Influencers, Stop Normalizing Natural Disasters
Influencers were live streaming Hurricane Milton as it stormed through Tampa and other parts of Florida. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Mark Gongloff says we need to stop endangering ourselves for clout. (Source: Bloomberg)
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Governor signs new law protecting pets during natural disasters: 'All states need to do this'
Florida's governor has made it a felony to abandon pets during natural disasters. The new state law was inspired by a dog named Trooper, who was intentionally tied up and left behind during Hurricane Milton. As AccuWeather reported, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 150, also known as Trooper's Law, to prevent aggravated animal cruelty. This issue reached the Florida Legislature after a 23-year-old left his dog while fleeing Hurricane Milton because he couldn't find anyone else to care for him. Authorities arrested and charged the man with a third-degree felony, sparking conversations about enforcing stricter penalties for abandoning pets during emergencies. Fortunately, Trooper survived the storm after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper rescued him along Interstate 75 near Tampa. He was originally named Jumbo but was renamed after the hero who saved his life. A couple in Parkland, Florida, later adopted the dog. "Across Florida, we have seen horrifying instances of animal cruelty that demand a stronger response," DeSantis said. "Florida stands by man's best friend." This law is encouraging because it may deter other people from leaving their pets behind when faced with evacuation orders during an extreme storm. Unfortunately, this situation is all too common in storm-prone areas such as the Florida coast. The impacts of our changing climate are making storms more intense, causing severe rain and flooding conditions that are challenging for any animal to survive. Hurricane evacuation orders are becoming more frequent in Florida and other coastal regions, so it's critical that we prepare for devastating weather as much as possible. Laws that protect animals help preserve domestic and animal welfare, saving lives and supporting healthy, balanced ecosystems. Anyone in Florida who restrains and abandons a dog during an evacuation or a declared disaster faces five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. What would you do if natural disasters were threatening your home? Move somewhere else Reinforce my home Nothing This is happening already Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. In response to an ABC News Facebook post about the new law, one social media user commented, "We need to plan for not only the people but for the pets too." "ALL states need to do this," a Facebook user suggested. "No one should be left behind, especially our pets," someone else wrote. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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a day ago
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Sands and thunderstorms induced by African heat set to hit Europe
As recently reported, Europe is set to share in the intensity of Africa's harsh climate conditions, specifically from the Northern part of the African continent. Harsh climate conditions from Northern Africa are impacting parts of Europe, with heatwaves bringing sand and thunderstorms. Regions like Castile and Leon in Spain and northern Portugal have been issued an Amber storm alert. Cities like Rome, London, and Paris are also expected to experience elevated temperatures and variable severe weather. Some parts of Europe are set to receive sand and thunderstorms from the heatwave migrating to the continent from Northern Africa. Castile and Leon in Spain, and northern Portugal are among the regions issued an Amber storm alert on Wednesday. The UK and France are also expected to experience their hottest temperatures further north on Friday. Rome will have peaks of 36°C (97°F), London 27°C, and Paris 31°C. Over the next several days, France and the UK may see lightning, hail, and heavy rain as a result of storm clouds created by the heat pushing moisture high into the atmosphere. According to the UK Met Office, as reported by Bloomberg, the storms could drop up to 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) of rain in a few hours, which is more than half of the total for June of the previous year. 'These storms are going to have to be high energy,' Alex Deakin, a meteorologist with the UK Met Office, said in a forecast briefing. 'They will drop a lot of rain in a short space of time.' MetDesk predicts that powerful storms will sweep up a heavy cloud of Saharan dust, which might cover vehicles and buildings and interfere with solar energy generation. This heat wave follows a period of unstable and wet weather in northwest Europe, which failed to balance off an unusually warm and arid spring. According to a recent assessment from the Copernicus satellite program, rainfall and soil moisture levels in the area have reached historic lows. As Europe prepares for increasingly severe weather patterns caused by North African heat and Saharan dust, it highlights the critical need for adaptive measures, enhanced forecasting, and more investment in climate resilience throughout the continent. According to the statistics, spring river flows in Europe were at their lowest level since 1992, though the southern and parts of northwestern Russia had extremely substantial amounts of rain from March to May.
Business Insider
a day ago
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Sands and thunderstorms induced by African heat are set to hit Europe
As recently reported, Europe is set to share in the intensity of Africa's harsh climate conditions, specifically from the Northern part of the African continent. Harsh climate conditions from Northern Africa are impacting parts of Europe, with heatwaves bringing sand and thunderstorms. Regions like Castile and Leon in Spain and northern Portugal have been issued an Amber storm alert. Cities like Rome, London, and Paris are also expected to experience elevated temperatures and variable severe weather. Some parts of Europe are set to receive sand and thunderstorms from the heatwave migrating to the continent from Northern Africa. Castile and Leon in Spain, and northern Portugal are among the regions issued an Amber storm alert on Wednesday. The UK and France are also expected to experience their hottest temperatures further north on Friday. Rome will have peaks of 36°C (97°F), London 27°C, and Paris 31°C. Over the next several days, France and the UK may see lightning, hail, and heavy rain as a result of storm clouds created by the heat pushing moisture high into the atmosphere. According to the UK Met Office, as reported by Bloomberg, the storms could drop up to 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) of rain in a few hours, which is more than half of the total for June of the previous year. 'These storms are going to have to be high energy,' Alex Deakin, a meteorologist with the UK Met Office, said in a forecast briefing. 'They will drop a lot of rain in a short space of time.' MetDesk predicts that powerful storms will sweep up a heavy cloud of Saharan dust, which might cover vehicles and buildings and interfere with solar energy generation. This heat wave follows a period of unstable and wet weather in northwest Europe, which failed to balance off an unusually warm and arid spring. According to a recent assessment from the Copernicus satellite program, rainfall and soil moisture levels in the area have reached historic lows. The ongoing weather events illustrate the increasing interconnection of global climate systems, as well as the far-reaching consequences of environmental changes in one region on others. As Europe prepares for increasingly severe weather patterns caused by North African heat and Saharan dust, it highlights the critical need for adaptive measures, enhanced forecasting, and more investment in climate resilience throughout the continent. According to the statistics, spring river flows in Europe were at their lowest level since 1992, though the southern and parts of northwestern Russia had extremely substantial amounts of rain from March to May.
