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tornado

Major Tornado Outbreaks Throughout US Leave Many States At Risk For Extreme Flooding

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A major tornado outbreak across the US has led to a rare and widespread flooding threat throughout the midwest and South this week, according to weather forecasting experts. The experts are emphasizing just how “prolific” and “historic” these weather events are as a means of also highlighting the shortage of forecasting and disaster response efforts across the country. 

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Around 100 tornadoes impacted various parts of the US on Wednesday alone, and at least four people have died as a result of this extreme weather. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) stated that they were short-staffed while issuing a nearly record-breaking number of tornado warnings for one single day. They issued 284 tornado outbreaks for Wednesday. The only other major weather event to hit that level of intensity occurred in April 2011. 

The warnings stretched across nearly 1,000 miles from Arkansas to Michigan, according to reports. 

 The cold front that prompted the multitude of tornadoes this week will slow down over the next few days, however, as it slows the threat of thunderstorms near some of the US’s major rivers will create “life-threatening, catastrophic, and potentially historic flash flood event”, according to the NWS.

Memphis, Tennessee is specifically preparing to see flooding up to 12 inches over the next three days. “Communities in the region should prepare for possible long duration and severe disruptions to daily life,”  a NWS forecast bulletin said.  

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The flooding expected to occur across the US is in the same areas that were just impacted by the tornadoes, leaving many communities vulnerable more than once within the same week. At an NWS office in Kentucky, a tornado-producing thunderstorm severely damaged the property while they’re dealing with non-functioning restrooms. 

“They have worked multiple tornado events this spring already and their office doesn’t even have functioning toilets!” wrote a NWS employee.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently fired hundreds of its probationary staff after they were ordered too by President Donald Trump and the White House. 

Rural regions in states like Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois are expected to struggle greatly after the storms pass due to staffing issues and a removal of resources. 

Additionally, the nationwide network of River Forecast Centers has stated that they’ve also been greatly affected by staffing cuts. These weakened agencies are doing everything they can to help the many Americans being impacted by extreme weather events, but their resources are dwindling.

storms

Major Storms And Torrential Rain Have Hit France, Switzerland, and Italy

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Major storms and torrential rains hit France, Switzerland, and Italy this past weekend, leaving seven people dead, according to local authorities.

Authorities spoke with the media outlet Agence France-Presse, and detailed that three people in their 70s and 80s died in France’s north-eastern Aube region on Saturday after their car was crushed by a tree while they were driving against major winds. A fourth passenger is currently in critical condition. 

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Four people died in Switzerland and another is missing, according to the local police. Three were killed from a landslide brought on by torrential rains in the south-east, according to Italian police. 

According to the Guardian, police said that a man was found dead in a hotel in Saas-Grund in Valais, likely due to rapid and sudden flooding. Another man is also currently missing in the same area. 

“Several hundred people” were evacuated in Valais and multiple roads were closed from flooding and landslide warnings, according to civil security services. 

Emergency services had to navigate how to evacuate 300 people who were in Peccia for a football tournament, and 70 individuals who were at a “holiday camp” in the village of Mogno. 

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In recent years when major natural disasters have occurred, scientists have reminded the world that climate change brought on by human activity and lack of government intervention has caused the intensity, frequency, and length of extreme weather events to increase immensely. 

Police also discussed how rescue efforts have been very difficult due to continuous poor weather conditions and destruction that has made a lot of areas inaccessible, such as several valleys. Electric networks have also been cut off in multiple areas. 

The federal alert system also stated that parts of the impacted areas were without drinking water. In the west side of Valais, several hundred people were evacuated and roads were closed due to repetitive dangerous weather conditions.

Extreme rainfall in Switzerland also caused major damage and led to the death of one individual. Recovery and rescue efforts are still underway. 

wall

Great Wall Of China Damaged By Workers Using Excavator 

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Two individuals have been arrested in northern China after they allegedly damaged a section of the Great Wall using an excavator to create a huge gap in the ancient structure, local police said in an online statement. 

A 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, who were construction workers, were supposedly trying to create a shortcut in order to save time going around the world. The police stated that the structure was “severely damaged.”

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“It had been one of the existing complete border walls and beacon towers with important protection and research value,” the county police department said.

China’s northwest Youyu County police responded to reports on August 24th of a gap that had been dug into the structure known as the 32nd Great Wall, a section that’s been standing since the Ming Dynasty. 

“Excavators were used to excavate the original gap of the ancient Great Wall into a large gap, so that the excavator could pass through the gap, which caused irreversible damage to the integrity of the Ming Great Wall and the safety of cultural relics,” the police statement said. 

The authorities detained the two suspects pending further investigation. The oldest portions of the Great Wall were created more than 2,000 years ago.

The structure is also listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site and is known as one of the greatest creations of ancient human engineering. 

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About 30% of China’s Great Wall has disappeared in recent years due to climate challenges and “reckless human activities,” including stealing bricks to build houses. This damage has eroded the already old structure, causing long term damage. 

The investigation regarding the two construction workers is currently underway, ideally, this news will deter future individuals and groups from messing with the Great Wall and maintain its beauty that makes it such a historical landmark in our world’s story. 

