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Lebanon
Over One Million Displaced
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over one million people have been uprooted from their homes due to Israel’s continuing air strikes on Lebanon, 90 percent of them in the last week. More than 1,600 lives have been lost and 6,000 others have been injured in recent weeks. Israel says its strikes have targeted the militant group Hezbollah, which began firing into Israel last year after the October 7 Hamas attack. Hundreds of thousands of people have abandoned their homes and villages to seek safety in Beirut, as well as in towns further north. Over 100,000 people have also crossed the border into Syria in the past two weeks.
This map depicts the percentage of IDPs (internally displaced persons) across Lebanon, as well as the target areas for Israeli strikes. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Relief Web
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United States
Lahaina Fire Source Identified
Maui County and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have released their long-awaited report assessing the cause of the massive wildfire on the Hawaiian island of Maui in August 2023. The blaze destroyed the town of Lahaina and killed 102 people. The central question was whether the entire fire event was caused by one known fire that re-ignited after firefighters had mistakenly thought it was out, or if a second fire of unknown origin caused the greater damage. The report shares the conclusion that there was only one fire, sparked by electrical wires that had been downed by heavy winds and ignited overgrown grasses on the property of a school, and that burning embers from that fire were blown into a nearby gully after firefighters had thought it was controlled. The conclusions now place some blame on Hawaii’s electric company for keeping the power going during a major wind event, and the school and the electric company jointly for failing to keep the flammable overgrowth near the power lines under control.
This map depicts the Lahaina, Maui fire progression from its source, using a variety of geo-located evidence. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Tropical Storm Long-Term Deaths
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, a recent study published in Nature shows that the average tropical storm results in 7,000 to 11,000 additional deaths in the following 15 years. Researchers conducted a large-scale evaluation of long-term effects of Tropical Cyclones (TCs) on human mortality in the contiguous United States for all TCs between 1930 and 2015. They found the TC-related deaths exceeded the official tolls, highlighting such storms’ broader, delayed impacts, especially among infants (less than 1 year of age), people 1–44 years of age, and the Black population. The effects of Helene in the U.S. are expected to be devastating, with this study showing how hidden consequences could lead to thousands more deaths over the next decade. The study underscores the urgent need for more comprehensive disaster preparedness and recovery strategies.
This map depicts the geographic, demographic, and temporal patterns in mortality from tropical cyclones in the U.S. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is home to the highest peak in Southeast Asia?
A: Malaysia
Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, with an elevation of 13,435 ft (4,095 m). It is located in the Kinabalu National Park in the state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo. It is the third highest peak on an island on Earth, after Puncak Jaya in New Guinea and Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Kinabalu Park has been designated a centre of plant diversity for Southeast Asia by UNESCO, as it contains an estimated 5,000–6,000 plant species. At least half of all Borneo’s plant species can be found there as well as species originating from the Himalayas, Australia, China, and Peninsular Malaysia.
Source
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Q: What is the hottest desert in both Mexico and the United States?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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