Cyclone Hudhud Battered Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram Districts

Cyclone Hudhud

Cyclone Hudhud, which made a landfall in Andhra Pradesh this noon, lost its intensity by evening as it moved further 60km northwest of Visakhapatnam, India Meteorological Department said. Hudhud, which was so far a very severe cyclonic storm has now converted into a severe cyclone. Its speed is now limited to 100-110 kmph, said M Mahapatra, scientist at the Cyclone Warning Division of IMD.
The cyclone hit the port city of Visakhapatnam on Sunday bringing with it torrential rains in three coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and leaving five persons dead in the state and neighbouring Odisha besides snapping power and communication lines. Normal life was thrown out of gear as winds with a speed of 170 to 180 kmph battered Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts.

The very severe cyclonic storm made landfall in Visakhapatnam before noon. The gale, accompanied by heavy downpour, resulted in trees being uprooted and roofs of thatched huts and sheds being swept away. Authorities in Andhra Pradesh had evacuated 90,013 people across the four districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhaptnam and East Godavari, about 68,000 people were evacuated from coastal districts of Odisha. In Delhi, IMD director general Laxman Singh Rathore said, "Due to the hilly topography, the cyclone's intensity will reduce in next six hours and further reduce in next 12 hours. However, the area (Vizag) will experience heavy to very heavy rainfall for the next three days."

As the storm progresses, it will bring heavy rainfall to very heavy rainfall in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, east Madhya Pradesh and east UP and Gangetic belt of West Bengal. "We are in touch with the chief secretaries of these state governments and providing with bulletins. Warnings have also been issued to shift crops which have been harvested to minimise the impact of heavy rains in these areas," Rathore said. Aircraft services will be able to operate from tomorrow morning as the weather is expected to improve. "The PMO is monitoring the situation arising out of the cyclone at regular intervals," he said.

A man, bottom jumps into the water to rescue a woman, center, who fell due to strong tidal waves on the Bay of Bengal coast at Gopalpur, Orissa, about 285 kilometers (178 miles) north east of Visakhapatnam, India on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014.

While three persons were killed in rain-related incidents in Andhra Pradesh, two were killed in Odisha. "Three deaths have been reported due to impact of Hudhud. Two died after trees fell on them and one in collapse of compound-wall in Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam districts, respectively," AP chief secretary IVR Krishna Rao said. Casualty in cyclone Hudhud rose to two in Odisha. A fisherman was caught in the sea current amid a tidal surge while he was trying to save his fishing boat anchored in the coast of Puri, special relief commissioner PK Mohapatra said. Yesterday, a nine-year-old girl drowned when a boat engaged in evacuation of the people in Satbhaya area of Kendrapara district capsized in the Baunsagadi rivulet.

Union cabinet secretary Ajit Kumar Seth said the Prime Minister was concerned not only about AP and Odisha but also wanted other states, which could face heavy rains minus the cyclone, to be alerted. "We have done that," Seth said, adding that while the Prime Minister reviewed the situation last night, he himself has been reviewing the situation closely and holding meetings with Chief Secretaries of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha twice daily. Seth advised residents of cyclone-hit Vizag to exercise caution till the second phase of the high wind is over even as he lauded the efforts of the central agencies and state government in meeting the challenge. He said once the initial brunt has been taken at the time of the landfall of the cyclone, there is a lull as the centre or eye of the storm passes but thereafter the wind speed is going to pick up again and it is going to be the same as was when it hit the coast first.

Seth said the government does not have the total estimate of the damage caused due to the cyclone as yet. "State government, central agencies are on their job. They have done their job. The Army, the Navy and all other agencies are already there. "Both the governments were well-prepared. We have been reviewing the situation with them ... They have got their act together. They have taken necessary precautions and alerted the local population," Seth said. The NDRF has doubled the strength of its teams stationed in Visakhapatnam to 13 in order to undertake swift relief and rescue operations.

"We have increased our teams to 13 in Vizag after the landfall occurred. Earlier there were six teams stationed here," National Disaster Response Force chief O P Singh told PTI. In Bhubaneswar, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said the cyclone had its impact in different districts like Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Puri, Kalahandi and Kendrapara. 68,000 people have been evacuated to safe places, the chief minister said, directing the officials to continue the evacuation of people from vulnerable areas as the complete impact of the cyclone would be felt some hours after the landfall.

Exclusive Video: tragedy in Himachal, 24 student swept away

On an trip to Himachal Pradesh, 24 students from Hyderabad washed away by the Beas on Sunday after a hydropower plant allegedly discharged water into the river without any warning. Exclusive video of incident source:amarujala.com.

