"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day."-Joshua 10:13
Below is a part of the chapter I was very intrigued on how God is in control of the weather. It's so awe inspring of how God can just move any any situations (e.g. war)
Related Resources:
Temperature
""As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."-Genesis 8
A formula that many students used to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius was similar to:
*see awesome testimony from his wife's car accident "I am sure most of you like me have at sometime prayed for a change in the weather. Last year on the day of St Chad�s Summer Fete it was pelting it down and at 10 minutes before it was due to start we all gathered under the protection of a marquee and prayed for the rain to stop. We also sung Shine Jesus shine although a bit tongue in cheek! Guess what, within minutes the rain stopped and it remained dry for the whole duration, the rain only resumed as we were packing up. Coincidence? I think not! Sometimes I really feel sorry for God, as he receives our prayer requests. It would be impossible to please everybody all the time wouldn�t it. Can you imagine for example A Christian family off to a holiday in Norfolk praying for good dry weather so they could enjoy the beach, yet at the same time a Christian farmer praying for rain as his crops needed watering. I guess God is often in a no win situation!"
God Smites Georgia, By David Knowles
Nov 15th 2007 8:59AM
Filed Under:Republicans, Featured Stories, Environment, Religion (news.aol.com)
*I first heard about this awesome story during Thanksgiving "Just outside the Georgia capitol building, Governor Sonny Perdue led his state in an official prayer for rain this week. As most people know by now, Georgia is suffering from a potentially catastrophic drought, and Perdue decided to seek divine intervention. Appealing to a higher power for rain is an age-old human tradition, one perhaps best illustrated in the form of the Native American rain dance. So, the Republican Governor led a gathering of lawmakers, ministers and ordinary citizens in a direct and specific request to God.
"Oh father, we acknowledge our wastefulness," Perdue said. "But we're doing better. And I thought it was time to acknowledge that to the creator, the provider of water and land, and to tell him that we will do better."
Nay sayers attacked the proceedings on several points:
"The governor is exceeding his constitutional authority," said Ed Buckner, an atheist and treasurer of the group [The Atlanta Freethought Society]. "He has no right to set up prayer services on behalf of the people of Georgia, particularly not on the grounds of the state Capitol."
At the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's blog, one reader took issue with the Governor's actions from a theological perspective:
"God is not an ATM machine you can go to and get whatever you need whenever you ask for it."
So did the prayer work? While there were trace amounts of rain the following day, the science-based forecast for the rest of the week puts the chance of further precipitation at 10% or less. As attorney Gil Rogers sees it, whether or not a few drops fall from the sky this week or the next is beside the point:
"We shouldn't look at it as 'Once the rains come we'll be fine,'" he said. "We'd like to see rain, but this doesn't get us any closer to sustaining water management in Georgia."
Lastly, the people over at the site Why Won't God Heal Amputees? have posted a video with their take on the efficacy on prayer. I'm guessing Sonny Perdue hasn't seen it.By David Knowles
Nov 15th 2007 8:59AM
Filed Under:Republicans, Featured Stories, Environment, Religion"
*......more on this story, see Goodnews USA: Georgia........
"... 35 "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.
37 "When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel�each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple- 39 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), 40 so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers. "-1 Kings 8
"
1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.
6 "Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.
7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."
Ezekiel 1:28 "
Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking."
Revelation 4:3 "
And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
Revelation 4:2-4 (in Context) Revelation 4 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 10:1 "
[ The Angel and the Little Scroll ] Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.
"I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life."-Genesis 9:15
CHARLEY, FRANCES, IVAN, JEANNE (Summer of 2004) Florida
"The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
"-Ecclessiastes 1:6
Our Daily Bread (Sept.3) - Life Lab
"Hurricane Andrew struck the US mainland in August 1992. As residents tried to cope with the destruction, scientists turned Florida into a huge laboratory. Teams of researchers descended on the state to measure the storm's impact on everything from building materials to tropical fish. Psychologists analyzed the hurricane's influence on children. Geographers mapped sunken boats. Marine scientists cataloged the damage done to reefs, sea grass, and mangroves. Criminologists studied price-gouging and the breakdown of social order.
The prophets of the Bible did a similar evaluation after spiritual disasters. They documented the personal, social, and environmental effects of turning away from the one true God (Isa. 1:1-9; Hag. 1:2-7).
In behalf of a loving God, Haggai urged his neighbors to give careful attention to what had happened. He noted the priority they were giving to their own comforts and wanted them to observe how dissatisfied and empty they still were.
If God didn't care, He wouldn't ask us to consider the time and effort we are spending on diminishing returns. If He didn't love us, He couldn't remind us of all that He has given us. God sees what has happened to us and knows how much we need to focus on Him today. � Mart De Haan
I would live for Thee, Lord Jesus,
Keep my eyes so turned toward Thee
That the world and all its system
May attract no part of me. �Graves
When Christ is the center of your interests, life will be in focus. "
"
23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
26He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!""-Matthew 8
"Posted By dennisjamesstudio 10 months ago
More videos from this user
jesus walking on the water in the storm peter walks sinks jesus saves calms the storm
"
"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun...-Ecclesiastes 8
Seasons
-Summer
"Taken in July 2010 before a postponed softball game at Chizek Ball Park in Morris, Minnesota
*see Sal's Photo.biz
It's been a frigid week (Sunday, January 16th-Saturday, January 22nd of 2011) here in Morris and the many of the rest of the parts of Minnesota. At my workplace, we has 2-2 hour late starts because of "dangerous" wind-chills (30's below zero). I guess that's part of living in this part of the county-it's only for a few more weeks or couple of months each year, so we get used to it?! Well, one awesome "winter cold" story that was "cool" to share about was this past Wednesday. As I was coming home from work, I notice my neighbor across the street were doing that typical "this time of the season"- "jump-starting" their vehicle scene. I thought they were handling it as I saw another vehicle parked the opposite direction facing their "dead" vehicle. As I was going into my front-door of my house (screen side-door handle "broken" due to being frozen shut recently because of the cold earlier this week), my neighbors shouted if I could jump start their vehicle. These guys were Chinese international students and I thought this became an "open-door" opportunity to "reach-out" to them! It was ironic because earlier in the day, I attended the weekly Wednesday (January 19th) morning Bible-Study at P.C.S. (part-time job headquarters) and of the guys that come was just asking me about if I have had any contacts with any of the growing-number of Chinese international students (latelast summer of last year, I was teaching ESL "material" with 50+ new college students as part of international student orientation at the local university) lately? As I was going to the back of my house to get my car, I immediately started praying and asking God to use this "open window". When I got to the front of my house to help "jump start" their "bigger vehicle", I was able to meet the car owner and a couple of his friends. We would chat a bit in the freezing cold afternoon as we waited for the "charging". I then notice they had their hands in their winter jackets and appeared they were freezing. I then thought of my "extra" (some unpaired) winter gloves in the trunk of my car. I thought about it for a moment and decided to "give" them my winter gloves (didn't give my recent new ones I got for Christmas from my dad). Earlier they were offering me a cigaratte and I smiled with a "no thank you". While waiting, we were able to chat and get to know each other. There was a point where we almost gave up after he tried to start the vehicle several times (dashboard lights were on, which was a "good sign"), so we exchanged cell phone numbers (I was going to refer him to a mechanic friend of mine from my local church). I gotta remember this in the future that when I'm jump starting a "bigger vehicle", it'll take a longer time. Thus, it did work after 5 minutes or so!! Praise God! We all smiled and then I invited him and his friends to come over to visit anytime if they need anything as I pointed to my house across the street. I usually have my "business" card with me, but I forgot to put some in my back pocket (later did for the future)-I'll be more ready next time! I thought this was a great "open door" to reach out and meet more of the new UMM international students from China.
TAKE ACTION!!
Just an idea! Stock-up on winter gear in the back of your vehicle for future "open-doors" to reach out to people with practical winter essentials! Also, have other "winter emergency" equipment (e.g. jumper cables, shovel, etc..) to use as an "outreach opportunity"!! Feel free to contact me (down below) of any suggestions, feedback, and continue praying for one another to be used in simple ways like this!
-Sunrises
-Sunset
"
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised."-Psalm 113:3
"The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises."-Ecclesiastes 1:5
"so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other."-Isaiah 45:6
'It was early on a Saturday night when rain began to fall on the city of Rushford , Minnesota . It wouldn't take long for those showers to quickly turn into God-fearing thunderstorms.
"It was raining heavily when I went to bed," said Rushford resident, Delaine Kjos.
"It rained so hard we could hardly see anything," said Betty Culhane.
Father Joe Pete says, "I saw water and boats coming in carrying people and it was a nightmare. There were canoes carrying people. People came in wet and cold."
Betty recalls, "I walked around a while and walked out onto my porch and then I saw these cars coming and parking along my street because the school is right across from us. So I thought they must be evacuating."
"I think I was in shock just like everybody else. I was in shock and I didn't think a lot. I tried to think about what I could do. The city was taking care of getting the people out," recalled Fr. Pete.
As the rain continued to fall and floodwaters continued to rise something amazing happened that may be credited for saving countless lives.
Betty says, "About two o'clock the sirens were going off and I figured it was because of the water."
Delaine added, "They tried to say that the sirens shorted out and they went off but there was a higher power that turned those sirens on."
"Jesus is present in everything. I'm just very aware of Jesus in everything," said Fr. Pete.
Once much of the shock wore off the rebuilding began starting with the very basics.
For more stories go to www.faith-stories.com "
"The country's largest Lutheran denomination will vote Friday whether to allow people in same-sex relationships to become clergy. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is holding its national convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center this week.
The vote comes on the heels of a big decision Wednesday where two-thirds agreed to adopt a social statement that says in part, the church will accept different views on human sexuality.
But a tornado-damaged steeple at Central Lutheran Church near where the convention is being seen by some as a sign. A Minneapolis pastor's blog says the storm was a gentle, but firm warning to turn from the approval of sin before a crucial decision.
"I think it's as important as the vote that happened in 1970 for the ordination of women and for me personally that's pretty important." said Pastor Margie Guelker from Christ Lutheran Church in Blaine.
Those against it see it as a step back.
"I'm not supporting this. I'm very disappointed." said Pastor Dave Glesne from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fridley.
"There's been an erosion of God's word. Modernism has come in and trumped scripture as the final authority for many many people," said Glesne.
While some saw the tornado as a warning, others say the sunshine that followed the vote is an affirmation.
The assembly needs a simple majority, and not a two-thirds vote, to pass tomorrow's proposal."
"A Freeborn County couple is lucky to be alive Friday, Don Shelby reports (2:49)."
"God saved us"
*house was moved "intached" to their backyard by the 1/2 mile tornado, which the couple was "saved" in the corner of the basement and then saw blue skies as the tornado passed!
June 17 2010 large tornado near Albert Lea and Hollandale, MN
"June 17, 2010 — Raw footage of large violent tornado during tornado outbreak in Minnesota on June 17th 2010. Video starts traveling up I-35 North of Albert Lea looking east/northeast starting a little before 8pm. One of 6 tornados saw on the day. WIll post more later. I pray for everyone involved."
WADENA, Minn. -- Authorities have confirmed a number of tornado touchdowns across Minnesota, including one in Wadena that has resulted in widespread damage.
The story is similar in southern Minnesota, where reports say a massive tornado hit Albert Lea and cut a swath across much of Freeborn County.
Three people died from Thursday's storms. A man was killed when a twister hit the Cenex station in Mentor, in northwest Minnesota and earlier, authorities in Otter Tail County reported a woman killed by a tornado in Almora. ... Extreme Close Call with Tornado in Minnesota on June 17th 2010 , from youtube.com " June 17, 2010 — Android Footage showing a tornado only yards from a car full of people that got caught under a funnel cloud touching down next to them, very small but violent tornado"
-Northern Minnesota
Minnesota wedge tornado intercept!!! June 17, 2010
"TornadoVideosdotnet — June 17, 2010 — TornadoVideos.net Dominator intercepts violent wedge tornado southwest of Wadena, Minnesota, measuring incredible vertical winds with the radar, and launching parachute probes into the tornado with the cannon. We deployed in the strongest eastern side of the wedge, and the 150+ mph winds ripped off the room anemometer, sand-blasted the paint, and caused us to slide across the road with the hydraulics deployed. At least 4 parachute probes have been recovered so far, two of which were stuck in the top of large trees. Check out the full intercept on Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers this fall!!" 06/17/2010 Wadena, MN Tornadoes ,from youtube.com "..June 17, 2010 — Storm Chaser Brandon Ivey was up in Northern Minnesota in the town of Wadena for the tornado outbreak on Thursday. Brandon shot video of a multi-vortex tornado that hit the town of Wadena, MN and sent debris flying in the air.
Up close video of the tornado over a house while the winds were ripping at the shingles... 06/17/2010 Wadena, MN Tornado and damage , from youtube.com " June 18, 2010 — Eric Whitehill was in Wadena, MN as the tornado hit the town. Eric gets video of the tornado coming into down with debris up in the air. After the town gets hit, Eric checks out the damage path around Wadena, MN."
"The National Weather Service has confirmed that four weak tornadoes touched down in the Twin Cities area Wednesday, bringing winds between 70 mph and 85 mph.
The weather service damage assessment teams finished their work by Thursday evening, and confirmed three F0 tornados and a slightly stronger F1 tornado touched down in the storm.
One F0 touched down in south Minneapolis then moved into downtown. Another hit about 40 miles north of St. Paul, in North Branch near the middle school. The third was just outside Hudson, Wis., and it downed several large trees.
A slight stronger F1 tornado touched town on state Highway 61 in Cottage Grove, uprooting or shearing off several trees 2 feet to 3 feet in diameter.
The weather service ranks tornadoes on a scale of F0 to F5, the most powerful."
It really was a tornado
By BILL MCAULIFFE and PAUL LEVY , Star Tribune staff writers
Last update: August 20, 2009 - 11:12 PM
"...The Minneapolis tornado, one of four in Minnesota confirmed by the Weather Service, emerged out of conditions that were unlikely to produce twisters, one reason the Weather Service had no severe weather warnings in place at the time, said meteorologist Matt Friedlein, who was briefed by the agency's tornado assessment team Thursday...
Hugo Minnesota tornado May 25th 2008 part 1
"HUGO — On Sunday, May 25, 2008, at 5:00 p.m., in a matter of seconds, an EF-3 tornado blew homes off foundations. The “bombing” hailstorm that followed damaged every home in Hugo. The north metro community was rocked by the disaster.
Two families, with firm foundations in service and prayer, have been part of God’s recovery plan for Hugo. One year later, their faith journeys have touched the lives of the community and beyond.
Steve and Sandy Anderson intentionally chose their Hugo neighborhood so they could serve others for Christ. Jerry and Christy Prindle’s home crumbled around them as it was directly hit by the EF-3 tornado. More devastating than the property damage was the impact on their family.
“He is a Christian,” Christy Prindle remembers thinking when she saw neighbor Steve Anderson running to their completely devastated home. “I asked him to pray with us.” Steve laid hands on Christy and her husband, Jerry, both dazed and injured, and began to pray for healing, strength and for God to find their children. Prindle’s daughter, Ani, had stopped breathing under the rubble and would require resuscitation many times. On that day, the tornado would claim one young life: the Prindle’s two-year-old son, Nate.
Servant’s Heart
“No! This is not right. I won’t let this much destruction [and] darkness happen to my friends and neighborhood,” resolved Steve, as he watched four ambulances leave with the Prindle family—and he surveyed the devastated area that resembled a war zone.
As the neighborhood evacuated, Steve left water at the end of his driveway for the mounted police patrolling the neighborhood. In the days and weeks that followed, the body of Christ would find a conduit for serving and giving as Steve and his wife, Sandy, would open their hearts and home to the community.
Dubbed the “oasis,” hundreds of neighbors, volunteers, and first responders found free food and supplies and a respite in the tornado’s aftermath. The Anderson’s driveway, garage, yard and home overflowed with donations, including everything from bedding, clothing, sunscreen, diapers, tarps, gloves, and chocolate to cheeseburgers.
Eagle Brook Church (located nearby) pastors were available for emotional and spiritual counseling.
Living Matthew 25
“We had to help people in help,” said Sandy Anderson. “People wanted to help but needed someone to say, ‘I need you to do this.’” Donations were prompted by viral e-mails and an ever-changing “needs” whiteboard in the front yard. As a donor dropped off a meal for 10 people, a neighbor would request a meal to feed 10 volunteers. A man showed up with two bags full of women’s size two clothing. Within 20 minutes, a working mother stopped by to say that her work clothes were gone and she wore a size two.
“God had His hand in this. He orchestrated all of this,” Sandy recalls.
Partnering with the Andersons during the aftermath, Greg Grimstad, grace pastor of Eagle Brook Church, reflected, “We learned the value of the relational capital of our attendees. The church is not the building; it is the people. Steve and Sandy Anderson were salt and light to the community. They were just who they are in Christ, being the body of Christ.”
The Anderson’s home became a refuge for Christy and Jerry Prindle. As the cleanup crews found the widely-scattered Prindle belongings, those items were brought to the Anderson home. A separate area was set-up so Christy and Jerry could sort, process and grieve in private.
Prayer Recovery
“We have seen God in people,” said Christy Prindle. Neighbors, civic leaders, first responders, friends, family and strangers have been God’s hands and feet in the past year. Knowing that people are praying for them has sustained the Prindles.
Prayer was a firm foundation on the day of Prindle’s son’s wake. Christy saw her son for the first time since the tornado. “I lost it,” she said. Don Arnold grabbed hold of Christy and from six inches away said, “Pray with me.” Together, they would breathe in: “Lord Jesus, grant me strength” and breathe out: “Lord Jesus, grant me peace."
“I knew that moment God had granted me strength. I couldn’t have made it through such a horrific thing,” Christy said. Arnold was in campus ministry when Christy attended Winona State University. In retirement, his ministry now is helping people deal with overwhelming grief.
The Prindle’s prayer life has brought them closer together and closer to God. Still lifting up prayers for total healing for their daughter, the Prindles also use very precise prayers—to see movement in Ani’s hands or for her to say a specific word. Jerry prayed his mother would get better so she would hear Ani talk. Shortly before his mother passed away in December, Ani was able to say “guh-na.” “These are the prayers that come true,” said Jerry.
Christy and Jerry believe it is part of God’s plan for them to talk about their experience and how they have grown in their faith. Recently, they shared with their church, Eagle Brook Church in Lino Lakes: “The why question is a very human question. It is not the right thing to ask. It is an anchor. It holds you to a past event, or holds you in the past. It won’t let you go forward. There is never going to be an answer that satisfies your longing for an answer.”
“We both know God did not cause this tornado,” said Christy. “He was in the aftermath. He protects us and gives us guidance.”
The couple constantly relies on the promise that they will see Nate in heaven and will get to hold him again. There are periods of sadness. “God gives you something,” said Jerry. “God has done something in us. He allows us to come out of the grief. He allows us to see life in a different way.”
"
Hugo Tornado - we will rebuild
"Hugo tornado documentary. We are down but not out, We Weathered it together
produced by Steve Johnson "
"CHICAGO – A massive storm with wind gusts up to 81 mph howled across the nation's midsection Tuesday, snapping trees and power lines, ripping off roofs, delaying flights and soaking commuters hunched under crumpled umbrellas.
Spanning from the Dakotas to the eastern Great Lakes, the unusual system mesmerized meteorologists because of its size and because it had barometric pressure similar to a Category 3 hurricane, but with much less destructive power.
Scientists said the storm had the force of a blizzard minus the snow.
"If it were colder, we'd have a blizzard with this system," said David Imy, operations chief at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. But temperatures were in the 50s and 60s, instead of the 20s.
The agency said the system's pressure reading Tuesday was among the lowest ever in a non-tropical storm in the mainland U.S. Spokeswoman Susan Buchanan said the storm was within the top five strongest storms in terms of low pressure, but may not have been the strongest on record.
Earlier, the agency said the storm's pressure was worse than that produced the Blizzard of 1978, the March 1993 "Storm of the Century" or the November 1975 storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald freighter, memorialized in a song by Gordon Lightfoot.
The storm blew in from the Pacific Northwest on the strength of a jet stream that is about one-third stronger than normal for this time of year, Imy said. As the system moved into the nation's heartland, it drew in warm air needed to fuel thunderstorms. Then the winds intensified and tornadoes formed.
Add to that the fact the storm was moving fast, 50 to 60 mph, and the winds became even stronger, Imy said.
By Tuesday morning, sustained winds were about 35 to 40 mph and gusting much higher. A gust of 81 mph was recorded in Butlerville, Ohio, and 80 mph in Greenfield, Ind., according to NOAA.
At one point, more than 145,000 homes and businesses were without power in Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and the St. Louis area.
The storms were headed toward the East Coast by late afternoon, and winds were expected to subside in the evening. But forecasters said the winds could pick up again Wednesday.....
Meteorologists said the storm's barometric pressure readings were comparable to those of a Category 3 hurricane but with much weaker winds. The wind gusts were only as strong as a tropical storm. Category 3 hurricanes have winds from 111 to 130 mph.
Storm pressure works like this: The lower the pressure, the greater the winds. The higher the pressure, the calmer and balmier the weather is. If Tuesday's low-pressure system had been over water — where winds get higher — it would have created a major hurricane, Imy said.
Tom Skilling, a meteorologist with WGN-TV in Chicago, said the size of the storm — 31 states were under some sort of weather advisory, from blizzards to thunderstorms to tornadoes — also was unusual.
Severe thunderstorm warnings blanketed much of the Midwest, and tornado watches were issued from Arkansas to Ohio.
Eleven states were under a high wind warning: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Ohio and parts of Kentucky.
Meanwhile, a blizzard warning was issued for much of North Dakota, where the weather service said up to 10 inches of snow could fall in some areas into early Wednesday and into northern South Dakota. Wind gusts of more than 50 mph in many areas would make travel treacherous.
In the Chicago area, morning commuters faced blustery, wind-driven rain as they waited for trains. Some huddled beneath railway overpasses to stay out of the gusts, dashing to the platform at the last minute.
About 500 flights were canceled and others delayed at O'Hare Airport, a major hub for American and United airlines. The storms also disrupted flights at the Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Minneapolis airports.
Chicago's 110-story Willis Tower, the nation's tallest building, closed the Skydeck observatory and retracted "The Ledge" attraction — four glass boxes that jut out from the building's 103rd floor.
In Michigan, wind speeds topped 35 mph on the five-mile Mackinac Bridge, which links the state's Upper and Lower peninsulas. Traffic continued to cross, but escorts were given to "high-profile" vehicles such as large trucks, school buses and vehicles towing trailers.
In St. Louis, strong winds were blamed for a partial building collapse that sent bricks, mortar, roofing and some window air conditioners raining down onto a sidewalk. No one was injured, and officials were inspecting the 1920s-era building.
VIDEO: Rare Wind Storm to Strike Most of Midwest 10pm 10/25/10
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Heat is more likely to kill an American than an earthquake, and thunderstorms kill more than hurricanes do, according to a "death map" published on Tuesday.
Researchers who compiled the county-by-county look at what natural disasters kill Americans said they hope their study will help emergency preparedness officials plan better.
Heat and drought caused 19.6 percent of total deaths from natural hazards, with summer thunderstorms causing 18.8 percent and winter weather causing 18.1 percent, the team at the University of South Carolina found.
Earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes combined were responsible for fewer than 5 percent of all hazard deaths...."
"(CNN) -- Authorities have declared more than 1,000 counties as natural disaster areas as the worst drought in a quarter-century spreads across the United States this summer.
Is the drought hitting your area? Let us know how you're coping on CNN iReport.
As of Tuesday, 61% of the lower 48 states were experiencing drought conditions -- stretching from Nevada to South Carolina -- the highest percentage in the 12-year record of the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The parched conditions come after some areas have already suffered record-setting heatwaves, killer storms and blazing wildfires.
The prognosis for farmers and their crops, especially corn, looks grim as fields and pastures increasingly dry up, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
Many areas in the southern Midwest are reporting the poorest conditions for June since 1988. Some farmers displayed sickly looking ears of corn. The plants are half as tall as they should be.
Corn prices pop after lower production forecast
"In the hottest areas last week, which were generally dry, crop conditions deteriorated quickly," wrote Rich Tinker, author of the Drought Monitor.
He said 30% of the corn crop in the 18 primary corn-growing states is now in poor or very poor condition, up from 22% the previous week.
Half of America's pastures and ranges are in poor or very poor condition, up from 28% in mid-June.
In all, 1,016 counties in 26 states were declared disaster areas, the Department of Agriculture said.
Think it's hot? Imagine living here
A county is generally qualified as a natural disaster area if it has suffered severe drought for eight consecutive weeks. Farmers are then eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency.
The sizzling conditions have led to a dramatic increase in wildfire activity since mid-June, around the time when the High Park Fire ignited near Fort Collins, Colorado. During the past three weeks, acres scorched by wildfires went up from 1.1 million to 3.1 million.
At Bilskie's Market in Indianapolis, owner Jim Bilskie said he has offered customers local produce for 40 years. This year, he's paying more for fruits and vegetables and says he has to pass on the costs.
Aerial video from CNN affiliate WISH shows low water levels in Indiana.
Aerial video from CNN affiliate WISH shows low water levels in Indiana.
"The cost is high now," Bilskie told CNN affiliate WTHR. "The wholesaler isn't making money. The cost is going up. We're not making money. It's outrageous."
Mother nature's kill list
Many more Americans will probably pay down the line for this summer's drought, said Chad Hart, a grain market specialist at Iowa State University. And it will also drive up prices for meat and poultry because prices for feed will also go up, Hart said.
With water reservoirs at low levels, a mandatory water ban begins Friday at noon in Indianapolis in hopes of saving an additional 25 million gallons a day. The ban mainly affects lawn watering.
"If we did not implement our plan, we would risk not having adequate water supplies or pressures for our customers," Lindsay Lindgren of Citizens Water told WTHR, "and for all of the uses of our water, including firefighting protection."
The past 12 months have been the warmest the United States has experienced since records began in 1895, the climatic data center said."
"Posted Bychristlikelifeabout a year ago
2 Chronicles 6:26-27 says: "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them; then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance." Those verses have been hanging on my mind for awhile now, and I wrote this song as sort of an allegorical picture to answer this question: What would it look like if Israel had sinned, and if God withheld the rain? What would they feel? Would God send rain after they had repented? I hope you enjoy it!
"red river flooding in fargo, north dakota" Fargo North Dakota Flooding 2009, from youtube.com Red River Flood 2009: Part 4, from youtube.com Red River Flood 2009: Part 1, from youtube.com CNN iReport - Fargo Flood Fight 2009, from youtube.com
LOCAL: UPDATE: Local residents help with flood control as crest projections worsen
Morris Sun Tribune
Published Thursday, March 26, 2009 By Tom Larson "A typical trip to the Fargo-Moorhead area for many Morris area residents might involve shopping, a concert, maybe a sporting event or a college visit.
There wasn’t a lot of fun in store for area residents and companies making the trip there this week, but what they are doing is probably more rewarding.
Riley Brothers, of Morris, on Monday sent more than two dozen pieces of equipment and about 60 workers to the region to help with flood control efforts in the Red River Valley.
On Thursday, more than 40 Morris Area students, teachers and parents boarded a bus at 6 a.m. and took off to help with sandbagging efforts. This after FFA students from Hancock and Morris traveled to the region earlier this week.
Riverview Dairy also sent between 25 and 35 people, including Hispanic workers and area residents, to Fargo on three separate trips, said Riverview's Kevin Wulf.