To avoid damage to the Great Wall, in recent years authorities have implemented multiple measures to deter individuals from damaging the structure. 

For example, in April 2020 the Badaling Great Wall tourism site near the capital city of Beijing implemented new regulations that allows them to blacklist tourists and give them administrative penalties depending on their specific infraction. 

In May 2021, two foreign tourists were banned from the Great Wall after ignoring a “no crossing sign” on an undeveloped section of the monument and climbing onto the restricted area, according to reports. In August, another tourist was detained and fined for using a hairpin to carve on the wall.

California Wildfires Growing At Rapid Pace, National Forests Close As A Result 

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Millions of acres of national forest space in Northern California are being closed due to dangerous conditions created by wildfires that have already destroyed hundreds of homes. The US Forest Service announced this week that it would be closing nine national forests stretching from Lake Tahoe to the Six Rivers National Forest. 

The Eldorado National Forest has already been closed due to the Caldor Fire which greatly damaged over 100 square miles of land. In two days the wildfires in California have grown 10 times their original size. 

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25,000 Californians are currently under evacuation orders due to the fires as well. More than 650 firefighters and 13 helicopters were recently battling a deadly blaze near Lake Tahoe.

“The hope is with the additional resources and personnel on scene, we can really start to build that box around this fire and start the containment,” said Keith Wade of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

“The fire wants us bad because it’s made every attempt it can to get out of that canyon and up this way,” Thurman said. “So they keep beating it down. And it’s just … it’s resilient, it’s stubborn, it won’t go away. That’s all we can do,” said Thurman Conroy and his wife, Michele, who stayed behind to protect their house and their business, Conroy General Store. 

Evacuees from the Caldor fire found refuge in places like the Green Valley Community Church in Placerville, where a multitude of tents and trailers have been set up. Over a dozen fires have been threatening thousands of homes, and the recent heat waves in America have forced small communities to evacuate into safer spaces away from the fire’s path. 

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More than 10,000 firefighters have been deployed throughout the state to minimize the damage. Authorities claim the Dixie Fire, which began on July 13th in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades area, has spread over 1,060 square miles and has only been 35% contained. 

The fire completely gutted the town of Greenville two weeks ago, destroying over 1,200 buildings, including 649 homes, according to ongoing damage assessments from the state. 

So far no deaths have been reported in these fires but a handful of injuries have come up. One small but destructive fire completely burned through a mobile home park, destroying about 50 homes. 

Climate change in general has made the West coast much warmer and drier within the past couple of decades, which makes it much easier for these fires to start and spread uncontrollably. Scientists claim the weather will only continue to become more destructive as climate change continues to worsen and be ignored by our government. 

The US Forest Service has contacted Canada, Mexico, and Australia for wildfire assistance, however, all of their services are currently being occupied by their own climate disasters and wildfires.

Climate

Climate Emergency Scientists Claim The Earth Is In Dire Need Of Our Help 

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The Covid-19 pandemic initially helped combat climate change in America due to the lack of human activity in major metropolitans, where things like pollution are common. Now, climate scientists are warning that the climate crisis has worsened exponentially within the past decade, and this year was no different. 

In November of 2019, an article co-signed by over 11,000 scientists was published in a journal that declared a global climate emergency. This Tuesday, the same journal released an update in which they claimed a few improvements have been made to our environment thanks to the pandemic, but ultimately much more systemic work needs to be done if we want to see a real change in our planet’s health. 

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“A major lesson from COVID-19 is that even colossally decreased transportation and consumption are not nearly enough and that, instead, transformational system changes are required, and they must rise above politics.” 

“Given the impacts we are seeing at roughly 1.25 degrees Celsius (°C) warming, combined with the many reinforcing feedback loops and potential tipping points, massive-scale climate action is urgently needed,” the article reads.

Ecology professor William Ripple and forest ecosystem researcher Christopher Wold were some of the lead authors on the article update, and they cited catastrophic flooding, wildfires, and record-breaking heat waves that have been impacting America. 

The data published shows a Covid-related dip in air travel led to a decrease in the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, however, record levels of methane and carbon dioxide were still recorded in the atmosphere, which has increased acidification in the Earth’s oceans, and led to the melting of major ice sheets. 

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“Global gross domestic product dropped by 3.6% in 2020 but is projected to rebound to an all-time high,” Ripple said in a statement. 

“Likely because of the pandemic, fossil fuel consumption has gone down since 2019, as have carbon dioxide emissions and airline travel levels. All of these are expected to significantly rise with the opening of the economy.

The article update sent a very similar message as its original, calling on the government for an elimination of fossil fuels, air pollutants, a switch to mostly plant-based diets, a more sustainable economy, and a means of stabilizing the human population. 

“As long as humanity’s pressure on the Earth system continues, attempted remedies will only redistribute the pressure. But by halting the unsustainable exploitation of natural habitats, we can reduce zoonotic disease transmission risks, protect carbon stocks and conserve biodiversity, all at the same time,”  Wolf said. 

“We need to quickly change how we’re doing things, and new climate policies should be part of COVID-19 recovery plans wherever possible. It’s time for us to join together as a global community with a shared sense of cooperation, urgency and equity.”