Latest news with #FEMA
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Climate
- Newsweek
Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch Issued for June, May Threaten Infrastructure
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A severe geomagnetic storm watch issued by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in effect for June 2, with the agency warning that the powerful solar event could disrupt critical infrastructure. Shawn Dahl, a space weather forecaster at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), told Newsweek in an email Saturday: "We are already taking measures to notify FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] for their awareness only at this time" so the agency can make "preparation[s] to deal with and manage geomagnetic induced currents that will likely develop in high voltage transmission lines," potentiallyimpacting the nation's power grid. Newsweek has reached out to FEMA's press team for comment via email on Saturday. Why It Matters Geomagnetic storms are classified by the NOAA on a scale of G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme), with G5 being the most powerful and least common. The fluctuations in our planet's magnetic field during a geomagnetic storm create electric fields on the Earth's surface. When these electric fields interact with conductive materials like rock, soil or water, they induce electrical currents in the ground. These currents, coupled with the electric fields in the ground, can lead to geomagnetically induced currents (GICs), which can travel through power grid systems. These GICs overload transformers and other electrical components, leading to potential damage or large-scale power outages. Aurora borealis, or northern lights, shine in the sky on August 12, 2024, in Mohe, China. Aurora borealis, or northern lights, shine in the sky on August 12, 2024, in Mohe, China. VCG/VCG via AP What To Know On Saturday, NOAA issued a geomagnetic storm watch with a strong (G3) alert for June 1, a severe (G4) alert for June 2 and a moderate (G2) alert for June 4. The warning comes after "a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun" on May 30. It is expected to arrive at Earth on Sunday, June 1. CME is an "eruption of solar material and magnetic fields," according to NOAA. The warning levels are "our best guesses" at the moment, Dahl told Newsweek, adding that "essentially we have to wait until the CME arrives 1 million miles from Earth at the DSCOVR/ACE spacecraft solar wind observatories to know exactly what the CME structure and magnetic strength and orientation actually are." CME arrival at Earth is anticipated and a G4 Watch is now in effect for 2 Jun. CME arrival later on 1 Jun could lead to G3, with G4 potential increased on 2 Jun, and as CME passage weakens, G1-G2 still possible on 3 Jun. Full story at — NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) May 31, 2025 He added that if the magnetic field of the CME is "strong and oriented orientated opposite Earth, we are quite confident in G3-G4 levels being reached," whereas if it is not than the severity becomes less likely. The effects of a geomagnetic storm can be significant, with NOAA's watch stating, "detrimental impacts to some of our critical infrastructure technologies are possible, but mitigation is possible." The infrastructure can be impacted by overload transformers, potentially causing temporary blackouts of the power grid, or interfering with satellites communications and GPS disruptions, among others. In 1989, a powerful CME caused a geomagnetic storm that knocked out the Hydro-Québec power grid in Canada, leaving millions of people without electricity for hours. What People Are Saying Matthew Cappucci, an atmospheric scientist wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday: "A rare 'G4' geomagnetic watch has been hoisted by the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado – indicating they are unusually confident in direct Earth impacts." My Radar Weather posted on X Saturday: "This is a BIG deal! A 'severe' geomagnetic storm is coming – and LOTS of Americans might get to see the aurora borealis!" Dr. Tamitha Skov, a space weather physicist, wrote on X Saturday: "Our Sun finally aims straight for Earth! NASA model predictions show a very fast #solarstorm travelling near 1000 km/s that could hit Earth by midday June 1. A slower storm ahead might cause a slight traffic delay, but G4-levels by June 2 are possible. This means #aurora may be visible deep into mid-latitudes. Considering we expect big flares to continue on Earth's dayside over the next few days, this means both the dayside and nightside radio bands will remain noisy, with periodic disruptions." What Happens Next? Geomagnetic storms can make aurora borealis, or the northern lights, more visible by disrupting the Earth's magnetic fields. NOAA says the aurora may be visible for the northern half of the country, as well as other sites. The SWPC will continue updating information about the solar event throughout the day and leading up to its expected impact.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
As Trump cuts FEMA, Florida says it will take care of residents
