Pinellas County residents and businesses that are trying to put their lives back together after Hurricane Irma can put in an application for federal assistance.
U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio sent a joint letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Wednesday asking for money for Florida to be added to the Hurricane Harvey aid package passed by the U.S. House earlier in the day.
Two weeks before Harvey’s floodwaters engulfed much of Houston, President Donald Trump quietly rolled back an order by his predecessor that would have made it easier for storm-ravaged communities to use federal emergency aid to rebuild bridges, roads and other structures so they can better withstand future disasters.
President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged residents of Florida and other states along the path of Hurricane Matthew to take the threat seriously. Government officials are worried about complacency, especially in South Florida, which hasn’t seen a major hurricane in 11 years. Obama said the hurricane will be building in strength as it makes its way to Florida. Even if states don’t see the full force of the hurricane, there is still the potential for devastating effects from tropical force…
President Barack Obama is being briefed on the federal government’s preparation for Hurricane Matthew as the Category 3 storm makes its way to the U.S. mainland. The president says now is the time to “hope for the best but we want to prepare for the worst.” Obama is at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters. FEMA has deployed personnel to emergency operation centers in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. It’s also positioning commodities and other supplies at Fort…
Whose fault was it that Orlando did not qualify for federal funding to shore up anti-terrorism efforts the past few years? U.S. Rep. John Mica called a congressional hearing Friday to see, and several officials concluded it is at least partly because of Congress. Mica was not entirely convinced and countered with several reasons why he is convinced the federal Urban Area Security Initiative Grant Program under the Department of Homeland Security should have done more to provide funding to Orlando for…
Gov. Rick Scott is planning to appeal the denial of his request for the declaration of a federal state of emergency in the wake of the Orlando nightclub mass shooting. Scott doesn’t understand why the request was denied, representative Jackie Schutz told The Associated Press, especially since an emergency was declared after the Boston Marathon bombing. The Governor has 30 days to appeal the decision, Schutz said. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency argue that the disaster fund is not appropriate…
