 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 20 February 2010 |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 51 |
| Damage | >€1 billion (US$1×109 in 2010) |
| Areas affected | Madeira,Portugal |
| [1] | |
The 2010 Madeira floods and mudslides were the result of an extreme weather event that affected Madeira Island in Portugal's autonomous Madeira archipelago on 20 February 2010. The flash flood killed 51 people,of whom 6 are still to be found,and injured 250. Around 600 people were left homeless. [1] [2]
The rainfall was associated with an active cold front and an Atlantic low-pressure area that was over the Azores and moved northeastwards on 19 February 2010. [3]
This storm was one in a series of such storms that affected Spain,Portugal,Morocco and the Canary Islands with flooding,rain and high winds. These storms were bolstered by an unusually strong temperature contrast of the sea surface across the Atlantic Ocean. Abnormally warm waters had been widespread off West Africa whereas relatively cold surface waters had stretched between western Europe and the southeastern United States. [4]
The storm was exacerbated by the eruption cloud of the Soufrière Hills volcano. [5]
The floods and mudslides were the result of an extreme weather event that,in some places,dropped more than double the monthly average of rainfall in a very short period. Between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. local time (and UTC),108 mm (4¼inches) of rain was recorded at Funchal weather station and 165 mm (6½inches) of rain at the weather station on Pico do Arieiro. [3] The average rainfall in Funchal for the whole of February is 88.0 mm (3½inches). [6]
Damage was confined to the south of the island. [7]
The city of Funchal was heavily damaged by landslides. In one instance,mud and water gushed down a city street over cars and buildings. [8] Communications were seriously disrupted across the island. [9] [10] [11]
Amid the destruction,the airport was closed,bridges were washed away,and one man saw his family swept off by the waters. [12] [13] [14] One hotel manager commented,"This was worse than the last really big storm in 1993. We have been told that three inches of rain fell in an hour. I saw a new BMW floating past the end of my street today." [15]
As of 2020,five families still do not have a permanent home. [1]
Portuguese Prime Minister JoséSócrates said he was "absolutely saddened and shocked with the images,with the consequences of this calamity." [16] He promised the government would provide help to ensure Madeira could begin recovery work as quickly as possible. [17] Sócrates and Interior Minister Rui Pereira planned a flight to the island to examine and evaluate the damages and to coordinate aid efforts with the local autonomous government of Alberto João Jardim. Local government authorities made temporary shelters available for the homeless,estimated in the hundreds. The Portuguese military sent a naval frigate,containing medical equipment and a helicopter,to Madeira. [16] However,the Portuguese government declined to declare a state of emergency in the region,which would have made them eligible to obtain funds from the European Union,saying,“We don’t need anything from Brussels. We know exactly what we will do. We don’t need any help;we will solve our problems.” [18]
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office reported that five Britons sustained injuries,and one is missing. [19] As of 26 February,Portuguese official sources reported 42 dead and 8 missing,of whom only one was a tourist. [20]
Reconstruction and cleaning work started a few hours after the rainfall. On the same day,several dozen units of heavy machinery and trucks were seen in the streets of Funchal and other major affected sites,cleaning streets as well as rocks and mud accumulated in the "ribeiras". In the next few days this number peaked to several hundred heavy units and trucks operating in all affected sites. In spite of some access restrictions in the centre of Funchal and some other parts of the island,all services were soon fully functional and normal life was restored. No tourist resorts were affected by the event,except for a few small hotels inland where some blocked roads caused access restrictions. While full restoration of all affected infrastructure may take up to a few years and cost around €1.4 billion, [20] most of the island is fully functional.
