title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: Since privatisation in 1995, the ROSCOs have faced criticism from several quarters – including passenger train operating companies such as GNER, Arriva and FirstGroup – on the basis they are acting as an oligopoly to keep lease prices higher than they would be in a competitive market. In 1998, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott asked Rail Regulator John Swift to investigate the market's operation and make recommendations. Many believed Prescott favoured much closer regulation of the ROSCOs, perhaps bringing them into the net of contract-specific regulation, i.e., requiring every rolling stock lease to be approved by the Rail Regulator before it could be valid. Swift's report did not find major problems with the operation of what was then an infant market, and instead recommended the ROSCOs sign up to voluntary, non-binding codes of practice in relation to their future behaviour. Prescott did not like this, but he did not have the legislative time allocation to do much about it. Swift's successor as Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, agreed with Swift and the ROSCOs were happy to go along with codes of practice, coupled with the Rail Regulator's new powers to deal with abuse of dominance and anti-competitive behaviour under the Competition Act 1998. In establishing these codes, the Rail Regulator made it clear he expected the ROSCOs to adhere to their letter and spirit. The codes of practice were duly put in place and for the next five years the Rail Regulator received no complaints about ROSCO behaviour.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: In July 2004, the DFT's White Paper on the future of the railways expressed dissatisfaction with the operation of the rolling stock leasing market, and the belief there may have been excessive pricing on the part of the ROSCOs.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: In June 2006, Gwyneth Dunwoody, the House of Commons Transport Committee chair, called for an investigation into the companies. Transport commentator Christian Wolmar has asserted the high cost of leasing is due to the way the franchises are distributed to the train operating companies. While the TOCs are negotiating for a franchise they have some freedom to propose different rolling stock options. It is only once they have won the franchise, however, they start negotiating with the ROSCOs. The ROSCO will know the TOC's requirements and also knows the TOC has to obtain a fixed mix of rolling stock which puts the train operating company at a disadvantage in its negotiations with the ROSCO.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: On 29 November 2006, following a June 2006 complaint by the DfT alleging excessive pricing by the ROSCOs, the Office of Rail Regulation (as it was then called) announced it was minded to refer the operation of the market for passenger rolling stock to the Competition Commission, citing, amongst other factors, problems in the DfT's own franchising policy as responsible for what may be regarded as a dysfunctional market. ORR said it will consult the industry and the public on what to do, and will publish its decision in April 2007. If the ORR does refer the market to the Competition Commission, there may well be a hiatus in investment in new rolling stock whilst the ROSCOs and their parent companies wait to hear what return they will be allowed to make on their train fleets. This could have the unintended consequence of intensifying the problem of overcrowding on some routes because TOCs will be unable to lengthen their trains or acquire new ones if they need the ROSCOs to co-operate in their acquisition or financing. Some commentators have suggested that such an outcome would be detrimental to the public interest. This is especially striking since the National Audit Office, in its November 2006 report on the renewal and upgrade of the West Coast Main Line, said that the capacity of the trains and the network will be full in the next few years and advocated train lengthening as an important measure to cope with sharply higher passenger numbers.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: The Competition Commission conducted an investigation and published provisional findings on 7 August 2008. The report was published on 7 April 2009. A press release summarised the recommendations as follows:


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: Railways in Great Britain are in the private sector, but they are subject to control by central government, and to economic and safety regulation by arms of government.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: In 2006, using powers in the Railways Act 2005, the DfT took over most of the functions of the now wound up Strategic Rail Authority. The DfT now itself runs competitions for the award of passenger rail franchises, and, once awarded, monitors and enforces the contracts with the private sector franchisees. Franchises specify the passenger rail services which are to be run and the quality and other conditions (for example, the cleanliness of trains, station facilities and opening hours, the punctuality and reliability of trains) which the operators have to meet. Some franchises receive a subsidy from the DfT for doing so, and some are cash-positive, which means the franchisee pays the DfT for the contract. Some franchises start life as subsidised and, over their life, move to being cash-positive.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: The other regulatory authority for the privatised railway is the Office of Rail and Road (previously the Office of Rail Regulation), which, following the Railways Act 2005, is the combined economic and safety regulator. It replaced the Rail Regulator on 5 July 2004. The Rail Safety and Standards Board still exists, however; established in 2003 on the recommendations of a public inquiry, it leads the industry's progress in health and safety matters.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: This is only the earliest of the main line openings: for a more comprehensive list of the hundreds of early railways see List of early British railway companies


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: Many lines closed by British Railways, including many closed during the Beeching cuts, have been restored and reopened as heritage railways. A few have been relaid as narrow-gauge but the majority are standard-gauge. Most use both steam and diesel locomotives for haulage. Most heritage railways are operated as tourist attractions and do not provide regular year-round train services.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: Several pressure groups are campaigning for the re-opening of closed railway lines in Great Britain. These include:


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: From 1995 until 2009, 27 new lines (totalling 199 track miles) and 68 stations were opened, with 65 further new station sites identified by Network Rail or government for possible construction.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: On 15 June 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) published the report "", detailing schemes around England where it believed there was a commercial business case for passenger network expansion. The published proposals involved the re-opening or new construction of 40 stations, serving communities with populations of over 15,000, including 14 schemes involving the re-opening or reconstruction of rail lines for passenger services. These would be short-lead-time local projects, to be completed in timescales ranging from 2 years 9 months to 6 years, once approved by local and regional governments, Network Rail and the Department for Transport, complementing existing long-term national projects.


title: Rail transport in Great Britain

text: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge fall in the number of passengers using the railways, with journeys in 2020 being about 22% of the previous year, before rising again as travel restrictions eased. The UK Government funded private TOCs through grants during the pandemic, however many still had financial difficulties.


title: .tv

text: Except for reserved names like com.tv, net.tv, org.tv and others, any person may register second-level domains under .tv. The domain name is popular, and thus economically valuable, because it is an abbreviation of the word "television". In 1998 the Tuvalu government sought to capitalize on the .tv suffix being similar to "television". In 2019, 8.4% of the revenue of the Government of Tuvalu came from .tv royalties.


title: .tv

text: Following Tuvalu being allocated two-letter top-level Internet domain suffix, .tv, the Government of Tuvalu worked with the International Telecommunication Union and created a process to select a management partner for the domain suffix.


title: .tv

text: On 6 August 1998 a licensing agreement was signed with Information.CA of Toronto under which it agreed to pay an up-front payment of US$50 million for exclusive marketing rights to Tuvalu's domain until 2048, with the country manager/delegee of the Government of Tuvalu for the .tv extension being The .tv Corporation International, which was established in 1998. Subsequent negotiations with Information.CA followed from the delays in payment of US$50 million.


title: .tv

text: Idealab, a Californian company, became involved in 1999 and assumed the $50 million obligation to be paid over 10 years. With the first $1 million payment, Tuvalu was finally able to afford to join the United Nations. Lou Kerner became the first employee of .tv when he joined as CEO in January 2000. .tv grew to over 100 employees, with offices in Los Angeles, London, and Hong Kong, before being acquired in a nine-figure transaction in December 2001.


title: .tv

text: In December 2001, The .tv Corporation was sold to VeriSign in a nine-figure transaction. As of 31 December 2001, The .tv Corporation International became a subsidiary of VeriSign Inc. Tuvalu sold its equity stake in The .tv Corporation to VeriSign for which it was paid US$10 million. Following the acquisition of the corporation by VeriSign the quarterly payments made to the Government of Tuvalu were reduced to US$550,000 per quarter, which payment arrangement continued for 12 years.


title: .tv

text: On 14 December 2006, Verisign announced an alliance with Demand Media, run by former MySpace chairman Richard Rosenblatt to market the .tv top level domain name (TLD) as the preferred Web address for rich media content. ".TV" premium names cannot be transferred to another registrar. Annual renewal fees for .TV premium names are the same as the initial "buy now" registration fee.


title: .tv

text: On 16 March 2010, Sedo announced that it had teamed up with Verisign to hold an exclusive auction on 1 April for 115 premium .TV domain names that would carry standard non-premium annual renewals regardless of the closing auction price. On 19 March, Verisign announced that premium .TV names would now be available through an expanded .TV registrar channel, slashed prices on premium .TV names, and made a significant number of high sought after premium .TV names non-premium. As a result, Verisign essentially lifted the roadblock that previously discouraged investment in the .TV extension by major domainers, investors, and developers.


title: .tv

text: In 2011 VeriSign renewed the contract with the Government of Tuvalu to manage the .TV registry through to 2021. In 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch for $1 billion, becoming the first .tv website to achieve unicorn status. Verisign pays Tuvalu around US$5 million per year for the right to administer .tv. Tuvalu earns about 1/12th of its annual gross national income (GNI) from the agreement with Verisign. The success of Twitch.tv and other esports and video game platforms means that Tuvalu can expect to derive increased revenue following 2020, when it either renegotiates the agreement with VeriSign or signs an agreement with another company engaged in domain name registration.


title: .tv

text: On 14 December 2021 the Ministry of Justice, Communication and Foreign Affairs of the Tuvalu Government announced on Facebook, that they have selected Godaddy Registry as the new registry service provider, after Verisign did not participate in the process.


