20 people have been killed and hundreds left homeless in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by floods that occurred on the 20^th December 2011. The floods were caused by the heaviest rainfall the country has witnessed since 1961. Dar es Salaam is the main economic city of Tanzania; the floods bought the city to a standstill. Rain is predicted to continue over the next few days, leading to warnings being given out to the population living in the valleys of the city. According to witnesses and reports, several homes and bridges have been destroyed or damaged and main roads have been flooded making them impassable.

Temporary shelters have been set up for those left homeless by the floods. According to reports, at least 5000 people have been displaced by the floods. Several people were left with nothing when their homes were flooded.

Uganda

Torrential rainfall that started on 11^th November and has continued into December has caused severe flooding in Uganda. Several homes have been flooded and damaged causing people to flee. According to reports at least 15,000 people have been affected and left homeless. The affected people are staying in temporary accommodations and appealing to the government for aid. Several crops have also been flooded.

Kenya

24 people have been killed and 98,000 displaced during floods caused by heavy rainfall in Kenya on 13^th December 2011. Severe destruction has been caused to infrastructure and homes by these floods. The homeless are sheltering in temporary accommodation, too afraid to return to their homes. The floods have followed the long drought in the country. Western Kenya has been hit the hardest, where bridges have been destroyed and roads have been made impassable.

Several people have also been left without food, when their farms flooded. A humanitarian effort by the Kenyan Red Cross is underway to rescue the victims.

An assessment to show the magnitude of the damage caused is underway.

Sri Lanka

11,000 people have been displaced in Sri Lanka by floods on 22^nd December. The political condition of the country has caused victims of the floods to suffer further, with no infrastructure to take care of those affected. Heavy rain and floods have affected the low lying district of Ki”linochchi. Although a few victimes have been provided with temporary shelters, several families have been left on their on terms to find accomoation with family or friends. Homes have been destroyed and farmland flooded.

Australia

1 person has been killed and over 60 displaced by floods caused in Australia on 29^th November. Hundreds of farms and rural properties in Moree and Wee Waa have been flooded and left isolated. Severe rains lead to the River Mehi flooding. Several roads have also been flooded and lead to their closure. An evacuation order was given to the residents of Moree and temporary shelters have been set up for those displaced. Hundreds of communities have been left isolated by the floods.

Columbia

Nearly 500 people have been killed in Columbia’s worse flooding in 40 years. The flood that occurred on 25^th November left 595 people injured and 43 missing. 16,200 houses were destroyed by floods and landslides along with more than 550,000 damaged. Thousands of people have been left homeless. According to official figures, 90% or 39.6 million of the population live in high risk areas, prone to floods and landslides. The region of Bolivar is said to be the worse affected including the city of Cartagena. Temporary shelters have been set up for the most vulnerable. The country has been affected by heavy rainfall and landslides in recent months. Several homes and infrastructures have been destroyed, including main roads and several people have been displaced since the floods have begun.

By Saajeda Bandali

The rains from Typhoon Washi caused rivers to burst their banks in the night which led to the devastation.

The areas worst hit were Iligan and Cagayan de Oro where entire villages were washed away.  In total, over 10,000 homes have been damaged.

Oxfam have an appeal to help the victims:

https://donate.oxfam.org.uk/philippines

The city, which was hit by a devastating earthquake earlier in the year killing 182 people suffered a series of earthquakes ranging from a magnitude of 5 to 6.

With many people still trying to come to terms with the September 2010 Earthquake as well as the one February 2011, some people are seriously considering leaving the area.

The recent earthquake caused buildings to collapse, including hotels where journalists and search and rescue teams have been staying over the past few weeks. A confirmed 40 deaths have been reported and several people have been injured. Search and rescue efforts took place following the earthquake in order to find survivors trapped in the rubble.

Victims of the earthquake that struck on 23^rd October have already been struggling with the lack of aid and staying in temporary shelters in the winter conditions. The devastation caused by this earthquake has added to the anger and grief of what has already been lost and is likely is hamper the recovery period.

By Saajeda Bandali

The city of Ercis was one of the worst hit areas with many buildings collapsing.

Although some survivors have been pulled from the devastation, it is feared the death toll could rise.

The earthquake had a depth of 20 km and an epicentre located just 16 km north east of the City of Van. This was followed by hundreds of smaller after shocks, causing further panic.

Over 600 people have now been confirmed dead and over 1600 injured. According to officials more then 2000 buildings have been destroyed, leaving over 50,000 people homeless in Van and Ercis. As search and rescue took place over the few days following the earthquake, at least 250 people trapped in the rubble were saved. Hope of finding anymore victims alive faded a few days after and search and rescue was soon called off.

