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Natural disasters

Natural disasters
Typhoon Ragasa makes landfall in southern China
Typhoon Ragasa has made landfall in southern China, after at least 17 people were killed by the storm in Taiwan. Ragasa is the strongest storm of 2025 to date, though it was downgraded from a super typhoon after reaching mainland China. At least 2.16 million people have been evacuated in China’s Guangdong province. Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-Tai has called for an inquiry into evacuation processes. Ragasa caused a barrier lake to burst its banks, leading to at least 17 casualties, with 17 others missing. “We must investigate why evacuation orders were not carried out in the areas we had asked for, which led to such a tragedy,” said Cho. “This is not about assigning blame, but about uncovering the truth.” The typhoon also triggered Hong Kong’s highest storm alerts, with hundreds of flights cancelled at the city’s international airport. Bridges and ferries connecting Hong Kong to mainland China were closed and will resume limited operations on Thursday. It made landfall near the Guangdong city of Yangjiang at around 5 pm local time (7 pm AEST). Yangjiang and other nearby coastal cities reported major power outages, with state media reporting that around 60% of those affected had their power restored overnight. Ragas
Natural disasters
Canadian wildfires cause air quality warnings in the US
Wildfires in Canada are beginning to impact air quality as the smoke continues to waft into parts of the U.S.. At least 741 wildfires are burning in Canada, with 304 of them labelled out of control that have burned more than 16 million acres this year, which is more than double their 10-year average to date. They have become the third most destructive Canadian wildfires since records started in 1983. Plumes of smoke have travelled to the U.S., turning skies orange over major cities including New York. The smoke has prompted the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to declare a “Code Orange Quality Action Day” in more than 40 counties, including the city of Philadelphia. "On a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities," the Pennsylvania EPA said. A code orange is just one level below a code red alert, which would signal unhealthy air for all individuals on the EPA's Air Quality Index Guide. The index guide also has a "code purple" level signifying "very unhealthy air" and a "code maroon" for hazardous air
Natural disasters
Russian volcano erupts for first time in over 500 years
The Krasheninnikov Volcano in far eastern Russia erupted for the first time in more than 500 years, and experts believe it could be linked to last week’s massive earthquake. The eruption caused a second earthquake, which led to tsunami warnings in three areas of the peninsula. Both events are thought to be connected to an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that shook the region and caused tsunami warnings in French Polynesia and Chile. The volcano threw up an ash plume up to 6km high overnight, but Russia’s emergency ministry said there are no threats to populated areas. "The plume is spreading eastward from the volcano toward the Pacific Ocean," Kamchatka's emergencies ministry wrote on Telegram during the eruption. "There are no populated areas along its path, and no ash fall has been recorded in inhabited localities." The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team said the volcano’s activity was decreasing but that “moderate explosive activity” could continue. The eruption of the volcano has been assigned an orange aviation code, indicating a heightened risk to aircraft, the ministry said. The last recorded eruption of the Krasheninnikov Volcano was in the 15th century, according to the head of the Kamchatka Volcan
Natural disasters
Typhoon Wipha reaches shore after battering Hong Kong
Typhoon Wipha has made landfall in southern China after battering Hong Kong, where the island cancelled hundreds of flights amid heavy winds and rain. Wipha has reached China’s Guangdong province, where it has been downgraded to a tropical storm. Hong Kong issued its highest tropical cyclone warning yesterday, reporting winds of more than 167 kilometres per hour. "As Typhoon Wipha is moving away from Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Observatory issued the Strong Wind Signal No. 3 at 7.40pm today (July 20). It replaced the No. 8 Southeast Gale or Storm Signal at 4.10pm today,” Hong Kong’s government wrote on Sunday evening. “According to the Hospital Authority, as at 7.40pm today, 33 people (18 men and 15 women) have been injured during the typhoon period and received medical treatment at the Accident and Emergency Department of public hospitals.” More than 110 millimetres of rain fell within three hours on Sunday while Wipha remained near Hong Kong’s shores. The Hong Kong Observatory issued a No. 10 hurricane signal on Sunday, at its maximum level, before lowering warnings to No. 8 and then No. 3. The island’s government said it had confirmed seven cases of flooding. It has opened 34 temporary shelters, with 277 people taki
Natural disasters
Rains in Punjab kill at least 63 people in 24 hours
Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan’s Punjab province have killed at least 63 people and injured nearly 300 people within 24 hours, marking one of the deadliest days so far. Provincial officials said this brings the total death toll from the rain to at least 159 nationwide since late June. More than half of the victims were children. The torrential downpours caused floods and building collapses, with most deaths caused by weaker homes' roofs falling. Since June 25, more than 1,000 homes have been damaged. In Punjab alone, the monsoon rains have killed 103 people and injured 393 since late June, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). More than 120 homes were damaged and six livestock killed. Monsoon rains are regular in South Asia and essential for crop irrigation and replenishing water supplies. However, their adverse effects have worsened in recent years due to rapid urban expansion, poor drainage systems and more frequent extreme weather events linked to climate change. In 2022, monsoon floods submerged around a third of the country, killing 1,7000 people and leaving Pakistan with economic damage exceeding US$30 billion.

