Latest news with #SEMA
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
FEMA to perform damage assessments in five counties in the Ozarks
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe announced Tuesday that FEMA will be coming to five southwest Missouri counties and perform joint preliminary damage assessments (PDAs) for storm damage caused by severe storms, flooding, hail and strong winds from May 23 to May 26. In a press release, Gov. Kehoe says FEMA, SEMA and local emergency management officals will do PDAs in Dade, Douglas, Ozark, Vernon and Webster counties. Other counties may be added later depending on damage information from local officals. Starting Tuesday, June 10, three teams will determine whether the verified damage in those five counties is enough for public assistance to be requested through FEMA. Through public assistance, local governments and certain nonprofits can receive compensation for emergency response and recovery costs, like public infrastructure and debris removal. FEMA: Trump approves Missouri disaster declarations for March tornadoes 'The long Memorial Day weekend brought four consecutive days of damaging severe storms and flooding to southwest Missouri and led to the destruction of public infrastructure and emergency response costs that are well-beyond the capacity of Dade, Douglas, Ozark, Vernon, and Webster counties,' Governor Kehoe said. 'Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) personnel have been working with local officials as they have been preparing initial damage estimates and we believe the destruction requires joint reviews by FEMA, SEMA, and our local partners, in anticipation for a request for a federal disaster declaration.' Missourians who have damage are encouraged to contact their insurance company and file a claim. Those who are still in need are recommended to contact United Way by dialing 211 or the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767. Other disaster recovery resources can be found at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Global News
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Toronto man accused of supplying Russia's drone program is 1st to face prosecution over sanctions
On May 9, Russian troops paraded their tanks, armoured vehicles and missiles through Red Square, past the man who sent them to war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin. The Victory Day procession in Moscow also showcased, for the first time, the military drones that have proven indispensable to Putin's invasion. But Russian drones are not really Russian on the inside. They are built out of electronics purchased around the world by a global procurement network that allegedly relies on suppliers in several countries, including Canada. Last week, Global News revealed the RCMP had arrested a Toronto businessman for allegedly exporting restricted goods to Russia in the months after Putin launched his 2022 full-scale attack on Ukraine. The RCMP has now confirmed that Anton Trofimov was taken into custody on May 22. He has been accused of selling materials to Moscow that could be used to make weapons. The arrest is the first under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA), which placed export controls on Moscow in 2014 in response to Russian military intervention in Ukraine. 'We can confirm that this is the first prosecution under SEMA based on the Russia regulations,' said Nathalie Houle, a Public Prosecution Service of Canada spokesperson. The charges do not mention drones, but Trofimov and his companies were sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023 for allegedly shipping microelectronics to Russian military drone manufacturers. Global News was unable to reach Trofimov or his lawyer for comment. He was released on bail after posting a $5,000 deposit and was scheduled to return to court in Toronto on June 30. The RCMP said it was planning a news conference 'at the earliest availability' to announce what it called the 'important file' but would not answer questions about its investigation. Advertisement 'Canada's sanctions regime makes a critical contribution to international stability as trade in certain kinds of technology and equipment could pose serious risks in maintaining international peace and global security,' the RCMP said in a statement. 'Individuals and businesses are responsible for ensuring the end destination of all exports do not fall under these sanctions. The RCMP will continue to pursue individuals or groups who attempt to profit from illegal trade.' The Ukrainian embassy in Ottawa said it welcomed Canada's efforts to use sanctions to 'limit Russia's ability to fuel its war machine.' 'Sanctions must not only be adopted but rigorously implemented to remain an effective tool in deterring further aggression and atrocities,' the embassy said in a statement to Global News. 'Any attempts to supply Russia with technologies that can be used in its illegal war against Ukraine must be met with swift and decisive consequences.'
