Philippines floods: 11 killed, 1 million displaced . . .

A man holds his shoes as he swims in floodwaters along a road in Marikina, Metro Manila August 7, 2012 (Seorang lelaki memegang kasutnya kerana dia berenang dalam air banjir di sepanjang jalan di Marikina, Metro Manila 7 Ogos 2012) (Reuters/Erik De Castro)

Ibu negara Filipina telah lumpuh akibat banjir yang bergerak pantas yang mengalir masuk ke bandar dari empangan sekitar, limpahan selepas 12 hari hujan monsun. Banjir yang telah mengorbankan 11 nyawa sebagai operasi menyelamat terus. Banjir kilat lemas Manila dalam satu hari sebagai rantau ini menerima setengah pemendakan purata Ogos hanya dalam masa 24 jam.

Orang-orang yang telah terperangkap oleh banjir di rumah-rumah mereka terpaksa mendapatkan diri mereka ke bumbung - ada yang masih menunggu untuk diselamatkan. Kerajaan telah menghantar 130 pasukan kecemasan, yang kini sibuk memindahkan orang. Paras air surut, tetapi masih terdapat mereka yang menunggu bantuan dalam ketiadaan air tawar dan makanan.

Semua dalam semua, kira-kira 1.2 juta orang di bandar sebanyak 12 juta telah terjejas. Hampir 800,000 daripada mereka melarikan diri dari tempat tinggal masing-masing. Antara mereka yang tinggal kebanyakannya warga tua dan lain-lain yang tidak dapat meninggalkan rumah-rumah mereka dengan cepat.

Ramalan cuaca untuk Manila meramalkan peningkatan pada hari Khamis, hari pertama yang cerah dalam 2 minggu dijangka. Banjir ini telah menjadi buruk di Manila sejak 2009 apabila banjir yang dibawa oleh angin taufan melanda Manila dan pinggir bandar, membunuh beratus-ratus.

1WC'sChannel REVIEW 2012: (Published: 08 August 2012) Rescuers pull a rubber boat as they evacuate residents from their flooded homes in Marikina, Metro Manila August 7, 2012 (TINJAUAN 1WC'sChannel 2012: (Published: 8 OGOS 2012) Penyelamat tarik bot getah kerana mereka memindahkan penduduk dari rumah mereka yang dilanda banjir di Marikina, Metro Manila OGOS 7, 2012) (Reuters/Erik De Castro)

Philippines floods: 11 killed, 1 million displaced . . .

The Philippines’ capital has been paralyzed by fast moving floods that poured into the city from surrounding dams, overflowing after 12 days of monsoon downpours. The deluge has already claimed 11 lives as the rescue operation continues apace.

The flash flood drowned Manila in one day as the region received half an average August’s precipitation in just 24 hours.

Those who were caught by the floods in their houses had to get to the rooftops - some are still waiting to be rescued. The government has dispatched 130 emergency teams, which are now busy evacuating people. The water level is receding, but there are still people waiting for help in absence of fresh water and food.

All in all, about 1.2 million people in the city of 12 million have been affected. Nearly 800,000 of them fled their dwellings. Among those who stayed are mostly the elderly and others who could not leave their houses quickly.

The weather forecast for Manila predicts improvements on Thursday, as the first sunny day in fortnight is expected. The flooding has become the worst in Manila since 2009 when a deluge brought by a typhoon devastated Manila and its suburbs, killing hundreds.

Motorists and passengers are trapped in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) as heavy rains continue in Valenzuela City, Metro Manila August 7, 2012 (Pemandu dan penumpang terperangkap di Lebuhraya di Luzon Utara (NLEX) kerana hujan lebat terus dalam Valenzuela City, Metro Manila 7 ogos 2012) (Reuters/Stringer)

Residents ride on a rubber boat after being evacuated from their flooded homes in Marikina, Metro Manila August 7, 2012 (Penduduk menaiki bot getah selepas dipindahkan dari rumah mereka banjir di Marikina, Metro Manila Ogos 7, 2012) (Reuters/Erik De Castro)

Rescuers search for victims buried by a landslide amid heavy rainfall in Quezon City, Metro Manila August 7, 2012 (Penyelamat mencari mangsa yang tertimbus oleh tanah runtuh di tengah-tengah hujan lebat di Quezon City, Metro Manila 7 OGOS 2012) (Reuters/Cheryl Ravelo)

A man transports vegetables on his motorcycle along a flooded street in Las Pinas, Metro Manila August 7, 2012 (Seorang lelaki mengangkut sayur-sayuran di atas motosikal sepanjang jalan yang banjir di Las Pinas, Metro Manila 7 OGOS 2012) (Reuters/Cheryl Ravelo)

Residents wait for their family members being rescued at the end of a flooded street in the village of Tumana, Marikina town, in suburban Manila on August 7, 2012 (Penduduk menunggu untuk ahli keluarga mereka yang diselamatkan di hujung jalan banjir di kampung Tumana, bandar Marikina, pinggir bandar Manila pada 7 Ogos 2012) (AFP Photo/Ted Aljibe)

Rescuers dig through the rubble of a landslide to try to rescue people buried after a landslide hit Quezon City in suburban Manila on August 7, 2012 (Penyelamat menggali melalui runtuhan tanah runtuh untuk mencuba untuk menyelamatkan orang yang tertimbus selepas satu kejadian tanah runtuh melanda Quezon city di pinggir bandar Manila pada 7 Ogos, 2012) (AFP Photo/Jay Directo)

Residents are evacuated from their flooded homes in the village of Tumana, Marikina town, in suburban Manila on August 7, 2012 (Penduduk dipindahkan dari rumah mereka yang dilanda banjir di kampung Tumana, bandar Marikina, pinggir bandar Manila pada 7 Ogos 2012) (AFP Photo/Ted Aljibe)

Residents manouever past electricity lines through floodwaters to climb on top of the roofs of their houses after a river overflowed in Manila on August 7, 2012 (Penduduk manouever talian elektrik yang lepas melalui air banjir untuk memanjat di atas bumbung rumah mereka selepas sungai yang melimpah di Manila pada 7 Ogos, 2012) (AFP Photo/Noel Celis)

Residents wade through floodwaters in Tinajeros, Malabon city, Metro Manila August 7, 2012 (Penduduk mengharungi melalui air banjir di Tinajeros, Malabon bandar, Metro Manila Ogos 7, 2012) (Reuters/Stringer)

Ribut Pantai Timur Amerika Syarikat: Hayati pesawat, 

bumbung robek, kuasa putus . . .

