Disaster

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 …

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 …