Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu rescue effort as bodies collected after monster storm

A corpse in the main street, another floating in the harbour, reports of dozens dead elsewhere, and buildings and whole villages blasted into pieces.

These were some of the scenes that greeted dazed Vanuatu residents and tourists on Sunday as the rescue effort and clean-up started in the tiny Pacific island nation which was devastated by Cyclone Pam. The monster category-5 storm, which brought wind gusts of 300km/h, has weakened to a category-3 cyclone as it heads towards New Zealand's North Island

On Sunday, the country's National Disaster Management Office reported at least eight people were confirmed dead and 20 had suffered serious injuries.

Advertisement But the death and injury toll was expected to rise as search and rescue efforts ramp up. The first flights bringing outside aid landed at the newly cleared airport near the capital Port Vila about midday on Sunday.

Unconfirmed reports were circulating of more than 40 people killed in northern Penama province, according to the United Nations Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the Pacific. The province is about 120 kilometres from Port Vila.

Two foreign nationals were thought to have drowned when their sailing boat sank in the rough seas, but their nationalities have not been confirmed.

Australian tourism operators in Port Vila on Sunday confirmed they saw bodies around the capital.

Resort project manager Bernie Millman said he had gone outside on Saturday morning to find a Vanuatu national dead in front of a resort on the main street.

It looked like some local person had been stranded during the night. Perhaps he'd had too much to drink and had been trying to get back to his home and fallen asleep," said Mr Millman.

"And he's been hit by something. They called the ambulance and the police and they came and got the body."

Charter boat operator Australian Peter Phillipps said the body of an unidentified expat had been removed from the harbour in front of his mooring in Port Vila.

He was a fellow who had been living on a yacht and got into strife. He got into the tender and was drowned. They found his body in the tender [on Saturday].

"I couldn't tell you where he was from. We used to see him standing on his yacht waving to people."

Tom Skirrow, country director for Save the Children, said the Vanuatu Government's National Disaster Management Office co-ordinating the emergency response has confirmed the eight deaths.

The victims had been recovered from Port Vila, and its surrounding areas.

"It's without doubt a small number now and it will increase significantly as we start looking around. The problem at the moment is that no one can phone, no one has any communication or any power, so it's very difficult to get accurate numbers," Mr Skirrow said in a phone interview from Port Vila on Sunday.

Thousands more are believed to be homeless across some of the country's 83 islands after the cyclone's 300km/h gusts were reported to have leveled entire villages.

Monday 16 March 2015

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/cyclone-pam-vanuatu-rescue-effort-as-bodies-picked-up-after-monster-storm-20150316-144nlp.html

continue reading

Huge Pacific cyclone devastates Vanuatu, at least eight dead

One of the Pacific Ocean's most powerful ever storms devastated the island nation of Vanuatu on Saturday, tearing off roofs, uprooting trees and killing at least eight people with the toll set to rise, aid officials said.

The United Nations was preparing a major relief operation and Australia said it was ready to offer its neighbor whatever help it could.

With winds up to 340 kph (210 mph), Cyclone Pam left Vanuatu cut off, with little power, poor communications and a looming threat of hunger and thirst.

Unconfirmed reports said the number of dead could run into dozens but aid workers said it would be days or weeks before the full impact was known.

"It felt like the world was going to end," Alice Clements, a spokeswoman for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), said from Vanuatu.

"It's like a bomb has gone off in the center of the town. There is no power. There is no water."

Tom Skirrow, country director for the Save the Children aid group, told Reuters that Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office had confirmed eight dead and 20 injured. He said he expected those figures to rise substantially.

Aid workers in Papua New Guinea said at least one person had been killed by the storm there.

Satellite photographs showed the storm covering virtually all of Vanuatu, a sprawling country of 83 islands and 260,000 people 2,000 km (1,250 miles) northeast of the Australian city of Brisbane.

The president of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, told a disaster risk conference in Japan he had no confirmed report of the impact of the storm but he appealed to the world to "give a lending hand".

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Canberra would be willing to offer Vanuatu whatever help it could.

Formerly known as the New Hebrides, Vanuatu was jointly ruled by France and Britain until independence in 1980. It is among the world's poorest countries and highly prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and storms.

Witnesses described sea surges of up to eight meters (26 feet) and flooding throughout the capital, Port Vila, after the category 5 cyclone hit late on Friday.

Aid officials said the storm could be unprecedented in the island's history and one of the worst natural disasters the Pacific region has ever experienced.

They said the storm was comparable in strength to Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in 2013 and killed more than 6,000 people.

FEARING THE WORST

Chloe Morrison a spokeswoman for the World Vision aid group said the storm had been terrifying.

"Trees are across the roads. Some of them are piled up so you can barely see over them,” she said. “There are reports that there have been casualties across all of the islands.

"This is going to need a long and sustained response. People in Vanuatu are subsistence farmers. They grow food for their own consumption. Crops will be absolutely wiped out from this.”

Outlying islands may take weeks to reach, aid officials said, while a lack of clean water and widespread damage to crops meant the situation could deteriorate sharply in coming days.

There were no reports of looting but Skirrow described men whose homes had been destroyed walking the streets of Port Vila with machetes and families huddling without shelter after their flimsy homes of thatch were torn away by the wind and rain.

Many residents were in evacuation centers, he said, but the authorities were ill prepared.

"These people are homeless now. These people are going to be there for probably six weeks," Skirrow said.

