Latest news with #landslide
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 19 June
The Porgera region of Enga Province experienced the devastating Mulitaka landslide, which claimed many lives and shut the main road link out of the district. Photo: Zijin Mining The mining company New Porgera is celebrating achieving its production targets, despite the impact of continuing lawlessness and a devastating landslide in the region. The new company, run by Barrick Gold, but with a significant PNG Government shareholding, replaced the former company after a lease dispute shut it down for more than three years. The Porgera region of Enga Province experienced the devastating Mulitaka landslide, which claimed many lives and shut the main road link out of the district. There have also been extensive law and order issues that resulted in a state of emergency being implemented, and dozens of arrests being made, many for illegal mining within the mine pit. Samoa's Electoral Commissioner Toleafoa Tuiafelolo John Stanley Photo: Office of the Electoral Commission - Samoa Samoa's Electoral Commissioner Toleafoa Tuiafelolo Stanley says approximately 30 percent of voter registrations are still pending with just over two weeks to go. As of Tuesday night, the count of registered voters reached 81,280, aiming for a target of 117,225 based on eligibility numbers from the last election. The total overseas registrations amount to 201, with 183 of those still incomplete, leaving 18 who have successfully completed their registrations, including their biometric details. Samoa's election will be held on 29 August and the last day to register to vote is 3 July. Fiji is reviewing some of its health legislation, including the more than 100-year-old Burial and Cremation Act of 1911. The Ministry of Health & Medical Services said the move aims to align existing legislation with contemporary health challenges and improve public health services. Other acts under review include the Public Health Act of 1935, the Nursing Act, the Quarantine Act 1965, and the Radiation Health Act of 2009. After the review is completed within the ministry, it will be carried out among Government and local stakeholders, international partners, and the general public. The Solomon Islands Prime Minister has called for stronger global support for small island developing states (SIDS) at the OPEC Fund Development Forum in Austria. Jeremiah Manele arrived in Vienna at the weekend after attending the third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, where he joined global leaders in advancing international cooperation on ocean protection and sustainable marine resource management. In his opening address in Vienna he highlighted the challenges SIDS face. "We call for innovative solutions, including debt-relief solutions," he said. "Moreover I call for climate finance that is fast, predictable and tailored to the needs of small island developing states - not entangled in bureaucracy."
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Queensland's new disclosure laws fall short when it comes to natural hazard risk
Leon and Olga Radunz should be enjoying their retirement but instead they're living in fear because their "forever home" in Queensland's Scenic Rim is falling down. In 2004, the couple settled on a secluded 8,000 square metre block of land at Tamborine Mountain because it seemed like the perfect spot. But without realising it, they built their home in an area prone to landslides. The Scenic Rim Council has a public landslide hazard map, but the couple was unaware at the time of purchasing the property that the document existed. The home owners said they did "the normal checks" before the sale and believed the seller should have disclosed the landslide risk. They made that discovery nearly two decades later in 2022 when heavy rainfall triggered a series of landslides, damaging their million-dollar home. "The back deck pulled off, the front side of the slab has moved and slipped," Mr Radunz said. "The floor has dropped, the driveway is all cracked, doors don't close very well, windows don't close, and it has substantially damaged the pipe system underneath." Their two-storey home has been held up by steel poles for the past three years to prevent it from collapsing and the Radunzes are looking to move. "The house has to be demolished at some stage as a result of the landslides [since 2022] … but it's safe to live in for the moment," Mr Radunz said. "We're hoping no new heavy weather comes in." The couple had intentionally underinsured the property to save on premiums, and while they had since received a payout from the insurer, it would not cover their losses. "We're so heartbroken because all the finance and the heartbreak we have been going through in the past three years is unbelievable … no-one should go through that," Ms Radunz said. Mr Radunz conceded that he and his wife did not do enough due diligence before buying their property, but said that realisation had only come with hindsight. "Looking back, we didn't know what questions to ask. "But how do you know to look? Because you wouldn't suspect it's a landslip zone." In Queensland, there is no legal requirement for sellers to disclose if a property is affected by natural hazards such as landslides or flooding. The state government passed the Property Law Act in 2023, which requires owners to disclose important information about a property to prospective buyers. The new seller disclosure statement comes into effect from August 1. Real Estate Institute of Queensland chief executive Antonia Mercorella said the law would not have made a difference to the couple's "tragic" situation as sellers would not be required to disclose information about a property's natural hazard history. "There are just certain disclosures that the law doesn't consider that a vendor needs to make," Ms Mercorella said. She said vendors would not also be required to disclose the structural soundness of the building, pest infestations, the presence of asbestos within buildings, or improvements on the property. Instead, sellers were obliged to provide a range of information, including any encumbrances affecting the property, zoning information, building compliance certificates, and rates and water charges. Under consumer law, however, sellers would be obliged to reveal relevant information if asked. "For instance, if a buyer were to ask the question: has this property previously flooded? Then clearly consumer laws exist that make it clear that one cannot lie about that or mislead the buyer," Ms Mercorella said. She urged buyers to carry out their own investigations on a property, either through speaking with the real estate agent or lawyer, or by referring to the flood or landslide hazard mapping provided by the local council. Queensland councils have been advocating for years for the natural disaster disclosure to be included in the legislation and some remain disappointed it has been omitted. "This could have been an easy fix that could have helped create fewer headaches for people," Moreton Bay Council Mayor Peter Flannery said. Cr Flannery said that although council information about natural hazard risks was freely available online, it was often overlooked by potential buyers. "It's not put up front to them that this is something that you should be made aware of before you continue on with this contract." Mr Radunz said he hoped other prospective buyers could learn from their experience and avoid the same costly mistake. "Do all the searches you can, whatever you think might go wrong, go and check it out," he said.