Prophecy, Drought, Earthquakes, Famine, Pestilence, War, and Strange Weather.

[Soldier4Christ]

Villagers evacuate as volcano erupts in Tanzania


    DAR ES SALAAM, (Xinhua) -- Villagers living around Mount Oldonyo Lengai in northern Tanzania have fled their homes as the active volcano started erupting again.

    Local newspaper The Guardian on Saturday quoted Ngorongoro District Commissioner Assey Msangi as saying that minor eruptions at the volcano were not unusual.

    "I have not yet received an official report, but eruptions are a common phenomenon at Mount Oldonyo Lengai because they occur almost every year," the local government official said.

    The newspaper quoted eyewitnesses as saying that they heard rumbling sounds before the volcano began to discharge ashes and lava on Thursday.

    Mount Oldonyo Lengai, standing at 3,450 meters above sea level, is the world's only active sodium carbonite volcano and is therefore the world's only volcano that erupts natrocarbonatite lava.

    Natrocarbonatite lava usually contains almost no silicon and is much cooler in temperature than other lavas.

    The highly fluid lava measures 510 degrees Celsius as against basaltic lava that can be as hot as 1,100 degrees Celsius.

    Volcanic activities at Mount Oldonyo Lengai have been witnessed by many since the late 1980s. In July last year observers recorded a lesser eruption.

    The last explosive activity of Mount Oldonyo Lengai was recorded in 1966.

[Shammu]

 Quakes damage 18 historical monuments in Boroujerd
Borujerd, Lorestan Prov, April 2, IRNA

Iran-Quake-Damage
Recent quakes damaged 18 historical monuments in this western Iranian provincial city, said a cultural heritage official here on Sunday.

Head of the provincial office of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization Hojjatollah Yarmohammadi told IRNA that Jame Mosque, Imam Khomeini Mosque, Movasaqi religious theater, Nekouie religious theater, Qale Hatam bridge, Imamzadeh Jaafar (AS) mausoleum and the Iftikhar-ul-Islam, Birjandi and Mesri sanctuaries suffered five to 70 percent damage in the serial quakes.

Yarmohammadi said Imamzadeh Khalid Bin Ali (AS) mausoleum had sustained the highest damage in the event.

The official said that furthermore, 12 tourist sites and facilities were also damaged by five to 25 percent in the natural incident.

He said it is not yet clear how much the damage costs.

Based on statistics available, there are more than 200 historical places in Boroujerd, about 90 of which registered as national monuments.

Earthquakes, with the magnitudes falling in the range of 4.7, 5.1, 5.5 and six degrees on the Richter scale, rattled provincial cities of Boroujerd and Doroud from Thursday evening until early Friday.

The natural disaster killed 70 citizens and injured 1,300 others, devastating almost 330 villages partially or totally.

Quakes damage 18 historical monuments in Boroujerd

[Shammu]

400 Chinese students hospitalized with unknown flu

Sun Apr 2, 8:37 AM ET

BEIJING (AFP) - Over 400 students at a university in central China's Henan province were hospitalized with high fevers linked to an unknown flu virus, state press and a school official have said.

The outbreak began on March 26 when 22 students were hospitalized with high fevers, Xinhua news agency said.

The next day the number of sick students at the Henan University of Science and Technology in Luoyang city rose to 88, and on March 28 there were 208 sick students in the university's infirmary, it said.

"There were over 400 students that became feverish with the flu," a university official who declined to be named told AFP when contacted by phone.

He refused to detail what type of flu it was or how the outbreak had succeeded in infecting so many students.

Local health officials were currently trying to identify the flu strain, Xinhua said.

The temperatures of some of the students reached 39.6 degrees celsius (103.3 degrees Fahrenheit), it said.

The sick students were quarantined while school officials, under directions from provincial health authorities, cancelled classes and began disinfecting the university's 2,000 dormitory rooms, dining halls and classrooms, it said.

Most students were only hospitalized for about three days and released, the report said, adding that only several dozen students remained hospitalized as of Sunday.

400 Chinese students hospitalized with unknown flu

[Soldier4Christ]

Record flooding in Central Europe threatens Budapest


Hungary and the Czech Republic have declared states of emergency and the city of Budapest is under threat due to flooding from swollen rivers in Central Europe.

