At least 18 dead after cyclone hits Horn of Africa

ADDIS ABABA: Flooding and strong winds caused by a tropical cyclone left at least 18 people dead and thousands homeless across two countries in the Horn of Africa, an aid agency said Monday.

Cyclone Sagar formed last week in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen´s coast and made landfall on Saturday in Djibouti and Somaliland, a breakaway state in northern Somalia where the bulk of the deaths occurred.

"1,780 families fled their homes due to the storm, 16 people were reported killed, and at least 80 homes were destroyed," Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said in a statement, citing the UN´s humanitarian coordinator OCHA.

The aid group added that the storm left two people dead in Djibouti´s capital and flooded several neighbourhoods, affecting between 20,000 and 30,000 people.

"This is the biggest storm to hit the region in years," NRC regional director Nigel Tricks said.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the full extent of the damage in Somaliland remained unclear because the storm destroyed roads and communication infrastructure.

Forty fishermen who were at sea and were not warned about the storm remain unaccounted for, the body added.

Relief efforts have been hindered by deadly clashes that erupted last week in a disputed desert region between Somaliland and the semi-autonomous Somali state of Puntland.

Those clashes displaced 10,000 people and "further (complicated) an already complex humanitarian picture," OCHA said in a statement on Sunday. </s> 00:38 Dorian Leaves Colder Waters in its Wake Dorian leaves behind colder waters, meteorologist Danielle Banks explains.

At a Glance Tropical Cyclone Sagar left 16 dead after pounding parts of the Middle East and eastern Africa.

It has become the strongest tropical storm ever recorded in Somalia.

At least 16 people died as Tropical Cyclone Sagar pounded the Middle East and eastern Africa over the weekend, making history as the strongest tropical storm ever recorded in Somalia.

The deadly storm destroyed the homes of at least 80 families and left nearly 1,800 displaced , director general of Somalia’s Ministry of Planning and National Development Abdirashed Ibrahim reported via Twitter.

An elderly woman was killed near Aden, Yemen, when her house caught fire due to Sagar, according to the Associated Press.

The emergency center of Yemen's Health Ministry reported that flash flooding caused sewage to pour into the streets of the city of Aden.

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In western Somalia, an undisclosed number of people were reported missing in Bulaxaar , according to ReliefWeb. Communication was disrupted in the Lughaya district after the storm destroyed a telecommunication tower and at least 15 shelters were destroyed in the Ceel Sheekh village.

In addition to flash flooding, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says the heavy rains could cause favorable breeding conditions for desert locusts, according to the Associated Press.

"Monitoring tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden is a very important part of this strategy because historically they have been the origin or trigger of Desert Locust plagues," according to Keith Cressman, the Senior Locust Forecasting Officer at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Ahead of the storm, researchers at the UK Met Office also warned that the rainfall could lead to cholera infections .

Sagar struck at around noon local time Saturday about 100 miles southeast of the city of Djibouti, along the flat, arid coastal plain of far western Somalia. As Sagar tracked inland, satellite imagery indicated widespread rains across western Somalia, the nation of Djibouti, and far northeast Ethiopia as Sagar tracked inland. </s> At least 15 people died in northern Somalia after heavy rains caused by tropical cyclone Sagar caused havoc in the Horn of Africa over the weekend.

"In the last 24 hours, heavy rains killed 15 people in the districts of Lughaya and Baki," Abdirahman Ahmed Ali, governor of the Awdal area, told reporters on Sunday.

The cyclone slammed into a region that has suffered three years of drought. The lack of rain has ensured the ground is almost devoid of vegetation, making it particularly prone to flash flooding.

Most of the destruction has been felt in the Puntland and Somaliland region of the East African country.

The situation is further complicated by an ongoing conflict between forces from the two regions. An armed standoff in Sool had displaced almost 10,000 people before the cyclone's arrival.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said thousands of people have been affected by the flooding, displacement and the destruction of infrastructure in Sagar's wake.

"The cyclone has worsened the humanitarian situation in the two states and disputed regions, which have experienced protracted drought dating back to 2015, leaving them particularly prone to flash flooding in the direct aftermath of massive downpours," it said in a statement.

