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Small towns and rural enclaves along the path of April's total solar eclipse are steeling for huge crowds of sun chasers who plan to catch a glimpse of day turning into dusk in North America. Look no further back than the last U.S. total solar eclipse in 2017 to understand the concern, said Tom Traub, who is part of NASA's eclipse ambassador program. “You had gas stations running out of gas," said Traub, who also serves on the board that runs the Martz-Kohl Observatory near Frewsburg, New York. "And hopefully that won’t be the case.”CELLPHONES MIGHT NOT WORKIn central Texas, emergency officials in Hays County recommend a "solar eclipse survival bag” stocked with items including a mobile phone and charger. And with all the extra traffic, there also will likely be more crash injuries, said Raetzke.

Persons: Kan, Tom Traub, “, Traub, ”, Lyndon, ” Rob Kelly, Mike DeWine, Dan Serafin, Katrina Amos, ’ ”, Amos, Brad Raetzke, Chris Temple Organizations: —, Tourism, National Guard, Martz, Kohl, Johnson, Historical, Texas, “, Food, Coast Guard Locations: North America, Texas, Maine, Oklahoma, Texas , Indiana , Ohio, New York , Pennsylvania, Vermont, U.S, Beatrice , Nebraska, Frewsburg , New York, Hays County, Austin, Kerr, San Antonio, Ohio, Erie , Pennsylvania, Cape Girardeau , Missouri, Mississippi, Lake Erie, it's, Columbus , Ohio, Nashville , Tennessee, Erie

☆ The Department of Homeland Security Is Embracing A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Cecilia Kang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Department of Homeland Security has seen the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence firsthand. It found a trafficking victim years later using an A.I. But it has also been tricked into investigations by deep fake images created by A.I. Now, the department is becoming the first federal agency to embrace the technology with a plan to incorporate generative A.I. “One cannot ignore it,” Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in an interview.

Persons: ” Alejandro Mayorkas, ” Organizations: of Homeland Security, Department of Homeland Security

Congress has until Friday at midnight to pass six major spending bills to avert a partial government shutdown. Six spending bills that cover roughly three-quarters of all federal discretionary spending are at stake:– Defense: Includes funding for nearly all military-related activities. – State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs: Includes funding for U.S. diplomatic activities, cultural exchanges, development and humanitarian assistance. As of Monday morning, appropriators had yet to release any of the six funding bills they’ll need to pass. The stalemate comes in the wake of Republicans killing the bipartisan Senate border deal last month.

Persons: appropriators, they’re Organizations: –, – Financial Services, General Government, Department of, Treasury, of Columbia, – Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coast Guard, Customs, Immigration Services, Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, Centers for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration, Social Security, National Labor Relations Board, Senate, U.S . Capitol Police, of Congress, Foreign, House Republican, White House, Department of Homeland Security Locations: U.S, – State

☆ Chicago Begins Evicting Migrants From Shelters, Citing Strain on Resources
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Miriam Jordan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Chicago officials on Sunday began evicting some migrants from shelters, joining other cities that have made similar moves to ease pressure on overstretched resources. Out of the nearly 11,000 migrants living in 23 homeless shelters in Chicago, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, a fraction — 34 single adults — were required to leave on Sunday. They will be determined on a case-by-case basis, city officials said, for pregnant women, people with certain medical issues and migrants who are already in the process of securing housing. Families with children can receive renewable 30-day extensions. And many families with children may be forced to exit the shelter network altogether by the summer.

Organizations: Sunday, Emergency Management, Communications Locations: Chicago

As of Thursday night, two tornado reports had been made in Indiana and five in Ohio, according to the Storm Prediction Center. More than 10,000 homes and businesses in Indiana and nearly 37,000 in Ohio were without power late Thursday night, according to PowerOutage.us. In Winchester, Indiana, state police were helping with search and rescue efforts after a tornado likely struck the area, and temporary shelters have been set up for residents, agency spokesperson Sgt. State police Superintendent Doug Carter described the storm in Winchester as a “terrible, terrible event” with many reports of significant injuries. The tornado reports in Indiana and Ohio came as a system of strong thunderstorms swept across parts of the central and eastern US on Thursday.

