Many eyes were on Hawaii on Thursday, as the toll of devastating wildfires was becoming apparent. At least 36 people had died from flames that raced through the historic town of Lahaina and other parts of Maui, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise. Some fires continued to burn, and a major effort was underway to evacuate thousands of stranded visitors, including some seen in this photo by Associated Press photographer Rick Bowmer made Wednesday at the airport in Kahului.
Here’s what else is happening related to extreme weather and the climate right now:
—Backers of a proposed railway in the Uinta Basin are touting it as something that would buoy the Utah economy and, by opening up capacity in the region's massive oil reserves, lessen American dependence on oil imports. Opponents are suing to block the project, saying it would be a mistake to enable more fossil fuels as climate change worsens.
—The storm that led to destructive flooding in Vermont last month also exposed the vulnerability of municipal water systems and sewage treatment plants around the U.S. to such events — just as climate change are making such storms more unpredictable and more ferocious.
—In South Korea, Tropical Storm Khanun poured intense rain and killed least one person before weakening as it reached major cities near the capital of Seoul. More than 15,000 people were evacuated in at-risk areas.
—Brazil's Amazon Summit came to a close Wednesday with a road map for protecting tropical rainforests, but without concrete commitments to end deforestation sought by some environmentalists.
— Louisiana is breaking ground on a nearly $3 billion project to stop coastal wetland loss. The project will use massive gates in a section of a flood protection levee southeast of New Orleans to divert some Mississippi River sediment and gradually restore land.
— Norway was preparing for more flooding and destruction after days of heavy rain, with rescuers on Thursday evacuating swamped areas in the southeast.
QUOTABLE:
“It’s horrifying. I’ve flown here 52 years and I’ve never seen anything come close to that. We had tears in our eyes.” Richard Olsten, a helicopter pilot for a tour company, after an aerial view Wednesday of wildfire damage in Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
