Latest news with #Disaster
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Death toll climbs in northern China as torrential rains batter towns near Beijing
BEIJING, July 31 — Extreme weather killed at least eight people in the city of Chengde just outside the Chinese capital Beijing, with 18 still unaccounted for, as heavy rainfall pounded the hilly region over the past week. The deaths occurred in villages within the Xinglong area of Chengde in Hebei province, state-run Xinhua reported late on Wednesday citing local authorities, without specifying when or how the people died. Work is still underway to locate those missing, Xinhua said. Set against mountainous terrain, Chengde was known as a resort town for Qing dynasty emperors to escape Beijing's heat in the summer centuries ago. Extreme rains that began last Wednesday have lashed Beijing and surrounding regions, pouring a year's worth of rain in less than a week in some areas and killing at least 30 in the outskirts of the capital. Twenty eight of those deaths occurred in hilly Miyun district. The deaths in Chengde occurred in villages which border Miyun and sit about 25km away from the Miyun reservoir, the largest in China's north. The reservoir saw record-breaking inflow and outflow of water, and overall water level and capacity during this round of rainfall which devastated nearby towns. At its peak on Sunday, up to 6,550 cubic metres of water — about 2.5 Olympic-sized pools —flooded into the reservoir every second, pushing its capacity to a record high of 3.63 billion cubic metres since it was built in 1960. The villages where eight have died sit on higher elevations in a valley, upstream of the Miyun reservoir. In another village to the north of the reservoir, a landslide on Monday killed eight people while four remained missing. Extreme rainfall and severe flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, increasingly pose major challenges for Chinese policymakers, with officials partially attributing a slowdown in factory activities to heavy rains and flooding. — Reuters
Reuters
a day ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Death toll rises in China's north following extreme rain, state media says
BEIJING, July 31 (Reuters) - Extreme weather killed at least eight people in the city of Chengde just outside the Chinese capital Beijing, with 18 still unaccounted for, as heavy rainfall pounded the hilly region over the past week. The deaths occurred in villages within the Xinglong area of Chengde in Hebei province, state-run Xinhua reported late on Wednesday citing local authorities, without specifying when or how the people died. Work is still underway to locate those missing, Xinhua said. Set against mountainous terrain, Chengde was known as a resort town for Qing dynasty emperors to escape Beijing's heat in the summer centuries ago. Extreme rains that began last Wednesday have lashed Beijing and surrounding regions, pouring a year's worth of rain in less than a week in some areas and killing at least 30 in the outskirts of the capital. Twenty eight of those deaths occurred in hilly Miyun district. The deaths in Chengde occurred in villages which border Miyun and sit about 25 km (16 miles) away from the Miyun reservoir, the largest in China's north. The reservoir saw record-breaking inflow and outflow of water, and overall water level and capacity during this round of rainfall which devastated nearby towns. At its peak on Sunday, up to 6,550 cubic metres of water - about 2.5 Olympic-sized pools - flooded into the reservoir every second, pushing its capacity to a record high of 3.63 billion cubic metres since it was built in 1960. The villages where eight have died sit on higher elevations in a valley, upstream of the Miyun reservoir. In another village to the north of the reservoir, a landslide on Monday killed eight people while four remained missing. Extreme rainfall and severe flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, increasingly pose major challenges for Chinese policymakers, with officials partially attributing a slowdown in factory activities to heavy rains and flooding.
Bloomberg
22-07-2025
- Climate
- Bloomberg
Pakistan Braces for More Rainfall Days After Deadly Floods
Torrential rains that have lashed Pakistan since June, claiming more than 200 lives, are set to continue in the coming days, according to the country's weather agency. Swathes of Punjab province have seen above-normal precipitation in the past two weeks, with many places getting 150 millimeters (6 inches) above historical averages in that period, according to the US Climate Prediction Center. The country's disaster management authorities have estimated this year's monsoon to be 65% more intense than last year, and that future rainy seasons are likely to be more severe and start earlier.