As darkness fell on Saturday, the storm was moving off to the south but the wind was still strong.

U.N. relief workers were gearing up for a rapid response on Sunday, with members drawn from as far away as Europe.

However, with the airport closed and high wind still blowing it was not clear how they could reach Vanuatu.

Sune Gudnitz, regional head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said sending in military aircraft was an option, possibly from Australia.

Sunday 15 March 2015

http://news.yahoo.com/cyclone-batters-pacific-island-nation-vanuatu-u-n-024357605.html

continue reading

Three more bodies pulled from Nepal disaster zone

Emergency workers in Nepal pulled three more bodies from the snow today, as authorities prepared to end the full scale search for survivors of a deadly snowstorm that struck last Tuesday.

More than 500 people have now been airlifted to safety since heavy snow hit Nepal’s popular Annapurna region last Tuesday at the height of the trekking season, triggering avalanches and killing dozens of people.

Six helicopters fanned out over the affected areas this morning to rescue any trekkers still stuck in the region.

“Although smaller, regular rescues may continue, we hope to complete all emergency evacuations from the snowstorm today,” Ramesh Dhamala of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) told AFP.

Another TAAN official, Keshav Pandey, said that “a few Nepalese support staff are still unaccounted for”, although the industry body was not aware of any more stranded tourists.

Nepalese officials believe most of those affected have now been pulled to safety or walked out on their own, although it remains unclear how many trekkers were in the area when the storm hit.

Police official Bikash Khanal said 502 trekkers, guides and others have been rescued since operations started on Wednesday, including 299 foreigners.

“We have recovered two bodies from Manang, and another of an Israeli woman from the Thorong Pass,” Khanal told AFP.

It was not immediately clear whether these were included in the death toll of 40 previously given by the TAAN, which included trekkers who were missing and feared dead as well as those whose bodies had been recovered.

The victims include at least 26 hikers, guides and porters on the Annapurna circuit, three yak herders, and five people who were climbing a nearby mountain.

Thousands of people head to the Annapurna region every October, when the monsoon rains clear and the weather is usually at its best for trekking.

The disaster follows Mount Everest’s deadliest avalanche that killed 16 guides in April and forced an unprecedented shutdown of the world’s highest peak.

Impoverished and landlocked Nepal relies heavily on tourism revenues from climbing and trekking.

Monday 20 October 2014

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/nepal-pulls-three-more-bodies-from-disaster-zone-after-snowstorm

continue reading

Death toll rises in Nepal avalanche area

Rescuers have widened their search for trekkers missing since a series of blizzards and avalanches battered the Himalayas in northern Nepal earlier this week, leaving at least 29 people killed.

The government also announced on Friday the formation of a high-level committee that would monitor and co-ordinate rescue efforts following criticism that officials were not doing enough to help hikers who have been spotted but remain steanded along a popular trekking circuit.

A group of about 40 of the stranded trekkers tried to start leaving the area on Friday, not realising it was still blocked.

The incident prompted the army rescuers to abandon their operation to find survivors from under the snow on another mountain in order to airlift the trekkers.

Authorities have rescued 78 trekkers from Mustang and 157 from the neighbouring Manang district since Wednesday.

Minendra Risal, the country's information minister, said the new committee, ordered by the prime minister, would directly monitor the rescue operation and help wherever needed.

The committee would co-ordinate operations among the army, police, local administrations and the private operators now involved in the rescues.

The Annapurna trekking route, 160km northwest of the capital, Kathmandu, was filled with foreign hikers during the peak October trekking season, when the air is generally clear and cool.

There were also many Nepalese on the trails because of local festivals.

Two trekkers from Hong Kong and 12 Israelis were airlifted on Wednesday to Kathmandu, where they were being treated at a hospital. They said they survived by taking refuge in a small tea shop along the path.

The blizzard, the tail end of a cyclone that hit the Indian coast a few days earlier, appeared to contribute to an avalanche that killed at least eight people in Phu village in neighbouring Manang district.

The dead included three Indian and four Canadian trekkers as well as three villagers, said government official Devendra Lamichane.

The foreigners' bodies were buried in up to two metres of snow and digging them out will take days, Lamichane said.

Three Canadian trekkers who survived the avalanche were taken by helicopter to a shelter in a nearby town.

Authorities said five climbers were killed in a separate avalanche about 75km to the west, at the base camp for Mount Dhaulagiri.

The climbers, two Slovaks and three Nepali guides, were preparing to scale the 8,167-metre peak, the world's seventh tallest, said Gyanedra Shrestha of Nepal's mountaineering department. Their bodies were recovered on Thursday.

Friday 17 October 2014

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/10/death-toll-rises-nepal-avalanche-area-2014101773126516349.html

continue reading

Nepal rescuers search for missing hikers, bodies in heavy Himalayan snow

The grim search for missing hikers and bodies buried under snow resumed Thursday against the dramatic backdrop of Nepal's Himalayas, a day after the news emerged that at least 17 trekkers had died in an exceptionally heavy snowfall.

Rescue crews combed the high altitude paths and passes of the popular Annapurna region as well as the neighboring Manang district.

Nine stranded Israeli tourists were rescued Thursday, as well as three Canadians and four Indians who were pulled to safety, according to the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal.

The trekkers' group said it deployed helicopters to rescue hikers stranded by snow, floodwaters and avalanches along the popular Himalayan trekking trails.

