Tag Archives: natural disasters

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 …

CNN International reports: A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, just one day after a 5.8 magnitude quake shook the island, according to the US Geological Survey. The 6.4 quake struck at 3:24 a.m. local time about 6 miles south of Indios, Puerto Rico, the USGS said. The mayor of Guayanilla, just north of Indios, reported damage to …

CNN reports: The Australian state of New South Wales has declared a state of emergency and could begin forced evacuations from fire-stricken areas, as emergency crews battle deadly blazes and brace for a dangerous weekend ahead. State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Thursday that the emergency declaration would come into effect Friday morning as weather conditions are expected to deteriorate significantly …

Reuters reports: Australia’s most populous state declared its second emergency in as many months on Thursday as extreme heat and strong winds stoked more than 100 bushfires, including three major blazes on Sydney’s doorstep. A day after Australia recorded its hottest day on record, thick smoke blanketed the harbor city, shrouded the Opera House and brought many outdoor activities to …

NBC News reports: A volcano open to tour groups unexpectedly erupted off the coast of New Zealand on Monday, killing at least five people, authorities said. Officials were unsure of the exact number of people who were missing or injured. Search-and-rescue operations on the island have stalled because it is too dangerous to approach the island, said John Tims, deputy …

ABC News reports: A wind-whipped fire erupted in San Bernardino, forcing mandatory evacuations and ravaging several homes in the area, as the blaze quickly grew to 200 acres early Thursday morning. The blaze, called the Hillside Fire, was burning at a rapid rate of spread and quickly expanded to 200 acres by about 2:30 a.m., officials said. Six homes were …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Even after several years of devastating wind-driven fires in Southern California, forecasters fear that the next two days could bring new levels of danger. “Extreme” fire weather began in the Los Angeles area at 11 p.m. Tuesday and was expected to persist for 30 hours, bringing isolated gusts of up to 80 mph. It’s an …

The Los Angeles Times reports: A growing brush fire was threatening thousands of homes in Brentwood and other Westside hillside communities, burning several homes and prompting widespread evacuations early Monday. The Getty fire broke out shortly before 2 a.m. along the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center and spread to the south and west, rapidly burning more than 500 acres …

CBS News reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency as wildfires and extreme weather conditions forced almost 200,000 people from their homes. He said in a statement Sunday that officials are deploying “every resource available” to respond to the wildfires, including a large blaze in Northern California’s wine country driven by powerful winds. Smoke from a second …

NBC News reports: Two massive wildfires are flanking Northern and Southern California, as power outages expand, almost two hundred thousand people are under evacuation orders, and tens of thousands of acres burn. North of San Francisco, new evacuation warnings were issued early Sunday as the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County scorched 30,000 acres and remains only ten percent contained. The …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: Massive blackouts affecting more than 2 million people are expected this weekend throughout the Bay Area, Northern California and Central California, the third time this month that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will have turned off power to avert catastrophic wildfires. PG&E said about 850,000 homes and businesses in its service territory might start losing …