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☆ Evacuations ordered, homes damaged in Texas as rivers surge to Hurricane Harvey levels. And more rain is on the way
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Mary Gilbert | Joe Sutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

A total of 1,000 homes are in a mandatory evacuation zone in the county, Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy told CNN. “Due to continuous rainfall across East Texas and rising levels in creeks and rivers, flood levels may increase. Please remain aware of changing flood levels along the Trinity River and ALL low-lying levels. Greg Abbott expanded the storm-related declarations in response to the flooding, according to a news release. The repeated bouts of heavy rainfall soaked soils, making many areas extremely prone to both flash and river flooding.

Persons: Hurricane Harvey, ” Emmitt Eldridge, Eldridge, ”, •, ” Sherri Pegoda, Walker, Pegoda, ” Pegoda, “, Sydney Murphy, Harvey, ” Harris, Lina Hidalgo, Greg Abbott, Hawley –, Bret Hendrickson, Brad Wilson, Hawley, CNN’s Allison Chinchar, Sara Tonks, Ray Sanchez, Andy Rose, Joe Sutton, Paradise Afshar Organizations: CNN, Panhandle, The Coast Guard, Texas Emergency Hospital, Coast Guard, Texas Children’s Hospital, Texas, Gov, San, Harvey, Storm Prediction, Hawley Police, Hawley Independent School, LSM, National Weather Service Locations: Texas, Houston, Gulf, East Texas, Hurricane, South Texas, San Jacinto County, Dallas, • Walker County, Walker County, • Polk County, Polk County, • Harris, San Jacinto, Hidalgo, Harris County, Crosby, Liberty County, Cleveland , Texas, Montgomery County, Livingston , Texas, Trinity, –, Abilene, Hodges, Hawley, Hawley , Texas, Hodges , Texas, Louisiana, Groveton , Texas, Paradise

Mai Mahiu, Kenya CNN —Eleven people and a dog were rescued from the raging flood waters in Kenya on Wednesday, the country’s Red Cross has said. The humanitarian agency described the rescue mission as “challenging” but later offered a glimmer of hope with reports that floodwaters were gradually receding. Residents in Mai Mahiu are frantically sifting through heaps of debris to recover bodies trapped by the floods. When CNN visited the town on Tuesday, corpses could be seen accumulating beneath toppled trees and layers of mud. Evacuation from flood hit areasCitizens in the worst affected areas have been ordered to leave due to fears of more rain.

Persons: Mai Mahiu, Isaac Mwaura, William Ruto, he’s, ” Ruto, Ruto, Mwaura Organizations: Kenya CNN —, Red Cross, Residents, CNN, National Youth Service Locations: Kenya, Kitengela, Kajiado County, Nairobi, Mai

Rescue teams are digging through the mud and debris trying to find survivors near Mai Mahiu, in Kenya’s Nakuru County, Gov. In Mai Mahiu, Kihika said a serious situation was unfolding as floodwaters swept away people and homes. Access to Mai Mahiu, 20 miles north of the capital Nairobi, had been difficult as part of the road had been cut off from recent heavy rains, Kihika said. Other video shows vast flooding around the Tana River, with large parts of the surrounding area underwater. Heavy rains in East Africa have also affected Tanzania and Burundi.

Persons: Susan Kihika, Isaac Maigua Mwaura, Mai Mahiu, Kihika, ” Kihika, Tana, Andre Kasuku, downpours, El Niño, Jagan Chapagain, Kassim Majaliwa Organizations: Kenya CNN —, Gov, CNN, Kenya Red Cross Society, of Education Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Mai Mahiu, Kenya’s Nakuru County, Mai, Mororo, Tana River, Garissa, North Eastern Kenya, Tana, Kona, Tana River County, East Africa, Tanzania, Burundi, Tanzanian

☆ Tanzania flooding: 155 dead and at least 236 injured
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Flooding in Tanzania has killed 155 people and left at least 236 injured, the country’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Thursday. More than 10,000 houses have been damaged and upwards of 200,000 people have been affected, Majaliwa told the Tanzanian parliament in the capital Dodoma. The flooding has also affected Kenya, which shares a border with Tanzania in East Africa. Kenya has registered heavy rain since mid-March but downpours have intensified over the past week, leading to mass flooding that has affected around 103,500 people. Kenya Railways also suspended commuter train services nationwide.

