Short Takes – 1-11-23

California’s paradox: Confronting too little water, and too much. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “Now, the water that Californians so desperately wanted is pummeling them like a curse. It’s surging over riverbanks and rushing through communities, toppling drought-stressed trees, turning scorched mountainsides into avalanches of mud. The storms cut off power to roughly 150,000 customers across the state Tuesday. The flooding prompted evacuations in Montecito and other parts of Santa Barbara County, and swept away a 5-year-old boy who still has not been found. Officials said at least 16 people have been killed by the storms of the past two weeks — more than the number of lives lost in wildfires over the last two years.”

War and Weather - The weirdly warm European winter has unexpected geopolitical consequences.NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “If Vladimir Putin thought he could freeze out Ukraine’s allies by cutting off the cheap Russian gas that Europeans have used to heat their homes, Mother Nature seems to have had other plans.”

Shelter in place lifted after possible explosion at La Salle chemical plant. WGNTV.com article. Pull quote: “A representative for Carus Chemical said it appears potassium permanganate was released during the fire and it’s not toxic.” No injuries or deaths, so may not be a CSB reportable release.