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Israel hit by massive flooding (VIDEOS)

Icy rains hit Israel over the weekend, leading to flooding and property damage

Cars were submerged under water and streets were turned into turbulent rivers in Israeli cities over the weekend after torrential rain and cold weather battered the nation and led to flash flooding.

A neighborhood housing some 18,000 people in the Israeli city of Lod was completely cut off by floods, Israeli media reported on Sunday. Local authorities warned the residents that the only way to get in or out of the area was by train. 

Locals told the media that life in the area had come to a halt, with even health clinics and Covid testing centers ceasing operation. 

Elsewhere in Israel, floods turned city streets into rivers and saw cars submerged under water. Rescue services were deployed to save people trapped in their vehicles.

גבר וילדה חולצו מרכב שנתקע בהצפה בכפר קאסם @hadasgrinberg
צילום: דוברות כבאות והצלה, מחוז מרכז pic.twitter.com/oOR0sIzrLo

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 16, 2022

In Petah Tikva, a major city just east of Tel Aviv, some residents apparently chose a more convenient way of going about their business, with some filmed kayaking through streets that had been turned into waterways. 

Israel: Because of the poor drainage of rainwater and mismanagement, this is how the streets of Petah Tikva, south of Tel Aviv, looked this week.pic.twitter.com/sHPSBYrbqv

— Lebanese News and Updates (@LebUpdate) January 16, 2022

Photos and videos published on social media showed turbulent waters rushing through various city streets and even gushing through a cafe in the city of Ashkelon. Large swaths of territory appear to be under water in several regions, with motorists trying to negotiate city avenues that had turned to rivers.

Heavy floods overwhelm a restaurant in the city of Asqalan (also known as Ashkelon) in the south of 1948-occupied #Palestine.#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/o7RnZW0JAz

— Wafa News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) January 16, 2022

גשמי ברכה: הצפות באשקלון הערב. pic.twitter.com/g5oVi2zhBj

— מזג אוויר – ישראל ובעולם ⛈☔☃️ (@MezgAvirIL) January 15, 2022

On Sunday, temperatures also dropped to a lower-than-average level for the time of year, according to reports, as the nation’s meteorological service warned that the risk of flooding in some areas, including the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea, would remain through the rest of Sunday. 

תיעוד מרחובות הכביש הפך לנחל.
רח’ פארק המדע מוצף כך מהבוקר. pic.twitter.com/rVLdb87OyM

— מזג אוויר – ישראל ובעולם ⛈☔☃️ (@MezgAvirIL) January 16, 2022

#מזג_אוויר #הצפות#Weather #Flooding#rehovot #israel
המצב הבוקר ב….#פארק_המדע_רחובות@Sharontzvielis @NewsErezsher1
צילום: #חדשות_רחובות_ניוז pic.twitter.com/3sR70yp8aH

— רחובות ניוז – News rehovot (@News_Rehovot) January 16, 2022

Heavy rain and floods are common in Israel during winter. In December 2019 and early January 2020, seven people lost their lives during several weeks of torrential rains. This time, there have been no reports of casualties so far. 

Magnitude-6.1 earthquake hits Papua New Guinea

Saturday’s massive underwater volcanic eruption off Tonga appears to have triggered seismic activity across the southern Pacific

A day after Tonga was hit by giant waves following the eruption of a volcano in the ocean off its coast, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake has struck the island of Papua New Guinea, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has said.

The epicenter of the quake was located in the autonomous Bougainville region, at a depth of 408 kilometers (253 miles), according to the agency. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also registered the quake, putting its magnitude at 5.8. There have so far been no reports either of casualties or significant damage.

Papua New Guinea, a country of nine million, occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and a group of smaller islands in Melanesia, north of Australia.

Papua New Guinea is located some 4,700 kilometers (2,920 miles) southeast of Tonga, which was hit by a tsunami on Saturday, after an offshore volcanic eruption. The eruption sent huge waves right across the Pacific, with reports of boats being damaged coming from as far afield as New Zealand and California. Tsunami warnings were issued for Japan, Hawaii, Alaska, and the US West Coast. The tsunami threat has now receded, but Tonga remains covered in an ash cloud, which is preventing surveillance aircraft from assessing the damage.