Natural disasters that have impacted the world recently

(CNN Spanish) – While in the Northern Hemisphere drought conditions are expanding and worsening due to a record heat wave, in other parts of the world, such as Eastern Europe, catastrophic floods have killed at least 120 people and hundreds more missing. , according to authorities.

For decades, scientists have warned that climate change will make heat waves more frequent and intense and will cause extreme rain events during non-tropical hurricanes and flash floods.

Here we tell you what have been some of the natural disasters that have impacted the world in recent times.

Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands underwater

Catastrophic floods in Western Europe have killed more than 120 people, and hundreds more missing, authorities said, as large-scale rescue efforts continue amid rising water levels, landslides and power outages.

Shocking footage of the devastation in Germany and Belgium showed entire villages underwater, with cars wedged between collapsed buildings and rubble. The Netherlands and Luxembourg have also been affected by extreme rains.

Experts described the recent events as the heaviest rains in a century.

“Tsunami” of mud in central Japan

In early July, torrential rains triggered a powerful mudslide in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, about 90 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, Japan. The landslide destroyed some 130 buildings.

Japan is prone to avalanches, averaging up to 1,500 a year in the last decade, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the previous 10 years, according to a 2020 Japanese government report.

Flood-related disasters, such as landslides, are a traditional but serious risk for the country. This is because half of the Japanese population and 75% of the country’s assets are concentrated in flood-prone areas, experts say.

Iraq declares holiday amid extreme heat

On July 4, authorities in Iraq announced a public holiday, including the capital Baghdad, because it was simply too hot to work or study, after temperatures surpassed 50 degrees Celsius and its electrical system collapsed.

Tornadoes in the southern United States

Tropical Storm Elsa hit parts of the southeastern United States with tornadoes, according to reports, as it continued its way toward New York.

A possible tornado made landfall at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Kings Bay, Georgia on the evening of July 7, resulting in reports of multiple injuries and damage. Many of the injured were taken to local medical facilities for treatment, according to the base. Other tornadoes were reported in north Florida and southwestern Georgia.

Heat wave sweeps British Columbia

In British Columbia, Canadian authorities counted nearly 800 deaths between June 25 and July 1, 500 more than normal for that period and believed to be heat-related, according to Lisa Lapointe, chief medical examiner. from the province.

Specifically, the small town of Lytton, in southern Canada, has come to have a dismal record. An unprecedented heat wave claimed the lives of hundreds over a week and sparked more than 240 wildfires in British Columbia, most of which are still burning. Now the fires have turned much of Lytton to ash and forced its people, as well as hundreds around them, to flee.

Mass casualties due to heat wave in the United States

A historic heat wave is weighing down much of the Pacific Northwest in the United States, making the drought even worse. And July is just beginning.

Portland set an all-time high temperature record for three days in a row. Seattle also beat its own record, set on Sunday. Across the border, Lytton in British Columbia also broke all-time records on Sunday and Monday, recording temperatures that were nearly 9 degrees Celsius above normal.

At least 83 people have died from heat-related illnesses in Oregon, and authorities are investigating another 32 deaths. In Washington state, at least 78 people died.

“The unprecedented heat in the Northwest, combined with another week of dry weather, led to a worsening of drought conditions throughout the region,” according to the latest US drought monitor. Temperatures, which ranged from 1 to 6 degrees Celsius above average, increased evaporation, “further drying out soils and vegetation,” exacerbating the drought in the region.

High temperatures were also reported in much of California and Nevada, and parts of northwestern Arizona and southwestern Utah. This includes cities like Sacramento, Bakersfield, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and Phoenix.

At the opposite end of the country, more than 40 million people in the Northeast are also under heat warnings, including the New York, Philadelphia and Boston metropolitan areas.

Severe extreme heat in India

In India, tens of millions of people in the Northwest were affected by heat waves. India’s Meteorological Department classified the capital New Delhi and surrounding cities as experiencing “extreme severe heat” on Wednesday, with temperatures consistently hovering in the 40s Celsius, more than 7 Celsius above the average. usual, he said. The heat, coupled with a late monsoon, is also making life difficult for farmers in areas like the state of Rajasthan.

Madeline Holcombe, Hannah Gard, Taylor Ward, Emiko Jozuka, Junko Ogura and Blake Essig contributed to this report.