Thousands of people are missing and hundreds are dead after a flash flood in Nepal that struck with little warning earlier this week. Why it matters: The flood is exposing the gaps in warning systems that are designed to watch out for extreme rain and rivers — not for sudden collapses high in the mountains during good weather. - Glacier-driven floods under clear skies — sometimes called "blue-sky floods" — can happen in the U.S. too, especially in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, where sudden releases of glacial water can send floods and debris racing down mountain valleys. - This actually happened at Mount Rainier in Washington state in 2001, when debris flow from a glacier-related hazard caught people off guard during fair…
Families visiting Mount Rainier National Park returned from a day hike to find their hotel suddenly closed and its electricity cut, months after county officials first flagged dangerous conditions the property never fixed. Sarah Ruppenthal, her husband, and their two teenage sons walked back to the Gateway Inn in Ashford, Washington, around 1 p.m. on […] The post Mount Rainier hotel shut down over safety violations while guests were out hiking appeared first on American Almanac .
Families visiting Mount Rainier National Park returned from a day hike to find their hotel suddenly closed and its electricity cut, months after county officials first flagged dangerous conditions the property never fixed. Sarah Ruppenthal, her husband, and their two teenage sons walked back to the Gateway Inn in Ashford, Washington, around 1 p.m. on August 5 to find the building roped off and utility workers disconnecting power. Pierce County officials had ordered the property shut down over unresolved safety violations that dated back to February, when inspectors first flagged dangerous electrical wiring, broken smoke detectors, blocked exits, chimney defects posing carbon-monoxide risks, and unpermitted construction. The hotel had…Open
The bodies of 8 of the 9 missing skiers who became trapped during a California avalanche have been discovered, according to local authorities. It is the deadliest avalanche in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier. More: https://tinyurl.com/4952j2ey #avalanche #skiers #California
