Disasters

"A warmer world will likely make bigger and more damaging hail, a new study said."

"Scientists have planted American trees in China, Korea and elsewhere to attract hungry insects. Their hope is to identify the most damaging bugs before they cross the ocean."

"Artificial intelligence is making it easier for bad actors to initiate cyberattacks on water infrastructure, yet the water sector remains inadequately prepared, a panel of experts told lawmakers Thursday." "House lawmakers are considering whether more funding or expanded EPA authority could address the problem."

"More than 300 suspected cases of heat-related illnesses have been reported in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh from ​the start of March to mid-May, the state's health department ‌said."

"The fire department said “hazardous materials and radiological monitoring teams” continue to track the health of the air in the Ventura County area."

"Exceptionally skinny gray whales—enfeebled by starvation and mangled by blunt-force trauma—are washing up this spring along the coast of Washington state in numbers that alarm marine-mammal scientists."

"A developing El Nino that is forecast to get quite strong will likely dampen the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, but it won’t make the potentially deadly storms disappear, federal and outside meteorologists predict."

"As an Ebola outbreak rages in central and East Africa, public health workers say that the response has been stymied by the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid and global health organizations." "One health provider who works on the ground says that basic medical equipment like masks and hand sanitizers are in short supply due to funding cuts."

"More than 17,000 people were under evacuation orders in Southern California on Tuesday as a wildfire threatened suburban homes. The wind-driven Sandy Fire was reported Monday in the hills above Simi Valley, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles."