TV News LIES

At least several hundred people are feared to have been killed after the worst cyclone in almost a century ripped through the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday, uprooting trees, tearing houses apart and pounding the impoverished archipelago’s already weak infrastructure.

Rescuers have been dispatched to the islands, which lie between the coast of Mozambique and Madagascar, but their efforts are likely to be hindered by damage to airports and electricity distribution in an area where clean drinking water is subject to chronic shortages.

Speaking to Mayotte’s la 1ere TV station on Sunday, the archipelago’s prefect, François-Xavier Bieuville, said the confirmed toll of 11 dead was likely to soar over the coming days.

“I think there will certainly be several hundreds, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousands,” he said.

More...

A tornado near a mall in central California swept up cars, uprooted trees and sent several people to the hospital. In San Francisco, authorities issued the first-ever tornado warning.

Elsewhere, inclement weather plagued areas of the U.S., with dangerous conditions including heavy snow in upstate New York, a major ice storm in Midwest states and severe weather warnings around Lake Tahoe.

The ice storm beginning Friday evening created treacherous driving conditions across Iowa and eastern Nebraska on Friday and into Saturday and prompted temporary closures of Interstate 80 after numerous cars and trucks slid off the road. In upstate New York, more than 33 inches (84 centimeters) was reported near Orchard Park, which is often a landing point for lake-effect snow.

More...

U.S. wildlife officials announced a decision Tuesday to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies after years of warnings from environmentalists that populations are shrinking and the beloved pollinator may not survive climate change.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to add the butterfly to the threatened species list by the end of next year following an extensive public comment period.

"The iconic monarch butterfly is cherished across North America, captivating children and adults throughout its fascinating life cycle," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said in a news release. "Despite its fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance."

More...

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nevada Monday afternoon, according to the United States Geological Survey, with shaking felt as far west as California.

The quake struck 15 miles north-northeast of the town of Yerington, about 40 miles east of Carson City, at 3:08 p.m. local time. More than 10,000 people reported feeling the earthquake on the U.S. Geological Survey website in a little over two hours after it hit.

Fourteen aftershocks struck the same area before 5:30 p.m., ranging in size from 2.5 to 4.2. The initial quake's depth was reported at a relatively shallow 8.4 kilometers beneath the earth's surface. Any quake less than 70 kilometers deep is considered to be shallow by USGS standards.

More...

Extreme heat puts stress on everyone's bodies. In recent years, scientists and policymakers have homed in on the risks heat poses to older people, whose bodies become more sensitive to heat with increasing age.

But a new study in the journal Science Advances suggests that there is another group at risk, and one that gets less attention.

"Young people are disproportionately vulnerable to heat," says Andrew Wilson, an environmental scientist at Stanford University and an author of the new analysis.

The study, which focused on Mexico, found that people under 35 made up three-quarters of the country's deaths related to heat in recent decades, with risks concentrated amongst children under 4 years old and young adults from 18 to 35. That percentage is likely to increase in the future as human-caused climate change intensifies the number of sticky, humid heat days in the country.

More...

A series of earthquakes struck the northern California coast on Thursday morning, rattling communities and activating emergency alerts for both shaking and tsunami risks just before 11am local time.

The largest, registered as a magnitude 7.0 and originating near the historic and picturesque town of Ferndale in Humboldt county, could be felt in San Francisco more than 260 miles (418km) away. Roughly 1.3 million people felt the shaking, according to initial estimates provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which also reported that risks to human life remained low.

Cellphones buzzed throughout the region, warning of the incoming shaking and offering ample time to brace and cover. Tsunami alerts also rang out for at least 5.3 million people on the California coast and into Oregon, warning of large waves, strong currents and coastal flooding that could persist through the afternoon.

Following the alert, Bay Area Rapid Transit trains were held as underground stations were cleared, as major delays were announced throughout the system, and the San Francisco fire department began clearing the beaches. The tsunami warning was withdrawn shortly after noon as officials announced the highest risks had subsided.

More...