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New Haven community raises money for Puerto Rico

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Millions of American citizens in Puerto Rico are desperate for food and water. The island took a direct hit from Hurricane Maria a week and a half ago. People in Connecticut are pitching in.

A fundraiser was held Saturday in New Haven. City leaders and activists came together to organize it. Volunteers reached out to people all over the city.

It was a celebration of Puerto Rico, but most of all it was about raising money to help the people there. The community came to show its support at Quinnipiac River Park. Many of the volunteers were firefighters.

“Several firefighters have aunts and uncles who have passed away through the hurricane,” said Assistant Chief Orlando Marcano of the New Haven Fire Department. “Some of the firefighters have families who are still unaccounted for, so it hits home for us.”

Related Content: Hillhouse High School helps Puerto Rico

Many in New Haven have personal connections to the island. They displayed their Puerto Rican pride and did what they could to help out.

“They’re suffering, and how can we let our American brothers who fought in the war – who bled for this country – suffer like that?” said Daniel Diaz, who helped organize the fundraiser.

The event raised money for New Haven’s hurricane relief efforts in a few ways. There were cupcakes for sale – a sweet way to give back, since all of the money raised will go to help people in Puerto Rico. Volunteers went beyond the park, collecting donations at half a dozen locations around the city.

“When you’re at Yale sometimes you can see the students and the natives kind of have a block between the two,” said Hacibey Catalbasoglu, a Yale University student. “You come out here and you see all these people from all different places around the city. It’s really beautiful.”

Related Content: New Haven police, fire will collect money for Puerto Rico relief on Saturday

Organizers were excited to see all the support from the community. They are hoping this will give the people in Puerto Rico some relief.

“I had my two daughters here,” said Marcano. “To quote my youngest daughter, their hearts fill up with pride when they see what’s happening.”

Organizers say they’ve already raised more than $30,000.

If you’d like to donate please visit http://www.arte-inc.com.


San Juan mayor says focus needs to be on ‘saving lives,’ not Puerto Rico’s debt

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(ABC News) — The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, whom President Donald Trump slammed on Twitter for “poor leadership,” said she would meet with the president when he visits the island Tuesday if she is invited to do so.

Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz also told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” that with the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria, the focus should be on “saving lives” and not the U.S. territory’s high rate of debt or what it may cost to rebuild.

“Let us not talk about the debt; let us not talk about the cost of reconstruction. Let’s just talk about saving lives right now,” Cruz told Stephanopoulos. “You put the people above the debt. People’s lives and avoiding death above the debt. That’s just how it’s done.”

Related Content: US school districts prepare for influx of Puerto Ricans

Trump tweeted several days after the hurricane hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 that the territory is in “deep trouble,” unlike the storm-battered states of Florida and Texas which he said “are doing great.”

Cruz has been outspoken in asking for more federal aid to Puerto Rico. Trump on Saturday blasted her and those in the territory whom he said “want everything to be done for them.”

Cruz told Stephanopoulos on Sunday she would still meet Trump.

“If he asks to meet with me, of course I will meet with him,” she said.

Related Content: New Haven community raises money for Puerto Rico

The mayor said the problem in the relief effort to Puerto Rico is not with the staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other federal agencies working to help the island, but with a lack of sufficient resources.

“I’ve been quite complimentary of the people from [the Health and Human Services Department] and FEMA,” Cruz said. “Their heart is in the right place, but we have to cut the red tape … Things have to be done in a sustained manner.”

FEMA Administrator Brock Long, also on “This Week” Sunday, responded to the mayor’s criticisms of the relief effort.

He suggested that Cruz wasn’t working closely enough with federal responders.

“We tried to embed staff with the mayor,” Long said. “If you aren’t connected into that joint field office, you don’t understand [the] commander’s intent; you don’t understand the successes of what’s been done versus what needs to be done, where the gaps are.”

Cruise ship arrives with Hurricane Maria evacuees

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(WTNH) — Thousands of people who evacuated the Caribbean due to Hurricane Maria are now on the U.S. mainland.

Royal Caribbean’s “Adventure of the Seas” cruise ship carried around 3,800 people to a south Florida port on Tuesday morning.

Related Content: Trump to Puerto Rico: ‘They have to give us more help’

The evacuees included residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as some tourists and cruise line employees, all displaced by the storm.

Several FEMA officials are on location to help residents apply for federal aid and to help cover storm losses.

Hurricane Maria death toll jumps to 34 in Puerto Rico

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(ABC News) — The death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria has risen to 34, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello announced Tuesday evening.

Prior to Tuesday, the number of storm-related deaths on the island stood at 16.

Much of the 3 million American citizens who live on the island are still without water, electricity and cell service after Maria struck as a powerful Category 4 storm on Sept. 20, devastating the island and its structures.

