Free Republic

(WHTM) — It was the most costly natural disaster in American history, and it hit Pennsylvania the hardest. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Agnes. The story of Agnes begins on June 11, 1972, when ripples in the atmosphere appear in the western Caribbean sea. It ends on July 6, when the last vestiges of the storm are absorbed by another weather system out in the Atlantic, south of Iceland. When Agnes eventually sputtered out, it left behind an estimated death toll of 128, of whom 50 were from Pennsylvania. The storm also caused around 3.1 billion dollars...

Hurricane season began on June 1st and more often than not it is a month that doesn’t feature too much tropical storm activity, but back in early June 1966 it was a different story. On June 4th, the first tropical depression of the young season formed near Nicaragua. The tropical depression moved north into the already warm waters of the Western Caribbean and strengthened rapidly into Hurricane Alma as it made landfall on the western tip of Cuba. Typically, when tropical systems make landfall they weaken, but Alma only got stronger as it continued to make its way to the...

"Hurricane Agnes originated in the Caribbean Sea region in mid-June. Circulation barely reached hurricane intensity for a brief period in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm crossed the Florida Panhandle coastline on June 19, 1972, and followed an unusually extended overland trajectory combining with an extratropical system to bring very heavy rain from the Carolinas northward to New York. This torrential rain followed the abnormally wet May weather in the Middle Atlantic States and set the stage for the subsequent major flooding.The record-breaking floods occurred in the Middle Atlantic States in late June and early July 1972. Many streams in...

Red Simple FIVE DAYS AFTER the martyrdom of the Virgin Emerentiana, the parents of the glorious Saint Agnes visited the tomb of their child during the night, there to weep and pray. It was the eighth day since her martyrdom. While they were thinking upon the cruel death, which, though it had enriched their child with a Martyr’s palm, had deprived them of her society—Agnes suddenly appeared to them: she was encircled with a bright light, and wore a crown on her head, and was surrounded by a choir of virgins of dazzling beauty. On her right hand, there...

Red Double HOW RICH is the constellation of Martyrs, which shines in this portion of the sacred Cycle. Yesterday, we had St. Sebastian; tomorrow we shall be singing the name which means Victory, for it is the Feast of Vincent; and now, today, between these two rich palm branches, we are rejoiced with the lovely rose and lily wreath of Agnes. It is to a girl of thirteen that our Emmanuel gave this stern courage of martyrdom, which made her meet the enemy of as bold a front as either the valiant Captain of the praetorian band or the...

Let us invoke St. Agnes, virgin and martyr. O glorious Agnes, chosen by God, though weak, to make His own might manifest in your martyrdom, together with the Apostles intercede before the throne of our Our Father in heaven and beg strength for the bishops of the Church in the United States so that they will in a timely manner, and with no uncertain words and actions, stand up for religious freedom in the face of attacks by the Obama Administration. I have posted this in times past, but it bears repetition:Here is something I have posted in the past…...

Was Agnès Sorel, the first official royal mistress of France, poisoned? Grenoble (France), 2 April 2005 - The ESRF has gone back in time to study the reason behind the sudden death of the beautiful mistress of French king Charles VII, in the XV century. Thanks to synchrotron light, pieces of Agnès Sorel's hair and skin have been studied. The evidence obtained makes it possible to suggest plausible causes of death. The way she died is not known yet, however, incredibly high levels of mercury have been found in her remains. This finding opens the door to numerous hypotheses. The...