Key Facts Of The Day 11/10

Hurricanes

• An atmospheric river is on track to hit western Oregon on Wednesday evening, which could cause flooding along smaller streams and rivers.

• Coastal damage from climate change in the Great Lakes Basin will cost at least $1.94 billion over the next five years.

  • These communities have already spent $878 million on coastal damages over the past two years.

• Auditors say Austin, Texas was not prepared to handle the February winter storm because the city did not prioritize emergency preparedness.

  • According to the audit, the city didn’t implement 11 previously recommended changes that may have improved their response during February’s historic winter storms, including planning for extended emergencies, improving language access, and making sure city facilities have backup power so that they can be used as shelters.

• Months after Hurricane Ida, many people are still living in basement apartments that are at a great risk of damage from extreme weather events.

• On average, U.S. electricity customers experienced just over 8 hours of electric power interruptions in 2020.

Wildfires

• As of Friday, there are currently 4 large active wildfires that have burned 204,184 acres across CA and MT.

• As of Monday, 8,367 wildfires have burned 3,083,507 acres in California.

• The Windy Fire killed hundreds of giant sequoia trees.

• After the state saw another devastating year of multiple wildfires burning thousands of areas, Arizona lawmakers met to review future wildfire management.

• Texas A&M Forest Service provides tips to help prevent wildfires, after finding 9 out of 10 wildfires in Texas are human-caused, and 65% of wildfires occur during hunting season.

• A nonprofit, will begin an online auction and fundraiser to help rural communities in the Emerald Triangle rebuild after wildfires.

Extreme Heat

• Phoenix, Arizona’s new Office of Heat Response & Mitigation has a goal to reach 25% tree canopy cover in the city by 2030.

  • Other projects will focus on built infrastructure such as increasing shade structures and developing ways to cool structures and streets, particularly at night.

• Directors of Southern California’s regional water wholesaler declared a drought emergency Tuesday, calling on local water suppliers to implement all conservation measures possible to reduce usage.

• Google is building 2 data centers, which require heavy water use, in the drought-stricken town of Dalles, Oregon.

• According to experts, Wyoming’s power infrastructure is better able to withstand weather-related disasters that have cut power to large swaths of people in other states in the past year.

  • Last year, renewable energy made up 12% of Wyoming’s energy generation portfolio.

New Reports And Data

• A November 2021 study found that more than 8 million tons of pandemic-associated plastic waste have been generated globally, with more than 25,000 tons entering the global ocean.

• A November 2021 report found that the proportion of electricity the United States gets from solar and wind nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2020.

• A November 2021 study found that the risk of honey bee colonies worldwide contracting a damaging disease is influenced by changing weather patterns due to climate change.