1WC'sChannel REVIEW 2012: A storm cloud begins to dump rain as it passes over the Brooklyn borough of New York, July 26, 2012 (Reuters/Lucas Jackson) (TINJAUAN 1WC'sChannel 2012: awan badai mula melambakkan hujan kerana ia merentasi kota kecil yang Brooklyn New York, Julai 26, 2012 (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

Hampir 300,000 rumah dan perniagaan kehilangan kuasa dan beratus-ratus penerbangan dibatalkan kerana ribut petir yang teruk dengan hujan, hujan batu dan angin kencang yang melanda Ohio, Pennsylvania dan New York.

Puting beliung yang pertama telah dilaporkan di selatan-tengah Negeri New York sekitar 04:00 waktu tempatan (20:00 GMT), di mana ia mengoyakkan bumbung dari bangunan dan orang-orang yang terperangkap di dalam kenderaan mereka. Ribut kemudian berpindah ke New York dan Philadelphia, diikuti oleh selatan New England.

Sebanyak 7 petang, penurunan kuasa telah meninggalkan lebih daripada 300,000 pelanggan di tiga negeri tanpa bekalan elektrik dan sekurang-kurangnya 842 penerbangan telah dibatalkan di Amerika Syarikat mengikut Bloomberg. Angin kencang Downing pokok dan talian kuasa, menyebabkan kebakaran. Banjir telah dilaporkan sebagai ribut bergolek timur. Di Williamstown, West Virginia, 3,15 sentimeter hujan turun dalam masa 25 minit.

Tiada Sebarang kecederaan yang serius telah dilaporkan pada takat ini. Ribut-ribut terbentuk di sepanjang hadapan udara sejuk yang menjangkau dari New York ke utara Texas.

A storm cloud begins to dump rain as it passes over the Brooklyn borough of New York, July 26, 2012 (Awan badai mula melambakkan hujan kerana ia merentasi kota kecil Brooklyn New York, Julai 26, 2012) (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

Clouds gather over apartment buildings ahead of a thunderstorm on the east side of Manhattan July 26, 2012 in New York. (Awan berkumpul di bangunan pangsapuri di hadapan ribut petir di sebelah timur Manhattan Julai 26, 2012 di New York) (AFP Photo/Stan Honda)

AFP Photo/Stan Honda

A storm cloud begins to dump rain as it passes over the Brooklyn borough of New York, July 26, 2012. (Awan badai mula melambakkan hujan kerana ia merentasi kota kecil Brooklyn New York, Julai 26, 2012) (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

Jessica Stansfield poses for a photo below an enormous uprooted tree after the town was hit by a tornado in Elmira, New York, July 26, 2012 (Jessica Stansfield menimbulkan gambar di bawah pokok besar tumbang selepas bandar itu dilanda oleh puting beliung di Elmira, New York, July 26, 2012) (Reuters/Adam Fenster)

Reuters/Adam Fenster

Downed power lines and trees are pictured on a street after the town was hit by a tornado in Elmira, New York, July 26, 2012 (Talian kuasa dijatuhkan dan pokok digambarkan di jalan selepas bandar itu dilanda oleh puting beliung di Elmira, New York, July 26, 2012) (Reuters/Adam Fenster)

Part of a roof lies on a sidewalk after the town was hit by a tornado in Elmira, New York July 26, 2012 (Sebahagian daripada bumbung yang terletak di kaki lima selepas bandar itu dilanda oleh puting beliung di Elmira, New York Julai 26, 2012) (Reuters/Adam Fenster)

A car drives past fallen trees on a street in Elmira, New York July 26, 2012 (Sebuah kereta sedang dipandu sebuah  pokok lalu jatuh di jalan di Elmira, New York Julai 26, 2012) (Reuters/Adam Fenster)

Reuters/Adam Fenster

Downed power lines and trees are pictured on a street in Elmira, New York July 26, 2012 (Talian kuasa dijatuhkan dan pokok digambarkan di jalan di Elmira, New York Julai 26, 2012) (Reuters/Adam Fenster)

US East Coast storms: Grounded planes, ripped roofs, power cuts . . .

Almost 300,000 homes and businesses lost power and hundreds of flights were canceled as severe thunderstorms with rain, hail and strong winds swept through Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

The first tornado was reported in south-central New York State around 4 pm local time (8 pm GMT), where it ripped roofs from buildings and trapped people in their vehicles. The storm then moved to New York City and Philadelphia, followed by southern New England.

By 7 pm, power cuts had left more than 300,000 customers in the three states without electricity and at least 842 flights had been canceled in the US according to Bloomberg. Strong winds were downing trees and power lines, causing fires. Floods were reported as the storms rolled east. In Williamstown, West Virginia, 3.15 centimeters of rain fell in just 25 minutes.

No serious injuries have been reported at this point. The storms formed along the front of cold air that stretched from New York to northern Texas.