(Maryland) — A federal judge in Maryland is asking the Trump administration to explain its position that diplomatic discussions with the government of El Salvador are required to facilitate the return of a Venezuelan man whose removal to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison violated a previous court settlement.
The request from U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher comes after the government of El Salvador, in a report by the United Nations submitted in a separate lawsuit, said that the migrants sent by the U.S. to CECOT are under the authority of the United States.
The man, a 20-year-old Venezuelan identified in court records by the pseudonym “Cristian,” challenged his removal after he was sent to CECOT in mid-March following President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act. In April, Judge Gallagher ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Cristian’s return, and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the order in May.
In a filing on Tuesday, Judge Gallagher said the administration has failed to heed her order.
“Defendants have repeatedly skirted this Court’s directive to provide information regarding the steps they have taken and will take to facilitate the return of Cristian to the United States,” the judge wrote. “Instead, Defendants have repeatedly made oblique references to their request of ‘assistance’ from the U.S. Department of State (DOS), which has ‘entered into negotiations to facilitate Cristian’s return’ and ‘assumed responsibility on behalf of the U.S. Government for … diplomatic discussions with El Salvador.'”
In a report submitted as part of a court filing on Monday, El Salvador officials said that migrants who were sent to CECOT under an arrangement between the U.S. and El Salvador were the responsibility of the United States — appearing to contradict the Trump administration’s assertion that it is unable to bring back any of the migrants because they’re under El Salvador’s authority.
“Assuming the Government of El Salvador provided truthful information to the UN, no ‘diplomatic discussions’ should be required here because El Salvador has no sovereign interest in Cristian’s continued confinement in that country,” Judge Gallagher said in her filing Tuesday.
Judge Gallagher, in her original order in April, referenced the case of wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and said that “like Judge [Paula] Xinis in the Abrego Garcia matter, this court will order Defendants to facilitate Cristian’s return to the United States so that he can receive the process he was entitled to under the parties’ binding Settlement Agreement.”
The Trump administration subsequently brought Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. to face federal human smuggling charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
(KERRVILLE, Texas) — A Texas man whose parents were swept away during last week’s catastrophic flooding last week says he’s coming to terms with their likely loss, even as he helps others find closure.
Robert Brake Jr. has been searching for his parents since the early hours of July 4, when rushing floodwaters carried away their cabin at the HTR campground in Kerrville, Texas.
His parents, Robert Leroy Brake Sr. and Joni Kay Brake, were among those caught in the deadly flash floods that have claimed at least 108 lives across central Texas.
“My folks got washed away in their cabin,” Brake Jr. told ABC News. “We came down to help in the search efforts. Maybe not be able to find my parents under this tragedy, but maybe we can help somebody else find theirs and have some closure and peace.”
The devastating floods struck with little warning. A flash flood emergency was issued for Kerr County at 4:03 a.m. on July 4, shortly before the Brakes’ cabin was swept away. Parts of the region received up to 15 inches of rain, more than double the amount forecasted.
After four days of searching with family members, Brake Jr. said divine intervention helped him accept what might have happened to his parents.
“The Lord woke me up. He put me on my feet. He said go make a difference,” Brake Jr. told ABC News. “If it means people being kind to each other… I’ll accept that. If that’s what it meant to lose my parents–– people to be kind to each other just one more day and love the Lord just a little more — I’ll accept that.”
The tragedy has touched many families across central Texas, including at Camp Mystic, where 27 campers and counselors lost their lives when floodwaters struck the century-old summer camp. At least 18 people remain missing across the region, including six from Camp Mystic.
Despite coming to terms with his parents’ likely fate, Brake Jr. maintains a small glimmer of hope.
“I’m hoping and praying there’s an ounce of hope that they’re still alive,” he said.
His parents left behind three children, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
The massive search effort continues with hundreds of volunteers and more than 20 state agencies involved. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to discuss the ongoing crisis, as additional rain threatens already saturated parts of central Texas.
(NEW YORK) — Camp Mystic, the Christian girls summer camp that was hit with devastating floods on July 4, was part of an eerily similar tragedy that occurred almost 38 years ago to the day, officials said.
