Latest news with #JulieO'Donoghue
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Uncertainty swirls around FEMA, NOAA ahead of ‘above-normal' hurricane season
Tiffany Guidry stands outside the sno-ball stand she owns in LaPlace following Hurricane Ida in August 2021. (Julie O'Donoghue/Louisiana Illuminator) This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expect above-average hurricane activity this season. The federal agency, in its annual outlook released Thursday, predicted 13 to 19 named storms, including six to 10 hurricanes. Of those, it expects three to five major hurricanes of category 3, 4 or 5 strength, packing winds of 111 mph or greater. The agency said there was a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. The forecast represents an estimate of activity, not number of landfalls. The average season features 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, according to NOAA. The season begins Sunday, June 1, and ends Nov. 30. 'We're ready here at NOAA,' said Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service, during a news briefing held in Gretna, to mark 20 years since Hurricane Katrina. 'Are you?' NOAA based its forecast on a confluence of factors, including warmer than average ocean temperatures, potentially weak wind shear and the possibility of higher activity from the West African Monsoon, a primary starting point for Atlantic hurricanes. Warmer oceans fuel storms with more energy, while weaker winds allow them to develop without disruption. Forecasters at Colorado State University also anticipate an above-average season, with 17 named storms — including nine hurricanes, four of them major. The forecasters predicted activity would be about 125% of that during an average season between 1991 and 2020. By comparison, activity in 2024 was about 130% of an average season's during that time. The 2024 season will be best-remembered for hurricanes Helene and Milton, which together caused more than 250 fatalities and $120 billion in damage across the Southeast. The Colorado State University forecasters said this season there is a 51% chance of a major hurricane striking the U.S., with a 26% chance of one of the storms making landfall along the East Coast and 33% chance along the Gulf Coast. They predict a 56% chance of a major hurricane tracking through the Caribbean. The season arrives amid widespread uncertainty over the role the federal government will play in disaster response and recovery, as the Trump administration fires employees, freezes funding and dismantles agencies. NOAA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are among the targets. 'Uncertainty is not great,' said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science. 'It just adds another layer of stress. That isn't great when people are trying to prepare for hurricane season.' As much as 30 percent of the workforce at NOAA's National Weather Service has been eliminated, said Rick Spinrad, a former NOAA administrator under the Biden administration. He worried NOAA may struggle to maintain its Hurricane Hunter flights, which he said account for a 15 percent improvement in track and intensity forecasting. 'If you lose that capacity to predict the track, you could either unnecessarily evacuate tens or hundreds of thousands of people, or evacuate the wrong people or not evacuate people who should be evacuated,' he said. 'So we are putting lives and property in significant danger with the degradation of the forecast capability.' No changes to the flights have been proposed, said Michael 'Mac' McAlister, who has flown with the Hurricane Hunters for 10 years. This will be the 50th season for one of the two aircraft involved in the program, a WP-3D Orion named Kermit. The other plane is called Miss Piggy. 'There are hardly any 50-year-old pieces of this aircraft left,' McAlister said, referring to Kermit. 'The wings get chopped off every five years. In my opinion these are two of the greatest national assets because of the data they provide.' No one from the National Hurricane Center, a division of the National Weather Service, attended this year's National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans, said Craig Fugate, a former FEMA administrator under the Obama administration and former director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Normally the National Hurricane Center would brief state and local emergency managers at the conference on new forecasting methods, to help the managers improve communications with the public about, say, when evacuations are necessary. The training is important because there can be high turnover among emergency managers, he said. 'I'm just not aware of any other time that the hurricane center staff wasn't at that conference,' Fugate said. NOAA declined to comment on the conference but said Thursday its forecasts would be no less accurate. For instance, the federal agency said the model used to predict hurricanes would undergo an upgrade that would improve track and intensity forecasts by as much as 5 percent. 'We are fully staffed at the Hurricane Center, and we are definitely ready to go,' said Laura Grimm, acting NOAA administrator. 