Himalayan and Mountainous Regions
These high-altitude areas continue to face risks from extreme weather, climbing incidents, and lingering effects of recent floods. Focus here prioritizes seismic, avalanche, and monsoon-related hazards.
Nepal Himalayas
Two international climbers — a French national and a South Korean — died following separate expeditions on Ama Dablam (6,812 m), a prominent Himalayan peak in the Khumbu region.
The French climber succumbed to altitude sickness during descent, while the South Korean fell during a summit attempt.
Rescue operations were complicated by high winds and low visibility; both bodies were recovered and airlifted to Kathmandu.
This incident underscores ongoing dangers for fall-season ascents amid unpredictable weather.
India – Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh Himalayas
Recovery efforts persist from mid-October flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon remnants.
Over 50 deaths were reported earlier this month, with infrastructure damage including washed-out bridges and roads blocking access to remote villages.
As of October 24, teams are clearing debris along various rivers, but renewed rains risk further slides.
Impending Western Disturbance
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that a Western Disturbance is expected to impact the Western Himalayan Region beginning today (October 27).
This weather system could bring heavy precipitation, increasing the risks of avalanches and landslides in states like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, highlighting the shift from monsoon risks to winter-related hazards.
Tibet / China – Mt. Everest North Face
After a deadly early-October blizzard stranded nearly 1,000 trekkers and guides near Everest Base Camp, all have been evacuated as of October 8.
The storm, which dumped over 2 feet of snow, caused one fatality on nearby Mera Peak and highlighted vulnerabilities in late-season trekking routes.
No new incidents reported today, but forecasts warn of continued cold snaps.
Major Disasters in Other Areas
Asia (Excluding Himalayas)
India (East Coast – Bay of Bengal)
Cyclone Montha intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, prompting evacuations of over 50,000 people in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Winds up to 100 km/h and heavy rains (up to 200 mm) are forecast to hit landfall near Kakinada by evening, risking coastal flooding and crop damage.
South India Flooding
The early northeast monsoon is intensifying.
The state of Andhra Pradesh has been placed on red and orange alert for today in view of Cyclonic Storm ‘Montha’ over the Bay of Bengal, which is forecast to intensify and cross the coast by October 28.
This extreme weather event in South India is a clear example of climate change driving intense and erratic weather patterns.
Philippines (Luzon)
A minor eruption at Taal Volcano, combined with torrential rains, has suspended search operations for missing cockfighting enthusiasts (sabungeros) trapped since last week’s lahar flows.
Ashfall affects nearby towns, with alerts for potential mudflows.
Separately, a landslide in Sipalay City (Negros Occidental) prompted geophysical surveys using ground-penetrating radar to assess stability near Camp Valdez.
Philippines – Cyclone Threat
Tropical Cyclone RAMIL (also referred to as Fengshen) is continuing its track toward the Philippines, threatening the mountainous islands with torrential rain and high winds.
This is a crucial, ongoing, high-alert situation in a global mountain region.
Vietnam (Central Region)
Very heavy rains (over 150mm in 24 hours) are causing flash floods in low-lying areas, with emergency alerts issued for urban inundation in Hue and Da Nang.
Americas (Caribbean & Central America)
Jamaica & Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic)
Hurricane Melissa escalated to Category 5 status with 160+ mph winds, barreling toward Jamaica’s south coast.
Catastrophic flooding is expected, with 30-40 inches of rain projected through Wednesday, triggering landslides and storm surges up to 20 feet.
Evacuations underway for 100,000+ residents; Jamaica declared a national emergency.
Haiti faces exacerbated risks from prior deforestation.
Africa
Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti)
Persistent heavy seasonal rains maintain high flood risks along the Blue Nile and Awash River basins.
Over 200,000 displaced since September; current alerts for northern Ethiopia include potential overflows affecting 1.5 million.
DRR & CCA Conferences, Workshops, Reports, Concerns and Incidences
New Report: ustainable Food Systems
A new report from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), launched at the National Conclave on Sustainable Food Systems (October 27-29), presents a roadmap for making Indian agriculture climate-resilient.
