There is so much happening — and so much has happened while we were on hiatus… But here are a few topics we think are especially interesting.

Flood Recovery in Colorado

We just passed the one-year anniversary of the Colorado floods. Here’s some photos showing then/now of flood recovery. Several other news sources produced summaries of the current situation. Two we found particular interesting include Insurancenewsnet.com, which documents the staggering costs of the recovery and describes the help FEMA and other funding sources are giving in the continuing recovery efforts.

NPR also covered the one-year anniversary. Their coverage can be found here.

Volcanoes! 

I have developed a fascination with volcanoes… Hawai’i, after beating off hurricanes earlier this fall, is making plans for the impact the Pu’u O’o crater flow will have in the Pahoa area on the big island. There is a rural community in the path of the lava flow that started in late june and is now advancing around 300-400 yards per day. Hawai’i County Civil Defense is working with various other organizations and officials to prepare in the case that the lava flow moves through subdivisions in the community.

In the meantime, the Bardarbunga volcano system in Iceland is also spewing lava and smoke. Here are some magnificent pictures of that activity.  Weather.com reports that the earthquakes associated with this eruptions are worsening and the smell of sulfur from the volcano has reached Norway’s coast. In Iceland, people are suffering from stinging eyes, sore throats and sinus congestion. People are being told to stay indoors as much as possible.

Hurricane Season

Our first major hurricane (category 3 or higher) of the season has formed in the Atlantic. Hurricane Edouard, according to the Washington Post, appears to be a strong hurricane (at this time) than Sandy. The Atlantic was off to a slow start, but Edouard seems to be helping make up for the relative peace and quiet. In the East Pacific, on the other hand, we’ve seen storm after storm after storm this year.