Latest Disaster planning and response News

Flooding forces people from homes in some parts of Iowa while much of US broils again in heat

Jun. 22, 2024 20:52 PM EDT

Floodwaters forced people out of their homes in parts of Iowa, the result of weeks of rain, while much of the United States longed for relief Saturday from yet another round of extraordinary heat. Sirens blared at 2 a.m. in Rock Valley, Iowa, population 4,200, where people in...

Rescuers find family of 6 dead in landslide in eastern China, as severe weather warning extended

Jun. 22, 2024 06:19 AM EDT

BEIJING (AP) — A family of six was found dead by rescuers in Fujian province, state media reported Saturday, adding to the extreme weather deaths after downpours caused landslides in the area, even as authorities extended a warning of more severe weather ahead. The six people, who...

El Salvador death toll rises to 19 as heavy rains continue

Jun. 21, 2024 21:46 PM EDT

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The torrential rains hitting El Salvador caused the deaths of another six people on Friday when two girls and four adults were killed after being buried in their homes. Wall collapses and landslides on the outskirts of the capital brought a total of 19 dead. ...

Rain helps 1,000 firefighters slow big New Mexico blazes as Biden approves disaster relief

Jun. 20, 2024 23:09 PM EDT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — More than 1,000 firefighters in New Mexico took advantage of a break in the weather on Thursday to get the upper hand — for now — on a pair of wildfires that have killed two people, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee. President Joe...

Amtrak service resumes from Philadelphia to New Haven after power restored to train tracks

Jun. 20, 2024 19:34 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Amtrak service resumed Thursday from Philadelphia to New Haven, Connecticut, in time for the evening rush hour commute after power was restored to train tracks, the national rail service said. A circuit breaker malfunction led to a widespread loss of power on the...

Much of New Zealand's far north is without power after a transmission tower fell over

Jun. 20, 2024 00:51 AM EDT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Much of the northernmost part of New Zealand is without power after a transmission tower toppled over in a rural area on Thursday, with no indication when power will be fully restored to the area. The 220-kV tower fell “unexpectedly” in a field,...

Canal pipe breaks, threatening a northern Montana irrigation project and drinking water

Jun. 18, 2024 22:53 PM EDT

Two century-old steel pipes that help convey water from a river on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to a river that helps irrigate northern Montana cropland have failed, causing local flooding and raising concerns about the availability of drinking water for at least 14,000 residents this summer,...

Rescuers find more victims after a landslide in Ecuador, rising the death toll to 8

Jun. 17, 2024 21:41 PM EDT

RIO VERDE, Ecuador (AP) — Rescue teams and some inhabitants searched the mud Monday looking for more victims of a landslide in central Ecuador that killed at least eight people. Heavy rains over the weekend drenched several provinces of Ecuador, but the community of Baños was one...

Heavy rains set off landslides in Ecuador, killing at least 6 and leaving dozens missing

Jun. 17, 2024 15:26 PM EDT

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A landslide surged over a highway in central Ecuador on Sunday, killing at least six people and leaving 30 others missing, authorities said as heavy rains pummeled the country and caused rivers to overflow. The flood of mud and debris plowed down the hillside...

US military targets Houthi radar sites in Yemen after a merchant sailor goes missing

Jun. 16, 2024 00:31 AM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military unleashed a wave of attacks targeting radar sites operated by Yemen’s Houthi rebels after one merchant sailor went missing and the vessel he was on caught fire in the latest Houthi strike on shipping in the crucial Red Sea corridor,...