Houston Public Media<p>CenterPoint Energy has reached a deal with the state of Texas to absorb the cost of the 15 large, mobile generators it leased, valued at roughly $880 million. The move follows months of intense criticism and negotiation with lawmakers.</p><p><a href="https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/infrastructure/ercot/2025/04/04/517761/centerpoint-agrees-to-absorb-costs-of-mobile-generators-and-cut-rates-for-customers/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">houstonpublicmedia.org/article</span><span class="invisible">s/infrastructure/ercot/2025/04/04/517761/centerpoint-agrees-to-absorb-costs-of-mobile-generators-and-cut-rates-for-customers/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Business" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Business</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/EnergyEnvironment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EnergyEnvironment</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ERCOT" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ERCOT</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Houston" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Houston</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Hurricane" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Hurricane</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Infrastructure" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Infrastructure</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Local" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Local</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/News" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>News</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Politics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Politics</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Texas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Texas</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Weather" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Weather</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/2025TexasLegislature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>2025TexasLegislature</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CenterPointEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CenterPointEnergy</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CenterPointGenerators" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CenterPointGenerators</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/HurricaneBeryl" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HurricaneBeryl</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PublicUtilityCommissionOfTexas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PublicUtilityCommissionOfTexas</span></a></p>
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#PowerOutages
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DoomsdaysCW<p>Top tips to survive a winter power outage</p><p>Temperatures can plummet fast in your house when power is knocked out, but there are other potential dangers to be aware of as well.</p><p>Tip #4 - How to stay warm:<br />"If the power goes out in a winter weather event, temperatures can drop significantly. Make sure to keep all doors to the outside shut. Use towels to block drafts coming in from window and door cracks.</p><p>"It's also possible to insulate windows with black blankets. The black draws heat from the sun. If the sun's beams are coming through the window, put the blankets on the floor where the sun is directly shining instead."</p><p>Other tips:<br />1- Keep battery power ready <br />2- Power generator <br />3- Emergency food and water <br />4- How to stay warm <br />5- Don't plug in electronics <br />6- Don't go near pooling water <br />7- Don't open the fridge or freezer </p><p>Read more:<br /><a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/accuweather-ready/top-tips-to-survive-a-winter-power-outage/670809" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">accuweather.com/en/accuweather</span><span class="invisible">-ready/top-tips-to-survive-a-winter-power-outage/670809</span></a><br /><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WinterWeather" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>WinterWeather</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SurvivalTips" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SurvivalTips</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TropicalStormSara" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>TropicalStormSara</span></a> to unleash life-threatening <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/flooding" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>flooding</span></a> in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CentralAmerica" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CentralAmerica</span></a></p><p>Tropical Storm Sara will bring an extreme risk to lives and property in Central America where feet of rain may fall before tracking toward <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Florida" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Florida</span></a> next week.</p><p>By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist</p><p>Published Nov 14, 2024</p><p>"Rain may pour down for days on the northern parts of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Nicaragua" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Nicaragua</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Honduras" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Honduras</span></a> before shifting to eastern parts of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Guatemala" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Guatemala</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Belize" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Belize</span></a> and southeastern <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Mexico" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Mexico</span></a> this weekend. </p><p>"A general 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) will fall in this zone, but a large pocket of 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) of rain is forecast from northern Honduras and Nicaragua, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 50 inches (127 cm).</p><p>"'This amount of rain will trigger major <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FlashFlooding" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FlashFlooding</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mudslides" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>mudslides</span></a> with the potential for catastrophic loss of life and tremendous damage,' AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter warned.</p><p>"Some communities could be cut off for days due to washed-out roads and bridges or blocked by debris flows. Demands for rescue and recovery efforts, as well as food and medical supplies, will be great in the wake of the storm in the region.</p><p>"Because of Sara's proximity to the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Caribbean" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Caribbean</span></a> for several days, it will likely not unwind fully. As a result, winds, waves and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StormSurge" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>StormSurge</span></a> will blast the coast of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Honduras" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Honduras</span></a>, eastern <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Guatemala" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Guatemala</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Belize" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Belize</span></a> and Mexico's <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Yucatan" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Yucatan</span></a> Peninsula. Sporadic <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> are likely due to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StrongWinds" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>StrongWinds</span></a>."