That tragedy on July 17, 1987, known as the Guadalupe River Flood, began when 5 to 10 inches of rain fell in the upper headwaters of the Guadalupe River basin, which resulted in a “massive flood” that traveled down the river through Ingram, Hunt — near Camp Mystic — Kerrville and Comfort, Texas, according to reports from the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
At approximately 2:45 a.m., a flood warning was issued for the Guadalupe River from Kerrville upstream, with 4 to 6 inches of rain pummeling down in only three to four hours — causing a 15-foot rise in the river near the camp. There were also reports of people being trapped in rising waters at this time, officials said.
Then at 4:30 a.m., an alert was released saying officials at camps along the river — including Camp Mystic — “should have everyone well away from the flood plain and to high ground already,” according to the report from officials.
Five minutes later, Camp Mystic officials said they had “polled camps in the area and all campers are accounted for,” according to the report.
While no one at Camp Mystic died from the 1987 flood — unlike the dozens that died in the tragedy over the weekend — 10 teenagers were killed when a bus and van washed away near Comfort, Texas.
The teenagers were attending a church camp at the Pot O’ Gold Ranch, which was scheduled to end the same day that the flood washed away the group, officials said.
Law enforcement officials had notified the camp at 2 a.m. and at 6 a.m. of the flood wave coming down the Guadalupe River, and the decision was then made to evacuate the children early “to avoid being trapped at the camp,” officials said.
When the caravan of buses and a van left the camp, one of the buses and the van encountered a “flooded low water crossing” on the river and decided to try an alternate route, officials said. The lead buses “successfully made the sharp turn to head a different direction” but rapidly rising water from the river — which had reached 29 feet tall that morning — caused the last bus to stall and the van behind it to become stranded, officials said.
An attempt was made to evacuate the children off the bus and the van, but “as they were wading back to dry ground a wall of water around half a mile wide rushed upon the campers,” officials said.
Forty-three people — 39 teenagers and four adults — were swept into the waters, with 10 teenagers drowning. The remaining 33 children and adults were rescued, officials said.
It is unclear if any changes were implemented in the wake of the 1987 tragedy. This weekend’s tragedy has already raised questions about whether there were adequate safety measures in the region in the event of a major flooding event.
(NEW YORK) — A man has been arrested after he allegedly attempted to snatch a 6-year-old boy from the sidewalk during the Fourth of July weekend in busy Coney Island, according to the New York Police Department.
The boy was with his parents at the Brooklyn, New York, getaway when the boy was allegedly snatched from the crowded sidewalk.
“When I turned around, I noticed a man pick him up and run by way of the boardwalk,” father Roy Gantt told New York ABC station WABC about his son, Rah’Shem. “Once he saw us chasing him, he threw [Rah’Shem] down. It sounded like he hit his head on the concrete.”
Jonathan Robalino, 36, was detained on attempted abduction and is described as “emotionally disturbed,” the NYPD said.
Robalino has now been charged with assault and attempted kidnapping.
The boy was not seriously hurt when the man threw him to the ground, but he was taken to a local hospital and later released.
Gantt told WABC that he and the boy’s mother pinned Robalino to the ground before police arrived for about four minutes after chasing him down.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
(INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla.) — A 77-year-old Vermont man was killed on Sunday afternoon while attempting to rescue a turtle on Interstate 95 in Indian River County, Florida, authorities said.
The fatal accident occurred around 4:20 p.m. on the southbound lanes of I-95, just north of Sebastian Boulevard, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The man was crossing the lanes when a chain-reaction crash unfolded, investigators said. A Miami woman driving a vehicle slowed down to avoid hitting the pedestrian, but a Dodge Ram pickup truck behind her failed to brake in time, authorities noted.
The pickup truck rear-ended the first vehicle, which then veered off the road, crashed through a fence and came to rest on the west side, according to authorities. The Ram continued southbound and struck the Vermont man, who was thrown to the left shoulder of the highway, officials said.
First responders pronounced the man dead at the scene, officials noted.
The driver of the Dodge Ram, identified as a 53-year-old Port St. Lucie man, and the occupants of the other vehicle — a 44-year-old woman and her 49-year-old male passenger — were not injured in the crash, authorities said.
