Four years after a military coup, Mali faces economic challenges with worsening poverty and frequent power outages impacting businesses and daily life. The junta’s postponement of elections and reliance on Russia has raised concerns, but some residents remain hopeful about greater independence from France.
Hurricane Ernesto, a Category 1 storm, brought heavy rain and power outages to Puerto Rico before moving towards Bermuda. The storm is expected to strengthen and could become a Category 3 hurricane by Friday. Bermuda is under a hurricane watch with tropical storm conditions possible on Friday and hurricane conditions possible on Saturday. Ernesto’s impact on Puerto Rico highlights the island’s ongoing struggle to rebuild its power grid after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Houston’s airports are facing a challenging recovery following Hurricane Beryl, with reduced staffing and long lines for passengers. The city is still grappling with power outages and limited cell service, adding to the disruption. Despite these challenges, airports are working diligently to rebook passengers and manage operations.
A severe storm swept through North Texas on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, leaving a trail of damage and widespread power outages. The storm brought down trees, downed power lines, and disrupted businesses across the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area.
Strong storms with damaging winds and hail swept across North Texas on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power and adding to the misery of an oppressive heat wave. The storms were part of a severe weather system that has killed at least 23 people across the US during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, including seven in Texas.
Ukraine’s state power operator, Ukrenergo, implemented controlled emergency shutdowns throughout the country on Tuesday. The decision was made due to a significant electricity shortage caused by Russian strikes on power plants and increased consumption resulting from a cold snap. The blackouts began at 9 p.m. and were expected to last until midnight, affecting all regions of Ukraine.
Consumers Energy is investing nearly in smart technology this year to prevent power outages and keep the lights on for customers. These cutting-edge technologies include line sensors and automatic transfer reclosers (ATRs), which predict problems on the grid and isolate outages to the smallest area possible, reducing the size and length of outages. Consumers Energy estimates that ATRs have prevented hundreds of thousands of outages in the past few years, and in 2023 alone, ATRs prevented outages for nearly 70,000 customers. Line sensors and ATRs are part of the plan, Consumers Energy’s strategy for a smarter and stronger electric grid. It is a blueprint for serving today while investing and innovating for tomorrow.
A powerful solar storm is heading towards Earth, potentially causing the aurora borealis to appear as far south as Alabama and Northern California in the US. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a rare geomagnetic storm watch, forecasting the storm’s arrival from Friday through the weekend. The sun has been emitting intense solar flares, including five significant coronal mass ejections, which have the potential to disrupt satellites and power grids. NOAA emphasizes the exceptional nature of this event, as the flares are associated with a sunspot 16 times larger than Earth. If the storm reaches its peak, it could result in power outages and damage to power transformers.
Residents in Dunedin, Florida, are expressing their discontent over the removal of trees along County Road 1 and Curlew Road by Duke Energy. Liz Murtagh, a concerned resident, expressed her disappointment, stating that the tree cutting has created an unsightly appearance and diminished the town’s beauty. Murtagh advocates for Duke Energy to cease tree removal and invest in burying their cables instead. The company released a statement emphasizing their responsibility to provide reliable power and the necessity of vegetation management to prevent outages. They have arborists on staff and work in collaboration with homeowners. While some residents may find the appearance of the trimmed trees aesthetically unappealing, others acknowledge the importance of the maintenance to minimize outages. Residents who consented to tree removal, like Kathleen Ramsey, understand the long-term benefits of preventing tree-related power failures. However, they mourn the loss of shade and protection provided by the trees.
In late April, torrential rainfall caused catastrophic flooding in southern China. As of Monday, over 83,000 people have been evacuated and 1.6 million are without electricity. The flooding has claimed the lives of at least four people, with 10 others still missing. The Pearl River Delta region has been particularly hard-hit, with floodwaters reaching the second story of buildings in some areas.
