Storm Floodwaters Tainted With Sewage Threaten Public Health

MONTPELIER, Vt. Nasty floodwaters from the remnants of storms Lee and Irene – tainted with sewage and other toxins – threaten public health in parts of the Northeast by direct exposure or the contamination of private water wells.

"We face a public health emergency because sewage treatment plants are underwater and no longer working," Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said as flooding from Lee's drenching rains inundated central and eastern Pennsylvania. "Flood water is toxic and polluted. If you don't have to be in it, keep out."

A dozen Vermont towns flooded by Irene were still on boil-water orders 12 days later, though officials reported no waterborne illness. Similar precautions have been taken throughout other storm-damaged states.

In Waterbury, the municipal wastewater plant was overwhelmed by flooding from Irene and raw sewage flowed into the Winooski River. The smell of sewage was still strong Thursday in the mud- and muck-stained driveway where Air Force Master Sgt. Joe Bishop, 35, was home on leave – after a tour in Iraq and three in Afghanistan – trying to salvage what he could from his elderly parents' home.

"I've been drinking bottled water," Bishop said, and cleaning up with jugs of water from a tanker truck positioned down the road by emergency officials. He said he's trying to clean his father's power tools and other items but with limited water, the task has been difficult.

"You can't pressure-wash anything," he said. He had no idea when his parents' water service would be restored.

India-Pakistan Border From International Space Station (Photo)

This is like a modern Great Wall of China.

The bright orange line on the photo below, which was taken from the International Space Station, isn't photoshopped or cleverly highlighted to show an otherwise indiscernable line. It's an actual line of lights separating a hostile Asian border.

It's the border between India and Pakistan, and it clearly shows just how divided these two nations are.

From NASA's Earth Observatory:

The photo also holds another little treat, an aura high above the Earth that seems to curve perfectly with the planet's edge. This glow is created by radiation hitting the Earth's atmosphere, according to the Earth Observatory.

The photo itself was taken with a Nikon D3S digital camera using a 16mm lens and is a bit blurry because of a one second shutter-speed that allowed for additional light absorption.

Hurricane Irene Aftermath: Storm Will Cost Federal Taxpayers $1.5 Billion

WASHINGTON -- The White House estimated on Monday that Hurricane Irene will cost federal taxpayers $1.5 billion in disaster relief, further ballooning a government account that was already the focus of fresh partisan friction between President Barack Obama and Congress.

The preliminary estimate, released by White House budget director Jacob Lew, is on top of $5.2 billion needed for other recent disasters, including tornadoes that leveled much of Joplin, Mo. Lew said the $1.5 billion should last through next year.

The Obama administration has said last month's debt ceiling deal with Congress allows the government to pay for disaster spending by borrowing, which increases federal deficits. That is a long-time practice for financing emergencies. The House's No. 2 Republican, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, has said disaster spending should be offset by cutting other parts of the budget.

In a blog he posted announcing the initial estimate, Lew said the administration would work with Congress to finance the disaster spending but he showed no sign that the administration would back down.

"We are one country. A disaster in one corner is felt by Americans all across our land. That is why when it comes to taking care of our neighbors in need, we will not let politics get in the way and will do what is right to help them recover and rebuild," Lew wrote.

The cost estimate comes as Congress is returning from its summer recess. A Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee, headed by Democrats, is scheduled to meet Tuesday to consider a spending bill that includes disaster aid.

Vermont Braces For Flooding: 'I Don't Have Any More To Lose' (VIDEO)

When the rain-swollen White River rose up and overflowed, it laid waste to the 125-year-old Perley dairy farm.

Cows were carried away. Tractors and trucks were inundated with muddy floodwaters. The water took out a road, destroyed the first floor of the farmhouse, lifted a 6-foot long tank where milk is stored, knocked out power and smothered fields in the 10-acre spread.

"I don't know what we're going to do, but we're going to make it," said farm manager Penny Severance, 48, fighting back tears as she showed the damage to a visitor.

But help was already on the way.

On Sunday, more than two dozen volunteers donned gloves and protective masks to get to work ripping out the flood-damaged walls and floors in a bid to save the farmhouse. Farm owner Harland Perley, 81, had been moved to safety before the floods came.

Great White Shark In Photo Among San Diego Surfers Raises Questions (VIDEO)

Just keep swimming.

That's what dozens of surfers in Encinitas, Calif., unknowingly did as a Great White Shark reportedly swam among them.

A viewer sent San Diego's CBS 8 a photo of what appears to be a shark caught in a wave. He told the station he had been photographing the landscape at Swamis Beach and didn't realize what he had captured until he reviewed his pictures at home. (Scroll down to watch the interview.)

However, the photo one anchor calls "jaw-dropping" is raising a some questions from skeptics who say the "shark" could very well just be a surfer paddling through a wave, or the work of Photoshop.

"When [surfers] duck dive, they lift their leg up, and it looks very much like that," lifeguard Sgt. Robert Verla told CBS 8.

The news station sent the photo to a local shark research committee that believes the object in question is indeed 10-to-12-foot Great White.

