Latest news with #stormresponse
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Several regions in Quebec hit by violent storms
Montreal Watch Several regions of Quebec were hit by violent storms that left thousands without power as high winds tore off roofs.
Washington Post
08-06-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
At least 2 people killed as storms push through South
Two people were killed by falling trees and tens of thousands were left without power as severe storms rolled through the South over the weekend. The storms downed trees and powerlines and brought heavy rainfall, hail and gusty winds as they pushed through the region. Nearly 150,000 people across southern states from Texas to South Carolina were without power Sunday morning, according to
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Xcel Energy shows off new facility on Minnesota Avenue
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — During a thunderstorm or an ice storm, there's always a chance you could lose electricity and nobody likes that. But one electric company is promising faster response times thanks to its new multi-million dollar state of the art facility in Sioux Falls where they held a ribbon cutting Thursday. Xcel Energy is on a bit of a 'power trip'. Major gold find near Spearfish, South Dakota reported 'Xcel Energy has been powering Sioux Falls for over 120 years and we are growing with Sioux Falls,' Xcel Energy CEO Bob Frenzel said. Today, Xcel showed off its new massive facility along North Minnesota Avenue. 'This is a state-of-the-art facility designed to enable our teams here in Sioux Falls and joining regions to recover from storms quickly, but also to build and construct the infrastructure for all the new businesses and economic development coming to the region,' Frenzel said. Xcel Energy serves eight states with nearly $105,000 of it's customers just in South Dakota. This new facility will allow linemen to better prepare for the unexpected if disaster strikes; like during the ice storm back in 2013. 'Obviously when you are getting ready for a storm or you have an outage or anything like that, if you're going to have to load up outside, it's going to take you more time, it's harder on the linemen, it's harder on everyone,' Xcel Energy State Director Steve Kolbeck said. The new facility is phase one, phase two is going to be renovating the old headquarters where linemen can hold safety and disaster briefings. During the derechos a few years ago, 23 hundred linemen from other states responded to South Dakota, providing mutual aid. Now with this new facility, including this huge warehouse, Xcel says it'll be better equipped to keep your lights on if and when disaster strikes. To learn more about Xcel Energy's new facility or to report an outage, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
22-05-2025
- Climate
- CNN
As hurricane season looms, America's weather and disaster agencies are in turmoil
Staring down another above-average hurricane season, America's weather forecasting and disaster response agencies are more hollowed out than ever before – and that could leave tens of millions of Americans more vulnerable to these massive storms. Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are entering the season in turmoil, having lost thousands of experts and staff since President Donald Trump took office in January, intent on culling the federal workforce. Many of those lost have been specialists in weather forecasting, storm response and resilience, among other skills involved in hurricane preparation, prediction and recovery. The cuts come as human-caused climate change is super-charging storms – causing Atlantic hurricanes to produce heavier rainfall and intensify more rapidly than in previous decades. Destructive Hurricanes Milton and Helene underwent rapid intensification last season before making landfall, for example. Another above-average hurricane season is in store this year, NOAA announced Thursday morning: 13 to 19 named storms, 6 to 10 of which will become hurricanes, and 3 to 5 of these may grow to major hurricane intensity of Category 3 or stronger. NOAA said they have 70% confidence in this particular outlook. An average Atlantic hurricane season would be 14 named storms, of which seven become hurricanes and 3 become major hurricanes. At FEMA, which leads the nation's disaster response and recovery, current and former officials say repeated calls from Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to 'eliminate' the agency have led to internal confusion on what its mission is, and how quickly it should respond to disaster requests from states. FEMA took two months to approve disaster aid for deadly mid-March tornados that ripped through red states, leading to an outcry from some Republican lawmakers. 'When it's taking months for a disaster declaration to be granted, the people on the ground could potentially think, well, FEMA is just not going to be here because they're gone, because the president and the (DHS) secretary got rid of them,' said Deanne Criswell, the former FEMA chief under Biden. 'There's always been confusion about what FEMA's role is the response phase of a disaster,' Criswell added. 'I think given this conversation, it just creates even greater misunderstanding of, 'Do they even exist?'' The Trump administration's steps to reduce the size of the federal government, which included firings, early retirement incentives and other programs, resulted in more than 560 National Weather Service employees leaving the agency since January. The fear of burnout is high among the remaining forecasters at the agency's 122 local offices. 'I am worried about staffing at the local offices for hurricane events,' one NOAA employee told CNN, noting the thin staffing at some Gulf coastal offices. They requested anonymity for fear of retribution. 