#(i recorded it friday night when there was a coastal flood warning.) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

newstfionline · 2 years

Text

Monday, December 27, 2021

Hundreds more flights canceled because of staff shortages (AP) Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19, as the nation’s travel woes extended beyond Christmas, with no clear indication when normal schedules would resume. More than 700 flights entering, leaving or flying within the U.S. were called off, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. That figure was down from nearly 1,000 on Saturday. More than 50 flights were already canceled for Monday. Delta, United and JetBlue have blamed the omicron variant of the coronavirus for staffing shortages that forced cancellations. Globally, airlines scrapped about 2,200 flights as of Sunday morning, down from more than 2,800 from the day before, FlightAware’s data showed.

Christmas roast: temperatures soar in Texas and US south-east (Guardian) About 200 temperature records in the US may be broken over the next several days as warm air across Texas and the south-east is predicted to bring spring or even summer-like conditions, making Christmas Day likely to be the warmest in 50 to 100 years in some areas. The temperatures could make this the warmest December on record for many cities in the region including Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, St Louis, Kansas City and Chicago. In some areas, records have already been broken: Wichita Falls in Texas hit 91F (33C) Friday, and Grandfield, Oklahoma, reached 89F. Both beat their Fourth of July high—back at in the middle of summer. In contrast, western states in the US are experiencing coastal rain and heavy high elevation snowfall and more than 6m people along the California coast under storm warnings that could bring 4in of rainfall throughout the next five days.

Bidens mark Christmas with holiday calls to service members (AP) President Joe Biden marked his first Christmas in office by making calls to military service members stationed around the world, offering them holiday wishes and gratitude for their service and sacrifice for the nation. Joined by his wife, Jill, and their new puppy, Commander, the president on Saturday spoke via video to service members representing the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard, stationed at bases in Qatar, Romania, Bahrain and the U.S. “As your commander in chief, I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, thank you, thank you,” he told the service members. “We’re grateful for your courage, your sacrifice, not only your sacrifice but your family’s sacrifice.”

Dams burst in northeastern Brazil forcing evacuations (AP) Two dams gave way in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia after weeks of heavy rains, swamping already swollen local rivers and threatening flash floods, regional authorities said on Sunday. The Igua dam, near the city of Vitoria da Conquista in southern Bahia, collapsed on Saturday night, leading authorities to evacuate residents at risk down river, mainly in the town of Itambe. A second dam gave way to rising water levels in Jussiape, 100 kilometers to the north, on Sunday morning, bringing more alerts for residents to move to safer ground. There were no reports of deaths or injuries, though bridges and roads were damaged.

Armed intruder arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle as the Queen celebrated Christmas (CNN) An armed intruder was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle where Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and some members of her family were spending Christmas, Thames Valley Police said on Saturday. A 19-year-old man from Southampton who was in possession of “an offensive weapon” was captured shortly after 8:30 a.m. local time and remains in custody, the police said. According to the police statement, officers from Thames Valley and the Metropolitan Police responded to the security breach within minutes. The man did not enter any buildings, the police said.

France reports daily record cases as omicron hits Europe hard (The Hill) France reported more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, setting a new record as the highly contagious omicron variant rips across Europe. The omicron variant has quickly become the dominant strain in many countries, driving a surge in cases. The United Kingdom reported a record high for daily cases on Friday. Early research suggests that variant, first identified in South Africa, may be less severe than previous iterations, at least for vaccinated individuals.

At least 16 people killed in shipwreck off Greece, adding to string of deadly incidents at sea (Washington Post) At least 16 people are dead, among them an infant, after a boat carrying migrants capsized Friday near the Greek island of Paros—the third deadly incident requiring search-and-rescue operations this week, Greece’s coastguard reported, along a crucial corridor for refugees seeking to enter Europe. Athens News Agency reported that 63 people had been rescued and would be temporarily housed on the island of Paros. The agency reported that some 80 people were estimated to have been on the boat, which Greek authorities said they suspected was en route from Turkey to Italy. More than 23,150 migrants and refugees have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014, according to the United Nations-affiliated Missing Migrants Project. Boats often set out from Libya and Turkey and carry migrants and refugees from Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and elsewhere seeking safety in Europe.

More than 10,000 Russian troops returning to bases after drills near Ukraine (Reuters) More than 10,000 Russian troops have been returning to their permanent bases after month-long drills near Ukraine, Interfax news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Russian military. Interfax said the drills were held in several regions near Ukraine, including in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, as well as in the southern Russian regions of Rostov and Kuban. Russia’s deployment of tens of thousands of troops to the north, east and south of Ukraine had fuelled fears in Kyiv and Western capitals that Moscow was planning an attack. Russia denies any such plans, saying it needs pledges from the West—including a promise from NATO not to expand the alliance eastward towards Russian borders—because its own security is threatened by Ukraine’s growing ties with the Western alliance.

A gift of Christmas joy for the children of the incarcerated (AP) Kevin Almestica recalls unwrapping a Christmas present at age 5 to find his favorite G.I. Joe action figure with a card from his mom who was serving time at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex. “That brought me great joy thinking that she was thinking of me,” said the 27-year-old Florida-based photographer. Almestica’s gift was sent by the Angel Tree program of Prison Fellowship, a nonprofit which partners with churches and volunteers to host toy drives and deliver gifts to children on behalf of their incarcerated parents. It’s part of an effort by some faith groups and congregations to bring Christmas cheer—and connection—to prisoners and their kids. Angel Tree, Almestica said, helped strengthen a bond with his mother, who died when he was young. Today, Almestica sponsors kids in the program so they can also get presents.

On Christmas, pope prays for pandemic’s end, peace dialogues (AP) Pope Francis prayed Saturday for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, using his Christmas Day address to urge health care for all, vaccines for the poor and for dialogue to prevail in resolving the world’s conflicts. The pope’s Christmas Day speech gives him an opportunity to draw a global audience’s attention to conflicts big and small. This year was no different. Francis lamented ongoing conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, newly flaring tensions in Ukraine and Ethiopia, and an “unprecedented crisis” in Lebanon. “We have become so used to them (conflicts) that immense tragedies are now being passed over in silence; we risk not hearing the cry of pain and distress of so many of our brothers and sisters,” he said. Francis warned of the pandemic tendency to withdraw and isolate, urging instead dialogue to try to resolve the world conflicts.

#headlines #news

0 notes

news-lisaar · 4 years

Text

0 notes

biofunmy · 5 years

Text

The Latest: Dorian lashes east coast of Central Florida

The Latest on Hurricane Dorian (all times local):

11:00 p.m.

Hurricane Dorian continues to lash the east coast of Central Florida as a strong Category 2 storm.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Dorian is now about 95 miles (152 kilometers) east of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Maximum sustained winds are being clocked at 110 mph (175 kph). It’s moving to the north northwest at 6 mph (9 kph).

The Miami-based weather center says turn toward the north is forecast by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast on Thursday morning. The core of Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast through Wednesday night. The center of Dorian is forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina Thursday through Friday morning.

Earlier this week Dorian pummeled parts of the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane, leaving widespread devastation and at least seven people dead.

————

9:45 p.m.

The federal government has granted a request for a federal disaster declaration for North Carolina in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian’s impact on the state.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper requested the federal declaration on Sept. 2. Cooper says North Carolina has faced difficult storms before and is preparing for Hurricane Dorian to track up the Southeast coast this week.

Says Cooper: “We’re taking every precaution to make sure we’re prepared.” The governor adds: “I appreciate the support of our federal partners in making sure our state is ready to respond to whatever Hurricane Dorian brings.”

The U.S. National Hurricane Center adjusted its forecast tracks Tuesday, putting Dorian closer to the South and North Carolina coasts later in the week. Earlier this week Dorian pummeled parts of the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane, leaving widespread devastation and at least seven people dead.

————

8:40 p.m.

The prime minister of the Bahamas says the death toll from Hurricane Dorian has risen to seven and that more deaths are expected.

Hubert Minnis says the deaths involved two people who were injured earlier and taken to New Providence Island. He spoke late Tuesday at a news conference.

Minnis said he flew over the Abaco Islands and expects to do the same in Grand Bahama as soon as the weather clears.

In Abaco, he saw groups of people waving yellow sheets and shirts. He said 60 percent of homes were damaged in Marsh Harbor and that at least one community was completely destroyed.

————

8 p.m.

Dorian is scraping the central part of Florida’s east coast as it tracks offshore.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Dorian is now about 110 miles (180 kilometers) east of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Maximum sustained winds are being clocked at 110 mph (175 kph). It’s moving to the northwest at 6 mph (9 kph).

Dorian virtually stalled over the northwestern Bahamas in recent days as a Category 5 storm that caused widespread devastation in parts of the island archipelago. It was the most powerful hurricane on record ever to hit the Bahamas. At least five deaths were reported there though the full scope of the disaster still remains unknown.

———

7:30 p.m.

Richard Halpern, of Bonita Springs, Florida, has a condo in Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama and waited out Hurricane Dorian for days in his second-floor unit.

Halpern says the noise from the storm was “very loud and constant.” He adds: “These are noises you never want to hear in your life. This lingered for such a long time that no one could be prepared for that.”

Halpern says his area was one of the few not hit by the storm surge from Dorian. But he says not far away, “we have friends who had to walk out of their homes in waist high water.”

Halpern and his wife are without power and without water and haven’t figured out a way to travel out of the island.

———

6 p.m.

Hurricane Dorian is now pulling away from the northwestern Bahamas and beginning to scrape Florida’s east coast with its winds and rain.

Forecasters say Dorian was centered at 6 p.m. EDT Tuesday about 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of Melbourne, Florida. It has top sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph) as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm is moving to the northwest at 6 mph (9 kph), tracking offshore and nearly parallel to Florida’s Atlantic shoreline.

Dorian virtually stalled over the northwestern Bahamas in recent days as a Category 5 storm that caused widespread devastation in parts of the island archipelago. It was the most powerful hurricane on record ever to hit the islands. At least five deaths were reported though the full scope of the disaster still remains uncertain.

————

5:45 p.m.

Some of the first post-storm images out of Grand Bahama are showing children and elderly people huddled in the shovel of a huge bulldozer as it evacuates them to a safer area.

Practically parking over the Bahamas for a day and a half, Hurricane Dorian pounded the islands and left widespread devastation to thousands of homes earlier this week. Many people were reported trapped in their homes by high waters from what was then an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm.

Rescuers began evacuating people late Tuesday using jet skis, boats. They even brought in the large bulldozer, which carried people through deep muddy waters to safety. Many had their heads bowed down by still-heavy wind and rain.

———

5:50 p.m.

Universal Orlando Resort is closing its theme parks in Florida early for the day because of Hurricane Dorian.

The theme park resort says its two parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, were shutting as of 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Other theme parks in Orlando had already made plans to close early or not open at all.

SeaWorld was closed Tuesday because of Dorian. And Walt Disney World closed its four theme parks by mid-afternoon Tuesday.

Forecasters say Dorian was centered Tuesday afternoon about 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of Melbourne, Florida with top sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph) as a Category 2 hurricane. It’s moving to the northwest offshore from Florida’s east coast.

———

5:35 p.m.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says the latest forecast information indicates his state’s coastline could be hit with winds up to 60 mph (95 kph) winds and storm surges of 4 to 7 feet (1.2 meters to 2 meters) as Dorian approaches.

Kemp had previously ordered evacuations of the coast and said light traffic counts coming out of the area so far concern him.

