Tuesday, August 30 top stories
It is Tuesday, August 30. Here are today’s top stories.
Jackson, Mississippi water crisis
Jackson, Mississippi is now in a state of emergency due to a failure in its main water treatment facility. Jackson is the state capital.
Gov. Reeves said the city lacks enough water pressure to fight fires, flush toilets, and meet other critical needs. He told residents to not drink the water because it may be raw water from the reservoir being pushed through the pipes.
The state has called the National Guard to help distribute drinking and non-drinking water for up to 180,000 city residents.
CNN said the city’s main water treatment facility has faced issues all summer and is now on the brink of collapsing after the recent flooding of the Pearl River.
Over 1,100 killed by flooding in Pakistan
In Pakistan, over 1,100 people have been killed by severe, destructive flooding that was caused by eight consecutive weeks of rainfall. A Pakistani official said a third of the country is underwater. Over 33 million people’s lives were affected.
News videos show extremely dangerous, raging storm waters rushing through towns.
One viral video showed people being carried on a bed frame that was suspended on ropes above a rushing river.
The floods could cause about $10 billion in damage.
The UN is trying to raise $160 million to provide aid to those impacted. They pointed to climate change as one of the catalysts of the flooding. The U.S. is providing $30 million in aid.
Honda and LG to build $4.4B battery plant in U.S.
Reuters reported that Japan’s Honda Motor Co will build a new $4.4 billion lithium-ion battery plant for electric vehicles in the U.S. in a partnership with Korean battery supplier LG Energy.
A potential location for the plant is in Ohio because that’s where Honda’s main U.S. factory is. Ohio Gov. DeWine said he is working with Honda and LG to ensure they choose Ohio.
The start of construction is planned for early 2023 with mass production starting by the end of 2025. The batteries would be exclusively for Honda and Acura electric vehicle models.
Reuters explained that President Biden signed a law that would render electric vehicles assembled outside North America ineligible for tax credits. So this is a clear motivation for Honda to set up a battery plant in the U.S.
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Texas patient with monkeypox dies
CBS News reported that health officials in Texas reported that an adult patient in Harris County who was diagnosed with monkeypox has passed away.
This is the first instance of an infected person in the U.S. dying, but health officials said the person was severely immunocompromised (had a very weak immune system) and are investigating what role monkeypox played in the death.
There have been more than 18,000 monkeypox cases reported in the U.S. since spring. Many patients experience painful rashes and lesions, but there have been no deaths in the U.S. directly from monkeypox.
The Biden administration has been rolling out monkeypox vaccines. Those at the highest risk are men who have sex with men who are living with HIV and there are an estimated 1.7 million people in this category. The CDC said it has tallied 15 monkeypox-related deaths around the world.
Kevin Hart launches plant-based fast food restaurant
BET reported that comedian and actor Kevin Hart opened a new vegan fast food restaurant in Los Angeles called the Hart House. Everything on the menu is plant-based. From looking at the pictures of the food, it looks like any regular burger restaurant.
Hart said he wants to provide people with an option to eat plant-based foods.
BET explained that Black Americans are the fastest-growing vegan demographic in the U.S., outpacing the general population in adopting a vegan diet.
Hart believes that going meat-free is good for the body and good for the planet. You can check out the restaurant, Hart House, on social media.
Study predicts sea levels up 10 inches by 2100
Scientists studying Greenland’s ice sheet said it is rapidly melting and predicted that it would cause global sea levels to rise by over 10 inches by the year 2100.
Scientists said there is “zombie ice” or “dead ice,” which is ice that is no longer getting replenished by parent glaciers because there is less snow. AP News explained that “In perfect equilibrium, snowfall in the mountains in Greenland flows down and recharges and thickens the sides of glaciers, balancing out what’s melting on the edges. But in the last few decades, there’s less replenishment and more melting, creating imbalance.”
Scientists predict that the “dead ice” will eventually melt completely due to rising global temperature, and the amount of water, if it was concentrated only over the United States, would be 37 feet deep. But it’ll be spread all over the world so that’s why sea levels will be up over 10 inches.
An expert told AP News that an increase of 10 inches to sea levels may seem insignificant but it is dangerous because it would make high tides and storms worse and have huge impacts on society, the economy, and the environment.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/30/pakistan-flooding-underwater-monsoon/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/30/us/jackson-water-system-failing-tuesday/index.html
https://www.bet.com/article/tlvi9s/kevin-harts-hart-house-hopes-to-be-your-plant-based-obsession