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New
York snowstorm: New York on alert as flooding becomes new threat to
residents
13
people have died since the storm hit but as temperatures rise and
rain begins to fall snow is set to turn into into record flooding
23
November, 2014
As
temperatures are forecast to rise, residents of Upstate New York are
braced for another weather crisis as a year’s worth of snow begins
to melt, which is expected to cause significant flooding.
The
snowstorm that hit the Buffalo area in western New York State has
been blamed for at least 13 deaths in the past week, where
temperatures dropped below freezing and up to 7 ft of snow fell over
three days.
Temperatures
in the area rose on Saturday, and are expected to rise again on
Sunday to around 15 degrees Celsius, but the change in weather will
also bring rain, and the melting snow will bring floods.
The
National Weather Service has now issued a flood warning to residents
lasting until Wednesday due to the melting snow, while officials have
warned that another major concern now is threat of roof collapses in
the area. Reports suggest more than 30 roofs have already collapsed.
“Warming
will bring melting. Melting will bring water. Water will bring
floods,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters.
Governor
Cuomo said the state will be sending in pumps, boats, helicopters and
high-axle vehicles that can operate in up to 5ft of water.
“If
we’re lucky we won’t need any of it,” he said, “but prepare
for the worst and hope for the best”.
The
National Weather Service expects flood-prone areas to be inundated,
and warns there will be general flooding elsewhere.
“We
expect five to six feet of water in some areas in a short period of
time,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said.
Weather
Service meteorologist Jon Hitchcock said there might be trouble with
drainage as snow and the uncollected autumn leaves underneath it
blocked catch basins.
Two Buffalo residents attempt to remove some of the snow on their roof Two Buffalo residents attempt to remove some of the snow on their roof “The biggest flood threat would be on Monday when temperatures are at their warmest,” he said, adding that “there could be general urban flooding”.
Officials have urged people to put off any non-essential travel so that snow removal efforts could progress, and dump trucks, military vehicles and front loaders have been seen rumbling through the streets of Buffalo as they strive to remove the walls of snow in the area.
On Saturday, the state Thruway, a 132-mile stretch of interstate highway, was reopened after the massive snowfall caused motorists to be stranded and the entire strip to be closed four days previously.
Floods in Buffalo, New York - Snow Melting (Flood Warning)
A boy stands on a snowbank in the south Buffalo area on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in Buffalo, N.Y. Western New York continues to dig out from the heavy snow dropped this week by lake-effect snowstorms. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) Photo Credit: AP / Mike Groll
Evacuation
plans readied as Buffalo flooding looms
Updated
November 23, 2014 12:25 PM
First
came the big storm, then the big dig. Now comes the big melt.
"Err
on the side of caution," Cuomo said at a news conference in
Cheektowaga. "You prepare for the worst and hope for the best,
and that's what we're doing."
Across
the Buffalo region — where rising temperatures were expected to
approach 60 degrees on Monday — people took that advice to heart.
In
Hamburg, Pete Yeskoot bought a portable generator to make sure his
sump pump will keep working once the roughly 80 inches of snow that
fell on his property melts. Possessions are up on blocks in the
basement and he has food for several days.
"Behind
us is an 18-mile creek so everything in the village will come through
us at some point, so we have to get ready for the possibility of
flooding," he said. "And given all this snow, we have to
expect that this is real.".....
In Britain ....
It's
going to be a soggy Sunday for some! Britain on flood alert with 10
days' worth of rain to fall in 24 hours- A yellow flood warning has been issued for the South East on Sunday
- An inch of rain is predicted to fall over the next 24 hours - 10 days' worth
- Environment Agency said individual properties could be flooded
- London, Surrey, Kent and West Sussex are expected to be badly hit
- Monday morning will see a frosty start with temperatures dipping to -4C
22
November, 2014
Britain
is on flood alert with 10 days worth of rain set to fall in the next
24 hours before widespread frost and freezing fog threatens Monday's
rush-hour.
The
Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the South East of
England as 'persistent and locally heavy' rain is expected to cause
surface water flooding and travel disruption.
London,
Surrey and Kent are among the areas on high alert as up to an inch of
rain - 10 days' worth - is predicted to fall over the next 24 hours.
A man uses his metal detectors on the beach at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, as heavy rainfall hit the region earlier today
The
'be aware' warning is from 3am to 9pm on Sunday and could also affect
West Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Medway and East Sussex.
'A
waving front will lie across the area for much of the day, with more
than 20 mm expected in places. Given the wetter than average weather
of late, these totals bring the risk of surface water,' according to
the Met OfficeE THIS
'Rain
will be persistent and locally heavy through much of Sunday. Falling
on saturated ground, it is likely to cause some surface water
flooding in places before clearing eastwards. The public should be
aware of this hazard.'
