Disasters and Emergencies

Subterms

    Latest story

    163 Shares92 Views

    Warning Sirens Were Silent Ahead of Deadly Tornado in St. Louis, City Says

    by

    Mayor Cara Spencer placed the city’s emergency manager on administrative leave pending an investigation into the failure to warn residents.Just before a tornado descended on St. Louis with a roar — killing five people and injuring dozens during its sweep through the city on Friday — there was a silence where there should not have been.There was no wailing warning from the city. No high-pitched alarm. Nothing to warn the city’s residents and send them scrambling to their basements or bathtubs. Only wind.The city’s sirens to warn people of a tornado threat were never activated by the City Emergency Management Agency, and a backup to activate the mechanism that is operated by the Fire Department was broken.Mayor Cara Spencer has placed the city’s emergency manager, Sarah Russell, on paid administrative leave while an investigation is conducted into a series of failures, Ms. Spencer’s office said in a statement issued on Tuesday. The mayor’s office also said that it had changed the protocol for activating the warning system as a result of what had happened.The city’s emergency management agency “exists, in large part, to alert the public to dangers caused by severe weather, and the office failed to do that in the most horrific and deadly storm our city has seen in my lifetime,” Ms. Spencer said in her statement.Ms. Russell could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.City officials confirmed that one of five people killed in Friday’s storm was outside when the tornado ripped through St. Louis. About 40 people were injured in the storm, but city officials did not know how many of them were outdoors when they were hurt.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    More stories

    • 125 Shares92 Views

      in Elections

      Trump’s Federal Cuts Threaten Natural Disaster Support Americans Rely On

      by

      President Trump’s efforts to downsize the government threaten essential functions that Americans have come to rely on before, during and after natural disasters.States and cities along ​t​he Atlantic and Gulf coasts are ​heading into hurricane season​ with an extraordinary level of uncertainty, unable to ​g​auge how significant cuts at vital federal agencies will affect weather forecasts, emergency response and long-term recovery.They are bracing for the likelihood that fewer meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will lead to less accurate forecasts, and that the loss of experienced managers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency will lead to less coordination and more inaction.Governors and mayors are also anticipating less financial aid, as the Trump administration shifts the burden of response and recovery away from the federal government. Exactly who will pay for what moving forward is a gaping question as disasters become bigger and costlier.“There’s no plan in writing for how FEMA intends to respond during this disaster season,” said Trina Sheets, the executive director of the National Emergency Management Association, which represents state emergency managers. “Things seem to be changing on a daily basis. But there’s no road map for states to follow or to be able to plan for.”FEMA did not respond to requests for comment.The Department of Government Efficiency, the cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk, has left agencies that would normally be preparing for a run of extreme weather at this point in the year trying instead to find their footing after leadership changes and staffing cuts.Workers with the Federal Emergency Management Agency looking through the wreckage in Swannanoa after Hurricane Helene, in October.Loren Elliott for The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 163 Shares117 Views

      in Elections

      After a Deadly Tornado, a Small Kentucky City Starts Picking Up the Pieces

      by

      On Sunday morning in a small Kentucky city, the sun shone and birds chirped.They provided an incongruent backdrop to a scene that looked like a war zone. Just two days before, a fierce tornado carved a 16-mile path of destruction through Laurel County, Ky., and in its county seat of London, the damage was clear: roofs ripped from homes, tree limbs sheared off, cars left as twisted hunks of metal. And several residents dead.By the afternoon, the Sunshine Hills neighborhood of London was filled with the cacophonous beeping of backhoes, accompanied by an army of faith-based volunteers.Those volunteers were among the many people in London, a city of 8,000 about 80 miles south of Lexington, who worked together this weekend to help not only those in need but also the whole community as it tried to process the disaster. Amid the grief and devastation, ensuring displaced people got the necessary supplies and assistance was top of mind for many.“It didn’t seem right to be sitting at home with our property being untouched with so many people struggling,” said Hannah Clark, who lives in neighboring Pulaski County but came to London to volunteer.The tornado was part of a storm system that tore through the central United States starting Friday, killing at least 28 people. Of those, 19 died in Kentucky, all but two in Laurel County. Outside of Kentucky, Missouri was also hit hard: Seven people died in that state, with five in St. Louis.Most of the victims in Laurel County were killed in Sunshine Hills, according to Gilbert Acciardo, a public affairs official for the county sheriff’s office, who did not give an exact number. Many of them were older, ranging in age from 50 to 70.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 138 Shares74 Views

