Ally Hirschlag

Last month, my brother and sister-in-law brought their kids, ages 2 and 5, over to see the new apartment I share with my husband. On the day of their visit, I was brimming with trepidation for one big reason: I have no idea how to play with…

Gutters — they're your house's primary precipitation protection, as long as they're clear and working properly. If they're not, your house could suffer from mold growth, damp basements, a leaky roof, even interior and foundation damage over time. The…

On Friday, September 20th, over 4 million people across 185 countries came out and lent their support to a global climate strike, which has now been dubbed the largest climate protest in history. With youth like Greta Thurnberg, who began climate…

Wildfires are stunning, volatile, extraordinarily dangerous forces of nature that can destroy thousands of acres of land in a matter of hours. If you've ever been near one, you know how terrifying they can be — not just because of their ability to…

Don't test on animals. That's something we can all agree on, right? No one likes to think of defenseless cats, dogs, hamsters, and birds being exposed to a bunch of things that could make them sick (and the animals aren't happy about it, either).…

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The end of summer into early fall is primetime hurricane season, and if you live on a coast (especially the east and south coasts), you'll likely feel the effects of at least one before Halloween. While the direct path of a hurricane is often the…

While tornadoes and hurricanes are scary and destructive, when it comes to the most dangerous weather event, they don't hold a candle to floods. Floods are devastating — in the past 30 years, they've led to $260 billion in damages and caused an…

Beth Koigi is no stranger to water insecurity. She grew up in an area of Kenya where water was pumped into homes directly from the nearby river, and as a result, many people regularly developed water-born diseases like amoebic dysentery and typhoid.…

Whether it's an intense thunderstorm or a full-blown hurricane, storms can do a number on your home, especially in the summertime when temperatures are at their hottest. When air and water temperatures rise, storms tend to drop more precipitation and…

Beth Koigi is no stranger to water insecurity. She grew up in an area of Kenya where water was pumped into homes directly from the nearby river, and as a result, many people regularly developed water-born diseases like amoebic dysentery and typhoid.…

Whether it's a holiday or just a random, warm night, fireworks always make a gathering more fun and special. Unless, of course, you're a pet who doesn't like loud noises — then it's probably not the sort of entertainment you'd choose for the evening.…

Many of us associate home with feeling safe and sound, but there are actually a surprising number of things around the house that can become dangerous if not handled correctly. Ordinary household furniture that hasn't been secured properly, for…

It’s a common sight throughout India’s slums and rural areas: hoards of people waiting by the side of the road to get water from tankard trucks, or in long lines for the only public tap in the region. This ends up costing everyone, especially women…

Lightning — it may look cool when you see it streak across the sky, but it's also an incredibly dangerous, unpredictable force of nature. It's hotter than the surface of the sun, and strikes the United States approximately 25 million times a year. So…

Every morning while it was still dark outside, women and children from Berber villages in southwestern Morocco would get up and walk three miles to the closest water wells to fill jugs for the day. They would then walk the three miles back to their…

Storms can be scary and inconvenient, especially if you lose power during — or right after — one passes overhead. All of a sudden, you've lost access to important things like lights, wifi, cooking aids like microwaves and electric ovens, and…

Unlike hurricanes and tropical storms, which can usually be tracked days in advance, a tornado can strike with as little warning as 13 minutes. Once it's touched the ground, it can destroy property in a matter of moments, leaving people defenseless…

After the devastating Marjorie Stoneman High School shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead, a number students and faculty experienced debilitating symptoms that often accompany a traumatic event. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)…

Women's rights over their own bodies are currently being threatened by a rapidly growing number of states in America. Sadly, they're also not being protected as they should be by some of its most prestigious educational institutions. Back in 2016, a…