Severe floods kill tens of people in the US
Published April 6th, 2025 - 07:03 GMT
ALBAWABA - Massive storms jolted the central-eastern United States leaving at least 16 people killed, local authorities said. Also Read Heavy floods in France, Italy amid Storm Herminia
AFP reported that the US National Weather Service warned on Saturday of "severe" flash floods in the coming days.
The storms hit from Arkansas to Ohio leaving notable damage to buildings, flooding the roads and causing dozens of tornadoes.
Pendleton County Search and Rescue take county electricians on a boat to turn off an electrical box in a flooded park on April 5, 2025, in Falmouth, Kentucky./AFP
According to US media, Tennessee was the top state to be affected by the harsh weather, on Saturday authorities said 10 people were killed in the state.
On the other hand, two lost their lives due to severe weather and floods in Kentucky, state Governor Andy Beshear revealed. He added a child was "swept away by floodwaters" leading to his death.
"Severe, widespread flash flooding is expected" into Sunday in parts of the central-eastern region, the National Weather Service (NWS) noted.
© 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
a day ago
- Roya News
5.9-magnitude quake rattles Taiwan
A magnitude-5.9 offshore earthquake rattled Taiwan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, with buildings shaking in the capital Taipei. Firefighters were dispatched to check the impact of the moderate quake, which hit 71 kilometres south of Hualien City. It struck off the island's east coast at a depth of about 31 kilometres, the USGS said. "When the earthquake struck, the computer screen and fan shook heavily," said a firefighter in the coastal town of Chenggong. "It was much stronger than previous quakes. I immediately thought about running outside," The Hualien and Taitung fire departments said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Evening services along the eastern railway line were running normally after the quake, which the USGS reported hit at 7:00 pm (11:00 GMT). Taitung firefighter Andrew Liu said 25 firefighters, including volunteers, and five vehicles had been dispatched to coastal areas closest to the epicenter to check for damage. "Because the area is remote and distances between locations are long, it will take more time to reach each site," Liu said. Enhancing quake readiness The earthquake was "felt throughout Taiwan", said the island's seismological agency, which issued an alert to the public seconds before it struck. Taiwan is frequently hit by earthquakes due to its location on the edges of two tectonic plates near the Pacific Ring of Fire, which the USGS says is the most seismically active zone in the world. The last major earthquake occurred in April 2024 when the island was hit by a deadly 7.4-magnitude tremor that officials said was the strongest in 25 years. At least 17 people were killed in that quake, which triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings around Hualien. It was the most serious in Taiwan since a 7.6-magnitude tremor struck in 1999. Some 2,400 people died in that quake, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history. Since then, Taiwan has updated and enhanced its building code to incorporate quake-resistant construction methods, such as steel bars that allow a building to sway more easily when the ground moves. Famous for its cutting-edge tech firms, Taiwan has built up an advanced early warning system that can alert the public to potentially serious ground shaking within seconds.
