Natural Disasters

Death Toll In Turkey-Syria Earthquake Passes 11,000

Reuters reports: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visited southern Turkey on Wednesday to see first-hand the destruction wrought by a massive earthquake as anger grew among local people over what they said was a slow government response to the rescue and relief effort. The combined confirmed death toll from Monday’s quake, which struck a swathe of southern Turkey and neighbouring Syria, …

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Death Toll In Turkey-Syria Earthquake Passes 5000

The Associated Press reports: Rescuers raced Tuesday to find survivors in the rubble of thousands of buildings brought down by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks that struck eastern Turkey and neighboring Syria, with the discovery of more bodies raising the death toll to more than 5,000. Countries around the world dispatched teams to assist in the rescue efforts, …

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Biden Vows Swift Aid To Turkey After Massive Quake

Via press release from the White House: Jill and I were deeply saddened by the news of the devastating earthquakes that have thus far claimed thousands of lives in Turkiye and Syria. My Administration has been working closely with our NATO Ally Turkiye, and I authorized an immediate U.S. response. At my direction, senior American officials reached out immediately to …

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1500+ Dead After Massive Quakes Hit Turkey, Syria

Reuters reports: More than 1,500 people were killed and thousands injured on Monday when a huge earthquake struck central Turkey and northwest Syria, pulversing apartment blocks and heaping more destruction on Syrian cities already devastated by years of war. The magnitude 7.8 quake, which hit in the early darkness of a winter morning, was the worst to strike Turkey this …

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Newsom Declares Emergency After CA Earthquake

From a press release issued last night: Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Humboldt County to support the emergency response to today’s 6.4 magnitude earthquake near the City of Ferndale. The earthquake has resulted in two fatalities and injured multiple people, caused power outages and damaged roads, bridges, buildings and critical infrastructure including water lines and gas …

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6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Northern California

CNN reports: A 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Northern California’s Eureka area early Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey, and thousands are without power in its wake. The quake, recorded at 2:34 a.m. PT, was centered in the Pacific just off the coast, about 7.5 miles from the Humboldt County city of Ferndale, the survey said. Most homes and businesses …

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Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Volcano Begins To Erupt [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, has started to erupt, prompting volcanic ash and debris to fall nearby, authorities said Monday. The eruption began late Sunday night in the summit caldera of the volcano on the Big Island, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Early Monday, it said lava flows were contained within the summit …

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Socialist Hurricane Aid For Florida Passes $1 Billion

Florida Politics reports: Twenty-two days since Hurricane Ian hit the Gulf Coast and forged a path of destruction across the state, the amount of federal recovery aid distributed to the state blew past the $1 billion mark. The speed of the aid’s distribution appears to be outpacing — and by some measures overtaking — the federal aid that followed Hurricane …

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Floods Bring Flesh-Eating Bacteria Outbreak To Florida

CNN reports: A county in Florida that was slammed by Hurricane Ian has reported more than two dozen flesh-eating bacteria cases in the aftermath of the devastating storm. Lee County has seen 26 cases of Vibrio vulnificus in the last three weeks, leading to six deaths. The bacteria enters the body through open wounds and kills about 20% of the …

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Winning Lottery Ticket Bought In Ian-Ravaged Ft. Myers

The Associated Press reports: A winning lottery ticket worth a share of a $494 million Mega Millions jackpot was purchased in a southwest Florida city hammered by Hurricane Ian late last month. Florida lottery officials on Monday said one of the two winning tickets was purchased at a 7-Eleven in Fort Myers. The other winning ticket was bought in California. …

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DeSantis Seeks More Socialist Aid For Fishing Industry

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis is requesting that the areas affected by Hurricane Ian be declared a federal fisheries disaster by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which would open up channels for more aide for those in the fishing industry. If approved, NOAA will be able to provide more support to commercial fishermen, wholesale dealers, charter boat …

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Rubio Seeks Additional $33 Billion In Socialist Aid

Florida Politics reports: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has requested an initial $33 billion in major disaster supplemental spending in response to Hurricane Ian’s impact. The largest portion of funding requested comes from the Army Corps of Engineers for Civil Works projects, about $12.38 billion. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has also received a request for $10.05 billion from Rubio. Rubio …

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DeSantis Announces More Socialist Aid For FL Counties

Florida Politics reports: FEMA has approved more federal assistance to help the Central Florida counties of Brevard, Orange and Osceola recover from Hurricane Ian. The move allows the counties to receive federal reimbursements for more facets of the recovery. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the decision Monday evening. In total, FEMA has approved direct individual assistance for residents in Charlotte, Collier, …

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Florida Sheriff Under Fire After Arrest Of Roofer

Florida Politics reports: According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), the owner of Duque Roofing, Terence Duque, was arrested last Friday for contracting without a Florida license, which is a felony crime. CCSO said that Duque had read the Governor’s State of Emergency order regarding contractors, and that he understood it to mean that contractors from out of state …

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Moody’s Estimates Florida’s Ian Damage At $67 Billion

Axios reports: Hurricane Ian likely caused between $53 to $74 billion in insured losses from Florida to the Carolinas, with a “best estimate” of $67 billion, according to new data released today from modeling firm RMS. These preliminary damage totals would make Hurricane Ian the costliest storm in Florida history and second nationally to Hurricane Katrina when adjusted for inflation. …

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FL Homeowners Face Insurance Nightmare After Ian

The Associated Press reports: Even before Ian, Florida’s home insurance market was dealing with billions of dollars in losses from a string of natural disasters, rampant litigation and increasing fraud. The difficult environment has put many insurers out of business and caused others to raise their prices or tighten their restrictions, making it harder for Floridians to obtain insurance. The …

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Damage From Hurricane Ian Expected To Exceed $50B

CNN reports: The devastation wrought by Hurricane Ian likely caused more than $50 billion in damages — and also dinged overall US economic output, economists say. Initial damages from the deadly storm are estimated to be in the range of $45 billion to $55 billion in Florida and at least several billion dollars in South Carolina, according to Laura Ratz, …

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Papa John Laments Losing One Of His 20 Homes To Ian

The New York Post reports: John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John’s Pizza who was forced to step down as CEO after uttering a racial slur during a conference call, was slammed on Tuesday for telling a cable news channel that he had “lost a home” in Florida as a result of Hurricane Ian. Schnatter, whose net worth was pegged …

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Florida Candidate Donates Water With Her Face On It

First, some backstory via the Orlando Sentinel: Democratic state House candidate Allie Braswell is criticizing his Republican opponent Carolina Amesty for living and registering to vote in a Windermere home owned by a nonprofit religious organization, Central Christian University, where Amesty is vice president. “How can you represent me if you’re not facing the same responsibilities that I have, paying …

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DeSantis: The Media Was Hoping For The Hurricane To Hit Tampa Because “It Would Have Been Worse For FL”

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis, during an exclusive interview with the right-of-center Florida’s Voice website, was asked if there would be any “accountability in the media” for reporting that the storm had been forecast to strike the Tampa Bay area. “Quite frankly, you have national regime media that wanted to see Tampa, because they thought that would be worse …

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