Disasters

"Billions have been spent to protect the beachfront. But inch by inch, water is winning the war."

"Thousands of people in the Dominican Republic were left without electricity or running water on Thursday in the wake of Tropical Storm Fred, which weakened to a depression as it grazed the northern coast of Cuba on track to Florida."

"Unable to go home and struggling to move forward, Greenville evacuees seek shelter and face the loss of their community".

"The U.S. Pacific Northwest wilted on Thursday under the latest sweltering heat wave to punish the region this summer, as near-record temperatures strained power grids and drove residents to seek shade."

"Leaders of vulnerable countries, as well as activists, said Monday’s blistering United Nations report must galvanize global action. But major emitters are dragging their heels."

"California’s largest single wildfire in recorded history continued to grow Wednesday after destroying more than 1,000 buildings, nearly half of them homes, while authorities in Montana ordered evacuations as a wind-driven blaze roared toward several remote communities. The dangerous fires were among some 100 large blazes burning across 15 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition."

"A weather station in Syracuse on the island of Sicily, Italy recorded a blistering temperature of 119.8 degrees Wednesday, which would establish a new European heat record if verified by the World Meteorological Organization."

"Tropical Depression Fred was crossing over the large Caribbean island of Hispaniola on Wednesday when it was downgraded from tropical storm status. ... [But it will]  skirt just west of Florida this weekend on a path toward landfall in the southeastern United States early next week, potentially making two U.S. landfalls."

"Punishing heat waves are roasting the Pacific Northwest and the central and eastern United States simultaneously, placing more than half of the Lower 48 states under alerts from the National Weather Service. Excessive-heat warnings or heat advisories are in place for nearly 175 million Americans, and some of these alerts will remain in effect until the weekend."

"There’s a forgotten history that should serve as a warning — wildfire isn’t unique to the West. Now the warming climate is increasing the risk of major wildfires across America. And more people are moving to fire-prone areas without realizing the danger."