OFFICIAL PORTAL
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
WASHINGTON, Aug 21 — Hurricane Erin was nearing North Carolina’s coast yesterday, threatening huge waves and flooding as the strengthening Category 2 storm triggered mandatory evacuation orders despite its offshore path.
The US state, still reeling from last year’s deadly Hurricane Helene, declared an emergency Tuesday as Erin’s impacts were predicted to begin from Wednesday evening through Thursday.
“Based on the current forecast, we are anticipating coastal flooding from massive waves, tropical storm force winds and tidal and storm surge for much of the state shoreline, especially the Outer Banks, from this evening through Thursday,” Governor Josh Stein told reporters.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Erin was churning northward some 300 miles southeast of North Carolina, packing maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center—with the possibility it could still restrengthen to a major hurricane.
Its unusually large size means tropical storm-force winds extend hundreds of miles from its center, earning it the moniker “Enormous Erin” by hurricane specialist Michael Lowry, who wrote on Substack the US was fortunate to be spared a direct hit.
Erin’s low pressure of around 940 millibars at its center is “remarkably low” and a more telling indicator of its destructive potential than wind speed, Lowry added.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands. Parts of North Carolina to Virginia were under a tropical storm warning.
Stein urged residents to pack enough food, water and supplies to last up to five days—and to safeguard important documents like insurance policies.
“We have already pre-positioned three swift water rescue teams and 200 National Guard troops to various locations on the coast, along with boats, high clearance vehicles and aircraft,” he added.
Massive waves
Highway 12 -- which runs through the scenic Outer Banks, a string of low-lying islands and spits already under threat from sea-level rise and erosion—could be left impassable by waves as high as 20 feet (six meters).
Last year’s Hurricane Helene caused approximately $60 billion in damage to North Carolina, equivalent to almost two years of the state’s budget, said Stein, who criticized what he called inadequate federal assistance from the administration of President Donald Trump.
Trump has mused about dismantling the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has long been a target of conspiracy theories from the political right.
Beyond the flooding risks in North Carolina, nearly the whole of the US East Coast meanwhile is threatened by rip currents, powerful surges that run against the tide.
Insurance risks
The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, has entered its historical peak.
Despite a relatively quiet start with just four named storms so far, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration continues to forecast an above-normal season.
Scientists say climate change is supercharging tropical cyclones: warmer oceans fuel stronger winds, a warmer atmosphere intensifies rainfall, and higher sea levels magnify storm surge.
There is also some evidence, though less certainty, that climate change is making hurricanes more frequent. — AFP
KARACHI: Pakistan declared a public holiday in Karachi on Wednesday as the financial capital braced for more rain, after the arrival of the annual monsoon season left at least seven people dead and caused widespread flooding, officials said.
The monsoon has brought havoc across Pakistan in recent days with the death toll from flash floods that struck the mountainous northwest on Friday rising to 377.
In Karachi, at least seven people have died since the rains began in the southern port city on Tuesday, said Abdul Wahid Halepoto, a provincial government spokesperson.
Rainfall reached levels not seen in years in some parts of the city, Pakistan's largest, with a population of more than 20 million.
Authorities ordered educational institutions and offices to shut. "We are expecting more intense rains," said Anjum Nazir, a spokesperson for the provincial meteorological department.
Tuesday's rain was recorded between 80 mm (3.15 inches) and 178 mm (7.01 inches) in different parts of the city, he said.
Nazir said the area around the airport received 163.5 mm of rain, the highest recorded there since 1979.
Some 178mm of rain was recorded in the northeast of the city, the highest since the weather station there was set up five years ago.
The rain also disrupted power, mobile phone services and flights, officials said. Local television footage showed cars and other vehicles floating down streets, with houses submerged in water.
Rescue workers, police, volunteers and government civic agencies were helping relief efforts, the city's Mayor Murtaza Wahab told local Geo News television. "We have all our resources at work," he said.
Wahab said the rain had overwhelmed the city's infrastructure. There have also been heavy monsoon rains in Mumbai, India's financial capital, with some parts of the city drenched with as much as 875.1 mm of rain in the five days leading up to August 20, the local weather department said.
Many schools in the city were closed for a second straight day on Wednesday, while train services were disrupted. Authorities requested residents avoid venturing out as more rain was predicted.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan dijangka menerima lebih banyak hujan lebat dalam beberapa hari akan datang dan pihak berkuasa memberi amaran tentang kemungkinan banjir di kawasan bandar, ketika negara itu sedang bergelut dengan kesan hujan monsun sebelum ini, lapor Agensi Berita Jerman (dpa).
“Tiga sistem cuaca berbeza di Pakistan akan menyebabkan hujan lebat dalam tempoh 15 hari akan datang,“ kata Tayyab Shah daripada Pihak Berkuasa Pengurusan BencanaNegara (NDMA) pada Rabu.
