WASHINGTON: Hurricane Erin was nearing North Carolina's coast Wednesday, 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 Centre – 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 centre, 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.

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 metres).

Last year's Hurricane Helene caused approximately US$60 billion in damage to North Carolina, equivalent to almost two years of the state's budget, said Stein, who criticised 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.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov 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

MOSCOW, 21 Ogos: Kebakaran hutan di Sepanyol telah menyebabkan kerosakan langsung kepada sektor pertanian dan ternakan bernilai sekurang-kurangnya €600 juta (US$700 juta), lapor akhbar El Periodico pada Rabu, memetik data daripada persatuan pertanian Sepanyol COAG, menurut Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

Industri yang paling teruk terjejas dilaporkan ialah penternakan lebah. Kebakaran itu memusnahkan kira-kira 10,000 sarang lebah, manakala kehilangan tumbuh-tumbuhan menyebabkan lebah kehilangan sumber makanan untuk tahun-tahun akan datang, menurut laporan itu.

Penternak juga menghadapi masalah. ribuan hektar padang ragut musnah terbakar, dan kini pemilik lembu, biri-biri, dan kambing terpaksa membeli makanan ternakan untuk tempoh sekurang-kurangnya setahun. Pada masa sama, adalah mustahil untuk menganggarkan jumlah haiwan yang mati dalam kebakaran itu, lapor El Periodico.

Sementara itu, kesatuan petani Union de Uniones mendesak agar pihak berkuasa mengubah pendekatan mereka terhadap pengurusan hutan, memperkukuh langkah pencegahan dan pembersihan hutan.

Pada Isnin, perkhidmatan pemantauan perubahan iklim Eropah, Copernicus menunjukkan bahawa keluasan kawasan yang terjejas akibat kebakaran hutan di Sepanyol telah mencecah 344,417 hektar (851,000 ekar) sejak awal tahun ini sekali gus mengatasi rekod 2022 yang sebelum ini dianggap paling teruk dari segi kebakaran di EU dengan keluasan 306,555 hektar. -TVS

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.