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[Natural Disasters] redux: Fires, Hurricanes, Floods, and everything else
Mayabird
Pecking at the keyboardRegistered User regular
Pecking at the keyboardRegistered User regular
Just because the world is going through a pandemic doesn't mean storms and earthquakes stop. The old disaster thread is dead, but everyone lives in a place that can experience some kind of disaster like fire or flood (or both alternating). Most posters on these boards live in the northern hemisphere, which means hurricane/typhoon season is starting soon, and predictions are that it'll be another above-average year.
This thread is for:
1) Discussing disasters as they happen.
2) Talk about aftermath of disasters
3) Preparation for disasters
4) Some disasters even if technically manmade, like if some idiot starts a wildfire that burns down a town, or a dam collapses in a flood though technically it's because the company didn't maintain the dam. I'm not exceptionally pedantic about this so long as people respect the spirit of the rule.
This thread is not for:
1) US Primary discussions
2) Just coronavirus/SARS2/COVID-19 discussions - there will be some overlap since responses will be affected by the pandemic, but there's two entire separate threads for just that.
This thread is for:
1) Discussing disasters as they happen.
2) Talk about aftermath of disasters
3) Preparation for disasters
4) Some disasters even if technically manmade, like if some idiot starts a wildfire that burns down a town, or a dam collapses in a flood though technically it's because the company didn't maintain the dam. I'm not exceptionally pedantic about this so long as people respect the spirit of the rule.
This thread is not for:
1) US Primary discussions
2) Just coronavirus/SARS2/COVID-19 discussions - there will be some overlap since responses will be affected by the pandemic, but there's two entire separate threads for just that.
Mayabird on
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Posts
In Africa, there's a new plague that is causing worries of mass famine: locusts. Swarms of locusts the likes of which haven't been seen for decades, flying across east Africa and eating everything they come across. SARS2 lockdowns are making things worse, since people can't gather to try to deal with the locusts and international shipping declines and manufacturing means nations can't even get the insecticides that could put a major dent in the numbers. The infestations could spread for months, and millions could be in danger of starvation.
I mean, if a pandemic is something states should have been prepared for, surely hurricanes are too.
But then again, it's mostly red states (and Florida which some still insist is purple) that are hit hardest by hurricanes, so I expect him to default to hypocrisy, and then get pissy if called on it.
We are purple.
Also, we still haven't gotten all promised aid from Irma, much less Maria, down here. Federal support is meaningless under Trump.
I'm still disappointed St Pete couldn't push Pinellas to blue, but with as young as that city is starting to lean I'm hopeful we'll get there either this election or next.
Same with Seminole.
As bad as the locusts are, I wonder if some enterprising entomologist will be able to study it, as I’m still curious how we managed to wipe them out in North America and I’m curious if they might see a resurgence here as well
MWO: Adamski
Anyway, I'm surprised no one is talking about the giant storm system that crossed the southeast US the last couple days. At least 32 fatalities, mostly from the tornado outbreak, and at least 51 tornadoes across ten states, of which two might have been EF-5.
Or the wildfires in the forests around Chernobyl. You know, those radioactive forests in the exclusion zone, where the trees and everything else are full of radiation. They're on fire right now, releasing all that radiation into the atmosphere, because it's 2020 so why not have a radioactive wildfire on top of the global pandemic? Also the wildfires have been raging uncontrolled for days and are now a mere 5 km from the abandoned nuclear power plant.
PSN:Furlion
Yes, because high ranking local officials are setting them. Over 80% of all wildfires are caused by humans, often deliberately, and this extends to Russia as well.
In the Bay of Bengal also, Cyclone Amphan has also developed. Unlike Arthur, this one could be a grave threat to a lot of people, as it is expected to intensify to at least Category 3 equivalent but conditions are perfect for rapid intensification, and all models indicate that this cyclone is going to head for Bangladesh, a country that's both very crowded and very vulnerable to flooding. Combine that with the pandemic, the usual rise of disease after such disasters, and the poverty of the country, and this is a disaster in the making.
*I mean, they probably will be, but I can't extend the slightest iota of pity towards any idiot who was partying on the beach when they shouldn't be during the pandemic and then gets sucked out to sea because of tropical weather. That's a twofer of stupidity.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/19/asia/super-cyclone-amphan-india-banglash-intl-hnk/index.html
Worsened by the fact that the rest of the world is currently pre-occupied. Sure, some countries will still send relief, but not as many, and not as much, meaning that like we saw with the Puerto Rico aftermath, the misery will be compounded.
On its own, no big deal. A lot of rain and a little wind, already a tropical depression and fading away. Just, that's already two tropical systems and the Atlantic hurricane season doesn't officially start for another five days.
This would also light a fire under the ass of people on the gulf and east coasts as many do not start preparing until hurricane season officially starts.
The fl Sales tax holiday for it starts may 29th, so yeah - they're not even encouraging starting earlier.
Don't forget the massive hurricane that just rocked Kolkata.
Fucking locusts sense weakness or something. Goddamn.
Edit: Actually, do they usually take measures to control grasshopper populations to avoid locust swarming that has been hampered by the various recent events?
Cause I mean you know that'd do it.
Just got an alert there's a third one on the way.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/29/weather/cristobal-atlantic-tropical-forecast-weekend/index.html
Not disasters per se but there's also the opposing armies massing at the Chinese border and plagues of monkeys cut off from tourists to steal food from getting aggressive with locals. Just... Kind of a scary time to live in India, I guess.
It's a scary time to live anywhere.
Cripes, COVID-19 hitting someone whose just had their immune system's memory wiped by measles is not something I want to consider.
Speaking of tropical storm Cristobal, it's semi-stalled out by the Yucatan Peninsula and is dumping heavy rain across southern Mexico and well into Central America. Almost half a meter of rain (for American types, that's measuring rainfall in feet) has fallen across many areas, and once it finally turns north as predicted all that moisture is headed for the US. Everybody on the Gulf Coast, keep watch.
Major Saharan dust plume is coming across the Atlantic, and can be viewed by sattelite.
https://www.kcra.com/article/here-are-the-top-three-ways-this-weeks-saharan-dust-plume-will-affect-you/32925591
This air is extremely dry, and should reduce hurricane production for a bit.
We
Go
Hurricane Hanna about to hit south Texas then into Mexico.
I don't think major damage is expected right now from this one.
Over in the Pacific, I've got Hurricane Douglas bearing down tomorrow. So that's fun.
I am so over 2020.
A pretty fascinating hurricane otherwise. Managed to retain category 1 force winds pretty much along the whole island chain. Wind shear usually does a number on hurricanes when they are close to the islands, but it was being fueled enough by the warmer coastal waters to maintain strength.
Radar of the pass. Pretty close, and I'm sure for some north facing areas it was like a decent storm. But! still a miss.
My in-laws in Corpus Christi, TX, also mostly got through things unscathed; just lost power for a bit.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
It looks like there's a lot of uncertainty in the track of this one, and it might even get knocked down by passing over the Dominican Republic and Cuba, but keep an eye on it
Unlikely to be anything much more than a rainmaker with TS winds (<50mph) thankfully, and it's about 50/50 as to whether it goes gulf (bad) or east coast (great).