Disasters

"“The state wasn’t interested,” said an engineer who published a paper on why Derna’s dams, after decades of postponed repairs, might fail under the stress of a powerful storm."

"Increases in federal flood insurance premiums that are projected to surpass 700% over the coming years are already leading people to back out of home purchases and will likely lead to an exodus of residents and businesses from southern Louisiana, officials told a federal judge Thursday in New Orleans."

"Eastern New England was bracing Thursday afternoon for the arrival of Hurricane Lee, which was expected to bring a nasty mix of heavy rain, strong winds and high seas to the region starting Friday and lasting into Saturday, forecasters said."

"Hurricane Lee whirled north of Puerto Rico on Tuesday as a very large Category 3 storm, with forecasters noting it would remain in open waters through this week while on a path toward Atlantic Canada."

"Emergency workers uncovered more than 1,500 bodies in the wreckage of Libya’s eastern city of Derna on Tuesday, and it was feared the toll could spiral with 10,000 people reported still missing after floodwaters smashed through dams and washed away entire neighborhoods of the city."

"A tribunal is expected to issue an advisory opinion on behalf of Pacific and Caribbean countries on whether greenhouse gases are pollutants that violate international law."

"A little over a year ago, Peter Gardner, a Louisiana developer, completed rehabbing an apartment building with 144 units and got a surprise so ugly it made him decide to move his business out of town."

"New government data released Monday revealed that the U.S. has already experienced more billion-dollar weather disasters in 2023 than in any other year since authorities started tracking such data 40-plus years ago." "The staggering tally comes with four months of the year still remaining."