Al Jazeera
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
More than 100 killed in heavy Nigeria flooding, rescue efforts ongoing
At least 115 people have been killed after heavy flooding submerged the market town of Mokwa in Nigeria's northcentral Niger State, destroying thousands of homes, according to an emergency services official, in a country beset by deadly storms every year. Head of the operations office in Minna, capital of Niger State, Husseini Isah, said on Friday that many people were still in peril as rescue efforts continue. 'We have so far recovered 115 bodies and more are expected to be recovered because the flood came from far distance and washed people into the River Niger. Downstream, bodies are still being recovered,' a Niger State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) spokesman, Ibrahim Audu Husseini, told the AFP news agency. 'So, the toll keeps rising.' Torrential rains battered Mokwa late on Wednesday and lasted for several hours, washing away dozens of homes, with many residents still missing. A dam collapse in a nearby town caused the situation to rapidly deteriorate. It is difficult to say how well-placed rescue efforts are to salvage people 'because every rainy season we continue to see things like this,' said Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abuja. 'Warnings have been put out by authorities for people exposed or communities living along river banks to move to higher ground, especially when the rains start to peak, but every year we continue to see more and more lives and property damaged because of rainfall,' said Idris. 'In certain areas, proper drainage isn't there … and most of these disasters take officials of emergency management agencies in various states by surprise even though there has been consistent flooding over the past three years,' said Idris. As a result, 'a lot of people don't believe it will be any different' this time around. Mokwa is a key meeting and transit point for traders from the south and food growers in the north of the country. In the town, Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, told reporters that he lost at least 15 people from the house he grew up in. 'The property [is] gone. We lost everything,' Tanko said. For fisherman Danjuma Shaba, 35, the floods destroyed his house, forcing him to sleep in a car park. 'I don't have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed,' Shaba told the AFP news agency. As Nigeria's rainy season begins, typically lasting for six months, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency has warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger State, between Wednesday and Friday. The most concerning thing about these floods is 'this isn't even the peak of the rainy season,' said Idris. 'In some states, the rains have only been there for a month and yet we're seeing this.' However, scientists have warned that the effects of climate change are already being felt, as extreme weather patterns are becoming more frequent. The heavy rainfall causes problems for Nigeria every year as it destroys infrastructure and is further exacerbated by inadequate drainage. In September 2024, torrential rains and a dam collapse in the northeastern Maiduguri city caused severe flooding, killing at least 30 people and displacing millions. Last year, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of 36 states, in one of the country's worst floods in decades, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.
The Guardian
30-05-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
At least 115 die in Nigeria floods as rescue efforts continue
More than 100 people have died and several others remain missing after a torrential downpour in the central Nigerian state of Niger, local authorities said on Friday. Floods submerged the town of Mokwa after the rains began on Wednesday night and continued till Thursday morning. Ibrahim Audu Hussein, spokesperson for the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said rescue efforts were still under way on Friday. 'We have so far recovered 115 bodies and more are expected to be recovered because the flood came from far distance and washed people into the River Niger. Downstream, bodies are still being recovered,' Husseini told the AFP news agency. 'So, the toll keeps rising'. More than 3,000 houses have also been submerged, he added. Mokwa, a commercial town 376 kilometres (233 miles) west of Nigeria's capital Abuja, is a known commercial hub in the state with many traders and heavy duty vehicles often carrying goods to other regions in the country. In Nigeria, the rainy season usually runs from April to October. In a forecast issued on Wednesday by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, heavy storms were predicted for Abuja and 14 of the country's 36 states including Niger. Niger, Nigeria's largest state by landmass, is home to three of the country's major dams – Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro – which contribute significantly to the country's electricity grid. A fourth dam is under construction. The state has been prone to flooding in recent times; in April, water released from one of the dams destroyed more than 5,000 farms in 30 communities including in Mokwa. Local news reports suggested that it was the sixth time a flood had happened in the state this year. In 2022, Nigeria experienced floods which killed more than 600 people, displaced about 1.4 million and destroyed 440,000 hectares of farmland. Experts have warned of more extreme climate weather patterns due to continued global heating. Last year, the collapse of a dam 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside the north-eastern town of Maiduguri killed at least 30 people, displaced thousands of people and led to crocodiles and snakes being washed away from the city zoo into its environs. Nigerian authorities said it was part of the country's worst flooding in decades, as 1200 people in all died across 21 states.
Al Jazeera
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
At least 88 killed in heavy Nigeria flooding, rescue efforts ongoing
At least 88 people have been killed after heavy flooding submerged the market town of Mokwa in Nigeria's north-central Niger State, in a country beset by deadly storms every year. Head of the operations office in Minna, capital of Niger State, Husseini Isah, said on Friday that many people were still in peril as rescue efforts continue. 'The number keeps rising,' Isah told The Associated Press news agency. 'But at the last count, 88 bodies have been recovered.' A Niger State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) spokesman, Ibrahim Audu Husseini, told the AFP news agency earlier that he 'expected the toll to rise considerably because there are different rescuers at different locations'. Torrential rains battered Mokwa late on Wednesday and lasted for several hours, washing away dozens of homes, with many residents still missing. A dam collapse in a nearby town caused the situation to rapidly deteriorate. Mokwa is a key meeting and transit point for traders from the south and food growers in the north of the country. In the town, Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, told reporters that he lost at least 15 people from the house he grew up in. 'The property [is] gone. We lost everything,' Tanko said. For fisherman Danjuma Shaba, 35, the floods destroyed his house, forcing him to sleep in a car park. 'I don't have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed,' Shaba told AFP. As Nigeria's rainy season begins, typically lasting for six months, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency has warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger State, between Wednesday and Friday. However, scientists have warned that the effects of climate change are already being felt, as extreme weather patterns are becoming more frequent. The heavy rainfall causes problems for Nigeria every year as it destroys infrastructure and is further exacerbated by inadequate drainage. In September 2024, torrential rains and a dam collapse in the northeastern Maiduguri city caused severe flooding, killing at least 30 people and displacing millions. Last year, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of 36 states, in one of the country's worst floods in decades, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.
