Latest news with #hurricaneSeason
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Trump's new head of FEMA makes startling revelation as Hurricane season approaches
Donald Trump 's new head of th e beleaguered Federal Emergency Management Agency told staff he was not aware that the United States had a 'hurricane season.' David Richardson, who has been in charge of FEMA since early May, made the astounding revelation during a briefing recently, four sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters. The context behind his remarks - and whether he meant them to be a joke - was not immediately clear. But a spokesperson for FEMA's parent agency, Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security, maintained the comments were a joke and not to be taken literally. '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,' the spokesperson said. The Homeland Security rep added that FEMA is prepared for hurricane season, which officially kicked off on Sunday and lasts through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast last week that this year's season is expected to bring as many as 10 hurricanes. Richardson said during the briefing that there would be no changes to the agency's disaster response plans despite having told staff to expect a new plan in May. The disaster agency has come under immense scrutiny from Trump who wants to see it shrunk or even eliminated. Trump has repeatedly argued states could take on many of FEMA's functions as part of a wider effort to downsize the federal government. About 2,000 full-time FEMA staff, one-third of its total, have been terminated or voluntarily left the agency since the start of the Trump administration in January. Richardson, who has no disaster response experience, was appointed as head of FEMA last month after his predecessor, Cameron Hamilton, was abruptly fired. Hamilton had publicly broken with Trump over the future of the agency, but sources said Trump allies had already been maneuvering to oust him because they were unhappy with what they saw as Hamilton's slow-moving effort to restructure FEMA. Before joining FEMA, Richardson was assistant secretary at DHS' office for countering weapons of mass destruction, which he will reportedly continue to lead. While Noem had previously aligned herself with Trump's vision to eliminate FEMA, last month she approved a request from Richardson to retain 2,600 short-term disaster response and recovery employees. These employees had contracts due to expire this year, but they will now be kept on through this hurricane season. In 2024, four separate hurricanes killed at least 370 Americans during hurricane season. The most deadly was Hurricane Helene, which tore through Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas in late September and killed 241 people. Hurricane Milton came shortly after and was expected to be even worse than Helene, but locals who were still picking up the pieces avoided the catastrophic damage which was expected. Still, 44 people across Florida died in Milton. Hurricane Beryl killed at least 40 people in Texas, while nine people in South Carolina and Florida died in Hurricane Debby. Experts are alarmed over the large-scale staff reductions, travel and training restrictions and grant cut-offs since Trump took office at both FEMA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which tracks and forecasts weather events. '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,' Susan Cutter, the director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina, said.
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Climate
- Forbes
4 Quick Facts About African Dust Approaching The U.S.
In recent days, a quick look up into the skies of the United States could yield anything from Canadian wildfire smoke to the Aurora Borealis. African dust will be added to the list over the next few days. Here are four quick facts about the African dust approaching the United States this week. June 1st is the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, but atmospheric scientists also watch for the Saharan Air Layer too. Often referred to by scientists as the SAL, NOAA defines it as, 'A mass of very dry, dusty air that forms over the Sahara Desert during the late spring, summer and early fall.' In the satellite imagery taken on June 2nd, source regions are evidence over the Desert, and hazy plumes of dust are evident over the Atlantic Ocean. As an aside, plumes of smoke from Canadian wildfires are evident over the U.S. too. Jason Dunion is a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami and is also affiliated with NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. In a NOAA '101' about the SAL, he said, 'SAL activity typically ramps up in mid-June and peaks from late June to mid-August, with new outbreaks occurring every three to five days.' The outbreaks can transport dust as far west as Texas and Central America. So why does this happen? It's actually related to some of the triggering mechanisms associated with peak season hurricane activity. Dunion went on to say, 'SAL outbreaks can form when ripples in the lower-to-middle atmosphere, called tropical waves, track along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and loft vast amounts of dust into the atmosphere.' Those tropical waves, under the right conditions, can develop into tropical cyclones or hurricanes. Speaking of hurricanes, the SAL can be so thick and expansive that it has effects on tropical systems. Scientists believe the dry, dusty, and warm SAL impacts tropical storm development, but like most things in science, it's complicated. Nearly two decades ago, NASA and conducted a large experiment called the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) campaign. The goal was to understand how the dust aerosols affect tropical development. That effort and others have mostly concluded that African dust inhibits development of tropical activity. Hurricane development can be impacted by a dry air in the middle levels of the atmosphere, which is often where you find the SAL. Developing systems can also be torn apart in the early stages of development by wind shear associated with strong plume of air (an easterly jet) often associated with Saharan dust storms. The dust itself is also problematic too. It can help to stabilize the atmosphere and prevent the ocean water from heating up. One complication is that some studies have indicated that dust aerosols can serve as cloud 'seeds' and invigorate cloud development, but most scholars believe the negative impact dominates. Overall, a 2019 study found that hurricane activity increased in the North Atlantic with reduced dust loads. I remember visiting Puerto Rico during my time at NASA. One topic that came up was related to African dust. I was told that the dust from African can be quite helpful in fertilizing soil and beach-building in places like the Caribbean Islands and parts of Amazonia. However, studies have also indicated that the dust can cause health problems ranging from upper respiratory issues to allergies. During a 2024 dust outbreak, the Caribbean Public Health Agency issued a press release that warned, 'Saharan dust worsens air quality and increases the levels of particulate matter in the air. This can be hazardous, especially to small children, older adults and people with underlying lung conditions and chronic cardiopulmonary diseases.' Additionally, at least one study found that harmful bacteria can often 'catch a ride' in the SAL plumes too. Thanks to physics, the African dust can make for brilliant sunrises or sunsets. Because of the way light scatters with larger dust particles when the sun is low on the horizon, the longer wavelengths in the color spectrum like reds and oranges are quite vibrant. Hopefully, you can enjoy clear skies (and avoid "dirty rainfall) so that you can see one of the awesome sunsets or sunrises.