The bill was introduced last year to address the public’s right to know after a derailment that sent three locomotives and six rail cars off the tracks, including two carrying hazardous materials.
Another separate investigation is ongoing by the Maui Fire Department and the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into what started the fire and where it began.
It was a cooperative effort between first responders in Britt, Iowa, and the community, including the local funeral homes for use of a casket to help emphasize how quickly life-changing events can happen.
After a lengthy grant approval process, delayed by the COVID pandemic, Old Lyme, Conn., has been awarded $708,000 from FEMA to help build the “white box” while the town will furnish equipment, furniture, and fixtures.
Hundreds of schools and day care centers were closed statewide. The storm closed town offices, public libraries and community centers and knocked out power to more than 175,000 households during its peak.
Seattle Fire Department has seen a more than 50 percent increase since 2016 in vehicles being pulled from service because of breakdowns or malfunctions. It has lengthened the timelines of emergency response.
The 22-person Indian crew aboard the cardo ship, the Dali, which was involved in an accident in Belgian waters eight years ago, had set off on a 28-day voyage to Sri Lanka after spending the weekend in Baltimore.
"I saw firsthand the destruction and deadly impact these storms had, I know our communities deserve federal assistance. FEMA's methods and formulas for determining aid are clearly flawed and require re-evaluation."
Some residents are still experiencing symptoms months after the derailment. “Sometimes it comes on, and my mouth hurts, my teeth hurt, my tongue swells. It’s like, ‘Oh, something was disturbed today.'"
FEMA's Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency. FEMA has provided more than $2.8 Billion to Massachusetts so far.
