Latest news with #Beryl
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
Will Hurricane Erick 2025 impact weather in Ontario? Plus, does Canada have a hurricane season?
Hurricane Erick made landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast as a Category 3 storm early Thursday. The powerful storm brought damaging winds and heavy rain. It's the first major hurricane, classified as a Category 3 or more, on record to hit Mexico before July, according to reporting by CNN . While Canadians, and Ontarians specifically, will be spared from direct impacts of the storm, we may experience some residual effect. Environment and Climate Change Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Steven Flisfeder explained once the storm makes landfall it will downgrade to a tropical cyclone, then a depression and finally a typical low pressure system, which will eventually dissipate. 'In the longer term — over the next week, week and a half — we may see some of that moisture make its way up toward Ontario,' he said. 'But we're not expecting anything major.' Earlier in June, Canada also dodged impact from Hurricane Barbara. Hurricane Erick made landfall in southern Mexico as a Category 3 storm on Thursday, June 19, 2025. Yes, Canada does have a hurricane season, and the 2025 hurricane season is expected to be worse than previous years. Only Canada's four eastern provinces in Atlantic Canada will ever experience a direct hit from a hurricane that's intact with the eye and its revolving winds still in place, explains Chris Fogarty, a meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax. In Canada, hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. On average, three or four tropical cyclone events impact Canada each hurricane season — with one or two making impact on Canadian soil and two or three threatening offshore waters, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. Quebec and Ontario felt the brunt of hurricane season in Canada last year , slammed by the remnants of both Debby and Beryl. A week after Beryl, in July 2024, Ernesto came along. There were no direct landfalls in Canada last year. - With files from Norm Nelson Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Houston's Electric Utility Is Prepared for Storms After 2024 Blackout, CEO Says
By and Mark Chediak Save Houston's electric utility is confident significant grid investments will prevent a repeat of widespread blackouts that occurred last summer following Hurricane Beryl. CenterPoint Energy Inc. is integrating artificial intelligence to predict tree growth, using light detection to spot tangled wires in the area's dense vegetation and upgrading its weather modeling to better predict storms, according to Chief Executive Officer Jason Wells said.
Cision Canada
7 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Air Canada Foundation Releases 2024 Impact Report Highlighting Work Promoting Children's Health and Well-being Français
MONTRÉAL, June 16, 2025 /CNW/ - The Air Canada Foundation has released its 2024 Impact Report, showcasing programs and partnerships that have positively impacted children's lives across Canada. The report highlights key initiatives, charitable collaborations, humanitarian efforts, and the volunteer contributions of Air Canada employees. The Foundation empowers children through three core pillars: Health, by working with pediatric hospitals and community organizations to improve health outcomes of children and youth; Protection, by ensuring kids' fundamental needs are met and preserving the essence of childhood; and Dreams, by collaborating with groups that bring hope and strengthen resilience for children facing adversities. "The Air Canada Foundation remains committed to helping children and youth thrive. I extend my deepest gratitude to Air Canada's customers, partners, employees, retirees and volunteers whose steadfast support enables the Foundation to deliver hope, support and meaningful change where it's needed most," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada. In 2024, the Foundation donated $1.8 million toward the well-being of communities — up 38 per cent from 2023. The Air Canada Foundation Golf Tournament raised a record-breaking $1.4 million (net). These funds are being strategically distributed to support children's health and well-being in Canada. The Hospital Transportation Program enabled 129 patients to access essential medical care with over 370 flights, while 400 airline tickets were donated to pediatric hospitals. Throughout the year, the Foundation helped combat food insecurity by providing around 900,000 meals to Breakfast Club Canada (BCC), Food Banks Canada and Second Harvest. The Foundation also responded in times of crisis through partnerships with humanitarian aid organizations and employee fundraising campaigns supporting relief efforts for hurricanes Beryl, Milton and Helene, as well as the Alberta wildfires and the Middle East humanitarian crisis. "I am proud to look back on another year of meaningful impact at the Air Canada Foundation — one defined by firm action, unwavering commitment and the power to adapt in the face of ever-changing challenges to better serve children and youth," said Priscille Leblanc, Chair of the Air Canada Foundation. Follow @fondation_aircanada_foundation on Instagram or visit to learn more about the Air Canada Foundation and the impact of its programs and charitable partnerships. About the Air Canada Foundation The Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of