Related Content: UNH students stand up for Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands

In the aftermath of the storm, President Donald Trump clashed with Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, writing on Twitter that she displayed “such poor leadership” because she was “not able to get” workers to help in relief efforts.

Cruz and Trump met Tuesday during Trump’s visit to the storm-ravaged island.

“It’s all about saving lives, it’s not about politics,” Cruz said to Trump as they shook hands following a briefing earlier today.

Related Content: Cruise ship arrives with Hurricane Maria evacuees

As Trump attended briefings on relief efforts, he noted that Puerto Rico’s officials “can be proud” of the relatively low death toll on the island compared to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Rossello responded to Trump’s comments on Katrina, saying he believes the president understands the level of devastation after he took part in a flyover on the island.

The island is still grappling with the damage caused by the storm. Only 47 percent of the island’s water customers have access to potable water, and 95 percent of Puerto Rico is still without power, according to the office of the governor.

Nate marches across US East Coast, dumping heavy rains

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BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — Nate slogged its way across the U.S. East Coast on Monday, dumping heavy rains and bringing gusty winds to inland states as a tropical depression, a day after Hurricane Nate brought a burst of flooding and power outages to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Nate spared the region the kind of catastrophic damage left by a series of hurricanes that hit the southern U.S. and Caribbean in recent weeks.

Nate — the first hurricane to make landfall in Mississippi since Katrina in 2005 — quickly lost strength Sunday, with its winds diminishing to a tropical depression as it pushed northward into Alabama and Georgia with heavy rain. It was a Category 1 hurricane when it came ashore outside Biloxi early Sunday, its second landfall after initially hitting southeastern Louisiana on Saturday evening.

The storm surge from the Mississippi Sound littered Biloxi’s main beachfront highway with debris and flooded a casino’s lobby and parking structure overnight.

nate alabama Nate marches across US East Coast, dumping heavy rains
Crimson Peters, 7, left, Tracy Neilsen, 13, center, and Macee Nelson, 15, ride in an inner tube down a flooded street after Hurricane Nate, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Coden, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

By dawn, however, Nate’s receding floodwaters didn’t reveal any obvious signs of widespread damage in the city where Hurricane Katrina had leveled thousands of beachfront homes and businesses.

No storm-related deaths or injuries were immediately reported.

Related: Nate downgraded to tropical storm, more than 100k without power in Mississippi and Alabama

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant praised state and local officials and coastal residents for working together to avoid loss of life.

Lee Smithson, director of the state emergency management agency, said damage from Nate was held down in part because of work done and lessons learned from Katrina.

“If that same storm would have hit us 15 years ago, the damage would have been extensive and we would have had loss of life.” Smithson said of Nate. “But we have rebuilt the coast in the aftermath of Katrina higher and stronger.”

Nate knocked out power to more than 100,000 residents in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida, but crews worked on repairs and it appeared many of the outages had been restored within 24 hours.

As of Sunday evening, Alabama Power said it had electricity back to more than 64,000 customers and some 36,000 remained without power, while utilities and cooperatives in Mississippi said it had restored power to more than 21,000 customers who lost power during the storm. In Louisiana, there were scattered outages during the storm, while Florida utilities restored power to more than 37,000 customers.

Mississippi’s Gulf Coast casinos got approval to reopen in midmorning after closing Saturday as the storm approached.

Sean Stewart, checking on his father’s sailboat at a Biloxi marina after daybreak, found another boat had sunk, its sail still fluttering in Nate’s diminishing winds. Stewart was relieved to find his father’s craft intact.

“I got lucky on this one,” he said.

Before Nate sped past Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula late Friday and entered the Gulf of Mexico, it drenched Central America with rains that left at least 22 people dead. But Nate didn’t approach the intensity of Harvey, Irma and Maria — powerful storms that left behind massive destruction during 2017’s exceptionally busy hurricane season.

“We are thankful because this looked like it was going to be a freight train barreling through the city,” said Vincent Creel, a spokesman for the city of Biloxi.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the four hurricanes that have struck the U.S. and its territories this year have “strained” resources, with roughly 85 percent of the agency’s forces deployed.

“We’re still working massive issues in Harvey, Irma, as well as the issues in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and now this one,” FEMA Administrator Brock Long told ABC’s “This Week.”

The federal government declared emergencies in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Nate initially made landfall Saturday evening in Louisiana, but fears that it would overwhelm the fragile pumping system in New Orleans proved to be unfounded. The storm passed to the east of New Orleans, and Mayor Mitch Landrieu lifted a curfew on the city known for its all-night partying.

nate bopat Nate marches across US East Coast, dumping heavy rains
An abandoned boat takes on water on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, near Biloxi, Miss., as the outer bands of Hurricane Nate begin to batter the shore. (Justin Vicory/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)

“Hurricane Nate had the potential to wreak havoc on Louisiana, but thankfully, we were largely spared major damage,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a statement.