The southbound lanes of I-95 were closed following the incident while authorities investigated.
(NEW YORK) — As state and local officials in Texas have come under scrutiny over the lack of sirens to warn people of impending flash flooding on the Guadalupe River that killed more than 100 people, records reviewed by ABC News show authorities of one of the hardest hit counties have had discussions about implementing such an alert system for nearly a decade.
The destructive flooding hit in the early morning hours of the Fourth of July, causing the Guadalupe River in Kerr County to rise by 26 feet in less than an hour, spilling its banks and flooding multiple summer camps and RV parks along the winding river.
On Monday, the death toll from the flooding climbed to more than 100, according to officials. At least 84 of the deaths occurred in Kerr County, including 27 children at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp near the banks of the Guadalupe, authorities said.
Ten girls and a counselor from Camp Mystic remained unaccounted for on Monday as search-and-rescue efforts stretched into their fourth day.
Since the catastrophe, local officials have faced questions about how warnings were sent out to the community, why evacuations weren’t ordered in low-lying areas and why there were no audible warning systems to alert campers along the Guadalupe.
“There should have been sirens here,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Fox News on Monday, adding that the subject will likely come up in a special session of the state legislature to analyze what occurred during the flooding.
Patrick added, “Had we had sirens around this area, up and down — the same type of sirens they have in Israel when there’s an attack coming, that would have blown very loudly — it’s possible that would have saved some of these lives.”
‘I’ve spent hours in those helicopters pulling kids out of trees’
Records reviewed by ABC News show that many of the same questions have been under discussion, specifically in Kerr County, for nearly a decade.
The minutes from a March 28, 2016, meeting of the Kerr County Commissioners’ Court, show that former Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer pushed the commission to upgrade the county’s flood-warning system. At the time, Hierholzer told the commission that he was in favor of placing high-decibel outdoor sirens along the river that could go off and be heard from a distance of 3 miles when water gauges indicated flooding, according to the online minutes of the meeting.
According to the meeting minutes, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, then-Commissioner Tom Moser said there are state-of-the-art warning systems, including those with sirens, in other parts of the state, “even though this [Kerr County] is probably one of the highest flood-prone regions in the entire state.”
Hierholzer told the commission that the sirens, in addition to the county’s CodeRED emergency notification system, would work to quickly spread the word of imminent danger, according to the meeting minutes.
In that meeting, according to the minutes, Hierholzer raised what he called the “most important” issue — that of warning the summer camps along the Guadalupe, recalling a 1987 flash flood in which 10 children from the Pot O’ Gold Ranch Christian camp in Comfort, Texas, were killed attempting to evacuate the camp in a bus.
“I’ve spent hours in those helicopters pulling kids out of trees,” Hierholzer told the commission, according to the meeting minutes.
At the time, Hierholzer added that a lot of people in the county were not signed up for CodeRED alerts and that it was difficult to get people to sign up for the phone alerts.
“So yes, you need both. You need the sirens, and you need CodeRED to try to make sure we’ll notify everybody we can when it’s coming up,” Hierholzer said, according to the meeting minutes.
Moser, according to the meeting minutes, told his fellow commissioners that upgrading the warning system to include sirens was “not hugely expensive,” adding that the units would cost around $40,000 each.
The Kerr County Commissioners’ Court applied for a nearly $1 million FEMA grant, according to the meeting minutes. The county’s application was not selected, but it was not immediately clear why.
Moser could not be reached for comment by ABC News on Monday. He told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday that the county considered paying for the upgrade of its flood warning system, but eventually decided not to include it in its annual budget.
“It was probably just, I hate to say the word, priorities. Trying not to raise taxes,” Moser told the newspaper.
Reached by ABC News by phone on Monday, Hierholzer declined to comment on the statements he made to the commissioners more than nine years ago.
“This is probably one of the worst disasters Kerr County has ever seen. So right now, I don’t want to get into all this kind of political stuff — what we could’ve, would’ve, should’ve done,” Hierholzer told ABC News.
Officials concede they were caught off guard
Kerr County officials said during a news conference on Saturday that they were caught off guard by the torrential rains that caused the Guadalupe River to rise to near-historic levels in a matter of minutes.