Earlier this week, softball, volleyball and track athletes from the University of Minnesota, Morris traveled to Breckenridge to help with flood control efforts there, and another campus group went to Fargo to provide assistance on Tuesday.
Fargo residents Annette and Steve Sprague offered their thanks in a letter sent to UMM: “We had the pleasure of working along side several University of MN Morris students last night at the Fargodome while making sandbags. We want to issue a 'HUGE THANK YOU' to these young men and women for volunteering to come to Fargo to help us in our flood battle. The youth of MN and ND are truly amazing, and on behalf of the Fargo-Moorhead community we are sincerely grateful. We hope you will be able to post this message in some manner because unfortunately we do not have their names to thank them personally!”
Sodexho on campus donated snacks for the volunteers. The owners of McDonald's in Breckenridge, who also own the Morris McDonald's, and Subway of Morris also provided food for the UMM volunteers.
Thousands of volunteers are working around the clock as communities along the Red River brace for what has the potential to be the worst flooding in the region’s history.
Experts said late Thursday that now the river could crest at 43 feet by Saturday, and that it could stay at that level for several days. Many rural areas already are being evacuated, and the City of Fargo released contingency evacuation plans Thursday.
Joe Riley, of Riley Brothers, said he received a call at about 7 p.m. Sunday from a contractor in the Fargo-Moorhead area requesting help. By 7 a.m. Monday, Riley Brothers had 20 pieces of equipment on the job. In total, Riley Brothers has between 55 and 60 workers, 10 trucks, five backhoes and nine bulldozers on the job in two 12-hour shifts, building dikes, Riley said.
“They really needed it,” Riley said. “They definitely have a problem but they’re keeping ahead of it.”
Riley Brothers has a long work history in the Fargo area. In fact, one Riley Brothers project is responsible for reducing some of the threat in the West Fargo area. In the mid-1980s, Riley Brothers completed a diversion project that has left West Fargo in pretty good shape in terms of avoiding major damage, he said.
Right now, the crews and equipment are deployed south of Fargo near Interstate 29, working west toward the Sheyenne River, which runs into the Red River. The crews have been awed by the experience.
“They said there’s absolutely equipment and trucks everywhere,” Riley said. “It’s a situation they have not seen before, ever, on this scale. There are people and equipment everywhere.”
The Morris Area students got involved almost as quickly as the Riley Brothers’ crews.
Teacher Natasha Mortenson said a sign-up sheet posted Wednesday asking students if they’d be willing to help filled up quickly.
“We put the list up at noon and it was full in 10, 15 minutes,” said Mortenson from their work location in North Fargo on Thursday morning. “Everyone wanted to help and they’re working very, very hard.”
About 37 students were joined by teachers and some parents for the day-long work session, and their efforts had Morris ties.
Their first assignment was to help sandbag at a home in North Fargo owned by the 78-year-old father-in-law of Morris Area counselor Tammy Roth. The students also moved household items out of the home’s basement into upper floors. They then traveled to the Fargodome to either work there or receive another assignment, Mortenson said.
Morris Area student Sara Beyer said the work was cold and snow fell throughout the day but that the trip was a success.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Beyer said. “There were signs when you get to town that say ‘Bless the volunteers.’ All the thank yous mean a lot to us. It’s nice to do whatever you can to help.”
Morris Area student Nathan Gades joked that the sandbagging in the freezing cold and snow was a good way to get out of school for a day.
“Every person makes a lot of difference,” he said.
Some of the volunteers from Riverview Dairy filled bags in Moorhead that were sent to local neighborhoods. Other workers were scattered around on other assignments, Wulf said.
The efforts of all the volunteers in a time of crisis is a unique experience, he said.
"It speaks volumes for the American culture," Wulf said. "This isn't a perfect culture, but when people are in trouble everyone comes to their aid. You see that more in American culture than I have anywhere else around the globe."
Anyone with stories and photos to share of efforts to help with flood control efforts around the region are encouraged to contact the Sun Tribune at (888) 589-2525 or by email at: morrtrib@info-link.net."
=>UMM Connections: Morris IVCF Connections-Fargo Flood ing (Friday, March 27, 2009)
Staying in touch and sharing God's work in our lives.
STATE: Mandatory Evacuation for
Parts of South Fargo
Created On: Thursday, 26 Mar 2009, 9:24 PM CDT "
FARGO, N.D. - A mandatory evacuation is underway in the River Vili and Riverview Estates areas in South Fargo Thursday night.
There are 35-40 homes in the River Vili neighborhood. Riverview Estates is a senior living center.
The Fargo Police Department, Fire Department and National Guard are on the scene assisting residents.
The evacuation was determined necessary after longitudinal cracks were found in the earthen levy built to protect the area from flood waters.
Residents are not in immediate danger but are being evacuated as a safety precaution until the situation can be assessed and appropriate measures can be taken.
Moorhead residents with homes south of Interstate 94 and west of 8th Street were advised to evacuate early Thursday afternoon.
The city said there has been no breach to the dike system, but alerted residents through the Code Red system of a significance flood threat, recommends people to prepare to evacuate."
NATION: New estimate raises ND flood higher than sandbags, By NATE JENKINS and DAVE KOLPACK, Associated Press Writers Nate Jenkins And Dave Kolpack, Associated Press Writers – 58 mins ago "
FARGO, N.D. – Bad news turned dire Thursday for residents scrambling in subfreezing temperatures to pile sandbags along the Red River: After they spent the day preparing for a record crest of 41 feet, forecasters added up to 2 feet to their estimate.
The first estimate sparked urgency among thousands of volunteers in Fargo, but the second sparked doubts about whether a 43-foot-high wall of water could be stopped. Across the river in Moorhead, Minn., City Manager Michael Redlinger said portions of his city's dike could not be easily raised to withstand a 42-foot crest.
"Now everything's up in the air," he said.
The old estimate was 41 feet by Saturday afternoon, and thousands of volunteers had labored throughout the day to raise the dikes around North Dakota's largest city to 43 feet. City and emergency officials had said they were confident the city would make it, but will now have to build higher.
The National Weather Service said in guidance issued late Thursday afternoon that the Red was expected to crest between 41 and 42 feet, but could reach 43 feet. It said water levels could remain high for up to a week — a lengthy test of on-the-fly flood control.
"Record flows upstream of Fargo have produced unprecedented conditions" on the river, which "is expected to behave in ways never previously observed," the weather service said.
Tim Corwin, 55, whose south Fargo home was sheltered by sandbags to 43 feet, said he wasn't giving up but was pessimistic after hearing the new potential crest.
"I've lived here 40 years and over a 30-minute span I've reached a point where I'm preparing to evacuate and expect never to sleep in my house again," he said.
Even before Thursday's revised estimate, official briefings in Fargo had lost the jokes and quips that had broken the tension earlier in the week. Instead, Thursday's meeting opened with a prayer.
"We need all the help we can get," Mayor Dennis Walaker said.
The city of 92,000 unveiled a contingency evacuation plan Thursday afternoon, but at least four nursing homes already had begun moving residents by then.
"A few of them said they didn't want to go. I said I'm going where the crowd goes," said 98-year-old Margaret "Dolly" Beaucage, who clasped rosary beads as she waited to leave Elim Care Center.
"I'm a swimmer," she said, smiling, "but not that good a swimmer."
Officials in Moorhead earlier had called for voluntary evacuations for several hundred homes on the city's south side.
The sandbag-making operation at the Fargodome churned as furiously as ever, sending fresh bags out to an estimated 6,000 volunteers who endured temperatures below 20 degrees in the race to sandbag.
"I was skeptical as far as volunteers coming out today, but they're like mailmen," said Leon Schlafmann, Fargo's emergency management director. "They come out rain, sleet or shine."
Gov. John Hoeven, heading into a planning meeting in Fargo, urged residents not to let down. "We know they're tired, but we need to hang in there and continue the work," he said.
Hoeven was calling for 500 more National Guard members to join 900 already part of the effort.
Walaker, the mayor, said he was shocked by the new forecast.
"Is this a wakeup call? People can't take many more wakeup calls," he said. But Walaker also said the forecast didn't seem to match what he had seen in the Red's tributaries earlier in the day.
"This is the worst-case scenario," he said. "Right now, I'm going to stick with 41," he said.
As in Fargo, sandbagging was under way in Moorhead, a city of about 35,000 where some homes in a low-lying northern township had already flooded. The city was setting up a shelter at its high school for displaced residents and those who heeded the call for voluntary evacuation.
Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland told WDAY-TV that the city would just have to raise its protection another foot.
"The problem is we don't have that much time. Every day is a day closer to crest and now we're looking at 36 hours to cresting — we don't know if we have time to add another foot to all of our dikes."
As the struggle continued in Fargo, the threat in the state capital of Bismarck was receding. A day after explosives were used to attack an ice jam on the Missouri River south of the city of 59,000, the river had fallen by 2 1/2 feet. At least 1,700 people had been evacuated from low-lying areas of town before the river began to fall.
Crews were rescuing stranded residents in rural areas south of Fargo. On Wednesday, 46 people were rescued by airboat from 15 homes, and Cass County Sheriff Paul D. Laney said early Thursday that he had received 11 more evacuation requests from homeowners.
In Fargo, the southern parts of the city, mostly residential areas, were seen as most vulnerable, and the city was building contingency dikes behind the main dike in some areas. The river was a bit over 39 feet Thursday evening. The Red hit 39.57 feet in 1997, and the record is 40.1 feet in 1897.
Dick Bailly, 64, choked up as he looked out over his backyard dike at the river.
"It was demoralizing this morning," Bailly said, his eyes welling. "We got a lot of work to do. People have the will to respond, but you can only fight nature so much, and sometimes nature wins."
On a sandbag line behind another house near the river, 65-year-old Will Wright, a veteran of Fargo floods, helped stack bags as water began to seep through his homemade dike. Like others, he said he was confident the dike would hold — for a while.
"The big concern I have is the river crest staying three to five days and it testing the integrity of these sandbags," Wright said.
In Moorhead, both entrances to the Crystal Creek development were flooded, leaving Deb and Scott Greelis thinking about how they and their kids — ages 6, 2 and 6 months — could get out if things get much worse.
"We are pretty much stuck in here," Deb Greelis said. But she said they could haul the kids in a sled to a nearby highway on higher ground if they need to evacuate.
On the Canadian side of the Red River, in Manitoba, ice-clogged culverts, ice jams and the rising river also threatened residents. At least 40 homes were evacuated in communities north of Winnipeg and several dozen houses were flooded as water spilled onto the flat landscape.
"We're in for probably the worst two weeks that this community has ever seen in its entire existence," said St. Clements Mayor Steve Strang.
The region's emergency services coordinator, Paul Guyader, said water levels in the area were dropping but residents are not letting their guard down: The Red River crest threatening North Dakota isn't expected to arrive in Manitoba for another week.
Fargo's rush to sandbag eliminated a complication caused by the subfreezing weather. Sandbags had gotten frozen earlier in the week, making them difficult to stack tightly together; people were seen slamming bags to the ground to break them up.
Now the sandbags are moving too fast to freeze.
" Residents Race to Protect Fargo From Flood, from youtube.com
"COLUMBIA — Wayne Hilgedick gets anxious when the Missouri River hits 25 feet. That's 7 feet below the levee that protects his corn and soybean crops in the Hartsburg river bottom, but in the six decades that the 79-year-old Hilgedick has worked that land, he's seen the river gain 2, 3, even 4 feet in one night from rainfall.
The river could gain that much by the middle of this month — without a drop of rain.
The Missouri River was forecast to reach levels between 27 to 33 feet at Boonville in the next few weeks and remain well above its 21-foot flood stage for most of the summer, according to the Army Corps of Engineers and National Weather Service.
The forecast flood levels are the result of record releases of water from reservoirs on the upper Missouri River in Montana and the Dakotas. The upper Missouri River basin received a year’s worth of rain in the past few weeks, and snow pack runoff into the upper portion of the river is 140 percent of normal, according to the Weather Service.
Gavins Point Dam, a dam on the South Dakota-Nebraska border that's closest to Missouri, is set to reach peak releases of 150,000 cubic feet in coming weeks — more than double record releases in 1997.
The releases roughly 600 miles upstream would reach Missouri in a little more than five days, said Erik Blechinger, chief of the Missouri River Joint Information Center. Flood levels were supposed to last at least through the summer, he said, and sustained levels on that magnitude could mean big changes for the river.
“The river we knew prior to this event is going to be an entirely different river,” he said. “There's a lot of sandbar deposition. I don't think you're going to see any sand this summer." Once the water recedes, he said, sandbars could be in different places.
Hydrologist Robert Jacobson of the U.S. Geological Survey office in Columbia said it's much easier to predict what will happen with the river nearer Gavins Point than it is further downstream near Columbia.
"It's going to be an experiment down here," he said. With releases twice as large as the previous record, he said, "there are substantive unknowns."
Those uncertainties include the location of sand deposits, formations of side channels and the shape of the river's channel. One thing that does seem certain, Jacobson said, is that submerged sandbars will remain that way during the summer.
Mike Cooper, owner of Cooper's Landing south of Columbia, said he has to cancel events when the river reaches 26 feet because the entry roads are under water. The 27-foot conservative end of the forecast means those roads would be a foot under water. If the river stays that high, Cooper said, it could essentially shut his business down for the summer.
Recreation on the Missouri River, in general, would likely be affected as well.
"There will be no sand, and people can't get to the boat ramps because they're under water," Cooper said. "There won't be much recreation on the river."
A river at perpetual flood stage can also wear away at levees, Blechinger said.
“Mother nature is the unknown. It could go past summer time,” he said. “That constant flow and constant pressure on a structure that's earthen clearly has an effect on it.”
Even if the river doesn't overflow the levee in Hartsburg, Hilgedick said 20 to 40 percent of his crops could still be damaged from water that seeps through the levee from underneath. That cuts into 20 percent of his profit, he said, and most likely would have similar implications for the handful of fellow farmers in the area.
