Eleven states have declared emergencies due to wildfire, and the nation’s firefighting coordinating agency has been operating at its highest level of alert for a month — stretching resources thin to combat priority fires while new ones continue to pop up. Currently there are 32 large fires burning a total of 1,159,961 acres — including 19 in Montana burning 518,615 acres. Another 13 fires, burning 641,346 acres, are raging through Idaho.
New fires, however, have sprung up recently in Virginia, North Carolina and Florida and other southern states representing a new phase in this year’s fire season. Scientists say increasingly intense and frequent wildfires are likely to result from an increasingly warmer climate, and that the fires we’ve seen in recent years may well be an early consequence of global warming. Why? Less mountain snowfall results in drier valley conditions, and more intense heat waves and prolonged drought set the stage for tinder-dry forests that can ignite with any spark.
This year, 62,220 fires in the U.S. have burned 6,309,979 acres — mostly in the Western United States, according to the latest statistics from the National Interagency Fire Center. This map shows most large wildfires now burning in the United States. California is having more than their share too.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/2007/08/20/wildfires-raging-out-west/5459/New fires, however, have sprung up recently in Virginia, North Carolina and Florida and other southern states representing a new phase in this year’s fire season. Scientists say increasingly intense and frequent wildfires are likely to result from an increasingly warmer climate, and that the fires we’ve seen in recent years may well be an early consequence of global warming. Why? Less mountain snowfall results in drier valley conditions, and more intense heat waves and prolonged drought set the stage for tinder-dry forests that can ignite with any spark.
This year, 62,220 fires in the U.S. have burned 6,309,979 acres — mostly in the Western United States, according to the latest statistics from the National Interagency Fire Center. This map shows most large wildfires now burning in the United States. California is having more than their share too.
So far heat waves in the South East and Midwest have killed 49. Two more persons in Memphis, Tennessee, were killed by the two-week heat wave, bringing the number of heat wave victims in Southeast and Midwest of the United Sates to at least 49, according to media reports Monday.
In Memphis, Tennessee, the heat-related death toll in nine days has reached to 12. Most victims were elderly and living in homes without air-conditioning. Health officials in Alabama reported on Friday that eight people there had died of heat-related factors in two weeks. In addition to the deaths in Tennessee and Alabama, nine have been confirmed in Missouri, four in Arkansas, four in Georgia , three in Illinois, two in South Carolina and one in Mississippi.
Last summer, a heat wave killed at least 50 people in the Midwest and East of the United States. California officially reported a death toll of 143, but authorities last month acknowledged the number may have been far higher. A 1995 heat wave in Chicago was blamed for 700 deaths.
Meanwhile 13 deaths have been reported across the Midwest. Six deaths were reported in southeastern Minnesota and one man was missing Monday, authorities said, after relentless thunderstorms dropped up to a foot of rain on parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The severe rains set off mudslides and caused flooding Sunday that forced evacuations of entire towns. Separately, the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin caused more flooding on the southern Plains, killing at least six people during the weekend in Oklahoma and one in Texas. Parts of Oklahoma got up to 9 inches of rain Sunday from remnants of tropical storm Erin.
Florida is dealing with excessive heat and a lack of rain. Even with powerful Hurricane Dean days away and its path uncertain, officials in sodden south Texas left little to chance Sunday, readying planes, gasoline and hundreds of buses to get residents out in a hurry. Authorities passed out sandbags, evacuated inmates and opened emergency operations centers in a region still soaked from the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin, which along with other systems caused severe flooding Sunday and at least 13 deaths from Texas to Minnesota.
"We're preparing for Hurricane Dean just as if it is going to be a direct hit," said Johnny Cavazos, the chief emergency director for Cameron County at the state's southernmost tip.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293761,00.html
Bush has even declared Texas a disaster area even before Dean hits. Is it just a coincidence that it is his state? Anyway it seems to me that the safest place in the country is right here in the Northeast. how is the weather in your area?
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
www.anaveragepatriot.com
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
www.anaveragepatriot.com
16 comments:
Bush probaby declared Texas a State of Emergency so he wouldn't be bothered with his month long vacation, like he was during Katrina.
How can any legitimate thinker not believe that all the heat, and drought and fires and flooding are not the result of Global Warming?
On another note:
The leaders of Canada, the United States and Mexico are expected to meet Monday at this log cabin resort, near Ottawa, for a two-day summit to bolster trilateral trade and security.
But, local demonstrations and a deadly hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico already threaten to derail the talks, aimed at unifying trade rules and security following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) was launched at the first "Three Amigos" summit in Waco, Texas, in March 2005.
Since then, it has been maligned by activists, labor groups and academics who lament its acute business focus.
The "Security and Prosperity Partnership" is really a phony name for the North American Union.
