Storm Draws Eerie Parallels to Hurricane Katrina 16 Years Ago HURRICANE IDA CRUSHES GULF: United States
Sixteen years to the day of one of the biggest natural disasters in U.S. history, another powerful tropical cyclone tore through the Gulf region.
Hurricane Ida tore through the Gulf as it reached the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi, packing Category 4 150 mph sustained winds, just short of Category 5 strength. The punishing winds, gusts, pouring rain, flooding and storm surge decimated the two states, with Ida keeping hurricane strength up to eight hours after making landfall. Homes and other buildings were destroyed, trees uprooted, cars and anything not bolted down overturned, levees overwhelmed, and power lines obliterated. Most – if not, all – of Louisiana is without power. Meanwhile, nearly all of these conditions exist in Mississippi as well, with over 113,000 without power. The fatality count is expected to rise to a heartbreaking level.
“Thanks to the (FEMA) Administrator’s leadership and the hard work of the FEMA team – all of whom are gathered behind me – many of whom are gathered behind me – we’ve already pre-positioned resources that we know are going to be needed, and equipment, and response teams in the region,” said President Biden at an Aug. 30 press conference.
“This includes 2.5 million meals and 3 million liters of water. We’ve got generators in place, and we’re in close touch with the power providers to get and restore power as soon as possible because a lot of it – a lot of it’s going to go out. And we should be prepared that it can take a long time, no matter how much we’ve pre-positioned – which we have – that it’s going to take a long time for a lot of it to get back up. It could take a matter of weeks for some places.
“We’ve got 13 Urban Search and Rescue Teams – for those of you who aren’t familiar with that, they’re – these teams make up about 70 people and experts – each of these teams – and they can do real, serious recovery work.
“More than 100 ambulances and emergency medical teams have been activated. And we’re working with the Red Cross and local partners to open dozens and dozens of shelters with cots and blankets and meals to support those we need to evacuate. That will happen mostly in the northern part of the state and maybe in parts of Mississippi.
“And I’ve already signed an emergency declaration for both Louisiana as well as Mississippi. And I want to make sure that we’re ready to surge all the response capacity capability that we have to deal with whatever comes next. And a lot’s going to be coming.
“I’ve been in touch with the governors of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. And my team at the White House has been in touch with other state, local, and federal officials in the region. And they know – they know there will be the full resources and support of the federal government.”
The power and timing of Ida echoed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 29, the same day that Katrina hit in 2005. Katrina caused over $125 billion in damages and claimed more than 1,800 lives.
Ida then powered on through to the Eastern Seaboard, packing high winds and dumping several inches of rain on an area that saw higher than normal rainfall in August.
AID TO AFGHANISTAN CONTINUES: MIDDLE EAST
The flights evacuating civilians from Afghanistan may have come to an end, but a deepening humanitarian crisis remains, UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared as several senior UN officials restated their commitment to stay and deliver urgently needed supplies to the millions in the country who need humanitarian aid to survive.
In a statement released on Aug. 31, Mr. Guterres expressed his deep concern at the deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in the country and the threat of a total collapse in basic services. “Now more than ever”, said Mr. Guterres, “Afghan children, women and men need the support and solidarity of the international community.”
Afghanistan is coping with a severe drought, and its citizens will have to face harsh winter conditions, underlining the need for supplies to be urgently sent to the country, said Mr. Guterres.
Given this precarious outlook, the UN chief called on all parties to facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access for life-saving and life-sustaining supplies, supplies, as well as for all humanitarian workers, pointedly noting that this meant both men and women working in the field.
Spokesperson Jens Laerke from the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) said that operations were continuing, and that the UN had already helped eight million people this year alone.
But he warned that the $1.3 billion funding requirement had not been met and that there was a lack of supplies in the now Taliban-controlled nation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned that despite Monday’s air delivery of 12.5 metric tons of medical supplies that will cover the basic health needs of more than 200,000 people, it was still “not enough.”
WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris said that although the UN health agency was planning two more supply flights this week, it wanted “continual flights” to restore basic services.
She warned that before the Taliban takeover, some 12.2 million people were already projected to experience food insecurity and malnutrition; getting supplies into Afghanistan was “absolutely critical,” she said.