"It's just a matter of getting more seep water," he said, adding that some water has already reached his crops. "It starts spouting more mole holes. Little varmints get in the levee, and it softens it."
If the river level exceeds 32 feet, Hilgedick said, it overflows the levee and will flood homes. At 33 feet, Cooper said, there's 3 feet of water in his store.
"There won't be anything going on then," Cooper said. "We may have to turn our electricity off, and the people living here would have to leave."
Director of Emergency Management for Columbia and Boone County Zim Schwartze said her office expected the situation but believes the county is well prepared.
"With the hard snowfall that we had up north and here, we knew this could be potentially an issue," she said. "The city and county will be meeting this week to form a plan of action because it appears there will be several locations in and around the county that will be impacted by the release."
Six different reservoirs upstream of Missouri are releasing at record levels, and the Army Corps of Engineers forecasts five of those will exceed 150,000 cubic feet per second. The previous highest release from Gavins Point was 70,000 cubic feet per second in 1997.
“Virtually all of the reservoir storage we intended to utilize to manage the snow melt runoff has been filled up,” Jodie Farhat, chief of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division in Omaha, Neb., said in a conference call Monday.
According to the Corps, the releases would increase the river's flow to at least 260,000 cubic feet per second at Boonville, possibly as high as 420,000 cubic feet per second. That translates to at least 6, possibly as high as 12, feet above flood stage if the river receives what the Corps and the National Weather Service deemed “normal precipitation,” or the usual influx from tributaries.
A cubic foot of water can be compared to the size of a basketball, Jacobson said. On Wednesday, the Missouri River was 21.8 feet at Boonville, half a foot above flood stage, and was flowing at 166,000 cubic feet per second. Imagine watching 166,000 basketballs fly by every second, as Jacobson explains it. The Corps' forecast doubles that by the middle of the month.
Kevin Low, hydrologist at the Missouri River Basin Forecast Center, said it’s possible the river would exceed the forecast range of 27 to 33 feet at Boonville.
“I’m hesitant to give an amount,” he said, “but if there was an extreme event, with several days above average rain, those levels would be exceeded.”
Hilgedick said he's spraying his crops in hopes the river won't overflow into his fields, but he's also removing grains from storage bins and relocating equipment further inland in case it does.
If there is no rain, he gives the river a 50-50 chance of staying below the levees. "If we have heavy rains, I don't think the chance is that good," he said."
-North Dakota
Aerial Missouri River East Bank May 29, 2011
"Sandy continues to be a large and dangerous system and poses a major threat to portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Residents from New England to New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and eastern Ohio should prepare for Sandy immediately and finish those preparations by Sunday night."
Hurricane Typhoon Season 2012
June 04, 2012
travel.state.gov "The Atlantic Basin, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico: Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends November 30. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center expects to see a near-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin this year with a 70 percent chance of nine to fifteen named storms, including four to eight that will reach hurricane strength (with top winds of 74 mph or higher). Of those, one to three will become major hurricanes (with top winds of 111 mph or higher, ranking Category 3, 4, or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale).
..."
"Washington (CNN) -- The massive hurricane barreling toward the East Coast has both presidential campaigns throwing out their fourth-quarter playbooks, canceling events in the storm's track and attempting to balance last-minute intensity with a show of compassion for people whose lives could be upended.
On Sunday, politicos from both sides said it was still too early to tell how the storm would affect the race, but that access to voting centers would be a concern if effects from the storm persist until Election Day.
"I don't think anybody really knows," top Obama adviser David Axelrod said on CNN's "State of the Union" about the potential political impact of Hurricane Sandy. "Obviously, we want unfettered access to the polls because we believe that the more people come out, the better we're going to do, and so to the extent that it makes it harder, you know, that's a source of concern. But I don't know how all the politics will sort out."
Obama, Romney campaigns cancel events ahead of hurricane
Virginia's Republican governor said Sunday his state would take measures to ensure residents are able to vote, despite potential obstacles brought on by the storm.
"We'll be ready, but we're planning for contingencies if there's still a problem," Bob McDonnell said on "State of the Union." He said his state would "absolutely" make polling centers such as schools and fire stations a top priority for restoring power should widespread outages occur.
Another Virginian, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, predicted on Fox News the "storm will throw havoc into the race."
In Virginia, the effects of a major storm could linger until Election Day. Hundreds of thousands of customers in Northern Virginia lost power for more than week after Hurricane Irene in August 2011 and again in June after a powerful complex of thunderstorms called a derecho moved through. Residents' priorities might still be dealing with the storm's aftermath rather than a trip to the polls.
Hurricane Sandy: 5 things to know
Campaigns may be 'paralyzed by weather'
Virginia on alert for hurricane Sandy
Axelrod: Storm makes campaigning harder
Virginia offers early absentee voting only with an excuse, unlike other states that offer less restrictive ways to cast ballots before November 6. That means the race in the commonwealth will be won or lost on Election Day.
North Carolina and Maryland, two other states in the storm's projected path, offer in-person early voting, which has benefited Democrats in the past. Martin O'Malley, Maryland's Democratic governor, canceled early voting on Monday in his state.
In Delaware, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, residents only have the option of voting early by mail.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, predicted Sunday the storm could help boost Obama in the eyes of voters, but said he doubted the image of a strong leader would sway voters after months of campaigning.
"I think that the president of the United States is the commander in chief," McCain said on CBS. "The American people look to him, and I'm sure he will conduct himself and play his leadership role in a fine fashion. So I would imagine that might help him a little bit. But I'm not sure it will affect votes. People have been exposed to this very long campaign."
Obama is being briefed regularly on the storm's path, White House officials say, and he will balance his campaign with his responsibilities as president.
"This is an example yet again of the president having to put his responsibilities as commander in chief and as leader of the country first while at the same time he pursues his responsibilities as candidate for election," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday.
In a statement Sunday at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Obama warned Americans in the storm's path to prepare.
Hurricane Sandy may impact election push
Obama: Take hurricane 'very seriously'
D.C. area prepares for Sandy's arrival
"This is a serious and big storm," Obama said at FEMA, adding "you need to take this seriously and take guidance from state and local officials."
Obama advises preparedness ahead of storm
While Obama will balance governing and campaigning this week, Romney will also face the task of adopting the right tone during a time of crisis for a large chunk of the East Coast.
A top Republican conceded even "weather-safe" swing states such as Colorado and Ohio might be difficult campaign stops for Romney if Hurricane Sandy devastates the Eastern Seaboard with widespread injuries, deaths or life-threatening situations. Disasters, natural and otherwise, are always a difficult balancing act for politicians of all stripes who don't want to be seen as uncaring, even if there is little for them to do.
"It gets tricky," the source conceded. "Optics are important."
That source said the Romney campaign will "play it by ear" as the storm unfolds.
Romney campaign spokesman Kevin Madden said Sunday afternoon that campaign workers in Virginia "are doing as much as they can to help with relief efforts."
The former Massachusetts governor and the president have already canceled stops in Virginia, a pivotal swing state expected to be hard hit. Vice President Joe Biden canceled a Saturday event in Virginia and one scheduled for Monday in New Hampshire. Both campaigns cited a desire not to use resources better targeted toward pre-storm preparations.
Ann Romney, who was slated to campaign in New Hampshire on Monday, canceled her events, and the Romney campaign said the bus that was to be used for her visit would instead be deployed for "relief efforts throughout the East Coast." Both campaigns said they were suspending fundraising e-mails to supporters in Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.
Obama canceled a trip to the storm-safe battleground of Colorado to stay in Washington and monitor the oncoming storm, though a campaign trip to Florida remained on the president's schedule for Monday.
Arguing that the president has a lot of problems to run from, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich noted acerbically on ABC, "You notice that he's canceling his trips over the hurricane. He didn't cancel his trips over Benghazi."
Romney is scheduled to campaign in Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin on Monday, then in Ohio on Tuesday. A Romney campaign stop scheduled for Tuesday in New Hampshire was canceled late Sunday afternoon, the campaign announced in an e-mai.
Madden said the campaign would continue to update Romney's calendar, based on where the storm goes.
"The schedule we have locked down for now are in states that are not directly impacted by the storm," he said. "But, again, we're going to continue to update it. We're going to continue to monitor the situation and stay in close contact with folks that are in the states that have the best information."
This is the second time the campaign has been affected by a major weather event. Hurricane Isaac forced the cancellation of the first day of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, in August.
Asked whether the Romney campaign felt snake-bitten by Mother Nature, Madden said, "Well, there's certain things we can't control and nature's one of them. So we just try to have focus on what we can control and part of what we can control is making sure that safety is a priority for the people that are in harm's way in some of these states that are going to be directly impacted and so that's a top concern and it'll remain a top concern."
CNN's Candy Crowley, Kevin Liptak, Gregory Wallace, Ashley Killough, Rachel Streitfeld, Shannon Travis and Steve Brusk contributed to this report."
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com LA : Government, Politics, Security, etc...
"Sandy continues to weaken over the interior Northeast, however gusty winds, snow and rain will linger into Wednesday.
Below are some of the latest developments as we continue to track Superstorm Sandy.
1: Millions Without Power
•As of Tuesday morning, The Weather Channel and weather.com News Desk reported that some 8 million customers were without power from Sandy.
•This number had fallen to around 6.6 million customers as of late Tuesday evening.
•Jersey Central Power & Light reported 86% of their 1.1 million New Jersey customers were without power as of sunrise Tuesday.
(LATEST NEWS: NY, NJ and CT | Mid-Atlantic | New England)
2: Numerous Fatalities Reported
•As of late Tuesday evening, the total number of fatalities blamed on Sandy is 45 in the United States plus one in Puerto Rico.
•Many of the victims were killed by falling trees.
•Sandy also killed 69 people in the Caribbean.
3: Amazing Photos and Video
•We continue to constantly update our amazing collection of photos of the damage Sandy left behind. You can access the more than 200 images at this link.
•We have a large number of videos that you can choose from in our video player at the top of this page.
3: Next: Cold to Hamper Recovery
Wed AM lows
Behind the storm, cold air has moved into areas where power is out.
Expect early morning lows to bottom out in the 30s from the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley into the Tennessee Valley and Appalachians into the interior Northeast, with 40s for lows encroaching into lower elevations of the Mid-Atlantic States by Wednesday morning.
Daytime highs will only rise into the 40s and 50s over much of the areas that may be without power through much of the rest of the work week.
(HIGHS MAPS: Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun)
4: More than Two Feet of Snow
•Snow totals continued to climb higher on Tuesday. In some locations, snow piled up more than two feet high in the central Appalachians.
•Up to 29 inches of snow was reported in Redhouse, Md.
•Terra Alta, W.V. reported 24 inches of snow.
(INTERACTIVE: Radar | Winter Weather Alerts)
5: Monday's Hurricane-Force Wind Gusts
Location
Wind Gust
Eatons Neck, N.Y.
96 mph
Tuckerton, N.J.
88 mph
Westerly, R.I.
86 mph
Madison, Conn.
85 mph
Wellfleet, Mass.
81 mph
New York, N.Y. (JFK airport)
79 mph
•Wind gusts of 60 to 80+ mph were reported from Maine to New Jersey and Maryland. Wind gusts topped 60 mph in Boston and 75 mph in New York City. Several Long Island locations gusted to 90 mph or higher.
•Downed trees, p
owerlines and other wind-related damage have been reported in Maine, Mass., Conn., R.I., N.Y., N.J., Pa., Vt., N.H.
and Ohio, and even as far south as Georgia.
•The threat of downed trees, powerlines and power outages will continue through Tuesday, especially farther west over the Great Lakes region where the strongest winds will occur. However, the threat of hurricane-force winds (75+ mph) appears to have ended.
"
Watch the evolution of the superstorm
CNN|Added on October 29, 2012
"Sandy develops from a tropical depression to a Category 1 hurricane as it travels north from the Caribbean."
HUMANITARIAN:
"
NEW YORK (ANS) -- In the wake of the landfall Monday night of Hurricane Sandy, authorities estimated that 2.8 million people in New York were without power and that the massive storm could affect more than 60 million people along the East Coast.
As hundreds of thousands of East Coast residents evacuated to seek shelter from Hurricane Sandy, the Christian humanitarian relief organization World Vision scaled up its emergency response to provide immediate relief supplies to families and children impacted by the storm.
Three rapid assessment teams will deploy in New York, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia this week while additional staff will remain on standby to begin distributing emergency supplies to the hardest-hit areas.
World Vision staff evacuated as rising flood waters threatened pre-positioned relief supplies and the World Vision team in the greater New York area.
Hundreds of relief supplies are currently en route from World Vision's National Domestic Disaster Headquarters in North Texas to field sites in New York City and Washington, DC.
On Monday, World Vision's staff at the organization's New York City site in the Bronx were forced to evacuate after rising flood waters from the East River that threatened to close nearby bridges and leave World Vision staff stranded and unable to respond. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 pre-positioned relief supplies at the New York City field site have been elevated to higher ground within World Vision's warehouse to avoid water damage.
"It's not ideal, but we felt it was necessary to evacuate our staff and seek shelter closer to Manhattan so we wouldn't be stranded ourselves," said Phyllis Freeman, World Vision's Domestic Disaster Director. "We unplugged electrical equipment and put all the relief supplies up higher, but we're not sure when our response teams will be able to access the site if the river continues to rise."
World Vision has additional relief supplies strategically positioned at its Washington, D.C. site and at the National Domestic Disaster Headquarters in North Texas. On Monday, several hundred blankets and emergency kits were sent from the North Texas site to arrive this week at World Vision's sites along the East Coast.
World Vision's pre-positioned relief supplies include emergency food kits, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, blankets and tarps. This year, World Vision has responded to several U.S. disasters, including Hurricane Isaac, wildfires in Oklahoma and tornadoes in Texas.
