Several relief measures taken in view of floods in Karnataka: Minister R Ashoka
Bengaluru, Aug 8: As many rivers in Karnataka are in spate, the state government on Monday said it has taken several humanitarian measures including improved relief camps, and proper compensation to those who lost their near and dear ones, properties, livestock and crops in the floods.
According to Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka, 161 villages in 14 districts are badly hit by the heavy rains and floods affecting 21,727 people.
Ever since the onset of monsoon, 73 people lost their lives, which comprises 15 deaths due to lightning, five due to tree collapse, 19 due to house collapse, 24 swept away in rivers, nine due to landslide and one due to electrocution, the minister said during a press conference here.
As many as 8,197 people were shifted to safety, Ashoka said adding, 75 relief camps have been opened where 7,386 people have taken shelter.
The minister said 666 houses have been completely damaged while 2,949 were severely damaged and 17,750 houses partially damaged.
Agriculture crops covering 1,29,087 hectares and horticulture crops across 7,942 hectares were damaged, Ashoka explained.
He also said the rains this year damaged 11,768 km of road, 1,152 bridges and culverts, 122 primary health centres, 2,249 anganwadi centres and 95 irrigation lakes.
"We have directed the deputy commissioners to intensify the relief work. The districts have a fund of Rs 857 crore," Ashoka said.
The minister said Rs 5 lakh is given as compensation to the next of kin of those relatives who lost their lives in floods, including Rs 4 lakh from the National Disaster Relief Fund.
Those who lost their houses completely will get Rs 5 lakh whereas for severely and partially damaged house, the government gives Rs 3 lakh and Rs 50,000 as compensation.
He also said the state government has improved the relief camps by giving food kits, which comprises 10 kg rice, one kg pulses, one kg sugar, one kg salt, chilli powder, one litre oil, and other essential spices.
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
