IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Hurricane Milton is gone, but Florida is still grappling with its toxic aftermath; Trump's lies about FEMA disrupt disaster aid to North Carolina; PLUS: The U.K. ditches coal for good... All that and more in today's Green News Report!
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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): 'Crazy busy' Atlantic hurricane season is far from over; US meteorologists face death threats as hurricane conspiracies surge; Insurance 'nightmare' unfolds for Florida homeowners after two hurricanes; Hundreds dead, more than 1 million displaced due to Niger floods; The fate of thousands of U.S. rural dams hangs in the balance; Wisconsin estimates around 40 percent of private wells contain pesticides; Alabama slowly bringing sanitation equity back to rural black communities... PLUS: The U.S. gets a new national marine sanctuary, the first led by a Native American tribe... and much, MUCH more! ...
STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY'S 'GREEN NEWS REPORT'...
- Florida grapples with Hurricane Milton's toxic aftermath:
- Milton's aftermath: Floodwaters rise along St. Johns River in Central Florida (Orlando Sentinel)
- Milton swamped these Tampa Bay neighborhoods. None were in flood zones (Tampa Bay Times)
- Withlacoochee River sees historic flooding, residents urged to evacuate immediately (WFLA-Tampa Bay)
- Here's where Central Florida rivers, lakes stand with flooding after Hurricane Milton (WKMG-Orlando)
- After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Bacteria and Chemicals May Lurk in Flood Waters (Inside Climate News):
Hurricane Milton’s path directly cut through an area with more than 100 facilities containing industrial waste, from phosphate fertilizer companies to power plants with coal ash ponds. Officials are still assessing whether potential breaches at these facilities leaked into flood water or the air at hazardous levels, which could cause a variety of health impacts in residents in the area depending on the type of pollution. It’s a common problem during storms across the U.S. --- and one likely getting worse with climate change, researchers say. - Health officials warn of bacteria from Hurricane Helene, Milton floodwaters (ABC News):
This week, the Florida Department of Health issued an advisory warning residents to avoid floodwaters in order to prevent exposure to Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially life-threatening bacteria. "Vibrio bacteria, commonly found in warm coastal waters, can cause illness when ingested or when open wounds are exposed to contaminated water," the department warned, noting that the concentration of vibrio rises after heavy rainfall and flooding. - Biden announces more than $600 million for electric grid resilience during visit to survey Hurricane Milton damage (CNN)
- How much are damage estimates for Milton? Hint: It's in the billions (USA Today)
- Climate change intensified Hurricane Milton, which spawned record tornadoes:
- Climate change boosted Milton's landfall strength from Category 2 to 3 (Ars Technica)
- Hurricane Milton spawned high number of destructive, deadly tornadoes (AP)
- Far from where Hurricane Milton's eye hit, tornadoes wrought unexpected damage (AP)
- Why Hurricane Milton produced such strong tornadoes - and why future storms might do so again (NBC News):
Although tornadoes are common when hurricanes make landfall, most are on the weaker end of the spectrum; less than 1% of tornadoes associated with landfalling tropical systems have been rated EF-3 or stronger. This year, by contrast, four out of five hurricanes that made landfall in the U.S. produced EF-3-intensity tornadoes. - Hurricane Helene isn't an outlier. It's a harbinger of the future. (Bulletin Of Atomic Scientists)
- Hurricane Helene's ongoing impacts continue to unfold:
- FDA declares IV fluid shortage in the wake of Helene (The Hill/MSN)
- The family of Johnny Peterson, an Impact Plastics worker who died in flooding, sues the company (Knoxville News)
- Helene brings back product shortages, supply-chain snags (WRDW-Augusta):
After back-to-back hurricanes, there’s concern over how damage to factories and farms could cause long-term supply chain disruptions. One company is responsible for more than half of the nation’s supply of IV fluid. Damage to the Baxter Pharmaceuticals plant in North Carolina by Hurricane Helene has impacted the supply. - Helene recovery: How to navigate FEMA, flood cleanup, disaster fraud, and more (Grist)
- FEMA facing a funding shortfall after back-to-back disasters:
- FEMA spent nearly half its disaster budget in just 8 days (Politico):
