NOAA CLIMATE CHANGE WILL INCREASE THE AMOUNT AND INTENSITY OF EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

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According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate change will increase the amount and the intensity of extreme weather events all across the United States. With this information, the latest ValuePenguin study has shown that weather-related property damages reached $121.4 billion between 2017 and 2021.

During the period analyzed, flash floods caused $49.1 billion in property damages, hurricanes caused $36.1 billion in damages, and tornadoes caused $7.1 billion in damages. Weather-related property damages in Texas reached $58.3 billion, the highest amount of damage in any state. Louisiana had the highest amount of weather-related damages per household and business.

MOBILE, ALABAMA WATER BOARD WARNS CUSTOMERS OF THE PRESENCE OF CONTAMINANTS

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Mobile, Alabama, water and sewer systems have sent out a warning to their customers stating that recent water testing has shown PFAS and PFOA levels are above the new EPA health advisory. The recent water testing revealed levels of 1.0-to-1.6 and 1.8-to-2.2 ppt. Although the EPA has lowered the advisory levels of PFOA and PFAS chemicals, the new advisories are not yet enforceable as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA has been lowering the advisory levels for PFAS chemicals in drinking water, as there are concerns regarding the potential health effects.

MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR HINGHAM HOME ‘TOTAL LOSS’ FOLLOWING MONDAY AFTERNOON FIRE

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A multi-million-dollar home in Hingham, Massachusetts, suffered a four-alarm fire and was declared a total loss on July 11th. Of the 6,000-square-foot home, only the chimney remained after the fire had been extinguished. Four other homes were damaged in the fire, but no injuries were reported. Three people that were inside the building when the fire started were able to get out safely, but will be displaced.

LE MARS, IOWA EXPLOSION INJURES 3 PEOPLE, DESTROYS HOME

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An explosion on July 13th destroyed a house and injured 3 people in Le Mars, Iowa. The explosion took place around 6:30 am and largely demolished a house. A fire and other damages occurred on the neighboring properties. The explosion was so powerful, the ground shook homes that were miles away. No information about the condition of those injured in the blast was released. Firefighters from Le Mars and the nearby communities of Orange City and Sioux Center helped extinguish the fires.

A MASSIVE BLAZE ON NANTUCKET ISLAND HAS DAMAGED A HISTORIC HOTEL AND SEVERAL OTHER BUILDINGS

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On July 9th, firefighters were called to a blaze on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts at 6:45 a.m.  An off duty fire captain and several others ran to the scene of the fire to evacuate guests from inside The Veranda House, a 17th-century building. All employees and guests were safely evacuated and accounted for. The fire spread to several other buildings. Firefighters were still on the scene at 2:30 p.m. and were expected to remain there for an extended period of time.

THOUSANDS OF SYDNEY RESIDENTS RETURN HOME TO ASSESS DAMAGE AS FLOOD WATERS RECEDE

TimesOfIndia.IndiaTimes.com

July 8th was the first day of clear skies after a week of rain for the residents of Sydney, Australia. Authorities are preparing to provide relief efforts as thousands of Sydney residents return home to severe flood damage. About 47,000 residents in Australia's most populous state have been ordered to evacuate or were warned they might receive evacuation orders. Trucks were sent into the flooded neighborhoods on July 8th to help remove debris, taking advantage of the calm weather conditions.

WILDFIRE NEAR YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK INCHING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO GROVE OF HISTORIC SEQUOIA TREES

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The Mariposa Grove is one of the most popular destinations in Yosemite National Park and is the home of over 500 mature giant sequoia trees. A fire, originating on July 7th near the Washburn Trail in Yosemite's Mariposa Grove, has grown to over 2,000 acres. The fire is threatening the grove of iconic sequoia trees that have been in the region for thousands of years. People in the community of Wawona, California, which is surrounded by national park land and campgrounds, were ordered to leave their homes and campsites on July 8th.

PROVINCE RELEASES RISK RANKING OF POTENTIALLY CONTAMINATED OLD MINES

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The Canadian Province of Nova Scotia has released its risk ranking of potentially contaminated historical mine sites. The list includes 69 sites across the Canadian Province of Nova Scotia that were once home to a range of mining operations dating back to the 1800s. Most of the top sites are old gold mines, many of the lower-ranking ones were copper, coal and limestone mines. Materials containing chemicals such as mercury and arsenic being dumped on land and in waterways.

