FLORIDA NATIONAL Guard helps in cleanup at Keaton Beach, Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene (Wikipedia, FNG).

The death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to 130 people as a wide area from Florida to North Carolin begins to dig out after being hit by an estimated 40 trillion gallons of rain.

According to the Associated Press, the downpour was nearly unprecedented. “I have not seen something like it in my 25 years of working at the Weather Service,” said Ed Clark, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The weather disaster had a political dimension. President Joe Biden plans to visit North Carolina on Wednesday. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made the unsupported claim that Biden was unavailable to Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp who sought to call him to talk about disaster relief for his state.

Some observers suggested that the presidential election could be affected. Early voting has begun – in person – in the swing state of North Carolina and the flooding could affect the turnout in western, rural areas of the state which traditionally vote Republican.

Israel plans commando action 

Plans to send commando raids into Lebanon to smash Hezbollah’s military like it  arrangements have been approved by Israel leaders.

BADGE of Israeli Defense Forces.

That was reported Monday by The New York Times. The action would be into a slim stretch of land along the southern border of Lebanon.

Journalists and civilians spotted caravans of buses transporting Israeli troops north, followed by military trucks.

Israeli strikes into Lebanon have claimed 95 lives and 172 wounded in air strikes in the past day, according to that nation’s ministry of health. 

The U.S. will be sending “a few thousand” additional troops into the area to bolster security for the 40,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East.

Weather: Warmer, then cooler …

Things will get a bit warmer, then cooler in our West Orange County cities. Tuesday is forecast to have an afternoon high of 85 with an overnight low of 64 under partly cloudy skies. Wednesday will rise to 87 (75) with partly cloudy skies but then drop off to 84 (64) under sunny skies on Thursday and cool slightly to 83 (64) on Friday with partly cloudy skies again.