HAMBURG (Reuters) - Germany’s Rhine river was reopened to shipping today after waters fell, following its closure for the past week as rain and melting snow raised water levels, authorities said. High water mostly peaked in north Germany over the weekend, but levels have fallen substantially allowing vessel sailings on the entire stretch, the river flood monitoring agency … [Read more...]
Swollen Rivers Raging Towards Industrial South
By Brian K. Sullivan (Bloomberg) -- Brace yourself, U.S. South. The Mississippi River is coming, and so are the Arkansas, the Red, the Ohio and the Missouri. The water on the Mississippi River is already so high that Missouri has closed interstate highways. Governor Jay Nixon activated the National Guard to stave off disaster. And the floods only stand to get worse. … [Read more...]
This is What London Would Have Looked Like Last Night… If Not for The Thames Barrier
London's main flood defense, the Thames Barrier, was closed Thursday night and again Friday afternoon for the 126th time in its 31-year history due to a historic storm surge produced by Storm Xaver. As bad as the flooding was, without flood defenses such as Thames Barrier and Hull Barrier, it could have been a lot worse. The image above, released today by the U.K.'s … [Read more...]
Morganza Spillway likely to open over weekend
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will "very likely" open the Morganza Spillway north of Baton Rouge this weekend to lower the levels of the swollen Mississippi River, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Friday. "It is extremely likely that the Morganza Spillway will open by tomorrow night or Sunday at the latest," Jindal said in an official statement after meeting with state … [Read more...]
Tug boat saves bridge from Australia flood waters – VIDEO
Over the past few days a national disaster has been unfolding in eastern Australia, with flash floods effecting a vast area of Queensland. Watch here as a tug boat stears a large 300m concrete section of walkway under the Gateway Bridge that broke off with the flood waters in the Brisbane River. The skipper of the tug is being hailed as a 'local hero'. Read more … [Read more...]