The Canadian Province of Nova Scotia created the list by analyzing each site for human health risks, the size of the site, chemical and physical properties and ecology. Human health risks were given more weight than the other categories. The list does not include all contaminated former mines. Nova Scotia Lands is only responsible for remediating sites on Crown land, so private properties contaminated from old mines are not on the list.

VINTON FIRE STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION, DAMAGE ESTIMATES AT LEAST $1.5 MILLION

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A fire at DR Music Center was called in on July 2nd around 2:00 am. The Roanoke County Fire Marshal reported that the fire at 101 E. Lee Avenue in Vinton, Virginia, remains under investigation. The cause of the fire is still unknown and preliminary damage estimates have reached $1,500,000. The fire involved two buildings that housed several small businesses. It was later determined that the building would be torn down due to the roof collapsing during the fire.

LA PINE GRANTED $17.7 MILLION TO ADDRESS CONTAMINATION CAUSED BY SEPTIC SYSTEMS

www.TheAdvocate.com

La Pine, Oregon, will receive $17.7 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to clean up and prevent groundwater contamination caused by septic tanks. Groundwater is a primary source of drinking water in La pine and Nitrate loading from septic systems is a growing concern. The loans and grants from the department will be used for municipal water improvements to transition away from septic systems. The area has porous, volcanic soil and shallow groundwater aquifers that allow for potential contamination. Local streams reportedly have excessive algae in some areas, possibly due to nutrient contamination from groundwater. The system improvements in La Pine will include the construction of a new 500,000-gallon water reservoir, the installation of new water distribution lines, and includes the Cagle and Glenwood Acres subdivisions in the municipal water system.

ASBURY PARK $500K CONTAMINATION CLEANUP STARTS ALONG SPRINGWOOD AVENUE

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Asbury Park City officials met with lawmakers on June 30th, at a longtime vacant, contaminated lot scheduled to be restored as part of a nationwide focus on revitalizing polluted urban properties. The site is one of four in Asbury Park that will be cleaned up with $500,000 in spending on remediation through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program. Across New Jersey, another $6 million in cleanup funds will be distributed for properties in Perth Amboy, Atlantic City, Bridgeton, Jersey City, Millville, Paterson, Trenton, Hamilton and Camden. McCabe, of the Environmental Protection Agency, said that investing in urban pollution cleanup brings more local tax revenue, higher home values and new jobs to communities.

UNABLE TO FUND EXIDE CLEANUP, STATE WANTS CONTAMINATED VERNON SITE ADDED TO FEDERAL SUPERFUND LIST

www.LATimes.com

The federal government has been formally asked by the state of California to add the former site of Exide Technologies to the National Priorities List to make it eligible for additional clean-up funds. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control estimates lead, arsenic, and cadmium was released by the Vernon-based battery recycler during its decades of operation. These operations spread contaminants to parks, schools, and nearly 10,000 properties in the largely working-class Latino neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Maywood, Huntington Park and Commerce. The state has committed $700 million so far and have cleaned nearly 4,000 properties with another 2,000 properties expected to finish over the next two years.

THREE MICHIGAN BEACHES CLOSED DUE TO BACTERIA LEVELS, INCLUDING ONE IN MACOMB COUNTY

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Thursday, June 30, three Michigan beaches closed due to high bacteria levels and two other beaches are under advisory due to a contamination issue. The beaches closed include St. Clair Shores' Memorial Park Beach on Lake St. Clair in Macomb County, Pinconning Park in Saginaw Bay, Clinch Park in Grand Traverse Bay. The two beaches under contamination advisory include Gladwin City Park in Cedar River and Taylor's Beach at Cook Lake in Livingston County.

NOVATO ARSON SUSPECT CAUSED $300K IN PROPERTY DAMAGE: COPS

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Novato, California, Police stated on June 27th that a series of commercial burglaries, arson, and vandalism incidents led to the arrest of Conn Michael Prescott over the weekend. The 61-year-old man of Emerald Lake Hills, California, was arrested on June 25th on suspicion of arson, vandalism, burglary, and other charges. He is being held on a $500,000 bail enhancement in the Marin County Jail after causing $300,000 in damages to the involved business.

