Latest news with #AustinFireDepartment
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Austin firefighters union: 93% voted ‘no confidence' in chief over flood response
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Firefighters Association has delivered a vote of no confidence in the Austin Fire Department's chief, following accusations by top union leadership he delayed emergency response to deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country. According to a post on the union's social media account on Friday evening, 'an overwhelming 93% of Austin firefighters (927 votes) cast a vote of no confidence in Fire Chief Joel G. Baker. Only 4% (36 votes) opposed.' The post went on to say, 'This is not about politics. It's about accountability and protecting public safety.' Earlier this week, the union began voting on a resolution, which stated 'The Association hereby declares that Chief Joel G. Baker has forfeited our confidence to lead the Austin Fire Department.' The resolution also called for the Austin City Manager, mayor and city council to thoroughly investigate the chief's decisions and take 'appropriate measures.' Baker insisted there was no delay and said his department has 'absolutely' done everything it can to respond to recent flood disasters across Central Texas. 'Almost 40 years I've been in the fire service and public safety, so it's really disingenuous of the union — for anyone — to think, as the fire chief of Austin or as a public servant, that I would intentionally delay or would delay response to help rescue any individual, anyone who is facing disaster. That's just not true. That's not who I am. That's not who the city of Austin is,' Baker said. Top city leadership has supported the chief, with both the city manager and the mayor saying they were 'disappointed' in the union's response. When KXAN asked both offices for a response to the results of the union vote, they reiterated previous statements about the situation. Austin Fire Chief defends response after accusations of delaying help for Kerr County flooding In its post on social media, the association insisted AFD leadership failed the public and called for 'a full investigation' into the decisions made leading up to the disaster. The post reads, 'The firefighters will not stop until every responsible party is held accountable and systemic changes are made to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.' The union's president, Bob Nicks, has asserted a June directive from AFD leadership caused local first responders to allegedly refuse deployment calls to Kerr County, ahead of deadly flooding on Independence Day weekend. As of of Thursday, officials confirmed 96 people had died in Kerr County alone, and 161 people there were still missing. During an emergency meeting of union members on Tuesday, Nicks' voice broke as he said, 'I don't even have the words. Our firefighters are trained for that area. Our firefighters have the equipment. They have the will; they have the desire. The have the power to go and actually — I know some of those girls could have survived if we had the best boat crew on scene the day before. I know it.' In an interview earlier this week with KXAN, Baker said he was made aware of deployment requests for five individuals within his department on July 4 from the state. He said three rescue swimmers were deployed; a request for a dispatcher was denied and an assistant chief chose not to deploy. The chief explained his reasoning. 'I was not sure how much of the weather would impact my city — the city of Austin. I need to make sure that I have an adequate amount of resources within the city so I can respond for my mutual aid calls and my automatic aid calls around the city of Austin,' Baker said. Explore: A memorial to flood victims He also said, 'To say that — 'Why Austin Fire didn't send a X amount of firefighters out?' That's not a fair statement. That's not really a fair assessment of the Austin Fire Department. It's a collaborative effort with various fire departments throughout the state to send resources when they can to assist with disaster.' You can read more of his response and see background on this story here. This is a developing story. KXAN will update this as more details become available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Extra.ie
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Calls for content creator to face charges after horror prank on homeless woman
There are renewed calls for an American content creator to face criminal charges following a horrifying prank she pulled on a homeless woman in 2024. Last year, Natalie Reynolds, 26, livestreamed the prank where she promised to give the woman $20 (€17.50) if she jumped into a lake in Austin, Texas. The Los Angeles native promised the woman it was part of a 'scavenger hunt,' but began walking away when the woman entered water — despite protests that the woman could not swim. There are renewed calls for an American content creator to face criminal charges following a horrifying prank she pulled on a homeless woman in 2024. Pic: X The New York Post report that Reynolds gaslit the woman in the live-stream, insisting that she did not tell the woman to jump in. The content creator gets emotional when her friends warn her of the severity of the prank, with Reynolds and her friends then fleeing the scene before a fire truck pulls up to rescue the homeless lady. At the time, Austin Fire Department confirmed that they did attend the scene to provide medical assistance, adding that a person was retrieved from the water. Last year, Natalie Reynolds, 26, livestreamed the prank where she promised to give the woman $20 (€17.50) if she humped into a lake in Austin, Texas. Pic: X Reynolds first found fame on TikTok in 2022 with lip sync and dance videos, however her content later evolved into comedy, skits and pranks. The creator boasts more than 5.5m followers on YouTube, along with 320,000 followers on Instagram but she has since been banned on TikTok. While Natalie or TikTok have never confirmed the reason for her ban, many have alleged it was as a result of the prank on the homeless woman. While Natalie nor TikTok have never confirmed the reason for her ban, many have alleged that the reasoning is as a result of the prank on the homeless woman. Pic: Natalie Reynolds/ Instagram The 26-year-old has gone viral once again after video footage shows her crying outside TikTok's American headquarters and speaking on the phone, with Times of India stating she was 'pleading to be let inside.' Social media users have hit out at the content creator, with many wondering why she has not been charged for the prank. One wrote: 'If this is true, she should be arrested… Shameful.' Another commented: 'You would think what she did might be a crime?'
