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According to the Weather Channel, current Fire Weather Conditions in the southwest, "include continued low dew point values, record or near-record heat and powerful winds. Wind Gusts around the now infamous Wallow Fire will approach 50 or even 60 mph on Saturday and Sunday. Extensive safety precautions must be in place as these vicious winds will create life-threatening conditions for all personnel waging a fight against these fires." They go on to note that ferocious winds will continue to pummel the southwest for several days, creating epic wildfire hazards that can easily wipe out entire neighborhoods. For a sobering look at the wildfires that are raging across the southwest, see this incredible real-time graphic.
All the while, Texas and many western states are experiencing their worst drought ever, with no rain in sight."It's a dust bowl," notes one frustrated Texas Rancher. "The ground has looked fire-burned since April, and the animals have not seen green grass since March." Many ranches are simply giving up and sending their herds to the market.
Meanwhile, much of the mid-west is under water, while the Missouri River is experiencing its worst flood in recorded history, with no relief in sight. All this while entire communities try to rebuild their lives after an epic and horrifying tornado season. And the rains keep falling...the storms keep building...and records keep falling.
And on the west coast, we are just now beginning to see the effects of the Japan earthquake and resultant nuclear disaster. Indeed, according to the CDC, west coast cities have recently witnessed a dramatic rise in infant mortality, increasing by 35% since the Fukushima nuclear meltdown and resultant toxic plume, which has steadily blanketed Pacific Northwest and western states.
"The recent CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates that eight cities in the northwest U.S. (Boise ID, Seattle WA, Portland OR, plus the northern California cities of Santa Cruz, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Berkeley) reported the following data on deaths among those younger than one year of age:
* 4 weeks ending March 19, 2011 – 37 deaths (avg. 9.25 per week)
* 10 weeks ending May 28, 2011 – 125 deaths (avg.12.50 per week)
This amounts to an increase of 35% (the total for the entire U.S. rose about 2.3%), and is statistically significant. Of further significance is that those dates include the four weeks before and the ten weeks after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster."
Nobody really knows what the long-term effects of the Fukushima disaster will be...but one thing is for sure: it is not starting off well.
Indeed, everywhere you look nowadays it appears as if nature is on a rampage, breaking records and leaving millions of dollars of damage in its wake. And it's not just America, it's planet wide. The Guardian recently published a Must Read article titled, "Warning, Extreme Weather Ahead; Tornado's, wildfires, droughts and floods were once seen as freak conditions. But the environmental disasters now striking the world are shocking signs of global weirding". First coined by Thomas Friedman, "Global Weirding" attempts to explain the bizarre and unpredictable fits of our increasingly tempestuous and seemingly angry new normal...one that is market by climate extremes. As the Guardian notes, "Wherever you look, the climate appears to be in overdrive, with stronger weather patterns gripping large areas for longer and events veering between extremes."
And our personal experiences would certainly agree with this assessment. Just look outside...
So what do we do? I'll let NASA answer that question for you. The director of NASA, arguably one of America's most progressive and influential agencies, recently released a mass email and video to all NASA staff urging them to develop a personal preparedness plan. See for yourself here.
Perhaps we should all heed NASAs advice.
Stay Safe. Stay Informed.
