Wind, rain, and storm surge!
PDC Global Hazards Atlas displaying 3 day precipitation accumulation and forecast positions and tracks for (left to right): Hurricane Ilena, Tropical Depression Isaac, and Tropical Storm Leslie
Wind, rain, and storm surge! Throughout the week, flooding was observed in many places across the globe, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, and North America. In the United States, all eyes have been (and continue to be) on the southern United States, as now-Tropical Depression Isaac continues to push inland towards the central states, releasing additional heavy rains and prolonging the threat of flooding throughout the region. So far, State of Emergency declarations have been issued for the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and over one million people are currently without power (US DOE).
PDC Global Hazards Atlas centered on the United States, displaying 3 day precipitation accumulation and forecast positions and track for Tropical Depression Isaac
Isaac first made landfall in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, late on Tuesday, August 28, and made landfall a second time on Monday, August 29, the seven-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in Louisiana in 2005 (NASA). Flooding has been reported throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast region, including Plaquemines Parish, where floodwaters that reportedly overtopped at least one levee inundated homes with over 10 feet of water (AlertNet). As Isaac exits the northern border of Louisiana, emergency crews continue to examine damage to a dam located at Lake Tangipahoa, in Pike County, Mississippi (MEMA). Reports state that the dam has not yet failed, however 60,000 people have been evacuated in Louisia
na and Mississippi as a precaution (AlertNet/Rueters).
Flooding in Braithwaite, Louisiana (Source: Gerald Herbert/AP)
Looking Back
Flooding in Jacmel, Haiti (Source: Plan)
Beginning as a tropical depression in the Atlantic, Isaac carved a long and steady path across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, bringing rain and flooding throughout the region, including Haiti, where approximately 400,000 homeless still reside in temporary shelters (AlertNet/Plan International). Isaac reached hurricane strength late August 28 as it slowly approached the southeastern coast of Louisiana.
Looking Ahead
PDC is currently monitoring flooding events in: Australia, Austria, Burkina Faso, China, Dominican Republic, England, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Italy, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, South Sudan, Sudan, Switzerland, and United States.
Over the next week, PDC will continue to monitor areas of high precipitation and keep a close eye on flooding across the globe. Want to find the most up-to-date information on flooding and other hazards occurring in your neighborhood or around the world? Then be sure to download PDC’s free Disaster Alert mobile app available for your iOS or Android devices today, as well as check out PDC’s Global Hazards Atlas from any computer! Also be sure to continue to monitor PDC at Twitter and Facebook.