In the Hungarian capital, the Danube has reached a record 8.58 metres, flooding roads and tramlines around it and paralysing the transport network. The previous high in the capital was 8.48 metres during the catastrophic floods that hit central Europe in 2002.

Gabor Demszky, the mayor of Budapest, today called on drivers to use public transport during the flood crisis.

In all, Hungary has evacuated 516 people from their homes and over 11,500 houses are in danger of being flooded along stretches of the Danube and Ipoly rivers, affecting 32,600 inhabitants.

The situation is more acute in the Czech Republic, where seven of the 14 regions have declared a state of emergency thanks to the high levels of the river Elbe and other waterways.

Nearly 10,000 people have had to leave their homes, including around 1,000 in the north around the Czech city of Usti Nad Labem, and a further 1,000 around the town of Litomerice. With more heavy showers forecast for tomorrow it is likely to be days before evacuees will be able to leave emergency shelters.

Transport across the region has been disrupted with key roads cut by the rising flood water, and some of the region’s giant chemical companies have also been closed.

The level of the Elbe at Usti - the largest city in the region, with 100,000 inhabitants - fell by two cm (0.8 inches) to 8.83 metres (29 ft) in the five hours after midnight, according to the regional water authority.

"We cannot say the danger is over," said Milan Knotek, a spokesman for the city of Usti, in the region which has been hardest-hit. "Those people who have been evacuated will not be allowed back to their homes until the end of the week at the earliest."

The flooding, which started last week, was caused by quickly melting snow in the mountains and persistent rain. So far, it has not been as serious as flooding four years ago when flood waters devastated a large part of the Czech Republic, killing at least 16 people and causing nearly $2.5 billion in damage. At the time, the Elbe River reached 12 metres (40 ft) in some areas.

Unlike during the 2002 floods Prague has so far been spared any serious damage, although it remains on high alert. Frantisek Bublan, the Czech Minister of the Interior, gave warning that the situation could still worsen and threaten the capital.

Near the Czech city of Decin many homes and businesses were threatened by water or already flooded. Pumps have been working overtime at the now misleadingly named "Restaurant on the Elbe Beach" - the beach is already several metres under water.

"The damage is already 200,000 crowns and will certainly be more," said Frantisek Hrusova, 60, the restaurant’s co-owner, who stayed up with the pumps all night. "We were here in 2002 and here it is again in 2006."

He blamed the Government for failing to use the time in between to prepare better flood defences."Normal thinking people would have done something," he said.

The floods are already becoming a political issue ahead of general elections due in June. Decin’s deputy mayor, Vaclav Lesanovsky, stoked the controversy, saying: "Prague was the only place that has flood protection - nowhere else, not a metre. It is the fault of the central government. The financial demands are so heavy that towns and even regions cannot afford this on their own."

Jiri Paroubek, the Czech Prime Minister, said that the Government has already pledged 380 million crowns (€16.1 million) for the disaster. "But if that sum is not enough, we will seek alternative resources. I think that we will also turn to the European Union," Mr Paroubek said.

Bohuslav Sobotka, the Finance Minister, said that when the Cabinet meets tomorrow it will probably increase this year’s state budget by 5 billion crowns (€212 million) to pay for damages.

In the south-east of the country, the Morava River has burst its banks and flooded fields near the Austrian-Slovak border, forcing the evacuation of a nearby town in lower Austria. Additional soldiers have been drafted in to help reinforce weak spots.

Elsewhere, flooding was reported in Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia. Officials in the eastern German state of Saxony have ordered more than 1,000 people along the Elbe to leave their homes, including several hundred in the historic city of Dresden. The state of Saxony-Anhalt is also affected, with the Elbe flooding the inner city of Rosslau.

In Austria, a river dam burst yesterday forcing the partial evacuation of a village northeast of Vienna.

In neighboring Slovakia, some 1,300 houses in 200 towns and villages across the country were flooded so far, and 474 people were forced to leave their homes, the TASR news agency reported.

Floods across Central Europe in the last week have killed around a dozen people, disrupted transport and forced thousands to evacuate their homes.