“I’m hoping a lot of people are waiting until tonight or first thing in the morning,” Kemp said Tuesday as Dorian approached the Southeast seacoast as a Category 2 hurricane.

State meteorologist Will Lanxton says forecasters cannot yet say when the worst of the storm surge will hit.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center recently adjusted its forecast tracks, putting Dorian closer to the South and North Carolina coasts later in the week. Earlier this week Dorian pummeled parts of the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm, leaving widespread devastation.

————

5:15 p.m.

More than a quarter-million visitors and residents have been told to leave North Carolina’s coastal region ahead of Hurricane Dorian.

The most populous coastal county to be evacuated is Dare County, where 250,000 people, including 36,000 residents, have been told to get out.

In New Hanover County, where flooding cut off the city of Wilmington during last year’s Hurricane Florence, officials said they didn’t expect a similar issue from Dorian. They say the storm isn’t expected to dump as much rain and the ground isn’t as saturated as it was last year.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center adjusted its forecast tracks on Tuesday putting Dorian closer to the South and North Carolina coasts. Forecasters noted that even if Dorian doesn’t make landfall, it’s likely to bring dangerous winds, life-threatening storm surge and flooding rains to parts of the Carolinas.

———

5 p.m.

Winds are increasing along parts of Florida’s East Coast as Hurricane Dorian tracks offshore in the Atlantic.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the Category 2 storm was centered at about 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday about 105 miles (170 kilometers) east of Vero Beach, Florida. Top sustained winds are at 110 mph (175 kph) and Dorian is moving to the northwest at 6 mph (9 kph).

Forecasters say Dorian is expected to move dangerously close to the coast of Florida and Georgia from Tuesday night through Wednesday night before menacing the coast of the Carolinas Thursday and Friday.

The hurricane center has adjusted its forecast tracks closer to the coasts of South and North Carolina, noting “a track that close to the coast, even if landfall does not occur, is likely to bring dangerous winds, life-threatening storm surge, and flooding rains across the eastern portions of the Carolinas.”

———

4:55 p.m.

The National Hurricane Center has extended a hurricane warning from Savannah River to Edisto Beach, South Carolina and from the South Santee River in South Carolina to Surf City, North Carolina. Storm surge warnings have been extended to Surf City.

A storm surge watch has been expanded northward to Duck, North Carolina. A hurricane watch now extends to the North Carolina/Virginia border and tropical storm watch now reaches to the Chincoteague, Virginia, and for the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay, from Smith Point southward. The hurricane warning from Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet in Florida has been reduced to a tropical storm warning and tropical storm warnings south of there have been dropped.

———

4 p.m.

Hurricane Dorian has begun lashing parts of Florida’s east coast with tropical storm force winds.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Dorian remains a Category 2 storm moving nearly parallel to Florida’s east coast but offshore. It said that as of 4 p.m. EDT Tuesday, a sustained wind gust of 60 mph (95 kph) was reported recently at a weather station in Melbourne Beach, Florida.

The eye of Dorian continues to move away from Grand Bahama Island after leaving widespread devastation in parts of the Bahamas. Dorian’s center is now about 105 miles (165 kilometers) east of Fort Pierce, Florida. Its top sustained winds are now at 110 mph (175 kph). The storm is moving northwest at 5 mph (7 kph).

———

3:50 p.m.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is assisting with a mandatory evacuation for visitors on Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks.

The division evacuated 984 passengers and transported 498 vehicles from Ocracoke Island between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday. The Ferry Division will help evacuate Ocracoke Island residents starting at 5 a.m. Wednesday. The ferries serving Ocracoke will be suspended Wednesday afternoon.

North Carolina’s governor has waived ferry fees for the evacuation.

———

3:35 p.m.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says Hurricane Dorian is still expected to bring life-threatening storm surges even as it was downgraded to a category 2 hurricane.

FEMA Associate Administrator Carlos Castillo said Tuesday that residents along the U.S. East Coast should be prepared to evacuate if necessary and should heed evacuation orders from local officials.

He says: “Don’t tough it out, get out.”

Castillo says FEMA has over 1,600 employees deployed or on the way to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The American Red Cross says they’ve already opened 170 shelters and evacuation centers. Over 13,000 people are already at those facilities.

The National Guard and U.S. Coast Guard say they have also readied troops and are ready to respond once the storm hits.

———

3:35 p.m.

The U.S. military is taking precautions as Hurricane Dorian threatens ships and planes based on Virginia’s coast.

U.S. Air Force Col. David Lopez said in a statement Tuesday that F-22 Raptor fighter jets and T-38 Talon training planes will leave Langley Air Force Base in Hampton. The planes will fly to the Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base outside Columbus, Ohio.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy is ordering ships on Virginia’s coast to prepare to leave if necessary. Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis said in a statement that ships at the world’s largest Navy base in Norfolk and other nearby installations will be ready to depart within 24 hours.

By heading out to sea, the ships will better protect themselves and reduce significant potential damage to piers, airplanes and other infrastructure.

———

2:50 p.m.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed some relief that Hurricane Dorian’s track changed before hitting the state, but he warned residents near the coast to follow local emergency officials’ instructions for evacuations.

DeSantis said that over the last week-and-a-half, Dorian forecasts had potentially all 67 counties in its path and people should stay safe and remain vigilant over the coming days.

Meanwhile in South Carolina, officials say nearly a quarter-million people have evacuated from that state’s coast ahead of Dorian.

Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall said Tuesday that a total of 244,000 people have headed South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s order to leave the state’s coast and head inland. That’s nearly a third of the total of about 800,000 people officials have said they believed to be in the evacuation zone, which includes the state’s entire coast.

———

2:50 p.m.

Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy told reporters Tuesday it’s too early to tell what U.S. military forces may be needed to help the Bahamas, which has suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Dorian .

He said the hospital ship USNS Comfort is a four or five day sail away and could be used for medical assistance. He said the military is also prepared to provide engineering, transportation and other help to reopen airports and fix the airfields.

O’Shaughnessy says the USS Bataan and its amphibious ready group, with thousands of sailors and Marines aboard, are also off the coast of North Carolina and could be used if needed.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper has already authorized 14 days of support to the Bahamas if needed. The U.S. Coast Guard is already providing logistics and search and rescue aid in the Bahamas, and has six helicopters there so far.

———

2:15 p.m.

The center of Hurricane Dorian is finally moving away from Grand Bahama island but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says the island will continue getting dangerous winds and life-threatening storm surge through the evening.

Dorian’s maximum sustained winds Tuesday afternoon remain at 110 mph (175 kph), making it a Category 2 hurricane.

The hurricane is centered about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Freeport and is moving northwest near 5 mph (7 kph).

Practically parking over the Bahamas for a day and a half, Dorian has been pounding the islands in a watery onslaught that devastated thousands of homes, trapped people in attics and crippled hospitals.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Fernand has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, prompting a tropical storm warning for Mexico’s northeast coast.

———

2 p.m.

As Hurricane Dorian pounds the Bahamas, a new tropical storm has formed in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Fernand formed Tuesday afternoon, prompting a tropical storm warning for Mexico’s northeast coast.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (65 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says slow strengthening is expected before the storm moves inland. It’s centered about 160 miles (255 kilometers) east of La Pesca, Mexico, and is moving west near 7 mph (11 kph).

———

1:30 p.m.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is reporting light traffic on the interstate highway being used as a one-way evacuation route for coastal residents fleeing Hurricane Dorian .

State officials Tuesday morning turned all lanes of Interstate 16 into an eastbound route from Savannah on the coast to Dublin about 100 miles (160 kilometers) inland.

The state DOT said in a news release the route was seeing “light traffic” Tuesday afternoon and cars were “running at the speed limit.”

The agency urged coastal residents to evacuate before traffic on I-16 increased. Forecasters expect Dorian to approach coastal Georgia on Wednesday, most likely with the storm’s center staying offshore.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp ordered a mandatory evacuation for the entire Georgia coast beginning Monday. Roughly 540,000 people live in the state’s six coastal counties.

———

1:30 p.m.

Officials in the South Carolina city of Charleston are mulling putting a prohibition on price gouging info effect as residents continue to evacuate the coast ahead of Hurricane Dorian .

City officials said they would meet later Tuesday to consider two emergency ordinances designed to prohibit price gouging and enable emergency road closures.

Anti-price gouging measures are often considered to protect motorists scrambling to move inland ahead of storms. Gov. Henry McMaster has ordered evacuations along South Carolina’s coast, reversing a major interstate so that all lanes lead inland from Charleston, to accommodate more drivers.

Many areas of Charleston’s historic downtown peninsula regularly flood with rising tides, a situation expected to become worse as the storm and its rainfall approach. City officials said they expected tides to increase significantly Wednesday afternoon into Thursday.

———

12 p.m.

Officials in northeastern Florida are urging people to stay away from the beaches due to possible storm surge from Hurricane Dorian .

Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said Tuesday that waves of up to 20 feet (6 meters) are expected along the area’s Atlantic beaches as the storm moves toward the north.

He says there can still be “life-threatening if not deadly conditions at the beach.”

Lord said storm surge is expected along the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.

———

12 p.m.

Two Florida men have been arrested for stealing sandbags meant for Hurricane Dorian preparations.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Thaylon Lewis and Joseph Colombo Jr. were arrested Monday evening after a deputy spotted one man taking the sandbags from a highway overpass and the other acting as a lookout.

Lewis is charged with theft during a declared state of emergency, a third-degree felony. Colombo was also arrested for an injunction violation for possessing a firearm, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Online court records show no attorneys listed for the men.

———

11 a.m.

Hurricane Dorian has weakened to a Category 2 storm as it continues to batter the Bahamas with life-threatening storm surge.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Dorian’s maximum sustained winds decreased Tuesday morning to near 110 mph (175 kph). But it’s expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next few days.

Dorian is centered about 45 miles (70 kilometers) north of Freeport in the Bahamas and is moving northwest near 2 mph (4 kph).

———

9:35 a.m.

Bahamas Health Minister Duane Sands tells The Associated Press that Hurricane Dorian devastated the health infrastructure in Grand Bahama island and massive flooding has rendered the main hospital unusable.

He said Tuesday that the storm caused less severe damage in the neighboring Abaco islands and he hopes to send an advanced medical team there soon.

Sands said the main hospital in Marsh Harbor is intact and sheltering 400 people but needs food, water, medicine and surgical supplies. He also said crews are trying to airlift between five and seven end-stage kidney failure patients from Abaco who haven’t received dialysis since Friday.

Dorian hit Abaco on Sunday with sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph) and gusts up to 220 mph (355 kph), a strength matched only by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. The storm then hovered over Grand Bahama for a day and a half.

———

9:20 a.m.

United Nations officials estimate more than 60,000 people in the northwest Bahamas will need food following the devastation left by Hurricane Dorian .

A spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program said Tuesday that a team is ready to help the Bahamian government assess storm damage and prioritize needs. Herve Verhoosel says preliminary calculations show that 45,700 people in Grand Bahama island may need food, along with another 14,500 in the neighboring Abaco islands.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says some 62,000 people also will need access to clean drinking water. Matthew Cochrane says about 45% of homes in Grand Bahama and Abaco were severely damaged or destroyed and the organization will help 20,000 of the most vulnerable people, including a large Haitian community.

———

8:25 a.m.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he ordered evacuations along the length of his state’s coast, which includes several low-lying islands, because if there is flooding on causeways, they won’t be able to get vehicles on or off the islands.