Ercis, located close to the Iranian border experienced devastation following the earthquake. Hundreds of buildings collapsed or were badly damaged, including hospitals. Poorly constructed buildings were blamed for the collapse in this earthquake risk region. The injured had to be treated outdoors due to severe structural damage to hospitals. Electricity and phone lines were also damaged.

According to officials, an estimated 2400 rescue teams, 680 medics, 108 ambulances and 12 rescue dogs were involved in the relief effort.

There were dramatic rescues of victims being pulled out alive 100 hours after the earthquake struck. A 16 day old baby, followed by his mother and grandmother were rescued 48 hours after the earthquake struck. An 18 year old man was also pulled out alive 100 hours after. A 21 year woman, 27 year old woman and 13 year old boy were also rescued alive. There were reports of the boy digging himself out of the rubble with a rock 100 hours after the earthquake struck. The first 48 to 72 hours are essential for rescuing and finding survivors alive.

Aid being provided to the affected population was limited, leading to chaos including aid trucks being looted in Van and Ercis. Victims complained about the lack of tents for temporary shelter and blamed it on political reasons. The Government is now also accepting aid from other countries.

As temperatures fall, there are fears of victims living in temporary outdoor shelters, suffering even further in the freezing conditions. It will take months before life returns to normal in the affected regions. The death toll is also likely to increase over the next few days as more bodies of victims are pulled out of the rubble.

By Saajeda Bandali

Heavy monsoon rains over the past 2-3 months have led to over 12 million people being affected in what is being described by many as some of the worst flooding the area has seen in decades.

Over 300 people have been killed by the flooding and many are blaming the newly appointed Prime minister and her Government that not enough has been done to protect areas.  It is estimated that damage could already be in the region of $2 Billion.

In Bastrop County, a 16 mile wide fire destroyed more than 800 homes and left two people dead.  Around 4000 people had to be evacuated from the area as around 34,000 acres were burned by the ravaging fires.

Thankfully firefighters are starting to get control of the fire due to lighter winds.

More than  170 fires have broken out this week in the state of Texas due to a massive drought and recent high winds.

Numerous landslides and floods devastated regions; destroying homes, bridges, infrastructure and washing away cars. Floods and landslides also left 3,600 people stranded. In the Kansai region an estimated 30,000 people were evacuated. A record amount of rain was also reported, making this the worst storm since 2004 which left 98 people dead. Nara and Wakayama were the worst affected regions, where landslides killed residents and destroyed homes and bridges.

Although Talas has now moved in to the Sea of Japan, there is fear of further floods and landslides occurring over the next few days in the western region due to the torrential rainfall witnessed.

By Saajeda Bandali

In Puerto Rico utility poles and roads were damaged, over 700 people evacuated and 1 million people were left without power. Floods were caused due to torrential rainfall and extensive damage was caused to the agriculture sector. An estimated $500 worth of damage was caused in Puerto Rico alone. As Irene passed over the other islands, it caused flooding, landslides and damaged and destroyed houses and infrastructure.

Preparation were underway in eastern US where Irene was predicted to hit on Sunday. The last hurricane to affect New York was Gloria in 1985. A mandatory evacuation took place in numerous states including New York where over 300,000 people were evacuated from the high risk areas.

Although the hurricane was downgraded to category 1 and eventually a tropical storm when it hit New York; it caused devastating damage and disruption across numerous states. Millions of homes and businesses were left without power over the next few days and a number of airports and subways were also shut down, causing major disruption to the transport system. According to reports more than 7000 flights were cancelled in New York, Philadelphia and Boston on Sunday.

The worst affected states were New Jersey and Vermont, where damage was caused by the floods triggered by torrential rainfall. Hundreds of people were told to evacuate as the states faced the worst flooding since 1972. Roads, houses and utility supplies were damaged and schools and businesses were shut down.

Over 3 million homes and businesses were left without electricity in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York alone. The storm also caused torrential rain, floods and damage across Philadelphia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Washington.

It then headed towards Canada as a weak storm system with winds of up to 50 miles per hour. Torrential rain also caused floods in Canada and left an estimated 2000,000 homes without electricity on 28th August.

Irene caused an estimated $7 billion worth of damage and claimed 45 lives in the United States and one in Canada, making the total 54. Eight people have also been reported as missing in the US (1) and Dominican Republic (7). Although New York had a lucky escape, the effects of the hurricane will be felt over the next few months in the worst affected states and islands.

By Saajeda Bandali