On the eve of hurricane season, Florida's top disaster official promised Floridians that they will see no changes to the state's hurricane response despite the turmoil at FEMA over staff cuts and proposed slashes to state disaster aid. Kevin Guthrie, the executive director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, said it's not about money. Even if FEMA cuts the amount of cash it pays out to a state after a disaster, he stressed that state leaders 'have never, ever made decisions based on whether we're going to get reimbursed by the federal government.' 'You go out to protect life, safety. You go out to stabilize scenes. You go out to protect the environment. That is what we have been doing for decades inside Florida,' he said. 'That's what we're going to continue to do for the coming decades ahead.' READ MORE: Florida says it's ready for hurricane season, with or without FEMA's help Florida was smacked with two devastating storms last year, and forecasters say the upcoming hurricane season, which starts June 1, is set to be another active season. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, raising global temperatures that in turn lead to stronger, wetter and more deadly hurricanes. At a press conference Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Guthrie said the state was fully prepared for the season — even if FEMA might not be. The agency is down more than 2,000 employees and a dozen senior leaders this year, as President Donald Trump pushes his new vision for the beleaguered agency. Part of that change involves shifting more responsibility — and costs — for disaster cleanup to the states. Already, FEMA has begun to act on that mission. Last week, the agency denied North Carolina's request to keep covering the entire tab for Hurricane Helene recovery. Instead, FEMA will continue helping with 75% of the costs, the bare minimum required. And yet, Guthrie said, Florida is prepared to accept the president's new vision for the agency, with the federal government still picking up the tab. It's unclear if Florida's annual budget includes more cash for storm recovery, as the legislature and governor have not yet agreed on one. Gov. Ron DeSantis asked Guthrie, as a member of the federal FEMA review council, to push FEMA to shift more of its state assistance to block grants that states like Florida can spend directly. Guthrie said the state is even considering preparing for the 'challenge' of directly giving cash to survivors after a disaster, a FEMA program known as individual assistance. 'We are already having these conversations about if the federal government allows us to run an individual assistance program, we're ready to get that done,' he said. 'We believe we can do it just as fast, if not faster than the federal government.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Asheville, NC recovery after Hurricane Helene a mixed bag: Mayor
(NewsNation) — With hurricane season underway this weekend, many in western North Carolina are still picking up the pieces from last year after the state was ravaged by Hurricane Helene. Ester Manheimer, mayor of Asheville, NC, joined 'Morning in America with Hena Doba' to discuss the recovery of the city and the concerns moving forward for residents. 'We have a lot of recovery that's already happened,' said Manheimer. 'When this storm hit, it was devastating. We lost water, power, and communications. So, all those things have been restored, and we're open for business.' Nearly $900 million in FEMA funds have been sent to North Carolina in the nine months since Helene hit — both in household assistance and public assistance for residents to rebuild. Asheville, though, was one of the hardest-hit areas not just in the state, but in the Southeast. Parts of the area — especially along the river where the massive flooding occurred left many in ruins and questioning their future of rebuilding. Turmoil, worry swirl over cuts to key federal agencies as hurricane season begins 'Buildings, parks, all kinds of roads and bridges were damaged or washed out,' Manheimer added. 'So, there are definitely property owners along those areas that are thinking hard about whether they want to rebuild or they want to participate in the buyout program.' This week, FEMA denied the request to match the funds needed for cleanup in Asheville, but Manheimer says that even if they provide 90% of said funds, it is still a big boost. 'This is a storm that estimated $60 billion in damages to the state of North Carolina,' she acknowledged. 'So, these costs are not insignificant. They are tremendous.' Manheimer says that Asheville still needs a lot of help to recover in terms of the long-term projects, while the things that were easy to fix have been taken care of already. She also pointed that the city is more prepared for the upcoming hurricane season but only if they continue to receive the necessary suport from the federal government. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Turmoil, worry swirl over cuts to key federal agencies as hurricane season begins
WASHINGTON (AP) — With predictions for a busy hurricane season beginning Sunday, experts in storms and disasters are worried about something potentially as chaotic as the swirling winds: Massive cuts to the federal system that forecasts, tracks and responds to hurricanes. Experts are alarmed over the large-scale staff reductions, travel and training restrictions and grant cut-offs since President Donald Trump took office at both the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which prepares for and responds to hurricanes, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which tracks and forecasts them. 'My nightmare is a major catastrophic storm hitting an area that is reeling from the impact of all of this nonsense from the Trump administration and people will die. And that could happen in Florida, that could happen in Texas, that could happen in South Carolina,' said Susan Cutter, the director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina. Representatives of both NOAA and FEMA say the agencies are prepared. Experts: DOGE cuts diminish FEMA About 2,000 full-time staff have left FEMA since Trump took office in January, a loss of roughly one-third of the agency's full-time workforce, amid Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mandated cuts. Scholars who study emergency management are concerned by both the reduction in capacity and the 'brain drain' of experienced staff. 