Toll Mounts as Storms Lash Southland

LA Times, February 22, 2005

Mudslides trapped residents in their homes and forced others to flee Monday as lethal and destructive storms pounded Southern California for the fifth consecutive day in what could prove to be the wettest rainfall season on record in Los Angeles.

By Monday night, at least five people had died.

They included a 63-year-old man buried by four feet of mud in the bedroom of his Woodland Hills home, a civil engineer who fell into a massive sinkhole in Sun Valley and a 16-year-old girl who died when a falling rock crashed into her family's apartment in rural Orange County. Two men died in apparently storm-related traffic accidents when their cars skidded on wet pavement in the Inland Empire.

Rising floodwaters and sliding mud invaded dozens of homes, toppled others, interrupted commuter rail service and snarled highway traffic.

A cloudburst and clogged drains left about two feet of water standing on the Hollywood Freeway in Hollywood on Monday night, halting traffic in both directions at Santa Monica Boulevard. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded in the water, and traffic backed up for five miles in both directions, remaining at a standstill in spots even five hours later. The freeway reopened about 11:45 p.m.

Power outages were reported throughout Southern California. Hail pelted several areas and thunder rumbled across the region.

The National Weather Service said the storms, which began Thursday, could continue into Wednesday, with a possibility of severe thunderstorms and hailstorms in the coastal valleys and blizzard conditions in the mountains.

"If it keeps raining like this, and it will, it'll break the record set more than 120 years ago," said Bill Patzert, a meteorologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.

By 4 p.m., 32.03 inches of rain had fallen in downtown Los Angeles since the season began July 1. That's more than three times the normal total for the date, and almost eight times the amount that had fallen by this time last year.

The record total for the season, which ends June 30, is about 38.18 inches, set in 1883-84. So less than 7 inches needs to be recorded downtown over the next four months to set a new mark.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the West Coast is in the thrall of El Niño, a cyclical oceanographic and meteorological phenomenon in which Southern California often gets heavier rain than usual.

But Patzert said this year's El Niño is mild, and the rain is due more to storms that are being left behind by the unusually volatile flow of high-altitude jet stream winds.

"These storms lose their direction, picking up moisture as they stall off the coast," Patzert said.

When these storms finally move east, they move slowly, he said. Shaped like wagon wheels, they spin counterclockwise, with each spoke, or band of rain, rotating sequentially through the area, interspersed with dry periods that can even include sunshine.



Los Angeles County

Robert Wickham, 61, died early Monday when a rain-soaked hill collapsed onto his home in Woodland Hills. Officials said the mudslide that entombed him hit the home in the 4100 block of Natoma Avenue about 2:30 a.m.

Firefighters used a thermal imaging system to locate Wickham.

"We were hoping that there was a void space, but there wasn't," firefighter Russell Rawls said. "He was completely covered."

A woman sleeping in another room of the house was uninjured, officials said.

A neighbor, Betsy Birdsall, described Wickham as a "nice guy" who left containers of fresh water on a nearby trail for hikers who walked their pets.

Another neighbor, Stephen Moore, said he doubted anything could have been done to prevent the mudslide.

"If it's going to happen, it's going to happen," Moore said.

About 9:30 a.m., an earthen bluff slid into a home in Hacienda Heights, filling it with mud and trapping two women inside, authorities said. Further sliding appeared imminent, and neighbors grabbed what they could and fled.

Firefighters rescued an 84-year-old woman stuck in knee-deep mud. The woman, whose name was not released, was treated at Whittier Presbyterian Hospital for minor injuries to her legs and feet, authorities said.

Using buckets, chain saws and sledgehammers, firefighters cleared a path to get to the other woman, who was trapped for almost two hours in a shower, authorities said. She was covered in mud up to her waist.

"She was actually trapped in a little pocket," said Capt. Don Roy of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. "The mud was fluid and every time we moved, some of the debris came in. Inside the house, the mud was ceiling high."

The 39-year-old woman, whose name was not released, did not appear to have suffered any major injuries, officials said.

"She was hanging in there pretty good," Roy said.

Officials said a third woman escaped on her own.

Nine homes in the gated community were evacuated.

Neighbor Christina Flores, 31, said she was not ordered to evacuate, but decided not to take any chances and left with her two sons, ages 5 and 11.

"We'll probably come back tomorrow to check the situation," Flores said.

Edward Osorio, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said officials were assessing the situation to determine when it might be safe to return.

"The water continues to seep underneath the mud, which makes for a very unstable situation," he said as rain continued to fall.

About 6 p.m. Monday, three occupants scrambled to safety as an 87-year-old house slid about 30 feet down a rain-soaked hillside in Silver Lake.

"They all apparently got out all right," said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. "But there are other nearby homes in danger."

About a dozen homes in Glendale and three homes in Pasadena were evacuated Monday because of flooding and mudslides. A sodden hillside gave way in Bel-Air, carrying a swimming pool that dumped water into three homes on Roberto Lane.

Despite the Presidents Day holiday, there were more than 300 traffic crashes on rain-slick roads in the county during a 14-hour period that ended Monday morning, the California Highway Patrol said. That's four to six times the normal amount for a 24-hour period without rain, officers said.

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Rory Shaw, the city engineer who fell to his death in a sinkhole in Sun Valley on Sunday.

Hahn said he met with Shaw hours before his death, conferring with him about the sinkhole.

Paramedics and a swift-water rescue team were unable to reach Shaw in time to save him, officials said.

Orange County

Mudslides forced officials to yellow-tag several homes in Mission Viejo, allowing residents to enter only in daylight. In rural Silverado Canyon, where 16-year-old Caitlin Oto died Sunday night when a boulder plunged into her family's home above a general store, two other homes were red-tagged, prohibiting entry at any time, and two homes were evacuated.

Residents throughout the county grappled with fallen trees and flooding in their homes as water levels rose.

Clogged storm drains on North La Cañada Drive in Brea sent water through several houses, taking toys and pillows. In Huntington Beach, a duck pond near Goldenwest Street and Edinger Avenue overflowed into a street.

Several streets and highways were closed throughout the county due to flooding or debris blocking the road, including portions of Coast Highway in Laguna Beach; Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach; Ortega Highway at Antonio Parkway in south Orange County; and a portion of North La Cañada Drive in Brea.

Wet roads and reduced visibility contributed to 118 accidents between midnight and 2 p.m. Monday in Orange County, about three times more than usual, according to the Highway Patrol.

"You don't have the volume, but motorists tend to build up their speed more because fewer people are on the freeways," said CHP Officer Katrina Lundgren.



Ventura County

Several roads were blocked by flooding and mudslides, including California 126 between Fillmore and Piru.

Metrolink canceled some commuter trains north of Moorpark, and Amtrak canceled some service between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

Despite continuing seepage, there were no reports of major damage in the beleaguered coastal community of La Conchita, where 10 people died and 12 homes were destroyed in a landslide last month.

On Sunday night, the Sheriff's Department recommended evacuation of dozens of La Conchita residents, but most of them remained, according to Joe Luna, a spokesman for the county Fire Department.

"They're survivors out there," Luna said.

Dan Rogers, 34, a La Conchita resident who decided to stick it out Monday, said residents were getting used to the seepage in the slide area.

"It's been happening ever since the slide," Rogers said. "It rains, and the mud keeps flowing downhill toward the ocean. But the rest of the town is fine."

Forty miles to the east, near the Los Angeles County-Ventura County border, officials opened floodgates to begin releasing water from Pyramid Lake because it was full.

