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Tag: heavy rain

  • O’Hare Plane Skids Onto Grass After Landing

    Today in Chicago and the surrounding areas, there was a lot of heavy rain that impacted travel; however, with Chicago notorious for its treacherous weather (especially in the winter time), O’Hare Airport, one of America’s busiest airports, is always ready for the worst scenarios. Today, O’Hare responded promptly as a commercial airliner skidded off one of its runways.

    According to a recent report from Fox News, an American Eagle aircraft (Flight #4332 from New Orleans) safely landed at O’Hare Airport and was approaching one of the airport’s terminals when the nose of the plane skidded onto a grassy area. None of the passengers were injured during this incident, and buses were sent to the location to transport the American Eagle passengers to the nearby terminal.

    The Examiner reported that this incident happened at 9 a.m. this morning on Runway #2. It was predicted that heavy rain might have been the culprit for the plane’s nosegear to skid off of the concrete runway.

    John Colucci, the Social Media Manager at Engadget, was in transit at O’Hare Airport, and he tweeted — wondering why his flight was delayed:

    American Airlines later tweeted their response back to Colucci, thanking him for his concern about the incident. That was very speedy customer service on American Airlines’ part.

    This incident comes just a few days after an alligator was discovered at the second busiest airport in the US as well.

    [Image source: Wikimedia Commons]

  • Colorado Helicopters: Rescue Operations Back On

    The death toll continues to rise as the dangerous flood makes its way through Colorado. Helicopters were sent in to help the victims of the flood, but have since been grounded due to the heavy rain and clouds in the area. Many people have been displaced from their homes because of the devastating storm and some have even gone missing. There is a search and rescue mission being conducted in order to get everyone to safety, but it has been difficult to execute these plans with the rains continuing to effect northern Colorado.

    The President of the United States and the Governor’s office has declared a disaster area for northern Colorado. As of Monday, officials have updated the number of deaths to seven, after helicopters have been able to fly again and the emergency efforts are able to continue. Officials from the Colorado Office of Emergency Management have attributed seven deaths to the rain and floods that have blanketed the state including four in Boulder County, one in El Paso County and two in Larimer County, according to the Denver Post. Another body was recovered around noon on Monday by Colorado Springs autorities, which is likely the eighth fatality from the floods. Some rain is still possible in the foothills over Jefferson, Boulder and Larimer Counties later today.

    The flood continues to devastate areas all over northern Colorado and in Larimer County, about 1,000 residents are still stranded and are only able to be reached by helicopter. Just in Boulder County alone, there is an estimated $150 million to repair 100 to 150 miles of roadway and 20 to 30 bridges. George Gerstle, the transportation director for the county described this, saying that the cost will be 10 to 15 times what their annual budget normally is, mentions CNN. The serious situation has even received attention from the president, ordering federal aid to support state and local recovery efforts for Boulder County.

    For those that want to help the cause and donate to help the flood clean up, you can visit the Red Cross website and learn more about what you can do.

    Another important thing to think about that some media outlets are not reporting is how the flood is having an effect on the environment, when mixing with fracking toxins.

    State emergency management officials say that 17,494 homes have been damaged and 1,502 destroyed along a 200-mile stretch of the Front Range. This number also has the ability to increase as people continue to investigate more areas that were previously blocked off. Flood conditions are spread across 200 miles running north to south along the Front Range. Fifteen counties are in that swatch of territory: Boulder, El Paso, Larimer, Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Fremont, Jefferson, Logan, Morgan, Pueblo, Washington, and Weld.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUY_y6wF2fE

    Image via Youtube

  • Colorado Road Closures Present Dangers

    The devastating floods have led to multiple power failures, cancellations of recreational sporting events, and even, in many cases, there have been counties experiencing periodic flash-flood watches. These difficulties are not the only concerns residents have confronted as a result of the dangerous floods. Travelers have also suffered from the weather-inflicted damage. Businesses needing to utilize transportation on the roads which were impacted by the flooding have also been affected.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D56TU0AjuOw

    According to the spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Transportation, Bob Wilson, there is a multifaceted level of destruction caused by recent flooding episodes where unique approaches have been needed in order to handle specific concerns and considerations. “It’s creating havoc for so many different areas,” Bob Wilson said before continuing, “will have to hold off where the roadways are closed.”

