Latest news with #Gabrielle
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
In a season of Atlantic hurricanes, will one of these forces of nature get your name?
Hurricane season in the Atlantic starts on Sunday, May 1, and while Michigan isn't at much risk, there's reason to keep an eye out for the storms, especially if you are a force of nature and your name is Andrea, Jerry, or Tanya, if we get that far in the alphabet. You just might find your name in an amusing headline that highlights how unwelcome you are or that highlights your destructive power. A list of names for storms is created by the World Meteorological Organization, and the storms are named in alphabetical order, starting with Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dexter, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda and Jerry. After Jerry, the list includes Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van and ends with Wendy. No names on the list start with a Q, U, X, Y or Z, mostly because those names are rarer. And there usually aren't enough hurricanes to need that many names. But last week, the National Weather Service predicted above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin during the season, which lasts until Nov. 30. It is forecasting a range of 13 to 19 total named storms. If correct, Tanya, might — just might — make the cut. In recent years, hurricanes have become increasingly destructive and common, climate scientists have said. And you might not think that matters, living in the Midwest, unless you own a winter condo or time-share in Florida. "The majority of the time, if a storm makes it up here, we get just the remnants — heavy rain," Jaclyn Anderson, a weather service meteorologist in White Lake Township, said. "The rain can cause some flooding." Storms can affect an array of things, from gas prices to insurance premiums. More: Detroit mayoral candidates tackle lingering issues, plans for city's future More: Study: Proposed Line 5 tunnel in Straits of Mackinac would cause 'detrimental effects' What's more, data from the group that names the hurricanes released a report recently that suggests in a couple of years, the Earth could cross what some conclude is an irreversible tipping point in rising temperature. The dangers of this apocalyptic warming include melting ice caps and glaciers, the collapse of coral reefs and more intense hurricanes that are threatening coastal cities and Michiganders' winter getaways. Last year, one study suggested two hurricanes — Beryl and Milton — would not have been as bad without this change. Remnants of both storms raced toward Michigan, triggering warnings for Detroiters in flood-prone areas. As for the storm names, according to the National Hurricane Center, for a few hundred years leading up to the 1800s, hurricanes in the West Indies were named after the saint's day when they occurred. In the 1950s, the United States tried naming storms using a phonetic alphabet, Able, Baker, Charlie and so on. But that got confusing when an international phonetic alphabet was introduced and meteorologists started naming storms after women. In the late '70s, men's names were also added. Now, the lists change every year in a six-year rotation. The names for the worst storms — the ones that wreak the most havoc — are retired. Dexter is new on this year's list, replacing Dorian. You can check the lists for 2026, 2027, and 2028. In 2029, the list from 2023 gets recycled, minus any retired names. Anderson, however, has the blessing — or perhaps curse — of having a somewhat unusually spelled first name, Jaclyn, which, as a result, she said probably will never end up on one of the hurricane name lists. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Forecaster hurricane names and predictions. Will we get to Tanya?
