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Explainer-What to know about Tropical Storm Beryl as it heads toward Texas
By Sarah Morland
(Reuters) -Powerful Hurricane Beryl was the 2024 Atlantic season’s first hurricane and the earliest storm on record to reach the strongest possible ranking of Category 5, before weakening to a tropical storm as it barrelled toward Texas on Sunday.
The storm, which is responsible for at least 11 deaths as it swept through the Caribbean, could strengthen back to a Category 1 hurricane, and possibly a stronger Category 2, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is expected to make landfall on the Texas coast between Corpus Christi and Galveston early Monday, according to LSEG data.
Record-breaking sea temperatures that allow tropical storms to get stronger faster, driven by human-caused climate change and cyclical weather patterns, are fueling what scientists say is shaping up to be a very dangerous hurricane season.
WHAT IS CATEGORY 5?
A Category 5 is the strongest hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, bringing winds of 157 mph (252 kph) or higher, capable of causing catastrophic damage including the destruction of homes and infrastructure.
Since 1960, only 30 Atlantic hurricanes have reached Category 5, with 2005 – the year deadly Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans – setting the record for the most recorded in a single season, at four.
WHY IS BERYL SO EARLY?
Hurricane Beryl is the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic, according to the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization.
Anne-Claire Fontaine, a scientific officer for the agency, said a reason Beryl had developed so early in the season was because the “hurricane alley” is hitting its warmest ever temperatures.
Scientists say a streak of record temperatures in the North Atlantic since early last year would be extremely unlikely without climate change, driven by man-made fossil fuel emissions.
Higher water temperatures allow storms to intensify quicker, and ocean temperatures of at least 26.5 degrees Celsius (79.7 degrees Fahrenheit) are needed to maintain a tropical cyclone. According to NOAA, north Caribbean coastal water temperatures are hovering around 29.4 C (85 F).
WHERE IS BERYL GOING?
Beryl is currently forecast to makes landfall on the middle Texas coast between Corpus Christi and Galveston early Monday, according to LSEG data. The storm would then turn northeastward and move farther inland over eastern Texas and Arkansas late Monday and Tuesday, NHC said.
The Texas Gulf Coast is expected to get 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 cm) of rain, with up to 15 inches in some areas beginning Sunday through Monday night, NHC said. Storm surge could reach 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) in Mesquite Bay and Matagorda Bay.
Hurricanes typically weaken as they move over land.
HOW DANGEROUS IS BERYL?
Beryl is the strongest storm to hit the south-eastern Caribbean in 20 years, when 2004’s Ivan smashed into Grenada as a Category 3, damaging most of its buildings, wreaked havoc over Jamaica as a Category 4 and strengthened to Category 5 over western Cuba.
Ivan weakened before hitting the United States but spawned over a hundred tornadoes. It killed around 90 people and left more than $20 billion in damages.
On Monday, Beryl made landfall on small islands in the eastern Caribbean, smashing fishing boats in Barbados, knocking out drinking water in St. Lucia, downing power lines and reportedly killing two people in Grenada and St Vincent.
It is blamed for at least 11 deaths in the Caribbean.
WHAT HELP IS ON THE TABLE?
As the Caribbean prepares to bear the brunt of a highly destructive hurricane season, regional leaders have pushed for better financing options so governments can invest more in protecting their populations from worsening climate change.
Highly indebted and tourism-dependent Caribbean states have long called on wealthy nations and top global polluters to do more to honor their pledges to meet emissions goals, provide climate adaption funds and consider debt relief.
However, a Reuters investigation found that billions in funds sent to help developing nations battle climate change have been funneled back to rich nations.
WHAT IS A HURRICANE SEASON?
Hurricane seasons are annual periods during which tropical storms are most likely to form, fueled by strong ocean breezes, warm seas and humidity. In the Atlantic Ocean this typically lasts from June through November, peaking in the late summer.
The Atlantic is also home to the so-called Hurricane Alley, or Main Development Region, a stretch of warmer water spanning from West Africa to much of the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico and the southern United States.
On average, a hurricane season produces 14 named storms (winds of at least 39 mph or 63 kph), of which seven become hurricanes (winds over 74 mph or 119 kph) and three become “major,” with wind speeds over 111 mph (178 kph). But as ocean temperatures break new records, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned of an “extraordinary” 2024 Atlantic season and forecast 17 to 25 named tropical storms, eight to 13 hurricanes and between four and seven major hurricanes.
By Maggie Fick and Ahmed Aboulenein
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Members of Donald Trump’s presidential transition team are laying the groundwork for the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization on the first day of his second term, according to a health law expert familiar with the discussions.
“I have it on good authority that he plans to withdraw, probably on Day One or very early in his administration,” said Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health at Georgetown University in Washington and director of the WHO Collaborating Center on National and Global Health (NS:) Law.
The Financial Times was first to report on the plans, citing two experts. The second expert, former White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha, was not immediately available for comment.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The plan, which aligns with Trump’s longstanding criticism of the U.N. health agency, would mark a dramatic shift in U.S. global health policy and further isolate Washington from international efforts to battle pandemics.
