In a related story, the opposite weather extreme is ravaging the Caribbean nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Floods triggered massive mud slides that buried entire towns. As of this writing, the final death toll is not yet in, although the skies are clear again over this two-nation island of Hispaniola.

The official death toll was just under 1,000, nearly equally divided between the countries, when Haitian officials announced that the town of Mapou, about 30 miles outside the capital of Port-au-Prince, may have another 1,000 dead in it alone.

Thousands are without homes and the essentials of life. The generous Americans and Canadians are again coming to the aid of the impoverished Haitians with water and food relief. Haiti's bankrupt government is hard-pressed to provide normal services to its 8 million citizens, much less to deal with a tragedy like this.