Natural disasters
Australian economy hit hard by wave of major disasters
Due to the rise in natural disasters, their effects on the economy are becoming more damaging. While current estimates suggest natural disasters impact global economies to around US$200 billion annually, research from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) found the amount was closer to US$2.3 trillion. According to the UNDRR report, financial losses from disasters have doubled in the past two decades worldwide.Impact on AustraliaIn Australia alone, Treasury analysis estimates natural disasters have already cost the nation A$2.2 billion in the first half of 2025 and wild weather claims in 2025 have already surpassed those in 2024 in just the first five months. In Autumn alone, NRMA received 15,840 wild weather claims, largely driven by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. “In the first five months of 2025, we’ve received more than 32,000 wild weather-related claims. The data confirms what we already knew; wild weather is increasing in severity and frequency and the impacts on people and communities have been devastating,” NRMA Insurance Executive General Manager Direct Claims, Luke Gallagher said in a media release.Credit: Aliceinthealice / WikimediaCommonsIn the first quarter of 2025, the Australian econ
Natural disasters
Wildfires on Greece's Chios island rage for second day
Greece’s government has declared a state of emergency on Chios island as wildfires rage for a second day. Three fires began on Sunday in the Kofinas, Agia Anna, and Agios Makarios Vrontadon areas, with two more on Monday in Agios Markos and Agiasmata. Wind has further boosted these wildfires, leading to evacuations, heavily damaging forests, and causing power outages. “The situation since yesterday on the island is quite difficult because we constantly have new fronts and resurgences and the climatic conditions are not favourable,” said Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ioannis Kefalogiannis in Chios. According to Kefalogiannis, 170 additional firefighters will be sent to Chios. Greece’s Hellenic Fire Service said on Sunday that 100 firefighters were already operating in the affected areas, with a further 90 arriving from Piraeus and Thessaloniki. The Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes will also investigate the fires’ causes alongside Chios State Security, the Hellenic Fire Service said. Residents from 17 areas in Chios have been evacuated. Power outages have been reported in Vrontados in eastern Chios after the fires damaged the electrical grid, with Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Opera
Natural disasters
Swiss village partially destroyed by a chunk of glacier
A Swiss village has been partially destroyed after a huge chunk of glacier crashed down into the valley. The village of Blatten had been evacuated some days before due to fears of the Birch glacier disintegrating, however, one person has been reported missing, and many homes were completely flattened. Local authorities have requested support from the Swiss army’s disaster relief unit. Members of the Swiss government are also on their way to the scene and have promised funding to make sure residents can stay either in the village or nearby.Credit: Johannes Löw (WP.de: Mo4jolo), CC BY-SA 2.5 / via Wikimedia CommonsThe 300 inhabitants of the village initially had to evacuate on 19 May after geologists monitoring the area warned that the glacier was unstable. Many of the residents may never be able to return. "We have lost our village, but not our heart. We will support each other and console each other. After a long night, it will be morning again,” the village's mayor, Matthias Bellwald, said. Natural Hazards head of regional office, Raphaël Mayoraz said further evacuations of areas close to Blatten may be necessary as climate change intensifies. The most recent report on the condition of Switzerland’s glaciers sug
Natural disasters
Volcanic ash rises kilometres high in Philippines
Kanlaon Volcano in the Philippines has erupted, sending a plume of ash 4 kilometres into the sky. One of 24 active volcanoes in the region, it erupted on Tuesday morning local time, causing a “voluminous bent plume approximately 4,000 meters tall that is drifting southwest", leading local officials to call for school cancellations. It last erupted in December, and the surrounding villages were evacuated, with the nearby island of Negros was still under evacuation orders when the latest eruption occurred. "An explosive eruption is currently occurring at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano that began at 5:51 am today," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement on X. Speaking to the AFP, John De Asis, a rescue official in Negros Occidental province's La Castellana municipality, said that they were “prepared for the eruption” in part thanks to the previous eruption at the end of last year. “Right now we are just monitoring which villages will be affected by the ashfall,” he said, adding that they were recommending "the cancellation of classes and work in the municipality".