Are we next:
The United States has set a new precedent in its reliance on private contractors to perform dangerous military duties in Iraq, reports the Washington Post in its Monday edition.
Writes the Congressional Research Service in a recent report: "Iraq appears to be the first case where the U.S. government has used private contractors extensively for protecting persons and property in potentially hostile or hostile situations where host country security forces are absent or deficient."
Of these contractors said to perform "functions once carried by the U.S. military," recently gauged at 127,000, less than 20 percent were Americans.
The CRS report goes on to say that the increasing reliance on private contractors, of whom 1,001 have died as of June 30, 2007 in the Iraq offensive, saves resources that would otherwise be used to court volunteers for military service; it also appears to lessen the chance of a draft.
When will Bush use "Private Contractors" on us?
patriot...
There is no such thing as Global Warming.
On the other hand I'd say the Lord is very pissed at Der Fuhrer and He is unleashing His fury upon us.
And for larry, think when he implements Martial Law and the Military won't fire upon U.S. Citizens. Mercenaries will do whatever for whomever is paying them.
God Bless.
(Reuters) - Here are five facts about the August 20-21 summit between U.S. President George W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Montebello, Quebec.
* Leaders of the three nations started annual meetings in 2005 under what they called the Security and Prosperity Partnership, which the governments say is aimed at cooperation but which critics say will lead to a loss of sovereignty.
* The presidents and the prime minister, and possibly the media, might have to go part way by boat on the Ottawa River to the 77-year-old Chateau Montebello hotel in order to avoid protesters on land.
* Montebello hosted the 1981 summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations. It was the first G7 meeting of then-President Ronald Reagan and was hosted by Liberal Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, with Britain's Margaret Thatcher and France's Francois Mitterrand also attending.
* Among the issues the current summit are to tackle are the safety of toys and other Chinese-made products; sustainable energy; safe borders; as well as the current market turmoil.
* Opponents of the Security and Prosperity Partnership charge variously that it could lead to a North American Union with a common currency and a superhighway extending from Canada to Mexico. The governments deny this.
It's all about the North American Union.
Larry
I wouldn't doubt that at all. They say he learned his lessons from Katrina and Rita but I doubt it. I fully believe it was simply because it is his State.
Larry I agree. I had some great conversations yesterday on kos with this story hearing from around the country and the world. Only those that still want to capitalize off the planets destuction will deny what is happening.
larry
That is interesting that you mention the meeting in Ottawa. I'm telling you, I don't know if it is because we both keep an eye on events that concern the country and the world but we are inevitably on the same page.
While I was putting this together I was wondering when it was going to come out as to what they were really discussing.
My thought was the cold war in the Arctic, Dean, encroaching so called communism on our and Mexico's door step and most importantly the SPP and the NAU. I know the meeting was cut short but I am hoping to find something on this when I get to checking the news around the world.
larry
You know, the increasing use of contractors in the military increases the cost of our security whils jeopaordizing us and allowing Bush to stave off the draft andput the actual cost of the military into another category to hide again the true facts.
I discuss contractors pretty often with my EOD son because it is even a concern of his and he sees fist hand the negative repercusions. Any way you look at it Bush will stave off reimplimenting the Draft but the NEXT PESIDENT WILL BE FORCED TO SO IT BECAUSE OF WHAT BUSH HAS SET IN MOTION AND HIS FUTURE WARS.
I can't say though that I ever thought of having them used against us but I would not doubt anything. That to me amounts to using mercenaries on us and I would hope they would refuse. Everything is getting so tenuous you have to be concerned about and question everything.
Anon
I happen to think Global warming is in fact happening but it is a combination of natural occurrance and mans negative influence.
As for mercenaries I have to hope they would not be used on us and would refuse to fire on us but who the hell knows anything for a fact today?
Larry
Thanks for the info leading up to the simmit. You are well informed. I am still hoping to find some info on the fact that they did discuss the NAU and other related issues. It has proven to be a very controversial subject but if I find something on it I will discuss it today.
Chicago: overcast and light rain..again. :0(
All right mary ellen!
Nice to hear from you. I heard from a couple Chicagoans yesterday. I got a lot of responses and concerns from around the country and the world. A lot if varying weather adversity out there and people are rightly pretty concerned.
If you are interested in what is being said around the country and world you can click on dailykos and my Blog page os on my main page. It really was interesting. thanks and come again. You will see me at your place.
I posted on blog...about how shitty it has been in the MW....by the great lakes...but that is the way of it all over...hot,humid and flooding...how could anyone in the Bible Belt not believe that we have a Problem...
enigma
I want to say I don't know but we both do. If you want to continue to serve your own interest you will ignore everything period. Sadly it is to the demise of the entire world. I guess Bush is banking on the fact that after he destroys everythimg his slice of heavan in Paraguay over the protected Garana Aquifer will be protected still and safe.
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