Preparedness

In the Bay Area, two of the largest city fire departments are stretched, raising questions about their ability to protect against wind-driven infernos like the fires that continue to burn in and around Los Angeles.

Residents who lived in the west side of Altadena did not receive an evacuation order until 3:25 a.m., which was hours after the fires first began to burn through their neighborhoods.

A new University of Washington center is seeking to fill a training void for frontline responders in fire departments, better equipping them to respond to mental health and substance use calls.

Allen Media, owner of the Weather Channel, has created a new hub for its 28 local TV stations nationwide, centralizing weather forecasting from its Atlanta headquarters.

In preparation for another round of cold weather, Houston opened 10 warming centers Sunday night with some Harris County precincts and Fort Bend County officials also announcing warming centers.

Months before thousands of Los Angeles homes went up in flames, property insurance companies dropped coverage in many neighborhoods, citing the growing wildfire risks caused by climate change.

An app built on a ranch in rural Sonoma County, supported by solar panels, satellite Internet and a small nonprofit team, is a critical tech hub for free and reliable info about the Los Angeles fires.

One historian says that Michigan’s Great Fire of 1881 in some ways still burns, offering lessons about how to prevent future fires as drought and other conditions make blazes more likely.

Emergency responders in the county are continuing to undergo a four-hour crisis intervention training course, and they say that they are learning useful techniques from the scenario-based exercises.

Gov. Brian Kemp has issued a state of emergency ahead of severe winter weather expected to arrive overnight into Friday in metropolitan Atlanta. Agencies are mindful of 2014’s epic snowfall.

With the National Weather Service predicting two to four inches of snow or sleet for the Atlanta area Friday, state and local agencies are preparing, having been educated by the infamous January 2014 storm.

As fires in Los Angeles County continue to burn, interest is piquing in the app run by a nonprofit in Northern California. Launched in 2021, it aggregates several relevant data streams and had 7.2 million users at year’s end.

Upstate South Carolina will potentially be blasted by a winter storm expected to arrive Friday after sunset, and so various government agencies and Duke Energy are preparing as best they can.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has declared a state of emergency for all 55 West Virginia counties due to a winter storm that hit the state, leaving roads icy and thousands without electricity.

Authorities expanded the police presence outside the Eagles game Sunday, seeking to reassure fans that it's safe to attend big events in the aftermath of the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans.

Increased law enforcement presence continued across Las Vegas on Thursday, a day after a Tesla Cybertruck carrying fuel and commercial fireworks exploded outside the Trump International Hotel.

The regional 911 communications system is moving forward with a long-anticipated goal to occupy a new facility, regardless of whether the city of Spokane comes along.

The union representing state employees has demanded better conditions and higher staff counts for Gov. Wes Moore’s executive agencies — particularly the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.