"Lynn Rigsbee was sitting on her couch on a Tuesday morning last year when an explosion knocked her to the floor. The blast came from a hydrogen plant a few hundred feet from her house in Long View, N.C., northwest of Charlotte. It broke doors loose from deadbolts, shattered windows and blasted a hole through her roof."

"During the first hurricane season of the coronavirus pandemic, emergency officials warned residents in low-lying coastal areas to pack masks in their evacuation bags. This year, they’re urging everyone to be vaccinated."

"About 35 people were unaccounted for in western North Carolina on Wednesday night, local authorities said, after the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred doused the area with heavy rains that led to severe flooding."

"Survivors of the powerful earthquake that shook Haiti scrambled for shelter, food and medical supplies Wednesday as officials acknowledged that the deadly temblor had disrupted vaccination efforts. The aftermath of Tropical Storm Grace continued to snarl already feeble relief efforts, worsening a dire humanitarian crisis and fueling anger."

"The Caldor Fire burning in California has grown 24 times its size in two days, forcing another 10,000 residents to evacuate."

"ExxonMobil’s huge new Guyana project faces charges of a disregard for safety from experts who claim the company has failed to adequately prepare for possible disaster, the Guardian and Floodlight have found."

"Southern California’s powerful water agency on Tuesday issued a supply alert, calling on the region to conserve vital resources and prepare for continued drought — a move that brings the state’s largest population center closer to the tough water restrictions imposed on communities elsewhere."

"GRIZZLY FLATS, Calif. — A wildfire raged through a small Northern California forest town Tuesday, burning dozens of homes as dangerously dry and windy weather also continued to fuel other massive blazes and prompted the nation’s largest utility to begin shutting off power to 51,000 customers."

"A year ago, in the middle of the night, crashes of thunderbolts shook millions of people in the San Francisco Bay Area out of their sleep. They didn’t know history was about to happen."

"Firefighters battling flames in Northern California forests girded Monday for new bouts of windy weather, and a utility warned thousands of customers it might cut their electricity to prevent new fires from igniting if gusts damage power lines."