©2018 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee
[caption id="attachment_4458298" align="aligncenter" width="1089"]
2018 Fires British Columbia[/caption]
Global Warming in Action: Unprecedented Events
We often wonder why human beings refuse to comprehend the significance of unprecedented events. Is it not logical to observe, interpret, apply logic, and finally, act accordingly?
Unprecedented events in 2018 such as record temperatures and perhaps the largest wildfires in history occurred. Destruction of homes, property, infrastructure, habitat for animals. A record fire season in western Canada (again) this time in B.C., consumed thousands upon thousands of hectares of pristine forest. Thousands of hectares in single blazes as major fires merged to become horrific beasts from hell. Heat, smoke, fear, lives lost, major evacuations. Reminiscent of Fort MacMurray a horrific 2016 blaze that burned subdivisions to the foundations, scorched parts of that city and consumed 5,895 square kilometers of forest (589,552 hectares or 1, 456,815 acres). The Fort Mac fire took 15 months to extinguish. Wasn't that fire convincing enough for you?
Further east, (2018) the Parry Sound wildfire in Ontario threatened to cut off Hwy 17, Canada's major east-west traffic route. California had unbelievable heat, major wildfires. with record destruction. Here's a hint; do excessively-prolonged periods of super-hot, dry weather with no rainfall over vast areas of the continent not suggest change?
Fires were not Enough.
Fires were not enough. Major rainstorms and floods occurred in Toronto. Imagine that. And unprecedented tornadoes —including Ottawa of all places. How destructive, almost predictable, with weather patterns warming and unstable. There were no fatalities, but some might suggest ominous warnings for rotten politicians and selfish "weather deniers" alike. Let us not go there. Should we generously suggest pretending such events are only the result of the capricious, playful mind of Mother Nature? Perhaps not.
Unprecedented Events-Not Just in North America.
More out-of-control wildfires. Heat. In Greece. Spain. Even north of the Arctic circle. A once-in-a-century drought in Australia. Record, unbelievably hot scorching temperatures. Only 40C, you say? 50C ? How hot can that be? Very. Without rainfall, without relief, heat can be fatal to people and animals alike. So... 100+ days without any rain, not a drop? Australians necessarily cull sheep and cattle herds. No rain, no water, no feed, little hope, mate, so dig in. On massive sheep ranches, survival of prize breeding stock is essential. Ensuring recovery, when and if the rains come. The Australian way of surviving difficulty, mate...
Hurricanes. Typhoons, Earthquakes...Unprecedented Events.
Now for the hurricane season. Florence , a deadly hurricane became a massive tropical storm, sweeping up the eastern seaboard of the USA. Wreaking havoc, flooding, massive destruction from deadly winds and other nasty hurricane stuff. Awesome to watch. On television. In real life, not so much. Unprecedented, massive evacuations of millions. Dank, dirty, contaminated water already metres deep from the storm surge, aggravated by record rainfall . As much as 1.27 metres ( 50 inches) of rain were dumped upon some parts of the Carolinas —pouring into rivers already washing away homes , streets, highways and lives, flooding reaching record levels, water trying to return to the sea.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="976"]
Flooding in N. Carolina. Volunteers rescuing victims from Florence.
Photo by Getty Images. [/caption]
Harrowing rescues by exhausted rescuers. Deaths. Forty-four fatalities at the latest count. And the tally may not finished yet. Why? Havoc and death can remain undiscovered in vast areas of massive flooding. Repairs to homes and businesses are calculated in the billions as waters recede. Slowly. Repairs to some flooded homes and infrastructure may be possible; for others, loss is catastrophic, total. Americans will rebuild. For next time. Repeat.
Do we change our minds when confronted with fact? No. How about the 'fact' of Florence? A hurricane that was approximately 600 km. across in size. Unbelievable.
Or how about the simultaneous and gigantic typhoon Mangkhut , much larger than Florence, closer to 900 km. across? Much bigger 'facts' battering the Philippines on the other side of the world? Or is that event, like other foreign disasters, just 'out of sight, out of mind?' Not for millions of people ill-equipped to deal with the aftermath of flooding, landslides, loss of homes and devastating winds.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="864"]
Super Typhoon Mangkhut batters the Philippines on the other side of the globe...Sept 15, 2018[/caption]
Do we 'get it' yet?
If not, it seems we soon will. Weather patterns appear to be surreptitiously creeping northward. Ask the people of Ottawa and the surrounding area to Gatineau, Quebec. Ask how they feel about surveying the shattered remains of their lives, homes, possessions, cars, trees, parks, streets and infrastructure. No fewer than SIX tornadoes struck. Perhaps shocked residents should be asking themselves if the annual, almost predictable destruction of terrifying tornado alley is moving in from the United States of America. Unwanted imports? Imagine that possibility.