Lake Piru, about 15 miles downstream, also was full, so water was pouring over the dam's spillway, creating concerns about possible flooding further downstream if the water level continued to rise.

"It's better if you can control the flow, and not use the spillway," said operations officer John Bunce. "But you've got to let the water out one way or another."



Inland Empire

Heavy rains were believed to be a factor in two traffic fatalities.

Adrian Chagolla-Ochoa, 22, of Fontana was killed when he lost control of his car in an area of standing water on eastbound Interstate 10 east of Vineyard Avenue in Ontario, about 2:20 a.m., the Highway Patrol said.

Investigators said Chagolla-Ochoa's vehicle struck a center divider and slid back across the freeway, where it was rammed by a tractor-trailer.

On westbound California 30 in San Bernardino, Richard Ceballos, 24, of San Bernardino lost control of his sedan just west of Del Rosa Avenue, officers said. They said Ceballos' car struck another vehicle, careened down a hillside and struck a large tree.



Times staff writers Nicholas Shields, Daryl Kelley, Jessica Garrison, Natasha Lee, David Reyes, Claire Luna, Mai Tran and Lance Pugmire contributed to this report.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

No. 5 and rising

Rainfall in downtown L.A. in the 2004-05 season has already exceeded 32 inches.

1883-84 – 38.18

1889-90 – 34.84

1977-78 – 33.44

1940-41 - 32.76

2004-05 – 32.03*

1982-83 – 31.25

1997-98 – 31.01

1968-69 – 27.47

1992-93 – 27.36

1979-80 – 26.98

*Season total through 4:30 p.m. Monday

Source: National Weather Service

California storms spawn tornadoes and landslides ; five killed

Mercury News, Feb. 22, 2005

LOS ANGELES - A deadly series of storms across California spawned tornadoes, landslides and avalanches as persistent rain flooded freeways and golf courses and sent mud roaring into homes.

At least five people were killed, including a Nevada woman caught in an avalanche while on a cross-country skiing trip north of Lake Tahoe and a 24-year-old man who lost control of his car and crashed in San Bernardino.

Forecasters said Tuesday that while the strong system would bring at least another inch of rain in Southern California, it was losing strength and could move out of the region by Wednesday afternoon.

"I think we've probably seen the worst of the storm," National Weather Service meteorologist Ted MacKenchnie said. "We should start seeing a decrease in the activity."

A flash flood watch remained in effect across much of Southern California on Tuesday, the NWS said.

Authorities said Monday that dozens of homes were evacuated or red-tagged because they threatened to collapse from sliding hillsides.

A traffic accident in San Bernardino killed Richard Ceballos, a father of four who told his family he hoped to marry his girlfriend next weekend in Las Vegas. Ceballos' car hit another vehicle Monday morning, skidded off Highway 30 and down an embankment into a tree.

A teen girl and 61-year-old man were killed in separate landslides and three women were temporarily trapped in about 10 feet of mud that spilled into a townhouse in the Los Angeles suburb of Hacienda Heights. A Los Angeles civil engineer, Rory Shaw, 47, died after being swept into a 30-foot sinkhole he was assessing.

In Northern California, 45-year-old Gerilyn Marie Ewing, of Reno, Nev., died in an avalanche Sunday while skiing between the Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley ski resorts north of Lake Tahoe. Two other skiers with her were trapped but either escaped or were rescued, Placer County sheriff's Sgt. Dave Wells said. Up to 20 inches of snow fell in the area since Thursday.

Northern California also was hit by severe thunderstorms, hail and at least two afternoon tornadoes that caused minor damage in the Sacramento area. Trees were uprooted and roofs and fences damaged in the tornadoes, while residents reported seeing other funnel clouds in the area.

"The impact of the storm lifted my car up in the air and back down ... about 15 inches ... it was unbelievable," Woodrow Parker, who was driving when the tornado hit, told KCRA-TV in Sacramento.

In Los Angeles, a section of the Hollywood Freeway was shut down for several hours late Monday when lanes were flooded in as much as five feet of water. Crews pumped the water out of the highway.

The wild weather came from a series of storms that began battering the state on Thursday, dumping 6.5 inches of rain in downtown Los Angeles.

A total of 31.40 inches of rain has fallen since the rainy season began on July 1, making it the fifth wettest season on record. The record, 38.18 inches, was set in 1883-1884.

The consecutive days of rain proved too much for saturated hillsides in Southern California.

Early Monday, a mudslide ripped into the bedroom of a home in the San Fernando Valley, burying Robert Wickham, 61, under four feet of mud. And in the rural Silverado Canyon area east of Irvine, large boulders crashed into an apartment bedroom and crushed 16-year-old Caitlin Oto. Boulders also crashed into a local country store.

"If you saw the damage up there, it almost looks like the houses exploded, the way it went completely through the homes," said Capt. Stephen Miller of the Orange County Fire Authority.

In Glendale, a foothill community north of Los Angeles, about 30 people in 11 homes were evacuated early Monday because of mudslides and flooding.

The rain was causing problems for pro golfers. Adam Scott won the Nissan Open in Los Angeles but won't get an official victory on the record books because the third round was called off when the wet Riviera Country Club was deemed unfit for play. In Carlsbad, the La Costa Country Club was full of standing water, threatening the scheduled Wednesday start of a World Golf Championships match play tournament.

Some in Southern California made the most of their flooded streets. Young men in Huntington Beach tied water-ski lines onto the back of a truck and surfed behind it as it plowed through the water. And in San Diego, Skip Stratten climbed into his ocean kayak and paddled among flooded apartments and businesses.

A spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department said there were no major slides or reports of significant flooding in the county, where a landslide killed 10 people last month in the coastal community of La Conchita.

Californian mudslides kill three

Multi-million-dollar homes collapsed and mudslides trapped residents in their homes as heavy rains that have claimed three lives pelted Los Angeles for the fifth straight day.

Scores of people were evacuated from their homes as severe flooding overtook suburbs of the second-largest US city, including the chic district of Bel Air where three luxury homes slid down a hillside.

The swimming pool of one of the homes dramatically gave way, live on local television, and tumbled down a slope shortly after their residents were evacuated.

As hailstones hit central Los Angeles, portions of nearby cities Hunting Beach, Long Beach and Glendale were turned into lakes, leaving homes drenched and caked in layers of mud as a monster storm system hammered usually parched southern California, wreaking havoc across the region.

Three deaths have been blamed on the storms, which have dumped but more than 19.5 centimetre on downtown Los Angeles between Thursday night and Monday morning.

A 16-year-old girl died when a boulder toppled down a hillside and crashed into her family's apartment in the remote Silverado Canyon area of the city.

A city public works employee also died when he fell into a nine-metre-deep sinkhole that had opened in a road in the area of Sun Valley.

And a 63-year-old man died when he was buried in about 1.2 metres of mud that slid into his home in the Woodland Hills area of the Los Angeles, said Melissa Kelley of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

In an area known as Hacienda Heights, a mudslide trapped at least three people in an apartment block that was inundated by three meters (10 feet) of mud. One woman escaped on her own, but firefighters had to pull two others from the mess.

More than 115 dead after heavy snow, avalanches in Indian Kashmir


02-21-2005 turkishpress.com

SRINAGAR, India (AFP) - Avalanches that swept rugged Himalayan Kashmir killed at least 115 people at the weekend with scores missing after the heaviest snowfall in two decades brought the region to a near-halt, officials said.

Seventy bodies were recovered from avalanches overnight and Monday around Verinag, 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar, and other southern villages, police said.

Four more people died Monday near the southern towns of Qazigund and Ramsu when heavy snow collapsed their houses, police said.

