Disaster Briefs, News to Catch Up On

Disasters Briefs

Disaster Briefs are your weekly (or more often, if needed) summaries and headlines from around the world about natural and man-made disasters, climate change, and international conflict.

Meteorological

Tornadoes in the Midwest United States devastated multiple communities from Texas northward toward South Dakota during the weekend. At least four people were killed in Oklahoma Sunday, April 28. More than 100 people were hospitalized across the state from Sunday’s severe weather. On Friday, the National Weather Service logged 95 reports of tornadoes in the region over a 24-hour period.

African dust carried northward turned the skies of Athens orange this week. The strong southerly winds over the past few days have also fanned unseasonal early wildfires in the country’s south. The fire service said Tuesday evening that a total 25 wildfires broke out across the country in the past 24 hours. Read more.

At least five people were killed in a tornado Sunday in Guangzhou, China when it leveled large areas of the city’s manufacturing district, damaging 141 factory buildings. Read more.

Devastating floods during Kenya’s rainy season, aggravated by climate change, have killed at least 38 people and displaced thousands as rivers burst their banks and inundated low-income neighborhoods. Read more.

Security was tight around a military base in southwestern Cambodia on Sunday, a day after a large munitions explosion killed 20 soldiers, wounded others and damaged nearby houses. Cambodia, like many countries in the region, has been suffering from an extended heat wave, and the province where the blast took place registered a high of 102 F on Saturday. While high temperatures normally can’t detonate ammunition, they can degrade the stability of explosives over a period of time, with the risk that a single small explosion can set off a fire and a chain reaction.

Record rainfall in Dubai led to widespread flooding in the United Arab Emirates. The nation’s most populous city recorded more than a year’s worth of rain in under 12 hours, while surrounding areas logged more than two year’s worth of rain. Rainfall up to 10 inches flooded much of the area, and was still visible via satellite two days later. The same system flooded parts of  neighboring Oman, killing at least 17 people in a series of flash floods.