Cyclone Hits Bangladesh

Huge storm.  A million residents evacuated.

Landslide Pictures from Washington State

Unbelievable pictures from the horrific landslides taking place in Washington State.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Homes-evacuated-after-major-landslide-on-Whidbey-Island-200251371.html

Wildfires Spread Out West

Firefighters in Colorado and New Mexico are battling wind-fueled wildfires that are moving fast through parched forests, forcing scores of evacuations and destroying or damaging numerous structures.

A blaze in northern Colorado was first reported Saturday morning and had grown to about 8,000 acres by mid-evening, while a fire in southern New Mexico was small for a few days until it began growing Friday, reaching about 10,000 acres.

Both fires have damaged property and forced numerous evacuations, but officials haven't yet released specific figures on the numbers who fled.

The wildfire in the mountainous Paradise Park area, about 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins, prompted several dozen evacuation orders.

Larimer County Sheriff's Office spokesman John Schulz said the fire expanded rapidly during the late afternoon and evening and by Saturday night, residents living along several roads in the region had been ordered to evacuate and many more were warned that they might have to flee. An evacuation center has been set up at a Laporte middle school.

Officials didn't specify how many residents had evacuated but said they had sent out 800 emergency notifications urging people to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.

Wind was also playing a major role in the expansion of a lightning-sparked blaze in New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest that jumped its containment lines and raced through thick conifer forests. Fire managers said 20 structures were damaged or destroyed.

Spanning only a few acres on Wednesday, the Little Bear fire began to grow Friday and by Saturday afternoon about 10,000 acres had been charred northwest of the mountain community of Ruidoso.

Flooding in Wagga Wagga

A mass evacuation is now underway in Wagga Wagga after new forecasts predicted the Murrumbidgee River would overflow the town's levee system. More than 5000 people have been ordered to evacuate flood-stricken areas across Australia's New South Wales, with evacuations continuing in the Riverina and central west regions of the state.

Nine more areas in the Riverina in south-west NSW have been declared disaster zones by State Emergency Services Minister Michael Gallacher, Xinhua news agency cited local media as saying on Monday. "We are also expecting to declare more local government areas by the end of the day," Gallacher said. "This year alone the government has declared more than 35 local government areas as natural disasters as heavy rainfall continues."

So far, 5000 people have been forced to evacuate from their homes across NSW and another 2000 from mostly rural properties remain isolated.

More than 1000 residents from the Riverina city of Wagga Wagga's north and east have been evacuated so far.

Levee Breach Prompts Evacuations

A levee breach on Saturday near Missouri Valley, Iowa flooded farmland and threatened to impact U.S. Highway 30, which connects Iowa and Nebraska over the Missouri River, officials said.

The breach occurred on a secondary levee about a mile south of Highway 30. Residents of about 18 homes were told to evacuate because of the potential for flooding, Oliver said.

The Iowa Department of Transportation is monitoring the situation and keeping Highway 30 open for now, according to spokeswoman Dena Gray-Fisher.

"We're not expecting it to impact the roadway right away, so the road is still open," Gray-Fisher said. The highway connects Iowa to Blair, Neb., north of Omaha.

Heavy rains and snow melt along the Missouri River valley have flooded areas from Montana through Missouri, forcing residents to shore up protections and evacuate their homes.

From Gavin's Point Dam near Yankton, S.D. to Rulo, Neb., the Missouri is expected to reach the highest levels seen since 1952, according to the National Weather Service.

Bridges from Nebraska to Iowa and Missouri are already out for 112 miles from south of Plattsmouth, Neb. to St. Joseph, Mo. for safety reasons due to flooding, Gray-Fisher said. Portions of Interstate 29 in Iowa also are closed.

Thunderstorms were expected across North and South Dakota Saturday night into Sunday, moving into eastern Nebraska on Sunday night into Monday. Fobert said some areas could get an inch of rain, but "it's hard to say" how this will impact river flooding.