Historic Flooding Across Colorado
Such utter devastation. Overwhelming. My thoughts go out to all who lost loved ones. I fear this is definitely becoming all too common.
Our children deserve better than to be told this is just "normal" now.
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Fracking And Colorado Flooding Don't Mix
I don't know about you, but these pictures are damned frightening.
However, I'm sure according to the media, politicians cheerleading for fracking (especially in Colorado) and the fossil fuel industry there's nothing to see here.
A one in 100 year flood that should have been considered in the planning regarding fracking and also scientific predictions regarding climate change, yet silence. I guess greed makes you stupid too.
If your drinking water and the water you also need to grow food is poisoned beyond the ability to consume/use it safely you may as well be in a drought.
Of course no planning was necessary. Fossil fuel companies have to take that money to pass on to politicians' campaign accounts. There's no time for all of this study and regulation garbage and caring about climate change. I'm sure any resulting illnesses brought on by this toxic stew will be covered up as well.
I simply cannot believe what my country has become. I have said it before and I will say it again: The age of fossil fuel must end in order to save our water and ourselves.
My heart goes out to the people living in these areas. After seeing and experiencing the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and the toxic waste it left behind it truly brings home what we are doing to our beautiful country and planet and it has to stop!
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Excerpt:
Flooded oil and gas wells, and pipeline, near Greeley, Kersey and Erie, CO, and along the Platte River. Preliminary press reports indicate that perhaps as many as 13,000 of the more than 20,000 wells in Weld County may have some degree of flood damage. This county has more wells than any other county in the country. The flooding and devastation have spread east along the Platte River drainage, out to the Nebraska line to be eventually recaptured in Lake Mcconaughy, the largest man-made impoundment in the state. The cresting on the Platte is estimated to be 17 to 20 feet above normal. Though wells are not as numerous on the eastern plains as in Weld County, oil development is plentiful. Many of the wells in this part of the state are believed to store drilling waste liquids in open pits rather in tanks as required in Weld County. Ozone created by leaking methane makes enclosed storage mandatory in Weld County. Not so, out east. Open pits may be widely flooded and disgorging their toxics into waterways.
Colorado regulations require wells to be 50 feet from rivers and impoundments. There are no requirements for setbacks on intermittent streams or drainage ways. These setback requirements can be negotiated down, as can all setback requirements, which is typically the case.
"Line break, gas has been blowing for two days, northeast of Kersey," Oil and gas employee said.
At a recent public hearing in Greeley on March 12, before the city’s planning commission, Rachael Wilbur a senior at the Colorado School of Mines and former resident of Greeley suggested the city do a risk assessment of more drilling in Greeley, especially under a 100 year flood scenario. There has been no reply. At present, more than 460 wells exist in Greeley, with more than 200 new ones in the permitting process. Some say ultimately the city could see more than 1,600 wells. The invasion of the industry into cities and towns has caused numerous cities along the front range to consider bans or moratoria using the initiative process. The right of the people to protect home and hearth is being hotly contested by the industry and Gov. Hickenlooper.
End of Excerpt.
Also see:
Flood Weary New Mexico Keeps Eyes On Rivers And Dams
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico residents are keeping wary eyes on rivers and dams as parts of the state cope with weekend rains and the renewed threat of heavy runoff from already saturated soils and flooding in low areas.
Some areas of New Mexico received close to 10 inches of rain since a deluge that has caused widespread flooding started Tuesday. Parts of Albuquerque have seen more than 4 inches, marking the wettest September on record for the city.
"A lot of locations have had more moisture for the month of September than they've had all this year or maybe even all of last year as well," said Jason Frazier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.
Another round of rainfall moved across New Mexico on Sunday. In the northeastern corner of the state, where the chance for heavy rain was greatest, residents along the Gallinas River were warned that the waterway could swell again.
Moderate to locally heavy rains will maintain the potential for flash flooding and river flooding in much of northern and central New Mexico through Thursday, the weather service said.
The threat of flooding is expected to decrease Friday as storm activity subsides, forecasters said.
For a state that has been in the grasp of an unprecedented drought, numerous records have fallen in the past week as floodwaters have broken through dams, inundating neighborhoods and leaving behind muddy swaths of debris.
End of Excerpt.
18 Stranded In NM Town Amidst Flooding
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Again as in the case of Colorado and so many other areas, the same pattern emerges: Coming out of an unprecedented drought to record breaking rains. The human fingerprint of climate change.
But hey, let's take another thirty years to do more "studies" on it.
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Also, dual storms and "historic" flooding hit both Mexican coasts:
Mexico Pummeled By Two Major Storms
Remember also, in a world where sea levels are rising you don't specifically need a hurricane to cause more damage to coastlines.
You think since this has hit Acapulco and thousands of tourists who have big bucks have been affected this will be noticed?
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And also, "unprecedented" amounts of rain fell in Japan due to Typhoon Man-Yi.
Typhoon Crushes Japan
Hurricanes are not the only storms we see happening globally. The Atlantic hurricane season may have been quieter than predicted so far, but typhoons and cyclones have hit other areas with unprecedented rains.
The Togetsukyo Bridge is seen just above the Katsura River as the river flooded by torrential rains caused by a powerful typhoon, submerging houses in surrounding residential areas in Kyoto, western Japan, Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Typhoon Man-yi, one of the most powerful storms to lash Japan this season, was packing wind speeds of 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour Monday morning and headed toward Tokyo.
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