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Biden Pledges to do ‘whatever it takes’ to Support Tornado Victims

Biden Pledges to do ‘whatever it takes’ to Support Tornado Victims

President Joe Biden has assured to do “whatever it takes, as long as it takes” to aid those who suffered from the tornadoes that tore through the state of Kentucky as well as neighbouring states over the weekend, killing 88 people.

The storm, constructing of over 30 tornadoes, hit Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee and was described by Biden as “one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history” and left many communities within the four states without power and others homeless.

Biden visited the city of Mayfield in Kentucky, which houses approximately 10,000 residents and was one of the worst hit areas. He witnessed the devastation caused by the tornadoes. The president walked past piles of debris, roofs detached from homes and fragmented bits of furniture. After the tour around the area, he stated that destruction caused was some of the worst he had ever seen and pledged to residents that he would “make sure the federal government does what’s needed.”

“I intend to do whatever it takes as long as it takes to support your state, your local leaders, as you recover and rebuild – and you will recover and rebuild.”

The president was alongside Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Maryorkas and federal disaster agency head, Deanne Criswell.

There was an immediate response following the strom as The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) immediately sent out response teams to Kentucky to help those in need of assistance. In addition, the agency sent out 135,000 gallons of water, 74,000 meals and thousands of bits of clothing.

Not for the first time

This is the not the only time there has been an extreme weather event since his inauguration. There have been a number of occurrences which scientists claim has been mainly down to climate change.

Only a month into his term, Biden affirmed a major disaster in Texas due to the winter storms which caused freeing temperatures. During the summer, Biden visited Idaho, Colorado and California to witness damage caused by the vigorous wildfires. It does not end there as he also went to Louisiana to view the destruction caused by Hurricane Ida as well as New York and New Jersey.

These events have indicated why the president is extremely focused on battling against the challenge of climate change.

Last month, Biden signed off a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill  that aims to build stronger defences against similar extreme weather events and natural disasters.

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State of Emergency Declared in New York Following Tropical Storm Ida

State of Emergency Declared in New York City Following Tropical Storm Ida

A state of emergency has been declared in New York City in the wake of torrential rainfall and flash flooding as a consequence of Tropical Storm Ida.

In addition to New York City, New Jersey has also declared a state of emergency.

Latest reports state that at least nine people have been killed, with seven of those who died being in New York, including a two-year-old boy, according to NBC New York.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio declared the city was “enduring an historic weather event” with “brutal flooding” and “dangerous conditions” on the roads.

“Please stay off the streets tonight and let our first responders and emergency services get their work done.”

It is estimated that in excess of 80mm of rain fell in Central Park in the space of an hour, overtaking the previous record of 49mm that was set in the wake of Tropical Storm Henri last month.

Dramatic footage has circulated over social media showing water within people’s homes and subway stations as well as roads being completely filled with water due to the tropical storm.

The National Weather Service’s New York City Twitter account stated: “This emergency was issued due to the ongoing life-threatening flash flooding.”

The New York City Police Department have encouraged people not to leave their homes and stay away from the roads with the fire department declaring that they are responding to calls from all over the city.

Many of the New York City’s transportation services have closed, including the subway, national rail services and flight’s in and out of the city have been suspended.

Severe weather conditions also saw many of matches postponed at the US Open on Wednesday, therefore delaying the competition.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida have been moving north across the east coast of the United States, after it hit Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday. Factors for this storm can be explained by different reasons, however, a warming atmosphere because of climate change is the most likely explanation as it causes an increased production of torrential rainfall.

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brushfire

The U.S. Heatwave Explained

Millions of people throughout the Unites States were subject to receiving heat alerts from the National Weather Service as temperatures continued to soar on Thursday in areas including much of the Pacific Northwest, the Northeast and the South. Cities such as Washington, Boston and Indianapolis have been affected with some of these warnings set to be in force until the weekend. With temperatures reaching the cusp of 122 degrees Fahrenheit the current heatwave has become record breaking. This has triggered alarming wildfires ravaging through the west coast. California has been one of the areas that has suffered. So far in 2021, the state has lost vast amounts of its land burnt down due to the fires, exceeding the five-year average. So, what categorises a heatwave and how have these record-high temperatures come about?

What is a Heatwave and how do they occur?

As stated by the National Weather Service, heatwaves are labelled when temperatures are exceeding the national averages in an area for more than two days. But this definition depends on which area within the United States you are located.

Heatwaves are born when the high pressure placed up in the atmosphere shoves the warmer area towards the direction of the ground. The air that is being pushed therefore increases in temperature due to it being compacted making us feel considerably hotter. In this case, it is the work of two high pressure systems, one moving into the Northwest from the Eastern Pacific Ocean and another edging the Southeastern US coast.

This system also increases in size vertically when being compressed causing it to push other types of weather systems nearby, further away. Moreover, by doing that it also causes little to no cloud cover and extremely low wind speeds, making the air a lot more humid.

Why is it a record-breaking Heatwave?

Much of the reason for temperatures climbing can be explained through global warming. Since the 1900s, the globe has gradually become warmer, increasing around 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit each year, with the speed of increase accelerating in recent years. Warmer baseline temperatures have brought about a growth in extreme weather situations and aids the duration of the intense heat last longer.

Have people been affected and how many?

The stifling temperatures recorded have left millions of Americans struggling to live their daily lives and have left many vulnerable. More than 150 million people have been put under various heat alerts stretching for nearly 1,500 miles of the nation. There have been issues such as the loss of electricity and with many homes built in these regions without air conditioning, there have been cases of numerous deaths.

Thousands have had to retreat to areas that have provided cooling centres which include stadiums where people can continue with their lives and have a safe place to sleep. In various shops, essentials have been sold out as well as fans and portable air conditioners.

Those in urban areas have been extremely affected as the infrastructure absorbs considerably larger amounts of heat compared to the more rural areas. In some of these urban areas, power cables have completely melted, and roads have buckled.

When will the Heatwave end?

Numerous forecasters have anticipated that the high temperatures will continue into next week for the majority of the Pacific Northwest. The high pressure systems have been moving easterly into towards Canada, with various warnings being placed there.

 

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