[Shammu]

Tuesday, 4 April 2006, 10:00 GMT 11:00 UK
'Major melt' for Alpine glaciers
By Richard Black
Environment Correspondent, BBC News website, in Vienna

Europe's Alps could lose three-quarters of their glaciers to climate change during the coming century.

That is the conclusion of new research from the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) in Zurich.

Scientists base their conclusion on forecasts of temperature and precipitation changes in a new computer model of Alpine glaciation.

Glaciers are crucial in providing fresh drinking water, and are also key for tourism, irrigation and hydro-power.

There is already strong evidence of a major ongoing melt.

In the 1850s, according to WGMS data presented at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) annual meeting in Vienna, nearly 4,474 sq km of the Alps were glaciated.

By the 1970s, the area covered had fallen to just under 2,903 sq km, and in 2000, it was down to 2,272 sq km.

"From 1850 to the 1970s, there is an average loss of 2.9% per decade," WGMC's Michael Zemp told EGU delegates.

"From the 1970s until 2000 it is 8.2% per decade, and we see most of that increase since 1985," he said.

Warm projections

As temperatures rise, the minimum altitude at which glaciers form also rises.

To some extent that can be mitigated by changes in precipitation; more snow in winter will help glaciers accumulate more ice.

The WGMS has developed a computer model which calculates what projected temperature and precipitation changes for the Alps will mean for the glaciation altitude.

According to the OCCC, a national Swiss scientific grouping, summers are likely to get warmer by about 3C before the end of the century, and precipitation is likely to increase by about 10%.

"The summer temperature increase is 3C, which is very bad for glaciers," Dr Zemp told the BBC News website, "and the annual precipitation increases, which creates a bit better conditions for glaciers.

"You get a rise of 340m in the level that enables glaciation."

Across the Alps, this would mean a loss of 75% in the glaciated area.

Summer needs

This is only one projection for future Alpine climate, albeit one endorsed by an august scientific panel.

Summers could be cooler, winters could see higher snowfall.

But, commented Michael Zemp: "Even a rise of just 1C would see a loss of 40%.

"And even if you halted climate on today's level, glaciers would continue to retreat because of very bad years in the last two decades."

Melting of glaciers could be serious news for people living in or near the Alps.

They act as freshwater reservoirs, storing winter snowfall and releasing it over the summer, when it is most needed for drinking and agriculture.

Without them, the stored water would descend in a rush in spring, as soon as the snow began to melt.

'Major melt' for Alpine glaciers

[Shammu]

Fungal Eye Infections Rising
 Email this Story

Apr 3, 7:33 PM (ET)

By TRAVIS REED


ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Alison Bregman-Rodriguez felt like lightning struck her right eye - or like someone pulled skin out of it. For almost a month she couldn't work, drive or watch television. "I'd never felt so much pain," the 30-year-old Plantation social worker said.

It wasn't until several doctor visits later that Bregman-Rodriguez was diagnosed with a fungal eye infection, a condition difficult to treat that can cause blindness.

She's one of an alarming 21 cases treated so far this year at the University of Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, which typically sees that many in a year.

Even more peculiar is that 12 cases involved patients with contact lenses, while previously fewer than 2 percent of those infected wore them.

Increases have also surfaced in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are monitoring a dozen states - which are not being named - for an uptick.

The fungus, called fusarium, is commonly found in plant material and soil in tropical and subtropical areas. Without eyedrop treatment, which can last 2-3 months, the infection can scar the cornea and blind its victims.

"The question is why all of the sudden contact lens users were targeted by this organism, whereas before they have not been," said Dr. Eduardo Alfonso, medical director of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami. "The fungus has been around, contact lenses have been around - why have they formed a marriage now?"

Symptoms can include blurry vision, pain or redness, increased sensitivity to light and excessive ocular discharge.

Alfonso said researchers are trying to determine what's causing the increase, but the only common denominators right now are that most patients wore contacts and lived in a warm place where the fungus grew abundantly.

He recommends proper contact lens care, including washing hands with soap and drying with a lint-free towel before handling contacts or touching eyes. Lens storage cases should be replaced every three months and solution should be changed daily even if the lenses aren't used.

