Stories tagged "weather"

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The winner of November's presidential election will face profound science-based challenges and questions. Can we protect our citizens from emerging pandemics? How should we address issues of stem cell research, DNA testing, genetically modified crops, and food from cloned animals? The Takeaway talks to genetics and law expert Lori Andrews to find out what the next president needs to know about science.

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Hurricane Ike pounded Galveston, Texas over the weekend, flattening homes and leaving millions without power. But in the history of hurricanes this is far from the worst that Galveston has seen. In 1900 the most devastating hurricane in American history destroyed the town and killed thousands. For a look at hurricanes past and present The Takeaway turned to Lew Fincher, a hurricane historian and the Vice President of Hurricane Consulting, Inc.

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Hurricane Ike pounded Galveston, Texas, over the weekend, flattening homes and leaving millions without power.

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The National Weather Service is warning residents of Galveston, Texas they could "face certain death" if they don't evacuate. At this report, the center of Hurricane Ike was about 230 miles southeast of Galveston and moving toward the upper Texas coast at about 13 miles-per-hour. Top winds are near 105 miles-per-hour and forecasters say it could strengthen before making landfall early Saturday.

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Hundreds of thousands of Texans are fleeing as Hurricane Ike barrels towards the coastline. Are the hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes and extreme weather we've seen lately just random chance? Are these storm clusters seasonal? Or are humans and global warming causing more storms and more severe storms? The Takeaway talks to MIT atmospheric science professor Kerry Emanuel to find out.

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About half of the year, actor and comedian Harry Shearer lives in the French Quarter of New Orleans. He’s been watching Gustav’s wrath from afar, via satellite feeds from his other home in Southern California.

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Now that Hurricane Gustav has dashed the momentum leading up to the Republican National Convention, the storm’s ill-timing led us to wonder if there has been a time in history when inclement weather affected political outcome. Author Laura Lee joins us with five examples of when the weather changed history.

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Terence Blanchard is a prolific composer and musician. He’s written film scores for over thirty movies including, “Malcolm X”, “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts”, “Inside Man” and “Miracle At St. Anna”, Spike Lee’s upcoming film about the lives of four African-American soldiers fighting in World War 2. Three years ago Blanchard was working on the score of “Inside Man” in Los Angeles when he turned on the television and saw hurricane Katrina hit his home city of New Orleans. Recovering from the disaster and rebuilding and reinvigorating the Crescent City has been his passion ever since. Terence Blanchard joins The Takeaway on the eve of the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans, to talk about how he’s using music to rebuild the city he loves.

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Agriculture is a $31-billion industry in California — no state is bigger for farming. But with California in a drought, state-enforced water rationing is forcing farmers to abandon fields and lay off workers. The Takeaway talks to the mayor of Mendota, California, where hundreds have been left hungry, and with Sacramento Bee reporter Matt Weiser about the difficult choices the state is facing.

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China is tightly managing every aspect of the Olympics, even trying to control the weather. They’re using cloud-seeding techniques, both to create rain to reduce smog and to steer rain away from outdoor events. The Takeaway takes a closer look at the often colorful efforts to control the weather.

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As floods reach record levels in the Midwest, thousands of people have been displaced. Homes, businesses and crops have been destroyed. Are humans partly to blame for this increased risk of flooding? The Takeaway turns to Robert Holmes, National Flood Coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey, for the answers.

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