Latest news with #DepartmentofEmergencyManagement
Global News
3 days ago
- Climate
- Global News
Nova Scotia firefighting crew to help battle Saskatchewan wildfires
Nova Scotia is sending a team of firefighters to help with out-of-control wildfires in Saskatchewan for the second time this wildfire season. The 20-person crew is scheduled to fly Saturday to Saskatoon to be briefed and learn where they will be deployed. Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton says the province is able to send the team to help in Western Canada because of limited wildfire activity in Nova Scotia. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Nova Scotia firefighters first went to Saskatchewan in late May and returned in June. The province currently has a specialist assisting in the Northwest Territories, while two communications technicians from the Department of Emergency Management helped firefighting efforts in Alberta in June. In 2024, Nova Scotia deployed fire crews or other resources six times to help with wildfires across the country. Story continues below advertisement This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025.
Miami Herald
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
As Alligator Alcatraz adds more pavement, environmentalists add to legal complaints
The state and federal government are once again under legal fire from environmental groups over the hastily constructed immigrant detention center in the Everglades. In a newly filed legal notice, environmental groups accused the government agencies of ignoring even more environmental regulations while building and opening Alligator Alcatraz, despite the governor's pledge to have 'zero impacts' on the Everglades. The second barrage of legal documents, filed two weeks after the first lawsuit, also suggests that the detention center is already making an impact on the fragile ecosystem around it. 'With each passing day, we see visible environmental impacts on this site. We are very concerned and filed this additional legal action to ensure the law is being complied with,' said Eve Samples, head of Friends of the Everglades, one of the groups spearheading the legal challenges. Aerial photography revealed fresh patches of asphalt, including several short stretches of roads and an 11-acre patch of new blacktop. The lawsuit accuses the state and federal government of failing to get the proper permits to 'dredge and fill' those formerly open, grassy areas. Florida's Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Stephanie Hartman said that the 11-acre paved-over area was actually a patch of concrete with overgrown grass. 'The photographed areas all reflect previously paved or concrete portions of the airport, including where the asphalt is pictured,' she told the Herald. A consultant for Friends of the Everglades reviewed old aerial photography dating back to the construction of the Jetport in 1970 and never found a patch of concrete in that same spot, just vegetation. 'We doubt, looking at the aerials, if it was paved before,' said Paul Schwiep, one of the lead attorneys for the environmental groups and a partner at Miami-based Coffey Burlington. 'The statement that this was all built on the existing footprint does not appear to be correct.' The notice of intent to sue in the next 60 days also dings the state and federal government for failing to consider the potential impacts on endangered and threatened species in the area, including the Florida panther, the bonneted bat and Everglade snail kite. The original lawsuit accused the state and federal government of ignoring federal environmental laws that require them to analyze potential harms to the environment before building. 'They don't dispute that there hasn't been any analysis of any environmental impacts — impacts on wetlands, impacts on endangered species, none of it,' said Schwiep. READ MORE: Feds move in court to distance Trump administration from Alligator Alcatraz Instead, in court filings, the state has argued it didn't need to do those analyses because it was acting during an immigration-related state of emergency declared by Gov. Ron DeSantis three years ago. Federal agencies said they had nothing to do with the site — declaring it a Florida-operated detention center with no support from the Trump administration, despite the many public statements of support from federal officials at the highest levels of government. 'There are so many on-the-record statements regarding this federal state partnership,' said Samples. 'Their court filings do not align with their public statements on this topic.'