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Austin Fire rescues multiple people from floods, gets 700+ storm-related calls
The Brief Austin Fire Dept rescued multiple people from floods Dispatchers also got about 700 calls in the 24 hours that followed the storm AFD says some of the calls could have been prevented AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Fire Department rescued multiple people from swift water due to the recent severe weather, and responded to over 700 storm-related calls. What we know As the monster storm swept through Austin on Wednesday, it battered neighborhoods, like those along Shoal Creek. "Just crazy wind, sideways winds, scary wind," said Laurie Painter, a Shoal Creek neighbor. "Lots of hail. Not really large hail, but maybe one-fourth to half an inch of hail." It also brought lots of rain. "Looking out the window from 30 feet, it was opaque," said Dianne Goss, another Shoal Creek resident. "You can usually see through the rain, but it was just a gray wall." What we know Austin Fire says it got at least six water rescue calls. "Unfortunately, these types of rescues are something we do pretty regularly when we have flash flooding like this," said Assistant Chief Thayer Smith. A call for two people swept away near Woodview Avenue and Burnet Road along Shoal Creek came into AFD around 7:30 pm Wednesday. They were able to save one person, but the other died. "My understanding is that this was not a vehicle or something that was washed under the creek," said Smith. "These were pedestrians that were somehow in the creek or near the creek." Smith said his Austin fire team also assisted in a rescue near Interstate 35 and 183 where two people were swept into a drainage area. "Miraculously, survived going from one side of I-35 frontage road, all the way underneath the interstate in the drainage tunnel out the other side," said Smith. By the numbers Dispatchers got about 700 calls in the 24 hours that followed the storm. 415 of them came in the first three hours, a drastic increase from the average 280 to 320 calls a day. Smith said he hadn't seen this many calls during a thunderstorm since the 2015 Memorial Day Floods. "We were tremendously busy during the initial onset of the storm," said Smith. What you can do Smith said some of those calls could have been prevented. So with more weather to come, Smith reminds drivers: "Turn around don't drown. I don't know how much we can emphasize that. The amount of people that drive around barricades simply because they don't want to be inconvenienced where we are standing blocking the road. The amount of people that drive by us and put not only themselves but the put us in danger to go back out there and get them is ridiculous." If you happen to lose a tree or tree limbs in coming storms, Smith added to make sure there's no electrical lines around it. That was another call dispatchers took a lot of yesterday. The Source Information in this report is from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Lauren Rangel.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
30K+ customers without power in Austin, could last 'multiple days.' What we know Thursday.
