“To be plagued with too much rain will destroy property and lives. It swells the rivers and creeks. Too much rain floods cities and towns. Large bodies of water at the ocean shore lines will be made to swell with unusually high waves,
dumping billions of tons of water over the now seashore line.”
—The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad,
“The Fall of America” page 157
“I said again, ‘Watch the weather!’—because God doesn’t fight with your cheap ‘weapons’! God fights with The Forces of Nature: Rain, hail, snow, wind, drought! He uses the insects and the animals, and turns nature against you! You can’t win in a war against God!”
—The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,
“Guidance for Our President and Our Nation,”
October 14, 2012
Flash floods leave 34 dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir as over 200,000 in Pakistan are displaced
NEW DELHI—Intense rains have left at least 34 people dead after lashing parts of Pakistan and India and triggering flash floods and landslides in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said Aug. 27. Over 200,000 people in Pakistan have been displaced, and the shrine of the founder of the Sikh religion has been submerged.
Heavy downpours and flash floods in the Himalayan region have killed nearly 100 people in August. Part of a mountainside in Indian-controlled Kashmir’s Jammu region collapsed onto a popular Hindu pilgrimage route following heavy rains in the Katra area late Aug. 26. Devotees had been trekking to reach the hilltop temple, which is one of the most visited shrines in northern India, officials said.
Rescuers evacuated more than 20,000 people overnight from the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, which faced the risk of flooding. Those evacuated were living along the bed of the Ravi river, said Irfan Ali Kathia, director-general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.
Kathia warned floodwaters in the Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers were rising dangerously and many villages were inundated in Kasur, Okara, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Vehari and Sialkot districts.
Heavy rain causes flooding, landslides and deaths in Vietnam and Thailand
HANOI, Vietnam—Heavy rain caused flooding and landslides Aug. 27 in parts of Southeast Asia, where at least eight deaths were reported in the aftermath of a tropical storm.
Flooding occurred in several northern and central provinces of Vietnam, where seven people died, one was missing and 34 were injured, state media reported.
Nearly eight inches of rain fell in parts of northeast Vietnam and flood warnings remained for some riverside areas.
In neighboring Thailand, heavy rain on the evening of Aug. 26 into Aug. 27 triggered flooding in several northern provinces. In a town in Nan province, residents were evacuated as rivers swelled and water flooded their homes.
Authorities said more than 600 people were affected by the storm.
Firefighters try to corral California forest blaze as lightning strikes bring risk of new ignitions
FRESNO, Calif.—Firefighting crews tried to corral a fast-growing blaze churning through central California’s Sierra National Forest as forecasters warned Aug. 26 that lightning strikes from thunderstorms could spark new ignitions.
Since breaking out Aug. 24 afternoon, the Garnet Fire has scorched 14 square miles of grass, chaparral and timber in a remote area known for camping and hiking about 60 miles east of Fresno. There was no containment.
Firefighters were aided by scattered rain showers as they worked to protect the tiny Balch Camp community and nearby hydroelectric facilities along the Kings River, according to an Aug. 26 incident report.
Parts of central and northern California are under red flag warnings for increased fire threat from dry lightning that could accompany thunderstorms, the National Weather Service said.
After fearsome dust storm rips Phoenix area, trees cleaned up and power restored
PHOENIX—Crews cleaned up downed trees and got electricity mostly restored for thousands of people Aug. 26 after a powerful dust storm roared through the Phoenix area.
The wall of dust towering hundreds of feet high dwarfed the city’s neighborhoods. Called a haboob, the wind-driven phenomenon blackened skies and initially knocked out electricity for 55,000 customers late Aug. 25 afternoon.
Drenching rain followed. Flights came to a halt at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where material from a terminal roof blew onto the tarmac. Contractors worked through the night to repair roof damage, airport spokesperson Jon Brodsky said.
By Aug. 26 afternoon, things were mostly back to normal, with power largely restored and only minor flight delays reported.
Not all dust storms are haboobs, which are specifically associated with downdrafts from thunderstorms. The phenomenon usually happens in flat, arid areas and is not unusual in Arizona.
The rain that followed was welcome in Phoenix, where conditions have been drier than usual this year. The desert city usually gets roughly seven inches of annual precipitation, with a third to half of that falling during the monsoon season of on-and-off thunderstorms between mid-June and mid-September.
But so far it has recorded only about 2 inches of precipitation, or more than 2.5 inches below normal, according to the National Weather Service.
(Compiled from Associated Press reports.)