Tag Archives: climate change

The New York Times reports: Hurricane Helene ravaged much of the Southeast last week, carving a path of destruction from Florida to Appalachian states as it spawned deadly flooding, mudslides and tornadoes. After making landfall on Thursday on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the storm, with its powerful winds and record-breaking storm surges, killed at least 60 people, destroyed countless homes, put …

ABC News reports: Residents of Pasco County, Florida, just north of Tampa, are facing “a level of devastation in our county that, quite honestly, I haven’t seen in the 20-plus years that I’ve lived here,” county administrator Mike Carballa said. Pasco County’s emergency center received about 400 to 500 calls for service early Friday morning after landfall, Carballa said. Of …

The New York Times reports: Cedar Key, a small community on a collection of tiny islands jutting into the Gulf of Mexico, is emerging as one of the areas most devastated when Helene struck Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday night. “Cedar Key as we know it is completely gone,” said Michael Bobbitt, a novelist and playwright who lives in …

Nashville’s ABC affiliate reports: More than 50 people were sent to the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital on Friday and are awaiting rescue as flooding cut the hospital off from land, according to Ballad Health. Ballad previously announced at 10:45 a.m. that the hospital had closed and suspended operations due to the threat of flooding. Ballad stated in a …

Florida Politics reports: Though the concept of climate change has been removed from state law in recent months, Florida’s former Governor is saying he agrees with mainstream scientists on the issue. “The climate is clearly changing,” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said on CNN, addressing the destruction left by Hurricane Helene. “We know things are changing. We’ve got to figure out, …

The Verge reports: Zillow has announced that its real estate property listings in the US will soon feature details about climate risks, including the potential for wildfires, flooding, extreme temperatures, high winds, and poor air quality. Buyers will also see what types of insurance are required or recommended for a property. The climate risk data, provided through a partnership with …

The Weather Channel reports: H​urricane Helene is intensifying ahead of a Category 4 landfall in Florida tonight, delivering catastrophic, possibly record storm surge, destructive winds and flooding rainfall. The fast-moving pace of Helene means its dangers will spread well inland. Life-threatening flash flooding, potential record river flooding, damaging winds and tornadoes are expected in parts of Georgia, the Carolinas and …

Sarasota’s ABC affiliate reports: The National Hurricane Center is reporting that Helene is now a Category 2 Hurricane with maximum sustained wind gusts of 100 MPH. The storm is currently 320 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida and continuing its trek toward the Big Bend Area where it could make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, intensified by the warm waters …

Orlando’s NBC affiliate reports: Hurricane Helene has strengthened, according to the National Hurricane Center, and is expected to slam Florida as a Category 4 storm. Helene is currently located about 460 miles south-southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and a minimum central pressure of 978 mb. A northward or north-northeastward motion at a faster forward speed …

The South Dakota Spotlight reports: Governor Kristi Noem’s administration recently turned down more than $70 million of federal funds from energy efficiency and environmental programs, according to her top budget official. The Home Energy Rebates program would have provided the state with $69 million to give South Dakotans rebates for energy-efficient home retrofits and high-efficiency electric appliances. Over the course …

“They’re playing politics. Some people don’t want to do money to help victims of natural disaster in our own country because they want more money for things like Ukraine and things halfway around the world. And I think they need to stop playing politics with it and just get it done. We are way more proactive than any other state …

Reuters reports: Tropical Storm Debby is expected to gather strength and become a hurricane on Sunday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, rather than Monday, as it had forecast just hours before. Forecasters expect a large number of Atlantic hurricanes in the 2024 season, which began on June 1, with four to seven seen as major, among 25 …

The Texas Tribune reports: Chevron Corporation will move its headquarters from San Ramon, California, to Houston before the end of the year, the company said Friday. Chevron is the latest company to leave California for Texas seeking a laxer, more business-friendly regulatory environment. Last month, Elon Musk said he’ll move X and SpaceX to Texas because California Gov. Gavin Newsom …

Reuters reports: A northern California wildfire is now the country’s largest, after doubling in size in 24 hours. The Park Fire had burned more than 350,000 acres about 90 miles north of the state capital city of Sacramento as of Saturday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Evacuation orders and warnings were …

USA Today reports: The world’s population is expected to grow to an estimated 10.3 billion people in the mid-2080s, according to a new report from the United Nations. That’s up from the current global population of 8.2 billion people. The estimated size of the world’s population at the end of the century (2100) is now expected to be 6% smaller …

The Weather Channel reports: H​urricane warnings have been extended along parts of the Texas coast ahead of Tropical Storm Beryl. Flooding rainfall, storm surge inundation, high winds and tornadoes are all threats. Beryl is centered in the western Gulf of Mexico and is moving toward the northwest. Beryl is beginning to reorganize and is predicted to intensify en route to …

CNN reports: The weekend is off to a sizzling start as more than one-third of US residents face heat advisories and additional cities are expected to see record temperatures in the coming days. The list includes customarily hot Las Vegas, where temperatures are expected to be near 114 degrees Saturday and even hotter Sunday, when it could break the daily …

USA Today reports: Climate change is taking a dramatic toll on glaciers in Alaska: Glacier melt in a major Alaskan icefield has accelerated and could reach an irreversible tipping point earlier than previously thought, a new scientific study released this week suggests. Alaska has some of our planet’s largest icefields, and their melting is a major contributor to sea-level rise. …

Austin’s ABC affiliate reports: Texas officials are urging people to stay prepared — and not panic — ahead of Beryl. In a briefing on Friday afternoon, acting Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said it is too early to know Beryl’s exact path and where it will make landfall but people should still plan …

The Houston Chronicle reports: The chance that Hurricane Beryl could come ashore in deep South Texas is becoming more of a reality now. Earlier this week, the National Hurricane Center had been forecasting that Beryl would most likely make landfall on the northeast coast of Mexico, but as the most recent model data has come in, Beryl’s projected path is …