Alfonso says the fungus is tricky to detect because most infections in contact lens users have historically been bacterial, not fungal. He said diagnosis requires a lab culture not all doctors are prepared to take or read. The culture taken from Bregman-Rodriguez's eye, for example, didn't grow enough to test for weeks.

Further, the medicine used to treat fungal infections isn't widely available at pharmacies and often must be ordered.

However, Alfonso said the chances of blindness are very small if the infection starts at the periphery of the cornea and is properly identified.

The Florida Department of Health isn't calling the increase a public health problem, spokesman Fernando Senra said. However, he urged people to properly care for their contacts.

"It's basically something for people to become aware of," Senra said.

The hygienic advice was little comfort to Bregman-Rodriguez, who said she was already "a clean freak" about her lenses. She's still taking a regimen of steroids to shrink some remaining scarring below her pupil and says she'll never wear contacts again.

"Dr. Alfonso told me I was a lucky person, because most people probably would've had to get a cornea transplant," she said. "They were able to find out what it was in time, but that even scares me because so many people don't go to the doctor right away to get a culture. Imagine what can happen."

Fungal Eye Infections Rising

[Shammu]

Climate Change - Alaska

Evacuations have begun in Western Alaska, where rising sea levels will soon wipe out an Eskimo village. House by house, the Alaskan Eskimo village of Shishmaref is falling into the ocean. Shishmaref sits on an island a quarter of a mile across and two and a half miles long. Its 600 people are moving. They call themselves the first refugees of global warming. "It's like an ice cube with a bunch of houses on it, sitting on the beach. If it stays really cold, these houses can sit there forever, but if it warms just a little bit, the ice cube starts to melt, and the houses start to shift," said Chris Field of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology. National Geographic reports global temperatures could rise as much as 10 degrees by the end of the century. The 1990s were the warmest decade since record keeping began in the 1800s. In just the past 50 years, temperatures in parts of Russia, Canada and Alaska have increased as much as 7 degrees. The hard sea ice that once protected Shishmaref has begun to melt, making the village more vulnerable to giant storms and waves, Field said. Many scientists say what's happening shows the power of global warming.

"These communities are like canaries in a mine," said Patricia Cochran of the Alaska Native Science Commission. "What happens here will happen to rest of the world." But some critics say Alaska is just one fragile spot and not necessarily a sign of a larger global warming phenomenon. "The damage from the small little village is from waves coming off ocean not necessarily the lack of ice," said Jan Null of Golden Gate Weather Services. "There's some talk that it's because there's not as much ice, there's more wave action, but there may've been more storms in recent years." Some scientists say they expect the north to warm faster than the rest of the world, but it's hard to predict what that will mean for Californians. "The global projections now say we might have global average warming of 3 to 10 degrees," Field said. "Shishmaref already has warmed 7 degrees. In California, we might see more. We might see less." What experts don't know is how much of the temperature change is caused by nature and how much by human pollution.

Climate Change - Alaska

[Shammu]

Record ocean waves are recorded

SOUTHAMPTON, England, April 3 (UPI) -- British scientists report observing some of the largest waves ever measured -- reportedly so big, some computer models indicate they shouldn't even exist.

The observations occurred Feb. 8, 2000, aboard the Royal Research Ship Discovery during a scientific expedition to the North Atlantic, 155 miles west of Scotland, when a series of gigantic waves hammered the vessel.

The scientists set to sea because an intense storm was forecast and the researchers from Britain's National Oceanography Center, located in Southampton, wanted to closely observe it, der Spiegel reported.

The scientists' measuring instruments showed the tallest of the waves was nearly 98 feet high and the giant waves shook the ship for 12 hours, said Naomi Holliday, the leader of the expedition.

The Discovery's crew witnessed waves of up to 95 feet from trough to crest -- the highest waves ever measured by a scientific instrument on the open sea, according to an article the scientists published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The new data may be troubling for shipbuilders, said der Spiegel, since the scientists' data suggest giant waves may be much more common than has been thought.

