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Millions of Texans are facing water shortages after a winter storm caused pipes to burst and treatment plants to back up. Officials ordered 7 million people – a quarter of the population of the nation’s second largest state – to boil tap water before drinking it. The storms have also left millions without power for daysTexans struggle for drinking water following deadly winter storm Continue...

After millions lost power in a winter storm, residents condemn leadership: ‘They don’t want to do anything for anyone’Krystal Foreman’s ceiling started to crack and sag on Tuesday while inches of water, presumably from a burst pipe, cascaded down her walls and covered her floor. As Foreman’s home flooded, her heating broke, causing the indoor temperature to drop to match the frigid conditions outside.Foreman...

Vaccination sites close or see shipments delayed, heightening frustrations as thousands of shots are canceledDevastating winter storms sweeping the US have injected confusion and frustration into the nation’s Covid-19 vaccination drive, snarling deliveries and forcing the cancellation of thousands of shots around the country.Across a large swath of the US, including deep south states such as Georgia and Alabama, the snowy, slippery weather either...

Mercury drops to -23C in Scotland, the coldest temperature recorded in UK in more than 25 yearsTemperatures in Scotland plunged to their coldest level in more than 25 years on Wednesday night as the country experienced an “extreme freeze”.The Met Office said the temperature in Braemar, the Aberdeenshire town famed for its Highland games, reached -23C (-9.2F), the coldest recorded in the UK since...

Authorities in the Netherlands declared a rare 'code red' emergency for the entire country as it was hit by its first proper snowstorm in more than a decade.In the UK, amber and yellow weather warnings for snow were issued by the Met Office with widespread travel problems expectedNetherlands declares 'code red' emergency as rare snowstorm hitsStorm Darcy to bring more snowfall and gale-force winds on Monday...

The worst weather for a decade causes all trains to be cancelled but raises hopes of first traditional ice-skating marathon for 24 yearsAuthorities in the Netherlands declared a rare “code red” emergency for the entire country as it was hit by its first proper snowstorm in more than a decade.Storm Darcy, which has also sent temperatures plummeting across Germany, packed winds of up to...

Three-year-old boy among those missing in floodwaters in the country’s northern and western islandsOne person has died, and five, including a three-year-old boy, are still missing after Cyclone Ana pummelled Fiji on Sunday, just over a month after category 5 Cyclone Yasa tore through the country’s northern islands.Two more cyclones are already forming off Fiji’s coastline, and cyclone season still has three months left...

Residents in south Manchester, Ruthin in North Wales and Maghull on Merseyside are movedEvacuations are taking place in Manchester, Merseyside and North Wales with thousands potentially having to move on Wednesday night as Storm Christoph brought large amounts of rainfall to parts of the UK.Severe flood warnings, indicating a danger to life, are in force in Manchester’s southern suburbs and Maghull on Merseyside. There...

Freezing weather from Storm Filomena, and Spain’s third wave of Covid, compound dire situation in settlement outside MadridDespite the daily trials her family has to endure – a pandemic, three months with no electricity and now days without running water since Storm Filomena froze the pipes and left Madrid under a lingering duvet of snow – Sara Benayad has not forgotten the importance of...

Report says not enough funding is being made available to deal with effects of extreme weatherMillions of people around the world are facing disaster from flood, droughts, heatwaves and other extreme weather, as governments fail to take the measures needed to adapt to the impacts of climate breakdown, the UN has warned.Nearly three-quarters of countries around the world have recognised the need to plan...

The Spanish government has urged people to stay at home as the worst snowstorm in 50 years struck the country, bringing Madrid and the surrounding region to a frozen standstillAt least three people die in Spain's worst snowstorm in 50 years Continue reading...

Heavy snowfall causes travel chaos with Madrid airport closed and people told to stay at home Troops rescued trapped drivers from their vehicles on Saturday as heavy snowfall from Storm Filomena caused travel chaos across Spain. “Owing to the forecast of snow and for security, Madrid Barajas airport will remain closed throughout Saturday,” Aena, which controls the country’s airports, said in a tweet. Continue...

Global heating continued unabated despite Covid lockdowns, with record Arctic wildfires and Atlantic tropical stormsThe climate crisis continued unabated in 2020, with the the joint highest global temperatures on record, alarming heat and record wildfires in the Arctic, and a record 29 tropical storms in the Atlantic.Despite a 7% fall in fossil fuel burning due to coronavirus lockdowns, heat-trapping carbon dioxide continued to build...

From Australian bushfires to Atlantic hurricanes, insurance damages were the highest annual total ever, says Christian Aid studyThe world’s 10 costliest weather disasters of 2020 saw insured damages worth $150bn, topping the figure for 2019 and reflecting a long-term impact of global warming, according to a new report.The same disasters claimed at least 3,500 lives and displaced more than 13.5 million people. Continue reading...

Twenty houses and a community hall destroyed on Vanua Levu in second category-5 storm to hit country in 2020At least two people have died and an unknown number of homes and buildings were destroyed when category-5 Cyclone Yasa tore through Fiji’s second-largest island Vanua Levu on Thursday night.By Friday morning the full extent of the damage was yet to be revealed as many parts...

António Guterres lists human-inflicted wounds on natural world in stark messageWorld is ‘doubling down’ on fossil fuels despite climate crisis – UN reportHumanity is facing a new war, unprecedented in history, the secretary general of the UN has warned, which is in danger of destroying our future before we have fully understood the risk.The stark message from António Guterres follows a year of global...

Second devastating hurricane in two weeks lashes fragile nation and leaves villages submergedNery Benitez was working shifts as a baggage handler at San Pedro Sula’s airport when it got flooded by Hurricane Eta. This week it was inundated again as Hurricane Iota struck.“I had gone seven months without work and three days after I got called back this flooding happened,” the 50-year-old said. “We...

The storm caused swollen rivers to burst their banks, flipped roofs on to streets, and killed at least nine people across the region Continue reading...