Kemp told Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” on Tuesday morning that he’s expecting Hurricane Dorian to batter Georgia with heavy winds, severe flooding, a storm surge and beach erosion.

He said a reverse traffic or “contraflow” on Interstate 16 begins Tuesday morning.

The Category 3 storm has been battering the Bahamas, causing extensive damage and flooding.

———

8:05 a.m.

Hurricane Dorian is beginning to inch northwestward after being stationary over the Bahamas, where its relentless winds have caused catastrophic damage and flooding.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm has started moving about 1 mph (2 kph) Tuesday morning and its speed is expected to increase slightly later in the day.

Dorian’s maximum sustained winds remain near 120 mph (195 kph), making it a major Category 3 hurricane.

The storm is centered about 40 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Freeport in the Bahamas.

———

2 a.m.

Dorian has weakened to a Category 3 hurricane but continues to batter the Bahamas as it remains almost at a standstill.

At 2:00 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the ferocious storm’s center was about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Freeport Grand Bahama Island. It has barely budged from that position since Monday afternoon.

But its wind speeds lessened slightly to 120 mph (193 kph) with higher gusts. That was down from 130 mph (209 kph) Monday evening.

The hurricane is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of West Palm Beach, Florida.

The National Hurricane center said Dorian is expected to move “dangerously close” to the Florida east coast late Tuesday through Wednesday evening and then move north to coastal Georgia and South Carolina on Wednesday night and Thursday.

———

For AP’s complete coverage of the hurricane: http://bit.ly/2Ul3Vcl .

Sahred From Source link Travel

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2NOMOyI via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

0 notes

blogparadiseisland · 6 years

Text

Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds

Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds http://www.nature-business.com/nature-indonesia-tsunami-and-quake-devastate-an-island-killing-hundreds/

Nature

Image

Destroyed houses in Palu, Indonesia, on Saturday after a strong earthquake and tsunami struck the area.CreditCreditBay Ismoyo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

BANGKOK — The preparations for a beach festival were underway, with dancers and other performers gathering by the sea, when an enormous tsunami triggered by a strong earthquake swept over the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday evening.

The twin disasters — a 7.5-magnitude earthquake, and the swirling wall of water it unleashed — killed at least 384 people in the city of Palu, the site of the festival, and destroyed thousands of buildings there, including a shopping mall, a hotel, seaside restaurants, beachfront homes and several mosques.

“We have found corpses from the earthquake as well as bodies swept up by the tsunami,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the Indonesian disaster agency, said in a television interview.

Indonesian officials were preparing for a sharp rise in the death toll because search and rescue teams had yet to reach populous coastal settlements near Palu. Vice President Jusuf Kalla of Indonesia told a local news website that thousands may have died, with an unknown number washed out to sea.

Although Indonesia is chronically at risk of tsunamis, Andri Manganti, a resident of Palu who lost his home in Friday’s earthquake, said that no warning siren sounded before the tidal wave — estimated by officials to be a towering 18-feet high — struck the city. Text messages that were supposed to warn locals of a possible tsunami were foiled because cellphone towers had been downed by the earthquake, Mr. Sutopo said.

Indonesia’s meteorological and geophysics agency is facing criticism for having lifted its tsunami warning little more than half an hour after the earthquake struck. It is not yet clear whether the wave that was described by Mr. Sutopo as around 18 feet in height struck before or after the tsunami warning was lifted.

Mr. Sutopo said on Saturday that as he was preparing information to inform the public about the threat of a tsunami, the warning was abruptly halted by the geophysics agency.

Cellphone video reported to have been taken in Palu showed a wave crashing over the roofs of one-story buildings, which then disappear beneath the turbulent water.

Video

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit on Friday evening, causing a powerful tsunami on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, and killing nearly 400 people.Published OnSept. 29, 2018CreditCreditImage by Mast Irham/EPA, via Shutterstock

Image

Patients and medical personnel outside a hospital in Palu on Saturday.CreditMuhammad Rifki/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The video starts by showing that coastal buildings and a major street were already flooded, indicating that an initial wave had already hit the coast. Then, a large wave can be seen rolling toward the shore.

As the wave struck, people on top of the building shouted and scrambled to get away. The water surged around a mosque, whose large green dome had collapsed, probably from the quake.

Mr. Manganti’s aunt and cousin, who lived by the coast, are among the many missing. His sister, who lives in Jakarta, has been frantically trying to reach her relatives over phone lines that are working only sporadically.

“I’m so worried that I could not sleep the whole night,” she said. “I’m afraid that the chances for survival for my aunt and cousin are small, but I’m hoping that it’s just a problem with telecommunications.”

On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Sutopo said that in addition to the 384 people confirmed dead in Palu, 540 people were injured and 29 were missing. About 2.4 million people are believed to have been affected by the earthquake, according to Indonesia’s central statistics agency.

One of the victims of Friday’s earthquake was Anthonius Gunawan Agung, who was in the control tower at the Palu airport helping a flight take off when the tremor struck. As the earthquake intensified, Mr. Agung jumped from the tower and suffered fatal internal injuries. Indonesia’s air navigation agency posted a message to Twitter saying that it had lost one of its “warriors.”

Palu’s airport, which is currently closed, suffered significant damage from the earthquake.

With so little information trickling out from areas outside the city, and based on Indonesia’s tragic history with tsunamis, fears have multiplied that the final figures could be far worse.

Image

At least 384 people have been reported dead in the city of Palu. The death toll is expected to grow.CreditBay Ismoyo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Mr. Kalla, Indonesia’s vice president, noted that when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck on Dec. 26, 2004, the death toll recorded that night in Aceh, on the northern tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was around 40 people. The eventual body count in Aceh exceeded 130,000.

An archipelagic nation of more than 13,000 islands, Indonesia is regularly pummeled by natural disasters.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which was triggered by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and killed most of its victims in Aceh, claimed around 230,000 lives in 14 countries. It ranks as one of the world’s most devastating natural disasters.

Last month, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit Lombok and the Gili islands southwest of Sulawesi, killing more than 460 people.

Since the 2004 tsunami, Indonesia has strengthened its disaster response. A new National Agency for Disaster Management was created, with provincial units that can report quickly to the center.

“It’s quite a difference from Aceh times,” said Selina Sumbung, Save the Children’s implementing partner in Indonesia. “Coordination is a lot better, and we find out information a lot faster.”

But obstacles remain. Provincial authorities in Indonesia, who hold significant power, have had a habit of turning away offers of help from outsiders, say the staff of international charities.

In the aftermath of the Lombok earthquake, for instance, foreign nongovernmental organizations were told they were not needed. Even though more than 10 percent of Lombok’s population had been dislocated, no national disaster was declared, a prerequisite for catalyzing international aid.

Image

Thousands of buildings in Palu were destroyed, including a shopping mall, a hotel, seaside restaurants, beachfront homes and several mosques.CreditRifki/Associated Press

“In many cases, unfortunately, they’ve been very clear that they’re not requesting international assistance, so it’s a bit challenging,” Ms. Sumbung said. While Save the Children is putting together a team to travel to Palu, it is negotiating over whether foreign staff can work on the ground.

Mr. Sutopo, the national disaster agency spokesman, said Indonesian officials were assessing the situation in Palu to see whether international agencies would be allowed to contribute to the aid effort.

Given the earth shaking that Indonesia constantly endures, the country remains woefully underprepared for nature’s wrath. While tsunami shelters have been built in Aceh, they are not a common sight on other coastlines. The apparent lack of a tsunami warning siren in Palu, even though a warning had been in effect, may have contributed to the loss of life.

At the best of times, traveling between Indonesia’s many islands is challenging. Natural disasters make logistics even more complicated. A hospital ship that had been stationed in Lombok to treat earthquake victims is making its way to Palu, but it will take at least three days to reach the site of the new calamity.

President Joko Widodo made improving Indonesia’s tattered infrastructure a centerpiece of his election campaign, and he has lavished money on roads and railways. But funding shortfalls have plagued Mr. Joko’s administration as he faces re-election next year.

Mr. Joko is also facing pressure from lingering sectarian tensions in Indonesia, where members of the Muslim majority have embraced a more conservative form of the faith.

Palu, the city devastated by the quake and tsunami on Friday, is the capital of Central Sulawesi Province. The island of Sulawesi has been divided, at times bloodily, between Muslim and Christian populations. While Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, it also has a significant number of Christians.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was widespread communal violence in and around Poso, a port city not far from Palu that is mostly Christian. More than 1,000 people were killed and tens of thousands dislocated from their homes as Christian and Muslim gangs battled on the streets, using machetes, bows and arrows, and other crude weapons.

Hannah Beech and Richard C. Paddock reported from Bangkok, and Muktita Suhartono from Penang, Malaysia.

Read More | https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/29/world/asia/indonesia-tsunami-sulawesi-palu.html |

Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds, in 2018-09-29 18:39:09

#Nature of Business in the Current Market

0 notes

internetbasic9 · 6 years

Text

Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds

Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds https://ift.tt/2OYsys4

Nature

Image

Destroyed houses in Palu, Indonesia, on Saturday after a strong earthquake and tsunami struck the area.CreditCreditBay Ismoyo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

“We have found corpses from the earthquake as well as bodies swept up by the tsunami,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the Indonesian disaster agency, said in a television interview.

Mr. Sutopo said on Saturday that as he was preparing information to inform the public about the threat of a tsunami, the warning was abruptly halted by the geophysics agency.

Cellphone video reported to have been taken in Palu showed a wave crashing over the roofs of one-story buildings, which then disappear beneath the turbulent water.

Video

Image

Patients and medical personnel outside a hospital in Palu on Saturday.CreditMuhammad Rifki/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

As the wave struck, people on top of the building shouted and scrambled to get away. The water surged around a mosque, whose large green dome had collapsed, probably from the quake.

Palu’s airport, which is currently closed, suffered significant damage from the earthquake.

With so little information trickling out from areas outside the city, and based on Indonesia’s tragic history with tsunamis, fears have multiplied that the final figures could be far worse.

Image

At least 384 people have been reported dead in the city of Palu. The death toll is expected to grow.CreditBay Ismoyo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

An archipelagic nation of more than 13,000 islands, Indonesia is regularly pummeled by natural disasters.

Last month, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit Lombok and the Gili islands southwest of Sulawesi, killing more than 460 people.

Since the 2004 tsunami, Indonesia has strengthened its disaster response. A new National Agency for Disaster Management was created, with provincial units that can report quickly to the center.

But obstacles remain. Provincial authorities in Indonesia, who hold significant power, have had a habit of turning away offers of help from outsiders, say the staff of international charities.

Image

Thousands of buildings in Palu were destroyed, including a shopping mall, a hotel, seaside restaurants, beachfront homes and several mosques.CreditRifki/Associated Press

Mr. Joko is also facing pressure from lingering sectarian tensions in Indonesia, where members of the Muslim majority have embraced a more conservative form of the faith.

Hannah Beech and Richard C. Paddock reported from Bangkok, and Muktita Suhartono from Penang, Malaysia.

Read More | https://ift.tt/2NU2xxL |

Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds, in 2018-09-29 18:39:09

#Nature of Business in the Current Market

0 notes

blogwonderwebsites · 6 years

Text

Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds

Nature

Image

Destroyed houses in Palu, Indonesia, on Saturday after a strong earthquake and tsunami struck the area.CreditCreditBay Ismoyo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

“We have found corpses from the earthquake as well as bodies swept up by the tsunami,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the Indonesian disaster agency, said in a television interview.