Record ocean waves are recorded

[Shammu]

Calif. Levees Break, Flooding Trailer Park

14 minutes ago

MERCED, Calif. - Two levees broke Tuesday in California's chief agricultural region, flooding a trailer park and threatening other homes in Merced and inundating farmland near Sacramento.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries across the Central Valley.

Rain has saturated Northern California for the past month and more is expected over the next several days.

Water breached a 30-foot section of levee along a creek in Merced, sending water pouring through a mobile home park, said Michael Miller, a spokesman for the Department of Water Resources.

South of Sacramento, a Consumnes River levee gave way, swamping pastures but not threatening any homes. The same area broke in January during heavy storms. The amount of land under water not immediately known.

San Francisco had a record 25 days of rain in March. Oakland, San Rafael and Santa Rosa also broke rainy-day records in March. Sacramento received 5.29 inches of rain in March, nearly 2 1/2 inches more than average, according to the
National Weather Service.

The rain also is melting snow in the mountains, swelling streams in the Central Valley.

Calif. Levees Break, Flooding Trailer Park

[Shammu]

Gray's new prediction: Busy storm season

By DAVID LARIMER
FLORIDA TODAY

The nation's most prominent hurricane forecaster and his team today updated predictions for the 2006 season, echoing an earlier report: It will be a busy and dangerous year.

Dr. William Gray stuck with projections from his December 2005 forecast: There will be 17 tropical storms, nine of them strengthening to hurricane status and five of those becoming major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 mph or higher.

But one item in his newest report is causing concern for Florida and the East Coast of the United States. The Colorado State University scientist said there is a 64 percent chance of a major hurricane making landfall in the region. The average for the last century is 31 percent, Gray said.

This region stretches from Cedar Key on Florida's west coast up to Maine, WKMG Local 6 meteorologist Larry Mowry pointed out.

"These are the highest percentages for this area in the last four years," Mowry said.

Last year, the Atlantic Basin had a record 27 tropical storms -- so many that the National Hurricane Center had to turn to the Greek alphabet for names. Of these storms, 15 grew into hurricanes with sustained winds of 74 mph or higher and seven became major hurricanes with winds more than 110 mph.

The historic average is 10 tropical storms, six hurricanes and 2.5 intense hurricanes.

The new forecast has a silver lining in the storm clouds -- scientists believe the next two years will be calmer than the 2004-05 seasons in landfalling major hurricanes.

"Even though we expect to see the current active period of Atlantic major hurricane activity to continue for another 15-20 years, it is statistically unlikely that the coming 2006 and 2007 hurricane seasons, or the seasons which follow, will have the number of major hurricane U.S. landfall events as we have seen in 2004-2005," the Colorado State scientists said.

La Niña prevails

Scientist said a La Niña pattern exists in the Pacific Ocean, which can lead to a busy hurricane season.

The Colorado State atmospheric team said either neutral or weak La Niña conditions are expected to be present during the June 1 to Nov. 30 Atlantic hurricane season.

La Niña is marked by cool sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, meaning there will be fewer thunderstorms that can shear off the tops of budding hurricanes in the Atlantic.

On the other hand, El Niño is marked by warmer-than-normal sea temperatures, which can lead to more thunderstorms capable of capping hurricane activity.

New prime author of forecast

The latest forecast has a new main author for the first time with Gray handing over prime responsibility to scientist Phil Klotzbach.

"After 22 years (since 1984) of making these forecasts, it is appropriate that I step back and have Phil Klotzbach assume the primary responsibility for our project’s seasonal, monthly and landfall probability forecasts," Gray said.

Gray's new prediction: Busy storm season

[Shammu]

Record-Breaking Rainy Month in Hawaii Clears to Reveal Blue Skies

April 4, 2006

Hawaii residents awoke to sun after more than 40 days of downpours that left a wake of havoc across the islands and broke records for rain at the wettest place on earth.

Nearly 92 inches -- or about 7.5 feet -- of rain were recorded during March at Mount Waialeale, considered the rainiest spot on the planet. The previous record was about 90 inches in April 1971, according to the National Weather Service.

Even the normally dry Honolulu Airport received more rain in the first three months of 2006 than in all of 2005.

The near biblical downfall left the islands disheveled with debris, flooded homes, and led to a sewage spill in the water off Waikiki.

