Penguins gather on an ice floe near Davis Station, Southern Ocean, Antarctica on Jan. 25, 2019. copyright Jeff Miller / Moment / Getty Images
Antarctica and Greenland's ice sheets are currently melting at a pace consistent with worst-case-scenario predictions for sea level rise, with serious consequences for coastal communities and the reliability of climate models.
<p>A paper published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0893-y" target="_blank">Nature Climate Change</a> Monday compared the latest satellite observations of polar ice melt with the predictions outlined in the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar5/" target="_blank">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report</a>. It <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0893-y.epdf?no_publisher_access=1&r3_referer=nature" target="_blank">found</a> that the ice sheets are currently raising sea levels at a rate 45 percent above the IPCC's central prediction and closer to its worst-case scenario. If this continues, the two ice sheets could raise sea levels a further 17 centimeters (approximately 7 inches) more than central predictions by 2100.</p><p>"If ice sheet losses continue to track our worst-case climate warming scenarios we should expect an additional 17cm of sea level rise from the ice sheets alone," study coauthor and University of Leeds researcher Anna Hogg said in a <a href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4658/sea_level_rise_matches_worst-case_scenario" target="_blank">university press release</a>. "That's enough to double the frequency of storm-surge <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a> in many of the world's largest coastal cities."</p>
<div id="2fa32" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b464cded4f9b3404465e4b8c04f92009"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1300528364873277440" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Ice sheets losses are tracking the IPCCs worst case climate predictions. This could mean an extra 17 cm of sea leve… https://t.co/wPdqTWef1D</div> — CPOM News (@CPOM News)<a href="https://twitter.com/CPOM_news/statuses/1300528364873277440">1598905099.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Since the 1990s, the two ice sheets have already increased global sea levels by 1.8 centimeters (approximately 0.7 inches). But it was between 2007 and 2017 that the ice sheets began to lose mass at a rate consistent with worst-case-scenario projections, adding around 1.23 centimeters (approximately 0.5 inches) to the water line during that decade, according to the study.</p><p>A worst-case-scenario sea level rise as currently predicted would expose 44 to 66 million people to yearly coastal flooding by century's end. But one of study's most alarming implications is that, if sea level rise is already tracking worst-case-scenario predictions, the actual worst-case scenario could be even more dire.</p>
<p>"We need to come up with a new worst-case scenario for the ice sheets because they are already melting at a rate in line with our current one," lead author and Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) at the University of Leeds researcher Thomas Slater told <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/ice-sheet-melting-is-perfectly-in-line-with-our-worst-case-scenario-scientists-warn?fbclid=IwAR2s5aduvFPi61VIAg7yIvh813EBaKGyJPzQh836ugmUY3pPkm3wHGfaTx0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AFP</a>. "Sea level projections are critical in helping governments plan climate policy, mitigation and adaptation strategies. If we underestimate future sea level rise, then these measures may be inadequate and leave coastal communities vulnerable."</p><p>One of the reasons climate models might underestimate the worst-case scenario, Slater told AFP, is that they do not account for short-term weather changes such as the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/heat-wave" target="_self">heat wave</a> that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greenland-record-breaking-melt-heat-wave-2639610009.html" target="_self">drove</a> Greenland's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greenland-ice-melt-2019-2647049163.html" target="_self">record melt</a> in the summer of 2019.</p><p>The models that will be used for the IPCC's next report are better at predicting how the ice sheets, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">oceans</a> and atmosphere interact, Slater said.</p>
<p>The latest study follows a slew of bad news for the world's ice. One study <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greenland-ice-sheet-melting-2647005347.html" target="_self">published in August</a> found that the Greenland ice sheet had passed the "point of no return" and would continue to melt even if the climate crisis were halted.</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/earth-sea-ice-melt-study-2647072206.html" target="_self">Another recent study</a>, also driven by Leeds' CPOM, calculated that the earth had lost 28 trillion tonnes (approximately 31 trillion U.S. tons) of ice in just 23 years.</p><p>These studies reflect a new global reality: In the last five years, melt from ice sheets and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/glaciers" target="_self">glaciers</a> has outpaced the expansion of warming ocean water as the main cause of sea level rise.</p><p>"It is not only Antarctica and Greenland that are causing the water to rise," Dr. Ruth Mottram, a coauthor on Monday's study and a climate researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute, told the University of Leeds. "In recent years, thousands of smaller glaciers have begun to melt or disappear altogether, as we saw with the glacier Ok in Iceland, which was declared 'dead' in 2014. This means that melting of ice has now taken over as the main contributor of sea level rise."</p>
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Tropical Storm Warnings Issued for Puerto Rico, Eastern Caribbean as Earliest ‘I’ Storm Threatens to Form
29 July
Climate
The system that could develop into Tropical Storm Isaias, as seen on July 28. NOAA
Tropical storm warnings were issued for Puerto Rico and much of the Eastern Caribbean Tuesday as a disturbance is expected to become the ninth named tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season Wednesday.
<p>The system looks set to continue 2020's run as a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricane-hanna-texas-2646805833.html" target="_self">record-breaking hurricane season</a>. If it develops into Tropical Storm Isaias, it will be the earliest "I" storm on record, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/28/weather/tropical-storm-isaias-potential-cyclone-nine-forecast-puerto-rico/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. The previous record was set Aug. 7 in 2005, currently the most active Atlantic season on record. 2020 has already reached eight named storms earlier than any other season, Colorado State University Meteorologist Philip Klotzbach said on Twitter.</p>
<div id="b34c5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="05548230a600d60c6aaa469ba42f1c14"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287877196757889024" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">While 2020 Atlantic #hurricane has reached 8 named storms faster than any season on record, 6 years in satellite er… https://t.co/b1Ftu9YSAf</div> — Philip Klotzbach (@Philip Klotzbach)<a href="https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/statuses/1287877196757889024">1595888825.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"[A] a tropical storm is forecast to form later today," the National Hurricane Center (NHC) wrote in an <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/290845.shtml" target="_blank">update at 5 a.m. Atlantic Standard Time</a>.</p><p>The system, currently dubbed "Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine," is already generating tropical-storm-force winds of 45 miles per hour. However, it is not a tropical storm yet because it does not circulate around a round center, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers explained.</p><p>"When a circular center finally forms, that is when it will be called a tropical storm," he said.</p>
<div id="ddf2b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="392873b31631495c70a195d386517400"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1288134295379468289" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">PTC9 is a large system with convection spanning roughly 1000 miles from SW to NE –– The elongated and open center o… https://t.co/FQPJViSS5J</div> — WeatherOptics (@WeatherOptics)<a href="https://twitter.com/weatheroptics/statuses/1288134295379468289">1595950123.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The system is currently located 385 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to the NHC. It is moving west-northwest at about 23 miles per hour and is expected to move over the southern Leeward Islands early Wednesday and reach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Wednesday night. It is then expected to pass near or over Hispaniola Thursday and near or over the southeastern Bahamas Friday.</p><p>In addition to wind, the storm threatens to dump three to six inches of rain over Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, the Turks and Caicos, the northern Leeward Islands and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. It could also dump four to eight inches of rain over the Inagua Islands.</p><p>"These rainfall amounts could lead to life threatening flash <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a> and mudslides, as well as potential riverine flooding," the NHC warned.</p><p>Another danger are life-threatening swells and rip tides, which will reach the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands over the next two days and the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas Thursday.</p>
<div id="3e676" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="efdba9c450e8c6f26dfb2b7663735682"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1288399591440711680" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here are the Key Messages for Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine early on Wednesday morning. The full forecast is at… https://t.co/ueCYPLRW1Y</div> — National Hurricane Center (@National Hurricane Center)<a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/statuses/1288399591440711680">1596013374.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The warning comes as Puerto Rico continues to recover from 2017's devastating <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricane-maria" target="_self">Hurricane Maria</a>, the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article244538322.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald pointed out</a>. That storm wiped out the island's power grid—it took <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/puerto-rico-electricity-hurricane-maria-2596147659.html" target="_self">nearly 11 months</a> after the storm to restore power to all homes. Officials are worried about the impact any future storms will have. More than 450,000 Puerto Ricans briefly lost power Tuesday because a plant went offline, <a href="https://apnews.com/0f98f7d25a36529e4e59ec6a196b9af8" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>. The cause is not yet known.</p><p>The storm also comes as Puerto Rico battles a spike in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> cases.</p><p>Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez said during a press conference that there were more than 300 shelters and more than 130,000 face masks ready for storm evacuees.</p><p>"We've lived through several emergencies at one time," she said. "I want you to remain calm."</p>
<div id="1c324" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7da35160075c8cb111656790404e0d29"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1288158663077748737" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here's a possible view of TS #Isaias about 36 hours from now, via the latest HWRF model. A strong tropical storm pa… https://t.co/Vx0gNp0fHW</div> — Eric Holthaus (@Eric Holthaus)<a href="https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/statuses/1288158663077748737">1595955932.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>There is a chance the storm could impact Cuba, the Bahamas and Florida by the end of the week, according to the NHC. If so, it could be another blow to the Bahamas after last year's damaging Category 5 <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricane-dorian-bahamas-2640172331.html" target="_self">Hurricane Dorian</a>, the Miami Herald pointed out. However, the path of the storm is still unpredictable.</p><p>"The details of the long-range track and intensity forecasts are more uncertain than usual since the system does not have a well-defined center and it could move over portions of the Greater Antilles later this week," the NHC <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT4+shtml/102054.shtml" target="_blank">wrote early Wednesday</a>.</p>
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Family members embrace at the burned remains of their home after the LNU Lightning Complex fire in Vacaville, California on August 23, 2020. Josh Edelson / AFP / Getty Images
By Jamie Smith Hopkins
Disasters are stressful. Our warming world keeps adding fuel to the fires — and floods and hurricanes, among other calamities. What can be done about the trauma that follows?
