Hurricane Rina grows in Caribbean

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25 October 2011 Last updated at 16:15 GMT Rina was expected to hit the coast of Mexico on Thursday morning Hurricane Rina has swelled to a Category 2 storm as it sweeps towards Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and Caribbean beach resorts.

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said Rina was expected to become a "major hurricane" by Tuesday night.

Further south, a Nicaraguan navy vessel that went missing in the storm with 27 people on board has been found safe.

The vessel, which had been evacuating fishermen, was spotted by a shrimping boat after two days adrift.

Destructive waves

At 1500GMT Rina was already packing sustained winds of 105mph (165kph), the NHC said.

It was expected to further increase in strength before hitting the coast of Yucatan on Thursday morning.

A hurricane warning is in force from Punta Gruesa to the tourist resort city of Cancun on Mexico's Caribbean coast, with tropical storm conditions extending further south.

Destructive waves and rainfall of 8 to 16 inches (20-40cm) are predicted.

Rina formed off the coast of Honduras and Nicaragua but has now turned away from Central America, which is already struggling to recover from weeks of torrential rain.

Floods and landslides have killed more than 100 people in the region, with El Salvador and Guatemala particularly badly effected.

The UN has launched an emergency appeal for $15.7m (£9.8m) in funds to help 300,000 people affected by the downpours in El Salvador.

"El Salvador is facing one of the biggest disasters in its history, given the scale and magnitude of the impact, as well as the damage caused to agriculture and infrastructure," Elisabeth Byrs of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

Throughout the region, 1.2m people had been affected, the UN said.

The presidents of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are meeting in San Salvador to discuss the disaster and issue a joint appeal for international aid.

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Thank Hurricane Irene for Brilliant Fall Foliage in Northeast

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Shobeir Ansari / Flickr / Getty Images

Amidst the destruction wrought by Hurricane Irene, there is a small silver lining:  New England states can expect particularly lovely colors as their leaves change this autumn.

The devastating hurricane ravaged New England in late August, resulting in flooding and extensive damage to many areas.  However, though some isolated trees were felled, most forests and heavy woods were spared.  Since the storm arrived early in the foliage season, leaves were not yet loosened and ready to drop, so they have clung on.

(MORE: Modern Living: Foliage Freaks)

Additionally, the heavy rains that accompanied the hurricane have kept the soil moist, which helps leaves stay longer on the trees, thus extending the period of foliage.

Leaf peeping draws many tourists to New York, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire this time of year.  When the trees stop producing chlorophyll to prepare for the cold winter, their green color fades, and we are left with beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows to admire.

State visitor bureaus are letting tourists know that they are open for business, despite continued recovery efforts from the storm's damages.  The State of Vermont tourism site declares, “Vermonters have pulled out all the stops to repair the roads and communities that were affected [by the hurricane]…If you have plans to come visit, please keep them; we would love to see you and our businesses need you now more than ever.”  In Vermont alone, tourists spend about $330 million during the six-week period of peak foliage, according to MSNBC.  At least this season, those who are undeterred will find a beautiful display of fall's bounty all over the region.

MORE: Fall Cleanup: The Free, Easy, and Earth-Friendly Way

Allison Berry is a contributor at TIME.  You can continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.

Amanda Knox dreamed of going home. Now she's there. She touched down in Seattle late Tuesday and was greeted by family, friends and a whole lot of reporters. Read More

"(The Rapture will) be finished out on Oct. 21, that's coming very shortly. That looks like it will be ... the final end of everything."

— HAROLD CAMPING, giving an update on when the Rapture, an event he says started on May 21, will finish (via Christian Post)

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Zogby: Obama Won't Benefit From Hurricane Irene Success

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Home > Politics & Policy > Washington Whispers > Zogby: Obama Won't Benefit From Hurricane Irene Success

September 2, 2011 Print

Pollster John Zogby updates our weekly Obama Report Card with a grade on the president's performance. Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis and interaction with major players to come up with a grade and some comments that capture how he sees the president's week ending.

John Zogby on Week: 137

"Hurricane Irene dominated the news, and even though it didn't match Katrina's devastation of New Orleans, President Obama can draw some contrast to Team Bush's asleep at the switch response to that storm. Irene is projected to still be one of the nation's most costly natural disasters. The GOP will demand dollar-for-dollar cuts to match new disaster aid, and that will be an argument Obama should win with voters. Too bad for him most of the damage is in the deep blue Northeast rather than swing states. Not getting much play was the drone attack killing of al Qaeda's number two man. Finally, by a 49%-41% margin, voters in our poll said it was appropriate for the president to vacation on Martha's Vineyard. Otherwise, his polling numbers remain weak."

This week's grade: C-

Last week's: D+

John Zogby is Chairman of the Board and Chief Insights Officer for IBOPE Zogby International, a non-partisan public opinion, research, and business solutions firm with experience working in more than 70 countries around the globe. IBOPE Zogby International specializes in telephone, Internet, and face-to-face survey research and analysis for corporate, political, nonprofit, and governmental clients. The firm is headquartered in Utica, N.Y. John Zogby is also the author of The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream (Random House).

Tags:al Qaeda, hurricanes, John Zogby, democratic party, Barack Obama, republican party 2011: 2010: 2009: 2008: 2007: 2006:

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Vermont father and son, who died in Hurricane Irene recall

Published September 09, 2011| Associated Press

RUTLAND, Vt - man of Vermont has died with his son during the height of the flooding caused by tropical storm Irene is being remembered as a simple man who was devoted to his job.

A joint funeral service was held Friday for Michael j. Garofano, a Ministry of public works employee Rutland and her son, 24 year old Michael g. Garofano.

The elder Garofano was accompanied by his son when he went to check on the facilities of the drinking water of the city on 28 August. The two were apparently removed in Mendon Brook, but no one has seen what happened.

The father body was recovered two days later. The body of the son was not found.

About 500 people turned to the dark 70 minutes ceremony at the Church St. Peters Rutland.

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