A dozen of the trekkers who died Tuesday lost their lives below the iconic 5,416-meter (17,770-foot) Thorung La Pass in Mustang district, the highest point of the highly popular 21-day Annapurna Circuit trek.

Four bodies were recovered Wednesday, while five more dead -- two Israelis, one Pole and two Nepalis -- were uncovered beneath the snow Thursday, said Baburam Bhandari, chief district officer of Mustang district. Three more remain buried.

Those who manage the steep ascent at energy-sapping high altitude to the Thorung La Pass are normally rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views. But on Tuesday morning everything changed.

Trekkers spend the night at local camps on either side of the mountain before they set out, sometimes as early as 4 a.m., to make the crossing, said Bidur Kuikel of Annapurna Conservation Area project.

"On Tuesday heavy snowfall began at about 8 a.m.," he said. "There was no visibility beyond three meters."

Since the tracks were covered by snow, people could have fallen down or become lost, he said. Those traveling on their own rather than in organized groups are usually most likely to lose their way, he said.

Officials did not provide a number on the people missing or their nationalities, but say they fear the death toll could rise.

As anxious families wait for news, army and police personnel continued to search the area below the Thorung La Pass in Mustang district on Thursday, Bhandari said.

A Facebook page, Annapurna Nepal Avalanche and Blizzard Info Share, has been set up to try to connect worried relatives with those in Nepal. Some trekkers who have made it down from the remote pass have posted updates to help others.

One, Virginia Schwartz, wrote: "Thank you to everyone for all the kind words and prayers, we are safe. We are trekking out of the avalanche danger zone and heading back down along the circuit."

Another, Nic Brdo from Perth in Western Australia, wrote: "I've just got out of base camp evac'd by heli and would advise to not go up. Flying to Pokhara the amount of snow in the pass (was) astounding."

This is already one of the deadliest such tragedies in the history of Nepal, a nation of about 26 million known worldwide for its spectacular mountain ranges, including Mount Everest.

Annapurna is far and away the most popular of its trekking areas, with some 90,000 trekking there in 2013, according to Narendra Lama, tourism officer of Annapurna Area Conservation Project.

"There have been incidents of trekkers being killed in snowstorms, landslides and avalanches in the past but not as many as this year," Lama said.

"But I do not think that this disaster will have a big impact since it is a natural disaster and not about a security situation," he said. "Trekking is adventurous in nature after all."

October is the best month of the year to do the Annapurna Circuit trek, meaning more visitors than usual may have been in the area when unusually heavy snow caused by Cyclone Hudhud in eastern India came down Monday and Tuesday.

Last year, about 20,000 foreign trekkers crossed the Thorung La Pass, almost 6,000 of them in October, according to Annapurna Conservation Area statistics.

Many remote Nepali communities rely on foreign trekkers and mountaineers for income and employment, meaning a drop in visitors could hit local people hard.

The deaths come only six months after tragedy last struck Nepal, on the slopes of Mount Everest.

Then, a bruising avalanche of ice swept 16 Sherpas to their deaths. After the accident, which came right before the peak season in May, many Sherpas refused to climb and at least six companies that lead Everest expeditions called off their 2014 climbs.

Thursday 16 October 2014

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/16/world/asia/nepal-snowstorm/

continue reading

Deadly cyclone Lusi claims 11 lives in Vanuatu

Vanuatu is still reeling from monster cyclone Lusi that took at least eleven lives and caused millions of dollars in damage to gardens and properties early March. Yet in this rare instance, the cyclonic winds were not the central villain in the plot. Cyclone Lusi was first noticed as a ‘tropical disturbance’ near Vanuatu’s largest island of Espiritu Santo on 7 March and the system moved north-northeast, becoming a tropical depression on 9 March. Late on the same day, it had developed into a category one tropical cyclone called Lusi.

Prior to that announcement, Vanuatu had been blessed with a cyclone free summer /wet season. After going throughout the entire 2012/2013 season narrowly missing a couple but officially being without any sign of that deadly circular pattern on our weather maps, residents were beginning to feel confident that 2013/2014 would follow suit. How wrong we all were.

Ahead of Lusi being born, the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department issued tropical cyclone warnings to four of the six provinces - Torba, Sanma, Penama and Malampa. For those of us living in Efate, the island that is home to the nation’s capital of Port Vila, Cyclone Lusi was not a major event. Winds gusts around 80-90kmh and lots of rain marked this cyclone, with little damage evident, although some flooding.

But sadly, other islands did not fare so well. And it was the large volume of rain that accompanied Lusi that has marked her as the most deadly in Vanuatu’s recent history. In fact it was the most deadly in Vanuatu since Cyclone Uma all but destroyed Port Vila in February 1987 with its category four intensity claiming 50 lives throughout Vanuatu and causing US$150 million in damage. Lusi gave the northern islands a real pounding and drenching, claiming its first life in North Pentecost. An Anglican priest, Father Austin Hinge, was killed instantly when hit by a branch of a tree blown down as he was returning to his village of Lavusi on 10 March.

Details of the next two fatalities remain sketchy weeks later as communications on many of these outer islands is primitive at best, but one was an elderly man killed by another falling tree branch and the third was an infant swept away in flood waters. But the biggest drama unfolded in south Espiritu Santo at the small village of Puarante. Initial reports were that a landslide had destroyed all 60 houses in the village and cost several lives.

