Tag Archives: natural disasters

The Associated Press reports: La Soufriere volcano fired an enormous amount of ash and hot gas early Monday in the biggest explosive eruption yet since volcanic activity began on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent late last week, with officials worried about the lives of those who have refused to evacuate. Experts called it a “huge explosion” that generated …

The New York Times reports: A volcano in the southern Caribbean that had been dormant for decades erupted on Friday, spewing clouds of ash and smoke miles into the sky.  The volcano, known as La Soufrière, on the northern tip of the main island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which began showing signs of renewed activity in late December, …

CBS News reports: Griddy Energy, the Texas electricity provider accused of charging customers thousands of dollars during Winter Storm Uri, said today it has filed for bankruptcy. Griddy was a “thriving business with more than 29,000 customers” before the winter storm struck, CEO Michael Fallquist said in a statement. The storm with record-low temperatures sparked a weeklong freeze and left …

NOAA reports: The average temperature across the contiguous U.S. last month was 30.6 degrees F, 3.2 degrees below the 20th-century average, making it the 19th-coldest February in the 127-year record. It was also the coldest February since 1989. Below-average temperatures dominated much of the nation from the Northwest to the Great Lakes and south to the Gulf of Mexico. For …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas’ utility regulator had an opportunity Friday to eliminate some of the $16 billion that the state’s grid operator erroneously overcharged power companies during last month’s deadly winter storm — but the board of the Public Utility Commission chose not to do so. Some Texas electricity customers could have benefited from a decision to readjust the …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas made a $16 billion error in pricing during the week of the winter storm that caused power outages across the state, according to a filing by its market monitor. Potomac Economics, the independent market monitor for the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which oversees ERCOT, wrote in a letter to …

The Texas Tribune reports: President Joe Biden plans visit Texas on Friday in the wake of extensive winter storm damage in the state. The president and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Houston, according to a White House announcement. Biden has engaged from afar with state and local officials but stated a reluctance to come to Texas too soon …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Texas power retailer Griddy is the target of a class action lawsuit filed in Houston state district court Monday alleging the company participated in price gouging after winter storm Uri cut power to millions across the state. The lawsuit was filed by a Chambers County resident Lisa Khoury whose electricity bill from the week of …

The Texas Tribune reports: At the height of last week’s winter storm that left millions of Texans without access to heat and clean water, Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, were out of state on a “previously planned” business trip to Utah, a spokesman confirmed. On the day of Paxton’s Wednesday meeting, the state’s electrical …

Houston’s ABC News affiliate reports: The city of Houston lifted its boil water notice Sunday, but tens of thousands across the region remain without water due to winter storm damage or pipeline restrictions. Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed the notice had been rescinded during a drive-thru water distribution event at Butler Stadium, where more than 18,000 units of water were handed …

Mediaite reports: Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee, Sylvia Garcia, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke to reporters before volunteering at a food bank in Houston in response to the ongoing winter weather disaster in Texas. On Saturday morning, Reps. Lee, Garcia, and Ocasio-Cortez spoke to reporters for several minutes outside the Houston Food Bank before heading inside to help provide relief to Houstonians …

CNBC reports: President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for Texas as the state grapples with widespread power outages and water shortages amid freezing winter conditions, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced on Saturday. The action provides federal funding for individuals in Texas, grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. …

USA Today reports: President Joe Biden said Friday he plans to visit Texas next week following the state’s brutal winter storm that left millions without power but will only go when he determines his presence won’t be a “burden.” “The answer is yes,” Biden said of a visit to Texas, adding his plan originally was to go in the middle …

Newsweek reports: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has revealed that she plans to visit Texas at the weekend, as Senator Ted Cruz is embroiled in a scandal for flying to Cancun while locals battle power outages and a winter freeze. Posting on social media, Ocasio-Cortez said she would make a trip to Houston with Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) to highlight the problems …

CNN reports: As Texas begins restoring power after a devastating week of freezing temperatures and winter storms, the state is confronting a new crisis: overwhelmed water systems that could extend misery for much of the population. Leaks caused by frozen pipes have pushed the water supply to the brink. About 13 million Texans, nearly half the state’s population, remained under …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texans are running out of food. From farm to table, freezing temperatures and power outages are disrupting the food supply chain that people rely on every day. Across the state, people are using up supplies they had stockpiled and losing more as items start to spoil in dark refrigerators. Some are storing their remaining rations in …

Fox News reports: Sen. Ted Cruz flew to Cancun, Mexico, with his family this week as Texas dealt with a winter storm that left millions without power, Fox News has confirmed. Photographs of Cruz, R-Texas, at an airport began circulating on social media late Wednesday, with people alleging that the senator had left the state for Cancun amid a major …

The Weather Channel reports: A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake has rattled the Mexican state of Oaxaca and prompted tsunami warnings for Mexico and parts of Central America. The quake struck at 10:29 a.m. local time Tuesday about 7 miles southwest of Santa María Zapotitlán, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said tsunami waves of 3 to 9 …

The Guardian reports: A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck in the sea south of Cuba, triggering a tsunami warning for Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but tsunami warnings were quickly issued. The quake also hit the Cayman Islands, leaving cracked roads and what appeared to be sewage spilling from …

The Washington Post reports: Australia’s bushfire crisis worsened Thursday night into Friday as hot, dry and windy conditions redeveloped across the country’s hard-hit southeast, causing two large blazes to merge into one. The new “megafire” measures about 1.5 million acres, about the size of the state of Delaware or roughly eight times as large as New York City. “What we’re …