Al Etihad
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Etihad
Rescuers search for missing girls as Texas flood death toll hits 50
6 July 2025 08:56 (AFP)Rescuers searched on Saturday for 27 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating floods that killed 50 people in the US flash flood warnings remained in place across central Texas after water surged through communities, with the Guadalupe River rise by 26 feet in just 45 Kerr County summer camp where hundreds were staying was left in disarray, with blankets, teddy bears and other belongings caked in mud."We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children," said Larry Leitha, the sheriff of the flood-ravaged victims were also found in other counties, bringing the death toll to Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead."We will continue the search until all those who are missing are found," he Governor Greg Abbott said he was expanding a state disaster declaration and was requesting additional federal resources from President Donald flooding began on Friday -- the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend -- as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of National Weather Service (NWS) warned that more rain was forecast, and that "excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations."In Kerrville on Saturday, the usually calm Guadalupe was flowing fast, its murky waters filled with debris. "The water reached the top of the trees. About 10 meters or so," said resident Gerardo Martinez, 61. "Cars, whole houses were going down the river."Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not scientists say that in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves more frequent and more intense. Devastation at Camp Mystic On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 children from Camp Mystic in flooded Kerr County were still missing. Around 750 girls were attending the camp along the banks of the media reported that four of the missing girls were dead, citing their families. The windows of camp cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the obituary section of the Kerrville community news site was dotted with tributes to victims, including Camp Mystic's owner and director Dick director of Heart O' The Hills summer camp located about a mile from Camp Mystic, Jane Ragsdale, was also confirmed in Texas, four people were confirmed dead in Travis County, northeast of Kerr, and 13 people were missing, public information office director Hector Nieto told AFP. Two more people died in Burnet County, the area's emergency management coordinator Derek Marchio told AFP, bringing the state-wide death toll to 50. 'Catastrophic' Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem said Trump wanted to "upgrade the technologies" at the weather service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)."We need to renew this ancient system," Noem told a press and disaster management agencies have criticized Trump for cutting funding and staffing at the NOAA, in charge of weather forecasts and preparedness, and the asked about claims that residents were given insufficient warning of the floods, Noem said she would "carry your concerns back to the federal government."Officials and residents alike were shocked by the speed and intensity of the flooding."We didn't know this flood was coming," Kerr County official Rob Kelly said Friday."The predictions were definitely off," and the rain was "double of what was anticipated," Kerrville city official Dalton Rice said. Rice added that rescuers were facing "very difficult" conditions, and declined to give an overall figure for how many were missing.
Miami Herald
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Alligator Alcatraz has opened in the Florida Everglades. Here are some takeaways
A state-run detention facility for migrants has opened in the Florida Everglades. Alligator Alcatraz — that is the official name — was assembled in eight days and opened on July 1. President Donald Trump visited the remote site on opening day, built at an old runway near the Miami-Dade and Collier county line. Here are the top stories from the Miami Herald about Alligator Alcatraz: Alligator Alcatraz opened ready for a hurricane — but not a summer shower Shortly after President Donald Trump left the brand new detention facility to hold immigrants in the middle of the Everglades, a garden-variety South Florida summer rainstorm started. The water seeped into the site — the one that earlier in day the state's top emergency chief had boasted was ready to withstand the winds of a 'high-end' Category 2 hurricane — and streamed all over electrical cables on the floor. What if a hurricane hits 'Alligator Alcatraz'? Florida drawing up evacuation plan Florida's Department of Emergency Management, which is overseeing the facility, told the Miami Herald it's 'fully prepared for any storm that may threaten our state,' but that the formal plan for the facility is not completed yet. Lawmakers were stopped from entering Alligator Alcatraz. That may violate Florida law A group of Florida lawmakers were barred from entering Alligator Alcatraz, with a Florida official citing 'safety concerns.' Detention center driving out wildlife, damaging Everglades, critics contend Environmentalists worry that the rapidly constructed facility — which they contend sidestepped all required environmental permitting — will be harmful to the animals and ecosystem that surround it. Contractors building Alligator Alcatraz have donated money to Florida GOP, DeSantis Among at least nine state contractors involved in the creation of Alligator Alcatraz, three have given money to Gov. Ron DeSantis or the Republican Party of Florida for statewide campaigns. Alligator Alcatraz receives first immigrant detainees The first detainees arrived at Alligator Alcatraz late night July 2, even as the immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades has already faced some operational issues with security and water intrusion. How DeSantis leaned on emergency powers to build 'Alligator Alcatraz' in days Relying on an emergency order issued in January 2023 in response to a flood of Cuban and Haitian migrants arriving by boat in the Florida Keys, DeSantis seized county land and mobilized a team of private companies to build a facility big enough to hold 3,000 detained immigrants. What to know about the Everglades detention camp Questions and answers about Alligator Alcatraz as it was ready to be built.