Hujan lebat di wilayah barat laut Khyber Pakhtunkhwa telah menyebabkan kematian dan kemusnahan yang meluas. Setakat ini, terdapat tujuh fasa hujan monsun pada musim ini.
Fasa kelapan dijangka bermula pada 23 Ogos dan boleh menjejaskan hampir seluruh negara, terutamanya wilayah selatan Sindh.
Pusat Operasi Kecemasan Kebangsaan (NEOC) NDMA memberi amaran mengenai hujan lebat antara 50 hingga 100 milimeter atau lebih di beberapa bahagian Sindh dalam tempoh 24 jam akan datang.
Menurut NDMA, jumlah korban akibat insiden berkaitan hujan sejak 26 Jun, telah meningkat kepada 749 orang dengan tambahan 42 kematian dalam tempoh 24 jam lalu.
Majoriti kematian, iaitu 446, dilaporkan di Khyber Pakhtunkhwa dengan pasukan penyelamat sedang mencari lebih 150 orang yang hilang pada hujung minggu lalu.
Terdahulu pada hari yang sama, Perdana Menteri Shehbaz Sharif melawat kawasan yang dilanda banjir dan meninjau operasi bantuan.
“Semua sumber negara yang ada akan digerakkan untuk mempercepat usaha pemulihan dan mengembalikan keadaan seperti biasa di kawasan terjejas,“ kata Sharif, menurut kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh pejabatnya- BERNAMA-dpa
BATU PAHAT: Sekurang-kurangnya 12 daripada 15 rumah kedai berusia lebih 40 tahun musnah dalam kebakaran di Pekan Semerah di sini, petang tadi.
Kebakaran dipercayai berlaku pada jam 7 petang menyebabkan puluhan penghuni tinggal sehelai sepinggang selepas gagal menyelamatkan barang berharga.
Difahamkan, api bermula dari kedai jahit sebelum merebak dengan pantas dan menyambar beberapa lagi kedai bersebelahannya.
Hanya dalam tempoh 10 minit, api marak dengan cepat berikutan kesemua rumah kedai diperbuat daripada kayu sepenuhnya.
Difahamkan, ketika kejadian kebanyakan kedai masih beroperasi dan lazimnya ditutup pada jam 8 malam.
Ketika kejadian, kebanyakan penduduk setempat sedang minum petang sebelum melihat kepulan asap hitam disusuli api menjulang tidak lama selepas itu.
Kebakaran itu juga menyebabkan laluan kedua-dua arah untuk ke Batu Pahat atau Muar ditutup bagi membolehkan bomba menjalankan operasi memadam kebakaran.
Dalam pada itu, Ketua Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat Batu Pahat, Penolong Penguasa Ayub Majid, berkata pihaknya menerima panggilan kecemasan jam 7.02 petang.
Katanya, seramai 20 anggota dari Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat (BBP) Batu Pahat dan Penggaram ke lokasi sebaik dimaklumkan mengenai kejadian itu.
"Operasi pemadaman masih dijalankan. Kebakaran membabitkan beberapa kedai dua tingkat yang diperbuat daripada kayu," katanya.
SARATOK, 20 Ogos: Seramai 86 penghuni Rumah Panjang Jantun, Nanga Belangun, Ulu Krian, di sini hilang tempat berteduh selepas kediaman mereka musnah dalam kejadian kebakaran tengah hari tadi.
Menurut Pusat Gerakan Operasi (PGO) Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia (JBPM) Sarawak, panggilan kecemasan diterima pada jam 1.35 petang sebelum sepasukan sembilan anggota dari Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat (BBP) Saratok digerakkan ke lokasi.
“Setibanya pasukan di lokasi, didapati kebakaran melibatkan sebuah rumah panjang 16 pintu. Pasukan operasi segera melakukan pemadaman dengan membentang dua aliran hos sepanjang 400 kaki menggunakan tiga nozel serta satu aliran salur bantu mula sehingga api berjaya dipadam sepenuhnya,” kata kenyataan itu.
Kejadian tersebut menyebabkan rumah separa kekal dua tingkat berkenaan musnah kira-kira 80 peratus, namun tiada kemalangan jiwa dilaporkan.
Turut serta dalam operasi yang diketuai Ketua BBP Saratok, PPgB Putra Ila ialah dua Pegawai Kanan Zon Sri Aman, PgB Muhammad Rais Adham Rosalan dan PPgB Muhammad Adam Amran.
Selain itu, anggota Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) Saratok seramai empat orang, Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia (8), Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (3), Pejabat Daerah Saratok (6), RELA (5) serta kakitangan Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (3) turut berada di lokasi bagi membantu mangsa. – TVS