Continue reading »]]> The death toll from Cyclone Aila reached 40 yesterday after it lashed eastern India and Bangladesh and stranded thousands in their flooded villages.

The storm destroyed nearly 3000 thatched and mud houses and toppled trees in nearly 300 villages across India’s West Bengal state, said state minister Kanti Ganguly.

Cyclone kills 40 in India, Bangladesh

Incoming search terms:

• natural disasters floods
• natural disasters in india
• www naturaldisastersfloods tsunamis cyclones

Continue reading »]]> Emergency teams on Sunday were assessing damage from deadly storms that devastated parts of Missouri, Kentucky and West Virginia this weekend — even as the threat of more severe weather continued.

The storm that tore through Madison County, Kentucky, on Friday was a category EF-3 tornado, the National Weather Service said Sunday.

An EF-3 is the third-strongest category of tornado, with winds of 136 to 165 mph, strong enough to destroy large buildings and lift cars off the ground.

At least one person was killed by that storm, with several other serious injuries. A waste water treatment plant was destroyed, two fire departments sustained major roof damage and some manufacturing facilities were damaged, local authorities said.

Three people were killed in southern Missouri during high winds, thunderstorms and flash floods. A couple was killed when a tree fell on their car on a highway near Poplar Bluff. A man died of a heart attack near Springfield when winds tossed him and his wife into an open field, officials said.

A weekend of storming in West Virginia destroyed as many as 400 buildings and severely damaged an additional 1,000, said Rob Jelacic of the West Virginia Office of Emergency Services.

“We are in recovery mode,” Jelacic said Sunday.

There were no known deaths in West Virginia from the storms.

After the storms came floods. On Sunday, parts of the Meramec and Big rivers were rising feet above flood levels, causing residents already hit by the storms to seek higher ground.

Forecasters expected the Meramec to crest Monday 4 to 8 feet above flood state in St. Louis County. The big river was expected to crest a half-foot higher on Monday than it did Sunday.

Deadly storms rip through Midwest, South

Continue reading »]]> A tornado damaged homes and businesses and knocked down power lines Tuesday afternoon as severe storms moved through central Oklahoma. No serious injuries were reported.

Six homes were damaged or destroyed near Edmond, a suburb north of Oklahoma City.

“We are trying to dodge our storms and keep responders safe, so it is taking some time to get confirmation of damages,” city spokeswoman Claudia Deakins said.

Schoolchildren were being kept in locked down schools until the storm passed.

Some structural damage was also reported in northwest Oklahoma City.

One wall of a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant collapsed and windows were blown out, but no injuries were reported, Fire Chief Brian Stanaland said. Signs were stripped and cars were damaged in the parking lot.

A large section of roof was blown off one apartment building and part of a wall was blown off another. Cars were shifted by the wind and smashed into each other. Power lines and debris littered an intersection in northwest Oklahoma City, and motorists were told to stay in their cars until crews could clear the power lines.

Oklahoma Gas and Electric spokesman Brian Alford said about 14,000 customers lost power.

Lara O’Leary, a spokeswoman for Emergency Management Services Authority, said three minor injuries were reported.

“We’re very hopeful residents were in their safe spots when this moved through,” she said.

The National Weather Service confirmed one tornado touched down 3 miles west-southwest of Edmond, about 3 p.m. The same tornado may have caused the damage in northwest Oklahoma City, but the weather service had no immediate confirmation
Storms damage homes, down power lines in Oklahoma

Continue reading »]]> Up to 200 motorists found themselves trapped on a road in Devon last night after three inches of snow fell in an hour.

Firefighters were called to a “major incident” on the A38 near Exeter at around 9pm, after a line of cars became stuck on Telegraph Hill in blizzard conditions. As the snow continued unabated, many drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles and seek refuge for the night in nearby hotels. Around two feet of snow had fallen by midnight, leaving other roads in the vicinity equally impassable.

One of the motorists, Sue Bullock, told how she had been trapped in her car for more than three hours. She said: “We are sitting here just waiting for someone to rescue us.”

Devon and Cornwall Police said the A38 was closed shortly after 9pm after “significant heavy snow”, and that up to 200 vehicles remained stuck on the hill. A spokesman said: “We have a reference centre open and we’ve got multiple localities for the rest of the force, with vehicles stuck. That is the only update as we are still assessing.”

Last night’s drama came shortly after weather forecasters had warned that harsh weather would return to London and the South-east today, with stocks of gritting salt already at critical levels. Forecasters warned that up to eight inches of snow could fall across southern and South-east England, including the capital, in the early hours of today before reaching the Midlands and East Anglia. Other parts of the country were still coping with disruption caused by snow on Wednesday night.

Two walkers died in freezing weather in the Lake District as snowfall across the West Country, Wales and Northern Ireland caused chaos on motorways and at airports including Luton and Belfast. The M4, M5 and M1 suffered closures and hundreds of schools were shut in Wales.

