Disaster

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 …

CNN reports: A fire that started Tuesday afternoon at a recycling plant in the eastern Indiana city of Richmond was emitting toxic smoke and has forced evacuation orders for about 2,000 people as it is expected to burn for days, officials said. Early air monitoring results are expected early Wednesday, Wayne County officials said. Plastics were among the items burning …

From Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders: This evening, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders spoke with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to discuss the state and federal response to the catastrophic tornadoes that hit Arkansas today.  The Governor described the widespread damage this storm caused to areas across the state, including Little Rock, Jacksonville, Sherwood, and Wynne. The Governor requested direct federal assistance …

The Associated Press reports: Nine people were killed in a crash involving two Army Black Hawk helicopters in Kentucky, a military spokesperson said. Nondice Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said Thursday morning that the deaths happened the previous night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training mission. A statement from Fort Campbell says the two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, …

Reuters reports: Migrants were locked in a cell as a blaze spread killing 39 people at a detention center in Mexico, witnesses and a survivor said on Wednesday, as Mexican prosecutors said they were investigating the incident as a possible homicide. Prosecutors have identified eight people who may be responsible for the deaths on Monday at the center in the …

CBS News reports: An early morning train derailment in the small town of Raymond in west-central Minnesota started a large fire and resulted in evacuations, authorities said. BNSF Railway said in a statement that about 22 cars of a train carrying ethanol and corn syrup among other things left the tracks at about 1:02 a.m.. No one was hurt, the …

The Associated Press reports: A fire in a dormitory at a Mexican immigration detention center near the U.S. border left more than three dozen migrants dead, a government agency said Tuesday, in one of the deadliest incidents ever at an immigration lockup in the country. Hours after the fire broke out late Monday, rows of bodies were laid out under …

CBS News reports: President Joe Biden early Sunday issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi, making federal funding available to Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe and Sharkey counties, the areas hardest hit Friday night by a deadly tornado that ripped through the Mississippi Delta, one of the poorest regions of the U.S. CBS News has confirmed at least 26 people were killed in …

The Washington Post reports:  A devastating tornado swept through parts of Mississippi overnight, killing at least 23 people, injuring dozens more and wreaking severe damage after wind gusts of up to 80 mph and hail the size of golf balls swept through the state. The severe weather has pummeled homes and caused widespread power outages early Saturday. The towns of …

The Washington Post reports: Ohio is suing Norfolk Southern after one of the railroad’s trains that was carrying toxic chemicals derailed, leading to an environmental disaster. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) announced the lawsuit in a news conference Tuesday afternoon. A Norfolk Southern train was carrying hazardous chemicals such as vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate when it derailed in …

The Hill reports: A conservative advocacy group is pushing lawmakers to oppose a bipartisan rail safety bill that was introduced in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, claiming it would create “gross inefficiencies” for businesses and give the Department of Transportation “unimaginable authority.” “Introduced following the horrible accident in East Palestine, Ohio, the legislation offers a slew …

The Hill reports: Norfolk Southern will pay for temporary relocation for people who live within a mile of the site of a train derailment that spilled hazardous chemicals, amid ongoing cleanup efforts. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a Sunday update that the company will provide “additional financial assistance” that may include “ temporary lodging, travel, food, clothing, and …

The Guardian reports: In leaked audio heard by the Guardian, a manager for one of the US’s largest rail companies can be heard explaining to a former carman that they should stop tagging railcars for broken bearings. The manager says doing so delays other cargo. The disclosure comes as federal agencies investigate the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. A wheel-bearing …

Reuters reports: A passenger train and a cargo train collided head-on in Greece on Tuesday night, killing at least 36 people and injuring dozens as the country’s deadliest rail crash in living memory threw entire carriages off the tracks. Many of the victims were thought to be university students on their way back from a long holiday weekend. The death …

Bloomberg News reports: President Joe Biden instructed federal agents responding to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, to go door-to-door to conduct health surveys with impacted families, a White House official said Monday. Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention visited approximately 350 household over the weekend, according to …

The Hill reports: A Youngstown, Ohio-based law firm has announced a class-action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railroad over the derailment of a train in East Palestine, using a strategy it says echoes the state’s 1990s lawsuit against tobacco companies. The firm, Johnson and Johnson, is partnering with class-action law firm Hagens Berman on behalf of all residents within 30 miles …

Axios reports: The crew of the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, attempted to stop it after receiving a “critical” alert about an overheating wheel bearing just before the crash, an investigation found. The preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation released Thursday came as residents push for answers from officials over the health dangers. …

The Associated Press reports: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wants the nation’s freight railroads to immediately act to improve safety while regulators try to strengthen safety rules in the wake of a fiery derailment in Ohio that forced evacuations when toxic chemicals were released and burned. Buttigieg announced a package of reforms Tuesday — two days after he warned the railroad …

ABC News reports: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter Sunday to the CEO of Norfolk Southern, warning that the freight rail company must “demonstrate unequivocal support for the people” of East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas after a fiery train derailment. “Norfolk Southern must live up to its commitment to make residents whole — and must also live up …

Axios reports: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said Thursday that he has requested additional federal assistance — including from health agencies — over the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that resulted in the venting and burning of carcinogenic chemicals. DeWine said he made the request after speaking with the White House Thursday morning. Earlier in the week, he said …