Key Facts Of The Day 08/29

Hurricanes

• The Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, urges residents to flee as record-setting rain threatens to flood streets and creep into homes within the next two days.
  • The city – still dealing with the toll of historic flooding in 2020 – is bracing for more damage as the state’s Pearl River is predicted to crest Monday morning at 35.5 feet.
  • As many as 150 homes were expected to be affected by the subsequent flooding, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Saturday, telling residents to “get out now.”
  • Some roads around schools and neighborhoods on the northeast side of Jackson were impassable Monday morning.
  • Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency Saturday due to the rising river waters and urged residents to remain calm. 
  • Moderate flooding is already being reported along the river and is expected to continue through Wednesday as the river levels remain higher than usual.
• More frequent flooding multiplies the risk that coal ash will contaminate rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
  • As of April 2021, 172 coal ash impoundments nationwide sat on land deemed vulnerable to floodwaters.
  • Extreme weather events fueled by climate change can cause floods that overtop or even cause impoundments to fail and spill coal ash into lakes and waterways.
  • Fifty-four impoundments nationwide have been given a hazard rating of “significant,” meaning the failure of the dams keeping the ash in place would result in economic loss, environmental damage, and disruption of lifeline facilities like telecommunications, the electrical grid, and hospitals.
  • Twelve are rated “high” hazard, meaning their failure would probably cause loss of human life.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s scientists cautioned Americans against becoming complacent at the lack of a hurricane so far.
  • All it takes is one significant hurricane striking the U.S. coast to make for a deadly and costly season.
  • “Use this as extra time to prepare now, because eventually a hurricane will develop that could impact where you live or where your loved ones live,” said Matthew Rosencrans, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster for NOAA.

Wildfires

• As of Monday, there are currently 42 large active wildfires that have burned 300,226 across AZ, CA, ID, MT, NV, NC, OR, UT, and WA. As of Monday, 47,918 wildfires have burned 6,127,402 acres across the country.
• In Arizona, 1 fire has burned 1,362 acres as of Monday.
• In California, 5 fires have burned 100,786 acres as of Monday.
  • The McKinney Fire has burned 60,138 acres and is 99% contained as of Monday.
• In Idaho, 14 fires have burned 124,899 acres as of Monday.
• In Montana, 10 fires have burned 20,330 acres as of Monday.
• In Nevada, 1 fire has burned 15,859 acres as of Monday.
• In North Carolina, 1 fire has burned 1,226 acres as of Monday.
• In Oregon, 6 fires have burned  20,897 acres as of Monday.
• In Utah, 1 fire has burned 11,702 acres as of Monday.
• In Washington, 3 fires have burned 3,165 acres as of Monday.

Extreme Heat

• For repeat offenders of water restriction violations in California’s Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, officials are adding water restrictors to the pipes, which sharply reduce the home’s water supply.
• In an effort to combat the devastating drought conditions hitting California, the state will become the first in the nation to install solar panel canopies over canals.
  • The $20 million pilot project, Project Nexus, will consist of an estimated 8,500 feet of solar panels installed over three sections of Turlock Irrigation District (TID) canals in Central California.
  • The project is designed to increase renewable power generation while reducing water evaporation and vegetative growth in canals.
• Some cities and towns in the U.S. are enlisting volunteers, or a “cool buddy,” to check in on at-risk neighbors –including seniors, disabled people, and those without air conditioning.
  • In California, the state’s new Extreme Heat Action Plan calls for a widespread “cool buddy” program to enlist volunteers to bring resources to the most vulnerable to heat waves – including seniors, disabled people, and those without air conditioning.
    • In the remote desert town of Twentynine Palms, volunteers with the nonprofit Reach Out routinely check in on senior residents. The facility opens its cooling center to the whole community when the heat index reaches 115 degrees.
  • Action Wellness in Philadelphia was one of the first official buddy programs in the country, launched in 1986 to support people living with chronic illnesses.
  • Buddy programs are particularly important for seniors who may otherwise be isolated in heat emergencies.

New Reports and Data

• An August 2022 study found that climate change is increasing the frequency of fish mass die-offs.
• An August 2022 study found that warming oceans could reduce the capacity of kelp forests to trap carbon for long periods in deep ocean stores, exacerbating the effects of climate change.