Free Republic

Introduction During the last week, the weather in Venezuela has been extremely atypical with rainfall establishing records and flash floods killing over one hundred people while thousands have lost their homes. This is obviously an abnormal natural phenomenon and nobody can be blamed for it. However, the case of Vargas state, a densely populated and small state north of Caracas, is very particular, because that state was the victim of an even larger tragedy in December 99, when tens of thousands were killed due to generalized mudslides. That tragedy was like nothing Venezuela had ever seen in its history, coinciding...

Flooding and mudslides close roads and damage houses. Rain is expected to last through Tuesday. A fourth day of thrashing thunderstorms began to take a heavier toll on Southern California on Sunday with at least three deaths blamed on the rain, as flooding and mudslides forced road closures and emergency crews carried out harrowing rescue operations.**************************************************** The storms had stalled over an area of the Pacific Ocean on Sunday evening, a few hundred miles off the coast of Point Conception, west of Santa Barbara, said Bruce Rockwell, a specialist with the National Weather Service. "It's stationary off the coast and...

WASHINGTON – Warming water temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific last month may indicate the start of a new El Niño. El Niño, which can affect weather conditions around the world, is often first seen as increased sea surface temperatures in the Pacific along with changes in wind patterns. Sea surface temperatures rose nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit above normal in July, with even higher readings to the east, the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center said on Thursday. The temperature increases, the agency said, "indicate the possible early stages of a warm episode." The report noted that the normal easterly...

<p>The fires are out for now, but real dangers still threaten Southern California, as the toll of Christmas Day mudslides have shown.</p> <p>Winter rains have begun to trigger mass erosion and mudslides on exposed slopes, setting back forest restoration and further impacting some wildlife habitats already scarred by fire. Further, tens of thousands of beetle-killed trees still stand like kindling over the San Bernardino Mountains, primed to fuel another wildfire.</p>

Loans And Grants It's too bad Southern California isn't part of Iraq. If it were, then the federal aid it will get would be in the form of grants instead of loans. If Southern California were Israel, it could get $4 billion a year in grants without fires. Even so, it's better to be temporarily scorched Southern California than part of Iraq. Iraq doesn't have forest fires, but that's because there are no forests. Iraq has sandstorms instead. Israel is afflicted with perpetual war. It's sad to see so many lose their homes, but it's just nature. Southern California has...

<p>Another powerful storm is expected to hit Northern California on Thursday, the National Weather Service forecasts.</p> <p>The upcoming storm will produce strong winds and significant rains and mountain snow.</p> <p>Winds are forecast to increase along the coastal range late Wednesday night. Winds will continue to increase over the interior Thursday as the storm moves inland.</p>

<p>Carlsbad Detective Sgt. Bob Wick, left, looks for evidence as tow truck driver Rusty Russell helps remove a car from the Auga Hedionda Creek in Carlsbad early Tuesday. Three women died and two were injured trying to cross the swollen creek Monday night after heavy rains.</p>