$75 million was awarded to plant trees in places that badly need them. In anti-DEI push, that's over
When Hurricane Katrina roared through two decades ago, it wiped out 200,000 trees across the city, including many in Johnson's neighborhood and several in his own yard. The city has struggled ever since to restore its tree canopy.
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The Hill
3 days ago
- The Hill
A short La Niña is coming soon. What does that mean for weather near you?
(NEXSTAR) – The U.S. is on 'La Niña watch,' according to a new forecast issued by the Climate Prediction Center on Thursday. The Center predicts La Niña will form in the fall, influencing the weather we see in the latter part of the year. This year's La Niña is expected to be short and weak, much like the one we saw last winter. But that doesn't mean its impact on the weather will necessarily be weak. In hindsight, the 2024-25 winter season 'bore the telltale signs of a La Niña influence,' explained meteorologist Nat Johnson. In a typical La Niña year, the southern half of the country will get drier, warmer weather, while the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley get more precipitation than normal. Back to school already? Why the academic year keeps getting shifted earlier That's pretty much what happened last winter, despite the 'weak' La Niña. 'In particular, most of the southern U.S. and northern Mexico were predicted to be and turned out to be drier than average, with record-dry conditions in southern Arizona and parts of New Mexico,' Johnson said. 'Wetter conditions were forecasted and did prevail over the northern part of the continent, particularly in Alaska and parts of the Pacific Northwest, as well as much farther south in Central America.' It wasn't a perfect forecast – east Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky and western Virginia got some pretty wet weather – but overall, the La Niña pattern played out, Johnson said. Even though this year's La Niña is expected to dissipate before the end of winter, its influence is still most likely to be visible in the peak winter months, explained Michelle L'Heureux, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center. Both La Niña and El Niño tend to have their strongest influence over the weather in the winter. If this year's La Niña turns out to be perfectly typical, the winter precipitation around the country would look like the map below: a dry season for California and the South, but a wetter or snowier season in the blue patches of the northern and Midwest states. One way La Niña could have an influence sooner is on hurricane season, which runs through the end of November. La Niñas are typically associated with a stronger, busier hurricane season. In its updated hurricane forecast released this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said there is a 50% chance of an above-normal hurricane season, a 35% chance of a near-normal season and a 15% chance of a quieter season.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
'It kept coming': Residents, across Milwaukee area recount devastating floods, begin cleanup
Cleanup from historic flash flooding continued in basements and on roads across the Milwaukee area as some of the hardest-hit areas from the weekend's heavy storms remained submerged in standing water. The area was thoroughly soaked, according to official rain totals from the National Weather Service in Sullivan. Three municipalities recorded over a foot of rain in two days. Meteorologists calculated that the two-day storm caused a 1,000-year flood, meaning that there was a 1 in 1,000 chance of it occurring in any year. The Milwaukee area has only seen that much rain one other time before, in 2008. "I certainly hope that a storm like this does not visit upon this city for at least another millennium," Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. The most rain fell in Pewaukee, which saw 12.61 inches. Butler saw 12.22 inches of rain. Menomonee Falls recorded 12.06 inches, according to weather service totals through Aug. 11. In Milwaukee, Johnson said the city was working through the process of obtaining disaster declarations. Wisconsin had not issued a state emergency declaration by midday Aug. 11, which would allow for assistance from Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. Gov. Tony Evers did say National Guard troops are assisting first responders. He approved guard vehicles and operators "to help support Milwaukee County's response to severe flooding," and said his administration is monitoring the current flooding and watching for new threats. After roughly 50,000 We Energies customers lost power over the weekend, most saw it restored by Aug. 11. A few thousand remained without electricity by midday. Business owners begin to recover from damaging floods Across the Milwaukee suburbs, residents and business owners were trying to figure out what to do next. Hart Park and other hard-hit areas of the Wauwatosa Village remained closed. Viral videos showed waters rushing past the Little Red Store, which is the oldest commercial building in Wauwatosa and one of the oldest buildings in the county. Amanda Saso, the executive director of the Wauwatosa Historical Society, first knew damage to the building would be bad when she saw on security camera footage that water was pooling on the first floor. "All morning, I was watching the water rise and rise," Saso said. At peak levels, the entire basement and stairs to the first floor were completely submerged in sewage water. As of midday Aug. 11, Saso was pumping water out of a window from the still significantly flooded basement. Mark Knudsen, owner of the Muskego restaurant Pop's Pub on Pioneer, got hit twice from the weekend storm. Flood water and a sewage backup filled the basement of his business. And, as a vendor at the State Fair, he lost a final day of business when the fair was forced to close Sunday. Without flood insurance, he'll have to draw on his own funds. He hopes to reopen by Aug. 13. He will remove everything from the basement and sanitize it. 