The head of UN Women, Pramila Patten, called on the Taliban to include women in whatever form of government it eventually decides upon, in a statement.
Ms. Patten referred to a commitment, made by a spokesperson of Afghanistan’s de facto rulers, to uphold women’s rights “within the framework of Islam,” and said that including women in government would be the “ultimate litmus test for the Taliban.”
The 2004 Afghan constitution, said Ms. Patten, called for women’s participation in the political life of the country, and in 2015 the country adopted a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security based on a UN resolution. Ms. Patten insisted that these commitments are binding and must be acted upon immediately.
“Afghan women’s rights activists have fought for their rights and have made considerable progress,” continued Ms. Patten. “These hard-won gains cannot be reversed or rolled back.”
NORTH KOREA – ACTING UP AGAIN: ASIA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it is “deeply troubled” by indications that North Korea, aka the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), appears to have restarted its Yongbyon nuclear reactor.
The 5-megawatt reactor is widely believed to have produced plutonium for nuclear weapons and is at the heart of North Korea’s nuclear program, the agency said.
Responding to journalists’ questions, the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, said on Aug. 30 that the Secretary-General was aware of the reports “and concerned by the latest developments.”
“He calls for the DPRK to refrain from any nuclear weapon-related activities and to resume talks with the other parties concerned.
“Diplomatic engagement remains the only pathway to sustainable peace and complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
In its annual report, issued before a meeting of its Member States, the UN-convened atomic energy watchdog said the reactor has been discharging cooling water since July, suggesting it is operational.
The report said the duration of that apparent work – from mid-February to early July – suggested a full batch of spent fuel was handled, in contrast to the shorter time needed for waste treatment or maintenance.
“The new indications of the operation of the 5MW(e) reactor and the Radiochemical (reprocessing) laboratory are deeply troubling”, and a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, it said. The report also said there were indications of mining and concentration activities at a uranium mine and plant at Pyongsan.
North Korea has continued to develop nuclear weapons since IAEA inspectors were expelled in 2009, holding its last test in 2017.
Since then, the IAEA has had no access to North Korea and now monitors the country from afar, largely through satellite imagery, to get an idea of how many weapons the regime is capable of producing.
This latest observation was the first sign of operational activity at the Yongbyon reactor since December 2018, months after former US President Donald Trump met North Korea leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, according to the IAEA.
With Trump no longer in his position and the chaotic situation in Afghanistan, some have speculated if North Korea feels emboldened due to a lack of respect towards new US President Joseph Biden.
NO MORE LEAD FUEL: WORLD
The global phase-out of leaded fuel represents a “milestone for multilateralism”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Aug. 30, marking the end of a 20-year campaign to eliminate a major threat to the health of people and the planet.
“Lead in fuel has run out of gas – thanks to the cooperation of governments in developing nations, thousands of businesses and millions of ordinary people,” he said.
The UN Environment Program (UNEP) spearheaded the initiative to put the brakes on a century of leaded petrol use. The move is expected to net the global economy $2.45 trillion in savings.
Mr. Guterres highlighted the health benefits.
“Ending the use of leaded petrol will prevent more than one million premature deaths each year from heart disease, strokes and cancer,” he said. “And it will protect children whose IQs are damaged by exposure to lead.”
Inger Andersen, the UNEP Executive Director, echoed his message.
“Overcoming a century of deaths and illnesses that affected hundreds of millions and degraded the environment worldwide, we are invigorated to change humanity’s trajectory for the better through an accelerated transition to clean vehicles and electric mobility.”
The world officially said goodbye to leaded petrol in July, when service stations in Algeria stopped offering it to drivers.
Vehicles have been running on leaded fuel since 1922, when the compound tetraethyllead was added to gasoline to boost engine performance.
By the 1970s, almost all petrol produced worldwide contained lead, UNEP said. The health impacts have been catastrophic, as the Secretary-General pointed out, but the environment has suffered too, with air and soil contamination just two examples.
Most high-income nations had prohibited leaded petrol use by the 1980s, but almost all low and middle-income countries were still using it as late as 2002.
That same year, UNEP began the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), the public-private alliance behind the campaign.
The initiative brought together all stakeholders, and its activities included raising awareness and overcoming resistance from local oil dealers and producers of lead, as well as investing in refinery upgrades and providing technical assistance.
