#climate disasters

[mindblowingscience]

Climate disasters are costing the Pacific eight times more than they did a decade ago The number of people impacted by climate disasters in the Pacific increased 700% on average in the last decade, compared to the previous decade, according to new analysis by Oxfam Australia released as COP29 climate negotiations begin today in Baku.

Continue Reading.

[tomorrowusa]

California has gotten its first tropical storm watch ever. The last time a tropical storm hit California was in September of 1939 just after Hitler had started World War II. They didn't issue such watches in those days.

Major Hurricane Hilary in the Pacific is way stronger than low energy Hurricane Don in the Atlantic a few weeks ago; the latter spent only a few hours as a hurricane as it spun around aimlessly away from land.

Hilary will weaken from the current Category 4, but how much it will weaken is still not certain. If it maintains sustained winds of at least 74 MPH/119 KMH when it reaches California, then it will become California's first ever official hurricane.

Hurricane Hilary is expected to hit Southern California as a tropical storm, with a punch that could include flash flooding and significant amounts of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center.  A tropical storm watch for much of Southern California was issued Friday morning. The National Weather Service's San Diego outpost said this was the first time such an advisory had ever been issued for the region. 

As somebody who's been through half a dozen tropical cyclones on the East Coast, I would advise our California friends that rain is a bigger hazard than wind – in most cases. People in areas which have the potential for flooding should particularly remain on alert.

The 1939 storm, called El Cordonazo, became the first and only tropical storm to make landfall in the state in the 20th century, according to the National Weather Service. NWS says the storm, which was at one point a hurricane, originated off the southern coast of Central America before moving north and eventually coming ashore at San Pedro, California.  Resulting floods from the storm killed at least 45 people across the Southern California region and caused $2 million in damage to structures and crops, the weather service reports. Another 48 people were also killed at sea.

There were far fewer people in California in 1939 when El Cordonazo caused deadly flooding.

Here is the current forecast for rainfall potential.

Keep up with the track of Hurricane Hilary here. Southern California should begin to feel the effects of Hilary on Sunday afternoon. Monitor local emergency information and follow advisories.

And if you're wondering why this is happening...

Our oceans are the warmest in recorded history. This is why it's so concerning

[rjzimmerman]

The real reason billion-dollar disasters like Hurricane Helene are growing more common. (Washington Post)

Excerpt from this Washington Post story:

It rises like a mountain, up and to the right, and it has become one of the most potent illustrations of the perils of man-made global warming. It’s a chart showing the number of billion-dollar weather disasters that have struck the United States since 1980. When the toll is tallied from hurricanes Helene and Milton, they will become the 397th and 398th entries in the database.

The disaster data, maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has featured in multiple government reports on global warming. The Biden administration has referenced it at least seven times to help make the case for climate policies. Members of Congress cited it in a bill to curtail the use of fossil fuels. Last year’s National Climate Assessment, acongressionally mandated report on climate change, showed the disasters on a map under the heading “Climate Change Is Not Just a Problem for Future Generations, It’s a Problem Today.”

But according to disaster experts, former NOAA officials and peer-reviewed scientific studies, the chart says little about climate change. The truth lies elsewhere: Over time, migration to hazard-prone areas has increased, putting more people and property in harm’s way. Disasters are more expensive because there is more to destroy.

The billion-dollar disasterdataset is “quoted a lot and people use it as a way of saying that climate change is already influencing what we see. And yet, unless you get the economics right, you can’t really justify that,” said D. James Baker, the physicist and oceanographer who led NOAA from 1993 to 2001, the longest tenure as administrator in the agency’s history.

Baker and others say disputing whether global warming’s influence can be found in the disaster data is not the same as questioning whether climate change is real or whether society should switch from fossil fuels.

“We know that climate change is real. We don’t see it in the [economic] losses yet,” said Laurens Bouwer, an expert on the assessment of climate risks and a lead author on five reports by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the advisory body through which scientists reach consensus on climate change.

