Climate change, environment, sustainability, and natural disasters
Tasmania’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Guy Barnett, confirmed H5 avian influenza in a southern elephant seal and a kelp gull on Macquarie Island. Federal testing is under way and officials said tests on skuas, giant petrels and penguins were negative while surveillance on the island has been intensified.
The Turkish outlet turkiyetoday reported that a 14-year-old boy was electrocuted and killed after stepping into a puddle during heavy rain in Istanbul. The report said the downpour flooded multiple districts and prompted the Istanbul Governorate to log thousands of emergency calls and deploy thousands of personnel and vehicles.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said six deaths have been linked to Hurricane Isaias. DeSantis said utilities have reconnected about 95% of customers who lost power and more than 600 response missions have been completed.
The Los Angeles Fire Department stopped forward progress of a brush fire that burned about 1.5 acres near the Department of Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles Campus. Officials warned of heightened fire danger this week as Santa Ana winds and an issued Red Flag Warning bring gusts forecast up to 40–70 mph and crews remained on scene for mop up and containment.
Tropical Storm Trudy formed in the Pacific and multiple outlets report it is forecast to intensify toward Category 4 hurricane strength. Forecasters said Trudy is part of an exceptionally active Eastern Pacific season driven in part by a strong El Niño pattern and could approach the Mexican coast this weekend.
Thailand's extreme rainfall from Sep 24 to Sep 26 overwhelmed Bangkok's drainage and a government assessment said about 329,000 households — around 700,000 residents — were affected. An emergency was declared in all 50 districts and residents said warnings came too late, leaving some low-lying areas still flooded.
The Brazilian government said INPE recorded 540 new hotspots in the Amazon over a 48-hour period. The surge coincided with an intense El Niño drought and prompted federal resource deployments, the outlet reported.
