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September 2008
- Storms Threaten East Coast Pounding
  
  Bloomberg | Sep 26, 08 9:40 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A storm system threatened East Coast cities with heavy winds and rain, and Tropical Storm Kyle moved toward hurricane strength further out in the Atlantic, Bloomberg reports. Flights were delayed along the coast, with planes in New York City waiting 90 minutes or more on runways. Meanwhile, Kyle, 645 miles south-southwest of Bermuda, was expected off the coast of New England this weekend. More »
- Stricken Houston Lines Up for Food, Water
  
  Houston Chronicle | Sep 16, 08 2:25 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thousands of weary Houston residents joined lines that stretched for blocks yesterday to collect the basics they need to survive in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Emergency supplies are being strictly rationed and each family is allowed only two bags of ice, a case of bottled water and a 12-pack of ready-to-eat meals. "The rules are in place to make sure everybody gets something," said a local pastor, though some distribution centers had inadequate supplies. More »
- Ike's Message: Don't Build on Sandbars
  
  LiveScience | Sep 14, 08 3:37 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The barrier islands along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts entice inhabitants with their balmy beachfronts, but prove an equal draw for often devastating tropical storms. As Hurricane Ike's path of destruction across Galveston Island shows, building houses on what amounts to an oversized sandbar can be a critical mistake—though one that is becoming more and more common, reports LiveScience. More »
- Ike's Waves Assault Galveston
  
  CNN | Sep 12, 08 9:57 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hurricane Ike is still more than 200 miles from land, but its waves are already flooding Galveston Island neighborhoods, CNN reports. Residents have been warned to evacuate or face “certain death,” as waters are expected to rise up to 22 feet. A 584-foot tanker, meanwhile, lost power about 90 miles off the island’s southern coast. With conditions too dangerous to attempt a rescue, the crew will have to weather the storm within the ship. More »
- Dad Saves Toddler Sucked Into Storm Drain
  
  Guardian (UK) | Sep 9, 08 3:38 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Emergency workers are praising the "incredibly quick thinking" of a British man who saved his 3-year-old daughter from drowning yesterday after she was sucked into a storm drain with her dog, the Guardian reports. Royal Air Force sergeant Mark Baxter raced to a river just in time to save his daughter Leona as she shot from the pipe into a flood-swollen river 230 feet away. More »
- Ike Slams Cuba; 600 Dead in Haiti
  
  Bloomberg | Sep 8, 08 2:21 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hurricane Ike has hit land in northeastern Cuba and is now sweeping across the country with savage 125 mph winds, Bloomberg reports. Over 800,000 people were evacuated before the arrival of the Category 3 hurricane, the second in just over a week to slam the country, AFP notes. “In all of Cuba's history, we have never had two hurricanes this close together,” said a meteorologist. More »
- Don't Get Complacent, Big Easy: Officials
  
  New York Times | Sep 7, 08 4:06 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - New Orleans residents may be celebrating Hurricane Gustav's near-miss this week, but that's no reason to get complacent, the New York Times reports. Officials admit that protective infrastructure still isn’t up to par, and there were several close calls when Gustav made landfall. “I want everybody to understand—we’re not there yet,” an Army Corps of Engineers colonel said. More »
- Ike Tears Up Caribbean
  
  CNN | Sep 7, 08 6:49 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A howling Hurricane Ike bent palm trees and ripped up hundreds of homes as it tore through the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean early today. Up to 50% of houses in Grand Turk lost roofs or were completely destroyed by the 135 mph winds, and the entire British island was without power, reports CNN. People were cowering in closets and under stairwells, "holding on for life," said one witness. "They got hit really, really bad." More »
- Hanna Hits Carolinas
  
  CNN | Sep 6, 08 7:35 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Tropical Storm Hanna hit the shores of the Carolinas this morning, bringing big waves and some flooding, wind damage, and blackouts, CNN reports. Some 22,000 homes in the two states lost power while nearly 2,000 residents entered shelters. “Large and dangerous battering waves” as well as tornadoes could be on their way, forecasters warned. But “it's actually going fairly well,” said an emergency spokesman. More »
- Haitians Starving in Hanna Hell
  
  Guardian (UK) | Sep 5, 08 2:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Impoverished Haiti is reeling from the devastation of a series of tropical storms and hurricanes, with refugees starving on rooftops in flood-ravaged areas, reports the Guardian . Faced with washed-out roads and winds too strong for helicopters, UN aide workers are using inflatable boats to reach at least some survivors. The storms have killed 136 in Haiti and left thousands homeless. More »
- 1M Lose Power as Gustav Rolls Through La.
  