Hyderabad Engineering Students Swept Away In Beas River

Hyderabad engineering students had no warning of gushing waters 

Distraught father Bonath Shekar Naik shows a portrait of his son Rambabu who is feared dead in the tragedy

One day after a wall of water swept away and killed 24 Hyderabad engineering students on a hill tour, Himachal authorities on Monday suspended three officers of the Larji dam project from where the floodgates were opened, catching the sightseers on the Beas riverbank off-guard. As evidence mounted, along with anger and grief, over callousness being the main cause of the deaths, Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh ordered a high-level probe and vowed to punish officials who had turned the faucets to release water. The three project officials suspended for negligence were resident engineer Mandeep Singh, executive engineer MS Dadwalia and operator Harwansh Lal of Larji Hydroelectric projects. The rulebook says dam authorities must inform the state and the local administration on when water is being released so that people downstream can be alerted about the rise in water levels. But Mandi deputy commissioner Devesh Kumar said, "I did not receive any phone call from the authorities and I have no idea if they sent a written communique."

With survivors from VNR Vignana Jyothi Engineering Institute and locals in the Mandi area accusing Larji project officials of releasing 250 cumecs of water without proper warning on Sunday, knowing full-well that crowds throng the banks in the peak tourist season, dam authorities rejected charges of negligence, saying they were within their rights to release waters in a hurry. Dam officers, who did not want to be named, claimed they had sounded the mandatory hooters in time. Angry locals, however, said the hooter was sounded after the accident as a face-saver. The spot, about 35km from Kullu, from where the 24 engineering students of Hyderabad were swept away by the swelling Beas is known for its scenic beauty and regularly draws tourists to the edge of the water. It is for this reason that the dam authorities should have been extra careful, say locals. Deena Chand, a local, said, "They are lying that they had sounded the hooter in time. We heard it only after the students were swept away."

photo of students who were swept away in Beas river in Himachal Pradesh

Gayatri Devi, a resident of Thalout village, said, "Tourists come to enjoy themselves. They want to touch the river and the water was at a safe level initially. Authorities have made a big mistake." P C Negi, managing director of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd, which operates Larji, said, "In emergencies, we release water without informing the authorities and by sounding hooters to alert people downstream". He insisted that on Sunday northern grid had informed the state load dispatch committee about less demand due to which power generation was reduced across projects in the state. This forced them to release the water.
"It was not that water was released from Larji dam alone. It was also released from Bhakra, Baspa and Bassi projects. The alert was sounded but the students could not understand its meaning. They arrived at the spot just 30 minutes before water was released," he added. "Had the water not been released, it could have damaged the dam," he claimed.

VNR Engineering Girls Students Washed Away in Himachal Pradesh

Local residents however are angry. Himalaya Niti Abhiyan president Kulbushan Upmanyu has asked chief minister Virbhadra Singh to register an FIR against the official who released the water without any warning. "The state government should apologize to the families of deceased," he said. Union HRD minister Smriti Irani, who travelled to Mandi, shared the local anger. "There is a primary and secondary school close to the accident site and locals are concerned about the safety of the children," she said, urging the local government to heed the local fears.

Routine broken

Locals of Thalout, Shalanala and other surrounding villages allege that Larji hydropower project authorities normally released water after 9pm. This time they released it around 6pm without sounding the mandatory hooters in time. "We did not hear any hooter before the students arrived," local Shiv Lal alleged.

Louder hooters soon

Hooters with higher frequency will now be installed at Larji dam site. At present three hooters with a range of 1 to 1.5km have been installed. The state electricity board managing director P C Negi said that hooters of 2 to 3km sound frequency would be installed along the riverbank to ensure the safety of people downstream.

Hyderabad engineering students had no warning of gushing waters

One day after a wall of water swept away and killed 24 Hyderabad engineering students on a hill tour, Himachal authorities suspended three officers of the Larji dam project from where the floodgates were opened, catching the sightseers on the Beas riverbank off-guard.

12th Floor of Sundarban Park Building In Fire Video

Couple charred to death in Thane high-rise blaze

A Fire broke out on the 12th floor of Sundarban Park building here on Sunday. According to the initial reports, many got trapped inside the building in Samta Nagar.

Four fire engines were rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. The fire, which residents claim broke out at around 6:00 am today, was caused due to a short circuit.

According to the officials, Shivajirao Choughule, 82, and his wife Nirmala, 78 were killed in the fire, and two others on a lower floor were injured while attempting to escape.