Eight days into the fiscal year, the federal government has spent nearly half the disaster relief that Congress has allocated for the next 12 months. The rapid spending - which is likely to accelerate as aid flows to states pulverized by Hurricanes Helene and Milton - soon will force the Federal Emergency Management Agency to restrict spending unless Congress approves additional funding. - FEMA has enough funding for Hurricane Milton. What's next is less certain. (Washington Post/MSN)
- How Republicans Who Voted Against FEMA Funding Reacted to Hurricane Helene (Newsweek)
- FEMA Needs Help --- Now. Mike Johnson Said No. (Mother Jones)
- Trump/GOP disinformation campaign disrupts disaster aid in NC
- What we know about FEMA efforts in North Carolina after reported threats lead to an arrest (CNN)
- FEMA workers change some hurricane-recovery efforts in North Carolina after receiving threats (AP)
- VIDEO: Recovery workers facing safety concerns (NBC News)
- Suspect arrested after reports of threats toward FEMA operations in North Carolina (CNN)
- Anatomy of a lie: Fox News quietly reports on a fact sheet correcting Fox News misinformation (Washington Post):
The channel's on-air personalities mostly focused on the part about how FEMA didn't have the funding Mayorkas sought. Or, as host Trace Gallagher put it on "Fox News @ Night" on Oct. 3, "FEMA is apparently broke, at least the part of the federal agency that hands out money to hurricane victims." - Pants on Fire: Trump's lies about FEMA (Politifact)
- Helene response hampered by misinformation, conspiracy theories (Washington Post)
- U.K. ditches coal for good:
- End of an era as Britain's last coal-fired power plant shuts down (Guardian)
- Britain ditched coal. Here's what the world can learn from it. (Washington Post)
- AUDIO: How Britain became the first major economy to quit coal (NPR):
It's a milestone for the country that was first to harness the dirty fuel, in the 19th century. Coal powered the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the British Empire. At the height of its reliance on coal, in the 1950s, about 96 percent of the United Kingdom's electricity came from burning it. That fell to zero Monday evening. - Burning rubbish now UK's dirtiest form of power (BBC)
'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (Stuff we didn't have time for in today's audio report)...
For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists' Daily Headlines page
- 'Crazy busy' Atlantic hurricane season is far from over (WRDW-Atlanta)
- US Meteorologists Face Death Threats As Hurricane Conspiracies Surge (Guardian)
- Insurance 'Nightmare' Unfolds For Florida Homeowners After Two Hurricanes (NBC News)
- Hundreds Dead, More Than 1 Million Displaced Due To Niger Floods (AFP)
- The Fate Of Thousands Of U.S. Rural Dams Hangs In The Balance (Grist)
- Alabama Slowly Bringing Sanitation Equity to Rural Black Communities (Inside Climate News)
- EPA OKs Use Of Radioactive Material In Florida Road Pilot Project (The Hill)
- 'Emperor Is Wearing No Clothes': Study Finds 'Green' Hydrogen Too Pricey (E&E News)
- Wisconsin Estimates Around 40 Percent Of Private Wells Contain Pesticides (NPR)
- An Oil Giant Railroads Its SCOTUS Connection To Gut Environmental Law (Lever News)
- The Disappearance of the Monarch King - Part 1 (Outside Online)
- Washington State's Landmark Climate Law Hangs In The Balance This Election (AP)
- The U.S. Gets A New National Marine Sanctuary, The First Led By A Tribe (NPR)
- Here's What a Shocking New Number on Wildlife Declines Really Means (NY Times)
- Who Will Care for Americans Left Behind by Climate Migration? (Pro Publica)
- America's Climate and Economy Are on the Ballot (The American Prospect)
- How to power your home through an outage without a gas generator (Washington Post)
- VIDEO: John Oliver on Trump's Project 2025: Blueprint for the Death of Democracy (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
- How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
- Abrupt reduction in shipping emission as an inadvertent geoengineering termination shock produces substantial radiative warming (Nature)
- How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry's Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
- The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
- Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
- How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
- Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here's How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
- Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
- Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
- Exxon's Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
- Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)