'There's really been a brain drain within FEMA in addition to the loss of overall employees,' said Samantha Montano, who teaches emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. She noted that many who left were in critical management positions. The agency is run by an acting chief, David Richardson, a former Marine Corps officer who served overseas and worked as the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for countering weapons of mass destruction. He does not appear to have any experience in managing disasters. Emergency management requires knowing where to get things, who to call, how things work and how to get it done quickly — which comes from experience and establishing relationships with state officials, Montano and Cutter said. What's happening reminds former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Craig Fugate of 2005, the year Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and exposed inexperienced and poorly prepared governments at all levels, especially the then-FEMA chief who came from a horse-rearing association. Fugate said he's especially worried about top experienced disaster people leaving FEMA. FEMA canceled various emergency management trainings this spring, moved others online and restricted travel to events such as the National Hurricane Conference. Some trainings have resumed. 'Given the reduction in staffing, being unable to do trainings, participate in conferences, there's potential that the federal government's ability is diminished,'' said former Florida Emergency Management chief Bryan Koon, now president of the disaster preparedness firm IEM. FEMA has also cut disaster resilience programs. Making areas more survivable saves up to $13 for every dollar spent, said Lori Peek, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado. The federal government promises to be ready for hurricane season, which runs through November. 'FEMA is shifting from bloated DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens,' Associate FEMA Administrator Geoff Harbaugh said in a email. 'FEMA is fully activated in preparation for hurricane season.' FEMA's relationship with states Richardson promised to push more responsibilities to the states. He warned that the agency will only do what the law requires and shift more costs to states. But Koon noted that states haven't budgeted for FEMA's changes, adding: "The biggest issue right now is just the uncertainty.' Some states — which coordinate disaster operations — are experienced in catastrophes, have well trained staff and will do fine, such as Texas and Florida, Fugate said. But it's the poorer states that worry the experts. The feds often pick up the entire bill in big disasters and most of it in smaller ones. In the Trump administration, disaster declarations have been denied or delayed. When disaster declarations were issued for nine states last week, some had been pending for two months and others were only partially approved. 'We've just relied on FEMA for so much for so long and not knowing who's going to fill the gap and how we're going to fill it is really scary," said University at Albany emergency management professor Jeannette Sutton. Hurricane center dodges NOAA cuts NOAA, the parent agency of the National Weather Service, has undergone a series of dramatic job cuts, with some people then reinstated. A sizable chunk of the weather service's 121 local field offices as of late March had vacancy rates of more than 20%, what's seen by outsiders as a critical level of understaffing. Local weather offices are crucial in helping people translate national warnings into what to do locally. 'It should be all hands on deck and we're being hollowed out," former NWS director Louis Uccellini said. But the National Hurricane Center, which tracks and warns of hurricanes in the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean, has been spared. Acting NOAA Administrator Laura Grimm, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham and National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said the agency is prepared for the season with the Miami-based storm center fully staffed and so are the planes that fly into storms. For the first time this year, the hurricane center will incorporate artificial intelligence into forecasting because it has shown to improve predictions generally, Brennan said. 'Our services have never been better,' Graham said. 'Our ability to serve this country has never been better. And it will be this year as well.' But beyond the hurricane center, weather balloons launches have been curtailed because of lack of staffing. In some places, balloon launches have dropped from twice a day to once a day. NOAA hopes to get more balloons launched if needed, Brennan said. Data from the balloons is crucial for understanding steering currents and needed for forecasts, Uccellini said. He said when hurricanes threatened during his tenure he would order the launch of several extra balloons in the Great Plains to help figure out if storms would hit the United States. 'Hurricane forecasts, I'm expecting not to be as accurate this year because of that lack of balloon data,″ said former NOAA meteorologist Jeff Masters, now at Yale Climate Connections. ___ Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
Turmoil, worry swirl over cuts to key federal agencies as hurricane season begins