</p><p><a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/tropical-storm-sara-to-unleash-life-threatening-flooding-in-central-america/1713878" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">accuweather.com/en/hurricane/t</span><span class="invisible">ropical-storm-sara-to-unleash-life-threatening-flooding-in-central-america/1713878</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CentralAmericaWx" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CentralAmericaWx</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExtremeWx" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ExtremeWx</span></a><br /><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExtremeRains" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ExtremeRains</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExtremeWeather" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ExtremeWeather</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateCrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateCrisis</span></a><br /><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateCatastrophe" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateCatastrophe</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>So, one of the items I'm planning to invest in for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> is a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Solar" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Solar</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CellPhone" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CellPhone</span></a> charger with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/USB" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>USB</span></a> (rather than trying to charge them using the car) -- since the phones are a way to keep in touch with the outside world (in addition to battery-operated radios). If there's enough wattage on the charger, I could potentially run my PC laptop (that has a DVD drive) and watch movies (can't do that with a Mac). Reading books is great to do during the day, but at night, it's been nice to be able to watch a movie (usually a comedy).</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BlackOuts" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>BlackOuts</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Preparedness" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Preparedness</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoGenerator" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NoGenerator</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NorEasters" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NorEasters</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NewEngland" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NewEngland</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LivingInMaine" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>LivingInMaine</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Anger mounts in southeast <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Texas" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Texas</span></a> as crippling <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/heat" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>heat</span></a> turn deadly</p><p>Frustrations are mounting across <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SoutheastTexas" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SoutheastTexas</span></a> as residents enter a fourth day of crippling power outages and heat, a combination that has proven dangerous as some struggle to access food, gas and medical care.</p><p>By Elizabeth Wolfe, Ashley Killough and Ed Lavandera, CNN </p><p>Published Jul 11, 2024 </p><p>"The heat index – a measurement of how the body feels under both heat and humidity – could reach 106 degrees (41° C) in some areas, a life-threatening scenario for people without adequate cooling."</p><p>Read more: <a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/anger-mounts-in-southeast-texas-as-crippling-power-outages-and-heat-turn-deadly/1668370" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">accuweather.com/en/hurricane/a</span><span class="invisible">nger-mounts-in-southeast-texas-as-crippling-power-outages-and-heat-turn-deadly/1668370</span></a> <br /><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExtremeHeat" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ExtremeHeat</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GlobalWarming" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>GlobalWarming</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateCrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateCrisis</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Polycrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Polycrisis</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>8 dead after <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Beryl" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Beryl</span></a> landfall, millions without power</p><p>Eight people are dead and more than 2 million <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Texas" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Texas</span></a> customers without power are bracing for dangerous heat after <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HurricaneBeryl" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>HurricaneBeryl</span></a> made first U.S. landfall of the 2024 hurricane season.</p><p>By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist<br />Updated Jul. 9, 2024 11:19 AM EDT</p><p><a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/live-news/live-updates-8-dead-after-beryl-landfall-millions-without-power/1666281" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">accuweather.com/en/hurricane/l</span><span class="invisible">ive-news/live-updates-8-dead-after-beryl-landfall-millions-without-power/1666281</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Heatwave" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Heatwave</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExtremeHeat" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ExtremeHeat</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateCrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateCrisis</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateCatastrophe" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateCatastrophe</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Polycrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Polycrisis</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>So, compared to some of the things I've heard from politicians, this is pretty good... I could maybe get behind <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Whitmer2024" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Whitmer2024</span></a>. We'll see... Her policies on <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Palestine" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Palestine</span></a> are disappointing...