All posts tagged: flooding

Spoofed Tankers Are Flooding the Strait of Hormuz. These Analysts Are Tracking Them

Spoofed Tankers Are Flooding the Strait of Hormuz. These Analysts Are Tracking Them

A month and a half into the war between Iran and the US and Israel, Michelle Wiese Bockmann has seen one constant: disappearing ships. This is not unusual in the Strait of Hormuz, says Bockmann, a senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward AI who has been tracking shipping across the globe for 30 years. For nearly a decade now, “shadow fleets” engaged in shady practices—say, violating international sanctions by transporting crude oil from Iran—have periodically turned off their transponders. These devices typically broadcast ships’ names, locations, routes, and IMO (International Maritime Organization) numbers. Those unique, seven-digit IMO identifiers allow trackers like Bockmann to trace the ships throughout their floating lifetimes. Jamming and “spoofing” these transponder signals, either by interfering with their satellite signals or creating false ones to make the ships appear where or what they’re not, isn’t new. But the scale is. At one point last month, “well over half of the vessels in the strait had their signals jammed,” Bockmann says. Today, more than 800 vessels are in the Persian Gulf, according to …

Contributor: Investigate the AI campaigns flooding public agencies with fake comments

Contributor: Investigate the AI campaigns flooding public agencies with fake comments

California built its tradition of open government — including for citizen boards that set the rules for such functions as automotive repair and security guard licensing — precisely to keep well-funded corporate interests in check. Lobbyists and special interests are constantly scheming to defeat the will of the majority. Now they are able to do more damage using artificial intelligence to simulate fake grassroots opposition to clean air measures, and they are surreptitiously using the identities of real people to deceive regulators. Last June, the South Coast Air Quality Management District received more than 20,000 comments opposing a pair of clean air rules that would have prevented 2,500 premature deaths and 10,000 new cases of asthma. A February investigation by the Los Angeles Times revealed that those comments were submitted through CiviClick, a Washington-based AI-powered comment generation platform, orchestrated by a local political consultant with ties to the natural gas industry. When the district’s cybersecurity team reached out to a small sample of commenters to verify their identities, a majority of respondents said that they …

More Than 230 Rescued As Devastating Flooding Continues To Hammer Hawaiian Islands

More Than 230 Rescued As Devastating Flooding Continues To Hammer Hawaiian Islands

Authored by T.J.Muscaro via The Epoch Times, It has been the worst flooding Oahu has seen in more than 20 years, and as of the morning of March 21, the torrential rains and rushing waters continue to flow across the mountainous island and the rest of the Hawaiian archipelago. The devastating milestone was announced on March 20 by Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, who said that damages could exceed $1 billion. The cause is a type of winter storm called a “Kona Low,” which is southerly or southwesterly winds that bring moist air onto the islands. This is the second such storm that Hawaii has faced this month. Green issued a statement on the morning of March 21, stating that no loss of life had yet been reported, although there were some serious injuries. But the back-to-back storms caused some areas to get between 40 and 50 inches of rain. The first storm hit between March 10 and March 16 and delivered multiple feet of rain to parts of Kawai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island, as …

Jason Momoa among thousands forced to evacuate as historic flooding hits Hawaii

Jason Momoa among thousands forced to evacuate as historic flooding hits Hawaii

Jason Momoa has revealed he was forced to flee his home alongside thousands of residents after severe storms triggered dangerous flooding across parts of Hawaii. The Hollywood star shared on Instagram that he and his family, including girlfriend Adria Arjoni, evacuated from O’ahu’s North Shore after their home lost power amid torrential rain and rapidly rising waters. “We’re safe now but there’s a lot of people who weren’t, so sending all our love,” he told followers. © InstagramJason shared an update on the floods The extreme weather has led to what officials describe as the worst flooding the islands have experienced in more than two decades. Authorities ordered mass evacuations near the Wahiawa dam, warning the 120-year-old structure faced a risk of “imminent failure” as water levels surged dramatically in less than 24 hours. Up to 12 inches of rain fell in some areas, causing life-threatening conditions in communities including Haleiwa and Waialua. Emergency services placed more than 130 residents in evacuation shelters overnight as the situation continued to unfold. © InstagramVolunteers serving meals to …

Over 5,500 told to evacuate flooding in Hawaii : NPR

Over 5,500 told to evacuate flooding in Hawaii : NPR

Streets are flooded from severe rains Friday in Haleiwa, Hawaii. Mengshin Lin/AP hide caption toggle caption Mengshin Lin/AP HONOLULU — Muddy floodwaters from severe rains inundated streets, pushed homes off their foundations, swallowed vehicles and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents in towns north of Honolulu on Friday as officials warned of the possible failure of a 120-year-old dam. Emergency sirens blared along Oahu’s North Shore, where rising waters damaged homes in a community world-renowned for its surfing. Honolulu officials told residents Friday morning to leave the area downstream of Wahiawa dam — long known to be vulnerable — saying it was “at risk of imminent failure.” There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, but some homes had been swept away, said Ian Scheuring, a spokesperson for Honolulu. Crew searched by air and by water for people who had been stranded — efforts that were hampered by people flying personal drones to get images of the flooding, he said. Streets are flooded from severe rains Friday in Haleiwa, Hawaii. Mengshin Lin/AP hide …

Brazil flooding death toll rises to 64 as search efforts continue | Weather News

Brazil flooding death toll rises to 64 as search efforts continue | Weather News

Government agency says more extreme weather expected after rains trigger floods, landslides in Minas Gerais state. Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 27 Feb 202627 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo The death toll from landslides and flooding in eastern Brazil has risen to 64, as authorities continue to search for survivors. The update on Friday came days after a long period of heavy rain in the state of Minas Gerais, with the cities of Juiz de Fora and Uba particularly hard hit. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The state’s fire department said five more people are still missing. More than 5,500 people have been forced to leave their homes. Meanwhile, Brazil’s meteorology institute, Inmet, has warned of a “great danger” of more inclement weather in parts of Minas Gerais, as well as in the neighbouring states of Rio and Sao Paulo along Brazil’s Atlantic coast. It also highlighted further risks of landslides, river overflows and major flooding. On Saturday, …

Bring in Dutch water experts to stop the endless cycle of flooding in Britain | Flooding

Bring in Dutch water experts to stop the endless cycle of flooding in Britain | Flooding

In the Netherlands, much of which is below sea level, we have not had a single square metre of flooding since 1953 (‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk, 31 January). In that year, a storm surge erupted in the North Sea, engulfing much of East Anglia as well as the Dutch province of Zeeland. The Dutch built the Delta Works to fix this; the English did nothing. Years of investment in land reclamation and flood-defence experience were brought into play. The Netherlands handles the delta/distributaries of two of Europe’s greatest rivers – the Rhine (Rijn) and the Meuse (Maas). I live five metres from a major inland waterway and the level does not change. My cousin lives in Somerset (twinned with Atlantis) and is already on his third flooding of 2026. I live also around 150 metres from the sea – separated from my immediate water by a sluis that works both ways: preventing high sea water from entering, and releasing fresh water at low tide. We …