'Maybe the first event will be fine, but fatigue will be quite real by peak season. People will do whatever they can to get the job done, but they can't work around the clock, seven days a week.' The National Hurricane Center in Miami is fully staffed for the season, but the local offices are responsible for tailoring forecast information and warnings for their areas, and many of them are missing multiple forecasters, technicians and hydrologists. Some are also missing their chief meteorologists, depriving the staff of the most experienced forecaster and manager on their team. The risk of burnout increases if multiple hurricanes track over the same parts of the country — something that happened last year. The NOAA staff member also said the staffing concerns go hand in hand with the prospect that less data may be available for making accurate hurricane forecasts, given recent reductions in daily weather balloon launches around the country. Such balloons provide crucial data for computer models used to help meteorologists predict the weather, and it's unlikely low staffing would allow such launches to ramp up to four times a day, which is more typical when a hurricane threatens to make landfall in the US. 'There almost certainly will be less data for the models,' they said. This could threaten the accuracy of hurricane intensity and track forecasts, areas that meteorologists have made gains in during the past decade. Trump first suggested he might eliminate FEMA in the days after taking office, while touring Hurricane Helene damage in North Carolina. Since then, the agency has been embroiled in chaos and staffing cuts. About 10% of FEMA's total workforce has left since January, and projections indicate staff loss will increase to 30% by the end of this calendar year. Departures have included senior officials experienced in managing the federal response to major storms. The acting FEMA administrator was recently fired after he told lawmakers he does not support dismantling the agency, breaking with Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem and other high-ranking DHS officials. One disaster expert said removing high-level FEMA leaders while shifting more responsibilities to states is 'a recipe for disaster.' 'You don't have anyone there to make the strategic decisions that need to be made in these unprecedented events,' said Wendy Huff Ellard, who leads the disaster recovery team at law firm Baker Donelson. 'These things aren't cookie cutter; there's really no guidebook.' A recent internal FEMA review underscored the agency's lack of preparedness for this year's hurricane season, CNN reported. The review stated the agency 'is not ready' for the June 1 start to hurricane season, noting a general uncertainty around its mission, lack of coordination with states and other federal agencies, low morale and new red tape that will likely slow responses. 'The lack of clarity is not helping anyone prepare,' Huff Ellard said. 'I think people are so confused at this point about the process and what's going to be there and what they should be doing, that it is taking resources away from the preparedness effort.' At a hearing on Capitol Hill last week, Noem told lawmakers, 'there is no formalized, final plan' for restructuring the agency and shifting responsibilities to states. More recently, FEMA has re-opened training centers to prepare staff for hurricane season and lengthened contract extensions for part-time workers that deploy to areas during disasters. But one FEMA official told CNN they are concerned the preparations are happening too late. Criswell, the former FEMA head, told CNN one of the agency's most important functions is coordinating the many other federal agencies that pitch in during disasters, making sure it's not needlessly duplicating rescue and recovery efforts. FEMA takes its lead from each state's emergency management director, Criswell said. 'That's why FEMA has somebody that is coordinating the federal resources, so you don't have people just going out there on their own,' she added. '(The Department of Defense) could be doing something that the Coast Guard is doing. Or you're going to miss critical functions that need to happen.' Even if states step up, it would be difficult for them to totally replicate the footprint of a federal response. Even before FEMA and NOAA lost staff, there were not enough resources for storm response and recovery, said Carrie Speranza, president of the International Association of Emergency Managers-USA. But if states must play a larger role, governors may have less incentive to send their mutual aid resources to neighboring hard-hit states. Speranza said people should not assume this season that first responders and community resilience staff will come to their rescue if they are hit with a major storm. 'It's all for one, and not one for all. That's a very different environment especially when you are talking about helping people on their worst day,' she said. 'We haven't had time to adjust. The 'abolish FEMA' thing took us all by surprise.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Local resources available for those impacted by recent storms
WABASH VALLEY (WTWO/WAWV) — A variety of local resources across the Wabash Valley are available to those in need or who were impacted by Friday's storms. In Greene County, the American Red Cross is assisting with disaster response. If anyone is in need of assistance, you can contact them anytime at 1-800-733-2767. Also, the Red Cross is providing shelter in Monroe County at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church located at 2700 E Rogers Road in Bloomington. On Sunday May 16th, the Worthington Legion will be opened from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. giving away free diapers, wipes, and adult hygiene products for those in need. No paperwork or verification is needed. In Linton, the Hamilton Center office will be opened Sunday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. providing support and resources. Therapists and mental health resources are available. The Sullivan City Pool also invite those impacted by the recent storms to visit. Admission is free for Linton and Greene County residents. The pool invites those who may need a restroom or shower to use their facilities. The local pool is opened Sundays 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