'Other people are going through worse situations, you know?" Knudsen said. "I can close it down, (but) a house you cannot.' Dan Krueger watched as the floods caused extensive damage to his family's bowling alley, arcade and restaurant business in Menomonee Falls, called Krueger's, which is near the Menomonee River. "It kept coming," Krueger said. "We probably have never seen anything like that in our lives." All the bowling lanes went underwater, he said, and individual pins rushed out of the building. Plus, the basement is flooded, which had a boiler and an ice machine. Krueger's will likely be closed for a couple of months and it will be a long way to get everything open again. Several roads, parks and buildings remained closed across the area, including all Menomonee Falls parks and several of its roads, as well as the West Bend Library and South Milwaukee School District buildings. Four Milwaukee County golf courses were shut down, and some of those that reopened limited golf cart usage. Dretzka Golf Course on Milwaukee's northwest side was set to reopen Aug. 13, and no reopening dates were set for Currie and Hansen courses, which are along the flooded Menomonee River in Wauwatosa. In downtown Waukesha, the Fox River swelled past its banks onto nearby sidewalks, submerging benches and reaching the bottom of the North Barstow Street bridge. The river was expected to crest at 8.8 feet by the evening of Aug. 11, tying its record height set in 2008. Some other area rivers receded throughout the day but remained several feet higher than usual, including the Milwaukee River at Estabrook Park, which crested early Aug. 10 at over 11 feet, a record-breaking height, and receded to just under 7 feet the next day, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. Before the rain began, the Milwaukee River height was about 2 1/2 feet. At drop-off center in Milwaukee, trucks haul soaked household items At a city trash drop-off center along West Lincoln Avenue, Milwaukee resident Veronica Aguilar, was among many hauling damp and ruined household items into dumpsters. A long but orderly line of trucks waited at the gate, each vehicle stuffed with mattresses, televisions and appliances. As Aguilar, 37, finished dropping a dented metal lawn chair into the dumpster, she measured the flood damage in how many more trips she would need to make to the center: "Probably three more," she said. Her basement of her home near South 13th Street and West Cleveland Avenue, near the Kinnikinnic River, flooded with three feet of water, she said. She realized something was wrong when her dog started barking. 'When we went to go check, we saw garbage cans floating all over,' she said. Most of the belongings in her basement and backyard were damaged beyond repair, including a new refrigerator, a washer and dryer and a bouncy house for her children. Aguilar said she has flood insurance that she hopes will cover most of the costs to repair her home. By noon, city officials estimated that just over 400 residents have stopped at the Lincoln Avenue drop-off center on Aug. 11. Jerrell Kruschke, commissioner of the Milwaukee Department of Public Works, spoke from the same Lincoln Avenue site. Twelve crews were picking up bulky items from residents' curbs with plans to expand the operation, he said. Residents should register for a bulky item pickup by calling 414-286-CITY or online at Kruschke said, but warned call wait times are long. "We're asking residents to please be patient," Kruschke said. "We will pick them up. Leave it at the curb, and let us know." The city waived overnight parking enforcement until Thursday, Aug. 14, Kruschke said. Stranded cars were towed to nearby side streets. Cleaning crews were set to begin street sweeping and cleaning sewer drainage systems in the coming days. The city was also looking into ways to help residents file flood insurance claims and other costs, Johnson said. In hard-hit neighborhood, residents recount rush of water The Havenwoods neighborhood, near Lincoln Creek on Milwaukee's northwest side, was among the areas with the heaviest rainfall and the most damage. Houses and cars along West Thurston Avenue had a distinct line on them roughly two to three feet above the ground, showing where the water rose. The pavement was covered in mud and dirt, strewn around from the rushing water. Inside the houses, the carpets were saturated, appliances dripped and cabinets were wet to the touch. Funtane Trammell, 37, who lives in the 5800 block of West Thurston, recounted how fast the water rose. 'My car was already underwater, but it wasn't in the house yet,' he said. 'Within 30 minutes, the whole house was full. It came through the vents from underground, the air conditioner. Everywhere the water came in.' Barbara Lewandowska, 80, who lives on the same block, had so much water it moved appliances around her house, she said. 