Toll of India Himalayan flood likely to be at least 70
On top of four people reported to have been killed, it takes the likely overall toll of the August 5 disaster to more than 70 dead.
Videos broadcast by survivors showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away multi-storey apartment blocks.
Disaster officials said Tuesday that they were searching for corpses in the wreckage of the tourist town of Dharali in Uttarakhand state.
Gambhir Singh Chauhan, from the National Disaster Response Force, said sniffer dogs had identified several sites indicating there was a body but when "when digging started, water came out from below".
Chauhan said teams were also using ground penetrating radar in the grim search.
More than 100 people were initially reported as missing.
But with roads swept away and mobile phone communications damaged, it has taken rescuers days to cross-check the list.
The local government now lists 68 people as missing, including 44 Indians and 22 Nepalis. Nine soldiers are on the list.
Deadly floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned development, is increasing their frequency and severity.
Climate change experts warned that the disaster was a "wake-up call" to the effects of global warming.
No official cause of the flood has been given, but scientists have said it was likely that intense rains triggered a collapse of debris from a rapidly melting glacier.
Himalayan glaciers, which provide critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters.
The softening of permafrost increases the chances of landslides.
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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Flood debris pickups, drop-offs and more resources for Milwaukee County and suburbs
Cleanup efforts are underway in southeast Wisconsin after historic flooding damaged basements, submerged cars and blocked roadways. The City of Milwaukee and suburban communities are making it a bit easier to drop off or schedule pickup for damaged items. And U-Haul is offering free storage services in the Milwaukee area. If you call 211, you can get connected to a wide range of services and resources. Always call 911 for life-threatening emergencies. Here's a running list of resources if you've been affected by the flooding. Milwaukee drop-off centers are free of charge through Sunday The City of Milwaukee's two drop-off centers are free of charge now through Aug. 17. The centers will operate under regular hours, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those are located at: South: 3879 W. Lincoln Ave. North: 6660 N. Industrial Rd., enter from Mill Road Bulky item pickup fees will also be waived this week. You can request a bulky item pickup by calling 414-286-CITY or online at The Department of Public Works says crews are working extended hours, but bulky items may not be collected for one to two weeks due to high service volumes. Pickups, drop-off sites in Milwaukee suburbs for flood debris Drop-off centers are typically only open to residents of the city, town or village that runs them. These suburbs have provided information on drop-off or pickup opportunities, and many will post updates on their Facebook pages. Village of Bayside Bayside has a special drop-off event at the Department of Public Works facility from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 11. The village's website allows residents to schedule special pickups for debris and has a list of dumpsters located throughout the village. City of Brookfield Residents can drop off items that are at least 3 feet long or over 50 pounds at the city's recycling center at 19700 Riverview Drive. 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John's will spend 5 minutes maximum at each property. More information is available on the village Facebook page. City of Cudahy Cudahy's drop-off site at 5631 S. Pennsylvania Ave. will have extended hours this week: Monday to Wednesday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information about accepted items is available on the city's website. Village of Elm Grove Elm Grove is working with John's Disposal to coordinate a village-wide debris pickup. Residents can place items at the driveway and road edge. Appliances should be separate, and no electronics or hazardous materials should be included. The village website will have updated details. Village of Germantown Waste Management will begin collections of bulky items on Aug. 13 and continue into the following week. Trucks will follow routes and collect items at curbside free of charge. Residents do not need to call to schedule a pickup day. Find items eligible for pickup on the Village website. By the end of the day Aug. 11, roll-off boxes will be placed at the end of Town 9 Parkway for immediate item disposal. More information can be found on the Village's Facebook page. City of Glendale Yard waste collection will be suspended for the next two weeks to use resources to collect storm-damaged items from the curb. Pickups will happen on regular yard waste collection days, starting Aug. 12. Materials should be placed within three feet of the right-of-way and separated by type of debris. Items can include furniture, drywall and carpet, which should be cut into four-foot sections and tied into bundles. Village of Grafton Residents can drop off flood-damaged items and carpeting at the Public Works building, 675 N. Green Bay Rd., 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. this week. Each pickup-sized load is $25. 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Contact We Energies to disconnect, reconnect power We Energies recommends assuming basement flood water is energized, even if it's a small amount on the floor. We Energies customers can disconnect power by calling 800-662-4797 before starting cleanup activities. Call the same number to reconnect to power or report an outage. More information can be found on We Energies' website. HAWS offers temporary pet housing for Waukesha County residents Waukesha County residents in need of temporary pet housing can contact 262-542-8851, extension 0. The Humane Animal Welfare Society can also help with pet food and pet supplies. You can visit HAWS at 701 Northview Road for assistance. Journal Sentinel reporters Maia Pandey and Cailey Gleeson contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A list of flooding resources, drop-off sites for Milwaukee, suburbs
Yahoo
13 hours ago
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On This Date: Hurricane Connie Set Flooding Groundwork For Diane 5 Days Later
The first of back-to-back hurricanes slammed into the East Coast in 1955 and set the table for disastrous flooding when the second storm's heavy rain soaked a similar area. On Aug. 12, 1955, 70 years ago today, Hurricane Connie made a Category 2 landfall near Morehead City, North Carolina, with strong winds and storm surge flooding. But Connie's northwestward jog inland led to torrential rainfall from North Carolina to western New England. Just five days later, Diane made landfall just 80 miles farther down the North Carolina coast near Carolina Beach. Diane wrung out 10 to 20 inches of rain over some of the same areas just soaked by Connie, with massive inland flooding from North Carolina to Massachusetts. Diane claimed 184 lives in the U.S., primarily due to rainfall flooding, and it's still among the top 25 deadliest U.S. hurricanes and tropical storms. And that wasn't the last of 1955's storms for the East Coast. Just over a month after Diane's landfall, Hurricane Ione made landfall exactly where Connie did, near Morehead City, North Carolina, at virtually the exact same wind intensity (Category 2). Connie, Diane and Ione were among the first names retired from use for future storms, based on their notoriously damaging and/or deadly impacts. Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.


CBS News
13 hours ago
- CBS News
Imminent "glacial outburst" flooding threat prompts disaster declaration in Alaska
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a state disaster declaration Monday as a result of what he called the "imminent threat of catastrophic flooding from a glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF)" in the Juneau area. It would mark the third straight year of serious glacier-related flooding in Juneau, the state capital, in extreme southeastern Alaska. The flooding would be associated with Suicide Basin, a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier, Dunleavy said. "Hydrologic monitoring by the National Weather Service (NWS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirms that the volume of water currently impounded in Suicide Basin has reached or exceeded levels observed during prior flood-of-record events," he warned in a statement. "A release is expected at any time. Flooding is likely to affect the Mendenhall River and surrounding neighborhoods in the Mendenhall Valley." The National Weather Service Juneau office said, "The Basin is full and continues to over-top. ... As of 10 p.m. Monday, the release has NOT begun, but could happen at any point this week." The declaration follows joint local disaster declarations and requests for assistance from the city and borough of Juneau and two local Indian tribes, Dunleavy noted. A GLOF a year ago caused widespread damage to homes, public infrastructure and utilities and prompted state and federal disaster declarations. Video posted on social media two years ago showed towering trees behind a home falling into the rushing Mendenhall River as the water ate away at the bank. Eventually the home, teetering at the edge, also collapsed into the river. To try to curb the impact of future flooding, Juneau and the Army Corps of Engineers have installed more than two miles of flood control barriers along the river.