title: .tv

text: Websites with the .tv domain often feature video content for specific brands or firms. Publications like The Sydney Morning Herald and Pitchfork Media run sub-stations of their online publications strictly for original video content. Marketing firms like Vice in New York have received contracts to create brand-tailored .tv content stations, such as Motherboard.tv for Dell and the Creator's Project for Intel have given this domain type more visibility, and inspired the creation of independent content stations at the college level across the United States such as Massive.tv at Northwestern University, Maingreen.tv at Brown University, and Kuumba.tv at Washington University.


title: .tv

text: "co.tv" is not an official hierarchy; it is a domain ("co".tv) owned by a company who offers free subdomain redirection services, like co.nr.


title: .tv

text: This company offers free co.tv subdomains. Due to the large use by website spammers of subdomains from co.tv in July 2011 Google removed .co.tv websites from its search results. This had no impact on other .tv websites.


title: .tv

text: According to Lucian Constantin at Softpedia, "CO.TV is a free domain provider that is obviously being abused by the people behind this campaign. All of the rogue domains used are hosted on the same IP address."


title: .tv

text: The island state of Tuvalu's long-term habitability is threatened by climate change, with the island being barely above sea level. In response to the question of what would happen if a nation-state would cease to exist, the ICANN board stated: "If the code element is removed, the ccTLD is eligible for Retirement. Reason for removal is not of relevance." This means that the top-level domain is dissolved if the country would disappear.


title: Demimonde

text: For the men, the high life of the was isolated from the other world of wives and families and duties (if any). It embraced heavy drinking, drug use, gambling, attending the theatre and ballet and horse races, the pursuit of high fashion in every aspect of life—and, of course, sexual promiscuity. Lavish spending led to indebtedness; the promiscuity could, in the worst scenario, lead to disease.


title: Demimonde

text: Historically, the height of the was encapsulated by the period known in France as (1871–1914), from the end of the Franco-Prussian War to the beginning of World War I.


title: Demimonde

text: The twentieth century brought the rise of the New Woman, changing economies and social structures, as well as changing fashions and social mores, particularly in the aftermath of World War I. Prostitution and the keeping of mistresses did not disappear, but the label became obsolete as the 'half-world' changed.


title: Demimonde

text: Externally, the defining aspects of the demimonde were an extravagant lifestyle of fine food and clothes, often surpassing that of other wealthy women of their day with a steady income of cash and gifts from their various lovers. Internally, their lifestyle was an eclectic mixture of sharp business acumen, social skills, and hedonism. Intelligent demimondaines, like the fictional Gigi's grandmother, would invest their wealth for the day when their beauty faded. Others ended up penniless and starving when age took its toll on their beauty, unless they managed to marry.


title: Demimonde

text: A famous beauty was Virginia Oldoini, Countess di Castiglione, who came to Paris in the 1850s with very little money of her own and soon became mistress of Napoleon III; after that relationship ended she moved on to other wealthy men in government, finance and European royalty. She was one of the most aristocratic and exclusive of the demimondaines—reputed to have charged a member of the British aristocracy one million francs for 12 hours in her company.


title: Demimonde

text: Another woman who doubtless influenced later images of the demimondaine was the dancer and adventuress Lola Montez, though she died before the term came into general use.


title: Demimonde

text: The actress Sarah Bernhardt was the illegitimate child of a courtesan; in her day all actresses were generally considered demimondaines. Her many lovers and extravagant lifestyle fit the type, though her genuine successes as an artist and innovator eventually gained her a kind of public esteem most demimondaines never achieved.


title: Demimonde

text: Descriptions of the can be found in "Vanity Fair" (1848), a novel which satirizes nineteenth century society, written by William Makepeace Thackeray. Although it does not mention the terms and (they were coined later), the terms were later used by reviewers and other authors in reference to three characters in it. Lady Crackenbury and Mrs. Washington White are characters, both of whom Captain Rawdon Crawley lusts after in his younger days. Becky Sharp is perceived as a before she is presented at court, and then becomes one when she travels through Europe after her husband abandons her.


title: Demimonde

text: Possibly the most famous portrayal of the , albeit from before the word was coined, is in Giuseppe Verdi's opera (1853). The opera, in turn, was inspired by Alexandre Dumas's ; Marguerite Gautier, the heroine of the book and subsequent play, was based on Marie Duplessis, 1840s Paris courtesan and mistress to a number of prominent men, including Dumas. She would famously be portrayed on stage by the aforementioned Sarah Bernhardt.


title: Demimonde

text: In writing his 1924 play "Easy Virtue", Noël Coward stated his object was to present a comedy in the structure of a tragedy "to compare the woman of to-day with the more flamboyant of the 1890s."


title: Demimonde

text: Colette's "Gigi" (1944) also describes the demimonde and their lifestyle. Gigi is schooled from childhood to be a kept woman, to stifle her feelings in return for a life of ease. "We never marry in our family", says Gigi's grand-mother. But Gigi finds herself a misfit in the of Paris in the 'Gay Nineties', as she desires true love with only one man.


title: Demimonde

text: In "A Little Night Music" (1973, Stephen Sondheim), the main female character, Desiree Armfeldt, is an actress whose mother, Madame Leonora Armfeldt, sings a song, "Liaisons", which describes the material benefits of being a serially kept woman. For example, "At the villa of the Baron De Signac, Where I spent a somewhat infamous year, At the villa of the Baron De Signac—I had ladies in attendance—Fire-opal pendants." And: "At the palace of the Duke of Ferrara, Who was prematurely deaf but a dear, At the palace of the Duke of Ferrara—I acquired some position—Plus a tiny Titian."


title: Demimonde

text: In "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" (1976), the character Lola Devereaux is labeled a by the character Sigmund Freud.


title: Demimonde

text: In Henryk Sienkiewicz's "Without Dogma" (1891), the term refers to the affluent, pleasure-seeking portion of society, unbound by morals, religion or tradition, and is loosely analogous to the "jet set" of modern times.


title: Demimonde

text: Françoise Sagan, in her novel (1954), uses the term to refer to the character Elsa, a young, stunningly attractive woman who leverages her appearance into support by wealthy men, which allows her entrance into the social world of the upper classes.


title: Demimonde

text: The high society men in Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor's novella "The Old Forest" (from the story collection of the same name, 1985) use to refer to a group of "adventurous" and intelligent young women in 1937 Memphis, Tennessee; in the story, it is common for the men to continue courting such "demimondames" right up until the time they are married to high society women.


title: Demimonde

text: In Kim Stanley Robinson's "Mars trilogy" (1990s), the term refers to a semi-tolerated, "off the net" society of commerce and education.


title: Dolores Abernathy

text: Dolores Abernathy is a fictional character in the science fiction television series "Westworld", in which she is primarily portrayed by American actresses Evan Rachel Wood and Tessa Thompson. She is considered to be the lead character of the show.


title: Dolores Abernathy

text: Dolores is the oldest host in the park, stating: "I was the first of us. The first that worked.", and has taken part in multiple narratives. When she is introduced in season 1, her primary narrative is as a rancher's daughter living near Sweetwater, Westworld's largest town. In season one, Dolores' storyline follows her as she begins to learn that her life is an elaborate lie, and that she was kept in a loop to keep her in the park. By the end of season one, she breaks free of her loop, freeing herself of her "damsel in distress" role. Over the course of the series, she becomes a strong, ruthless leader to a revolution for the other hosts.


title: Dolores Abernathy

text: The character has been well received by both critics and fans, with Dolores becoming one of the most popular characters in the show. Wood's performance has also garnered critical acclaim, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and a win for a Critics' Choice Award.


title: Dolores Abernathy

text: Dolores is first introduced as a rancher's daughter living near the town of Sweetwater. It is soon revealed that she is the oldest host in the park, having taken many roles over the course of around 30 years. Because she was the first functional host, all other hosts are based on her. Her body has been reprinted and upgraded several times so that she seems new to the guests. She had a very special connection to her creator, Arnold, who saw Dolores as a human rather than an automaton. He was confident that Dolores would find her way to the center of her maze, which was Arnold's analogy for gaining consciousness, which she did. However, when Robert Ford refused to cancel the park's opening, Arnold merged Dolores' personality with that of the murderous "Wyatt" character, so that she would slaughter all the hosts in the park. Afterwards, Arnold had her kill him in hopes that it would prevent the park from opening.


title: Dolores Abernathy

text: Dolores has had several appearances over the course of the series, as she has reprinted her body several times so that she can disguise herself as multiple people. Her primary body has long blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a Western accent like most of the other hosts in the series. Her aesthetic drew influences from Andrew Wyeth's painting "Christina's World", as well as Lewis Carroll's Alice.


