Key Facts Of The Day 07/14

Hurricanes

• More than 40 people are unaccounted for in Buchanan County, Virginia, following severe flooding, heavy rainfall, and power outages in the area.
  • No confirmed deaths or injuries have been reported.
  • About 18 search and rescue organizations are actively assisting in the search.
  • The flooding was concentrated in the area of Dismal River Road, which includes Dismal River, Patterson, Hale Creek, Pilgrim’s Knob, Whitewood, and Jewell Valley.
  • More than 100 homes experienced some damage, including flooding.
  • A shelter has been set up at Twin Valley Middle School in Oakwood for residents who have been displaced.
  • On Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency to assist with response and recovery efforts. 
  • The storm system also hit the Greenbrier Campground in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where more than 400 people were evacuated Wednesday after more than 8 inches of rain fell.
  • Roads were blocked by landslides and approaches to bridges were washed out in the storm.

Wildfires

• As of Thursday, there are currently 84 large active wildfires that have burned 2,952,845 across AK, AZ, CA, FL, NV, NM, OK, TX, UT, and WY. As of Thursday, 36,401 wildfires have burned 5,172,009 acres across the country.
• In Alaska, 63 fires have burned 2,528,723 acres as of Thursday.
• In Arizona, 3 fires have burned 31,032 acres as of Thursday.
• In California, 2 fires have burned 8,739 acres as of Thursday.
  • The Electra Fire has burned 4,478 acres and is 97% contained as of Thursday.
  • The Washburn Fire has burned 4,261 acres and is 23% contained as of Thursday.
• In Florida, 1 fire has burned 2,630 acres as of Thursday.
• In Nevada, 2 fires have burned 7,955 acres as of Thursday.
• In New Mexico, 1 fire has burned 341,735 acres as of Thursday.
  • The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire has burned 341,735 acres and is 93% contained as of Thursday.
• In Oklahoma, 1 fire has burned 342 acres as of Thursday.
• In Texas, 7 fires have burned 13,442 acres as of Thursday.
• In Utah, 3 fires have burned 17,594 acres as of Thursday.
• In Wyoming, 1 fire has burned 653 acres as of Thursday.
• Climate change, drought, heat and the increasing number of intense fires that accompany it are threatening to wipe sequoia trees off the planet.
  • Since 2020, three fires are estimated to have killed up to 19% of the large giant sequoias in the entire Sierra Nevada population, and 85% of sequoia groves have been affected by wildfire in the past six years.
  • Researchers who have studied sequoias note numerous burn scars on the base of sequoia trees, which prove that these trees have withstood several dozens of wildfires in their lifetimes.
  • However, heat and drought exacerbated by climate change, combined with the plethora of accumulating fuel from millions of dead trees, are now leading to infernos with flames so high they can eventually reach the crown of sequoias.

Extreme Heat

• On Wednesday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a “conservation appeal” asking customers to reduce their electricity use from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. due to the triple-digit heat.
• Smog levels in Texas surge during heat wave, bringing worst summer air quality in a decade.
  • As of Tuesday, Texas air monitors have recorded 43 days when ozone concentrations were high enough somewhere in the state to be considered unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency.
    • That’s double the number of unhealthy ozone days recorded by this time last year.
  • Ground-level ozone, a component of what’s known as smog, irritates and inflames the lungs, leaving them more susceptible to infections such as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and making it harder for people to breathe.
  • Ozone can make lung diseases worse, prompt asthma attacks, and cause or aggravate chronic bronchitis. 
  • Heat makes the smog worse. On sunny, hot, and stagnant days, sunlight and high temperatures accelerate reactions between volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides to form ozone.
    • Climate change — which has increased average temperatures in Texas — has made those conditions even more common.
  • Despite smog levels spiking this summer, Texas politicians and regulatory agencies are fighting the federal government, hoping to block stricter regulations on the pollutant.

New Reports And Data

• A July 2022 study found that forests around the world are losing their resilience and becoming more vulnerable to disturbances as the planet warms.
• A July 2022 study found that urban environments with more vegetation are associated with better health behaviors in children.
• A July 2022 study found that lead-in-water causes adverse fetal health outcomes.