Scoop
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Environmentalists See Forestry Changes As Dangerous Step For Tairāwhiti
Article – Zita Campbell – Local Democracy Reporter Gisborne residents call proposals 'a slap in the face' amid forestry concerns. Tairāwhiti environmentalists have called changes for commercial forestry under proposed Resource Management Act reforms 'a slap in the face' and a return to weaker forestry regulations. Local groups are preparing to make submissions on proposed changes to the way forestry is managed after consultation on the Resource Management Act opened on Thursday. The proposals would make it harder for councils to have their own discretion in setting stricter rules to control tree planting. Gisborne District Council (GDC) said the proposed changes grant both 'real opportunities' and 'some challenges'. The Eastland Wood Council (EWC) is still considering its options around submitting. Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti (MTT), the group behind a 12,000-signature petition that triggered the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use (MILU) in Tairāwhiti and Wairoa, claimed the Government was relaxing 'already permissive forestry rules'. The inquiry, published in May 2023, followed the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and other major storms, when woody debris, forestry slash and sedimentation flooded the region's land, waterways and infrastructure. At the time of the inquiry's findings, the previous Government announced actions to reduce the risk of a Gabrielle repeat. MTT spokeswoman and Ruatōria resident Tui Warmenhoven said, 'We were promised stronger protections – what we're getting is deregulation dressed as reform.' The proposed changes were 'a slap in the face to the hundreds of whānau who've already paid the price for poor forestry regulations', said Warmenhoven in a group statement. Another part of the proposed changes will require a Slash Mobilisation Risk Assessment as part of all harvest management plans. It would also consider refining requirements to remove all slash above a certain size from forest cutovers. MTT welcomed the proposed requirement for Slash Mobilisation Risk Assessments, however, it warned 'this would be ineffective without enforceable planning requirements and local oversight'. 'A slash assessment without an afforestation plan is meaningless – it's a partial fix that ignores the root of the problem,' said Warmenhoven. 'We've already seen what happens when forestry is left to regulate itself and the problems with planting shallow-rooting pine on erosion-prone slopes. We are also concerned about the removal of references to woody debris, given that whole pine plantations collapsed during Cyclone Gabrielle and still line many waterways in the region.' Last September, EWC chairman Julian Kohn said forestry firms were 'bleeding money', with many companies finding Gisborne too costly to invest in. Speaking with Local Democracy Reporting, Kohn said EWC was still considering whether to submit its own response or work with other council members to make submissions. 'We've been working closely with the minister and advocating for what we see needs to be real change in respect of some of the causes in the NES-CF [National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry],' said Kohn. 'Our real concern is that the way the council is treating many of these consents and these enforcement orders are literally sending these forest companies to the wall.' He said forestry companies would close if things continued the way they were, which would leave forests unmanaged and unharvested. 'Next time we have a rain event, then some of those trees which have been locked up are going to come down the waterways, which is exactly what everybody wants to try to prevent.' GDC's director of sustainable futures, Jocelyne Allen, said the consultation documents came 'as no surprise' as they were broad and aligned with what the council had seen in the Cabinet paper and Expert Advisory Group report. 'The packages cover infrastructure, the primary sector, freshwater, and urban growth, all areas that matter deeply to our region. 'There are real opportunities here, but also some challenges, and we're taking the time to work through both carefully,' she said. The council intends to submit a response and will be taking a strategic and collaborative approach to doing so, including engaging with tangata whenua, whānau, hapū and iwi across the region and working through its sector networks, particularly the Local Government Special Interest Groups and Te Uru Kahika, said Allen. Before the announcement of the proposed changes, in an email to Local Democracy Reporting on Monday, Primary Industries and Forestry Minister Todd McClay said forestry played an important role in the economy and provided many jobs on the East Coast. 'The Government is working closely with the GDC and respected members of the forestry industry, farming and iwi to manage and reduce risk through better and more practical rules rather than blanket restrictions or bans.' He said they are reviewing slash management practices and will amend the NES-CF so councils can focus on the most at-risk areas, lower costs and deliver better social and environmental outcomes. 'We want them to focus on high-risk areas, which is what GDC is currently doing, rather than suggesting that there should no longer be any forestry in the Tairāwhiti region,' he said.