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Loveland Pass remains closed after Colorado landslide, but CDOT says cleanup effort's first stage is nearly complete
A stretch of Loveland Pass in the Colorado high country remains closed after a landslide, but the Colorado Department of Transportation says the first stage of the cleanup effort is nearly complete. CDOT The 100 foot wide landslide happened early Sunday evening and covered Highway 6 with a wall of mud and debris that is 15 to 20 feet high. It happened on the Clear Creek County side of the mountain pass, closer to Loveland ski area. On Tuesday crews had removed 85% of the rocks, mud and silt from the road, but engineering teams will still have to assess the stability of the mountainside before the road can be reopened. CDOT CDOT said in a Tuesday afternoon that there's still no estimated time for when Highway 6 will be back open. "Crews are working diligently to clear the slide," the department wrote in a prepared statement. "The pass will remain closed until the roadway is deemed safe. Motorists, hikers, and cyclists are urged to stay clear of the area until the clean-up is complete." CDOT said there hasn't been a landslide in the spot where it happened, which is referred to as Scottys Curves, since 2003. As a result of the closure, trucks carrying hazardous materials need to pass through the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70, and that could result in some slowdowns for drivers passing through the tunnel from Summit County to Clear Creek County and back.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
DR Congo flooding: Heavy rains in dry season in Kinshasa kill at least 29
At least 29 people have been killed in flood waters and landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, Kinshasa, following unusually heavy rains in the dry season, the interior ministry has said. Homes were swept away, roads were flooded, and widespread power cuts were recorded as a third of the city was affected by the downpour. DR Congo's meteorological agency Mettelsat said that 90mm (3.5in) of rain was recorded on Saturday morning - higher than that of the rainy season that lasts from November through to say the heavy rains are being fuelled by climate change. The consequences are devastating because of a lack of urban planning and proper drainage. Kinshasa sits on the Congo river, which is one of the longest in the world and stretches across the residents of the capital live in poorly built homes, or near areas prone to flooding, as its population grows with an influx of people from other parts of the country. Kinshasa's population is estimated to be nearing18 million - an increase of more than 4% from 2024, according to Macrotrends. Interior Minister Shabani Lukoo chaired a crisis meeting to coordinate the government's flood response, the interior ministry said in a statement. The government extended its condolences to bereaved families, and would cover the funeral expenses of the 29 people who died, it added. More than 100 people died in flash floods in eastern DR Congo's South Kivu region in May, and more than 30 in Kinshasa in April. More BBC stories on DR Congo: Rare antelope captured on camera as experts say under 100 exist'I risked drowning to flee conscription by Congolese rebels'The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR Congo Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
CBS News
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Landslide closes highway over Colorado mountain pass
Mud and rock an estimated 15 to 20 feet deep buried both lanes of travel across U.S. 6 near Loveland Pass before sunrise Saturday. There is no indication when road crews will be able to clear the debris and re-open the road. No vehicles or cyclists are known to have been caught in the slide, according to state and county authorities. No actual time that the slide occurred has been released, either, although the first notification of the highway's closure came from the Colorado Department of Transportation at 4:25 a.m. A landslide crossed both lanes of U.S. 6 a mile north of Loveland Pass's summit Saturday morning. There is no estimated time of re-opening the highway, and authorities are asking travelers to avoid the area because the slide is still active. Clear Creek Sheriff's Office/Facebook The Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office stated in a social media post that the landslide crossed the highway at mile marker 226. That location is three miles above U.S. 6's interchange with Interstate 70 near the Loveland Ski Area and one mile below the summit of Loveland Pass. The Keystone and Arapahoe Basin ski areas are open but only accessible from the western side of Loveland Pass in Silverthorne. A-Basin extended its winter ski season earlier this month after planning to close on June 4; today is the ski area's last day. Keystone's ski season ended in early April. That resort planned to open its gates for summer recreation Thursday. There are no limitations to reaching Loveland Ski Area which ended its winter ski season May 4. Colorado Department of Transportation/Facebook Loveland Pass crests the Continental Divide just shy of 12,000 feet in elevation. The road is used as an alternative to the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels on I-70, particularly for trucks carrying hazardous cargo. With that Loveland Pass route unavailable, highway officials will normally close the tunnels to regular traffic at regular intervals to allow such hazardous cargo to travel through them alone. CDOT has made no announcements about those planned closures at this time.