Then a senior Santo chief explained it was not a landslide that wiped out his village but a flash flood measuring a monstrous 17 metres high. The chief explained the village’s night of terror to Prime Minister Moana Carcasses and the Acting Director General Albert William who visited the village by helicopter days after the cyclone.

He said that some days earlier following persistent heavy rain, an entire hill side had collapsed into the river three kilometres behind the village in the mountains.

He said a huge body of water collected behind the makeshift wall and he had sent his son repeatedly to Puarante village to warn the villagers to move to higher ground, but they refused to budge.

Finally all hell broke loose and a flash flood equivalent to a five storey building roared through as the villagers slept, killing at least eight people, the distraught chief told the Prime Minister.

Two of the bodies have not been found, another two male villagers suffered serious injuries and all witnesses to the scene said it was amazing that there were survivors as there is no sign that a village ever existed where it stood.

There are always ‘amazing escape’ stories in any disaster and in this case, it belongs to Marae village on the island of Emae. Here, a three metre deep torrent bisected the village, literally cutting it down the middle, but there were no fatalities although more than 50 homes were destroyed.

Weather experts told Islands Business that the slow movement of Lusi coupled with the sheer volume of rain led to the sobering list of fatalities.

“You look at Port Vila and the infrastructure is terrible and in many areas of the capital there is no drainage at all,’’ said an expert, who declined to be named as he is working on a major government project.

“Flooded, damaged, pot holed roads in Port Vila would vanish immediately if there was proper drainage,’’ he said. “So imagine what hope do you have in a village where there is no thought of drainage at all.’’ Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Director Shadrack Welegtabit said that a search and rescue team was sent to Santo as soon as possible to search for those still missing.

He said disaster officials conducted aerial surveillance in remote parts of the country to assess the damage and establish where aid was needed as a priority.

Apart from the loss of lives, 120 people were left homeless and about 12,000 households were affected. Welegtabit said there were widespread crop losses throughout the country and aid would be needed to feed many people until new crops were available. UNESCO, the Australian High Commission, World Vision, provincial councils, the police and local communities and businesses provided aid and assistance to the victims and it is still ongoing in some areas.

The general consensus was the National Disaster Management team and their plan worked well in the aftermath of Lusi. The one clear negative involved the government run Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation (VBTC) which faces regular criticism for the poor quality of their radio transmissions in certain parts of the country - which they counter by claiming lack of funding.

In the days leading up to the formation of Cyclone Lusi, the island of Futuna, which is the easternmost island in the country, had no radio transmission from the government radio.

Fortunately, word about Lusi was received via an antiquated radio telephone which is often not working as well and members of the local disaster management committee were able to go to each village and warn people to prepare for Lusi. Futuna was not badly affected in the cyclone, but questions have been asked about the leadership and standards in the VBTC.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

http://www.islandsbusiness.com/2014/4/pacific-update/deadly-lusi-claims-11-lives-in-vanuatu/

continue reading

Sardinia hit by cyclone and flooding, at least 16 killed

At least 16 people have been killed in flooding prompted by a cyclone and heavy rain that swept through the Italian island of Sardinia.

A number of people are reported missing after rivers burst their banks, sweeping cars away and causing bridges to collapse.

The worst-hit area appears to be in and around the north-eastern city of Olbia.

Prime Minister Enrico Letta has spoken of a "national tragedy" and a state of emergency is expected to be declared.

"We're at maximum alert," Giorgio Cicalo, an official from Sardinia's civil protection authority, told Italy's Rai TV.

"We haven't seen a situation as extreme as this, perhaps for decades. Especially because it's been across the whole island."

Hundreds of people across the Mediterranean island have been moved from their homes because of the flooding caused by Cyclone Cleopatra.

Sardinian Governor Ugo Cappellacci told Italian TV that the situation on the island was "dramatic".

Olbia Mayor Gianni Giovanelli was quoted by Sky TG24 as saying that the city had been hit by an "apocalyptic"' storm.

Cyclones are extremely rare in the Mediterranean.

Reports from the island say flood waters in some areas were up to 3m (10ft) high.

A Brazilian family of four drowned when their basement flat in the town of Arzachena, in the northern part of the island, filled with water. Two children were among the dead.

Three people died when a road bridge collapsed on to their car near Olbia, according to local media.

In a separate incident, a mother and her daughter were found dead in their car after it was swept away by floods.

Among the victims was a police officer who died after a bridge collapsed as he tried to escort an ambulance.

Tuesday 19 November 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24996292

continue reading

Cyclone death toll in Somalia's Puntland rises to 140

The death toll from a tropical cyclone that hit Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region at the weekend has risen to 140, and the final figure could be 300, the government said.

A state of emergency has been declared and the government appealed for international aid. It said it needed clean water, non-perishable foods, medicines, shelter materials and blankets.

"So far we have confirmed the storm killed 140 people," said Abdullahi Ahmed, Puntland's interior minister. "We are afraid the death toll may reach 300 because many people are still missing. Roads have been cut and the only access to those areas is by air."

Weather experts at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said the cyclone, which made landfall on Saturday, brought unusually heavy storms. Latest rainfall data shows the cyclone has subsided after flooding the towns of Eyl, Dangaroyo and the Puntland capital, Garowe, though heavy rains are still expected inland.

Somalia's president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, pledged to send $1m to the region. Puntland said in August it had cut ties with Mogadishu, accusing it of refusing to share power and foreign aid.

