Severe storms produced large hail, high winds and more than 35 tornadoes across many central and southern states. The states most affected were Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Michigan where there was considerable damage to homes, businesses, agriculture, vehicles and other infrastructure.
Severe storms impact numerous southern and eastern states including Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Impacts from high wind and tornadoes cause widespread damage to homes, vehicles, businesses, government buildings and infrastructure.
A strong winter storm produced snow, high winds and bitter cold across numerous Northeastern states. High winds caused widespread power outages in Massachusetts while Mount Washington, New Hampshire observed a wind chill temperature of -108 degrees Fahrenheit. This was one of the coldest wind chill temperatures ever recorded in the United States.
Hail storms impact Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. The most damaging impacts were in central Texas including Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock and Arlington on September 24. Towns north of Austin in particular were impacted by baseball sized hail causing damage to homes, vehicles and businesses.
Numerous hail storms caused extensive damage across south-central Minnesota. Golf ball to baseball-sized hail caused damage to the windows, siding and roofs of many homes, vehicles and businesses.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach in the Big Bend region of Florida as a strong Category 3 hurricane with winds of 125 mph. Idalia was the strongest hurricane to hit the Big Bend region in more than 125 years. Storm surge was about 8 feet above ground at Cedar Key, which caused heavy damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and other infrastructure. Other Big Bend coastal communities were also inundated by storm surge. Idalia produced 5 to 10 inches of rainfall across the Big Bend region of Florida and southeastern portions of Georgia and the Carolinas. The relatively low population density of the Big Bend region helped to reduce the physical exposure and damage costs. Significant flooding was reported in downtown Charleston, SC and nearby Edisto Beach. There was also 2 to 4 feet of storm surge along the Carolina coastline, which was exacerbated by the full moon and high tide cycle.
The resurgence of the Dengue epidemic in Mali since 9 September 2023, marks one of the most severe outbreaks in decades. With cases spreading rapidly, the Ministry of Health and Social Development took proactive measures by hosting a press conference on 29 November 2023, to educate the public about the disease's progression and severity. Subsequently, on 13 December 2023, the Public Health Emergency Operations Department was activated, initiating the implementation of an Incident Management System (IMS) specifically tailored for Dengue and Zika. [...] Despite concerted efforts, the epidemiological situation remains challenging. As of the latest update from the Situation Report (SitRep) dated 18 March 2024, there have been 144 suspected cases of Dengue reported this week, with 35 confirmed cases and no fatalities. Since the beginning of 2024, a total of 2,053 suspected cases of Dengue have been reported, including 355 positive cases. Cumulatively, from week 34 of 2023 to week 11 of 2024, there have been 7,422 suspected cases, with 1,163 confirmed cases and 35 deaths, resulting in a fatality rate of 3.01%. This outbreak has affected 21 health districts across six regions.
Amid escalating levels of food insecurity, Timor-Leste is already showing clear signs of drought in twelve out of fourteen municipalities based on the Combined Drought Index, produced by the Government of Timor-Leste and FAO. In addition, the country is facing the looming possibility of an extended El Niño-induced dry season and predictions of sustained low rainfall into early 2024, all of which will severely impact agriculture. (WFP, 31 Oct 2023)
Zimbabwe detected seventeen (17) circulating vaccine derived polio virus type 2 (cVDPV2) from environmental samples in Harare since October 2023. The samples were from four polio environmental surveillance sites in Harare. Polio outbreak was declared a public health emergency (PHE) by the Minister of Health and Child Care in October 2023. An index human cVDPV2 was reported in a 10-year-old female AFP case in January 2024.
Two newly confirmed AFP cases (samples from contacts) have been reported this week (cumulative 23) with a NPAFP rate at 1.3 per cent children over 15 years. A total of 10,517,500 doses of nOPV2 were received on 29 January 2024 for the planned two supplementary immunization activities (SIAs). Expiry date 14/08/2025.
A joint press release on Round 1 national nOPV2 polio SIA done by the Honorable Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) with UNICEF, WHO and Partners on 16 Feb 2024.
Kazakhstan has recorded the highest incidence with 13,677 measles cases in 2023, which corresponds to over 639 cases per million population. There have been over 11 300 reported cases among children under 14 years of age in the country, with 70% of them being unvaccinated against measles.
On 26th September 2023, the National Ministry of Health declared a Hepatitis E Virus outbreak in Old Fangak, Jonglei State and Greater Pibor Administrative Area, after 3 out of 13 samples tested positive for HEV. The outbreak has affected 63 people and caused 12 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 19%.
Mongolia is currently facing a severe Dzud. This slow-onset disaster is unique to Mongolia and results from summer droughts followed by heavy snowfalls and extreme cold, leading to insufficient grazing pastures and hence underfed animals resulting in increased livestock mortality.
