Disasters

"It was half past midnight on March 11 when a cacophony of sirens and shouting jolted Emilio Vasquez and his family from a sound sleep. “Get out of your houses immediately!” a voice barked in Spanish through a bullhorn. “The water is coming!”"

"With a summer of extreme weather records dominating the news, meteorologists and scientists say records like these give a glimpse of the big picture: a warming planet caused by climate change."

"July is shaping up to be the planet’s hottest month on record as global warming, El Niño and regional heat waves conspire to push civilization into uncharted thermal territory, experts say."

"The homebuilding industry has been slow to adopt changes that can better protect against extreme weather. Some architects are showing what’s possible."

"AAA will not renew home and car insurance for some of its policyholders in Florida, citing increased natural disaster risk that it says makes the policies not worth providing."

"An extreme heatwave peaked in the western United States on Sunday, with temperatures reaching 128 Fahrenheit (53 Celsius) in the California desert, while flash flooding continued to menace the Northeast, killing at least five people."

"An expansive heatwave that's been baking the southern United States for nearly two weeks is only expected to intensify as the weekend approaches, forecasters say. Heat advisories and warnings are still in place from Florida to Arizona, impacting more than 111 million people, according to a count from the Associated Press."

"Atmospheric rivers drenched California and deadly storms crept toward Mississippi as Deanne Criswell sat in her corner office in Washington, D.C., and tackled a loaded question: Is it all too much for FEMA?"

"Countries at this year's U.N. climate summit must face up to how far behind they are lagging on climate change targets and agree a plan to get on track, the United Arab Emirates' incoming president of the event said on Thursday."