The cyclone's heavy torrential rains caused flash floods that led to the loss of about 100,000 livestock. Many fishing boats were swept into the Indian Ocean. The FAO said about 65% of Somalia's population depended on livestock.

"Knowing that livestock and fisheries are key livelihood activities in the affected regions, we anticipate the storm to heavily hurt coastal communities," said Rudi Van Aaken, the acting head of FAO in Somalia, pledging help for the survivors.

Puntland spans the north of Somalia and has largely escaped the worst of the country's upheaval over the last 20 years. Foreign powers advocating a loose federal political system for Somalia have held up Puntland as a possible model.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/13/puntland-cyclone-death-toll-somalia

continue reading

Storms kills 100 in Somalia's Puntland, more missing

At least 100 people were killed over the weekend when a tropical cyclone hit Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, President Abdirahman Mohamud Farole said on Monday, appealing for help from aid agencies.

"A heavy storm hit Bandarbeyle and Eyl towns on Saturday and Sunday. About a hundred people died. Hundreds of houses and livestock were swept by the floods into the ocean," Farole told reporters in the capital Garowe.

"We urge United Nations aid agencies to assist the victims. As Puntland, we have established a committee to investigate the loss and damage. Electricity, communication and fishing boats were all destroyed."

The government of Puntland said in a statement that hundreds of people remained unaccounted for and declared a natural disaster emergency.

Puntland spans the relatively calm north of Somalia and has largely escaped the worst of Somalia's upheaval of the last 20 years. Foreign powers advocating a loose federal political system in Somalia have held it up as a possible model.

The area is rich in energy resources and is being sized up by oil explorers. However, Puntland's authorities have said insecurity is growing, and blame the Islamist al Shabaab militia, which has been driven out of many regions that it used to control in the remainder of Somalia.

Monday 11 November 2013

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/11/uk-somalia-storm-puntland-idUKBRE9AA0KD20131111

continue reading

Odisha cyclone death toll rises to 60

Authorities yesterday confirmed seven more deaths in flood-related incidents in Odisha, taking the toll due to cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods in the state to 60.


The districts of Nayagarh, Jajpur and Bhadrak reported two deaths each while one casualty was reported from Mayurbhanj district, an official from the state relief commissioner’s office said. The deaths occurred either due to house collapse or drowning. The situation remains grim as rain continued to lash many parts of the state for the sixth consecutive day even though water in major rivers was receding.

The cyclone and flood victims are likely to face more difficulties as the weatherman here predicted more rain during the next two days.

Although the Bhubaneswar meteorological centre lowered the storm warning signal, it however said rain or thundershowers would occur at many places and heavy to very heavy rainfall would lash some areas.

“Yesterday’s (Friday) well marked low pressure area over Telangana and adjoining Rayalseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh has weakened and now lies as a low pressure area over Telangana and its neighbourhood. It will weaken further gradually,” an official of the centre told IANS.

Although all ports in the state have been asked to lower the storm warning signal, fishermen have been asked to be cautious while venturing into the sea as its condition would be moderate to rough, he said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the state was experiencing heavy rainfall and flooding first due to the cyclone and now because of the low pressure over the Bay of Bengal. “These rains have been continuing since October 10 and besides causing heavy damage to public and private property, the loss to the standing crop has been severe,” he told reporters here.

Saturday 26 October 2013

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/india/258545-odisha-cyclone-death-toll-rises-to-60.html

continue reading

Cyclone, flood toll rises to 38 in Odisha

With flood waters receding in five districts, the Odisha government on Thursday stepped up relief and restoration work as the death toll rose to 38 with the recovery of two bodies.

The State government also updated the number of affected persons in the cyclone and floods at 1.23 crore and the number of disaster-hit villages in 17 districts to 18,117.

The floods substantially subsided in five districts, but two blocks of Baliapal and Bhogarai in Balasore district were still facing a problem, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P.K. Mohapatra told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

“We hope the water will recede from Bhogarai and Baliapal blocks soon,” he said.

The two bodies were recovered at Kendrapara and Puri, Mr. Mohapatra said.

Stating that Ganjam, Balasore and Mayurbhanj were identified as the worst cyclone-flood hit districts in the State, Revenue and Disaster Management minister S.N. Patro said that relief and restoration was the focus of the government now.

With eight lakh families hit by the cyclone in Ganjam, he said that 494 relief centres were being opened in the district from Thursday.

Relief would also be provided from Thursday in Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts, he said.

Questioned about reports that relief was unavailable, the Minister said “So far 91,000 families in Ganjam district have been provided 50 kg of rice and Rs 500 in cash from 310 centres.”

The Minister said, families living in very severely affected villages were entitled to 50 kg of rice, Rs. 500 in cash for dal and a polythene sheet.

Those in severely affected villages would get 25 kg rice and Rs. 300 for dal.

Most of the affected persons have left for home, Mr. Patro said while 23,000 people were in still in relief camps in Balasore district and 15,000 people in Mayurbhanj district, while in Ganjam district there were only 1610 people.

Stating that relief was being provided as per the 2011 census data and National Population Register, he said, “There is no need of ration card or any other identification to avail relief.”

Admitting that the pace of work by government officials had slowed after successfully evacuating people before the cyclone, Mr. Patro said “The officials are requested to show seriousness and take active role in relief and restoration.”

He warned that officials guilty of dereliction of duty would be severely dealt with and face suspension and action under Essential Services Maintenance Act).

