Heliograph
FeuertearJanuary 23, 2026
#Mozambique, #SouthAfrica and #Zimbabwe
At Least 3 People Have Just Been Killed by Crocodiles Lurking in #Floodwaters, Authorities Say
people.com/3-people-kil...
At Least 3 People Have Just Be...
DoomsdaysCWDeadly #Floods Due to #Levee Failures Reflect Need for #Infrastructure Investment
Levees were never designed to handle extreme weather that is now more common due to climate change.
By Farshid Vahedifard, December 29, 2025
"In recent weeks, powerful #AtmosphericRiver storms have swept across #Washington, #Oregon and #California, unloading enormous amounts of rain. As rivers surged, they overtopped or breached multiple levees – those long, often unnoticed barriers holding #floodwaters back from homes and towns.
"Most of the time, levees don’t demand attention. They quietly do their job, year after year. But when storms intensify, levees suddenly matter in a very personal way. They can determine whether a neighborhood stays dry or ends up underwater.
"The damage in the West reflects a nationwide problem that has been building for decades. Across the U.S., levees are getting older while weather is getting more extreme. Many of these structures were never designed for the enormous responsibility they now carry.
"As a civil engineer at Tufts University, I study water infrastructure, including the vulnerability of levees and strategies for making them more resilient. My research also shows that when levees fail, the consequences don’t fall evenly on the population."
#ClimateChange #AtmosphericRivers #ExtremeRain #Flooding #ExtremeFloods #WhenTheLeveeBreaks
Random Magic
400 Die Amid #Arizona #HeatWave; Melting #Glacier Brings #Floodwaters to #Alaska’s Capital
Aug 14, 2025
"In Arizona, public health officials warn extreme heat in Maricopa County has led to the suspected deaths of over 400 people so far this summer. August is on track to be Phoenix’s hottest on record, with temperatures reaching at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit every day this month except one.
"In Alaska, a lake of rainwater and melted snow burst a glacial dam north of #Juneau on Wednesday, causing the #MendenhallRiver to swell to a record height, flooding homes and streets in Alaska’s capital city. Mountain glaciers worldwide are shrinking at a record pace as global temperatures continue to rise due to greenhouse gas emissions."
#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ExtremeHeat #MeltingGlaciers #ClimateEmergency
400 Die Amid Arizona Heat Wave; Melting Glacier Brings Floodwaters to Alaska’s Capital
In Arizona, public health officials warn extreme heat in Maricopa County has led to the suspected deaths of over 400 people so far this summer. August is on track to be Phoenix’s hottest on record, with temperatures reaching at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit every day this month except one. In Alaska, a lake of rainwater and melted snow burst a glacial dam north of Juneau on Wednesday, causing the Mendenhall River to swell to a record height, flooding homes and streets in Alaska’s capital city. Mountain glaciers worldwide are shrinking at a record pace as global temperatures continue to rise due to greenhouse gas emissions.
2 dead in #NewJersey after #floodwaters carry away vehicle during #HeavyRains that hit #NortheasternUS
By SUSAN HAIGH, JENNIFER PELTZ and JENNIFER PELITZ
Updated 2:56 PM EDT, July 15, 2025
NEW YORK (AP) — "Two people in New Jersey were killed after their vehicle was swept up in floodwaters during a storm that moved across the U.S. Northeast overnight, authorities said Tuesday.
"Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, noted the deaths occurred in the northern New Jersey city of Plainfield, where there were two storm-related deaths July 3. A third person was killed in North Plainfield during that previous storm.
" 'We’re not unique, but we’re in one of these sort of high humidity, high temperature, high storm intensity patterns right now,' Murphy told reporters after touring storm damage in Berkeley Heights. 'Everybody needs to stay alert.'
"The names of the two latest victims were not immediately released Tuesday. Local officials said the vehicle they were riding in was swept into a brook during the height of the storm.
" 'Emergency personnel responded quickly, but tragically, both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene,' according to a statement the city posted online.
"The heavy rains also caused #FlashFloods in #NewYork and south-central #Pennsylvania on Monday night into early Tuesday, prompting road closures and snarling some service on the #NewYorkCitySubway.
"It was the second-highest one-hour rainfall ever recorded in #CentralPark at more than 2 inches (5 centimeters), surpassed only by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021, according to local officials.
Flooding in the New York City subway
"Viral videos posted online showed water flooding down into one Manhattan subway station, submerging the platform while passengers inside a train watched on.
"Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, told ABC 7 in New York the city’s sewer system got overwhelmed by the rain and backed up into the subway tunnels and to the stations. In several cases, he said, the backup 'popped a manhole,' creating the dramatic 'geyser' seen in some videos.
" 'What happened last night is something that is, you know, a reality in our system,' he told the TV station, noting the backup happens when more than 1 3/4 inches of rain falls in an hour. 'We’ve been working with the city of New York to try to get them to increase the capacity of the system at these key locations.'
"City officials said their venerable sewer system worked as well as it could, but it simply was not built to handle that much rain.
" 'Imagine putting a two-liter bottle of water into a one-liter bottle. Some of it’s going to spill,' Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said at a virtual news briefing Tuesday.
"Lieber said full service was restored to the subway, as well as commuter rails, after hundreds of people worked overnight to restore operations.
"#Flooding has proven to be a stubborn problem for New York’s subway system, despite years and billions of dollars’ worth of efforts to waterproof them.
"#SuperstormSandy in 2012 prompted years of subway repairs and flood-fighting ideas, and some have been put into practice. In some places, transit officials have installed or are installing storm barriers at subway station entrances, seals beneath subway air vents and curbs to raise the vents and entrances above sidewalk level.
"Meanwhile, summer thunderstorms and the remains of hurricanes have repeatedly flooded parts of the subway system anew. In 2021, the remnants of #HurricaneIda killed more than a dozen New York City residents, largely in basement apartments, and sent water cascading again into subways, renewing attention to #resiliency proposals.
The storm’s effects in New Jersey and #Pennsylvania
"The storm prompted multiple water rescues in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where streets and basements flooded after roughly 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain fell. Some roads remained closed in parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey on Tuesday. Murphy said the pavement buckled in some locations and state and local officials were assessing the level of damage in several counties, noting the White House had reached out to his office.
"A major east-to-west highway in New Jersey was closed to make emergency repairs while dozens of flights were delayed or canceled at area airports Tuesday.
"Most flash flood watches and warnings had expired in parts of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania as the rain moved on.
"In one flooded North Plainfield neighborhood, a house caught on fire and collapsed amid the storm. Murphy said there was an explosion at the house but the family was not home and there were no injuries. The cause was under investigation."
Source:
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-new-jersey-flooding-f55d98547abc20e94dbb6be16a7f72cd
#ClimateChange #ClimateCatastrophe #ClimateDiary #ExtremeWeather #USWx
2 dead in New Jersey after flood waters carry away vehicle during heavy rains
Authorities say two people in New Jersey were killed after their vehicle was swept up in flood waters during a storm that moved across the U.S. Northeast overnight. Authorities said Tuesday their names haven't been released yet. Meanwhile, York City’s subway system is fully operational following overnight heavy rains. But some roads in New Jersey and Pennsylvania remained closed and there were dozens of flight delays and cancelations at area airports, including 159 total cancelations at Newark Liberty Airport.
Don Curren 🇨🇦🇺🇦“While the #deathtoll has not matched the horrific numbers in the #TexasHillCountry … several people have died in #NorthCarolina, including two boaters on Jordan Lake, and an elderly woman whose car was swept away by #floodwaters in #ChathamCounty” www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Chased by Climate Disaster in ...
Chased by Climate Disaster in ...
S. K. Riley#Floodwaters have surged into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre. The lake, sacred to the Arabana people, will get its most significant top-up in a generation, as water and #wildlife spread across the outback. This is the 2nd largest salt-lake in the world – its surrounding basin is 1/6th of #Australia’s landmass.
'Unheard-of' Storm Brings Months of Rain to 2 States
Story by Anna Skinner, May 5, 2025
"An 'unheard-of' storm has flooded parts of southern Oklahoma and northern Texas after dumping 14 inches of rain in some cities over seven days.
"Two cities in #Oklahoma and one in #Texas broke their April rainfall records after receiving months' worth of rain during the unusually wet spring storms.
"The record levels come after more than a week of rain brought a deluge to parts of Oklahoma and Texas. Although the heavy precipitation helped remedy drought across the region, it also sparked severe impacts, including rising river waters that have now been flooding for more than a week.
"Weather warnings of dangerous #floodwaters remain in place across the region, with some not expiring until 'further notice.' The floodwaters have endangered livestock, closed roads, and inundated #farmland."
#ExtremeWeather #USWx #ExtremeWx #ExtremeRainfall #Flooding #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis
JayPhotos from yesterday's crest of the James River. 14.5 ft at the Kanawha Canal Locks (Rocketts Landing)
Rocketts Landing, Richmond VA, USA