Weather
President Biden approves emergency declaration for southeast Louisiana saltwater intrusion
President Joe Biden has approved Gov. John Bel Edwards’ request for an emergency declaration in response to saltwater intrusion on the lower Mississippi River, the governor’s office announced Wednesday. A far reaching drought throughout the upper Mississippi River Valley has slowed its flow to the point where saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico, which is […]
Two Southwest Louisiana fires declared 100% contained
Two of the four fires that have collectively damaged more than 40,000 of woodlands in Louisiana have been brought under control, according to officials who’ve spent weeks on the ground containing the blazes. An update from the Southern Area Complex Incident Management Gold Team posted Tuesday on Facebook that listed the Lions Camp Road fire […]
Battery storage seen as ‘backbone’ of reliable electric grid but adoption uneven across US
SEARCY, Arkansas — In the decarbonized future envisioned by many states, utilities and the federal government, expect more power plants like Entergy Arkansas’ facility here, where thousands of gleaming panels and banks of batteries spread across 800 acres about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. The Searcy Solar Energy Center, a 100-megawatt solar and storage […]
‘It’s an emergency.’ Midwest towns scramble as drought threatens drinking water.
SEDAN, Kansas — James Rainbolt typically can tackle most problems at his rural water plant with some extra time or money. But he can’t fix this. “I just can’t make it rain,” he said. Like others across Southeast Kansas, Rainbolt remains helpless as he watches a persistent drought dry up the local water supply. He […]
Utility shutoffs continue in New Orleans despite record heat, public objections
NEW ORLEANS — Amid record-setting heat earlier this summer, the New Orleans City Council asked Entergy New Orleans and the Sewerage & Water Board to suspend service disconnections until Oct. 1. But the utilities are continuing to cut customers off, leaving thousands of residents at risk of losing water and electricity. Despite the council’s urging, […]
Saltwater intrusion creates drinking water emergency for southeast Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS — The historic drought currently baking Louisiana has created an emergency for areas in the southeastern part of the state that depend on the Mississippi River for their drinking water. The flow of saltwater upriver from the Gulf of Mexico is expected to reach New Orleans in exactly a month and has already […]
Drought sparks drinking water concerns as saltwater creeps up Mississippi River
NEW ORLEANS — Drought across the midwestern and southern U.S. has left the Mississippi River with such low water levels that saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is creeping upriver in Louisiana, which could impact the drinking water of thousands of residents in the next few weeks. For those who rely on the Mississippi River […]
Louisiana prison officials say they’re ready for wildfires; reform advocates have doubts
Louisiana is experiencing an unprecedented fire season with tens of thousands of acres burned throughout the state. Experts and state officials say that wildfire seasons like this one could become more normal as the state gets hotter and drier due to climate change. And as more wildfires burn, smoke from those fires will likely blanket […]
New Orleans didn’t get new federal disaster resilience cash, but FEMA says that’s a good sign
Six areas in Louisiana were recently selected to potentially receive millions of dollars in additional federal funding to mitigate the effects of ecological disasters and climate change. New Orleans — Louisiana’s largest city and one the most disaster-prone in the United States — was not among them. But according to FEMA officials, that’s because billions […]
Louisiana, like other Southern states, relies on outside airborne help to fight wildfires
Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said last week he will ask the legislature for money to buy more firefighting equipment, including a tanker airplane that can drop water on blazes from above. Such an asset would make Louisiana unique among its Southern neighbors and comparably sized states, which rely entirely on outside help for their airborne […]
Poor air quality from Louisiana wildfires could become more common
NEW ORLEANS — Jeff Parker stayed inside his St. Roch home as much as possible the last week of August, as people all around New Orleans reported smelling smoke in the air. Weather forecasts reported that smoke drifted into the city’s atmosphere from southwest Louisiana, where wildfires were scorching parts of Beauregard Parish. Air quality monitors […]
Louisiana’s largest wildfire blamed on arson
Investigators believe the Tiger Island fire in Beauregard Parish, the largest in Louisiana this summer, is the result of arson, state officials said Saturday. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Enforcement Division and Beauregard Sheriff’s Office detectives are looking for a suspect responsible for starting the Aug. 22 fire that emergency crews continue to […]