“Let me be blunt,” Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said in his opening statement to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “This was a failure of government at all levels. Local, state, and federal officials – we all failed the families of Flint.” He is answering questions at a Congressional hearing this morning that…
Fiji oficials began a cleanup Monday after a powerful cyclone rocked the Pacific island nation over the weekend. The death toll reached 18, though authorities were still having trouble communicating with some of the outer islands, which suffered some of the worst damage. Cyclone Winston’s winds reached 177 miles per hour, making it one of…
Susan Hedman, the EPA director overseeing an area in Michigan that includes Flint, stepped down on Thursday as the water crisis in the city has continued unabated. The EPA also announced an emergency order on Thursday requiring the state and city to take “immediate steps to address the drinking water contamination in Flint.”
Data unveiled in 274 pages of emails released by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder paint a picture of dismissive state leaders who deflected responsibility and ignored scientific evidence regarding the lead-poisoned drinking water in Flint. Top aides reportedly scoffed at people voicing questions about the water quality “anti-everything,” and findings reported by a concerned paediatrician were…
Gov. Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency for Flint and Genesee County Tuesday as a result of the contaminated drinking water crisis, on the same day the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed it is investigating the contamination of Flint’s drinking water supply. Snyder’s office issued a news release late Tuesday saying the governor made the…
On Tuesday, a blanket of humid air trapping smog brought Beijing’s first pollution “red alert.” Many residents ignored warnings to limit time outdoors, and authorities say the pollution would last several more days. Hundreds of people, even babies, packed Tiananmen Square to watch a daily flag-raising ceremony. China’s state radio said some motorists were ignoring…
A massive thunder storm triggered flash floods in southern Utah near the Arizona border, leaving seven people dead and six others still missing, officials said late Monday. Two vehicles carrying 16 women and children in Maxwell Canyon, just north of Hildale, were among several cars that were swept away into the flood channel, said Assistant…
Thousands of people were forced to flee their Northern California homes Saturday as firefighters fought a new blaze. The Valley Fire grew to over 15 square miles and gave four firefighters second-degree burns. The cause of it is under investigation. Meanwhile another fire in Northern California had grown to about 101 square miles Friday night…
More than 100,000 people were forced to flee their homes in Japan on Thursday after torrential rains brought by Tropical Storm Etau caused widespread flooding. At least two people are missing while television footage from public broadcaster NHK shows military helicopters rescuing the many residents still stranded in their homes. Japan issued a pre-dawn warning…
Three U.S. Forest Service firefighters were killed Wednesday while battling a massive wildfire in eastern Washington state. Gov. Jay Inslee said the men became trapped while battling a fire near the town of Twisp, while as many as four other firefighters were injured. The blaze quickly spread across 1,500 acres Wednesday and about 230 firefighters…
Ecuadorian officials have declared a state of emergency after increasing activity in Cotopaxi volcano. Up to 325,000 people live in areas that could be threatened if a major eruption occurs, authorities said Monday.
According to preliminary tests on the once-toxically orange Animas River in Colorado indicate little danger to fish or other wildlife, authorities said Monday, five days after a spill sent contaminated water seeping into the river. Gov. John Hickenlooper declared a state of emergency after the Environmental Protection Agency said Sunday that 3 million gallons of…
The Rocky Fire in Northern California exploded over the weekend, growing to 54,000 acres and threatening 6,000 structures in three counties by Sunday.
Hundreds of firefighters are battling a fast-moving wildfire near California’s famed Napa Valley. A building burned overnight near Lake Berryessa, close to where the fire started. It is one of five major wildfires burning in the drought-parched state.
An interstate bridge has collapsed in Desert Center, Calif., after rain from the severe storms washed out the roadway, authorities said Sunday evening. At least one person was rescued from their vehicle at the scene.
Iraq’s government declared Thursday an official holiday due to a scorching heatwave causing temperatures to exceed 122 degrees in some provinces. The heatwave comes as Muslims are practicing dawn-to-dusk fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
Authorities said on Monday another 309 people died as a heatwave continued to grip Pakistan’s Sindh province. The searing temperatures have claimed 445 people since Saturday, according to a senior provincial government official. Sindh Health Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar said the government had declared a medical emergency in hospitals as temperatures reached 109 degrees. Karachi…
At least 18 people are dead after severe storms hit Texas and Oklahoma over the weekend, officials said Tuesday. Rescue crews are still searching for another 13 people missing in Hays County, Texas.
Three people were killed, including a firefighter, and eight people are missing after heavy rains and flooding swept parts of Oklahoma and Texas through Sunday. Hundreds of homes are underwater and a thousand residents were evacuated in San Marcos, Texas, as emergency crews assessed the damage, said Hays County emergency-management coordinator Kharley Smith. The Oklahoma…
The U.S. Coast Guard launched an emergency cleanup off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, where a pipeline leaked 21,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday. The Coast Guard reported an oil slick on around four miles of beach and 50 yards into the ocean. Officials said winds could carry the oil…
A second powerful earthquake hit Nepal on Tuesday, just weeks after a quake devastated the nation and left more than 8,000 people dead. The 7.3-magnitude temblor struck near Mount Everest in the town of Namche Bazar, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Reuters reports at least 42 deaths and at least an additonal 1,000 people…
A large magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on Tuesday around 150 km (93 miles) south of the town of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, the U.S. Geological Survey said, setting off a tsunami warning within 300 km of the epicenter. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued the warning but said that a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami reaching…
A video posted online on Sunday appears to show the avalanche that hit a Mount Everest base camp during the Nepal earthquake. At least 17 people were killed by avalanches on during the quake.
BREAKING: Rescuers work to free people trapped by a powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake which hit near Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu causing extensive damage with toppled walls and collapsed buildings. Nepal police say at least 3,700 dead in the massive earthquake centred outside of Kathmandu. THIS IS A LIVE BREAKING EVENT. WATCH THE LIVE NEWS STREAM HERE.
Approximately 1,500 people were evacuated in southern Chile after the Calbuco volcano erupted for the first time in more than four decades on Wednesday. Authorities issued a red alert following the eruption which sent smoke and ash several kilometers high.
One hiker was killed and another is in critical condition after being caught in a rockslide at Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, Calif., officials said Sunday.
An oil tanker and a bulk carrier collided near Singapore on Monday, causing an oil spill about 20 kilometres northeast of the island of Pedra Branca. The Libyan-registered Alyarmouk oil tanker was en route to Yangpu, China, when it collided with the Singapore-flagged carrier ship Sinar Kapuas. After the collision, the Alyarmouk sustained damage to…
Authorities have evacuated more than 100,000 people across five states in parts of northern Malaysia following the nation’s worst monsoon in decades. Prime Minister Najib Razak said it’s been difficult to rescue people and send food supplies amid the extreme conditions caused by Malaysia’s highest amount of rainfall since 1971. The seasonal northeast monsoon hit…
A lava flow from the Kilauea volcano that has been moving toward a residential area on Hawaii’s Big Island for months is now just 100 yards away, authorities said Monday. Residents have been placed on alert for possible evacuation as the flow approaches at an average of 10 to 15 yards an hour. Photo: The…
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of El Salvador late Sunday, USGS said. A tsunami threat was initially issued, but quickly passed. Cities along the coast were urged to remain observant.
