Month: December 2019

By TRISTAN LAVALETTE, Associated Press PERTH, Australia — Wildfires burning across Australia’s two most populous states Tuesday trapped residents of a seaside town in apocalyptic conditions and killed at least two people while more property along the country’s east coast fell victim to a devastating fire season. About 4,000 residents in the southeastern town of Mallacoota in Victoria state fled toward the water Tuesday morning as winds pushed an emergency-level wildfire toward their homes. The…

What NASA describes as a “fire-breathing storm system” has formed over a region of Australia threatened by wildfires. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology tweeted Monday that a pyrocumulonimbus cloud developed 16 kilometers (10 miles) over the East Gippsland region of Victoria, where out-of-control wildfires were forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. NASA describes pyrocumulonimbus clouds as a “dragon” of a cloud. A normal cumulonimbus cloud is dangerous enough: The massive, anvil-shaped storm systems can hurl thunderbolts,…

By TRISTAN LAVALETTE, Associated Press PERTH, Australia — Sydney will set off its iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks after being granted an exemption to a total fire ban Monday, with other Australian cities canceling their celebrations due to a worsening wildfire risk. Pressure had built for Sydney’s spectacle to be scrapped before the New South Wales Rural Fire Service approved the event on Monday. The popular celebrations are expected to attract around a million people…

Sydney will set off its iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks after being granted an exemption to a total fire ban Monday, with other Australian cities canceling their celebrations due to … Click to Continue »

By TRISTAN LAVALETTE, Associated Press PERTH, Australia — Thousands of koalas are feared to have died in a wildfire-ravaged area north of Sydney, further diminishing Australia’s iconic marsupial, while the fire danger increased in the country’s east on Saturday as temperatures soared. The mid-northern coast of New South Wales was home to up to 28,000 koalas, but wildfires have significantly reduced their population in recent months. Koalas are native to Australia and are one of…

A code red was issued in South Australia on Friday as temperatures hit 42 degrees Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) in the state’s capital, while firefighters battling wildfires in New South Wales … Click to Continue »

Carolina Hurricanes (22-13-2, fifth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. New York Rangers (17-15-4, seventh in the Metropolitan Division) New York; Friday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Carolina visits the New … Click to Continue »

By Gilbert Baez, WRAL Fayetteville reporter Fayetteville, N.C. — Christmas 2019 took on an added layer of celebration for a former Fort Bragg soldier and victim of Hurricane Matthew. For the first time in three years, Tomeka Rich and her five children woke up on Christmas morning in their own home. “This has been amazing,” she said. Since Hurricane Matthew chased her out of her house, Rich and her children bounced around. For awhile, they…

SPRING LAKE, N.C. (WTVD) — Christmas is a big deal at the Evan’s household. For the first time since Hurricane Florence, they finally have a home to deck the halls. “Hurricane Florence came in, left five feet ten inches of water here in the house,” said Regina Evans. ABC11 first introduced you to Regina Evans back in March. The disaster recovery specialist and grandmother recently adopted her grandkids and was struggling to recover herself. Spring…

By Deborah Strange, WRAL digital journalist Thousands of videos were published on WRAL.com in 2019, including coverage of a devastating hurricane, tension amid racist words and acts and some very good dogs. Here are some of the most memorable videos of the year. A racial slur and no apology In July, a white woman was filmed calling two black women a racial slur at a North Hills restaurant. Chanda Stewart and Lakesha Shaw said they…