</p><p>Whitmer Unveils MI Healthy Climate Plan</p><p>Gov. Whitmer Unveils MI Healthy Climate Plan to Create Good-Paying Jobs, Protect Air and Water</p><p>April 21, 2022 </p><p>TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- "Governor <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GretchenWhitmer" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>GretchenWhitmer</span></a> today released the MI Healthy Climate Plan, a roadmap for Michigan to achieve economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050 with interim 2030 goals. Governor Whitmer joined Liesl Clark, Director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), business owners, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TribalLeaders" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>TribalLeaders</span></a>, and students at a large <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/solar" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>solar</span></a> array in Traverse City to announce the plan. The MI Healthy Climate Plan proposes climate action that would create tens of thousands of clean-energy jobs, spur economic development and innovation, protect clean air and water, and improve public health. The MI Healthy Climate Plan builds off the leadership of tribal communities and cities and town across Michigan, in addition to the private sector. </p><p>“Michigan has been impacted by <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a>, from a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PolarVortex" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PolarVortex</span></a> and historic <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/floods" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>floods</span></a> to dam breaks and week-long <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a>. The MI Healthy Climate Plan identifies actions we can take to address climate change head-on, lower costs for Michiganders, ensure every Michigan worker has a good-paying, sustainable job, and every family has <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CleanAir" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CleanAir</span></a>, water, and a home powered by clean, reliable energy,' said Governor Whitmer."</p>
DoomsdaysCW<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SevereWeather" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SevereWeather</span></a> threats to evolve heading into the dog days of summer</p><p>A new weather pattern will bring a shift in the severe weather dangers across the United States, including the potential for derechos -- one of the most destructive types of thunderstorms.</p><p>By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and staff writer</p><p>Published Jun 7, 2024 </p><p>"Powerful <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/winds" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>winds</span></a> will be the primary danger, but <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/hail" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>hail</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/tornadoes" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>tornadoes</span></a> will also be possible. Some of the disturbances may generate intense lines of thunderstorms known as <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/derechos" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>derechos</span></a>.</p><p>"A derecho is one of the most destructive types of thunderstorms. Also called <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/InlandHurricanes" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>InlandHurricanes</span></a> due to their appearance on radar and prolific wind damage, derechos produce widespread winds of at least 58 mph across an area at least 400 miles long.</p><p>"Last year in late June, a derecho blasted across Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana with 100-mph winds, leaving over 500,000 without power and flattening entire fields of corn.</p><p>"Power outages can be a hidden danger of derechos as some outages in the hardest-hit areas can last for days. Extended <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> paired with building summertime <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/heat" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>heat</span></a> and humidity can result in dangerously hot conditions for folks who rely on air conditioning during the hottest time of the year."</p><p>Read more: <a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/severe-weather/severe-weather-threats-to-evolve-heading-into-the-dog-days-of-summer/1657499" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">accuweather.com/en/severe-weat</span><span class="invisible">her/severe-weather-threats-to-evolve-heading-into-the-dog-days-of-summer/1657499</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/USWx" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>USWx</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>This article has some helpful tips for folks who don't have air conditioning, but have fans. I would add that if you're in an area prone to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/wildfire" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>wildfire</span></a> smoke, either build a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorsiRosenthalBox" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CorsiRosenthalBox</span></a> or invest in a box fan with a removable filter. Also, it's not a bad idea to have a couple of battery operated fans on hand as well -- in case of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a>.</p><p>How to Properly Cool Your Home With a Fan</p><p>By Matt Fuchs<br />June 5, 2024 8:00 AM EDT</p><p>"Hot weather is a major threat to health, and this summer is on track to be even hotter than usual. Air conditioning is a lifesaver in these conditions, but a much older technology could protect your safety, your budget, and even the planet. Keeping cool over the next few months could revolve around the blades of a refreshing fan."</p><p>Read more:<br /><a href="https://time.com/6985139/how-to-use-fan-air-conditioning/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">time.com/6985139/how-to-use-fa</span><span class="invisible">n-air-conditioning/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExtremeHeat" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ExtremeHeat</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExtremeTemperatures" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ExtremeTemperatures</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Texas" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Texas</span></a> Panhandle <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/wildfires" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>wildfires</span></a>: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SmokehouseCreekFire" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SmokehouseCreekFire</span></a> has burned more than 1 million acres, making it the largest in state history</p><p>At least one person is dead as a result of the fires that have swept across northern Texas.</p><p>by Chanelle Chandler<br />Updated Thu, February 29, 2024 </p><p>"A massive wildfire burning across the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TexasPanhandle" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>TexasPanhandle</span></a> has scorched more than 1 million acres, making it the largest recorded blaze in state history, officials there say.</p><p>The Smokehouse Creek Fire is one of five active wildfires burning in the northern part of the state, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The blazes have caused thousands of evacuations and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> and left at least one person dead."</p><p>Read more:<br /><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-panhandle-wildfires-smokehouse-creek-fire-has-burned-more-than-1-million-acres-making-it-the-largest-in-state-history-143426919.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">yahoo.com/news/texas-panhandle</span><span class="invisible">-wildfires-smokehouse-creek-fire-has-burned-more-than-1-million-acres-making-it-the-largest-in-state-history-143426919.html</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TexasWildfires" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>TexasWildfires</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateCrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateCrisis</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateCatastrophe" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateCatastrophe</span></a></p>
