TROPICAL STORM TOMAS

      Prime Minister Stephenson King (St. Lucia, West Indies) issued a declaration of disaster last weekend as the death toll attributed to Hurricane Tomas reached 12 today.  The storm moved over the island very slowly at only 8 miles hour, causing a great amount of damage.  In fact, two years worth of rainfall was dropped in a time period of 24 hours!!  Tomas is rated as a Category 1 hurricane and damaged schools, houses, and very important roads and bridges - some that were the only means of reaching villages.  Aid from the United States and France were expected to arrive today.  Hurricane Tomas is currently heading towards Jamaica and is expected to hit Haiti by Friday with sustained winds of 100 mph!
 
     The people of Haiti have obviously been warned but they need to assess the damage this storm has already caused.  The Haitians need to be prepared for what is to come of this slow moving storm.  They should try to pack up anything and everything they can and take it to safe ground, since Tomas moved across St. Lucia at only 8 mph.  This is extremely slow for a hurricane to move - meaning it has more time to damage the area it is moving across.  Aid relief in St. Lucia should be focusing on finding any missing people first, while also repairing roads and bridges that can be used for evacuation.

WInter Wonderland in October

50 MPH WINDS, RAIN, AND SNOW TO HIT VERMONT -

       Two low pressure systems are combining out east right now creating a massive 'nor'easter' expected to bring winds up to 50 mph, rainfall, and even up to 16 inches of snow in the Vermont and New Hampshire Mountains before the weekend is done.  Five inches of snow have already blanketed parts of Vermont this morning.  The two systems are said to be pulling moisture from the Atlantic Ocean creating strong winds and up to 4 inches of rain.  This combination of strong winds and freezing rain/snow/sleet could have a disastrous effect on trees; knocking limbs and foliage to the ground.  Because of this, power outages are expected.  Flights are already being delayed at the Newark and La Guardia airports.  This 'nor'easter' is expected to cover most of the northeastern half of the nation, ranging from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.  So for all the Easterners out there, it looks like they will be doing their trick'r'treatin' in snowshoes this year.     

Villages In Hungary Overtaken By Toxic Mud

   A reservoir burst in Kolontar, Hungary yesterday October 4th spilling toxic mud into the village.  So far at least a  million cubic meters of the red toxic mud has flowed into the villages of Kolontar, Devecser, and Somlovasarhely, among others, causing many injuries, four deaths, and 7 people unaccounted for.  This disastrous mud contains a waste product from aluminum production and may soon run into the Danube and the Raba Rivers.  Having already ran into the Marcel River, crews are desperately trying to prevent further spreading.  The four casualties include two babies, a man trapped in his car, and a woman in her house.  Most of the injured (116 people) were airlifted by helicopter to the capital of Budapest.  The sludge was said to burn peoples skin and eyes, and may even cause blindness.  Hopefully crews can contain this mudslide and prevent further damages and casualties.  I feel that tests should have been regularly completed on the reservoir to check for cracks, leaks, and other deformities/damages.  This simple measure could have protected the population of these villages in Hungary.

5TH HIGHEST HISTORICAL CREST OF THE CHIPPEWA RIVER IN EAU CLAIRE

   The two rivers in Eau Claire crested Saturday from the tremendous amounts of rainfall we have had the past week; the Eau Claire river cresting at 16.5 feet - about 5 feet above flood stage - and the mighty Chip cresting at 777.7 feet - 4.5 feet above flood stage.  This flooding cause multiple closures around town including: -The Chippewa River Trail - Hobbs boat landing - Lake Street - Owen Park - Riverview Park - Old Abe Trail from Phoenix Park to Dewey Street - First Avenue - Haymarket parking lot - amongst others.  Most of these closures will be back in operation today or tomorrow as the water continues to recede for the next week and a half or so.  Minor damages reported include flooded basements and minor road damage (erosion).

Wisconsin River Flooding - Portage, WI

      As water levels near record highs around the state, a few towns are in moderate danger.  The Portage area has been hit hard by the recent rainfalls.  The town of Caledonia, just west of Portage, has been nearly fully evacuated; just 75 of the town's 300 people remain in their flood-stranded homes.  This could be a terrible idea for these folks as the current levee system is weakening rapidly.  Part of this 14-mile levee system includes dikes primarily made up of sand and dating all the way back to the late 1800's.  If the levee breaks, it could destroy an already flooded access road to one of the town's neighborhoods.  The Wisconsin River raised to an all time (recorded) high this morning of 20.59 feet; the previous record of 20.50 feet was recorded in 1938.

A Hard Rains Gonna Fall - Georgette Nears Mexico

 A Tropical Depression (or cyclone) named 'Georgette' is expected to hit Mexico sometime this evening as reported by the National Hurricane Center.  As of 11 o'clock this morning, Georgette was about 40 miles south of Mexico, heading northwest.  The storm is believed to have sustained winds of 35 miles per hour and is expected to drop 6 inches of rain in parts of Mexico.  A tropical storm watch has been issued by the Mexican government for the coast of mainland Mexico.  Though Georgette is expected to weaken as it hits land, the southern United States (Arizona) is likely to be affected within the next few days. 

WILDFIRE OUT WEST - BOULDER, COLORADO

  The wildfire that started in Boulder, Colorado over the Labor Day weekend was confirmed 100% contained as of Monday by the Incident Command.  During its rampage, The Fourmile Canyon Fire destroyed a reported 169 homes costing approximately $80 million in damage on top of a reported $7 million used to fight the fire.  It took about 1,400 firefighters and six days to finely get a hold of the blaze.  Investigators now believe that the blaze was ignited from a home owner's fire pit that was never fully extinguished.  The irony of it is; the 71 year-old-man whom they believe started the fire is a 20 year veteran of the Fourmile Canyon Fire Department.  Charges could include a fourth-degree arson charge which is when a person "knowingly or recklessly starts or maintains a fire or causes an explosion, on his own property or that of another, and by so doing places another in danger of death or serious bodily injury or places any building or occupied structure of another in danger of damage."  Some homeowners were allowed back into their neighborhoods September 10th to assess the damage, while the rest were allowed back the 14th.  The Boulder blaze ended up burning 6,427 acres of Rocky Mountain territory and if one lesson was learned; no matter how experienced you are with fighting fires - never under estimate the power of some hot unextinguished coals.