If accurate, the sighting adds to a series of recent shark reports along San Diego's popular coastline. On Wednesday, a Great White was reported near La Jolla's Children's Pool, causing lifeguards to close a two-mile stretch of beaches, NBC San Diego reports. Sightings were also reported on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26.

Great White sightings aren't uncommon in the area, though. Some adolescent sharks, between 7 and 10 feet, can be spotted in Southern California from May and into the later summer, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A possible explanation for the August sightings? Waters didn't warm up until later in the season, marine biology professor Chris Lowe told the Times.

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Daryl Hannah Arrested At Keystone XL Pipeline Protest (VIDEO)

Actress Daryl Hannah has joined the over 500 people who have been arrested since August 20 for a sit-in protest outside the White House.

The "Splash" and "Wall Street" star was one of nearly 100 people who were arrested on Tuesday for protesting the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, according to a press release from Rainforest Action Network.

The Associated Press reports that Hannah sat by the White House sidewalk and refused to move under orders from U.S. Park Police.

According to Financial Post, Hannah shouted, “No to the Keystone pipeline” as she was being handcuffed.

The planned pipeline will run from the Canadian tar sands in Alberta to refineries on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is currently waiting on approval from the White House.

Prattsville, New York Underwater From Irene Flooding (VIDEO)

Some areas may have been spared from severe damage by Tropical Storm Irene, but inland areas of New York and Vermont are seeing their worst flooding in decades.

The CNN video below shows the damage caused by Irene in the small town of Prattsville, New York. The Catskills town of just over 300 homes was almost entirely underwater when newscasters arrived.

A state police helicopter was needed to rescue over 20 people stranded in the town yesterday, according to CNN.

The town was flooded when a local creek rose over 15 feet in under 12 hours. Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden told CNN that the rainwater spilling off the Catskills sent a volume of water that was greater than Niagara Falls through Prattsville.

According to the Associated Press, continued flooding on bridges and roads has cutoff at least three towns in New York and “some Vermont rivers still haven't reached their peak.” Flooding in Vermont is the worst in a century.

In Bartonsville, Vermont, strong floodwaters carried away a 141-year-old covered bridge as onlookers watched in shock.

Watch more Irene video footage here.

WATCH the CNN report:

African Golden Cat: Rare Footage Of Animal Recorded (VIDEO)

One of Africa's "most elusive" animals has been recorded by scientists, and shared in what may be the only publicly released video, according to CNN.

The African golden cat is extremely reclusive in nature, and thus little is known about its behavior, other than that it feeds mainly on rodents, and is nocturnal.

The footage, which was recorded by a motion-activated camera, could be used along with photos to better understand the species.

Laila Bahaa-el-din, a graduate student leading the study, told CNN what it was like to see the footage for the first time:

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the African Golden Cat is "listed as Near Threatened as it seems reasonable to believe that the species could have declined on the order of 20% over the course of the last 15 years across its range, due mainly to the impact of habitat loss, hunting and loss of prey base."

In Feburary, scientists used a similar camera to captured footage of four of the world's rarest rhinoceroses in Indonesia.

One of the world's most endangered species, the Javan rhino population is estimated to consist of no more than 50 animals in the Ujung Kulon National Park.

A few weeks ago, endangered cats at the Florida Big Cats rescue had some much-deserved fun in the sun with some giant chew toys and tires.

For some more good news for cats, three adorable baby Asian fishing cats were born in a zoo in Ohio committed to protected endangered species.

To learn about supporting Panthera, the conservation group who funded most of the study, click here.

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Hurricane Irene 2011: More Than 2 Million People Told To Move To Safer Places

As the storm's outermost bands of wind and rain began to lash the Outer Banks of North Carolina, authorities in points farther north begged people to get out of harm's way. The hurricane was still packing 100 mph winds late Friday, and officials in the Northeast, not used to tropical weather, feared it could wreak devastation.

"Don't wait. Don't delay," said President Barack Obama, who decided to cut short his summer vacation by a day and return to Washington. "I cannot stress this highly enough: If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now."

Senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch of the National Hurricane Center said there were signs that the hurricane may have weakened slightly, but strong winds continued to extend 90 miles from its center.

The moment Saturday when the eye of the hurricane crosses land "is not as important as just being in that big swath," Pasch said. "And unfortunately, it's a big target."

Hurricane warnings were issued from North Carolina to New York, and watches were posted farther north, on the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard off Massachusetts. Evacuation orders covered at least 2.3 million people, including 1 million in New Jersey, 315,000 in Maryland, 300,000 in North Carolina, 200,000 in Virginia and 100,000 in Delaware.

"This is probably the largest number of people that have been threatened by a single hurricane in the United States," said Jay Baker, a geography professor at Florida State University.

Ontario Storm: Lightning vs. The CN Tower (VIDEO)

If you were hiding under your sheets or taking cover in your basement you might've missed the show above the skies of the Greater Toronto Area. A massive storm brought plenty of rain and lightning.

Environment Canada also issued tornado warnings for large parts of southern Ontario, but thankfully no known twisters touched down and caused damage in populated areas.

If you lived in Toronto you might've been lucky to catch the light show, particularly the gasp-inducing sight of the CN Tower being struck by lightning repeatedly.