The Advertiser
13-06-2025
- Climate
- The Advertiser
Typhoon Wutip hits Hainan island, nears southern China
Authorities have relocated thousands of people, closed schools and cancelled flights as typhoon Wutip dumped heavy rain on parts of China's Hainan island and headed for the country's southern coast. It was upgraded from severe tropical storm to typhoon on Friday night and it was expected to bring "severe wind, rain and waves," according to the Department of Emergency Management in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Photos posted by a Chinese news outlet showed toppled trees and a strewn corrugated metal fence at a construction site in the city of Sanya, a popular beach resort on Hainan. All schools, construction sites and tourist attractions in Sanya were closed and flights were suspended at the city's airport, the official Xinhua News Agency said. A dozen crew members were rescued on Thursday night from a cargo ship that called for help, Xinhua said. The crew were transferred to a rescue vessel in rough seas with 3-metre waves. Typhoon Wutip had maximum sustained winds of 119 km/h as it headed northeast off Hainan's west coast. It was forecast to make landfall about noon on Saturday on the Chinese mainland near the border between Guangdong province and the Guangxi region. Guangdong activated rescue boats and helicopters, and more than 49,000 fishing boats returned to port, Xinhua said. The provincial meteorological agency forecast heavy rain and said tornadoes were possible. Wutip means "butterfly" in Cantonese, which is spoken in Macao. Countries and the Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Macao contribute the names for storms during the typhoon season. Authorities have relocated thousands of people, closed schools and cancelled flights as typhoon Wutip dumped heavy rain on parts of China's Hainan island and headed for the country's southern coast. It was upgraded from severe tropical storm to typhoon on Friday night and it was expected to bring "severe wind, rain and waves," according to the Department of Emergency Management in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Photos posted by a Chinese news outlet showed toppled trees and a strewn corrugated metal fence at a construction site in the city of Sanya, a popular beach resort on Hainan. All schools, construction sites and tourist attractions in Sanya were closed and flights were suspended at the city's airport, the official Xinhua News Agency said. A dozen crew members were rescued on Thursday night from a cargo ship that called for help, Xinhua said. The crew were transferred to a rescue vessel in rough seas with 3-metre waves. Typhoon Wutip had maximum sustained winds of 119 km/h as it headed northeast off Hainan's west coast. It was forecast to make landfall about noon on Saturday on the Chinese mainland near the border between Guangdong province and the Guangxi region. Guangdong activated rescue boats and helicopters, and more than 49,000 fishing boats returned to port, Xinhua said. The provincial meteorological agency forecast heavy rain and said tornadoes were possible. Wutip means "butterfly" in Cantonese, which is spoken in Macao. Countries and the Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Macao contribute the names for storms during the typhoon season. Authorities have relocated thousands of people, closed schools and cancelled flights as typhoon Wutip dumped heavy rain on parts of China's Hainan island and headed for the country's southern coast. It was upgraded from severe tropical storm to typhoon on Friday night and it was expected to bring "severe wind, rain and waves," according to the Department of Emergency Management in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Photos posted by a Chinese news outlet showed toppled trees and a strewn corrugated metal fence at a construction site in the city of Sanya, a popular beach resort on Hainan. All schools, construction sites and tourist attractions in Sanya were closed and flights were suspended at the city's airport, the official Xinhua News Agency said. A dozen crew members were rescued on Thursday night from a cargo ship that called for help, Xinhua said. The crew were transferred to a rescue vessel in rough seas with 3-metre waves. Typhoon Wutip had maximum sustained winds of 119 km/h as it headed northeast off Hainan's west coast. It was forecast to make landfall about noon on Saturday on the Chinese mainland near the border between Guangdong province and the Guangxi region. Guangdong activated rescue boats and helicopters, and more than 49,000 fishing boats returned to port, Xinhua said. The provincial meteorological agency forecast heavy rain and said tornadoes were possible. Wutip means "butterfly" in Cantonese, which is spoken in Macao. Countries and the Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Macao contribute the names for storms during the typhoon season. Authorities have relocated thousands of people, closed schools and cancelled flights as typhoon Wutip dumped heavy rain on parts of China's Hainan island and headed for the country's southern coast. It was upgraded from severe tropical storm to typhoon on Friday night and it was expected to bring "severe wind, rain and waves," according to the Department of Emergency Management in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Photos posted by a Chinese news outlet showed toppled trees and a strewn corrugated metal fence at a construction site in the city of Sanya, a popular beach resort on Hainan. All schools, construction sites and tourist attractions in Sanya were closed and flights were suspended at the city's airport, the official Xinhua News Agency said. A dozen crew members were rescued on Thursday night from a cargo ship that called for help, Xinhua said. The crew were transferred to a rescue vessel in rough seas with 3-metre waves. Typhoon Wutip had maximum sustained winds of 119 km/h as it headed northeast off Hainan's west coast. It was forecast to make landfall about noon on Saturday on the Chinese mainland near the border between Guangdong province and the Guangxi region. Guangdong activated rescue boats and helicopters, and more than 49,000 fishing boats returned to port, Xinhua said. The provincial meteorological agency forecast heavy rain and said tornadoes were possible. Wutip means "butterfly" in Cantonese, which is spoken in Macao. Countries and the Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Macao contribute the names for storms during the typhoon season.