“We didn’t know this flood was coming,” Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said. “We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, and we deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we get water. We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what’s happened here, none whatsoever.”
But during a news conference on Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state began preparing for the storm last Wednesday by pre-positioning assets and resources in flood-prone areas of the state, including Kerr County.
Chief W. Nim Kidd of the Texas Division of Emergency Management said alerts were also sent out.
“From a technical perspective, there were multiple warning systems that are out there, and all of us can choose to sign up for warning systems in certain areas depending on the local government that they’re in and the way their system works,” Kidd said during the governor’s press conference. But he added that some places have spotty cell phone reception.
Kidd added, “There can be all kinds of alert systems that are sent, and we know that some general messaging was sent early, some urgent warnings were sent at various times. But just sending the message is not the same as receiving the message, having a plan to do something when you receive the message and then the ability to implement that plan.”
During a news conference on Monday, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said staff at some of the summer camps on the Guadalupe were monitoring the rising river at 3:30 a.m. on the day of the flood and managed to move campers to higher ground.
Asked by reporters why mandatory evacuations were not issued by the city or county, Rice said, “Evacuations are a delicate balance because if you evacuate too late, you then risk putting buses, or cars, or vehicles, or campers on roads … trying to get them out, which can make it more challenging because these flash floods happen very quickly.”
When pressed on why evacuations were not announced far in advance of the storm, Rice added, “It’s like disasters in Texas everywhere — it’s very tough to make those calls because what we also don’t want to do is cry wolf.”
(MILWAUKEE) — A federal magistrate judge in Wisconsin has recommended that the case against a Milwaukee judge accused of helping an undocumented man evade arrest by immigration authorities not be dismissed.
Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, was arrested in April and charged in a two-count federal indictment alleging that she knowingly concealed a person sought for arrest by immigration authorities and for obstruction of official Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings.
Lawyers for Dugan, in part citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in President Donald Trump’s immunity case, have argued she has judicial immunity for official acts and that her prosecution is unconstitutional.
Late Monday — in a non-binding decision — U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph issued a 37-page report and recommendation, reaching the conclusion that there is no shield from prosecution in this case.
The recommendation will be presented to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who will make the final decision on the motion.
“It is well-established and undisputed that judges have absolute immunity from civil lawsuits for monetary damages when engaging in judicial acts,” the magistrate judge wrote in her decision. “This, however, is not a civil case. And review of the case law does not show an extension of this established doctrine to the criminal context. Accordingly, I recommend that Dugan’s motion to dismiss the indictment on judicial immunity grounds be denied.”
Joseph noted that while many of Dugan’s alleged actions could arguably be considered judicial acts, that does not mean prosecution is barred “where the indictment alleges that the acts were done ‘corruptly’ or to facilitate a violation of the criminal law.”
“What matters is whether the judge, even in performing her official duties, is accused of committing a crime,” Joseph wrote.
According to federal prosecutors, Dugan encountered federal agents in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on April 18, who were there to arrest an undocumented man appearing in her courtroom on a battery charge.
According to prosecutors, after speaking to the agents, Dugan directed them to the chief judge’s down the hall and then sent the man and his attorney out a non-public door in an alleged attempt, authorities claim, to help him evade arrest on immigration violations.
The man was later arrested.
The magistrate judge also recommended that Dugan’s motion to dismiss the case based on the contention that her prosecution violates the 10th Amendment’s separation of powers be denied.
The magistrate stressed that her recommendation is not a ruling on the merits of the case or on facts disputed by the parties.
“Dugan is presumed innocent, and innocent she remains, unless and until the government proves the allegations against her beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury at trial,” Joseph wrote.
The parties in the case have 14 days to file any written objections to Joseph’s report and recommendation.
“We are disappointed in the magistrate judge’s non-binding recommendation, and we will appeal it,” one of Dugan’s attorney Steven Biskupic said in a statement to the Associated Press. “This is only one step in what we expect will be a long journey to preserve the independence and integrity of our courts.”
Dugan has pleaded not guilty to the federal indictment. The case had been set for trial for July 21, but was pushed back until the immunity issue was settled. A new trial date has not been set.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan in the wake of her arrest, stating in an order that it found it was “in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties.”