<p>The Center for Public Integrity, Columbia Journalism Investigations and our partners in newsrooms around the country have been reporting on this for months. We've learned a lot by asking experts: people who've lived through disasters and the professionals who study this or provide hands-on help. More than 230 shared their experiences in our <a href="https://publicintegrity.org/environment/hidden-epidemics/natural-disasters-challenge-mental-health-tell-us-your-story/" target="_blank">detailed survey</a>, and we interviewed dozens of additional people.</p><p>Some takeaways:</p><p><strong>Be aware. </strong>It might seem simplistic, but you're one step ahead if you know that surviving a disaster and dealing with the long aftermath can be hard on mental health. Keep an eye out for symptoms, not just obvious ones like constant worrying or <a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/sites/default/files/public/php/223/223_guide.pdf" target="_blank">feeling short-tempered</a>, but also <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190607140446.htm" target="_blank">trouble sleeping</a> (or oversleeping), overeating (or lack of appetite) and <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/dbhis-collections/substance-use" target="_blank">heavy drinking</a>. Remember that <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/srb-childrenyouth-8-22-18.pdf" target="_blank">kids can feel the impact</a>, too, and that might show up as acting out or trouble in school.</p><p>You might notice effects right away. Or they might take a while to surface. Either way, it's normal — and it can linger. Hilton Kelley, whose community of Port Arthur, Texas, was heavily affected by 2017's Hurricane Harvey, sums it up: "It will be years before we get out of this."</p>
<p><strong></strong><strong>Seek support. </strong>Most people who took our survey didn't get mental-health services after their disaster experience. Some couldn't afford therapy or other assistance. Some thought they didn't need it, though the emotional challenges a portion of them reported made us wonder if support could have made the hard times more bearable. Some free avenues to try:</p><ul><li>The <a href="https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/428" target="_blank">Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program</a>. States with a qualifying major disaster can tap a federal grant to offer emotional support to residents, usually available for up to a year. You can talk to a counselor by phone or potentially a video-conferencing platform (and pre-COVID, you could meet in person). Counselors <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/ccp" target="_blank">won't keep case files on you</a>, and you can access the help multiple times while the program is running. Counselors <a href="http://dhhr.wv.gov/healthprep/programs/behavioralhealth/documents/fema%20ccp%20toolkit.pdf" target="_blank">will try to connect you</a> with local mental-health services if you want more assistance and might also refer you to other sorts of help, such as disaster aid. Most states are running this program amid the pandemic, but you can call the Federal Emergency Management Agency (800-621-FEMA) to find out how to access it.</li><li>The federal <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline" target="_blank">Disaster Distress Helpline</a>. It's available round the clock for calls (800-985-5990) and texts (<a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline" target="_blank">instructions here</a>) in English and Spanish. Counselors offer coping advice and can make referrals to other services.</li><li>General mental-health helplines. Those include ones run by the <a href="https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/NAMI-HelpLine/NAMI-HelpLine-FAQs" target="_blank">National Alliance on Mental Illness</a> and local affiliates, the <a href="https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/" target="_blank">Crisis Text Line</a> and the <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline" target="_blank">Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration</a>. </li><li>Your community. Family, friends, your pastor or other religious leaders, your child's school counselor, neighbors, co-workers — support can come from a variety of places. Other disaster survivors, for instance: They know what you're going through in a way that no one else can. </li></ul>
<p><a href="https://publicintegrity.org/environment/disasters-mental-health-crisis-wildfire-hurricane-flood-climate-covid/" target="_blank">Our investigation</a> found that many survivors never hear about or receive help from the federal crisis counseling program, the country's main response to the mental-health consequences of disasters. As extreme weather worsens, that puts more pressure on other forms of assistance.</p><p>"We don't have enough mental-health providers in all of the country to manage huge, large-scale disasters — nor will people use them," said Dr. Joshua C. Morganstein, assistant director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. "That is why communities and organizations become so important." </p>
<p><strong></strong><strong>Offer help. </strong>Some disaster survivors found solace as they assisted others, one way to get some control back in a situation primed to make people feel powerless.</p><p>"It helped me to keep my sanity," said Kelley, a restauranteur whose family's post-disaster efforts included cooking gumbo for people in the community. </p><p>Solemi Hernandez, a Florida resident whose employer shuttered after Hurricane Irma in 2017 and who searched for weeks for a new job, saw personal benefits from volunteer work. "Losing myself in service to others … is a way I became stable and not as depressed," she said.</p>
<p><strong>Take action.</strong> Identifying a problem that caused or worsened the disaster's impacts — and then pressing for fixes — is a key way some survivors bolstered their wellbeing.</p><p>Hernandez, a regional coordinator for the <a href="https://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-ccl/" target="_blank">Citizens' Climate Lobby</a>, presses for action on global warming, a force multiplier for disasters. Her advice to survivors: "Use that trauma. Turn that trauma and that suffering into being politically active."</p><p>Kathleen Sullivan, who lives west of Chicago, doggedly advocated for stormwater-control measures in her city's flood-prone neighborhoods, including hers. Twice her house flooded; two more times she had close calls. It took years, but showing up at city council meetings, organizing with other residents and not letting elected officials ignore the problem got results. It was also a powerful coping mechanism.</p><p>"We met all these awesome people we wouldn't have met," said Sullivan, who linked up with <a href="https://anthropocenealliance.org/higherground" target="_blank">Higher Ground</a>, a national flood-survivor group. "And we can sleep now — mostly — when it rains."</p><p>Kevin McKinney's neighborhood in Richwood, Texas, south of Houston, weathered Hurricane Harvey. The devastating flood, he said, came four days later. He and hundreds of other neighbors organized, then sued a nearby city whose floodwater diversion efforts, they allege, damaged their homes. That complaint is pending.</p><p>"I didn't know which way to turn, I didn't know which way to go. Then you know what? I got it together, and then I got mad," he said. "Not only did I get mad, but 500 other people around here got mad."</p><p>As disasters hit with more frequency, communities also face questions about how to organize help in the aftermath. Areas with fewer resources need more support to recover. But too often, <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3396611" target="_blank">studies</a> <a href="https://publicintegrity.org/environment/climate-change-natural-disasters/" target="_blank">show</a>, they get less of it instead. Dr. Octavio N. Martinez Jr., executive director of the <a href="https://hogg.utexas.edu/" target="_blank">Hogg Foundation for Mental Health</a> in Texas, wants to see that change.</p><p>"We ought to have a disaster response strategic plan designed to prioritize the ZIP codes that we know are going to end up suffering the most and are going to have the most difficulty in recuperating," he said.</p>
<p><strong></strong><strong>Prepare for next time.</strong> Almost all the survivors we surveyed were concerned more disasters will hit their community. We heard from a lot of people in regions struck by multiple wildfires, floods or hurricanes in the last decade, and some cope with that anxiety by getting prepared.</p><p>Kelley built a berm around his house to reduce flood risks. R.L. Miller, whose California community in Ventura County was burned by the Woolsey Fire in 2018, is diligent about clearing brush on her property.</p><p>Others are thinking of leaving — or they've already left. A handful of survey respondents said they moved out of their community at least in part to try to avoid another big hurricane, flood or fire.</p><p>Whether to stay or go is a fraught decision. It's one that more and more Americans will be forced to confront as climate change worsens — further <a href="https://www.cornellrooseveltinstitute.org/env/climate-gentrification-inequality-in-the-shifting-miami-housing-market" target="_blank">increasing</a> <a href="https://grist.org/living/climate-change-is-the-ultimate-gentrifier/" target="_blank">inequality</a>. Dr. Irwin Redlener with Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness urges communities to get ahead of this. </p><p>"We have to prepare for more dramatic changes," he said. "Many places that may be habitable right now may become uninhabitable. … We're just at the beginning of the most serious consequences of unabated climate change."</p><p>Hernandez, who lives in Naples, on Florida's Gulf Coast, sees her climate action as one form of long-term prep work. Hurricane Irma, a <a href="https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2020/05/18/wildfire-scorches-nearly-8700-acres-in-collier-drought-continues-fueling-risk-of-more-fires/" target="_blank">wildfire in her county in May</a>, local flooding from heavy rain, the increasingly unbearable temperatures in the summer: These are warnings of a future she wants to avert.</p><p>"I never thought about moving. I love this place," Hernandez said. "We can do something to save it."</p>
