Disaster

The Associated Press reports: CLAIM: Two images of beams of light reaching up the sky prove recent wildfires on Maui were started by an “energy weapon.” AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Both images are unrelated to the fires on Maui. One photo shows the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from a California military base in May 2018. The other shows …

The Independent reports: Hawaii Governor Josh Green gave a stark warning to the world in the aftermath of the “fire hurricane” that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui. The state’s drought conditions from climate change and difficulties with water management had combined with 60mph winds from Hurricane Dora which had just passed the island, Mr …

Hawaii News Now reports: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez announced they’ll donate $100 million to Maui wildfire relief efforts. “Jeff and I are heartbroken by what’s happening in Maui. We are thinking of the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated,” Sanchez wrote. The couple says the money will …

The Associated Press reports: As the death toll from a wildfire that razed a historic Maui town reached 93, authorities warned Saturday that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. It’s already the deadliest U.S. wildfire for over a century. Crews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area, Maui …

Reuters reports: Maui’s wildfires have killed at least 55 people, a toll expected to rise, and unleashed destruction on the resort town of Lahaina that will take many years and billions of dollars to rebuild, Hawaiian officials said on Thursday. Governor Josh Green said the inferno that reduced much of Lahaina to smoldering ruins was the worst natural disaster in …

Via press release from the White House: Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Hawaii and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires beginning on August 8, 2023, and continuing. The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in Maui …

Hawaii News Now reports: Maui County says 36 people are now confirmed dead in the devastating wildfires that have decimated entire towns, including historic Lahaina. The heartbreaking news, which some feared could rise even higher, makes the wildfires among the deadliest disasters in Hawaii history. Meanwhile, at least three large fires on Maui — including the blaze in Lahaina — …

Hawaii News Now reports: Eyewitnesses described an apocalyptic scene Tuesday in Lahaina town, where residents were forced to jump into the harbor waters to avoid fast-moving flames from a massive brush fire that’s destroyed much of the historic area — and continues to burn. Residents say an overwhelmed fire force — fighting flames all day amid powerful winds — could …

Bloomberg News reports: The car carrier on fire near the Netherlands coast has almost 500 electric cars on board, according to its operator, more than was previously reported. The cause of the blaze on the Fremantle Highway is still unknown, according to the Dutch coast guard, which previously said the initial cargo list they received suggested just 25 EVs were …

ABC News reports: U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Vermont, where torrential rainfall has triggered life-threatening flash floods. The president’s action frees up federal resources to supplement the state and local response efforts as well as authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts across Vermont. Many rivers in the …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: Rain continues to batter an already severely damaged Hudson Valley on Monday morning. Hours of heavy rain produced life-threatening flash flooding across the region on Sunday sparking flash flood warnings and a rare flood emergency. A woman in her 30’s was killed in rushing floodwaters in Orange County. She was trying to escape her …

The Guardian reports: Presumed human remains have been recovered from within the wreckage of the Titan, the submersible that imploded on a voyage to the Titanic earlier this month, killing all five aboard, the US coast guard reported on Wednesday. US medical professionals will conduct a formal analysis of the remains, the Coast Guard said. “The evidence will provide investigators …

The Associated Press reports: When millionaire Steve Fossett’s plane went missing over the Nevada range in 2007, the swashbuckling adventurer had already been the subject of two prior emergency rescue operations thousands of miles apart. And that prompted a prickly question: After a sweeping search for the wealthy risktaker ended, who should foot the bill? In recent days, the massive …

The Wall Street Journal reports: A top secret U.S. Navy acoustic detection system designed to spot enemy submarines first heard the Titan sub implosion hours after the submersible began its mission, officials involved in the search said. The Navy began listening for the Titan almost as soon as the sub lost communications, according to a U.S. defense official. Shortly after …

The Washington Post reports: OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush, Pakistani-British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman Dawood, British businessman Hamish Harding, and French deep sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet have sadly been lost, said a spokesperson for OceanGate in a statement Thursday afternoon. “These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion …

CBS News reports: The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday a remote operated vehicle (ROV) discovered a “debris field” near the Titanic wreckage site where a submersible went missing. It is not clear if the debris field is connected to the missing submersible, but the Coast Guard said “experts within the unified command are evaluating the information.” More resources arrived at …

The Associated Press reports: The search for the missing submersible on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic neared the critical 96-hour mark Thursday when breathable air is expected to run out, reaching a vital moment in the intense effort to save the five people aboard. The Titan submersible was estimated to have about a four-day supply of …

The New York Daily News reports: A four-story garage collapsed Tuesday afternoon, killing one person, injuring five others and sending lower Manhattan into chaos, according to emergency officials. The structure at Ann and William streets “pancaked” just after 4 p.m., Buildings Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik said at a press conference near the scene. The upper floors packed with cars crumbled, sending …

New York City’s CBS affiliate reports: Emergency responders have rushed to the scene after a collapse at a parking garage in Lower Manhattan Tuesday afternoon. It happened shortly after 4 p.m. at Ann Street near Nassau Street in the Financial District. FDNY officials say several people are injured and others may be trapped. Video from the scene showed multiple cars …

Fort Lauderdale’s ABC affiliate reports: The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is closed until 5 a.m. Friday after rains deposited nearly 30-inch floods in the area. Travelers are asked to avoid coming to the airport ahead of their flights and to check the status of their flights online. The upper-level road of the airport was opened early Thursday morning to allow …