Water & Oceans

Small Texas Community Where Everyone Survived Flooding Had Warning Sirens

"As the Guadalupe River swelled from a wall of water heading downstream, sirens blared over the tiny river community of Comfort -- a last-ditch warning to get out for those who had missed cellphone alerts and firefighters going street-to-street telling people to get out."

Source: AP, 07/11/2025

"Texas Counties Have Little Power To Stop Building In Flood-Prone Areas"

"Camp Mystic, the private summer camp that now symbolizes the deadly Central Texas floods, sat on a tract of land known to be at high risk for a devastating flood. Nearly 1.3 million Texas homes are similarly situated in parts of the state susceptible to dangerous floodwaters, according to a state estimate."

Source: Texas Tribune, 07/11/2025

"Noem Doubles Down On Call To Axe FEMA, Then Recreate It To Support States"

"Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has doubled down on her past calls to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — but also says it should be “remade” as the agency responds to floods in Texas."

Source: The Hill, 07/11/2025

Editorial: "Chesapeake Bay Is Stagnating. Here’s What Could Help."

"First, a filthy Chesapeake Bay represented all that wasn’t working with America’s stewardship of its natural environment. Then, the bay became a success story. The sloughs of poorly treated sewage at the bottom of slime-green lagoons disappeared, and oyster populations, once nearly wiped out, made a near-miraculous comeback. ... In recent years, however, progress has stalled."

Source: Washington Post, 07/10/2025

"Trump’s NOAA Pick Stands By Budget Cuts, Calls Staffing ‘A Top Priority’"

"President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told a panel of U.S. senators on Wednesday that he would make it “a top priority” to fill staffing shortages created by recent firings and buyouts across the National Weather Service, while also standing by the administration’s proposal to make drastic cuts to weather and climate research budgets."

Source: Washington Post, 07/10/2025

"Tax Credit Cuts In Trump’s Megabill Imperil Two Fully Approved Wind Farms"

"The ​“Big, Beautiful Bill” includes rollbacks of clean energy incentives that at least two offshore wind projects rely on to pencil out financially, analysts say." 

Source: Canary Media, 07/09/2025

"Nearly Two-Thirds Of US Beaches Saw Fecal Contamination Last Year: Report"

"As Americans flock to the country’s coasts — and to the lakes and rivers in between — in the heat of summer, they may be doing so despite the presence of fecal matter."

Source: The Hill, 07/09/2025

Chantal Wreaks Havoc in N. Carolina as Lawmakers Try to Repeal Climate Goal

"Early Sunday morning, Tropical Storm Chantal had blown ashore in South Carolina, and by the time it meandered into central North Carolina, it had weakened to a tropical depression. But by nightfall the impacts felt akin to a hurricane: 5 to 10 inches of rain fell within 12 hours. Dams burst. Interstates closed. Roads washed away. The Haw River reached historic levels, rising as much as 22 feet in four hours, engulfing parts of Saxapahaw."

Source: Inside Climate News, 07/09/2025

"Texas Flood Forecasts Were Accurate. It Wasn’t Enough To Save Lives."

"The National Weather Service issued timely alerts, meteorologists say, but few were listening in the hours before the early morning flash floods."  "The catastrophic floods that struck central Texas on Friday show that accurate weather forecasts alone aren’t enough to save lives."

Source: E&E News, 07/09/2025

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