Trump has nominated several critics of the organization to top public health positions, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic who is up for the post of secretary of Health and Human Services, which oversees all major U.S. health agencies including the CDC and FDA.
Trump initiated the year-long withdrawal process from the WHO in 2020 but six months later his successor, President Joe Biden, reversed the decision.
Trump has argued that the agency failed to hold China accountable for the early spread of COVID-19. He has repeatedly called the WHO a puppet of Beijing and vowed to redirect U.S. contributions to domestic health initiatives.
A WHO spokesperson declined to directly comment but referred Reuters to comments by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press briefing on Dec. 10 in which he was asked whether he was concerned that the Trump administration would withdraw from the organization.
Tedros said at the time that the WHO needed to give the U.S. time and space for the transition. He also voiced confidence that states could finalize a pandemic agreement by May 2025.
Critics warn that a U.S. withdrawal could undermine global disease surveillance and emergency response systems.
“The U.S. would lose influence and clout in global health and China would fill the vacuum. I can’t imagine a world without a robust WHO. But U.S. withdrawal would severely weaken the agency,” Gostin said.
U.Today – MicroStrategy has made headlines again by purchasing 5,262 BTC for approximately $561 million at an average price of $106,662 per BTC. The company now holds a staggering 444,262 BTC, accumulated at a total cost of approximately $27.7 billion, with an average purchase price of $62,257 per BTC.
Despite impressive returns of 47.4% since the beginning of the quarter and 73.7% since the beginning of the year, skepticism about the company’s strategy is growing.
It is believed that to sustain its purchases, MicroStrategy raises capital through methods such as issuing convertible and corporate bonds, securing credit lines and selling shares.
This cycle appears to operate as follows: shares are sold to acquire the cryptocurrency, and the rising price per BTC increases asset value, enabling further loans, which are then reinvested in more purchases.
Some observers warn that a significant decline in Bitcoin’s price or MicroStrategy’s stock could trigger a cascade effect. A sharp fall in MSTR shares would weaken the collateral backing its loans, potentially leading to forced asset sales, including BTC.
This scenario could exert downward pressure on the broader cryptocurrency market, as the company holds 2.2% of the global Bitcoin supply now.
Thus, while some view Michael Saylor’s approach as a bold bid to cement the cryptocurrency’s role in the financial system, others see it as unsustainable. History offers a cautionary note: in 2000, MSTR shares surged to $333 before plummeting 99%, a collapse that took 24 years to recover from.
National homebuilder ranked No. 12 on inaugural list ranking companies based on trust
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — With a longstanding reputation for trust, national homebuilder and land developer Taylor Morrison (NYSE:) (NYSE: ™HC) has been recognized by Forbes on their inaugural list of the Most Trusted Companies in America. The homebuilder ranked No. 12 out of 300 companies across all industries.
“There are few things more powerful than trust and it’s something we strive to earn amongst all company stakeholders, from our customers to our team members, our shareholders, and our local communities,” said Taylor Morrison Chairman and CEO Sheryl Palmer. “To be included on this esteemed list in its inaugural year is especially meaningful and these awards are important reminders of the relationships we’re building across all aspects of our business.”
Fueled by hundreds of millions of data points, the Most Trusted Companies in America list combines data on a wide range of factors across four categories: employee trust, customer trust, investor trust and media sentiment. The ranking was created in partnership with research companies HundredX, Signal AI and Glassdoor.
Taylor Morrison also earned the No. 67 spot on Forbes’ inaugural America’s Best Companies list. The ranking is Forbes’ most comprehensive company ranking to date and factored in ratings for financial performance, customer and employee satisfaction, cybersecurity, sustainability, companies’ remote work policies, media coverage and more. Forbes’ America’s Best Companies list assessed more than 60 metrics across 11 primary categories to identify which organizations excel across the board. Of the more than 2,000 U.S.-based publicly traded companies that were eligible, only 300 qualified for each list.
In addition to being named among the Most Trusted and Best Companies in America by Forbes, Taylor Morrison holds several additional accolades including being named on Newsweek’s America’s Most Responsible Companies and America’s Greenest Companies lists, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Companies to Work For list, the American Opportunity (SO:) Index, America’s Most Trusted ® Home Builder for nine years, Hearthstone’s 2021 BUILDER Humanitarian Award, and inclusion on the Fortune 500 list since 2021.
About Taylor Morrison
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Taylor Morrison is one of the nation’s leading homebuilders and developers. We serve a wide array of consumers from coast to coast, including first-time, move-up, luxury and resort lifestyle homebuyers and renters under our family of brands”including Taylor Morrison, Esplanade and Yardly. From 2016-2024, Taylor Morrison has been recognized as America’s Most Trusted ® Builder by Lifestory Research. Our long-standing commitment to sustainable operations is highlighted in our annual Sustainability and Belonging Report.
For more information about Taylor Morrison, please visit www.taylormorrison.com.
CONTACT:
media@taylormorrison.com
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