Extreme FloodingThe IPCC sees changing climate and extreme flooding as “the most widespread direct risk to human settlements..., driven by projected increases in rainfall intensity and, in coastal areas, sea-level rise. Riverine and coastal settlements are particularly at risk, but urban flooding could be a problem anywhere that storm drains, water supply, and waste management systems have inadequate capacity. Flood magnitude and frequency could increase in many regions as a consequence of increased frequency of heavy precipitation events, which can increase runoff in most areas as well as groundwater recharge in some floodplains." Heavy rain deluged China’s east coast on 9 August 2009 hours after Typhoon Morakot slammed into the region south of Shanghai, packing winds up to 111 miles an hour, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing one million people to flee. Typhoon Morakot in Japan was reported to have killed 13 people. Taiwan was swamped by a staggering 83 inches of rain, according to the Central Weather Bureau. In southeastern Taitung County, a six-story hotel collapsed into a river, but officials said all 300 guests were safe because the building had been evacuated. More than 170,000 people remained without power on Monday. Morakot, had struck the Philippines earlier, killing 21 people, including a French tourist and 2 Belgian tourists. Seven others were missing and the government reported that more than 83,000 Philippines residents were affected by extreme flooding and landslides, and 22,000 had been evacuated.
On July 1st 2009, in the Guizhou province of China, nine people were killed and one person was missing in the southwest as the heaviest rains to date this year fell in the region. Two people also perished in eastern Jiangxi province when their house collapsed due to the heavy rains. Torrential rain in Dublin, Ireland on July 2nd 2009 created traffic chaos and caused a hospital roof to collapse in the northern section of the city. No injuries were reported, but patients in the accident and emergency department had to be evacuated. Following four days of continual downpours, heavy rains on July 4th 2009 near Habiganj district town in Bangladesh led to landslides and flash floods that killed six people and stranded about 500,000 in their homes. Further west on the same day, heavy rains caused a landslide that swept away a jade miners' settlement along the Uru River in Hpakant Township, Myanmar. More than 1,300 people were affected by the storm, with 24 fatalities reported. Heavy rains also caused extreme flooding and landslides in northern Viet Nam. In addition to extensive damages, 17 people were killed, four were injured, and 14 were reported missing, including two children swept away by the floods. Forty-seven homes were destroyed and 946 were damaged. In Bac Kan, the most heavily affected province, people lost their homes, cattle, poultry, and crops to the floods and landslides blocked roads for several days, making it difficult for rescuers to reach the stricken area.
Southern China experienced heavy rain and extreme flooding during the first four days in July 2009. The event destroyed homes, damaged crops and roads, and caused rivers to overflow their banks. About 700,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes and at least 20 people were killed. Floods in Rongshui County cut off road access, stranding about 300 teenagers at a school with only limited supplies of food and water. Eighty percent of the county was inundated by the floodwaters. On July 11th 2009, after heavy rains, a flash flood several feet deep killed 15 hikers in a gorge near the city of Chongqing. Heavy downpours on July 24th-25th caused more flooding and landslides in the region, this time leading to 22 fatalities, with seven reported missing in the Sichuan province. According to news sources, at least 66 people were killed and tens of thousands were forced to evacuate their homes in southern China during June and July 2009 due to the excessive rainfall and resulting landslides. Damages are estimated at more than 50 million U.S. dollars. The rainy season in Central and West Africa brought torrential rains and caused widespread damage in the Central African Republic, Ghana, and Benin. On July 7th, heavy rains forced Benin to declare a state of emergency after 2,000 families were displaced due to extreme flooding. Government officials warned that the situation was expected to worsen as the rainy season continues.
The 2009 monsoon season in Southeast Asia started late and is expected to have total rainfall about 30 percent below normal, according to a local meteorological official. When it did start it brought copious amounts of rain, causing death to 16 people and injuring 27 others. Hundreds of residents were forced to leave their homes and power and communication lines were downed. The monsoon season in neighboring India was reported to be off to an uneven start, with some regions experiencing heavy rainfall and extreme flooding and other areas experiencing drought conditions. At least 36 people were killed by monsoon downpours and more than half a million were forced to flee their homes in the eastern state of Orissa.
Consecutive days of torrential rains led to extreme flooding and landslides in western Japan on July 21st 2009. Fifteen people were killed—including six in a nursing home that filled with mud and debris—and three people remained missing in the prefectures of Yamaguchi and Totorri. Nearly 1,300 houses in Yamaguchi were flooded and an estimated 30,000 homes were left without water. According to reports, this area experienced a record amount of rainfall in July 2009. In southern Japan, heavy rains on the 25th and 26th caused landslides and swollen rivers, killing at least 10 people on Kyushu Island.
After experiencing drought conditions during the onset of the monsoon season, Dhaka, Bangladesh received a reported 11.4 inches (290 mm) of rain on July 29th 2009, marking the largest rainfall in a single July day since 1949. Six people died and many of the 12 million residents were stranded in their homes due to flooding through the city streets.
