Will USA wake up soon that climate change is already here?

On the fires in Texas - like the 2009 fires in Victoria - more precautionary burning wouldn't have made much difference. And it would probably have been dangerous to attempt it any time in the past 12 months - too dry. From Jeff Masters:

As I reported in yesterday's post, there has never been a Texas summer hotter than the summer of 2011. The summer of 2011 now holds every major heat record for the city of Austin, including most 100° days (67 so far), hottest month in recorded history (August, breaking the previous record by a remarkable 2.1°), hottest summer (by 1.1°), and hottest day in history (112°F, tied with Sep, 5, 2000.)

As wunderground's weather historian Christopher C. Burt documents in his latest blog post, the situation is similar across the rest of the state. Seventeen major cities in Texas recorded their hottest summer on record in 2011. Most of these stations had records extending back more than 100 years, and several of the records were smashed by an amazing 3.4°F--at Lubbock and at Wichita Falls.

Neighboring states also experienced unprecedented heat, withOklahoma recording America's hottest month by any state in recorded history during July, and Shreveport, Louisiana breaking its record for hottest month by 3°F in August. Mr. Burt commented to me: " I do not believe I have ever seen a site with a long period of record, like Shreveport, where records go back to 1874, break its warmest single month on record by an astonishing 3°. This is unheard of. Usually when a site breaks its single month temperature record, we are talking about tenths of a degree, rarely a whole degree, let alone 3 degrees! Hard to believe, frankly."

Texas has also had its worst fire season on record, with over 3.5 million acres burned this year, and it's driest 1-year period in recorded history.

While people are trying to control the Texas fires, rain is pelting down elsewhere. More from Jeff Masters:

An extreme rainfall event unprecedented in recorded history has hit the Binghamton, New York area, where 7.49" fell yesterday. This is the second year in a row Binghamton has recorded a 1-in-100 year rain event; their previous all-time record was set last September, when 4.68" fell on Sep 30 - Oct. 1, 2010. Records go back to 1890 in the city.

The skies have now cleared in Binghamton, with this morning's rain bringing the city's total rainfall for the 40-hour event to 9.02". However, another large region of rain lies just to the south in Pennsylvania, and all of the rivers in the surrounding region are in major or record flood.

The Susquehanna River at Binghamton is at 25.18', its highest level since records began in 1847, and is expected to overtop the flood walls protecting the city this afternoon. In Hershey, Pennsylvania, Swatara Creek is 18' over flood stage, and more than 8' above its record flood crest. Widespread flash flooding is occurring across the entire area, and over 125,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.

And read the comments here on ClimateProgress for more about what rainfall records are being broken around the world.

GOMMs - ideas for helping out after the Queensland floods

GOMMs = grumpy old maids and men.
There have been hundreds of thousands of people affected and thousands of people showing strength and courage beyond bravery. This post is primarily inspired by two such people, Linda Weston and Robert Wilkin from Grantham who were interviewed on the ABC. Click here to watch the video. (Has anyone got a link to the clip itself?) As Linda Weston said - just a bit of extra help will go a long way:

This is a strong community, it really is. And a lot of people will support each other like they're doing now. But we're just going to need more help with cleaning up and that's basically what it's going to be all about. And if everyone stays strong with what's happening now we'll be fine. Just a bit of extra help will go a long way....We had no rain two years ago. It was that dry we had dust. Now we've got too much rain. What do you do? It's feast or famine. So, you've got to be strong and just keep going. That's the Australian way.

The aim is to seek some ideas on how we can best help Queenslanders without getting in their way. The mandatory constraints will include: working with the organised relief effort not going off half-cocked; and helping affected people get back on their feet, not taking over from them.

Disaster plans have different major components, including rescue, relief and recovery. The rescue stage is all hands on deck in a coordinated fashion, doing what can be done as the disaster is happening. The relief stage is getting funds to people who need it, and providing food, clothing and shelter as well as counselling and other services to those in need. Please donate what you can here.

The recovery stage is huge. It will include rebuilding all the roads that have been washed away. Rebuilding the railway tracks and the airports and the ports. Rebuilding government offices and businesses and homes that have been damaged or totally destroyed.

The scale of the devastation is unprecedented in Australia's recent history (of the last 200 years).

Along with the huge large scale efforts just to rebuild basic infrastructure, individual households and small businesses will be wanting to get back on their feet. People will be suffering shock and many will continue to be suffering from the trauma for many months and years. It's hard to be at your most efficient for extended periods under such circumstances. The entire populations of many towns and cities will need help and support, much of which they will get from working together. Maybe a bit of help from outside will get them back on their feet sooner.

I thought I'd kick off this post with a couple of ideas that would particularly suit the GOMMS, who have more time than cash and who are fit and healthy:

Recovery working bees: After the 1974 floods, relief weekend working bees were organised to help households clean up. Maybe a few GOMMs (grumpy old maids and men) would be able to give their time to work alongside those getting back on their feet. It would be dirty work but you might make some new friends along the way. There are many grey nomads who will undoubtedly help. This could be a way to find out if the life of the grey nomad is for you :)

UPDATE: Here is where to volunteer to help out in Queensland:
http://www.emergencyvolunteering.com.au/

Respite: Maybe Queenslanders will eventually be ready for some respite. Maybe some GOMMs can open their homes and holiday homes so that those who've been worn out can take a breather in an environment where they are not facing the effects of the disaster every day.

Would love to hear other suggestions or refinements to the above. If there are a few people who want to band together to do something down the line, post comments here. In a few weeks this disaster may drop off the media radar but the recovery process will have only just begun.

Please donate to help those in desperate need after the Queensland floods.

UPDATE: Don't forget those in northern New South Wales who are now being inundated by flood water. Nor those in Western Australia who are trying to recover from record floods in December 2010.

Queensland floods

Right now in Queensland, Australia, an area the size of the state of Victoria is under flood water. At Cunnamulla, the flood waters are expected to peak at 10 metres next week. This year so far almost eighty per cent of local councils in Queensland have become eligible for natural disaster relief.

BOM flood report for Queensland

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology

Queensland
Flood Summary
Issued at 12:06 PM on Thursday the 4th of March 2010

The following Watches/Warnings are current:

FLOOD WARNING FOR BUNGIL CREEK, LOWER CONDAMINE, MARANOA AND BALONNE RIVERS AND TRIBUTARIES

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE AUBURN, BOYNE and LOWER BURNETT RIVERS

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE BULLOO RIVER

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE FITZROY RIVER BASIN

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE FLINDERS AND NORMAN RIVERS

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE GEORGINA RIVER AND EYRE CREEK

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE LOWER DIAMANTINA RIVER

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MARY RIVER

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MOONIE RIVER

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE PAROO RIVER

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE THOMSON AND BARCOO RIVERS AND COOPER CREEK

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE WALLAM AND MUNGALLALA CREEKS

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE WARREGO RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES

FLOOD WARNING FOR THE WEIR RIVER

The CSIRO has long predicted more rain in northern Australia. Last summer there were major floods up north at the same time as there were devastating bushfires and a record-breaking heat wave down south. The CSIRO has also predicted that parts of southern Australia will be drier and hotter.

I haven't yet come across anyone in the media linking the floods to climate change, but it has been predicted and these current floods are described as being 'unprededented'.