All articles tagged with #disaster planning and response
Ten days after a powerful storm hit Gary, Indiana, thousands remain without power as residents scramble for generators and gas while utility crews race to restore electricity and communities brace for a lengthy recovery.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia near San José del Palmar, killing at least 111 and causing many buildings to collapse; the tremor was felt in Bogotá and in Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, marking the strongest Colombian quake in a decade as authorities coordinate a large-scale emergency response.
More than two dozen states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging conditions the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA attached to disaster funding, arguing the requirements amount to unlawful strings on relief and could hinder the distribution of federal aid.
The Trump administration plans to quarantine Americans exposed to Ebola at a U.S.-run field hospital in central Kenya, with the military directed to stand it up within a week, prompting concerns about health worker training and care and reflecting resistance to repatriating exposed Americans.
An analysis of how the current Ebola outbreak tests U.S. pandemic preparedness, noting that the centralized interagency response built in 2014—coordinated by a White House Ebola czar with involvement from the Pentagon, CDC, USAID, DHS, state officials, hospitals and international partners—has largely faded, raising concerns about the administration’s ability to mount a fast, coordinated national response today.
President Donald Trump has nominated Cameron Hamilton to head FEMA again, about a year after he was fired from the role; the nomination now goes to the Senate for confirmation.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declared the Potomac River sewage spill a public emergency and sought federal help to cover cleanup costs, as temporary pipes divert sewage into the C&O Canal to allow repair of the six‑foot Potomac Interceptor after January’s collapse.
President Donald Trump said the federal government will help respond to a major raw-sewage spill into the Potomac River, directing federal agencies to coordinate the cleanup after about 200 million gallons spilled, with barriers redirecting sewage and FEMA/EPA involvement.
The Department of Homeland Security paused non-renewals of dozens of FEMA disaster-response employees as it ramps up preparations for a massive, life-threatening winter storm projected to strike about half the country this weekend.