“Action will be taken against officials if found not cooperating with the administration in relief and restoration work,” he said.

On incidents of loot of relief materials, Mr. Patro said that the police have been directed to take action.

People disrupting movement of relief materials through road blockades and attacking people restoring power would be punished, the minister said.

The cyclone that made landfall near Gopalpur on Saturday night claimed 21 lives, while 17 others perished in subsequent floods.

Thursday 17 October 2013

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cyclone-flood-toll-rises-to-38-in-odisha/article5244012.ece?homepage=true

continue reading

Odisha toll 21 as cyclone Phailin triggers flood (update)

The death toll in Odisha today mounted to 21 after 14 more people perished while one was missing in four districts of the state in the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin that also triggered a flood in some areas.

Most of the casualties were caused by wall collapse, uprooted trees and in floods, while a large number of people were injured, official sources said.

Two bodies each were found in Berhampur town, Purushottampur, Ganjam town and Rangelilunda areas of Ganjam district where the high-velocity cyclone left a trail of devastation after making landfall in Gopalpur area yesterday.

Bodies of a woman and a 13-year-old boy were found in Khantapada and Soro areas in Balasore district.

Death of a woman and a boy were reported from Mayurbhanj district while another boy and a woman died in Bhadrak district where a boy was missing, the sources said.

Seven people were killed yesterday at Polasara and Khalikote areas of Ganjam district.

The cyclone led to floods in the two districts of Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj where near half of Baripada town was submerged.

"Post-Phailin, we are alert to rise in water level in rivers because of downpour across the state. Water level of rivers Budhabalang, Baitarani and Rusikulya have risen," Special Relief Commissioner P K Mohapatra told reporters here.

The flood water of Budhabalang entered Baripada town causing panic among local people.

The administration shifted patients of the district headquarters hospital in Baripada town from the ground floor to the first to as flood water gushed into the premises.

Besides the town, several villages in Kuliana, Bangirposi and Betanati areas were inundated by flood water, according to district emergency office sources.

While flood water was flowing over Bangirposi-Bhuasuni bridge, road communication was disrupted.

The flood threat was also felt in Bhadrak district as river Baitarani rose up to the danger mark, said Rajendra Panda, District Emergency Officer.

The Kuansh Bridge over river Salandi has been damaged.

However, there was no flood threat in Mahanadi river system, the special relief commissioner said.

Monday 14 October 2013

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1903171/report-odisha-toll-21-as-cyclone-phailin-triggers-flood

continue reading

Phailin cyclone: Eight more bodies found

Eight bodies were found from Ganjam district, the worst-hit from cylone Phailin in Odisha, taking the death toll in the natural disaster to 15.

Police said two bodies each were found in Berhampur town, Purosottampur, Ganjam town and Rangelilunda areas.

Besides, a large number of people have been injured in Ganjam district.

Seven people were killed yesterday due to heavy rains and high-velocity winds in Odisha before the cyclone made landfall last night, including two at Polasara and Khalikote areas of Ganjam district.

Deaths have also been reported from Khurda(2) and one each from Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Balasore districts.

Sunday 13 October 2013

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/phailin-cyclone-eight-more-bodies-found/articleshow/24093964.cms

continue reading

Kedarnath turns into ghost town, bodies pile up

Hellish rains have turned Kedarnath into a ghost town. Though the outer structure of the temple seems intact, there are bodies piled up outside its gate.

According to reports, rain water gushed into the town from the summit behind the shrine carrying rocks and boulders, destroying everything on its path.

The most ironic part of the tragedy is despite the mobile phone towers remaining intact, there is no electricity due to which people were unable to contact their families as their phones ran out of charge.

IAF has already started rescue operation in the area.

Survivors all praise for Army

Having several brushes with death, survivors of the Himalayan tsunami which left a trail of destruction in Uttarakhand were all praise for Army, which they said has given them a second life.

Sukhvinder Singh, a Ludhiana native who was stuck for eight days on the way to Hemkund Sahib, said, "I was en route to Hemkund Sahib when the disaster struck. The situation was deteriorating with the passage of time...We were bit relieved when Army stepped in. They gave us food and water and helped us in every possible way. Had they not been here, we wouldn't have survived."

Recalling his horrific experiences during the past few days, Aman Bisht, who arranges treks to Hemkund Sahib every year, said, "The road links were shattered and down there we had no bridges left. And even if there was a road somewhere, it was broken. The Army has been very supportive."

Another survivor from Punjab, who was rescued from Joshi Math, said he was able to contact his family only with the help of army personnel.

One Sharan, who along with his family was rescued from Badrinath and brought to Chamouli relief camp yesterday, said, "The situation is pathetic. Had the army not been there, we would not have any chance of coming back ever.

157 of 671 Tamil Nadu pilgrims rescued, reach Chennai

Tamil Nadu government today said 157 of the total 671 pilgrims from the state, stranded in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, have returned home and officials have established contact with over 380 persons still awaiting return.

Following chief minister Jayalalithaa's announcement about taking steps on a war-footing to rescue Tamil Nadu pilgrims stranded there, a team of high-level officials led by the state's Special Representative in Delhi are camping in Uttarakhand and coordinating rescue efforts with officials there, a state government release here said.

Of the 671 pilgrims, 157 of them have been rescued and reached Chennai, while 118 of them have been lodged at Tamil Nadu House in Delhi and they will be sent home by air.

