"U.S. President Donald Trump asked Congress on Tuesday for a loan of $4.9 billion to help the cash-strapped Puerto Rican government pay urgent bills as the U.S. territory struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria, an administration official said."
"Raleigh, N.C. — Maps released by Duke Energy late last week reveal for the first time that nearly 300 individual structures – homes, businesses and town infrastructure – could be in danger of flooding as a result of dam failures at the energy firm's coal ash pits scattered across the state."
"Firefighters battling wildfires in California’s wine country face the prospect of new outbreaks when dry, windy conditions return on Wednesday to an area where at least 17 people have been killed and 2,000 homes and businesses destroyed in blazes."
"Congress is beginning to consider how to overhaul the flood insurance plan that many Texans are relying on to rebuild after Hurricane Harvey."
"Dry conditions and gusting winds fueled a deadly outbreak of wildfires in California that quickly exploded through thousands of acres of forest and residential neighborhoods, killing at least 11, injuring over 100 and destroying some 1,500 structures while scorching nearly 100,000 acres of land."
"It took extreme measures to save the zoo’s last survivors from one of the world’s most dangerous war zones."
"As of Wednesday, half of Puerto Ricans had access to drinking water and 5 percent of the island had electricity, according to statistics published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on its Web page documenting the federal response to Hurricane Maria. By Thursday morning, both of those key metrics were no longer on the Web page."
"Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency in Louisiana in anticipation of Tropical Storm Nate Thursday. The governor said he intends to ask President Donald Trump to make a federal disaster declaration ahead of Nate's arrival."
"States could soon respond quicker to chemical accidents armed with information EPA has. But first, they’ll have to prove they can protect chemical makers’ trade secrets."
"Builders of prefabricated zero-energy homes equipped for solar power have seen a spike in calls, particularly from the Florida Keys and Virgin Islands."
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