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Two dead, 10 missing after colossal rain in China's Shandong

Two dead, 10 missing after colossal rain in China's Shandong

Yahoo4 days ago
HONG KONG (Reuters) -Heavy rain in China's eastern province of Shandong killed two people and left 10 people missing after half a year's worth of rain fell in five hours, drenching the Laiwu district in the city of Jinan, the local government reported on Tuesday.
The area saw maximum precipitation of 364 millimeters (14.3 inches) that fell from midnight on Tuesday till 5am local time, half of Jinan's average yearly precipitation of 733 millimeters (28.9 inches).
Flash floods occurred near Jinan's mountainous villages of Shiwuzi and Zhujiayu, washing away or damaging 19 houses. Rescue efforts are underway and all efforts were being deployed to rescue missing people, authorities said.
The deluge is part of a broader pattern of extreme weather across the country due to the East Asia monsoon which has caused disruptions in the world's second largest economy.
Southern regions have also been inundated with heavy rain after Typhoon Wipha pounded Hong Kong on Sunday.
Extreme rainfall and severe flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, increasingly pose major challenges as they threaten to overwhelm ageing flood defences, displace millions and wreak havoc on a $2.8 trillion agricultural sector.
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Floods and Other Disasters Kill More People at Night, but Not for the Reasons You Think
Floods and Other Disasters Kill More People at Night, but Not for the Reasons You Think

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time4 hours ago

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Floods and Other Disasters Kill More People at Night, but Not for the Reasons You Think

It was 4 a.m. on July 4 at Camp La Junta in Kerr County when Kolton Taylor woke up to the sound of screaming. The 12-year-old boy stepped out of bed and straight into knee-deep floodwaters from the nearby Guadalupe River. Before long, the water had already risen to his waist. In the darkness, he managed to feel for his tennis shoes floating nearby, put them on, and escape to the safety of the hillside. All 400 people at the all-boys camp survived, even as they watched one of their cabins float away in the rushing river. But 5 miles downriver at Camp Mystic, 28 campers and counselors were killed. The flash flooding in Texas would have been catastrophic at any time of day, but it was especially dangerous because it happened at night. Research shows that more than half of deaths from floods happen after dark, and in the case of flash floods, one study put the number closer to three-quarters. Other hazards are more perilous in the dark, too: Tornadoes that strike between sunset and sunrise are twice as deadly, on average, as those during the day. No one can stop the sun from rising and setting, but experts say there are simple precautions that can save lives when extreme weather strikes at night. As climate change supercharges floods, hurricanes, and fires, it's becoming even more important to account for the added risks of nocturnal disasters. Stephen Strader, a hazards geographer at Villanova University, said that at night, it's not enough to rely on a phone call from a family member or outdoor warning sirens (which Kerr County officials discussed installing, but never did). The safest bet is a NOAA radio, a device that broadcasts official warnings from the nearest National Weather Service office 24/7. One major advantage is that it doesn't rely on cell service. 'That's old school technology, but it's the thing that will wake you up and get you up at 3 a.m.,' said Walker Ashley, an atmospheric scientist and disaster geographer at Northern Illinois University. Even with warning, reacting in the middle of the night isn't easy. When people are shaken awake, they're often disoriented, requiring additional time to figure out what's happening before they can jump into action. 'Those precious minutes and seconds are critical a lot of times in these situations for getting to safety,' Strader said. The darkness itself presents another issue. People tend to look outside for proof that weather warnings match up with their reality, but at night, they often can't find the confirmation they're looking for until it's too late. Some drive their cars into floodwaters, unable to see how deep it is, and get swept away. It's also harder to evacuate—and try to rescue people—when you can barely see anything. 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The Texas Floods Were a Preview of What's to Come
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Jul 26, 2025 7:00 AM Mounting evidence shows no US state is safe from the flooding that ravaged Texas' Kerr Country. Community members grieve during a candlelight vigil to honor the lives lost in the flash floods that claimed more than 120 lives on July 11, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas. Photograph:This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The country watched in horror as torrential rain drenched Texas earlier this month, sweeping at least 135 people to their death. Kerr County alone lost 107, including more than two dozen children at Camp Mystic. From afar, it would be easy, even tempting, to think that floods like these could never happen to you. That the disaster is remote. It's not. As details of the tragedy have come into focus, the list of contributing factors has grown. Sudden downpours, driven by climate change. The lack of a comprehensive warning system to notify people that the Guadalupe River was rising rapidly. 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How much rain did south-central Kansas get? Here are totals for Wichita, other spots
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Some areas of Kansas saw heavy rains late Thursday and overnight Friday. Wichita saw a much lower amount than other areas of the state, with 0.64 inches falling since Thursday morning. About 0.16 inches of that fell since midnight. There were no reports of flooding in Wichita, which had been a concern in the forecast. One report near the area of the Ninnescah River that flows into Cheney Lake, where Wichita gets its water, saw 4.42 inches of rain during Thursday and Friday morning. 'That is definitely something of note,' said Scott Smith, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Wichita. Wichitans have had restrictions on water use during a drought. But levels at Cheney Lake have been rising because of recent rains. More rain is forecast Friday too. The effect of these rains on lake levels is not yet know. Cheney was 96.62% full at a measurement taken Monday. Here is a look at rainfall around the state on Thursday and overnight into Friday: A station in Butler County measured 3.65 inches of rain Thursday and then 0.42 inches since midnight Friday. A station 10 miles southwest of Hutchinson measured 2.34 inches of rain since midnight Friday and 0.04 inches on Thursday. There was some flooding in Rice County, Smith said. Quarter-sized hail was reported in Newton around 8:45 p.m. Thursday. So far this month, as measured at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, Wichita has had 3.86 inches of rain. Wichita has had 27.54 inches of rain so far this year compared to the normal 30-year running average of 20.64 inches, NWS data shows. Solve the daily Crossword

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