In Mogadishu, roads were washed away and the government relocated tens of families after their homes were flooded. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Cyclone Fani lashes India's eastern coast

A powerful cyclone has slammed into India's eastern coastline, bringing torrential rains and winds of up to 200 km/h (125mph).

Cyclone Fani, one of the most severe storms to hit the region in recent years, made landfall at 08:00 local time (02:30 GMT) on Friday.

More than one million people have been evacuated from the eastern state of Orissa, also called Odisha.

A state official said two people had been killed.

Flooding has also been reported in several areas, and forecasters say a storm surge of 1.5m (5ft) could threaten low-lying homes.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Around 800,000 people were evacuated along the eastern coast of India

The cyclone made landfall in the tourist town of Puri, which is home to the 858-year-old Jagannath temple.

It is expected to hit 15 districts in Orissa, one of India's poorest states, before weakening on Saturday.

What is the latest?

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC Weather's Ben Rich has the latest update on the cyclone

Numerous flights and train services in and out of the state have been cancelled, while schools and government offices are shut. Operations at three ports on India's eastern coast have also been shut down.

Naval warships and helicopters are on standby with medical teams and relief materials. The country's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also deployed several teams there.

India's National Disaster Management Authority has warned people along the east coast, especially fishermen, not to go out to sea because the conditions are "phenomenal".

The agency said the "total destruction of thatched houses" was possible, as well as "extensive damage" to other structures.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Cyclone Fani made landfall in Puri district and will continue moving to West Bengal and Tamilnadu

"I can confirm two deaths for now," Orissa special relief commissioner Bishnupada Sethi told AFP news agency.

"[A] man in one of the shelters died because of a heart attack. Another person went out in the storm despite our warnings and died because a tree fell on him," he said.

The cyclone is expected to move towards Chittagong in Bangladesh in a weaker form on Saturday.

It coincides with high tides in the country, which may exacerbate potential flooding issues there.

The port city of Cox's Bazar, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees live in camps with minimal shelter, is also on alert. But the cyclone is currently not expected to hit the camps unless it changes path, which is not thought likely.

How has India prepared?

In February the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) began distributing tarpaulins ahead of the region's "cyclone season" - but warned that if a deadly storm rolls in, shelters made of battered bamboo and shredded plastic would offer little protection.

The navy, the coast guard and the National Disaster Response Force have all been prepared for deployment.

Two ships with divers and doctors have been stationed at the southern port cities of Vishakapatnam and Chennai (formerly Madras), an official told local media.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Train services have been cancelled

In 2017, Cyclone Ockhi killed more than 200 people and displaced hundreds. In October last year, officials in Orissa evacuated hundreds of thousands of people when another cyclone struck.

But India has improved its protections and responses to these disasters in recent years. The state's most deadly cyclone on record took place in 1999, killing almost 10,000 people.

India's electoral commission has relaxed its rules about what the government can do during election periods so that the authorities can carry out relief work.

The country is in the middle of a multi-phased election which started last month.

Under normal circumstances the incumbent government has certain powers suspended, so that it can't announce new schemes or take new decisions during the voting period.

