Tropical Storm Debby has been slowly creeping its way across Florida, heading northeast. The storm began in the Gulf of Mexico and was projected to go to Texas, Alabama, and Florida on different occasions. On the morning of June 25 the storm was about seventy-five miles south of the Panhandle city of Apalachicola moving at a speed of three miles per hour northeast.

The tropical storm, a step below a category one hurricane, maintained forty-five miles per hour winds and has threatened some parts of Florida with ten to twenty-five inches of rain. Many low-lying areas in Northern Florida are expected to flood and many residents have been warned to evacuate these areas.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management issued a statement saying, “Debby is currently stationary, and no significant motion is expected through the next day or so as a weak steering flow remains in the region…All of the Florida Panhandle near and west of the Suwannee River is in the three-day error cone.” Debby is expected to move between Destin and Tampa within the next three to five days.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management also reported on the effects of the hurricane. “Tropical storm force winds, heavy rainfall and isolated tornadoes are the main concerns today…rainfall amounts of five plus inches today and tonight may lead to continued flooding for many areas of the state. In addition, locally heavy rainfall of potentially up to ten to twenty inches through the next few days will continue to exacerbate flooding concerns of some areas.” The governor, Rick Scott, has declared a statewide emergency.

Most of the damage so far has been in the western regions of Florida. Some streets in Tampa are underwater and the Howard Franklin bridge that connects Tampa and St. Petersburg was closed due to high winds and water. St. George Island was hit the hardest losing electricity and having its bridge to the mainland closed. Thirty-five thousand homes and businesses were without power after the storm ravaged Florida the night of June 24. Several Florida counties were put on the tornado watch list including Pinellas and Orange (St. Petersburg and Orlando).

Twenty-three percent of oil and gas production has been suspended and the employees have been evacuated from sixty-one production platforms and thirteen drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

One person was killed by a tornado the tropical storm caused in Florida. The other casualty of this storm was a South Carolinian man who disappeared in rough seas on June 24 in Alabama.

Some Floridians see the tropical storm as nothing to worry about, after surviving the year of Charlie, Frances, Jeanne, and Ivan, this storm is incomparable. Patrick Sparks, twenty-six, a manager at Eddy Teach’s bar, stated, “the tourists cleared out. It’s not a good thing and hurts the economy during a week in peak season. It’s a tropical storm – it’s not even a category one. It’s a little rash to send everyone home.”

Hurricane season began June 1 and will last until November 30. So far Debby is the fourth named storm that has occurred this year.

Image Courtesy of  NASA Goddard Photo and Video

The article Tropical Storm Debby Stalls Over Florida appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Stevens Point, Wisconsin, U.S.A-Though hurricane season officially began June 1, activity in the tropics heated up ahead of schedule this year with Tropical Storm Alberta forming off South Carolina in late May, followed by Tropical Storm Beryl, which was the strongest pre-season storm to make landfall in history when it came ashore in Jacksonville, FL. With this early tropical activity in mind, Travel Guard is urging travelers to prepare for upcoming vacations by considering travel insurance options.

No matter if travelers are taking advantage of off-season deals in Florida and the Caribbean or heading to destinations outside of the hurricane belt, their plans can be drastically affected by delays and cancellations that can affect airports far from the coasts should a storm arise. Several tips can help to avoid these problems.

Safeguard your trip investment: In the event of a covered hurricane or other unforeseen severe weather, travel insurance may provide benefits under trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage. If a trip is cancelled for a covered reason, travel insurance may refund the prepaid, forfeited, non-refundable trip costs up to the limit of coverage.

Purchase in advance: Insurance must be purchased at least 24 hours prior to a hurricane being named in order for trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage to cover losses due to the hurricane. Once a hurricane watch or warning is in effect, it’s too late. To avoid a last-minute scramble, travelers should purchase insurance at the same time they book their travel plans.

Monitor status of airports, accommodations and driving routes: If a storm directly affects travel arrangements or accommodations, insureds may benefit from trip cancellation or trip interruption coverage. A few examples: an airport is closed due to the high winds; mandatory evacuations are enforced at a policyholder’s hotel/resort; roads are impassable due to high water and alternate modes of transportation are not possible. If a resort, hotel or vacation home is damaged and cannot be used, or if comparable accommodations cannot be provided, non-refundable costs could be covered.