Although traditional statistical methods cannot quantify the influence of greenhouse gases on rising disaster costs, many scientists say that global warming has intensified hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and other extreme weather, which must be leading to greater economic losses.

“A lot of these extremes are really ramped up,” said Adam Smith, the NOAA climatologist who has led the billion-dollar disaster project for more than a decade. “If you want to act like nothing’s happening or it’s minimal, that’s just not the case in what we’ve seen in these extreme events in the United States.”

[t0rschlusspan1k]

I honestly have a very low consideration of people who create, like and share polluting AI so-called 'art'. I have nothing to say to whoever feels offended by this, and nothing you can say will change my mind. I can't respect you as a person. People who are still buying tons of fast fashion too are on very thin ice. We can't afford all this worthless, dangerous crap anymore. Just read one single article or watch one single video. Or watch the news. Or dare to step outside and look at what's happening around us - careful not to become a victim of yet another climate disaster.

Do we really need to make it worse? What will we eventually gain from all this?

[garyconkling]

Climate Change Impacts Getting Harder to Ignore

Climate Change Deniers Should Visit with Disaster Victims For Americans directly impacted by hurricanes, floods, tornados, wildfires, heat waves and droughts, the handiwork of climate change is getting painfully harder to ignore. According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), the number of billion-dollar natural disasters per year in America is rapidly increasing.…

[unitedstatesrei]

Climate Disasters Put $1.2b Mortgages, 19,000 Homes at Risk

Key TakeawaysClimate disasters are threatening $1.2 billion in mortgages, putting 19,000 homes in jeopardy nationwide.Property values are decreasing in high-risk areas like Florida and California, while foreclosure risks soar in Louisiana amid rising insurance costs.Federal flood zone shortcomings and economic shockwaves impact communities, influencing the real estate sector adversely. Rising Climate Challenges and Real Estate ImpactsRaging climate disasters threaten to submerge $1.2 billion in mortgages, imperiling 19,000 homes nationwide. From Florida's famous beaches to California's wildfire-scarred vistas, property values plunge underwater.Louisiana faces swelling risks, pushing foreclosure threats sky-high. Insurance premiums spiral, piling on financial strain. Federal flood zones skimp, leaving gaps for millions. Economic shockwaves ripple through communities, casting shadows over the real estate market. Traverse this shifting environment as potential dangers loom more ominously each year.Foreclosure Risks Rise With Climate ChangeThe winds of change are fiercely battering U.S. real estate markets, as climate disasters loom large on the horizon. As projections cast a grim shadow over the industry, foreclosures linked to climate-driven events are predicted to surge exponentially, reaching $5.4 billion by 2035. This marks a stark increase from the $1.2 billion anticipated in 2025, stressing the critical foreclosure consequences that lie in wait.In America’s most vulnerable areas, such as the storm-battered coastlines of Florida, the flood-prone neighborhoods of Louisiana, and California’s wildfire zones, signs of growing instability are evident. These regions are pegged to suffer 53% of climate-related mortgage losses by 2025, a reflection of the ceaseless barrage of natural calamities. The once-stable facade of these local real estate landmarks, much like the iconic neighborhoods of Miami and New Orleans, begins to chip away under the pressure of relentless weather adversities.The swelling tide of foreclosure risks can no longer be overlooked, especially in light of the formidable insurance challenges faced by property owners. Insurance costs are mushrooming, leaving wide gaps in coverage that exacerbate homeowners' anxieties. Flooding, a predominant threat, often finds policies insufficient to shield against its force. Homes affected by flooding see a 0.29-percentage-point higher foreclosure rate compared to their unflooded counterparts.FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Areas, despite their widespread recognition, inadequately encompass millions of at-risk properties, leaving countless homeowners skating on thin ice.Housing markets are gasping for air amid these pressures. The systemic risks ripple through the financial terrain, with lenders poised to absorb annual losses of $5.4 billion by 2035 due to climate silencing mortgages. The dry spell in awareness, previously palpable among financial institutions, is showing signs of a rain-check. Yet, the demands for integrating climate data into risk models grow louder, unsettling the financial stalwarts.Vulnerable populations stand as unwitting pawns in this unfolding drama. Low- to moderate-income households, already traversing the choppy waters of economic uncertainty, face heightened exposure to foreclosures. Their fragility is further compounded by escalating repair costs and insurance premiums, which steadily push them towards missed mortgage payments and defaults.The emotional toll is palpable across communities. The cons are stark: properties lose value, prospective buyers shy away, and lifelines erode. Seen through the lens of cold, hard numbers, climate change applies an unforgiving pressure. It sediments the realization that missed payments today could herald foreclosures tomorrow.Amid vacant homes and dreams delayed, the narrative unfolds not just as a tale of economic disruption, but as a profound account of nature's caprice. The sobering stakes underscore the imperative for the real estate sphere to recalibrate and fortify against this climatic onslaught.