  Associated Press | Sep 1, 08 7:01 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - Hurricane Gustav left more than 1 million without power today as it tore roofs from homes, toppled trees, and flooded roads in the heart of Louisiana's fishing and oil industry, the AP reports. Many of the 2 million people who left coastal Louisiana watched TV coverage from shelters and hotel rooms. "They said it's bad, real bad," said a man who had called home to Chauvin, La. "There are roofs lying all over. It's all gone." More »
- Gustav Roars to Landfall as Cat. 2
  
  CNN | Sep 1, 08 8:55 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hurricane Gustav was downgraded to Category 2 as it churned toward landfall this morning, causing 9-foot storm surges and widespread power outages to the southeast of New Orleans, CNN reports. A FEMA official told the AP this morning that the eye of the storm is expected to pass west of New Orleans, but its surge will likely breech levees and at least partially flood the city that was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. More »
August 2008
- Big Easy Not Ready for '100-Year Storm'
  
  Newsweek | Aug 31, 08 3:44 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With Hurricane Gustav set to thrash the Big Easy almost exactly 3 years after Katrina, Newsweek sits down with New Orleans Levee District executive director Stevan Spencer to find out what will change this time around. “We are better than before Katrina —we've raised the levees and strengthened or replaced the floodwalls,” he says. More »
- Gustav Kills 11, Weakens
  
  Associated Press | Aug 27, 08 11:09 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - Thousands fled their homes as Hurricane Gustav triggered flooding and landslides that killed at least 11 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti before weakening to a tropical storm, but forecasters said today that he still represents a major threat to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. They suggested the storm could head toward the US Gulf Coast as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane next week—with a likely forecast track pointing toward Louisiana. More »
- Border Fence Blamed for Ariz. Flooding
  
  Associated Press | Aug 25, 08 3:51 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Environmentalists say the US border-security fence is to blame for water backups in southwestern Arizona and Mexico, where steel-mesh panels meant to keep illegal immigrants out are getting clogged with flood debris, the AP reports. Critics are focusing their attacks on Homeland Defense Secretary Michael Chertoff, who waived environmental laws three times to meet the year-end deadline for the 670-mile fence. More »
- 4 Fla. Counties Declared Disaster Zones
  
  St. Petersburg Times (Russia) | Aug 24, 08 5:32 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Florida's governor warned today that floodwaters may worsen as President Bush declared four state counties disaster zones, the St. Petersburg Times and the AP report. Gov. Charlie Crist, touring areas hard-hit by Tropical Storm Fay, said cresting Panhandle rivers and water pouring in from Georgia and Alabama could heighten the state's "unprecedented flooding." More »
- Fay Heads West After 4th Fla. Landfall
  
  Associated Press | Aug 23, 08 6:57 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Tropical Storm Fay made a record fourth landfall in Florida today, bringing the state’s death toll to at least 11 before heading west to Georgia and possibly New Orleans, the AP reports. At least one person, a 10-year-old boy, has already drowned in Georgia under Fay's heavy rainfall. Officials in New Orleans—which is near the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina—have warned residents to avoid low-lying, easily-flooded areas. More »
- Fay Sets Course for Florida Panhandle
  
  Tallahassee Democrat | Aug 22, 08 12:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Tropical Storm Fay is heading west across Florida, having pummeled the southern part of the state with flooding from 20-inch rainfalls and soaked areas farther north, the Tall

News Sections

Newser Specials

Stories

Storms Threaten East Coast Pounding

Stricken Houston Lines Up for Food, Water

Ike's Message: Don't Build on Sandbars

Ike's Waves Assault Galveston

Dad Saves Toddler Sucked Into Storm Drain

Ike Slams Cuba; 600 Dead in Haiti

Don't Get Complacent, Big Easy: Officials

Ike Tears Up Caribbean

Hanna Hits Carolinas

Haitians Starving in Hanna Hell

1M Lose Power as Gustav Rolls Through La.

Gustav Roars to Landfall as Cat. 2

Big Easy Not Ready for '100-Year Storm'

Gustav Kills 11, Weakens

Border Fence Blamed for Ariz. Flooding

4 Fla. Counties Declared Disaster Zones

Fay Heads West After 4th Fla. Landfall

Fay Sets Course for Florida Panhandle