Met
Office forecaster Calum MacColl said: 'It's looking like Sunday will
be a dull, damp day and a pulse of rain will push up. There will be
heavy rain overnight.'
London, Surrey and Kent are among the areas on high alert as up to an inch of rain - 10 days worth - is predicted to fall over the next 24 hours
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the South East of England on Sunday as 'persistent and locally heavy' rain is expected
The
Environment Agency said the heavy rainfall could cause localised
flooding of land and roads, some disruption to travel, and perhaps
flooding of individual properties.
Overnight
from Sunday to Monday there will be widespread frost and fog patches
developing which will be slow to clear.
The
temperature could dip as low as -4C in areas including Oxfordshire
and Exeter, according to the Met Office.
Weather
Channel forecaster Leon Brown said: 'Monday morning will be bit of a
shock for southerners, with a widespread frost, a risk of freezing
fog and temperatures between 0C and -2C widely, perhaps -3C or -4C in
frost hollows.
'It
may be quite icy for central and southern areas after the wet
Sunday.'
The Environment Agency said the heavy rainfall could cause localised flooding of land and roads, some disruption to travel, and perhaps flooding of individual properties
There
have been floods reported in Lewisham in SE London
Actor Matthew Hartley tweeted this pic, with praise for Lewisham DLR station: "Trusty DLR is still going, you little legend."Rescuers Work to Save Hundreds of Baby Bats After Deadly Heatwave
21
November, 2014
A
scorching heat wave in New South Wales, Australia, this past weekend
has killed thousands of flying foxes and left rescuers working
tirelessly to provide care for hundreds of pups who managed to survivо.
The Daily
Telegraph reported
temperatures reached a record 111 degrees Fahrenheit in the town of
Casino on Saturday, which sparked the deaths of an estimated 5,000
flying foxes who began dropping to the ground. Making the problem
worse is that many females have pups this
time of year who are still nursing and many were left clinging to
their mother.
While
the local fire department came in to spray the area with water in an
attempt to provide relief to survivors and authorities began clean up
efforts, volunteers
rallied and
began a massive rescue of orphaned
pups.
According
to the NSW
Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service, Inc.
(WIRES), which helped coordinate rescue efforts, ‘the extreme heat,
low humidity and lack of shade’ too early in the season is what
caused the deaths, but volunteers from every available wildlife care
group have been working around-the-clock to keep about 400 surviving
pups alive. The group wrote on Facebook:
Each
of these orphans had to be assessed, hydrated and taken care of
individually; you can imagine the enormous task of literally hundreds
coming in at the same time.
The
task is ongoing; carers are working round the clock and emotions are
tested as carers do what they can to ensure each and every little
flying fox is taken care of whilst dealing with the sight of
thousands of adults and juveniles dead and dying.
Credit: WIRES/Facebook
While
some people are reportedly not
bothered by the loss, conservationists counter that flying foxes are
a protected species and are vital to keeping forests
healthy by
spreading seeds and pollinating flowering trees.
Scientists
also believe flying foxes are good bioindicators of
die-offs because they live in colonies – as
opposed to solitary animals — that are easier to count and show
just how bad the consequences of extreme weather can be for wildlife.
Sadly,
this isn’t the first die-off. Earlier this year an estimated 45,500
flying foxes died
in Queensland during an extreme heatwave, making it the largest on
record, but it was followed by more. This one probably won’t be the
last.
Worse
for flying foxes, and other wildlife who can’t tolerate extreme
weather, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2012
report predicted the frequency and magnitude of extreme heat events
will continue to grow through this century, yet Australia seems
to be behind on dealing with climate change.
Just
last week, hundreds
of protesters gathered
and literally stuck their heads in the sand at Bondi Beach to protest
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s stance on climate change and his
refusal to include it in the G20
summit held
in Brisbane.
Australia also now stands as the only country to have
reversed action on climate change by repealing a tax on greenhouse
gas emissions this past summer. Hopefully it won’t take more tragic
events like this for serious action to be taken.
Amazing
image of almost two thirds of Australia experiencing isolated to
scattered storms 23/Nov 2014
Energy is peaking and falling violently - we are going to see huge destruction by both unwinding and winding force of nature - It is time to awaken - I keep repeating it, unless we awaken to the “Principle and Design” by which Earth sustains her heat/temperature, we are domed for huge destructions from the forces of Mother Nature. We are not a match for her forces. She is stressing us to evolve to know her. We need to act to manage the energy of the environment http://www.scribd.com/doc/161586906/Energy-to-Matter-Ratio-A-New-Vision-to-Understand-Global-Climate-Change-and-to-deal-with-it
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thecanadiandaily.ca/2013/08/30/part-1-knowledge-that-can-save-humanity-from-climate-catastrophes/