Istanbul. It was felt in Istanbul and in the capital Ankara. The quake sent people rushing out of buildings and cut power in the area, Duzce's mayor Faruk Ozlu told private NTV television. Ozlu said there was no immediate report of casualty or damage but authorities were still assessing possible destruction. Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Duzce was hit by a powerful earthquake in 1999, which killed some 800 people.

6.2 magnitude quake in Mexico leaves Baja California relatively undamaged

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck a relatively unpopulated stretch of the Pacific coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula Tuesday. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake happened about 8:40 am local time offshore near the village of Vicente Guerrero. The town is about 270 kilometers south of the border city of Tijuana. Unlike Tijuana and Ensenada, that stretch of coast has little development. Mexico's civil defense agency discounted any possibility of a tsunami. Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Avila said there appeared to be no danger to residents or visitors.

Earthquake death toll in Indonesia's Java rises to 268; 151 missing

The death toll from the earthquake that shook the Indonesian island of Java leapt to 268 on Tuesday as more bodies were found beneath collapsed buildings, and 151 people are still missing, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said. Agency head Suharyanto, who like many Indonesians only goes by one name, told reporters that another 1,083 people were injured in the 5.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Monday afternoon near the city of Cianjur. The temblor sent terrified residents fleeing into the streets, some covered in blood and debris, and caused buildings around the rural area to collapse. One woman told The Associated Press that when the earthquake hit, her home in Cianjur started shaking like it was dancing. I was crying and immediately grabbed my husband and children, said the woman, who gave her name only as Partinem. The house collapsed shortly after she escaped with her family. If I didn't pull them out we might have also been victims, she said, gazing over the pile of ...

47 dead, dozens feared missing as storm lashes parts of Philippines

Flash floods and landslides set off by torrential rains left at least 47 people dead, including in a hard-hit southern Philippine province, where as many as 60 villagers are feared missing and buried in a deluge of rainwater, mud, rocks and trees, officials said Saturday. At least 42 people were swept away by rampaging floodwaters and drowned or were hit by debris-filled mudslides in three towns in Maguindanao province from Thursday night to early Friday, said Naguib Sinarimbo, the interior minister for a five-province Muslim autonomous region run by former separatist guerrillas. Five other people died elsewhere from the onslaught of Tropical Storm Nalgae, which slammed into the eastern province of Camarines Sur early Saturday, the government's disaster-response agency said. But the worst storm impact so far was a mudslide laden with rainwater, rocks and trees that buried dozens of houses with as many as 60 people in the tribal village of Kusiong in Maguindanao's Datu Odin Sinsuat .

Efforts on to support families affected by cyclone Sitrang in Meghalaya: CM

With Cyclone Sitrang leaving a trail of destruction in Meghalaya, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has said that efforts are being made to ensure all support to the affected families. The chief minister said he had reviewed the situation in the northeastern state in the aftermath of the cyclone at a meeting attended by deputy commissioners of all 12 districts. The revenue and disaster management departments are working full swing and efforts are being made to provide all support to the affected families. All deputy commissioners are working to ensure as much relief as possible to those hit by the cyclone, he said on Wednesday. Cyclone Sitrang had hurtled through the state in the early hours of Tuesday damaging hundreds of houses and uprooting electric poles. The accompanying rain triggered flash floods that destroyed paddy and potato crops. Stating that the power supply has been hit in the state by the cyclonic storm, he said the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited is working to ...

222 mn Indian children face double threat of disasters, poverty: Report

About 51 per cent of children in India are living under the dual impacts of poverty and the climate emergency, according to a new study. There are almost 350 million children across Asia, including 222 million in India, who are gripped by both grinding poverty and climate disaster, the 'Generation Hope: 2.4 billion reasons to end the global climate and inequality crisis' report stated. Developed by child rights NGO Save the Children and climate modelling from researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, it also stated that Cambodia topped the list of Asian countries most likely to face this "double threat", with 72 per cent of children in the country affected, followed by Myanmar (64 per cent) and Afghanistan (57 per cent). However, India was ranked the highest globally in terms of overall number of children facing this "double threat" of poverty and climate disaster, it stated. While 351.9 million children in India are estimated to be affected by at least one extreme climate eve

Strong quake injures nearly 36 people in north Philippines; airport shut

A strong earthquake rocked a large swath of the northern Philippines, injuring at least 36 people and forcing the closure of an international airport and the evacuation of patients in a hospital, officials said on Wednesday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Tuesday night's magnitude 6.4 quake, which was set off by movement of a local fault, was centred 9 kilometres (5 miles) northwest of Lagayan town in Abra province at a depth of 11 kilometres (7 miles). The US Tsunami Warning System said no warning or advisory was issued. The quake was felt across a wide area of the main northern Luzon region, including in some parts of metropolitan Manila, more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Abra. At least 10 people received mostly minor injuries in Abra, mainly from falling debris, and 26 others were injured in Ilocos Norte, the home province of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The international airport in Ilocos Norte's capital city of Laoag was closed on ..

Strong earthquake injures dozens in northern Philippines, shuts airport

A strong earthquake rocked a large swathe of the northern Philippines, injuring at least 26 people and forcing the closure of an international airport and the evacuation of patients in a hospital, officials said Wednesday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Tuesday night's magnitude 6.4 quake, which was set off by movement in a local fault, was centred 9 km (5 miles) northwest of Lagayan town in Abra province at a depth of 11 km (7 miles). The US Tsunami Warning System said no warning or advisory was issued. The quake was felt across a wide area of the main northern Luzon region, including in some parts of metropolitan Manila, more than 400 km (248 miles) south of Abra. At least 26 people were injured in Ilocos Norte, the home province of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, where the international airport in the capital city of Laoag was ordered to close temporarily Wednesday due to damage from the quake, police and civil aviation officials said. In Batac city

Cyclone Sitrang: Over 1,000 people of 83 villages affected in Assam

The situation in Assam continues to remain grim on Tuesday as nearly 1100 people of 83 villages have been affected by the deluge caused by the cyclonic storm 'Sitrang'.