Mr. Sutopo said on Saturday that as he was preparing information to inform the public about the threat of a tsunami, the warning was abruptly halted by the geophysics agency.

Cellphone video reported to have been taken in Palu showed a wave crashing over the roofs of one-story buildings, which then disappear beneath the turbulent water.

Video

Image

Patients and medical personnel outside a hospital in Palu on Saturday.CreditMuhammad Rifki/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

As the wave struck, people on top of the building shouted and scrambled to get away. The water surged around a mosque, whose large green dome had collapsed, probably from the quake.

Palu’s airport, which is currently closed, suffered significant damage from the earthquake.

With so little information trickling out from areas outside the city, and based on Indonesia’s tragic history with tsunamis, fears have multiplied that the final figures could be far worse.

Image

At least 384 people have been reported dead in the city of Palu. The death toll is expected to grow.CreditBay Ismoyo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

An archipelagic nation of more than 13,000 islands, Indonesia is regularly pummeled by natural disasters.

Last month, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit Lombok and the Gili islands southwest of Sulawesi, killing more than 460 people.

Since the 2004 tsunami, Indonesia has strengthened its disaster response. A new National Agency for Disaster Management was created, with provincial units that can report quickly to the center.

But obstacles remain. Provincial authorities in Indonesia, who hold significant power, have had a habit of turning away offers of help from outsiders, say the staff of international charities.

Image

Thousands of buildings in Palu were destroyed, including a shopping mall, a hotel, seaside restaurants, beachfront homes and several mosques.CreditRifki/Associated Press

Mr. Joko is also facing pressure from lingering sectarian tensions in Indonesia, where members of the Muslim majority have embraced a more conservative form of the faith.

Hannah Beech and Richard C. Paddock reported from Bangkok, and Muktita Suhartono from Penang, Malaysia.

Read More | https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/29/world/asia/indonesia-tsunami-sulawesi-palu.html |

Nature Indonesia Tsunami and Quake Devastate an Island, Killing Hundreds, in 2018-09-29 18:39:09

#Nature of Business in the Current Market

0 notes

digitalmark18-blog · 6 years

Text

NJ Politics Digest: State AG to Review Crowdfunding Sites and Campaigns

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/nj-politics-digest-state-ag-to-review-crowdfunding-sites-and-campaigns/

NJ Politics Digest: State AG to Review Crowdfunding Sites and Campaigns

Any charitable campaign in New Jersey must follow state laws. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The case of a couple who raised about $400,000 for a homeless veteran in a viral campaign on GoFundMe and now say the money is all gone is prompting state authorities to look at the websites and such charitable efforts.

The Record reports that the Attorney General’s Office has said it will “review its practices” for such websites.The office has never prosecuted a case based on violations of charitable law arising out of such online campaigns, according to the story.

Any charitable campaign in New Jersey must follow state laws, the story said. However, crowdfunding is new “and raises novel questions,” the spokeswoman told the news site.

Burlington County authorities are apparently investigating Mark D’Amico and Katelyn McClure, who started a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for Johnny Bobbitt, a homeless veteran who used his last $20 to help McClure when her vehicle ran out of gas. Bobbitt, however, said he only got about $75,000 of the cash and sued to get the rest. While the couple initially said Bobbitt had received about $200,000 of the cash, when a judge ordered that they turn over what was left, their attorney said all the money was gone.

GoFundMe has said it will make sure Bobbitt gets the amount raised for him, no matter what happened to the funds.

Quote of the Day: “It’s a single-digit race. I think, nationally, the Democrats are trying to bail him out.” — Doug Steinhardt, chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, on national Democrats helping Sen. Robert Menendez in a race that has turned out to be more competitive than expected.

Johnny Bobbitt’s homeless GoFundMe story has New Jersey AG questioning online fundraising New Jersey authorities are taking a closer look at websites that allow strangers to dig into their pockets for causes such as replacing a stolen wheelchair for a quadriplegic Idaho man and expanding an animal-rescue operation in Salem County after an apparent scam involving a New Jersey couple and a homeless Philadelphia man. The Record Read more

Push to extend Trump law cutting your property tax break could slam N.J. Republicans House Republicans want to permanently shrink your property tax break, and that could make it it even harder for GOP congressional candidates running uphill in New Jersey’s midterm elections. NJ.com Read more

Moran: This ex-GOP gov. wants Dems to win Congress, rescue moderates from Trump If you want fresh evidence that Donald Trump has turned American politics upside down, here it is: Former Gov. Christie Whitman, a lifelong Republican, is so appalled by him that she wants Democrats to take over the House. NJ.com Read more

Robert Menendez’s political fight for survival It wasn’t supposed to be like this for Sen. Robert Menendez. Though the New Jersey Democrat is still favored to defeat Republican Bob Hugin in November, Menendez is being forced to fight to keep his seat. Hugin’s relentless negative ad campaign and deep pockets, combined with Menendez’s unpopularity among New Jersey voters, are making the race closer than most anticipated. Politico Read more

Dollar Signs and Smiles All Around After First Three Months of Sports Betting in NJ Legalized sports betting is only a few months old in New Jersey, but it appears to be off to a very strong start. NJSpotlight Read more

Officials Defend Pace of Coastal Back Bays Study as Residents Fend Off Floods Andrea Petinga never had flooding on her property in Atlantic City until Hurricane Sandy, but now it happens twice a month when there’s a full moon or a new moon, and she’s sick of it. NJSpotlight Read more

In Camden, CEO’s comments bring workforce issues to forefront Local leaders in Camden were infuriated by comments from Holtec CEO Krishna “Kris” Singh, who — in an article published on ROI-NJ.com on Wednesday — implied some area workers don’t last long at the manufacturer because they do not have a strong work ethic. ROI-NJ Read more

Lawmakers seek to boost state’s failing malls, office parks State legislators want to tweak one of New Jersey’s oldest redevelopment laws to give a shot in the arm to vacant and underused malls and corporate office parks. NJBiz Read more

Court: Morris County man can’t sue over police kick without officer ID A man kicked in the face by police during a 2010 traffic stop can’t sue for excessive force without identifying which officer kicked him, but he can seek to prove his rights were violated by a cover-up after the fact, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Record Read more

NJ Transit Cop in Atlantic City Says the System Wasn’t Working, So He Changed It Once a month at the NJ Transit bus terminal, locals who’ve been running from the law have a chance to get their warrants recalled temporarily and, in the process, access the services they may need to get themselves back on their feet and out of a miserable cycle of offenses, fines and excuses. NJ01.5 Read more

‘We don’t need your mind altered to have fun.’ 4th N.J. county opposes legal weed. A divided Sussex County freeholder board approved a non-binding resolution opposing the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey. NJ.com Read more

Ventnor officials deny rumor of needle exchange program City officials have dismissed claims made online that the now vacant Wawa on Dorset Avenue would house a needle-exchange program. The Current Read more

Phil Murphy says the darndest (and corniest) things. Here are our favorite Murphyisms. Gov. Phil Murphy often comes across less like a cold, calculating politician than a dad making jokes to impress your friends on prom night. NJ.com Read more

Cory Booker’s take from his book deal hits a really big number U.S. Sen. Cory Booker’s book royalties have hit a pretty lofty milestone. NJ.com Read more

Rockaway Twp. leaders fail to tamp things down at late Friday meeting Emotions have been running high at Township Council meetings for months and holding its latest meeting at 10:30 on a Friday night did nothing to tamp things down. The Record Read more

Clifford Goldman dies, Brendan Byrne’s state treasurer was 75 Former New Jersey State Treasurer Clifford A. Goldman, a respected public finance expert whose ability to identify weaknesses in the 1977 tax plan proposed by the Republican candidate for governor played a critical role in the re-election of Gov. Brendan Byrne, died this morning at his home in Ewing. He was 75. New Jersey Globe Read more

Time to drain N.J. swamp again: Editorial Remember the days when corrupt public officials fell like dominoes under the gimlet eye of then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie? In the early half of the 2000s, dozens of public officials and politically connected individuals were snared in Christie’s net. Later that decade, sting operations produced 29 more arrests of public figures as well as five Orthodox rabbis. Asbury Park Press Read more

O’Scanlon: Dems and GOP legislators must unite on pension, benefits reform The battle lines over New Jersey’s fiscal future are drawn. And they could tear apart the Democratic Party. Here’s why Republicans need to help Democrat leaders keep it together. NJ.com Read more

Editorial: We’re running out of warnings. Build Gateway Most rail experts believe that when a giant metal beam smashes through the roof of a commuter train traveling through a decrepit 108-year-old tunnel that needs daily repair, it reflects an exigent need to build a new tunnel. NJ.com Read more

Source: https://observer.com/2018/09/nj-politics-digest-state-ag-review-crowdfunding-sites-campaigns/

0 notes

newstfionline · 7 years

Text

Full extent of Harvey’s aftermath starts to come into chilling focus

By Kevin Sullivan, Robert Samuels and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Washington Post, August 28, 2017

HOUSTON--In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Houston and an ever-expanding swath of cities and towns in the region remained under siege Monday morning by torrential rain and surging floodwaters that showed no signs of abating.

The already-dire circumstances were complicated by the release of water from two reservoirs opened to relieve the stress caused by a downpour that was threatening to equal or exceed in just a few days the area’s average rainfall for a full year. Parts of Harris County, which encompasses Houston, were pelted with 30 inches of rain in the past 72 hours, the National Weather Service reported early Monday.

Authorities also fielded scores of calls for help throughout the night from people stranded by water, though many areas had imposed curfew overnight Sunday in hopes of cutting down on the numbers in need of being rescued from vehicles. Help was pouring in from swift-water rescue teams from around the country.

The full extent of Harvey’s aftermath started to come into chilling focus Monday in Houston and across much of Central Texas, as rain measured in feet, not inches, overwhelmed lakes, rivers and bayous, leaving several people dead and thousands displaced in a weather disaster described as “beyond anything experienced.”

Across the nation’s fourth-largest city and suburbs many miles away, families scrambled to get out of their fast-flooding homes. Rescuers--in many cases neighbors helping neighbors--in fishing boats, huge dump trucks and even front-end loaders battled driving rains to move people to shelter. Some used inflatable toys to ferry their families out of inundated neighborhoods, wading through chest-deep water on foot while the region was under near-constant tornado watches.

By Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service--which tweeted the “beyond anything experienced” description that morning--was predicting that parts of Texas could receive nearly 50 inches of rain, the largest recorded total in the state’s history. It also warned that Harvey’s relentless downpours were expected to continue until late in the week and that flooding could become much more severe. More than 82,000 homes were without electricity in the Houston area by Sunday night as airports shuttered and hospitals planned evacuations.

Thousands of rescue missions have been launched across a large swath of Texas, and Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Sunday that more than 3,000 national and state guard troops had been deployed to assist with relief efforts. Another 1,000 National Guard members will be sent to Houston on Monday, Abbott announced late Sunday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said federal agencies have more than 5,000 employees working in Texas, and the White House said President Trump plans to visit parts of the state on Tuesday.

Officials said Houston, a major center for the nation’s energy industry, had suffered billions of dollars in damage and would take years to fully recover. Oil and gas companies have shut down about a quarter of their production in the Gulf of Mexico. Spot prices for gasoline are expected to jump on Monday, but the full extent of damage will not be clear for days, companies and experts said.

Harvey’s sheer size also became apparent Sunday as heavy rains and flooding were reported as far away as Austin and even Dallas. What started with a direct impact on the tiny coastal town of Rockport on Friday night has turned into a weather disaster affecting thousands of square miles and millions of people.