Persons: CNN —, Injuries, wouldn’t, Scott Keegan, Doug Carter, Carter, “, ”, Mary Rutan, David Crissman, Crissman, Alena Roberts, Mike Robbins, Robbins, CNN’s Taylor Ward, Raja Razek, Andy Rose, Jamiel Lynch, Jason Hanna Organizations: CNN, Storm Prediction, Authorities, Emergency Management Agency, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service, Mary Locations: Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Winchester , Indiana, Winchester, Selma , Indiana, Delaware, Ohio’s Auglaize, Logan, Wilmington , Ohio, Ohio’s Logan County, Indian Lake, Lakeview, Logan County, Bellefontaine, Parts, Mercer, Celina, Indiana and Ohio, Oklahoma , Arkansas, Missouri

☆ A devastating fried chicken shop explosion in China has killed 7 people and injured 27 others, the authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The intense blast seized national attention in China and drew controversy when frontline staff blocked local reporters. AdvertisementA suspected gas leak explosion in a fried chicken store has killed seven people and injured 27 others in Yanjiao, a town just east of Beijing, state media and authorities said on Thursday morning local time. Another state media reporter, Xu Mengzhe, was seen physically struggling with a group of policemen who surrounded her and two colleagues. She wore a jacket with a logo for China Media Group, a state-owned broadcasting company. "They must not control public opinion, simply and crudely obstructing media reporters from performing their duties," the association said.

Persons: —, VCG, Ng Han Guan, Yang, Xu Mengzhe, Xu, Zhong Ming Organizations: Service, Getty Images, Emergency Management Bureau, Business, Authorities, Firefighters, China Media Group, China Journalists Association Locations: Yanjiao, China, Beijing

HONOLULU (AP) — Local officials in Hawaii next month plan to open an office that will speed up Maui County's notoriously slow processing of building permits to help the town of Lahaina to recover from last year's deadly wildfire. The new permitting center will help private developers building five separate projects with a combined total of more than 500 housing units. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is building 169 temporary housing units for displaced residents and is renting 1,300 units from landlords. The state of Hawaii is building about 450 temporary housing units, including 270 that will be ready by July or August. The state's temporary units are expected to be used for three to five years.

Persons: Keanu Lau Hee, Lau Hee, “, ” Organizations: —, Maui, University of Hawaii, Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: HONOLULU, Hawaii, Lahaina, we’re, Maui County

☆ Second largest wildfire in Texas history has scorched 850,000 acres
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Joe Sutton | Steve Almasy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A satellite image shows Fritch, Texas in August 2023. Maxar Technologies Satellite images show homes in Fritch, Texas, before the wildfire (in August 2023), and after (on Wednesday). Maxar Technologies Satellite images show homes in Fritch, Texas, before the fire (in August 2023), and after (on Wednesday). A sudden shift of wind direction in the Texas panhandle this week contributed to the explosion in size of the Smokehouse Creek wildfire. Latest developments* The Smokehouse Creek Fire grew from 500,000 acres to 850,000 on Wednesday, according to fire officials.

Persons: Joyce Blankenship, Fritch, ” Frank Probst, ”, “, Adam Turner, Snow, Andy Holloway, Greg Abbott, Kevin Stitt, ” Hutchinson, Tyler McCain, Fritch’s, McCain, Addison, Addison can’t, ” McCain, Windy Deuce, Probst, CNN’s Caroll Alvarado, Amanada Jackson, Monica Garrett, Sharif Paget, Sara Tonks, Lucy Kafanov, Andi Babineau Organizations: CNN, Maxar, M Forest Service, AgriLife, Texas, Oklahoma Gov, Amarillo National Bank, Panhandle Disaster Relief Locations: Texas, Rhode, state’s, Oklahoma, Stinnett ., , Texas, Fritch , Texas, Hemphill, Hemphill County, Canadian, Amarillo, Amarillo ., Hutchinson County, Stinnett, Borger, Fritch

