Darrington, Washington (CNN) — Brenda Neal was still at the firehouse at midnight, watching as rescuers caked with mud returned from the search for survivors of a massive landslide in rural Washington state.

But they had no answers for her about her missing husband, Steven.  There was despair on their faces, she said.

Rescuers on Tuesday continued to battle mud and debris — with the consistency of quicksand in some places — in the search for survivors, but hopes dimmed as no one has been rescued since the slide Saturday.

 
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North Carolina’s Durham Academy Head of School Michael Ulku-Steiner and Assistant Head of School/Upper School Director Lee Hark announce that school will be closed Feb. 13, 2014.

A complete and total FUBAR by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and local Atlanta government.  Thousands of motorists sleep in cars and shops; thousands of students trapped in schools overnight. 

ATLANTA (AP) – Thousands of Atlanta students stranded all night long in their schools were reunited with their parents Wednesday, while rescuers rushed to deliver blankets, food, gas and a ride home to countless shivering motorists stopped cold by a storm that paralyzed the business capital of the South with less than 3 inches of snow.

As National Guardsmen and state troopers fanned out, Mayor Kasim Reed and Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal found themselves on the defensive, acknowledging the storm preparations could have been better. But Deal also blamed forecasters, saying he was led to believe it wouldn’t be so bad.

The icy weather wreaked similar havoc across much of the South, closing schools and highways, grounding flights and contributing to at least a dozen deaths from traffic accidents and a mobile home fire.

Yet it was Atlanta, home to major corporations and the world’s busiest airport, that was Exhibit A for how a Southern city could be sent reeling by winter weather that, in the North, might be no more than an inconvenience. (more…)

Five years ago Al Gore predicted the polar Ice-Caps would be gone by now.  Today it’s snowing in Cairo, Egypt.
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For their 125th Anniversary National Geographic is reaching out to readers for submissions.   Some of them are exceptional – CLICK HERE
Like this one from Jonathan Tucker:

‘This is a self portrait of my self under a glacier in Alaska took with a 360 camera to get the most possible angles of the picture. This was by far  the most amazing experience. This cave took me more than two hours to reach on a  hike over a mountainside through swamps and about 30 minutes of walking on the  glacier itself. When I first walked under the Glacier it was the most breath  taking and scary experience I have lived’ 

Update for Live Blog Details – CLICK HERE
At approximately 2:00am Eastern Time 9/13/13 – Emerson Gulch, a massive natural water barrier, collapsed North of Boulder Colorado due to extreme water pressure from flooding rains.
The ensuing wall of water estimated between 10 to 30 feet depending on location is rushing toward and into the city.
Sirens and Emergency calls to residents led to immediate evacuation to higher ground.

Prayers for all those affected.

ARIZONA – Arizona forestry officials confirmed Sunday night that 19 firefighters have died in the Yarnell Hill Fire that has ripped through half of the town, sent residents to Prescott for safety and given the state its worst wildfire firefighter tragedy.
“It’s a dark day,” said Mike Reichling, Arizona State Forestry Division spokesman.
Reichling said the 19 firefighters were found in an area that also had 19 fire shelters deployed. Some of the firefighters were inside a shelter, which is typically used as a last resort to withstand the fire as it blows over. Some of the crew members were found outside the shelters.
Officials said 18 of the dead were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots team. It’s unknown which fire crew the 19th firefighter belonged to. The firefighters are part of a team that is typically sent in first to help cut off the fire, Reichling said. (more…)

OKLAHOMA CITY — A violent storm formed over the prairie west of Oklahoma City late Friday afternoon, dropped a tornado in a suburb and rolled into the state capital as viewers brave enough to remain above ground watched on statewide television. State troopers reported a number of injuries.

Storm chasers with cameras in their car transmitted video showing a number of funnels dropping from the supercell thunderstorm as it passed south of El Reno and into Oklahoma City just south of downtown. Police urged motorists to leave the crosstown Interstate 40 and seek a safe place. (more…)

The Plaza Towers Elementary School was directly in the path of the Tornado.  The Search and Recovery efforts continue all night long.   Dozens still missing.

This is what it looked like before:

And this is what was left: (more…)

Prayers for all the families and victims.

Update:  CNN REPORTING – Death Toll jumps to 91  (link)

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