Disaster

The Washington Post reports: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will take the lead in determining the origin and cause of the Pacific Palisades fire, the agency said Saturday. “Certified fire investigators have been on scene and will continue to work in conjunction with state and local investigators to determine the cause of this tragic event,” ATF said …

Axios reports: A fresh Los Angeles wildfire that ignited in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night is threatening homes and iconic L.A. landmarks, and it’s prompted authorities to issue expanding evacuation orders. The rapidly growing Sunset Fire that’s threatening Hollywood landmarks along with homes was one of multiple fires burning out of control across Los Angeles County into Thursday morning. …

ABC News reports: At least two people are dead and many more injured as several fires broke out across Southern California amid historically dry and windy conditions. Tens of thousands were evacuated as more than 15,000 acres burned in the Palisades Fire. At least 1,000 structures are estimated to have been destroyed in the fire. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire — …

Via press release from the White House: Under President Biden’s leadership, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking significant actions to support state and local response efforts for the wildfires in Los Angeles, California. As the fires continue to devastate communities, President Biden is focused on mobilizing life-saving and life-sustaining resources across the region. The President is closely monitoring ongoing response efforts …

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: Tens of thousands of residents in the western Los Angeles area were under mandatory evacuation orders Tuesday evening as a wind-driven wildfire exploded in size and swept through communities in the Pacific Palisades. The Palisades Fire was first reported around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive. By evening, the …

The Associated Press reports: Emergency crews arrived to a chaotic and gruesome scene in a Honolulu neighborhood after a large New Year’s firework tipped over after being lit and ignited a fiery, shrapnel-studded blast that killed three people and injured more than 20 others, several of them critically. Two women died at the scene and a third woman died at …

The New York Times reports: A passenger plane crashed while landing at an airport in southwestern South Korea on Sunday, killing almost all of the 181 people on board in the worst aviation disaster involving a South Korean airline in almost three decades, officials said. The Boeing 737-800 plane, operated by South Korea’s Jeju Air, had taken off from Bangkok …

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: Firefighters are battling a brush fire in Malibu near Pepperdine University, prompting evacuations amid dangerous fire conditions due to strong Santa Ana winds. The Franklin Fire was reported just before 11 p.m. Monday in the area of Malibu Canyon Road north of Pacific Coast Highway. It started at just about 10 acres but has since …

The Associated Press reports: Firefighters battled a wildfire early Tuesday in Malibu that prompted evacuations near Pepperdine University, where students sheltering at the school’s library watched as the fire intensified and the sky turn deep red. “Just seeing the flames grow and seeing that bright red color of fire just get brighter and brighter and brighter — it was so …

The Associated Press reports: The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse have agreed to pay more than $102 million in cleanup costs to settle a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department, officials said Thursday. The settlement does not cover any damages for rebuilding the bridge, officials said in a news release announcing …

ABC News reports: Twenty-six people remain unaccounted for in hard-hit North Carolina, weeks after the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Helene, officials said Monday. At least 95 of Helene’s fatalities were in North Carolina, officials said. Gov. Roy Cooper called Helene “the deadliest and most devastating storm” in the state’s history. After misinformation spread about recovery efforts and the availability of …

CNN reports: Authorities are working to identify the cause of a partial ferry dock collapse on Georgia’s Sapelo Island that turned a day of celebration into tragedy, leaving at least seven dead and six critically injured as crowds gathered for a cultural festival. In the midst of a celebration of the island’s small Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants, a …

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Flesh-eating bacteria cases have surged in the last few weeks since Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton swept through, according to data from the Florida Department of Health. Vibrio vulnificusa, a naturally occurring but potentially fatal bacterial infection, thrives in warm floodwaters when hurricanes and tropical storms push brackish water along the coast and into rivers and …

NBC News reports: Fresh off the one-two punch of Helene and Milton, hurricane victims in Florida — even those with insurance — face a challenging recovery. The insurance industry is categorizing the storms as two separate events, meaning anyone who did not or could not document damage from Helene could face even greater odds that their claim will be denied …

The Treasure Coast News reports: St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson didn’t have to go far to show residents an example of why they needed to stay indoors Wednesday afternoon. A suspected tornado ripped up a steel storage building right outside the sheriff’s headquarters in the 4700 block of Midway Road. Pearson posted a video on the office’s Facebook page, …

The Guardian reports: Taylor Swift has donated $5m to relief efforts connected to hurricanes Helene and Milton. The charity Feeding America thanked Swift, saying it was “incredibly grateful … This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water, and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms.” Swift is known for her philanthropy during natural disasters. …

From the Department of Transportation: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced the immediate availability of $100 million in Emergency Relief funds for the North Carolina Department of Transportation to help pay for the costs of immediate emergency work resulting from Hurricane Helene flood damage. “Working in close coordination with North Carolina, we are providing this …

Knoxville’s ABC affiliate reports: East Tennessee’s own Dolly Parton partnered with several Sevier County attractions and Walmart to make a significant donation to flood relief at an event Friday. The event took place at the Walmart in Newport, Tennessee. Parton announced she was making a $1 million donation to the Mountain Ways Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing immediate assistance …

NBC News reports: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the state’s criminal investigation agency, said Wednesday it is looking into allegations against an Erwin plastics factory where several workers died and some went missing after they were swept away by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene. Relatives of the missing and deceased workers and factory employees who survived have alleged they were made …

Bloomberg News reports: The destruction from Hurricane Helene is expected to cost insurers roughly $6.4 billion, according to an early estimate from catastrophe modeling firm Karen Clark & Company. KCC’s assessment includes damage to privately insured automobiles as well as residential, commercial and industrial properties and the impact of business interruption. Insured losses are much lower than the total economic …