Persons: Kassim Majaliwa, Majaliwa, downpours Organizations: CNN, country’s, El Nino, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Kenyan, Kenya Railways Locations: Tanzania, Dodoma, Kenya, East Africa, Nairobi

☆ Heavy Rains and Floods Sweep Cities Across East Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

At least 200 people were killed and dozens more were injured across East Africa in recent days, officials and aid groups said, as torrential rains, floods and landslides pummeled towns and cities in a region already grappling with the devastating effects of the climate change crisis. The extreme rains unleashed a wave of destruction across Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi, flooding homes, demolishing businesses and leaving many people stranded on rooftops. The downpours exposed yet again the bad roads and poor drainage systems in some of the region’s biggest cities, which residents have persistently complained about. They also revealed how poor people, who live in sprawling shantytowns without access to proper roads, water or power, bear the biggest brunt of destructive floods.

Organizations: East Locations: East Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi

☆ At least 32 dead as flash floods sweep through half of Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Lindsay Isaac | Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Nairobi, Kenya CNN —At least 32 people have been killed and two are missing after flash floods swept through almost half of Kenya. Kenya has registered heavy rain since mid-March but downpours have intensified over the past week, leading to mass flooding. Simon Maina/AFP/Getty ImagesTwo major highways out of Nairobi saw heavy traffic on Wednesday after floodwaters submerged parts of them. The Kenya Urban Roads Authority partially closed four roads that were heavily affected and warned of flooding on two others. The Kenya Meteorological Department warned of “heavy to very heavy” rainfall in parts of the country in an update on Wednesday.

Persons: downpours, ”, Edwin Sifuna, Simon Maina Organizations: Kenya CNN —, Kenyan, The Kenya Red Cross Society, Getty, Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Kenya Railways, Kenya Meteorological Department Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, The, ”, Mathare, AFP

☆ Massive floods threaten tens of millions as intense rains batter southern China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Heavy rains hammered southern China on the weekend, flooding homes, streets and farmland and threatening to upend the lives of tens of millions of people as rescuers rushed to evacuate residents trapped by rising waters. Since April 16, sustained torrential rains have pounded the Pearl River Delta, China’s manufacturing heartland and one of the country’s most populated regions, with four weather stations in Guangdong registering record rainfall for April. Since last week, at least 44 rivers in the Pearl River basin have swelled above the warning line, threatening to burst their banks, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Aerial view of waterlogged fields after torrential rains on April 20, 2024 in Qingyuan, Guangdong Province of China. Authorities raised the flood control emergency response for the Pearl River Delta to level 2 on Sunday – the second highest in a four-tier system.

Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Xinhua, China Meteorological Administration, Visual China, CCTV, Authorities Locations: Hong Kong, China, Guangdong, Jiangwan, Shaoguan, Pearl, Qingyuan, Guangdong Province of China, Guangning county, Zhaoqing, Qingyuan city, Guangzhou, Shenzhen

CNN —Iranian authorities have warned that crocodiles are being forced from their natural habitats as floods devastate parts of the country’s southeast. Three road construction workers have died in the flooding, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Thursday, which came after a record-breaking storm hit the Middle East. Videos broadcast by state news media IRNA and Tasnim showed widespread floods with people using boats to rescue others. The weather conditions were associated with a larger storm system traversing the Arabian Peninsula and moving across the Gulf of Oman. In Oman, at least 18 were killed in flash floods triggered by heavy rain, the country’s National Committee for Emergency Management said.

Persons: IRNA, Christopher Pike Organizations: CNN, Mehr, of Environment, Iranian, United Arab, UAE, Emergency Management Locations: Bandar Abbas, Kerman, Sistan, Baluchistan, Rivers, Bahu Kalat, Dubai, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iran, Gulf of Oman

☆ Dubai’s Extraordinary Flooding: Here’s What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Scenes of flood-ravaged neighborhoods in one of the planet’s driest regions have stunned the world this week. Heavy rains in the United Arab Emirates and Oman submerged cars, clogged highways and killed at least 21 people. Flights out of Dubai’s airport, a major global hub, were severely disrupted. The downpours weren’t a freak event — forecasters anticipated the storms several days out and issued warnings. officials said the 24-hour rain total on Tuesday was the country’s largest since records there began in 1949.