'We are really making this a top priority for the administration.' Kim Doster, the agency's communications director, added in a statement, 'in the near term, NWS has updated the service level standards for its weather forecast offices to manage impacts due to shifting personnel resources. These revised standards reflect the transformation and prioritization of mission-essential operations, while supporting the balance of the operational workload for its workforce. NWS continues to ensure a continuity of service for mission-critical functions.' Meanwhile, FEMA is in turmoil, with President Donald Trump suggesting he might eliminate the federal agency. Cameron Hamilton, acting head of FEMA, was ousted earlier this month after testifying before a congressional subcommittee that elimination would not be 'in the best interest of the American people.' His dismissal coincided with National Hurricane Preparedness Week, declared by Trump in a proclamation in which the president said he remained 'steadfastly committed to supporting hurricane recovery efforts and ensuring that Federal resources and tax dollars are allocated to American citizens in need.' But during Trump's first week in office he appointed a task force to review FEMA's ability to respond to disasters. And in March he signed an executive order asserting that federal policy must 'recognize that preparedness is most effectively owned and managed at the State, local, and even individual levels.' The order called on state and local governments and individuals to 'play a more active and significant role in national resilience and preparedness.' In April the administration denied a request for assistance from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, after tornadoes ripped through several counties there. The administration approved the request in May. Nonetheless, FEMA told Inside Climate News in a statement, before Hamilton was fired, that its response to disasters would not be diminished. 'Unlike the previous administration's unprepared, disgraceful and inadequate response to natural disasters like Hurricane Helene, the Trump administration is committed to ensuring Americans affected by emergencies will get the help they need in a quick and efficient manner,' the statement reads. 'All operational and readiness requirements will continue to be managed without interruption in close coordination with local and state officials ahead of the 2025 Hurricane Season. Emergency management is best when led by local and state authorities.' In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis welcomed the prospect of more state leadership in disaster response. During an April event in Kissimmee he said he believed the Trump administration would send block-grant funding to states, which could manage the calamities more efficiently. 'We're not going to be left in the cold. But I can tell you that the FEMA bureaucracy is an impediment to disaster recovery,' said DeSantis, who ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican primary. 'We're nimble. We're quick. We adjust. So empower the states. Give us the resources, and we don't necessarily need the federal government to be involved at all.' But state and local governments already lead the response to disasters, Fugate notes. Governors request federal help only when the scope of the crisis exceeds the state's capabilities, with the federal government providing little more than funding. He said it was too soon to guess how all of the developments may affect hurricane season. Trump's budget request, released earlier this month, would slash more than $1.3 billion from NOAA and $646 million from FEMA. Congress must approve the proposal. An earlier leaked draft, obtained by Inside Climate News, would abolish NOAA's research office, called Oceanic and Atmospheric Research or NOAA Research. The office is charged with providing unbiased science to, among other things, improve forecasts and enhance warnings ahead of disasters. The draft included $171 million for the office, down from $485 million in 2024. The few programs that remain, including research into severe storms, would be moved primarily to the National Weather Service and National Ocean Service. The Trump administration's 2026 budget passback, as the draft was called, included 'significant reductions to education, grants, research, and climate-related programs within NOAA,' according to the document. 'Passback levels support a leaner NOAA that focuses on core operational needs, eliminates unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, terminates nonessential grant programs and ends activities that do not warrant a Federal role.' Project 2025, the conservative strategy for remaking the federal government, calls for NOAA to be taken apart, with many functions eliminated, privatized or moved to other agencies or state and local governments. The document suggests reforming FEMA to shift much of its spending on preparedness and response to state and local governments. 'We're just providing as accurate information as we can,' said Andy Hazelton, a National Weather Service scientist who was let go earlier this year. 'Hopefully we can get back to that, but it's been a very, very tough environment for the last few months.' In central Florida, all of the uncertainty has left Alan Harris, the emergency manager in Seminole County, grappling with how to prepare for hurricane season. Seminole is a suburban county north of Orlando that is spliced through by the St. Johns River, Florida's longest. The county has experienced flooding during several recent hurricanes, including Ian in 2022 and Milton in 2024. The agency depends on forecasts from the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center and assistance from FEMA after a storm has passed. It had applied for a grant for a new generator for a special needs shelter under the federal Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which Trump signed into law in 2020. But the Trump administration ended the program recently. 'We at the local level are going to make sure that our residents are taken care of regardless of what happens at the federal or state level,' Harris said. 'We will need help. We just don't know where that help is going to come from. But I have 100 percent confidence that there will be help whether it's through mutual aid agreements or it's from other states or our own state. We're going to make sure our residents are taken care of.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘The Light Switch,' Episode 7: A smatter of ethics