<p><em>This story originally appeared in <a href="https://publicintegrity.org/" target="_blank">The Center for Public Integrity </a></em><em>and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.</em><span></span><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2647096951#/" target="_self"></a></p>From Your Site Articles
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Bicyclists pass a fallen tree in the Greenpoint area of Brooklyn, New York on Aug. 4, 2020 after Isaias left hundreds of thousands without power and prompted flood precautions in New York City. DIANE DESOBEAU / AFP via Getty Images
At least six people are dead after Isaias sped up the East Coast Tuesday, downing trees, spawning tornadoes, and flooding homes and roadways as it went.
<p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tropical-storm-isaias-atlantic-2646825815.html" target="_self">earliest "I" storm</a> of an Atlantic <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricanes" target="_self">hurricane</a> season on record began its path of destruction late Monday night when it made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. It brought both flames and floods, causing at least five structures to catch fire, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/us/isaias-storm-updates.html#link-665175e7" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>.</p><p>"We didn't think it was going to get to this level," Morgan Strenk, who offered a family shelter from the flames in her vacation home even as its basement filled with three feet of water, told The New York Times.</p>
<div id="8db37" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9e605552627ca15c0e48ee50e3ac748e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1290507775966154754" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">At approximately 11:40 p.m., there were reports of multiple structure fires in the area of Ocean Isle Beach, North… https://t.co/2gaphSIzf4</div> — Horry SC Fire Rescue (@Horry SC Fire Rescue)<a href="https://twitter.com/hcfirerescue/statuses/1290507775966154754">1596516004.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The hurricane also brought storm surge flooding to Oak Island, North Carolina and rose the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina to a record high level, <a href="https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2020-08-04-tropical-storm-isaias-forecast-northeast-flooding-damaging-winds" target="_blank">The Weather Channel reported</a>.</p><p>Isaias weakened to a tropical storm over Eastern North Carolina early Tuesday morning, <a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1290543815502307329" target="_blank">according to the National Hurricane Center</a> (NHC). But it was still a deadly force as it moved up the East Coast.</p><p>One of the major hazards was falling trees, which killed at least three people in New York, Delaware and Maryland, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/04/weather/hurricane-isaias-carolinas-tuesday/index.html" target="_blank">according to CNN</a>. Trees fell from Virginia to New England, and more than three million homes and businesses lost power, The Weather Channel reported.</p>
<div id="1da84" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0ef51bac557980cd33dc801ec6d17598"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1290740659368996865" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Haven’t seen tree damage this extensive since Sandy in Woodbridge, NJ. You can actually smell the trees. No power.… https://t.co/U0zTqaSYtL</div> — Collin Gross (@Collin Gross)<a href="https://twitter.com/CollinGrossWx/statuses/1290740659368996865">1596571528.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Another major hazard was tornadoes. The National Weather Service received more than 20 reports of twisters between North Carolina and Pennsylvania.</p><p>In one tragic incident, 12 people were injured and at least two people were killed when a tornado hit a mobile home park in Windsor, North Carolina, CNN reported.</p><p>"We didn't have a lot of time to react once it finally hit. I mean, it hit all at once," resident Desaree Pike told <a href="https://www.wral.com/" target="_blank">CNN affiliate WRAL</a>. "For lack of a better word, it was hell. You don't really think about anything else but just holding the kids and hoping it doesn't tear the house up."</p>
<p>One of the reasons Isaias was so dangerous, and spawned so many tornadoes without warning, was the speed at which it moved. As of Tuesday evening, it was still moving 40 miles per hour and still had maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour.</p><p>In addition to wind, the storm also brought widespread flooding.</p>
<div id="c0467" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="adcda918a351bc1fbeca5f93b86eff8d"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1290770765009149952" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">As of 6PM Tuesday, we are forecasting flooding at 14 locations across the Mid-Atlantic region. Please follow the la… https://t.co/FcEKPBbIH2</div> — NWS MARFC (@NWS MARFC)<a href="https://twitter.com/NWSMARFC/statuses/1290770765009149952">1596578706.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Pennsylvania was especially inundated. One person died in the state when floodwaters swept away their vehicle, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/isaias-hurricane-tropical-storm-tornado-flooding-fires-outages/" target="_blank">CBS News reported</a>. Little Lehigh Creek and <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSMARFC/status/1290775238792241154" target="_blank">Perkiomen Creek </a>in Pennsylvania both crested at record levels and Darby Creek flooded a neighborhood in southwest Philadelphia, according to The Weather Channel.</p>
<div id="2ca46" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2c7ff0154aa438fdd332eb7644c0e29b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1290747910422966277" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">**Breaking - Darby Creek floods its banks into Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood near 84th St and Lindberg Blvd.… https://t.co/N1ZpaWnaGB</div> — Dan Patrick (@Dan Patrick)<a href="https://twitter.com/6abcDan/statuses/1290747910422966277">1596573257.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>A man and woman also had to be rescued in In Charles County, Maryland after flood waters swept their cars off the road, CBS News reported.<br></p><p>However, the storm's speed provided one advantage: It did not linger, which reduced river flooding and allowed emergency workers to respond rapidly, The New York Times reported.</p><p>"All in all, this storm got in, got out pretty quickly," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, as The New York Times reported.</p><p>He said this meant the damage was "not as great as it could have been."</p><p>The storm has now moved into Canada as a post-tropical cyclone, <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/050837.shtml" target="_blank">according to a 5 a.m. EDT update from the NHC</a>. It is currently about 55 miles northwest of Quebec City and is expected to dissipate over southeastern Canada Thursday.</p>
<p>But as the storm fades, it leaves a sobering reminder of what a future shaped by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> could look like, The New York Times pointed out. Isaias struck the same week that the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/apple-fire-california-coronavirus-2646869340.html" target="_self">Apple Fire</a> forced thousands to evacuate in Southern California, and both disasters came as the nation still struggles to contain the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic, giving a foretaste of the overlapping crises we can expect if the climate continues to destabilize.</p><p>"State and local governments already stretched with Covid responses must now stretch even further," adaptation program director at the Georgetown Climate Center in Washington Lisa Anne Hamilton told The New York Times. She said better planning was needed to prepare for the disasters to come.</p>
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Isiais now approaches the Carolinas, and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane again before reaching them Monday night. NOAA
Florida was spared the worst of Isaias, the earliest "I" storm on record of the Atlantic hurricane season and the second hurricane of the 2020 season.
