Disaster

At Least Seven Dead In Georgia Ferry Dock Collapse

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 …

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FL Sees Rash Of Flesh-Eating Bacteria Cases, Deaths

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 …

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NBC: Florida Homeowners Face Insurance Nightmare

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 …

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Tornado Destroys Building Of Florida County Sheriff Who Just Appointed Eric Trump As “Special Deputy”

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, …

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Taylor Swift Donates $5 Million To Hurricane Relief

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. …

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Buttigieg: NC To Get “Immediate” $100M For Roads

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 …

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Dolly Parton Donates $2 Million To Hurricane Relief

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 …

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State Opens Criminal Probe After Factory Workers Say They Weren’t Allowed To Leave As Flood Waters Rose

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 …

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Insured Losses From Helene Expected To Reach $6.4B

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 …

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Florida Officials Open “Insurance Village” To File Claims

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 …

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Officials Warn Atlanta Of Chlorine Haze From Plant Fire

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 …

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Senators Call For Special Session On Hurricane Relief

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 …

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Biden Deploys 1000 More National Guard Troops To Support Hurricane Relief Food And Water Deliveries

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 …

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Drive Launched For Destroyed Asheville LGBTQ Bar

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 …

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Workers At Tennessee Factory Claim They Were Not Allowed To Leave Even As Flood Waters Rose [VIDEO]

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 …

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Asheville Shows No Place Is Safe From Climate Change

ABC News reports: Asheville, North Carolina, has been called a potential safe haven for climate refugees by real estate researchers, praised for its temperate mountain weather, distance far from the coast, experiencing less extreme heat and fewer wildfires. Certainly, there are locations that are going to be able to withstand some of those impacts more than others, according to Dave …

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At Least 95 Dead, Hundreds Still Missing After Helene

NBC News reports: Searches are ongoing this morning for hundreds of missing people across southeastern states this morning, with at least 95 confirmed fatalities across six states, according to a list maintained by NBC News. At least 30 people have died in a single county in Asheville, North Carolina, the site of disastrous flooding, Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller said …

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Drone Videos Reveal Hurricane Devastation In Asheville

The New York Times reports: Hurricane Helene ravaged much of the Southeast last week, carving a path of destruction from Florida to Appalachian states as it spawned deadly flooding, mudslides and tornadoes. After making landfall on Thursday on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the storm, with its powerful winds and record-breaking storm surges, killed at least 60 people, destroyed countless homes, put …

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Millions Still Without Power In Wake Of Hurricane

ABC News reports: Residents of Pasco County, Florida, just north of Tampa, are facing “a level of devastation in our county that, quite honestly, I haven’t seen in the 20-plus years that I’ve lived here,” county administrator Mike Carballa said. Pasco County’s emergency center received about 400 to 500 calls for service early Friday morning after landfall, Carballa said. Of …

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Resident: Florida’s Cedar Key Is “Completely Gone”

The New York Times reports: Cedar Key, a small community on a collection of tiny islands jutting into the Gulf of Mexico, is emerging as one of the areas most devastated when Helene struck Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday night. “Cedar Key as we know it is completely gone,” said Michael Bobbitt, a novelist and playwright who lives in …

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