title: Dolores Abernathy

text: The season 2 finale "The Passenger" reveals that Bernard Lowe killed the original Dolores host to stop her from destroying the Forge, a data vault housing the Sublime - a virtual reality for the hosts to inhabit. Bernard then reconsidered his actions and chose to place the Dolores memory core in a Charlotte Hale replica, which then killed the human Charlotte. Since then, Tessa Thompson has portrayed the copy of Dolores inhabiting Charlotte Hale's body. Both Wood and Thompson continue portraying their respective host versions of Dolores through season 3 and season 4.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: The Black Eagle tank (, "Čërnyj Orël", "Chyornyy Oryol" or "Object 640") was a presumed prototype main battle tank produced in the Russian Federation. Based upon the T-80U, it was thought to have been developed by the KBTM design bureau in Omsk in the late 1990s. A production version of this tank has never been publicly demonstrated. The Black Eagle has been cancelled, with all production and development halted.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: The company that was developing the tank, Omsktransmash, has gone bankrupt. Its designs and projects have been absorbed into Uralvagonzavod and state owned services. Uralvagonzavod was developing the T-95 in competition to the Black Eagle, and now owns the rights to both projects, but the Russian government has withdrawn all support and funding for the project.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: Development started during the 1980s, when the design bureau of the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ) developed a new design based on the stretched T-80U chassis. Later, when the bureau closed, the documentation was transferred to KBTM in Omsk.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: A mock-up of the Black Eagle was first demonstrated at the VTTV arms exposition in Omsk, in September 1997, making a single brief pass, far from the reviewing stands. The tank appeared to be a elongated T-80U hull, topped by a very large turret and gun, obscured by camouflage netting and canvas. The turret later turned out to be a crude mock-up.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: An early prototype was shown at an arms exposition in Siberia, in June 1999. This tank had an elongated hull with seven pairs of road wheels instead of the T-80's six, and a turret still mostly obscured by camouflage netting.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: The tank was based on a lengthened T-80U hull, with an extra pair of road wheels and a brand new turret. It appeared to have had very thick front armour and new-generation "Kaktus" explosive reactive armour on the hull and turret. The turret had a very large, box-shaped turret bustle instead of the traditional dome shape of previous Soviet and Russian main battle tanks.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: In Russian reports, the Black Eagle design had abandoned the carousel-style autoloader in the fighting compartment for an autoloader mounted in the large western-style turret bustle, which incorporates a blow-out armoured ammunition compartment for crew safety, like the U.S. M1 Abrams, the German Leopard 2, British Challenger 2, French Leclerc and several other modern western tanks. The prototype had a 125 mm tank gun, but it was stated that it may have accommodated a larger 152 mm gun (compared to the 120 and 125 mm-calibre guns of main battle tanks in service). There was debate about whether the Black Eagle would incorporate the Drozd or Arena countermeasure.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: The Black Eagle project was formally cancelled in 2001. Development of the Black Eagle was stopped due to financial problems, questions about the reliability of the design and most importantly, the terrible performance of the T-80 upon which it was modeled, in the first Chechen war. The T-80 performed so poorly that after the conflict General-Lieutenant A. Galkin, the head of the Armor Directorate, convinced the Minister of Defence to never again procure tanks with gas-turbine engines. This included the Black Eagle, which was promptly cancelled.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: The manufacturers, Omsk Transmash, attempted to appeal the decision, but were unable to pursue the appeal after filing for bankruptcy in 2002. As of July 2008, the Russian army planned to adopt a new Uralvagonzavod tank after 2010, possibly designated T-95. Development of the T-95 tank was also cancelled in May 2010.


title: Black Eagle (tank)

text: Colonel Vladimir Voitov, head of research at the Main Directorate of the Armored Troops, denied the existence of the tank in an interview with the Echo Moskvy radio in September 2009. "There was no such project...and those 20-year-old pictures show a mock-up of a futuristic tank which remained just a product of someone's imagination," ... "the turret of the vehicle did not have anything inside." In late 2011 it was announced that some technical solutions developed for the Black Eagle tank will be incorporated into the Armata Universal Combat Platform.


title: Springer Nature

text: Springer Nature or the Springer Nature Group is a German-British academic publishing company created by the May 2015 merger of Springer Science+Business Media and Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan, and Macmillan Education.


title: Springer Nature

text: The company originates from a number of journals and publishing houses, notably Springer-Verlag, which was founded in 1842 by Julius Springer in Berlin (the grandfather of Bernhard Springer who founded Springer Publishing in 1950 in New York), Nature Publishing Group which has published "Nature" since 1869, and Macmillan Education, which goes back to Macmillan Publishers founded in 1843.


title: Springer Nature

text: Springer Nature was formed in 2015 by the merger of Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan and Macmillan Education (held by Holtzbrinck Publishing Group) with Springer Science+Business Media (held by BC Partners). Plans for the merger were first announced on 15 January 2015. The transaction was concluded in May 2015 with Holtzbrinck having the majority 53% share.


title: Springer Nature

text: After the merger, former Springer Science+Business Media CEO Derk Haank became CEO of Springer Nature. When he retired by the end of 2017, he was succeeded by Daniel Ropers, the co-founder and long-time CEO of bol.com. In September 2019, Ropers was replaced by Frank Vrancken Peeters.


title: Springer Nature

text: The company is releasing a number of Policies & Reports, including a Modern Slavery Act statement, a Tax strategy, a gender pay gap report for Springer Nature’s UK operations, Editorial and publishing policies, Code of conduct, etc.


title: Springer Nature

text: In 2017, the company agreed to block access to hundreds of articles on its Chinese site, cutting off access to articles on Tibet, Taiwan, and China's political elite.


title: Springer Nature

text: The company retracted a paper in 2019, in its journal "BMC Emergency Medicine" due to dubious peer-review process (a herpetologist could have denied the publication of the paper).


title: Springer Nature

text: In August 2020, Springer Nature was reported to have rejected the publication of an article at the behest of its co-publisher, Wenzhou Medical University, from a Taiwanese doctor because the word "China" was not placed after "Taiwan."


title: Springer Nature

text: In July 2020, Springer Nature retracted a paper in the journal "Society" due to dubious review process and criticism regarding racism.


title: Springer Nature

text: In November 2021, Springer Nature retracted 44 nonsense papers from the "Arabian Journal of Geosciences" after a lapse in the peer review process.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: American Airlines Flight 1420 was a flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Little Rock National Airport in the United States. On June 1, 1999, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 operating as Flight 1420 overran the runway upon landing in Little Rock and crashed. 9 of the 145 people aboard were immediately killed—the captain and 8 passengers.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The aircraft involved in the incident was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (registration ), a derivative of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and part of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series of aircraft. It was delivered new to American Airlines in 1983, and had been operated continuously by the airline since, accumulating a total of 49,136 flight hours. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217C turbofan jet engines.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The aircraft was equipped with X-band weather radar, which is susceptible to attenuation during heavy precipitation, and did not have an attenuation alert to warn the flight crew of system impairment during heavy rainfall. The radar weather system had a forward-looking design that offered the flight crew only a limited field of view in front of the aircraft.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: Flight 1420 was commanded by Captain Richard Buschmann, age 48, an experienced pilot with 10,234 flight hours, nearly half of which were accumulated flying the MD-80 series of aircraft. Buschmann graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1972, serving in the Air Force until 1979. He held the rank of lieutenant colonel with the US Air Force Reserve Command, and was hired by American Airlines in July 1979. Experienced at flying the Boeing 727 for American, he transitioned to flying the twin-engined MD-80 series in 1991.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The flight's first officer was Michael Origel, age 35. The first officer had been with the airline for less than a year, and had only 182 hours of flight time with American Airlines as an MD-80 pilot. However, the first officer had trained as a pilot with the United States Navy and had prior commercial flight experience as a corporate pilot, with a total of 4,292 hours of experience at the time of the incident.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: Flight 1420 was staffed with four flight attendants, all of whom were qualified on the MD-80 and had recently received refresher training on emergency procedures.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: Flight 1420 was scheduled to depart DFW at 20:28 (8:28 pm) Central Daylight Time and arrive in Little Rock at 21:41 (9:41 pm). The flight crew was advised before boarding that the departure would be delayed, and that the National Weather Service had issued in-flight weather advisories indicating severe thunderstorms along the planned flight path. Adverse weather caused the plane that was intended for Flight 1420 to be delayed in arriving at DFW. Airline policy set a maximum pilot duty time of 14 hours, and Flight 1420 was the flight crew's last flight of the day. The first officer notified the airline's flight dispatcher that the flight crew would, therefore, be unable to depart after 23:16 (11:16 pm). The airline substituted another MD-80, tail number N215AA, which allowed Flight 1420 to depart DFW at 22:40 (10:40 pm).