Organizations: United Arab Locations: United Arab Emirates, Oman, Dubai’s

CNN —Unseasonal rainfall has lashed Pakistan and Afghanistan over the past few days, killing more than 100 people across the neighboring countries, authorities said. In Afghanistan, heavy rain and floods in 23 provinces killed 66 people and wounded 36 others, according to preliminary reports from Mullah Janan Sayeq, a spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan said Tuesday that the heavy rains and floods have affected more than 1,200 families and damaged almost 1,000 houses, according to a statement on X. Houses submerged after heavy rains flood Nowshera district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on April 16, 2024. The heavy downpours are unusual for the region at this time of the year, as Pakistan typically experiences the monsoon season from June through September.

Persons: Mullah Janan Sayeq, Sayeq, Muhammad Sajjad, Abdul Majeed, – Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Disaster Management, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Getty, Pakistan Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Peshawar, Herat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AFP, Balochistan

Yet after back-to-back atmospheric rivers walloped California in less than a week, it wouldn’t take much for water, mud and boulders to sluice down fragile hillsides, experts warned. Some 400 trees had fallen in the Los Angeles area alone, the city said. At least 6 billion gallons (22.7 billion liters) of storm water in Los Angeles alone were captured for groundwater and local supplies, the mayor’s office said. Just two years ago, nearly all of California was plagued by a devastating drought that strained resources and forced water cutbacks. Associated Press journalists Christopher Weber, John Antczak and Damian Dovarganes in Los Angeles and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, contributed.

Persons: Tyler Kranz, Dion Peronneau, Mud, ”, “, ” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, ” Bass, Lou Quismorio, “ I’ve, Sabrina Biddle, ___ Watson, Christopher Weber, John Antczak, Damian Dovarganes, Scott Sonner Organizations: ANGELES, Hollywood, Weather Service, ” Los Angeles Mayor, California Highway Patrol, National Weather Service, Associated Press Locations: Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, LA, Baldwin, ” Los, Pasadena, San Diego, Northern California, Tijuana, Mexico, Yucaipa, Arizona, New Mexico, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Reno , Nevada

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Crews were searching for a Marine Corps helicopter carrying five troops from Nevada to California that was reported overdue early Wednesday, officials said. The Marines were flying a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, the Marine Corps said in a statement. The five U.S. Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Miramar. The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Miramar Air Station in San Diego is coordinating search and rescue efforts with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the Civil Air Patrol, the Marine Corps said. It was unclear what time the helicopter took off from Nevada or why it was flying back in the storm.

Persons: — Crews, Matthew Carpenter Organizations: DIEGO, Marine Corps, Marines, Stallion, Creech Air Force Base, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, U.S, Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron, Marine Aircraft, 3rd Marine Aircraft, Miramar Air Station, San, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Civil Air Patrol, Sheriff’s, National Weather Service, Naval Air System Command Locations: Nevada, California, Clark County , Nevada, San Diego, Miramar, San Diego County, Pine Valley

Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesNear the Hollywood Hills, floodwaters carried mud, rocks and household objects downhill through Studio City, city officials said. Downtown Los Angeles received nearly 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain by Monday night, nearly half the yearly average of 14.25 inches (36 centimeters). The danger wasn’t over despite a projected dip in the rainfall, warned Ariel Cohen, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service bureau in Los Angeles. “We’ll get any help on the way as soon as you guys request it,” he told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a telephone call. Associated Press journalists Michael R. Blood and Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles and Amy Taxin in Orange County contributed to this report.