      in Elections

      Palm Springs Bombing Kills 1 and Damages Fertility Clinic, Officials Say

      by

      The explosion on Saturday morning, which occurred in or near a vehicle less than a mile from downtown Palm Springs, Calif., was “an intentional act of terrorism,” the F.B.I. said.The mayor of Palm Springs, Calif., said it was unclear how or whether the victim was connected to a blast that damaged a fertility clinic.Kyle Grillot for The New York TimesOne person is dead and at least four are injured in the desert oasis of Palm Springs, Calif., after a bomb exploded on Saturday morning outside a fertility clinic, damaging buildings and leaving windows shattered across several blocks in what authorities called a terrorist attack.“This explosion was significant,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the F.B.I.’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Make no mistake, this is an intentional act of terrorism.” He added that officials believed the clinic was specifically targeted. Mr. Davis said that the bureau had begun one of the largest bombing investigations ever in Southern California and that it was not yet clear whether the event had been an act of domestic or international terrorism. Authorities have identified a person of interest but did not name the person on Saturday afternoon. They also did not say whether the person who died was connected to the blast. Mr. Davis said that “we are not actively out searching for a suspect.”The explosion was in or near a vehicle parked by the clinic, according to the mayor, Ron deHarte. But many other details were unclear, including the vehicle’s make and model. All that was left of it at the scene was an axle, authorities said. The bombing was an isolated incident and the community was no longer at risk, Andy Mills, the Palm Springs police chief said.Reports of a loud boom and images of broken glass and billowing smoke began to be shared on social media around 11 a.m. local time. The blast area extended for blocks, and some buildings were severely damaged, with shattered windows visible in many restaurants, shops and apartment buildings throughout the city’s downtown.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 113 Shares99 Views

      in Elections

      DOGE Guts AmeriCorps, Agency That Organizes Community Service Programs

      by

      The independent federal agency that organizes community service work in the United States has placed on administrative leave almost all of its federal staff at the direction of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team, according to people familiar with developments at the agency.Those on leave include all of the employees of a national disaster response program, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information they provided.A majority of federal employees at the agency, which is known as AmeriCorps, received emails on Wednesday with an attached memo, dated April 16, from the interim head of the agency, Jennifer Bastress Tahmasebi. The memo told them they were placed on administrative leave with pay, effective immediately, according to two copies reviewed by The New York Times.It also directed them not to return to AmeriCorps property or access its systems.The changes at AmeriCorps come as Mr. Musk’s team, called the Department of Government Efficiency, has moved to shutter agencies, including those with missions cast into law by Congress, in a bid to cut what it calls excess federal spending.As with other agencies affected as part of Mr. Musk’s effort, only a small fraction of AmeriCorps employees remained at the headquarters in Washington on Thursday. The expected cuts could gut the agency’s response work in regions decimated by recent natural disasters, including areas in the Southeastern United States that were wiped out by Hurricane Helene. An official with the Trump administration confirmed on Thursday that roughly 75 percent of full-time AmeriCorps employees were placed on administrative leave, and noted that the agency’s $1 billion budget, which the official suggested was mismanaged, was appropriately targeted in President Trump’s bid to eliminate waste.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 100 Shares179 Views

      in Elections

      Why Earthquake Relief Is Slow to Reach Myanmar

      by

      Critics say the country’s often-incompetent military government has delayed and restricted the arrival and distribution of crucial aid.Seven days after an earthquake devastated Turkey in 2023, French volunteers used a suitcase-size radar to locate a survivor under the rubble. It was one of many lives the device helped save in the aftermath of the disaster.The group also rushed volunteers to Myanmar after a powerful earthquake last month leveled buildings, bridge and centuries-old temples. But the volunteers were stuck at immigration control at the airport in Yangon for more than a day. They finally entered the country last Wednesday, only to have the authorities declare search and rescue operations ending the next day. The volunteers returned home without finding a single survivor.Myanmar’s military government surprised many observers when it called for international assistance in response to the March 28 earthquake. It also declared a cease-fire against rebels in a civil war that has consumed the nation.But less than two weeks after the calamity hit, aid groups and volunteers said, international relief is not reaching Myanmar’s beleaguered public as fast as it could. They blame the junta for delays and restrictions on distributing aid. Others cite a climate of fear — the military has resumed airstrikes on rebel areas despite the cease-fire and on at least one occasion fired on aid workers.“Nothing was reasonable on the ground,” said Sezer Ozgan, a volunteer with the French nonprofit L’Espoir du peuple A.R.S.I.Already ravaged by war, Myanmar continues to reel from the earthquake, which people have been calling “earth’s anger.” The official death toll has surpassed 3,500 and many more have been injured. But the full extent of the devastation remains hard to assess because of damaged roads and toppled phone towers.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 125 Shares139 Views

      in Elections

      Long-Running Storm Drenches Central U.S. but Starts to Shift East

      by

      The heaviest rains so far this weekend have hit Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky. More rain is expected on Sunday, but the risk of flooding will be less severe.The huge storm system that has caused widespread damage across the central United States is bringing more heavy rain and high winds on Sunday, continuing its dayslong stretch of soaking communities from Texas to Ohio as it begins to move east.The heaviest rains over the weekend so far have fallen in Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky, and rising water levels and flooding have prompted water rescues, road closures and evacuation orders. The storm has killed at least 16 people, including a 5-year-old boy in Arkansas, a 9-year-old boy in Kentucky and a firefighter in Missouri, since it began on Wednesday.