*Batten the hatches. Earthquakes and Tsunamis...right on time... Indonesia was recently hit by another earthquake, 7.4 magnitude...death tolls in the many hundreds, and counting...
Connect the dots...will we ever take responsibility for our part in global warming and natural disasters?
#
Is that Incoming I hear?
Posted in Civilization, Commentary, Economic issues, Environment, Events, Major Issues, Uncategorized
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Tagged BC wildfires, California wildfires, environment, Florence, Fort McMurray wildfire, global warming, hurricanes, Super Typhoon Mangkhuts, Tsunamis in Indonesia, unprecedented events
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©2016 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee
(*photos unavailable at this time due to technical difficulties)
We like Camping Better
Think back...have you ever sat beside a lake at a camp site, toasting marshmallows, watching a natural, crackling fire consume firewood, glowing red-hot, yellow flames, wisps of smoke and sparks magically drifting off into the night sky? Maybe it's not a campfire; many modern camping enthusiasts content ourselves with a camp stove, usually not a campfire, the open type, at least —or we carefully use the same safe, good old-fashioned fire pit. Enjoying the company of good friends and making fond memories out camping may be accessorized with a favourite book or fishing rod, or both, and R&R is completed with sunshine, snoozing, canoe, kids, water-play, tent, food and fun. Fire danger presently in the mind or not, we like camping better than life back at the suburbs, and that's how the great outdoors should be, but...
But let us try again...have you ever wind gust and shift almost instantaneously at your campsite, blowing hot, suffocating, ash, smoke and sparks from your fire into your face, making those comfy seats around the campfire a hazard, not a place to sit and dream? Perhaps too much fuel is indiscriminately added; the fire becomes too big, flames reach to the sky, threatening nearby trees. It has become dangerous; it is not a simple campfire any longer as wind fans flames. Heat, acrid smoke, dangerous sparks fly, flames spread into nearby tinder-dry grass or the forest itself. There is a sudden realization of fear...good times are forgotten and panic ensues. With unpredictable winds in some conditions it is even possible to become surrounded by a deadly wildfire.
The Fort McMurray Wildfire
To date it is unknown if the current fire event at Fort McMurray, Alberta, was started by lightning or accidentally, by human activity. Here at IncomingBytes we respect, treasure and enjoy the great outdoors, and certainly hope the cause was not a campfire neglected by individuals who were enjoying the finest Mother Nature has to offer. It is too early to speculate.
We can only offer for certain that, like all forest fires, the Fort Mac monster started out small, accidentally or otherwise. Fires have been caused by lightning, a vehicle, a single spark, the careless tossing of a cigarette butt, or in the worst case scenario, vandalism. Not arson, please; there could never be adequate punishment meted out for a crime of that magnitude. And hopefully, it was not an innocent campfire run amok; we repeat, please, —not an innocent campfire. That would imply that someone's love for the wonderful outdoors burned and scarred Mother Nature; carelessness... neglect, and unfettered guilt...You get the idea.
The Perfect Firestorm
Regardless of how the 'Fort Mac ' fire started, it grew unbelievably fast and totally out of control. Within a very short period of time, the fire became an insatiable monster of the highest magnitude. Why? Fire officials suggest this event was different, a perfect storm, with kindling-dry forests, an endless and huge supply of fuel, bone-dry wood, logs, dead trees, green conifers, extremely low humidity, hot temperatures, no rain, —all coupled with gusting, driving winds capable of switching direction unpredictably within moments. Perfect conditions existed province-wide for the incredibly fast expansion of even the tiniest fire. Heat, dry fuel, oxygen... all are necessary for fire, and contributed greatly to this unbelievable, perfect firestorm. All it took was one spark, a campfire, a cigarette butt, perhaps a discarded glass bottle and sunlight, or a lightning strike. With the fire still in progress, officials can only guess at the cause as Canadians have switched into survival and firefighting mode.
The Fort Mac fire took off, becoming large enough to create its own weather system and be seen from space; it soon consumed thousands of buildings, homes, commercial buildings, infrastructure, destroying vehicles, personal property and livelihoods indiscriminately in an incredibly savage attack. More than 80,000 people were forced to evacuate to safer areas initially both north and south. Unbelievably, some people were even forced to evacuate more than once, to flee endangered oil facilities and evacuation centers.
Not a Campfire?
This fire remains a vicious, unpredictable predator many days later, after destroying large neighbourhoods of Fort McMurray, and unbelievably, far more than 200,000 hectares, hundreds of square kilometers of forest —a monster wildfire which ultimately may only be controlled eventually by cooler conditions, rainfall, and Mother Nature herself.
This is an ongoing story; a horrific forest fire event unparalleled in Canadian history. A wildfire to which all North Americans should be paying attention. We continue to hope it was not a camp fire.
#
Is that Incoming I hear?