In support of the flood victims,Real Madrid footballer and noted Madeiran Cristiano Ronaldo pledged to play in a charity match in Madeira,between the Portuguese Liga club Porto and players from Madeiran-based Portuguese Liga clubs C.S. Marítimo and Nacional. [21]
On 7 March 2010,the Mota-Engil group announced that it would make an investment of €1.2 million to build 10 houses for those who were made homeless as a result of the floods. [22]
Madeira,officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira,is one of two autonomous regions of Portugal,the other being the Azores. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean,in a region known as Macaronesia,just under 400 kilometres (250 mi) to the north of the Canary Islands and 520 kilometres (320 mi) west of the Kingdom of Morocco. Madeira is geologically located on the African Tectonic Plate,although it is culturally,politically and ethnically associated with Europe,with its population predominantly descended from original Portuguese settlers. Its population was 251,060 in 2021. The capital of Madeira is Funchal,which is located on the main island's south coast.
Hurricane Lili was the second costliest,deadliest,and strongest hurricane of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season,only surpassed by Hurricane Isidore,which affected the same areas around a week before Lili. Lili was the twelfth named storm,fourth hurricane,and second major hurricane of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm developed from a tropical disturbance in the open Atlantic on September 21. It continued westward,affecting the Lesser Antilles as a tropical storm,then entered the Caribbean. As it moved west,the storm dissipated while being affected by wind shear south of Cuba,and regenerated when the vertical wind shear weakened. It turned to the northwest and strengthened up to category 2 strength on October 1. Lili made two landfalls in western Cuba later that day,and then entered the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane rapidly strengthened on October 2,reaching Category 4 strength that afternoon. It weakened rapidly thereafter,and hit Louisiana as a Category 1 hurricane on October 3. It moved inland and dissipated on October 6.
The Savage Islands or Selvagens Islands are a small Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean,280 kilometres (175 mi) south of Madeira,and 165 kilometres (105 mi) north of the Canary Islands. The archipelago includes two major islands,Selvagem Grande and Selvagem Pequena,each surrounded by a cluster of islets and reefs,with the total area of 2.73 km2 (1.05 sq mi). The archipelago is administered as part of the Portuguese municipality of Funchal,belongs to the Madeiran civil parish of Sé,and is the southernmost point of Portugal.
Pineapple Express is a specific recurring atmospheric river both in the waters immediately northeast of the Hawaiian Islands and extending northeast to any location along the Pacific coast of North America. It is a non-technical term and a meteorological phenomenon. It is characterized by a strong and persistent large-scale flow of warm moist air,and the associated heavy precipitation. A Pineapple Express is an example of an atmospheric river,which is a more general term for such relatively narrow corridors of enhanced water vapor transport at mid-latitudes around the world.
Hurricane Stan was the deadliest tropical cyclone of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. A relatively weak system that affected areas of Central America and Mexico in early October 2005,Stan was the eighteenth named storm and eleventh hurricane of the 2005 season,having formed from a tropical wave on October 1 after it had moved into the western Caribbean. The depression slowly intensified,and reached tropical storm intensity the following day,before subsequently making its first landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula. While traversing the peninsula,the tropical storm weakened,but was able to re-intensify once it entered the Bay of Campeche. Under favorable conditions for tropical development,Stan attained hurricane strength on October 4,and later reached peak intensity with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 977 mbar (28.9 inHg). The hurricane maintained this intensity until landfall near Punta Roca Partida,Mexico later the same day. Once over the mountainous terrain of Mexico,however,Stan quickly weakened,and dissipated on October 5.
The history of Madeira begins with the discovery of the islands by Portugal in 1419. There is no record of anyone living on the islands at that time. Portugal began populating the island in 1420.
All types of floods can occur in California,though 90 percent of them are caused by river flooding in lowland areas. Such flooding generally occurs as a result of excessive rainfall,excessive snowmelt,excessive runoff,levee failure,poor planning or built infrastructure,or a combination of these factors. Below is a list of flood events that were of significant impact to California.
SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10R aircraft,registered as HB-ICK,that crashed on approach to Funchal Airport,Madeira,on December 18,1977.
