The small coastal town of Montecito, California has been evacuated as a result of extensive flooding in the area and surrounding canyons.
More than eight inches of rain fell in just 12 hours on Monday and created dangerous conditions for the residents living there. The town is home to celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Rob Lowe.
Officials noted the continuous rainfall and expected downpour as the reason for evacuating about 8,200 residents.
The orders come on the fifth anniversary of a deadly mudslide that claimed the lives of 23 people and destroyed over 100 homes in the same community.
"We have received over 5 [inches] across Montecito since 3am this morning. The heaviest rain is yet to come this afternoon and evening. If your home is within the evacuation order area, please leave now," the local fire department said in a tweet.
Evacuation orders were also issued for about 32,000 residents in nearby Santa Cruz. So far, at least 12 people have lost their lives in the storm in California.
Sarav Arunachalam, air pollution scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, joins Cheddar Climate, where he discusses what he needs to happen when it comes to EV production on a global level to help reduce the effects of climate change.
The United Nations Secretary-General said this year that his agency's warning about climate change was a 'code red for humanity.' So how will political pledges to lower emissions, increase green energy, and ramp up electric vehicle infrastructure play out, and can we reverse some climate damage next year? Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Global energy & climate innovation editor for The Economist, and host of 'To a Lesser Degree,' The Economist’s podcast on climate change, joins Cheddar Climate to discuss what we can look ahead to in 2022, including global policy shifts and investments from the private and public sectors, holding global leaders accountable, and more.
In recent years, extreme weather events like flooding and wildfires have become more frequent, and more severe - and scientists say global warming is to blame. Climate crises could leave people in need of help, and that's where Global Rescue steps in. The crisis response firm employs former Navy Seals and Army Rangers to rescue travelers from climate-related emergencies. Global Rescue CEO Dan Richards joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Jennifer Lotito, president and COO at the non-profit (RED), joined Cheddar to discuss the CODE (RED) campaign as the organization looks to expand its mission to support both AIDS and COVID-19 relief. She explained that people can get involved in the campaign for Giving Tuesday and ahead of World AIDS Day by shopping (RED) branded products and even using credit card rewards points to add their own support. Lotito also pointed out that COVID-19 has also impacted HIV testing as people avoid clinics out of fear of the other pandemic.
NASA indefinitely delayed a spacewalk to repair an ISS antenna, citing concerns about space debris. It was unclear if the warning from the space agency to astronauts aboard the ISS was related to the recent destruction of a non-functioning Russian satellite.
Dr. Farhan Bhatti, a family physician and Michigan State lead for the Committee to Protect Health Care, joined Cheddar to discuss the newly discovered and highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19. Bhatti said it is too early to draw any conclusions about the new variant but there is concern that it could eventually mutate and develop a resistance to vaccines. "Time will tell, but for now, it looks like, still, the best thing that we can do to try to limit the spread of this disease is make sure everybody gets a vaccine and make sure everybody avoids large gatherings indoors and wears masks during the wintertime especially," he said.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments with the Omicron variant that are spooking markets once again. Twitter's @Jack is leaving, SCOTUS takes up abortion rights and the world has a brand new republic.
A CDC panel unanimously endorsed Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine boosters for all U.S. adults. This comes after the FDA gave its own authorization for everyone 18 and older, scrapping previous eligibility factors like age and underlying conditions. Dr. Shereef Elnahal, President and CEO of University Hospital and former New Jersey Health Commissioner, joined Cheddar News to break down the development.
The Biden Administration is set to buy 10 million courses of Pfizer's Covid pill if it gains emergency use authorization from the FDA. With this purchase, the U.S. will receive more than 13 million courses of antiviral pills aimed at treating Covid and reducing severe illness and death. Pfizer's pill has been shown to reduce risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent, proving it could be a key tool in the fight against the pandemic. Dr. Soumi Eachempati, Co-Founder, CEO & CMO of Cleared4, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
Dr. David Dodson, Infectious Disease Specialist at Carden & Dodson MD, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down what we know so far about the Omicron Covid-19 variant, and why you shouldn't wait for an Omicron-specific shot to get vaccinated.