☆ These are the 10 U.S. cities with the best quality of life—none are in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. News and World Report recently released its annual ranking of U.S. cities with the best quality of life. Cities were ranked based on the following factors:Crime RatesQuality of EducationWell-beingCommuter IndexQuality and availability of healthcareAir quality indexFederal Emergency Management AgencyData from a March 2023 public survey was used to rank the cities, the report notes. While Florida is synonymous with retirement, not a single city in the Sunshine State ranked in the top 10, according to the U.S. News and World Report.

Organizations: . News, Emergency Management Agency, Sunshine State, U.S . News Locations: Florida

☆ What AT&T got right and wrong communicating to its customers during the outage
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Samantha Delouya | Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The company didn’t publicly acknowledge the outage until it first posted on its site about the outage at 11:15 am ET. Reports on outage tracking service Downdetector showed the network initially went down more than seven hours earlier: Reyes said he experienced the outage starting at 3:50 am ET. AT&T posted just once on X about the outage, pointing customers seeking more information to a faulty link. For many AT&T customers, the network outage was far more than an inconvenience. A "No Service" message is seen on an iPhone in Atlanta during an AT&T outage on February 22.

Persons: CNN —, Damián Reyes, ”, “, I’m, Reyes, Uber, didn’t, Reyes ’, ” Reyes, Mojtaba, John Breyault, Brook Joyner, CNN Breyault, Catherine Thorbecke, Clare Duffy Organizations: CNN, Mobile, T’s Twitter, Villanova University, Wireless Networking Laboratory, National Consumers League, San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management Locations: Jacksonville , Florida, Atlanta

☆ A flood insurance quirk makes basements a bad place to keep your stuff
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The problem is: If your basement floods, your flood insurance policy likely won't cover damages to most — if any — of your belongings. What is flood insurance? To that point, 99% of U.S. counties have experienced a flood since 1998 — and more than 40% of flood insurance claims are from outside high-risk flood areas, according to FEMA. Most people who have flood insurance get it through the federal government, via FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, experts said. Consumers concerned about flood risk and insurance coverage should consider not putting their stuff in a basement, if possible, Kochenburger said.

Persons: Johnson, Jessica Rinaldi, Peter Kochenburger, Eric Thayer, Kochenburger, NFIP, Don Griffin, it'd, Griffin, Policyholders Organizations: Boston Globe, Getty, Southern University Law Center, Insurance, FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Flood Insurance, Bloomberg, Consumers, American, Casualty Insurance Association, Census, Southern University Law Locations: Vermont, United States, U.S, Whittier , California, freezers

☆ Tobago's Tourism, Fishing Hit as Oil Slick Spreads Across Caribbean
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The spill has spread miles from Tobago's shore, the area first impacted by the incident, leading authorities to alert its Caribbean neighbors, including Venezuela and the island of Grenada. I cannot simply sit down and do nothing," said Edwin Ramkisson, who makes a living fishing for snapper and salmon in Lowlands, on Tobago's Atlantic shore. The slick has reached about 144 kilometers (89 miles) into the Caribbean Sea and is moving at a rate of 14 km per hour, Tobago's Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said on Thursday. The barge is believed to have carried as much as 35,000 barrels of fuel oil, according to Augustine. The spill has stained Tobago's beaches, impacting wildlife and tourism, and has posed a risk to the Scarborough cruise ship port.

Persons: Curtis Williams, Edwin Ramkisson, Farley Augustine, Augustine, Tobago's Emergency Management Agency Allan Stewart, TankerTrackers.com, Marianna Parraga, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Tobago's Coast Guard, Tobago's Emergency Management Agency, Puerto La Locations: Curtis Williams SCARBOROUGH , Tobago, Trinidad, Tobago's, Venezuela, Grenada, Lowlands, Scarborough, Tobago, Panama, Guyana, Puerto, Puerto La Cruz, St, Vincent, Grenadines

EVANSVILLE, Wis. (AP) — The first tornadoes ever recorded in Wisconsin in the usually frigid month of February caused more than $2.4 million in damage, officials said Wednesday. The tornadoes that ripped through Rock County on Feb. 8 killed some cattle and hit 30 homes, officials said. One confirmed tornado near Evansville was a “high end” F2, the weather service said. Those tornadoes are described as “significant,” with winds in this particular twister topping out at 135 mph (220 kph). The tornadoes were the first Wisconsin has experienced during the month of February since at least 1950, when records started being kept.

Persons: Kevin Wernet Organizations: Rock County Emergency Management Locations: EVANSVILLE, Wis, Wisconsin, Rock County, Porter, Fulton, Evansville, Juda

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California cities and counties still don't know how much they'll have to pay for Gov. Gavin Newsom's pandemic program to house homeless people in hotel rooms after the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in October that it was limiting the number of days eligible for reimbursement. Homeless advocates heralded it as a novel way to safeguard residents who could not stay at home to reduce virus transmission. FEMA agreed to pay 75% of the cost, later increasing that to full reimbursement. Robert J. Fenton, the regional administrator for California who wrote the October letter, told CalMatters, which was first to report on the discrepancy last week, that the policy was not new.

Persons: Newsom's, —, Gavin Newsom, ” Newsom, Robert J, Fenton, CalMatters, ”, Brian Ferguson, Cal OES Organizations: FRANCISCO, —, Gov, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Emergency Services, Associated Press, Cal Locations: — California, California

☆ Renters are most exposed to climate hazards in these two states, a Harvard study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Jodi Jacobson | E+ | Getty ImagesMore than 18 million rental units are located in areas exposed to extreme weather hazards, according to the American Rental Housing Report from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. While most states have at least one "high-risk" county with 2,000 or more rental units, many are concentrated in California and Florida. How many rentals are at risk in California and FloridaHarvard researchers found the number of rental units exposed to climate hazards in the U.S. by combining an area's risk of economic loss from natural disasters with the number of rental units in those areas, Wedeen said. Florida, for example, has many rental units as well as census tracts, or neighborhoods, that FEMA identified as having at least moderate risk, Wedeen said. Florida has 2.4 million rental units at risk, or about 89% of its rental stock, according to the Harvard study.

Persons: Jodi Jacobson, Sophia Wedeen, Wedeen Organizations: American, Harvard University's, for Housing Studies, Federal Emergency Management, Survey, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Florida Harvard, FEMA, Finance, Harvard Locations: California, Florida, Harvard, U.S

Outside, the tornado had turned the farm’s 103-year-old barn to rubble and strewn debris across the fields for hundreds of yards. Patterson, the meteorologist, said the storm was like ones typically seen in Wisconsin in the late spring and summer. That comes after a 2018 study found that tornadoes were moving farther east, into states like Wisconsin. Conditions collided in Wisconsin late afternoon on Thursday creating the perfect conditions for tornadoes to form, Patterson said. Photos and video shot near Evansville, Wisconsin, that were posted on social media show a tornado with lightning flashing around it.

Persons: Taylor Patterson, Connie Arndt, ”, “, Matt Artis, Artis, ” Hunter Oller, Patterson, El, Dan Wagner, Andy, couldn’t, Andy Wagner, Carrie Antlfinger, Bauer, Brodhead Organizations: National Weather Service, Local, Atmospheric Administration, El Nino, Artis, Associated Press Locations: EVANSVILLE, Wis, Wisconsin, Madison, Iowa, Milwaukee, Evansville, family’s, Porter, Brodhead , Wisconsin, Magnolia, Washington, New Mexico, Upper Midwest, Maine, Evansville , Wisconsin

NEW YORK (AP) — A Brooklyn woman who pleaded guilty to fraud in connection with various pandemic-era relief schemes was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation and $650,000 in penalties. Prosecutors said Chanette Lewis, 32, carried out some of the schemes by leveraging her job at a call center, part of a New York program meant to provide health care workers with isolation rooms in hotels. They said she provided free hotel rooms to people she knew weren’t eligible health care workers or COVID-19 patients, including herself. I thank New York City Emergency Management for reporting this matter," New York Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said in a statement. Lewis was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to forfeit $290,000 and pay another $360,000 in penalties.