children and youth, was launched in 2012. It offers both financial and in-kind support to Canadian-registered charities. Core programs include the Hospital Transportation Program, which redistributes Aeroplan points to 15 pediatric hospitals across Canada, enabling sick children to access the medical care they need away from home. The Air Canada Foundation, in collaboration with the airline, also engages directly in fundraising activities, such as the Every Bit Counts program, which encourages customers to donate loose change of all denominations on board flights or through collection containers available in Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges. The Foundation also offers continued support to major health-related causes that benefit Canadians and is an active participant in international humanitarian relief activity as the need arises. For more information about the Air Canada Foundation, please read the 2024 Impact Report. About Air Canada Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada provides scheduled service directly to more than 180 airports in Canada, the United States and Internationally on six continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada's Aeroplan program is Canada's premier travel loyalty program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world's largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental partners. Through Air Canada Vacations, it offers more travel choices than any other Canadian tour operator to hundreds of destinations worldwide, with a wide selection of hotels, flights, cruises, day tours, and car rentals. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada's passenger and freighter aircraft. Air Canada's climate-related ambition includes a long-term aspirational goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. For additional information, please see Air Canada's TCFD disclosure. Air Canada shares are publicly traded on the TSX in Canada and the OTCQX in the US. Media Resources: Photos Videos B-Roll Articles SOURCE Air Canada
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wildlife rescue faces urgent dilemma after taking in record-setting number of animals following severe storms: 'A dramatic uptick'
A Texas wildlife rescue organization is making a noble effort to save an immense number of animals following a devastating storm. As detailed by CBS Austin, Austin Wildlife Rescue took in 160 animals following a severe storm that caused widespread damage across Central Texas, setting a single-day record for the highest total in the organization's 48-year history. Even after the Austin Wildlife Rescue intake center's parking lot and building entrance were blocked when the wind knocked over several large trees, the organization set up a tent in the parking lot to continue accepting animals while crews worked to clear a path. Once they gained access to the building, they were able to administer triage care and assess the animals medically. "We knew that, post storm, we always see a dramatic uptick in rescued animals arriving for our care," the organization said on Facebook, according to CBS Austin. "It took fast and steady action to both deal with our storm damage and take in the community's storm babies." CBS Austin noted that the animals taken in "included various wildlife species displaced or injured by the storm." The most severely injured animals were transported by Austin Animal Protection officers to the organization's rehabilitation facility in Elgin. This effort by Austin Wildlife Rescue highlights the massive impact that can be made by wildlife rescue organizations, and this situation is becoming more common as the ongoing changing climate provides conditions for an increase in extreme weather events, which can cause widespread habitat destruction and displace wildlife. For example, after Hurricane Beryl hit Texas in July 2024, the Houston SPCA received nearly 1,800 animals in just a week. You can make a difference in your community by getting involved in local rescue efforts and donating to important climate causes. Also, you can donate to Austin Wildlife Rescue to support the organization's effort to care for the animals and repair the damage to its facilities caused by the storm. Should the U.S. invest in building more wildlife overpasses? Absolutely Depends on how we do it Depends on where we do it Nope Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Opinion - It's hurricane season again, and public health hangs in the balance
June marks the beginning of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, and forecasters are warning of above-average activity. More than half of U.S. coastal areas should plan to face a major hurricane of Category 3, 4, or 5. If our 2024 experience is a reliable predictor, we can anticipate more than $100 billion in damage, more than 100 fatalities and an increasingly problematic, if overlooked, element of these disasters: the threat to public health. Hurricanes and other water-centric events, like flooding, are creating ideal environments for the transmission of infectious diseases, from mold exposure to flesh-eating diseases to mosquito-borne viruses. Clusters of a potentially fatal infection caused by Vibrio bacteria, which can cause severe diarrhea and necrotizing skin lesions, hit Florida after Hurricane Ian in 2023. Cases in 2024 exceeded that total, with high burdens in Florida counties that experienced the worst flooding from Hurricane Helene. In Texas last summer, health