Latest news with #landslides
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Italy is hit with landslides as flash floods destroy bridge, wash away cars and trigger evacuation after ferocious summer storm
Italy has been inundated by landslides caused by flashfloods that have destroyed bridges, washed away cars and triggered an evacuation. Following powerful summer thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday, the picturesque Passiria Valley in northern Italy was flooded after over 100mm of rain fell in just a few hours. Video footage taken of the floods in the region showed muddied water raging across the land. Roads were submerged in water and mud, trapping cars that tried to ford the flow of rain. One set of photos showed what appeared to be a building site of new homes in the valley having many of their structural materials rushed away by the flash floods. The ground upon which a six-storey building, half-built and still exposed to the elements, was soaked through with water. Rusted metal parts were seen on its roof. Though the damage in the area was extensive, no one was injured or killed by the extreme weather. The regional government said the largest landslide happened in 'an industrial area, where several warehouses, machinery, and work tools were buried, and clearing work is proceeding at full speed.' One set of photos showed what appeared to be a building site of new homes in the valley having many of their structural materials rushed away by the flash floods. One road, shut down due to the weather, remains closed until further notice while a one-way system for cars across the valley has been in place since 5am. Local firefighters deployed ten vehicles, including five bucket excavators and three wheel loaders, to remove six to seven meters of material and clear the blocked passageway so the water could flow in a controlled manner. As Italy is deluged by flashfloods, shocking footage shows the aftermath of deadly wildfires in Cyprus with rows of luxury villas reduced to ashes. Terrified residents were forced to flee in the night as raging flames - fanned by powerful winds and a 40C heatwave - engulfed entire streets to the north of Limassol, a coastal city loved by Brits. One elderly couple were tragically burnt alive as they attempted to flee in their car while rescue teams are frantically searching for missing people and carrying out mass evacuations. The blaze, which hasn't stopped burning since it broke out at midday on Wednesday, has devastated swathes of agricultural and habitable land across the wine–producing region north of the city of Limassol, which sits near popular holiday hotspots. Rows of luxury homes in the Souni region of the island were seen burnt to a crisp. Several trees on the front of properties were seen charred and mangled by the flames. Telegraph poles could be seen askew in the ground, warped by the fires. The inferno is believed to have begun from two points around 300ft apart in an area underneath a bridge where there is a rubbish dump. Local cops are reportedly investigating the cause of the blaze as arson. It has since emerged that two people have died after they were burned alive in their car. Local media has reported that the pair were an elderly couple who were trying to flee the fires, though they have not been formally identified yet.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
$385m in funding approved to restore access to the Wolgan Valley near the Blue Mountains
The federal and New South Wales governments have approved up to $385 million in funding to restore access into a rural community near the Blue Mountains that has been severely limited for three years. The sole 130-year-old road into the Wolgan Valley was closed in November 2022 after record rainfall triggered multiple landslides. Lithgow City Council made the closure permanent in January 2023, following an engineering firm's assessment of the road's risk. A steep, four-wheel drive track known as the Donkey Steps was established later that month and has been the only access point for residents and visitors since. Wolgan Valley Association (WVA) president Andrew Chalk said the community felt a "huge sense of relief" when the funding approval was announced by the council on Tuesday. "Three years of uncertainty has now been answered with the confidence that we will get some proper means of driving in and out of the valley," he said. Lithgow Mayor Cassandra Coleman said the council was considering multiple options to restore access to the valley, including the construction a new road. Mr Chalk said the prospect of a lengthy wait for a new road was a matter of concern. "On council's time-frame, they're talking about seven years," he said. The Donkey Steps route is unsuitable for heavy vehicles and two-wheel drives, which is less than ideal for the many farmers in the region. "People need to get stock in and out, feed, materials and heavy equipment," Mr Chalk said. "It's just not possible to operate over that extended period." The valley is also a popular tourism destination and several accommodation businesses have suffered due to the closure of Wolgan Road. A luxury resort owned by Emirates has been mothballed since June 2023 and dozens of staff have lost work. Mr Chalk said there were some families in the valley prepared to wait for a new road but most residents wanted the council to fix the existing one. He said he and other community members had sought independent advice from engineering experts who believed the existing road could be fixed in a timely manner. "They [council] have turned what we think is a manageable problem into a giant one," Mr Chalk said. Engineering firm WSP Golder estimated it would cost more than $60m to repair the damaged 2.7-kilometre stretch of road to a level of "marginally acceptable" risk. It recommended Lithgow City Council consider an alternative access route that could provide a more "resilient," "cost effective" and "future-proofed" solution for the valley. The council commissioned