Fire on 12th floor of a Thane building leaves 2 dead, 2 injured

After ’Phailin’, ’Helen’, Andhra braces up for cyclone ’Lehar’

After being hit by cyclones ’Phailin’ and ’Helen’, Andhra Pradesh is likely to be at the receiving end of another cyclone, ’Lehar’, by November 28. ’Lehar’ lay centred at 1130 hours today, about 230 km east-southeast of Port Blair over the Andaman Sea and is expected to cross Andaman and Nicobar Islands tonight. It would then emerge in South Eastern Bay of Bengal and intensify further gradually into a very severe cyclonic storm. It would move west-northwestwards and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machillipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada around November 28 noon, AP Disaster Management Commissioner C Parthasarathi told reporters here this evening, quoting India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports.

He said farmers, fishermen and others should be geared up to face the severe cyclonic storm, since four days’ time is still available for preparation. Cyclone Helen, which crossed the AP coast near Machilipatnam last Friday, left a trail of destruction with crops like paddy and black gram suffering damages in 4.6 lakh hectares in five coastal districts as per preliminary estimates. About 8,700 hectares of horticulture crops like coconut, banana and vegetables have also been damaged in three coastal districts. Six persons were killed in various rain-related incidents due to the cyclone, he said, while as many as 1,313 houses sustained damages along with civic infrastructure like roads and electricity network.

Power supply is expected to be restored in 200 villages in East Godawar and West Godavari districts by this evening, he said. Estimated losses as per preliminary estimates was to the tune of Rs 1628.66 crore, with the break-up being – East Godavari district (Rs 1,018 crore), West Godavari district (Rs 500.41 crores) and Krishna district (Rs 110.25 crore), the commissioner said. Cyclone Phailin, which hit the state last month, also caused extensive damages in the state.

Tornados Level Homes In Illinois Towns, Multiple Deaths Confirmed (PHOTOS, Video)

Several tornadoes ripped through parts of northern and central Illinois late Sunday morning to leave a trail of destruction that included leveled homes, overturned cars, several dozen injured and at least five fatalities. Tornadoes were reported in Washington, Pekin, Peoria and other towns. Washington's tornado was among the most devastating of the day touching down in the town 150 southwest of Chicago around 11 a.m. and lasting about 10 minutes, according to the Peoria Journal Star. As of around 2:30 p.m., 37 tornado victims were reportedly being treated in Peoria, though it wasn't immediately clear which towns the victims were from.

The Washington County coroner later confirmed an elderly man and his sister died Sunday afternoon in their farmhouse in the town of New Minden, Ill. as a result of the tornado. “There’s quite a few people that are hurt. Their houses are gone,” Washington Alderman Tyler Gee told CBS Chicago. According to the Epoch Times, The National Weather Service reported an on-the-ground tornado near Washington was moving at 60 miles per hour shortly after 11 a.m.Washington Mayor Gary Manier reportedly told people to "please pray" for the town in the wake of the damage.

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Uttarakhand floods: 10,000 dead? Cong squabbles over body count

The Uttarakhand Congress is playing politics over the bodies of flood victims in the state.

While Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna has been insisting that the official death toll is under 600 and has also asserted that the precise figure would be known only after the debris is removed, state assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal on Saturday said that more than 10,000 people could have perished in the floods. “On the basis of inputs that I have been receiving from the locals, I think the death toll could be more than 10,000,” Kunjwal said.

When questioned about the stark contrast with the official figure, he replied, “I’m told that the chief minister has given a death toll figure of 500. Here, I don’t want to create any controversy. I have arrived at this number of 10,000 based on my own assessment and I agree it could prove to be quite different later on. ”Kunjwal’s assessment brings out the difference in perception between the two major factions in the Uttarakhand Congress. Even the BJP has not played as much politics with the somewhat helpless government and exploited the situation to the extent that this other faction in the Congress has.

Bahuguna is the principal politician in the government faction while that led by Harish Rawat is known for its opposition to Bahuguna. Kunjwal is a Rawat loyalist, which explains his suspicion of government figures. Explaining why he has arrived at this staggering figure of 10,000, the Congress leader from Almora further said that more than 15,000 thousand people were affected in the worst hit Kedarnath area alone. “Three days before the devastating flood, more than 15,000 pilgrims were stuck in the neighbourhood as nobody was allowed to have darshan because of a protest by local residents.” Locals in Kedarnath were protesting against private chopper services that were harming the businesses of thousands of locals.

“Apart from Kedarnath, I’m told that more than 12,000 pilgrims were stranded in all ghats. If I took into account the presence of such a huge number of pilgrims, I can definitely assure that the death figures would have crossed a minimum of 10,000,” Kunjwal explained. On Saturday, bad weather interrupted the rescue operations in Kedarnath, Kedar valley and Guptkashi.

In Kedarnath, the focus was on cremating the bodies of victims to minimise the chances of an epidemic. The last rites of 34 bodies have been performed so far, and 12 more are likely to be cremated soon. “Hundreds of decaying bodies are lying under the debris and some have even flown down the Ganga river. We need to remove the debris with utmost urgency, as any delay would result in the spread of an epidemic.” Kunjwal said.

