All posts tagged: flooding

Bali flooding prompts tourist evacuation: Official

Bali flooding prompts tourist evacuation: Official

Published by Sam Flores

BADUNG, Indonesia: Flooding in parts of Indonesia’s popular resort island of Bali prompted hundreds of people, including dozens of tourists, to seek safety, a local disaster official said on Tuesday (Feb 24). Intense rains triggered flooding since late on Monday across several Bali districts and the provincial capital city of Denpasar, said local disaster mitigation agency senior official I Gede Agung Teja Bhusana Yadnya. There were no fatalities, he said. Waters inundated facilities, such as cafes and gas stations, in the Badung district and forced some tourists to be evacuated on rubber boats. “We are here to visit Bali Zoo … so we were trying to visit the elephants, but due to this condition we couldn’t do this,” 28-year-old Mexican national Briana Palacios told AFP. Source link

How extreme flooding in Somerset has created birdlife winners and losers | Somerset

How extreme flooding in Somerset has created birdlife winners and losers | Somerset

Published by Jenni Sidey

The Somerset Levels flood regularly – but this year, after very heavy winter rains, the fields and moors are overflowing with water. So what effect does this have on wintering birds? Like most extreme weather events, there are winners and losers. Huge flocks of gulls are gathering in the flooded fields to feed, with scarcer Mediterranean and little gulls joining the regular black-headed, herring and common varieties. These have attracted a white-tailed eagle from the Isle of Wight reintroduction project, although it does not appear to have caught any victims yet. Lapwings are more visible than usual, as high depths of water on some of the nature reserves mean they are unable to feed, so must move off into shallower areas to do so. But spare a thought for the local barn owls. They usually hunt over damp, grassy fields, especially less intensively farmed areas with longer vegetation and plenty of voles. Now the fields are too wet for the rodents and because barn owls’ soft feathers are not waterproof, they are unable to hunt …

‘Unprecedented’ flooding in France is expected to last all week

‘Unprecedented’ flooding in France is expected to last all week

Published by Sam Flores

Cadillac-sur-Garonne, western France, flooded by the Garonne River, February 16, 2026. THOMAS BERNARDI/AFP “A flooded France.” Traveling by train from Paris to Bayonne, in southwestern France, on Friday, February 13, Christophe Cassou, a climatologist at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, was struck by the scale of the flooding: Houses, streets and fields were underwater. Four days later, the situation remained critical. According to the latest information bulletin from Vigicrues, the national flood-monitoring and warning service, 70 departments were still on flood alert on Monday. Three were placed on the highest red alert level and 15 at the orange level. Maine-et-Loire, in the west, joined Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne, in the southwest, at the maximum alert level. Angers, a city in the Loire Valley, was expected to experience “major flooding” from the Maine River on Tuesday and Wednesday, Vigicrues warned. Farther south, the Garonne River, which had overflowed between the cities of Agen and Bordeaux, was set to rise again on Tuesday after a “temporary” lull. The floodwaters forced the evacuation of nearly 2,000 residents, caused thousands of …

UK at risk of more flooding ‘for months to come’ after record-breaking January | UK News

UK at risk of more flooding ‘for months to come’ after record-breaking January | UK News

Published by skeptic

Parts of Britain could be at risk of further flooding for months to come because so much rain has fallen so far this year, according to new analysis. Latest official figures from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) show rivers in the south and southwest of England reached exceptionally high levels in January, with some breaking records. And the soil is so saturated in areas that have borne the brunt of the deluge that water is rising up through the ground – an invisible threat that could suddenly flood homes. Image: Flooding in Salisbury, Wiltshire The Environment Agency (EA) has also warned of a significant risk of so-called groundwater flooding that could persist for months. Mark Garratt, flood duty manager at the agency, said: “Significant groundwater flooding impacts are probable in parts of Dorset and Wiltshire, with minor groundwater impacts probable in Hampshire and West Sussex. “Due to steadily rising levels, minor groundwater flooding impacts are possible in Kent and East Sussex.” Check the weather forecast in your area The monthly statistics from …

Fresh snow warning issued for parts of England as flooding expected in more than 70 areas | UK News

Fresh snow warning issued for parts of England as flooding expected in more than 70 areas | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

A brief show of sunshine over the weekend has given way to further rain, with flooding expected in more than 70 areas. Rain is likely to turn to snow and sleet across parts of eastern England, where a yellow snow warning is in place on Sunday between 10am and 4pm. Sunday’s rain, sleet and snow will clear eastwards followed by sunny spells and blustery showers from the west. While some isolated patches of wet snow might linger over parts of East Anglia, in most places road temperatures will be too warm to allow snow to settle, said Kirsty McCabe, Sky News’ weather producer. Check the weather forecast in your area Some of the showers will be heavy and prolonged with risk of hail and thunder. There were 74 flood warnings and 162 flood alerts in place across England on Sunday morning, with the Environment Agency urging the public to remain vigilant amid the ongoing flood risk. Jonathan Day, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said about 330 homes and businesses have been flooded, while …

Why is the UK so rainy this year and how is the climate crisis making matters worse? | Flooding