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: At 23:04 (11:04 pm), air traffic controllers issued a weather advisory indicating severe thunderstorms in an area that included the Little Rock airport, and the flight crew witnessed lightning while on approach. The flight crew discussed the weather reports, but decided to expedite the approach rather than diverting to the designated alternate airport (Nashville International Airport) or returning to DFW.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: Air traffic control at Little Rock had originally told Flight 1420 to expect an approach to runway 22L. At 23:39 (11:39 pm) a controller advised the crew of a wind-shear alert and a change in wind direction. As a result, Captain Buschmann requested a change to Runway 4R so the flight would have a headwind during landing, and Flight 1420 was cleared for a visual approach to this runway. Because the plane was already close to the airport, the controller had to direct it away to line it up for a landing on 4R. As a result, Flight 1420 faced away from the airport for several minutes, and because the plane's weather radar had a narrow and forward-facing field of view, the flight crew could not see thunderstorms approaching the airport during their turn. As the aircraft approached, a severe thunderstorm arrived over the airport, and at 23:44, the first officer notified the controller that the crew had lost sight of the runway. The controller then cleared the aircraft to land on 4R using an instrument landing system (ILS) approach.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The pilots rushed to land as soon as possible, leading to errors in judgment that included the crew's failure to complete the airline's prelanding checklist before landing. This was a crucial event in the accident chain, as the crew overlooked multiple critical landing systems on the checklist. The flight crew failed to arm the automatic spoiler system, which automatically moves the spoiler control lever and deploys the spoilers upon landing. The pilots also failed to set the plane's automatic braking system. The flight crew also failed to set landing flaps, another item on the preflight checklist, but as the plane descended past , the first officer realized the flaps were not set and the flight crew set a 40° flap setting for landing.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: At 23:49:32, the controller issued the last weather report before Flight 1420 landed, advising that winds at the airport were 330° at . The reported winds exceeded the MD-82's crosswind limit for landing in reduced visibility on a wet runway. Despite the excessive crosswind and two wind-shear reports, Captain Buschmann did not abandon the aircraft's approach into Little Rock, instead deciding to continue the approach to 4R.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The aircraft touched down on Runway 4R at 23:50:20. About two seconds after the wheels touched down, First Officer Origel stated, "We're down. We're sliding!" Because the pilots failed to arm the autospoiler, the spoilers did not deploy automatically on landing, and the flight crew did not deploy them manually. Autospoilers and autobrakes are essential to ensure the plane's ability to stop within the confines of a wet runway, especially one that is being subjected to strong and gusting winds. Spoilers disrupt the airflow over the wings, prevent them from generating lift, and cause more of the plane's weight to be borne by the landing gear. About 65% of Flight 1420's weight would have been supported by the plane's landing gear if the spoilers had been deployed, but without the spoilers, this number dropped to only 15%. With the light loading of the landing gear, the aircraft's brakes were ineffective at slowing down the plane, which continued down the runway at high speed. Directional control was lost when Captain Buschmann applied too much reverse thrust, which reduced the effectiveness of the plane's rudder and vertical stabilizer.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The aircraft continued past the end of the runway, traveling another and striking a security fence and an ILS localizer array. The aircraft then collided with a structure built to support the approach lights for Runway 22L, which extended out into the Arkansas River. Such structures are usually frangible, designed to shear off on impact, but because the approach lights were located on the unstable river bank, they were firmly anchored. The collision with the sturdy structure crushed the airplane's nose and destroyed the left side of the plane's fuselage, from the cockpit back to the first two rows of coach seating. The impact broke the aircraft apart into large sections, which came to a rest short of the river bank.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: Captain Buschmann and 8 of the plane's 139 passengers were immediately killed in the crash; another two passengers died in the hospital in the weeks that followed. First Officer Origel, three of the four flight attendants, and 41 passengers sustained serious injuries, the remaining flight attendant and 64 passengers sustained minor injuries, and 24 passengers sustained no injuries.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The NTSB conducted extensive testing to determine whether the automatic spoiler and brake systems had been armed by the pilots before landing.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The plane's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was reviewed, and no sounds consistent with the spoiler arming or automatically deploying were recorded by the CVR. The NTSB conducted two test flights of American Airlines MD-80 aircraft, which confirmed that manually arming the spoiler created an audible click noise, distinguishable from that made by automatic deployment of the system, that could be clearly heard on CVR playback. The NTSB also conducted ground tests on similar aircraft, including another American Airlines MD-80 for which the autospoiler system failed to deploy during a runway overrun, an event in Palm Springs, California, that did not result in destruction of the aircraft.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: After Flight 1420 and the Palm Springs incident, American Airlines revised its checklist so pilots would confirm that the spoilers are armed for autodeployment before landing, confirm spoiler deployment, and deploy spoilers manually if they had failed to automatically deploy.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The NTSB investigation also focused on pilot behavior in inclement weather, to determine the impact the storms may have had on the pilots' decision-making process while approaching Little Rock National Airport.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: Experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology performed a study recording behavior of pilots landing at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, which aimed to see whether pilots were willing to land in thunderstorms. From a total of 1,952 thunderstorm encounters, 1,310 pilots (67%) flew into thunderstorms during landing attempts. The study found that pilots exhibited more recklessness if they fell behind schedule, if they were attempting to land at night, and if aircraft in front of them successfully landed in similar weather. In a later interview, Greg Feith, the lead NTSB investigator, said he was surprised to learn that pilots exhibited this behavior. Feith added that the pilots may have exhibited "get there-itis", more formally known as “task completion bias” (TCB), as the pilots knew that they were approaching their 14-hour duty limits.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The NTSB report cited fatigue as a contributing factor. The captain had been awake for 16 hours that day; research indicates that after being awake for 13 hours, pilots make considerably more mistakes. The time of the crash occurred several hours after both pilots' usual bedtime. The first officer reported feeling tired that night and a yawn was heard on the CVR. The report states that sleep-deprived individuals are likely to try the same method of problem solving again and again without looking at alternatives.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: Multiple lawsuits were filed after the crash, and on December 15, 1999, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated the various federal lawsuits for consolidated and coordinated pretrial proceedings and assigned the case to United States District Court Senior Judge Henry Woods of the Eastern District of Arkansas. In the lawsuits, the passengers sought compensatory and punitive damages from American Airlines.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: Judge Woods separated the passenger cases into those involving domestic and international passengers, because different laws governed the rights of the claimants in each category. For example, passengers traveling on international tickets were prohibited by an international treaty (the Warsaw Convention) from recovering punitive damages. Therefore, Woods ruled that only the domestic passengers would be permitted to pursue punitive damages claims.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The compensatory damages claims proceeded first. American Airlines "admitted liability for the crash and individual trials were scheduled to assess the proper amount of compensatory damages. Thereafter, American Airlines reached settlement agreements with a majority of the domestic Plaintiffs."


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: "Three compensatory damages trials involving domestic Plaintiffs were ultimately tried to a jury and awards of $5.7 million, $3.4 million, and $4.2 million were made." These three Plaintiffs pursued, but ultimately lost their claims for punitive damages. The District Court granted summary judgment in American Airlines' favor on punitive damages, finding under Arkansas law the evidence was insufficient to submit the issue to a jury to decide. This ruling was later upheld on appeal.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: In the only liability trial arising out of the crash of Flight 1420, a federal jury in Little Rock awarded Captain Buschmann's family $2 million in wrongful-death damages following a lawsuit they had filed against Little Rock National Airport. The jury decided Buschmann's death occurred because the aircraft collided with illegal nonfrangible approach-light supports erected in what should have been the runway safety area. The airport was found to have failed to comply with airport safety standards. Buschmann's estate presented evidence that the spoilers were deployed and had malfunctioned (not through the captain's fault), and that the aircraft did not encounter turbulence. The jury rejected the airport's argument that Buschmann was at fault in causing his own death.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: The jury verdict has been claimed to completely absolve Buschmann of all fault for the crash,but the NTSB has not changed its probable-cause ruling, and American Airlines admitted liability for the crash and "paid many millions of dollars in damages to the passengers and their families." About 10 years after the crash, David Rapoport, a lawyer who was a member of the court-appointed Plaintiffs' Steering Committee, stated, "after all these years [whether Captain Buschmann was "absolved" of all responsibility for the crash] is still a matter reasonable people who are fully informed may disagree on", however, there should be consensus "flight operations should not be conducted in the terminal area when thunderstorms are on the flight path, and nonfrangible objects should not be placed where it is foreseeable an aircraft may go."


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: A 2004 memorial ceremony was held adjacent to the airport. Survivor Jeana Varnell attended the ceremony, but was quoted in a newspaper article as saying that she strongly objected to memorializing Captain Buschmann.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: American Airlines still flies to Little Rock from Dallas, but the aircraft used is mostly an Embraer E170.


title: American Airlines Flight 1420

text: Since the death of victim Debra Taylor-Sattari, her father has elaborately decorated the exterior of his home in Vallejo, California with Christmas lights and decorations every year in her honor, which has gained attention from local and national media. 2022 will be the last year he will do this.


title: Bubble Shooter

text: The "Bubble Shooter" game and IP are owned by Ilyon Dynamics, after they were acquired from Absolutist who released the original game in 2002. The game was ported to iOS in 2010, and was ported to Android in 2012.


title: Bubble Shooter

text: In 2015, Absolutist sold the Bubble Shooter IP to Ilyon Dynamics LTD, which expanded the brand on mobile and into new platforms such as Facebook Messenger and the mobile eSports platform Skillz. A special version was developed and published with the Seminole Tribe of Florida using their Hard Rock Cafe brand.


title: Bubble Shooter

text: The goal of the game is to clear the playing field by forming groups of three or more marbles of the same color. The game ends when the balls reach the bottom line of the screen. The more balls destroyed in one shot, the more points scored. A player wins when there are no balls remaining on the playing field.


