Heartbroken and homeless: Algerian villagers grapples with wildfire aftermath
Bejaia, AlgeriaReuters When Algeria’s deadly wildfires tore through the forest around their village, brothers Khelaf and Lyazid Tazibt could only hustle their families out of the door and abandon the home they shared to the flames. The two men, both retired, and their wives and children, are now among hundreds of Algerians left homeless by […]
Flash floods sweep through northern Turkey in new natural disaster
Istanbul, TurkeyReuters Seventeen people were killed in flash floods in Turkey’s Black Sea region on Thursday that sent water and debris cascading through streets, damaged bridges and ripped up roads in the second natural disaster to strike the country this month. The floodwaters brought chaos to northern provinces just as authorities were declaring that some […]
Greece battles wildfires for fifth day in “nightmarish summer”
Athens, GreeceReuters Fires blazed uncontrolled for a fifth day in Greece on Saturday, ravaging swathes of land on its second-biggest island of Evia where hundreds of people had to be evacuated by ferry and locals joined firefighters in battling the flames. A fire which began on Tuesday on the island east of Athens quickly burgeoned […]
Struck by Amazon fires, Brazilians say they want greater environmental protection
Sao Paulo, BrazilThomson Reuters Foundation More than three-quarters of Brazilians think Amazon rainforest fires have hurt the country’s image – and that environmental protection should become a priority for the country, even at an economic cost, a new survey has found. The study on climate change views, organised by Brazil’s Institute of Technology and Society and the […]
“Rising” anew: After church fire in New York, advice from houses of worship that have survived disaster
In light of the recent fire at the historic Middle Collegiate Church in New York, ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service, reports on how it – and other houses of worship in the US – have responded in the aftermath of disaster…
After Grenfell: British homeowners face bankruptcy to strip unsafe building panels
ZOE TABARY, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how homeowners are facing bankrupcy and homelessness due to the cost of replacing exterior building panels in the wake of the deadly 2017 fire at London’s Grenfell housing block…
Fires and floods hurl climate change to fore of US election; Climate Clock unveiled in New York
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation Previously overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic and the country’s racial reckoning, climate change has hurled to the front of the US presidential race, as historic wildfires raged in the West and powerful storms battered the South. This week, Democratic contender Joe Biden tackled the issue of extreme weather from […]
POSTCARDS: BEACH HAVEN TURNS GHOST TOWN AS AUSTRALIAN FIRES HIT TOURISM
MARTIN PETTY, of Reuters, reports from the New South Wales coast in Australia…
Australian firefighters warn of uncontrollable blazes as conditions worsen
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Firefighters in Australia warned on Tuesday they would not be able to contain some of the 100 fires still ablaze in the country before conditions are expected to deteriorate later this week. Temperatures across parts of the eastern state of New South Wales are expected to top 40 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, just […]
Fighting fire with…volunteers? Indonesia ramps up community fire brigades as tropical forests burn
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Thousands of volunteers fighting forest fires in Indonesia will receive a boost in funding that could help stem air pollution and reduce emissions, according to a United Nations official. About 7,000 farmers have been trained to tackle fires since 2013 in a pioneering United Nations-backed project aimed at saving tropical […]