emeritrix<p>The International League of Peoples’ Struggle - PDX Formation expresses its deep concern with the profit-driven crisis inflicted on so many homes still without power in the midst of ice-cold conditions, and condemns the Big Business power players like the Portland Metro Chamber that caused it to happen.</p><p>On Saturday January 13th a winter storm swept through Oregon resulting in power outages affecting over 100,000 residents, with 25,000 PGE customers still without electricity as of today January 16th. While this storm presents an acute danger for Oregon’s large unhoused population with at least 2 suspected hypothermia deaths in Portland as of January 15th, no heat or electricity also threatens the lives and safety of elders, children and working and poor families. </p><p>This prolonged power outage was a consequence of private companies running our power grid and maintaining power infrastructure, selling access to a basic necessity for profit. For example, Portland General Electric (PGE) raised their prices 18% during the winter storm after their CEO brought home $50 million last year.</p><p>Portland is made fertile ground for profit through private investment at the expense of the masses by Portland Metro Chamber, formerly Portland Business Alliance, of which the 12 billion dollar PGE is a member company. While countless homes and businesses go without power during this weather event, the Portland Metro Chamber focuses their energy into stripping funding for essential services like Portland Street Response - a city service which in previous winter events had distributed warming supplies and offered emergency assistance, undoubtedly saving lives.</p><p>The people of Portland should expect nothing more from a Big Business alliance that has thrown its campaign donations and lobbying dollars at City Council for years to make Portland a neoliberal playground for privatization and deregulation of public infrastructure. This is the same Portland Metro Chamber that has fought back against universal preschool initiatives, tenants rights, the right for unhoused people to camp outside and many other pro-people policies that Portlanders have been working tirelessly for. This is also the same Portland Metro Chamber that pushed for more police surveillance in marginalized communities and private armed security presence in its “Enhanced Service District” downtown. Companies like PGE being protected from delivering adequate power services to people who can barely afford rent is just the latest consequence of this completely anti-people and profit-driven institution.</p><p>Public-run infrastructure is the only way to ensure safe, effective and accountable services for our community, and the only way to achieve this is to fight against the business interests holding the power of our monopoly capitalist society. Just how it is a united, organized people who keep each other safe during natural and human-made crises, be they snowstorms or economic downturns, it is a united, organized people that has the ability to take power into its own hands and use it for the common good.</p><p>People over profit!</p><p>Down with the Portland Metro Chamber!</p><p>Fight for people’s’ infrastructure in the people’s’ hands!<br /><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PortlandOr" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PortlandOr</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PDX" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PDX</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Oregon" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Oregon</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Cold" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Cold</span></a> <br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2MFerCLryg/?img_index=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">instagram.com/p/C2MFerCLryg/?i</span><span class="invisible">mg_index=1</span></a></p>
Punk Metal n Bowie<p>Oregon: more ice storms<br />Next cross-country winter <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/storm" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>storm</span></a> begins with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IceStorm" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>IceStorm</span></a> Warnings threatening renewed <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/poweroutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>poweroutages</span></a> in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PNW" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PNW</span></a><br /><a href="https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/oregon-ice-storm-power-outages-freezing-rain-portland-vancouver-willamette-valley" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">foxweather.com/weather-news/or</span><span class="invisible">egon-ice-storm-power-outages-freezing-rain-portland-vancouver-willamette-valley</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Ancient <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarStorm" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SolarStorm</span></a> smashed Earth at wrong part of the sun's cycle — and scientists are concerned</p><p>The 9,200-year-old storm left researchers with a stark conclusion: We are not ready for the next one.</p><p>By Brandon Specktor<br />published January 28, 2022</p><p>"An extremely powerful solar storm pummeled our planet 9,200 years ago, leaving permanent scars on the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ice" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ice</span></a> buried deep below <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Greenland" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Greenland</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Antarctica" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Antarctica</span></a>.</p><p>"A new study of those ancient ice samples has found that this previously unknown storm is one of the strongest outbursts of solar weather ever detected and would have crippled modern communications systems if it had hit Earth today.</p><p>"But perhaps most surprising, the massive storm appears to have hit during a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarMinimum" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SolarMinimum</span></a>, the point during the sun's 11-year cycle when solar outbursts are typically much less common, according to the study, published Jan. 11 in the journal Nature Communications. Because of this unexpected discovery, the study researchers are concerned that devastating solar storms could hit when we least expect them — and that Earth might not be prepared when the next big one arrives.</p><p>"Solar storms occur when magnetic field lines on the sun's corona (the outermost part of the sun's atmosphere) become tangled up and then violently snap back into place. This sudden magnetic reconnection can release huge gouts of plasma and magnetic field known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which surf across space on the sun's ever-gusting <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarWind" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SolarWind</span></a>.</p><p>"If a powerful <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CME" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CME</span></a> passes over Earth, it can compress the planet's <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MagneticShield" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>MagneticShield</span></a>, causing what's known as a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GeomagneticStorm" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>GeomagneticStorm</span></a>.