Persons: Prosecutors, Chanette Lewis, “, Jocelyn Strauber, Lewis Organizations: Brooklyn, New, New York City Emergency Management, New York Department of, U.S, Attorney, Southern, of, Facebook, Department, Associated Press Locations: York, New York City, U.S, New York, of New York

Nearly half of all flash flood deaths are vehicle-related, experts say, which is why you should never drive into a flooded street. Here’s what to do in advance — and in the moment — to get through a flash flood safely. A “flash flood warning” means a flash flood is imminent or already occurring, and you should immediately move to higher ground if you’re outside or in a basement apartment. The most dire alert is a “flash flood emergency,” which indicates that not only is flooding occurring, but it’s posing a severe threat to human life. “People need to realize that most people who lose their footing in a flash flood don’t get out,” she said.

Persons: there’s, ”, Bonnie Schneider, Schneider, it’s, Hurricane Ida, You’ll, Ready.gov, David Markenson, ‘ It’s, Sabine Marx, I’m, Julie Munger, Munger, “, Dr, Markenson, you’re, don’t, they’re, Ms, Lynn Burttschell, Burttschell, Eugene Resnick, ’, ” Susan Shain Organizations: National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cross Training Services, Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Sierra Rescue, FEMA, Wimberley, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York Times Locations: United States, New York City, New York, Madison, Wis

Albertson Bryan, adding that it will provide equitable educational opportunities for students on St. John. Whistling Cay has a guardhouse that colonial-era officials used to scan waters for slaves escaping from St. John to the nearby island of Tortola. St. John was part of the Danish West Indies, where slavery ended in 1848. Meanwhile, Tortola is part of the British Virgin Islands, which abolished slavery in 1834. Currently, public high school students living on St. John have to take a ferry to the neighboring island of St. Thomas.

Persons: John, ”, Albertson Bryan, Thomas . Organizations: JUAN, U.S . Virgin, U.S . National, Service, St, Danish, British Virgin Islands, U.S . Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: Puerto Rico, U.S, St, Whistling, Tortola, Danish West Indies, British Virgin

☆ The vast majority of California flood victims’ losses won’t be covered by insurance
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Story highlights Less than 1% of homes in the affected area have flood insurance LA has over 10 million residents but fewer than 15,000 flood insurance policies Federal flood insurance covers $250,000 worth of damageThe typical homeowners’ policy won’t cover loss from flood damage. That is covered by the National Flood Insurance Program, a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Even some of those with flood insurance could find their policies won’t cover all of their losses. Homeowners can buy excess flood insurance coverage to match the limits of coverage on their homeowners policies, but many do not bother to do so. The NFIP estimates that more than 40% of NFIP flood insurance claims come from outside the high-risk flood zones.

Persons: Lee Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Flood Insurance, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Southern, Bureau, Fort Myers, Homeowners Locations: New York, California, Florida, Southern California, Angeles County, Lee County , Florida, Fort, United States

They propose a sixth category for storms with winds that exceed 192 miles per hour (309 kilometers per hour). Currently, storms with winds of 157 mph (252 kilometers per hour) or higher are Category 5. From time to time, experts have proposed a Category 6, especially since Typhoon Haiyan reached 195 mph wind speeds (315 kilometers per hour) over the open Pacific. Wehner said that as temperatures rise, the number of days with conditions ripe for potential Category 6 storms in the Gulf of Mexico will grow. “Perhaps I'll change my tune when a rapidly intensifying storm in the Gulf achieves a Category 6,” Corbosiero said in an email.