In 2011, World Vision responded to 6 disasters in the United States benefiting nearly 40,000 people. In 2005, World Vision responded to Hurricane Katrina by opening a temporary 40,000-square-foot distribution center in New Orleans where $8.2 million in goods were distributed to more than 318,000 survivors. Freeman, a veteran aid worker, was among those with World Vision called upon to respond and says the organization's strategy to build a Domestic Disaster Headquarters in the Dallas-area near the Gulf Coast was a direct result of the lessons learned from Katrina.
World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision serves the world's poor regardless of a person's religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information please visit www.worldvision.org/press. Or follow them on Twitter at @worldvisionnews.
For more information about World Vision's U.S. disaster response work, visit www.worldvision.org.
Text "GIVEUSA" to 777444 to make a $10 donation to World Vision's disaster response or online at www.worldvision.org/americanfamilies "
"CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (ANS) -- Ivy Sanchez Bray and her missionary brother Juanito have left on a mercy mission to Greece despite many obstacles – including Hurricane Sandy.
Bill and Ivy Bray
On Tuesday, October 30, I wrote this testimony of divine intervention for the Greek Mercy Mission:
Dawn had not yet broken over Charlottesville. It had rained all night as the trees waved ominously in the chilly winds. Today, Hurricane Sandy would hit and shut down everything down on the coast for two next two days. I had to go now or never.
On Monday morning as I prayed for the day ahead -- and for my planned “visa run” into Washington -- Salem Radio Network from DC warned everyone to stay home. I didn't even know yet if the Greek Embassy would be open when I arrived, but I knew they normally closed early in the afternoon even in regular weather. I had to make it before they closed for the day even though fear and doubt told me they might already have done so. Their recorded messages were standard and made no allowance for the hurricane. However, it takes over two hours to drive even in normal weather.
So, if I was going to go on faith, I had to leave now to get that passport with its new visa for the visiting missionary who was staying in our home. The metro, buses and all public transportation had shut down. In fact the capital had shut down for the storm. Businesses were closed and boarded up. If I arrived during the storm I would have to seek shelter and maybe spent the night in the city.
I took the chance on going anyway, leaving a voice message for the Consulate, explaining that I was starting into the city and asking them to call me if they were going to be open. I prayed. My family prayed. The missionary prayed. His plane was scheduled to leave Tuesday night but all three Washington airports were closed.
Our only hope, a second miracle, was that we would be able to put him on a flight to Chicago from Charlottesville and connect to Heathrow via Chicago so that he didn't miss his other flight to Athens. Two intercontinental connections costing thousands of dollars hung in the balance -- and this mercy mission involved a life and death situation on the mission field.
We all believed God would do a miracle with the flights, but even if he did, we would still have to have that passport. So I decided to risk the travel while my wife Ivy stayed home on the computer trying to reschedule the flights.
On the road I got the call from the Greek Embassy in reply to my voicemail messages. They were closing immediately but the Counsel himself would wait at the embassy if I would get there soon.
“When are you coming? What time will you arrive?”
I told them I was in the car on my way and would get there as soon as possible.
“Hurry,” said the attaché and hung up.
As I neared the city, there were more emergency vehicles than cars on the road. 40 and 45-mile-per-hour gusts blew several cars off the road and caused spin outs. Under battleship grey skies I arrive on embassy row but it was a ghost town. The streets were empty. Washington was abandoned. Surreal. I had never seen it like this before.
As I pulled up nearly three hours later, I could see the embassy was closed. I parked my car in the street and waited. Not sure what to do. Soon, the security people from the embassy called me on my mobile phone. They must have spotted me.
“Are you here? Where are you?”
“I'm here,” I said.
“Come and get your passport -- I'll meet you at the gate in security. The embassy is closed.”
A distinguished man pushed the passport through the bars and the door slammed shut. I thumbed through the pages. There it was. The precious visa we had worked and waited for days to receive was stamped and sealed into the passport.
I was on my way. The storm delayed me even more on the way back, turning the two hour drive into five. But prayer was answered. On the way home I found out that thanks to God and Hurricane Sandy, the airline had indeed re-booked the flights through Chicago to London in time to meet the next flight -- and what's more, our two missionaries who had been on separate flights before the storm were now on one flight. To all of us, it was a miracle no less amazing that the Lord stilling the wave on Galilee. "
"USA (MNN) ― Hurricane Sandy rocked residents in many states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and West Virginia. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers are on their way to the hardest-hit areas to bring help and hope to this crisis.
Bruce Poss, DR coordinator for the North American Mission Board, was Southern Baptist's liaison with the Emergency Agency. "This is our time to do what God has commissioned us to do."
SBDR units from across the country are heading toward New York and New Jersey. New York has made the largest request, 100,000 meals per day. "We are working with New York City, the American Red Cross, and other partners to ramp up for a high capacity response," said Fritz Wilson, DR executive director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB).
"This response has been similar to any other, in that the first 72 hours are hectic, but things are working well," Wilson said. "We've had some logistical challenges, particularly because of the size of the storm and the high population density, but we have teams serving and preparing to serve."
SBDR volunteers are responding from many state conventions including the Baptist General Convention of Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland-Delaware, Mississippi, New England, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania-South Jersey, South Carolina, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, Tennessee and West Virginia.
West Virginia experienced heavy snows which caused multiple roofs to collapse. DR Director Delton Beall reported five people were confirmed dead in the blizzard and 200,000 homes are without power. State conventions in Virginia are responding to the needs in West Virginia.
SBC has a partnership with NAMB. Together they respond to major disasters. SBDR assets include 82,000 trained volunteers, including chaplains, and about 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chain sawing, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild, and power generation. It is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.
Southern Baptist asks that you pray for the teams that are serving. Pray that they will be able to share the good news about Jesus while they are physically serving the people's needs. Also if you would like to be a part of the disaster relief operations and donate, you can go to NAMB's disaster relief fund.
"
"Editor's note: Areas hit by Superstorm Sandy struggled with enormous challenges Friday, including getting electricity back on line and finding fuel for motor vehicles. The storm has left 175 people dead overall, including 106 in the United States. Facing a backlash over initial plans to run the New York City Marathon as scheduled, officials canceled the event. Here is the full story and below is the latest news.....
"
TOBA TEK SINGH, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- Pakistani Christians are praying for the safety of Americans who are being affected by Hurricane Sandy as it bore down on the Eastern Seaboard's largest cities today (Monday, October 29, 2012), forcing the shutdown of mass transit, schools and financial markets, threatening with a dangerous mix of weather.
Mr. Fateh's daughter, Rachel holds up a special prayer message for those affected by the storm
This was revealed inn a message sent to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net), by Ashfaq Fateh, a Pakistani Christian leader who has been working to promote peace, human rights and particularly for Christian's rights in his country.
“We have come to know that Hurricane Sandy is about to affect sixty million Americans,” he began his message. “It has been learnt that a State of Emergency has been imposed in the states of New York, New Jersey, PA, Virginia, Washington, DC, Florida and others.
“Sixty million is very big population and we, the brothers and sister in Pakistan, are worried for the situation in your country. We have been facings nonstop floods for the last three years and we can imagine, how difficult is to survive without shelter, food, medication and schooling for the young.
“So at this moment, we assure you that we shall be praying for your great people to be protected from the destruction of Hurricane Sandy.”
Mr. Fateh quoted Jesus as saying, “I am the vine and you are the branches” and added, “The branches from Pakistan will be continually praying for you. Please keep us informed about your safety.”
Mr. Fateh would welcome updates from people affected by the huge story at: ashfaq.fateh@gmail.com so he also pray for you."
"
USA (MNN) ― While Hurricane Sandy's category 1 rating was low compared to other storms to hit Florida and Louisiana in recent years, it has created widespread devastation. According to reports, millions of people have lost power, levees have been breached, homes have been devastated, subway tunnels are flooded, and the financial districts were forced to close. The impact of the storm won't be known for days, maybe even weeks.
Ron Hutchcraft with Ron Hutchcraft Ministries is in New Jersey. One year ago, he was in Connecticut for a conference when the October 31st snow storm dumped two feet of snow on the region. This time, he's there to welcome Hurricane Sandy.
Hutchcraft says this is truly an out-of-control moment. He says one headline stuck out to him. "One word: 'Powerless.' The stories on the New York news are filled with the word 'rescue' because that's the only hope for a lot of people."
While physical rescue is the obvious need, Hutchcraft says this has a far-reaching spiritual message. "We operate with the illusion of control. When you think about it, God decides whether or not we take our next breath. We'd like to think we're in control, but events like this are vivid reminders that, ultimately, God is running things -- He's God, and we are not."
Prior to the storm, Hutchcraft says there were a lot of things people HAD to do. "A storm changes your plans, and you have absolutely no say. Here we are in this nail-biting presidential campaign, and they've been pushed to the margins by a girl named 'Sandy.' Even the most powerful people in the country have to change their plans when God decides that plans are going to be changed."
According to Hutchcraft, storms are used by God. "A storm is a wake-up call. We're talking now about a meteorological storm, but there are medical storms, and there are marital storms, and personal storms. Those, I think, are instruments in God's hands to literally blow us home into God's arms and into a relationship with Him."
While some people claim a loving God wouldn't do this to people, Hutchcraft says that's something people with finite minds would say; but the eternal picture is obviously different.
Hutchcraft is in the area for speaking conferences, and he's asking you to pray that people will come to know Christ as he speaks. Pray that he'll be clear in helping Christians understand how to rescue people for eternity. Also pray for safety as they travel throughout the eastern U.S.
If you'd like to see Ron's blog, click here. "
GULF COAST
The Weather Channel in Isaac
August 29, 2012
"These are highlights from The Weather Channel coverage of Hurricane Isaac as it made landfall along the Gulf Coast."
"MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (AP) -- Whipping up trouble before ever reaching land, Hurricane Irene zeroed in Friday for a catastrophic run up the Eastern Seaboard. More than 2 million people were told to move to safer places, and New York City ordered the nation's biggest subway system shut down for the first time because of a natural disaster.
As the storm's outermost bands of wind and rain began to lash the Outer Banks of North Carolina, authorities in points farther north begged people to get out of harm's way. The hurricane was still packing 100 mph winds late Friday, and officials in the Northeast, not used to tropical weather, feared it could wreak devastation.
"Don't wait. Don't delay," said President Barack Obama, who decided to cut short his summer vacation by a day and return to Washington. "I cannot stress this highly enough: If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now."
Senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch of the National Hurricane Center said there were signs that the hurricane may have weakened slightly, but strong winds continued to extend 90 miles from its center.
The moment Saturday when the eye of the hurricane crosses land "is not as important as just being in that big swath," Pasch said. "And unfortunately, it's a big target."
Hurricane warnings were issued from North Carolina to New York, and watches were posted farther north, on the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard off Massachusetts. Evacuation orders covered at least 2.3 million people, including 1 million in New Jersey, 315,000 in Maryland, 300,000 in North Carolina, 200,000 in Virginia and 100,000 in Delaware.
More: See what they're saying about Irene in D.C., Boston, and Wilmington on TWC Social
"This is probably the largest number of people that have been threatened by a single hurricane in the United States," said Jay Baker, a geography professor at Florida State University.
New York City ordered more than 300,000 people who live in flood-prone areas to leave, including Battery Park City at the southern tip of Manhattan, Coney Island and the beachfront Rockaways. But it was not clear how many would do it, how they would get out or where they would go. Most New Yorkers don't have a car.
On top of that, the city said it would shut down the subways and buses at noon Saturday, only a few hours after the first rain is expected to fall. The transit system carries about 5 million people on an average weekday, fewer on weekends. It has been shut down several times before, including during a transit workers' strike in 2005 and after the Sept. 11 attacks a decade ago, but never for weather.
Late Friday, aviation officials said they would close the five main New York City-area airports to arriving domestic and international flights beginning at noon on Saturday. Many departures also were canceled.
The airports are John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, Stewart International and Teterboro.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there was little authorities could do to force people to leave.
"We do not have the manpower to go door-to-door and drag people out of their homes," he said. "Nobody's going to get fined. Nobody's going to go to jail. But if you don't follow this, people may die."
Shelters were opening Friday afternoon, and the city was placed under its first hurricane warning since 1985.
Transit systems in New Jersey and Philadelphia also announced plans to shut down, and Washington declared a state of emergency. Boisterous New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie demanded people "get the hell off the beach" in Asbury Park and said: "You're done. Do not waste any more time working on your tan."
Hundreds of thousands of airline passengers were grounded for the weekend. JetBlue Airways said it was scrubbing about 880 flights between Saturday and Monday, most to and from hub airports in New York and Boston. Other airlines said they were waiting to be more certain about Irene's path before announcing more cancellations.
Thousands of people were already without power. In Charleston, S.C., several people had to be rescued after a tree fell on their car.
More: See what they're saying about Irene in Philadelphia and Charleston on TWC Social
Defying the orders, hardy holdouts in North Carolina put plywood on windows, gathered last-minute supplies and tied down boats. More than half the people who live on two remote islands, Hatteras and Ocracoke, had ignored orders to leave, and as time to change their minds ran short, officials ordered dozens of body bags. The last ferry from Ocracoke left at 4 p.m. Friday.
"I anticipate we're going to have people floating on the streets, and I don't want to leave them lying there," said Richard Marlin, fire chief for one of the seven villages on Hatteras. "The Coast Guard will either be pulling people off their roofs like in Katrina or we'll be scraping them out of their yards."
Officially, Irene was expected to make landfall Saturday near Morehead City, on the southern end of the Outer Banks, the barrier island chain. But long before the eye crossed the coastline, the blustery winds and intermittent rains were already raking the coast. By Friday evening 50 mph winds were measured at Wrightsville Beach, N.C.
Some took to shelters for protection.
Susan Kinchen, her daughter and 5-month-old granddaughter came to West Carteret High School with about 50 others. She said they didn't feel safe in their trailer, and the Louisiana native was reminded of how her old trailer lost its roof to Hurricane Katrina, almost six years ago to the day, on Aug. 29, 2005.