In Austin, the Wilhelmina Delco Center, one of two Red Cross shelters in the city, had about 200 evacuees. Rain continued to fall steadily in Austin on Sunday, and river levels continued to rise. Precautionary sandbags were stacked against the shelter’s entrance.

Bristel Minsker, communications director for the Red Cross Central and South Texas region, said “things are changing quickly” as the organization prepares to scale up operations in the areas between Austin and Houston.

Still, much of the nation’s focus remained squarely on Houston, where the massive scale of the flooding and the potential for it to get much worse in the days ahead were reminding many spooked residents of the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.

Mayor Sylvester Turner and other officials pleaded with residents to “shelter in place” and to make calls to overwhelmed 911 operators only in life-threatening emergencies. They urged people to climb to their roofs to await shelter if water was rising in their homes, and local TV news anchors reminded people to stay out of attics where they might be trapped by water--or to take an ax to hack their way to the roof.

Police began to ask people with high-water vehicles and boats to assist in rescue efforts on streets where abandoned cars were completely submerged. Brays Bayou, a huge waterway crossing the southwestern part of the city, rose between 10 and 20 feet overnight and by Sunday morning was flowing over bridges in its path.

As the extent of the disaster became clear at daylight Sunday, some criticized Houston officials for not calling for an evacuation of the city. Turner defended the decision not to evacuate, noting that it would be a “nightmare” to empty out the population of his city and the county all at once.

“You literally cannot put 6.5 million people on the road,” Turner said at a news conference.

The disaster unfolding in Houston appeared suddenly, starting with severe storms Saturday evening that came with slashing, sideways rain and almost uninterrupted lightning. By morning, a city that had been largely spared by Harvey’s initial pounding of coastal communities was flooded to devastating levels.

The Weather Service said Sunday that at least five people had been reported dead because of Harvey. Local officials have confirmed that at least three people have died as a result of the storm, and officials in the hardest-hit counties expect that as the waters recede the number of fatalities will rise.

Both of Houston’s major airports were closed, and many tourists and visitors found themselves stranded in hotels with no hope of leaving anytime soon.

Southwest Airlines flight attendant Allison Brown said at least 50 flight attendants, a number of pilots, airport staff and hundreds of passengers have been stranded at William P. Hobby Airport since at least 1 a.m. Sunday.

Brown said the airport flooded so quickly that shuttles were unable to get them out. They were told by police it would be unsafe to attempt to leave.

“Luckily, we have the restaurant staff, or else we would’ve been stuck with no food,” Brown said. “Waters in the road are around four feet--minimum--surrounding the airport.”

The Marriott Courtyard Hotel in southwest Houston, along the banks of Brays Bayou, was surrounded by floodwater when guests woke up Sunday morning.

All roads in the area were underwater, and a park across the bayou was completely flooded. A car nearby had been abandoned, its doors left open. City traffic lights were still blinking red and green over the empty and flooded bridge, but most buildings visible in the area seemed to be dark and without power.

Water covered about eight blocks on the edge of Houston’s downtown, entering the ground floors of the Wortham Center, a downtown theater, and the historic Lancaster Hotel, where staff members were still posted to ward off looters. A Chase bank branch was submerged in flowing water that reached almost to its roof.

By midmorning, Nichelle Mosby stood up to her knees in floodwater in the parking lot, grimacing with a towel over her head to block the rain. Mosby and six family members, including a 4-year-old girl, had come from Louisiana to visit relatives. When Harvey hit, they booked into the Courtyard. Now they were stranded with dozens of other guests.

“We went through Katrina, but this feels different,” she said. Instead of a gradual buildup of water, she said, “this was like a gush of water that came up too fast.”

In the lobby, John McMillian, 70, sat eating breakfast with his wife, Debbie McMillian, 64, and their daughter, Tara, 29.

They were in town so John McMillian could have five days of treatment for his leukemia at MD Anderson Cancer Center just down the road. He had three days of treatment and was supposed to have his fourth on Sunday, but now they were marooned.

“If push came to shove, we could always wade to the hospital,” he said.

“I’m not going to let him, don’t worry,” his wife added.

She said her new Acura was underwater in the parking lot.

“I haven’t even made the first payment on it yet,” she said.

In Katy, Michele and Joel Antonini were in line at a cavernous HEB supermarket with 20 sacks of groceries. They had come out in the rain to buy food for neighbors they would probably be taking in from Grand Lakes, where they used to live.

They bought a sheet cake, a roast, chips, hot dogs and hamburgers.

“We just want to be ready if they are hungry and can get out,” Michele said. “We just want to be ready to help.”

#Hurricane Harvey #Texas flooding #Houston flooding

1 note · View note

newsintodays-blog · 6 years

Text

Hurricane Lane threatens direct hit on Hawaii, churns toward Oahu

New Post has been published on https://newsintoday.info/2018/08/23/hurricane-lane-threatens-direct-hit-on-hawaii-churns-toward-oahu-2/

Hurricane Lane threatens direct hit on Hawaii, churns toward Oahu

HONOLULU (Reuters) – Hurricane Lane, threatening a direct hit as Hawaii’s worst storm in a quarter century, on Thursday churned toward Oahu, the island with the largest population, as schools, government offices and business closed and residents stocked up on supplies.

Packing sustained winds of up to 130 miles per hour (215 km per hour), Lane could dump 10 to 20 inches (25-50 cm) of rain, triggering flash floods and landslides, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. More than 30 inches could fall in some places, it said.

“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the NWS Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu said in an advisory.

As of early Thursday, Lane was centered about 210 miles (335 km) south-southwest of Kailua-Kona, a town on the west coast of the Big Island, the NWS said. It was classified as a powerful Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane strength.

The NWS said the storm weakened slightly overnight but excessive rainfall would affect the Hawaiian islands into the weekend, “leading to significant and life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.”

More than a foot of rain has already fallen on part of the Big Island, the NWS said on Thursday morning.

The center also warned of “very large and damaging surf” along exposed west- and south-facing shorelines, likely leading to significant coastal erosion.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Oahu, Maui County and Hawaii County. The islands of Kauai and Niihau remained on hurricane watch and could face similar conditions starting Friday morning.

Governor David Ige has urged residents to take the threat seriously and prepare for the worst by setting aside a 14-day supply of water, food and medicines.

All public schools, University of Hawaii campuses and nonessential government offices on the islands of Oahu and Kauai will be closed for at least two days starting on Thursday, Ige said Wednesday.

The shelves of a downtown Honolulu Walmart were stripped of items ranging from canned tuna to dog food as well as bottled water and coolers full of ice after warnings of possible power outages.

“I went to Safeway last night for regular groceries. Everyone was in a panic,” said Thao Nguyen, 35, an employee at a Honolulu branch of Hawaiian shirt retailer Roberta Oaks.

Long lines of cars formed at gasoline stations in Honolulu and people pulled small boats from the water ahead of the expected storm surge. U.S. Navy ships and submarines based in Hawaii were instructed to leave port, a common practice when a hurricane approaches to avoid damage.

President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for Hawaii and ordered federal authorities to help supplement state and local responses, the White House said on Thursday.

The most powerful hurricane on record to hit Hawaii was Category 4 Iniki, which made landfall on Kauai island on Sept. 11, 1992, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It killed six people and damaged or destroyed more than 14,000 homes.

A photo taken from the International Space Station and moved on social media by astronaut Ricky Arnold shows Hurricane Lane in the early morning hours near Hawaii, U.S., August 22, 2018. Courtesy @astro_ricky/NASA/Handout via REUTERS

Additional reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York, Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee, Doina Chiacu in Washington, and Steve Gorman and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Marguerita Choy

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source link

0 notes

investmart007 · 6 years

Text

MINNEAPOLIS | The Latest: Parts of Midwest buried under late-season snow

New Post has been published on https://goo.gl/8ahnGz

MINNEAPOLIS | The Latest: Parts of Midwest buried under late-season snow

MINNEAPOLIS| April 14, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) — The Latest on spring storms in the Midwest (all times local):

10:10 p.m.

Flights are grounded in Minneapolis and South Dakota, and hundreds of vehicle crashes have been reported across the Midwest as a deadly storm system sweeps across the central United States.

The National Weather Service says more than 13 inches (33 centimeters) of snow had buried the Minneapolis area as of Saturday night, at times falling at a rate of 1 or 2 inches an hour.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has been closed to incoming and outgoing flights since Saturday afternoon. Airport officials hope to open at least one runway soon, weather permitting.

Blizzard conditions have closed the airport for two days in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s biggest city.

The storm system moved in Friday, stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, bringing with it snow, tornadoes, rain and hail. At least three deaths have been attributed to the weather.

___

6:20 p.m.

The last three games of the series between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins have been called off because of a spring snowstorm.

Several hours after Saturday’s game at Target Field was postponed, the Twins said Sunday’s game was off, too.

The National Weather Service has predicted snow throughout the weekend, with temperatures in the 20s.

No makeup dates have been announced.

The Twins beat Chicago 4-0 on Thursday. Friday night’s game was postponed because of rain, with snow in the forecast.

Last Sunday, the Twins’ home game against Seattle was postponed because of wintry weather.

___

5:30 p.m.

Officials have closed Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to arriving and departing flights as a powerful storm system sweeps through the central U.S.

Airport officials cite the combination of heavy snow and low visibility Saturday. They say the snow is coming down too fast for plows to keep the runways clear or for crews to keep the planes deiced.

The airport shut down flight operations Saturday afternoon. Airport spokesman Pat Hogan tells WCCO Radio that officials hope to reopen at least one runway sometime Saturday night, weather permitting.

Around 7 inches of snow had fallen at the airport by mid-afternoon.

A storm system stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes has dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of the Upper Midwest. At least three deaths have been attributed to the storms.

___

2:45 p.m.

Authorities say a Wisconsin woman was killed when her minivan lost control and struck an oncoming SUV, bringing the death toll from the storm system sweeping through the central U.S. to three.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday when a minivan began to spin on slush-covered Highway 16 near Lewiston and crossed the centerline, where it was struck the oncoming SUV.

The minivan driver, a 30-year-old woman from Poynette, died. Three minivan passengers and the SUV’s driver were hospitalized with injuries.

The sheriff’s office says a light freezing rain was falling at the time of the crash.

The storm system has dumped heavy snow on parts of the Upper Midwest and is also being blamed for the death of a 2-year-old girl in Louisiana and an Idaho truck driver who was involved in a crash in Nebraska.

___

2 p.m.

A powerful storm system sweeping through the central U.S. brought hail and high winds to parts of Texas, toppling trees and power lines but causing no major injuries.

National Weather Service meteorologist Patricia Sanchez said some areas south of Dallas-Fort Worth got egg-sized hail as the storms swept through. She says other areas got pea to quarter-sized hail.

In Austin, fire officials said tree limbs were reported down all across the city with several on houses and lightning struck a couple houses. No major injuries were reported by but fire officials said a woman was taken to the hospital after a tree branch fell on her. Austin-Travis County EMS said her injuries were not life threatening.

Fire officials in Austin say two homes caught on fire after being hit by lightning, and gusty winds helped spread the flames. One home had heavy damage to its attic while the other home was mostly destroyed, as were two side buildings.

Downed trees and power lines were also reported in parts of East Texas.

___

12:15 p.m.

A powerful storm system sweeping through the central U.S. has knocked down trees in many places and caused power outages, including thousands in Michigan.

