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Posts Tagged ‘floods’

After Historic Deluge of Tornadoes, is Historic Flooding Next?

04/29/2011 Leave a comment

By CAIN BURDEAU – “NEW ORLEANS — A surge of water not seen since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 is forecast in coming days to test the enormous levees lining the Mississippi River on its course through the Deep South, adding another element of danger to a region already raked by deadly tornadoes and thunderstorms.

Mississippi’s and Louisiana’s governors issued flood warnings Thursday and declared states of emergency. Authorities along the swollen waterway in both states are warning nearby residents to brace for the possibility of any flooding. River boat casinos in Mississippi are closing and levee managers are readying sand bags and supplies — and the manpower to build the defenses — to fight the rising river along hundreds of levees in both states where the river crosses en route to the Gulf of Mexico.”  Read more.

Categories: Natural Disasters Tags:

Effect of Prairie Floods Ripples Into Grocery Aisles of World

04/17/2011 1 comment

“Bartley Kives, Winnipeg Free Press – “WINNIPEG – The flood of 2011 is having disparate effects on urban and rural Manitoba, as cities and towns remain largely dry while agricultural producers are bracing for another year of losses.

But these two solitudes are more connected than many city dwellers realize. The fate of farms in southern Manitoba, one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions, has implications far beyond the province’s borders.

Not only can a major flood affect the price of such staples as bread and cooking oil in Canada, it can exacerbate food-security concerns for people already struggling to feed themselves halfway around the world.

‘It’s amazing when you think about it,’ said Kreesta Doucette, executive director of Food Matters Manitoba, a non-profit organization that tries to raise awareness about food security.

‘We tend to feel we’re insulated from the food riots,’ she said, referring to recent events in India, Haiti and several African nations. ‘Most of the food we grow is exported around the world. We eat very little of what we produce.'”  Read more.

Categories: Famines and Crop Destruction, Natural Disasters Tags: , ,