The largest toll was taken on Kauai, where seven died when a century-old earthen dam strained by the heavy rains burst March 14 sending a wall of water crashing through homes to the sea.

Last week, a sewer line broke when it was overwhelmed by heavy rain and sent some 48 million gallons of raw sewage into the ocean. But the beaches of Waikiki were open again Saturday, with only a hint of suntan lotion lingering in the air and crowds back on the sand -- though fewer than usual in the water.

Sitting on towels with three friends at Waikiki, Susan Orr, of Colby, Kan., said she came to Hawaii in honor of her 50th birthday. It was the last day of their vacation, and the first decent day of sun.

"Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose," she said.

Honolulu was still cleaning up after a massive downpour Friday that sent mud sliding down hills and turned streets into gushing rapids of brown churning water.

Along with flooding homes, the rain sent merchandise floating at Kahala Mall, where waters rushed into a movie theater and inundated 90 shops with more than a foot of water.

Larry Leopardi, division chief of road maintenance for Honolulu, said the spate of rain that began on Feb. 19 has been like living in a hurricane.

"It's one of those storms that keeps giving," said Leopardi, whose crew have been working around the clock seven days a week.

Gov. Linda Lingle took a tour of area on Oahu damaged in Friday's floods. The tour with state Adjutant General Robert Lee and Civil Defense Vice Director Ed Teixeira began with a look at a Manoa home damaged by a landslide earlier this week and a walk through flooded Kahala Mall.

With Department of Land and Natural Resources Director Peter Young, Lingle later surveyed the damage from the air -- including the North Shore where the Kahuku High School track was partially flooded.

"It would be hard for anyone to understand what the rains and flooding had done to these affected areas, unless one could see it on the ground and from the air," Lingle said. "It was quite dramatic."

She and other officials are trying to determine if the storms that began in February qualify the islands for federal disaster relief assistance.

Record-Breaking Rainy Month in Hawaii Clears to Reveal Blue Skies

[Shammu]

Austria Struggles to Control Floodwaters

BY VERONIKA OLEKSYN, Associated Press Writer Wed Apr 5, 6:21 PM ET

VIENNA, Austria - Troops and firefighters joined the struggle to shore up dams in several northeast Austrian towns Wednesday, as floodwaters rose across the region.
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Hundreds of homes have been flooded across Lower Austria province, northeast of Vienna, and more than 1,000 people have been evacuated amid fears that the water will burst through dam walls.

The threat of flooding eased, however, in the neighboring Czech Republic and Hungary, after days of rising water levels.

The flooding was caused by quickly melting snow and heavy rains across much of the region. But with more rain in the forecast for most of Austria, authorities were pessimistic about a rapid retreat of the water.

Austrian authorities evacuated the village of Zwerndorf late Wednesday, a national television station reported.

"Because of the high water levels these past few days, the dams have softened and are weak and so for security reasons, we have decided to evacuate the village of Zwerndorf because we can't say for sure that the dam will hold," regional official Karl Gruber told state broadcaster ORF.

Cracks appeared overnight in a dam in the town of Stillfried-Grub, about 25 miles northeast of Vienna, after floodwaters burst through another dam a day earlier, Gruber told the Austria Press Agency.

Some 500 troops and 750 firefighters worked feverishly Wednesday to patch the breach.

Crews were also working to contain flooding in Duernkrut, a village where another dam over the swollen March River partially gave way Monday, forcing evacuations. On Wednesday, authorities blew up part of a street to help drain the road, according to ORF.

More workers struggled to stabilize dams in Mannersdorf, Droesing and Sierndorf.

Two men who ventured into the swollen March River in a rowboat were missing, Austrian radio reported. Authorities on alert since Tuesday have found the boat, but no signs of the men.

But water levels were falling in rivers across the Czech Republic on Wednesday. The northern town of Hrensko, flooded by the Elbe River, remained sealed off by police guarding against looting.

In Hungary, the Danube was slowly receding but officials warned it was still too soon to relax, and some 6,500 volunteers, soldiers and flood experts were carrying out work in critical areas along the riverbed.