At more than 1,800 feet high, the tower is easily the tallest building in Toronto and is struck by lightning around 40 to 50 times a year. Last night's storm probably contributed a great deal to this year's quota.

These two videos captured the sight:

The first captures a panorama of Toronto's skyline from slightly further away. In the time-lapse you can see the tower get hit at least half-a-dozen times.

August 24 - Toronto from Dirk Teunissen on Vimeo.

August 24 - Toronto from Dirk Teunissen on Vimeo.

The second shows a street level view of the storm with some dramatic close-ups of the CN Tower and skyscrapers lit up by lightning.

Lightning TO from Jon Simonassi on Vimeo.

Polar Sea Ice May Expand Before It Disappears Video

Arctic sea ice is melting, but don't say goodbye just yet. A new study reveals that it may temporarily stop melting--or even expand--during the next several decades.

Scientists with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) found that the melting Arctic sea ice may see periods of stability and growth as it disappears.

According to Jennifer Kay, the study's lead author, atmospheric conditions, like wind patterns, will vary enough in the coming decades to slow the rate of melting for up to 10 year periods. The good news comes in the wake of last month's observation that Arctic sea ice levels were the lowest for any July since 1979.

But Kay told the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) that these trends would not be permanent. “when you start looking at longer-term trends, 50 or 60 years, there’s no escaping the loss of ice in the summer," she said.

Kay's team found that “sea ice loss observed in recent decades cannot be explained by natural causes alone, and that the ice will eventually disappear during summer if climate change continues."

Kay's team found that “sea ice loss observed in recent decades cannot be explained by natural causes alone, and that the ice will eventually disappear during summer if climate change continues."

According to CBS News "summertime ice in the Arctic has shrunk by about a third since 1979."

About half of the sea ice loss in recent years can be blamed on human activity, the study found.

Diamond Planet Discovered – Video

Scientists say the planet exists about 4,000 light years away from Earth, and is probably the remnants of a once-large dead star.

As to what the diamond planet looks like, Ben Stappers of the University of Manchester told The Macadonean International News Agency (MINA) it’s probably not what everyone pictures: “I don’t know I could even speculate. I don’t imagine that a picture of a very shiny object is what we’re looking at here.”

Astronomers detected a similar planet in December 2010, only 1,200 light years away.

Endangered Big Cats Get Playful With Big Toys (VIDEO)

Big cats deserve big toys.

Forget the fancy iPad apps for cats, these big cats at Florida's Big Cat Rescue sanctuary are happy just playing with some oversized rubber tires.

The cats often seem to be as cheeky and playful as domestic cats. In June, some cuddly lions were caught on camera giving their caregivers hugs and kisses.

Some are a bit more mischievous, as Roger and Pat de la Harpe can attest -- a lion took off with their camera while they were shooting an upcoming piece on lions in South Africa.

Without some serious protection, these big kitties may not be around for much longer, as the mountain lion faces many different threats. By the 20th century, the lions, who were once found across the U.S., were wiped out from the Midwest and Eastern U.S., according to National Geographic.

Leopards are also threatened, and the Amur leopard is one of the most endangered big cats in the world, with only about 35 Amur leopards left in the wild, according to amur-leopard.org.

The Sumatran Tiger also remains critically endangered, even though the animal is protected by law in Indonesia. Despite their efforts, there is still a market for tiger parts and products, according to worldwildlife.org. The number of tigers is at an all-time low, with as little as 3,700 tigers in existence.

The South China Tiger is thought to be functionally extinct, with 47 known animals living in zoos in China.

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Giant Panda Celebrates Second Birthday At San Diego Zoo (VIDEO)

Giant pandas may be endangered in the wild, but this guy's only concern was having too much fun with his birthday cake.

Yun Zi is a giant panda at the San Diego Zoo who celebrated his second birthday in early August. Zookeepers gave him a special cake made out of ice with some of his favorite fruits and vegetables.

According to SanDiego.com, the San Diego Zoo is “one of only four zoos in the United States which house and displays giant pandas and is the most successful program with regards to panda reproduction.”

The Zoo has bred four other panda cubs, which have all been sent to China as part of a twelve year research loan program that took “years of prolonged negotiations and mountains of paperwork” to set up.

Giant pandas, which are native to China, are threatened with extinction. The Associated Press explains that this is due to a loss of habitat, poaching and poor breeding abilities. AFP reports that giant pandas may become extinct in two or three generations.

The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. has an adult female giant panda, but she has failed for five years in a row to give the zoo a cub.

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Carolina Beach Waterspout Becomes Tornado (VIDEOS)

At least five waterspouts formed off the coast of North Carolina on Thursday, with one of the twisters reaching the beach and turning into a tornado that damaged a wooden deck and tossed barrels in the air, according to reports from WSOC-9 and NBC-17.

According to WECT-6, no injuries were reported.

The National Weather Service describes that there are two types of waterspouts: tornadic waterspouts and fair weather waterspouts. Tornadic waterspouts are essentially torandoes over water, tend to form during thunderstorms and can move from water to land. Fair weather waterspouts, which are less dangerous, develop in calm weather and move very little.