From the 22nd - 28th December 2023, most parts of the country received heavy rainfall coupled with strong winds which caused severe damages affecting 190 households (968pp). The impacts of the shocks (heavy rains and storms) were mostly felt by communities mostly in Maseru and Quthing district and lower impact was reported Berea, Mokhotlong, Thaba Tseka.
The Republic of Congo has been experiencing exceptionally heavy rainfall over most of the country for several weeks now. This situation has caused flooding in the country, which already has 320,891 people directly affected by the flooding, who are subject to displacement and severe losses as a result of this disaster. Situation as provided by the Government on 29 December 2023.
The worst affected departments are Likouala, Sangha, Cuvette, Plateaux, Niari, Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire (heavy downpours), with 361 villages and 36 neighbourhoods submerged due to the exceptional flooding of the Congo River and its tributaries over the last sixty years. The impact of the rains to date on the population already far exceeds the number of people affected over the OND period during the floods in 2021 (164,679 people_Evaluation with the Government) and 2022 (222,000 people).
According to experts, this rainfall is twice as heavy as the usual average. The deadly floods and heavy rains continue. The same source reported that the floods had caused 17 deaths in the departments of Likouala, Plateaux, Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.
6 people are missing in the Likouala and Cuvette departments. In all, more than 2,292 hectares of farmland were flooded.
On 16 December in the city of Bahía Blanca, south of the Province of Buenos Aires, gusts of over 140 kms per hour not only affected access to services such as electricity and water, but also had an impact on urban infrastructure and homes. On 18 December the Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires decreed a State of Emergency for 30 days for the entire territory of the Province, which was made official in the Official Gazette.
During a health screening event held for migrants in in Kulhudhuffushi City, a northern province of the Maldives during 01st - 02nd
December 2023, 25 positive cases of Lymphatic Filariasis was identified. Following the identification in Kulhudhuffushi City, health
screening activities were also carried out in Greater Male' Area, the capital which resulted in the identification of additional 07 cases. All
the positive cases identified so far are migrants. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) reports that the source of the disease is likely from
migrant individuals who have travelled to the Maldives from regions where the disease is endemic identifying Bahar, Uttar Pradesh,
Gopalganj and Tamil Nadu India as well as Comilla , Bangladesh countries where these individuals have travelled to the Maldives in the
past 06 months
Livelihood and food insecurity vulnerabilities continue to be of great concern in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Similarly, in Eswatini, the persistent dry spells further exacerbates the country's existing challenges of food insecurity. For successive years, Eswatini has been battling with prolonged drought whose effect on agriculture were further escalated by socio-economic cumulative challenges that the country did not overcome. ACAPS classification of the food insecurity in Eswatini on 30th November was high. 25% of the population is concerned by the food insecurity vulnerabilities with challenge accessing food needs and water insecure, with many households still reliant on welfare and social safety nets.
In the morning hours of Monday 18 December 2023, a major explosion occurred at Guinea's primary oil terminal situated in the Kaloum administrative district of Conakry, blowing out the windows of several nearby homes and forcing hundreds to flee. The incident led to a massive fire and the release of dense black smoke, visible from a considerable distance. Swiftly, firefighters arrived at the scene, while several tanker trucks departed from the depot, escorted by soldiers and police for protection. Even after the firefighters successfully brought the fire under control later in the day, a thick column of smoke and some flames remained visible. It is worth noting that Guinea does not produce oil and lacks oil refining capabilities. Instead, it relies on importing refined products, which are primarily stored in the Kaloum terminal and distributed throughout the country via trucks.
The current extent of the damage sustained by the terminal remains uncertain at this moment. However, this unfortunate incident has resulted in the loss of both lives and properties. The initial report on human casualties indicates that there are at least 12 fatalities, 190 individuals injured, and several people still missing. The injured have been promptly evacuated to Donka and Ignace Deen hospitals, while the deceased have been transported to the respective morgues. The current situation does not provide a definite count of the displaced individuals and the overall number of affected people. Nevertheless, the ongoing process of registration and assessment is already mentioning more than six thousands people being affected. Further data collection ongoing by Government and RC will offer a comprehensive understanding of the extent of the damage and the number of individuals requiring assistance. This information will be provided in SitRep#2.
FL-2025-000060-HTI Flood,Haiti: Intense rainfall during the night of 5 May caused several rivers in the North-East department to overflow their banks, resulting in significant flooding in the communes of Ouanaminthe and Ferrier. More than 3,200 houses were flooded in Ouanaminthe and around 700 in Ferrier, affecting more than 3,000 families, according to the General Directorate of Civil Protection.
The floods caused significant material damage, including the destruction of property, food crops and livestock, and the partial deterioration of national road number 6. To date, no fatalities have been reported. Those affected are facing urgent humanitarian needs.