Since heavy snows started blanketing Kashmir two weeks ago, 133 people have died, including 19 soldiers.

Police said many are still reported as missing in avalanches from various parts of Kashmir, mostly around Verinag, adding army rescue and medical teams were searching for survivors.

"The death toll could be higher as we are losing hope for the missing," a police officer said, adding there were no avalanches on Monday.

A 65-year-old woman was rescued Monday two days after an avalanche buried her house in southern Poonch district.

Hanifa Begum was under the snow for 50 hours after the avalanche hit on Saturday, the army said in a statement, adding she was suffering from frost bite.

Also on Monday the Indian air force rescued 45 Indian and foreign adventure tourists on an 11-day trek in the snow-bound Padam area of the Ladakh region, said Leh deputy commissioner Satish Nehru.

Among those rescued were French, British and German nationals, Nehru said.

On Sunday 27 bodies were recovered from three places hit by avalanches triggered by the heavy snowfall.

Police said more than 1,000 houses had been damaged by the snow so far and the fate of their inhabitants unknown.

"We have no information about scores of villages in avalanche-prone areas as there is no communication," he said.

Continuous snow since late Thursday also halted air travel.

Indian troops posted to the region to fight Islamic rebels have been ordered to help in relief operations, army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel V.K. Batra told AFP.

Indian air force transport planes and helicopters would airlift supplies into regions cut off by the snow, the government said in a statement.

The army was also assisting stranded passengers.

"We have set up three medical camps on the (Jammu-Srinagar) highway where doctors will provide free check-ups and medicines to those down with weather-related problems," the Indian army's northern command chief, Lieutenant General Hari Prasad said.

"Soldiers posted in the upper reaches and far-flung areas of Kashmir have been directed to restore road traffic and communication systems that stand totally paralysed," Prasad said.

A police officer said more than 1,500 people were still stranded along a snowbound highway between Srinagar and the winter capital Jammu and motorists were being housed in emergency accommodation.

The stranded were sending mobile phone text messages to their relatives to reassure them, he said.

But while rescue operations were underway elsewhere, residents expressed anger at the absence of civil officials and workers on the streets of Srinagar.

"Only troops are clearing the snow. Civil administration is in slumber. Our stocks have run out," resident Imtiaz Ahmed said.

Srinagar has been without power for four days after a metre (three feet) of snow blanketed the city.

Officials said it would take at least two days to restore even minimum power in the city, often plagued by blackouts, though some life returned to the city's streets Monday as sparse traffic plied the roads and a few shops opened for business.

L'est des Alpes-Maritimes sous une épaisse couche de neige

NICE (AP) - La circulation était fortement perturbée mardi matin entre la frontière italienne et Nice en raison des averses de neige qui tombent sans discontinuer depuis lundi soir.

Ce phénomène fréquent dans les parties montagneuses du département est extrêmement rare sur le littoral, totalement recouvert par le manteau neigeux atteignant deux à trois centimètres sur les trottoirs de Menton et de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

Selon le Centre national d'information routière (CNIR), la circulation était impossible sur les poids-lourds sur l'autoroute A8 dans le secteur de Nice et une aire de stockage a été mis en place. La circulation était par ailleurs délicate pour les véhicules légers, et le CNIR conseillait aux automobilistes d'éviter ce secteur. Il est par ailleurs recommandé, pour le transit France-Italie, d'emprunter le tunnel du Fréjus en Savoie.

A Nice, la couche de neige atteignait par endroit une dizaine de centimètres, recouvrant les chaussées. Les flocons qui font le bonheur des enfants ont totalement désorganisé la vie des Azuréens. Des dizaines d'automobilistes sont partis en travers ou ont été bloqués par les usagers ayant perdu le contrôle de leur véhicule.

Avec de telles conditions de circulation, un certain nombre de salariés n'ont pas pu se rendre à leur travail ou sont arrivés en retard. De même, plusieurs transports scolaires ont été annulés.

Le centre de Nice et son agglomération sont totalement paralysés. La voie rapide est fermée et devrait être rouverte en fin de matinée. Conséquences: une dizaine de kilomètres de bouchons à l'entrée et à la sortie de Nice.

Il est par ailleurs impossible de circuler dans les environs de Grasse sans équipements spéciaux. Selon le centre Météo France de Nice, une amélioration est attendue en fin de journée.

Tempête de neige rarement vue dans le sud du Xinjiang

Une grande tempête de neige rarement vue depuis une trentaine d'années s'est abattue ces derniers jours dans la zone sud de la Région autonome ougoure du Xinjiang située dans le Nord-Ouest de la Chine. L'épaisseur de la neigne moyenne a atteint 30 centimètres.

A l'heure actuelle, la chute de neige s'est arrêtée. Mais, dans certains bourgs frappés durement par la tempête de neige, l'épaisseur de la neige a atteint 70 centimètres et la température a diminué de 5 à 10 degrés. La tempête de neige a causé la destruction des maisons et la mort du bétail.

Notons que des départements intéressés locaux ont déjà acheminé un grand nombre d'articles de secours dont la farine, le riz, des vêtements à la zone sinistrée. Des activités de secours se déroulent normalement.

BEIJING, 16 février (XINHUANET) -- La neige qui a commencé à tomber  mardi matin dans toutes les régions est de la Chine a posé des  problèmes aux nombreux vacanciers essayant de rentrer chez eux ces derniers jours pour reprendre leur activité professionnelle après  la semaine de congés du Nouvel An chinois.

Des dizaines de milliers de voyageurs chinois qui se sont  déplacés pour des réunions familiales ou pour des visites  touristiques sont en train de faire face au mauvais temps alors  qu'ils sont sur le chemin de retour vers les grandes villes ou les zones cotières du pays.

Les prévisions météorologiques de l'Observatoire Central de  Chine montrent que la pluie, la neige et le vent de ces derniers  jours marqués par des chutes de températures devraient continuer  de manière irrégulière pour 10 jours.  

     L'Administration générale de l'Aviation civile de Chine a  publié un message appelant à la mise en place de mesures d'urgence pour le trafic.  

     A Beijing, qui connaît sa première chute de neige en cette  nouvelle année, les départements locaux du trafic ont utilisés 550 tonnes d'agents spécifiques pour faire fondre la neige sur les  principales avenues de la capitale, et envoyé 269 véhicules pour  nettoyer le routes glissantes.  

     A Shenyang, la capitale de la province du Liaoning, dans le  nord-est de la Chine, plus de 3 000 passagers ont été bloqués à  l'aéroport local lundi après-midi, alors que la ville a subi de  fortes chutes de neige un jour avant le reste du pays.  

     Cependant, malgré la neige, la plupart des voyageurs chinois  ont pu rentrer chez eux, 137 582 véhicules ont été enregistrés  entrant Beijing mardi, en provenance principalement des provinces  voisines, et transportant parfois des travailleurs migrants.

LHASA, 22 février (XINHUANET) -- De fortes chutes de neige ont frappé la région autonome du Tibet, dans le sud-ouest de la Chine,  blessant 511 personnes aux yeux et gelant 515 autres, a-on appris  mardi auprès du département local des affaires civiles.  

     Le désastre a aussi tué plus de 16 600 têtes de bétail dans  les régions d'Ari, Shigatse et Nagqu.  

     De plus, les gros flocons de neige ont sévèrement affecté le  trafic entre Lhasa, chef-lieu de la région et Sengge Zangbo.  

     Les régions de Shigtse et Nagqu ont subi de persistantes  chutes de neige depuis janvier. Les précipitations de neige ont  mesuré en moyenne de 10 à 40 cm à Shigtse et 20 cm à Nagqu.  