Jordan Times
24-05-2025
- Jordan Times
UAE hits record May temperature of 51.6C
A woman and children cool off in a fountain in front of Dubai Opera on Saturday, as summer temperatures sore in the Emirati city (AFP photo) DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates breached its May temperature record for the second day in a row, hitting 51.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday, within touching distance of the highest ever temperature recorded in the country. "The highest temperature recorded over the country today is 51.6C in Sweihan (Al Ain) at 13:45 UAE local time (0945 GMT)," the National Center of Meteorology said in a post on X, just 0.4C off the overall heat record in the Gulf country. The meteorology office told AFP the highest ever temperature recorded in the UAE since documentation began in 2003 was reported at 52C on Abu Dhabi's Al Yasat Island in 2010. The desert nation, a top global oil exporter, lies in one of the planet's hottest regions and one which is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The temperature in Sweihan -- which lies 97km west of Abu Dhabi -- and of 50.4C a day earlier in the Emirati capital exceeded the previous record for May of 50.2 Celsius recorded in 2009, according to the meteorology office. On Saturday in Dubai, where high temperatures in the mid-40 degrees Celsius were recorded, motorists complained air conditioning in their cars was struggling to stifle the sweltering heat, surprised the phenomenon had hit so early in the year. On the streets, Dubai inhabitants were still out and about -- some armed with parasols -- and vendors selling water and local juice bars appeared to enjoy an uptick in customers. The UAE, host of the COP28 climate talks in 2023, has just emerged from a record-breaking April with an average daily high of 42.6 degrees Celsius. Extremely hot days Scientists have shown that recurring heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming and that these heatwaves are set to become more frequent, longer and more intense. The number of extremely hot days has nearly doubled globally in the past three decades. Outdoor workers in Arab states face some of the highest exposure to heat stress in the world, with 83.6 percent suffering from excessive heat exposure on the job, according to a 2024 report from the International Labour Organization, a United Nations agency. The risks from a warming planet were on stark display last June, when more than 1,300 people died while performing the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, according to an official tally -- most of them unauthorised pilgrims exposed to long periods outdoors. According to a 2022 Greenpeace study, the Middle East is at high risk of water and food scarcity as well as severe heat waves as a result of climate change. The report, which focused on six countries including the UAE, found the region was warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, making its food and water supplies "extremely vulnerable" to climate change.
Jordan Times
18-05-2025
- Jordan Times
Severe storms, tornadoes kill more than 25 in south-central US
A woman inspects damage from a tornado in London, Kentucky, on May 17, 2025 More than 20 people have died after severe storms swept through the southern US states of Missouri and Kentucky, officials and local media reports said May 17, 2025 (AFP photo) LONDON, UNITED STATES — Severe storms that tore through the US states of Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia left more than 25 people dead, leveling homes and businesses while knocking out power for tens of thousands, authorities say. At least 18 people were killed in Kentucky in the storms Friday night, state governor Andy Beshear posted on X, while officials in Missouri said another seven were dead people were also killed by falling trees in Virginia, local media Burns, 38, who lives with her husband and son in a trailer home in the town of London, Kentucky, fled to the basement of her sister's brick house while the storm destroyed 100 to 200 houses in the area."Things that have been here longer than I have, things that have been here for 30-plus years are just flat," Burns told AFP in a phone interview, her voice quavering."It's wild, because you'll look at one area and it's just smashed... totally flattened, like, not there anymore."Drone footage shared by local media showed scenes of devastation in London, with houses leveled and reduced to splinters and tree trunks standing bare, shorn of than 108,000 people were still without power across the three states late Kentucky, an area historically known for its coal mines, is one of the poorest regions in the country."A lot of us live in manufactured homes that aren't safe for tornado weather," said Burns. 'One of the worst storms'In Missouri, five people were killed in the major city of St. Louis, in what authorities said was one of the worst storms in its history, and two in Scott County, the State Highway Patrol said in a statement to severe weather was forecast for Sunday night and Saturday by a reporter whether it was the worst storm ever to hit St. Louis, Mayor Cara Spencer replied: "I would describe this as one of the worst storms, absolutely. The devastation is truly heartbreaking."She said 38 people in the city were injured and some 5,000 buildings one St. Louis neighborhood, a church was heavily damaged, according to CBS footage, and rescue workers continued to treat victims near the building Saturday morning."It's horrific for a tornado to come through here and cause this much damage to the residents and also to the church," Derrick Perkins, a pastor at the Centennial Christian Church, told CBS. "Our hearts are broken."Bruce Madison, who also works at the church, said the community was coming together in the face of the tragedy."Right now, we're just praying for... everybody that they're trying to find right now."While there were warnings ahead of the severe weather, Beshear had protectively declared a state of emergency Friday, the death toll may raise questions about whether sharp cuts by the Trump administration have left National Weather Service forecasting teams dangerously estimated 500 of the 4,200 NWS employees have been fired or taken early retirement this year, according to the Washington Post. The United States saw the second-highest number of tornadoes on record last year with nearly 1,800, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], trailing only 2004.
