Hurricanes

Nov. 13, 2007 -- WASHINGTON - Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco issued the following statement today while in Washington to thank Congress for its support of the Road Home program. Last week, Congress passed legislation providing $3 billion to Louisiana's recovery housing program. That legislation was signed by President Bush this morning.    » read more »

Legislation Outlines Innovative Proposal to Ensure that Flood, Hurricane and Other Disaster Insurance Remains Available and Affordable for All Americans

November 6, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) today introduced the “Homeowners Defense Act of 2007,” an innovative proposal to pool and diversify catastrophe risk to make disaster insurance for hurricanes, floods, fires and other natural disasters more available and affordable for American homeowners.    » read more »

02 November 2007 -- Rescue crews in the Dominican Republic are continuing to search by boat and helicopter for survivors of Tropical Storm Noel. The storm is blamed for at least 118 deaths, mainly in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Weather forecasters upgraded Tropical Storm Noel to a hurricane overnight as the system moved north into the Atlantic Ocean. Experts at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was moving away from tropical waters that had fed it, but said it still posed a threat to the eastern United States and Canada.    » read more »

02 November 2007 -- The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Noel has strengthened into a hurricane and now has sustained winds near 120 kilometers per hour as it moves northeast from the Bahamas toward Bermuda.

Forecasters said at about midnight UTC Thursday that a hurricane watch remains in effect for the northwestern Bahamas, which could receive as much as 46 centimeters of rain.    » read more »

Brazoria, Chambers, Liberty, Hardin, Harris And Orange Counties Also Eligible For SBA Assistance

-- Oct. 25, 2007 -- AUSTIN – Texas Governor Rick Perry today announced the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) granted his request to provide federal disaster assistance to Galveston and Jefferson counties following Hurricane Humberto, which struck the Texas coast Sept. 13, 2007. The decision automatically makes the neighboring Texas counties of Brazoria, Chambers, Hardin, Harris, Liberty and Orange counties eligible for the same federal assistance.    » read more »

October 15, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today a reimbursement program that will provide relocation assistance to disaster victims displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The damage and destruction caused by the hurricanes resulted in many Gulf Coast residents temporarily relocating to various locations around the country. Currently there are Katrina/Rita households in all but one of the states, including 800 in Arkansas, 875 in Tennessee, 880 in Georgia, 225 in Colorado and 160 in California.    » read more »

Landrieu-inspired program gives businesses no-cost Microsoft software

Oct 02, 2007 -- BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today pledged state support to help spread the word about a new business software opportunity to small businesses struggling to rebuild from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Under the program announced by U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, Louisiana's hurricane-affected small businesses are now eligible for one year of Microsoft software licensing at no cost.    » read more »

Focusing On Training Louisiana's Workforce To Meet Recovery Needs

Sep 24, 2007 -- WESTLAKE AND NEW IBERIA - Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today joined members of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the Louisiana Workforce Commission to mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Rita by launching programs in Calcasieu and Iberia Parishes aimed at boosting hurricane recovery by training Louisiana's workforce.    » read more »

TROPICAL STORM JERRY ADVISORY NUMBER 4
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112007
1100 PM AST SUN SEP 23 2007

...JERRY BECOMES A TROPICAL STORM...

AT 1100 PM AST...0300Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM JERRY WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 37.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 46.1 WEST OR ABOUT 1045
MILES...1680 KM...WEST OF THE AZORES.

JERRY IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 8 MPH...13 KM/HR...AND A
NORTHEASTWARD MOTION WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS
EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MPH...65 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER    » read more »

Sep. 21, 2007 -- AUSTIN – In a letter sent to President George W. Bush, Texas Governor Rick Perry requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the State of Texas as a result of severe storms and flooding caused by Hurricane Humberto beginning September 13, 2007. Humberto, which developed from a tropical depression into a Category 1 hurricane in just over 12 hours, produced heavy rains and high winds in Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson and Orange Counties.    » read more »

09/20/2007 - FALLS CHURCH, Va. - Hurricane season got off to a mild start in the Atlantic, but the season isn't over yet and tropical storms and hurricanes are back in the news. In the wake of widespread flooding in the Midwest this summer, and Texas in particular, TRICARE reminds beneficiaries to prepare before a storm, hurricane, or any disaster causes evacuations or limits access to health care.    » read more »

GOHSEP Increases Activation Level

Sep 20, 2007 -- BATON ROUGE - Anticipating a potential impact of a weather system predicted to become a tropical system late Friday or Saturday, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today declared a precautionary State of Emergency, following a Unified Command Conference Call with state agencies to discuss the developing weather system.

In the proclamation, the Governor advised coastal parishes to call for the evacuation of citizens living in low lying areas and those living in trailers.    » read more »

Governor’s disaster declaration triggers AG’s price-gouging authority

September 14, 2007 -- BEAUMONT – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today warned Gulf Coast residents to be wary of price gouging, charity scams and other fraudulent attempts to bilk consumers in the aftermath of Hurricane Humberto.    » read more »

State Resources Deployed to Region

Sep. 13, 2007 -- AUSTIN – Texas Governor Rick Perry today declared three southeast Texas counties disaster areas as a result of Hurricane Humberto. Humberto, which developed from a tropical depression into a Category 1 hurricane in just over 12 hours, made landfall early this morning, producing heavy rains and high winds in Jefferson, Orange and Galveston Counties.    » read more »

September 12, 2007, NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Many Louisiana residents continue to cope with the psychological aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Free crisis counseling is available through Louisiana Spirit and a partnership between the state of Louisiana and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).    » read more »