However, the union health ministry has claimed that no epidemic or direct contact diseases have been reported from the affected areas, and a team of doctors is keeping strict vigil at Ground Zero. Meanwhile, as the rescue operations entered the final stretch, the Indian Air Force on Saturday airlifted about 850 pilgrims from Badrinath and about 20 from Harisal by 26 IAF helicopters. Road network in the state has been badly damaged and about 1,500 people are still stuck in Badrinath. The state government and other agencies are also trying to ensure supply of relief material to more than 600 villages in Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts, which were cut off after the floods.

Uttarakhand flood: Toll reaches 842

Uttarakhand flood: Toll reaches 842, rains halt rescue operations in Kedarnath

The flood-ravaged Uttarakhand has reached its last leg of evacuation as over four thousadn are still missing and hundreds continue to be stranded. Around 4,650 are still reported as missing in the devastating floods that have claimed 842 lives so far, official figures state. Till now, 1,04,687 persons have been evacuated from different places by road and air.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who yesterday offered his condolences to all the brave hearts killed in the chopper crash, announced that the Centre would provide more funds to Uttarakhand for rehabilitation and restoration of infrastructure damaged by flash floods.

He said that priority would be given to evacuate the sick, old and disabled people, a large number of whom are stranded in the Badrinath area. Shinde, who also reviewed rescue and relief operations, gave an assurance that IAF choppers will remain in the hill state for another 15 days and continue to provide support.

Chief of Army Staff, General Bikram Singh, yesterday said that the rescue operations would continue till the last person is evacuated. "Our endeavour is to locate all our citizens, wherever they are, and get them out," he told the media in Gauchar. The Army Chief earlier held interaction with his officers and men. Meanwhile, Union Rural Development Ministry has announced a special package under Indira Awas Yojana for Uttarakhand.

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh in a letter written to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said his ministry has doubled the allocation of housing units by adding another 14 thousand. Over one lakh people have been rescued in the last 14 days since floods and torrential rains ravaged Uttarakhand. But more than 1000 people still remain stranded in the holy town of Badrinath. Another 1800 are reported to be missing.

Developments on this big story:

* Weather conditions once again interrupted the crucial resuce operations in flood-hit Uttarakhand as intermittent rains in Kedarnath and Guptkashi hampered the process of clearing of debris and pulling out of bodies lying underneath.

* Adding to the problem, water level in Bhagirathi river is rising continuously, because of which as many as 70 families residing along the river banks had to be taken to safer places.

* Meanwhile, weather conditions in Joshimath improved which aided air rescue operations. Officials have said that improvement in the weather will help them evacuate all the stranded people in the area.

* The Indian Air Force (IAF) has started pulling out most of its aircraft from the area keeping some of it on standby at Dharasu and Gauchar.

* Even as people continue to remain stranded in the rain-hit state, the Army Chief assured that the armed forces will stay till all the people are rescued from the area. "We are getting information that there may still be some survivors in certain areas. But endeavour is to locate all our citizens, wherever they are, and get them out," he told reporters in Gauchar.

* Connectivity is a major problem in the area as the massive floods have completely destroyed roads and foot tracks.

* Rs 195 crore-package was announced by the government for reconstruction of the 'Char Dham' pilgrimage circuit, which was badly affected by the floods. Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi said the fund will be spent for renovation and reconstruction of the sacred pilgrimage sites of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, and its surrounding areas and the roads connecting it.

* Meanwhile, mass cremation of bodies continues to take place in Kedarnath which was the worst-affected in flood fury.

Uttarakhand Flood: Mass cremation of bodies begins amid epidemic fears

With the weather clearing a bit and a threat of epidemic looming large, mass cremation of bodies of people killed in the rain fury in Uttarakhand finally began in Kedarnath yesterday, even as 3,500 people waited to be rescued 11 days after the disaster.

As 1,000 more stranded people were evacuated from Badrinath and Harshil sectors by air and road routes in rain and fog, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne on a morale boosting mission to Uttarakhand after the IAF chopper crash pledged to continue with rescue efforts and hopes to wrap it up in the next few days.

"The cremation of bodies in Kedarnath which was being put off again and again for the past two days due to bad weather was finally taken up this afternoon, " IAS officer Ravinath Raman told PTI from Guptkashi. The temple town of Kedarnath was the epicentre of destruction.

However, the number of bodies cremated were not immediately known. Around 3,500 people are still waiting to be evacuated from Harsil and Badrinath areas, an Army release said. Around one lakh stranded people have been rescued so far since the disaster struck the hill state on June 15.