Persons: ”, Keki Mingus, “ I’ve, ” Drake Livingston, Livingston, Ariel Cohen, “ It’s, Tony Sanz, ” Crews, “, Nathan Lopez, Gavin Newsom, Joe Biden, “ We’ll, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, ___ Watson, Michael R, Eugene Garcia, Amy Taxin Organizations: ANGELES, National Weather Service, Authorities, Hollywood, Downtown, Los Angeles Fire Department, San Bernardino County Fire Department, Rancho, Santa Cruz County . Police, Gov, Los Angeles Mayor, Associated Press Locations: Southern California, Los Angeles, Northern California, Studio City, Beverly Crest, Downtown Los Angeles, LA, Los Angeles County, Santa Ana, San Bernardino, Rancho Dominguez, Compton, Long Beach, San Francisco Bay, Carmichael, Sacramento, Boulder, Santa Cruz County, Yuba City, San Francisco, San Diego, Orange County

☆ Millions at risk as California braces for record rainfall and high winds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Atmospheric rivers caused downpours in the Bay Area on Wednesday, bringing cable car services to a halt, before moving on to Los Angeles and San Diego by Thursday. Officials in Santa Barbara County raised evacuation advisories to orders on Saturday, calling on residents to be at a "very high state of readiness." Heavy rain and extreme weather caused roadway erosion at San Onofre's lower parking lot, with images on social media showing sections of the lot collapsing onto the beach below. A Sunday update from the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center predicted risks of rainfall exceeding flash flood guidance across swathes of the state with "high risk" — estimated at 70% probability — for San Diego and Orange Counties. The storm comes as the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office announced it was investigating three deaths in late January as related to California's last encounter with heavy storms.

Persons: Santa Barbara County, Gloria Sandoval, Flood, Gavin Newsom's Organizations: National Weather Service, Bay Area, California State Parks, NBC, Prediction, Orange Counties, San Diego, Examiner's Locations: California, Encinitas , California, U.S, Monterey County, Jose, Guadalupe, Santa Cruz, San Jose, downpours, Bay, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, Angeles County, Sonoma , Marin, San Francisco, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Southern California's, Orange, San Diego County

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California braced Sunday for the worst of a potentially dangerous storm that threatened to hammer parts of the state with hurricane-force winds and cause flooding and mudslides as it moves down the coast over the next few days. Evacuation warnings and orders were in effect for Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Ventura and Monterey counties. Classes were canceled Monday for schools across Santa Barbara County. Heavy to moderate rain was expected to stay in Southern California until Tuesday. It is the second time in days that California has been hit by an atmospheric river, a long band of moisture that forms over the Pacific.

Persons: ”, Bill Brown Organizations: ANGELES, National Weather Service, Central, Pacific, San Francisco Bay Area Locations: California, ” Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Ventura, Monterey counties, Santa Barbara County, Hawaii, Northern California, Monterey, San Luis Obispo County, Orange, San Diego, Southern California, Southern, San Francisco Bay

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Another potentially dangerous “Pineapple Express” storm was expected to hit California late Saturday, bringing the threat of flooding and mudslides over the next couple of days. WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM THIS LATEST ‘PINEAPPLE EXPRESS'? The storm is forecast to move south down the Central Coast and hit the Los Angeles area with downpours, flash floods and high-elevation mountain snow beginning Sunday morning. Parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties will likely get hammered hardest by this storm, according to the National Weather Service. The Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, northeast of downtown Los Angeles, canceled its eight-race program that was scheduled for Sunday.

Persons: Ventura Organizations: ANGELES, Pacific, San Francisco Bay Area, WHAT, National Weather Service, Coast, NASCAR, Coliseum, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, III, El Nino Locations: California, Santa Barbara, San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles, San Diego, Hawaii, Northern California, Orange County, Southern California, Southern, Ventura, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, Santa, Arcadia, San Marcos

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first of two back-to-back atmospheric rivers drenched Northern California on Thursday, flooding roads while triggering statewide storm preparations and calls for people to get ready for powerful downpours, heavy snow and damaging winds. Forecasters also said the Central Coast could see waves up to 18 feet (5.4 meters) high on Thursday and Friday. The storm came a week after heavy rain caused flooding that inundated homes and overturned cars in the county. Last winter, California was battered by numerous drought-busting atmospheric rivers that unleashed extensive flooding, big waves that hammered shoreline communities and extraordinary snowfall that crushed buildings. ___Associated Press journalists Nic Coury in Capitola, California, and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, contributed to this report.

