Octopus Overlords

Pyperkub wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 7:23 pm

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 7:00 pm

got a transcript of the allegation? ABC and video always screw up my browser.

California’s bankrupt power producer PG&E Corp (PCG.N) said on Friday it had reached a $13.5 billion settlement with victims of some of most devastating wildfires in the state’s modern history.

The agreement helps smooth the way for the beleaguered company to emerge from bankruptcy. It filed for Chapter 11 protection in January, citing potential liabilities in excess of $30 billion from wildfires in 2017 and 2018 linked to its equipment.
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The agreed settlement is subject to a number of conditions and requires confirmation by the United States Bankruptcy Court, the company said.

It faces a tight deadline as it needs to exit bankruptcy by June 30, 2020 to participate in a state-backed wildfire fund that would help reduce the threat to utilities from wildfires.
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PG&E had previously reached a $1 billion settlement with cities, counties and other public entities and an $11 billion agreement with insurance carriers related to the wildfires.

More than 1 billion animals are now thought to have been killed by the record-breaking wildfires in Australia, according to a prominent scientist whose new estimate is more than double what he predicted mere weeks ago.

Chris Dickman, a professor of ecology at the University of Sydney, revised his estimate of 480 million animals affected by the fires, saying Wednesday that more than 800 million animals have likely been killed in the Australian state of New South Wales alone. That means the number of animals affected nationally likely exceeds 1 billion, he added.

The updated figure includes animals killed directly by the fires and those that have already died by indirect causes, such as starvation, dehydration or habitat loss. The estimate includes mammals, birds and reptiles, but does not include frogs, insects and other invertebrates.
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More than 32,000 square miles of land have been scorched by the fires, and more than 120 blazes are still active across New South Wales and its neighboring state of Victoria. Though rain brought some much-needed relief early this week, forecasts are calling for dry conditions and higher temperatures Thursday, which could increase the fire risk in these states.

Smoove_B wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 3:02 pm I saw some random footage of the nightmare it is down there and I felt an incredible sadness for the affected animals. There was some footage I'd seen of a water bottle being used to help a koala bear with a burned nose/face. It's awful to think of the people, but something about all those animals depresses me beyond words.

About 70% of Australia's 3 million square miles of land is covered by a layer of gray-and-brown smoke. According to NASA, the smoke had already traveled halfway around the planet by January 8, "turning the skies hazy and causing colorful sunrises and sunsets" in South America.

The agency expects the smoke to make a full circuit of the globe and return to Australia.

As of last week, the wildfires — some of the worst in Australia's history — had burned 25 million acres, claimed the lives of 27 people, and destroyed 2,000 homes. A billion animals are feared dead.

LordMortis wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2020 4:52 pm Not talked about much here

https://www.businessinsider.com/austral ... ion-2020-1

About 70% of Australia's 3 million square miles of land is covered by a layer of gray-and-brown smoke. According to NASA, the smoke had already traveled halfway around the planet by January 8, "turning the skies hazy and causing colorful sunrises and sunsets" in South America.

The agency expects the smoke to make a full circuit of the globe and return to Australia.

As of last week, the wildfires — some of the worst in Australia's history — had burned 25 million acres, claimed the lives of 27 people, and destroyed 2,000 homes. A billion animals are feared dead.

Hope you and yours remain safe freelunch

It was operated by a Canadian company, Coulson Aviation. Coulson's Portland, Oregon branch said in a statement that one of its Lockheed C-130s was lost after it left Richmond in New South Wales with retardant for a firebombing mission. It said the damage was "extensive" but had few other details. Coulson said it would send a team to the crash site.

gbasden wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:35 pm Oh man. Best wishes and stay safe!

RMC wrote: Fri Jan 31, 2020 10:07 am Holy Crap! Be safe, and let us know if we can help in anyway....

Stefan Stirzaker wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:18 am Thanks all. Survived the day. Very hot but higher than expected humidity helped keep tge fires down. Very strong winds pushed in SE and some roads were cut and houses lost. Chopper and planes all day. Saw the 737s and DC10 droppung retardant lines. More tomorrow in terms of prevention but high winds again. Will keep you updateda.a

RmC no koala or kangaroo pets. Too dangerous lol. But yeah noo e here is good with US accents. Ladies seem to l o ve em

And rain? Medium soaking rain please. Last week we had 1000s of cars written off due to softball hail (google canberra hail damage 2020)

On Tuesday, PG&E Corp. will plead guilty 84 separate times to involuntary manslaughter -- the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.

That admission in a California courtroom will mark the end of one portion of the power company’s legal travails after its equipment sparked the largest wildfire in state history, consuming the town of Paradise. Many who lost loved ones or homes to the 2018 conflagration may not find much comfort in the utility paying a $4 million fine.
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The plea is unparalleled for a publicly traded company. Over a period of about 40 years that prosecutors in the U.S. have tried to charge companies for killing people -- mostly without success -- the closest comparison is BP Plc’s manslaughter plea after 11 workers were killed in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.
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The utility already has agreed to settle claims from insurers, individual fire victims and local government agencies for more than $25 billion. It also received a $1.9 billion penalty from the California Public Utilities Commission. The criminal case is the company’s last unfinished business as it races to exit from bankruptcy in the wake of a series of wildfires in recent years.

PG&E calls the plea agreement “an important step in taking responsibility for the past and working to create a better future for all concerned.”

A raging wildfire that tore across the Texas Panhandle this week has now become the largest in state history, and deteriorating conditions are expected to continue in the state.

A string of wildfires has blown through the Lone Star State in recent days, prompting evacuations and the destruction of homes and buildings. Texas A&M Forest Service reported Thursday that the largest fire, the Smoke House Creek Fire, has grown to an estimated 1,075,000 acres in Hutchinson County and is only 3 percent contained.

It has merged with another fire, named the 687 Reamer Fire, the forest service said. Some of the fires have also spread into Oklahoma.

Pyperkub wrote: Thu Feb 29, 2024 1:21 pm Texas must not be doing good forest management...

Alefroth wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2024 7:01 pm Are they the fires around Sonoma?

"GO NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately," officials with Ruidoso, home to 7,000 people, said on its website and in social media posts at about 7 p.m.

Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off electricity to part of the village due to the fire, which had grown to at least 2 square miles at the time the evacuation was ordered, KOAT-TV reported. The utility said it cut power to some 2,000 homes and businesses but they should have cleared out anyway.

CBS Albuquerque affiliate KRQE-TV reported that Ruidoso officials said there was hot ash from the fire falling in parts of the nearby community of Alto.
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The Village of Ruidoso is about 75 miles west of Roswell, where several evacuation centers were set up. Roswell officials said provisions were also being made for people with RVs and/or large animals and that Roswell hospitals were trying to accommodate as many patients as possible who were being moved out of the Ruidoso hospital.
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The Washington Post notes that FEMA designated Ruidoso as a high-risk area in 2000 due to the thick forests surrounding it. The could serve as fuel for wildfires and lead to "catastrophic" damage, FEMA said.