Weather

May 27, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With the beginning of the 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season upon us, hurricane prone states across the country are doing their part to help prepare their citizens and communities. From sales tax holidays on hurricane and emergency preparedness equipment in Virginia and Louisiana, to a major hurricane exercise in Florida, states are taking actions to ensure that citizens and the emergency response community are prepared for the 2009 hurricane season.    » read more »

2009 Spring Floods One of Worst Seasons on Record

May 25, 2009, Fairbanks, Alaska - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has sent a letter to the federal government officially requesting a federal disaster declaration for the spring floods of 2009. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent preliminary damage assessment teams into the field last week and they are working their way down the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers village by village.    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- NOAA forecasters say a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is most likely this year. However, as with any season, the need to prepare for the possibility of a storm striking near you is essential.

“Today, more than 35 million Americans live in regions most threatened by Atlantic hurricanes,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “Timely and accurate warnings of severe weather help save lives and property. Public awareness and public preparedness are the best defenses against a hurricane.”    » read more »

May 20, 2009 -- JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon today asked President Barack Obama to declare a major disaster for the state of Missouri as a result of the severe storm system that plagued many parts of the state from May 8 to May 16 with high winds, hail, tornadoes, heavy rain, flooding and flash flooding.

The storm system was responsible for seven fatalities, 21 serious injuries, widespread property damage, and, at its peak, more than 150,000 utility customers being without power. Approximately 1,700 customers remain without power in Iron, Madison and Ripley counties as a result of the storm system.    » read more »

May 20, 2009 -- LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe today declared Ashley, Cleburne, Greene, Howard, Jackson, Marion, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike and Polk Counties state disaster areas, taking the total of flood-related county declarations to 42. Last week, Beebe declared Arkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark, Cleveland, Conway, Dallas, Drew, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Lafayette, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Lonoke, Jefferson, Miller, Monroe, Perry, Phillips, Pope, Poinsett, Prairie, Saline, Searcy, Stone, St. Francis and Union Counties.    » read more »

May 12, 2009 -- LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has declared Arkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark, Cleveland, Conway, Dallas, Drew, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Lafayette, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Lonoke, Jefferson, Miller, Monroe, Perry, Phillips, Pope, Poinsett, Prairie, Saline, Searcy, Stone, St. Francis and Union Counties state disaster areas due to the damage caused by heavy rains and flooding that began on April 27.

The declaration also authorizes $200,000 in individual assistance from the Governor's Disaster Fund for flood victims in Clark, Dallas, Jefferson, Garland, Lonoke, Miller, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, and Saline Counties.    » read more »

The planet’s largest animal may be returning to pre-whaling feeding grounds

May 11, 2009 -- Scientists have documented the first known migration of blue whales from the coast of California to areas off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska since the end of commercial whaling in 1965.

In the scientific journal Marine Mammal Science, researchers from Cascadia Research Collective in Washington state, NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in California, and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans identified 15 separate cases where blue whales were seen off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska. Four of the whales were identified as animals previously observed off the coast of California, suggesting a re-establishment of a historical migration pattern.    » read more »

May 9, 2009 -- CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Due to excessive rain and flooding, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin this morning declared a state of emergency in the following southern West Virginia counties:

Boone
Logan
McDowell
Mingo
Raleigh
Wyoming
and surrounding counties.

“State and local emergency management officials are on-site, assessing damages and offering assistance where needed,” Manchin said. “We continue to monitor the rivers and streams so that we can offer additional assistance should the situation worsen.”    » read more »

Don’t be fooled by deniers who cherry-pick the data to claim that during this or that decade the climate was cooling, say experts Michael Wehner and David Easterling. The long-term pattern clearly shows that human activities are warming the climate.

May 01, 2009 -- BERKELEY, CA — In the hotly debated arena of global climate change, using short-term trends that show little temperature change or even slight cooling to refute global warming is misleading, write two climate experts in a paper recently published by the American Geophysical Union — especially as the long-term pattern clearly shows human activities are causing the earth’s climate to heat up.    » read more »

April 24, 2009 -- ATLANTA – Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that President Barack Obama approved a Federal Disaster Declaration for 27 counties that the Governor requested aid for following a devastating period of severe weather beginning March 26 and continuing through April 10. Tornadoes, straight-line winds, hail, severe thunderstorms, flash flooding and flooding resulted in widespread residential, commercial and infrastructure damage across South Georgia.

"We have some hard work ahead of us and we appreciate the prompt response by President Obama and Acting FEMA Administrator Nancy Ward," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "It will greatly help the citizens whose lives have been disrupted."    » read more »

April 18, 2009 -- At 1:30 this morning, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, in coordination with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs' Division of Emergency Management, activated the Colorado National Guard to support emergency shelter operations in Clear Creek County.

Hazardous weather conditions closed I-70 and other roads along the mountain corridor between Morrison and Vail. The severe weather forced numerous stranded motorists to seek emergency shelter in Idaho Springs and Georgetown.

I-70 is now open in both directions, although travel is still discouraged at this time.    » read more »

April 10, 2009 -- BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota Governor John Hoeven today said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide $750,000 in Section 32 funds to assist North Dakota ranchers impacted by severe winter weather and flooding this season. The money is part of a permanent appropriation used for domestic food programs and disaster relief for farmers.

Hoeven asked N.D. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring to create an expedited plan to distribute the funding to ranchers in dire need of feed, and provide the assistance as quickly as possible.

The news came following a conference call organized earlier today at Hoeven's request with Sec. Vilsack and North Dakota farm and ranch leaders to ask the secretary once more for federal aid for producers.    » read more »

Apr 13, 2009 -- LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe today declared Ashley and Miller Counties as state disaster areas due to damage caused by last Thursday's severe storms. Beebe previously declared Howard, Polk and Sevier Counties on Friday.

Teams from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management are continuing their preliminary assessments of storm damage. Governor Beebe expects to request federal aid for individual storm victims within the next few days.

Arkansas 2-1-1 stands ready to help storm victims who need information about disaster services, as well as Arkansans who wish to volunteer or to provide help. The call to 2-1-1 is free.

Source: Arkansas Governor

April 10, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY - Alabama Governor Bob Riley on Friday asked President Obama to declare a major disaster area for 20 counties in Alabama that received damage from wind, rain and flooding recently.

Between March 30 and April 3, the 20 counties suffered an estimated $26 million in damage to roads, bridges and public buildings, the Governor said. In addition, 572 homes were affected by the severe storms in Covington, Geneva and Houston counties.

In addition to those three counties, Governor Riley’s disaster request covers Baldwin, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Henry, Lamar, Marengo, Perry, Russell, Washington and Wilcox counties.    » read more »

March 26, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has issued a disaster declaration due to today's blizzard, activating the National Guard to assist with rescue operations and authorizing up to $200,000 in state funds for emergency assistance.

"Our first and foremost concern is the health, safety and welfare of Colorado's citizens," Gov. Ritter said. "We have activated the State Emergency Operations Center to monitor conditions, coordinate the state's resources and respond as needed. We are also asking residents to limit their travel and encourage employers to consider releasing employees in a phased manner to alleviate heavy traffic this afternoon."

Here is the text of Executive Order D 005 09, "Declaring a Disaster Emergency Due to a Severe Blizzard":    » read more »