Key Facts Of The Day 11/14

Hurricane

• AccuWeather released a preliminary estimate on Friday of the total damage and economic loss caused by Nicole, placing the total between $5 billion and $7 billion.
  • Over four dozen coastal buildings from homes to hotels were declared unsafe in Volusia County following Hurricane Nicole’s landfall south of Vero Beach, Florida.
  • At least five fatalities associated with the storm had been reported across Florida.
  • Nicole delivered record rainfall to some locations, including in Orlando where the city recorded more than three times the monthly average of rain within 24 hours of the hurricane’s landfall.
• Hurricane Fiona’s effects remain most evident in areas of Puerto Rico that have suffered disproportionately from natural disasters, economic instability, and government neglect.
  • In Utuado’s Parcelas Riera community, single-family homes are scattered along Road 605, a winding road that is not fully accessible by car. Some sections have been battered by so many floods and landslides that they resemble a muddy slide.
  • Road 605, which leads to town, has had little maintenance for at least two decades.

Wildfires

• As of November 4, there are currently 2 large active wildfires that have burned 127,483 across OR and TN. As of November 4, 60,647 wildfires have burned 7,227,371 acres across the country.
• In Oregon, 1 fire has burned 127,283 acres as of November 4.
  • The Cedar Creek Fire has burned 127,283 acres and is 75% contained as of November 4.
• In Tennessee, 1 fire has burned 200 acres as of November 4.
• California is enjoying fewer extreme wildfires than it has in years, which experts attribute to a combination of summer rain, calm weather, and increased forest management.
  • However, if California doesn’t see much rain or snow over the next few months, it will continue to be at risk for wildfires even as the temperature gets colder.

Extreme Heat

• In drought-parched Central Valley, thousands rely on trucked and bottled water as they wait for new wells.
  • Amid a hotter, drier climate and the third consecutive year of severe drought, the state has already tallied a record 1,351 dry wells this year.
    • Using aquifer risk-mapping tools from California’s State Water Resources Control Board, Self-Help estimates the Central Valley could see about 8,000 dry wells in the next few years.
  • In the parched lowlands of the San Joaquin Valley, residents compete with deep agricultural wells for the rapidly dwindling supply of groundwater.
  • When the groundwater drops far enough, homeowners on private wells can pay, indefinitely, for water delivery services or try to drill deeper wells.
  • Groundwater is both the main source of water for many communities and a buffer that California relies on during drought.
• Christmas tree farmers in Minnesota struggle with drought.
  • Kunzer’s Tree Farm lost over two dozen trees this holiday season because conditions are too dry.

New Reports and Data

• A November 2022 study found that fine particulate matter causes an additional 1.5 million premature deaths annually.
• A November 2022 study found that global carbon emissions in 2022 remain at record levels — with no sign of the decrease that is urgently needed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• A November 2022 study found that exposure to indoor household pollution has been linked to poor pregnancy outcomes for women in low- and middle-income countries.