In Budapest, where the Danube reached an all-time high of 28.2 feet late Tuesday, its level had dropped slightly to 28.1 feet early Wednesday.

In and around the German city of Dresden, water levels were a few inches lower Wednesday, and the Elbe did not rise to levels reached during major flooding four years ago.

Austria Struggles to Control Floodwaters

[Shammu]

Tuesday, 4 April 2006, 23:53 GMT 00:53 UK
Europe flooding death toll rises
Residents of Tahitotfalu, Hungary, rescue a man from the floodwaters Rising floodwaters have continued to cause chaos across central Europe, with more heavy rain expected next week.

The government in Hungary has deployed more than 10,000 troops and police to the worst-hit areas as the river Danube climbed to record levels in Budapest.

In Austria, an 18-month-old boy was found dead on Tuesday as rising water in rivers caused a second dam to break.

At least a dozen people have lost their lives in recent floods in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia.

In the Hungarian capital, the Danube reached a record 8.48m (26 feet) on Tuesday and was expected to peak at 8.6m (28 feet).

About 25,000 people, half of them volunteers, have struggled to maintain flood defences before the reinforcements were announced.

Aerial view showing the neighbourhood of Zschieren in Dresden, Germany

The BBC's Nick Thorpe in Budapest says most fears now focus on rain forecast for later in the week.

Eight cities in Germany were affected by floods on Tuesday, with a total of 1,300 people evacuated.

Floodwaters also continued to threaten residents in Czech towns in the north and south-east of the country, preventing thousands of people from returning to their homes.

Authorities warned on Tuesday that floods in the Czech Republic would last for at least another week, as more snow was expected to melt in the mountains.

In Slovakia, the situation appeared to have stabilised with river levels falling across the country.

Europe flooding death toll rises

[Shammu]

Calif. Faces New Storms; Crews Secure Berm

By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer Wed Apr 5, 8:23 PM ET

VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. - Crews shored up an earthen berm at a private golf course community Wednesday after heavy rains caused part of it to give way, damaging about 15 homes.

"Thank God I didn't vacuum yesterday," joked Toni Redfern, pointing to a quarter inch of mud coating the carpet and walls of her home outside Valley Springs.

Redfern, who had planned to sign papers next week to sell the house, said a surging creek sent 2 feet of water into her house on Tuesday, forcing her to flee with her cat and dog.

The National Weather Service is predicting more storms across the state through mid-April, with the next one forecast to move in Friday.

Gary Bardini, chief of hydrology flood operations at the Department of Water Resources, said state officials are working with the Bureau of Reclamation to release more water from reservoirs to make room for the additional rainfall.

In Marin County, north of San Francisco, a hillside home was deemed structurally unsound Wednesday after slipping a foot downhill in a slow landslide, said San Anselmo Police Capt. Jim Providenza.

Further soil movement could send the house tumbling down onto four homes below, he said. All the homes were evacuated Tuesday when the slide began.

The slide also threatened a water main that delivers water to 600 families nearby, Providenza said. Crews erected a temporary aboveground main to circumvent the site.

Rainfall also damaged crops, including strawberries, asparagus, peaches, plums and apricots.

Calif. Faces New Storms; Crews Secure Berm

[Shammu]

Hundreds flee floodwaters in outback Australia

Thu Apr 6, 3:15 AM ET

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Hundreds of Australians fled their homes in the remote outback town of Katherine after days of rain on Thursday as floodwaters started to inundate the town and the nearby Katherine River threatened to burst its banks.

Emergency services in Katherine, a town of about 2,000 people some 300 km (185 miles) south of the tropical northern city of Darwin, said the river peaked at 18.8 m (60 feet) above the riverbed on Thursday after days of monsoon rains.

"The level of water in Katherine township is expected to start stabilizing ... Water has entered the streets of the CBD, but is still at low levels in the township," emergency services said in a statement.

Around 600 people were evacuated to two schools in the town.

In 1998, the Katherine River burst its banks when it reached a record peak above 20 m (66 feet), forcing half of the town's population to flee their homes, after Cyclone Les dumped more than 600mm (24 inches) of rain on Katherine.

Hundreds flee floodwaters in outback Australia