     Le gouvernement local s'est déjà mobilisé pour envoyer des  couvertures, des tentes et des aliments aux régions sinistrées  avant le Nouvel An lunaire chinois et le Nouvel An tibétain.  

     Le département local des affaires civiles a aussi débloqué 4  millions de yuans (environ 481,9 milles dollars) pour l'assistance aux victimes.  

     Aucun mort humain n'a été signalé jusqu'à présent, selon la  même source.

21/02/2005 Tahitipresse

Plusieurs communes de Tahiti ont été touchées par les fortes pluies de dimanche soir, en particulier celle de Pirae (côte est de Tahiti), où l'on compte pas moins de 70 familles victimes de la crue de la rivière Hamuta. A Faa'a (côte ouest), où huit familles ont eu leur demeure dévastée par les inondations, une cellule de crise a été mise en place.

Durant les dernières 24 heures, le centre de météorologie de Tahiti a enregistré un total de 120 millimètres d'eau, ce qui équivaut à 120 litres d'eau au mètre carré. Ce total est toutefois loin du record établi, début février 1960, où l'on avait enregistré 208 litres d'eau au mètre carré à Faa'a.
En revanche, ce qui est exceptionnel, c'est la quantité des précipitations depuis le début du mois de février 2005 puisque Météo-France a d'ores et déjà totalisé 644 millimètres d'eau. Le record mensuel pour février a été établi en 1978 avec 758 millimètres d'eau.
Selon les prévisionnistes de Météo-France, l'activité pluvieuse que vient de subir Tahiti et les îles de la Société se déporte actuellement sur l'archipel des Tuamotu. "Les terres sont gorgées d'eau accumulées durant ces quinze derniers jours de pluie et les éboulements sont à craindre", commente-t-on au centre météorologique de Tahiti-Faa'a.

70 maisons inondées à Pirae

Les fortes précipitations ont été à l'origine, dimanche soir, du débordement de la rivière Hamuta. Des troncs d'arbres ont obstrué les ponts en amont. "On observe encore des riverains qui coupent des arbres et qui les abandonnent sur place au lieu de les tronçonner en tranches" a fait remarquer sur place le maire de la commune, Edouard Fritch. Lors des crues, ces troncs dévalent le lit de la rivière et obstruent les ponts. Résultat: 70 habitations ont été victime des flots de boue.
"J'ai couru dans la chambre des mes enfants pour leur dire de se lever. A cet instant, l'eau était déjà au même niveau que leurs matelas. Quant nous avons voulu quitter la maison, la route s'était transformée en torrent. Plusieurs voitures se soulevaient sous l'effet du courant. Nous avons été pris de panique. L'eau venait à la fois de la rivière Hamuta qui débordait, mais également de la route. Nous étions pris au piège. De plus, une panne d'électricité générale nous a plongé dans le noir. Malgré tout nous nous sommes organisés pour essayer de sauver nos appareils ménagers (…) Nous ne savons pas où aller dormir la nuit prochaine", témoigne Kalolaine Foliaki qui habite le quartier de Hamuta.
A Faa'a, huit familles du quartier de Tuuhia ont été évacuées. L'une d'elles a tout perdu et a été relogée dans une structure municipale. Cette commune a mis en place une cellule de crise dirigée par Charles Vanaa, premier adjoint de la mairie de Faa'a. Son rôle sera de recueillir les appels de détresse et d'intervenir immédiatement en collaboration avec les services techniques et sociaux de la municipalité.

La vague de froid en Asie du Sud fait plus de 1.100 morts

La vague de froid qui sévit depuis plus d'un mois en Asie du Sud, avec des avalanches au Cachemire indien, des températures glaciales en Afghanistan, des pluies torrentielles et de fortes chutes de neige au Pakistan, a fait plus de 1.130 morts dont de nombreux enfants.

En deux semaines, au moins 254 personnes sont mortes dans des avalanches et des glissements de terrain au Cachemire sous contrôle indien.

Des chutes de neige record depuis vingt ans ont fait depuis samedi au moins 229 morts et des dizaines de disparus dans le territoire himalayen, a indiqué la police.

Le ministre indien de la Défense Pranab Mukherjee a estimé que le nombre de victimes pourrait augmenter "car beaucoup de corps n'ont pas encore été retrouvés".

Un secouriste a fait état de scènes tragiques dans le village de Watlingo (sud), en partie détruit par les avalanches. "Des cadavres ont été enterrés, d'autres sont dans des mosquées, d'autres dispersés sur la neige", a raconté Ghulam Mohammed Wagay.

Un photographe de l'AFP parvenu sur les lieux a décrit un village fantôme avec des maisons détruites entièrement ou en partie, des cadavres gisant sur la neige.

L'armée, déployée massivement dans le territoire en proie à une insurrection séparatiste, a été mobilisée. Elle a convoyé des médecins, des infirmières par air, ainsi que des autoneiges pour atteindre les zones les plus isolées.

Mardi, l'armée a appelé les personnes vivant sur les sommets à fuir leurs maisons qui risquent d'être atteintes par de nouvelles coulées de neige. "Les personnes vivant en altitude doivent quitter leur maison avant d'être dépassées par la catastrophe", a dit le général Raj Mehta.

Au Pakistan, de fortes neiges et des pluies torrentielles ont fait au moins 533 morts dans l'ensemble du pays au cours des trois dernières semaines, selon le porte-parole du centre de secours fédéral, Mashal Khan.

La zone la plus touchée est celle de la Province de la Frontière du Nord-Ouest (NWFP), où au moins 335 personnes ont été tuées.

Dans le sud-ouest, dans la province du Baloutchistan, 85 personnes sont mortes quand le barrage de Shadi Kor s'est rompu le 10 février après des pluies torrentielles et la fonte des neiges.

Des avalanches ont également fait quelque 70 morts au Cachemire sous contrôle pakistanais et dans les régions voisines, selon les autorités.

En Afghanistan, ce sont au moins 350 personnes, dont 211 enfants de moins de cinq ans, qui sont mortes de froid en un mois et demi.

"Dans l'ensemble du pays nous avons 211 morts confirmées d'enfants liées à l'hiver", a déclaré le ministre de la Santé Amin Fatimie.

Des familles pauvres ont recours à l'opium pour apaiser les douleurs des petits qui souffrent de la faim et de complications respiratoires comme la pneumonie.

"Certains parents ne vont pas voir de médecin et donnent de l'opium aux enfants pour stopper la toux et cela stoppe la toux mais cela peut aussi les tuer", a expliqué M. Fatimie.

Des organisations humanitaires ont exprimé leurs craintes que des centaines, voire un millier d'enfants aient péri dans la province montagneuse de Ghor (centre), où de nombreux villages ont été coupés du monde par d'importantes chutes de neige.

La capitale aussi est touchée. Dans la banlieue de Kaboul, Mohammed Ismael a perdu son petit garçon âgé de 15 jours à peine. "Il y avait des glaçons à l'intérieur de la tente quand nous nous sommes réveillés. Comment un bébé peut-il survivre à cela", a-t-il raconté.

De nombreux enfants afghans sont mal nourris et affaiblis par des semaines de températures glaciales et la situation risque d'empirer dans de nombreux villages isolés privés de nourriture et de carburant, ont prévenu des ONG.

L'Europe enneigée a froid

Des pays largement sous la neige, des records de froid absolus ou relatifs battus dans plusieurs régions, des pics de consommation d’électricité - les Européens vivent un début de mars au climat rude, devenu inhabituel en cette saison ces dernières années.