"We live in a trailer with her," said Kinchen, referring to the infant. "I'm not taking any chances."
Hurricane center meteorologist David Zelinsky said earlier Friday that he expected the storm to arrive as a Category 2 or 3 hurricane. Later in the day, other forecasts showed it would strike most of the coast as a Category 1. The scale runs from 1, barely stronger than a tropical storm, to a monstrous 5. On Friday night, Irene was a Category 2.
The hurricane center said Irene could weaken into a tropical storm before reaching New England, but that even below hurricane strength it would be powerful and potentially destructive.
Regardless of how fierce the storm is when it makes landfall, the coast of North Carolina was expected to get winds of more than 100 mph and waves perhaps as high as 11 feet, Zelinsky said.
"This is a really large hurricane and it is dangerous," he said. "Whether it is a Category 2 or 3 at landfall, the effects are still going to be strong. I would encourage people to take it seriously."
Officer Edward Mann was driving down the narrow streets of Nags Head looking for cars in driveways, a telltale sign of people planning to ride out the storm against all advice.
Bucky Domanski, 71, was working in his garage when Mann walked in. He told the officer he planned to stay. Mann handed Domanski a piece of paper with details about the county's evacuation order. It warned that hurricane force winds would flood the roads and there might not be power or water until well after the storm.
"You understand we can't help you during the storm," Mann said.
"I understand," Domanski replied.
Later as heavy rains drenched Nags Head, Domanski had cooked his favorite dinner of veal parmesan and spaghetti for his wife, Joy.
He planned to watch TV, but knows his satellite dish and power could go out any time. He has plenty of flashlights and candles and plans to go to sleep early.
"So far everything is OK. The rain isn't bad. I know it could change. But I just don't think it's going to be as bad as they say. I'm hopeful," he said.
After the Outer Banks, the next target for Irene was the Hampton Roads region of southeast Virginia, a jagged network of inlets and rivers that floods easily. Emergency officials have said the region is more threatened by storm surge, the high waves that accompany a storm, than wind. Gas stations there were low on fuel Friday, and grocery stores scrambled to keep water and bread on the shelves.
In Delaware, Gov. Jack Markell ordered an evacuation of coastal areas.
"We could be open tonight for business, but there's a very fine line between doing the right thing and putting our staff at risk," said Alex Heidenberger, whose family owns Mango Mike's restaurant in Bethany Beach. He expects to lose $40,000 to $50,000 in business. "It's not so much we're worried about the storm coming tonight, but we want to give them a chance to get out of town and get their affairs in order."
Officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington said they were speeding the transfer of their last remaining patients to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The transfer had been planned for Sunday.
In Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood, one of the city's oldest waterfront neighborhoods, people filled sandbags and placed them at the entrances to buildings. A few miles away at the Port of Baltimore, vehicles and cranes continued to unload huge cargo ships that were rushing to offload and get away from the storm.
In New York, the Mets postponed games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday with the visiting Atlanta Braves. The Jets and Giants moved their preseason NFL game up to 2 p.m. Saturday from 7 p.m., but then postponed it until Monday.
And in Atlantic City, N.J., all 11 casinos announced plans to shut down Friday, only the third time that has happened in the 33-year history of legalized gambling in that state.
"I like gambling, but you don't play with this," Pearson Callender said as he waited for a Greyhound bus out of town. "People are saying this is an act of God. I just need to get home to be with my family."
More: See what they're saying about Irene in New York City, Baltimore, and Atlantic City on TWC Social
Bobby Plough was standing outside his restaurant, the Cypress Creek Grill, in Elizabeth City, N.C., putting sheet metal in front of the picture windows in New that normally offer an unobstructed view of the boat launch.
Plough moved to the harbor town on the Pasquotank River in northeastern North Carolina from Corpus Christi, Texas, 18 years ago. Water has never made it inside his restaurant but he wasn't taking any chances.
"Hurricanes are just a way of life here," he said. "You deal with them and move on."
Several states braced for impact Saturday as Hurricane Irene began moving up the Atlantic Seaboa
A look at the fury of Hurricane Irene as it hit New York and New Jersey. Aug 28, 2011 | 02:12
"New York (CNN) -- Dangerous, damaging floodwaters emerged Sunday night as one of the biggest threats from Irene, which impacted millions with its strong winds and drenching rains over its three-day run up the East Coast.
The storm, which was a hurricane for days before weakening to tropical storm status earlier Sunday, was blamed for at least 19 deaths across seven states. The U.S. government estimated that the cost from wind damage alone is expected to top $1 billion, with downed power lines leaving more than 4 million people without electricity.
"I want people to understand that this is not over," President Barack Obama said Sunday evening from Washington. "The impacts of this storm will be felt for some time, and the recovery effort will last for weeks or longer."
Some of the biggest, continuing headaches related to flooding, as tidal storm surges and overflowing, fast-moving rivers left homes in North Carolina and points northward awash. Flood warnings and watches were in effect Sunday night for much of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, eastern New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Numerous "swift-water" rescue teams were dispatched Sunday night around Vermont, where state emergency management spokesman Mark Bosma said some small towns were "entirely covered with water" and people, including a woman who was in labor, were stranded in schools and cars.
Vermont State Police Capt. Ray Keefe said that Wilmington is "cut off," hundreds of roads had been closed, and some homes were washed off foundations and into lakes. And "conditions continue to worsen dramatically" in Vermont's capital of Montpelier, city manager William Fraser said Sunday night, noting National Weather Service warnings of rising river waters that will cause "major flooding" downtown early Monday morning.
"The conditions today have been awful," Bosma said. "Water is pretty much everywhere."
Also hard-hit was New Jersey, where initial fears about coastal flooding -- which had prompted the evacuation of more than 1 million people from the shore -- had given way to fresh concerns about inland flooding.
That left many residents like Guy Pascarello, whose family's Secaucus home of 40 years was declared uninhabitable after it became inundated by three-foot-high waters, trying to figure out what to do next.
"I don't know (what we'll do), this is all new ground," Pascarello said. "The good news is that it's just stuff. This is a home and we love our home, but it's just things."
Even locations well inland, like Princeton Junction about halfway between New York City and Princeton, had waters as high as 12 feet that covered roads and bridges, resident Edward Picco said. And streets in downtown Millburn saw major flooding when the Rahway River overflowed early Sunday morning, said Lt. Peter Eakley, the town's deputy emergency management coordinator.
"It's crazy. ... The water is moving between buildings, up, down, all sorts of different directions," Rich Graessle told CNN's iReport from Millburn.
Along the shore in Long Beach, New York, water poured underneath the boardwalk and into the city's downtown.
Outside Philadelphia, meanwhile, waters climbed to street-sign levels in Darby, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said, with the water sending "couches, furniture, all kinds of stuff floating down the street." Two buildings collapsed in Philadelphia, Nutter told reporters, but no one was injured.
One family paid tribute to the storm by naming their child, born at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, Manuel Hurricane Cooper, said Riddle Hospital spokeswoman Bridget Therriault in Media, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia.
Those living around the Gilboa Dam in upstate New York, about 50 miles southwest of Albany, were told to evacuate Sunday afternoon due to concerns that the dam could be overwhelmed by "higher-than-predicted amounts of rain."
Further south in New York City, officials worked Sunday night to return the city to normal. Hours earlier, the Hudson River overflowed in lower Manhattan, receding only after massive amounts of water spilled over jogging paths and into at least one nearby apartment building. Water also lapped over the banks of the city's East River and onto Orchard Beach and Yankee Stadium parking lots in the Bronx.
There were no reports of deaths, though firefighters did help evacuate dozens from flooded homes in areas of Staten Island due to neck-deep water, the New York City Fire Department said.
Lines on the Metro-North system flooded, eroding tracks and causing significant damage, said Metropolitan Transit Authority chief Jay Walder. But as inspections and clean-up continued, the system -- which was shut down at noon Saturday -- took its first steps to returning with the resumption of some bus services at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that the area's three major airports -- Newark Liberty in northern New Jersey and LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy in the New York City boroughs of Queens -- will reopen Monday, two days after they shut down.
"All in all, we are in pretty good shape because of the exhaustive steps, I think, we took to prepare for whatever comes our way," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
It's all due to a storm that first made landfall at 7:30 a.m. Saturday in North Carolina, then paralleled the coast, and slammed into Little Egg Inlet, New Jersey, as a Category 1 hurricane around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, said the National Hurricane Center said.
By 8 p.m., Tropical Storm Irene had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was nearing the U.S.-Canadian border, the center reported. according to the center.
One woman is "feared dead" in Vermont after being swept away in raging waters in Wilmington, said Bosma. In addition, officials have reported six deaths in North Carolina, four in Virginia, four in Pennsylvania and one each in Connecticut, Maryland and Florida, two in New Jersey.
And as the governor of Virginia, parts of which saw 16 inches of rain and top winds clocked at 83 mph, warned Sunday that more bad news may be coming.
"Undoubtedly, there will be more reports of damage, of injuries, perhaps fatalities," Gov. Bob McDonnell told reporters.
Flanking Obama during his afternoon statement, FEMA director Craig Fugate vowed Sunday that authorities will work with those impacted by the wind, rain, storm surge and resulting flooding.
"When the disaster comes off the news and no one is paying attention, we still don't go home," he said. "We know we've got a lot of work ahead of us.""
HUMANITARIAN:
Helping Storm Victims, Home U.S. Disaster Relief Helping Storm Victims
September 1, 2011 samaritanspurse.org
Samaritan’s Purse is responding in New Jersey, Vermont, and North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene
"Samaritan's Purse teams and equipment are working in coastal North Carolina to help victims of Hurricane Irene, while other units are on their way to New Jersey and Vermont, states affected by catastrophic flooding caused by the massive storm.
A Disaster Relief Unit, which serves as a base to coordinate volunteers and equip them with tools and supplies, is set up at New Song Church in New Bern, a city located near the Pamlico Sound. A second unit is heading for Wayne, New Jersey, and a third is on the way to Vermont.
Irene battered the East Coast with up to 15 inches of rain on Saturday and Sunday. Communities in Vermont experienced the worst floods in nearly a century. About 13 towns were cut off after roads were washed away, and had to rely on the National Guard to bring in supplies of food and water.
In New Jersey, the rainfall from Irene caused rivers to overflow and resulted in the worst flooding in the state since 1903.
Removing a Burden: A Samaritan’s Purse team helps a disabled veteran remove a tree from his roof
In North Carolina, our staff and volunteers began removing downed trees and assisting homeowners on Sunday afternoon, the day after the storm made landfall. More than two dozen volunteers have been out helping storm victims.
Among those we are helping is a married couple named Bill and Dot. They have lived in their house for 13 years and have been through several major storms, including Hurricane Floyd. After hunkering down in their home for over 20 hours, hearing the wind and trees getting knocked down, they called Irene “the worst hurricane we’ve ever experienced.”
The hurricane hit New Bern with a storm surge of up to seven feet, causing the Neuse River to flood. The river receded on Sunday, but dirt, debris, and water damage were left behind. Massive trees fell all over town, damaging more than 150 homes and destroying at least five.
"Samaritan's Purse responds to disasters all over the world, and we are just as ready to help our neighbors here at home,” Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham said. “We want to come alongside storm victims, help them recover, and remind them that they are not alone."
Bertie County, about 70 miles north of New Bern, also sustained wind damage from Irene. Samaritan's Purse was already there, conducting a home rebuilding project for people affected by devastating tornadoes in April. Our staff and volunteers switched gears from rebuilding to debris removal to help people impacted by the latest storm.
Irene was a powerful Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 85 mph as the center of the storm made landfall at Cape Lookout, N.C., before 8 a.m. Saturday. The National Hurricane Center reported gusts of 115 mph and storm-surge waves as high as 7 feet.
Eastern North Carolina got up to 14 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Governor Beverly Perdue said Irene inflicted significant coastal damage, and some areas were unreachable because of high water or downed power lines.
The storm continued to slide up the East Coast to New England, causing at least 40 deaths in 11 states and knocking out power for millions."
-Emergency Preparedness
Severe Weather Preparedness TV
"Severe storms can cause you power issues at any time during the year. We can't control the weather, but we can help prepare! Please use these tips to organize and prepare your home for a power outage. 1) If your electric service is interrupted, call Ameren. 2) Switch off most lights and appliances to help prevent circuit overloading when your power is restored. 3) Keep a battery-powered radio or TV and flashlights available, along with a supply of fresh batteries. 4) Store drinking water, canned/no-cook food and a non-electric can opener. Make sure you have water and food for your pets as well! 5) Have a first-aid kit and needed medications available. 6) Treat all downed or dangling wires as if they are energized electric lines. Stay away, warn others, and call Ameren to report the location. " Education video on severe weather, from youtube.com "Know the difference between a weather watch and warning! " January 29, 2008 Severe Weather (Part 1 of 2), from youtube.com
Hurricane prep tip you may not know
August 26, 2011 (weather.com)
"Hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross has an important tip when it comes to preparing for Hurricane Irene, and its one you may not have thought of."
Movies
The Day After Tomorrow Trailer
"This trailer was made by Danyar for entertainment purposes only. www.danyar.com All clips copyrighted by 20th Century Fox. "
"Interpreting the Times
54He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. 56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?
... 57"Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? 58As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.[c]"...-Luke 12
"..Henryville, Indiana (CNN) -- Even as potent winds and heavy rains lingered in spots, residents through huge swaths of the eastern United States spent Saturday trying to come to grips with vicious storms that obliterated communities, reduced scores of homes to rubble and left at least 37 people dead.
About 17 million from Texas to Indiana to North Carolina were affected by the massive tornado outbreak that began Friday, and continued into the weekend.
Of the 37 victims, 18 were in Kentucky, 14 in Indiana, three in Ohio, and one each in Alabama and Georgia.
Much of Saturday was focused on assessing the damage, treating the wounded and grieving those killed.
