3 ms·

> At least eight people have died and dozens of people are missing in Germany after heavy flooding turned streams and streets into raging torrents, sweeping awa

> At least eight people have died and dozens of people are missing in Germany after heavy flooding turned streams and streets into raging torrents, sweeping away cars and causing some buildings to collapse. I really don’t know what to make of these understatements here… The official number of victims (deaths) is already at 140, and that’s the number from yesterday. Also, it’s not “some buildings” – at least some villages do, for all practical purposes, no longer exist in their entirety.

x3ro 5y ago
The article is dated Thursday, 15th. I'm assuming that's part of the reason? E.g. Tagesschau [1] reports "at least 110 dead", but that's from this Sunday 18th at ~5:30 CEST. [1]: https://www.tagesschau.de/newsticker/liveblog-hochwasser-105.html https://www.tagesschau.de/newsticker/liveblog-hochwasser-105...
- ManuelKiessling 5y ago
  Ah, sorry, I falsely assumed it’s a very recent article and didn’t check its date.
loopz 5y ago
These floods affect village centers first, which are often built surrounding a river or in flood-prone area (ie. beneath a dike or dam). So these centers may be boliterated or severely damaged when it rains as much as in one month during the night. However, most of the houses on the hillsides may be totally OK in this case. These are extremes that climate scientists attribute partly to climate change, as such events will become more impactful and numerous. Climate change doesn't mean hotter weather everywhere, but more chaotic weather pattern disruptions, changed jetstreams, even changes to oceanic streams may at some point be triggered. Large changes happening so fast will always be catastrophic, especially to species on the top of the food pyramid while dependent on infrastructure. However, just because these events become more probable, doesn't mean we can expect them every year, just that we will keep experiencing them faster and meaner as time goes by. Looking at past 10K years, both CO2 and temperature have been remarkably stable, allowing civilization to rise. We have now moved away from that goldilocks zone, which will have planet-wide consequences. It seems a remarkable bet some are willing to take, with no facts to back up their assertions with, but who knows, right?

x3ro 5y ago

The article is dated Thursday, 15th. I'm assuming that's part of the reason? E.g. Tagesschau [1] reports "at least 110 dead", but that's from this Sunday 18th at ~5:30 CEST. [1]: https://www.tagesschau.de/newsticker/liveblog-hochwasser-105.html https://www.tagesschau.de/newsticker/liveblog-hochwasser-105...

ManuelKiessling 5y ago
Ah, sorry, I falsely assumed it’s a very recent article and didn’t check its date.

loopz 5y ago

These floods affect village centers first, which are often built surrounding a river or in flood-prone area (ie. beneath a dike or dam). So these centers may be boliterated or severely damaged when it rains as much as in one month during the night. However, most of the houses on the hillsides may be totally OK in this case. These are extremes that climate scientists attribute partly to climate change, as such events will become more impactful and numerous. Climate change doesn't mean hotter weather everywhere, but more chaotic weather pattern disruptions, changed jetstreams, even changes to oceanic streams may at some point be triggered. Large changes happening so fast will always be catastrophic, especially to species on the top of the food pyramid while dependent on infrastructure. However, just because these events become more probable, doesn't mean we can expect them every year, just that we will keep experiencing them faster and meaner as time goes by. Looking at past 10K years, both CO2 and temperature have been remarkably stable, allowing civilization to rise. We have now moved away from that goldilocks zone, which will have planet-wide consequences. It seems a remarkable bet some are willing to take, with no facts to back up their assertions with, but who knows, right?