In Alabama, Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier said he woke up around 3 a.m. Sunday to discover knee-deep water in his yard. Although some homes and cars on the island had flooded, Collier said he hadn’t heard of anyone needing rescue.

“We didn’t think it would be quite that bad,” he said. “It kind of snuck up on us in the wee hours of the morning.”

At landfall in Mississippi, the fast-moving storm had maximum sustained winds near 85 mph (140 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Nate steadily weakened after its first landfall in a sparsely populated area of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

Nate was expected to bring 3 to 6 inches of rain to the Deep South, eastern Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians through Monday. The Ohio Valley, central Appalachians and Northeast could also get heavy rain before the storm exits Maine on Tuesday.

Biloxi city employees worked before dawn to clear Highway 90, where sand, logs and even a large trash bin had been washed onto the four-lane, beachfront road. Despite the debris, there was little to no visible damage to structures. A handful of businesses had reopened before dawn, and the storm surge that washed across the highway had receded by 6 a.m.

Mississippi DOT crews had to remove over 1,000 pumpkins blown onto Highway 90 in Pass Christian, west of Gulfport.

Willie Cook, 75, spent his morning chopping a pecan tree that fell in his backyard. He said Nate was nothing like Katrina, which pushed 8 feet (2.4 meters) of water into his east Biloxi house.

“The wind was blowing, but it wasn’t too rough,” Cook said of Nate.

Storm surge flooded the parking structure of the Golden Nugget casino and several others in Biloxi.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said about 1,100 people spent the night in shelters.

“Thankfully, right now we have no major damage reports,” he said.

Hancock County Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Adam said Nate’s storm surge flooded low-lying roads, but he hadn’t heard any reports of flooded homes.

“We turned out fairly good,” he said as he prepared to survey neighborhoods.

In Alabama, the storm flooded homes and cars on the coast and inundated at least one major road in downtown Mobile.

Also Monday, a new tropical depression formed far out over the Atlantic. The depression’s maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph (55 kph). It was expected to strengthen to a tropical storm later in the day or overnight, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The depression did not pose a threat to any land.

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Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Stonington woman is sailing supplies to help hurricane victims

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STONINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — Guylaine Nicol, who is known to friends as Sky, is expanding her efforts to help those in need.

The Stonington woman started a charity, Sky Help Haiti, to bring donations of shoes to children in Haiti and now she will add other supplies for the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, which along with the entire island nation was devastated by Hurricane Maria.

She will be sending a shipment of 325 pairs of shoes, medical supplies, and other donations to Haiti and Puerto Rico aboard a Sketch 57 foot sailboat. Captain Sequoia Sun and his organization Sail Aid International will be at the helm leading the journey which will pick up more supplies along the way.

Nicol first went to Haiti last year with Captain Sequoia.

stonington sail to haiti and puerto rico 4 Stonington woman is sailing supplies to help hurricane victims
(Photo: Tina Detelj/WTNH)

“It really broke my heart to find out that some of the kids could not go to school because they didn’t have shoes,” said Nicol.

The children cannot wear sandals or flip flops. They need dress shoes to attend school. This week she is packing up 360 pairs of shoes along with supplies for Puerto Rico.

“We’re going to have medical supply for them and we’re going to have baby food and water,” said Nicol.

Related Content: Puerto Ricans leave for US mainland as storm woes linger

She’ll help crew the Tandemeer which will be sailed by Capt Sequioa whose organization Sail Aid International has been heading to Haiti every year since the earthquake in 2010.

stonington sail to haiti and puerto rico 3 Stonington woman is sailing supplies to help hurricane victims
(Photo: Tina Detelj/WTNH)

“It’s sad to see people who are poor usually to start out with losing everything losing their homes,” said Capt Sequioa.

Now he will also sail to Puerto Rico after Haiti extending this good will mission.

“We can serve small out of the way locations that are overlooked or missed or just not reached by the large international aid organizations,” said Capt Sequioa.

Related Content: Family of Puerto Ricans affected by hurricane say more help is needed

New England Science and Sailing is providing dockage for the sailboat which is helping teach NESS”s students sailing is for recreation and more.

“Experiential education but another reason is you could potentially provide stewardship and aid to people,” said Ben Yanni, the Operations Director with New England Science & Sailing.

The boat is expected to set sail at the end of the week.

stonington sail to haiti and puerto rico 1 Stonington woman is sailing supplies to help hurricane victims
(Photo: Tina Detelj/WTNH)

 

Puerto Rico’s hurricane death toll rises to 45

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(CNN) — Nearly three weeks after Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico, the vast majority of the island remains without power and the death toll from the storm has risen to 45, authorities said.

At least 113 people remain unaccounted for, according to Karixia Ortiz, a spokeswoman for Puerto Rico’s Department of Public Safety.

The recovery has moved slowly since Maria struck the US territory on September 20, leaving most of the island without basic services such as power and running water, according to residents, relief workers and local elected officials.