Browne said if the IAF, which is part of the multi-agency operations that also included the Army, ITBP and NDMA, got three to four days of good weather, it will be able to complete its mission. "If the weather starts improving by Friday or so, then by Monday, Tuesday we should have all this (task) finished," he said. "We are over the hill", he told reporters in Gauchar, the forward base for the rescue choppers.

"The operations are going to continue. In fact, most of the work has already been done. It is now a question of getting the people out from Badrinath and the Harsil sector," he said, adding, "Our rotors will not stop churning. That means, we will continue with the job till get the people out."

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said people stranded in Harsil and Badrinath areas would be rescued in the next two days if the weather remains conducive to flights and all steps were being taken to prevent epidemic outbreak in the flood-affected regions. Vice Chairman of NDMA M Sashidhar Reddy said there is high possibility of the death toll climbing up. "There are 10 feet high debris in Kedarnath and we fear that several bodies are trapped," he said. Reddy also said that nearly 350 people continue to remain untraceable, raising fears that all of them are dead. According to official figures, so far 822 people lost their lives following the natural disaster in Uttarakhand.

Kedarnath mayhem caught on camera

A glimpse of the nature's wrath in the hill state of Uttarakhand.

Narendra Modi lands in Uttarakhand, flies out with 15,000 Gujaratis

 In the two days that NarendraModi has been in Uttarakhand, he has managed to completely rile not just the Congress government of Vijay Bahuguna but also the administrative staff involved in rescue operations at Kedarnath, Badrinath and Uttarkashi. But above all, he has also managed to bring home some 15,000 stranded Gujarati pilgrims.

The Gujarat CM, who flew in on Friday evening, held a meeting till 1am with his crack rescue team of five IAS, one IPS, one IFS and two GAS (Gujarat Administrative Service) officers. Two DSPs and five police inspectors were also part of his delegation. They sat again with the nitty-gritty of evacuation in a huddle that a senior BJP leader said lasted till 1am on Sunday.

Around 80 Toyota Innovas have been requisitioned to ferry Gujaratis to safer places in Dehradun as have four Boeings. On Saturday, 25 luxury buses transported a bunch of grateful people to Delhi. The efforts are being coordinated by two of the senior-most IAS officers of Gujarat, one currently stationed in Delhi and another in Uttarakhand.

As if that was not enough to thumb his nose at a government accused of large-scale mismanagement in handling the crisis, Modi later in the day even offered to "completely rebuild" the temple at Kedarnath using "the latest technology available" in such a way that no natural calamity would ever shake it again. The Uttarakhand CM is believed to have dismissed the statement.

What cannot be dismissed, though, is Modi's now trademark style of micro-management, something his supporters say is the need of the hour for India. "It's amazing what he has done here," said Anil Baluni, a BJP leader. "If someone doesn't like it, what can we do?'

Modi's men have not only para-dropped a complete medical team in Hardwar, they have also set up camps across th flood-hit regions. Prominent BJP workers in villages across the state are dealing directly with members of the rescue committee, telling them where food is to be sent, people given shelter and medicines administered. That seems to have helped. When a car owned by a Gujarati was stuck in a road-block by angry residents demanding aid in Badkot, Uttarkashi, an urgent message was immediately sent out by an IAS officer and the vehicle taken to safety.

Asked about the "new model" of rescue and relief operation by Modi that has helped 15,000 Gujaratis get out of Uttarakhand, an angry Congress legislator said, "See, that's what we mean. His model works only for Gujaratis."

Weather, hunger the next big worry in Uttarakhand

The death toll in Uttarakhand floods has crossed 550 and is expected to go up further once bodies are recovered from the debris lying everywhere.  Rescue agencies, including the Army and the ITBP, are carrying out massive operations to rescue stranded people from the mountains but they too are racing against time. Their worst fear is the weather, which is again expected to take turn for the worse.

According to Met officials, heavy rains are expected to lash the flood-hit state once again beginning Monday and rescuers are left with just two days to save thousands of people stranded in upper reaches of the state, including the pilgrimage site of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.  For those stranded, weather is just one worry. Many of the stranded are old pilgrims and they are finding it the most difficult to survive on hope without food or shelter.

Even ITBP chief Ajay Chaddha has admitted that they are “running against time". Chaddha said over 1,000 people are still stranded in inaccessible areas of around Kedarnath and are braving freezing nights without shelter and hardly any food.  Rescue officials say many have already died due to hunger and illness.

Other than the Kedarnath axis, somewhere around 10,000 people each are believed to be stranded in the Badrinath-Hemkunt Sahib axis and the Gangotri-Yamunotri axis.  Uttarakhand principal secretary Subhas Kumar told a leading daily that they are expecting to rescue all trapped people by June 24 (Monday) – the day when heavy rains are expected to return.

