Flooding forces evacuations at Kruger National Park as extreme weather batters Southern Africa

Severe #flooding has forced the evacuation of around 600 tourists and staff from South #Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park, after torrential rains submerged roads and camps across the vast wildlife reserve. The park, which spans roughly 22,000 square kilometers, was temporarily closed as authorities moved people to safety amid rising waters and infrastructure damage.

https://www.africanews.com/2026/01/19/flooding-forces-evacuations-at-kruger-national-park-as-extreme-weather-batters-southern-af/

#ExtremeWeather

Flooding forces evacuations at Kruger National Park as extreme weather batters Southern Africa

Severe #flooding has forced the evacuation of around 600 tourists and staff from South #Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park, after torrential rains submerged roads and camps across the vast wildlife reserve. The park, which spans roughly 22,000 square kilometers, was temporarily closed as authorities moved people to safety amid rising waters and infrastructure damage.

https://www.africanews.com/2026/01/19/flooding-forces-evacuations-at-kruger-national-park-as-extreme-weather-batters-southern-af/

#ExtremeWeather

The #Trump admin has abruptly begun slashing key #FEMA staff who work on #disaster response & #recovery

On New Year’s Eve, some employees received emails saying their positions “would not be renewed” & “therefore, your services will no longer be needed” after their contracts expire in the first days of January.

#law #policy #DHS #terrorism #NaturalDisasters #ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #wildfires #flooding #hurricanes
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/01/politics/dhs-cutting-fema-disaster-response-staff?cid=ios_app

The #Trump admin has abruptly begun slashing key #FEMA staff who work on #disaster response & #recovery

On New Year’s Eve, some employees received emails saying their positions “would not be renewed” & “therefore, your services will no longer be needed” after their contracts expire in the first days of January.

#law #policy #DHS #terrorism #NaturalDisasters #ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #wildfires #flooding #hurricanes
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/01/politics/dhs-cutting-fema-disaster-response-staff?cid=ios_app

The planet is on track to log its second-hottest year on record in 2025, tied with 2023 after a historic high in 2024, Europe's global warming monitor said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/12/09/climate-change/tie-second-hottest-year/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #climatechange #climatechange #heatwaves #extremeweather #cop30 #environment #energy #emissions

Together, we can create a future where communities around the world are safe, our infrastructure is resilient, and our emergency services are prepared.

Add your name: https://act-int.greenpeace.org/polluters-pay-pact

#floods #extremeweather #climatecrisis #makepolluterspay #livesbeforeprofits

I hate the shopping season, but I posted this list of "Disaster Preparedness Stocking Stuffers" it seems like a century ago on Tw*tter, so reposting the list again here:

Disaster Preparedness Stocking Stuffers

It's that time of the year again, where people are thinking about holiday gifts. Although I've never been a big fan of the consumer free-for-all at this time of the year, it is a great opportunity to pick up some disaster preparedness stocking stuffers! Here's my annual list of some of my favorite stocking stuffers that can help you and your loved ones get through the next disaster or emergency.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/disaster-75608678

#holidays #shopping #disasters #DisasterPreparedness #ExtremeWeather #climateemergency

But the sudden warming in the far upper atmosphere is going to result in anything but warmth. It is causing the #PolarVortex winds to weaken, said Amy H. Butler, a meteorologist at the #NOAA, & they could even reverse.

…These warming events…can trigger the most intense “polar vortex” cold-air outbreaks in the #US.

#ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #Trump #NaturalDisasters #FEMA #NationalGuard

I hate the shopping season, but I posted this list of "Disaster Preparedness Stocking Stuffers" it seems like a century ago on Tw*tter, so reposting the list again here:

Disaster Preparedness Stocking Stuffers

It's that time of the year again, where people are thinking about holiday gifts. Although I've never been a big fan of the consumer free-for-all at this time of the year, it is a great opportunity to pick up some disaster preparedness stocking stuffers! Here's my annual list of some of my favorite stocking stuffers that can help you and your loved ones get through the next disaster or emergency.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/disaster-75608678

#holidays #shopping #disasters #DisasterPreparedness #ExtremeWeather #climateemergency

#Satellites are crucial to observing the stratosphere & making predictions about sudden stratospheric warming events, she said, & some of that #data is blinking out as satellites age & #NOAA makes #budget & program decisions that affect the availability of current & future measurements. She cited some newly missing data from polar-orbiting satellites as an example.

#ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #PolarVortex #Trump #NaturalDisasters #PublicHealth #FEMA #NationalGuard

Both Butler & Lopez Lang said having accurate #forecasts for #PolarVortex events can help make 7- to 10-day forecasts better, which can be beneficial for decision-making.

…As impactful as these polar vortex events are, scientists are losing some of their eyes on this layer of the atmosphere, Lopez Lang said.

#ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #Trump #NaturalDisasters #PublicHealth #FEMA #NOAA #NationalGuard

#PolarVortex disruption could bring colder temperatures into December
Northern parts of the US may record colder than normal temperatures in the coming weeks, according to a three- to four-week temperature forecast.

“We can see more active & shifted storm tracks & increases in #cold air outbreaks in regions across the Northern Hemisphere,” Lopez-Lang said.

#ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #Trump #NaturalDisasters #PublicHealth #FEMA #NOAA #NationalGuard

…Scientists are watching for colder than normal conditions to develop in the mid-latitudes—where most of the population resides—over the next month or so. Once the #PolarVortex is disrupted, it can take a month or more to recover, said Andrea Lopez Lang, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

What’s most difficult to predict is where the polar vortex will deliver its icy blast, & the temperature outlooks aren’t taking it fully into account, yet.

#ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather

Over the next two weeks, these shifts could start to be felt in #NorthAmerica, #Europe & #Asia as the #PolarVortex weakens & tumbles south, like a spinning top that slows & wobbles off course.

One unusual feature of this event is its timing; sudden stratospheric warming events of this magnitude are almost unheard of in November, said meteorologist Judah Cohen, a research scientist at MIT.

#ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #Trump #NaturalDisasters #FEMA #NOAA #NationalGuard

But the sudden warming in the far upper atmosphere is going to result in anything but warmth. It is causing the #PolarVortex winds to weaken, said Amy H. Butler, a meteorologist at the #NOAA, & they could even reverse.

…These warming events…can trigger the most intense “polar vortex” cold-air outbreaks in the #US.

#ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #Trump #NaturalDisasters #FEMA #NationalGuard

Think of the stratospheric #PolarVortex like a wall of wind, corralling the ultra-cold, Arctic air over the North Pole. When it weakens, cold air spills south into places like the Lower 48, Europe & Asia.

Right now, the air in the stratosphere — the layer of the atmosphere above where most #weather occurs — is warming quickly & dramatically, in a phenomenon known as a sudden stratospheric warming event.

#ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #Trump #NaturalDisasters #FEMA #NOAA #NationalGuard

…Over the next 10 days, changes in the stratosphere will upend #weather patterns & set the stage for a cold, snowy December across the Northern Hemisphere.

It will mean a dramatic swing in weather for parts of the #US that are currently simmering in record heat….

It could also be one of the earliest significant #PolarVortex disruptions recorded since the dawn of the satellite era.

#ClimateChange #ExtremeWeather #Trump #NaturalDisasters #FEMA #NOAA #NationalGuard
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/weather/polar-vortex-cold-snowy-december-stratosphere?cid=ios_app

Another super-hurricane is about to hit the Philippines. I've been doing one hurricane cartoon almost every year and the point of all of them is basically the same. These are from 2024, 2022, 2020 and 2019.

#climatecrisis #hurricane #extremeweather