Disasters

"Wildfires in Washington state have burned hundreds of thousands of acres, including an important mating habitat for sage grouse."

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted guidance Friday evening saying that aerosol transmission might be one of the "most common" ways the coronavirus is spreading — and then took the guidance down on Monday."

"The deaths of hundreds of elephants in Botswana this year which had baffled and alarmed conservationists were caused by toxins produced by cyanobacteria in water, officials said on Monday."

"Wildfires in Western states aren't slowing down and conspiracy theories about who started them are only making things harder for responders."

"The wildfires blazing in the West could hinder developing lungs, worsen asthma and even lead to the condition in those who don’t have it but are genetically disposed to it."

"SAN FRANCISCO — Ian MacDonald, a 14-year-old in Portland, Ore., got a treat from his parents the other day. He was allowed to go outside.

"Tropical Storm Beta was predicted to bring a foot of rain to parts of coastal Texas and Louisiana next week as the 23rd named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season moves ashore on Monday night, the National Hurricane Center said."

"PENSACOLA, Fla. — Wendy Evil, 52, spent Thursday morning picking through her drenched belongings. Her house, her yard, her . . . everything was flooded. “I am just so destroyed,” she said."

"Staggering rain totals, fueled by a warming atmosphere that can hold more moisture, are being recorded from the storm."

"As hurricanes go, Sally was not especially powerful. Rated a Category 2 storm when it struck the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, it was soon downgraded. But climate change likely made it more dangerous by slowing it down and feeding it more moisture, setting it up to pummel the region with wind and catastrophic rainfall.

"Extreme temperatures and more severe droughts, the result of human-caused climate change, have created a world that’s ready to burn."