'Where do I go?' she asked. 'Yesterday, I went to my friend's house, but today, what? I don't know.' Milwaukee activist Vaun Mayes and a team of other residents began collecting a list of about 25 homes affected by the flooding and prioritized the homes of the elderly and those with disabilities first. The group pumped water from about five homes by Aug. 10 and was continuing work. "It was pretty bad," Mayes said. "A lot of people are almost calling it apocalyptic seeing the cars that are scattered around the road and left there." Mayes said he planned to knock on more doors and find others who are in need of assistance. Some tips on cleaning up in flooded basements We Energies recommends always assuming basement flood water is energized, even if it's a small amount on the floor. We Energies customers can disconnect power by calling 800-662-4797 before starting cleanup activities. Call the same number to reconnect to power. Ensure any electric cleaning equipment is dry before using it. Check appliances, like furnaces and water heaters, for escaping gas and make sure pilot flames are lit. Do not light a match until the gas supply has been shut off if anything is escaping. If you're unsure, contact a professional. To clean contaminated surfaces, mix one gallon of water with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of household bleach, leave the solution on affected surfaces for at least 30 minutes, and rinse with clean water. Make sure the area is properly ventilated and protect eyes and hands while handling bleach. Bridget Fogarty, Sophia Tiedge, James Riccioli, Maia Pandey and Cailey Gleeson, all of the Journal Sentinel staff, contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee-area residents deal with extensive flood damage, cleanup Solve the daily Crossword
Business Wire
5 days ago
- Business Wire
$15K Grant from FHLB Dallas and Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Will Help New Orleans Resident Weather Future Storms
NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A longtime New Orleans, Louisiana, resident is rebuilding nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina damaged her home, thanks in part to a $15,000 Disaster Rebuilding Assistance (DRA) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). The DRA grant was awarded through FHLB Dallas member Gulf Coast Bank & Trust to provide a new storm-resistant roof for Gail Micken. Ms. Micken, a retiree, moved into her home in April 2005. Just a few months later, Hurricane Katrina swept through Louisiana, leaving widespread destruction in its wake. Fortunately, her home, situated on higher ground, was spared from severe flooding. However, the roof sustained significant damage that worsened with time. 'After Katrina and all the smaller storms since, my roof just kept getting worse, and it's a big house, so I had to fix it in pieces,' Ms. Micken said. 'With prices going up and insurance getting harder to afford, this grant was a blessing. It gave me the help I needed to make my home safe again. This program is making a difference for people like me on a fixed income.' Administered through FHLB Dallas member institutions, DRA provides grants for the repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction of owner-occupied housing affected by disaster events in federally declared disaster areas within FHLB Dallas's five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. Ms. Micken's new roof meets FORTIFIED standards by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), designed to withstand hurricanes, high winds, hail and severe thunderstorms. 'We're proud to play a role in helping lifelong New Orleans residents like Ms. Micken repair their homes after a natural disaster,' said Brittainy Fields, CRA officer at Gulf Coast Bank & Trust. 'Through these grants, we're not only preserving housing but also strengthening safety and storm preparedness for the future.' Since 2024, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust has awarded $347,000 in FHLB Dallas DRA grants. 'A FORTIFIED roof is a proactive investment in the quality and longevity of our housing stock,' said Greg Hettrick, senior vice president and Director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. 'By helping homeowners improve and maintain their properties, we're supporting community stability and giving residents the security and comfort they deserve.' For 2025, FHLB Dallas set aside $4 million for the DRA program. Learn more about DRA. About Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company was founded in 1883, offering several personal and business banking services to the communities in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, surrounding the Southeast Louisiana areas and Florida. Banking services include checking and savings accounts with online and mobile banking options as well as personal loans, home loans, business loans and trust and brokerage services. Its mission is to strengthen its relationship with customers by combining the values of old-fashioned community banking that focus on individualized customer service with innovative, competitive banking products and trust and brokerage services. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $116.1 billion as of June 30, 2025, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit
