Up to 2 million people in and around New Orleans were without power after Hurricane Ida, a 150mph monster storm that was the most powerful ever to hit Louisiana. At least one person was killed, by a falling tree, but the governor, John Bel Edwards, warned that the death toll will probably rise
Continue reading...Category Archives: Extreme weather
Hurricane Ida barrels down on Louisiana amid warnings of ‘life-altering storm’
Tens of thousands in US face evacuation orders as storm makes first landfall in Cuba, sparking fears of floods and mudslides
Hurricane Ida rapidly gained strength on Friday evening as communities in southern Louisiana braced for a major category 4 storm with sustained winds of about 140mph and tens of thousands of residents were placed under mandatory evacuation orders.
The hurricane is due to make landfall in the US on Sunday, with officials warning of a “life-altering storm”. The cities of New Orleans and Lafayette, as well as the state capital, Baton Rouge, are under threat from Ida, which is forecast to reach the US somewhere between the parishes of Terrebone and St Mary, slightly west of New Orleans.
Continue reading...Caldor fire advances towards Lake Tahoe as communities clouded in smoke
Fire was less than two dozen miles from Lake Tahoe on Wednesday evening, at times burning 1,000 acres of land an hour
A wind-driven wildfire continued to advance towards Lake Tahoe, clouding the alpine vacation and tourist spot on the California-Nevada state line in a sickly yellow layer of smoke.
The Caldor fire on Wednesday evening was less than two dozen miles (37km) from Lake Tahoe, at times burning 1,000 acres (405 hectares) of land an hour.
Continue reading...Haiti’s earthquake has compounded years of corruption and political crisis | Jonathan M Katz
The 2010 earthquake response was riddled with failure. Haitians cannot afford another catastrophe
The latest statistics from Haiti’s August 14 earthquake are stark: at least 2,207 people have been confirmed dead and more than 12,000 injured. More than 130,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. Aftershocks continue, and new landslides in the wake of the follow-on Tropical Storm Grace mean those numbers are expected to rise in the coming weeks.
But the most dispiriting number is 11. That is the number of years that passed between Haiti’s last major earthquake and this one – years in which corruption has hollowed out the state, armed gangs have expanded their territorial control, and political turmoil has intensified, culminating in the assassination of the president, Jovenel Moïse, in July.
Continue reading...German Greens under fire over 19th-century folk song in election ad
Greens go for wide appeal with reworked campfire song with no mention of devastating floods
Germany’s Green party has been accused of attempting to revive its hippyish origins rather than tackle the challenges of the present with the release of a campaign ad for next month’s federal election that revives a 19th-century folk song.
Five weeks before a general election, in which at one point the party was leading in the polls, the one-minute-long commercial is being seen by some critics as a deliberate and last-ditch attempt to appeal to as wide a constituency as possible as it battles for second place against the resurgent Social Democrats.
Continue reading...Haiti earthquake 10 days on: survivors still ‘hungry and thirsty’ – video report
The death toll is still rising 10 days after a catastrophic earthquake struck southern Haiti on the morning of 14 August. More than 2,200 deaths have been recorded so far, while at least 30,000 families have had to abandon their homes. Many were sleeping on the streets when Tropical Storm Grace struck two days later, bringing high winds and pelting rain. But despite the hardship, many Haitians are wary of the massive international aid response that is under way
Continue reading...Haiti needs help, but ‘not from aid workers who never leave their SUVs’
Beset by earthquakes, poverty and gang violence, the country is desperate for aid. However it must be the right kind, say locals
The death toll is still rising 10 days after a catastrophic earthquake struck southern Haiti on the morning of 14 August, levelling much of Les Cayes and the surrounding region.
More than 2,200 deaths have been recorded so far, while at least 30,000 families have had to abandon their homes. Many were sleeping on the streets when Tropical Storm Grace struck two days later, bringing high winds and pelting rain.
Continue reading...Climate crisis made deadly German floods ‘up to nine times more likely’
Study reinforces the hard evidence that carbon emissions are the main cause of worsening extreme weather
The record-shattering rainfall that caused deadly flooding across Germany and Belgium in July was made up to nine times more likely by the climate crisis, according to research.
The study also showed that human-caused global heating has made downpours in the region up to 20% heavier. The work reinforces the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s landmark report this month that there is “unequivocal” evidence that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are the main cause of worsening extreme weather.
Continue reading...‘It’s just unbelievable’: Tennessee surveys wreckage after floods kill 22
Succession of thunderstorms deposited record-breaking 17in of rain in some parts of state
Tennesseans were surveying the mangled wreckage of towns and communities across the middle of the state on Monday, after a record-breaking deluge caused flash flooding that swept away houses, shattered lives and left at least 22 people dead and many more missing.
Related: A midwestern town moved uphill to survive climate crisis. Can others do the same?
Continue reading...Henri drenches US north-east as 140,000 lose power in slow-moving storm
National Hurricane Center says storm to slow down further and likely stall near Connecticut-New York line
The slow-rolling storm Henri was taking its time drenching the US north-east on Monday.
Henri, which made landfall as a tropical storm on Sunday afternoon in Rhode Island, had moved north-west through Connecticut. It hurled rain westward far before its arrival, flooding areas as far south-west as New Jersey before pelting north-east Pennsylvania, even as it dropped to tropical depression status.
Continue reading...Henri makes landfall in Rhode Island, packing high winds and heavy rain
- Biden says storm has ‘potential for widespread consequences’
- Inland rainfall seen as major threat in north-east states
Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in Rhode Island on Sunday, packing high winds and heavy rains that were projected to leave devastation from New Jersey and New York up to Massachusetts.
Related: The show did not go on: storm thwarts Central Park concert celebrating city’s Covid comeback
Continue reading...Tropical Storm Grace’s heavy rains pour misery on Haiti earthquake survivors
- Flash flood and landslides complicate relief efforts
- Power remains out with 50mm of rain an hour falling
Tropical Storm Grace has lashed southern Haiti with drenching rains, piling on misery for survivors of a powerful earthquake as flash floods and landslides further complicate relief efforts.
Related: Naomi Osaka to donate prize earnings to Haiti earthquake relief efforts
Continue reading...‘My animals burned alive’: the man putting his life back together after Greece’s wildfires – video
Shepherd Giannis Tsiboukas, 36, confronts the ‘total destruction’ caused after a wildfire ravaged his land on the island of Evia in Greece. Tsiboukas lost more than 40 animals to the fire that destroyed more than 50,000 hectares. Peoples homes and livelihoods have been decimated.
Hundreds of wildfires have torn through Greece this month on the heels of its most severe heatwave in decades, which left its forests tinder dry. Other Mediterranean countries – Turkey, Italy, Algeria and Spain among them – have suffered similar problems.
Scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving more extreme weather events.
Continue reading...Florida issues tropical storm warning for Panhandle region as Fred approaches
- Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Grace to hit parts of the Caribbean
- Fred’s maximum sustained winds at 40mph Sunday morning
Florida’s governor declared a state of emergency for the state’s Panhandle region as Tropical Storm Fred moved through the Gulf of Mexico early on Sunday and parts of the Caribbean were preparing for the impact from Tropical Storm Grace.
Fred was forecast to move across the Gulf before reaching the coast Monday night or Tuesday morning, forecasters said. They said people from Alabama to the central Florida Panhandle should monitor the system’s progress.
Continue reading...Heavy rain triggers floods and landslides in Japan – video
More than a million people have been urged to seek shelter as torrential rain triggered floods and landslides in western Japan, leaving at least one dead and two missing. Scientists say the climate crisis is intensifying the risk of heavy rain in Japan and elsewhere, because a warmer atmosphere holds more water
Continue reading...Turkey floods kill 17 as country battles fresh disaster
Heavy rains and mudslides in northern regions come after devastating wildfires ravaged the south of the country
Heavy rains have triggered severe floods and mudslides in northern Turkey, killing at least 17 people and forcing thousands to leave their homes and shelter in student dormitories.
Rescue efforts continued on Thursday after torrential rain hit the Black Sea coastal provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu, Sinop and Samsun.
Continue reading...Algeria declares three days of mourning as wildfire death toll reaches 69
Scores of fires blaze across 17 provinces as calls made for aid convoys and Morocco and France offer help
Algeria’s president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has declared three days of national mourning amid the death toll from raging wildfires in the north of the country rising to 69.
The state-run news agency APS said the rash of more than 50 fires which broke out on Tuesday had claimed four more lives, bringing the total to 69, including 28 soldiers deployed to help the emergency services.
Continue reading...Oregon declares state of emergency as another ‘extreme heatwave’ looms
Pacific north-west prepares for triple-digit temperatures just weeks after heat resulted in hundreds of deaths in region
The Oregon governor declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as the region prepared for triple-digit temperatures mere weeks after a deadly heatwave clobbered the Pacific north-west.
Kate Brown said: “Oregon is facing yet another extreme heatwave, and it is critical that every level of government has the resources they need to help keep Oregonians safe and healthy.”
Continue reading...Wildfires in Algeria leave more than 40 dead including soldiers – video
More than 40 people have died as wildfires sweep through parts of Algeria. Dozens of fires have hit the Kabyle region 60 miles (100km) east of Algiers with remote villages and limited access to water complicating efforts to contain the blazes. The death toll includes 25 soldiers who were killed as they worked to rescue people in Bejaiea and Tizi Ouzou
Continue reading...Wildfires in Algeria: dozens of civilians and soldiers reported dead
Prime minister says request made for help internationally as forest blazes erupt in Kabyle region and elsewhere
More than 40 people, including 25 soldiers, have died in wildfires that erupted east of the Algerian capital, the country’s prime minister, Ayman Benabderrahmane, said.
Benabderrahmane also told state television that the government had asked for help from the international community and was in talks with partners to hire planes to extinguish fires. So far, 42 deaths have been reported.
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