Showing posts with label DISASTERS. Show all posts

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Trump PLAYS AT DAYTONA while PEOPLE DIE in DISASTERS

So, you weren't happy with a President who behaved like a compassionate human being & reached out to communities in their time of need?

You wanted this CLOWN who cavorts at football games & Daytona, spends GOBS of $$$ & it's ALL ABOUT HIM? This is reminiscent of TEXAS GOVERNOR GREGG ABBOTT after the UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING when he held a brief press conference & rushed to a fund raiser, never spoke to parents or survivors, never met with them.....maybe because they weren't WHITE. Never cared for TEXANS who lost power, had no food or warmth....the nation rallied under AOC & others to care for TEXANS keep them warm & fed. The WILDFIRES in CALIFORNIA revealed the HEROES - MEXICO, CANADA & other states stepped forward to provide aid, supplies & support.

Animal rescues across the nation have worked to empty shelters that are providing care for wildfire rescues. This is COMMUNITY! The best the Orange Turd can do is make demands about ELECTION INTERFERENCE (YEAH! It's illegal!) Let's have a BORING PRESIDENT WHO DOES THE JOB & not this CLOWN! BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! About FEMA! The FEMA RESPONSE under President Biden was impressive! Equipment pre-staged when possible, informed personnel available. That's what Americans want & expect.

MeidasTouch

4.02M subscribers

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump partying around in Daytona while multiple states suffer massive emergencies resulting in death. Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! MeidasTouch relies on SnapStream to record, watch, monitor, and clip the news. Get a FREE TRIAL of SnapStream by clicking here: https://go.snapstream.com/affiliate/m... Support the MeidasTouch Network: / meidastouch Add the MeidasTouch Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Buy MeidasTouch Merch: https://store.meidastouch.com Follow MeidasTouch on Twitter: / meidastouch Follow MeidasTouch on Facebook: / meidastouch Follow MeidasTouch on Instagram: / meidastouch Follow MeidasTouch on TikTok: / meidastouch

Saturday, June 29, 2024

The Pew Charitable Trust: 28 separate billion-dollar disasters in 2023: How can conservation help?

States of Nature
U.S. Conservation & Communities

Did you know that in 2023, the U.S. experienced a record-breaking 28 separate billion-dollar disasters?

As summer gets started, so does the annual spike in extreme weather events—including drought, wildfires, and hurricanes.

With these threats becoming more severe each year, it's time to ask: How can conservation help boost climate resilience and make communities safer?

The Rising Tide of Extreme Weather Events

Severe weather is becoming more frequent and intense, challenging communities across the nation.

Let's take a closer look at the threats:

An animation an aerial view of a river flooding the suburbs after heavy rain with the text "Flooding Has Become an Almost Daily Occurrence" overlaid on top

Where it rains, it floods: Since 2000, the U.S. has averaged nearly 300 days of flooding each year—and not just along our coasts.

Flooding was reported almost as often inland as it was along the coasts during hurricane seasons over the past two decades.

An animation of brush fires in Los Angeles below two lanes of highway with vehicles driving across. The text "Wildfires Are Threatening Wider Areas" overlaid on top.

Wildfires are becoming more intense than ever. Between two time periods, from 1983 to 2016 and from 2017 to 2021, the average annual acreage burned increased by 68%.

An animation of a sunflower field strongly affected by drought. The text "Droughts Are a Growing, Costly Threat" is overlaid on top.

Droughts brought about one of the most expensive weather events in 2023: The southern and midwestern drought and heat wave cost nearly $14.5 billion.

An animation of a flooded town street with trapped car submerged under water. The text "Hurricanes Are Getting Stronger and More Destructive" is overlaid on top.

Over the past two decades, we've seen a significant rise in the number and intensity of hurricanes. In fact, eight of the 10 most active hurricane seasons since 1950 have occurred since the mid-1990s, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Why Climate Resilience Matters for Conservation

A uniformed person carefully rows a small boat through a flooded community.