Arab News
18-07-2025
- Climate
- Arab News
Lightning strikes kill 33 people in eastern India
PATNA, India: Lightning strikes during monsoon storms in eastern India this week killed at least 33 people and injured dozens, officials said Friday. The deaths in Bihar occurred during fierce storms between Wednesday and Thursday, a state disaster management department statement said, with the victims mostly farmers and laborers working in the open. More heavy rain and lightning are forecast for parts of the state. Bihar state's disaster management minister, Vijay Kumar Mandal, said that officials in vulnerable districts had been directed to 'create awareness to take precautionary steps following an alert on lightning.' The state government announced compensation of 4 million rupees ($4,600) to the families of those killed by lightning. At least 243 died by lightning in 2024 and 275 the year earlier, according to the state government. India's eastern region, including Bihar, is prone to annual floods that kill dozens and displace hundreds of thousands of people during peak monsoon season.
Associated Press
16-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Weather Preparedness and Resilience: Insights From the Field
With hurricane season ramping up and severe weather events becoming more frequent, businesses across sectors face increasing pressure to proactively prepare for potential disruption. In our recent webinar entitled, 'Disaster Preparedness: Practical Strategies for Business Continuity,' Lauren Corbett-Noon, Consumer and Industrial Goods Segment Leader at Antea Group, moderated a discussion on this topic featuring Noel Russ, Incident Management (AIM) Service Leader, and Marshall Stageberg, Meteorologist. In this webinar, they shared practical insights on how organizations can strengthen their weather resilience strategies. Below, here are four key takeaways to help your organization prepare, protect, and respond more effectively. To listen to the full webinar, click the link: Webinar: Disaster Preparedness: Practical Strategies for Business Continuity by Antea Group USA 1. Contingency Planning Requires Ownership A plan sitting on a shelf isn't a preparedness strategy—it's a missed opportunity. Organizations are finding it beneficial to go beyond writing emergency response and business continuity plans. At the minimum, these plans must be: Not keeping your contact information, site details, or procedures up to date can cause serious delays, lead to regulatory penalties, and make these resources useless during an emergency. 2. Don't Wait to Vet and Contract Response Partners When disaster strikes, time is critical. Pre-qualifying and contracting with emergency response vendors in advance enables rapid mobilization and can reduce costs. It is important to have agreements in place with remediation, restoration, specialized clean up, and security contractors before an event occurs. Doing so allows your organization to: 3. Use the Right Tools to Monitor and Forecast Weather Risk Understanding your site-specific risk is the first step to effective forecasting. Geography literacy and knowledge of forecast timescales are critical for interpreting weather data and acting early. Organizations can use trusted tools to monitor evolving risks. Such organizations include: National Weather ServiceNational Weather Service Point ForecastsNational Hurricane CenterNational Water Prediction CenterStorm Prediction CenterAirNow By combining long-, mid-, and short-range forecasts with real-time alerts, businesses can activate protocols based on weather triggers tied to their contingency plans. 4. Protect Your People, Equipment, and Facilities When extreme weather threatens, the top priorities should be safety, operational continuity, and minimizing asset damage. Key strategies include: Simple measures like staging assets in advance or having backup generators can yield significant cost savings and reduce downtime. Frequently Asked Questions Q: What are the impacts of some of the budget cuts to NOAA? A: While core weather forecasting services from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service remain unaffected, budget cuts have limited the availability of specialized forecasts and event planning support from local offices due to staffing shortages. Recent hiring approvals are expected to help restore some of these capabilities over time. Q: If you had to pick two plans to concentrate on, which would you choose? A: The two most essential plans to focus on are an Emergency Response Plan, which addresses all potential facility risks, and a Business Continuity Plan, which addresses operations so they can recover quickly after a disruption. Both of these plans help identify critical functions, evaluate internal and external threats, and often encompass elements of other preparedness plans. Q: What is involved with having an emergency response plan drill? A: An emergency response drill is a valuable opportunity to test communication, coordination, and plan effectiveness by involving key responders such as contractors, Emergency Medical Technician (EMTs), and local authorities. Drills help identify gaps, allow others to review and challenge the plan, and support continuous improvement through post-drill evaluations. Looking Ahead Preparedness is not a one-time activity; it's an ongoing process of planning, training, monitoring, and refining. By taking steps now, organizations can significantly reduce both the human, operational, and financial impacts of extreme weather events. If you have questions, our team is here to help! Reach out if you want help assessing your weather-related risks or building out your response strategy today! Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Antea Group
