CropWatch Cloud

Bulletin

wall bulletin

Introduction

This section focuses on disasters that occurred between May and the end of July 2017. Because disasters that occurred in April were already mentioned in the May bulletin, they are only mentioned again here when interesting updates are available. Similarly, since the Horn of Africa with its long trail of natural-but mostly man-made-disasters is covered in detail in section 5.3, those events are generally not repeated here.

Section 5.3 illustrates the complex inter-penetration of factors associated with climate and fighting/civil unrest. These factors currently relate to the bulk of the reported emergencies. As this section deals primarily with natural disasters, purely man-made disasters (1) are not specifically discussed.

Although some droughts and cold spells are mentioned below, the current reporting period from May to July is very clearly characterized by excess precipitation and the accompanying phenomena like landslides.

Cyclones

In May (May 1 to 16), the off-season cyclone Donna affected the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and New Zealand, with significant damage occurring in the agricultural sector in Vanuatu. At the end of May (landfall on 30 May), cyclone Mora affected Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, east India, northeast India and Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, and the Tibet autonomous region of China, resulting in 239 fatalities (almost all in Sri Lanka) and damage amounting to just under US$ 300 million (Figure 5.1). In total, 630,000 people were impacted. The cyclone brought particular hardship to refugees, such as those in Rakhine’s displacement camps in Myanmar. According to OCHA (2o17b), “families were living in sub-standard conditions before the cyclone struck and Mora has only made their precarious situation worse.”

Figure 5.1. In the wake of Cyclone Mora, floodwaters flattened many homes in this village in Kalutara, Sri Lanka

Source: http://reliefweb.int/report/sri-lanka/un-and-partners-sri-lanka-appeal-resources-receding-floods-reveal-extent-damage.

On July 17, Tropical Storm Talas made landfall in the provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh in central Vietnam. About 3,000 houses were damaged, 10 people died, and about 100,000 hectares of crops were damaged. The severe storm also affected South China (Hainan), Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. Total damage is estimated at US$ 43 million.

Drought and fires

Drought in Timor Leste is mentioned because of the extreme vulnerability of the population: 41% are below the poverty line and over 70% practice subsistence farming; about one person in three is affected by the drought and about one in ten is in IPC phase 2 (stressed). Drought has been ongoing since 2015, and the deterioration of the food security situation is likely to deepen (DroughtTimorLeste_1).

Drought is also reported, by FSO and Reliefweb, for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the end of July. Rainfall was short in some key areas producing rice (the main staple), maize, potatoes, and soybean. The production drop could be as large as 30% as major cereal producing provinces (South and North Pyongan, South and North Hwanghae, and Nampo City) have been affected. (Drought_DPRK_1)

Fires and a heatwave occurred in much of Mediterranean Europe and Portugal where widespread fires occurred at the beginning of June. The fires happened amid a severe heatwave with temperatures reaching 40°C; the blaze reportedly was the country’s worst forest fire in more than half a century. At the end of July in Canada,more than 300,000 hectares of forest were burned. (FiresPortugal_1 Mid)

Floods

The previous bulletin provided ample detail about the “Putumayo floods” (named after the Department in Colombia that suffered the most) that were caused by a “Coastal El Niño” and in the beginning of April 2017 affected the border area between Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. At the end of April (Ref LamFlood_1), the same general area of northwestern Peru was again hit by floods. Damage was most severe in the Departments of Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Ancash, and Tumbes, with 435,000 people food-insecure. The timing of the floods corresponded to the growing season of cereals and the planting of potatoes. About 90,000 hectares of crops were affected, with 26,000 hectares lost as a result of the continuous rain in previous months and the floods at the end of April. Food production in the region is expected to drop 10%. Floods also affected other areas in Peru at the beginning of May, especially the Departments of Lima and Cajamarca. Other areas were similarly affected later in May.

In Haiti, floods hit at the end of April in the Departments of Sud, Sud-Est, Grand’Anse, et Les Nippes (floodsHaiti_1). About a thousand hectares of crops were flooded mostly in Cavaillon and Les Cayes. The country is also still suffering from the impact of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. As a result of the disasters, close to 6 million people were deemed food insecure as of mid-June.

In Russia, a dam burst in the Tyumen region in the district of Ishim led to a thousand families losing their houses (May 10 and 15, 2017) (RussiaFloods_1). Meanwhile, Ghana also has experienced major floods in five regions. On July 10, 2017, Greater Accra, Central Region, Western Region, and Eastern Region were declared as flood emergencies (FloodGhana_1).

The most serious and widespread floods of the reporting period occurred in Asia, in particular the Indian subcontinent and China.

In Sri Lanka, heavy monsoon rains on May 18 and 19 led to floods in Western, Southern, and parts of Central Province, as well as in Subaragamuwa Province. About 300 people in 15 districts lost their lives, while in total almost 700,000 people were affected. Nascent cyclone Mora contributed to the emergency. According to Reliefweb, the “floods and landslides have washed away the crops that managed to survive the drought” (FloodsLanka_1).

In Bangladesh, on June 15, mudslides in the southeast of the country have claimed additional lives and caused damage to homes and infrastructure. Over 150 people are estimated to have been killed across five districts, often when their homes were buried in mud and rubble, including over 5,000 homes in the Kawkhali upazila of Rangamati district (mudlsidesBangladesh_1).

During the second half of June, 7.3 million people were affected by heavy rains and resulting floods and landslides in southern China; in Xinmo village in Sichuan province alone, about a hundred people died. The disaster has caused around 2.9 billion Yuan in direct economic losses. At the beginning of July, the government released 1.9 billion Yuan (about US$ 280 million) to assist with floods relief. The funds will go to 20 provinces and autonomous regions including Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, which were most severely hit. The funds include 700 million Yuan for evacuation of people, temporary living allowances, rebuilding of homes, and compensating people for their losses (FloodChina_1).

In India, heavy rains at the beginning of July in Assam (in the country’s northeast) across half the state’s 32 districts. Flooding worsened on July 22 when new areas were submerged by the rising waters of the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries. As of 1 August, official figures show over 1.1 million people and over 3,300 villages across 21 of 32 districts affected. At least 32 people have died, most since July 22. In neighboring Bangladesh, several low-lying areas were flooded as well during the same period, affecting Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts, followed by eight more districts as water breeched embankments in many places. Next to Assam, several other Indian states have suffered from excess rainfall, including Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Uttarkand, Uttar Pradesh, and Orissa states (FloodAssam_1).

Figure 5.2. Rescue work underway in flood-hit Wenxian (Gansu province)

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-08/13/content_30542931.htm.

Cold wave

Cold weather, described as “life threatening” has affected some villages of Cuzco province in Peru on April 18 and 19, and again on May 10 (ColdPeru_1).