Policymakers throughout the country are recognizing that it's vital to confront the significant and growing financial costs and effects on people, businesses, and infrastructure.

Along the way, they're learning that turning the tide requires planning and collaboration.

Preparing for extreme weather before it occurs is essential for protecting people and nature alike.

Resilience Planning Helps Communities

Building resilience helps keep communities safe—and some officials and legislators are already making progress.

Just 20 years ago, not a single state had a dedicated resilience office, chief resilience officer, or other coordinating body to lead state resilience efforts.

Now, 12 have established a lead agency, 11 have designated officers, and several more have coordinating bodies or officials responsible for planning.

An illustration of a U.S. map shows what steps states have taken, if any, to boost climate resilience.

50-state map: See your state's resilience data

Bolstering Nature Boosts Resilience

A man in an orange vest speaks in front of dense vegetation.

Scientists have long valued healthy, intact freshwater systems for their ability to absorb floodwaters and store carbon—lessening the impacts of extreme weather in both the short- and long-term. Wetlands, in particular, are a major powerhouse. Aside from reducing floodwaters, they can:

Buffer coasts against storm surges.
Store water to fight droughts.
Act as fire barriers to prevent wildfires.

The U.S. lost 640,000 acres of wetlands between 1996 and 2016, and states can face challenges in fully protecting them.

When nature is healthy, so is its ability to lessen climate threats.

Recent progress:

A proposed plan for the Lolo National Forest—spanning some 2 million acres in western Montana—would protect vital habitat and boost ecosystem resilience.
New California carbon pollution reduction targets and a proposed climate-resilience bond would help fund new commitments to protect the state's eelgrass meadows and wetlands.
New science is helping officials make the case for protecting wetlands and other habitats as a way to boost climate resilience in Wisconsin, Georgia, Oregon, and many other states.
Wildlife crossings are helping animals adapt to short-term events, like fire and drought, or long-term, climate-driven shifts in their habitats.

June Highlight: It's National Rivers Month!

A narrow river flows through a small, shaded canyon below sunbathed rock walls.

National Rivers Month is an opportunity to celebrate one of the nation's most vital resources.

In fact, this month, Colorado's Water Quality Control Commission voted unanimously to protect 385 miles of rivers as Outstanding Waters. The move safeguards their exceptional water quality and ensures their protection for future generations.

Learn more about the benefits our rivers provide, from important habitat for aquatic species to clean drinking water for people.

🦦 Quiz: What Type of River Species Are You?

Are you most like a damselfly, salmon, Oregon spotted frog, river otter, hellbender, or Gila trout?

These are just some of the thousands of species critical to healthy North American rivers. Take our quiz to find out which one you identify with most.

ON TO THE QUESTIONS

STORIES WE'RE WATCHING

Tribal Nations Announce First Ocean and Coastal Protections in U.S.

THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS

"Our Tribes have a responsibility to steward, protect, and restore the ocean and coastal resources within our ancestral territories."
—Jeri Lynn Thompson, chairperson of the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation

Salt Marsh Initiative Aims to Protect South Carolina Lowcountry From Storm Surges

PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE

"Because [salt marshes] can absorb some of that excess water that's coming up into our infrastructure, they can hold in and kind of contain that water, and that's a really important impact to our communities, and way of life as well."
—Brita Jessen, interdisciplinary research and partnerships lead for the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium

Opinion: Gila River System Should Receive Wild and Scenic Designation

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL

"As a veteran, I go there for a form of therapy, just as many veterans turn to our waters to reflect and heal from what they experienced during deployment."
—Brett Myrick, Gila resident

Washington Farmers Brace for Summer Drought on Heels of Harvest Shortfalls

CASCADE PBS

"Growers have been seeing a lot of these kinds of weather events that's causing financial challenges for them."
—Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association

An Oregon Town Is Buying Surrounding Forests to Confront Wildfires

COLUMBIA INSIGHT

"There are thousands of communities across the West who need similar efforts."
—Owen Wozniak, program manager, Land Trust Alliance