floods

World News

Survivors of Libya's deadly floods describe catastrophic scenes and tragic losses

4:21pm September 15, 2023

by Fatima Al-Kassab

"They have seen death, not just in their families but within themselves as well," a Libyan doctor tells NPR. "Their souls are crushed, their hope is lost. How can you come back from such a thing?"

A combination image of satellite photos shows an area before and after a powerful storm and floods hit the country, in Derna, Libya, on Sept. 2 (top) and Sept. 12.

World News

More than 5,000 have been found dead after Libya floods

2:33pm September 13, 2023

by Ruth Sherlock

In the coastal city of Derna, dams broke, sending a torrent of water that submerged whole neighborhoods. Rescue efforts are complicated by the fact that Libya is divided between rival governments.

In this photo provided by the Libyan government, a car sits partly suspended in trees after being carried by floodwaters in Derna, Libya, on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023.

World News

Thousands feared dead and more missing in Libya after storm collapsed dams

11:35pm September 11, 2023

by The Associated Press

The confirmed death toll from the weekend flooding did not include Derna, which was inaccessible, and many of the thousands missing there were believed carried away by waters after two dams burst.

In this photo released by Rescue 1122 Emergency Department, rescue workers help a villager as he and others are being evacuate from a flooded area of Bahawalnagar district in Pakistan's Punjab province on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

World News

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated over 3 weeks from flooding in Pakistan

12:27pm August 23, 2023

Pakistani authorities are still struggling to overcome the damage caused by massive floods last summer that affected 33 million people and killed 1,739.

Damage from Hurricane Ian near Pine Island, Fla., in 2022. The storm caused at least $50 billion in insured damage.

Insurance firms need more climate change information. Scientists say they can help

10:56am May 23, 2023

by Rebecca Hersher

Floods, wildfires, heat waves and hurricanes cause billions of dollars of property damage each year. Can federal climate scientists help the insurance industry keep up?

Queue Listen Now

Water pours out of Lake Oroville in Northern California in March. Reservoirs levels plummeted over the last three years, but now have more water than they can hold.

Environment

3 reasons why California's drought isn't really over, despite all the rain

5:05am March 23, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

California has been deluged by storms this winter, but fixing the state's severe drought will take more than rain. The state had deeper problems in how it uses water.

People stranded due to floods following several days of downpours In Kogi, Nigeria, on Oct. 6.

Flooding in Nigeria has killed more than 600 people, the government says

7:26am October 17, 2022

by Ayana Archie

More than 1.3 million people have been displaced, and destroyed farmland has raised concerns about the country's food supply.

Left to right: Nazia, Mubina and Leila saw their homes washed away in the flooding. They now share a tent at a technical college that has been converted into a camp for displaced people.

Mothers tell how Pakistan's monsoon floods have upended their lives

11:09am September 02, 2022

by Diaa Hadid

In the city of Nowshera, tent cities for flood refugees are springing up on college campuses. At one such haven, mothers spoke to NPR about their struggle to survive.

An aerial photo taken Wednesday shows people sheltering in a makeshift camp after heavy monsoon rains in the Jaffarabad district of Pakistan's Balochistan province.

Officials and volunteers struggle to respond to catastrophic flooding in Pakistan

9:51am September 01, 2022

by Rachel Treisman

Unprecedented, deadly floods in Pakistan have submerged an area bigger than Colorado. Morning Edition spoke with the country's climate minister and a civilian volunteer about ongoing relief efforts.

A man walks over his collapsed mud house after heavy monsoon rains in Jaffarabad district, Balochistan province, on Aug. 28.

PHOTOS: A third of Pakistan is under water in catastrophic floods

2:56pm August 30, 2022

Some 33 million people are affected by this summer's floods — the result of what U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres calls a "monsoon on steroids." He calls the flooding a "climate catastrophe."