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Slip-sliding away

01 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

God promises Noah that "the waters shall never again become a flood." But scientists studying global warming in the Antarctic warn that worldwide sea levels may rise much more quickly than previously projected, causing widespread flooding. Antarctic glaciers are melting faster across a much wider area than previously thought, they said Wednesday. Previously most of the warming was thought to occur on the narrow stretch pointing toward South America, said Colin Summerhayes, executive director of the Britain-based Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. But satellite data and automated weather stations indicate otherwise. "The warming we see in the peninsula also extends all the way down to what is called west Antarctica," Summerhayes said. "That's unusual and unexpected." The biggest west Antarctic glacier, the Pine Island Glacier, is moving 40 percent faster than it was in the 1970s, discharging water and ice more rapidly into the ocean, said Summerhayes. The Smith Glacier, also in west Antarctica, is moving 83 percent faster than it did in 1992, he said. All the glaciers in the area together are losing a total of around 114 billion tons per year. "That's equivalent to the current mass loss from the whole of the Greenland ice sheet," said Summerhayes. Source: An article by Eliane Engeler for the Associated Press

global warming flooding antarctica glaciers colin summerhayes scientific committee on antarctic research pine island glacier smith glacier
An anything-but-peaceful week in the Pacific

04 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Pharisees tested Jesus with their question on divorce, we hear in this Sunday's gospel. The people and disaster resources of nations across the Pacific are being tested this week by a spate of powerful natural disasters. The Philippines suffered the worst flooding to hit the country in more than 40 years after tropical storm Ketsana swept through earlier in the week. Overwhelmed officials have called for international help in the storm's aftermath and fear that another powerful storm could hit as early as Friday. Ketsana grew to typhoon-force as it gathered strength across the South China Sea before blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides. "We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. But I've never seen a storm this strong," said Nam Tum, governor of Cambodia's Kampong Thom province. The storm has claimed at least 331 lives across the region. The Vietnamese government said the tempest destroyed or damaged nearly 180,000 homes, inundated 150,000 more, and flattened crops across central Vietnam. More than 350,000 people were evacuated from the typhoon's path, posing a logistical headache to shelter and feed them. "The scale of the devastation is stretching all of us," said Minnie Portales, a World Vision aid agency official in the Philippines. Meanwhile, disaster officials rushed food, medicine, and a temporary morgue to the Samoas on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake unleashed a tsunami that leveled villages and swept cars and people out to sea. At least 119 people were killed, and the death toll is expected to rise. Many towns and tourist resorts along the southern coast of Samoa's main Upolu Island were "destroyed," according to witnesses. In addition, a powerful earthquake rocked western Indonesia Wednesday, trapping thousands under collapsed buildings--including two hospitals--and triggering landslides. At least 75 people were killed on the island of Sumatra, and the number of dead is predicted to climb sharply. Source: Articles by Rohan Sullivan, Teresa Cerojano, and Tran Van Minh for Associated Press

pacific indonesia upolu island tsunami samoas world vision minnie portales nam tum vietnam cambodia ketsana philippines disasters earthquake flooding sumatra
El Salvador overwhelmed in Ida’s aftermath

15 Nov 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"A time unsurpassed in distress" is described in this Sunday's first reading. Days of torrential rains caused by Tropical Storm Ida are being blamed for at least 140 deaths in El Salvador. President Mauricio Funes declared a national emergency, describing the devastation as "incalculable." Thousands are living in shelters as a result of the disaster, and large parts of the country are without electricity and clean water, according to reports. The areas around the capital, San Salvador, and the central province of San Vicente were hit hardest. The rains washed away crops across the region, leaving thousands without a stable food supply, a representative of the U.N. World Food Program said. Access remains a major challenge as civil defense authorities said 18 bridges and many more roads had been destroyed. Funes, who has been in office only five months, blamed previous Salvadorian governments for failing to put in place the prevention measures that could have mitigated the worst effects of the floods. At least 49 of the dead were believed to be children. Source: An article by Will Grant for BBC News

rain flooding san vicente san salvador tropical storm ida mauricio funes el salvador
Mighty Mississippi menaces Delta region

15 May 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter--Good Shepherd Sunday--contain many shepherding allusions. Residents of the Mississippi Delta region need the assistance of a good shepherd to help them navigate flood waters from the swollen river that are cresting at near record levels this week. The river topped outTuesday at Memphis just inches short of the record set in 1937. Some low-lying neighborhoods were inundated, but high levees protected much of the rest of the city. The damage was estimated at more than $320 million, but an official tally won't be available until the waters recede. To the south there were no early figures on the cost of the devastation, but with hundreds of homes already damaged, "we're going to have a lot more when the water gets to where it's never been before," said Greg Flynn, a spokesman for the Mississippi emergency management agency. Downstream in Louisiana, inmates were filling sandbags to protect property in Cajun swamp communities that could be flooded if engineers open a spillway to protect the more densely populated Baton Rouge area. Fear was high across the region. "I went through [Hurricane] Katrina," said Lynn Magnuson, a New Orleans resident. "I would not wish flooding on anyone, and this city is the last place on Earth that needs any more high water." "After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike--as well as the oil spill--Louisiana can ill-afford another large-scale disaster," said Sen. Mary Landrieu (D, La.) "Billions of dollars in property is at stake, not to mention the threat to human life." Source: Articles by Holbrook Mohr and Shelia Byrd for the Associated Press and CNN.com

flooding louisiana mississippi river floods good shepherd sunday memphis new orleans
Even Venice can flood

18 Nov 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Both the gospel and the first reading this Sunday speak of a time of tribulation when people will be forced to move. Fast-rising waters forced hundreds to flee their homes in Venice, Italy Monday as nearly three quarters of the fabled city was inundated by near-record levels of floodwater that filled shops, homes, and historic palaces.Elevated water in Venice reached nearly 5 feet, one of the highest stages since records began in 1872, forcing residents to wade through waist-deep water. Tourists in bathing suits sat at cafe tables under the water. There was no immediate estimate of damage to the city.In Tuscany, 9 inches of rain fell in four hours, causing several rivers to flood, according to the regional government. “It has been devastating,” said Roberto Pucci, the mayor of Massa Carrara in Tuscany, one of the worst-hit areas. “I saw at least six bridges destroyed in the hills, floods, landslides, vineyards, and olive groves swept away. If there hasn't been a death it's a miracle,” he said.Local media said dozens of people took refuge on their roofs after rivers burst their banks in central Italy. It was the fourth time since 2000 that Venice had been hit by record-high water, and the city's environment officer said the latest flooding was the result of global climate change. A barrier to protect the city from repeated winter flooding, which has been planned for decades, is due to be finished by 2015.By Wednesday the situation in Venice was improving, but several bridges and roads in Rome had to be closed as the swollen Tiber river rushed through the capital and flooded outlying regions.Homily hint: The power of nature unleashed, which the East Coast of the U.S. may feel one week and Italy the next, reminds us of our vulnerability to even the smallest changes in climatic conditions. A few degrees of warming can give a storm greater power, melt a glacier, kill a magnificent coral reef. We honor our Creator by living in harmony with the rest of creation. Sources: Articles by Steve Scherer, Naomi O’Leary, and Philip Pullella for Reuters

global warming flooding climate change venice tuscany