The system stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes has dumped a foot of snow on parts of the Upper Midwest and is being blamed for at least two deaths, one each in Nebraska and Louisiana.

The National Weather Service reports that wind gusts of about 50 mph were recorded Saturday in western Michigan and the state’s Upper Peninsula. The state is expected to get more snow and ice as the system moves eastward throughout the weekend.

Michigan’s largest electric utility Consumers Energy says it had about 23,000 homes and businesses without power as of midday Saturday. The largest outage concentrations were in the Grand Rapids area, in western Michigan.

___

12 p.m.

A storm system stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes has dumped a foot of snow on parts of the Upper Midwest and is being blamed for at least two deaths, including an Idaho truck driver who was killed on a Nebraska highway a 2-year-old Louisiana girl whose family’s mobile home was struck by a downed tree.

Authorities say the girl was asleep at around 12:30 a.m. Saturday when a storm toppled the tree that struck her family’s recreational vehicle in Haughton, which is in northwestern Louisiana near Shreveport.

Lt. Bill Davis of the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office says four adults and a 15-month-old child who were also in the RV were not hurt.

The Nebraska State Patrol says 61-year-old Rollo Ward, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was killed when his semitrailer lost control on snow-covered Interstate 80 near Chappell in western Nebraska and struck a semi that was stranded in the blizzard. He died at the scene.

The storm system has also dumped heavy snow in South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A tornado ripped through the tiny Ozark Mountain town of Mountainburg, Arkansas, injuring at least four people Friday.

It is expected to move eastward throughout the weekend.

___

11:30 a.m.

The Nebraska State Patrol says at least one person was killed and scores of stranded drivers were rescued in western Nebraska as a late-season blizzard crippled travel in western Nebraska.

The patrol says 61-year-old Rollo Ward, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, died at the scene of the crash Friday when the semitrailer he was driving on Interstate 80 went out of control on the snow-covered roadway and hit another semi previously stranded in the blizzard. The crash happened near Chappell in western Nebraska.

The patrol says blizzard also left more than 100 drivers stranded on I-80 and other highways Friday.

The blizzard was part of a potent spring storm system that’s expected to persist through the weekend in the central U.S. It has also dumped heavy snow in South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A tornado ripped through the tiny Ozark Mountain town of Mountainburg, Arkansas, injuring at least four people Friday.

___

11:15 a.m.

A band of 6 to 18 inches fell overnight across central and northeastern Wisconsin, with another round on the way as a major spring storm system helps winter keep its grip on the Midwest.

A blizzard warning is out for the northern half of Wisconsin, where 14 additional inches are expected by Sunday evening. Winds as high as 55 mph are causing blowing and drifting snow, along with ice shoves in Green Bay. The National Weather Service says coastal flooding is possible along Lake Michigan.

The storm has brought ice to southern Wisconsin. Some areas, including Fond du Lac and Sheboygan, are expected to get a quarter-inch of ice accumulation by Sunday morning.

Wisconsin Public Service reported around 90 power outages affecting over 3,400 customers in northeastern Wisconsin.

The blizzard is part of a potent spring storm system that’s expected to persist through the weekend up the nation’s midsection. It has also dumped heavy snow in South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A tornado ripped through the tiny Ozark Mountain town of Mountainburg, Arkansas, injuring at least four people Friday.

___

10:30 a.m.

A spring blizzard is making travel difficult to impossible in much of South Dakota for a second day.

While the blizzard warning has been lifted in the western part of the state, it remains in effect for much of southern and eastern South Dakota.

No travel is advised in Sioux Falls, where police say the blowing snow has made it hard to see anything. Interstate 29 remains closed from Sioux Falls to Summit. I-90 remains closed across most of South Dakota from Wall to Sioux Falls.

Huron has received 18 inches of snow. Rapid City got 9 inches.

The southeastern corner of the state is expected to get 8 to 12 inches of snow by Sunday morning. Winds remain strong, with gusts of 40 to 50 mph, and the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls says the winds will only slowly subside.

___

10 a.m.

Authorities advise no travel in much of southwestern Minnesota, where a blizzard warning remains in effect as a major storm system blankets the Midwest.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has closed several highways in the southwest due to the storm, which is expected to persist into Sunday. Driving conditions are difficult across the southern half of Minnesota.

The National Weather Service predicts 9 to 15 inches of snow across a large swath of southern Minnesota including the Twin Cities before it’s all over. More than 2 inches of snow had fallen at the weather service office in Chanhassen by 7 a.m., with over 1 inch at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Saturday’s Minnesota Twins game against the Chicago White Sox has been snowed out for the second day in a row.

___

5:10 a.m.

A potent spring storm system that’s expected to persist through the weekend has raked across the Midwest and spawning at least one tornado in Arkansas as blizzard conditions blanket much of the Northern Plains.

A tornado ripped through the tiny Ozark Mountain town of Mountainburg, Arkansas, injuring at least four people and causing widespread damage Friday afternoon.

Crawford County Emergency Management Director Brad Thomas said there were at least three entrapments following the twister. He said he did not know the condition of the four people hospitalized.

Meanwhile, blizzard warnings stretched from northern Kansas across most of Nebraska and South Dakota into southwestern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa, with winter storm warnings and watches covering most of the rest of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Heavy snow already blanketed parts of western Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.

___

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

___

#Midwest buried #Minneapolis #the central United States #under late-season snow

0 notes

thetrumpdebacle · 6 years

Link

A massive nor’easter pummeling the East Coast is responsible for at least five deaths.

Interested in Weather?

Add Weather as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Weather news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

The storm has strengthened rapidly today, undergoing what’s known as bombogenesis or “bombing out,” when a low-pressure system drops 24 millibars in 24 hours. Dubbed a “bomb cyclone,” the catchphrase was coined earlier this year as a nickname for another nor’easter back in early January.

A pedestrian walks near the coastline, March 2, 2018, in Newburyport, Mass.

At least five have died in the storm. A 6-year-old boy died in Virginia after a tree fell on his family’s home, officials said. Others include an 11-year-old boy hit by a falling tree in New York state and a 77-year-old woman struck by a branch outside her home in Baltimore.

The latest

It’s snowing across much of the interior northeast this afternoon, including Syracuse and Albany, New York; New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Sussex County, New Jersey, has already seen 10 inches of snow.

New York City is seeing a mix of rain, snow, sleet and winds.

Over 4 inches of rain have fallen in eastern Long Island and parts of eastern Massachusetts.

Connecticut and Boston are getting hit with heavy rain, flooding and whipping winds.

Scott Eisen/Getty Images

Lighthouse Rd. begins to flood during a large coastal storm March 2, 2018 in Scituate, Mass.

The highest wind gust was 83 mph in both East Falmouth, Massachusetts, and Little Compton, Rhode Island. Hurricane-force wind gusts will continue through coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island tonight.

High wind warnings

High wind warnings remain in effect with gusts from 50 to at least 65 mph from the Carolinas to Massachusetts.

Over 2.2 million customers were without power across the Northeast early Friday evening, but power was restored to more than two-thirds of those customers by 9:30 p.m., leaving just over 700,000 customers still in the dark.

Greg Cooper/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Wind knocks down power poles onto Arsenal Street in Watertown, Mass., March 2, 2018.

In Pennsylvania, a school bus was toppled over by high winds. No students were on board, and the driver’s injuries were minor.

In Suitland, Maryland, 300 people were displaced after an apartment building partially collapsed, according to WUSA.

A tractor-trailer overturned on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York, photos showed.

A driver escaped with non-life-threatening injuries after a tree fell on this car in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, officials said.

Tewksbury Police

The Tewksbury Police posted this photo to their Twitter account of a tree severely damaging a jeep, March 2, 2018.

In Washington, D.C., winds reached 71 mph at Dulles Airport and 62 mph at Reagan International Airport.

Prince William County Public Schools in the Washington, D.C., area are closed today due to high wind warnings.

The federal government has also shuttered all of its offices.

Travel at a standstill

Greg Cooper/EPA/REX/Shutterstock

Water floods from Boston Harbor onto Seaport Boulevard in the Seaport district of Boston, March 2, 2018.

Bill Sikes/AP

A wrecker tows a vehicle stranded on State Street by water from Boston Harbor at high tide, March 2, 2018, in Boston.

Over 3,000 flights have been canceled in the United States today, according to FlightAware. Nearly half of all scheduled flights at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport have been canceled today, the airport said.

Amtrak said it is temporarily suspending service along the Northeast corridor.

Flooding in Massachusetts

aj_mufasa/Instagram

Severe flooding is pictured on a street in Boston, Mass., March 2, 2018.

Coastal flood alerts are in effect from Maryland to Maine, with major and possibly record coastal flooding expected in Boston area tonight into Saturday.

The third highest tide on record happened today at Boston Harbor, reaching 14.67 feet.

“Do not try to drive through the water!” the Duxbury Fire Department in Massachusetts said.

Duxbury Fire Department

The Duxbury Fire Department posted this photo to their Twitter account of flooding on Highway 9, March 2, 2018, in Duxbury, Mass.

Duxbury Fire Department

The Duxbury Fire Department posted this photo to their Twitter account of flooding on Highway 9, March 2, 2018, in Duxbury, Mass.

“I can’t stress this enough: This is not a snowstorm, but it’s a heck of a storm and people need to take it seriously,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said at a news conference Thursday night.

The forecast

Blizzard warnings have been issued for parts of upstate New York, which could see 50 mph winds, whiteout conditions, an additional foot of snow this afternoon.

Parts of New York, Pennsylvania and northwest New Jersey could see 1 to 2 feet of snow through this evening.

By tonight the nor’easter will pull away, leaving lingering rain and snow for coastal spots from Atlantic City to Boston.

By early Saturday morning, the region will be much drier, but the threat of winds and coastal flooding will remain into mid-day Saturday.

