Francine strengthens into a Category 2 hurricane ahead of landfall in Louisiana and threatens storm surge, flooding

Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — Francine strengthens into a Category 2 hurricane ahead of landfall in Louisiana and threatens storm surge, flooding.

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  • Dozens of elephants forced to evacuate due to flash flooding

    Around 100 elephants were forced to evacuate the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand due to severe flooding. The country’s north has been hit with heavy flooding and landslides over the past few weeks, following the powerful typhoon Yagi.

  • Deep Floodwater Swamps Streets in North Thailand

    Crews worked to transport residents and tourists affected by flooding in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Friday, October 4, as the Ping River continued to rise, according to the Chiang Mai Municipality.Water levels in parts of the Ping River reached critical levels in a rainy Chiang Mai province, according to local reports, citing Thailand’s Department of Water Resources.This footage by X user @Talatletle shows high floodwater in Chiang Mai.Water levels in the city were expected to peak at 5.2 meters (roughly 17 feet) on Friday, according to the Chiang Mai Municipality.There were no injuries or deaths reported due to the floods at the time of writing. Credit: @Talatletle via Storyful

  • Biltmore Estate, America’s Largest Home, Suffered Flooding and Damage to Many Areas But Main House Is Safe

    The estate confirmed that Biltmore House “received minimal or no damage" from Hurricane Helene in a statement on Thursday, Oct. 3

  • Flooding from seasonal rains threatens residents in northern Thailand, including elephants

    Flooding in northern Thailand forced many residents of the city of Chiang Mai and its outskirts to seek safety on higher ground on Friday, with members of the animal world under similar threat. Evacuations were underway at the Elephant Nature Park, which houses around 3,000 rescued animals, including 125 elephants, 800 dogs, 2,500 cats, 200 rabbits and 200 cows. Heavy seasonal monsoon rains and the effects of Typhoon Yagi combined to cause serious flooding in many parts of Thailand, with the northern region particularly badly hit.

  • Rescue teams search for missing after floods, landslides kill at least 16 in Bosnia

    JABLANICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Rescue teams on Saturday searched for those still missing after flash floods and landslides hit parts of Bosnia, killing at least 16 people and injuring scores more. Construction machines worked to remove piles of rocks and debris covering the central town of Jablanica after the rainstorm early on Friday. Huge quantities of rain fell in the area around Jablanica and nearby Konjic, causing sudden floods that broke into people's homes as they were sleeping.

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  • Dunedin, New Zealand, records its wettest day in a century as flooding cuts the city off by road

    The New Zealand city of Dunedin was cut off by road due to flooding Friday after recording its wettest day in more than a century. Local authorities in the South Island city said more than 80 people who lived in low-lying areas spent the night in emergency shelters after the rain began Thursday. A local state of emergency remains in place for the city, which is due to be battered by rain until late Friday.

  • Helene’s powerful storm surge killed 12 near Tampa. They didn't have to die

    Aiden Bowles was stubborn, so even as Florida officials told residents of the barrier island north of St. Petersburg that Hurricane Helene's storm surge could be deadly, the retired restaurant owner stayed put. Caregiver Amanda Normand begged the 71-year-old widower to stay with her inland, but there had been many evacuation warnings over the years as hurricanes neared his Indian Rocks Beach home — the storm surge never got more than knee-high.

  • JD Vance praises Marjorie Taylor Greene hours after she suggested Hurricane Helene was man-made

    Vance called Greene a “great friend” and “one hell of a Congresswoman”

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    Sky-gazers were out in force Wednesday to view the annular solar eclipse. If eclipse fever has set in, here’s what’s in store in the coming years, according to NASA.

  • Thai animal rights group defends zoo against PETA’s Moo Deng abuse claims

    The Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) is defending Khao Kheow Open Zoo against the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) accusation of animal abuse against Moo Deng, an internet-famous baby pygmy hippo. In multiple Facebook posts, PETA alleged that the zoo based in Chonburi province has been exploiting the 2-month-old female hippo for entertainment and profit. What PETA is saying: In a Sept. 20 post, PETA Asia published a statement from its senior vice president, Jason Baker, who condemned Moo Deng’s captivity and called on zoos to prioritize conservation efforts that protect animals in nature.

  • French pensioner attacked by vulture

    An 86-year-old French woman was left severely injured by a vulture in what is thought to be the first recorded case of the bird attacking a human.

  • By mule and helicopter, volunteers deliver aid to Helene victims

    An army of private volunteers including mule drivers and helicopter pilots are helping deliver supplies and rescue stranded victims after one of the deadliest storms in recent U.S. history ripped through the mountains of western North Carolina. One week after Helene slammed into the Florida Panhandle and devastated wide swaths of half a dozen states, untold thousands remained cut off around Asheville, North Carolina, with many roads impassable and telecommunications equipment damaged or destroyed. The mountain communities' isolation has complicated the massive relief effort undertaken by federal, state and local officials.

  • Over 200 animals found in deplorable conditions at Long Island veterinarian’s home

    NEW YORK — More than 200 animals in deplorable conditions were recovered from the Long Island home of a licensed veterinarian, the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said. According to the nonprofit, the investigation into the shocking case of hoarding and animal neglect began on Wednesday, after a vet tech called to report the alleged abuse. Detectives with the ...

  • Bosnia floods kill 16 people

    Heavy rains that flooded towns and triggered landslides left at least 16 people dead in Bosnia on Friday, authorities told AFP. Jablanica, some 70 kilometres (43 miles) southwest of the capital Sarajevo, appeared to bear the brunt of the downpours, which severed it from the rest of the country.Police spokesman Ljudevit Maric told AFP that 16 people had lost their lives in the Jablanica region, according to data gathered by Friday afternoon.

  • White House blasts false claims about Hurricane Helene and relief aid

    Statement comes as president urges Congress to pass disaster-relief package as costs soar amid devastation

  • How to help Hurricane Helene victims

    Millions of people from coastal Florida to the Blue Ridge Mountains are reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The storm made landfall on Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane – the strongest on record to strike the area.

  • Gap in Albanese government’s new fuel efficiency rules means ‘biggest, dirtiest polluters’ exempt

    New vehicle efficiency standards (NVES) will not apply to at least four large vehicles, source says

  • Confirmed illegal, Ipoh cafe keeps doors open, drawing ire of Canning Garden residents as customers litter and block their entrances

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