Here's something you don't hear much: 'Boy, Louisiana is just TOO ethical.' Political corruption has been our brand for a Long time – pun intended. There are few corners of the state that haven't been touched by greed, envy and every other sticky finger of those in power. This sordid history serves as the backdrop for what would be a very significant rewriting of Louisiana's ethics laws, with Gov. Jeff Landry behind the pen. In this episode of 'The Light Switch,' senior reporter Julie O'Donoghue walks us through just a few of the changes being proposed. They include increasing the limits on gifts for elected officials and government employees, ranging from the governor down to your local building inspector. Read Julie's coverage of the ethics proposals lawmakers are considering: Confidential complaints against elected officials, gov't workers might be eliminated Lawmakers might lift limits on gifts to officials, gov't employees As charges linger over Landry, Louisiana House votes to overhaul ethics investigations Also weighing in on the ethics topic is Steven Procopio, president of the Public Affairs Research Council. The 75-year-old good government group doesn't take stands on legislation, but its leader says he's concerned about the possible changes in the works. For our News from the States segment, we head to Indiana where there are changes in store for the naturalization ceremonies where new U.S. citizens take their citizenship oaths. Reporter Leslie Bonilla Muñiz with the Indiana Capital Chronicle explains how some traditions are being eliminated – and why. Read Leslie's coverage of the naturalization changes. Listen to Episode 7 of 'The Light Switch' on and SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Louisiana's incarcerated youth lose their holiday furloughs. Senators ask why.
The Office of Juvenile Justice have prohibited incarcerated youth who qualify for at-home visits from taking leave during major holidays. State senators want to know why. (Photo by Julie O'Donoghue/Louisiana Illuminator) Two Louisiana senators are raising questions about why Louisiana's youth prison system recently banned at-home visits for incarcerated minors for holidays including Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's Day. 'There is part of being home for the holidays that is just a tradition. …. It seems very punitive,' Sen. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe, said at a legislative hearing Tuesday. Since the end of last year, the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice has prohibited incarcerated minors and young adults entitled to regular home visits, called furloughs, from visiting their families during major holidays. The reason: There were too many problems such as curfew violations and escapes. Parades and large family gatherings, in particular, have led to violations, Courtney Myers, assistant secretary of the Office of Juvenile Justice, told the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children. The agency implemented a 'black out' on holiday visits, but young people granted furloughs are still allowed to go home right before or right after those dates, Myers said. People incarcerated in the state's juvenile prison system, who are typically age 13 to 21, are only granted home visits if their leave is approved by the head of the Office of Juvenile Justice, local district attorney and a judge. They must demonstrate good behavior and have made progress in their rehabilitation to qualify, according to a state policy put in place in 2023. Home visits can last from eight hours to 14 days. For some young people, they occur on a monthly basis. Parents and guardians must also participate in three family sessions with state staff before furloughs are granted. The incarcerated youth must wear ankle monitors while at home and submit to drug screenings before and after the leave takes place, according to the policy. Jackson and Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, said they didn't think it was fair that every incarcerated youth on furlough should be denied holiday home visits because others have acted out. Holiday furloughs should be used as incentives to encourage better behavior among incarcerated youth, they said. 'So you've been penalized for something someone else has done?' Barrow said. 'I really would ask [the Office to Juvenile Justice] to reconsider this.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minors in Louisiana could be sent to adult prison for a growing list of crimes
