flood

Nov 19, 2007 10:33 AM CST

Noah's Flood Transformed Agriculture

Melting glaciers inundated Black Sea, scattered farmers

(Newser) - The real-life inspiration for the biblical flood may have been responsible for the widespread adoption of agriculture in Europe, according to a new study. About 8,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, ice sheets melted, causing massive flooding in the Black Sea basin. That forced...

Oil Touches Record $97 a Barrel

Nov 6, 2007 2:24 PM CST

Oil Touches Record $97 a Barrel

Weak dollar and expected supply drop push crude to another record

(Newser) - Crude oil hit $97 a barrel today on the New York Mercantile Exchange, helped along by a weak dollar and an expected drop in supply—an especially impressive jump considering the 2% price drop yesterday. "What a difference a day makes," one analyst told MarketWatch. "This volatility...

Mudslide Buries Mexican Village

Nov 6, 2007 6:02 AM CST

Mudslide Buries Mexican Village

Flood Victims Fight for Food

20,000 still trapped on rooftops as workers focus on 'selective evacuations'

(Newser) - Mexican flood victims fought for food and medicine today, as workers continued efforts to rescue 20,000 still stranded on rooftops, the AP reports. Some camped on upper floors or roofs to guard possessions, while others went looking—some looting—for food. One worker said rescuers were focusing on "...

Message From Rooftop: 'Send the Police'

Nov 4, 2007 9:03 AM CST

Message From Rooftop: 'Send the Police'

Thousands await aid in Mexican floods; 800,000 homeless

(Newser) - People in southeastern Mexico endured another day huddled in shelters or perched on rooftops as the flooding that has left 800,000 people homeless continued unabated, Reuters reports. The death toll rose to eight—seven in Chiapas state and one in Tabasco. But people are desperate for faster help: "...

'Biblical' Flood Ravages Mexico

Nov 3, 2007 5:58 AM CDT

'Biblical' Flood Ravages Mexico

Million flee homes amid fears of disease, food and water shortages

(Newser) - Shortages of food, drinking water, and medicine threaten southeastern Mexico, where muddy flood waters cover 80% of the state of Tabasco and almost a million people have had to flee their homes. "The scene here is terrible, it's biblical," a Red Cross official told the Guardian, as a...

Mexico Floods Strand 300,000

Nov 2, 2007 6:55 AM CDT

Mexico Floods Strand 300,000

Rescuers scramble in Gulf state of Tabasco

(Newser) - Rescuers are racing to southeastern Mexico by boat and helicopter to free 300,000 people trapped in their homes by massive flooding, the BBC reports. Nearly 70% of the state of Tabasco is under water and all crops have been obliterated. "We are just like New Orleans," the...

Floods Devastate Africa

Sep 20, 2007 3:04 AM CDT

Floods Devastate Africa

Deluge triggers humanitarian crisis

(Newser) - Several of Africa's poorest countries have been devastated by a catastrophic deluge of rain, washing away lives, communities and crops. As many as 18 of the normally driest countries in the world, from Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso in the west, to Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia in the east,...

'Super Typhoon' Strikes China

Sep 18, 2007 8:22 PM CDT

'Super Typhoon' Strikes China

Soldiers continue evacuation despite heavy rain

(Newser) - What China is calling a "super typhoon" struck its east coast today as huge waves pounded the shore and soldiers evacuated residents in heavy rain. Winds of up to 150 feet per second roared through Zhejiang province, whipping up the 36-foot-high waves and suspending ferry and boat services. Earlier...

Midwest Picks Up Pieces After 'Devastating' Storms

Aug 27, 2007 5:00 AM CDT

Midwest Picks Up Pieces After 'Devastating' Storms

Region ravaged by tornadoes, floods

(Newser) - The Midwest began massive storm cleanup yesterday as power was restored in southern Michigan after a series of tornadoes, and Ohio residents picked through homes ruined by floods. Hardest hit was Fenton, where at least 250 buildings in the Michigan town were destroyed when six tornadoes touched down in the...