Be aware of the difference between what has happened and what “might” happen: Inclement weather must directly affect travel arrangements for travel insurance to cover the loss. Base travel insurance plans never cover losses incurred by a cancellation based upon what “might” happen because of a storm. For example, if a policy holder chooses not to take a flight because of concern about a hurricane, and that flight still operates on schedule, the cost of the flight will not be a covered loss.

Prepare for delays: If the airport from which flights are scheduled to depart is closed due to a hurricane or other weather event, travel insurance may cover the expenses incurred because of the delay. Additionally, reasonable accommodations and travel expenses may be covered until travel becomes possible. It’s important to understand that Travel Guard’s travel insurance plans do not cover cancellations solely made by the traveler’s choice not to go because of possible delays, unless a plan including “Cancel For Any Reason” coverage has been purchased.

“With the many unanticipated situations that can arise during hurricane season, our best advice to travelers is to be prepared,” said Carol Mueller, Vice President, Travel Guard North America. “Travel Guard travel insurance plans average 5-7 percent of the total trip cost, meaning an affordable cost can provide travelers with confidence throughout hurricane season.”

Hurricane season runs through November 30, 2012. To keep track of the latest hurricane-related news, visit the National Weather Services’ National Hurricane Center.

The article Travelers Advised to be Prepared for Hurricane Season appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

This April, The Avengers and the X-Men — the two most popular franchises in comics history — go to war. Marvel has announced the Avengers VS X-Men, a landmark twelve-issue pop culture event bringing together the world’s greatest super heroes — Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto and more — for an unforgettable battle beginning in April 2012.

Avengers VS X-Men is written by a team of the top-selling authors in the comic book industry today: Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man); Jason Aaron (Wolverine & The X-Men, Wolverine); Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four, Ultimate Comics Ultimates); Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Winter Soldier); Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man, The Mighty Thor).

This unprecedented assembly of acclaimed writers is joined by a trio of the industry’s superstar artists: John Romita Jr (Avengers); Olivier Coipel (The Mighty Thor); Adam Kubert (X-Men: Schism).

The Avengers and X-Men have learned that the all-powerful embodiment of both death and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force is on a crash course for Earth – and it needs a new host to unleash its immeasurable power. But what is the shocking decision tied to the Phoenix’s return that will pit the Avengers against the X-Men? And when good friends become bitter enemies, what does this mean for the future of the Marvel Universe?

Shipping twice monthly, this epic twelve-issue limited series will be available in comic stores and on the Marvel Comics app on the same day — additionally, each print issue of Avengers VS X-Men includes a code for a free digital copy of the issue on the Marvel Comics app at no additional cost to fans or retailers.

“Avengers VS X-Men brings together the most powerful forces in comics for a super hero war like you’ve never seen before and will never see again. We all want to see the best of the best go against each other — Lakers & Celtics; Ali & Frazier; Yankees & Red Sox; and in comics it’s the Avengers fighting the X-Men,” said Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment.

“We’ve brought together the biggest writers, biggest artists and biggest characters for the biggest story we’ve ever told. This is the kind of high-octane action-packed story that fans demand while also having a profound effect on every character involved—and reshaping the Marvel Universe in its wake.”

Plus, for the first time ever, fans can watch and take part in the groundbreaking Avengers VS X-Men live Kickoff beginning at 3:00pm ET today on Marvel.com and http://new.livestream.com/marveluniverse. A unique event produced in collaboration with Livestream.com’s cutting edge streaming services and the Hangout functionality provided by Google+, they will be bringing the writers and editors of AVX directly to the fans.

Make sure to follow Marvel on Google+ as five lucky True Believers will be chosen to join in on the AVX hangout with their favorite writers and editors. Even if you’re not part of the Hangout, your questions can still be answered via Facebook and Twitter using hashtag #AvX—just make sure to send in your questions before the press conference ends.