Cyclone Sitrang weakens into deep depression over Bangladesh: IMD

As the cyclonic storm "Sitrang" crossed the Bangladesh coast, its remnant which created a deep depression over Bangladesh further weakened into a depression, informed IMD scientist Umashankar Das

6.7-magnitude earthquake hits northern Philippines; damage expected

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 jolted northern Philippines on Tuesday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said, adding that it might cause damage.

TMS Ep288: Samvat 2079, T20 World Cup 2022, Rakesh Mohan, disaster relief

What's in store for the markets this week? What makes T20 World Cup 2022 different? What's economist Rakesh Mohan's view on inflation? What is a disaster relief fund? All answers here

What is a disaster relief fund?

Cyclonic storms, excess rains wreak havoc, triggering floods and landslides. Such calamities need govt intervention, which in turn, taps into the disaster relief funds. Let's find out more about it

Cyclone 'Sitrang' brings rain, high wind dampening Diwali cheer in Bengal

As cyclone 'Sitrang' moved north-northeastwards and lay 260 km southeast of Sagar island on Monday, the Met department warned of heavy rain in coastal Bengal and northeastern states, dampening festive spirits on Diwali and Kali Puja. Intermittent showers since morning forced people to remain indoors as most Kolkata streets wore a deserted look on a festive evening which would normally have attracted tens of thousands to visit marquees with idols of Goddess Kali and see the bring lights of the city. Squally wind accompanied by light to moderate rain affected the coastal districts of the state, while Kolkata also witnessed an overcast sky with light precipitation. Moving at a speed of 33 kmph in a north-northeastward direction, cyclone 'Sitrang' lay 260 kmph southeast of Sagar island at 2.30 pm over the northwest Bay of Bengal and is very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm, packing wind speed of 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph by Monday night. It is likely t

Bangladesh evacuates over 219,000 people amid approaching cyclone: Official

Bangladesh on Monday evacuated over 2.19 lakh people to safety as cyclone Sitrang approached the nation's southwestern coastlines and is expected to make a landfall around midnight, according to a senior official from the ministry of Disaster Management. Mohammmad Moniruzzaman, the spokesperson of the Disaster Management Ministry, said that Bangladeshi authorities have kept ready 6,925 cyclone centers expecting the last person exposed to cyclone dangers to take refuge there. At least 219,990 people have been taken to cyclone centers in 15 coastal districts by 5 pm on Monday, Moniruzzaman told PTI. Moniruzzaman's comments came as southwestern coastal districts already started witnessing the impacts of the cyclone's tip while incessant rains gripped most parts of the country, including Dhaka. The met office, meanwhile, said the epicenter of the cyclone advanced further and was located 170 kilometres south-southwest off Payra Seaport, 220 km south-southwest off Mongla seaport, 275 km

Bengal govt prepares to deal with adverse situations due to cyclone Sitrang

The West Bengal government has taken all precautionary measures, including evacuation of people and supply of relief materials to shelters, to deal with possible devastation under the impact of cyclone 'Sitrang', a senior official said on Monday. Several teams of the disaster management department along with SDRF and NDRF personnel have been posted in coastal areas of the state, he said. "No tourists and fishermen are being allowed to go into the sea. Special teams of police along with State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed. We are not taking chances," a senior official told PTI. Administrations of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur have been kept on alert as 'Sitrag' is expected to bring in its wake heavy to very heavy rain and wind reaching speed of 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph, in these districts, he said, citing the Met department bulletin. The weather system is expected to make a landfall ..

UN chief Guterres seeks early-warning coverage for global climate disasters

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he will soon launch a plan for universal early-warning coverage for climate disasters

Odisha government starts prepping for upcoming 'cyclone season'

The Odisha government has asked its officials to prepare for possible cyclones over the next two months despite no such forecast by the weather office. Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra directed officials concerned to take all precautionary measures at the state-level cyclone preparedness meeting on Monday. Odisha faces severe cyclonic storms in October and November, sometimes even till December 15. This two-and-a-half month is considered the "cyclone season" in the state, he said. "Odisha usually witnesses the wrath of cyclones during the withdrawal of monsoon in October and November. Odisha's geographical situation and climate change have also caused cyclones during the summers since 2019," he added. Regional Meteorological Centre director HR Biswas, who attended the meeting, said the IMD has not forecast any such cyclone for the next 15 days even as there are favorable conditions for a cyclonic storm. The chief secretary asked all the departments to remain prepared to deal with any

5.1-magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan's Fayzabad; third in 4 months

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hit Fayzabad, Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, the National Center for Seismology said.The earthquake struck 89 kilometre east of Fayzabad and had a depth of 112 km."Earthquake of Magnitude:5.1, Occurred on 11-10-2022, 04:53:06 IST, Lat: 36.91 & Long: 71.53, Depth: 112 Km, Location: 89km ESE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan," the National Center for Seismology tweeted.This quake follows June 22 earthquake that struck south-eastern Afghanistan, leading to wide-scale destruction across already vulnerable districts in Paktika, Paktya and Khost provinces.A second 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurred on July 18, with an epicentre in Spera district, only 3 km from the epicentre of the June 22 earthquake.In addition to the loss of life and devastating injury, the earthquake resulted in the destruction of critical infrastructure -- including homes, health facilities, schools and water networks -- leaving thousands vulnerable to further harm.The multi-sectoral ...