<p>The storm's projected path had prompted fears that Floridians would have to evacuate in large numbers as the state struggles to contain the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic. But Isaias weakened to a tropical storm Saturday afternoon, <a href="https://abc11.com/isaias-track-storm-tropical-where-is-now/6350016/" target="_blank">ABC 11 reported</a>. It also remained offshore, drenching parts of the Florida coast with rain but largely sparing the state, according to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/08/02/tropical-storm-isaias-nears-east-coast-florida-aims-carolinas-next/5566396002/" target="_blank">USA TODAY</a>.</p><p>"Florida dodged a bullet for sure!" BAM Weather meteorologist Ryan Maue tweeted. </p>
<div id="14b13" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3dabcc399c214226e768937f555a5ebc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1289943962405318657" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Tropical Storm #Isaias no longer expected to restrengthen into a hurricane. 🌀 The vertical wind shear shredder has… https://t.co/kqBsJOS3Tj</div> — Ryan Maue (@Ryan Maue)<a href="https://twitter.com/RyanMaue/statuses/1289943962405318657">1596381581.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>However, Isiais isn't done with the U.S. yet. It now approaches the Carolinas, and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane again before reaching them Monday night, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/03/weather/tropical-storm-isaias-carolinas-monday/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>.</p><p>A storm surge warning is in effect from Edisto Beach in South Carolina to Cape Fear in North Carolina, along with parts of the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds and the North Carolina Outer Banks from Oregon Inlet to the North Carolina and Virginia borders. It could raise water levels by three to five feet from South Santee River, South Carolina to Cape Fear, North Carolina, according to an 11 a.m. EDT update from the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank">National Hurricane Center</a> (NHC).</p><p>"A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations," NHC explained.</p>
<div id="dea35" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="132c2812ba753aaaf415ad33fb7ff2c0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1290213982947737600" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here are the 5 am EDT Monday, August 3 Key Messages for Tropical Storm #Isaias. For the full advisory on #Isaias, v… https://t.co/5MbSBJmEhI</div> — National Hurricane Center (@National Hurricane Center)<a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/statuses/1290213982947737600">1596445959.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The North Carolina coastal communities of Ocracoke Island and Hatteras Island were evacuated Friday ahead of the storm, CNN reported.</p><p>President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration for parts of North Carolina, and Gov. Roy Cooper reminded residents Sunday to have their emergency kits ready, ABC 11 reported.</p><p>South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, meanwhile, said Friday he would not issue any evacuations.</p><p>"Right now we're hoping this storm will not hit us hard if it hits at all," McMaster said in the CNN story. "At this time we have no intention at all of declaring any sort of evacuation."</p><p>Isaias is expected to slowly weaken after making landfall and then travel north. It will bring strong winds to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York, impacting the Mid Atlantic states on Tuesday and New Hampshire and Maine on Wednesday.</p><p>Along the way, storm surges and winds aren't the only threat. </p><p>"Heavy rainfall from Isaias will result in flash and urban <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a>, some of which may be significant in the eastern Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic, through Tuesday night near the path of Isaias up the East Coast of the United States," NHC wrote.<span></span></p>
<div id="80487" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dcd38a3bef604d3ff7ef47552482cbe4"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1290216672976986113" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">There is a moderate risk of flash flooding across portions of the eastern Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states from… https://t.co/C5Ys46ZetX</div> — National Hurricane Center (@National Hurricane Center)<a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/statuses/1290216672976986113">1596446600.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Tornadoes could touch down in coastal South Carolina Monday and eastern North Carolina into Tuesday. Twisters are also possible from eastern Virginia to southern New England on Tuesday.</p><p>Before Isaias reached the U.S., it knocked down trees and tore off roof shingles in the Bahamas, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/hurricane-isaias-batters-bahamas-florida-coast-200801143455063.html" target="_blank">Al Jazeera reported</a>. Some residents of Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands, who were still living in temporary shelters following last year's devastating <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricane-dorian" target="_self">Hurricane Dorian</a>, had to be evacuated ahead of the storm.</p><p>"With everything not quite shored up, property not secured, homes not prepared, even a category one will be enough to set them back," Bahamas Mercy Corps Director Paula Miller told The Associated Press, Al Jazeera reported.</p>
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Floodwater covers a street in Burlington, North Dakota on June 26, 2011. NOAA has forecast more flooding for the state this spring. Scott Olson / Getty Images
Another wet spring and floods are on the way, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Fortunately, the agency predicted Thursday that this year's flooding would not be nearly as bad as last year's, which inundated the Midwest and devastated crops.
<p>"Flooding continues to be a factor for many Americans this spring," with major to moderate flooding likely to occur in 23 states, said Mary C. Erickson, deputy director of the National Weather Service, in a call with reporters, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/climate/us-flood-season-forescast.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. She added the bright spot that the flooding will be less severe and shorter than last year's.</p>
<p>This year's floods are expected to affect parts of the Midwest, the Rust Belt and the Southeast all the way down to the Gulf Coast. NOAA predicted that the most significant flood potential will occur in the northern Plains and the upper Midwest of North and South Dakota, as well as Minnesota, as <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/03/19/spring-flood-forecast-floods-may-affect-128-million-23-states/2874960001/" target="_blank">USA Today</a> reported. Parts of Iowa and Illinois may also experience heavy flooding, according to <a href="https://weather.com/safety/floods/news/2020-03-19-spring-outlook-flooding-temperatures-united-states-noaa" target="_blank">The Weather Channel</a>.</p><p>NOAA expects about 128 million people, or one-third of the U.S. population, to see some sort of flooding this spring, with 1.2 million expected to experience "major" flooding in the aforementioned states, according to Ed Clark, the director of NOAA's National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/03/19/spring-flood-forecast-floods-may-affect-128-million-23-states/2874960001/" target="_blank">USA Today</a> reported.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://weather.com/safety/floods/news/2020-03-19-spring-outlook-flooding-temperatures-united-states-noaa" target="_blank">The Weather Channel</a>, several factors went into NOAA's prediction, including ongoing rainfall, highly saturated soils and the increased likelihood of above-average precipitation this spring.</p><p>One factor contributing to the threat of flooding is that soil in many central and eastern states is already oversaturated and rivers are running high. That means that heavy rainfall can trigger flooding, according to <a href="https://weather.com/safety/floods/news/2020-03-19-spring-outlook-flooding-temperatures-united-states-noaa" target="_blank">The Weather Channel</a>.</p><p>"Nearly every day, dangerous flooding occurs somewhere in the United States, and widespread flooding is in the forecast for many states in the months ahead," said Clark.</p><p>Clark added that heavy rains will likely lead to a larger than usual dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico this summer. Dead zones are caused by hypoxia, where an area does not have enough oxygen to sustain life, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/climate/us-flood-season-forescast.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.</p>
<p>While farmers who were never able to plant their crops in 2019 because of flooding will not experience anything as drastic as last year, they should expect to see delays in planting, said Brad Rippey, the Department of Agriculture meteorologist, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/climate/us-flood-season-forescast.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>While a large swath of the lower 48 states should expect heavier than average rainfall, the same is true for Alaska. On the other hand, drought conditions are expected to continue and worsen in California, in parts of the Pacific Northwest, in the southern Rockies, and in parts of Southern Texas, according to NOAA, as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/climate/us-flood-season-forescast.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.</p><p>Not a single part of the country is expected to see below average temperatures this spring in a year that is shaping up to be one of the hottest years on record.</p><p>"There is almost no part of the country that we are predicting to be below normal in any of the three months, which is unusual," said AccuWeather founder and CEO Joel N. Myers, as <a href="https://weather.com/safety/floods/news/2020-03-19-spring-outlook-flooding-temperatures-united-states-noaa" target="_blank">The Weather Channel</a> reported. "This may be a first."</p>
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Charleston, SC Becomes First City in U.S. South to Sue Big Oil for Climate Costs
11 September
Climate
The number of flood days in Charleston, South Carolina has risen from around four to around 89 in the last 50 years. Diane Cook and Len Jenshel / The Image Bank / Getty Images Plus
The city of Charleston, South Carolina made history Wednesday when it became the first in the U.S. South to sue the fossil fuel industry for damages caused by the climate crisis.