The forecast that the heavy snow could continue into the weekend gave added weight to concerns that dwindling levels of salt needed to de-ice roads is causing accidents and endangering drivers. The AA said the decision by some local authorities to cut back on the number of routes treated was turning roads into “death traps”.

Britain’s two main rock salt producers have said they are working at maximum capacity but admit there is a backlog in delivering supplies. Cleveland Potash, the second-largest supplier, said it had arranged for 40,000 tonnes of salt to be imported from a sister mine in Spain to meet demand.

County councils in Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Ceredigion as well as Swindon borough council confirmed they were only treating main roads. The Highways Agency said it had three to four days of supplies left to grit motorways and A roads. One district council in South Wales accused the Highways Agency of “blocking” its order for supplies, forcing it to close three mountain roads.

In Worcestershire, the lack of gritting salt caused the closure of the county’s schools after the council said it could not clear access roads: “In view of the snowfall and the fact the county council has insufficient salt to grit and clear the roads, Worcestershire County Council are closing all schools today.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, left a message on his Twitter page yesterday afternoon, telling readers: “Have spent the afternoon with TfL [Transport for London] making sure everything is prepared for the big dump tonight if it comes.” Half an hour later, he added: “For all those of you feeling mischievous when I said dump I was referring to the snow.”

Forecasters said a band of weather from Devon to London crossing the country in the early hours of today could bring snow in similar quantities to that seen in the capital and the South-east on Monday.

The freezing weather appears to have claimed two lives in the past 24 hours, both in the Langdale area of the Lake District. The body of a missing walker was found by mountain rescue teams and another walker died after falling more than 100ft when he slipped on ice.

Forecasters warned that up to eight inches of snow could fall across southern and South-east England, including the capital, in the early hours of today before reaching the Midlands and East Anglia. Other parts of the country were still coping with disruption caused by snow on Wednesday night.

Two walkers died in freezing weather in the Lake District as snowfall across the West Country, Wales and Northern Ireland caused chaos on motorways and at airports including Luton and Belfast. The M4, M5 and M1 suffered closures and hundreds of schools were shut in Wales.

The forecast that the heavy snow could continue into the weekend gave added weight to concerns that dwindling levels of salt needed to de-ice roads is causing accidents and endangering drivers. The AA said the decision by some local authorities to cut back on the number of routes treated was turning roads into “death traps”.

Britain’s two main rock salt producers have said they are working at maximum capacity but admit there is a backlog in delivering supplies. Cleveland Potash, the second largest supplier, said it had arranged for 40,000 tonnes of salt to be imported from a sister mine in Spain to meet demand.

County councils in Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Ceredigion as well as Swindon borough council confirmed they were only treating main roads. The Highways Agency said it had three to four days of supplies left to grit motorways and key A roads. One district council in South Wales accused the Highways Agency of “blocking” its order for supplies, forcing it to close three mountain roads.

In Worcestershire, the lack of gritting salt caused the closure of the county’s schools after the council said it could not clear access roads: “In view of the snowfall and the fact the county council has insufficient salt to grit and clear the roads, Worcestershire County Council are closing all schools today.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, left a message on his Twitter page yesterday afternoon, telling readers: “Have spent the afternoon with TfL [Transport for London] making sure everything is prepared for the big dump tonight if it comes.” Half an hour later, he added: “For all those of you feeling mischievous when I said dump I was referring to the snow.”

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “This is a very serious situation with some roads becoming death traps. The Government should step in to assess the situation and ensure that salt stocks are maintained in places at immediate risk from snow and ice.” The motoring organisation said its insurance arm had seen a 56 per cent increase in claims for shunts.

One MP said preparations for the extreme weather had been shown to be “woefully inadequate”. Rosie Cooper, Labour MP for Lancashire West, said it was clear councils were gritting fewer roads each year. Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, said buying snow ploughs and storing extra gritting salt would be an expensive way of dealing with such unusual weather.

The Met Office confirmed there would be little respite from the extreme conditions, which are providing the coldest winter in Britain in a decade. A severe weather warning was issued last night for heavy snow in southern and central England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Forecasters said a band of weather from Devon to London crossing the country in the early hours of today could bring snow in similar quantities to that seen in the capital and the South-east on Monday.

The freezing weather appears to have claimed two lives in the past 24 hours, both in the Langdale area of the Lake District. The body of a missing walker was found by mountain rescue teams and another walker died after falling more than 100ft when he slipped on ice.

Hundreds of motorists stranded after fresh blizzards sweep in – This Britain, UK – The Independent

Continue reading »]]> Snow and harsh winter conditions were causing disruption across the UK today, with some councils warning that salt and grit supplies were running low.

Further problems were expected for public transport, schools and businesses with severe weather warnings in place in south Wales, north Devon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire today as snow continued to fall.

Forecasters said the worst of the weather was likely to be in the Midlands with as much as 10cm (4in) of snow, however the south and west of England and Wales ground to a halt today after waking up to their heaviest falls of snow this week.

The M4, particularly around Bristol and Swindon, the M5 and the M1 in the south Midlands were badly affected. Runways at Luton and East Midlands airports were closed, there were bus and train cancellations in Bristol and drivers were stranded in snow in the Cotswolds.