Acting US Department of Homeland Security Elaine Duke will make her second trip to the island on Thursday, DHS spokesman David Lapan said Wednesday.

The visit comes as hospitals throughout the cash-strapped island of 3.4 million people have been running low on medicine and fuel. Some residents and local elected officials have said they expect the death toll to rise.

In the town of Caguas, in the central mountain range, some patients — including one breathing with the aid of a ventilator — had to be evacuated to the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort near San Juan after a generator failed, Dr. Christian Rodriguez said this week.

At least two people have died from leptospirosis, which spreads when the urine of infected animals gets into drinking water, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz told CNN Wednesday. People have been drinking water from creeks contaminated by dead animals, she said.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” she said. “We are now starting to see a lot of health issues. … So we are in a great effort, a great humanitarian effort.”

Related Content: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg sorry for virtual tour of devastated Puerto Rico

As of Wednesday 89% of the island was without electricity and almost 47% had no phone service, according to a website set up by the Puerto Rican government. Some 43% of the island’s 313 bank branches remained closed, it said.

“We are making progress,” Chris Krebs, Homeland Security’s assistant secretary for infrastructure protection, said Wednesday. “There’s progress on the power side. But we can do more. We can push more resources down into the island.”

The recovery will take time given the storm’s magnitude, he said.

“We are pushing everything we can down into Puerto Rico,” Krebs said.

“There are over 17,000 responders, whether it’s military or civilian assets. Over 100 helicopters doing air drops in remote communities, providing water. Each of the 78 municipalities has a dedicated water truck.

Another 72 trucks are dedicated to hospitals and other critical services. … Over 50 generators have been installed in critical facilities not just heath care but also now moving into other facilities like schools.”

In the mountainous town of Añasco on the western coast, Lucelenia Rivera said she has been running a generator to keep her medications refrigerated but diesel fuel is in short supply. She suffers from asthma and arthritis, takes medication for her blood pressure and worries that recurring mudslides will further isolate her community.

“I’m going crazy trying to get out of here because of my physical condition,” she said. “But this is all I have. I don’t have money or another home. This is it.”

Related Content: Stonington woman is sailing supplies to help hurricane victims

At least five of those who are missing lived in the northern coastal town of Arecibo, where residents have been lining up for hours to buy ice and fuel.

Some arrive as early as 1 a.m. at ice plants that won’t open for another six hours for a chance to buy a single bag of ice at a 20% markup, according to residents.

Kelly Lopez cried while saying she was denied an extra bag of ice for her sister, who is epileptic and bedridden.

“This is so hard on all Puerto Ricans,” she said.

For weeks, island residents have been queuing up in seemingly interminable lines for their basic needs — from food to cash.

Abisain Medina said he drove 30 minutes to Arecibo to stand in line at a bank for five hours before the bank’s computer’s crashed.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, citing an “unprecedented catastrophe,” has lobbied Capitol Hill for a significant new influx of money soon as the island perches on the brink of “a massive liquidity crisis,” according to a letter obtained by CNN.

Related Content: Puerto Ricans leave for US mainland as storm woes linger

In a three-page letter sent to congressional leaders, Rosselló is requesting more than $4 billion from various agencies and loan programs to “meet the immediate emergency needs of Puerto Rico.”

The Trump administration submitted a $29 billion disaster-relief request to Congress last week to fund recovery efforts in the wake of hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma and to pay federal flood insurance claims.

The House is expected to vote on that measure as soon as this week.

Rosselló also pointed to a potential exodus of the island’s inhabitants should aid not be available in a timely manner — something he has also emphasized in conversations with lawmakers.

Over 400,000 Puerto Ricans have moved to the mainland United States since 2004, according to the Pew Research Center. Puerto Rico now has 3.4 million residents.

Many left because Puerto Rico suffers from high unemployment, rising taxes and few job opportunities outside of tourism.

Outrage over tweets in Trump’s response to Puerto Rico catastrophe

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NEW HAVEN, Conn (WTNH) — Members of the Puerto Rican community believe President Trump has turned his back on the struggling island.

Janette Hernandez moved to Puerto Rico from Connecticut, she’s now back to rally support and bring a voice to the people still greatly struggling there.

“I went to the grocery store and I just shook and cried because I remember a week ago I was trying to buy what I could buy, here I go to the grocery stores and see all the food and say oh what are my people doing?” said Hernandez.

Related Content: Puerto Rico’s hurricane death toll rises to 45

On Thursday, shock and salt in the wounds for members of a Connecticut coalition after President Trump tweeted out a firestorm undermining relief efforts.

“His tweets this morning are certainly deeply troubled in fact reprehensible and outrageous,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal.

“To add insult to injury, he commented where compared this tragedy to Katrina…pretty much he said your catastrophe isn’t catastrophic enough. That’s what I got from it,” said Elmer Rivera-Bello, Vice President of Connecticut Puerto Rican Agenda.