Scoop
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Environmentalists See Forestry Changes As Dangerous Step For Tairāwhiti
Tairāwhiti environmentalists have called changes for commercial forestry under proposed Resource Management Act reforms 'a slap in the face' and a return to weaker forestry regulations. Local groups are preparing to make submissions on proposed changes to the way forestry is managed after consultation on the Resource Management Act opened on Thursday. The proposals would make it harder for councils to have their own discretion in setting stricter rules to control tree planting. Gisborne District Council (GDC) said the proposed changes grant both 'real opportunities' and 'some challenges'. The Eastland Wood Council (EWC) is still considering its options around submitting. Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti (MTT), the group behind a 12,000-signature petition that triggered the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use (MILU) in Tairāwhiti and Wairoa, claimed the Government was relaxing 'already permissive forestry rules'. The inquiry, published in May 2023, followed the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and other major storms, when woody debris, forestry slash and sedimentation flooded the region's land, waterways and infrastructure. At the time of the inquiry's findings, the previous Government announced actions to reduce the risk of a Gabrielle repeat. MTT spokeswoman and Ruatōria resident Tui Warmenhoven said, 'We were promised stronger protections – what we're getting is deregulation dressed as reform.' The proposed changes were 'a slap in the face to the hundreds of whānau who've already paid the price for poor forestry regulations', said Warmenhoven in a group statement. Another part of the proposed changes will require a Slash Mobilisation Risk Assessment as part of all harvest management plans. It would also consider refining requirements to remove all slash above a certain size from forest cutovers. MTT welcomed the proposed requirement for Slash Mobilisation Risk Assessments, however, it warned 'this would be ineffective without enforceable planning requirements and local oversight'. 'A slash assessment without an afforestation plan is meaningless – it's a partial fix that ignores the root of the problem,' said Warmenhoven. 'We've already seen what happens when forestry is left to regulate itself and the problems with planting shallow-rooting pine on erosion-prone slopes. We are also concerned about the removal of references to woody debris, given that whole pine plantations collapsed during Cyclone Gabrielle and still line many waterways in the region.' Last September, EWC chairman Julian Kohn said forestry firms were 'bleeding money', with many companies finding Gisborne too costly to invest in. Speaking with Local Democracy Reporting, Kohn said EWC was still considering whether to submit its own response or work with other council members to make submissions. 'We've been working closely with the minister and advocating for what we see needs to be real change in respect of some of the causes in the NES-CF [National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry],' said Kohn. 'Our real concern is that the way the council is treating many of these consents and these enforcement orders are literally sending these forest companies to the wall.' He said forestry companies would close if things continued the way they were, which would leave forests unmanaged and unharvested. 'Next time we have a rain event, then some of those trees which have been locked up are going to come down the waterways, which is exactly what everybody wants to try to prevent.' GDC's director of sustainable futures, Jocelyne Allen, said the consultation documents came 'as no surprise' as they were broad and aligned with what the council had seen in the Cabinet paper and Expert Advisory Group report. 'The packages cover infrastructure, the primary sector, freshwater, and urban growth, all areas that matter deeply to our region. 'There are real opportunities here, but also some challenges, and we're taking the time to work through both carefully,' she said. The council intends to submit a response and will be taking a strategic and collaborative approach to doing so, including engaging with tangata whenua, whānau, hapū and iwi across the region and working through its sector networks, particularly the Local Government Special Interest Groups and Te Uru Kahika, said Allen. Before the announcement of the proposed changes, in an email to Local Democracy Reporting on Monday, Primary Industries and Forestry Minister Todd McClay said forestry played an important role in the economy and provided many jobs on the East Coast. 'The Government is working closely with the GDC and respected members of the forestry industry, farming and iwi to manage and reduce risk through better and more practical rules rather than blanket restrictions or bans.' He said they are reviewing slash management practices and will amend the NES-CF so councils can focus on the most at-risk areas, lower costs and deliver better social and environmental outcomes. 'We want them to focus on high-risk areas, which is what GDC is currently doing, rather than suggesting that there should no longer be any forestry in the Tairāwhiti region,' he said.
