Climate Denial Crock of the Week

Did not know until today that I’ve been waiting all my life to write that headline.

Washington Post:

Aswan, Egypt, is one of the world’s driest cities, where it hardly ever rains. Situated along the Nile River and home to more than 1.5 million people, it averages just 0.12 inches (3 millimeters) of rain per year.

But on Friday and Saturday, intense thunderstorms and even hail deluged the desert city and parts of the surrounding region. The Associated Press reported that the torrents caused flooding and power outages, closed schools and left three people dead.

The rains also unleashed something especially sinister: hordes of highly venomous scorpions whose stings hospitalized 503 people, according to Ehab Hanafy, undersecretary of the Health Ministry in Aswan.

Hanafy said the three deaths were “due to storm-related accidents” and “absolutely not because of scorpion stings.”

Aswan Gov. Ahsraf Attia told the AP that those stung and hospitalized were given anti-venom doses and released. Al-Ahram, a government-run Egyptian newspaper, reported that doctors were called back from vacation to assist with treatments.

Scorpion stings are common in the region, and it’s normal for about 100 people per day to require care from stings. But storms increase hospital visits, according to Hanafy.