W-Fire News

Disaster Assistance Approved for Oklahoma Woodward County

Gov. Mary Fallin says the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved disaster assistance for Woodward County following a deadly tornado outbreak. Fallin said that the SBA will provide low-interest disaster loans for renters, homeowners, business owners and private, non-profit organizations …

Kansas Senate Panel Considers Disaster Funding

Kansas legislators have begun work on a bill that would create a special fund to cover the state’s share of disaster assistance. Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, the Kansas adjutant general, testified before the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee about …

Texas Governor Again Renews Drought Disaster Declaration

Gov. Rick Perry has renewed a proclamation declaring Texas a disaster due to the drought. Perry renewed the disaster status on April 20, extending a similar proclamation from last July. The governor initially declared the drought a disaster in December …

Solution for Disaster Recovery? House in a Box, Maybe

In one of the New Orleans neighborhoods hit hardest by flooding in Hurricane Katrina‘s aftermath, developers have built a prototype house that’s aimed at providing a quick housing solution for areas blown away by hurricanes and tornadoes or knocked down …

Oklahoma Governor Declares State of Emergency in 12 Counties

Governor Mary Fallin has declared a State of Emergency for 12 Oklahoma counties due to tornadoes, severe storms, straight line winds and flooding that began on April 13. The counties included in the declaration are: Alfalfa, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Ellis, …

Tornado Outbreak: Authorities Say 5 Dead in Oklahoma, 29 Injuries

Tornadoes raking communities across the Midwest and Plains left five people dead and at least 29 injured in Oklahoma, damaging a hospital, homes and other buildings as a vast severe weather front plunged eastward on April 15 across the nation’s …

Loss Estimates from North Texas Storms Near $300M, Expected to Rise

Loss estimates from the widespread tornado, high wind and hail storm activity in the Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth area on April 3 are approaching $300 million, said one insurance industry spokesperson. That number is expected to increase as adjusters continue to reach …

Dallas County Declares Local Disaster from Storms

Dallas County, Texas, officials have declared a local disaster following a tornado that damaged or destroyed about 300 homes and businesses. County Judge Clay Jenkins has asked Gov. Rick Perry to authorize government disaster assistance from the April 3 storms …

Alaskan Village Declares Disaster After Wind Storm

The northwest Alaska village of Kivalina has declared a disaster after a wind storm swept snow into huge piles. City administrator Janet Mitchell says the snow piles are as high as houses in some places and one home was completely …

FEMA Denies Appeal; Harrisburg Fire Chief Says Town ‘Will Survive’

Harrisburg Fire Chief Bill Summers says his southern Illinois town will recover from last month’s deadly tornado with or without FEMA help. Summers says he’s not surprised that FEMA has denied the state’s appeal for disaster assistance. The agency turned …