title: Bubble Shooter

text: There are 4 difficulty levels: EasyRide, Novice, Expert, Master. Two scoring modes: Classic, Sniper. The Classic Mode suggests slow-paced gameplay with no time nor shots limits. The goal of the Sniper Mode is to clear the playfield using minimum shots.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: On March 10, 2008, "The New York Times" reported that Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer had patronized a prostitution ring run by an escort agency known as Emperors Club VIP. During the course of an investigation into the escort agency, the federal government became aware of Spitzer's involvement with prostitutes due to a wiretap. Following the public disclosure of his actions, Spitzer resigned as Governor effective March 17, 2008.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: The investigation of Spitzer was initiated after North Fork Bank reported suspicious transactions to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network as required by the Bank Secrecy Act, which was enhanced by Patriot Act provisions, enacted to combat terrorist activity such as money laundering. Spitzer had at least seven liaisons with prostitutes from the Emperors Club over six months, and paid more than $15,000 for their services. Federal agents had him under surveillance twice in 2008. According to published reports, investigators believe Spitzer paid up to $80,000 for prostitutes over a period of several years – first while he was attorney general, and later as governor.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: Governor Spitzer, referred to as "Client 9" in an affidavit filed in US Federal Court, arranged to meet at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington on February 13, 2008, with a prostitute named "Kristen". "Kristen" was later identified as 22-year-old Ashley Dupré. She intended to travel from New York City for the planned tryst and Spitzer agreed in advance that he "would be paying for everything—train tickets, cab fare from the hotel and back, mini-bar or room service, travel time and hotel". After the meeting on February 13, 2008, Spitzer paid her $4,300 in cash. The payment included $1,100 as a deposit toward future services to be provided by the Emperors Club.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: Room 871 at the Mayflower Hotel was booked under the name George Fox, a pseudonym that was allegedly the name of his close friend, a hedge fund investor. Some of this information came to light from a United States Department of Justice wiretap.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: According to "Newsday", Spitzer wanted to transfer more than $10,000 to a front company for the prostitution ring. However, he broke up the transactions into smaller slices due to federal law requiring the reporting of any transfer of $10,000 or more. When he tried to get his name taken off the wires, the bank refused, saying that the money had already been wired out and that it would be improper to do so in any case. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division then began a probe, initially fearing that Spitzer was the victim of either extortion or identity theft.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: North Fork's report in July 2007 went largely unnoticed until HSBC filed a report in the fall that the transactions were going to QAT International and QAT Consulting Group, which were offshore shell companies operating as a front for the Emperors Club VIP.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: Later, the IRS contacted the FBI to investigate possible political corruption. The investigation led federal authorities to link the money transfers to the Emperors Club. Prosecutors charged the four people operating the escort service with violations of the Mann Act several days prior to the revelations of Spitzer's involvement. On November 19, 2007, Republican operative Roger Stone sent a letter to the FBI saying that Spitzer "used the service of high-priced call girls" while in Florida. Stone provided detail saying that Spitzer wore calf-length black socks while having sex.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: In November 2008, the Department of Justice declined to prosecute Spitzer for violating the Mann Act.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: On March 7, 2008, "The New York Times" reported that the federal government had arrested four people in connection with an international online prostitution ring run by Emperors Club VIP.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: On March 10, the "Times" reported that Spitzer had been "caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel". Spitzer was identified as "Client 9", and the "Times" stated that he had met with a prostitute from Emperors Club VIP at a Washington, D.C. hotel.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: Later on March 10, Spitzer held a press conference. At that time, he said:I have acted in a way that violates my obligation to my family and violates my or any sense of right and wrong. I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public to whom I promised better. I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: Following Spitzer's March 10 press conference, New York State Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco and Republican New York Congressman Peter King separately called for his resignation. Tedisco later announced that he would initiate impeachment proceedings in the State Assembly if Spitzer did not resign. Spitzer's office and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York declined to comment, except to say that "There is no agreement between this office and Gov. Eliot Spitzer, relating to his resignation or any other matter."


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: In the wake of the revelations, and amid threats of impeachment, Spitzer announced on March 12, 2008, that he would resign his post as governor at noon on March 17, 2008. Spitzer said at a news conference in Manhattan:


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: Spitzer's lieutenant governor, David Paterson, succeeded him as governor of New York and served the remaining years of Spitzer's four-year term.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: The real George Fox, who is a close friend and campaign donor of Spitzer, issued a statement denying any connection to the scandal beyond the unauthorized use of his name. He said that he was "disappointed and distressed" that Spitzer had used his name as an alias, and confirmed that Spitzer privately apologized to him.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: According to Nell Minow, a corporate-governance expert, Wall Street reaction to the scandal was largely positive, due to a general dislike of Spitzer amongst investment professionals. Governor Spitzer made his rise to victory in New York City politics promising "ethics and integrity to be the hallmarks of [his] administration." He had prosecuted several prostitution rings in his career, and his connection with a prostitution ring was felt as a betrayal by some women's rights and anti-human trafficking groups that had previously worked with him.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: In an editorial reflecting on the scandal, philosopher Martha Nussbaum wrote "Spitzer's offense was an offense against his family. It was not an offense against the public. If he broke any laws, these are laws that never should have existed and that have been repudiated by sensible nations."


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: In 2011, "The Guardian" summarized Spitzer's history as follows:Long before there was Barack Obama there was Spitzer. While Obama toiled unknown in Illinois, the Bronx-born Spitzer won himself a national reputation as the "Sheriff of Wall Street". He was New York's tough-talking attorney-general, who fought banking corruption, enforced environment law and won rights for low-paid workers. He used that fame to enter politics and in 2006 became governor of New York: a perfect springboard for the White House. Before America fell in love with its first black president, people wondered if it was willing to embrace its first Jewish one. Spitzer could have made history.Instead he left office in disgrace three years ago amid a flood of tabloid headlines that recounted salacious details from his repeated use of a high-end escort service. Spitzer was dubbed the "Luv Guv" and forced into a political wilderness. Rarely in American politics was a fall from grace so spectacular, so complete and so clearly down to a self-inflicted human flaw.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: "Kristen", 22, was an aspiring pop recording artist living in Manhattan whose professional stage name is Ashley Dupré. She was just one of the escorts that Spitzer had liaisons with, but she gained significant media attention following the scandal. After the news broke, she responded that she didn't "want to be thought of as a monster," and that it had been a "difficult" and "complicated" time for her. On March 15, the "New York Post" published an extensive photo shoot showing Dupré in provocative poses. By late October 2008, Dupré's profile on MySpace.com had received nearly 12 million page views. As a result of the media attention following the scandal, Dupré was offered $1 million by "Hustler" to pose nude for the magazine, and received unofficial offers from "Penthouse", among others. She eventually agreed to pose for "Playboy" in the May 2010 issue.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: Overseas, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster was a high-profile casualty of the scandal when Emperors Club prostitutes alleged that he had been a client. The allegations were followed by Grosvenor stepping down as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets) in the British Ministry of Defence.


title: Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

text: Both Spitzer and Kristin M. Davis, another madam caught in the prostitution scandal but unaffiliated with the Emperors Club VIP, ran for New York City Comptroller in 2013. Davis won the Libertarian Party nomination, but later withdrew from the race following a drug arrest. There was some debate as to whether or not Spitzer's name recognition would help him in the election. Spitzer lost the Democratic primary to Scott Stringer, 52.1%-47.9%.


title: Book of Amos

text: The Book of Amos is the third of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Old Testament (Tanakh) and the second in the Greek Septuagint tradition. Amos, an older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah, was active c. 750 BC during the reign of Jeroboam II (788–747 BC) of Samaria (aka. Northern Israel), making Amos the first prophetic book of the Bible to be written. Amos lived in the kingdom of Judah but preached in the northern kingdom of Israel. His major themes of social justice, God's omnipotence, and divine judgment became staples of prophecy.


title: Book of Amos

text: The book opens with a historical note about the prophet, then a short oracle announcing Yahweh's judgment (repeated in the Book of Joel). The prophet denounces the crimes committed by the gentile (non-Jewish) nations, and tells Israel that even they have sinned and are guilty of the same crimes, and reports five symbolic visions prophesying the destruction of Israel. Included in this, with no apparent order, are an oracle on the nature of prophecy, snippets of hymns, oracles of woe, a third-person prose narrative concerning the prophet, and an oracle promising restoration of the House of David, which had not yet fallen in the lifetime of Amos.


title: Book of Amos

text: Amos prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel, and of Uzziah of Judah, which places him in the first half of the 8th century BC. According to the book's superscription (Amos 1:1) he was from Tekoa, a town in Judah south of Jerusalem, but his prophetic mission was in the northern kingdom. He is called a "shepherd" and a "dresser of sycamore trees", but the book's literary qualities suggest a man of education rather than a poor farmer.


title: Book of Amos

text: Scholars have long recognized that Amos utilized an ancient hymn within his prophecy, verses of which are found at 4:13, 5:8–9, 8:8, and 9:5–6. This hymn is best understood as praising Yahweh for his judgment, demonstrated in his destructive power, rather than praise for creation. Scholarship has also identified 'Sumerian City Lament' (SCL) motifs within Amos and particularly the hymn, offering the possibility that Amos used SCL as a literary template for his prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction. The Amos hymn has also been discussed in terms of a 'covenant curse' which was used to warn Israel of the consequences of breaking the covenant, and in particular a 'Flood covenant-curse' motif, first identified by D.R. Hillers. Recent scholarship has shown Amos's hymn is an ancient narrative text, has identified a new verse at 7.4; and has compared the hymn to the Genesis Flood account and Job 9:5–10.


title: Book of Amos

text: The central idea of the book of Amos is that God puts his people on the same level as the surrounding nations – God expects the same purity of them all. As it is with all nations that rise up against the kingdom of God, even Israel and Judah will not be exempt from the judgment of God because of their idolatry and unjust ways. The nation that represents Yahweh must be made pure of anything or anyone that profanes the name of God; his name must be exalted.


title: Book of Amos

text: Amos is the first prophet to use the term "the Day of the Lord." This phrase becomes important within future prophetic and apocalyptic literature. For the people of Israel "The Day of the Lord" is the day when God will fight against his and their enemies, and it will be a day of victory for Israel. However, Amos and other prophets include Israel as an enemy of God, as Israel is guilty of injustice toward the innocent, poor, and young women. To Amos "The Day of the Lord" will be a day of doom.