Uttarakhand saw over 60 hours of continuous and heavy rains coupled with few incidents of cloudbursts at various locations from June 14 to 17, which led to the flooding of the state's main rivers: Alaknanda and Bhagirathi. 

Aid being sent to flood affected areas: Home Minister

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Wednesday informed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will tour the flood affected areas of Uttarakhand, including Kedarnath at 2 pm this afternoon.

Rescue operations underway in flood-hit Uttrakhand

Thousands feared dead in Uttarakhand floods, rescue operations intensify

The Himalayan tragedy continued to unfold today with fears that thousands of pilgrims staying in 90 rest houses may have been washed away in flash floods even as rescue operations were today stepped up with additional IAF choppers pressed into service to evacuate stranded people in Kedarnath area. In its report to the Union Home Ministry, the State Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre has said that casualties in the affected areas may run into thousands with about 90 'dharamashalas' (rest houses for pilgrims) swept away in the flash floods. However, the toll has been kept officially at 150.

With the weather clearing up, the focus was on rescue operations both in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh where two IAF and one state chopper was making sorties to rescue 600 stranded tourists. In Uttarakhand, over 15,000 people stranded in Kedarnath and Govindghat on way to Hemkund Sahib have been evacuated so far to Joshimath relief camps through air and road routes, IG police R S Meena said.

"Apart from the 12 helicopters already engaged in rescue operations in affected areas, eight more have been roped in for the purpose to step up the process," Meena said. Rudraprayag district worst hit Rescue efforts are being concentrated as of now on Kedarnath shrine and its adjoining areas in Rudraprayag district, which has been the worst hit with about 90 dharamshalas in the temple area – where pilgrims were staying – having been swept away by the flood waters, he said.

Two helicopters have flown from Dehradun to evacuate stranded people.The Army has also deployed its mountain rescue teams to evacuate the pilgrims. Scores of villages remain under water and cannot be tracked. Hence there is uncertainty about the casualties caused, he said, adding the "devastation is massive".
Rescue efforts also picked up in rain-battered tribal Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh with two IAF and one state chopper making sorties to rescue 600 tourists and others stranded in remote areas.

The sorties started at 6.30 am and people stranded at various places for past five days are being dropped at Rampur, official sources said. In all, 278 people were evacuated till yesterday evening and about 600 tourist and other people were still stranded at various places. In Uttar Pradesh, the water levels in the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Sharda, Ghaghra, Rapti and Kuanon continued to rise at several places.

The Mavi Satpudha Dam breached on the left bank of the Yamuna river in Shamli district yesterday and efforts were on to plug it with the help of locals, officials said. Some areas in Saharanpur city were still submerged, while rail traffic on the Saharanpur-Ambala route was disrupted due to waterlogging.

In Bijnore, the water level of the tributaries of the Ganga was rising. Relief and rescue operations continued on a war footing and people were being shifted to safer places in Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich and Farrukhabad districts, officials said. However, the weather remained dry in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh with no report of fresh rainfall in the region.

The flow of water through Hathni Kund barrage over Yamuna river near Yamunanagar in Haryana has also decreased as against the unprecedented 8.06 lakh cusecs water discharge over the weekend. Revenue department officials of Haryana are conducting a survey to ascertain the damage caused to crops due to heavy rains last week in districts of Yamunanagar, Karnal and Panipat recently.

Uttarakhand government Rescue people

Take all steps to rescue people, SC tells Uttarakhand govt, Centre

Dehradun: 2:28 pm: The Supreme Court has directed the Uttarakhand government to file an action taken report on the relief operations being carried out in the state. The apex court has directed the Centre and Uttarakhand government to make an all-out effort to rescue people stranded in the state due to flash floods.
The court has directed the Uttarakhand government to provide immediate relief by the way of providing food, medicine water and fuel to those people stranded in affected areas. It has also directed the Centre to deploy sufficient number of helicopters for dropping food supply and airlifting affected people to safer places.
1:11 pm: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was heckled by people in Joshimath. He faced strong protests from locals in Joshimath where he had gone to oversee rescue and relief operations. Locals shouted slogans against the CM and said they have virtually got no relief from the government. Bahuguna assured them help and left in his helicopter.

