Latest Disaster planning and response News
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will spend part of week in DC as he tries to Trump-proof state policies
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to meet with the Biden administration this week to discuss zero-emission vehicles and disaster relief — issues that have been targeted in the past by President-elect Donald Trump. The Democratic governor is leaving for...
FEMA: Worker fired after directing workers to avoid helping hurricane survivors who supported Trump
A Federal Emergency Management Agency worker has been fired after she directed workers helping hurricane survivors not to go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump, the agency's leader said in a statement Saturday. “This is a clear violation of FEMA’s...
Georgia officials agree to spend $100 million on Hurricane Helene aid for farms and forestry
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's state government is diverting $100 million to spend on loans to farmers and cleanup after Hurricane Helene. The Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission voted unanimously Friday to spend the money, which had been set aside for construction projects...
Residents of landslide-stricken city in California offered $42M in buyout program
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP) — Homeowners on a Southern California peninsula where worsening landslides have damaged homes and led to utility shutoffs are eligible for a $42 million voluntary buyout program offered by state and federal officials. The program was announced...
Building collapses during heavy rains in southern India city, killing at least 5 workers
BENGALURU, India (AP) — A seven-story building under construction collapsed in southern India during heavy monsoon rains, killing at least five workers and trapping three others, police said Wednesday. Police said in a statement that 13 people have been rescued so far by fire and...
Witnesses saw an armed group harassing Helene aid workers in a small Tennessee town, sheriff says
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Witnesses reported seeing a group of armed people harassing hurricane relief workers in a remote Tennessee community last weekend, a sheriff said Wednesday as a man in North Carolina appeared in court for allegedly threatening aid workers in that state. ...
In Helene's and Milton's wake, faith-based disaster relief groups prepare for the long haul
(RNS) — This past Sunday, worshippers returned to Biltmore Church, a megachurch in Asheville, North Carolina, for the first time in person after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina. It was bittersweet, said Bruce Frank, the church’s pastor. People were glad to be together, even as many...
Florida official warns Hurricane Milton victims about scammers posing as FEMA workers
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — The emergency management chief of the Florida county where Hurricane Milton made landfall earlier this month warned about reports of scammers in the area who are posing as Federal Emergency Management Agency officials and trying to get financial information from the storm's...
South Korean court acquits former police chief over deadly crowd crush
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court found the former police chief of the country’s capital and two other officers not guilty over a botched response to a Halloween crowd crush that killed nearly 160 people in 2022. The verdict by the Seoul Western District Court drew...
Federal money to help states hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton nears $2 billion
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government has approved nearly $2 billion in assistance across six states to help people hit hard by hurricanes Helene and Milton, the White House said Wednesday. The federal government has been under intense pressure to show that it is getting help...