Scoop
16 hours ago
- Business
- Scoop
Mayor Who Led Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery Steps Down After 9 Years
A force of nature, a 'Queen of infrastructure' and the woman you knew would be at every weekend event - Sandra Hazlehurst will leave quite the legacy. Hastings' charismatic and indomitable mayor has announced she won't seek re-election as Hastings mayor after nine years at the helm. Hazlehurst's advice to whoever she hands the chains over to is to do what she at times struggled to do - ask other people to help out a bit. She said while she would miss being out in the community opening every skatepark, attending every concert 'in hindsight I should have shared the load with councillors'. The 66-year-old said she felt honoured and privileged to have served the Hastings community as a councillor and mayor over the past 15 years, and she had mixed emotions about her decision. She said the timing of her mayoralty couldn't have been better. 'My two daughters are living overseas so they haven't had to deal with any negative comments, but most people are respectful even if they don't agree with some of our decisions. 'My husband Mark has been incredibly supportive and he's excited he might see more of me," she laughed. Known for her passion for fashion and her huge smile Hazlehurst says community has always been part of her life. 'My parents owned Warren's Bakery so we were always part of any community festivities.' She said the past three years had been the hardest. 'Cyclone Gabrielle has had a devastating impact on the lives, livelihoods, and property of our people. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has played a part in our ongoing recovery – rebuilding lives, reconnecting communities, and restoring vital infrastructure. 'But everyone has been engaged. We've faced huge challenges. I'm thrilled at how much we have got done. We have rebuilt infrastructure, and invested in housing developments, the CBD is looking vibrant which has attracted more businesses. 'I'm particularly proud of how far Flaxmere has come. That has all come from listening to what people in the community want and that was homes. 'We are public servants so we do listen to the community. That's exactly what we did with the Opera House in 2014. 'We had 3000 submissions for and against rebuilding it. 'But what finally made our minds up was a group of schoolboys including Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono singing in the chamber and then asking us 'where will we sing if you don't rebuild'?' On Sunday, June 8, Emmanuel, who is from Flaxmere, will be singing at the Toitoi Hawke's Bay Arts and Events Centre in Hastings before he heads to the international opera stage. He has been accepted into the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco and the Jette Parker Artists Programme at London's Royal Opera House. 'That is what makes local governance worthwhile.' She says the council needs stay on course in the next few years. 'While my time as Hastings' mayor will end in October, I am excited to continue to serve our community in other ways. I am a loud and proud Heretaunga Hastings champion and will continue to passionately support all festivals and events. 'In the meantime, there is much to do as we consider the future of delivering drinking water, wastewater and stormwater through the Local Waters Done Well Reform and continue rebuilding our infrastructure after Cyclone Gabrielle. 'To the people of Heretaunga Hastings, thank you for your support, trust and aroha over the years, for which I am very grateful. It has been a privilege to serve you.'
Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
HR becomes self-regulated profession in Manitoba
Starting Monday, Manitobans will be able to view complaints and disciplinary action against local human resources professionals through an online registry. The registry stems from new legislation. Bill 233, which recognizes human resources as a self-regulated profession, takes effect Sunday. 'We are very happy,' said Lana Adeleye-Olusae, past chair of CPHR Manitoba. CPHR Manitoba will be responsible for maintaining a public list showing the names and designations of its roughly 1,800 members. Viewers will see whether members are chartered professionals in human resources (CPHRs), CPHR candidates or human resources professionals without the designation. Legitimate complaints against members will be shown alongside 'very detailed information about the complaint' and the inquiry process, said Ron Gauthier, chief executive of CPHR Manitoba. CPHR Manitoba has handled complaints against its members for years, but disciplinary action has never been made public. Complaints can range from sexual assault to misusing confidential information and not fulfilling job requirements. Two complaints against HR professionals were dismissed this year. Last year, CPHR Manitoba received four or five complaints, Gauthier said. CPHR Manitoba's internal complaints committee sometimes comes to a decision. More complicated situations can elicit a third-party investigator, Gauthier said. Rulings can result in members' credentials being stripped. Both sides can hire lawyers and appeal decisions to the Court of King's Bench. Past complaints and inquiries won't appear in the new registry. Legitimate complaints, starting June 1, will be added to the online list. The registry only covers CPHR Manitoba members. 'If (businesses) want people that will be held accountable for what they have done, it's better for them to hire people that are under CPHR Manitoba,' Adeleye-Olusae said. Bill 233 gives title protection to CPHR Manitoba, allowing the entity to crack down more easily on people touting themselves as CPHRs when they're not. Shannon Martin, former MLA for McPhillips, introduced the legislation as a private members' bill in May 2023. Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan have passed similar legislation. HR practitioners aren't required to join CPHR Manitoba or become CPHRs. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