</p><p>"Mild geomagnetic storms can damage <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/satellites" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>satellites</span></a> and interrupt radio transmissions; severe storms, like the 'Halloween storms' of 2003, can cause widespread <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> across the world and permanently damage <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ElectricalInfrastructure" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ElectricalInfrastructure</span></a>, such as power transformers. Some researchers fear that a sufficiently large solar storm could also ravage the world's undersea internet cables, resulting in an '<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/InternetApocalypse" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>InternetApocalypse</span></a>' that leaves huge chunks of the world population disconnected for months.</p><p>"CME outbursts typically peak every 11 years or so, when the sun enters the part of its natural activity cycle known as the solar maximum — the time when magnetic activity in the corona is in high gear.</p><p>"Today, satellites can monitor solar outbursts directly. But finding evidence of ancient storms requires some atomic detective work. The authors of the new study looked for evidence of special particles known as <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CosmogenicRadionuclides" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CosmogenicRadionuclides</span></a> — essentially, radioactive isotopes (versions of elements) created when charged solar particles collide with elements in Earth's atmosphere.</p><p>"These radioactive particles can appear in natural records, like tree rings and ice cores. In the study, the authors looked at the latter, analyzing several cores drilled in Antarctica and Greenland. Cores from both locations showed a remarkable spike in the radionuclides beryllium-10 and chlorine-36 around 9,200 years ago, indicating that a powerful solar storm swept across Earth at that time.</p><p>"Further analysis of the cores showed that the storm was particularly powerful — perhaps on a par with the most powerful solar storm ever detected, which occurred during a solar maximum between the years 775 B.C. and 774 B.C.</p><p>"The newly discovered storm's occurrence during a solar minimum, when magnetic activity on the sun should be low, left the study authors puzzled and alarmed.</p><p>"'This [storm] further pushes the magnitude of a potential worst-case scenario for [solar storm] events,' the researchers wrote in the study.</p><p>"According to the study authors, it is now essential for researchers to detect more ancient, extreme storms in the ice-core and tree-ring records, to determine if there is some sort of pattern beyond the sun's 11-year cycle that dictates when the most extreme storms will occur."</p><p><a href="https://www.livescience.com/ancient-solar-storm-solar-minimum" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">livescience.com/ancient-solar-</span><span class="invisible">storm-solar-minimum</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarFlares" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SolarFlares</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarCycle25" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SolarCycle25</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CarringtonEffect" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CarringtonEffect</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LightsOut" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>LightsOut</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KesslerSyndrome" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>KesslerSyndrome</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Power Outages Top 500,000 As Severe Weather Batters Several States</p><p>Story by Jan Wesner Childs, August 7, 2023</p><p>"More than 500,000 homes and businesses were without power across five states as severe storms packing damaging winds and hail battered the South and moved east.</p><p>"Downed trees and roof damage were reported in several areas, including parts of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Tennessee" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Tennessee</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Mississippi" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Mississippi</span></a>.</p><p>"Hail crashed down in several areas, including around <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Huntington" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Huntington</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WestVirginia" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>WestVirginia</span></a>.</p><p>"Top power outage numbers as of about 6:15 p.m. eastern time, according to PowerOutage.us: more than 130,000 in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NorthCarolina" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NorthCarolina</span></a>; about 120,000 in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Georgia" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Georgia</span></a>; more than 100,000 in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Maryland" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Maryland</span></a>; about 97,000 in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Tennessee" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Tennessee</span></a>; and 73,000 in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Virginia" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Virginia</span></a>.</p><p>"The severe weather was part of an outbreak of severe storms in the East and South expected to produce widespread damaging wind gusts, hail, flooding rainfall and isolated tornadoes.</p><p>"Areas likely to be most affected were northern Alabama, northern and central Georgia and much of South Carolina northward to the mid-Atlantic. Cities include <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Atlanta" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Atlanta</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Baltimore" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Baltimore</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Charlotte" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Charlotte</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Philadelphia" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Philadelphia</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WashingtonDC" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>WashingtonDC</span></a>."</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/more-than-140-000-without-power-in-tennessee-as-severe-weather-moves-in/ar-AA1eV9Mw?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=a8846396611b4efbbfda7183034411e7&ei=19" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">msn.com/en-us/weather/topstori</span><span class="invisible">es/more-than-140-000-without-power-in-tennessee-as-severe-weather-moves-in/ar-AA1eV9Mw?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=a8846396611b4efbbfda7183034411e7&ei=19</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Wx" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Wx</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/weather" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>weather</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SevereWeather" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SevereWeather</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PowerOutages" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PowerOutages</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SoutheasternUS" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SoutheasternUS</span></a></p>
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