La température la plus froide en Suisse depuis le début de l’hiver a été relevée dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi avec -34,4 degrés Celsius dans le village de La Brévine (canton de Neuchâtel), près de la frontière française.

Sur la Zugspitze, pic des Alpes allemandes, qui culmine à 2.962 m, le mercure est descendu à -29°C dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi, un record pour la fin février depuis l’introduction en 1901 d’un système de mesure du froid.

A Berlin, la couche de neige atteignait par endroits 19 cm et à Greifswald, plus au nord, jusqu’à 41 cm. Une épaisseur de 14 cm de glace empêchait mercredi la circulation sur le canal reliant Berlin au port polonais de Szczecin.

Les chutes de neige abondantes faisaient la joie des enfants lorsque les écoles restaient fermées, comme mercredi dans trois provinces septentrionales des Pays-Bas (Frise, Drenthe et Groningen), où le manteau neigeux a atteint 20 à 30 cm, et dans le nord et le centre de la Grèce, également sous la neige.

La rigueur hivernale qui dure depuis plusieurs jours à travers l’Europe, perturbe la circulation et par endroits le trafic aérien, comme à Paris, Madrid, Barcelone ou Amsterdam. En réalité, seule Bruxelles a été épargné jusqu'ici. Mais le froid tue aussi.

Trois personnes, dont un nouveau-né, sont mortes de froid ces deux derniers jours dans le centre de la Roumanie, où la température est tombée à -31°C, a annoncé la police mercredi.

Au Portugal, un homme, âgé de 92 ans, est mort d’hypothermie mardi à Evora (150 km au sud-est de Lisbonne) après avoir passé une nuit seul dans sa maison non chauffée. Un record de froid depuis 1941 pour un début mars a été enregistré dans la ville portugaise de Guarda, le mercure affichant -10°C mardi. Dans l’hôpital, l’eau a gelé dans les tuyaux et toutes les interventions chirurgicales non urgentes ont dû être ajournées.

En Espagne, les chutes de neige et le froid accompagné de vents violents ont paralysé les liaisons maritimes entre le sud du pays et le nord de l’Afrique.

Pour les Italiens, -2,5°C à Rome mercredi représentait le record de la journée la plus froide de l’année et l’une des plus froides des 200 dernières années, selon l’Observatoire météorologique. Le record absolu a été battu dans le centre de l’Italie avec -32°C à Piani di Castelluccio (1.300 m d’altitude).

C’est encore la neige qui, en Belgique, a contraint les organisateurs à annuler le Mémorial Samyn, course cycliste de première catégorie prévue ce mercredi à Fayt-le-Franc.

Mercredi matin a été le moment le plus glacial de cet hiver en République tchèque, avec -31,2 degrés à Horska Kvilda dans les montagnes du Sumava (sud-ouest), près de la frontière autrichienne. L’Autriche a connu mardi son pic de consommation d’électricité depuis le début 2005 et des distributeurs de fioul domestique ont annoncé être en rupture de stocks. Mercredi, le froid continuait de sévir, les températures s’échelonnant entre -10°C et -20°C. Plus à l’est, Bucarest a enregistré -20°C, la température la plus basse pour un mois de mars depuis le début des relevés météorologiques autour de 1900.

A Bourgas, station balnéaire bulgare sur la mer Noire, Pavel Ivanov, 57 ans, tenant obstinément à ses habitudes, s’est baigné pendant une demi-heure dans une eau à 4°C, a rapporté mercredi l’agence bulgare BTA.

Les pays scandinaves, pourtant habitués au froid, ont aussi enregistré des records comme par exemple -39,6°C mardi à Gielas, village du nord de la Suède, ou -38,8°C à Roeros, dans le centre de la Norvège.

En revanche, l’archipel norvégien de Svalbard, plus proche du pôle Nord qu’aucun autre endroit habité au monde, connaît un hiver exceptionnellement clément, avec une température d’environ -7°C ces jours-ci, soit huit à neuf degrés plus élevée que d’habitude.

Le mercure bat des records

Face à la nouvelle vague de froid, quelques recommandations à suivre.

Moins 26,8 degrés. Une température sibérienne relevée, hier matin, dans le village de Maîche, situé à seulement 855 mètres d’altitude, sur les plateaux du Doubs. C’est dans le même département, à Mouthe, réputé pour être le village le plus froid de France, que dans la nuit de lundi à mardi, la température la plus basse du pays a été enregistrée avec un - 24,9 degrés. Au même moment, des records de froid, pour un mois de mars, ont été pulvérisés dans vingt-deux stations de Météo France : - 16,4 degrés à Mulhouse (Bas-Rhin) ; - 12,8 à Orléans (Loiret) ; - 11,2 à Mont-de-Marsan (Landes) ; - 8,4 à Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) ; - 7,3 à Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) ; 6,6 à La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime). C’est finalement à Paris intra-muros, dans le parc Montsouris, qu’il a fait le moins froid avec - 6.

Alors que le mercure chutait, la consommation d’électricité, elle aussi, battait des records avec un pic de 86 024 mégawatts, lundi vers 19 h 15. Ce qui obligea le gestionnaire du réseau de transport d’électricité - exportateur en général - à importer quelque 3 000 mégawatts, soit 3 % de la consommation, en Allemagne et en Espagne. Le pic enregistré lundi est exceptionnel à cette période de l’année. Une telle situation n’avait pas été rencontrée depuis plus de vingt ans.

« Même si les températures restent basses dans les jours qui viennent, ce sera un froid plus raisonnable, mais plus humide. Il n’y a pas de températures printanières en vue », indique Patrick Galois, prévisionniste à Météo France. La direction générale de la santé rappelle que les personnes les plus vulnérables doivent adapter leurs activités et prendre un certain nombre de précautions élémentaires. Principalement concernées les personnes âgées, et parmi elles, celles ayant des troubles cardiaques, une insuffisance respiratoire, une difficulté à faire face aux activités de la vie quotidiennes ou souffrant de la maladie d’Alzheimer. Autres personnes à risque, les nouveau-nés, nourrissons, personnes à mobilité réduite, en situation de grande précarité. Les principaux conseils sont d’éviter les sorties, de s’habiller chaudement, de ne pas faire d’efforts en étant exposé au froid et de maintenir une température de 19 degrés dans les pièces.

Les toits de huit bâtiments industriels ou agricoles du Puy-de-Dôme se sont effondrés dimanche en raison du poids de la neige, a-t-on appris auprès des sapeurs-pompiers qui sont intervenus lundi matin sur trois nouveaux bâtiments, dont un garage automobile à Viscontat.

Snow load could lead to roof collapse
Thursday, March 3, 2005

Due to the unusual amount of snow recently received on Cape Cod, town building departments are urging residents to remove snow from roof areas to prevent the possibility of roof failure.
     Roofs, especially flat roofs, can collapse when snow loads exceed the limit of existing roof designs. These conditions become especially extreme when deep snow is saturated with rain or during thawing.
     The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, in conjunction with the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards, has issued the following guidelines to minimize the risk of over-stressing a roof due to accumulated or drifted snow:
     * Be on alert for large accumulating snow build-up or snowdrifts.
     * If roof snow can be removed with the use of a snow rake (available at most hardware stores), do so. Try to avoid working from ladders, as ladder rungs tend to ice up, snow and ice collect on boot soles, and metal ladders and snow rakes conduct electricity if they come into contact with a power line.
     * Flat roofs can be shoveled clear, but only if it is determined that the roof is safe to stand upon. Exercise care when on the roof to avoid potentially dangerous falls.
     * Flat roof drainage systems should be kept clear to minimize the risk of excess roof ponding in the event of subsequent heavy rainfall or melting.
     * Large icicles can form on roof overhangs, but do not necessarily mean ice damming is occurring. Icicles overhanging walkways can be dangerous and should be carefully removed.
     All of the above actions should only be performed by able-bodied adults, as the snow is heavy and roofs and other surfaces may be slippery. Protective headgear and eye protection is recommended.

