Fires in Western Canada

 

On Sunday, the initial significant wildfires of the season scorched about 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) in Western Canada. Authorities mandated evacuations for residents of British Columbia and cautioned about poor air quality across the provinces. In British Columbia, numerous individuals from the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nations were relocated as a nearby fire nearly doubled in size to 4,136 hectares.

Fort Nelson First Nation, situated approximately seven kilometers (about 4.35 miles) from the city, also issued an evacuation order for Fontas, an Indigenous community. Rob Fraser, the mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, mentioned in a TV interview that the majority of the approximately 3,500 residents in and around Fort Nelson were evacuated. Meanwhile, across the border in Alberta, inhabitants of Fort McMurray, an oil center previously affected by wildfires in 2016, were advised to prepare for potential evacuation.

Kenya (Tanzania) Hit By First-Ever Cyclone After Weeks of Intense Rainfall and Fatal Flooding

 

A tropical cyclone unleashed heavy rainfall and powerful winds across East Africa over the weekend, adding to the woes of a region already reeling from weeks of extreme weather and fatal floods. Cyclone Hidaya, with wind speeds reaching 165 kph (102.5 mph) and waves nearly eight meters tall, prompted mandatory evacuation orders from the Kenyan Government for residents near 178 dams and water reservoirs in 33 counties. Tanzania faced a widespread blackout and witnessed thousands of displacements. Hidaya, akin to a Category 1 hurricane, marked the first occurrence of its kind in eastern Africa, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Although local authorities confirmed on Sunday that Cyclone Hidaya had dissipated entirely, the situation in the region, particularly in Tanzania and Kenya, remained critical, with persistent heavy rainfall forecasted until Monday. "Following its landfall at Mafia Island on Saturday, May 4, 2024, Tropical Cyclone Hidaya completely lost its strength. The remnants of the rain clouds that accompanied the cyclone have been observed to weaken and spread out in various areas of the southern region of Tanzania, as confirmed by the Tanzania Meteorological Authority," stated David Gikungu, Director of Kenya’s Meteorological Services.