But in parts of southern Georgia and northern Florida, it meant braving heavy rain and high wind as far south as Orlando all tied to the same powerful system.
In Lakeland, Georgia, strong winds "destroyed" several houses, felled trees, spurred major outages, and caused what appears to be minor damage to several buildings behind a hospital, Lanier County Sheriff Wesley Studstill told CNN. He said he was unsure if there were any related injuries.
The National Weather Service received two reports of tornadoes Saturday in Lanier County, which is about 30 miles north of the Florida border.
Meanwhile, residents from Alabama to Ohio spent Saturday trying to make sense of the chaos -- and right their lives -- after the previous day's devastating tornadoes.
Piles of debris took the place of well-built homes. High winds toppled tall trees. Bright yellow school buses smashed into buildings. Garbage bins and wooden beams flew through the air with the force of a jet airliner.
Churches turned into shelters and thousands of people began a weekend unnerved by nature's fury.
In hard-hit Henryville, Indiana, rescuers combed for survivors after a twister ripped through the town 20 miles north of Louisville.
Joe Sullivan, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the tornado that swept through that and other Southern Indiana communities was an EF-4 -- meaning it had sustained winds of between 166 and 200 mph, putting it in the top 2% of all tornadoes in terms of strength. It went for 52 miles and was roughly 150 yards wide, he added.
There were no active searches for survivors as of 5 p.m. Saturday, said Sgt. Jerry Goodin of the Indiana State Police. The breadth of destruction left authorities, however, with "no idea how many people are homeless."
"There are a lot of people who can't sit down on their own couch this evening," Goodin said.
Wayne Hunter, 64, huddled under a blanket with his wife for safety in the middle of their one-story home -- as they'd done many other times -- when the tornado "hit head on," their daughter Pamela Rawlings told CNN on Saturday.
A neighbor eventually found Pamela Hunter some 30 feet away from her husband, bleeding but apparently not suffering from life-threatening injuries. Wayne Hunter, however, did not survive.
"Whether you wanted to laugh or not, he always put a smile on your face," said Rawlings, remembering her father.
Amid the mounting reports of death and destruction, there was some good news.
A 20-month-old girl was found alive, alone and injured in a field in Salem, about 20 miles south of Henryville, said Maj. Chuck Adams, a sheriff's department spokesman.
She was later identified and family members joined her at the hospital. However, she remained in critical condition Saturday afternoon, Kosair Children's Hospital spokesman Brian Rublein said.
At Henryville's high school and adjacent elementary school, staff had huddled in the office area with about 40 students who had not been able to go home and prayed as twisters approached.
"It's a blessing. We praise God" that no one was hurt, said Glenn Riggs, the elementary school principal.
Added Sullivan, from the weather service, "There could have been scores of fatalities" had most students not been let out early....
Woman prays while tornado approaches
"CNN|Added on March 3, 2012A woman in Kentucky can be heard praying as she watches a tornado approach."
"USA (MNN) ― Anyone who thought lightening couldn't strike twice in Madison, Alabama must have been stunned by last week's disaster.
Tornadoes ripped through Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama and Georgia late last week, leaving at least 39 dead. Snow now threatens to exacerbate the extreme cleanup demands in Indiana and Kentucky.
Madison, Alabama is not experiencing snow, and it was hardly the worst-hit region. But the amount of déjà-vu the area is experiencing may make its story the most distressing.
On April 27, 2011, an F-5 tornado devastated Madison and surrounding areas. Trees were ripped from their roots. Homes were decimated. Lives were completely overturned.
At the time of the disaster, the Evangelical Free Church of America's TouchGlobal Crisis Response team paired up with the community's Hope Church. The team has spent the last eleven months clearing debris, sawing through tree limbs, repairing roofs, and re-establishing normalcy for those who were affected.
Not even a year later, much of that work has been undone.
"Many of the homes and families that we worked with, cleaned up, and touched: they've been hit again," says Mark Lewis, director for TouchGlobal Crisis Response.
"Thankfully, the impact to church facilities and maybe the membership has been relatively minimal, considering the number of tornadoes and the broad area they covered," adds Lewis. "But a number of churches are reaching out."
Hope Church is once again responding by mobilizing prayer teams. An effort is underway not only to continue projects that were started last April, but to begin new repairs. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to tackle this time around is not a physical need, though.
"It's just an amazing terror to have a tornado hit your area. But then the second time within such a short time frame is just very traumatizing," says Lewis. "So we really want to bring the hope that comes in the Gospel into the lives of people there."
Lewis says the emotional toll will be great, intensified by memories of last spring's disaster. Prayer is vital at this time.
Lewis says victims need prayer for "physical strength for trying to plow through the emotions of going through a recovery effort and knowing how much pain and effort that is--now having experienced it--and then having to go through all of [those] post-trauma feelings again. And this time, you know what it's like."
TouchGlobal already has counselors on the scene to help people deal with this reignited trauma. It's just one of many ways that the ministry plans reach out with Christ's love to the community.
Tornado victims, Hope Church congregants, and Crisis Response team members all need prayer, but physical resources are of course vital, too. To support tornado victims, click here. ...
Spared by God-Tornado Victim Found Alive In Body Bag - Inspirational Videos
Posted By sharethemessage 2 days ago "
In the tragic tornadoes that tore through Alabama last year, one amazing survival story emerged. Glynis Lawson reflects on her life one year later and gives God all the glory for sparing her life. Glynis' story is a touching reminder to live every day
to the fullest and to continually seek God for His purpose for our lives.
"
-Georgia
Homes torn apart, no one hurt in Georgia
CNN|Added on March 3, 2012
"Anderson Cooper 360|Added on March 2, 2012WDRB reporter Lawrence Smith describes what it was like being trapped in a tornado that hit Henryville, Indiana."
Tornado survivor 'sucked' into air
CNN|Added on March 5, 2012
"..CNN's Susan Candiotti interviews the sole survivor of a tornado that killed a family of five...
HUMANITARIAN
Franklin Graham: Response to Tornadoes
"..Uploaded by bgeainternet on Mar 8, 2012
Crisis-trained chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team are currently in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. They are ministering to those who were hit by recent tornadoes with love, support and care in the name of Jesus.
If you would like to learn more and find out how to donate to support the RRT, please visit http://www.BillyGraham.org/CrisisResponse.
..
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (ANS) -- Parishioners in tornado-ravaged towns across the south prayed for help Sunday - many in the open air outside churches leveled by the deadly storms.
According to a story by Lukas Alpert for the New York Daily News, the devastating wave of twisters was indiscriminate in its destruction. It toppled churches at the heart of communities as well as thousands of homes throughout the region.
However, church leaders were determined to gather. “This service is our response to tragedy. It shows that we are not victims. We are victors. We are visible victors,” said Pastor T.L. Lewis, who led a flock of 5,000 outside the remains of Bethel Baptist Church in Pratt City, Ala.
The New York Daily News said in Smithville, Miss., parishioners gathered under a tent in the parking lot outside the demolished Smithville Baptist Church.
Calling it "Resurrection Sunday," church leaders led prayers before a stain glass window of Jesus with outstretched arms - one of the only parts of the church to survive the storm.
The New York Daily News said in Greenville, Tenn., churchgoers looked up at the heavens through the torn-off roof of the Unity Chapel Church.
“One way or another, we're going to keep going forward,” said Deacon Calvin Thomas, at the heavily damaged Victory Baptist Church in Rainsville, Ala.
The New York Daily News reported that at least 342 people were killed across seven states in Wednesday's vicious storm. Search operations continue through hundreds of communities.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Craig Fugate, all visited the hard-hit region Sunday, the newspaper reported.
President Obama visited Alabama on Friday to take a look at the damage caused by the worst natural disaster in the U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 destroyed New Orleans.
Additional details on "Homeless in the City" are available at http://www.homelessinthecity.com. Reynalds lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net.
** You may republish this story with proper attribution.
Send this story to a friend. Share Web-Stat hit counters "
Aftermath of Deadly Tornadoes in South
Apr 29, 2011
- 7:28 -
Exclusive team coverage in wake of disaster
"(CNN) -- Severe storms pummeled Alabama and cut a path of destruction across several other southern states Wednesday, killing dozens of people, leveling buildings and trapping residents in their homes.
Authorities said at least 39 people died in storms across the region. Alabama appeared to be the hardest hit Wednesday night, with at least 25 people killed in severe storms and tornadoes, emergency management director Art Faulkner told CNN.
The National Guard dispatched hundreds of personnel to some of the state's hardest hit areas.
"This has been a very serious and deadly event that's affected our state, and it's not over yet," Alabama Gov. Robert Brantley told reporters Wednesday evening.
At least one strong tornado swept through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, leaving dozens of roads impassable and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses....
At least 11 people were killed in storm-related incidents in Mississippi Tuesday night and Wednesday, according to the state Emergency Management Agency, which revised its death toll down from six earlier in the day.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones or property in this devastating storm," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who declared a state of emergency in 39 of the state's counties. The declaration allows the state to offer aid to the counties during recovery efforts.
The state was also bracing for flooding along the Mississippi River.
Officials in Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia reported that at least one person had died in storms in each of those states....
Tornado Survivor Gives God Glory - Inspirational Videos
"Incredible story of how tornado survivor, Rachel Mulder's life was spared and she gives God all the glory. The tornado hit Duncanville, Alabama and Rachel tells her emotional story of riding out the storm in a bathtub. PLEASE PRAY!"
"this tornado appeared while i was preaching in my garden on hebrews ch2 v2 `How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation`..Jesus died in our place, for our sin, and all who love him will live eternal happy, but the unbelieving will perish etrnal without food,drink,orlight etc.so in all your getting get Jesus as your lawyer tody, and have your sins forgiven "
"Ihttp://www.redcross.org/ http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/ http://www.ready.gov/ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/...
Please visit the the above Web sites for the best info. This video is basic instruction on planning for safety and provisions in case of a disaster/emergency. This video upload is not intended as complete instruction: It is intended to encourage viewers to begin to prepare for any/all emergencies. Please contact the American Red Cross and your local government as soon as possible, so you will be better prepared in case a public emergency/disaster. "
Severe Weather Preparedness Electronics Checklist
"Severe weather emergencies, such as hurricanes and flooding, occur with little advance warning. Still other events, such as tornados, earthquakes and power blackouts may happen with no warning at all. Are you prepared? In addition to stocking up on reserve food and water, there are several electronic supplies that you should have readily available in your home and workplace so you can react and cope with the after effects. A RadioShack sales associate can walk you through the checklist. "
SUPPLIES:
-Flashlight
Midland Model ER102 "NOAA Seal Of Approval! -- The Emergency Crank Weather Alert AM/FM Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger, Clock & Alarm For Severe Weather Survival.." Midland ER102 Emergency Radio, from amazon.com Price: $37.99
Tornado Season: Are You Ready?, from extension.missouri.edu " * A " Tornado Watch" is issued when tornadoes are possible in your area. Remain alert for approaching storms.
* A " Tornado Warning" is issued when a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Move to your pre-designated place of safety
"
"On Thursday, the freakish weather system flooded streets in Moreno Valley, unleashed mudslides in the fire-scarred canyons of the Santa Ana Mountains and transformed some neighborhoods with a dusting of snow and hail."
"...More than 100 children escaped injury when the staff at Windmill Child Enrichment Center hustled them into an interior room as the storm approached, Kristi Bernhardt, the center's director, told CNN." Tornado skips through northern Colorado towns; 1 killed, 13 hurt, from canadianpress.google.com "WINDSOR, Colo. � Residents of several towns in northern Colorado awoke Friday to find tornado-ravaged neighbourhoods, with some houses torn to pieces and trees stripped bare of their spring leaves..."
-Minnesota
-Tennessee
2008 Midsouth Tornadoes
"Wow! A lot happened to us very quickly. To those who know and don't know about what happened ... here is a synopsis. Remember to cry out to Jesus!"
-Virginia
Big Stone Gap Tornado
"On March the 4th, 2008, a tornado went through Big Stone Gap Virginia. One hour before the storm, I took a picture with my cell phone of a beautiful rainbow. I saved the picture on my phone and made it my wallpaper for the cell. I labeled it Psalm 91:1 Then the storm came and changed lives. Read Psalm 91:1 and ask yourself....Where do I dwell.. This video is the day after the tornado. The Cross over the town was not touched. In Christ Mark"
"CHICAGO – A fearsome storm spread a smothering shroud of white over nearly half the nation Wednesday, snarling transportation from Oklahoma to New England, burying parts of the Midwest under 2 feet of snow and laying down dangerously heavy layers of ice in the Northeast that were too much for some buildings to bear.
Tens of millions of people stayed home. The hardy few who ventured out faced howling winds that turned snowflakes into face-stinging needles. Chicago's 20.2 inches of snow was the city's third-largest amount on record. In New York's Central Park, the pathways resembled skating rinks.
The storm that resulted from two clashing air masses was, if not unprecedented, extraordinarily rare for its size and ferocious strength.
"A storm that produces a swath of 20-inch snow is really something we'd see once every 50 years — maybe," National Weather Service meteorologist Thomas Spriggs.
Lonely commuters struggled against drifts 3 and 4 feet deep in eerily silent streets that hadn't seen a plow's blade since the snow started a day earlier. Parkas and ski goggles normally reserved for the slopes became essential for getting to work.
"This is probably the most snow I've seen in the last 34 years," joked 34-year-old Chicagoan Michael George. "I saw some people cross-country skiing on my way to the train. It was pretty wild."
Although skies were beginning to clear over much of the nation's midsection, the storm promised to leave a blast of bitter cold in its wake. Overnight temperatures in the upper Midwest were expected to fall to minus 5 to minus 20, with wind chills as much as minus 30.
The system was blamed for at least 10 deaths, including a homeless man who burned to death on Long Island as he tried to light cans of cooking fuel and a woman in Oklahoma City who was killed while being pulled behind a truck on a sled that hit a guard rail.
