South Korean Wildfires Even Worst Than U.S. Blazes

Extreme wildfires in South Korea have killed 24 people
destroyed hundreds of homes and mowed down
historic sites. 

 I wrote about the swarm of United States wildfires we've seen recently, but things are as bad or worse in some other nations.   

Especially South Korea. 

Per the Associated Press: 

"Wind-driven wildfires that were among South Korea's worst ever have ravaged the country's southern regions, killing 24 people, destroying more than 200 structures and forcing 27,000 residents to evacuate, officials said Wednesday."

The fires started in earnest Friday and were still raging Wednesday. A little rain forecast Thursday might temporarily dampen the blazes, but it likely won't be enough to entirely stop the conflagration. 

The fires have gone so far as to destroy some of South Korea's history and heritage.

Large parts of an ancient Buddhist temple complex were swept by the wildfire, destroying 20 of 30 buildings and structures at the ancient Gousa temple. Two of the destroyed buildings that had been designated national treasures. 

The Gaunru, a pavilion-shaped structure built in 1668 overlooking a stream, and Yeonsujeon, built in 1904 to celebrate the longevity of a king, were demolished in the fires.  Monks and other Buddhist moved a stone Buddha statue reportedly build in the 8th century out of way of the flames, so that treasure was saved, the AP said.

Other sites important to South Koreas were also threatened. 

Says the Associated Press:

"Strong winds and smoke-filled skies forced authorities in the southeastern city of Andong to order evacuations in two villages, including Puncheon, home to the Hahoe folk village - a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded around the 14th-15th century. Hikers were advised to leave scenic Jiri Mountain, one of the country's largest national parks, as another fire spread closer."

Back in the United States, wildfires on Wednesday continued to burn in the southeastern part of the nation, especially in the western Carolinas.  

Additional evacuations were reported today as the fires continued to spread, many with zero or near zero containment. 

Residents of both North and South Carolina were under mandatory burn bans. Large areas from Georgia to Maryland were under red flag warnings this afternoon, which signify a very high fire danger.

Meteorologists have slightly increased rainfall projections for this coming Sunday and Monday in the western parts of the Carolinas, but it still might not be enough to squelch the fires in a meaningful way.

 

Not Just Vermont: Misery Loves Company In Worldwide Floods

On July 12, the day after the Lamoille River receded enough,
Vermont highway crews begin repairs near the Wrong
Way Bridge along Route 15 in Cambridge. 

 Vermonters know from painful recent experience that we don't want anybody else to go through what we just did this month.  

Alas, a lot of people are going through this. Not only is the world baking in record heat this summer, It's also drowning in floods. 

It's everywhere. In neighboring New Hampshire and Massachusetts, floodwaters destroyed roads and houses in a daylong deluge on Sunday. 

In Pennsylvania, at least five people, including children, died in a remarkably sudden flash flood that caught them unaware in a semi-rural part of Bucks County. The flooding spread to New Brunswick, New Jersey Tuesday, nearly drowning  a family trying to escape the onrushing water. 

Just Wednesday morning, news broke of a flash flood emergency and "particularly dangerous situation in western Kentucky, especially around the city of Mayfield.  Nearly a foot of rain fell on the area in just a few hours, necessitating numerous water rescues. 

If Mayfield rings a bell, it's because it was the town decimated by a huge tornado in December, 2021.  Like that hurting town needs another big disaster. But there you go. 

It goes far beyond the United States. 

At least 40 people died in South Korea this month as flash floods lashed much of that nation.  Many of the victims were trapped in a tunnel when it almost instantly filled up with water. 

Monsoon floods strike India every summer, but this year's version is pretty extreme, even by their standards.

Floodwaters approached the famed Taj Mahal, though water is not expected to enter the World Heritage Site. However, it's rare for the flooding river to rise to levels so close to the compound. 

Severe floods last week also struck Japan, China and Turkey.

Floods occur every year somewhere, and this has gone on for millennia. Some of these floods are horrific.    But just like the greater propensity we've seen for heat waves in recent summers, floods have become a bigger threat, too. It's another climate change thing. 

As Phys.org points out:

"For every 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) that the atmosphere warms, it holds approximately 7 % more moisture. According to NASA, the average global temperature has increased by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius (1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880.

'Sixty-eight degree Fahrenheit can hold twice as mulch water as 50 degrees Fahrenheit,' said Rodney Wynn, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in  Tampa Bay. 'Warm air expands and cool air contracts. You can think of it as a balloon - when it's heated the volume is going to get large, so therefore it can hold more moisture.'

 This summer, El Nino has taken hold. El Nino generally heats the world up. It's working in concert with climate change to give us a glimpse of what the world's future will be like in the not distant future.

Don't think for a minute Vermont is free from any more giant floods since we've just been through two in 12 years. 

A Dartmouth study indicates extreme precipitation events in the Northeast are projected to increase by 52 percent by the end of the century. They definite these extreme events as 1.5 inches of rainfall or melted snow within a day. 

 The Dartmouth researchers said rainfall extremes have already increased markedly since about 1996.   The projected increase  in extreme rainfall would be blunted somewhat if real steps to sharply reduce carbon emissions take hold, but I'm not counting on that. 

One thing we can count on, sooner or later. Vermont will suffer another episode like we have this month. I hope Vermont officials continue to take seriously their commitment to build back with even more resilience in mind.