<p>The city sued 24 <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil" target="_self">oil</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pipelines" target="_self">pipeline</a> companies, including major players like <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/exxonmobil" target="_self">ExxonMobil</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chevron" target="_self">Chevron</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bp" target="_self">BP</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/royal-dutch-shell" target="_self">Royal Dutch Shell</a>, <a href="https://www.postandcourier.com/news/charleston-sues-big-oil-for-flooding-in-sc-lowcountry-caused-by-global-warming/article_a97f761c-f297-11ea-b9b6-07c93643bc83.html#:~:text=The%20city%20of%20Charleston%20filed,disastrous%20flooding%20in%20the%20city" target="_blank">The Post and Courier reported</a>. The lawsuit contends that the companies knew that their products were heating the global climate but denied the fact in public. It further seeks to charge them for the costs of protecting Charleston from increased <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather" target="_self">extreme weather</a> events.</p><p>"As this lawsuit shows, these companies have known for more than 50 years that their products were going to cause the worst flooding the world has seen since Noah built the Ark," Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said during a press conference announcing the suit, as <a href="https://www.live5news.com/2020/09/09/charleston-mayor-holding-news-conference-wednesday-afternoon/" target="_blank">Live 5 News reported</a>. "And instead of warning us, they covered up the truth and turned our flooding problems into their profits. That was wrong, and this lawsuit is all about holding them accountable for that multi-decade campaign of deception."</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="30f8c9a63724b0972d3d8af2ea247346"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=360821064951694" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div>
<p>Charleston, a low-lying city built on a peninsula between three rivers, is especially vulnerable to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">sea level rise</a>, according to <a href="https://apnews.com/fdd1235388b266ded96e4547524a3510" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a>. In the last 50 years, the city has gone from seeing around four flood days a year to almost 89, the suit contends. In addition, the city will feel the impacts of extreme weather events like <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/heat-waves" target="_self">heat waves</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricanes" target="_self">hurricanes</a>. The suit was filed days before the third anniversary of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricane-irma-flooding-records-2484349881.html" target="_self">Hurricane Irma</a>, which inundated Charleston with a nearly 10-foot storm surge, the third highest in the city's history.</p><p>Tecklenburg made his announcement in front of The Battery, where construction crews were working to lengthen an existing sea wall, The Post and Courier reported. The sea wall extension is the city's first project to adapt to rising sea levels. Others include building more than 8,000 feet of new flood drainage tunnels and installing check valves to prevent tidal water from entering the city's storm drain system, according to Live 5 News.</p>
<p>The city expects sea levels to rise two to three feet in the next 50 years and it predicts that adapting to these changes will cost $2 billion, according to The Post and Courier. However, the lawsuit is not asking for a particular amount from the companies, instead hoping a jury will decide what is fair.</p><p>Many of the companies named in the suit did not reply to requests for comments. Those that did said that lawsuits were not the right way to address the climate crisis.</p><p>"Legal proceedings like this waste millions of dollars of taxpayer money and do nothing to advance meaningful actions that reduce the risks of climate change," ExxonMobil spokesperson Casey Norton told The Associated Press.</p><p>Charleston is now the 21st U.S. community to disagree and file a lawsuit against big oil.</p><p>"With today's filing, Big Oil is facing climate lawsuits on both coasts, in the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, the Rocky Mountains, and even Hawaii," Center for Climate Integrity Executive Director Richard Wiles told The Post and Courier by email. "The public is ready to hold this corrupt industry accountable for causing and lying about climate change, and officials across the country are stepping up to take action."</p><p>Charleston's suit comes about a week after a similar lawsuit was <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/big-oil-hoboken-lawsuit-2647462366.html" target="_self">filed by the city of Hoboken, New Jersey</a>.</p><p>It was also followed one day later by another climate liability lawsuit from the state of Delaware Thursday.</p>
<div id="00ba7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3f5e3d8ac183e5a9a93d3b8aa254e743"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1304084807564111872" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">🚨BREAKING: It's gonna be one of those weeks. Delaware is the latest state to announce another climate lawsuit again… https://t.co/0ljwUNZLqS</div> — Jennifer Hijazi (@Jennifer Hijazi)<a href="https://twitter.com/JenHijaz/statuses/1304084807564111872">1599753021.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Satellite imagery of Isaias on July 31, 2020. CIRA / NOAA
Isaias, the earliest Atlantic "I" storm on record, strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Thursday and now has the Bahamas and potentially Florida in its path.
<p>As a tropical storm, Isaias has already battered Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, still recovering from 2017's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricane-maria" target="_self">Hurricane Maria</a>, the storm knocked out the power of 300,000 to 400,000 people, dumped five to 10 inches of rain and caused mudslides and flash <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a>, National Weather Service San Juan meteorologist Gabriel Lojero told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/31/weather/hurricane-isaias-forecast/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. One woman went missing when her car was swept away.</p><p>"A lot of neighborhoods were submerged under water," Lojero said.</p>
<div id="6e2f2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ad3c7b65ff4e5430baa62dd1d5b18d9a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1288973886441234432" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Southwestern PR | Suroeste de PR:
Flash Flood Warning in effect until 9:15 pm.
Aviso de Inundaciones repentinas en… https://t.co/k7IMKHlQJJ</div> — NWS San Juan (@NWS San Juan)<a href="https://twitter.com/NWSSanJuan/statuses/1288973886441234432">1596150297.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The Dominican Republic also experienced flooding, water and power outages and storm damage, <a href="https://apnews.com/db2517c2ff9ef9597a49cb57524cdbc9" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>. One man died when he was electrocuted by a toppled electrical cable.</p><p>Isaias is now 340 miles from Nassau in the Bahamas with winds of 80 miles per hour, according to an <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/311157.shtml" target="_blank">8 a.m. EDT update</a> from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Hurricane conditions are expected in parts of the Bahamas today.</p><p>The storm is expected to reach the central Bahamas tonight and move near or over the Northwestern Bahamas and near or east of the Florida peninsula Saturday and Sunday.</p>
<p>One of the major potential hazards from the storm is rain. It is expected to dump four to eight inches of rain on the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, northern Haiti and the Turks and Caicos islands through Saturday and one to two inches over Cuba.</p><p>"These rainfall amounts will lead to life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides, as well as river flooding," the NHC warned.</p><p>Between Friday and Monday, the storm could dump two to four inches over South and east-Central Florida, potentially causing flooding. Heavy rains could reach the Carolinas early next week.</p>
<div id="36dae" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0015f4d2cae5180475f5b241bfa3288c"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1289128870101184514" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here are the Key Messages for July 31 at 5 am EDT for #Hurricane #Isaias. The full advisory is at… https://t.co/8AG5wNA6jn</div> — National Hurricane Center (@National Hurricane Center)<a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/statuses/1289128870101184514">1596187248.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Isaias has slowed somewhat as it approaches the Bahamas, from 22 miles per hour Wednesday to 17 on Friday. This means it will have more time to strengthen as it passes over warmer water, the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2020/07/31/hurricane-isaias-forms-in-caribbean-sea-and-is-still-headed-to-south-florida" target="_blank">Tampa Bay Times pointed out</a>. This could spell trouble for the Bahamas, parts of which were devastated by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricane-dorian-bahamas-2640172331.html" target="_self">Hurricane Dorian</a>, which rapidly intensified last year.</p><p>"We know from past and recent experience that storms could change course very quickly," Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said during a press conference Thursday, as the Tampa Bay Times reported. "They can intensify rapidly as we saw with hurricane Dorian. So I ask all Bahamians and residents to take this storm seriously and to make preparations."</p><p>Grand Bahama and Abaco, two of the islands in the Bahamas battered by Dorian, are also covered by the hurricane warning for Isaias, The Associated Press reported. People on both islands are still living in tents almost 11 months later.</p>