Airport operations slowed to a crawl nationwide, and flight cancellations reached 13,000 for the week, making this system the most disruptive so far this winter. A massive post-Christmas blizzard led to about 10,000 cancellations.
In the winter-weary Northeast, thick ice caused several structures to collapse, including a gas station canopy on New York's Long Island and an airplane hangar near Boston. In at least two places, workers heard the structures beginning to crack and narrowly escaped.
In Middletown, Conn., the entire third floor of a building failed, littering the street with bricks and snapping two trees. Acting Fire Marshal Al Santostefano said two workers fled when they heard a cracking sound.
"It's like a bomb scene," Santostefano said. "Thank God they left the building when they did."
More than a half-dozen states began digging out from up to a foot of snow that made roads treacherous and left hundreds of thousands of homes without power.
Chicago public schools canceled classes for the second straight day. And the city's iconic Lake Shore Drive remained shut down, nearly a day after drivers abandoned hundreds of snowbound vehicles.
The famous freeway appeared as if rush hour had been stopped in time, with three lanes of cars cluttering the pavement amid snow drifts that stood as high as the windshields. Bulldozers worked to clear the snow from around the cars, which were then plucked by tow trucks out of the drifts one by one. Officials could not say when the road would reopen.
As the storm built to full strength Tuesday evening, 26-year-old Lindsey Wilson sat for hours on a stranded city bus. She eventually joined other passengers who tried to walk home. She made it about 100 feet before she couldn't see anything around her, including the bus she'd just left.
Fearing she would be swallowed by mounting snowdrifts, Wilson turned back and spent the night on the bus.
"I thought if I fall over, what would happen if I got buried under a pile of snow?" she said.
Some motorists came away angry, frustrated that city didn't close the crucial thoroughfare earlier. Others were mad at themselves for going out during the storm or not using another route.
"In 31 years with the city, I haven't experienced anything like we did at Lake Shore Drive," said Raymond Orozco, chief of staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley. "Hundreds of people were very inconvenienced, and we apologize for that."
Elsewhere, utility crews raced to restore power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where freezing rain and ice brought down electrical lines.
Rolling blackouts were implemented across Texas, including in Super Bowl host city Dallas, due to high demand during a rare ice storm. The outages would not affect Cowboys Stadium in suburban Arlington, said Jeamy Molina, a spokeswoman for utility provider Oncor. But other Super Bowl facilities, such as team hotels, were not exempt, she said.
The storm's derived its power from the collision of cold air sweeping down from Canada and warm, moist air coming up from the south.
"The atmosphere doesn't like that contrast in temperature. Things get mixed together and you have a storm like this," said Gino Izzo, another weather service meteorologist. "The jet stream up in the atmosphere was like the engine and the warm air was the fuel."
The temperatures contrasts were most dramatic in Texas earlier in the week when one part of the state reported temperatures in the single digits and another part had temperatures in the 70s with near tropical humidity, Izzo said.
"That was the breeding ground for this storm," he said.
Louis Uccellini, director of the government's National Centers for Environmental Prediction, said the storm also drew strength from the La Nina (la NEEN-ya) condition currently affecting the tropical Pacific Ocean.
La Nina is a periodic cooling of the surface temperatures of the tropical Pacific Ocean, the opposite of the better-known El Nino (el NEEN-yo) warming. Both can have significant impacts on weather around the world by changing the movement of winds and high and low pressure systems.
Still, some people in the storm's path shrugged off the weather — and nearly the whole season.
"It's winter. It should have snow and ice. It's the way it is," said Vincent Zuza of Chatham, N.J., who was waiting for a flight to Salt Lake City for a ski trip after his first flight was canceled Wednesday. "You can't get too upset about it, and you can't control it. You just have to make the best of it."
For some of those battered by the storm, there was one whimsical ray of hope: The world's most famous weather forecaster — with four legs — predicted an early spring.
Punxsutawney Phil's handlers told Groundhog Day revelers at Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney, Pa., that the groundhog had not seen his shadow, meaning winter will end within six weeks, according to tradition.
___
Associated Press writers Deanna Bellandi, Karen Hawkins, and Barbara Rodriguez and photographer Kii Sato in Chicago; Patrick Walters in Philadelphia; Ula Ilnytzky in New York City and Adam Pemble in Newark, N.J., contributed to this report.
"
Major Winter Storm Stretches 2,500 Miles
"Added On February 2, 2011
CNN's Jim Spellman reports on a major winter storm that could bring up to two feet of snow to parts of the US."
Early Spring? Midwest Hopes So
"Added On February 2, 2011
CNN's Sandra Endo reports on a huge winter storm that is spreading snow and ice across parts of the country."
"... Everything, as far as the eye could see, was covered in ice. Power lines were down. Trees were falling over from the weight of the ice, broken limbs were seen everywhere. Even the power poles were breaking in two. I remember my sister calling me and telling me to listen. She lives in a very wooded area, and through the phone I could hear the cracking and breaking of trees as they fell to the ground. It was a scary sound,..
Our water well will not run without electricity so that meant no bathing, no washing clothes, no washing
dishes, no drinking water, no water to cook with. With the generator, at least we would be able to run a few things. I am so thankful we did get the generator, because as it turned out, we were without power for an entire month.,,,,,
As some of you may know, a generator gives off surges of power so you really have to be careful what you hook directly into it and what you have running off of it at any given time. We found out the hard way that you should not hook up your central air to a generator, nor should you hook up the pump to a water well. These two things really freak out with the continual surges and you take a great chance of burning up the motors on both of them....
I have a gas stove so with that, I was able to cook, but remember I didn't have water so I really didn't want to dirty up too many dishes. We used paper plates and plastic silverware and saved the water for the pots and pans. You really need to have some paper plates and silverware on hand that can be disposed of...
If you do not have a gas stove, consider getting a Fondue set, they are small, but only use one tea light candle as a heat source. My fondue bowl will hold a large can of soup and really heats it up quite quickly. Most Fondue sets come with the tea lights included and are fairly inexpensive. I would suggest getting more tea lights to have on hand just in case you need them. I also suggest, when buying your extra tea lights, to not purchase the ones with a fragrance. I also know that in the camping area of bigger stores they have something called Canned Heat. I have never used this product, but I know it is out there...
Of course it goes without saying that you should have extra water on hand. If I remember correctly, I think we had about 5 gallons of bottled water that was purchased at the store, and we had several containers from around the house that we filled with water. Also we have a water filter unit under the sink that continually holds 2 gallons of water. This water was for drinking, cooking, and making my all-important coffee....
Most people have cell phones these days, they can be charged ahead of time, and if the battery is running low just go plug it into the car for a quick charge...
Make sure you have plenty of spare batteries on hand as with a lot of use, the batteries won't last long. I say we had one because after we did get some power going in the right direction we plugged in the big TV..
Of course flashlights and candles are a must. For situations such as this, I suggest candles with no fragrance, and ones that don't put off a lot of smoke while burning. Yes I burn the smelly ones all the time...
"When temperatures plummet and snow starts falling, many of us reach for the shovel or snowblower. Smart homeowners, though, remember to look up too -- and check their roofs for ice. Ice dams are accumulations of ice on the edge of the roof -- and they mean Big Trouble for you and your home, so be on the lookout.
What's the big deal, you ask? Ice dams result in water seepage, which can rot roofs, destroy insulation, flood attics and ruin gutters. Moisture damage can extend far inside the home, damaging ceilings, paintwork and belongings. The dampness encourages mold, too, which can trigger nasty allergies.
You may have heard that gutters cause ice dams by providing a place for water to collect. Wrong! You may also have heard that installing heating cables along the gutter line is the best way to prevent ice dams. Wrong again! Yep, there's a lot of misinformation out there. Let's look at where ice dams really come from.
How Ice Dams are Born
In poorly insulated homes, warm air escapes through the ceiling and into the attic. If ventilation inside the attic is also inadequate, all that warm air has nowhere to go. Result: the roof's temperature starts to creep up higher than the outdoors air temperature, causing accumulated snow on the roof to begin melting.
Water then trickles down the slope of the roof until it once again hits a cold patch, usually the gutter. There it refreezes, gradually forming a dam that prevents runoff. Additional melting snow, having nowhere to go, starts seeping inside the house -- and that's where the homeowner's headaches begin.
A Cool Solution: Insulation and Ventilation
The only way to permanently eradicate ice dams is not to warm your roof up (with heating cables) but to cool it down with better insulation and attic ventilation. Until then, you'll go right on experiencing ice dams in severe weather. Any other strategy will provide a temporary fix, at best.
In northern states, attic insulation should be at least 12 inches deep. Make sure it is installed correctly, without any gaps between sections, and in conjunction with a vapor barrier. While you're at it, check that attic heating ducts are located as far as possible from the roof.
Also check around light fixtures, chimneys, bathroom fans and anywhere else heat might escape upwards. If you discover small holes, seal them up with caulk, spray foam or weather-stripping.
Next, evaluate your attic's ventilation system. Are there adequate inlet and outlet vents? If not, look into installing a continuous soffit and ridge ventilation system. Here's how it works: a vent is installed that runs the entire length of the roof at its apex.
We all know hot air rises, right? In this case, the hot air now has somewhere to go, naturally flowing up and out through this new attic vent.
Meanwhile, that draught of air upwards and outwards creates a vacuum, sucking cold outdoors air into the attic via soffit vents, further cooling down your trouble zone. The beauty part is there are no fans or wires or anything else to be maintained. Nature does all the work for you!
Help! There's An Ice Dam on My Roof. Now What?
Your best strategy is to sit tight and wait for the ice to melt away. Later you should focus on preventing future dams by making the improvements described above.
Before you decide to manually chip away at an ice dam, know that it's not recommended, and best left to a professional. For one thing, you could seriously injure yourself. (Never, ever climb up on an icy roof. If you must inspect the ice dam up close, use a ladder and beware of falling debris.) Second, forcibly dislodging chunks of ice could easily damage your roof and gutters, worsening your leakage problem.
If you really, really can't stand just waiting it out, here's an ice-melting tip courtesy of This Old House: Cut the legs off a pair of pantyhose, fill with calcium chloride ice melter and lie them down the slope of the roof so that each leg crosses a section of ice and the toes dangle over the edge of the gutter. This should melt small channels in the ice, allowing runoff to occur."
"Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime;
it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds.
He gives showers of rain to men,
and plants of the field to everyone. "-Zechariah 10:1
"
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
Deserts
.Psalm 68:6-"
God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land...
"...is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than 400 millimetres (16 in).[1] A common definition distinguishes between true deserts, which receive less than 250 millimetres (10 in) of average annual precipitation, and semideserts or steppes, which receive between 250 millimetres (10 in) and 400 to 500 millimetres (16 to 20 in).[1][2]
Deserts can also be described as areas where more water is lost by evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation.[1] In the Köppen climate classification system, deserts are classed as BWh (hot desert) or BWk (temperate desert). In the Thornthwaite climate classification system, deserts would be classified as arid megathermal climates..
"..The seventh plague of Egypt was a destructive storm. God commanded Moses to stretch his staff skyward, at which point the storm commenced. It was even more evidently supernatural than the previous plagues, a powerful shower of hail intermixed with fire. The storm heavily damaged Egyptian orchards and crops, as well as people and livestock. The storm struck all of Egypt except for the Land of Goshen. Pharaoh asked Moses to remove this plague and promised to allow the Israelites to worship God in the desert, saying "This time I have sinned; God is righteous, I and my people are wicked." As a show of God's mastery over the world, the hail stopped as soon as Moses began praying to God. However, after the storm ceased, Pharaoh again "hardened his heart" and refused to keep his promise....
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Liberal Arts: Law, Judgment, Judge,Justice, etc..
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
6 The Lord sustains the humble
but casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp.
8 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
12 Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion.
13 He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your people within you.
14 He grants peace to your borders
and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
15 He sends his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
18 He sends his word and melts them;
he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.
19 He has revealed his word to Jacob,
his laws and decrees to Israel.
20 He has done this for no other nation;
they do not know his laws.[b]
Praise the Lord.
"
Teachings
Jesus calms the storm - A story
"The story of Jesus calming a terrible storm that threatened to drown His disciples. Buy a high quality version at www.sermonvideos.co.uk "
"One of my viewers sent me these pictures from Russia
+55° 55' 26.15", +36° 49' 10.97"
They are several gigantic Tesla coil towers or high-voltage pulse generators.
The purpose of them is still not quite clear.
One possible explanation is that they are used to study the behavior of equipment under powerful electromagnetic radiation comparable to that of a nuclear explosion.
Another theory is that the All-Russian ElectroTechnical Institute's "high-voltage scientific research center" is creating their own version of HAARP
High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program. http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/ http://www.haarp.net
"
Seasons
-Spring
"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone."-Song of Solomon 2
"The winter season brings fun opportunities to teach about weather, cultures and the science of snow. While not all regions get to experience snow, it's still fun to teach about the coldest season of the year. Because the nights are longer during the winter season and the days are shorter, this magnificent season also provides an opportunity to teach about time and our solar system.
Winter lesson plans can also effectively lead into other classroom units. For example, many animals change their coats to adjust to the seasons and animal habitats become important. Depending on the age of your students, a discussion of winter can also lead to a mythology or symbolism unit in your creative writing and languages plan.
Classroom Resources for Teaching the Winter Season
Winter is also a great time to learn about cultures. For example, you might use a winter lesson plan to teach about winter traditions and celebrations. Clip art, activities and worksheets all make teaching winter and integrating it into your curriculum much easier. Explore the educational resources found at TeacherPlanet.com including lesson plans, worksheets and printables. Help your students enjoy and embrace this chilly season!
"
"Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."-Hosea 6:3
-Survival
How to Build a Winter Survival Kit for your Car
"Tod Pritchard from ReadyWisconsin gives a quick lesson on what to include in a winter survival kit for your car."
How to Make an Emergency Car Heater
"Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath."-Matthew 24:20 (Mark 13)
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