International
More hurricanes and more powerful and faster threaten the Atlantic this 2024
With one day left before the official start of a new season of expert hurricanes in the United States and authorities asked the population this Friday to be prepared for the increasingly powerful and frequent cyclones, which hit vulnerable areas of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico with special virulence.
The National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States, has predicted for this year in the Atlantic an active and above-average season, with between 17 and 25 named storms and 8 to 13 hurricanes, of them between 4 and 7 of the higher category.
However, and as the director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center, Michael Brennan, said this Friday at a press conference, there is no need for a major hurricane to generate devastating impacts and gave as an example the floods caused by the rains that carry the cyclones, which in the last ten years have been “the deadliest danger.”
“They have been responsible for more than half of the deaths” and it is almost unrelated to the strength of a cyclone, Brennan stressed. “It doesn’t matter the category, or if it’s a tropical storm or depression. What matters is how much it rains and how heavy the rains are in a certain location,” he said.
The director said that other water-related hazards, such as hurricane tide or hangover currents, are responsible for between 85 and 90% of the deaths left by each storm or hurricane that hits the United States.
Cyclones are not only more powerful and intensify faster, but also, as recent studies reveal, this “rapid intensification occurs more and more frequently the closer they get to the ground,” said today the chief scientist of the organization The Nature Conservancy, Katharine Hayhoe.
During a teleconference, the expert stressed that at present, cyclones carry “much more water vapor” than 50 or 100 years ago, and also their weakening process, even when they are already on land and far from their source of power (the hot waters of the ocean), is slower and therefore impact more.
Hayhoe said that to measure the degree of disaster that a hurricane or storm can generate, it is necessary to take into account the latent danger as well as the level of exposure, that is, the number of structures and people that can be left at the mercy of the cyclones.
And a third element is vulnerability, which has to do with how prepared and resistant the populations are, a component that is reflected with the different impacts that in 2016 caused the powerful Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, where it unleashed an outbreak of cholera, and in the Carolinas, states of the United States.
The deputy director of the organization’s Caribbean program, Shenique Albury-Smith, recalled this Friday that Hurricane Dorian of 2019, which reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale (the maximum), has been the most powerful that has impacted the Bahamas, where 70 people died and generated losses of more than 3.4 billion dollars.
“People lost houses, cars, boats, businesses; assets that took them a lifetime to build and that were basically lost in a day, in a few hours,” said Albury-Smith, who also highlighted the psychological impacts that that hurricane unleashed on the affected populations.
“Hurricanes provide a very strong footprint of how human activity, specifically greenhouse gas emissions, are overloading our extreme climates, making them much more dangerous in a world that is getting hot,” Hayhoe said.
The scientist was questioned about the recent law signed by the governor of Florida, Republican Ron DeSantis, which eliminates most of the references to the climate crisis from state legislation and even ceases to be one of the priorities of the Government’s agenda.
“I can say that I don’t believe in gravity, but the truth is that if I jump from the precipice I will fall,” said the expert.
He added that not reacting to the information provided by science is an option. “But it is an option that increases our vulnerability instead of reducing it,” he stressed.
International
China calls for dialogue amid rising Iran-Israel conflict
The Chinese government emphasized on Monday the importance of “creating the conditions to return to the proper path of dialogue” between Iran and Israel, which have exchanged attacks in recent days resulting in more than 20 Israeli and over 220 Iranian deaths.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun expressed deep concern at a press conference over the Israeli attacks on Iran and the “sudden escalation” of the military conflict.
Guo called on all parties to “take immediate measures to ease tensions and prevent the region from descending into further turmoil,” stating that “force cannot bring lasting peace.”
“If the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to intensify or even expand, the countries of the Middle East will be the first to suffer the consequences,” he added, while noting that China “will continue to maintain communication with the relevant parties, promoting peace and dialogue.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke last Saturday with his Iranian and Israeli counterparts to condemn the Israeli airstrike on Iranian territory, which he described as a “violation of international law” with the potential to trigger “disastrous” consequences.
In both calls, Wang reiterated China’s rejection of the use of force, defended diplomacy as the only solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute, and offered China’s mediation to prevent further destabilization in the Middle East.
International
Suspect arrested in killing of Minnesota legislator and husband, governor Says
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Sunday the arrest of Vance Luther Boelter, 57, the main suspect in the killing of Democratic legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband in a Brooklyn Park suburb on Friday night.
Boelter, who also reportedly shot State Senator John Hoffman and his wife early Saturday morning, was apprehended in Sibley County following an intensive manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officers.
In a public statement, Governor Walz condemned Boelter’s “unthinkable actions,” which resulted in the death of a woman who “shaped the core of who we are as a state.”
“We cannot become numb to this. We are a deeply divided nation,” Walz said in a statement posted on his X account.
“We move forward not with hatred or violence, but with humility, grace, and civility,” he added.
Expressing solidarity with the victims’ families, Walz said the entire state of Minnesota is in mourning. He also thanked law enforcement for their bravery and professionalism: “They have saved lives,” he emphasized.
“As we heal, we will not let fear win,” Walz concluded. “We must honor Melissa by moving forward with understanding, service, and above all, humanity.”
Throughout Sunday, police and sheriff units searched a rural area in Minnesota for Vance Luther Boelter, a security company director and preacher who, according to Governor Walz, acted out of politically motivated violence.
International
40,000 tourists stranded in Israel amid airspace shutdown over Iran conflict
Approximately 40,000 tourists are stranded in Israel following the closure of the country’s airspace amid escalating hostilities with Iran, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism reported on Monday.
The ministry has set up a virtual office to provide information via email (virtual@goisrael.gov.il) and phone (+972-53-583-5808), as well as a Facebook page called Israel Virtual Tourist Office.
Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz is in contact with hotels and accommodations across the country to offer support to tourists in need, the ministry added.
Many stranded travelers are considering crossing overland into Jordan or Egypt to seek flights from those countries. The Israel Airports Authority reminded the public that land border crossings remain open.
Three German tourists stranded in Jerusalem told EFE today that they have not received any assistance from their country’s embassy in Israel, and their primary option currently is to cross into Jordan to catch a flight from there.
Since early Friday morning, Israel launched operations against Iran, targeting military personnel and infrastructure, including energy and nuclear facilities, as well as numerous residential areas in Tehran.
In response, Iran has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel, some of which have struck various locations across the country, leaving at least 24 dead so far, according to Israeli authorities.
Iranian health officials report at least 224 deaths, mostly civilians, including at least 17 senior military officials—nine from the Revolutionary Guard—and more than a dozen nuclear scientists.
The Israeli military has warned that many more “targets” remain, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared on Monday that it will continue missile attacks against Israel until its “destruction.”
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