emergency

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4 States Hit by 911 Outages
Light Pole
Installation
Knocked Out
911 Calls
updated
Apr 18, 2024 2:50 PM CDT

Light Pole Installation Knocked Out 911 Calls

Emergency calls were waylaid in multiple states

(Newser) - A cause has been identified in the 911 service outage that affected multiple states on Wednesday: A crew cut into a fiber line while installing a light pole in Kansas City, the AP reports. Lumen Technologies said Thursday that its line that was snapped, though the light pole was somebody...

Biden Slams SCOTUS Decision on Idaho Abortion Ban

High court says state can enforce ban, even in medical emergencies, until legal fight resolves

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Friday allowed Idaho to enforce its strict abortion ban, even in medical emergencies, while a legal fight continues. The justices said they would hear arguments in April and put on hold a lower court ruling that had blocked the Idaho law in hospital emergencies, based on...

Get Ready for Lots of Noise Wednesday Afternoon

FEMA, FCC are conducting emergency alert test

(Newser) - Starting midday on Wednesday, your cellphone will likely start making a lot of noise—and it won't be alone. FEMA, in conjunction with the FCC, will be conducting a nationwide test of both its Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts, with an emergency alert sent to radios and...

NYC Declares Emergency as Migrants Pour In

Mayor seeks federal and state help to house arrivals being bused from Texas

(Newser) - With migrants from Latin America needing shelter and health care arriving by the busload, Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency for New York City on Friday, calling the situation a humanitarian crisis. The mayor said at least 17,000 people seeking asylum have been bused in from other...

San Francisco 'Sounds the Alarm' on Monkeypox

California city, NY state declare public health emergencies

(Newser) - Two of the US areas that have been hardest hit by monkeypox have declared public health emergencies in response to the outbreak . San Francisco on Thursday declared a local emergency effective Aug. 1, while the state of New York declared an imminent threat to public health, retroactive to June 1....

Looking to Get a New Passport? Forget About It for Now

Unless you have 'life-or-death emergency' or are renewing, State Dept. says passports are on hold

(Newser) - The State Department wasn't kidding when it put out its "level four" travel advisory last month urging Americans not to go abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic. CNN reports that on Friday, the department put up a "passport operations" update on its website , and the upshot of that...

This State Just Made Harshest Anti-Vaping Move Yet

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker bans sale of all vaping products for 4 months

(Newser) - One state just got extra-tough on vaping. Gov. Charlie Baker has put a complete kibosh on the sale (either online or at brick-and-mortar stores) of all nicotine and marijuana vaping products throughout Massachusetts, from now until Jan. 25, USA Today reports. The ban, which was given the green light by...

Officials: There Won't Be Coffee in a National Crisis

Switzerland is having it removed from the national stockpile

(Newser) - Pity the Swiss: If there's a national emergency, they won't be having coffee. Swiss officials decided last week that coffee will no longer be held in stockpiles in case of an epidemic, natural disaster, war, or other major crisis, USA Today reports. The government report concluded that while...

DOJ Warns White House About Emergency Declaration
DOJ Warns White House
About Emergency Declaration
THE RUNDOWN
Feb 15, 2019 6:09 AM CST

DOJ Warns White House About Emergency Declaration

Courts expected to block border wall move

(Newser) - President Trump says he will sign an emergency declaration to secure funding for a border wall—but he has been warned that the move is likely to encounter a wall of lawsuits from Democrats, immigration advocates, and environmentalists, among others. Sources tell ABC News that the Justice Department has told...

Graham Urges Trump to Use Emergency Powers
Graham Urges Trump to
Use Emergency Powers
THE RUNDOWN
Jan 11, 2019 6:44 AM CST

Graham Urges Trump to Use Emergency Powers

Trump eyes Army Corps of Engineers funding

(Newser) - The government shutdown caused by the border wall standoff is now in its 21st day—tied for the longest ever—and both sides are braced for President Trump to use his emergency powers to break the impasse and pay for the wall. Many Republicans are uncomfortable with the idea, but...

Senators See Another Use for Netflix and Spotify

They want to extend emergency alert system

(Newser) - People might find their Netflix binges interrupted by emergency alerts under a bipartisan bill announced in the Senate Wednesday. The READI Act—Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement—was introduced by Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Gizmodo reports. It aims to reduce the chances...

Worker Who Sent False Missile Alert Is Refusing to Cooperate

'We hope that person will reconsider,' FCC says

(Newser) - The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency worker who caused panic by accidentally sending an incoming missile alert earlier this month has clammed up, officials say. Lisa Fowlkes, the chief of the Federal Communication Commission's Homeland Security Bureau, told a Senate hearing Thursday that the "button pusher" responsible is no...

Pick Up Your Premade Apocalypse Kits at ... Costco

Warehouse chain, others offer 'emergency food by the pallet' for survivalists

(Newser) - The end of the world didn't arrive on Sept. 23 as foretold ( by some ), but if you're still hedging your bets on a rescheduled apocalypse or other disaster that may put you in a bunker, you may want to stop by Costco. The Detroit Free Press ...

Pokemon Go Could Revolutionize Disaster Relief

By turning it into a game

(Newser) - Pokemon Go could save us all. Smithsonian Magazine reports the popular mobile game, and others like it, could be a force for good—and not just distracted injuries and surprise discoveries —during emergencies. Picture this: A major hurricane strikes the East Coast, and Pokemon Go switches into "Red...

WHO: Zika Is an International Emergency

World Health Organization calls mosquito-borne virus 'extraordinary event'

(Newser) - The World Health Organization announced Monday that the explosive spread of the Zika virus in the Americas is an "extraordinary event" that merits being declared an international emergency, the AP reports. The agency convened a closed-door emergency meeting of independent experts Monday to assess the outbreak after noting a...

2 Dead, 20 Hurt in Va. Tornado
 2 Dead, 20 Hurt in Va. Tornado 
Jul 24, 2014 9:58 AM CDT

2 Dead, 20 Hurt in Va. Tornado

Twister touched down in Cape Charles

(Newser) - Two people have been confirmed dead after a tornado struck a campground in Cape Charles, Va., WTKR reports. At least 20 more were injured in what the Virginian-Pilot describes as "a fast moving storm that blew across the Eastern Shore this morning, toppling trees, injuring campers and blowing over...

Now You Can Text 911*
 Now You Can Text 911* 
May 15, 2014 12:28 PM CDT

Now You Can Text 911*

*in select areas, for now

(Newser) - Starting today in select areas, as long as you have mobile phone service through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, or T-Mobile, you can text rather than call 911 in an emergency. The FCC's text-to-911 program will be available across the nation by the end of the year, Gizmodo reports. The...

Germany at Center of G7 Crisis Huddle

Debt may be pooled in exchange for more central controls

(Newser) - G7 members are holding a conference call today to discuss solutions for the mounting economic crisis in Europe, with German the likely key. The emergency huddle of the finance chiefs of the US, UK, German, Italy, France, Japan, and Canada underscores a mounting panic about the crushing debt of the...

911 Dispatcher Snores Through Emergency

He was 17 hours into a 24-hour shift

(Newser) - If you're in a situation where you have to dial 911, the last thing you want to hear on the other side of the phone is snoring. But that's what a Maryland woman heard when she called emergency services to help her husband, reports NBC4 in Washington . In...

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