Extreme flooding ocurred during January 1-13 2009 across parts of the Philippines. Flash floods and landslides caused the evacuation of nearly 200,000 from affected areas, leaving 11 people dead, with eight others missing. Storm surges were responsible for washing away hundreds of homes and capsizing numerous boats. Heavy rain, which commenced in late December and continued till the first week of January, caused floods that claimed the lives of five people in central Vietnam, with 10 others missing. The floodwaters inundated nearly 5,000 homes and flooded thousands of acres of rice paddies. In Fiji, copious rain fell during January 8-16 2009, causing floods and landslides that forced thousands of people to leave their homes. Over a period of five days, more than 1,044 mm (41 inches) of rain fell over the town of Monasavu on Viti Levu. These floods were described as the worst floods in a generation, and 11 fatalities were reported. In South America, Peru and Brazil saw an unusually heavy start to their wet season (over the period November to March). Iquitos, the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest, received over 6 inches of rain within a 24 hour period. While heavy rain in Brazil's Sao Paulo helped farmers to increase coffee production, in other areas floods caused widespread damage. In Minas Gerais, flooding was responsible for three fatalities. On January 6-8 2009, a 'Pineapple Express' brought mild temperatures and torrential rain to the Pacific northwestern U.S., melting snowpack from last month's record snowstorms and causing extreme flooding, mudslides, and avalanches across the state of Washington. More than 30,000 people were directed to evacuate their homes due to extreme flooding. Roads and railways were cut as highway officials closed a 20-mile stretch of I-5 and Amtrak passenger service out of Seattle was shut down. A number of other cities, including Tacoma, declared a civil emergency. A number of precipitation records were set, including in Seattle where a record 58.2 mm (2.29 inches) of rain fell at Sea-Tac Airport, and in Olympia, which received a record 122.4 mm (4.82 inches) of rainfall. The Snoqualmie River at Carnation reached its highest levels since records began in 1932, measuring a height of 61.5 feet (7.5 feet above flood stage) on January 7. The National Weather Service considers the flood event to be among Washington State's most memorable. The cost of damage is estimated at $125 million. More heavy rain caused flooding across the southern U.S.A on January 7 2009. One home in Haywood County, NC was destroyed from a landslide. More than 52,000 were left without power in the Carolinas, although there were no reported deaths.
Previously in the U.S., and during the first two weeks of June 2008 heavy rain fell across parts of the Midwest, causing the worst floods in 15 years and numerous new record river crest levels that led to extreme flooding in the area. The worst hit state was Iowa, where 83 of its 99 counties were declared disaster areas. According to reports, the heavy rainfall caused nine rivers across Iowa to be at or above the previous record flood levels. The floods affected 36,000 people and submerged millions of acres of land. It has been reported that Iowa's losses are estimated to be in the billions of dollars.
Also, the heavy rainfall that fell during March 17-19 prompted the overflow of rivers across the south-central states, causing historical floods. Arkansas was impacted the greatest with several of its rivers reaching their highest level in nearly 90 years. The extreme flooding washed out roads, damaged homes, and were associated with 17 fatalities across the affected states. The governor of Arkansas declared disaster areas in 39 Arkansas counties and President Bush issued a disaster declaration for 35 counties. In March, 15 new all-time record precipitation records were established across several of the affected states. Heavy rainfall on June 19 prompted extreme flooding and mudslides across parts of South Africa. The worst hit was the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, where four people died. According to reports, Scottburg, KwaZulu-Natal received a total of 128 mm (5 inches) of rain in just 24-hours, the highest rainfall amount for that day. In Kenya, flash floods triggered by heavy rain during June 13-16 2008 affected nearly 8,700 people. The floods destroyed a total of 1,538 hectares (3,800 acres) of farmland.
Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain affected the eastern parts of the Philippines during February 14-27. More than 294,000 people were affected and many houses were submerged. There were 45 fatalities with 31 others injured. According to reports, economic losses for the central and southern Philippines were estimated to be $22 million in infrastructure and agricultural damages.
Heavy rain that fell during February 20-26 2008 caused widespread floods across Kazakhstan, resulting in one death. About 12,700 people evacuated their homes and a total of 2,000 homes were destroyed The first week of June in 2007 saw Australia's New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma declare a natural disaster across a large area NSW after a day of severe weather. Energy Australia says 200,000 customers from the Hunter Valley to Sydney were without power. At least nine people have died and a coal tanker ran aground on the NSW coast.
Extreme flooding and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains affected parts of Bangladesh in June 2007 causing at least 135 fatalities and many others missing. On June 11, the port city of Chittagong, reportedly the worst hit, received 275mm (11 inches) of rain.
Page updated 10 August 2009
go from Extreme Flooding back to Extreme Weather
|