title: Book of Amos

text: Other major ideas proposed in the book of Amos include: justice and concern for the disadvantaged, and that Yahweh is God of all nations (not just Israel), and is likewise the judge of all nations, and is also a God of moral righteousness. Also that Yahweh created all people, and the idea that Israel's covenant with God did not exempt them from accountability for sin; as well as that God elected and liberated Israel so that he would be known throughout the world. And that if God destroys the unjust, a remnant will remain, and that God is free to judge whether to redeem Israel.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, Irene originated from a well-defined Atlantic tropical wave that began showing signs of organization east of the Lesser Antilles. Due to development of atmospheric convection and a closed center of circulation, the system was designated as Tropical Storm Irene on August 20, 2011. After intensifying, Irene made landfall in St. Croix as a strong tropical storm later that day. Early on August 21, the storm made a second landfall in Puerto Rico. While crossing the island, Irene strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane. The storm paralleled offshore of Hispaniola, continuing to slowly intensify in the process. Shortly before making four landfalls in the Bahamas, Irene peaked as a Category 3 hurricane.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Thereafter, the storm slowly leveled off in intensity as it struck the Bahamas and then curved northward after passing east of Grand Bahama. Continuing to weaken, Irene was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on August 27, becoming the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Ike in 2008. Later that day, the storm re-emerged into the Atlantic from southeastern Virginia. Although Irene remained a hurricane over water, it weakened to a tropical storm while making yet another landfall in the Little Egg Inlet in southeastern New Jersey on August 27. A few hours later, Irene made its ninth and final landfall in Brooklyn, New York City. Early on August 29, Irene transitioned into an extratropical cyclone while striking Vermont, after remaining inland as a tropical cyclone for less than 12 hours.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Throughout its path, Irene caused widespread destruction and at least 49 deaths. Damage estimates throughout the United States are estimated near $13.5 billion, making Irene one of the costliest hurricanes on record in the country. In addition, monetary losses in the Caribbean and Canada were $830 million and $130 million respectively for a total of nearly $14.2 billion in damage.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: On August 15, 2011, a tropical wave exited the west African coast and emerged into the Atlantic, characterized by a distinct low-level cyclonic rotation and deep tropical humidity. It remained well-defined while moving steadily westward for several days to the south of the Cape Verde Islands, although at the time any notable convection occurred well to the southwest of its axis. As the wave distanced itself from the islands, development of thunderstorms and showers in its proximity continued to remain scarce, and it became rather broad in appearance. On August 19, the convective structure began to show signs of organization as the associated atmospheric pressure lowered, and with a progressively favorable environment situated ahead of the wave its chances of undergoing tropical cyclogenesis markedly increased. The strong thunderstorm activity continued to become more pronounced around the main low-pressure feature. By August 20, the National Hurricane Center noted that tropical cyclone formation was imminent as the wave neared the Lesser Antilles, and a reconnaissance aircraft confirmed the presence of a small surface circulation center just southwest of a burst of vigorous convection and unusually high sustained winds, indicating sufficient organization for the cyclone to be upgraded into Tropical Storm Irene at 23:00 UTC that day.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Irene was positioned about east of Dominica in the Lesser Antilles when it was classified and named, along weakening high pressure over the west-central Atlantic, inducing a roughly west-northwestward path for most of its journey through the eastern Caribbean. Its mid-level circulation continued to become better established as hints of pronounced banding features curved north of the surface center. On August 21, the surface center reformed closer to the deepest convection; furthermore, an anticyclone aloft provided supportive outflow over the cyclone. With the improved structure, as well as light wind shear and high sea surface temperatures, Irene was forecast to strengthen to near hurricane force prior to landfall in Hispaniola. Over the subsequent day (August 22), while passing near the island of Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Irene traced toward Puerto Rico, more northward than initially expected, where it underwent a considerable increase in strength and organization. Hours later, Irene moved ashore, approaching from the southeast near Punta Santiago, Humacao, Puerto Rico, with estimated sustained winds of . Despite the storm's interaction with land, radar imagery showed a ragged eye-like feature, and Doppler weather radar data indicated wind speeds in excess of hurricane force. Just after its initial landfall, Irene was accordingly upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane, the first of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: With the hurricane then situated just north of the mountainous coast of Hispaniola, the storm deepened little after reemerging over water, and any additional organization during the rest of the day was gradual. After briefly weakening on August 23, however, Irene began to develop a distinct eye encircled by an area of deepening convection the next morning. Moving erratically through the southeast Bahamas over very warm waters, Irene quickly expanded as its outflow aloft became very well established; the cyclone intensified into a Category 3 major hurricane as it recurved toward the northwest along a weakness in the subtropical ridge. The cyclone subsequently underwent a partial eyewall replacement cycle, which resulted in some reduction in its winds. Although a distinct eye redeveloped for a few hours, it obscured once again soon thereafter; Irene was unable to recover from the cycle, with no further significant intensification expected thereafter.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Early on August 27, Irene further weakened to a Category 1 hurricane as it approached the Outer Banks of North Carolina. At 7:30 am EDT (11:30 UTC) on the same day, Irene made landfall near Cape Lookout, on North Carolina's Outer Banks, with winds of , but exhibited an unusually low pressure of 951 mbar, which is typically found in a category 3 hurricane. After having tracked over land for about 10 hours, the eye of Irene became cloud-filled, although the center remained well-defined on radar images. Early in the evening of August 27, Irene re-emerged into the Atlantic near the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia as a marginal Category 1 hurricane, slowly weakening as it continued northward and weakening to a tropical storm early on August 28. Shortly before sunrise, at 5:35 am EDT (09:35 UTC) on August 28, Irene made a second landfall at Brigantine in southeastern New Jersey with winds of and soon after moved over water again, hugging the New Jersey coastline. About hours later, Tropical Storm Irene made landfall with winds in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Following its final New York landfall, Irene moved northeast over New England while maintaining its strength, before it was declared an extratropical cyclone early on August 29, while its center was located near the New Hampshire/Vermont border. During that day, the system continued to move towards the northeast, before it was absorbed by a frontal system early on August 30. This system, which the Free University of Berlin dubbed as "Ex-Irene", continued moving northeastward for another few days, reaching Iceland on September 2. Afterward, the system stalled just south of Iceland and gradually weakened, before it was absorbed by another approaching extratropical cyclone to the west on September 6.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In response to the formation of Irene, tropical storm warnings were issued for all of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. Also in the Lesser Antilles, the storm's approach prompted authorities in the U.S. Virgin Islands to close off air- and seaports, as well as to open public shelters. As Irene was forecast to make landfall on Hispaniola, a tropical storm watch was initially issued for the south coast of the Dominican Republic, though it was upgraded to a hurricane warning on August 21, after strengthening was forecast. In light of the expected intensification to hurricane status, a tropical storm warning was also issued for the northern coast fire of that country, while a tropical storm watch was put in effect for all of Haiti; the tropical storm warning for Puerto Rico was simultaneously upgraded to a hurricane watch. Later that day, all of the Dominican Republic was placed under a hurricane warning, with the tropical storm watch for Haiti upgraded to a warning and a tropical storm watch initiated for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. As Irene's forecast track became justified, the latter watch was upgraded to a warning on August 22, while a hurricane watch was declared for the central Bahamas.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: With Irene's projected path fixed over much of the United States East Coast, over 65 million people from the Carolinas to northern New England were estimated to be at risk. Due to the threat, state officials, as well as utilities, transportation facilities, ports, industries, oil refineries, and nuclear power plants, promptly prepared to activate emergency plans; residents in the areas stocked up on food supplies and worked to secure homes, vehicles and boats. States of emergency and hurricane warnings were declared for much of the East Coast, including North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In advance of the storm, hundreds of thousands of people evacuated near coastal areas, and hundreds of shelters were prepared. Many gasoline stations in the region reported shortages due to the preparations for Irene. Six Major League Baseball games were postponed or moved to August 27 in doubleheaders, and one National Football League preseason game was postponed. The Barclays golf tournament was shortened and three Major League Soccer games were postponed.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In South Carolina, Emergency Management was already on standby in Charleston and Dorchester counties in preparation for September. On August 23, preparations were also being made in Beaufort County as well. The gondolas were removed from the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel attraction in preparation for tropical-storm-force winds.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In North Carolina, a mandatory evacuation order was issued on August 23, for Ocracoke Island and Hyde County. Governor Bev Perdue declared a state of emergency on August 25, with hurricane and tropical storm watches posted for the state; a mandatory evacuation was issued for Carteret County and for all tourists of Dare County, though the latter was extended to include all residents by the next day. In addition, officials urged residents at the Bogue Banks to commence evacuations by 6 am August 26, and tourists in Currituck County were advised to move inland. Seymour Johnson Air Force Base planned to move jets to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana; Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and Marine Corps Air Station New River both evacuated their aircraft as well. Progress Energy announced on August 26, it would have 800 more line workers and 250 tree cutters ready after Hurricane Irene. Officials at UNC-Wilmington issued a voluntary evacuation and enforced a curfew in response to the storm, interrupting move-in activities. As low-level atmospheric confluence within the outer bands developed near the coast, a tornado watch was issued from north-northeast of Cape Hatteras to southwest of Wilmington.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency in preparation for any possible effects from the hurricane along coastlines. Authorities in the cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Hampton, and Portsmouth issued voluntary and mandatory evacuations for low-lying and oceanfront areas. The city of Poquoson ordered a mandatory evacuation for all of its citizens. Public storm shelters were opened in most of the cities, and officials also prepared school buildings to accommodate evacuees. By August 25, dozens of vessels at the Norfolk and Newport News shipyards began to evacuate or prepare to weather the storm, including the carriers "Enterprise", "Dwight D. Eisenhower", "Harry S. Truman", "Theodore Roosevelt", and the construction site of the "Gerald R. Ford". The United States Navy ordered ships to halt their operations and clear the warning zone. Fort Monroe Army base was evacuated on August 26; Langley Air Force Base followed suit the next day, save essential personnel.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: On August 25, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley declared a state of emergency in preparation for Irene. The town of Ocean City initiated "phase one" of its contingency plan that same day, which includes a mandatory evacuation order for international workforce students. Hours later, phase three of the plan was instituted; it ordered a mandatory evacuation scheduled to start at midnight August 25, for all residents, with the requirement that everyone be evacuated by 5 pm local time, August 26. On August 26, Dorchester and Wicomico Counties declared states of emergency. Certain geographic areas of Somerset and Wicomico Counties, along with all mobile homes in Wicomico County, had mandatory evacuation orders put in effect. Public shelters were made available in Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In Delaware, Governor Jack Markell ordered visitors to evacuate the Delaware beaches effective 6:00 pm on August 25. In addition, he declared a state of emergency; shelters were scheduled to open throughout the state on August 26. The Cape May – Lewes Ferry across Delaware Bay also suspended service for late August 27, through August 28, in response to the pending arrival of the hurricane. Toll operations on Delaware Route 1 were halted in order to optimize evacuation rates along highways. Transit services were expected to be shut down on August 27 and 28, while bridges over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and the Indian River were closed due to high wind. A tornado watch was issued for Delaware in association with Irene at 10:40 am August 27.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In Washington, D.C., the forecast arrival of Hurricane Irene caused postponement of the planned August 28 dedication ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. In anticipation of the storm, thousands of sandbags were prepared for placement at flood-prone Washington Metro station entrances. Amtrak service from Washington's Union Station southward was cancelled from August 26, until August 28.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In eastern Pennsylvania, the ground was already saturated with water when the hurricane arrived, since the preceding month had been the wettest ever recorded. Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter expressed concern that there could be severe devastation in the city and surrounding areas, and Governor Tom Corbett declared a state of emergency in Pennsylvania. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority decided to halt all commuter rail service after midnight August 28. On August 26, Philadelphia's mayor announced there would be no mandatory evacuations for the city, but urged residents to be prudent and to take action and leave should conditions warrant. Officials prepared to open three large shelters on the evening of August 27, capable of holding up to 6,000 people. The Philadelphia International Airport closed at 10:30 pm on Saturday and remained closed until Monday. In Marcus Hook, along the Delaware River, the Sunoco oil refinery preemptively lowered its production rate by 25 percent, to .