12:50 pm: The Army plans to deploy a force of 100 paratroopers split into small teams on the Gaurikund-Sonprayag road. Temporary helipads to be set up as well.
12:35 pm: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discusses the situation in Uttarakhand at the Cabinet meeting.
12:05 pm: The Uttarakhand Met department has predicted more rainfall from June 23 and says bad weather and cloudy sky is likely to affect rescue operations. "The sky will remain cloudy after June 22 and there is possibility of light to moderate rainfall between June 23 and to June 25. This may hamper rescue operations," the Uttarakhand Met department said.
11:17 am: ITBP DG Ajay Chaddha has said that Kedarnath has been totally cut-off due to floods and landslides and can only be reached by air. Bad weather is also causing problems in the rescue operation," he said.
11:08 am: There have been a fresh landslide in Almora. Entire roads have caved in and several others have been washed away. Repair work is underway and authorities are attempting to clear the rubble.
10:26 am: The India Air Force resumes rescue operations in Uttarakhand.
10:18 am: Rudraprayag SP Nilesh Anand Bharne said that over 1,000 people have been brought to Guptkashi from Kedarnath and hopefully the rest will be rescued from Kedarnath soon.
9:41 am: The IAF officials say the narrow valley between Kedarnath and Guptkashi is the worst affected by the floods. The officials add the choppers are unable to navigate through narrow areas in Kedarnath and critical evacuations from Kedarnath area will be done by Friday.
9:36 am: Thousands still stranded at Kedarnath, rescue of another 500 expected on Thursday, say IAF officials.
9:21 am: The road to Uttarkashi has reopened and thousands of tourists who were stranded are now on their way out.
9:13 am: 100 paratroopers have slithered down to Gaurikund where many pilgrims are stranded.
8:48 am: Rescue operations through aircraft from the Jolly Grant airport near Dehradun have been suspended for now due to bad weather. The rescue teams are trying to send a batch of 100 armed forces specialised medical personnel to forward areas - the stretch from Rudraprayag to Kedarnath.
The death toll in the Uttarakhand floods has risen to 150 and is set to rise as rescue teams reach more devastated sites. Over 60,000 people remain stranded with food and medical supplies running low. Rescue teams reach have reached the Kedarnath temple, the site of the biggest devastation sending out pictures of the sheer scale of destruction. The shrine is still intact but the shops and dharamshalas around the temple are badly damaged. Security forces rescued hundreds from Kedarnath on Wednesday but there is still no clarity on the final death toll there.

Rescue sorties continued through the day on Wednesday to evacuate all the pilgrims from Kedarnath. Many of the pilgrims have spent the past five days trying to save themselves and their loved ones. The centuries old holy town is now covered in debris. Over 5,000 people are also stranded in Gaurikund. As a precaution the central government has cancelled batches for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, after authorities declared the roads and trekking routes unsafe. In Haridwar, NDRF teams have their hands full, with roadblocks and landslides hampering rescue operations at every turn.

As resue operations continue, so does the desperate search for loved ones. There is no centralised list of missing people and relatives carrying photographs of their loved ones are asking whoever they meeet for help. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with UPA chief Sonia Gandhi did an aerial survey of Uttarakhand on Wednesday with the PM also announcing Rs 1,000 crore for relief of which Rs 145 crore is being released immediately.

The Prime Minister said it is feared that the loss of lives could eventually be much higher. "So far, more than 10,000 people have been rescued and are being provided food, clothing and shelter. Many persons still remain stranded. The maximum damage has been in Kedarnath and its vicinity," he said. "Very heavy casualties are feared and I cannot give the exact number without a proper survey," said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna who described the flood ravage as unprecedented caused by a "Himalayan tsunami". Bahuguna, who described the scale of the devastation as unimaginable, said it would take one year for normal yatra to Kedarnath to be restored.

The first priority is to rescue the stranded people especially those on pilgrimage from various parts of the country, distribution of medicines and rehabilitation and compensation for the affected, he said. Uttarakhand Principal Secretary (Home) Om Prakash said the death toll in the state has gone up to 150 but was not in a position to give the exact estimate since several villages in Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts in the upper reaches were still under water.

The state and Central governments have deployed all possible resources to deal with the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. About 5,500 jawans and officers of the army, 3,000 men of the Border Roads Organisation and 600 ITBP personnel are engaged in relief and rescue efforts. Thirteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been put into work. The Air Force has deployed 18 helicopters and C130 aircraft. Private helicopters are also being engaged by the state government.
Helpline numbers:
Uttarkashi: 01374-226126, 226161
Chamoli: 01372-251437
Tehri: 01376-233433
Rudraprayag: 01732-1077
The ITBP helpline and control room numbers: 011-24362892, 9968383478
Army medical emergency helpline numbers: 18001805558, 18004190282, 8009833388
Uttarakhand Helpline numbers: 0135-2710334, 2710335, 2710233

Worst Floods in European History

Pictures: Worst Floods in European History?

Two residents of Dresden, Germany, pedal through floodwaters from the Elbe River as water levels continue to rise. Cities in Germany and throughout Europe have been battling severe flooding after several days of heavy rainfall.