Senator Richard Blumenthal is requesting a “czar-like” official to oversee recovery efforts.

Related Content: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg sorry for virtual tour of devastated Puerto Rico

Blumenthal sent a letter to President Trump today.

It reads:

October 12, 2017

President Donald J. Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, D.C.  20500

Dear President Trump:

Last week, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico was the “the most logistically challenging event the United States has ever seen.” I know firsthand the scope and scale of the catastrophe – just days ago I toured the island and witnessed the immense devastation that was left in the wake of Hurricane Maria, a storm stronger than anything Puerto Rico has seen in a century. That is why I am puzzled and perplexed that the administration is failing to treat this disaster like the logistical nightmare that the FEMA administrator considers it to be. Moreover, I am shocked and dismayed by your statements this morning that reveal an eagerness to abandon the island in its hour of need. The catastrophe demands a response on par with the enormity of the problem. I demand that you immediately affirm a long-term commitment to the island and appoint an official who can lead the federal effort and ensure a full and robust recovery for all of Puerto Rico’s residents, as well for the Virgin Islands.

So far, the results of the administration’s response – or lack thereof – are shameful. Nearly three weeks since the hurricane made landfall, ninety percent of island residents still lack electricity. Nearly thirty-five percent of residents lack access to potable water. Hospitals and physicians complain about lack of basic medical supplies. Residents are complaining of a scarcity of nearly every commodity necessary for modern life. Reports of diseases like leptospirosis, which is caused by contaminated water, are beginning to emerge.

FEMA is tasked with coordinating the federal response and solving these immediate crises. FEMA is suited to handle many disasters, and its personnel have certainly been critical in the many life-saving efforts underway on Puerto Rico. Likewise, many first responders and personnel from other federal agencies and our military branches have been key over the past few weeks. But I am increasingly worried the enormity of the challenge is well outside the scope of the agency. Moreover, FEMA is housed within the Department of Homeland Security, an agency with leadership problems that has been allowed to languish without a secretary for months. Many top FEMA and DHS officials are serving in an acting or unconfirmed capacity. This is coupled with challenges faced by the Puerto Rican government, staffed by many island residents who are also victims of the storm, struggling to get their lives back in order at the same time they need to serve in a public capacity.

We need an official who is qualified and capable of taking over this challenge – someone who can lead a massive, inter-agency effort that cuts through bureaucratic lines. I urge you to appoint someone with the background and experience necessary to command and oversee dozens of agencies and missions – including the might of our military, which should be brought to bear to help anyone in need on the island. The official should be someone who won’t dwell on excuses but will deal in results and is not beholden to politics, publicity or ideology. They should be skilled in emergency management and not interested showmanship. Finally, the official should work with local leaders, not tune them out and ignore their needs.

Some of my colleagues and I have already raised the need for the appointment of a czar-like official to lead recovery efforts. I hereby reiterate and amplify those concerns. As someone who proudly represents a state with the highest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the United States, I stress how important it is that the federal government be there for the long haul and that crisis be managed properly for the sake of the residents and the island’s future.”


At least 3 killed in Ireland as storm Ophelia prompts warning of ‘danger to life’

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(ABC News) — The remnants of Hurricane Ophelia pummeled Ireland today, leaving at least three people dead in storm-related accidents, Ireland’s National Police said.

A woman in her 50s was killed when a tree fell on her car as she was driving. Another woman in her 70s who was a passenger in the car was injured. A man was also killed after a tree struck his car. And, a third person died in an incident related to the storm when he suffered a serious injury from a chainsaw as he was clearing a fallen tree, police said.

The Irish Meteorological Service reported wind gusts off the south coast of Ireland as high as 109 mph and said the wind was taking down trees. It said that the storm is expected to bring further “violent and destructive” wind as well as flooding from heavy rain and storm surges to Ireland. Ophelia is likely to be the most powerful storm to hit Ireland since Hurricane Debbie in 1961, forecasters said. Ireland closed schools and hospitals ahead of Ophelia, placed troops on standby and warned people to stay inside. The government said that schools will remain closed Tuesday. More than 350,000 homes and businesses are already without power.

The very strong winds will probably extend to parts of northern England along with some southern and central parts of Scotland in the evening, the U.K.’s meteorological service said.

Ophelia was the first Category 3 major hurricane recorded so far east and north in the Atlantic before it weakened to a post-tropical system.

The U.K.’s meteorological service warned of the risk of strong winds blowing tiles from roofs and large waves throwing debris onto coastal roads, leading to “a potential for injuries and danger to life” in Northern Ireland.

The Met Office, the United Kingdom’s national weather service, issued an amber weather warning for Northern Ireland from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. GMT today, saying power cuts are likely and that cancellations and longer journey times are to be expected as some bridges might close. Road, rail, air and ferry services might also be affected.

Related Content: Middletown church holds fundraiser for Puerto Rico

Ophelia is technically no longer a hurricane but has packed hurricane-level wind gusts while passing over Ireland.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said residents should avoid “unnecessary travel or other outdoor activities.” The U.S.-based disaster modeler Enki Research said Ophelia could cause up to $1.5 billion in damage in Ireland and up to $2.5 billion overall in the British Isles.

“By the time Ophelia reaches our latitudes, she will be weakening and will be an ex-hurricane,” Steve Ramsdale, chief forecaster at the Met Office, said in a statement. “However, Ex-Ophelia will be bringing some significant impacts to Northern Ireland and western and northern Britain on Monday and Tuesday.”

Related Content: Fundraiser held in New Haven for Puerto Rico hurricane relief

The powerful winds will probably extend to parts of northern England and some southern and central parts of Scotland in the evening as winds turn more to the southwest, the Met Office said.

Heavy rain is also possible in Northern Ireland and western Scotland. The rest of the U.K. will see breezy weather, but the wind is not expected to bring widespread disruption there, the Met Office said.

Matt Crofts, a lifesaving manager with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a British charity that aims to rescue people at risk of drowning, warned people from going out to watch the big waves.

“Stormy conditions may be tempting to watch but big waves can easily knock you off your feet,” he said in a statement. “The sea is far more powerful than you think and your chances of survival are slim if you are dragged into the swell. Our volunteer lifeboat crews will always launch to rescue those in danger at sea, but to launch into conditions like these could also put their lives at risk.”

In the U.K., media have compared Ophelia to the Great Storm of 1987, which hit the country exactly 30 years ago and killed 22 people.

Senate presses ahead on $36.5B disaster relief package

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is pushing ahead on a $36.5 billion hurricane relief package that would give Puerto Rico a much-needed infusion of cash.

The measure also would replenish rapidly dwindling emergency disaster accounts and provide $16 billion to permit the financially troubled federal flood insurance program to pay an influx of Harvey-related claims. But it rejects requests from the powerful Texas and Florida congressional delegations for additional money to rebuild after hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The measure was certain to sail through Monday’s procedural vote and a final vote was expected no later than Tuesday. That would send the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature.

There is urgency to move the measure swiftly — rather than add more money to it at this time — because the government’s flood insurance reserves are running out.

Still, members of the Texas and Florida delegations in Congress are unhappy because the measure failed to address extensive requests for additional hurricane rebuilding funds. Texas, inundated by Harvey in August, requested $19 billion, while Florida sought $27 billion.

“I’m pretty disappointed with what the House sent over,” Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday. But later, after speaking to both Trump and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, Cornyn said he was promised that the White House would issue another disaster aid measure next month that would provide much-needed help for Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. A fourth, and perhaps final, measure is likely to anchor a year-end spending bill.

The measure currently before the Senate contains $577 million for wildfires out West that forced agencies to tap other reserves for firefighting accounts and FEMA money for the disastrous fires in northern California.

Republicans dragged their feet last year on modest requests by former President Barack Obama to combat the Zika virus and help Flint, Michigan, repair its lead-tainted water system. But they are moving quickly to take care of this year’s alarming series of disasters, quickly passing a $15.3 billion relief measure last month and signaling that another installment is coming next month.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Help center to open for families displaced by hurricanes

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Families from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean islands who’ve been displaced by the recent hurricanes will soon be able to find free assistance in Hartford.

The new Help Center for Our Caribbean Friends is scheduled to open on Nov. 1. The Capitol Region Education Council has donated space for the hurricane relief center, located at the former Two Rivers High School at 15 Van Dyke Avenue.

Related Content: Puerto Rico says it’s scrapping $300M Whitefish contract

Displaced families and children relocating to the Hartford area will have access social services, job search assistance, educational resources, transportation and supplies.

Organizers say the goal is to help people start their news lives in Connecticut as quickly as possible.

Related Content: Economy posts impressive growth despite hurricanes

The center will initially be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hurricane season is finally ending

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(CNN)– The catastrophic Atlantic hurricane season officially ends Thursday.

Ten hurricanes ripped through the Atlantic this year, hurtling through parts of the US and the Caribbean and thrashing islands in their path, including Barbuda and Puerto Rico. One storm even veered as far east as Ireland — underscoring how bizarre this hurricane season was.
Here are six ways the 2017 hurricane season (from June 1 to November 30), left its mark.

1. Costliest hurricane season ever?

A trio of major hurricanes hit US soil this year, in what could be the most expensive hurricane season with damage estimates ranging up to $300-$475 billion. Harvey, Irma and Maria are major hurricanes, meaning they reached Category 3 or higher.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expected to release a cost assessment later this year that includes total costs for these three hurricanes.
For comparison, the damage from Katrina in 2005, which has been the costliest hurricane in US history, was $108 billion.
A fourth storm, Hurricane Nate also made US landfall, but never reached major hurricane level. Nate caused an estimated $2.5 billion in damages.