Midwest Threatened
by Continued Flooding

Aug 25, 2007 9:05 AM CDT

Midwest Threatened by Continued Flooding

More rain possible this weekend

(Newser) - Heavy flooding continues to beset the Midwest, with the prospect of even more rain looming, the AP reports. In northern Illinois, 143,000 are still without power since storms hit Thursday. Rain has stopped, but flooding is still a danger for hundreds of thousands of people near swollen creeks and...

Storms, Floods Shake Midwest

Aug 24, 2007 4:50 PM CDT

Storms, Floods Shake Midwest

Death toll rises, heavy rains continue

(Newser) - Powerful thunderstorms, humidity, and sky-high temperatures are making the flooding situation in the Midwest even stickier. The death toll has climbed to 17, and businesses and infrastructure have taken a big hit. Meanwhile, residents are returning home in droves as floodwaters abate, only to find that the electricity is out...

More Flooding Ravages Midwest

Aug 23, 2007 7:02 AM CDT

More Flooding Ravages Midwest

Ohio governor declares state of emergency as waters rise

(Newser) - Ohio towns were turned into lakes as some of the worst flooding in a century spread across the Midwest yesterday, displacing hundreds of people, reports the AP. Locals in the town on Findlay, Ohio, not far from the Indiana border, navigated the submerged streets in canoes as firefighters and volunteers...

Rain, Flooding Now Dean's Biggest Threat

Aug 22, 2007 6:37 PM CDT

Rain, Flooding Now Dean's Biggest Threat

Downgraded to tropical storm after 2nd landfall

(Newser) - Hurricane Dean hit Mexico again today and poured heavy rains over flood-prone regions, the AP reports. Nobody died in the onslaught, which struck as a Category 2 hurricane and weakened into a tropical storm by evening. But Dean is raising water levels and fears of mudslides and flash floods as...

Dean to Make Last Stand

Aug 22, 2007 9:16 AM CDT

Dean to Make Last Stand

Storm strong on course to return to Mexico

(Newser) - Hurricane Dean gathered serious strength in preparation for its final landfall in the Mexican city of Tuxpan later today, and its 90mph winds may increase further before touchdown. The storm smashed the Yucatan yesterday, then moved across the Bay of Campeche and its oil rigs, which were evacuated ahead of...

Death Toll Hits 22 in Midwest Floods

Aug 22, 2007 1:00 AM CDT

Death Toll Hits 22 in Midwest Floods

Costs are counted as storms move into Ohio

(Newser) - At least 22 people have been killed in the floods inundating the Midwest, AP reports. As the two storm systems responsible moved into Ohio yesterday, officials in Wisconsin and Minnesota tallied damage assessments in the tens of millions of dollars. An estimated 4,200 homes were affected in Minnesota alone.

Midwestern Floods Takes 4 Lives

Aug 19, 2007 4:16 PM CDT

Midwestern Floods Takes 4 Lives

National Guardsmen rescue trapped drivers, state of emergency declared

(Newser) - Floodwaters have taken at least 4 lives today and plowed through bridges and roads in the MidWest, the AP reports. Dozens of National Guardsmen are braving severe storms as helicopters are rescuing people trapped by the flooding. Governors have declared states of emergency in Minnesota and Wisconsin and urged people...

Floods Trap 180 Chinese Miners

Aug 18, 2007 9:34 AM CDT

Floods Trap 180 Chinese Miners

Officials have little hope of rescuing trapped men

(Newser) - Flash flooding complicated efforts in eastern China today to rescue 180 miners trapped underground, and officials warned the men had little chance of survival. Pummeled by hours of downpour, an overwhelmed river breached its levee and gushed rushing waters into the Shandong coal mine, where 756 people had been working....

New Flood Gates Protect
the Few, Not the Many

Aug 17, 2007 2:38 PM CDT

New Flood Gates Protect the Few, Not the Many

Charges surface of preferential treatment for rich neighborhoods

(Newser) - New Orleans is still at severe risk from a serious flood, even though the Army Corps of Engineers has spent 2 years and $1 billion on the city's hurricane protection system. What's more, much of what's been done will benefit only wealthier neighborhoods. “We’re still with this damned...

Texas Braces for Tropical Storm Erin

Aug 15, 2007 7:15 PM CDT