More than 30,000 Austin customers were without power Thursday morning after a massive hailstorm swept through the area. According to Austin Energy, there is no estimated timeline for when power will be restored. "Because damage is so substantial, outages & restoration are still expected to extend for multiple days," the utility service said in an update on X. "There is currently no estimated time of restoration for outages from the storm. We'll provide additional info once there is a more extensive assessment." The storms are part of a broader pattern of severe weather expected across the region this week and mark the third consecutive day of heavy rainfall, with continued chances for isolated to scattered storms through the weekend. Strong winds, hail, and lightning damaged electrical equipment and snapped tree limbs, resulting in downed power lines. At the height of the storm, more than 72,000 outages were reported. As of Thursday morning, power had been restored to at least 20,000 customers, and all available repair crews have been working since late Wednesday. The Austin Fire Department responded to multiple water rescues Wednesday night. One occurred at Steck Avenue and the MoPac Boulevard service road. Another took place in the 2100 block of Hancock Drive, where one person was rescued. A second person remains missing, and the operation has shifted from rescue to recovery. The Austin Fire Department reported a water rescue at Steck Avenue and the service road of MoPac Boulevard. Another water rescue was reported at the 2100 block of Hancock Drive with one person rescued; another person is still being searched for and rescue efforts have switched to recovery. Severe weather is expected to return around midnight and continue into early Friday, bringing the risk of large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall capable of causing localized flooding, according to the National Weather Service in Austin. Clear skies are forecast to return Sunday, just in time for a Saharan dust plume to drift over the eastern half of Texas, affecting areas from Houston to Dallas, including Austin and San Antonio. See photos, videos of damage: Severe storm leaves a trail of destruction in Austin See Austin Energy power outage map To report an outage: Call 512-322-9100 or go to See Pedernales Electric power outage map To report an outage: Text "outage" to 25022 or go to See the Oncor outage map To report an outage: Call 888-313-4747 or go to See the Bluebonnet outage map To report an outage: Call 800-949-4414 or go to See Xcel Energy outage map To report an outage, call 800-895-4999 or go to This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin power outage map: 30K+ without power, may last 'multiple days'
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Tropical Depression 1-E expected to become Alvin off Mexico's coast
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It's Thursday, May 29, 2025. Start your day with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast. The first tropical depression of the season, which formed in the Eastern Pacific, is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Alvin on Thursday during what could be a complex year for forecasters around the basin. Tropical Depression One-E is expected to remain far enough offshore that impacts along Mexico's coast will be limited to heightened swells and increased rip currents along beaches. Powerful thunderstorms swept across a large swath of Texas on Wednesday, producing damaging winds, hail and flash flooding that triggered water rescues and left thousands without power. The Austin Fire Department reported responding to around a dozen water rescues, with most incidents involving people stranded in vehicles or trapped in areas where floodwaters rose rapidly. Earlier Wednesday, fire officials in San Antonio responded to at least eight water rescue calls as flash flooding swamped the morning commute. An early-season stretch of heat is forecast to evolve Friday, peaking over the weekend across portions of the West. The FOX Forecast Center said Extreme Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories have already been issued for parts of California, Nevada and Arizona, where temperatures will likely soar into the triple-digits. This includes more than 14 million Americans through Saturday. If Redding, California, hits above 105 degrees on Friday, it will be the earliest the city has reached that temperature in 17 years (since May 17, 2008, when it hit 106 degrees). This would also be Redding's first 100-degree day of 2025. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed several bills into law aimed at cracking down on animal cruelty, including one inspired by a dog left abandoned during Hurricane Milton in 2024. The measures, named "Trooper's Law" and "Dexter's Law," were signed during a ceremony on Wednesday at a dog rescue facility in South Florida. Trooper's Law makes it a third-degree felony to restrain and abandon a dog outside during a natural disaster or the preparedness stage of an emergency. Talk about a wedding with a twist. These two New Mexico newlyweds kicked off their married life in an unforgettable way. For Daynnely and William Carrillo, their picture-perfect wedding day in Portales was punctuated by an extraordinary backdrop: a massive, developing tornado. As severe weather warnings began to ripple through Roosevelt County on Sunday, wedding photographer Chesnea Clemmons found herself in a unique position. "No clue this was even on the radar until my phone went off telling me there was a tornado in the area," she told FOX Weather. Here are a few more stories you might find interesting. Rare giant crab not seen on tsunami-ravaged island in over 150 years found in remote cave Record-high global temperatures likely to continue for next 5 years, scientists say Alaska slammed by atmospheric river as summer cruise season revs up Need more weather? Check your local forecast plus 3D radar in the FOX Weather app. You can also watch FOX Weather wherever you go using the FOX Weather app, at or on your favorite streaming service. It's easy to share your weather photos and videos with us. Email them to weather@ or add the hashtag #FOXWeather to your post on your favorite social media article source: Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Tropical Depression 1-E expected to become Alvin off Mexico's coast
