Colorado House Republicans unanimously support flood relief, after unanimously opposing Hurricane Sandy aid – GOP fought to cut dam maintenance budget in Colorado

By Josh Israel 19 September 2013 (Think Progress) – As historic floods of “biblical” proportions continue to ravage Colorado, President Obama signed an emergency declaration on Sunday — a move that was encouraged by a bipartisan letter last week from the state’s nine-member Congressional delegation. But the four Republican Congressmen who are now supporting disaster […]

Heatwave and wildfires worsened Colorado flooding – ‘This was a once-in-1000-year rainfall’

By Alyssa A. Botelho17 September 2013 (New Scientist) – A truly ferocious and exceptional event. That is how Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, describes the storm that pummelled his state last week. “This was a once-in-1000-year rainfall,” he says, meaning that the storm was of such an intensity […]

Colorado’s ‘Biblical’ flood in line with climate trends – Over 1200 people missing – ‘This is clearly going to be a historic event. The true magnitude is really just becoming obvious now.’

By Andrew Freedman13 September 2013 (Climate Central) – The Boulder, Colo. area is reeling after being inundated by record rainfall, with more than half a year’s worth of rain falling over the past three days. During those three days, 24-hour rainfall totals of between 8 and 10 inches across much of the Boulder area were […]

Rescues accelerate as floodwater inundates Colorado – 4,500-square-mile disaster area ‘is an unprecedented event’

By BEN NEARY and P. SOLOMON BANDA13 September 2013 LYONS, Colorado (AP) – By air and by land, the rescue of hundreds of Coloradoans stranded by epic mountain flooding was accelerating as food and water supplies ran low, while thousands more were driven from their homes on the plains as debris-filled rivers became muddy seas […]

Thousands more to evacuate Boulder, Colorado – Rainfall record smashed – Flooding worsened by burn scars from 2012’s giant Waldo Canyon fire

By P. Solomon Banda, with additional reporting by Colleen Slevin, Steven K. Paulson, and Thomas Peipert in Denver and Mead Gruver in Longmont 13 September 2013 LYONS, Colorado (Associated Press) – With rain still falling and the flood threat still real, authorities called on thousands more people in the inundated city of Boulder and nearby […]

Image of the Day: Smoke from the Rim fire rising over Groveland, California, 28 August 2013

By Robin Wilkey 28 August 13 (Huffington Post) – In the tidal wave of Yosemite Rim Fire photos, no image has quite captured the awe and terror of the disaster for local residents quite like this shot of smoke over downtown Groveland. Almost as shocking as the photo itself is the source of the image: […]

Wildfires and climate change – ‘We face the increased risk of fires almost everywhere’

By KATE GALBRAITH4 September 2013 SAN FRANCISCO (The New York Times) – The huge wildfire scorching one of America’s most beloved national parks, Yosemite, has rained ash on San Francisco’s water supply and jolted the nation. Experts say this is just a foretaste of major fires to come, in the United States and much of […]

Cost of battling massive Rim fire hits $100 million

By Robert J. Lopez9 September 2013 (Los Angeles Times) – The cost of battling the massive Rim fire raging in and around Yosemite National Park has reached $100 million, federal fire officials said Monday night. The blaze has charred 253,332 acres — or 396 square miles — of brush and timber after erupting in the […]

Forest fires rage in the Siberia republic of Buryatia

ULAN-UDE, 2 September 2013 (RIA Novosti) – Seven forest fires rage in the Siberian republic of Buryatia covering an area of over 50 hectares, a spokesman for the local forestry department said on Monday. Firefighters managed to put out 12 forest fires over the weekend but winds and record temperatures started a new wave of […]

Image of the Day: Satellite view of smoke from the Rim Fire filling Yosemite Valley, 31 August 2013

By Holli Riebeek2 September 2013 (NASA) – Smoke from the Rim Fire choked Yosemite National Park during the busy Labor Day Weekend. Air quality reached unhealthy levels from Yosemite to the San Joaquin Valley, warned the National Weather Service in an air quality alert. Since fine particles in smoke can irritate the eyes and respiratory […]

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