Gardening with Uncle Mac
Global Warming in Action: Unprecedented Events
Global Warming in Action: Unprecedented Events
We often wonder why human beings refuse to comprehend the significance of unprecedented events. Is it not logical to observe, interpret, apply logic, and finally, act accordingly? Unprecedented events in 2018 such as record temperatures and perhaps the largest wildfires in history occurred. Destruction of homes, property, infrastructure, habitat for animals. A record fire season in western Canada (again) this time in B.C., consumed thousands upon thousands of hectares of pristine forest. Thousands of hectares in single blazes as major fires merged to become horrific beasts from hell. Heat, smoke, fear, lives lost, major evacuations. Reminiscent of Fort MacMurray a horrific 2016 blaze that burned subdivisions to the foundations, scorched parts of that city and consumed 5,895 square kilometers of forest (589,552 hectares or 1, 456,815 acres). The Fort Mac fire took 15 months to extinguish. Wasn't that fire convincing enough for you?
Further east, (2018) the Parry Sound wildfire in Ontario threatened to cut off Hwy 17, Canada's major east-west traffic route. California had unbelievable heat, major wildfires. with record destruction. Here's a hint; do excessively-prolonged periods of super-hot, dry weather with no rainfall over vast areas of the continent not suggest change?
Fires were not Enough.
Fires were not enough. Major rainstorms and floods occurred in Toronto. Imagine that. And unprecedented tornadoes —including Ottawa of all places. How destructive, almost predictable, with weather patterns warming and unstable. There were no fatalities, but some might suggest ominous warnings for rotten politicians and selfish "weather deniers" alike. Let us not go there. Should we generously suggest pretending such events are only the result of the capricious, playful mind of Mother Nature? Perhaps not.
Unprecedented Events-Not Just in North America.
More out-of-control wildfires. Heat. In Greece. Spain. Even north of the Arctic circle. A once-in-a-century drought in Australia. Record, unbelievably hot scorching temperatures. Only 40C, you say? 50C ? How hot can that be? Very. Without rainfall, without relief, heat can be fatal to people and animals alike. So... 100+ days without any rain, not a drop? Australians necessarily cull sheep and cattle herds. No rain, no water, no feed, little hope, mate, so dig in. On massive sheep ranches, survival of prize breeding stock is essential. Ensuring recovery, when and if the rains come. The Australian way of surviving difficulty, mate...
Hurricanes. Typhoons, Earthquakes...Unprecedented Events.
Now for the hurricane season. Florence , a deadly hurricane became a massive tropical storm, sweeping up the eastern seaboard of the USA. Wreaking havoc, flooding, massive destruction from deadly winds and other nasty hurricane stuff. Awesome to watch. On television. In real life, not so much. Unprecedented, massive evacuations of millions. Dank, dirty, contaminated water already metres deep from the storm surge, aggravated by record rainfall . As much as 1.27 metres ( 50 inches) of rain were dumped upon some parts of the Carolinas —pouring into rivers already washing away homes , streets, highways and lives, flooding reaching record levels, water trying to return to the sea.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="976"]Harrowing rescues by exhausted rescuers. Deaths. Forty-four fatalities at the latest count. And the tally may not finished yet. Why? Havoc and death can remain undiscovered in vast areas of massive flooding. Repairs to homes and businesses are calculated in the billions as waters recede. Slowly. Repairs to some flooded homes and infrastructure may be possible; for others, loss is catastrophic, total. Americans will rebuild. For next time. Repeat.
Do we change our minds when confronted with fact? No. How about the 'fact' of Florence? A hurricane that was approximately 600 km. across in size. Unbelievable.
Or how about the simultaneous and gigantic typhoon Mangkhut , much larger than Florence, closer to 900 km. across? Much bigger 'facts' battering the Philippines on the other side of the world? Or is that event, like other foreign disasters, just 'out of sight, out of mind?' Not for millions of people ill-equipped to deal with the aftermath of flooding, landslides, loss of homes and devastating winds.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="864"]Do we 'get it' yet?
If not, it seems we soon will. Weather patterns appear to be surreptitiously creeping northward. Ask the people of Ottawa and the surrounding area to Gatineau, Quebec. Ask how they feel about surveying the shattered remains of their lives, homes, possessions, cars, trees, parks, streets and infrastructure. No fewer than SIX tornadoes struck. Perhaps shocked residents should be asking themselves if the annual, almost predictable destruction of terrifying tornado alley is moving in from the United States of America. Unwanted imports? Imagine that possibility.
*Batten the hatches. Earthquakes and Tsunamis...right on time... Indonesia was recently hit by another earthquake, 7.4 magnitude...death tolls in the many hundreds, and counting...
Connect the dots...will we ever take responsibility for our part in global warming and natural disasters?
#
Is that Incoming I hear?