Wild Christmas weather

Not a jolly time for all

Floods, fires and storms during the Christmas holiday period killed dozens, destroyed homes and affected tens of thousands of people around the globe. In the US, freakish weather, from tornadoes to blizzards on the Texas-Mexico border, has caused havoc. In South America, more than 100,000 people have fled due to flooding, while in Australia, fires have razed more than 100 homes.

Residents (above) comforting each other after a tornado struck Holly Springs, Mississippi, on Christmas Eve. Rare December tornadoes have brought the death toll to 25, as storms rip across the southern United States. Over in England (top), emergency
Residents (above) comforting each other after a tornado struck Holly Springs, Mississippi, on Christmas Eve. Rare December tornadoes have brought the death toll to 25, as storms rip across the southern United States. PHOTOS: REUTERS
Residents (above) comforting each other after a tornado struck Holly Springs, Mississippi, on Christmas Eve. Rare December tornadoes have brought the death toll to 25, as storms rip across the southern United States. Over in England (top), emergency
Over in England (above), emergency services personnel navigated a flooded street in York yesterday as Britain's government held emergency talks over what it called "unprecedented" flooding in northern England. PHOTOS: REUTERS

United States: Death toll rises as tornadoes strike

CHICAGO • Rare December tornadoes knocked cars off a highway and flattened homes in Texas, bringing the death toll to 25 in days of storms tearing across the southern United States.

The extreme weather, fuelled by unseasonably warm air, is likely to continue for the next few days, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported, snarling holiday travel across a large section of the nation.

The late Saturday deaths in Texas came as millions of residents in the southern US struggled to recover from fierce storms and heavy flooding, with more rain forecast.

A heavily damaged residence is seen on Dec 27, 2015 in the aftermath of a tornado in Rowlett, Texas. PHOTO: AFP

READ MORE HERE

South America: Severe flooding hits 4 countries

ASUNCION/BUENOS AIRES • More than 100,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes in the bordering areas of Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina due to severe flooding in the wake of heavy rains brought on by El Nino, the authorities said.

In the worst-affected country, Paraguay, around 90,000 people in the area around the capital Asuncion have been evacuated, the municipal Emergencies Office said on Saturday. Many are poor families living in precarious housing along the banks of the River Paraguay.

Locals on a boat during floods in Paysandú, 380 km northwest of Montevideo, on Dec 27, 2015. More than 170,000 people have been driven from their homes in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay in some of the worst floods in decades. PHOTO: AFP

The Paraguayan government has declared a state of emergency in Asuncion and seven regions of the country to free up funds to help those affected. Several people have been killed by trees falling in the storms that caused the flooding, local media reported.

READ MORE HERE

England: Floods force hundreds to evacuate

LONDON • Britain's government held emergency talks yesterday as what it called "unprecedented" flooding in northern England forced hundreds of people to leave their homes, including in the historic tourist destination of York.

Members of the emergency services search for residents in need of rescue after the adjacent River Foss burst its banks in York, northern England, on Dec 27, 2015. PHOTO: AFP

Prime Minister David Cameron said he hosted a conference call of the Cobra emergency committee on the floods which caused chaos for families during the Christmas holiday season.

More than 250 flood warnings and alerts were in place around the country, with 24 of them severe, signalling a risk to life. The army has been deployed to help tackle the floods in some areas.

READ MORE HERE

California: Firefighters gaining control of huge blaze

VENTURA • Firefighters have gained the upper hand on a wildfire north-west of Los Angeles that burned about 400ha of land, forced the closure of parts of a major highway and led to evacuations.

Ventura County firefighters battle the Solimar brush fire that started early Saturday morning in Ventura County, California on Dec 26, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

Hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze in the Solimar Beach area of Ventura County in California and were able to draw containment lines around 60 per cent of the conflagration by Saturday evening, county fire officials said.

The flames triggered the closure of parts of Highway 101, though both north-bound and south-bound lanes of the major US roadway had reopened to traffic by late afternoon, officials said.

READ MORE HERE

Australia: More than 100 homes destroyed in bush fire

MELBOURNE • Residents returned to charred homes after a Christmas Day bush fire in southern Australia destroyed more than 100 properties, with firefighters bracing themselves for a heatwave in the lead-up to the new year.

Some 116 homes south-west of Melbourne in the wooded coastal area along the Great Ocean Road tourist drive were razed as about 500 firefighters battled to put out the inferno. Scenes of burnt-out homes, blackened cars, fallen trees and downed power lines greeted residents allowed back into the zone yesterday to inspect their properties.

One of the lucky survivors was a koala bear, which was found unconscious by firefighters on a road as they fought the flames at the seaside towns. It was nursed back to health and hand-fed water and gum leaves by Victoria Police officers, and has reportedly since been nicknamed Constable K. Bear.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 28, 2015, with the headline Wild Christmas weather: Not a jolly time for all. Subscribe