Officials have established contact with 382 people even as efforts are on to rescue 14 others stranded in Gaurikund, it said, adding that one person is yet to be contacted.

Meanwhile, around 100 pilgrims reached Chennai from Delhi today by a government carrier.

No damage to Hemkund Sahib gurdwara: Trust

The Shri Hemkund Sahib Management Trust today said no damage has been caused to the Hemkund Sahib shrine by the rain fury in Uttarakhand and it is safe.

"The main gurdwara building is intact and no loss has been caused to the 'sanctum sanctorum' where the Birs (religious scriptures) is installed," Vice Chairman Narinderjit Singh Bindra said.

He told over phone that he had received information from SHSMT staff from Hemkund Sahib that on the intervening night of June 16 and 17, water level of the lake adjoining the shrine had increased as glacier from the uphill came down.

The staffers have erected embankments of sand bags in and around the gurdwara.

Bindra said the Punjab government and other organisations should coordinate with them before sending relief material and vehicles "so that we could inform them what type of help is required there."

Asked about the rescue operation at Hemkund Sahib and Gurdwara Govind Dham, he said that "all pilgrims would be evacuated by Sunday morning.

Helplines abuzz with frantic calls

Control rooms of various state governments set up here are abuzz with frantic phone calls as relatives of stranded tourists in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand are calling anxiously to find out their whereabouts.

While operations are underway on a war footing to rescue pilgrims stranded in various places, authorities at the control rooms are trying to console anxious victims and family members calling to know the whereabouts of their dear ones.

"We are receiving about 1,000 calls daily, mostly from family members back home who are trying to locate their dear ones," said an official at the control room set-up by the West Bengal Government.

An official of the control room operated by the Chhattisgarh government in Delhi said, "We are sorting out the data of the rescued persons that is provided to us by the Uttarakhand government and the family members are being informed."

Budhaditya Mukherjee, one of the rescued pilgrims from West Bengal, said the ordeal began last Wednesday when he was stuck at the Hanuman Choti on his way to Yamunotri, when incessant rains forced him and a group of pilgrims with him to turn back.

"We saw the hotel near ours crash into the Yamuna as the flood washed away the soil below it," he said.

"There was knee deep slush on the road, but our driver managed to turn around and after travelling till Kharati, we saw police officials trying to make a road using JCBs, as the highway washed off," he added.

He said that the locals and the rescue officials helped us in reaching one of the camps operated by the state government who rescued him and brought him to Delhi, while seniors in his group were provided facilities to travel back to Kolkata.

The rescued pilgrims said that the major problem was shortage of food, though various camps were trying their best to provide it.

"The food in the hotels located in the safer areas are being sold at double the price, while the camps are trying their best to provide food to stranded pilgrims," said Mukherjee, who stayed at a makeshift camp before being shifted to Delhi.

According to officials of the West Bengal control room, a family from Kolkata was rescued along with 200 others this afternoon from a gorge near Kedarnath by the Army.

"There are calls from people of the neighbouring states also, who might not be getting through the helplines set-up by their states, we are trying to help them also," said the official from the West Bengal control room.

"The biggest problem we are facing is that the pilgrims are moving out on their own, so it is difficult to pin-point their location and inform the rescuers," said a control room personnel of the Chhattisgarh government.

Saturday 22 June 2013

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Uttarakhand-Kedarnath-turns-into-ghost-town-bodies-pile-up/articleshow/20716875.cms

continue reading

Uttarakhand monsoon: evacuations in Kedarnath town, thousands still missing

Rescue and relief operations were intensified on a massive scale on Thursday in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand as multiple agencies evacuated the worst-affected Kedarnath town and other areas even as the death toll is feared to be in several hundreds.

About 50,000 people were still said to be stranded in various parts of the state that was hit by cloudburst and floods in the upper reaches that left several hundreds of homes, rest houses and buildings in ruins and thousands of people missing.

The official death toll still stood at 150 but Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said the casualties could run into several hundreds which will be known only when areas become accessible and water recedes.

The state government’s disaster mitigation and management centre had in the morning said that the causalities could run into thousands with about 90 dharamshalas (resthouses for pilgrims) swept away in the flash floods.

In the wake of poor connectivity and communication, relatives of several pilgrims who came from outside the state were struggling to find the whereabouts of their dear ones.

The upper reaches of the state lay mute witness to the death and devastation caused by nature’s fury due to Saturday’s cloudburst and landslides and a complete estimate of which was still not available.

Uttarakhand Principal Secretary (Home) Om Prakash told reporters here that 1,000 people have been evacuated from different places. There are still around 200 people in and around Kedarnath valley and tomorrow their evacuation will be done.

ITBP chief Ajay Chadha, whose 1,000 men are involved in relief work in Uttarakhand, told reporters in Delhi that the worst affected Kedarnath temple area has been evacuated of people and there could still be about 400-500 people in the upper reaches.

He said Army will launch operations on Friday to bring these people down. The Rambada area around the famous Kedarnath temple was still in slush and debris and there could bodies submerged in it, he said.

Mr. Chadha also said they were not in a position to give the complete death toll in the disaster unless bodies are recovered. There could be a lot of people who could have been washed away but in such situations eyewitness accounts could sometimes be exaggerated, Mr. Chadha said.

Twentytwo helicopters have been deployed to rescue and evacuate over 22,000 stranded people to safer locations through hundreds of sorties. Food, medicines and other essentials were also carried to the needy by the defence forces.