In the fading echoes of financial solidity, resilience becomes the clarion call to action.The coming years will test the mettle of neighborhood resilience from the stern resilience of San Francisco’s skyline to the slow reclaiming of New York's storm-laden streets. The future may be fraught, yet the resolve to rise remains unyielding, as the winds of change continue to blow.AssessmentIt's like the weather's gone rogue, and our beloved real estate market is feeling the heat.Over $1.2 billion in mortgages are hanging in the balance.Picture this: more than 19,000 homes could be on the brink of foreclosure.As wildfires blaze through forests and hurricanes pummel our shores, the danger isn't something we can just shrug off.Those neighborhoods we used to think of as safe? They're now in hot water.Investors are getting jittery as the air of uncertainty thickens.Even iconic spots like the Golden Gate might end up just quietly watching all this unfold.We've got to jump into action now to protect our assets and keep everything on an even keel.Let's make this conversation count—it's time to safeguard our homes and our financial future.

[hennethgalad]

apocalypse now.

(salt)

[olganmwriter]

#TuesdayBookBlog The Means of Keeping by Rich Marcello (@marcellor) #RBRT

Hi, all: I bring you the review of a book by an author I discovered through Rosie’s team. He is quite an original writer who doesn’t follow fashionable trends and goes his own way. He writes exquisitely, but he is not for everyone. (Is anybody for everyone?) The Means of Keeping by Rich Marcello The Means of Keeping by Rich Marcello The Means of Keeping is a profound exploration of grief,…

[doomsayersunited]

As Hurricane Helene ravages Florida (three dead already), just a reminder that now the U.S. experiences about 20 billion-dollar climate change-fueled disasters annually.

[whatisthisblogevenabout]

leaving these here, since, i guess, the death of an animal attracts more than... literally anything else, no matter how serious the situation is.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-claws-back-20-billion-climate-funds-2025-03-12/

Man the storms were so bad they killed Murphy the eagle. The one that brooded the rock

[missempanada]

How to help the people in Spain

As you may have seen online, Spain is going through a flash flood since October 29. It's mainly affected the Community of Valencia but also some parts of the south-west and the cold drop is now moving to the north-east.

95 bodies have been found at the time I'm writing this (edit: 205 now), there's still people missing and entire towns are isolated as they don't have electricity and their roads have been destroyed. A lot of people don't have tap water or any means to cook. If you're wondering why people didn't evacuate beforehand, it's because authorities didn't care enough to warn people so technically everyone had to go to work and school. Though politicians should be held accountable, the most important thing at the moment is to help those in need. So here's some ways you can help both people and animals that have been affected.

NGOs and fundraisers

MOST NEEDED AT THE MOMENT: You can donate to Valencia's food bank by making a transfer to this bank account: ES86 2100 2806 6402 0009 8998.

Horta Sud is a county in Valencia that has been the most affected by the floodings. People are leaving their houses because they're scared of the infrastructure getting damaged and even walking by foot to Valencia capital to get food. You can help those families via this gofundme.

Hambre Cero is a Spanish non-profit that was founded after the earthquakes in Indonesia. They will be giving food to those who need it. Here's different ways you can donate.

