-10.21.09- On Tuesday the UN sent out an alert that East Africa could be hit by flash floods in approaching months, with the potential to affect hundreds of thousands of people already suffering from a severe drought. The prediction comes from the UN’s humanitarian coordination office that reported that the El Nino climate pattern in the Pacific basin could set off heavy rain in the Horn of Africa, which is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts in a decade. Read more

-10.21.09- Tropical Storm Rick threatens to trigger dangerous flash floods and mud slides when it makes landfall in western Mexico after sparing Baja California’s glitzy resorts a direct blow. Read more

-10.21.09- Philippine agriculture officials said the agriculture sector suffered the most from the two cyclones. They placed the total damage to agriculture and fisheries wrought by the two typhoons at 18.5 billion pesos (397.65 million U.S dollars). The amount covers lost crops, fish and livestock, the damaged irrigation facilities and 200,000 hectares of submerged land. Read more

-10.21.09- Having been downgraded from a highly dangerous super typhoon earlier in the week, Lupit is still packing sustained winds of 92 mph (148km/h) with gusts to 115mph (185km/h). Read more

-10.21.09- The Colombian capital Bogota is one of several cities in the country which has suffered floods after a day of torrential rain. Hundreds of people were trapped by the waters, which reached up to a metre high in places – but authorities say there have been no deaths or injuries. Read more

-10.19.09- The Philippines began evacuating thousands of people in northern areas prone to floods and landslides on Tuesday ahead of a powerful typhoon that has gained strength over the Pacific, officials said. Typhoon Lupit, which means “fierce” in Filipino, was expected to make landfall around the far northern tip of the Luzon region by Thursday and dump more rain on typhoon-weary provinces, said Prisco Nilo, head of the weather bureau. Read more

-10.21.09- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned the nation Wednesday to brace for a severe bushfire season as fire crews battled intense blazes stoking memories of infernos earlier this year which killed 173 people. With the fire season barely under way, firefighters from two Australian states have been battling huge blazes threatening the northeastern tropical city of Rockhampton and coastal hamlets further south in New South Wales. Read more

-10.21.09- Authorities distributed canned goods and rescue boats and kept helicopters on standby as Typhoon Lupit slowed to a crawl along a course that forecasters said might hit the northern Philippines by Friday or veer toward Taiwan. Read more

-10.17.09- Massive floods brought by powerful storms have caused an outbreak of the deadly disease leptospirosis that has claimed 89 lives in the Philippine capital alone, the health secretary said Saturday. The incidence of the disease in the Philippine capital and surrounding areas rose to 1,027 with 89 fatalities from October 1-15 this year compared to 769 cases and only 39 deaths in the same period last year, Secretary Francis Duque said. Read more

-10.21.09- Tropical storm Rick made landfall Wednesday in northwestern Mexico having lost its punch as a former top-strength hurricane, but still threatened the region with heavy rain and flash floods, US forecasters said…With possible rainfall of 10 inches (25 centimeters) over Sinaloa and the central state of Durango in the next day, the NHC warned the rains “could produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.” Read more