Persons: Brian Ferguson, Cal OES, ” Ferguson, Joshua Whitby, “ There’s, ” Whitby, Daniel Swain, Swain, Snow, Nic Coury, Scott Sonner Organizations: ANGELES, San, San Francisco Bay Area, National Weather Service, Bay, Service, California Governor’s, Emergency Services, University of California, Yosemite National, Associated Locations: Northern California, San Francisco Bay, Coast, Central, Pacifica, San Mateo County, Humboldt County, Eureka, San Diego County, Hawaii, California, Oregon, San Diego, Capitola, Monterey Bay, Los Angeles, Sierra Nevada, Sierra, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Reno , Nevada, Capitola , California

☆ California Braces for Back-To-Back Atmospheric River Storms
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The first of the back-to-back storms, both products of vast airborne currents of dense moisture called atmospheric rivers, was expected to hit Northern California on Wednesday and sweep over the Southern California coast on Thursday. Some roadways and streams could flood in Southern California on Thursday, though major bouts of inundation are less likely, according to Swain. "Suffice it to say there will be some flooding in Southern California," Swain said. A series of about a dozen atmospheric river storms lashed California in rapid succession last winter, causing mass evacuations, power outages, levee breaches and road closures in a state long preoccupied with drought and wildfires. The latest storms are expected to help improve the state's water supply picture, which is lagging at below-average levels so far this winter.

Persons: Steve Gorman, Daniel Swain, Swain, Lincoln Organizations: ANGELES, Reuters, University of California, National Weather Service Locations: California, Northern California, Southern California, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay, Central Coast, Swain, Diego, Ventura County

On Tuesday, 2.6 million passengers were screened at airport security checkpoints, the highest ever for a Tuesday before Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration. [1/10]People go to their flight gates ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. November 22, 2023. The two major airports in Houston, Texas were expecting to shatter their record of air travelers from Nov. 16-28. Some 2.4 million people were expected to fly through Houston, up 11% from that period in 2022, the airports' management said. Out West, a snowstorm in the northern and central Rocky Mountains and adjacent High Plans will likely affect Thanksgiving travel from Wednesday night through Friday, the weather service said.

Persons: Mike Arnot, Vincent Alban Acquire, COVID, Hopper, Daniel Trotta, Allison Lampert, Joseph Ax, Gabriella Borter, Miral Fahmy, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: National Weather Service, Airlines for America, U.S . Transportation Security Administration, Ontario . Buffalo Niagara International, O’Hare, REUTERS, American Automobile Association, AAA, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, Canada, Niagara Falls, New York, Ontario, Chicago , Illinois, Houston , Texas, Houston, New England, New Hampshire, Rocky

[1/5] Passengers make their way through the terminal as they travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, U.S., November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - Millions of Americans headed to the homes of friends and family on Wednesday, the day before the Thanksgiving holiday, on the busiest travel day since the pandemic, undeterred by a sprawling East Coast storm system that disrupted some flights and slowed traffic. Industry group Airlines for America forecast U.S. airlines would carry some 29.9 million passengers between Nov. 17 and Nov. 27. That figure would be an all-time high, 9% higher than last year and up 1.7 million passengers from the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Out West, a snowstorm in the northern and central Rocky Mountains and adjacent High Plans will likely affect Thanksgiving travel from Wednesday night through Friday, the weather service said.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Hopper, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Trotta, Joseph Ax, Miral Fahmy, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Washington Dulles International, REUTERS, Industry, Airlines, America, U.S . Transportation Security Administration, American Automobile Association, AAA, National Weather Service, Thomson Locations: Dulles , Virginia, U.S, East, COVID, Carolinas, Atlantic, New England, New Hampshire, Rocky

The National Climate Assessment, which comes out every four to five years, was released Tuesday with details that bring climate change's impacts down to a local level. Compared to earlier national assessments, this year’s uses far stronger language and “unequivocally” blames the burning of coal, oil and gas for climate change. In the Midwest, both extreme drought and flooding threaten crops and animal production, which can affect the global food supply. “Climate change is finally moving from an abstract future issue to a present, concrete, relevant issue. Five years ago, when the last assessment was issued, fewer people were experiencing climate change firsthand.

