flooding

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Little Progress on At-Risk Levees: Feds

State and local governments have done little despite post-Katrina crackdown

(Newser) - More than half the 122 US levees cited for being in disrepair after Hurricane Katrina still need to be fixed, according to Army Corps of Engineers data obtained by USA Today—with 18 states and Puerto Rico having levees considered unreliable in major floods. The worst offenders are Washington and...

Venice Flooding Hits 20-Year High

Water up 5 ft. from normal in city of canals; tourists waved away

(Newser) - The Queen of the Seas is wetter than usual these days, as seasonal flooding has hit a 20-year high, submerging Venice's streets in up to 5 feet of water, BBC reports. The city of canals is now a veritable lake, and the mayor has warned citizens not to go out...

Storms Threaten East Coast Pounding

Tropical Storm Kyle brews south of Bermuda

(Newser) - A storm system threatened East Coast cities with heavy winds and rain, and Tropical Storm Kyle moved toward hurricane strength further out in the Atlantic, Bloomberg reports. Flights were delayed along the coast, with planes in New York City waiting 90 minutes or more on runways. Meanwhile, Kyle, 645 miles...

Ike's Message: Don't Build on Sandbars
 Ike's Message: 
 Don't Build on Sandbars 
ANALYSIS
Sep 14, 2008 3:37 PM CDT

Ike's Message: Don't Build on Sandbars

The costs of living seaside on a barrier island can be huge

(Newser) - The barrier islands along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts entice inhabitants with their balmy beachfronts, but prove an equal draw for often devastating tropical storms. As Hurricane Ike's path of destruction across Galveston Island shows, building houses on what amounts to an oversized sandbar can be a critical mistake—though...

Galveston Resort Turns Into Storm Central

500 to 800 souls took refuge at a convention center in Galveston during Ike's assault

(Newser) - A motley crew rode out Hurricane Ike at Galveston’s San Luis Resort, Spa, & Conference Center, Joel Achenbach writes for the Washington Post. Up to 800 people were there, among them the mayor, cops and firefighters, along with storm chasers and drenched refugees holed up as the wind roared...

Ike Now Category 1, But Still Dangerous

(Newser) - Galveston’s historic district is under 7 feet of water, and 4 million Houston area residents are without power after Hurricane Ike’s rampage through the region. Ike, which hit Galveston as a Category 2 hurricane, has since been downgraded to a Category 1, CNN reports. Officials warned that the...

It's Too Late to Flee Texas, Officials Warn

Ike may become Category 3 storm before landfall

(Newser) - Officials in Houston and Galveston warned residents to stay put tonight as Hurricane Ike threatened to become a Category 3 storm, CNN reports. “If someone has not left the island by now, they need to go get inside and stay there,” the mayor of Galveston said. Nearly a...

Dad Saves Toddler Sucked Into Storm Drain

Girl was carried 230 feet through pipe into river swollen with floodwater

(Newser) - Emergency workers are praising the "incredibly quick thinking" of a British man who saved his 3-year-old daughter from drowning yesterday after she was sucked into a storm drain with her dog, the Guardian reports. Royal Air Force sergeant Mark Baxter raced to a river just in time to save...

Hanna Hits Carolinas
 Hanna Hits Carolinas
Sep 6, 2008 7:35 AM CDT

Hanna Hits Carolinas

States suffer power loss, some flooding

(Newser) - Tropical Storm Hanna hit the shores of the Carolinas this morning, bringing big waves and some flooding, wind damage, and blackouts, CNN reports. Some 22,000 homes in the two states lost power while nearly 2,000 residents entered shelters. “Large and dangerous battering waves” as well as tornadoes...

1M Lose Power as Gustav Rolls Through La.

Oil, fishing industry slammed rains ease in New Orleans

(Newser) - Hurricane Gustav left more than 1 million without power today as it tore roofs from homes, toppled trees, and flooded roads in the heart of Louisiana's fishing and oil industry, the AP reports. Many of the 2 million people who left coastal Louisiana watched TV coverage from shelters and hotel...

Gustav Roars to Landfall as Cat. 2

Cat. 2 storm hobbles coast before making landfall

(Newser) - Hurricane Gustav was downgraded to Category 2 as it churned toward landfall this morning, causing 9-foot storm surges and widespread power outages to the southeast of New Orleans, CNN reports. A FEMA official told the AP this morning that the eye of the storm is expected to pass west of...

Grand Canyon Rescue Resumes
 Grand Canyon Rescue Resumes
Aug 18, 2008 2:27 PM CDT

Grand Canyon Rescue Resumes

Helicopters continue to search for stranded campers

(Newser) - Rescue operations resumed this morning in the Grand Canyon, as helicopters airlifted campers and residents stranded by severe flooding, the Arizona Republic reports. Around 400 people have been evacuated since yesterday, and rescue workers are still searching for 11 tourists who remain unaccounted for—although the local sheriff says it’...

5 Man-Made Natural Disasters
 5 Man-Made Natural Disasters
OPINION
Aug 3, 2008 9:29 AM CDT

5 Man-Made Natural Disasters

Floods to mud, there's lots we can take responsibility for besides global warming

(Newser) - Humans can do a righteous job of messing up the planet in the long term. We're also more than capable of wreaking short-term havoc with these man-made natural disasters, reports the New Scientist:
  1. Mud volcanoes: While we can't create the real thing, shoddy mining practices in East Java have made
...

What to Do With the Sandbags?
 What to Do With the Sandbags? 
Jun 24, 2008 8:32 AM CDT

What to Do With the Sandbags?

Less adrenaline, more toil ahead for Midwesterners

(Newser) - Sandbags were saviors for many in the Midwest flooding—but as the waters recede, the hefty lumps remain, often weighed down by all the toxins in the water, the Washington Post reports. Bags can weigh 60-80 pounds even when dry, so heaving one after another to the curb for pickup...

Midwest Braces for Mississippi Crest

River expected to hit high point today

(Newser) - Deluged midwesterners were preparing for tonight’s expected cresting of the Mississippi River, piling up sandbags to support levees, USA Today reports. Some residents have already moved to higher ground, while others are staying home to guard against looters. The river is likely to crest at a number of areas...

Ragtag Levees Leave Midwest Soaking

Locals and towns run disorganized barrier system

(Newser) - As the Midwest battles massive flooding, the New York Times looks at the region's patchwork of homemade levees—which fail to meet federal standards and tend to spring unexpected leaks. Bill Clinton's White House advised a uniform levy system 15 years ago, but the report was read and forgotten. “...

700 Missing as Typhoon Sinks Philippines Ferry

85 others killed amid 'massive flooding

(Newser) - A Philippines passenger ferry sank in a typhoon, leaving at least four known dead and some 700 missing, Reuters reports. A rescue ship arrived at the scene to find none of the missing, AP reports, and only three people were found alive in various villages. Some of them may have...

A Sandbagger Reflects
 A Sandbagger Reflects 
commentary
Jun 21, 2008 8:45 AM CDT

A Sandbagger Reflects

Iowa man remembers a day at the levee

(Newser) - Even when it proves futile, sandbagging is an experience with its own unique rewards, writes an Iowa resident in the New York Times. “Passing sandbags is a personal thing,” Joe Blair notes in an essay. “The line may be 300 feet long,” but for you, “...

City Rebuilds Flooded Gym for Gymnast
City Rebuilds Flooded Gym
for Gymnast
Jun 19, 2008 11:31 AM CDT

City Rebuilds Flooded Gym for Gymnast

US champion can't let anything distract her in Olympic trials

(Newser) - When storms inundated Shawn Johnson's hometown of West Des Moines, they also left a foot of water in her gym. But the 16-year-old couldn't use that as an excuse to take a break from workouts: The reigning world champion gymnast was preparing for this week’s Olympic trials, the Houston ...

Bush to Visit Flood-Battered Midwest

Political pressure mounts for major flood relief

(Newser) - President Bush will visit flood-hit Iowa today to inspect the damage and consult with officials, Reuters reports. The state, along with much of the Midwest, has suffered the worst flooding in at least 15 years. Millions of acres of farmland have been flooded. Pressure on politicians to provide relief is...

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