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

The article Avengers VS X-Men: Biggest Comic Event Ever Begins 2012 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

As the weaker than expected storm finishes its visit to the eastern coast of the United States, authorities still call Irene a serious threat.

The tropical storm Irene moved slowly over the East Coast, bringing steady wind, rain, and flooding. The Associated Press reported that Irene hit Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and Washington D.C.

According to a Sunday article by the San Francisco Chronicle, 4 million homes and business were without power across the eastern United States on Sunday. Irene caused an estimated $3 billion in damages, a number that is likely to grow in the coming week.

Regardless of damage costs and power outages, many reports were quick to characterize Irene as “weaker than expected.”

“People are saying they’ve dodged a bullet … [but] people have lost lives. I don’t think you can say we dodged a bullet,” said Craig Fugate, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator, on the effects of Irene. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday of an estimated 35 deaths in the wake of the storm.

Experts from the National Weather Service announced on August 20 that Irene formed in the Atlantic.

On August 22, Irene’s momentum increased. The storm was declared a category 2 hurricane as it cut power to more than a million residents in Puerto Rico. Irene became a category 3 storm as it traveled toward the East Coast of the United States.

By the time the storm hit the North Carolina on Friday afternoon, it was considered a category 1. Hurricane Irene was later downgraded to a tropical storm.

Even though Irene showed weakening, many state authorities took careful precautions to evacuate residents from dangerous areas.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, ordered the mandatory evacuation of 370,000 residents in low-lying neighborhoods. “I think we made exactly the right call,” said Bloomberg on Sunday. The Journal also reported that no New York mayor had ever called for such a broad evacuation order in history.

President Obama expressed the dangers of Irene to the country. “While the storm has weakened as it moves north, it remains a dangerous storm that continues to produce heavy rain,” Obama said at the White House. “Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding, which could get worse in the coming days as rivers swell past their banks.”

According to a statement put forth by the U.S. Department report, power was restored to 1.57 million households Monday. New York, Connecticut and New Jersey have the most residents still without electricity.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/eguchishintaro/

The article Tropical Storm Irene; Mild but Still Dangerous appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

During a powerful storm at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, the stage collapsed onto the terrified crowd and injured 40 people while killing at least four.

The audience had been waiting for the band Sugarland to perform when the sky darkened and wind conditions, reported by the Indianapolis Star of up to 60mph, forced the steel scaffolding down.

According to the Huffington Post, the collapse came moments after an announcement that warned of the advancing storm. Concertgoers were waiting for Sugarland to take the staged when the announcer gave instructions on what to do if an evacuation was necessary.

But according to reports, the same announcer said concert organizers were hoping the show would go on which is why many fans stayed put.

Video footage show the stage structure falling down in seconds. Eye witnesses explained that the situation went into ‘pure pandemonium’ as people were running for their lives and then running to help those trapped under the wreckage.

“The stage just leaned to the right and crashed down. It felt to me like it was in slow motion. Everyone was scrambling at it was horrifying because you knew people were underneath it,” said one man to the BBC.

Many of the injured were those closest to the stage in the VIP section. Attendees helped security personnel lift the stage to get people out — some dived under the beams to look for badly injured.

Dave Bursten of the Indiana State police told the Huffington Post that the number of injured could rise because some may have taken themselves to the hospital. He added that injuries ranged from minor bruises to “very serious injuries” and that the death tool could rise. Among the casualties was a seven-year-old child.

According to WTHR, dusty wind just before the collapse created panic. Emily Davis, one person at the concert, told the station that it people were “running and going crazy.”

Another witness told Associated Press that the stage scaffolding had ‘wobbled’ before breaking: “You can’t imagine – we just thought it was going to rain or something.”

Mr Bursten also said that emergency crew continued to search the fairground on Sunday in case injured concert-goers has wandered off after the collapse. The fair cancelled all activities for Sunday but will resume Monday with a service to honor the victims.

Sugarland tweeted about the incident shortly after it happened. “We are all right. We are praying for our fans, and the people of Indianapolis. We hope you’ll join us. They need your strength.”

The article Indiana State Fair Tragedy: Stage Collapses Killing Four appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.