officials warned the public of the risk of contracting West Nile virus post-Hurricane Beryl. Mosquito-borne illness is possible wherever there are mosquitoes. Florida, California and Texas all experienced locally acquired cases of dengue fever in 2024. Chikungunya, which can result in lifelong physical debilitation, is also present in the United States, with travel-associated and locally acquired cases being documented in Gulf states as recently as 2019. Several deaths from Eastern equine encephalitis occurred last year in northeastern states, with several towns instituting curfews to curb the mosquito-borne threat. Rises in mosquito populations are a well-documented hazard after hydrologic disasters like hurricanes, tsunamis and floods. These events can compromise sewage pipes, contaminate drinking water and result in diffuse areas of standing water that become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Emergency preparedness professionals have long understood the risk. What's changing is the frequency of billion-dollar disasters — and with them, we suspect, greater damage, flooding, and disease risk. The good news is that we can leverage past experience, predictive models and tools like state and regional medical stockpiles to mitigate some of the worst health impacts. By strategically positioning medical supplies and countermeasures closer to the point of need, health authorities can significantly reduce response time, minimize logistical challenges and save lives. A number of states already have medical stockpiles for basic medications and personal protective equipment; others are creating or updating legislative authorities for them. These stockpiles generally lack federal support and medical countermeasures for high-consequence threats. The utility of state or regional caches could be expanded to include emerging needs like vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for vector-borne infections. Congress authorized the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a pilot program matched by local funds for state stockpiling of medical countermeasures and other supplies for public health emergencies. The Biden administration did not request funding for state stockpiles and Congress has not appropriated funds for the program, however, stagnating the initiative. Funding is the number one type of support that jurisdictions say they need to help them establish and maintain stockpiles. Investing in state or regional stockpiles is a cost-effective approach to emergency preparedness. It minimizes the need for last-minute, high-cost procurements during crises, places more autonomy in the hands of states and helps maintain health care system resilience. President Trump's executive order on preparedness recognizes ownership of preparedness at the state and local level, and calls on federal policy to help empower state and local jurisdictions to make smart infrastructure choices. This same ethos can extend to public health preparedness. Last year's final report of the congressional Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic concluded that state stockpiles can provide a tailored local complement to the federal Strategic National Stockpile. As natural disasters increase in frequency and intensity, the federal government can support local decision-makers in meeting their communities' unique public health readiness needs. During COVID-19, many local officials did not know what was in the federal stockpile. Drawing stockpiles closer to the communities that will need them, tied to input from local, state or regional medical advisory groups, would increase awareness of stockpile contents and enable tailored input to support assets these communities need. Redundancies built into state or regional caches could allow local health care providers access to critical supplies that allow them to meet medical standards of practice even in a crisis. State stockpiles could facilitate greater efficacy of vendor-managed inventories and improve the quality and efficiency of supply rotations. Especially for countermeasures that have cold chain requirements or other complicated logistics, the federal role can be to provide the training and best practices to allow jurisdictions to successfully store and distribute these assets when needed. COVID-19 revealed a national unpreparedness to increase production rationally based on identifiable gaps pre-disaster. For example, better local input on necessary ventilator functionalities would have improved the production of quality devices as demand surged, rather than devices produced by auto manufacturers that were failures. State and regional stockpiles can reverse this underpreparedness and empower local communities. Congress should show its federal support by extending the authorized timeline for the state stockpile program and, critically, funding it commensurately in the coming appropriations cycle. By strategically positioning medical supplies and countermeasures closer to the point of need, a federal-regional-state partnership can significantly reduce response time, minimize logistical challenges and save lives before future hurricane seasons and other regional disasters occur. Craig Vanderwagen is a former assistant secretary for preparedness and response in the Department of Health and Human Services and the founder and general manager of East West Protection, LLC, which provided private and public sector disaster preparedness support. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
