Latest news with #evacuation
Japan Times
42 minutes ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan aims to complete Yonaguni evacuation shelter in 2028
The central government has said that the construction of an evacuation shelter on the country's westernmost island of Yonaguni, in Okinawa Prefecture, will start next fiscal year, with the completion expected around spring 2028. The schedule was included in a progress report released Friday that details the construction of such shelters in five municipalities covering Okinawa's Sakishima Islands, including Yonaguni. Japan started the project bearing in mind a possible emergency over Taiwan in the Nansei southwestern island region, which includes the Sakishima chain and stretches from Kagoshima Prefecture to Okinawa. Underground shelters will be built in the five municipalities to accommodate local residents for about two weeks in the event of an invasion or a missile attack. The town of Yonaguni will build a shelter on the underground level of a new town office complex that will be capable of holding about 200 people. The city of Miyakojima plans to start the construction of its shelter this winter, while the city of Ishigaki aims to begin such work as early as fiscal 2026. Each facility will have a capacity of about 500 people. The town of Taketomi and the village of Tarama hope to draw up detailed designs for their shelters as early as next fiscal year.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Fire prompts evacuation at Hulen Mall in Fort Worth
Fort Worth fire and police crews responded to a fire at Hulen Mall on Friday night, prompting evacuations, according to authorities. Craig Trojacek, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Fire Department, confirmed that a third fire alarm had been triggered and that heavy smoke was pouring from the mall's second floor. Shoppers and employees were evacuated as a precaution. CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Weather: Spring Creek, Renwick residents able to return home
Ronga Rd, on the way to French Pass. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee Ronga Road, on the way to French Pass, on Friday. Spring Creek residents evacuated from their homes as a precaution on Friday can return home today, says the Marlborough District Council. It is also safe for Renwick residents to return to their homes. The council said the Spring Creek stopbank held up well during Friday's flooding with no signs of seepage, slumping or overlapping but there is considerable surface flooding in the area. Marlborough Emergency Management, council and response agencies are currently working throughout the province to ascertain damage particularly in the Awatere, Wairau Valley, Northbank and Waihopai areas. Meanwhile, an Air Force Unimog was used to evacuate people from their vehicles in the Para Swamp area at State Highway 1 on Friday night. Flight Lieutenant Mark Brain said about 20 people became stranded when rising water from the Wairau River flooded the road in front and behind them. A Unimog was used as the water was too deep for four wheel drive vehicles and and those affected were taken to Spring Creek and on to the Civil Defence Centre at Stadium 2000. They were taken back to retrieve their vehicles this morning and State Highway One, which was down to one lane under stop/go management, has reopened. Agencies will continue to closely monitor flood prevention infrastructure in the region for any changes after the significant weather event of the past 24 hours. The Wairau River has peaked and is now tracking down. Rai Falls received 281mm of rain with many parts of the district getting more than 200mm of rain in line with initial MetService New Zealand forecasts. There continues to be widespread flooding throughout the region and travel was still not recommended unless absolutely necessary, a council spokesperson said. "If travel is required, please drive with extreme caution and to the road conditions." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
UK eases Israel travel advice as evacuation effort winds down
The government has loosened its travel advice for Israel, as a final evacuation flight for British nationals is set to depart from Tel Aviv on move comes after Israel reopened its skies for commercial air travel following a ceasefire agreement that ended a 12-day conflict with Iran. After missile exchanges between the two countries began, the foreign office had advised against all travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Friday, the government eased its guidance to advise against all but essential travel to most parts of Israel, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. It still advises against all travel to parts of northern Israel, the West Bank and the Golan Heights, and to all of foreign office said a sixth evacuation flight from Israel for British nationals was scheduled for this weekend and would be the last, amid falling demand as commercial options increase."The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority," a spokesperson said."The government has organised multiple flights evacuating British nationals and their dependants from Tel Aviv, prioritising the most vulnerable. These flights will end if there is not sufficient demand."The UK has already stopped providing onward transport options for British nationals who have crossed Israel's land borders into Jordan and Egypt.A US and Qatar-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran took effect on Tuesday, but in its advice to travellers, the foreign office acknowledged the situation was "fragile... with the potential to deteriorate further".The government said it would keep the situation under conflict began on 13 June when Israel bombed nuclear sites and military targets in Iran, prompting Tehran to respond with missile strikes. Following 12 days of back-and-forth attacks, Iran's health ministry said 610 people had been killed, and Israel's health ministry said 28 people had been nationals left stranded when Israeli airspace was closed due to the conflict were urged to register their presence with the UK government. On Monday, Downing Street said about a quarter of the 4,000 people who had registered their presence in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories had asked for a seat on an evacuation flight.
CBC
8 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Over 800 Deer Lake First Nation wildfire evacuees returning home after weeks in Toronto
Social Sharing A month after being displaced by the region's largest wildfire, hundreds of evacuees from Deer Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario are returning home. The first plane out of Toronto, where roughly 885 people have been staying for the past four weeks, left on Friday, Chief Leonard Mamakeesic told CBC News. The community is first bringing back its essential workers, who will then be able to prepare the First Nation for the large-scale repatriation of the rest of its members. "Everybody's happy, right? Everybody wants to go home. It's really exhausting here. They want to be able to sleep in their own home," said Deer Lake's head councillor, Jeremy Sawanis. "It's so noisy in Toronto, too." The remote Oji-Cree community, located in Treaty 5 territory, is about 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay. It's only accessible by air or winter road. Its evacuation was prompted by Red Lake 12, a wildfire that's now more than 194,000 hectares in size. However, the fire is moving away from the community, and crews are starting to take down the sprinkler systems that have been protecting the First Nation's homes and essential infrastructure. For Sawanis, being in Toronto has been a big culture shock. "I spend my whole time out in the bush, right? This just gets depressing after a while," he said. "I should be out fishing and hunting, [I] need to be on the land." Meanwhile, more than 2,000 evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation remain in communities in southern Ontario, also because of Red Lake 12. Its evacuation was assisted by the Canadian Armed Forces earlier in June. Mamakeesic hopes all of his community members will be back in Deer Lake by Tuesday. There's been high demand for planes over the last few days, with members of Keewaywin First Nation also returning home, which pushed Deer Lake's repatriation back a day or two, he said. "Everybody is still with us. We have not lost anybody," Mamakeesic said. "That is my main goal — get everybody back home safe." 'People do care' Earlier this week, fire information officer Alison Bezubiak of Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) told CBC News that recent rainfall and cooler temperatures have offered reprieve to FireRangers on the front lines. However, as the weather has been warming up over the last couple days, the wildland fire hazard has worsened, and is considered primarily moderate across the southern half of the region and high across the Far North. "More rainfall is expected over the weekend into Tuesday," Ontario Forest Fires said in its latest update, on Thursday evening. Since the evacuation began, Mamakeesic said, he's learned three key lessons: patience, the importance of working together and the value of communication. He's been satisfied with the accommodations provided in Toronto and the security services offered by ISN Maskwa, an Indigenous emergency operations centre, which were supplemented by his own members, he said. "[I have] gratitude for all the patience and people that have reached out to help us. There are surrounding tribal councils that have reached out, the Lions Club as well, and there's people that have reached out [from] surrounding organizations as well — they're dropping off donations," Mamakeesic said. "People do care."
