Tropical Storm Archives

FACT FOCUS: A look at the false information around Hurricanes Helene and Milton

The devastation around Hurricanes Helene and Milton has been complicated further by false and misleading information, much of it politically motivated. Misinformation around the Federal Emergency Management Agency, some of which claimed land would be seized and bulldozed in North Carolina, and claims that state and local governments were failing to address the situation were spread by GOP candidates, including former President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden and other federal officials have criticized Trump and others for spreading disinformation around the hurricanes.… Continue Reading

Volunteers bring solar power to Hurricane Helene’s disaster zone

BAKERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene downed power lines and washed out roads all over North Carolina’s mountains, the roar of gas-powered generators is both unpleasant and essential. More than 43,000 of the 1.5 million customers who lost power in the region still lacked electricity on Friday. Without it, they can’t keep medicines cold, pump well water, recharge their phones or apply for federal disaster aid. Crews from all over are helping Duke Energy make repairs, but it’s slow going in the dense mountain forests. One nonprofit that is helping is the Footprint Project, which is scaling up to supply solar-powered mobile infrastructure, from batteries and small generators to solar grids.… Continue Reading

Determination to rebuild follows Florida’s hurricanes with acceptance that storms will come again

VENICE, Fla. (AP) — The devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton is still being tallied as a swath of Florida comes to terms with damage from the unusual dual strike of storms in such close proximity. Some longtime Floridians have grown accustomed to the annual cycle of storms that can shatter and upend lives in a state known mostly for its balmy weather, sunshine and beaches. Some say it’s the price of living in paradise. President Joe Biden planned to visit the Gulf Coast on Sunday. Many residents spent much of Saturday searching for gas as a fuel shortage gripped the state.… Continue Reading

Floridians cleaning up from Hurricane Milton are hampered by a widespread fuel shortage

CORTEZ, Fla. (AP) — Many Floridians spent much of Saturday either waiting hours in line for gas, trying to get home or beginning the arduous work of cleaning up after Hurricane Milton. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday several fuel depots where residents could get 10 gallons of gas for free were set to open. Officials were also using state fuel stockpiles to replenish area gas stations. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for the state and will Florida on Sunday to assess the damage. Moody’s Analytics estimates economic costs from the storm will range from $50 billion to $85 billion.… Continue Reading

North Carolina governor signs Hurricane Helene relief bill

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed the state’s first relief package to address Hurricane Helene’s devastation. The bill signed Thursday allocates $273 million for immediate needs and gives flexibility to agencies and displaced residents in western counties. The Republican-dominated legislature approved the measure unanimously the day before. Nearly all the money will be used to meet the federal government’s match for state and local disaster assistance programs. Other provisions help nutrition workers in closed schools. The money is coming from the state’s large savings reserve. The bill also changes how upcoming elections are conducted in 25 counties. More Helene relief legislation could advance in two weeks.… Continue Reading

Harris rips Trump for his criticism of federal storm response and calls for ‘dignity’

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and the White House are criticizing Donald Trump for his attacks on the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton and suggesting he is wrongly trying to turn the deadly storms to his political advantage. Attending a town hall sponsored by Univision in Las Vegas, Harris said, “I have to stress that this is not a time for people to play politics.” Those comments came after the former president spoke at the Detroit Economic Club, saying the Biden administration’s response had been lacking, particularly in North Carolina after Helene. “They’ve let those people suffer unjustly,” said Trump, who has for several days promoted falsehoods about the federal response.… Continue Reading

In remote mountain communities cut off by Helene, communities look to the skies for aid

RAMSEYTOWN, N.C. (AP) — National Guard members who deployed to western North Carolina are still carrying out aid missions nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene. Much of their humanitarian work involves delivering aid or checking in with mountain communities cut off from the outside world by storm-damaged roads. Priorities for those in impacted areas are beginning to shift as temperatures are expected to drop next week. That leaves National Guard members to adjust the supplies as fall weather cools. Meanwhile, their day-to-day missions change often as they field requests from those in need in remote communities.… Continue Reading

Trump offers prayers for people in hurricane’s path after lashing out at Harris and other women

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump offered his prayers to those in the path of Hurricane Milton as it lashed Florida while continuing to insult his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other women. “I don’t want to be nice,” Trump said at a Pennsylvania rally. “You know, somebody said, ‘You should be nicer. Women won’t like it.’ I said, ‘I don’t care.’” Trump was holding a pair of rallies as another hurricane threatened to overshadow the presidential campaign with fears that it would cause catastrophic damage in Tampa and other parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Harris was to fly to Nevada later Wednesday for a western campaign swing, but first attended a federal storm briefing.… Continue Reading

How Waffle House helps Southerners — and FEMA — judge a storm’s severity

For some residents of storm-prone Southeastern states, the best indicator of a hurricane’s severity can be found at the local Waffle House. If the Georgia-based restaurant chain stays open in town, neighbors are reassured that the coming storm is unlikely to cause devastation. A closed location of the dependable diner chain has come to indicate impending disaster. What might sound like silly logic has become one of the most reliable ways for Southerners and even federal officials to gauge a storm’s severity and identify communities most in need of immediate aid. The Waffle House Index was created by a federal emergency management official and is still used today.… Continue Reading

Tampa Bay hasn’t been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921. Milton may be the one

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Fearful Florida residents are streaming out of the Tampa Bay region ahead of what could be a once-in-a-century direct hit from Hurricane Milton. Crews are working furiously to prevent furniture, appliances and other waterlogged wreckage from Florida’s last big storm from becoming deadly projectiles in this one. The preparations marked the last chance for millions of people in the Tampa metro area to prepare for lethal storm surges, ferocious winds and possible tornadoes in a place that has narrowly avoided a head-on blow from a major storm for generations.… Continue Reading