All articles tagged with #emergency
Torrential rain in northeastern Spain has caused two deaths and one missing person in Catalonia, with Barcelona recording its wettest day in 20 years. Authorities issued travel restrictions across five counties as the Besòs river exceeded danger levels. A separate incident in southeastern Spain resulted in one death and 90 rescues.
Joseph Little, 28, was trapped under a massive boulder at Hammond Marina in Warrenton, Oregon, on Sept. 26. Unable to reach his phone, he used his wireless earbuds to activate Siri and call 911. Rescuers used a drone to locate him and a Coast Guard helicopter to airlift him to the hospital.
Bangkok authorities declared a disaster zone across all 50 districts of the Thai capital on September 26, 2026, following nearly 48 hours of continuous heavy rainfall. The event, which began on Thursday, resulted in approximately 300mm of rain, submerging roads, filling canals, and inundating homes and businesses. While the situation has stabilized, officials warn that draining the floodwaters will take two to three days if the rain ceases.
A BuzzFeed piece compiles 911 dispatchers’ insights on the red flags that indicate a call is far more serious than it first seems, including cues like a barking dog during a threat, open-line calls, hushed or coded speech, unusual routine disruptions, and background signals that help link cases and trigger urgent responses after cross-checking caller history and location data.
An emergency at Westwood Hills Elementary in Waynesboro, VA led to the evacuation of all students, teachers and staff; authorities are conducting a thorough clearance, and nearby schools briefly entered lockdown before returning to normal. Reunification of students with families is taking place at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Some reports describe a shooting, with ABC News noting one injury and no ongoing threat, while Augusta Health says the hospital remains operational. All Westwood Hills personnel are reported safe per Waynesboro Public Schools.
Waynesboro police are managing an emergency at Westwood Hills Elementary; the incident is contained and students are being evacuated, with reunification coordinated at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Augusta County Public Schools also placed Stuarts Draft and Wilson Complex campuses on lockdown as a precaution, with families advised to await further instructions as authorities handle the situation.
Modern smartphones offer more than calls: iPhone and Android include built-in emergency features such as satellite-based texting to reach emergency services when network coverage is unavailable, automatic contacts if you’re incapacitated, and alerts for storms, floods, wildfires and earthquakes to help you secure assistance in a crisis.
President Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency and directing the Department of Energy to draft rules to secure the bulk-power system, including blocking or limiting foreign-made equipment such as transformers, batteries, inverters and related software; the order allows replacing installed foreign gear and sets a 120-day deadline for rulemaking, drawing industry comments on implementation and the need for clarity on software and covered-entity rules amid national-security concerns.
British Columbia declared a provincial state of emergency as the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland rapidly grew to about 9,500 hectares, prompting evacuation orders for Summerland, Peachland and other areas west of Okanagan Lake and driving more than 20,000 residents to flee. Officials warned of dangerous, fast-changing conditions, with power outages and a boil-water advisory in Summerland. About 1,500 firefighters were fighting more than 100 fires across the province, with international help, marking the largest evacuation event of the season in BC.
Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency in Washington and ordered a burn ban statewide through Sept. 30 amid drought, high heat and strong winds as wildfires continue to burn across the state, including the Little Giant Fire.
Swiss flight LX16 from Zurich to JFK declared an emergency off the coast of Maine and diverted to Bangor International Airport (BGR). The Airbus A330-300 (HB-JHK) was cruising at 38,000 ft, descended to 32,000 ft, and squawked 7700. There are no reported injuries, and the reason for the emergency has not been disclosed. Bangor ground crews are on standby for arrival.
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800 (Flight AA1937) declared an emergency and returned to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) after takeoff, squawking 7700, with a safe landing on Runway 15 and subsequent taxi to the gate.
Officials in Weber County, Utah, have declared an emergency after an avian influenza outbreak affected local dairies, disrupting milk production and prompting heightened biosecurity and monitoring efforts.
Over 3 inches of rain fell Tuesday into Wednesday, pushing rivers and streams to unprecedented heights in central West Virginia. In Upshur County, swift-water rescues are ongoing as water covers roads, closes I-79 and US-33, and overwhelms response networks. The Sand Run stream in Buckhannon cresting at 10.63 feet—well above major flood stage—has marked a historic flood. Power outages affect more than 22,000 customers; emergency lines are down in some areas. Gov. Morrisey declared a state of emergency for all 55 counties; residents are urged to stay off flooded roads and seek higher ground as responders report numerous rescues from homes, attics, and vehicles and widespread infrastructure damage.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 787-9 (N780HA) operating AS181 from Rome to Seattle declared a general emergency after reversing course over the United Kingdom and began fuel-dumping as it headed toward France; the aircraft is then turning back toward mainland Europe with potential diversion to a major hub. An update indicates the flight is diverting back to Rome FCO, with a new departure from FCO planned for 23:00 CEST.