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Archive for September 4th, 2011
Iran arrests salt-lake protesters
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 4th, 2011
BBC: Iranian officials say 60 people have been arrested in protests calling for the government to save a shrinking lake in the north-west of the country.
Lake Orumiyeh, one of the world's largest salt lakes, has lost more than half its surface area in 20 years due to drought and the damming of rivers.
A local MP says if the lake disappears it will leave behind 10bn tonnes of salt and displace millions of people.
An emergency rescue plan for the lake was rejected by parliament last month.
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A weird and disastrous US weather year: tornadoes, drought, flooding, Irene, blizzard, quakes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 4th, 2011
Associated Press: Nature is pummeling the United States this year with extremes. Unprecedented triple-digit heat and devastating drought. Deadly tornadoes leveling towns. Massive rivers overflowing. A billion-dollar blizzard. And now, unusual hurricane-caused flooding in Vermont. If what’s falling from the sky isn’t enough, the ground shook in places that normally seem stable: Colorado and the entire East Coast. On Friday, a strong quake triggered brief tsunami warnings in Alaska. Arizona and New Mexico have broken...
United States: New Orleans braces for Tropical Storm Lee
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 4th, 2011
Reuters: New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina six years ago, faced a new threat on Saturday from Tropical Storm Lee, which was set to challenge the city's flood defenses with an onslaught of heavy rain.
The storm was expected to bring up to 20 inches of rain to southeast Louisiana over the next few days, including to low-lying New Orleans, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Lee's tidal surge could spur coastal flooding in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama before drenching a large swath...