Why is the UK so rainy this year and how is the climate crisis making matters worse? | Flooding

Published by Jenni Sidey

In a “miserable and relentlessly wet” start to the year, rain has fallen in parts of the UK every day for weeks without fail. With more than 100 flood warnings active across the country and downpours expected to continue this week, scientists say the forces behind Britain’s constant drizzle are the same ones bringing devastation to Spain and Portugal. How bad is the rain across the UK? Northern Ireland had its wettest January in 149 years according to the UK Met Office, while southern England had its sixth wettest January in records that date back to 1836. The south-west had 56% more rain than the long‑term average. The south-east and central south were 88% wetter. North Wyke in Devon, Cardinham in Cornwall and Astwood Bank in Worcester have recorded rain every day so far this year, the Met Office said on Monday. Jess Neumann, a hydrologist at the University of Reading, said: “It’s been a miserable and relentlessly wet start to the year for many across the UK.” The commuter town near London has had …

‘The World Came Flooding in’ Explores Flood Experience, Hope: IFFR

‘The World Came Flooding in’ Explores Flood Experience, Hope: IFFR

Published by Daniella Wilson

Amid climate change, devastating floods have hit various parts of the world in recent years. Photos and TV news images have given people around the globe a sense of the loss and pain they bring. But for those of us who are lucky enough to have never experienced a flood first-hand, it remains hard to really grasp the human and social impact of such natural disasters. Maybe you are now thinking, “If there were only an engaging way for people who have seen their homes destroyed by a flood share their experiences of loss and how they overcame the resulting trauma?!” Well, there is. It comes in the form of an immersive virtual reality documentary with extended reality installation entitled The World Came Flooding in and created, in painstaking and loving work, by Australian creators Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine. “Embark on a journey where people’s experiences of floods highlight how we all embody objects with meaning, feelings, and memories,” reads a synopsis of the project, inviting you to “explore the rich inner world that …

‘Feels like a losing battle’: the fight against flooding in Somerset | Somerset

‘Feels like a losing battle’: the fight against flooding in Somerset | Somerset

Published by Jenni Sidey

Since medieval monks started draining and managing the Somerset Levels, humans have struggled to live and work alongside water. “At the moment it feels like a losing battle,” said Mike Stanton, the chair of the Somerset Rivers Authority. “Intense rainfall is hitting us more often because of climate change. It may be that in the next 50 years, perhaps in the next 20, some homes around here will have to be abandoned.” Stanton spoke to the Guardian at Northmoor pumping station near Bridgwater as six giant temporary pumps fired six tons of flood water a second off the saturated moors into the River Parrett. ‘Intense rainfall is hitting us more often,’ said Mike Stanton, the chair of the Somerset Rivers Authority. Photograph: Jim Wileman/The Guardian The emergency pumps had been craned into position to back up the permanent ones after Storm Chandra, in a desperate attempt to stop homes in nearby villages such as Moorland and Fordgate from flooding. The two communities hit the headlines around the world when they were inundated in 2014. Millions …

Storm Chandra live: flooding and travel disruption hit UK as police warn against travel in parts of Devon | UK news

Storm Chandra live: flooding and travel disruption hit UK as police warn against travel in parts of Devon | UK news

Published by Jenni Sidey

What weather warnings are still in place today? The Met Office currently has the following weather warnings still in place today: Amber warning for wind until 9pm Met Office says: “Storm Chandra will bring very strong winds, leading to the potential for damage and disruption” Areas affected: County Antrim, County Down, County Londonderry Yellow warning for rain and wind until midnight Met Office says: “Heavy rain and strong winds from Storm Chandra on Tuesday may lead to some flooding and disruption” Areas affected: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone Yellow warning for rain and snow until midnight Met Office says: “Heavy rain will turn to snow on high ground and may lead to some transport and power disruption” Areas affected: Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Argyll and Bute Yellow warning for rain until 3pm Met office says: “Heavy rain may lead to some travel and power disruption” Areas affected: Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian Council, Scottish Borders, West Lothian, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, South …

Worst floods in a generation spark cholera fears in Mozambique

Worst floods in a generation spark cholera fears in Mozambique

Published by Sam Flores

The Gaza provincial capital of Xai-Xai and the nearby agricultural town of Chokwe have been submerged, with only the tips of the roofs of buildings visible in some areas. The tourist town of Marracuene, north of the capital, Maputo, is surrounded by water and effectively cut off. Authorities and aid groups have warned of potential cholera outbreaks in the aftermath of the destruction. The acute diarrhoeal infection thrives in unsanitary conditions found after natural disasters, where survivors have no access to clean water and basic hygiene. Contaminated water sources, damaged latrines and overcrowded living conditions would create ideal conditions for outbreaks ofcholera, other acute diarrhoeal diseases and malaria, warned the charity WaterAid. The charity’s Mozambique director, Gaspar Sitefane, said: “Without sustained action, temporary displacement can quickly become a long-term health crisis.” A team of 36 firefighters and rescue workers from the UK have joined international efforts to save people from the waters. The teams are working in Maputo province and in Xai-Xai, north of the flood area. Neighbouring South Africa has also seen heavy rains …