Thousands of pupils were told to stay at home again today, with schools in Wales, the Midlands, the West Country and counties just north of London worst affected. More than 600 schools closed in Wales, 300 in the Cotswolds and a quarter of all schools in Birmingham. More than 200 schools have now been closed in Aberdeenshire and rural counties in north-east Scotland, and the eastern Highlands in the Cairngorms.

In Northern Ireland 32 schools were closed.

Some councils are becoming increasingly worried about stocks of salt and have begun to limit its use to major roads. Britain’s biggest salt supplier, the Cheshire-based Salt Union, said staff were working round the clock but still could not meet demand.

“We have been operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week since the beginning of January and are extracting 30m kilograms a week, but the unexpected and unusual weather means that even working at this level, demand is outstripping supply,” the firm said.

Cleveland Potash, the Highways Agency’s second supplier, said it had arranged for 40,000 tonnes of salt to be imported from its sister mine in Spain to meet the increased demand.

The agency – which is responsible for England’s motorways and A-roads – said it was confident it had enough salt in its depots to keep routes ice-free.

Worcestershire county council said it had “insufficient salt” to clear the roads.

Gloucestershire county council has just over 850 tonnes left. “We estimate there is enough for the next two weeks, based on current forecast and restricting the network,” said a council spokesman.

Hertfordshire county council, one of the councils that has admitted stocks are running low, said it was seeking additional supplies from abroad. Other councils saving their salt for main roads include Ceredigion in Wales, which said Salt Union had told it not to expect further deliveries.

Two walkers have died in two days after both ventured out in icy conditions in the Lake District. Cumbria police said one body, believed to be that of a missing 60-year-old man, had been found today below Climber’s Traverse on Bowfell. He has not yet been formally identified. Another man in his 60s who fell 100 metres at Pavey Ark in Great Langdale yesterday died after being airlifted to hospital, police said.

All flights to and from Luton airport were halted this morning after the volume of snow that fell overnight took staff by surprise. There were heavy delays on the approach roads to the airport, with one motorist saying it took him four hours to move 20 yards.

An airport spokeswoman said staff had been trying to clear the snow since 3am. “The sheer volume of snow that came down was not expected,” she said.

George Best airport in Belfast was shut for four hours this morning and 10 flights were cancelled.

In the Highlands and north-east Scotland, a number of routes have been closed after up to eight inches of snow fell overnight, worsening the extremely difficult driving conditions.

The main road to Inverness and the Highlands, the A9, was closed between Aviemore and Inverness, while the A96 was shut between Keith and Inverurie, with other routes shut by snow, accidents and fallen trees. Police in Aberdeen warned of severe congestion in the city, while Aberdeen airport’s runway was closed.

The train operator First Great Western said services between London and south Wales and Bristol were subject to delays. Chiltern Railways said delays of up to 30 minutes could be expected on all routes to and from London Marylebone during the morning peak hours, while Aylesbury Vale Parkway station was closed.

CrossCountry reported similar half-hour delays on all routes via Birmingham New Street during the morning peak hours. Services between Inverness and Aberdeen were subject to alterations and cancellations and customers were “strongly advised” not to attempt to travel.

Virgin Trains services on all routes to and from London Euston were subject to delays of up to 30 minutes due to speed restrictions.

Wrexham & Shropshire railways reported delays of up to 30 minutes on all routes to and from London Marylebone during the morning peak hours.

Commuter services in London have largely returned to normal. A Transport for London spokeswoman said it was “business as usual” and any disruption to trains, tubes and buses was not weather-related.

Saturday is expected to be cold but sunny in inland areas and Sunday could bring more sleet and snow.

Snowy weather’s latest wave brings delay and disruption | UK news | guardian.co.uk

Continue reading »]]> At least eight people have been killed by a tornado which tore into a town in the US state of Oklahoma.

The tornado swept through a swathe of the town of Lone Grove on Tuesday evening, reports said. Local reports said up to 15 people had died.

The tornado, one of at least three in the area, also left 14 people injured, a spokeswoman for the state emergency management department said.

Several buildings in the town of about 4,600 were destroyed by the tornado.

Thousands of people were said to be without power in Oklahoma and neighbouring Texas following the seasonally unusual twisters, which demolished trailer homes and snapped trees and powerlines.

Nightfall and the dangers posed by the destruction on the ground forced the search for survivors to be suspended in Lone Grove, about 100 miles (160 km) south of Oklahoma City.

One deputy sheriff told The Oklahoman paper he believed there may have been more fatalities.

“I’m scared to death to see what daylight brings,” he told the paper.

Rescue workers and equipment are being deployed to Long Grove, where the search for survivors will resume at first light on Wednesday.

Damage was also reported elsewhere in the state, including Edmund, a suburb of Oklahoma City.

The National Weather Department has warned that conditions in the east of the state are ripe for further tornadoes to form until 0600 (1200 GMT).
BBC NEWS | Americas | Deadly tornado strikes Oklahoma