Latest Disaster planning and response News
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...
Small business disaster loan program is out of money until Congress approves new funds
NEW YORK (AP) — The Small Business Administration has run out of money for the disaster assistance loans it offers small businesses, homeowners and renters, delaying much needed relief for people applying for aid in the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. ...
FEMA resumes door-to-door visits in North Carolina after threats tied to disinformation
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Federal disaster personnel have resumed door-to-door visits as part of their hurricane-recovery work in North Carolina, an effort temporarily suspended amid threats that prompted officials to condemn the spread of disinformation. Over the weekend, reports...