The report notes that 90% of India’s rural districts face climate risks, with yields of rain-fed rice projected to reduce by 20% by 2050 without proper adaptation.
The report confirms that Indian farmers are at the frontline of climate change impacts, facing increasing pest and disease outbreaks and growing water stress due to erratic monsoon trends.
Financing Focus
The UN has recently launched a new forum to help developing nations escape the weight of unsustainable debt, a measure directly related to DRR and CCA, as high debt leaves economies unable to spend on resilience, health, or education.
Global Security Risk
The collapse of the Arctic jet stream (linked to a warming Arctic) continues to be discussed as a phenomenon that may be contributing to the highly erratic and intensified rains in South Asia, connecting global warming to local disaster incidents.
Methane Leakage
UN satellite tracking has revealed that governments and companies are acting on only around 12% of major methane leak alerts, a critical failing that continues to fuel global warming.
Historical Disasters on This Day (October 21)
1838 – Missouri Extermination Order
The Governor of Missouri, Lilburn Boggs, signed Executive Order 44, known as the “Extermination Order,” which directed that all Mormons be treated as enemies and driven out of the state, resulting in forced migration.
1914 – World War I: HMS Audacious Sunk
The new British battleship HMS Audacious was sunk by a German minefield, becoming the first British battleship sunk in WWI.
1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis Averted
Soviet submarine officer Vasily Arkhipov refused to authorize the firing of a nuclear torpedo at a US warship, an act widely credited with averting nuclear war on what was the tensest day of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
1981 – Soviet Submarine Aground
The Soviet submarine S-363 ran aground on the east coast of Sweden near a restricted military zone, escalating Cold War tensions.
1998 – Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch hovered as a weakening Category 5 off Central America, its rains already saturating Honduran soils on October 27 before stalling catastrophically.
The storm would claim 11,000+ lives—the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since 1780—through mudslides that buried towns like Posoltega under 20 feet of debris, turning lush valleys into mass graves.
Mitch’s legacy: a blueprint for how slow-movers devastate the vulnerable.
1999 – Armenian Parliament Shooting
Gunmen opened fire in the Armenian Parliament, killing eight people, including the Prime Minister and the Speaker, in a major act of political violence.
2008 torrential rains in Yemen
Torrential rains — uncommon for the arid Hadramaut and Al-Mahra governorates — unleashed flash floods that submerged wadis (dry riverbeds) overnight.
By October 27, authorities declared disaster zones after 73 deaths, 25,000 displaced, and entire villages erased by walls of water carrying boulders the size of cars.
This rare deluge, fueled by a cut-off low-pressure system, exposed Yemen’s fragile infrastructure, with aid slow to reach remote Bedouin communities amid ongoing conflicts.
2012 – Hurricane Sandy
Destined to become one of the costliest US storms — Hurricane Sandy lurked as a deceptive tropical storm in the western Atlantic, briefly weakening after crossing the Bahamas before rapidly restrengthening into a Category 1 hurricane by evening.
What started as a “post-tropical” system blended with a winter front, foreshadowing its monstrous hybrid path: a leftward hook toward New Jersey that would kill 233 across eight countries, flood New York subways, and rack up $70 billion in damage just days later on October 29.
Sandy’s October 27 pivot caught forecasters off-guard, a reminder of how stalled systems can brew biblical chaos.
These Echoes Warn: Late October’s Warmth Often Masks Fury
Stay Prepared, Stay Vigilant – History Whispers Warnings
यह हमारा एक छोटा सा प्रयास हैं, आपको हर दिन आपदा से जुड़ी नवीनतम जानकारियाँ प्रदान करने का – विशेष रूप से वह आपदायें जो हिमालय व अन्य पहाड़ी क्षेत्रों में घटित हों.
हमारा यह प्रयास आपको कैसा लगा और कैसे हम इसे बेहतर व उपयोगी बना सकते हैं ?
हमेशा की तरह आपके सुझावों का हमें इंतजार रहेगा.
Seen,read and familarised with many disaster of October , A relevant effort by Dr Piyush rautela.