2. Largest blackout in US history

Since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in mid-September, the island has struggled to restore water and power. The official death toll there stands at 58, but a CNN investigation revealed 499 deaths recorded by funeral homes that could have been caused by the storm.
Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 hurricane, was the strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico in 85 years.
About 61% of the power has been restored in what has been considered the largest blackout in US history, according to economic research firm Rhodium Group.

3. Most number of consecutive hurricanes

The Atlantic saw a record 10 consecutive hurricanes this season — tying a record that was set in 1893.
The hurricanes are: Franklin (August 6-10), Gert (August 13-17), Harvey (August 17-31), Irma (August 30 – September 12), Jose (September 5-22), Katia (September 5-9), Lee (September 15-30), Maria (September 16-30), Nate (October 4-9) and Ophelia (October 9-15).

4. Furthest hurricane to travel east

Hurricane Ophelia’s path was very unusual. Fueled by warm ocean waters, Ophelia traveled farther east than any major hurricane to date in the Atlantic. The previous record was held by Hurricane Frances in 1980.
This map shows the paths of hurricanes from the 2017 season.
Ophelia, which at one point was a Category 3 hurricane, weakened as it moved northeast and reached Ireland as a post-tropical storm, where three deaths were attributed to the storm.

5. Record rainfall from Harvey

2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season Fast Facts
Some areas got over four feet of water, which was the most rainfall amount from a single storm in the continental US. The heavy rains inundated Houston and surrounding areas with unprecedented flooding.

6. A busy season… but not busiest

This season had more than the usual number of storms with 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes and six major hurricanes. In comparison, the average is 12 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
But it wasn’t a record year. The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season — the year of Katrina — blew away records with 28 named storms, of which 15 were hurricanes.

Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria death toll climbs to 64, as FEMA assistance tops $1 billion

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(ABC News) — Puerto Rico’s official death toll from Hurricane Maria — which slammed into the U.S. territory September 20 as a Category 4 storm — has risen to 64, the island’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced Saturday.

The announcement came the same day that the Federal Emergency Management Agency said federal assistance in Puerto Rico has topped $1 billion.

The death toll increased after the government on Saturday attributed two additional deaths to the storm.

“These deaths that are certified today as indirect deaths related to Hurricane Maria are the result of investigations into cases that have been brought to our consideration,” DPS secretary Hector M. Pesquera said in a statement.

The official death toll remains heavily scrutinized by critics, though, who believe the figure is significantly higher.

The New York Times on Friday published a review it conducted of daily mortality data from Puerto Rico’s vital statistics bureau. It discovered that 1,052 more people than usual died on the island following Hurricane Maria’s landfall. It’s figures like this, in addition to reports that there was an increase in cremations and of bodies at morgues, which have many people questioning the official death toll.

One of the two deaths certified Saturday occurred in Orocovis, located in the interior Central Mountain Range, the DPS said.

“The person died the day of the hurricane and the body did not pass through the Department of Forensic Sciences (NCF), because a doctor in the death certificate certified as natural his death,” according to the DPS statement. “The deceased had multiple health conditions and relied on an oxygen machine. In the early hours of the day of the hurricane, the power went out in the residence and when the relatives went to see the person they found him dead.”

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The statement continued, “In a review of the case by the NCF and by the interview with the relatives, it was determined that the death is indirectly related to the hurricane.”

The other death was reported in Morovis, located in the island’s central region. The individual died the day the hurricane hit the island, according to the DPS. A doctor initially certified the death as natural on the death certificate, but the NCF said it later evaluated the documentation to authorize the cremation requested by the family members.

“The person had health problems, but suffered complications during the day of the hurricane,” reads the statement. “Due to the inclement weather conditions, the ambulance took a long time to reach the residence. This death is added as indirectly related to the hurricane.”

Also on Saturday, FEMA said federal assistance to Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricanes Irma and Maria has topped $1 billion.

FEMA said more than a million Puerto Rican residents registered for FEMA assistance. FEMA also said it has provided funds to more than 366,000 families in Puerto Rico including:

– More than $259 million in financial assistance for rental, repair or to rebuild residences

-More than $251 million for grants to repair or replace damaged personal property or to pay for disaster-related necessary expenses and other serious needs.

Related Content: Hurricane season is finally ending

Other FEMA assistance provided also includes:

-More than $39 million of low-interest disaster loans provided to more than 880 survivors and 50 business owners through the U.S. Small Business Administration

-More than $58,000 approved for Disaster Unemployment Assistance to 12,000 residents

-More than 19,000 Blue Roofs installed

-More than $1 million in flood insurance claims

In addition, more than $470 million has been obligated in FEMA Public Assistance grants to provide emergency generators for critical facilities, and to reimburse municipalities for debris removal and other necessary government expenses related to “life-safety missions.”

