Derry residents need more support to repair homes damaged by flooding, says local councillor

 An SDLP councilor said residents in many areas of Derry are tired of repairing flood damage to their homes with no support from the Department of Facilities. Northern Ireland infrastructure. 

 Parts of North West Ireland were hit by heavy rain over the weekend causing damage to homes and infrastructure in Donegal and Derry. 

 Speaking on RTÉ Radio One this morning, Martin Reilly,  SDLP advisor representing Derry and Strabane, said affected residents were informed in 2017, following similar floods, that the event This has only happened in a century. 

 “Every flooded household  I have talked to has been flooded before,” he said, adding that many such homes do not qualify for severe water damage insurance. 

 “They have to pay for the damage themselves. 

 People queuing for sandbags at the Waterside warehouse across from the employment and welfare office - staff @deptinfra  working as fast as they can. More  bags will be loaded from other areas arriving later, which will help speed up progress. pic.twitter.com/xxVVQcpRMx 

 - martin reilly (@martinhollo) July 24, 2022 

 “I think the people who were flooded  in the first catastrophic flood we had in 2017 are now watching. , 5 years later, and had to choose to pay for the pieces of their family's home, repaired their home and went through the process of  dealing with the emotional trauma  this flood brought. , as well as affecting its own property. 

 The local fire brigade responded to nearly 50 flood-related emergency calls. 

 There was a yellow Met Office  weather warning for the area  Saturday  and Sunday evening. 

  Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue  said it received 106 flood-related emergency calls  between 7pm on Saturday and 1:30am on Sunday. 

 There was flash flooding here in Derry, many roads were flooded. Be careful if you drive. pic.twitter.com/EGHJtJgUch 

 - Pearse Doherty (@PearseDoherty) July 23, 2022 

 Reilly says households can apply for £1000 for repairs but that's not enough 'to page' cover the full cost of the damage. " 

 He said  residents appreciate that the flooding happened outside office hours, but now the Department of Infrastructure "needs a clearer answer on what action they are taking." 

  Donegal County Council Services Director Garry Martin said most  flooding occurred around the east side of Inishowen. 

 Donegal Fire Service responded with pumps and sandbags and councils dealt with flooded roads in the area. 

 "Our top priority is to save lives and make sure no one is harmed." 

 He said the council will speak with the National  Fire and Emergency Management Branch to decide if it is necessary to activate a support program for businesses affected by the floods.

Read more: https://www.thejournal.ie/flooding-derry-donegal-5825258-Jul2022/

Firefigherts continue to battle forest fire in Bohemian Switzerland national park

 Firefighters continue  their efforts to contain  forest fires in Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the northern part of the country. 

 On Saturday morning, a fire broke out  in an inaccessible area near the popular tourist destination of Pravčickábrána and spread elsewhere. 

 Dozens of firefighters and police and military helicopters are on site. Tourists  evacuated  near the fire. The cause of the 

 wildfire has not yet been clarified, but a spokesman for the fire brigade said it is very likely that it was caused by a human accident.

Read more: https://english.radio.cz/firefigherts-continue-battle-forest-fire-bohemian-switzerland-national-park-8756869

USAID pledges Kenya $255 mln to fight drought, appeals to rich countries to help

 The US Agency for International Development USAID said on Friday that it would provide Kenya with $ 255 million in emergency assistance to combat a severe drought. According to the 

 government, about 4.1 million people in  East African countries suffer from severe food shortages, and cases of  malnutrition in children in parts of the country have increased from half to 942,000 in the last three months. increase. The 

  funding commitment is in addition to the $ 65 million that USAID has already committed this year, said Samantha Power, USAID administrator. 

 "We need another country to get up and join us," she said, and the food crisis could spread to other areas like education as hungry children can't go to school. I warned that there was no such thing. 

 The government has  spent 12.6 billion shillings ($ 162.8 million) to help people affected by the drought, but said it lacked more than 15 billion shillings, the Minister of Special Programs said. Margaret Covia said. 

 Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has hit the world's food supply chain, has increased drought-related suffering in Kenya and elsewhere, Power said. The World Food Program said in a joint statement with other organizations on Friday that more than 50 million people  in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda are expected to face serious food instability this year. .. The 

 disaster was caused by a lack of rainfall in most parts of the region and was exacerbated by the crisis in Ukraine, which pushed up wheat and corn prices.