Although the election will continue until the end of May, Orissa has already voted. </s> NEW DELHI: Cyclone Fani has made landfall in Puri coast, Odisha. Landfall process will continue till noon. On Sunday, the Cyclone Warning Division of the Meteorological department notified that Cyclone Fani (it’s been named by Bangladesh), inching closer to the coasts of north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh , is likely to intensify into a "severe cyclonic storm".Last year, Cyclone Gaja had battered the Tamil Nadu coast, killing at least 20 people and causing widespread destruction.As many as 26 of the 35 deadliest tropical cyclones in history have been Bay of Bengal storms. Bangladesh has seen the most casualties, accounting for over 40% of the world’s tropical cyclone-associated deaths in the past two centuries (India accounts for a quarter of the deaths). In India, Odisha has seen most number of cyclones (98 between 1891 and 2002) but Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have had the most casualties in recent times.More cyclones are formed in the Bay of Bengal than Arabian Sea due to wind patterns (that keep oceans cooler on the western side). Even among those formed along the western coast, many move towards Oman instead of hitting Indian shores. Storms formed on the eastern coast, however, are more intense and since states on that side have relatively flatter topography compared to the western coast they can’t deflect the winds.April to December is the cyclone season but over 65% of all cyclones occur in the last four months of the year.Cyclones are classified based on the wind speed around the low-pressure area. Wind speed of over 62 kmph is classified as a tropical cyclone and assigned a name. It becomes a severe cyclonic storm if the speed is between 89 and 118 kmph and a very severe cyclonic storm if the speed is between 119 and 221 kmph. Those with higher speeds are categorised as super cyclonic storms.Meanwhile, pre-monsoon rainfall from March to April, a phenomenon critical to agriculture in some parts of the country, has recorded a 27% deficiency, according to the meteorological department. </s> NEW DELHI (AP) — Cyclone Fani has made landfall on India's eastern coast as a grade 5 storm, lashing the emptied beaches with rain and wind gusting up to 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour.

The India Meterological Department says the "extremely severe" cyclone in the Bay of Bengal hit the coastal state of Odisha around 8 a.m. on Friday.

India's National Disaster Response Force says around 1.2 million people have been evacuated from low-lying areas of Odisha and moved to nearly 4,000 shelters.

Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi says communications have been disrupted in some areas, but no deaths or injuries have been reported.

Fani is the fiercest storm since 1999, when a cyclone killed around 10,000 people and devastated large parts of Odisha. </s> New Delhi (CNN) Fierce winds and lightning strikes created by a powerful dust storm have killed about 110 people and injured hundreds more in northwestern India since late Wednesday, according to local authorities.

In the state of Rajasthan, at least 35 people died and more than 200 were injured after winds downed more than 8,000 electricity poles and uprooted hundreds of trees, officials told CNN.

"This has resulted in widespread electricity cuts and water shortages. Most of the deaths occurred after walls and roofs of houses collapsed in the middle of the night," Jaipur District Divisional Commissioner T Ravi Kant said.

An Indian traffic policeman covers his face as he stands on duty in New Delhi.

In neighboring Uttar Pradesh, the death toll stood at at least 73, with the vast majority of those deaths occurring in the city of Agra, where 43 have been confirmed dead. Four people were killed in Uttarakhand.

According to Sanjay Kumar, the relief commissioner at the Uttar Pradesh state disaster management authority, the high casualty number is the result of people becoming trapped under falling debris. "Many houses collapsed due to high intensity winds, or the trees fell over onto the houses," said Kumar.

Read More </s> Cyclone Mekunu has made landfall across the Arabian Peninsula, leaving at least five people dead and more than 30 missing, officials in Oman and Yemen said.

Cyclone Mekunu has made landfall across the Arabian Peninsula, leaving at least five people dead and more than 30 missing, officials in Oman and Yemen said.

Three people, including a 12-year-old girl, died in Oman, and another two bodies were recovered from the Yemeni island of Socotra, which bore the brunt of the storm, according to local officials in both countries. More than 30 people were still missing in Socotra, including Yemeni, Indian and Sudanese nationals.

Social media updates from residents of #Salalah, #Oman show the damage by #CycloneMekunu. Uprooted trees, intense winds, heavy rainfall, floods - Salalah is witnessing the worst of the #storm at the moment.#Mekunu_Cyclone #Mekunu #Hurricane pic.twitter.com/aN8rqd5Ab4 — StormTracker India (@StormTrackerIn) May 25, 2018 Yemeni officials also reported damage in the country’s far east, along the border with Oman. Rageh Bakrit, the governor of al-Mahra province, said on his official Twitter account late on Friday that strong winds had blown down houses and taken out communication lines and water services.