Voters will decide whether to make easier to send teenagers to adult prisons on March 29. (Photo by Julie O'Donoghue/Louisiana Illuminator) An influential Louisiana lawmaker will push for minors to be sent to adult prison for a slew of new crimes such as fentanyl distribution and robbery without a weapon if voters approve a state constitutional amendment next month. State Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, is a former prosecutor and one of the most powerful members of the Louisiana Legislature when it comes to criminal justice policy. She is also a close ally of Gov. Jeff Landry and helped him change laws last year to significantly lengthen prison sentences. This year, Villio hopes to dramatically extend the time behind bars 15- and 16-year-olds could experience if convicted for certain offenses. Should she get her way, minors who are currently guaranteed release at age 21 could see their time behind bars extend until they are into middle age. Before Villio's proposal can move forward however, voters need to approve a state constitutional amendment in the March 29 election. It would lift the state's restrictions on what crimes can land teens under 17 in adult lockup. As currently written, the Louisiana Constitution limits the types of offenses for which teenagers under 17 can be sent to adult prison to the state's 14 most serious crimes. They include murder, rape, kidnapping and armed robbery. If the amendment passes, legislators would be able to add any felony crime to that list with a two-thirds vote of each chamber. Child advocates oppose the amendment, citing studies and criminal data showing that harsher sentences for minors don't improve public safety or stop them from committing crimes. Teenagers, whose brains haven't fully developed, don't have the same reasoning ability as adults and don't understand the consequences of criminal behavior, said Mary Livers, who ran the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice for former Gov. Bobby Jindal. 'That's why you have a whole juvenile justice system,' Livers said. 'They don't respond the same way to adult-type expectations.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Last year, Villio filed legislation that proposed more crimes for which teens could be punished as adults. It was never brought up for discussion, but the bill provides some indication about the offenses she might include in this year's version. In an interview this week, Villio said she is still drafting this year's proposal and that some crimes from last year's bill might not be included. For example, her previous legislation would have allowed for 15- and 16-year-olds to be sent to adult prison for heroin distribution or purse snatching. Villio said this week heroin distribution wouldn't be a focus for the new bill. Purse snatching, which carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years, was 'not necessarily on [her] list at this time,' she added. Fentanyl distribution will be included, she said, though likely only for quantities of 250 grams or more. But if adopted, it would cause one of the most dramatic upswings in sentence lengths for minors. With an adult sentence for a first-time conviction, a 15- or 16-year-old convicted of distributing these larger amounts of fentanyl could go to adult prison for life with no possibility of release for 25 years. The sentence would be at least five times longer than the maximum incarceration of five years they currently face in the juvenile justice system. Other offenses on Villio's list include domestic battery with strangulation (3-50 years in prison) and attempted armed robbery (5-50 years). This would increase the maximum sentence a 15-year-old would face to 10 times the six years they can receive now. In general, Villio will be targeting crimes that could result in 'serious bodily injury,' a legal term that includes everything from a victim temporarily losing consciousness to sustaining a permanent loss of body function or disfigurement. At least two crimes she would seek to add can be carried out without a weapon. Minors as young as 15 can already go to adult prison for an armed robbery, including armed carjacking. Villio would like to add carjacking 'by the use of force or intimidation' – without a weapon. It comes with a sentence range of five to 20 years for one violation, a maximum sentence four times longer than current guidelines for minors. She said she would also include first-degree robbery, during which victims 'reasonably believe' the perpetrator has a weapon, even if the perpetrator isn't armed. The sentence range for this crime would be three to 40 years. Hector Linares, who oversees the youth justice section of the law clinic at Loyola University College of Law, said robberies are some of the most prevalent offenses that bring children into juvenile court. It makes it likely that many more teenagers could wind up in adult court if Villio's proposal is adopted, he said. 'Prosecuting a child as an adult is actually a very big deal,' Linares said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Tony Clayton, district attorney for Iberville, Pointe Coupee and West Baton Rouge parishes, said the threat of additional prison time is necessary to get underage crime under control. A Black Democrat, Clayton is nevertheless a close ally of Villio and the Republican governor when it comes to pushing for longer criminal sentences, especially for teenagers. He said younger teens are used to sell fentanyl because drug dealers known minors won't face the same penalties people over 17 will. When asked whether they were concerned about minors facing potentially decades-long prison sentences, both Clayton and Villio said the public needs to trust their elected officials to have good judgment. Villio's proposal will give district attorneys the discretion to charge 15- and 16-year-olds in either adult or juvenile court for added offenses. The public needs to trust that district attorneys will use their judgement about where youth should be sent, Clayton said. 'DAs need to be compassionate – and they are,' he said. Villio also said people should have faith in judges to hand an appropriate length of sentence to an underage person. If judges are acting too harshly, voters will have the opportunity to vote them out of office, she said. 'I trust the legal system and I trust judges to sentence appropriately.'