(ALVARADO, Texas) — State and federal officials announced on Monday that 10 people were arrested for engaging in a “planned ambush” on an ICE detention facility in Texas over the Fourth of July holiday.
The individuals were charged with attempted murder of a federal officer, according to court records.
The incident occurred at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, on Friday, according to Nancy Larson, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
At approximately 10:37 p.m., 10 to 12 individuals dressed in black, military-style clothing began shooting fireworks and engaging in acts of vandalism at the facility, Larson said during a press conference.
Larson said the incident “was a planned ambush with the intent to kill ICE corrections officers.”
Some individuals drew correction officers out of the facility using the fireworks while others damaged vehicles and vandalized the facility with graffiti, Larson said.
When an Alvarado police officer arrived on the scene, one of the individuals shot him in the neck. Another individual shot 20 to 30 rounds at the facility correction officers, according to Larson.
All assailants fled the scene, though all have since been apprehended, the U.S. attorney said.
Bradford Morris, who goes by Megan, was one of the suspects that allegedly fled the scene, according to court records. He was stopped a short while later, with a magazine clip and Kevlar vests.
Morris allegedly told police that he met some people online who wanted to “make a little noise” at the detention center, according to court records.
Law enforcement found 12 sets of body armor, spray paint, a flag saying “resist fascism, fight oligarchy,” flyers saying “fight ice terror with class war free all political prisoners,” more fireworks, weapons and cell phones across multiple searches over the weekend.
Police also found two AR-15s nearby, according to court records.
No employees at the Prairieland Detention Facility were harmed during the shooting incident and the officer who was shot is expected to recover, according to Josh Johnson, the acting field office director for ERO Dallas.
The U.S. attorney’s office has charged the individuals with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer, and each of the suspects is also charged with three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
The FBI is working alongside local and state law enforcement on this investigation.
(FAIRFIELD, Idaho) — A possible sighting of Travis Decker — the dad accused of murdering his three daughters over a month ago — is being investigated in the wake of a family saying they may have spotted the fugitive father in Idaho late last week, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, Washington, on June 2, after they left home for a planned visit with their father on May 30, according to police.
It’s been over one month since the girls’ bodies were found, and the manhunt for Decker, an Army veteran, continues.
On Saturday, the U.S. Marshals Service received a tip from a family camping in the Bear Creek area of Sawtooth National Forest — about 32 miles north of Fairfield, Idaho — saying they saw someone “consistent with the description of Travis Decker,” the U.S. Marshals Service said in a press release on Sunday.
The person was described as a white male, anywhere from 5 feet, 8 inches tall to 5 feet, 10 inches tall, wearing a black mesh cap, black gauged earrings, a cream colored T-shirt, black shorts, low-top sneakers and a black Garmin-style watch, officials said. He also had a long ponytail, an “overgrown” beard and mustache and was carrying a black JanSport backpack, officials said.
The U.S. Marshals Greater Idaho Fugitive Task Force, a statewide cooperative to “locate and arrest violent state and federal fugitives,” will investigate the possible sighting, with the help of local Idaho officials.
The U.S. Marshals Service is also still offering a $20,000 reward for information leading directly to Decker’s arrest.
“This suspect should be considered armed and dangerous,” the U.S. Marshals Service said on July 3.
Last week, officials revealed that bloody handprints found on the tailgate of Decker’s truck — which was found near the girls’ bodies — matched the father’s DNA profile.
Chelan County officials said last week that drones and cadaver and tracking dogs are continuing to be used in the search efforts. The National Park Service is also planning to send out “swift water search and rescue teams in the near future to conduct more searches of bodies of water around the crime scene,” officials said.
An affidavit previously revealed that Decker’s Google searches leading up to the murders allegedly included “how does a person move to Canada” and “how to relocate to Canada.”
Decker is currently wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of kidnapping, police said.
Officials said anyone who has any information on Decker or knows of his whereabouts should not attempt to contact him, but instead call 911 or the U.S. Marshals Communication Center immediately.
