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Iran floods: New alerts issued as heavy rains continue
[PRESSTV] Iranian authorities have issued new emergency alerts and travel advisories as heavy rain and snowfall continue to cause flooding and disruptions in most parts of the country.

Morteza Salimi, the head of the Relief and Rescue Organization of the Iranian Red Islamic Thingy Society (IRCS), said Monday morning that floods have affected at least 23 of the country’s 31 provinces since heavy downpours began on March 19.

Estimates by government agencies suggest that the floods have taken the lives of at least 42 people and destroyed over 25,000 homes around the country.

Major floods have been reported in the provinces of Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan, Kordestan, Fars, Northern Khorasan, Kermanshah, Khouzestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad as well as Sistan and Baluchestan.

It was reported on Monday morning that fresh floods are expected in at least nine provinces.

Strong rain and powerful winds are also expected to lash several cities on Monday and Tuesday after a new storm system moved into western Iran on Sunday, according to Iran's Meteorological Organization (IMRO).

Iran orders evacuation of flood-hit western cities

[Rudaw] Iranian authorities on Monday ordered the immediate evacuation of flood-stricken cities in the western province of Lorestan as rivers burst their banks, dams overflowed and vast areas were cut off from communication.

The highest level of alert was declared in Lorestan province with four or five cities "completely critical", state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
news network IRINN reported from Khorramabad, the region’s capital.

"In Khorramabad the water has risen by as much as three metres (nearly 10 feet) in parts... and reports are coming in of regions... completely submerged with residents stranded on their rooftops," it added.

This is the third major flood to hit Iran in the past two weeks with unprecedented rainfalls in the mostly arid country that had endured a decades long drought until this year.
Authorities in Lorestan ordered evacuations in many regions, bringing in the armed forces to forcibly remove those who do not comply, local media reported.

The authorities said Pol-e-Dokhtar and Mamulan cities were already half submerged, with one fatality reported in Mamulan. Images on local media show water gushing through streets in Pol-e-Dokhtar where the water level had reached 1.5 metres (five feet).

Every village in the vicinity of the two cities had been surrounded by flood waters while all five dams in Lorestan had reached capacity and four of them were overflowing.

Numerous rivers had burst their banks and landslides blocked many roads, said the reports.

Media outlets showed images of collapsed bridges and oil and gas pipelines destroyed by the flood.

The main railway line linking Tehran to the south of the country had also been blocked by the flood.

This is the third major flood to hit Iran in the past two weeks with unprecedented rainfalls in the mostly arid country that had endured a decades long drought until this year. The first occurred in the northeast of the country on March 19 and the second struck the west and southwest of Iran on March 25 with a combined toll of 45 people killed. The present flood has again struck in the west and southwest following heavy rain that is set to continue into Tuesday.

With the consecutive floods the reservoirs of many dams have reached full capacity forcing emergency discharge, as much as 1,800 cubic metres per second in some cases, to prevent them from breaking.
See also this.

Posted by: Fred 2019-04-02
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=537890