<div id="345a1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="479aeeb7859d59b4fbf7146de68a450d"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1289051000897015809" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">(1/2) 🌀 11PM CDT: Latest on now Hurricane #Isaias. Here is a late-night infrared satellite view of the storm which… https://t.co/rOqbY1j0Vc</div> — NWS New Orleans (@NWS New Orleans)<a href="https://twitter.com/NWSNewOrleans/statuses/1289051000897015809">1596168682.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>It is still unclear if Isaias will make landfall in Florida, lash the Florida coast without making a direct hit as it moves towards the Carolinas, or veer off into the Atlantic.</p><p>However, the state is preparing, in part by closing some of its <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> testing sites, CNN reported.</p><p>The approaching hurricane comes as Florida reported almost 10,000 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, and the combination of the two hazards complicates the response to each.</p><p>"Look, if we have a major hurricane here, then we're going to have to evacuate a number of people and then we're going to have to ... try to keep them separated as much as possible," Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez told CNN. "That's a concern."</p><p>Isaias is the second hurricane in an early and active Atlantic hurricane season. Hanna, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricane-hanna-texas-2646805833.html" target="_self">which battered Texas last weekend</a>, was both the season's first hurricane and the earliest "H" storm on record.</p><p>A study <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tropical-storm-intensity-climate-crisis-2646033123.html" target="_self">published in May</a> found that the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> is making tropical storms stronger and wetter.</p>
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Hanna Pummels Texas as First Atlantic Hurricane of 2020 and Earliest ‘H’ Storm on Record
27 July
Climate
A Coast Guard aircrew conducts an overflight of areas impacted by Hurricane Hanna near Aransas Pass, Texas on July 26, 2020. U.S. Coast Guard photo
Hurricane Hanna, the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, battered the Texas coast on Saturday and Sunday as the state continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
<p>Hanna made landfall as a Category 1 storm at 6 p.m. EDT Saturday along the Padre Island National Seashore, around 50 miles south of Corpus Christi, <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/07/hurricane-hanna-first-atlantic-hurricane-of-2020-plows-toward-texas/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections reported</a>. South Texas, including Corpus Christi, has the highest coronavirus hospitalization rate in the country.</p><p>"Any hurricane is an enormous challenge. This challenge is complicated and made even more severe, seeing that it is sweeping through an area that is the most challenged area in the state for Covid-19," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Saturday, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hurricane-hanna-texas-tropical-storm-hurricane-douglas-hawaii-coronavirus-a9639141.html" target="_blank">The Independent reported</a>.</p><p>Abbott said that, to encourage social distancing, some people would be sheltered in hotel rooms. He also said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had approved an emergency declaration for the state.</p>
<div id="e6447" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="68b88ec3be5096a8bf5aa564d4a39827"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287494695011196929" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">FEMA & President Trump have already approved the Texas request relief from #HurricaneHanna.
FEMA is providing reim… https://t.co/lTZ5UV1AcN</div> — Greg Abbott (@Greg Abbott)<a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/statuses/1287494695011196929">1595797630.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Meanwhile, Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast chapter CEO Henry Van De Putte said the organization was working to keep its shelters safe by opening them at reduced capacity, conducting temperature checks on volunteers and evacuees and having a medical worker on hand at each location.</p><p>"Yes, coronavirus provides risk, but so does floodwater, so does not having electricity, so does not having required medications," Van De Putte told The Associated Press, as The Independent reported. "We're doing everything we can do possible to make it a safe environment."</p><p>Hanna made landfall a second time in Kenedy County, Texas, <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-storm-hanna/tropical-storm-hanna-threatens-flash-floods-on-covid-hit-texas-coast-idUKKCN24R0D7" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>. By Sunday, it had weakened to a tropical depression. There were no immediate reports of injuries.</p>
<div id="81229" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="65260d432f7dafbd575edbf3019ddbdc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287148796162584577" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Latest 0.5-km resolution visible loop from @NOAA's #GOES16🛰️ of #HurricaneHanna making landfall in Texas. Get the l… https://t.co/t0lZZwh86D</div> — NOAA Satellites - Public Affairs (@NOAA Satellites - Public Affairs)<a href="https://twitter.com/NOAASatellitePA/statuses/1287148796162584577">1595715161.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>In Port Mansfield, winds knocked down sugarcane fields and trees and even tore the roofs off of houses.</p><p>That included the home of 75-year-old Sharon Pecce, who was visiting a friend with her husband when the damage occurred.</p><p>"You could hear the wind blowing and the rain blowing and you looked outside you could see sheets of water blowing down the street," Pecce told Reuters. "It's scary to go through this at my age, a lot could have happened ... we could have been killed."</p><p>Wind also knocked over at least three 18-wheeler trucks and a recreational vehicle. Attempts to right the trucks shut down two miles of U.S. Route 77 in Sarita, Texas Sunday.</p><p>The storm also brought power outages and heavy rain. At one point, there were more than 283,000 homes and businesses without power, but that number had decreased to 98,000 by Sunday night.</p><p>The storm also dumped more than a foot of rain on some parts of South Texas, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/26/weather/tropical-storm-hanna-texas-hurricane-douglas/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>, leading to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a>.</p><p>In Mission, Texas, the National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency as rising waters prompted several water rescues.</p>
<div id="02d54" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d1e256b3f9e04f1f239239e6fcb145c9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287356366311632896" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">❗️Help is here. A National Guard team equipped with high profile vehicles and boats are in #Mission to assist with… https://t.co/9mR6KGlb9m</div> — City of Mission, TX (@City of Mission, TX)<a href="https://twitter.com/CityOfMissionTX/statuses/1287356366311632896">1595764650.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Storm waters also flooded parts of downtown Corpus Christi, including the Art Museum of South Texas, according to Yale Climate Connections.</p><p>The storm passed over to northeast Mexico Sunday morning and is expected to break up over the mountains there.</p><p>"Heavy rain and dangerous flash flooding continue over northeast Mexico," the <a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1287671082711945217" target="_blank">National Hurricane Center said early Monday</a>.</p><p>Hanna extends 2020's emerging reputation as an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/atlantic-hurricane-2646594495.html" target="_self">early and active Atlantic hurricane season</a>. It broke records as the first H storm of any Atlantic hurricane season and came well before the average date for the first Atlantic hurricane of a season — Aug. 10, according to Yale Climate Connections.</p>
<div id="46af1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="57c47b28e9dba4bce5bac58907c8a642"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287036367088877570" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#HurricaneHanna approaching Texas. I wouldn't be surprised at a little more strengthening before landfall this afte… https://t.co/a0EemgUyX0</div> — Marshall Shepherd (@Marshall Shepherd)<a href="https://twitter.com/DrShepherd2013/statuses/1287036367088877570">1595688356.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>It is also the fourth named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this year. The only other year to have four named storms make landfall so early in the summer was 1886.</p>
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Tropical Storm Gonzalo strengthened into a named storm on Wednesday, breaking the record for the earliest "G" storm of the season. NOAA
Tropical Storm Gonzalo strengthened into a named storm on Wednesday, breaking the record for the earliest "G" storm of the season, CNN reported. NHC said it could strengthen into a hurricane later Thursday.
