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HOUSTON, United States (AFP) – Monster storm Harvey hit the south Texas coast late Friday and then stalled, gushing torrents of rain over Houston, the country’s fourth largest city with six million people in the greater metropolitan area. The storm continues to pour rain as it heads slowly through neighboring Louisiana. How much rain? Up to 52 inches (132 centimeters) of rain fell from Saturday through Wednesday morning in parts of coastal Texas, and more […]
HOUSTON, United States (AFP) – The operators of a flooded chemical plant outside Houston warned Wednesday they are dealing with a “critical issue” triggered by Harvey’s torrential rains and have no means to prevent a possible explosion at the site. As a precautionary measure officials had already ordered the evacuation of an area within 1.5 miles (three km) of the organic peroxides plant in Harris County, which is owned by French group Arkema. Rich Rowe, […]
by Saidu Bah Agence France Presse FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AFP) — Sierra Leone’s president issued a desperate appeal for help on Tuesday, a day after flooding ravaged the country’s capital, killing more than 300 people and leaving hundreds more missing. Touring Regent, one of the worst-hit areas, President Ernest Bai Koroma fought back tears as he said the devastation was “overwhelming us.” “Entire communities have been wiped out,” Koroma said. “We need urgent support now.” […]
BASTIA, France (AFP) — Hundreds of firefighters were battling blazes across southern France on Monday, with one inferno spreading across 900 hectares of forest and threatening homes on the island of Corsica, emergency services said. Residents were evacuated from homes at the edge of the town of Biguglia, on the island’s northeastern coast. “The fire is very fierce and heading to urban areas of Biguglia,” lieutenant-colonel Michel Bernier, of France’s civil defense forces, told AFP. The […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Wildfires raged Sunday across much of California forcing hundreds to evacuate homes as the most populous US state sweltered in record heat. About 5,000 fire crew members were battling 14 large wildfires around the state, according to Cal Fire. Among the largest was the Alamo fire in San Luis Obispo county, about midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Fire there has burned 23,867 acres (96.59 square […]
COLORADO, United States (Reuters) – On Wednesday (July 5), Colorado firefighters battled a wildland fire between the towns of Breckenridge and Frisco. According to KUSA, authorities have begun to evacuate residents in Summit County. The fast-moving fire sent a large plume of smoke into the sky. Known for its winter ski resort and as the site of the National Repertory Orchestra, Breckenridge is home to many part-year residents who enjoy the area’s nature sites and […]
CHINA (Reuters) – Floods triggered by a continuous bout of heavy rain have killed 27 people with 8 missing in central China’s Hunan Province, local authorities announced Tuesday. The floods have also affected over 11 million people and caused a direct economic loss of nearly 29.5 billion yuan, according to the latest data released by Hunan Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters at a press briefing. The heavy rain, which started on June 22, […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) – Rainstorms have triggered floods across central and southern China, forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and leaving more than two dozen dead or missing, state media reported Monday. At least eight people were killed and a further nine were unaccounted for in the southern Guangxi region as of Sunday, Xinhua news agency said, citing local authorities. Thousands of hectares of cropland were inundated and 600 houses collapsed in […]
CHINA (Reuters) – Rescue work has been underway as heavy rain has triggered floods in parts of east, central and southern China and it continues to batter these areas. On Saturday, Xiushui County of east China’s Jiangxi Province was pummeled by rain and floods. Many roads were blocked and houses destroyed. Traffic police were working in waist-deep water to help recover partially submerged cars and rescue trapped residents. A landslide destroyed a road in Xiushui, […]
CHINA (Reuters) – More than 2,500 professional rescuers and 25 sniffer dogs are working against time to search for 93 persons still missing in a landslide in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. One-year-old sniffer dog named Gege is one of those. This is the dog’s first time to participate in a rescue operation. Once he finds possible signs of life, Gege, the dog’s handlers said, would bark at rescuers. Sniffer dogs like Gege are working for […]
CHINA (Reuters) – A vehement rainstorm collapsed 367 houses, leaving 90, 000 people homeless in central China’s Hunan Province. Started early on Thursday morning (June 22), the torrential rain was the most violent one that has ever hit the province this year. By the end of Sunday (June 25), it battered 50 cities, counties and regions, left more than 1.62 people in predicament and causing a direct economic loss estimated at 1.99 billion yuan. The […]
MOGUER, Spain (Reuters) – Hundreds of firefighters worked through the night from Sunday (June 25) to Monday (June 26) to contain major forest fires in southern Spain that forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people from homes, campsites and hotels. The blaze was spotted on Saturday night in the Moguer region near Huelva and was being treated as a level 1 – or maximum threat – by emergency services. Authorities on Monday said the […]
