Showing results by author "Henry Fountain"

In the best-selling tradition of Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm, The Great Quake is a riveting narrative about the biggest earthquake in North American recorded history - the 1964 Alaska earthquake that demolished the city of Valdez and swept away the island village of Chenega - and the geologist who hunted for clues to explain how and why it took place.

Trump has called climate change a hoax (although more recently he said he would have an “open mind” about it) and appointed some officials to his transition team who dispute mainstream climate science. But there is much that is still unclear about his administration’s attitudes toward science.

The flooding at McCormack-Williamson was unintentional, but scientists and environmental groups say deliberately creating similar areas — floodplains to allow the state’s rivers to overflow more naturally and benignly — is a way to help ease the strain on this water infrastructure, especially as climate change poses new challenges.

"In California, a Move to Ease the Pressures on Aging Dams" is from the February 28, 2017 U.S. section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and narrated by Kristi Burns.

"Why the Italy Quake Was So Severe" is from the August 25, 2016 World section of The New York Times. It was written by Dan Bilefsky and Henry Fountain and narrated by Caroline Miller.

"Iceland Carbon Dioxide Storage Project Locks Away Gas, and Fast" is from the June 09, 2016 World section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and narrated by Keith Sellon-Wright.

"Warming Seen as Lit Match in Northern Forests" is from the May 10, 2016 US section of The New York Times. It was written by Justin Gillis and Henry Fountain and narrated by Caroline Miller.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday was poised to sign the new tax bill, passed by Congress, which lifts a decades-old ban on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Alaska. Here’s a look at what might happen now.

"Drilling in Arctic Refuge Gets a Green Light. What’s Next?" is from the December 20, 2017 U.S. section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and Lisa Friedman and narrated by Mike DelGaudio.

Beneath a forested patch of land on the Gulf of Bothnia, at the bottom of a steep tunnel that winds for 3 miles through granite bedrock, Finland is getting ready to entomb its nuclear waste.

"Finland Works, Quietly, to Bury Its Nuclear Reactor Waste" is from the June 12, 2017 Science section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and narrated by Kristi Burns.

A series of explosions at a flood-damaged chemical plant outside Houston on Thursday drew sharp focus on hazards to public health and safety from the city’s vast petrochemical complex as the region begins a painstaking recovery from Hurricane Harvey.

"Fiery Explosions Elevate Fears for Chemical Plants Flooded by Texas Storm" is from the August 31, 2017 U.S. section of The New York Times. It was written by Julie Turkewitz, Henry Fountain and Hiroko Tabuchi and narrated by Barbara Benjamin-Creel.

Climate change made the torrential rains that flooded Houston after Hurricane Harvey last summer much worse, scientists reported Wednesday.

"Scientists Link Hurricane Harvey’s Record Rainfall to Climate Change" is from the December 13, 2017 U.S. section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and narrated by Kristi Burns.

"A Slow Ride Toward the Future of Public Transportation" is from the November 08, 2016 Technology section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and narrated by Keith Sellon-Wright.

Florida's elderly range from active residents living in lush retirement communities to physically and mentally impaired people living in assisted living units or nursing homes, but as previous storms like Katrina, Sandy and Harvey have demonstrated, they are among the most at risk. The sheer numbers and vexing variety of the elderly population poses enormous problems as officials must assess risk and allocate resources, both before and after the storm.

"Long a Refuge for the Elderly, Florida Is Now a Place of Danger" is from the September 08, 2017 U.S. section of The New York Times. It was written by Marc Santora And Henry Fountain and narrated by Mike DelGaudio.

"Calls for Shipping and Aviation to Do More to Cut Emissions" is from the April 16, 2016 World section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and narrated by Corey M. Snow.

"Oklahoma Orders Shutdown of Wells after Record-Tying Earthquake" is from the September 04, 2016 US section of The New York Times. It was written by Niraj Chokshi and Henry Fountain and narrated by Fleet Cooper.

"Amid a Graying Fleet of Nuclear Plants, a Hunt for Solutions" is from the March 21, 2016 Science section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and narrated by Barbara Benjamin-Creel.

"Scientists See Push from Climate Change in Louisiana Flooding" is from the September 07, 2016 US section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and narrated by Keith Sellon-Wright.

Representatives of American cities, states and companies are preparing to submit a plan to the United Nations pledging to meet the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Paris climate accord, despite President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the agreement.

"Bucking Trump, These Cities, States and Companies Commit to Paris Accord" is from the June 01, 2017 U.S. section of The New York Times. It was written by Hiroko Tabuchi and Henry Fountain and narrated by Mike DelGaudio.

Across coastal Florida, the dreaded storm surge from Hurricane Irma — caused when ferocious winds pile up ocean water and push it onshore — was not as bad as forecast. While some areas were hard hit, notably the Florida Keys and Marco Island, residents of neighborhoods north to Fort Myers, Sarasota and Tampa Bay were expressing relief.

"The Monster Surge That Wasn’t: Why Irma Caused Less Flooding Than Expected" is from the September 11, 2017 U.S. section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and Brad Plumer and narrated by Keith Sellon-Wright.

Airports, sewage treatment plants, flood control systems and other facilities could be overrun by heavy rains or flooding from storm surge, as Irma’s winds amass ocean water and push it ashore. The impacts of climate change — especially sea level rise, which is already bringing more tidal flooding in Miami Beach — could make matters worse, as any storm surge from Irma would be on top of an already higher baseline.

"Irma Will Test Florida’s Infrastructure, From Dikes to Sewage Plants" is from the September 09, 2017 U.S. section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and narrated by Keith Sellon-Wright.

"Spiking Temperatures in the Arctic Startle Scientists" is from the December 21, 2016 World section of The New York Times. It was written by Henry Fountain and John Schwartz and narrated by Kristi Burns.