The ITBP DG, who is also in-charge of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said 17 bodies were recovered by the troops of the specialised force from the Kedarnath area. The state government has been informed.

Gaurikund, the base camp for those going to Kedarnath temple, also witnessed rescue of 250 people today by small helicopters.

Thursday 20 June 2013

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/thousands-feared-dead-in-uttarakhand-rescue-efforts-intensified/article4833175.ece?homepage=true

continue reading

11 dead, 50 missing in Uttarakhand Monsoon

Five more bodies were recovered today from near the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath even as the chardham yatra remained suspended for the second day due to landslips.

Authorities in Chamoli district said the toll may climb as about 50 persons from different villages in the area are missing and rescue operations are on.

They said five bodies were recovered from Basukital adjoining Kedarnath.

The Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath motor way and pedestrian routes are blocked at about a dozen places by rocks and boulders that have come down as part of the debris from collapsed houses and landslides triggered by rains continuing for the last 36 hours.

Monday 17 June 2013

http://www.firstpost.com/india/monsoon-tracker-live-11-dead-50-missing-in-uttarakhand-876469.html

continue reading

Death toll from monsoon storm in Sri Lanka rises to 52

Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC) says the death toll from the adverse weather that swept the south western part of the country now stands at 52. Another 16 people are still reported missing and 28 people have received injuries.

The DMC has revised the death toll this morning to 52 from an earlier figure of 56.

Bodies of 11 fishermen washed ashore yesterday, the state-run radio reported. The authorities expect the death toll to rise as the missing people are presumed dead.

The DMC said the number of missing people will be changed after identification of dead bodies.

The gale force winds have damaged 3,385 houses partially and 153 houses totally while 259 people have been evacuated to shelters. The Divisional Secretariats have provided cooked meals to the displaced people.

Meanwhile, power supply was disrupted by the heavy winds in several areas in Kaduwela and Pahala Bomiriya. Several transformers and power lines have been damaged by the wind. The Electricity Board is now taking measures to restore the power supply.

Nuwara Eliya District Secretary D.P.G. Kumarasiri says power supply has been disrupted in Hatton, Dikoya and Watawala areas due to trees fallen on power lines.

Heavy rains have filled the Lakshapana and Canyon hydropower reservoirs and authorities have opened the sluice gates.

Wednesday 12 June 2013

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_13A/Jun12_1371020936CH.php

continue reading

Sri Lankan Health Ministry to speed up postmortem of monsoon victims

The Health Ministry has made arrangements to speed up postmortems of fishermen to hand over their bodies to their families quickly, government media reported.

According to Health Ministry spokesman quoted by the government media steps have been taken to send a special team of judicial medical officers to Balapitiya Hospital to speed up the postmortems on 21 fishermen whose bodies are lying at the Balapitiya Hospital.

The team of judicial officers will complete postmortems and release the bodies to their families as soon as possible. The Injured fishermen are currently receiving treatment at state hospitals according to reports.

Tuesday 11 June 2013

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/latest/34395-health-ministry-to-speed-up-postmortem-of-fishermen.html

continue reading

Forces hunt for missing monsoon victims

Naval boats and helicopters scoured seas off Sri Lanka Monday for dozens of missing fishermen, as the death toll from strong monsoon rains and winds rose to 31, an official said.

The dead fishermen were listed as missing since the monsoon hit the island early on Saturday, destroying more than 100 houses, according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).

"We continue to look for missing people," DMC spokesman Sarath Lal Kumara said. "The navy and the airforce are leading the search and rescue operations."

The death toll rose from 27 to 31, with all of those, except one, fishermen caught in rough seas, DMC figures show. Another 35 people have been injured, according to the DMC.

More than 100 houses have been completely destroyed and another 2,185 partially damaged due to strong winds, the figures show.

The weather has improved since Sunday, the department of meteorology said. The monsoon hits the country twice a year bringing much-needed rain, but also frequently causes loss of life and damage to property.

Seven people were killed in the country last month when a tropical cyclone brushed the eastern coast.

Monday 10 June 2013

http://www.enca.com/world/forces-hunt-missing-monsoon-victims

continue reading

At least 14 killed as cyclone hits Bangladesh

Cyclone Mahasen has hit the coast of Bangladesh, forcing the evacuation of one million people and killing 14.

But authorities breathed a sigh of relief after Mahasen, with winds of 100 kilometres per hour, lost much of its punch after making landfall.

At least 14 people were killed by drowning and falling trees as tens of thousands of mud, tin and straw-built homes were flattened by pounding rain and flooding.

One million people spent the night in 3,000 cyclone shelters, schools and colleges along Bangladesh's long, winding coastline which is home to 30 million people.

An official in the south of the country says many villagers had refused to move to shelters for fear their cattle would be stolen.

Shamsuddun Ahmed, the deputy head of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department says the cyclone was not as severe as feared.

He says it was downgraded to a tropical depression as it headed for north-eastern India.

"We're lucky," he said.

The storm also claimed the lives of 22 Muslim Rohingya people from neighbouring Myanmar, who had been missing since their boat capsized on Monday as they fled the oncoming storm.

Their bodies, including those of 14 children and six women, were found on a beach near the Myanmar border.

Bangladesh authorities are expected the remaining 31 missing people to wash ashore.

Friday 17 May 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-17/14-killed-as-cyclone-hits-bangladesh/4695404

continue reading