‘Remember his (the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s) words from the book “The Fall of America”; that God is going to use the Four Great Judgments of rain, hail, snow and earthquakes: ‘‘The four great judgments that Almighty Allah (God) is bringing upon America are rain, hail, snow and earthquakes.
The forces of nature are great weapons as we see them in play upon America. … What can you do with a God like that?” This is taking place not only in America, but throughout the world!’
—The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,
“God Will Send Saviours,” February 27, 2011
Crews battle South Florida wildfires that have burned thousands of acres
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—A pair of South Florida wildfires that torched thousands of acres in the Everglades over the weekend spread May 11, as fire crews worked to contain them.
The Florida Forest Service posted on Facebook that the growing fires were producing smoky conditions with reduced visibility, but containment operations were increasing. No serious injuries or property damage has been reported.
The larger of the two fires has spread to about 5,600 acres with 30% containment in the undeveloped area southwest of Fort Lauderdale, officials said. The National Guard is assisting state and local firefighters.
Fire rescue crews were also fighting a 300-acre blaze in southern Miami-Dade County, near Homestead, officials said. That fire is also 30% contained.
Dry conditions have led to other wildfires in other parts of the country. Fires destroyed dozens of homes in southern Georgia last month.
12 hospitalized after torrential rains trigger severe floods in northern Turkiye
ANKARA, Turkiye—Torrential rains have triggered severe flooding in a district near Turkiye’s Black Sea coast, inundating homes and businesses and sweeping away cars. At least 12 people were hospitalized with minor injuries, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The heavy rainfall late on May 12, caused rivers in the Havza district of Samsun province to overflow, sending waters rushing down streets, carrying vehicles and debris.
Anadolu said the basement and ground floors of several properties were submerged. Video footage showed a driver standing on top of a truck waiting to be rescued from the flood.
Anadolu said none of the injured were in serious condition. Some reached the hospital on their own while others were assisted by medical teams.
Firefighters, police and disaster teams were deployed to rescue stranded residents and to clear debris.
South Africa declares natural disaster for flooding
JOHANNESBURG—At least 10 people are dead with many homes destroyed in flooding caused by torrential rains across six provinces in South Africa that have hit informal settlements especially hard.
South African authorities have declared a natural disaster for the flooding, thunderstorms, high winds and even snowfall that have affected parts of the Western Cape, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces since May 4.
The declaration enables the government to use emergency funds and other resources to respond.
Cape Town was badly affected, and the Western Cape provincial government has ordered the temporary closure of schools and parts of the city’s Table Mountain tourist attraction.
Local officials there on May 12 said at least 26 informal settlements around the city had been affected by flooding, with over 10,000 structures damaged.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on May 11 expressed “deep sadness” over the loss of at least 10 lives due to the severe weather as winter in the Southern Hemisphere begins.
He said authorities are “making the best use of science to pre-empt some of these events and to respond to the aftermath.”
Experts have said severe floods across Southern Africa are intensifying, driven by extreme weather patterns. Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe experienced unusually heavy rains in recent months, with the region’s worst flooding in years.
In January, South Africa declared a national disaster over torrential rains and floods that killed at least 30 people in the North, damaged thousands of homes and washed away roads and bridges. (Compiled from Associated Press reports.)