Latest Disaster planning and response News

Philippine ferry fire kills 31 people; at least 7 missing

Mar. 30, 2023 07:57 AM EDT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A fire broke out on a ferry in the southern Philippines and raged overnight for eight hours, killing at least 31 of the approximately 250 passengers and crew, officials said Thursday. Many of the more than 200 people who survived the blaze jumped off the...

House GOP pushes sprawling bill to 'unleash' American energy

Mar. 30, 2023 07:00 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are set to approve a sprawling energy package that seeks to undo virtually all of President Joe Biden's agenda to address climate change. The massive GOP bill up for a vote Thursday would sharply increase domestic production of oil, natural gas...

A versatile spring vegetable for holiday meals: Asparagus

Mar. 29, 2023 12:56 PM EDT

What better ingredient for a spring holiday meal than a seasonal food favorite like asparagus? It's at the top of my can’t-wait-for-spring vegetable list. Asparagus can be steamed, boiled, stir-fried, roasted, baked, grilled, or broiled. Pretty much any way you can cook a...

AP sources: Judge rules Pence must testify before grand jury

Mar. 28, 2023 19:59 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that former Vice President Mike Pence will have to testify before a grand jury in the Justice Department's investigation into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election. That’s...

Girl's body pulled from Ecuador landslide, raising toll to 8

Mar. 28, 2023 17:45 PM EDT

ALAUSÍ, Ecuador (AP) — Rescuers on Tuesday pulled the body of a 6-year-old girl from the rubble of a house buried by a big landslide in central Ecuador, raising the confirmed death toll to eight while the search continued for more than 60 people still missing. The girl’s body...

California farmers flood fields to boost groundwater basin

Mar. 28, 2023 05:21 AM EDT

A field that has long grown tomatoes, peppers and onions now looks like a wind-whipped ocean as farmer Don Cameron seeks to capture the runoff from a freakishly wet year in California to replenish the groundwater basin that is his only source to water his crops. Taking some tomatoes...

Landslide in Ecuador kills at least 7, with dozens missing

Mar. 28, 2023 01:13 AM EDT

ALAUSI, Ecuador (AP) — A huge landslide swept over an Andean community in central Ecuador, burying dozens of homes, killing at least seven people and sending rescuers on a frantic search for survivors, authorities said Monday. Earlier in the day, officials had reported 16 deaths,...

Death toll in Tennessee crash updated to 4 youths, 2 adults

Mar. 27, 2023 18:32 PM EDT

PLEASANT VIEW, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities on Monday revised the number of youths killed over the weekend in a Tennessee highway crash, saying that four girls ages 1 to 12 died instead of the six they originally reported. Emergency crews found a car upside down with extensive damage...

All 7 Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion victims found

Mar. 27, 2023 06:45 AM EDT

WEST READING, Pa. (AP) — All seven bodies have been recovered from the site of a powerful explosion at a chocolate factory in a small town in eastern Pennsylvania, officials said. West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag said in a statement Sunday night that none of the victims will be...

Freeway crash kills 6 youths thrown from car in Tennessee

Mar. 26, 2023 19:52 PM EDT

PLEASANT VIEW, Tenn. (AP) — A car crash killed six young people, including a 1-year-old infant, after they were ejected from their vehicle early Sunday on a freeway in middle Tennessee, authorities said. Two adults were injured, one of them critically. Emergency crews found a car...