Read more: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/usaid-pledges-kenya-255-mln-to-fight-drought-appeals-to-rich-countries-to-help/

Farmers left with glut of strawberries and cherries after heatwave growth spurt

 The heat wave left strawberry and cherry growers in short supply, forcing them to sell  the fruit at lower-than-normal prices. 

 More sunshine has led to outsized growth  for both fruits across the country, including  Kent, Norfolk, Lancashire, Scotland and Herefordshire. 

 Alastair Brooks, chief executive officer of Langdon Manor Farm near Faversham, Kent, said the spring weather  through to the heatwave created perfect growing conditions. 

 He said, “After a mild, mellow spring, we've had extended sunshine, an extra day, and very little rain over the past few weeks. 

 “This yields a lot of strawberries that are healthy, perfectly ripe and very sweet. After a wet weekend we are delighted that we can finally celebrate strawberry season in the UK. Supermarket 

 Tesco  has stepped in to help prevent waste by selling 1kg boxes at a discount. 

 Mr. Brooks added: “With several tons of strawberries available, we are grateful for the support from Tesco at this time. 

 "It allows us to reduce waste and obtain more of the finest, high-quality and nutritious  Zara de Driscoll strawberries, packed, picked and distributed to stores, ready for consumers to enjoy. awake." Laura Mitchell, purchasing manager for 

 Tesco berries, said: “UK shoppers are going through a tough time at the moment, and if anything there is a  smile on their faces. people at the moment, it is possible to buy sweet, lush English Strawberries at a lower price than usual. 

 “The heatwave caused strawberries to grow faster than expected, with many growers seeing yields around 10% to 15% higher than usual this time of year. We are delighted to be supporting our UK growers.

Read more: https://www.aol.co.uk/money/farmers-left-glut-strawberries-cherries-085536845.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9jLm5ld3Nub3cuY28udWsv&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJb9Edfe5zE5TkCfeVSH-QFUrTQ9SozYrkR8FNtauukqmLdm_Gwjs5W5R1-J1o8TgIWdu1OtlLYuYaNiqOPdBffrH23l7wYWTtzORe_r6o1Ia7hU8LiQlL9MrcC2mwqILf191q_hMo6XqJvOuGvykJKPWIOPBTNrwMEiNUxz3r9s

Hong Kong heatwave: residents in city’s subdivided flats, rooftop huts bear brunt of scorching weather

 Hong Kong residents living in the city's infamous parcels and roof sheds have been struck by a fierce heat wave that is expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius on Thursday, or even higher for those living in vulnerable homes. increase. The observatory recorded "very hot" days  on July 8-16 and July 19-20, making the nine-day streak  the sixth longest day since 1884.  To strengthen precautionary measures, forecasters introduced a new "extended heat warning" on July 16 and called on the public to take the following measures: Retired Suan Shoshin, 78, is one of the inhabitants of a house that has few cooling options and is not built to protect himself from the heat. Suen avoids returning to his fragmented apartment in Shek Kip Mei  during the summer day. Post recorded 35 degrees Celsius at 1:00 pm when he entered Suen's apartment. After Suen turned on the fan, the temperature dropped from 1 degree Celsius to 34 degrees Celsius. Even so, it was once above the mark of the Hong Kong Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, an adjacent district. Instead, when he wakes up, he visits a  nearby park, stays in the shade  until around 6 pm daily, and then returns to his apartment to take a cold shower.  For Suen, nightfall does not provide rest, as his windowless apartment is still infiltrated by the heat of the day that prevents him from sleeping properly. "It's [same as during the day], my four fans are useless. I'm still sweating all over and need to wipe  all night. The worst thing is that you can't open the window. When I open the door, I'm worried about the security if someone comes in to steal mine. "

Read more: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3186055/hong-kong-heatwave-residents-citys-subdivided