Persons: ”, Zeke Hausfather, Kim Cobb, “, of Colorado's Waleed Abdalati, Katharine Hayhoe, they'd, Hayhoe, there's, Colorado's Abdalati, Arati Prabhakar, Hausfather, Rob Jackson, ” ___ Borenstein, Webber, Seth Borenstein, Tammy Webber Organizations: Berkeley, midcentury, U.S ., Brown University, AP, of Colorado's, NASA, Nature Conservancy, Texas Tech University ., Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, Colorado's, Biden, White, ” Stanford University, Twitter Locations: United States, Alaska, Great, Hawaii, U.S, U.S . Caribbean, Brown, America, Kensington , Maryland, Fenton , Michigan

☆ Somalia floods kill at least 31, UN warns of once-in-a-100-years event
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The United Nations flag waves during preparations for the UNGA 2023 at the United Nations headquarters on September 13, 2023 in New York City. Floods caused by torrential rainfall have killed at least 31 people in various parts of Somalia, authorities said Sunday. Since October, floods have displaced nearly half a million people and disrupted the lives of over 1.2 million people, Minister of Information Daud Aweis told reporters in the capital Mogadishu. They have also caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure notably in the Gedo region of southern Somalia, he said. Floods are also affecting neighboring Kenya, where the death toll stood at 15 on Monday, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

Persons: Daud Aweis, OCHA Organizations: United Nations, Humanitarian Affairs, Kenya, Kenya Red Cross Locations: New York City, Somalia, Mogadishu, Gedo, Kenya, Kenya Red, Mombasa, Mandera

☆ Once-in-a-century flooding swamps Somalia after historic drought -UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOGADISHU, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The United Nations has described floods that uprooted hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia and neighbouring countries in East Africa following a historic drought as a once-in-a-century event. Large-scale displacement, increased humanitarian needs and further destruction of property remain likely, OCHA said, with some 1.5 million hectares (3.70 million acres)of farmland potentially being destroyed. "Extreme weather linked to the ongoing El Niño risks further driving up humanitarian needs in already-vulnerable communities in Somalia and many other places," said Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General, the UN's Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. "We know what the risks are, and we need to get ahead of these looming crises," he said. Reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu and Hereward Holland in Nairobi; Writing by Hereward Holland Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: El Niño, Camps, OCHA, Martin Griffiths, Abdi Sheikh, Hereward, Hereward Holland, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: United Nations, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN's Humanitarian Affairs, Emergency, Thomson Locations: MOGADISHU, Somalia, East Africa, Kenya, Mogadishu, Hereward Holland, Nairobi

☆ Crunch time for Brazil ports as coffee flow hit, sugar vessels delayed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Marcelo Teixeira | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO: Ships and warehouses containing grains and sugar are seen at TIPLAM (Integrator Port Terminal Luiz Antonio Mesquita) from VLI Multimodal S.A. at Santos port, in Santos, Brazil May 25, 2023. “We hear some vessels are delayed even 25-27 days,” said sugar industry consultants CovrigAnalytics in a note on Thursday. The line-up of vessels to load sugar in Brazil rose nearly 40% in the last week to around 4.2 million metric tons, 25% more than at the same time last year. About 90 vessels are available at the ports to load sugar. Buyers are already expecting delays, said a director at one of the largest sugar exporters in Brazil.

Persons: Antonio Mesquita, Amanda Perobelli, Williams, “, ”, CovrigAnalytics Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Shipping, ING, Santos Locations: Santos, Brazil, New York

Ships and warehouses containing grains and sugar are seen at TIPLAM (Integrator Port Terminal Luiz Antonio Mesquita) from VLI Multimodal S.A. at Santos port, in Santos, Brazil May 25, 2023. Raw sugar is usually shipped in bulk, while refined sugar uses containers. ING analysts said some sugar shipments scheduled to depart Brazil in October will likely be pushed to November. A director at one of the largest sugar exporters in Brazil said, however, that buyers were already expecting the delays. The forecast is for only light rains in the coming days at Santos, with heavier downpours expected from Oct. 28.

Persons: Antonio Mesquita, Amanda Perobelli, Williams, Marcelo Teixeira, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Shipping, ING, Santos, Thomson Locations: Santos, Brazil, New York

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