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Thousands Stranded By Flooding From Tropical Storm John
La Paz, Mexico (AFP) Sep 03, 2006 Military helicopters flew in emergency aid after floods triggered by Tropical Storm John left 10,000 people stranded on Mexico's Baja California peninsula, officials said Sunday. People in 15 towns in the mountainous region of Baja California Sur state were cut off as flood waters reached up to 1.5 meters (50 inches) after John's heavy rains caused the Iguagil dam in Comondu to overflow its banks. No deaths were reported as the storm made its way up the heavily-touristic peninsula. Three members of one family, counted as disappeared when the current carried their house away Saturday, were found safe and sound on a hillside, protected by the waters, local authorities said. John was later downgraded to a tropical depression as its maximum sustained winds slowed to 35 miles (56 kilomters) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported at 5:00 pm (0000 GMT Monday). The depression's center was expected to remain near or over Baja California late Sunday and early Monday, the Miami-based NHC said. John could dissipate within 24 hours, it said. The center warned that John could still produce enough rain in parts of central Baja California to trigger flash floods and mudslides in mountainous terrain. Moisture from the tropical depression could help dump up to three inches (eight centimeters) of rain in the southwestern United States and west Texas through Monday, it added. While the international airport of Loreto remained closed, La Paz's airport was open, though no flights were taking off Sunday afternoon. Mexican President Vicente Fox, visiting the region to survey the damages and rescue operations, flew into the airport at Los Cabos, which was also in operation. He was planning to meet with local political leaders and businessmen and visit one of the region's emergency shelters. John hit shore on the peninsula's southern tip Saturday as a Category 2 hurricane after tracking Mexico's Pacific coastline from the south, washing its famous resorts with heavy winds and rains. Some 15,000 people, many of them foreigners, were evacuated from threatened areas in the peninsula, including Los Cabos, a favorite destination for US and other international tourists. About 30,000 people took refuge in 131 shelters in the state. Rivers overflowed and trees were downed around the southern end of the peninsula by the storm. But electricity was restored in most of La Paz and Los Cabos by Sunday, and traffic flowed on the roads though slowly. Telecommunication was also restored in most of the area. Earlier John briefly attained Category 4 strength on the five-level Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale. It dumped heavy rain and triggered mudslides in Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Guerrero states, though there were no reports of serious damage in those regions.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links Bring Order To A World Of Disasters A world of storm and tempest 
Extreme Rainfall Incidents Increasing In Parts Of UK
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (SPX) Sep 05, 2006Extreme rainfall events - those likely to lead to flooding - have become more frequent and intense over a 40-year period in parts of Britain, particularly in Scotland and the North of England. |
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