Disaster

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 …

Tampa’s NBC affiliate reports: The “Insurance Village” resource center is to open in Clearwater this weekend for residents to expedite the filing of insurance claims. The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Consumer Services will host around 42 insurance agencies to help residents who are in the process of filing a claim. The “Insurance Village” will be open from …

Via press release from the state of Georgia: Overnight, monitoring around the Bio Lab facility detected some exceedances above the action level for chlorine. Workers on site have continued to make progress in neutralizing the product. As the neutralization process continues, periodic increases in chlorine levels around the facility are expected. The current weather models show the winds will begin …

Courthouse News reports: As the southeastern U.S. reels from the devastating hurricane that ravaged the region last week, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle urged congressional leaders to convene a special session to approve critical disaster relief aid. “Although the true level of devastation is still unfolding, it is clear that Congress must act to meet the unmet needs …

Via press release from the White House: President Biden and Vice President Harris continue to mobilize an intensive Federal response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. The Administration is prioritizing life-saving and life-sustaining response efforts in impacted communities, as well as ensuring people displaced from the storm have prompt access to Federal resources that will enable them to both purchase …

In a moving New York Times video, Asheville-area gay bar owner Brandon Davis laments the destruction of his just-opened business, saying, “I had a dream come true and it lasted 32 days.” A GoFundMe drive has been launched by a friend on behalf of Davis and his partner: Part of what makes this community so vibrant and wonderful are the …

The Associated Press reports: As the rain from Hurricane Helene came down harder and harder, workers inside a plastics factory in rural Tennessee kept working. It wasn’t until water flooded into the parking lot and the power went out that the plant shut down and sent workers home. Several never made it. The raging floodwaters swept 11 people away, and …