Global Disasters/ Significant Events – May 23, 2016

Tropical Storm ROANU displaces more than 1.3 million in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

More than 1 million people have been evacuated in Bangladesh following the devastation caused by Tropical Storm ROANU.

The storm made landfall in Bangladesh on 21 May, killing dozens of people and destroying or damaging  about 100,000 houses across 15 districts. The Chittagong, Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Chandpur districts being among the worst hit, said the Bangladeshi Department of Disaster Management.

Sri Lanka

Floods and landslides triggered by Tropical Storm ROANU have affected 400,000 people across Sri Lanka, since May 15.

The storm related disasters have killed about 90, and left 116 others missing.  The floods have displaced about 300,000 people. “The majority of the displaced are in Colombo and Gampaha districts. Water, sanitation and hygiene, health, shelter and food have been identified as priorities.” OCHA reported.

Maldives

Continuous heavy rainfall and storm surges on 15 islands have  damaged/destroyed homes and properties.

Micronesia

All four island states of Micronesia remain under States of Emergency due to severe drought which continues to affect 100,000 people. Yap and the Chuuk Northwest region are the worst affected. The Government reports that food security for the outlying islands is a serious concern with saltwater intrusion destroying taro patches, the main staple crop. Yap State is currently providing food assistance to residents of the outlying islands. [UN OCHA]

Marshall Islands

Despite recent rainfall, an estimated 21,000 people remain severely affected by El Niño-induced drought across the Marshall Islands. Food baskets are being prepared for distribution to people in the outer islands. An outbreak of conjunctivitis or pinkeye (inflammation of the eye) was also reported in Majuro.
Health officials have linked the outbreak to the limited water available for handwashing. [UN OCHA]

Deadly Storm: State of Emergency Declared in Kentucky

Up to 20 inches of snow accumulating in Kentucky

Gov.  Beshear has declared a state of emergency for the Commonwealth—Kentucky’s second such declaration in three weeks.

“Two significant winter storms nearly back-to-back are rare in Kentucky, and pose a challenge for our emergency management teams, road crews and local emergency responders. This emergency declaration will allow us to deploy any needed state assistance, including National Guard troops if necessary, without delay,” he said.

Beshear’s earlier statewide emergency was declared on February 16, 2015 due to heavy snow and bitter cold.

Meantime, snow continues to accumulate, with up to 20 inches recorded in several parts of Kentucky.

Governors of states of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia and New Jersey have also declared states of emergency due to the powerful winter storm.

Thousands of flights cancelled, hundreds of schools closed

The storm forced the cancellation of thousands of flight in the South and the Northeast, as hundreds of schools closed in the affected areas.

At least one person was killed in a vehicle crash in Tennessee, according to local reports.

Police in Little Elm, Texas, said one man was killed in a multivehicle crash on icy roads Wednesday night, according to a report.

Another person was killed in the chain-reaction, seven-vehicle pileup caused by icy conditions, said a report.

Related Links

• States of Emergency Declared in LA, AL, WV and NJ March 5, 2015

States of Emergency Declared in LA, AL, WV and NJ

Massive Winter Storm Causes States of Emergency from U.S. South to New England

A massive winter storm stretching all the way from southwest Texas to southern New England is forecast to dump up to 30cm (two feet) of snow on parts of the eastern United States, prompting the governors in at least four states—Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia and New Jersey—to declare states of emergency, as of posting. States of emergency declared due to previous storms are still in effect for much of the rest of the region in the affected regions.

The storm, which is affecting more than 120 million people,  has forced hundreds of schools, businesses and local governments to close, grounding thousands of flights, including about 1,800 Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said in its latest forecast:

Winter Storm from the Mexican Border in Texas to southern New England through Thursday

A widespread winter weather event is underway from southwest Texas into parts of southern New England.  Sleet and freezing rain are expected from south/central Texas into the Southeast …

Areas from the southern Plains across the Mid-Atlantic into New England could see “significant snowfall.”

A rather vigorous and elongated piece of energy in the mid to upper levels, moving from the Plains to the Mid-Atlantic today and tomorrow, will interact with an arctic air mass and surface cold front plunging south and eastward into the Southeastern states this evening.

Significant snowfall of up to 12 inches is possible from the Tennessee Valley to the central Mid-Atlantic on Thursday, according to the forecast.

Moderate to heavy rain from the southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic, combined with snow melt, could result in flood or flash flooding, especially across the lower Ohio Valley and western Mid-Atlantic regions.

Behind the front, winter hangs on tight as temperatures plummet across the eastern third of the nation. By Thursday evening, cold high pressure dominates resulting in unseasonably cold temperatures from the Plains to the eastern seaboard.

Temperatures for the remainder of the week are expected to fall by as much as 35 degrees below normal, said the forecast.

Possible New Snow Record for Beantown

The Walking City, which recorded its coldest February this year, could receive an additional 8cm (3 inches) of snow from the storm, said NWS.

Boston needs just 4.8cm more of powdery precipitation to break its all time record for total snowfall in a winter of 273.4 cm (107.6 in), set in 1995-96.

Deadly Tornadoes: State of Emergency Declared in Mississippi

DISASTERS CAUSED BY EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS & CLIMATE CHANGE
SEVERE STORMS
DEADLY TORNADOES
STATES OF  EMERGENCY
.

Tornadoes attack Southern U.S. killing four

Deadly tornadoes have killed at least four people, leaving many others injured and causing “major” damage in the southern US state of Mississippi.

Gov. Bryant has declared a state of emergency in the two counties that were  most severely affected by the disaster.

“I have declared a state of emergency to assist local officials with any available state resources that are needed in areas affected by severe weather, specifically in Jones and Marion counties,” Bryant said.

Storm Prediction Center (SPC) said Wednesday it had received 70 extreme and severe weather reports, including a total of 14 tornado reports  in the states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/141223_rpts.html

*** 2 FATAL *** SPC reports
REPORT OF MULTIPLE HOMES DAMAGED ON MULLICAN ROAD WITH INJURIES. SOME TREES BLOWN ONTO HOMES WITH PEOPLE TRAPPED (JONES COUNTY)

*** 2 FATAL ***
MULTIPLE STRUCTURES DAMAGED INCLUDING A MOBILE HOME PARK ON HIGHWAY 98. TWO CONFIRMED FATALITIES IN THE AREA OF THE MOBILE HOME PARK. (SE COLUMBIA, MARION COUNTY).

MULTIPLE VEHICLES WERE FLIPPED ON HIGHWAY 98. ALSO REPORT OF ROOF DAMAGE AT DIALYSIS CENTER AND CHALLENGER BUSINESSES ON HIGHWAY 98 AT COLUMBIA-PURVIS ROAD. (SE COLUMBIA, MARION COUNTY).

REPORT OF MULTI-VORTEX TORNADO WEST OF SUMRALL ON HIGHWAY 589 AND HIGHWAY 42. (LAMAR COUNTY).