via The Trump Debacle

#IFTTT #The Trump Debacle

0 notes

thursdayfilebuzz · 7 years

Photo

At least 10 dead, French St. Martin '95% destroyed' as Hurricane Irma tears through Caribbean Barbuda almost entirely razed, St. Martin in ruins as storm turns to the Dominican Republic Photo I: People pick up debris as Hurricane Irma howled past Puerto Rico after thrashing several smaller Caribbean islands early Thursday. - by Alvin Baez // Photo II: A handout photo made available by the Dutch Department of Defense on 07 September 2017 shows an aerial view over the damage of Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Sept. 6 2017. - by Gerben van Es // Photo III: Hurricane Irma is expected to turn toward the southeastern U.S. later this week, threatening Florida, as well as coastal Georgia, the Carolinas and possibly Virginia. // The Associated Press - September 07, 2017 Hurricane Irma has killed at least 10 people and injured dozens of others in the Caribbean as the dangerous Category 5 storm roared over the region early Thursday. France's Interior Minister, Gerard Collomb, told Franc Info that eight people died and another 23 were injured in the French Caribbean island territories of St. Martin and St. Barthelemy. That number is expected to rise. Meanwhile, authorities say at least one person has died in the northeast Caribbean island of Anguilla. The Caribbean Disaster Management Agency reported the death early Thursday and said 90 per cent of roads in Anguilla are impassible. And on Wednesday, a two-year-old child was killed as a family tried to escape their home during the chaos. Officials on a number of islands have reported widespread, and in some cases near total, destruction of homes and other infrastructure. Daniel Gibb, a local official on St. Martin, told Radio Caribbean International that "95 per cent of the island is destroyed." "I have sick people to evacuate, I have a population to evacuate because I don't know where I can shelter them," he said. Photos and video circulating on social media from St. Martin showed major damage to the airport in Philipsburg and the coastal village of Marigot heavily flooded. France sent emergency food and water there and to the French island of St. Bart's, where Irma ripped off roofs and knocked out electricity. Irma blacked out much of Puerto Rico, raking the U.S. territory with heavy wind and rain while staying just out to sea, and it headed early Thursday toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti. To the east, authorities struggled to get aid to small Caribbean islands devastated by the storm's record 298 km/h winds earlier Wednesday, while people in Florida rushed to get ready for a possible direct hit on the Miami area. Communications were difficult with areas hit by Irma, and information on damage trickled out. Nearly every building on Barbuda was damaged when the hurricane's core crossed almost directly over the island early Wednesday and about 60 per cent of its roughly 1,400 residents were left homeless. Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said Thursday that when he flew over Barbuda in a helicopter, he saw only "total carnage." "It was easily one of the most emotionally painful experiences that I have had," Browne said in an interview on BBC Radio Four. On St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Laura Strickling spent 12 hours hunkered down with her husband and 1-year-old daughter in a boarded-up basement apartment with no power as the storm raged outside. They emerged to find the lush island in tatters. Many of their neighbors' homes were damaged and once-dense vegetation was largely gone. "There are no leaves. It is crazy. One of the things we loved about St. Thomas is that it was so green. And it's gone," Strickling said. "It will take years for this community to get back on its feet." By early Thursday, the center of the storm was about 225 kilometres northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and moving west-northwest near 26 km/h. More than half the island of Puerto Rico was without power, leaving 900,000 in the dark and nearly 50,000 without water, the U.S. territory's emergency management agency said in the midst of the storm. Fourteen hospitals were using generators after losing power, and trees and light poles were strewn across roads. Puerto Rico's public power company warned before the storm hit that some areas could be left without power from four to six months. U.S. President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to remove debris and give other services that will largely be paid for by the U.S. government. Pauline Jackson, a 59-year-old registered nurse from Florida visiting Puerto Rico, said she had tried to leave before the storm but all flights were sold out. She has a reservation to fly out Friday and is worried about her home in Tampa. "When you're from Florida, you understand a Category 5 hurricane," she said. The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted Irma would remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next day or two as passes just to the north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Thursday, nears the Turks & Caicos and parts of the Bahamas by Thursday night and skirts Cuba on Friday night into Saturday. It will then likely head north toward Florida. The storm is expected to hit Florida sometime Sunday, and Gov. Rick Scott said he planned to activate 7,000 National Guard soldiers by Friday. He warned that Irma is "bigger, faster and stronger" than Hurricane Andrew, which wiped out entire neighborhoods in south Florida 25 years ago. Experts worried that Irma could rake the entire Florida east coast from Miami to Jacksonville and then head into Savannah, Georgia, and the Carolinas, striking highly populated and developed areas. "This could easily be the most costly storm in U.S. history, which is saying a lot considering what just happened two weeks ago," said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. -- Steven H MacDowall www.thursdayfile.com

#tf usa #Irma #florida #tf puerto rico #tf St. Martin #caribbean islands #tf dominican republic #tf Haiti #tf Hurricane Irma #hurricane irma

0 notes

kansascityhappenings · 7 years

Text

Joe Lauria explains what it would look like if Irma were to hit KC

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — To give some perspective on just how wide Hurricane Irma spans, Fox 4 Meteorologist Joe Lauria placed the image of Irma over the Kansas City region.

Irma, which stretches nearly 500 miles, would completely cover the state of Missouri.

Joe says if the eye of the storm was placed on top of Kansas City, it would stretch east into central Illinois and west into central Kansas.

Follow Joe Lauria on Facebook for more.

Hurricane Irma — one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic — is hurtling toward northern Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Wednesday afternoon after smashing a string of small northern Caribbean islands, which early reports suggest suffered heavy damage.

Irma’s core, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph — well above the 157 mph threshold of a Category 5 — slammed Barbuda early Wednesday before hitting St. Martin and Anguilla.

The storm’s powerful center could hit parts of the Virgin Islands and then pass just north of Puerto Rico — a US territory of about 3.4 million people — on Wednesday afternoon and night, threatening heavy rain and dangerous coastal storm surges, forecasters said.

Hurricane Irma: Live updates

Gov. Ricardo Rosselló urged Puerto Ricans in flood-prone areas to head to designated shelters.

“Please allow us to help you seek refuge in shelter, and let people know the priority is to weather the storm (and) seek safe haven,” Rossello said.

On Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands, Kennedy Banda said fierce winds blew out the windows of his home Wednesday afternoon. He and his family were taking shelter in a bathroom; he said he was bracing his body against the door in an attempt to keep it shut.

“Everything is blown out,” he told CNN by phone near Road Town. “Everything is gone.”

Earlier, he posted video on Facebook showing wind and pounding rain whipping the shoreline as Irma’s core approached.

The hurricane earlier Wednesday battered a string of northern Caribbean island nations, situated east of the more populous Virgin Islands group and Puerto Rico.

Early reports suggested damage on parts of the smaller islands — a tropical region popular with tourists.

Barbuda, home to about 1,600 people, was “so badly damaged that there is no communication” from the island, said Keithley Meade, director of a meteorological office in Antigua and Barbuda.

“We have a lot of broken trees across the island,” Meade said from Antigua, whose 80,000 people comprise most of the two-island nation’s population.

Irma destroyed four of the most solid government buildings on the French-administered portion of nearby St. Martin, an island of about 75,000 people, French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said Wednesday in Paris.

It’s likely that all other older buildings there have at least been damaged, he said.

Roughly 10 of these smaller islands — such as St. Martin, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis — were pounded by hurricane conditions. One, Guadeloupe, has about 405,000 residents. The rest have about 264,400 people combined.

Latest developments

— Around noon ET Wednesday, Irma’s core was spinning about 55 miles east of St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph.

— In the US Virgin Islands, Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp ordered a 36-hour curfew that started at 6 a.m. local time Wednesday.

— By Thursday and Friday, Irma is likely to be near the Dominican Republic’s and Haiti’s northern coasts, the Turks and Caicos islands and the southeastern Bahamas, where storm surges of up to 20 feet are possible, the hurricane center said.

— It’s too early to tell whether it will make landfall on the US mainland. Computer models show it could churn near Florida’s east coast by late Sunday, and forecasters warn the core still could hit land there.

— In Broward County, Florida, a mandatory evacuation will go into effect at noon Thursday for areas east of Federal Highway, Mayor Barbara Sharief said. The evacuation zone includes low-lying areas and mobile homes in the county, which includes Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Pompano and Deerfield beaches.

— Floridians should heed any evacuation order, Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday. “(A) storm surge could cover your house. We can rebuild homes — we cannot rebuild your family,” he said.

— Several high-profile sports games have been postponed in Florida because of the storm, including NFL’s Buccaneers-Dolphins match that had been scheduled for Sunday in Miami.

‘We’ve been hiding in the bathroom’

Virginia Barreras told CNN she was riding out the storm on St. Martin in a “sanctuary hotel” where tourists and locals were encouraged to check in before the eye wall hit.

“The palm trees are bent over and (I) can’t see anything but white,” she said early Wednesday, before Irma’s core passed. “The walls shake when the wind blows hard, and we can hear debris being thrown around.

Though Irma’s path is uncertain, forecasters have said it could turn toward Florida over the weekend, and officials there are ordering some evacuations and shutting down schools.

Irma affected many northern Caribbean islands Wednesday, even those not touched by the powerful core. In Marigot, Guadeloupe, Florida resident Loren Ann Mayo rode out the storm on the sixth floor of a beachside hotel.

“We’ve been hiding in the bathroom,” she said in a video she posted to Facebook. About an inch of water covered parts of the floor, and pieces of drywall had fallen onto a balcony and a bed inside, she said.

Mayo was there on a business trip. “It is pouring down rain. It is howling,” she told CNN. “Most people are either in their bathroom, or they’ve been moved downstairs to the third floor where management thinks is a very, very safe spot.”

Islands under hurricane warning include Anguilla, Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands, St. Martin/St. Maarten, St. Barts, parts of northern Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Puerto Rico: Long lines

Storm surge is a concern for the Virgin Islands (up to 11 feet) and Puerto Rico (up to 5 feet), as is heavy rain (up to 10 inches in the Virgin Islands, and up to 15 in parts of Puerto Rico).

Rosselló, Puerto Rico’s governor, declared a state of emergency and has activated the National Guard.

For hours, people lined up outside hardware stores Tuesday, hoping to get plywood, batteries and power generators. If Irma knocks out power, Puerto Ricans said it could take weeks or months before it is restored.

Last month, the director of Puerto Rico’s power utility, Ricardo Ramos Rodríguez, said several factors have made the island’s electric system “vulnerable and fragile,” CNN affiliate WAPA reported.

One of those is the shortage of employees. Many workers recently retired or left their jobs for better prospects on the US mainland, Ramos Rodríguez said.

Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas

Forecasters warn that Irma’s likely path will be near the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday and the southeastern Bahamas on Friday — and that the destruction could be devastating.

In the Bahamas, emergency evacuations have been ordered for six southern islands — Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, Long Cay and Ragged Island.

“This is the largest such evacuation in the history of the country,” Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said.

Bahamian officials also canceled vacation time for police and defense forces.

“Some of the (Bahamian) islands aren’t more than 9 feet (above sea level). Storm surges there may be 20 feet. You get the idea what’s going to happen to those islands,” CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.

Evacuations set for Florida

Jimmy Brumbaugh packed up his family in their RV and left Astatula, Florida, for Georgia. As he headed out of town, he posted a picture showing a long line of cars, waiting to get gas.

“People are genuinely scared down here,” he said. “… We are dead center in the state, but I’m not taking any chances. I also don’t want to put my family through the misery of riding out the storm. We’ve done it before, and it’s horrible.”

In Eustis, northwest of Orlando, Pat Arnold and her husband took precautions in case Irma hit.

“My husband and I prepared for Irma by getting some cash out, fueling cars and filling gas cans with nonethanol gas (for use with our chainsaw if needed), … and making sure we have enough batteries, canned food, etc,” she told CNN.

From Miami Beach to Ocala, Floridians braced for the storm, with some posting images of empty shelves at local grocery stores.

Miami-Dade County will start evacuating special-needs residents Wednesday, and may announce other evacuations soon, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said.

Schools and county offices will be closed Thursday and Friday.

Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, was ordering visitors to evacuate by sunrise Wednesday, and residents should begin to evacuate 12 hours later.

After declaring a state of emergency across Florida, the governor said President Donald Trump had “offered the full resources of the federal government.”

Scott also ordered 7,000 National Guard troops to report for duty by Friday morning.

“Learn your evacuation zone. Listen to your locals,” he said. “This storm has the potential to devastate this state. You have to take this seriously.”

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Jose, in the open Atlantic far to the southeast of Irma, is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night.

“Interests in the Leeward Islands should monitor the progress of Jose,” the National Hurricane Center said.

Are you affected by Irma? Text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: +1 347-322-0415.

¿Te ha afectado Irma? Envía tus fotos, vídeos e historias a CNN por texto, iMessage y WhatsApp: +1 347-322-0415.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports http://fox4kc.com/2017/09/06/joe-lauria-explains-what-it-would-look-like-if-irma-were-to-hit-kc/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2017/09/06/joe-lauria-explains-what-it-would-look-like-if-irma-were-to-hit-kc/

0 notes

trabzonto · 7 years

Text

Hurricane Harvey Causes ‘Unprecedented’ Flooding in TX

Photo credit: The Weather Channel

Aug. 28–Tropical Storm Harvey reached historic, catastrophic levels Sunday as it pounded the Houston region with torrential rain, becoming the city’s worst storm on record and causing widespread flooding that has led to more than 1,000 rescues.