<p>"Given the increased organization of the system and its small size, Gonzalo's likelihood of becoming a hurricane is rising. Small storms are prone to more significant fluctuations in intensity, both up and down," CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said.</p>
<div id="2a2dc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a721031ee7043e4fb94a5a69583f55b5"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1286228940491808768" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here are the 5 AM AST 7/23 Key Messages for Tropical Storm Gonzalo, currently over the central Atlantic heading tow… https://t.co/HJ6qG78813</div> — National Hurricane Center (@National Hurricane Center)<a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/statuses/1286228940491808768">1595495851.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The storm is currently about 910 miles east of the Southern Windward Islands with sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, according to an 8 a.m. <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT2+shtml/231156.shtml" target="_blank">Atlantic Standard Time update from NHC</a>. It is currently tracking west at around 12 miles per hour, but is expected to pick up speed and then turn west-northwest on Saturday.</p><p>Its center could approach the Windward Islands late Friday or Saturday, and a hurricane watch has been issued for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.</p><p>In addition to wind, Gonzalo is expected to dump two to five inches of rain in Barbados and the Windward Islands.</p><p>"Rainfall in Barbados and the Windward Islands could lead to life-threatening flash <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">floods</a>," NHC warned.</p><p>Gonzalo seems to confirm predictions that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/accuweather-2020-hurricane-season-will-be-above-normal-2645581672.html">2020 will be an active hurricane season</a>.</p><p>"The tropical Atlantic looks extremely conducive for an active season," Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach told CNN.</p><p>The average seventh storm of the season occurs Sept. 16. The second earliest seventh storm was Gert on July 24, 2005, which holds the title for the busiest hurricane season on record.</p>
<div id="c2ed8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b006414312b61329a19f1201b675a8c7"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1285678664399704064" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Tropical Depression 7 has formed in the central tropical Atlantic and is forecast to become a named storm in next 1… https://t.co/ZlmrnSSdXZ</div> — Philip Klotzbach (@Philip Klotzbach)<a href="https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/statuses/1285678664399704064">1595364655.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Gonzalo isn't the only early storm for its place in the alphabet this season: Cristobal, Danielle, Edouard and Fay were all the earliest of their letters on record, the <a href="https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/07/22/tropical-storm-gonzalo-forms-in-the-atlantic/" target="_blank">Associated Press pointed out</a>.</p><p>Gonzalo is slightly different from this season's other early storms since it is the first to emerge from the "main development region" between Africa and the Lesser Antilles, <a href="https://spacecoastdaily.com/2020/07/national-hurricane-center-monitors-tropical-storm-gonzalo-projected-to-become-category-1-hurricane-on-thursday/" target="_blank">Space Coast Daily reported</a>. It is a region known for developing dangerous storms.</p><p>However, the storm activity in the Atlantic this season is partly driven by warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tropical-storm-gonzalo-potential-hurricane-atlantic-ocean/" target="_blank">CBS News explained</a>. This is also the case for the main development region, which typically does not start spawning storms until early- to mid-August.</p><p>"Not to beat a dead horse but, the Atlantic Main Development Region is exceptionally warm atm," tweeted Eric Webb, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.</p>
<div id="7f579" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="616b2c91d621ab5e2acb1a3524440a05"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1285942451690184705" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Not to beat a dead horse but, the Atlantic Main Development Region is exceptionally warm atm. Here's a plot of the… https://t.co/4pt3kcDbOO</div> — Eric Webb (@Eric Webb)<a href="https://twitter.com/webberweather/statuses/1285942451690184705">1595427546.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/accuweather-2020-hurricane-season-will-be-above-normal-2645581672.html">has not been shown to make hurricanes more common</a>, but it does lead to warmer water temperatures that fuel wetter, more intense storms.</p>
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Protecting Mangroves Can Prevent Billions of Dollars in Global Flooding Damage Every Year
11 March
Climate
Flooding washed away and uprooted many coastal mangrove trees in the southern part of Bangladesh on July 15, 2019. Mohammad Saiful Islam / NurPhoto via Getty Images
By Michael Beck and Pelayo Menéndez
Hurricanes and tropical storms are estimated to cost the U.S. economy more than $50 billion yearly in damage from winds and flooding. And as these storms travel across the Atlantic, they also ravage many Caribbean nations.
<p>We study <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=fLXCUREAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">coastal ecosystems</a> and how to <a href="https://scholar.google.es/citations?user=QB2RvcsAAAAJ&hl=es" target="_blank">value the natural coastal defenses</a> provided by <a href="https://coastalresilience.ucsc.edu/" target="_blank">mangroves, marshes and coral reefs</a>. In a new study, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61136-6" target="_blank">map flood risks</a> along more than 435,000 miles (700,000 kilometers) of subtropical shoreline in 59 countries around the world.</p><p>Along these coasts, we calculate that flood risks exceed $730 billion annually in direct impacts to property. Many government agencies and insurers estimate that indirect impacts to livelihoods and other economic activity are <a href="https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191027" target="_blank">two to three times these direct flood costs</a>.</p><p>We also estimate that across these 59 countries, mangroves – salt-tolerant trees that grow along tropical coastlines worldwide – reduce risk to more than 15 million people and <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/4gma6k1zmtx6vnj/Mangrove%20Animation%20Copyright%20J.%20Kendall-Bar.mp4?dl=0" target="_blank">prevent more than $65 billion in property damages every year</a>. Mangroves do this by blocking <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/stormsurge-stormtide.html" target="_blank">storm surge</a> – the rise in sea level during storms – and dampening waves, which protect people and structures near the shore.</p>
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<h3>Battered Coastlines</h3><p>Tropical storms are a well-recognized hazard along many coasts. In 2019, which was an above-normal year for tropical storm activity, <a href="http://tropical.atmos.colostate.edu/Realtime/index.php?arch&loc=global" target="_blank">90 named storms</a> formed around the world, including 62 days with major tropical cyclones.</p><p>As one example, <a href="https://www.weather.gov/mhx/Dorian2019" target="_blank">Hurricane Dorian</a> devastated the northern Bahamas with sustained winds of some 185 miles per hour. Throughout its life, <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2019/DORIAN_graphics.php?product=wind_history" target="_blank">Dorian's path</a> impacted more than 17 nations and 15 U.S. states and territories, from Grenada to Newfoundland.</p><p>And Dorian was not even the strongest cyclone of the year. That title went to <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/hurricanes/2019/11/06/halong-northwestern-pacific-ocean-3/" target="_blank">Super Typhoon Halong</a> in the Western Pacific, which steered clear of land. Many scientists predict that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a> will <a href="https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/global-warming-and-hurricanes/" target="_blank">make these storms more intense</a>, with a likely increase in the proportion of storms that reach Categories 4 and 5.</p><p>It would be logical to assume that countries map the flood risks from these storms, since they have to protect residents who live near coasts, along with public infrastructure such as ports, airports, wastewater treatment centers and power plants. These facilities often are built in low-lying areas around urban and suburban centers.</p><p>However, governments and businesses only develop flood risk analyses for the shorelines of highly developed nations, where people have the resources to pay for or insure against these risks. This excludes most tropical countries, where many of the world's most vulnerable people live.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg3MTQ2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTQyMjQ0OH0.2lpdLE4EryuecyLdlcsff6lMiYpgeTnL3qmnsCH8gQk/img.jpg?width=980" id="edb04" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1e566398b4b667f63527e4e5128ae4f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Tropical storm tracks since 1842. NOAA
<h3>Defending Shorelines</h3><p>Our study was designed to quantify these flood risks worldwide and identify solutions for reducing them. We used tools that are standard in the insurance and engineering industries, along with a five-step approach for calculating expected damage, to develop high-resolution estimates of flood risk globally. Then we coupled spatially explicit hydrodynamic flood models with economics to estimate impacts to people and property.</p><p>We focused on mangroves because they are large trees that grow quickly in salt water at the edge of the coastal zone, where they form a front line of defense. Mangroves are also excellent at trapping sediments and building land. On average, land around mangroves grows vertically by <a href="https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationPractices/Marine/crr/library/Documents/mangrove-surface-elevation-and-sea-level-rise.pdf" target="_blank">1 to 10 millimeters per year</a>.</p><p>We generated maps summarizing the benefits that mangroves provide in 20-kilometer coastal units around the world. They show that there are 100 coastal areas where mangroves avert $100 million or more in property damages every year. These are clearly priority zones where mangrove conservation and restoration will yield highly cost-effective benefits to people, property and national budgets.</p><p>According to our estimates, the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61136-6/tables/2" target="_blank">U.S., China and Taiwan</a> receive the greatest economic benefits – protection of property – from mangroves. Vietnam, India and Bangladesh receive the greatest social benefits – protection of people.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg3MTQ3Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MjM0OTgyMX0.p4OzrFJJTj2Gx-ZTII9-N_MLFN0ZGtnKP0sa36RndPE/img.png?width=980" id="31508" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="219814f1af66c6fd8bf60da279a914e1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Along some 20-kilometer coastal stretches, mangroves provide up to $500,000,000 in flood reduction benefits yearly. Michael Beck, CC BY-ND