Persons: Michael Wehner, Brian McNoldy, Haiyan, Patricia, ”, Jim Kossin, Kossin, Wehner, Kerry Emanuel, Jamie Rhome, Simpson, McNoldy, Craig Fugate, Kristen Corbosiero, ” Corbosiero, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: National Academy of Sciences, Associated Press, Lawrence Berkley National, University of Miami, dateline, NOAA, First Street Foundation . Pacific, MIT, National Hurricane Center, Emergency Management, University of Albany Locations: Philippines, Gulf of Mexico, United States, Australia, Jalisco, Mexico, Taiwan, China, Asia, Russia, of Mexico, Caribbean, Gulf, AP.org

☆ Atmospheric River Drenches California, With More Storms on the Way
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jill Cowan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A powerful storm known as an atmospheric river swept over California on Thursday, soaking the state with rain and leaving a trail of damage that has become familiar to residents in recent years: fallen trees, flooded roads and snarled travel. Though the storm was not expected to cause the kind of chaos that was sown by a succession of atmospheric rivers last winter, forecasters and officials urged Californians to stay alert and be ready for an even larger tempest arriving over the weekend. “We are in full preparation mode,” said Jackie Ruiz, a spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management. “We’re definitely encouraging people to stay local, hunker down and if there’s no urgent need to be on the road, stay off the road.”Communities in Santa Barbara County, tucked between the mountains and the sea, are especially vulnerable to flooding and mudslides. But meteorologists said that significant rainfall from the back-to-back storms was likely to affect almost the whole state.

Persons: ”, Jackie Ruiz, “ We’re Organizations: Santa, Santa Barbara County, Emergency Management Locations: California, Santa Barbara, ”

Greg Abbott's escalating feud with the Biden administration over immigration enforcement, some governors are considering deploying National Guard members to the border — again. Republicans say tougher actions along the border are needed in response to record levels of illegal crossings, but sending guard members to the border is not new. DeSantis is one of more than a dozen Republican governors who have sent state National Guard units to the southern border since 2021. Here's what to know about National Guard on the border to date:Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesWHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE TEXAS BORDER? During a rushed deployment of Texas National Guard members at the start of the mission, some also complained of low morale and uneventful patrols.

Persons: Greg Abbott's, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Abbott, Kristi Noem, Brad Little, Joe Biden, Kim Reynolds, Maura Healey, Sean Murphy, Julie Carr Smyth, Gary Robertson, Hannah Fingerhut, Michael Schneider Organizations: —, Texas Gov, National Guard, Florida Gov, U.S, Border Patrol, Texas, Shelby, Texas National Guard, Supreme, WHO, Florida Division, Emergency Management, West Virginia ., West Virginia . South Dakota GOP Gov, Idaho Gov, Lone Star, Iowa Gov, Guard, GUARD, Democratic Gov, Operation Lone Star, Associated Press Locations: AUSTIN, Texas, Florida, Eagle, TEXAS, U.S, Mexico, Shelby Park . Texas, Rio, Arkansas , Oklahoma , Nebraska, Virginia, West Virginia, West Virginia . South, Abbott’s, Dakota, In Massachusetts, Oklahoma City, Columbus , Ohio, Raleigh , North Carolina, Des Moines , Iowa, Orlando , Florida

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will visit the eastern Ohio community that was devastated by a fiery train derailment in February 2023 that displaced thousands of residents and left many fearing potential health effects from the toxic chemicals that spilled when a Norfolk Southern train went off the tracks. A White House official said Wednesday that Biden will visit East Palestine in February, a year after the derailment. The absence of a visit by Biden had become a subject of persistent questioning at the White House, as well as among residents in East Palestine. The Biden administration defended its response right after the toxic freight train derailment, even as local leaders and members of Congress demanded that more be done. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesAsked last week about a potential Biden visit to Ohio, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she had nothing to announce.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, “, Biden didn't, Karine Jean, Pierre, ”, ” Jean Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, Democratic, Environmental Protection Agency, National Transportation Safety, Biden, Norfolk Southern, Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: Ohio, Norfolk Southern, Palestine, Pennsylvania, East Palestine, Maui, Florida, East Palestine , Ohio

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