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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
25 years since Hurricane Katrina, its transformative impact is fresh as yesterday
Trees down. Blocked roads. Damaged homes. Boil-water alerts. No electricity for days. Spotty phone service. Stores closed. Scarce food. Rations on gasoline. Fights – some deadly – as tensions boil from people angling for necessities in snaking lines during searing heat. Such scenarios are common in the aftermath of catastrophic storms: In this case, Hurricane Katrina's ravage along the Gulf Coast – particularly southeast Florida, Mississippi and southeast Louisiana. But the scenarios described above happened in Jackson, Mississippi, some 250 miles from where the hurricane made a second landfall on Aug. 29, 2005, in Buras, Louisiana. The Magnolia State's capital city had prepared to take in the thousands of fleeing residents who lived in the areas projected to be hit hardest. What Jackson was not prepared for was a storm that still would be a strong Category 1 as it unleashed its fury northward. It had short-term shelters for evacuees, but not a plan B for the prolonged consequences on its residents. I was among the editing team for the Jackson-based Clarion-Ledger (part of the USA TODAY Network). We, along with the rest of the content staff, had spent days compiling resource guides for evacuees, interviewing those who had taken early shelter and putting together a plan for post-coverage. More: A local reporter's experience covering Western North Carolina in the wake of Helene What we didn't know is we'd end up among those trying to figure out how to get back home from the office via debris-filled streets, how we'd care for our families and still work, how we'd account for loved ones farther south when communication was lost. On top of that, cellphones were not ubiquitous possessions. Therefore, editors who had one gave them up to staffers who were in the field. The first weekend I got mine back, my 2-year-old son dropped it in a bucket of water on the deck. And there was no way to get another one for some time. A month passed before I learned my older sister in hard-hit Gulfport survived. And though I thought I'd well-handled 11 days of what felt like survival in the Outback, I finally broke down in tears when my toddlers got their first taste of a hot breakfast – just oatmeal, mind you – gobbling it as if they had not had a meal in weeks. Weathering and working through Katrina sharpened me as a parent and a professional. Yet this was nothing compared with what those who fled their homes faced, not to mention those who'd stayed. Evacuees from greater New Orleans, along with the rest of the world, learned of the compounded devastation of levees failing the day after landfall. Catastrophic flooding and a surging death toll resulted. A return home anytime soon was not possible. Evacuees were dispersed to 45 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some 65% to 73% did make their way back. For the remaining, returning permanently was not feasible. Hurricane Katrina still holds the distinction as the costliest hurricane in U.S history and the third deadliest. The USA TODAY Network is chronicling its lingering impact along the Gulf Coast and throughout the U.S., and the resilience of the people involved. If you or anyone you know in Delaware, South Jersey or the Philly burbs is part of the Katrina diaspora, please contact us at and share your story. Meanwhile, as I've previously mentioned, Delaware Online/The News Journal is stepping up our efforts meet you out in the actual community. We are setting up mobile newsrooms up and down Delaware where you can meet some of the staffers, get insights on how the newsroom operates, pitch story ideas and learn about community resources. You may also have the opportunity to get a free, no-strings-attached subscription. But, you have to come see us. Stay tuned for where we'll post up next. And send ideas on where you think would be great places for us to do a pop-up. More from this editor: Take it from Grandpa: Community coverage can be a bridge across divides Jamesetta Miller Walker is the editor for emerging audiences and inclusion storytelling. Reach her at jmwalker1@ This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 25 years since Katrina, its transformative impact is fresh as yesterday
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Risk of strong tornadoes expands for Mississippi Tuesday
Severe weather is expected to move into Mississippi on Tuesday, and the area of enhanced risk, which could face strong tornadoes, damaging winds and hail has been expanded by the National Weather Service in Jackson. Areas of Mississippi from roughly Clarksdale, southeast to Louisville and south are in the enhanced risk category as of 6 a.m. Tuesday. The area north of that is in the slight risk category. The area under enhanced risk faces the likelihood of severe storms and tornadoes and some of the tornadoes could be strong. According to the National Weather Service, strong tornadoes are those classified as EF2 and EF3 with wind speeds of 111-165 miles per hour. Damaging winds with gusts up to 70 miles per hour are also possible in the enhanced risk area as is hail up to quarter-size. In the area under a slight risk warning, severe storms with damaging winds up to 60 miles per hour, tornadoes and hail up to quarter-size are possible. More: Mississippi gets more federal funds than it pays in taxes. Here's what that money gets you According to the National Weather Service in Jackson, areas in West Mississippi should see storms from about noon until 4 p.m. The system will continue eastward with the possibility of severe weather in the Jackson area from 2-6 p.m. and the eastern portion of the state from 4-8 p.m. However, the National Weather Service told the Clarion-Ledger on Monday that damaging wind gusts of 45-50 miles per hour may move into the western portions of the state earlier Tuesday morning. Daylight Saving 2025: Time change starts with spring forward Sunday. How to get free food Tuesday: High 74 degrees, showers likely then possible severe thunderstorms after 3 p.m. into evening, wind advisory Wednesday: Low 47 degrees, high 58 degrees, mostly cloudy then gradually clearing Thursday: Low 35 degrees, high 60 degrees, mostly sunny Friday: Low 44 degrees, high 75 degrees, mostly cloudy Saturday: Low 53 degrees, high 71 degrees, partly sunny with chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday: Low 42 degrees, high 62 degrees, sunny Tuesday: High 76 degrees, showers, then possible severe thunderstorms after 5 p.m., wind advisory Wednesday: Low 50 degrees, high 63 degrees, sunny Thursday: Low 38 degrees, high 63 degrees, sunny Friday: Low 43 degrees, high 77 degrees, partly sunny Saturday: Low 57 degrees, high 76 degrees, showers likely with possible thunderstorm Sunday: Low 47 degrees, high 65 degrees, mostly sunny Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Weather today: Mississippi at risk of strong tornadoes on Tuesday
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Nearly 16.5-foot cayenne pepper plant might be world's tallest
Jan. 27 (UPI) -- An environmental group in Mississippi might have broken a Guinness World Record with a cayenne pepper plant that grew to be nearly 16.5 feet tall. Henry Pope, the lead grower and plant geneticist for Mississippi Foundation for Renewable Energy, said he spent seven years cross-pollinating specific pepper plants with an aim toward creating a variety of plant ideal for vertical gardening. "Opportunity for creating a world record of any kind was never the goal," Pope told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper. "The goal was the same as it always is for us, to produce a natural variety of edible plant that is beneficial to those who wish to become less reliant on the grocery store." The current record was set in 1999, when California woman Laura Liang's plant grew to be 16 feet tall. Pope had a team of measurement specialists, plant experts and local officials measure his cayenne for an official application to Guinness World Records. His cayenne was measured at about 16 feet and 5.5 inches tall. The record-keeping organization must now review evidence from the measuring before the record becomes official.
