Disasters

"Wildfires in Western states aren't slowing down and conspiracy theories about who started them are only making things harder for responders."

"The wildfires blazing in the West could hinder developing lungs, worsen asthma and even lead to the condition in those who don’t have it but are genetically disposed to it."

"SAN FRANCISCO — Ian MacDonald, a 14-year-old in Portland, Ore., got a treat from his parents the other day. He was allowed to go outside.

"Tropical Storm Beta was predicted to bring a foot of rain to parts of coastal Texas and Louisiana next week as the 23rd named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season moves ashore on Monday night, the National Hurricane Center said."

"PENSACOLA, Fla. — Wendy Evil, 52, spent Thursday morning picking through her drenched belongings. Her house, her yard, her . . . everything was flooded. “I am just so destroyed,” she said."

"Staggering rain totals, fueled by a warming atmosphere that can hold more moisture, are being recorded from the storm."

"As hurricanes go, Sally was not especially powerful. Rated a Category 2 storm when it struck the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, it was soon downgraded. But climate change likely made it more dangerous by slowing it down and feeding it more moisture, setting it up to pummel the region with wind and catastrophic rainfall.

"Extreme temperatures and more severe droughts, the result of human-caused climate change, have created a world that’s ready to burn."

"Faced with the twin climate crises of historic wildfires and spiraling insurance costs, California on Wednesday laid out new rules to make insurance more affordable in fire-prone areas. But the changes could backfire, experts say — pushing insurers to stop offering insurance in those areas and further imperiling communities on the front lines of climate change."

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency fails to help tens of thousands of people whose homes have repeatedly flooded, according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security."

"In California, smoke plumes spun into twisters made out of soot and flame, prompting the first-ever “fire tornado” warning. In Oregon, blazes advanced on towns so rapidly that even fire crews had to flee. Never in memory have so many fires burned so much land in so many places over such a short span of time. The smoke has enveloped the whole continent, dimming the sun in cities 2,000 miles away."

"The vast majority of children dying from COVID-19 are Hispanic, Black or Native American, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."