Yahoo! News: Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

• Mistrial declared in Katrina police shootings case (Reuters)

  Reuters - A federal judge declared a mistrial on Friday in the case of a retired police detective accused of conspiring to cover up wrongdoing in fatal police shootings in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a lawyer for the officer said.

• Officer in Katrina shootings probe to be retried (AP)

  AP - Prosecutors intend to retry a retired police sergeant charged with helping cover up deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina.

• Police detective's trial opens old Katrina wounds (Reuters)

  Reuters - A New Orleans homicide detective conspired with other police officers to cover up the fatal shootings of two civilians and wounding of four others in the days after Hurricane Katrina, according to court testimony on Tuesday.

• 'Space Hurricane': Huge Solar Storm Is Pounding Earth Now (SPACE.com)

  SPACE.com - A wave of charged particles from an intense solar storm is pummeling the Earth right now, which may trigger stunning aurora displays and cause minor disruptions to satellites over the next two days, NASA scientists say.

• Irene flooding left Vt. home on unexpected island (AP)

  AP - June Tierney and Kellie Burke never envisioned island living in the Vermont woods, but Tropical Storm Irene had other ideas.

  
  

• Reno, Nev., Washoe Drive Fire by the Numbers (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - The Associated Press reports a fire south of Reno, Nev., has been 100 percent contained. The Washoe Drive Fire burned for two days beginning Thursday. The fast-moving blaze was fueled by extremely dry weather and hurricane-like winds in western Nevada.

• Salvage experts weigh the options for Concordia (AP)

  AP - From raising the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk to securing drilling platforms wrenched loose by Hurricane Katrina, Dutch companies have a long history of mopping up after maritime disasters.

  
  

• Hurricane center chief to retire June 1 (AP)

  AP - National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read, who took over the forecasting agency during a time of turmoil and leaves it much calmer, announced Saturday he will retire effective June 1.

  
  

• Vermont dairies scramble to find feed after Irene (AP)

  AP - Flooding from Tropical Storm Irene swept away some bales of hay Doug Turner grew to feed his dairy cows and ripped open others, contaminating them with muddy water. When the water receded, he had to mow down a third of his corn, which had turned brown and moldy.

  
  

• Nomination for Katrina breach sites sparks debate (AP)

  AP - A push to place levee breach sites from Hurricane Katrina on the National Register of Historic Places is cause for consternation at the federal agency that built the floodwalls that failed during the 2005 storm.

• Vt. reopens last highway destroyed by Irene (AP)

  AP - After hundreds of thousands of tons of rock were hauled out and tens of thousands of man-hours were spent, Vermont celebrated the completion of the biggest single engineering challenge following the flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Irene.

  
  

• Hurricane Irene Wails on Collegeville, Pa. (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - FIRST PERSON | COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- Hurricane Irene is doing her best to keep this resident wet and windblown.

• Florida's Gulf Coast Gets Small Reminder that Hurricane Season is Close (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - SARASOTA, Fla. -- A small reminder of hurricane season for the Gulf coast residents came early this week. In the early morning hours of Monday, the rain started trickling down. By midmorning, the rain became a small reminder to be prepared for Florida's hurricane season bringing downpour and thunderstorms in the typically dry season.

• Tropical Storm Sendong Kills Over 600 in Philippines (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - Tropical Storm Sendong has moved out to sea, but the death and destruction in the Philippines remains to be tallied. The storm remained over the southern portion of the island nation from Dec. 16-18, with moderate winds and heavy rain. NASA reported rainfall at a rate of 2 inches per hour for much of Dec. 17-18. Winds ranged from 35 to 45 mph with gusts to 50 mph. It was the 17th tropical storm to strike the Philippines this year.

• Sediment Run-off at Record Levels into the Chesapeake Bay, by the Numbers (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - It seems Tropical Storm Lee has caused greater damage to the Chesapeake Bay than originally suspected. The Conowingo Dam, near Darlington, Md., and on the Susquehanna River allowed 4 million tons of sediment to get through the gates, bringing four times the amount normally spilled into the Bay in only four days.

• Hurricane Rina Strengthens to Category 2, on Way to Yucatan (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - Hurricane Rina had gained enough strength and momentum today to have grown into a Category 2 storm, officials say. The storm has a maximum wind speed of some 105 mph.

• U.S. Rain and Drought by the Numbers (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - 2011 is breaking records with several kinds of catastrophic weather. Perhaps most significant is the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene and, at the other end of the spectrum, the severe drought that has enveloped Oklahoma, Texas and much of the country. NOAA says it may develop into the worst drought in U.S. history. In Texas, wildfires broke out in September.

• 48 mph Winds Wreak Havoc in Michigan (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - While other parts of the world are getting hurricanes and typhoons, Michigan is getting tropical storm strength winds as 48 mph winds, deluging rain and 21-foot waves have hit the state. With temperatures in the 30s and 40s, the wind speed is the only thing that feels "tropical."

• Tropical Storm Ophelia Likely to Reform (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - The National Weather Service states Tropical Storm Ophelia's remnants are just over the Northern Leeward Islands in the Atlantic Ocean as of today. There is a 90 percent chance this system will develop into a tropical storm again as it moves to the west-northwest. Thus far the system is not near any huge land masses, but it could eventually reach the eastern United States.

• Cruising During Hurricane Season -- to Insure or Not? (ContributorNetwork)

  ContributorNetwork - With Hurricane Hilary churning off the coast of Baja California and tropical storm Philippe causing chaos in the Caribbean, I caught up with Travelzoo Senior Editor Gabe Saglie to ask him about cruising during hurricane season.