This gofundme is joining efforts with the town hall of Valencia to help people who have lost their homes.

Una copa por Valencia ("a drink to Valencia") is a campaign organized by Spanish influencer David Aliagas. The idea behind it is to donate the amount of money you would spend on drinks on a night out. He'll be joining effort with local non-profits. You can help here.

Here's a thread of artists that are accepting commissions in exchange for donations for Valencia.

Spanish Kpop fans are organizing a collective fundraiser.

EDIT: took Cáritas and Spanish Red Cross out of this post after this tiktok made by a volunteer went viral and a lot of people posted their experiences working for these NGOs. Apparently they're not distributing food. Instead they're telling people not to send more food and send money instead so they can keep part of it.

Help people directly

Help Sara, Steven and Bruno rebuild their home in Valencia.

Help this high school teacher buy a new car to get back to work.

Raúl was about to open his barbershop on October 31 but it was destroyed by the flood. Please help him get his dream back.

Help the neighbours of Aldaia (Valencia) rebuild their homes.

This artist has been affected by the floods and lost their car. They've opened emergency commissions.

You can help rebuild the town of Letur (Albacete) by donating to this gofundme that's directly coordinated with the town hall.

Rebeca is a seamstress. Her studio was both her workplace and a place were came together for a sewing club in the afternoons. It was destroyed by the flood. You can help her rebuild it here

Animal shelters

Refugio Minipow was home to 50 rabbits and guinea pigs. Thankfully, the owners were able to move all the animals to their homes and those of their neighbors, though the shelter itself has been destroyed right after recent renovations. There's different ways to donate here.

El Refugio de María a dog shelter in Sueca (Valencia), is completely flooded, leaving the dogs visibly distressed, as shown here. You can donate to PayPal maria.g.may@gmail.com

Modepran is a dog shelter in Campanar (Valencia) where infrastructure damage has left some dogs without a proper sleeping area. You can donate through PayPal here.

Gatos Campo de Gibraltar is a cat shelter in Los Barrios (Cádiz). need of assistance for relocating cats to new homes and rebuilding damaged facilities. You can donate to their PayPal gatoscampodegibraltar@gmail.com

Protectora San Antón is an animal shelter for cats and dogs in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz). The entire place is flooded and the animals don't have a comfortable place to sleep in. Cats can't even walk on the ground. You can donate to their PayPal protectorasananton@hotmail.com

I'll be adding more as I find them. Thank you everyone for your help.

Edit: adding this because I keep seeing people on Twitter and Tiktok say it makes no sense to give money to people in a "first world" country. I need you people to understand that living in a western country doesn't equal politicians caring about you.

This whole thing started because politicians weren't doing their job and they're still not doing it. People (literal civilians, not firefighters or policemen) are literally pulling bodies from under cars and putting them inside the trunks so children in the affected areas don't see them. There's underground parkings still flooded by water and we don't know how many people may be inside them.

France offered to send us 200 firemen and the Ministry of Interior literally REFUSED. Some of these French firemen came on their own anyway. But that's what our politicians are doing. Negating help and pointing fingers at each other so they don't seem guilty.

[tornadoquest]

Tornado Quest Top Science Links For January 27 - February 3, 2024 #science #weather #climate #wintersafety #windchill #cocorahs #citizenscience #droughtmonitor

Greetings everyone. This week, you’ll find a way to get involved in collecting valuable weather data as a citizen scientist. We’ll also continue our look at winter weather safety, the latest US Drought Monitor, and other interesting reads, so let’s get started. If you’re looking for a nice map of our planet, check out this site. This is a informative read on clearing the air regarding many…

[reasonsforhope]

As relentless rains pounded LA, the city’s “sponge” infrastructure helped gather 8.6 billion gallons of water—enough to sustain over 100,000 households for a year.

Earlier this month, the future fell on Los Angeles. A long band of moisture in the sky, known as an atmospheric river, dumped 9 inches of rain on the city over three days—over half of what the city typically gets in a year. It’s the kind of extreme rainfall that’ll get ever more extreme as the planet warms.