Heavy snow brings chaos
04 March 2005

HEAVY snowfalls and ice brought much of the Rye and Battle area to a standstill this week.
There was gridlock and chaos on the roads on Wednesday morning as people struggled to get into work.
Despite no snow being forecast, heavy overnight showers brought up to four inches.
The snowfall was preceded by heavy rain which caught out the county council's gritting operation, with gritters unable to take to the roads until 7am.
Children had an unexpected day off with every school in the Rye and Battle closed due to the weather conditions.
Most returned on Wednesday but Beckley School and Years 1 and 2 at Battle and Langton were still closed on Thursday morning.
Children had problems getting into Westfield School on Thursday morning after a Peugeot car skidded on black ice and ended up on its roof at Westfield Lane.
The driver, a woman in her 20s was cut free by firemen and taken to the nearby Conquest Hospital. The road was closed for more than an hour.
There was also a minor accident at Pear Tree Lane, in Ninfield, on Thursday morning when a car was in a collision with a van
Police issued a statement as weather conditions worsened late on Wednesday afternoon to say there were problems on the A21 and that the Sedlescombe to Hawkhurst road was blocked due to grid-locked traffic which was not moving. There were also long tail-backs east of Rye on the A259 heading into Kent.
Motorists travelling out of Battle on the Hastings road on Thursday morning faced further delays, with traffic at a crawl due to the icy conditions. One motorist commented: "It was like an ice rink."
Bus services were hit by major disruption with operator Stagecoach cancelling most of its rural services on Wednesday morning. Problems continued into Thursday due to icy side-roads.
A spokesman for train operator Southern said: "There were no real problems in that part of the world."
However, it was a different story for South Eastern Trains, which operates the Hastings to Charing Cross services.
Its spokesman said there had been considerable disruption on the line largely due to the icing over of the third 'conductor' rail.
Both rail companies said they were continuing to ensure de-icing trains ran through the nights to help ease the problem.
A spokesman for East Sussex County Council said: "Gritting lorries worked flat-out in from 7am on Wednesday morning.
"The heavy rain which preceded Wednesday's snow made it impractical to lay salt before then as it would have been washed away.
"The county council is doing everything it can under difficult circumstances.
"The teams concentrate on the main routes in the area, moving on to the minor roads as and when they can."

Snow in Kashmir has fallout in distant Mumbai
New Delhi, Feb 21 : Kashmir Monday woke up to the first clear morning in many days but the snow that fell there has triggered a cold wave across north India - and even in Mumbai, 1500 km to the west.

Temperatures dropped across north India and chilly winds swept the region - including the national capital - forcing residents to dig out their warm clothes from the closet.

"The northerly winds are strong due to the snowfall. It will not last long," meteorologist R.C. Vashisht told IANS here Monday.

Mumbai, India's commercial hub, recorded the coldest February morning in 40 years Monday.

The Colaba observatory recorded a morning temperature of 15.6 degrees Celsius - four degrees below normal - while the Santa Cruz observatory recorded 12.5 degrees Celsius.

Sunday night experienced 15.7 degrees Celsius - less than four degrees Celsius above this season's coldest night Jan 19 that saw 11.5 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature in Delhi dipped to 5.3 degree Celsius in Palam and the maximum stood at 18.9 deg. Celsius.

"The weather just can't seem to make up its mind. It's hot one day and cold another," complained Chitralekha Chatterjee, a Delhi resident.

"The wind pattern is likely to change and should blow itself out by Tuesday afternoon," Vashisht said, pointing out that it was not unusual to have either a spell or two of snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir or a cold wave across north India in February.

People in states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Punjab woke to a cold and hazy morning, even as Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, experienced its first snow-free morning since last week.

There was no snow for over six hours in Srinagar but normal life continued to remain badly hit all over the Kashmir Valley. The runway of the Srinagar airport was cleared to enable incoming flights with relief supplies to land.

There was no snowfall in Jammu region too, where at least 30 people have died in avalanches.

Officials, however, said about 300 security personnel were still trapped in the Jawahar Tunnel linking the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country following avalanches. The men were from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Border Roads Organisation and local police.

They took shelter in the 2.5-km tunnel after massive avalanches blocked it.

"They have moved into the tunnel to escape the avalanches," an officer told IANS in Srinagar. Normally, the men are posted in barracks outside. German engineers had built the tunnel in 1958.

But with the weather showing some signs of improvement, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Monday dropped food packets to the beleaguered personnel.

The relentless snow lashing the Kashmir Valley have claimed at least 55 lives and damaged more than 1,000 houses. Some 50 other people have been feared trapped in their snow-bound houses. Srinagar has been without power for a fortnight.

Abdul Rashid Wani, chief engineer of the state-run power corporation, told IANS: "It will take us one week to re-establish the power transmission network in Srinagar alone. Many electric poles in the city have been uprooted and in countless cases snow falling off rooftops have damaged power lines."

Snow, salt cause electrical fire

 Monday’s snowstorm was responsible for numerous traffic accidents and commuter delays in Greater Trenton, along with an odd electrical fire that flared 15 feet out of the sidewalk downtown.

Today brings clouds, and bracing March winds of 15 to 25 mph, and no snow, according to Anthony Gigi, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

Asked when the next snow is expected, since March is the third snowiest month of the year, Gigi said, "I would like to say Dec. 23. But there is a chance of snow on Friday night. While we’re not making any prediction of the amount that might fall, we expect it to be lighter than what just happened."

What just happened was about 8 to 9 inches, followed by warming temperatures yesterday that, with a big assist from road salt and snowplows, left most highways passable to commuters.

A 21-year-old East Windsor woman spun out of control in the slush and snow, and slammed her driver’s-side into the front end of a box truck on Route 571 between Southfield and Rabbit Hill roads in West Windsor yesterday.

"More than likely, the weather was a contributing factor," said West Windsor Police Officer Marylou Dranchak.

The victim, Ashley Vandyke, 21, was entrapped in her Honda by the crash, and rescue workers rushed to remove the roof and doors.

Vandyke was conscious but was reported in "extremely serious condition" at Capital Health System at Fuld following the 10:04 a.m. crash.

Early-morning traffic back-ups also occurred on Route 1 in West Windsor.

Police dispatchers said wires fell as the result of the heavy snow about 4:30 a.m., and by the time PSE&G got them back in place, traffic delays had affected the early morning commute.

PSE&G spokeswoman Renee DiNardi said the wires didn’t fall but merely drooped too low.

"There was no outage," she said. "Repairs were completed by 7 p.m."

A police dispatcher who commuted to work via Route 1 reported that traffic was back to normal by 7 a.m.

The 5:03 a.m. electrical fire in the sidewalk at Broad and Front streets sent flames 15 feet above the sidewalk and filled the nearby N.J. Department of Community Affairs building with smoke.

"It’s believed that road salt seeping down from the street caused a build-up on the conductors, and caused the fire," said Battalion Chief Graham Smith of the city fire department.

"There was quite a ball of fire and smoke, and it glowed for a half-hour," he said.

Asked how firefighters actually fight that kind of fire, Smith said, "We don’t. You don’t fight that kind of fire. PSE&G has to shut down the electricity" running through the transformer.

