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New Orleans is sinking by up to 2 inches a year as its marshy clay soil compresses under the weight of buildings.

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Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Rains intensify around Beijing, 4,400 evacuated
HONG KONG, July 28 (Reuters) - Heavy rain intensified around Beijing and nearby provinces in northern China on Monday, exacerbating the risks of disasters including landslides and flooding, authorities said, as they relocated more than 4,400 people. Colossal rain continued to pound the northwestern suburban area of Miyun in Beijing causing flash floods and landslides, and many villages were affected, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Images circulated on China's Wechat app showed areas of Miyun where cars and trucks were floating on a flooded road where water levels had risen so high that it had submerged part of a residential building. Northern China has seen record precipitation in recent years, exposing densely populated cities, including Beijing, to flood risks. Some scientists link the increased rainfall in China's usually arid north to global warming. The storms are part of the broader pattern of extreme weather across China due to the East Asian monsoon, which has caused disruptions in the world's second-largest economy. Xiwanzi Village in Shicheng Town, near Miyun Reservoir, was severely affected, CCTV said on Monday with an additional 100 villagers transferred to a primary school for shelter. It comes after the maximum flood peak flow into the Miyun reservoir reached a record high of 6550 cubic meters per second, Beijing authorities said on Sunday. In neighbouring Shanxi province, videos from state media showed roads inundated by strong gushing currents and submerged vegetation including crops and trees. In Beijing's Pinggu District, two high-risk road sections have been sealed, authorities said. Authorities are carrying out search and rescue work across cities including Datong, where a driver in a Ford car has lost contact while driving in the floods, the People's Daily reported. China's Water Resources Ministry has issued targeted flood warnings to 11 provinces and regions, including Beijing and neighbouring Hebei, for floods from small and midsize rivers and mountain torrents. Two were dead and two missing in Hebei province, CCTV said on Sunday morning. Overnight rain dumped a record 145 mm (5.7 inches) per hour on Fuping in the industrial city of Baoding. China's National Development and Reform Commission said on Monday that it was urgently arranging 50 million yuan ($6.98 million) to support Hebei. The funds would be used to repair damaged roads and bridges, water conservancy embankments, schools and hospitals in the disaster area. The NDRC said it was "promoting the restoration of normal life and production as soon as possible." Chinese authorities closely monitor extreme rainfall and severe flooding are, as they challenge the country's ageing flood defences, threaten to displace millions and wreak havoc on China's $2.8 trillion agricultural sector. ($1 = 7.1675 Chinese yuan renminbi)


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Rains intensify around Beijing, 4,000 evacuated
HONG KONG, July 28 (Reuters) - Heavy rain intensified around Beijing and nearby provinces in northern China on Monday, exacerbating the risks of disasters including landslides and flooding, authorities said, as they relocated more than 4,000 people. Colossal rain continued to pound the northwestern suburban area of Miyun in Beijing causing flash floods and landslides, and many villages were affected, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Northern China has seen record precipitation in recent years, exposing densely populated cities, including Beijing, to flood risks. Some scientists link the increased rainfall in China's usually arid north to global warming. The storms are part of the broader pattern of extreme weather across China due to the East Asian monsoon, which has caused disruptions in the world's second-largest economy. Xiwanzi Village in Shicheng Town, near Miyun Reservoir, was severely affected, CCTV said on Monday with an additional 100 villagers transferred to a primary school for shelter. It comes after the maximum flood peak flow into the Miyun reservoir reached a record high of 6550 cubic meters per second, Beijing authorities said on Sunday. In neighbouring Shanxi province, videos from state media showed roads inundated by strong gushing currents and submerged vegetation including crops and trees. Authorities are carrying out search and rescue work across cities including Datong, where a driver in a Ford car has lost contact while driving in the floods, the People's Daily reported. China's Water Resources Ministry has issued targeted flood warnings to 11 provinces and regions, including Beijing and neighbouring Hebei, for floods from small and midsize rivers and mountain torrents. Two were dead and two missing in Hebei province, CCTV said on Sunday morning. Overnight rain dumped a record 145 mm (5.7 inches) per hour on Fuping in the industrial city of Baoding. Chinese authorities closely monitor extreme rainfall and severe flooding are, as they challenge the country's ageing flood defences, threaten to displace millions and wreak havoc on China's $2.8 trillion agricultural sector.


BBC News
21 hours ago
- BBC News
Bradford-on-Avon 'not being abandoned' after £11m scheme u-turn
The Environment Agency says it is not abandoning town hit by heavy flooding after scrapping a proposed £11m defence in Wiltshire, was badly flooded in January 2024 before being devastated by Storm Bert in agency said a permanent £11m flood scheme for the town is now "unviable", adding it is committed to "community resilience and better flood warning".Ian Withers, the Environment Agency's area director for Wessex, said: "It would be irresponsible to spend that kind of money that wouldn't necessarily protect the town from the sort of flooding we've seen in the last two years." The River Avon has burst in banks in Bradford-on-Avon on numerous occasions in recent years, flooding nearby roads and Withers added the threat of a flood is "tripled" there because:It has a "huge catchment which drains through the town","Huge volume of water which goes underground, that floods properties from the grounds upwards",And town is in a "steep-sided bowl".The agency said it has ruled out the planned permanent flood scheme, which involved low walls and pumping stations, as prospective costs have more than doubled since it was proposed in 2017. Mr Withers said the "impact of climate change" has also caused the agency to re-think its plans."Originally the plan was valid for the sort of weather we were having associated with the climate, before we started seeing the impact of climate change."Now we know the river can run through that town at the volume, speed and height that it does – we've seen it every winter for the last two of three years – the game's changed. We need to modernise our thinking and put in place a better system."He added: "We're absolutely not abandoning the town or walking away." On Monday hundreds of people attended a special event held to provide information on how to protect homes and businesses from flooding in event was organised by the Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council and Wessex Water.