We hope not too many Jaunted readers were traveling through the Philippines over the weekend because it hasn't been pretty: a tropical storm hit the north of the country and caused the worst flooding Manila has seen for more than 50 years.

Almost half a million people have been displaced by the floods and sadly, at least 86 have been confirmed dead, with the final death toll expected to be a lot higher.

What this means for travelers: right now is clearly not a fantastic time to be landing in the northern Philippines. Apart from the fact that the locals are busy with more important things than entertaining tourists, with such widespread flooding there's also the danger of disease outbreaks. Postpone your trip if you can. When you do get there, remember we've also warned you to be wary of ferries, okay?

Related Stories:
· Storm Kills Dozens in the Philippines [NY Times]
· Note To Self: Avoid Ferries In The Philippines [Jaunted]

[Photo: Dan Saavedra] ]]> amandak 2009-09-28T09:00:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/23/35420/9433

While most thoughts of Australia this month have been on the fires burning in Victoria, the opposite kind of natural disaster has been causing chaos in the northern parts of the country, with large areas of Queensland and Western Australia being hit by cyclone-induced floods.

In Western Australia, popular tourist spot Karijini National Park has just been able to reopen all roads, although the gorges are off-limits for a little longer. Once you can get there again, it's worth a visit for so many reasons. There are half a dozen gorges with steep red cliffs, water holes to swim in and waterfalls to hike to, all in the middle of the Australian outback.

Flying up to Karijini from Perth is the most common way to get there; if you self-drive around the park there's just a A$10 ($6.50) entry fee. Lots of visitors join a safari-style camping trip to see all the best bits of the park. Just remember to check first for flood reports--this month's waters aren't exactly a one-off.

Related Stories:
· Karijini National Park [Official Site]
· NW Parks Open Again [ABC]
· Victorian Fires Still Burning, Help Floods In [Jaunted]
· Western Australia Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Paul Reid] ]]> amandak 2009-03-02T11:11:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/3/51831/0007

As we (unfortunately) promised, a second surge of floodwaters hit Venice yesterday, peaking at just over three feet. But with the windy weather now calming down, experts are predicting the flooding will subside and Venetians will soon have a chance to dry off a bit.

It doesn't sound like all the locals have been as upset by the flooding as they should be. One guy thought that a flooded St Mark's Square made a great venue for a bit of wakeboarding.

Of course, we know that the Venetian authorities are on a big campaign to ban anything that's fun, so we weren't surprised that the wakeboarder was quickly arrested by local police. Pity, perhaps Venice could have turned its flood woes into an adventure travel paradise.

Related Stories:
· High Tide Wallop Venice for 2nd Day [AP, via Google]
· Acqua Alta in Venice At Near Record Levels [Jaunted]
· More Rules for Venice Tourists [Jaunted]

[Photo: BBC] ]]> amandak 2008-12-03T09:20:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/1/104158/358

Parts of Venice were under more than five feet of water today, as the Adriatic overwhelmed the city's canals in near-record-breaking fashion. While the flood waters quickly receded from the crest, another surge of acqua alta is predicted early Tuesday. The mayor has warned everyone to stay indoors, which shouldn't be a problem, since the city's vaporetti, or water buses, aren't operating normally because of a national transportation strike.

By mid-morning, almost every walkway in Venice was submerged because of the exceptionally high waters, and St. Mark's Square was more than 2.5 feet under. The brave few who did trudge outdoors had boots pulled up above the knee to fend off the sea.

While the flooding looks really awesome in photos, it's horrible for the long-term survival of the city, which is slowly being eaten alive by salt water and sea breezes. Get there now for the best chance of seeing high seas yourself: Floods are most common in the winter.

Related Stories:
· Venice Suffers Worst Flooding in 22 Years [AFP, via Google]
· Have Kayak, Will Travel [Jaunted]
· Water Taxi Travel: Brad on a Boat! [Jaunted]

[Photo of the flooding today: TangOblivion]]]> pbb 2008-12-01T10:50:23-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/