After back-feeding the grids, PSE&G had power back on in the building by 7 a.m. Smoke had to be cleared out of the building, and the alarm re-set; doors were open to employees by 9 a.m., Smith said.

PSE&G’s Renee DiNardi said the root cause was the failure of a piece of equipment next to the transformer called a network protector. She said the transformer was unaffected.

"There was no outage. The fire could have been caused by road salt, or any number of things. We’ll be working overnight (into this morning) to replace it."

Meanwhile, over in Lower Makefield Township, Pa., a Washington Crossing woman rolled her car on Taylorsville Road at I-95 into a "white-line ditch."

"Her husband said the seat-belt saved her life," said Lower Makefield Police Capt. Thomas Roche.

The victim was identified as Eileen Dwell-Fishman of the 100 block Betts Drive in Washington Crossing. Her injuries in the 8:28 a.m. accident were minor.

Two other accidents involving overturned autos with entrapments occurred in Burlington Township yesterday morning and in Bensalem Township, Pa., in late afternoon, but neither involved critical injuries.

Cyclone Ingrid gathers force

Australia's worst cyclone in 30 years was tonight bearing down on the north Queensland coast as thousands of residents prepared for a double whammy of a massive king tide in the region.

Category five Cyclone Ingrid was 240km north-east of Cooktown at
5pm (AEST) today, and had picked up speed as it moved at 10kph directly west towards the coast.

Dozens of coastal communities in the line of the storm were packing sandbags, felling trees, and gathering emergency supplies as the cyclone moved closer, packing winds of up to 300kph.

The worst cyclone on the east coast for more than a century formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria four days ago and had winds stronger than Darwin's Cyclone Tracy as it moved towards Cape Melville, the scene of Australia's most deadly cyclone in 1899.

More than 400 people, including 100 Aborigines, died in the turn-of the-century storm, which was never categorised. It also destroyed 100 pearl fishing boats anchored in Princess Charlotte Bay, north of the cape.

Cyclone Tracy killed 65 people - 49 on land and 16 at sea - when it struck on Christmas Eve 1974. The winds were recorded at 217kph at the Darwin Airport before the anemometer was destroyed.

The residents of the Aboriginal communities of Hopevale and Wujul Wujul, home to more than 1,500 people, were on standby today to evacuate, along with the nearby 2,000-strong township of Cooktown.

In Cairns, more than 340km south, emergency workers were filling sandbags, the port was closed and fishing trips cancelled, with a
3.4 metre king tide scheduled to hit early tomorrow.

Authorities were concerned because more than 20 per cent of the city's 130,000 residents had never experienced a cyclone, having moved from southern states within the last five years.

"The big thing is to stop the panic,'' said Cairns City Council disaster management unit co-ordinator Tim Daniel, after meeting with police, state emergency services and health authorities.

"If we have a major flood surge, no amount of sandbags is going to protect us from that.''

Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre Regional Director Jim Davidson said Cyclone Ingrid was half the size of Cyclone Tracy, but had a core twice as big.

"The destructive core is about twice the size of Tracy,'' he said.

"The trouble with Tracy was it moved so slowly across Darwin it battered it for six hours on end.

"Anyone in the path of this cyclone should get under cover, the sea level could rise several metres above the high water mark.

"It's one of the most severe cyclones we've seen in a long time.

"This is a one-off, the environmental conditions were perfect for this cyclone to form. That's why we have it at the intensity it is . . . it's just a very unusual set of circumstances.

"There were very warm sea surface temperatures, very light winds in the upper atmosphere and nothing to break up the cyclone.

"The trough underneath, threatening to break it up is now gone.

"The winds that are steering it are coming from the east. We expect it to keep drifting towards the Queensland coast."

Historic threat

If Cyclone Ingrid does cross the coast it will be the first category 5 cyclone to make landfall in Queensland in almost 90 years.

Manfred Greitschus, from the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, says there have been only three severe tropical cyclones approaching the intensity of Ingrid.

They include category 4 Althea, which devastated parts of Townsville in 1971, and Cyclone Aivu, which crossed the coast in the Burdekin.

"We get very few category 5 cyclones in the Coral Sea," Mr Greitschus said.

"In fact, the last category 5 cyclone was had was Aivu in 1989.

"It crossed the coast as a category 3 but it was a category 5 out in the Coral Sea.

"We have to go back to 1918 where we had a very significant category 5 crossing the coast at Mackay, which did a lot of damage."

Situation At:               7PM EST Wednesday 9 March 2005
Warning Area:             Cape Grenville to Cape Flattery and inland across central Cape York Peninsula
Watch Area:             Kowanyama to Weipa
Location:             13.6S 144.8E
Recent Movement:             WSW at 8 km/h

Ingrid has continued to weaken over the past few hours and is now classified as
a category 3 tropical cyclone. The cyclone still poses a serious threat to far
north Queensland with a very destructive winds near the centre and the potential
to generate a dangerous storm tide.

Gales are expected to develop between Cape Grenville and Cape Flattery this
evening. Destructive winds are expected between Lockhart River and Cape
Melville overnight. The centre of the cyclone with very destructive wind gusts
to 220km/h, is expected near the coast east of about Coen on Thursday morning.

Coastal residents between Coen and Cape Melville are specifically warned of the
dangerous storm tide as the cyclone crosses the coast early Thursday. The sea is
likely to rise steadily to a level significantly above the highest tides of the
year with damaging waves, strong currents and flooding of low-lying areas
extending some way inland. People living in areas likely to be affected by this
flooding should be prepared to evacuate if advised to do so.

Landslides Plague Homeowners, Motorists In Wake Of Storms
Slide Uproots Driveway

POSTED: 5:11 pm PST March 8, 2005
UPDATED: 5:37 pm PST March 8, 2005

ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif. -- A landslide placed a pair of Anaheim Hills homes in jeopardy Tuesday evening.

The slide caused the driveway of a Circle Haven Court home to buckle. The home was red-tagged as dirt from a nearby hillside collapsed onto the residence.

Dirt fell from the edge of another property's backyard on White Lantern Lane. A backyard pool was drained. Images: Anaheim Hills, Malibu Slides

Firefighters and building safety inspectors are at the scene.

In Malibu, two landslides have closed a portion of the Pacific Coast Highway. PCH north between Coastline Drive and Topanga Canyon Boulevard is closed Tuesday night.

Rocks and dirt fell from a hillside Tuesday afternoon. Authorities did not say when the lane would reopen.

More than 70 L.A. roads closed, causing backups

By Lisa Mascaro, Staff Writer

With key canyon shortcuts still closed because of storm damage, freeway congestion has worsened this week, creating nightmare commutes for motorists in San Fernando Valley and North Los Angeles County.

The closures of Laurel Canyon and Topanga Canyon boulevards have forced commuters onto the Ventura and San Diego freeways, creating monster backups for motorists heading over the hill in the morning and back home at night. In all, more than 70 streets across Los Angeles County remained closed.

"The 405's been a little busier, as far as congestion ... a lot of people are having to take that alternate route," said California Highway Patrol Officer Rick Quintero.

In addition to stabilizing saturated canyon hillsides, crews have been at work to repair a yawning sinkhole on Tujunga Avenue in Sun Valley. The city has spent $1 million to fill the pit, which is 20,000 cubic yards -- about the size of 400 backyard swimming pools -- with boulders and concrete.

Permanent reconstruction is slated to get under way in June, after the rainy season ends, said Public Works Department spokeswoman Cora Jackson Fossett.