investigations into other options and applied for $326m worth of disaster recovery funding last year from the state and federal governments to cover the project. The upper limit approved for the project grew by almost $60 million. Cr Coleman said the council would work with the WVA to deliver a road that worked for the community. "We will take on any feedback they have and we will funnel it through both to Transport for NSW and other agencies that are helping us to deliver this project," she said. The council has commissioned another engineering firm, GHD, to conduct a second risk assessment of Wolgan Road to determine whether it could be temporarily or permanently reopened. In the meantime the council will progress two other new road options through the planning process. "We will be exploring multiple options in regards to what the outcome will be," Cr Coleman said. "The residents down there need certainty, they need access, and we've worked with them and in partnership with [governments] to ensure that this occurs." Transport for NSW said it was committed to restoring access to the valley and would support the Lithgow City Council through technical investigations and project development. "Design and development activities to restore access, which includes confirmation of a preferred alignment, will continue," a spokesperson said in a statement. The council must meet stringent program requirements regarding time and cost-effectiveness throughout the delivery of the project to remain eligible for the funding.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Climate
- Free Malaysia Today
Flooding from Storm Wipha cuts off hundreds in Vietnam
Tropical Storm Wipha made landfall in Vietnam yesterday, bringing heavy rains that triggered floods. (EPA Images pic) HANOI : Flooding caused by Tropical Storm Wipha left hundreds of families cut off in villages in central Vietnam today, authorities said. Around 12,500 people were evacuated from high risk areas over the weekend, before the storm made landfall yesterday bringing heavy rains that triggered landslides and flash floods. Authorities in central Nghe An province said the Ban Ve hydropower plant – the biggest in the area – had to discharge water from its reservoir. Several communities were hit by water rising to rooftops last night, forcing local residents to evacuate to higher ground. 'Water levels this year were much higher and more terrible than what we considered a historic flooding in 1988,' resident Nguyen Thai Hung told the Dan Tri news site. 'We really don't know what to do as the water has reached the top of our houses,' Hung said. More than 200 families in Yen Hoa commune were cut off after the main path to the village was damaged by flash floods, authorities said. Wipha killed at least six people on Friday in the Philippines, where tens of thousands were forced from their homes and parts of the capital Manila remained flooded yesterday. Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. A sudden whirlwind and abnormal weather pattern overturned a tourist boat in Vietnam's Unesco area of Ha Long Bay on Friday, killing 37 people, including several children. And in September 2024, Typhoon Yagi devastated northern Vietnam, leaving 345 people dead and causing an estimated economic loss of US$3.3 billion.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Climate
- Free Malaysia Today
Storms hit southern China mainland in wake of Typhoon Wipha
The storms brushed past Hong Kong, where it sent nearly 280 people into shelters. (AP pic) BEIJING : Storms drenched southern parts of the Chinese mainland on Monday, triggering warnings of flash floods and landslides, a day after Typhoon Wipha pounded Hong Kong. Heavy rain lashed the cities of Yangjiang, Zhanjiang and Maoming in China's southern province Guangdong after the storm system made landfall on Sunday evening. On Sunday it brushed past Hong Kong, where it felled trees and scaffolding, grounded flights and sent nearly 280 people into shelters. China's national forecaster said it had weakened to a tropical storm upon landfall and forecast it to skirt the coast of Guangdong and move southwesterly towards Vietnam. Heavy rain is forecast for mainland Chinese coastal regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian until Tuesday morning, with warnings of flash floods, landslides and wind hazards. The system will move into the Gulf of Tonkin late Monday morning, over which it will gather intensity before hitting Vietnam's northern coast on Tuesday, the forecaster said.
CNA
2 days ago
- Climate
- CNA
Flooding from storm Wipha cuts off hundreds in Vietnam
HANOI: Flooding caused by Tropical Storm Wipha left hundreds of families cut off in villages in central Vietnam on Wednesday (Jul 23), authorities said. Around 12,500 people were evacuated from high risk areas over the weekend, before the storm made landfall on Tuesday bringing heavy rains that triggered landslides and flash floods. Authorities in central Nghe An province said the Ban Ve hydropower plant – the biggest in the area – had to discharge water from its reservoir. Several communities were hit by water rising to rooftops on Tuesday night, forcing local residents to evacuate to higher ground. "Water levels this year were much higher and more terrible than what we considered a historic flooding in 1988," resident Nguyen Thai Hung told the Dan Tri news site. "We really don't know what to do as the water has reached the top of our houses," Hung said. More than 200 families in Yen Hoa commune were cut off after the main path to the village was damaged by flash floods, authorities said. Wipha killed at least six people on Friday in the Philippines, where tens of thousands were forced from their homes and parts of the capital Manila remained flooded on Tuesday. Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. A sudden whirlwind and abnormal weather pattern overturned a tourist boat in Vietnam's UNESCO area of Ha Long Bay on Friday, killing 37 people, including several children.
