Storms of this severity and length are very unusual and it has not been safe to sail since Thursday.

BBC: Flood warnings after heavy rain in parts Scotland

Though he didn't foresee the severity of this year's bear markets in currencies and securities, at least he wasn't completely off base.

CNN: T IS AN INDICATION

The governor of New York State, Andrew Cuomo, has declared a public health emergency because of the severity of this year's influenza season.

BBC: New York State declares influenza emergency

The severity of this problem has been greatly diminished by the fact that WWII, which effectively ended the Great Depression (and left us with far more debt that we have today, incidentally), led to growth in the government sector that only slightly reversed itself once peace came.

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Mr. DONATO: Even after this huge, high-severity fire and a tough place to grow trees, we're finding lots of natural conifer regeneration, which was very unexpected.

NPR: Study: Salvage Logging Boosts Forest-Fire Threat

And the severity of the flu this year can be expected to prompt still more people to get vaccinated, including those who may not have done so in past flu seasons.

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To explore this they used an index of weather severity called the North Atlantic oscillation.

ECONOMIST: Evolution and climate change

This got us thinking: Can the severity of a botched call be measured by how fast it makes a manager move?

WSJ: The Race From Dugout to Umpire's Face

However, the severity of the injury was only ascertained this week after the player consulted a specialist.

BBC: Everton's Marouane Fellaini ruled out for six months

The human propensity for denial is one thing, but given the severity of our recent near-death experience, this sort of behavior seems to border on the pathological.

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This is not to say that a pullback, regardless of its severity, means that the run in the market in question is over.

FORBES: Yesterday's Market Reversal can be Categorized as "Not Surprising"

And at the most fundamental level, this is what Prof Bowman is aiming for - to raise the severity of the ecological decline, and get people to think outside the accepted boxes.

BBC: Trumpets of outrage in the outback

First, they want to build statistical models mapping the severity and frequency of past operational risk losses and use this to judge the amount of the bank's capital at risk from operational failures in the future.

ECONOMIST: Risk management

As such, the only way to mitigate the severity of the damage is to (a) settle this matter out of court with the Sullivan family in a dignified, expedient, and non-combative fashion, and (b) honor the memory of Declan Sullivan in any and all ways imaginable.

FORBES: Declan Sullivan's Death Could Cost Notre Dame $30 Million

So even if you don't believe in the severity of climate change, as I do, you still should want to pursue this agenda.

WHITEHOUSE: Meeting with Governors on Energy Policy

So, while there are a few things consumers can do in this situation, a lot will depend on the success of the administration process and on the severity of the business's financial situation.

BBC: When stores go bust: How to get your money or goods back

This latest flare-up in the European Union sovereign debt crisis is a reminder of the enormity and severity of that situation, overall.

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