India’s Meteorological Department said the storm packed maximum sustained winds of 170-180 kilometres (105-111 miles) per hour with gusts of up to 200 kph (124 mph). It called the cyclone “extremely severe”. Across Salalah, branches and leaves littered the streets. Several underpasses became standing lakes. Some cars were left abandoned on the road. Electrical workers began trying to repair lines in the city while police and soldiers in 4x4s patrolled the streets.

Many holidaymakers fled the storm on Thursday night before the airport closed. The Port of Salalah — a key gateway for the country — also closed, its cranes secured against the pounding rain. Omani forecasters warned Salalah and the surrounding area would get at least 200 millimetres (7.87 inches) of rain, over twice the city’s annual downfall.

Strengthening tropical cyclone #Mekunu in the Arabian Sea is expected to cause dangerous flooding in #Yemen and #Oman this weekend. Here's the latest infrared satellite imagery of the storm, from Meteosat-8. More: https://t.co/Ien7znHyPx pic.twitter.com/yTzOaaghBi — NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) May 23, 2018 Authorities remained worried about flash flooding in the area’s valleys and potential mudslides down nearby mountains.

As torrential rains poured down on Friday, authorities opened schools to shelter those whose homes are at risk. About 600 people, mostly labourers, huddled at the West Salalah School, some sleeping on mattresses on the floors of classrooms.

On Socotra, authorities relocated over 230 families to sturdier buildings and other areas, including those more inland and in the island’s mountains, Yemeni security officials said. Flash floods engulfed Socotra streets, cutting electricity and communication lines. Some humanitarian aid from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates arrived on the island just hours after the cyclone receded.

Socotra Gov Ramzy Mahrous said one ship sank and two others ran aground in the storm, initially saying authorities believed 17 people were missing and presumed dead. Yemen’s self-exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi issued a statement ordering troops under his command on the island to help citizens, deliver supplies and reopen roads. </s> Cyclone Vardah batters south India coast killing four, bringing down powerlines

Updated

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Cyclone Vardah hits south India (ABC News)

A cyclone has barrelled into the south-east coast of India, killing at least four people, bringing down trees and power lines, and forcing authorities to move tens of thousands of people from low-lying areas.

Key points: Indian Meteorological Department describes cyclone as "very severe storm"

Flights are cancelled, railway services suspended, schools closed

Over 23,000 people in Tamil Nadu are moved to relief centres

Cyclone Vardah moved west over the Bay of Bengal before hitting Chennai, capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, as well as neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the Indian Meteorological Department said, describing it as a "very severe storm".

Strong winds of up to 140 kilometres per hour battered the densely-populated coast, uprooting trees and bringing down electricity pylons.

Flights at Chennai airport were cancelled, railway services in the area were suspended and schools and colleges closed.

Chennai is home to Indian operations of major auto firms such as Ford Motor, Daimler, Hyundai and Nissan.

Vardah is forecast to pass over Chennai over the next few hours, drenching the city in heavy rain before easing in intensity, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

"Winds to pick up after current lull period. Everyone to not venture out," the NDMA said on Twitter, adding that dozens of homes were damaged.

"Expect very heavy rainfall after few hours. To become better once system crosses completely."

A "storm surge" will be about one metre high.

More than 23,000 people in Tamil Nadu have been moved to relief centres, with plans for tens of thousands more to be evacuated if needed senior state official K. Satyagopal said.

More than 10,000 people from two districts in Andhra Pradesh state had also been moved, its disaster management commissioner M.V. Seshagiri Babu said.

The NDMA warned fishermen not to venture out to sea for the next 36 hours, and urged residents to stay in safe places.

Navy ships and aircraft, as well as 30 diving teams, were on standby to help move people and deliver aid if needed, a navy spokesman said.

India's cyclone season usually runs from April to December, with storms often causing dozens of deaths, evacuations of tens of thousands of people and widespread damage to crops and property.

Wind speeds topped 300 kilometres per hour in an Indian "super-cyclone" that killed 10,000 people in 1999, while a cyclone packing speeds of more than 200 kilometres per hour lashed the east coast in 2013.

Reuters

Topics: disasters-and-accidents, cyclones, india

First posted
Cyclone Sagar makes landfall in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, killing at least 16 people.