“This heatwave is the new normal”, WMO Secretary-General says

“We have set a new record high in the UK,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “Due to climate change, heat waves will be more frequent. Connections have been clearly demonstrated by the IPCC.” Stable high pressure regions, so heat waves last for several days. This Tuesday should be the hottest day in France so far. According to Météo France, expected temperatures range from 36 to 40 degrees Celsius, with intense heat occurring in almost every region of the country. "The heat wave will continue at least until the middle of next week, and high temperatures will continue in much of Western Europe," said Bob Stephanski, Head of Applied Climate Services at WMO. "This is alarming over 40 days of meteorological summer." The hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe was 48 ° C (Greece, 1977). A new suspicious record may have occurred in 2021 (48.8 ° C in Sicily) and is being reviewed by the WMO. "In the future, such heat waves will be normal. You can see a stronger extreme. We have pumped large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, so the negative trend will continue for decades. We couldn't reduce emissions globally, "Lamented SG Taaras. "I hope this is a call for the government to awaken and influence the voting behavior of democracies," he said. According to the IPCC, temperatures in Europe rise faster than in other regions. In the Mediterranean region, a worrying combination of climate-related changes (warming, extreme temperatures, increased drought and dryness, decreased precipitation, increased wildfires, average and extreme sea levels, decreased snow cover, decreased wind speed). By the mid-2020s, when global warming exceeds 2 ° C. The IPCC Special Report on the Extreme also shows that heat waves will be more frequent, longer and more intense in the 21st century. You need an early warning system and an enhanced health system. Read more: https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/%E2%80%9C-heatwave-new-normal%E2%80%9D-wmo-secretary-general-says

Over 500 people dead from heatwaves in Spain

According to the Charles III of Spain Institute of Health, a staggering 510 people died as a result of a heat wave that raged Spain for over a week, of which more than 270 occurred only on weekends. The Spanish daily El Mundo reported that some of the victims were young people who fell into a coma due to the heat of the workplace. Every day, the UGT union states that a mechanic in a workshop outside Madrid revealed that he had died at temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius. Spanish meteorologists predict that most Spanish states will have the long-awaited cooling after a week of heat waves above 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Spain's most affected regions are Andalusia, Castile, Leon, Extremadura and Galicia, with average temperatures fluctuating between 42 and 45 degrees Celsius. Weather forecasts showed that the state's heat should last at least until the weekend. A heat wave of also struck Portugal, Italy, France and the United Kingdom, urging related services to declare the highest level of alert ever. The service warned of danger to life and health. Currently, the red warning applies to most parts of England, including London, where temperatures reach 35 degrees Celsius. Read more: https://tvpworld.com/61368118/over-500-people-dead-from-heatwaves-in-spain

Wildfires spread across France and Spain as Europe swelters

France has deployed more surface-to-air bombers and hundreds more firefighters to combat the spread of wildfires driven by hot winds from a heatwave that has scorched much of Europe. The increase in resources comes as authorities in southwestern France plan to evacuate more towns and move about 3,500 people out of the fire area. A total of nine water-droppers are currently battling the blaze, while a force of 1,700 firefighters are battling the blaze day and night in the arid pine forests of the Gironde region. Further south of Spain, two people were killed in the fire. The body of a 69-year-old shepherd farmer was discovered Monday in the same area where a 62-year-old firefighter died a day earlier when he was engulfed in flames in the northern province of Zamora-West. More than 30 wildfires around Spain have forced thousands of people to evacuate and blackened 220 square kilometers (85 square miles) of forest and scrub. In France and Spain, intense heat is fueling the fires, with forecasters warning of temperatures above 40 °C on Monday. “I left my country in fire, literally under fire,” said Teresa Ribera, Spain's Minister of Ecological Transformation. , said while participating in talks on climate change in Berlin on Monday. She warned of the "still scary outlook for the days to come". After more than 10 days of temperatures above 40 C (104 F), moderate cooling overnight. Read more: https://www.itv.com/news/2022-07-18/wildfires-spread-across-france-and-spain-as-europe-swelters

Calgary community associations enduring volunteer drought, burnout

Calgary's community associations are volunteer-run, but for those already donating their time, a recent drought in help is running them off their feet. As pandemic restrictions lift and things begin returning to normal, some associations are finding it hard to bring back the momentum needed to throw block parties, pancake breakfasts and community cleanups — annual traditions before the pandemic years. Some think it's burnout that has spread throughout the pandemic as groups struggled to keep their lights on and care for infrastructure that no longer provided a reliable income through rentals. Others believe volunteers are taking a step back to reconnect with family and friends after distancing for two years. In Ranchlands, the annual Stampede breakfast was cancelled for 2022 — the community just couldn't drum up enough volunteers to make it happen. "People want the events but we just don't have the bodies to be able to support events," said Ranchlands Community Association vice-president Nadine Bird. "I get a lot of 'I don't have time for this right now.'" Their pancake breakfast included a parade and would have needed more than 25 volunteers — along with countless volunteer hours to organize. Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-community-associations-volunteer-shortage-1.6521974