Thousands of residents in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic have been evacuated as Europe's most famous rivers reach record-high levels. Water levels peaked in the Czech Republic on Tuesday, where CNN reported seven deaths were caused by the flood. Meanwhile, residents continue to brace themselves in Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised 100 million euros ($130 million) of emergency aid to damaged towns. Experts are already speculating that these floods will exceed the record-breaking levels of 2002, in both cost and amount of damage.
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40 killed in Sri Lanka storm

Sri Lanka said the death toll from a heavy storm over the weekend has risen to 40 people, while 30 others are missing. Pradeep Kodippili a spokesman for the Disaster Management Center said Monday that 29 people were hurt in the storm. All but one of the dead were fishermen, and Sri Lanka’s navy and the air force have rescued about 15 other fishermen.

The country’s meteorology department has come under heavy criticism for failing to warn the fishermen of the severity of the storm. A spokesman for the government's disaster management center, Lal Sarath Kumara, says fishermen have been hardest hit by the extreme weather that has lashed the country since Saturday.

Five killed in Oklahoma tornadoes, storms move northeast

Tornadoes killed five people in central Oklahoma including a mother and her baby and menaced Oklahoma City and its hard-hit suburb of Moore, before the storm system tracked northeast early on Saturday. The National Weather Service said the severe weather threat would shift into neighboring Illinois and Missouri, where Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency on Friday.

The tornadoes struck just 11 days after a twister ranked as EF5, the most powerful ranking possible, tore through Moore and killed 24 people. The mother and baby were killed on Friday while traveling on Interstate 40, just west of Oklahoma City, when their vehicle was picked up by the storm and they were sucked out of it, said Betsy Randolph, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The interstate was shut down due to the storm, with multiple crashes and injuries. Two of the five deaths in Oklahoma on Friday occurred in Union City and one was in El Reno, in rural areas west of Oklahoma City, said Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. She could not confirm where the other deaths took place. Over 40 people were being treated for storm-related injuries - including five in critical condition, among them a child, according to the Oklahoma-based Integris Health hospital system.

Meteorologists had earlier declared a tornado emergency for parts of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, and at one point they posted a tornado warning for Moore. Moore had limited damage from the latest storm activity, said a police dispatcher for the city.

A tornado rampaged down Interstate 40 toward Oklahoma City, tipping over trucks and hurling hay bales, a witness said. Television images showed downed power lines and tossed cars as the storm systems dumped at least 3 inches of rain, stranding motorists in flood water.

"For reasons that are not clear to me, more people took to the roads, more than we expected. Everyone acted differently in this storm, and as a result, it created an extremely dangerous situation," said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.

"I think we are still a little shaken by what happened in Moore. We are still burying children and victims, so our emotions are still strong," he added. Brandi Vanalphen, 30, was among the hundreds of drivers trapped on traffic-snarled roads as she attempted to flee the tornado system menacing the suburb of Norman.

"What got me scared was being stuck in traffic with sirens going off," she said. "I started seeing power flashes to the north, and I said 'screw this.' I started driving on the shoulder. People started driving over the grass."

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin told CNN that motorists faced great danger when stuck on any freeway in the path of a twister.

"What we saw from the tornadoes that came through Moore and the other ones last week was that people who were in cars on the Interstate were killed," Fallin told CNN.

CITYWIDE FLOODING

Tim Oram, meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said it was difficult to know exactly how many tornadoes had touched down, but three major thunderstorms with the potential to produce tornadoes moved through the center of the state.

The service later lifted a tornado warning for Oklahoma City and surrounding areas, as flash floods in the wake of the storms dunked parts of the sprawling metropolitan area - home to more than 1.3 million people - under water. Storms also swept into neighboring Missouri, where Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency on the heels of what he said was several days of heavy rain.

Winds turned over semi-trailer trucks on Interstate 70 between St. Louis and St. Charles County to the west, said Brett Lord-Castillo, spokesman for the St. Louis County Emergency Management Agency. Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights was evacuated when part of its roof was blown off, Lord-Castillo said. No deaths or serious injuries were reported in the greater St. Louis area.

Power utilities Oklahoma Gas and Electric and Ameren said 200,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois, which had been under a tornado warning on Thursday. On Thursday, storms in Oklahoma and Arkansas killed at least three people, including Scott County, Arkansas, Sheriff Cody Carpenter, whose body was recovered early on Friday, said a spokesman for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

A man also died in Tull, Arkansas, when a tree fell on his car, and a woman's body was found in flood waters in Scott County on Friday. Large, long-lasting thunderstorms known as supercells are responsible for producing the strongest tornadoes, along with large hail and other dangerous winds.