(NEW YORK) — The catastrophic flash floods in Texas have left communities reeling, claiming at least 90 lives and displacing families across the Hill Country. As recovery operations continue, safety concerns have intensified — not just for the current disaster but for how future flash flood events will be managed.
Officials say the tragedy has spotlighted confusion surrounding how disasters are categorized and managed, particularly around terms like response, rescue and recovery. Understanding these distinctions is essential to grasping how emergency teams work during such events.
How disaster response is organized
In the U.S., large-scale disaster management follows a tiered structure called the Incident Command System (ICS). This well-established framework is designed to ensure consistent coordination during crises, whether it’s a terrorist attack like 9/11, a major hurricane like Katrina, or the devastating floods currently hitting Texas.
Under ICS, the response is managed at local, state and federal levels. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott emphasized that all three tiers are currently active in the flood response, with resources being shared across jurisdictions. The terminology used under ICS is standardized, helping ensure that all agencies involved are aligned in their actions and goals.
As of this week, Abbott extended the state’s disaster declaration to cover 15 counties, while President Donald Trump approved a federal disaster declaration for Kerr County, one of the hardest-hit areas.
Response vs. Rescue vs. Recovery
Disaster operations follow a general pattern: response, then rescue, then recovery.
The Response Phase begins when the ICS is activated. This involves setting up an Emergency Operations Center and appointing an incident commander to coordinate efforts across all agencies.
The Rescue Phase prioritizes saving lives. In an event like the Texas floods, it would typically include: – Land-based search teams using GPS grid searches. – K9 search-and-rescue dogs. – Boat and helicopter rescues carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard and Texas National Guard. – A U.S. military “Reaper” drone providing aerial surveillance to guide rescue teams.
Importantly, the safety of responders is a top priority — ensuring they don’t become additional victims.
A family reunification process is also underway to help reconnect loved ones affected by the flooding.
Eventually, operations will shift to the Recovery Phase, which focuses on finding those still missing and restoring the devastated infrastructure. Abbott said that this transition in Texas will not happen until all missing people are accounted for. For comparison, after 9/11, the shift from rescue to recovery at Ground Zero occurred around 24 to 48 hours post-impact.
Investigations and mental health support
Due to the tragic loss of life, evidence recovery is now part of the process. Investigators may need to conduct forensic or criminal inquests to determine the cause of deaths and evaluate any liability.
Mental health support teams are already in place. The trauma of such a disaster affects victims, families and even the rescuers. Crisis counselors, FBI and state victim support specialists and grief support services should be available and will be a key part of the long-term response.
The long road ahead
Recovery will include debris removal, damage assessments and rebuilding efforts — a difficult road that will require extensive state and federal support.
Meanwhile, officials are urging all Texans to be vigilant and prepared for future weather emergencies.
What to do in a flash flood
If you’re in a flood-prone area, here are key safety tips:
– Always be weather aware and monitor alerts. – Leave early if conditions deteriorate. – Have an emergency kit and communication plan. – Seek high ground immediately when flooding is imminent.
Several resources can help you stay informed:
– FEMA Mobile App — Provides real-time alerts and shelter information. – Weather alert apps — Multiple are available for download and can offer advanced warnings.
For all types of disasters, meteorologists say that it’s important to have at least two ways of receiving important weather alerts. Your phone should have the Emergency Alert System activated, but you’ll also need a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather radio because it does not require cell service or electricity to operate.
“I really believe every person in the country should have a NOAA weather radio,” ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee said. “This is battery powered and will wake you from a dead sleep. The timely warnings from NWS that night can be programmed to go off and would wake folks and give them at least a few minutes, if not longer, to seek higher ground.”
How you can help
The American Red Cross is one of several organizations assisting with victim support, shelter and supplies.
Donald J. Mihalek is an ABC News contributor, retired senior Secret Service who served on the president’s detail and as an NSSE coordinator for UNGA contingency operations. He was also a police officer and served in the U.S. Coast Guard helping coordinate search and rescue operations.
Richard Frankel is an ABC News contributor and retired FBI special agent who was the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark Division and, prior to that, the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism TASK force. He was involved in the investigation and recovery efforts of TWA Flight 800, the 9/11 attacks and the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Kenya.
The opinions expressed in this story are not those of ABC News.
