'A Catastrophe of Epic Proportions'
Communities around the world are struggling to withstand severe weather. From mass flooding across Europe and Africa to typhoons in Asia, global warming has marred the changing of seasons with harsh weather—and scientists are warning of worse conditions to come. In Central and Eastern Europe, heavy rainfall from Storm Boris has forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes in what Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has called a “once-in-a-century flood.” The storm made landfall last Thursday; extensive flooding has cut electricity across the region, destroyed key infrastructure, and killed at least 16 people, with more still unaccounted for.
“This is a catastrophe of epic proportions,” said Emil Dragomir, the mayor of Romania’s Slobozia Conachi village. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday to announce a 30-day state of natural disaster across several affected areas. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban canceled all international engagements to focus on the storm. And Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said 2,400 soldiers were ready to offer relief support, including 1,000 troops for Lower Austria province, which has been declared a disaster area. Authorities expected the rain to ease on Monday, but several European cities are preparing for more flooding as water levels in local rivers continue to rise. The worst “is not behind us yet,” Fiala said.
Mass flooding has also wreaked havoc across West and Central Africa in recent days. Up to 4 million people have been affected so far this year, with more than 1,000 locals killed, nearly 1 million people forced to evacuate, and hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed. Officials report rising waters having swept deadly animals out of zoos and into communities, and flooding reportedly collapsed the walls of a Nigerian jail last week, allowing 281 prisoners to escape.
“The impact of climate change is what we’re witnessing right now,” Olasunkanmi Okunola, a scientist who studies flood risk management and climate adaptation, told the New York Times. The World Health Organization has deployed mobile health units carrying essential drugs and medical supplies to some affected areas, but authorities say more is needed. Meanwhile, the strongest storm to hit Shanghai in the past 75 years made landfall on Monday. Typhoon Bebinca forced more than 400,000 people to evacuate the financial hub. More than 1,600 flights across the region were canceled, several high-speed train routes were temporarily shut down, and major tourist attractions during China’s three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday were closed. Authorities issued a red typhoon warning, its most severe alert, on Sunday after winds reached around 94 miles per hour. Similar safety measures were adopted in the neighboring provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Bebinca is the second major storm to hit China this month after Typhoon Yagi, which scientists consider one of the world’s most powerful tropical cyclones to hit this year.
https://link.foreignpolicy.com/view/644279d61a7f1f1e29de3678lvqm1.mi7/e75e5b45
Everywhere.
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