WASHINGTON (AP) — With predictions for a busy hurricane season beginning Sunday, experts in storms and disasters are worried about something potentially as chaotic as the swirling winds: Massive cuts to the federal system that forecasts, tracks and responds to hurricanes. Experts are alarmed over the large-scale staff reductions, travel and training restrictions and grant cut-offs since President Donald Trump took office at both the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which prepares for and responds to hurricanes, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which tracks and forecasts them. 'My nightmare is a major catastrophic storm hitting an area that is reeling from the impact of all of this nonsense from the Trump administration and people will die. And that could happen in Florida, that could happen in Texas, that could happen in South Carolina,' said Susan Cutter, the director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina. Representatives of both NOAA and FEMA say the agencies are prepared. Experts: DOGE cuts diminish FEMA About 2,000 full-time staff have left FEMA since Trump took office in January, a loss of roughly one-third of the agency's full-time workforce, amid Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mandated cuts. Scholars who study emergency management are concerned by both the reduction in capacity and the 'brain drain' of experienced staff. 'There's really been a brain drain within FEMA in addition to the loss of overall employees,' said Samantha Montano, who teaches emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. She noted that many who left were in critical management positions. The agency is run by an acting chief, David Richardson, a former Marine Corps officer who served overseas and worked as the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for countering weapons of mass destruction. He does not appear to have any experience in managing disasters. Emergency management requires knowing where to get things, who to call, how things work and how to get it done quickly — which comes from experience and establishing relationships with state officials, Montano and Cutter said. What's happening reminds former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Craig Fugate of 2005, the year Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and exposed inexperienced and poorly prepared governments at all levels, especially the then-FEMA chief who came from a horse-rearing association. Fugate said he's especially worried about top experienced disaster people leaving FEMA. FEMA canceled various emergency management trainings this spring, moved others online and restricted travel to events such as the National Hurricane Conference. Some trainings have resumed. 'Given the reduction in staffing, being unable to do trainings, participate in conferences, there's potential that the federal government's ability is diminished,'' said former Florida Emergency Management chief Bryan Koon, now president of the disaster preparedness firm IEM. FEMA has also cut disaster resilience programs. Making areas more survivable saves up to $13 for every dollar spent, said Lori Peek, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado. The federal government promises to be ready for hurricane season, which runs through November. 'FEMA is shifting from bloated DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens,' Associate FEMA Administrator Geoff Harbaugh said in a email. 'FEMA is fully activated in preparation for hurricane season.' FEMA's relationship with states Richardson promised to push more responsibilities to the states. He warned that the agency will only do what the law requires and shift more costs to states. But Koon noted that states haven't budgeted for FEMA's changes, adding: "The biggest issue right now is just the uncertainty.' Some states — which coordinate disaster operations — are experienced in catastrophes, have well trained staff and will do fine, such as Texas and Florida, Fugate said. But it's the poorer states that worry the experts. The feds often pick up the entire bill in big disasters and most of it in smaller ones. In the Trump administration, disaster declarations have been denied or delayed. When disaster declarations were issued for nine states last week, some had been pending for two months and others were only partially approved. 'We've just relied on FEMA for so much for so long and not knowing who's going to fill the gap and how we're going to fill it is really scary," said University at Albany emergency management professor Jeannette Sutton. Hurricane center dodges NOAA cuts NOAA, the parent agency of the National Weather Service, has undergone a series of dramatic job cuts, with some people then reinstated. A sizable chunk of the weather service's 121 local field offices as of late March had vacancy rates of more than 20%, what's seen by outsiders as a critical level of understaffing. Local weather offices are crucial in helping people translate national warnings into what to do locally. 'It should be all hands on deck and we're being hollowed out," former NWS director Louis Uccellini said. But the National Hurricane Center, which tracks and warns of hurricanes in the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean, has been spared. Acting NOAA Administrator Laura Grimm, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham and National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said the agency is prepared for the season with the Miami-based storm center fully staffed and so are the planes that fly into storms. For the first time this year, the hurricane center will incorporate artificial intelligence into forecasting because it has shown to improve predictions generally, Brennan said. 'Our services have never been better,' Graham said. 'Our ability to serve this country has never been better. And it will be this year as well.' But beyond the hurricane center, weather balloons launches have been curtailed because of lack of staffing. In some places, balloon launches have dropped from twice a day to once a day. NOAA hopes to get more balloons launched if needed, Brennan said. Data from the balloons is crucial for understanding steering currents and needed for forecasts, Uccellini said. He said when hurricanes threatened during his tenure he would order the launch of several extra balloons in the Great Plains to help figure out if storms would hit the United States. 'Hurricane forecasts, I'm expecting not to be as accurate this year because of that lack of balloon data,″ said former NOAA meteorologist Jeff Masters, now at Yale Climate Connections. ___ Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego. ___