"Our goal was just to get it under control to prevent the likelihood of further damage," she said.

City officials said they have filled more than 19,700 potholes since Dec. 28 -- 6,700 of them in the last two weeks.

A massive sinkhole opened Wednesday near Pasadena, demonstrating how unstable the ground can be even after the rains have passed, said Ken Pellman, spokesman for the county Department of Public Works.

"The storm damage can show up days after the storms, weeks later," he said. "Now we're seeing this in low-lying areas. It's not just the canyon areas that have been hit."

This winter has been the third rainiest on record, with 33.91 inches falling since July 1. Storms in late December and early January led to a federal emergency declaration, and subsequent storms have put the damage at millions of dollars.

The National Weather Service forecasts a 30 percent chance of showers today and Saturday, but said no major storm is expected until late next week. Sunday is expected to be partly cloudy with a high of 70 degrees.

Cyclone Ingrid blows west

Remote communities on western Cape York are bracing for the arrival of Cyclone Ingrid, which has brought heavy rain and strong winds to the region.

Cyclone Ingrid crossed the coast this morning as a category 4, but has since been downgraded to a category 1.

At 5:00pm AEST the cyclone was about 30 kilometres east of Aurukun, and moving west-south-west at 18 kilometres per hour.

The weather bureau says destructive winds of up to 120 kilometres-per-hour are likely to continue near the centre of the cyclone.

Ingrid is expected to move into the Gulf of Carpentaria later tonight and strengthen as it moves west.

Higher than normal tides are expected between Mapoon and Cape Keerweer.

Cathy Muller, from the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, says Ingrid will have a significant impact despite being downgraded.

"Because of its lack of size it's not a great rain producer, but for the Cape York Peninsula area there will be localised flooding with some very heavy rain fall," she said.

Charter boat operator Ross Fenn has sought shelter in a narrow part of the Archer River.

"We've got the boat tied at both sides, to both sides of the creek, to big mangroves either side of the creek and we've got about 30 to 40 knots and heavy rain," he said.

Ingrid is expected to move west towards the Northern Territory over the next few days.

Clear day after tornado strikes town
Mar 11, 2005

Greymouth residents have woken to a clear day after a tornado cut a swathe of destruction through the West Coast town on Thursday.

The tornado destroyed 13 homes and damaged 24 businesses, leaving 30 people homeless. No one was seriously hurt.

Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn told Breakfast he was almost collected by a piece of flying debris.

Residents said black clouds billowing in the sky were the first signs of the tornado.

"I was very scared. I heard this really large noise and I looked up ... and huge bits of iron were flying through the air," Jessie Deck said.

The winds were so strong they hurled a truck into a lagoon, snapped power poles in half and tossed debris onto cars - flattening them.

Thirty residents at the Kowhai Manor Rest Home were evacuated and spent Thursday night in the hospital.

The priority now, Kokshoorn says, is helping those left homeless and repairing the rest home.

"We had phone calls from everywhere. Every carpenter in Greymouth was on the job trying to help. We had phone calls from the Buller District Council, Western District Council, Economic Development Trust, they all offered help financially. The way people rallied together was just remarkable," Kokoorsh says.

He predicts the cost of the damage will be in the millions, but expects it only to take a matter of weeks before the town is back to normal.

"It's remarkable how things jump into action. It's in recovery mode now - there's people helping in all directions, clearing the roads and the streets," he says.

MetService says the West Coast is more at risk of tornadoes than any other part of the country.

Forecaster Gerard Bellam says about 20 tornadoes a year are seen on the West Coast but they are generally over farm land.

The storms develop over the Tasman Sea where there is a lot of moisture in the air and tornadoes are triggered when the storms hit the land.

Thursday's tornado missed the main shopping centre, twisted up the Grey River into a residential area before crossing to a lagoon across town and up into the hills.

"It only lasted about five minutes from go to whoa," Kokshoorn says.

The town will be holding a meeting on Friday morning to assess what help is needed. Otherwise, all of the essential services are working, Kokshoorn says.

Tornado hits Fontana area; no injuries reported (03-10-05)

The old saying "there is a first time for everything" came true in Fontana on March 4 when a small tornado hit the western unincorporated county area, causing minor damage to several homes and buildings while frightening residents, authorities said.

The incident, which took place at about 12:25 p.m., surprised nearby residents, who after watching the sky turn black, saw marble-sized hail pour into the ground, followed by violent swirling winds which carried lots of deadly debris.

"The wind sounded noisier than a train. Then I went outside and I saw a bathtub flying in the air," said Claudia Vazquez. "I immediately ran inside the house and took cover. I didn't know what was happening. Then I heard that it was a tornado. I couldn't believe it. It was very scary. I have never experienced anything like this in my life."

When the tornado finally stopped, damage was visible to a water well owned by the Fontana Water Company located at the intersection of Elm and Citron avenues. The approximately 20-by-20-foot roof had flown away about 30 feet from the original site, landing on top of a fence that prevents residents from going onto the railroad tracks (see photo above).

According to Jim Wonser, production foreman for the Water Company, it could take about $5,000 to repair electrical circuits and install a new roof to the water well.

In addition, residents also found downed cable lines which required the assistance of the Edison Company to reestablish services, and broken tree limbs that were cleaned by San Bernardino County road crews.

AFTER AN extensive door-to-door search for any signs of injured residents, authorities only found damages to patio furniture and other items that were outside when the tornado hit.

"There are no reports of injured or dead people in the tornado's half-mile path," said San Bernardino County Fire Battalion Chief David Nunez. "Residents were very fortunate because usually tornadoes carry a lot of debris that could cause a lot of damage if struck by one."

Laura Velazquez, 14, was returning home from school when she encountered first-hand how furious a tornado could be.

"I saw the trees getting pounded. Then I saw trash going from place to place. I thought it was a tornado but I wasn't sure because tornadoes don't happen in California," said Velazquez. "My first reaction was to stop and take cover. I ran behind a car and stayed there for about five minutes until everything stopped. It really scared me. I'm still shaking."

Bryan Noriega, 22, also saw how the tornado carried trash cans into the air, and as he entered his house to gain protection from flying debris, he watched the walls move from side to side.

"I was about to get into my car to go to work when I heard a rumble, like a train. Then I turned around and I saw trash flying," said Noriega. "I wanted to get into my car and drive away, but then I thought, no because I could get hit. I got into my house and I saw things hanging from the wall falling down. The fan and lamps were also shaking like they do during an earthquake. I looked outside and I saw my dog's house literally flying away. It was something else."

TORNADOES are not common in California, although in the last month, two of them have been reported to cause minor damage to Fallbrook, a city near San Diego, and a region near Temecula.

Tornadoes are, according to the National Weather Service, more common in the central plains of North America, east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Appalachian Mountains.

However, if changes in wind speed and direction occur, then an invisible horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere could develop, forming a tornado in any region of the world.

According to the Tornado Project Online, if a tornado warning has been given, it is because one has been spotted or is about to hit ground and attention should be paid.

In case a tornado hits, the best thing to do is look for shelter; a closet or bathroom could be used in case there is no outside underground shelter.

Shelter or not, families should be prepared with a first aid kit with essential medications, according to the American Red Cross.

In addition, families should have a battery operated radio, flashlight, extra batteries, bottled water, canned food and can openers, sturdy shoes and work gloves, and written instructions on how to turn off home utilities at hand at all times.

"We are used to earthquakes and we know what to do, but I don't think people are prepared for tornadoes," said Vazquez. "Now I now they could happen and we have to be prepared. I hope I don't see one again in my life. They are very scary."