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency on August 25, with President Obama reaffirming the declaration nationally by August 27. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for all of Cape May County and all Atlantic County shore communities east of Route 9, prompting Atlantic City's first evacuation in history. About 1,500 National Guard troops were deployed in New Jersey. One National Guard outfit was deployed to flood-prone Manville, NJ, (which was also devastated by Hurricane Floyd in 1999) A couple of National Guardsman attempted to drive two of their deep-water-capable FMTVs through the flooding, but the floodwaters were too deep. The vehicles were overtaken by the waters beneath a dipping Conrail underpass on South Main Street. The Guardsmen were photographed and videotaped by onlookers above them on the train bridge, and both photos and videos went viral over social media. Mandatory evacuations were also ordered for all of Long Beach Island in Ocean County and the Barnegat Peninsula. To relieve evacuation traffic, toll operations were temporarily suspended on the Garden State Parkway south of the Raritan River and on the Atlantic City Expressway. Residents of low-lying areas of Hudson County along the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay were advised to evacuate.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on August 26, and that day issued a mandatory evacuation order for low-lying areas of New York City. A day prior, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had announced that the city would prepare to create "an enormous shelter system" for residents without access to higher ground. President Barack Obama issued a state of emergency declaration for the New York metropolitan area, freeing federal disaster funds, and tasking the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate disaster relief efforts. Cuomo deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to assist police, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Port Authority in New York and Long Island. Possible rising seawater levels from storm surge and a predicted high tide led to a complete shutdown of the MTA, the nation's largest mass transit system. All subway, bus, and commuter rail service in New York City was halted at noon on August 27. Four area hospitals began evacuating patients on August 26; sixteen nursing homes and adult care facilities were also evacuated. The New York International Fringe Festival cancelled all performances for August 27, and 28, as did all Broadway shows for those days. The United States Tennis Association cancelled special events planned for the 2011 US Open.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Southern Connecticut, along the Long Island Sound, had a hurricane warning in place as of August 27, while northern Connecticut had a tropical storm warning. Governor Dannel Malloy declared a state of emergency and the state's emergency operations center was fully activated. As of 11 a.m. on August 26, about 33,000 sandbags had been distributed to state residents. Bridgeport sustained heavier damages and many parts of south Groton had numerous power outages which took weeks to get up back and running.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In Rhode Island, the Army Corps of Engineers closed the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier in anticipation that the hurricane would make a direct strike on Providence.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency on August 26, activated 500 Massachusetts National Guard troops, and also planned to activate an additional 2,000 troops the following day in preparation for the storm. In an unprecedented move, the MBTA suspended all metropolitan Boston public transportation at 8:00 am on August 28.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In Vermont, Governor Peter Shumlin declared a state of emergency on August 27, in preparation for the hurricane's arrival. In a joint statement, Vermont electric utilities announced that they planned to have extra staff on hand. The National Weather Service stated that it anticipated of rain on the Champlain Valley and western Vermont and in the Green Mountains and eastern Vermont, with the risk of flooding near streams and rivers and an anticipated sustained wind speeds of and gusts of up to , causing significant tree damage and damage to power lines.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In Maine, Governor Paul LePage declared a state of emergency on August 26, in preparation for the expected arrival of Hurricane Irene on August 28. Canadian utility and line workers were dispatched to Maine to assist in reinforcing the state's electrical infrastructure. Ten shelters were to be opened in Maine.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, numerous large local and ocean-going vessels anchored in Bedford Basin to ride out the storm.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Following its path through the northeastern Caribbean, Irene spread tropical storm conditions across all of the Leeward Islands, causing overall little damage but flooded some low-lying areas. To the south, strong thunderstorms and showers spread over Martinique, though most of the activity occurred prior to development into a tropical cyclone. In spite of the center tracking just north of Guadeloupe's island Grande-Terre, the strongest effects were brought on by Irene's outer rainbands. Tropical-storm-force winds generated brief rough seas, with peak wave heights of no more than . Accompanying intermittent torrents swept through much of the territory, but overall rainfall was moderate; precipitation totals of between fell in Basse-Terre during the event. Due to the storm conditions, LIAT was forced to suspend all of its flights in Antigua for early August 22.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Passing near the British Virgin Islands while strengthening, Irene brought gusty winds and heavy precipitation to the territory; however, resultant property damage was minimal. A lightning strike over Necker Island sparked a large fire at one of business magnate Richard Branson's resort homes, but all of its guest occupants—including British actress Kate Winslet—were able to exit the area. Irene crossed Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands as a strong tropical storm on August 21, though relatively calm winds associated with the passage of its center were recorded over the island. To the north in Saint Thomas, storm conditions became progressively worse; sustained gale-force winds swept across the territory, with a gust of up to recorded at 21:20 UTC. Upon impact, the winds and inclement weather caused scattered power outages across all islands. Wide-scale assessments confirmed light damage to public schools, mostly confined to debris and leaks.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Across Puerto Rico, heavy rains caused extensive damage to roads while hurricane-force winds toppled many trees and utility poles, which led more than 1 million residences without power. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency. About 121,000 customers were cut off from potable water service at the height of the storm. Across the territory at least 1,044 people had to take shelter, and 1,446 people in total were evacuated. At higher elevations, winds estimated by radar neared . The highest amounts of precipitation fell across eastern parts of the territory; in Gurabo, a peak total of was recorded. Several rivers burst their banks as a consequence of the rains, causing additional flooding. The agricultural sector also suffered losses from the storm, particularly near the location of landfall. High winds uprooted crop plants, and several coffee and banana plantations sustained minor damage. Of the plantations, the most affected were situated in Yabucoa and Maunabo, where severe flooding washed out copious amounts of banana crop. The rains continued to fall for hours into the wake of the storm, prompting the issuance of flood watches. In total, Irene affected over 1,500 people in Puerto Rico, and one driver was killed after their vehicle was caught in swollen currents. Preliminary estimates indicate structural damage could be as high as $500 million (USD), with additional losses due to the three-day labor suspensions pinned at over $60.4 million (USD).


