Mass Evacuations Ordered as Texas, Oklahoma Floods Worsen

State of Emergency declared for 44 Oklahoma counties on Saturday

• State of Disaster declared in Caldwell County, Texas as San Marcos River threatens to inundate the area.

The Oklahoma City metro area recorded up to 15cm of rain, as the city broke an all time record for the wettest 40-day period with 52cm of rainfall.

Major flooding continued along the Blanco River near Wimberley, Texas, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, said the National Weather Service (NWS). About 23cm of rain was reported in the area which led to Blanco River rising more than 10.66m (35 feet) in less than 5 hours on Saturday.

Severe weather risk and flash flood potential continue on Sunday: NWS

Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected across much of the central and southern Plains on Sunday. The Storm Prediction Center has an area of Slight Risk highlighted in Texas for the area with the greatest risk of severe weather; tornadoes, hail and damaging winds are all possible. Flash flooding is also forecast from central Iowa into southern Texas where the heaviest rainfall is expected.

NWS has issued Flood and Flash Flood Warnings and Watches for much of the central and southern Plains including the entire state of Oklahoma  and parts of Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas.

A judge in Wichita Falls, Texas, issued an evacuation order Saturday urging the residents of the city and the surrounding county to abandon their homes if they live within a 800 meters of either banks of the Wichita River, according to local reports.

Residents in several other towns and cities in northern Texas and southwestern Oklahoma have also been ordered to evacuate amid the threat of historic flooding.

Hundreds of homes have been inundated across the region as powerful storms continue to spawn extreme rain events.

Terrorists Massacre 400, Mostly Women & Kids, in Palmyra, Syria

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Islamic State Terrorists massacre 400 people in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra (modern city of Tadmur, Homs Governorate), mostly women and children, said Syrian state television Sunday, media reported.

About a third of Palmyra’s population of 200,000 have fled the city since earlier this week, when the ISIS terrorists overrun the historic city, said the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

The city was reportedly captured from the Syrian army on Wednesday.

Gaza Economy on the Verge of Collapse

Blockades, war and poor governance have strangled Gaza’s economy and the unemployment rate is now the highest in the world according to the latest World Bank economic update.

The youth unemployment is highest in the region at more than 60 percent.

Mass graves of suspected migrants found in Malaysia near Thai border

Police have discovered at least 30 mass graves containing the remains of hundreds of people in two location in the northern state of Perlis, near the Thai border, reported the Utusan Malaysia newspaper .

About 100 bodies were found in one grave alone, said another report.

“I reckon it was a preliminary finding and eventually I think the number would be more than that,” said the Malaysian Home Minister when asked about the number of mass graves discovered.