Latest news with #TorrentialRains
Arab News
3 days ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Tens of thousands displaced in Philippines as heavy rains set off severe flooding
MANILA: Torrential rains brought the Philippine capital Manila to a standstill on Tuesday, as heavy flooding displaced tens of thousands of people across the country. Monsoon downpours that began last week and intensified due to Typhoon Wipha have killed at least six people, displaced over 82,000, and affected more than 1.2 million others. Government offices and schools are suspended until at least Wednesday, as the heavy rain submerged around 500 areas in the Philippine capital region alone. 'The flooding varies in depth — from gutter-level to much deeper waters,' Don Artes, chairman of Metro Manila Development Authority, said at a briefing on Tuesday. The severe floods in Manila were partly triggered by the city's old drainage system. 'Our drainage system is also outdated — more than 50 years old — and too small for today's rainfall volume,' Artes said. Around 17,000 people remain in evacuation centers, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered state agencies to focus on disaster relief operations. 'The OCD (Office of Civil Defense) is now on red alert … The most heavily affected areas are Metro Manila, as well as the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Batangas, and Rizal,' OCD Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro IV said. Philippine authorities are bracing for more heavy rain, with the southwest monsoon expected to 'bring moderate to intense rains of up to 200mm within the next few days,' the Interior Ministry said in a statement, adding that preemptive evacuation has started in some areas. The national weather bureau, PAGASA, said it expects 'widespread incidents of severe flooding' with landslides until at least Wednesday in the Manila capital region, as well as the provinces of Zambales, Bataan, Cavite and Batangas. The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to extreme weather events, with an average of 20 tropical storms passing through the country every year. 'Flooding, especially during the southwest monsoon season, is getting frustrating and tiring,' Ryan Reyes Soriano, a 47-year-old resident of Malabon city, told Arab News. 'Formerly floods during the 80s up to the 90s were a cause for concern if they go up waist level. Now floods often go as high as a story if storms are bad, and that is a difference of 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters).' Malabon, a coastal city located north of Manila, was one of the most severely affected areas in the capital region. Almost all of its 21 districts were submerged in floods, with some regions still inundated as of Tuesday afternoon. 'In some cases it's deep enough for a person to drown. Lucky if it's only knee-deep,' Soriano said. 'I went outside earlier, the water is still above my waist.'
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- 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.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Death toll from S Korea rains rises to 18 as met agency warns of heatwaves
Torrential rains that lashed South Korea have killed at least 18 people and left nine others missing, authorities said, as the government lifted advisories for heavy rain and the meteorological agency warned of a return of heatwaves to southern parts of the country. The toll on Monday came as South Korea's military also announced dispatching thousands of troops to rain-ravaged areas to assist in recovery efforts. The downpours began on July 16 and brought some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record to some of South Korea's central and southern provinces. The five-day deluge collapsed homes, triggered landslides and unleashed flash floods that swept away cars and campers. At least 10 people were killed in the southern county of Sancheong, and four others remain missing there, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Another person was killed when their house collapsed in the town of Gapyeong, northeast of the capital, Seoul, while a man who had been camping near a stream there was found dead after being swept away by rapid currents. The man's wife and teenage son remain missing, the South Korean JoongAng Daily reported. Two others, including a man in his 70s who had been buried in a landslide, were listed as missing in the same town. The rains also forced some 14,166 people to evacuate their homes in 15 cities and provinces, and caused 'extensive property damage', the Yonhap news agency reported. The agency said 1,999 cases of damage had been recorded at public facilities, and 2,238 cases were recorded at private homes and buildings. South Korea's military said it has dispatched some 2,500 personnel to the southwestern city of Gwangju as well as the South Chungcheong and South Gyeongsang provinces to assist in the recovery efforts. The troops will be overhauling homes and stores affected by the rains, it said. Hannah June Kim, an associate professor in the Graduate School of International Studies at Sogang University in Seoul, told Al Jazeera that 'a lot of people were taken off guard' because monsoonal rains came later than expected this year. 'The expectation was that monsoons would not be appearing during this summer,' she said. 'So, when this heavy rain started to fall this past week, a lot of local areas were unprepared.' 'We are seeing the heavy effects of climate change and how it's affecting different areas,' she added. South Korea's Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecast more rainfall in the southern regions on Monday but said that a heatwave would follow. According to the JoongAng Daily, heatwave advisories and warnings have already been issued for parts of South Jeolla, the east coast of Gangwon and Jeju Island. 'From July 24 onward, morning lows will remain between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius [73.4F to 78.8F], and daytime highs will range from 30 to 35 degrees Celsius [86F to 95F], higher than the seasonal averages of 22 to 25 degrees Celsius [71.6F to 77F] in the morning and 29 to 33 degrees Celsius [84.2F to 91.4F] during the day,' it reported, citing the KMA. Scientists say climate change has made extreme weather events more frequent and intense around the world. In 2022, South Korea endured record-breaking rains and flooding, which killed at least 11 people. They included three people who died trapped in a Seoul basement apartment of the kind that became internationally known because of the Oscar-winning Korean film Parasite. The government said at the time that the rainfall was the heaviest since records began, blaming climate change for the extreme weather.
Arab News
5 days ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Heavy rains in South Korea leave 14 dead and 12 others missing
SEOUL: Torrential rains that slammed South Korea for five days have left 14 people dead and 12 others missing, the government said Sunday. One person was killed on Sunday after their house collapsed during heavy rain and another person was found dead after being swept by a swollen stream in Gapyeong, a town northeast of Seoul, the Interior and Safety Ministry said. The ministry said eight people were discovered dead and six others were reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong on Saturday after heavy downpours caused landslides, house collapses and flash floods there. A ministry report said that six people remain missing in Gapyeong and the southern city of Gwangju. Earlier last week, three people were found dead in a submerged car, and a person was also killed when their car was buried by soil and concrete after a retaining wall of an overpass collapsed in Osan, just south of Seoul, during heavy rain. As of 9 a.m. on Sunday, about 3,840 people remain evacuated from their homes, the ministry report said. The rain stopped in most of South Korea on Sunday, and heavy rain alerts have been subsequently lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said. Since Wednesday, southern regions have received up to about 600-800 millimeters (24-31 inches) of rain, according to the ministry report.
ABC News
6 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Death toll climbs in South Korea amid heavy rain
Torrential rains that slammed South Korea for five days have left 14 people dead and 12 others missing, the government says. Eight people were found dead and six others were reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong following landslides, house collapses and flash floods there. One person was killed after their house collapsed during heavy rain, and another person was found dead after being swept away by floodwaters, the Interior and Safety Ministry said. A ministry report said that six people remain missing in Gapyeong and the southern city of Gwangju. Earlier last week, three people were found dead in a submerged car, and a person was also killed after a retaining wall collapsed in Osan, just south of Seoul, during heavy rain. About 3,840 people remain evacuated from their homes, the ministry report said. In some areas, livestock were stranded up to their necks in rising waters. The rain stopped in most of South Korea on Sunday, and heavy rain alerts have been lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said. The rain is likely to be followed by a heat wave, the government weather forecaster said. Since Wednesday, southern regions have received up to about 600-800 millimetres of rain, according to the ministry report. Reuters/AP