BENNET, HICKENLOOPER URGE U.S. AIR FORCE TO ADDRESS 'FOREVER CHEMICALS' IN EL PASO COUNTY

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On June 24th, the U.S Air Force was urged by two Colorado senators to address PFAS in El Paso County water. In a letter, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper said is in the Widefield aquifer, which provides drinking water to thousands of residents and supplies surface water to area ponds, some of which Coloradans use for recreational fishing. They are asking the Air Force to expand on a pilot programs that remove PFAS from water. They also requested the Biden administration to partner with Colorado in taking additional steps to address PFAS from military activities.

PFAS in the Widefield aquifer south of Peterson Air Force Base affected some 80,000 people in the Security-Widefield-Fountain area. $50 million in funding for Air Force environmental restoration and remediation has been spent primarily on protecting drinking water for the affected communities since the discovery back in 2016. In Colorado, the Fountain-Widefield-Security area is one of the state’s biggest PFAS sites due to the long-term use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at Peterson Air Force (now Space Force) Base beginning in the 1970s. Water and soil testing in 2016 by the Air Force revealed PFAS levels of 240,000 parts per trillion in soil samples and more than 88,000 parts per trillion in groundwater at seven locations on the base. The base is now a designated EPA Superfund site.

FOREST FIRE BURNS THOUSANDS OF ACRES IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY

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On June 20th, fire fighters responded to a fire in Washington Townships, New Jersey, as a forest fire had consumed 11,000 acres. No injuries or property damage has been reported. The fire broke out in a remote section of the Wharton State Forest and was discovered early Sunday afternoon, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The fire was 50% contained by June 21st and put out on June 22nd. The cause of the fire is still unknown and produced dense smoke, was spanning areas of Washington, Shamong, Hammonton and Mullica Township.

OFFSHORE WIND, CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION AND PLASTICS BAGS: ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION ROUNDUP

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On June 21st, a bill was moved closer to enacting the purchase of more offshore wind energy, capping concentrations of PFAS in drinking water, prohibiting food packaging that contains PFAS, and banning the distribution of single-use plastic in Providence, Rhode Island. The house leadership also announced that they have put an end to the plastic processing plants due to the risks they pose on public health, their energy intensive process, and because they do nothing to curb the demand for single use plastics.

ENVIRONMENTAL, PUBLIC HEALTH GROUPS TO SENATE: ACT ON TOXIC PFAS IN DRINKING WATER

Tataandhoward.com

A letter was delivered on June 22nd, to the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee from 82 organizations, including Environment America and U.S. PIRG, regarding comprehensive federal legislation to protect Americans’ drinking water from contamination by the class of chemicals known as PFAS. The 82 organizations from 30 different states are calling for the EPW committee to designate PFAS as a hazardous substance. This would prohibit the use of PFAS in firefighting foam and direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue drinking water standards and stop the dumping of PFAS into our nation’s waterways. It is estimated that from Alabama to Alaska, more than 200 million Americans’ drinking water may be contaminated with PFAS.

CRISTIANO RONALDO ‘OFFERS TO PAY FOR HOME DAMAGE CAUSED BY £1.7M BUGATTI CRASH

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An unnamed homeowner of Majorcan, Spain, has stated that he has been promised compensation after the Manchester United Legend's rented his mansion on June 21st. The homeowner feared for his dog's life as a $1.7 million Bugatti crashed into the property on June 20th. Police have confirmed an employee of Ronaldo’s, thought to have been one of his bodyguards, was driving the sports car when it came off the road and smashed into a stone wall protecting the house.

EPA PLEDGES $23 MILLION TOWARD CLEANUP AT STRATFORD’S RAYMARK SUPERFUND SITE

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pledged roughly $30 million on June 2nd toward environmental remediation efforts at former industrial sites in Connecticut. These sites will include the ongoing clean-up of asbestos, lead, and other toxic contaminants at dumping grounds once used by local auto-parts manufacturer Raymark Industries. This federal investment is part of an overall plan to spend $5.4 billion over the next 7 years cleaning up brownsfields and Superfund sites as part of Congress’ Bi-partisan Infrastructure Bill.

$23 million, the largest amount of money given by the EPA, was dedicated to the 34-acre site of the former Raymark plant in Stratford, referred to as “one of the most complex” remediation projects under the agency’s Superfund program. The Army Corps of Engineers, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the EPA have helped manage the cleanup efforts for three decades after the plant was closed in 1989.