The city’s water managers, though, were ready and waiting. Like other urban areas around the world, in recent years LA has been transforming into a “sponge city,” replacing impermeable surfaces, like concrete, with permeable ones, like dirt and plants. It has also built out “spreading grounds,” where water accumulates and soaks into the earth.

With traditional dams and all that newfangled spongy infrastructure, between February 4 and 7 the metropolis captured 8.6 billion gallons of stormwater, enough to provide water to 106,000 households for a year. For the rainy season in total, LA has accumulated 14.7 billion gallons.

Long reliant on snowmelt and river water piped in from afar, LA is on a quest to produce as much water as it can locally. “There's going to be a lot more rain and a lot less snow, which is going to alter the way we capture snowmelt and the aqueduct water,” says Art Castro, manager of watershed management at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. “Dams and spreading grounds are the workhorses of local stormwater capture for either flood protection or water supply.”

Centuries of urban-planning dogma dictates using gutters, sewers, and other infrastructure to funnel rainwater out of a metropolis as quickly as possible to prevent flooding. Given the increasingly catastrophic urban flooding seen around the world, though, that clearly isn’t working anymore, so now planners are finding clever ways to capture stormwater, treating it as an asset instead of a liability. “The problem of urban hydrology is caused by a thousand small cuts,” says Michael Kiparsky, director of the Wheeler Water Institute at UC Berkeley. “No one driveway or roof in and of itself causes massive alteration of the hydrologic cycle. But combine millions of them in one area and it does. Maybe we can solve that problem with a thousand Band-Aids.”

Or in this case, sponges. The trick to making a city more absorbent is to add more gardens and other green spaces that allow water to percolate into underlying aquifers—porous subterranean materials that can hold water—which a city can then draw from in times of need. Engineers are also greening up medians and roadside areas to soak up the water that’d normally rush off streets, into sewers, and eventually out to sea...

To exploit all that free water falling from the sky, the LADWP has carved out big patches of brown in the concrete jungle. Stormwater is piped into these spreading grounds and accumulates in dirt basins. That allows it to slowly soak into the underlying aquifer, which acts as a sort of natural underground tank that can hold 28 billion gallons of water.

During a storm, the city is also gathering water in dams, some of which it diverts into the spreading grounds. “After the storm comes by, and it's a bright sunny day, you’ll still see water being released into a channel and diverted into the spreading grounds,” says Castro. That way, water moves from a reservoir where it’s exposed to sunlight and evaporation, into an aquifer where it’s banked safely underground.

On a smaller scale, LADWP has been experimenting with turning parks into mini spreading grounds, diverting stormwater there to soak into subterranean cisterns or chambers. It’s also deploying green spaces along roadways, which have the additional benefit of mitigating flooding in a neighborhood: The less concrete and the more dirt and plants, the more the built environment can soak up stormwater like the actual environment naturally does.

As an added benefit, deploying more of these green spaces, along with urban gardens, improves the mental health of residents. Plants here also “sweat,” cooling the area and beating back the urban heat island effect—the tendency for concrete to absorb solar energy and slowly release it at night. By reducing summer temperatures, you improve the physical health of residents. “The more trees, the more shade, the less heat island effect,” says Castro. “Sometimes when it’s 90 degrees in the middle of summer, it could get up to 110 underneath a bus stop.”

LA’s far from alone in going spongy. Pittsburgh is also deploying more rain gardens, and where they absolutely must have a hard surface—sidewalks, parking lots, etc.—they’re using special concrete bricks that allow water to seep through. And a growing number of municipalities are scrutinizing properties and charging owners fees if they have excessive impermeable surfaces like pavement, thus incentivizing the switch to permeable surfaces like plots of native plants or urban gardens for producing more food locally.

So the old way of stormwater management isn’t just increasingly dangerous and ineffective as the planet warms and storms get more intense—it stands in the way of a more beautiful, less sweltering, more sustainable urban landscape. LA, of all places, is showing the world there’s a better way.

-via Wired, February 19, 2024