      1

      2

      3

      5

      10+ inches

      Search for a place to see the observed precipitation.

      Source: National Weather Service
      Notes:

       Values are in inches of water or the equivalent amount of melted snow and ice.
      By Bea Malsky and Martín González Gómez

      The threat of storms and rainfall will shift eastward but diminish on Sunday, which will be a welcome reprieve for residents in the South and the Midwest. In some areas — including northern Arkansas and southern Missouri — rivers are expected to crest on Sunday, and possibly as late as Wednesday, but the risk of dangerous flooding will not be as high as it was on Friday and Saturday.While the worst of the rain is over in northern Kentucky, parts of the region are still expected to receive up to five inches of rain before the long stretch of bad weather finally clears, according to the National Weather Service. “Moderate to major” flooding was forecast on many of the region’s rivers.“Given the fact that everything is so saturated, everything is just running right off the ground and into area creeks and streams,” said Nate McGinnis, a meteorologist with the agency in Wilmington, Ohio.

      Forecast risk of severe storms for Sunday

      We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 125 Shares189 Views

      in Elections

      Myanmar Earthquake Pushes a Hospital in Mandalay to Its Limits

      by

      In the parking lot of Mandalay General Hospital, dozens of patients — many with their heads and arms bandaged — were lined up on stretchers, or cardboard, in 100-degree heat. Many more lay directly on the concrete.“More injured people keep arriving, but we do not have enough doctors and nurses,” said Dr. Kyaw Zin, a surgeon at the hospital. “The cotton swabs have almost run out.”He said the hospital was so jammed with injured people after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday that “there is no space to stand.” Phone lines were down so he has not been able to contact his parents. “I’m very worried about my parents,” he added. “But I can’t go back home yet. I have to save lives here first.”Even before the quake, the health care system in Myanmar had been pushed to its limits. The military junta that has led the country since a 2021 coup has cracked down on doctors and nurses, who have been at the forefront of a nationwide civil disobedience movement that has opposed the regime. Myanmar is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a health worker, according to New York-based Physicians for Human Rights.Dr. Kyaw Zin said that he was about to start surgery when the earthquake struck. Everybody, including patients, ran outside. On Friday afternoon, ambulance sirens shrieked. The injured kept coming. Nurses checked on patients in the parking lot, some of whom were hooked up to intravenous drips. People moaned for help. The smell of blood hung in the stifling heat.The junta said it did not have the full death toll. Damage to infrastructure could hinder access to regions that have already been struggling amid a bloody civil war. The epicenter of the earthquake, the Sagaing region, has been a focus of resistance to military rule. The World Health Organization said information was still hard to get because of aftershocks and disruptions to communications systems. The agency added that it was looking to send trauma supplies from its logistics hubs to support Myanmar. More

    • 88 Shares99 Views

      in Elections

      Severe Storm Risk Shifts to East Coast

      by

      Thunderstorms and potentially tornadoes are expected from Central Florida to western Pennsylvania on Sunday, forecasters said.The deadly bombardment of severe storms that spawned tornadoes and dust storms across the Midwest and South is expected to sweep across the East Coast on Sunday. The system, which has killed at least 36 people, is expected to unleash storms that could generate tornadoes across the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast.The turbulent weather that has caused widespread destruction is part of a huge cross-country system that dropped hail — some as large as baseballs — and produced tornadoes Friday and Saturday that killed at least 23 people.The system also caused wildfires driven by hurricane-force winds, and dust storms that led to crashes that killed at least 13 people in Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.On Sunday, the threat of tornadoes and thunderstorms is expected to be over in the South and will shift east, though at a level much lower than it was on Saturday.Forecasters said there would be a slight risk of severe storms and tornadoes from Central Florida to western Pennsylvania. However, a higher enhanced risk was in place for western and central Pennsylvania.“I’m not expecting the coverage to be as significant and the storms to be as numerous in terms of the overall severity,” said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. “But there’s still going to be a risk for tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds.”Mr. Otto said that Mississippi and Alabama, which experienced the highest possible level of tornado risk on Saturday, “should have a relatively tranquil day on Sunday.”Tornadoes across the South and MidwestLocations of tornado sightings or damage reported since Friday morning. More