    Wilson expressed time-sensitivity expectations regarding the process for repairing the roads. While residents are unlikely to expect the roads to return to fully operable service overnight, various routes will be more readily accessible. “They’ll have to wait to try to get to Lyons or Estes Park. Luckily, the tourist season for Estes Park is over,” Bob Wilson said.

    Even though authorities are working to improve conditions as quickly and efficiently as possible, truck drivers needing to travel on routes damaged by the flooding have seen their workload increase while the ease of completing job duties has drastically decreased. Santiago Robles expressed his frustration at driving a ten mile trip that took a total of four hours. “Today I probably did half the work I was supposed to get done, because it took me so long to get across town. I-70 going east was stop-and-go all day,” he said.

    The frustration for drivers like Santiago Robles has occurred partly as a result of unexpected delays, but also due to the maneuvering of slow, tedious detours which leads to immeasurable time delays, restricting daily job duties. The initial flooding presented dangers; however, the aftermath is demanding patience from residents.

    [Image and Video Via YouTube]

  • Japan Typhoon Man-Yi Surfaces, Endangering Fukushima

    Typhoon Man-Yi has hit southern Japan causing fears that the Fukushima nuclear plant may be impacted. Man-Yi is the 18th typhoon this season, bringing heavy rains and officials are warning citizens in different parts of the country of flooding and very strong winds. Central Japan Railway Co. temporarily suspended their bullet-train services near Tokyo as the vicious typhoon quickly approached the nation’s capital. Around 200 domestic flights have been cancelled as well, mostly those that were planning to depart from Tokyo.

    The tropical storm that is a high threat to Japan’s citizens originated in Pacific waters close to the southern island of Shikoku. It has been increasing in size and at times obtaining wind speeds of up to 144 kilometers per hour. According to the New Zealand Herald, it was on a direct course to hit southern of the main island Honshu on Monday morning. Next on its course, it was predicted that it would head northeast toward the capital, crossing the northeast and the area near Fukushima.

    Fukushima continues to deal with an immense struggle attempting to control the radioactive materials that leaked into the Pacific Ocean during the earthquake and tsumani that hit in 2011. It is a story that has been resurfacing in the mainstream media lately and scaring a lot of people, as it continues to contaminate the water. This has caused the fish in multiple areas to be too dangerous to eat.

    A flood warning was issued to residents near the Kokai river in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo. There was also an earlier flood warning for the Meguro river, which has since been lifted, states Bloomberg.com. Before hitting Japan, the storm had already delivered strong winds and heavy rain in the south and east, although no major damage was reported. Warnings for flooding, heavy rain, mudslides and high ocean waves have all been issued by the weather agency to areas along the Pacific coast.

    As the storm continues to damage parts of Japan, more contaminated water is expected to seep into the groundwater as well and problem of the radioactive waste from the Fukushima plant is scaring people around the world. If the water continues to be polluted at this rate, it could be unsafe to swim in a matter of a few years.

    Image via Youtube

  • Typhoon Utor Touches Ground in the Philippines

    Typhoon Utor (referred to as Typhoon Labuyo in the Philippines) hit ground in the northern region of the Philippines at 150 mph around 3 a.m. on Monday, August 12, 2013 local time. Powerful winds, heavy rain, and life-threatening flooding are expected as part of this storm where the northern island of Luzon is expected to receive the brunt of activity.

    Typhoon Utor could downgrade to a Category 1 or 2 storm as it continues to travel in a northwest trajectory toward China; however, these types of storms are difficult to predict as traveling over warm water has the potential to actually strengthen this cyclone.

    According to the Catanduanes Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) 40 fisherman had originally been pronounced missing as a result of this extreme weather force. While seven of these fisherman have since been accounted for, there are still 33 who remain missing. Many towns have already suffered where the missing fisherman have originated from the following communities: Pandan, Gigmoto, Virac, and Bagamanoc. Reports indicate that these fishermen were aware of the incoming storm.

    Emergency response teams have prepped for the impending dangers. Anna Lindenfors of Save the Children had this to say, “The entire Luzon region is braced for heavy winds and rains as the typhoon draws closer. Save the Children is monitoring the situation closely. We have trained staff and partners on the ground ready to mount a response, and pre-made aid packages to distribute if needed. Save the Children knows from experience that children are always the most vulnerable in a disaster and we stand ready to respond to their needs.”

    Many people living outside of the Philippines are entranced with Typhoon Utor, watching as the system continues to shift with anticipated changes, showing that Mother Nature can be both dangerous and erratic.