The 2009 Messina floods and mudslides occurred in Sicily on the night of 1–2 October,mainly along the Ionian coast in the Province of Messina. They also affected other parts of northeastern Sicily and killed a total of at least 31 people,some of whom were swept out to sea. More than 400 people were left homeless,as many houses collapsed.
The global weather activity of 2010 includes major meteorological events in the Earth's atmosphere during the year,including winter storms,hailstorms,out of season monsoon rain storms,extratropical cyclones,gales,microbursts,flooding,rainstorms,tropical cyclones,and other severe weather events.
A series of floods and mudslides took place in January 2011 in several towns of the Mountainous Region,in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Casualties occurred in the cities of Nova Friburgo,Teresópolis,Petrópolis,Bom Jardim,Sumidouro and São Josédo Vale do Rio Preto. The floods caused at least 916 deaths,including 424 in Nova Friburgo and 378 in Teresópolis. While local media claims that the combination of floods,mudslides and landslides in Rio de Janeiro became the worst weather-related natural disaster in Brazilian history,some contend that a similar weather-related tragedy that took place in the same state in 1967 was much deadlier,and that an estimated 1,700 people lost their lives on that occasion.
Hurricane Rafael produced minor damage in the northeastern Caribbean Sea in mid-October 2012. The seventeenth named storm and ninth hurricane of the 2012 hurricane season,Rafael originated from a tropical wave roughly 230 mi (370 km) south-southeast of Saint Croix on October 12;because the system already contained tropical storm-force winds,it skipped tropical depression status. Though initially disorganized due to moderate wind shear,a subsequent decrease allowed for shower and thunderstorm activity to develop in earnest by October 14. While moving north-northwestward the following morning,Rafael intensified into a Category 1 hurricane. A cold front off the East Coast of the United States caused the system to turn northward and eventually northeastward by October 16,at which time Rafael attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 km/h). As the cyclone entered a more stable atmosphere and tracked across increasingly cooler sea surface temperatures,it began extratropical transition,a process the system completed by the following afternoon. However,Rafael's extratropical remnant persisted for another nine days,with the storm looping around a larger extratropical low over the north-central Atlantic,before turning southeastward and then eastward. Rafael's remnant later made landfall on Portugal on October 26,before dissipating later that day.
On the island of Madeira,a large number of different sports are practiced,both outdoor and indoor the various facilities available throughout the island.
Diário de Notícias,locally known as Diário de Notícias da Madeira,is a Madeiran newspaper headquartered in Funchal,Portugal. In January 2020 its daily circulation was on average 9023,making it the largest Portuguese regional newspaper in circulation. In 2016 it counted 5600 subscribers. Its Sunday magazine is D7.
The 2020 East Africa floods were a natural disaster in Rwanda,Kenya,Somalia,Burundi,Ethiopia,Uganda,Democratic Republic of Congo,Djibouti and Tanzania,affecting at least 700,000 people. They began when excessive rains began falling in March,leading to massive flooding and landslides. They caused more than 430 deaths,notably in Kenya and Rwanda. In the fall another round of floods hit the African Sahel.
Honduras,officially the Republic of Honduras,is a country in Central America. To the west of Honduras is Guatemala,to the south is Nicaragua,to the southwest is El Salvador,and to the north is the Caribbean Sea.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Dovi was a powerful tropical cyclone across the Southern Pacific in February 2022. The system became the third named tropical cyclone of the 2021–22 South Pacific cyclone season. The storm first formed in the Australian basin on February 4 before crossing over into the South Pacific. The storm caused one death in New Caledonia,and several mudslides occurred in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Dovi also caused flight cancellations and damage out of New Zealand.
Hurricane Kay was a Category 2 hurricane that made landfall along the Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula as a tropical storm. The twelfth named storm and eighth hurricane of the 2022 Pacific hurricane season,Kay originated from an area of disturbed weather that formed south of southern Mexico. Overall,damage from Kay totaled $10.62 million and it was responsible for five fatalities. Rain from the storm proved beneficial for firefighters battling the Fairview Fire in Southern California.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)