The monster storm, which roared ashore Friday night near Rockport as a Category 4 hurricane, packing winds of at least 130 mph, has spread across hundreds of miles of South Texas.

San Antonio has escaped the brunt of the storm, but gusting winds knocked down more than 100 trees and a couple of hundred power lines in the city.

And more is to come. The National Weather Service predicts Harvey will dip back down to the Gulf of Mexico, then swing back over Houston this week, possibly dropping a couple of more feet of rain.

Federal officials say the effects of the storm will be felt for years to come.

The National Weather Service reported five possible fatalities in the Houston area Sunday morning after the region was drenched with 14 to 28 inches of rain. Another storm victim died Saturday in Rockport.

"This event is unprecedented," the weather service said Sunday morning. "All impacts are unknown and beyond anything experienced."

The White House said President Donald Trump will visit Texas on Tuesday. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the White House is still coordinating logistics with state and local officials.

She added: "We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers."

Local officials in San Antonio pledged their support for Houston and other hard-hit communities.

Twenty San Antonio firefighters and paramedics have headed to Victoria, Refugio and Houston to offer manpower and equipment.

Crews with the San Antonio Water System set out for the heavily damaged island town of Port Aransas on Sunday afternoon to help fix its infrastructure.

"Thankfully, San Antonio has dodged the worst of it," Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. "But it is impacting our coastal neighbors in a very significant way."

The city reported Sunday that crews had removed 154 downed trees from city streets. CPS Energy crews replaced 30 power poles and responded to reports of more than 200 downed electric lines.

Resources to deal with the devastating storm are pouring in from across the country. The U.S. military is directing helicopters and boats to Texas to aid in search-and-rescue missions along the coast.

"This is a very, very dangerous storm with catastrophic consequence," U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Karl Schultz said at a news briefing in the state operations center in Austin. "It is going to be a sustained challenge for the coming days."

Harvey has weakened to a tropical storm, but officials said it will continue to dump rain across Houston and other coastal areas for days to come.

There already are more than 318,000 reported power outages and 250 highway closures statewide, said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who urged residents to stay off the roads.

"If you drive into water, you are taking your life into your own hands," the governor said.

The Texas and National Guards have deployed 3,000 service members, 500 vehicles and 14 aircraft. The Coast Guard is drawing resources from across the country to aid in rescue efforts, which already include eight helicopters, with eight more on the way.

The states of Nebraska, Tennessee, Utah, California, Missouri, Ohio, Arizona and New York are contributing helicopters and other resources to aid in rescue efforts.

Reports of fatalities have begun coming in, but Abbott said he was "not in a position to confirm they are related to the storms."

The National Weather Service published a flash flood warning early Sunday stating that five deaths had been reported in the Houston area and more than 1,000 high-water rescues had been performed.

On Saturday, Aransas County Judge C.H. "Burt" Mills Jr. said there was one storm-related death in Rockport.

Houston isn’t under a mandatory or a voluntary evacuation order. Though Abbott had urged city residents to consider evacuation before the storm hit, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner had suggested people shelter in place. Asked about the discrepancy Sunday, Abbott said: "Now is not the time to second guess decisions that were made."

Refugio County Judge Robert Blaschke said the storm caused "extensive" property damage, with no telling how many homes were destroyed. The county still has no power or running water after Harvey made landfall Friday as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of at least 130 mph.

"It’s really devastating to experience this," Blaschke said, urging evacuees who had fled the area to stay where they are.

"If they’re evacuated and they’re safe, we went them to stay put," he said. "There’s no water, there’s no electricity, so coming back to the community would just challenge the responders and the resources we have here to provide shelter."

Corrugated metal was strewn across the town — some of it wrapped around trees — and all the traffic lights were dead. Some residents were outside picking up the pieces of their lives, unsure of their next move.

"I have nothing, nothing at all, just the clothes on my back," said Joseph Villarreal, a Refugio resident whose trailer was crushed by high winds.

Officials in other rural counties urged residents to stay off flooded roadways.

"We are in a serious flood situation here in Bastrop County," d County Judge Paul Pape said after 18 inches of rain fell in parts of the county, with more on the way. "Lives are at stake. Please stay off the roads."

In Port Aransas, survivors found themselves without power, plumbing, phone service, and in some cases, food and water.

Trailer parks on the barrier island were decimated. Nothing was left of a liquor store but a pile of broken signage and crumpled roofing, bottles strewn across the lot. Apartment homes had collapsed. Power lines sagged over sand-covered roadways.

On Sunday, Melanie Zurawski broke into frustrated tears when she asked for a cup of coffee at the town’s civic center, which was being used as the emergency operations center, but officials told her there wasn’t enough to go around.

"I can’t get a cup of coffee? I live here," she said. "We’ve lost everything."

San Antonio was spared the brunt of the rain. The National Weather Service’s forecast late Friday had called for 6 to 12 inches of rainfall through Tuesday along Interstate 35 from San Antonio to Austin.

By Sunday morning, the eastern half of San Antonio received about 3 inches of rain while the western half received less than an inch. The National Weather Service said another 2 to 4 inches was expected in San Antonio through Wednesday.

Forecaster Jason Runyen with the National Weather Service said it’s notoriously difficult to predict the paths of hurricanes and tropical storms. If Harvey had taken a slightly different path, the 20 inches of rainfall in La Grange could have easily struck San Antonio instead.

"We kind of have to err on the side of caution," Runyen said.

Nirenberg said San Antonio was lucky to avoid the most devastating impact of the rain.

"If the track of the storm had shifted just 30 miles west, we would be sharing an entirely different message today," Nirenberg said.

[email protected]

The Associated Press and Staff Writers Alia Malik, Lynn Brezosky and Sig Christenson contributed to this report.

Source Article

The post Hurricane Harvey Causes ‘Unprecedented’ Flooding in TX appeared first on TRABZONTO.

Read full post at: http://www.trabzonto.org/hurricane-harvey-causes-unprecedented-flooding-in-tx/

0 notes

eriginmarketing1-blog · 7 years

Text

Race to rescue hundreds of residents as Harvey floods Houston

Emergency crews raced to pull people from cars and homes as floodwaters rose across southeast Texas on Sunday, rescuing more than 1,000 people in the Houston area as Tropical Storm Harvey pounded the region.

Harvey came ashore late Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years and has killed at least two people. The death toll is expected to rise as the storm lashes the US state for days, triggering more floods, tidal surges and tornadoes.

Harvey is forecast to arc slowly toward Houston through Wednesday. The centre of the storm is still 201km southwest of the fourth most populous city in the United States.

Emergency services told people to climb onto the roofs of their houses rather than into their attics to escape rapidly rising waters. Authorities warned the city's more than 2 million residents not to leave flooded homes because many of the city's roads were underwater.

Fears of 'catastrophic' flooding as deadly Hurricane Harvey lashes Texas

The Twitter account of the sheriff of Harris County, which includes most of Houston, was inundated with rescue requests. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said his deputies responded to unconfirmed reports of a deceased woman and child inside a submerged vehicle on a highway near Houston.

Another resident described seeing a woman's body floating in the streets during a flash flood in west Houston. The flood was several feet high, the resident told local TV station abc13.

Gonzalez' stretched rescue teams were struggling to deal with requests for help.

All agencies care but everyone simply operating at maximum capacity, he tweeted at one point.

Houston's William P. Hobby Airport cancelled all inbound and outbound flights early on Sunday due to standing water on the runway. The airport said its arrivals area was flooded, and the National Weather Service issued a flash flood alert for the surrounding area.

The flooding in Houston is dramatic, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in an interview on Fox News on Sunday. We are working to save lives and to keep as many people safe as possible.

The second confirmed fatality from Tropical Storm Harvey came on Saturday evening when an elderly woman drowned attempting to drive through flooded streets in west Houston, said Sergeant Colin Howard of the Houston police department.

Houston police officials said officers were evacuating two flooded apartment complexes.

Authorities have urged residents to stay off the streets of cities across southeast Texas as rain fell at up to 12.7cm per hour.

There are a number of stranded people on our streets, calling 911, exhausting needed resources. You can help by staying off the streets, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Twitter.

On Friday night, a man died in a house fire in the town of Rockport, 48km north of the city of Corpus Christi. Another dozen people in the area suffered injuries including broken bones, another official said.

[embedded content]

Energy production in the heart of the country's oil and gas industry was disrupted as several refineries and offshore platforms closed down, triggering a rise in petrol prices.

Exxon Mobil said on Sunday it was shutting down the second largest refinery in the United States at Baytown in Texas.

More than 45 per cent of the country's refining capacity is along the US Gulf coast, and nearly a fifth of the nation's crude oil is produced offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

Abbott said Sunday he expected disruption to the energy industry to last one or two weeks.

Harvey slammed into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 210km/hr, making it the strongest storm to hit the state since 1961.

The storm ripped off roofs, destroyed buildings, flooded coastal towns and had cut off power to nearly 230,000 people in Texas as of Saturday night.

Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm on Saturday because its winds have slowed. But authorities issued stark warnings on the threat posed by days of torrential rain.

This rain will lead to a prolonged, dangerous, and potentially catastrophic flooding event well into next week, the National Weather Service said.

Harvey threatens to break the record established nearly 40 years ago when Alvin, Texas, was deluged by 43 inches of rain in 24 hours on July 24-25, 1979.

[embedded content]

Abbott said 1,800 members of the military would help with the statewide clean-up. Another 1,000 people were conduct search-and-rescue operations.

The coastal town of Rockport took a direct hit from the storm, leaving streets flooded and strewn with power lines and debris on Saturday.

A dozen recreational vehicles were flipped over on a sales lot, one blown into the middle of the street. A convoy of military vehicles arrived in the Rockport area on Saturday to help in the recovery efforts, and town officials announced an overnight curfew for residents.

It was terrible, resident Joel Valdez, 57, told Reuters. The storm ripped part of the roof from his trailer home at around 4am, he said as he sat in a Jeep with windows smashed by the storm. I could feel the whole house move.

Before the storm hit, Rockport's mayor told anyone staying behind to write their names on their arms for identification in case of death or injury.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said it was forced to evacuate about 4,500 inmates from three state prisons near the Brazos River because of rising water.

The US Coast Guard said it had rescued 20 people from distressed vessels on Saturday, and was monitoring two Carnival Corp cruise ships carrying thousands of people stranded in the US Gulf of Mexico.

The size and strength of Harvey dredged up memories of Katrina, the 2005 hurricane that made a direct hit on New Orleans as a category 3 storm, causing levees and flood walls to fail in dozens of places. About 1,800 died in the disaster made worse by a slow government emergency response.

Harvey strengthens into a hurricane which will menace the Texas coast

US President Donald Trump, facing the first big natural disaster of his term, said on Sunday he would visit the area as soon as he could do so without causing more disruption.

He said the all-out effort to deal with the disaster was going well. Trump signed a disaster proclamation on Friday, triggering federal relief efforts.

Recovery would likely take years, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Brock Long said in an interview with CNN on Sunday. FEMA coordinates the response to major disasters. This is going to be a landmark event, he said.

The post Race to rescue hundreds of residents as Harvey floods Houston appeared first on Eric's Success Corner.

0 notes