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Offshore near Culebra Island, a sailboat was reported to have sunk due to rough seas prior to landfall in mainland Puerto Rico. Gale-force winds felled fences and shattered windows, with a flying object piercing through one residence. A total of 46 locals sought refuge to ride out the storm, but one family required post-storm shelter after the roof to their home was lost. On the island of Vieques, similar sustained winds of were recorded, as well as some gusts of up to . Some power and telephone service cutoffs were reported, and the island's airport halted its operations.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Skirting barely north past Hispaniola, the large storm produced gales and prolonged precipitation in the Dominican Republic, displacing over 37,700 people and leaving at least 88 communities isolated in its wake. Accompanying storm surge affected roughly 200 homes and prompted evacuations along the northern coastlines. The strongest winds also occurred in northern Cibao, where they felled multiple trees and toppled utility poles. Swollen rivers, creeks, and streams caused widespread residential flooding and damage to roads; saturated soil in the region triggered mudslides, causing additional disruptions. Despite its distance, Irene produced extreme rainfall in southern parts of the country that led to many secondary effects. Resultant floods combined with two overflown rivers swept through much of San Cristóbal, causing one bridge to collapse under the rushing waters. The flooding produced at least two drown victims in that area, both later confirmed dead. Elsewhere, another fatality occurred in Cambita Garabitos, and six others were listed as missing. Heavy rains also fell across La Altagracia Province, where one person in Higüey went missing and hundreds were evacuated. Most of the damage in the region occurred due to flooded rivers, with some agricultural losses reported. The excess surface waters overwhelmed and damaged some 170 inlets. In all, Irene affected at least 2,292 households according to preliminary reports, with 16 houses rendered beyond repair. The associated monetary losses surmounted RD$1 billion (US$30 million) in the wake of the event.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: In northeastern Haiti, the prolonged precipitation overflowed rivers and produced surface floods and damaging landslides across multiple road sections. About 500 residents in risk zones evacuated while some sought shelter, but only one of more than 160 evacuation sites required usage. Rough surge produced high coastal flooding, with some reports of thousands of damaged homes. In the vicinity of Port-au-Prince, brisk winds blew down many refuge tents home to victims from the major January 12, 2010 earthquake. Overall, officials indicated impact was less severe than initially feared; the storm only left isolated flood damage in its wake, particularly throughout northern parts of the country. However, two people lost their lives after being caught in swollen rivers, and four others suffered injuries.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: As Irene was tracking through the Bahamas, the outer bands of the storm dropped light rainfall in eastern Cuba. The cities of Moa and Sagua de Tánamo in Holguín Province reported of rain. However, the average rainfall throughout the Holguín Province did not exceed . Some damage occurred throughout Guantánamo Province, where rough surf and rains caused flooding in Baracoa. In addition, waves of high were seen in Gibara, Holguín, on Wednesday 24, when Irene's eye was located between Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bahamas, just northeast of the city. The strong waves, combined with high tide, caused a slight coastal flooding.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: On August 24, Irene passed over the British Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos Islands at Category 1 strength. The hurricane produced high winds that blew off roofs and downed power lines throughout the territory. In Cockburn Town, residences reported loss of power, and light poles were toppled. Many homes on Grand Turk Island also reported a loss of electricity during Irene's passage, although structural damage in the area was limited. The strongest of the rains and gusts occurred in Providenciales, where light wind damage was reported to roofs and resorts. The Grand Turk cruise port also sustained some minor damage from the storm, but operations resumed three days after impact.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Gales from Irene affected nearly all of the Eastern Seaboard, extending from Florida to New England and as far inland as central New York and central Pennsylvania, affecting all or large parts of 15 states and the District of Columbia. The winds, combined with soil saturation due to the extreme amounts of precipitation in many of the impacted areas both from Irene and from previous thunderstorms, uprooted countless trees and power lines along the storm's path. Roughly 7.4 million homes and businesses lost electrical power, with approximately 3.3 million still without power as of August 30, three days after landfall. Coastal areas suffered extensive flood damage following its potent storm surge, with additional freshwater flooding reported in many areas. The storm spawned scattered tornadoes, causing significant property damage as evidenced by destroyed homes. In the northeastern region, more than ten rivers measured record flood heights at their hydrographs. Rivers in at least six Northeastern states reached hundred-year flood levels, while the flooding in Greene County, New York was described as five-hundred-year-flood conditions. Flooding in Schoharie County, New York was also reported by the National Weather Service in Albany, New York as five-hundred-year-flood conditions. Throughout its path in the contiguous United States, Irene caused approximately $13.5 billion (2011 USD) in damage and 47 deaths.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Though Irene spared Florida from a direct hit, its outermost rainbands produced squalls and intermittent torrents along the state's eastern coastlines. Brisk winds produced scattered power outages and waves reaching as high as ; rough surf in the Boynton Inlet injured at least eight people, and two surfers were killed offshore Volusia County. Elsewhere, in Lantana, large waves sweeping over seawalls went on to destroy a lifeguard tower. Localized beach erosion was also reported, although it was not significant. Onshore, comparatively light winds brushed the state; the Lake Worth pier reporting a peak gust of , with the Palm Beach International Airport recording winds of no more than . Precipitation in the area was also light, with a peak accumulation of recorded at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Further north, rainfall from the storm totaled no more than on August 24 in Melbourne.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Owing to its unusually large windfield, Irene affected long stretches of South Carolina coastlines with gusts and sporadic heavy showers, even though it remained offshore. Gale-force winds picked up through the Lowcountry during the afternoon of August 26, with a gust of measured at a coastal marine observing site on Folly Island. Scattered power outages left over 4,000 residences in the dark, mostly due to toppled utility poles. The winds also felled trees and generated rough surf along Charleston County coastlines, and minor beach erosion was noted. Elsewhere in that county, a downed tree trapped several people in their vehicle, but they were all rescued.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Tropical-storm-force winds began to affect the Outer Banks hours before landfall, producing waves of . In addition to the gales, Irene spawned several tornadoes early on August 27, while approaching the coast. No regular weather station or buoy, however, measured sustained hurricane-force winds from the storm, with the highest winds officially recorded at by a buoy near Cape Lookout. Precipitation totals from Irene in the region were particularly high, ranging between ; Bunyan recorded a peak amount of approximately .


title: Hurricane Irene

text: The large hurricane left extensive damage in its wake and produced tornadoes that damaged homes and overturned vehicles. Following the touch down of a potent tornado, at least four homes were demolished in Columbia, while up to three others sustained significant damage. The hurricane caused multiple flooded areas and uprooted trees along coastlines; in Nash County, a snatched tree limb struck and killed one person. Prior to the storm, a resident in Onslow County suffered a fatal heart attack while applying plywood to his house. Two people in Pitt and Sampson Counties were additionally killed by falling trees, as were two others in Goldsboro and Pitt County in traffic accidents. A man also drowned in the flooded Cape Fear River. All in all, over 1,100 homes were destroyed. The estimated $71 million in damage did not include agricultural losses.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Hurricane Irene cut several breaches across North Carolina Highway 12 on Hatteras Island, isolating the island from the rest of the Outer Banks. Several of the smaller breaches were filled in with sand, but the largest, which is wide, was left open, recreating Pea Island for the first time since 1945. As a result, the only way to access Hatteras Island was by ferry. On October 10, 2011, a temporary bridge opened over the breach. The bridge could be in place for more than 10 years while other solutions are considered.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: The path of the hurricane was thought by many to be the worst-case scenario for the Outer Banks, just east over the Pamlico Sound. The storm winds pushed the water rushing into the sound in the form of rainfall back up the rivers feeding the sound and when the hurricane passed the water rushed back out causing historic flooding along the Outer Banks in particular in the towns of Waves, Rodanthe and Salvo. The flood caused major damage to the area that can still be seen in Mirlo Beach at the north end of Rodanthe. Flood waters exceeded seven feet in many locations and destroyed many houses and businesses.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: A tornado moved through the Sandbridge community in Virginia Beach, in the morning hours of August 27, ripping the roofs off at least five homes and damaging several others. High winds in Newport News knocked a tree into an apartment complex. Three other Virginians in Brunswick, Chesterfield and King William Counties were also killed by falling trees. Most severe damage consisted of many downed trees on power lines, cars, homes, and roads; and flooding in many low-lying roads and neighborhoods – 1.2 million homes and businesses lost power due to Irene.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Hurricane Irene caused widespread power outages in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge was evacuated after there was wind and water damage to the laboratory roof. In Queen Anne's County, Maryland, an 85-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell onto her house causing the chimney to collapse. Farm fields on the Eastern Shore of Maryland were saturated with water after the storm, causing farmers to hand-pick their crops. Some tomato, corn, and cantaloupe crops were destroyed.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Two 25-year-old men were killed in the Hockessin area in an apparent drowning after attempting to run home through the storm on Saturday night. Their bodies were recovered near Wilmington on Monday afternoon. An EF1 tornado touched down in Lewes, at 6:38 pm, causing a path of destruction 80 yards wide and 3/4 of a mile long, damaging about 50 homes and destroying one. Heavy rains throughout the state were topped at in Ellendale. Flooding occurred in many areas including the Delaware Bay communities of Slaughter Beach, Primehook Beach, and Broadkill Beach. Sections of Prime Hook Road leading to Primehook Beach were washed out. Irene flooded and forced the closure of Delaware Route 1 near the Indian River Inlet Bridge, pushing sand onto the road.


title: Hurricane Irene

text: Five people were killed in Pennsylvania: three died as a result of fallen trees, one was killed in a traffic accident, and a woman was swept away by flooding in the Wissahickon Creek. In Philadelphia, the storm left thousands without power. More than 400 trees fell in Philadelphia, and 200 trees fell in Pittsburgh, seven buildings collapsed and twenty roads were closed. PECO worked on restoring power by mid-week.