Puerto Rico’s electrical grid remains problematic: Its electrical grid generation took a hit Friday into Saturday, dropping nearly twenty percent to just 49 percent, according to the Puerto Rico Power Energy Authority (PREPA). That figure later increased to 56.6 percent. PREPA said Friday that the electrical grid was generating 68 percent of its capabilities.

PREPA spokesman Carlos Monroig told ABC News Saturday night that the generation number is “dynamic and changeable.” Monroig said the generation fluctuated based on time, weather, and the use of power by government, residential, commercial and industrial spaces.

Parts of Puerto Rico still without power months after Hurricane Maria

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(WTNH)– Nearly three months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, more than one-third of Puerto Rico is still without power and thousands of businesses remain closed.

The U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers says Puerto Rico’s electric grid is expected to reach 75 percent of customers by the end of January 2018.

Related: 2 Connecticut State Troopers return from Puerto Rico

That number expected to increase to 95 percent by the end of February.

The Electrical Authority says hundreds are working to restore power to the island.

Puerto Rico gov orders review of all post-hurricane deaths

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico‘s governor on Monday ordered authorities to review all deaths reported since Hurricane Maria hit nearly three months ago amid accusations that the U.S. territory has vastly undercounted storm-related deaths.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said in a statement that it’s possible the toll is higher than the 64 deaths currently blamed on the Category 4 hurricane that hit on Sept. 20 with winds of up to 154 mph (248 kph), causing up to an estimated $95 billion in damage.

“We always expected that the number of hurricane-related deaths would increase as we received more factual information — not hearsay— and this review will ensure we are correctly counting everybody,” he said. “We also want the most accurate count and understanding of how people lost their lives to fully account for the impact of these storms, and to identify ways in which we can prevent fatalities in advance of future disasters.”

Previously, Rossello’s administration had repeatedly defended the official count of hurricane-related deaths even though demographers said a spike in the average number of deaths after the hurricane was not normal.

While the current death toll includes some who died of heart attacks, suicide and respiratory failure, critics say it fails to account for all of those for which the storm and the hardships it caused were contributing factors.

Relatives of victims note that the storm left the entire island of 3.4 million people without power, including hospitals and nursing homes caring for people on respirators or other electric equipment.

Officials have said the average number of daily deaths increased from 82 to 117 after the storm, with a total of 2,838 deaths reported in September, a 20 percent increase from the 2,366 deaths reported for the same month in 2016 and up from 2,242 in September 2015.

Rossello said the government has to investigate whether the increase in deaths is directly or indirectly tied to Hurricane Maria.

“Every life is more than a number, and every death must have a name and vital information attached to it, as well as an accurate accounting of the facts related to their passing,” he said.

Officials with the government’s forensic institute have said many recent death certificates they received did not state whether lack of power could have been a factor.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


US hits record for costly weather disasters: $306 billion

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WASHINGTON (AP) — With three strong hurricanes, wildfires, hail, flooding, tornadoes and drought, the United States tallied a record high bill last year for weather disasters: $306 billion.

The U.S. had 16 disasters last year with damage exceeding a billion dollars, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday. That ties 2011 for the number of billion-dollar disasters, but the total cost blew past the previous record of $215 billion in 2005.

Costs are adjusted for inflation and NOAA keeps track of billion-dollar weather disasters going back to 1980.

Three of the five most expensive hurricanes in U.S. history hit last year.

Hurricane Harvey cost $125 billion, second only to 2005’s Katrina, while Maria cost $90 billion, ranking third, NOAA said. Irma was $50 billion, for the fifth most expensive hurricane. Western wildfires fanned by heat racked up $18 billion in damage, triple the previous U.S. wildfire record, according to NOAA.

c9887ccfbd4148d6883bd703356c5d92 US hits record for costly weather disasters: $306 billion
Motorists on Highway 101 watch flames from the Thomas fire leap above the roadway north of Ventura, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. As many as five fires have closed highways, schools and museums, shut down production of TV series and cast a hazardous haze over the region. About 200,000 people were under evacuation orders. No deaths and only a few injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

“While we have to be careful about knee-jerk cause-effect discussions, the National Academy of Science and recent peer-reviewed literature continue to show that some of today’s extremes have climate change fingerprints on them,” said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd, a past president of the American Meteorological Society.

NOAA announced its figures at the society’s annual conference in Austin, Texas.

The weather agency also said that 2017 was the third hottest year in U.S. records for the Lower 48 states with an annual temperature of 54.6 degrees (12.6 degrees Celsius) — 2.6 degrees warmer than the 20th century average . Only 2012 and 2016 were warmer. The five warmest years for the Lower 48 states have all happened since 2006.

This was the third straight year that all 50 states had above average temperatures for the year.

Five states — Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and New Mexico — had their warmest year ever.

Temperature records go back to 1895.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.





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