<h3>Mangroves as Green Infrastructure</h3><p>Mangrove destruction has been widespread, largely because of coastal development and aquaculture. From 1980 through the early 2000s, the world lost <a href="http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000776/index.html" target="_blank">up to 20% of existing mangrove habitat</a>. The rate of loss has slowed but still continues, driven by urban expansion, pollution and agriculture.</p><p>Given our findings about how valuable mangroves are for coastal protection, we believe they should be viewed as national infrastructure and made eligible for funding from hazard mitigation and disaster recovery budgets, just like other coastal defense structures. Paying for mangrove restoration can work through the same approaches that are currently used to fund engineered protective structures such as seawalls.</p><p>Several new studies done collaboratively with <a href="https://www.rms.com/" target="_blank">Risk Management Solutions</a>, a leading insurance risk modeling firm, show that coastal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09269-z" target="_blank">marshes</a> and <a href="https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/Mangrove_Report_digital_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">mangroves</a> provide significant storm reduction benefits. These findings could underpin the development of innovative insurance options for natural systems.</p><p>Examples are already being developed for coral reefs in <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00125" target="_blank">Mexico</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106487" target="_blank">across the Caribbean</a>. Conserving mangroves where they occur together with coral reefs can multiply the flood protection benefits from habitats.</p><p>Working with the World Bank, countries like the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2018.09.005" target="_blank">Philippines</a> and <a href="https://www.nepa.gov.jm/new/projects/docs/WorldBank2019_ForcesOfNature.pdf" target="_blank">Jamaica</a> are assessing how the benefits of mangroves can be <a href="https://www.wavespartnership.org/" target="_blank">incorporated into national finances</a>, disaster management and proposals for the <a href="https://www.greenclimate.fund/" target="_blank">U.N. Green Climate Fund</a>, which was created in 2010 to help developing countries mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. Our work was supported by the World Bank and Germany's <a href="https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en?iki_cookie_check=1" target="_blank">International Climate Initiative</a> to help inform solutions for nations that are most at risk.</p><p>In many places, preserving and restoring mangrove forests can be an extremely economically effective strategy for protecting coasts from tropical storm damage. As national governments and insurers grapple with disaster management costs that are <a href="https://www.munichre.com/topics-online/en/climate-change-and-natural-disasters/natural-disasters/overview-natural-catastrophe-2016.html" target="_blank">growing nearly exponentially worldwide</a>, we believe our research can create new opportunities to pay for mangrove conservation and restoration using climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and insurance funds.</p>
<p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/protecting-mangroves-can-prevent-billions-of-dollars-in-global-flooding-damage-every-year-132424" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132424/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>From Your Site Articles
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Pump Train in Cranberry Street Tunnel after Hurricane Sandy. MTA New York City Transit / Leonard Wiggins / Wikimedia
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on New York City's transportation system. Storm surge pushed a flood of seawater into vehicle tunnels, railyards, ferry terminals, and subway lines.
<p>"Hurricane Sandy was a big wake-up call for the city," says Susanne DesRoches, New York's deputy director of infrastructure and energy.<em></em></p>
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<p>She says after the storm, subway tunnels and stations had to be pumped out. Electrical systems needed to be cleaned, repaired, and tested. In some places, it took weeks to get up and running again.</p><p>As seas rise and weather gets more extreme, the risks from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" rel="noopener noreferrer">flooding</a> only grow. So New York is working to make its massive transportation system more resilient.</p><p>"We're looking at major flood protection systems across the subway network, the airports, and our vehicular tunnels that go in and out of Manhattan," DesRoches says.</p>
<p>For example, the city has installed huge floodgates at the entrances of two tunnels. A steel floodwall will soon protect the Coney Island railyard, and the city's working on ways to seal off subway station entrances and vents.</p><p>It's a multi-billion-dollar effort, but DesRoches says the next time a natural disaster hits, New York expects to be better prepared.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/12/new-york-city-spends-billions-on-flood-protection/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Citizens' activities during flood conditions in the residential and commercial areas of Kampung Pulo, Jatinegara, Jakarta, Jan. 2. Dasril Roszandi / NurPhoto / Getty Images
At least 21 people have died in some of the deadliest flooding to swamp Jakarta in years, according to the latest report from Reuters.
<p>Unusually heavy rain began to fall in and around the Indonesian capital Dec. 31, 2019: 377 millimeters (approximately 14.8 inches) were recorded New Year's Eve at an East Jakarta airport by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). That's the highest rainfall tally for a single day since records began in 1996, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-50969418" target="_blank">BBC News reported</a>.<br></p><p>"This rain is not ordinary rain," the BMKG said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/01/01/not-ordinary-rain-worst-rainfall-in-over-decade-causes-massive-floods-in-jakarta.html?src=mostviewed&pg=news/2020/01/01/multiple-deaths-reported-as-floods-landslide-strike-greater-jakarta.html" target="_blank">The Jakarta Post</a>.</p>
<div id="8edfc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3ORFDM1577975776"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1212686217353080837" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">At least 21 people have died in severe flooding in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta
The city is having its most intens… https://t.co/2wt4JdNwS0</div> — BBC News (World) (@BBC News (World))<a href="https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/statuses/1212686217353080837">1577961899.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The BMKG said the extreme rainfall was caused by the combination of a monsoon and the fact that warmer Indian Ocean temperatures south of Java had allowed more water vapor to accumulate in the atmosphere.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> generally is causing more extreme rainfall because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and because more water is evaporating off the ocean, <a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/climate-101-why-does-climate-change-increase-rainfall" target="_blank">The Climate Reality Project explained</a>. Jakarta is also especially vulnerable to flooding because it is the fastest sinking city in the world: a combination of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">sea level rise</a> and land sinking caused by the drilling of groundwater wells and the weight of its buildings means much of North Jakarta could be underwater by 2050. Because of this, Indonesian President Joko Widodo <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/indonesia-to-move-capital-jakarta-2636197365.html" target="_self">announced plans</a> to relocate the capital last year.</p><p>The current New Year's flooding has displaced more than 62,000 people in Jakarta alone, according to Reuters.</p>
<div id="3b11b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6XGD1O1577975776"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1212241771213643778" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">A family use an inflated inner-tube to leave their home after rain caused flooding in Jakarta, Indonesia
📸 Bay Is… https://t.co/6ImDIwxb1R</div> — AFP news agency (@AFP news agency)<a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/statuses/1212241771213643778">1577855935.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"It has not flooded for so long here. We didn't have the chance to bring anything," 52-year-old evacuee Umar Dani told Reuters. "I have to live on the streets now."</p><p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather" target="_self">extreme weather</a> also cut power and disrupted train service. Floodwaters swamped the runway at Jakarta's Halim Perdana Kusumah domestic airport, closing it and stranding around 19,000 people, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/dead-thousands-caught-flooding-indonesia-jakarta-200102010300411.html" target="_blank">Al Jazeera reported</a>.</p><p>The death toll is the highest for flooding since 2013, BBC News reported. The victims, aged between eight and 82, died from hypothermia, drowning and landslides. One 16-year-old boy, Arviqo Alif Ardana, was electrocuted, Al Jazeera reported.</p><p>"I did not know what had happened until his younger brother came and told me that his brother had died and when I came to the scene, people said that my child was electrocuted when he was holding a lamp post and tried to be rescued by local residents (but failed and died)," his father, Al-Latif Ilyas Darmawan, said.</p><p>Widodo told reporters Thursday that evacuations and safety precautions would be prioritized, Reuters reported. He also said on Twitter that flood mitigation projects had been delayed since 2017 because of problems with land acquisition.</p>Heavy rains are expected to last until Jan. 7, according to Indonesia's Cabinet Secretary. But Dwikorita Karnawati, head of the geophysics agency, told reporters rains could fall until mid February.
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