A series of flash floods have struck various countries across the globe. These floods are the result of unprecedented rains, leaving cities submerged in water. From Spain to Russia, USA to Turkey, the flood situation has created havoc across the continents.
In Spain, the rain has played spoilsport and resulted in the cancellation of a Spanish league football game. The heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in Madrid city, where a red alert has been issued, and transportation services have been severely affected.
According to the weather forecast, the Madrid region, Toledo province, and Cadiz city are in the danger zone, as heavier downpours are expected to hit these regions. People have also been advised to stay indoors. “Due to the exceptional and abnormal situation, in which rainfall records will be broken, I ask the people of Madrid to stay at home today,” Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida wrote on a social media site.
Russia is also facing the brunt of these flash floods, with many villages and towns submerged under water. These regions have been experiencing a slew of flash floods since August. Most places in the Far East are grappling with waterlogging, flooding of streets, and disruptions to daily activities. Various videos of people stranded by these flash floods have surfaced on social media sites. According to news reports, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry has warned that heavy rains will continue over the next two days, causing riverbanks to reach “critical” levels, up to 2.5 metres above normal levels, and flooding adjacent territories.
Las Vegas in the United States also saw heavy downpours and flooding in various places due to the ongoing heavy showers. Many parts of the Southwest and parts of the Northwest, extending from Nevada into southwestern Utah, throughout Idaho and eastern Oregon, reported flash floods on Sunday. The rainfall has impacted people attending ‘Burning Man’, a festival in the remote western part of Nevada. Many people were left stranded, and even loss of life has been reported by event authorities.
Strong thunderstorms across Los Angeles have left roads and streets flooded, with cars being washed away by these floods. According to The National Weather report, Las Vegas recorded its wettest September in 11 years with a rainfall of 0.88 inches on Friday.
On the other hand, Greece is battling not just one but two natural calamities at a time. Recently, a massive wildfire engulfed Dadia National Park. According to reports, the ‘megafire’ has so far destroyed 81,000 hectares of forest area. It is followed by flash floods. The police have halted traffic in the town of Volos, the nearby mountain region of Pelion, and the resort island of Skiathos. As per weather reports, Greece’s Pelion region village received 75.4 cm (nearly 30 inches) of rain late on Tuesday, by far the highest level recorded since at least 2006.
The situation also remains grim in neighbouring regions Turkey and Bulgaria. According to the Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, four other people were still missing after the flash flood swept over the vacation site in Kirklareli province, near the borders with Bulgaria and Greece.
The climate over these years has become more and more unpredictable, leading to extreme natural disasters like floods, droughts, cyclones, and hurricanes. This has been a result of the climate change the world is witnessing. Phenomena like El-Nino and El-Nina, that are responsible for changes in monsoon patterns have become more frequent, leading to irregular distribution of rainfall. And making floods and droughts common occurrences all over the world.
Apart from natural phenomena, human activities such as urbanisation, deforestation, have also impacted the natural environment.