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Storm Team 3: Nice Start to the Week, Hurricane Season is Officially Underway, Rain Chances Return Mid-Week
Nice Weather in the Short-Term Pleasant weather will continue tonight with temperatures in the 60s for your Monday morning. Skies will clear out overnight. Calm winds give way to a light southeasterly breeze by the afternoon. High temperatures will reach the upper 80s and lower 90s under a few clouds from time to time. Changes Ahead Warmth and humidity increase gradually through the week ahead of a stalling frontal boundary. Between that and a developing disturbance over Florida, rain chances will return by midweek. Some uncertainty remains on if a low pressure develops and where it tracks. This will help determine coverage of rainfall and specific timing. Either way, daily storm chances are back beginning Wednesday for the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry. Morning low temperatures gradually moderate to the lower-70s while afternoons will reach the upper 80s to lower 90s. Heat index values will reach into the low-100s. Hurricane Season Has Begun The 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season is underway. The list of names this year is recycled from 2019 with the only new addition being Dexter, in place of Dorian. Dorian was retired due to the devastating impact on The Bahamas. Typical areas to watch for development in June are close to home, in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf, and far-western Atlantic Ocean. June, especially in recent memory, typically sees short-lived, weaker activity. By July, the Caribbean usually becomes too hostile to sustain tropical systems. The bulk of the season's activity occurs between August 15 and October 15, so remember that we have a long way to go! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
a day ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Rep. Jared Moskowitz discusses the likely consequences of FEMA budget, staff cuts
One-on-one with Rep. Jared Moskowitz Jim goes one-on-one with Jared Moskowitz on a variety of topics, with a focus on the congressman's belief that cuts made to FEMA will hinder its ability to be ready to respond what hurricane season might bring. Guest: Rep. Jared Moskowitz/D-Florida 23rd District About the issue The Federal Emergency Management Agency is "not ready" for hurricane season in June, according to an internal review obtained by CBS News— as FEMA contends with staff cuts and a push by President Trump to eliminate the nation's disaster relief agency. The powerpoint presentation was created after FEMA's new acting leader, David Richardson, ordered the agency to review hurricane preparedness, with storm season roughly two weeks away. In a series of slides, dated May 12, FEMA identified apparent problems at the disaster relief agency, including a need to "refocus on its core mission while preparing for the 2025 Hurricane Season." "As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not well understood, thus FEMA is not ready," said one of the slides.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
A behind the scenes look at reporting for a 2025 hurricane season guide
As the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season's official start on June 1 neared, reporter Gianna Montesano spent time compiling the latest information on shelters, emergency contacts and tornado safety tips to educate readers. She used the county emergency management divisions to compile local information and national hurricane forecasts for this story. 2025 hurricane season: What to know about forecasts, shelters, safety tips, emergency alerts and more Why was this an important local story to report? Whether you've lived on the Treasure Coast your whole life or have only recently moved here, it's always good to get a refresher on hurricane safety and the upcoming season. There's a recurring joke on social media that Floridians don't need to prepare for a hurricane because it's never as bad as forecasters say it will be. It couldn't be further from the truth, as we've seen hurricanes Ian, Helene and Milton — just to name a few — upend communities and leave behind death, destruction and fear as the communities attempted to rebuild. It's also important to learn from past years, like 2024 when at least 14 tornadoes hit the Treasure Coast ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall. While it's not a surprise that tornadoes can touch down in Florida, it's important to be aware that it can happen and how to stay safe if it does happen. Was there anything you couldn't answer when reporting this story? If so, why not? The weather is unpredictable, so the one thing I wish I could have answered is if we're going to be hit by any hurricanes on the Treasure Coast. What's next with this topic? Throughout hurricane season, TCPalm and the USA Today network will provide coverage of any potential threats forming in the tropics to keep the community informed about how our area could be affected. Where can residents go to get more information? Residents can go to their county's emergency management pages with additional information on pet-friendly and special-needs shelter registration, evacuation zones, disaster planning and more. Here are the county websites where more information is readily available online, including the portals to signup for the county alert system. Martin County: St. Lucie County: Indian River County: Is there anything residents can do to get more involved with this topic? Stay informed throughout hurricane season by keeping up on local news, county alerts and weather forecasts, especially when a threat is present. Gianna Montesano is TCPalm's trending reporter. You can contact her at 772-409-1429, or follow her on X @gonthescene. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 2025 hurricane season safety, forecast guide for Florida
