WASHINGTON, DC, February 26, 2009 (ENS) – “Gary knows the American Dream. He’s lived it. And that’s why he shares my commitment to do whatever it takes to keep it alive in our time,” President Barack Obama said Wednesday, announcing former Washington Governor Gary Locke as his choice to lead the Commerce Department. “It is…
WASHINGTON, DC, February 3, 2009 (ENS) – President Barack Obama today named U.S. Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, a Republican, to fill the slot of Commerce Secretary in his cabinet. If confirmed by the Senate, Gregg will join Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Defense Secretary Robert Gates for a total of three Republicans in…
CHICAGO, Illinois, December 4, 2008 (ENS) – President-elect Barack Obama has tapped New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to be his Secretary of Commerce, a position with many natural resources responsibilities. Richardson will be in charge of rebuilding the U.S. economy on a basis of clean energy and green jobs – two of the essential pillars…
GALVESTON, Texas, November 11, 2008 (ENS) – The Galveston newspaper that did not miss an edition although Hurricane Ike blew its roof away, is compiling a coffee-table book telling the story of the storm and its effects through photos shot by staffers. The “Galveston County Daily News,” will publish the book as a full-color photographic…
HOUSTON, Texas, October 2, 2008 (ENS) – The Texas Medical Center in Houston came within inches of being flooded during and after Hurricane Ike, but a long-term collaboration with Rice University calmed fears of the kind of deluge that caused extensive damage during Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. An accurate prediction of flood levels at…
AUSTIN, Texas, September 10, 2008 (ENS) – Early this morning, the center of Hurricane Ike was located about 125 miles north-northeast of Cabo San Antonio on the western tip of Cuba. More than one million Cubans evacuated and the storm claimed four lives as 20 inches of rain and 100 mph winds swept across the…
MIAMI, Florida, September 8, 2008 (ENS) – The state of Florida has received an emergency declaration to assist Monroe County which is currently evacuating residents from the Florida Keys in advance of Hurricane Ike, Governor Charlie Crist announced today. “Florida is facing a dangerous threat from Hurricane Ike,” said Governor Crist. “We remain grateful to…
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, August 28, 2008 (ENS) – Nearly three years to the day after Hurricane Katrina forced the evacuation of thousands of people from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, residents and emergency managers in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are preparing again to cope with another major storm heading across the Caribbean in…
WASHINGTON, DC, August 26, 2008 (ENS) – “The big picture is that global warming is putting hurricanes on steroids,” declared climate scientist Dr. Amanda Staudt of the National Wildlife Federation, one of the country’s largest conservation groups. Windspeeds could increase 13 percent and rainfall could increase 31 percent, Staudt warned at the launch of her…
MIAMI, Florida, August 22, 2008 (ENS) – Floridians wish Fay would just go away, but the stubborn tropical storm that never became a hurricane is still hanging around and making life miserable across the northwestern part of the state. At 5 pm local time, the center of the storm was about 50 miles north of…
SACRAMENTO, California, July 7, 2008 (ENS) – In view of National Weather Service forecasts of temperatures in the 90s and 100s for much of California during the rest of the week plus concerns over increased levels of smoke and air pollution from hundreds of wildfires, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today directed state agencies to implement Phase…
DES MOINES, Iowa, June 16, 2008 (ENS) – “Nearly one third of Iowa is already under water and water levels continue to rise,” said U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, urging federal financial assistance for his state. Waters are still rising in many parts of the state and the president responded. On Sunday, after touring…
DES MOINES, Iowa, June 11, 2008 (ENS) – A tornado touched down at a Boy Scout camp in the woods near Little Sioux Wednesday, killing four people and injuring at least 40 others, Iowa Governor Chet Culver said tonight. In a conference call with reporters, the governor said Iowa National Guard soldiers, rescue teams and…
WASHINGTON, DC, June 4, 2008 (ENS) – The U.S. Geological Survey, USGS, is better prepared to help protect the public this hurricane season than in the past by ensuring that emergency managers have quick storm-proof access to critical water information. A new downlink backup system located in South Dakota guarantees the availability of streamflow information…
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, March 19, 2008 (ENS) – At least 13 people have lost their lives in drenching rain and floods spanning the central United States in the past 48 hours. Three others are still missing. The National Weather Service has issued flood and flash flood warnings from Pennsylvania across the country to Texas. Rivers…
WASHINGTON, DC, February 28, 2008 (ENS) – Assistance for developing countries to manage water resources, combat drought, and measure climate change will be forthcoming under a new agreement signed today by the World Bank and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department. The first projects are planned for…
AUSTIN, Texas, January 31, 2008 (ENS) – Texas Governor Rick Perry has issued a State Disaster Proclamation for more than half the counties in Texas as a result of wildfires that began Tuesday. The governor’s order makes 152 of the state’s 254 counties eligible for state assistance. “I urge Texans to exercise extreme caution as…
SACRAMENTO, California, January 4, 2008 (ENS) – An intense storm system off the West Coast is responsible for a widespread region of heavy rain, mountain snow and high winds across northern California today. It is now pounding regions of central California, according to the National Weather Service, closing roads from Sacramento to San Francisco. This…
AMARILLO, Texas, December 24, 2007 (ENS) – One person is dead and five others suffered life threatening injuries in a crash involving 80 vehicles that closed icy Interstate 40 on Saturday. Seventeen semi-tractor trailers were involved in the wreck in the eastbound lanes at Pullman Road. Police say the accident was caused by a semi…
Ice glazed roads across the Great Lakes and Northeast states. (Photo by Lindsey Miller) ALBANY, New York, December 17, 2007 (ENS) – Winter storm warnings and gale warnings are in effect from the eastern Great Lakes into New England and across central West Virginia today. The U.S. Coast Guard warns that severe weather conditions are…
SACRAMENTO, California, December 10, 2007 (ENS) – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has directed the California Office of Emergency Services to prepare for the upcoming weather conditions that pose a serious threat of flooding, particularly in areas where the Southern California wildfires recently burned more than half a million acres from Los Angeles to south of San…