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Home > Disasters

"Floating House Could Ride New Orleans' Floods" [1]

"A house capable of floating atop rising floodwaters made its debut [Oct. 6] in New Orleans."
Disasters [2]
Public [3]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [4]
Source: AP [5], 10/13/2009

"Byrd Blasts Massey 'Arrogance' Over Marsh Fork School" [6]

"Sen. Robert C. Byrd on Wednesday blasted Massey Energy for what he called 'disregard for human life and safety,' following the company's refusal to help fund a new school so Marsh Fork Elementary students could move away from a Massy coal processing plant and slurry impoundment."
Disasters [2]
Public [3]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [7]
Source: Charleston Gazette [8], 10/09/2009

"'Sea of Devastation': Samoans Flee Deadly Tsunami" [9]

"Victims of the tsunami that swept across the South Pacific had only minutes to escape the deadly waves and in some cases didn't receive alerts of danger, despite years of work to upgrade early-warning systems across the region."
Disasters [2]
Public [3]
Australia & Oceania [10]
Source: Wall St. Journal [11], 09/30/2009

Chem Safety Board Finds Sugar Company Ignored Dangers Before Blast [12]

"Imperial Sugar Co. and managers of its Georgia refinery ignored known dangers of explosive dust for decades before a chain of dust-fueled fireballs erupted at the plant last year and killed 14 people, investigators said in a report Thursday."
Disasters [2]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [13]
Source: AP [14], 09/25/2009

Georgia Sewage Plants Swamped by Floods, Dump Sewage [15]

"The record rains of the past few days flooded out sewage treatment plants in Fulton, Cobb and Gwinnett counties [GA], dumping millions of gallons of untreated sewage into local waterways."
Disasters [2]
Public [3]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [4]
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution [16], 09/24/2009

Coal Ash Data Waiting for Local Reporters [17]

Use this roundup of sources to write a probing story about the ash, slag, and sludge from coal-burning electric utilities — which containins heavy metals that can pollute water, and even bury people's houses.
SEJ Publication Types: 
WatchDog TipSheet [18]
Topics on the Beat: 
Chemicals [19]
Disasters [2]
Energy & Fuel [20]
Pollution [21]
Government [22]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility: 
Public [3]

SEJ Joins Amicus Brief on Dangerously Expanded FOIA Exemption [23]

Several media organizations have joined the case of a Puget Sound resident denied information, under the "law enforcement" exemption to FOIA, that would identify the locations and potential blast ranges of explosive ordnance stored in the area.
SEJ Publication Types: 
WatchDog TipSheet [18]
Topics on the Beat: 
Disasters [2]
Laws & Regulations [24]
Government [22]
Region: 
Northwest (OR WA) [25]
Visibility: 
Public [3]

"Floodwaters Begin To Recede in the Southeast" [26]

Residents in Georgia and Alabama returned to waterlogged homes after flooding caused by torrential rains caused at least nine deaths.
Disasters [2]
Public [3]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [4]
Source: AP [27], 09/23/2009

"T.V.A. to Pay $43 Million on Projects in Spill Area" [28]

"The Tennessee Valley Authority said Monday that it would spend $43 million on economic development projects in Roane County, Tenn., the site of a huge coal ash spill at one of the authority’s power plants last December."
Disasters [2]
Public [3]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [4]
Source: NYTimes [29], 09/15/2009

Report: DOT Waives Rules for Hazmat Shippers [30]

"Members of Congress Thursday demanded a shake up at the agency that regulates the transport of hazardous materials, saying officials for years have quietly waived safety rules because of a cozy relationship with industry."
Disasters [2]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [13]
Source: AP [31], 09/11/2009

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/floating-house-could-ride-new-orleans-floods [2] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [3] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [4] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [5] http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/10/09/floating-house-could-ride-new-orleans-floods/#left [6] https://www.sej.org/headlines/byrd-blasts-massey-arrogance-over-marsh-fork-school [7] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mid-atlantic [8] http://wvgazette.com/News/200910070674 [9] https://www.sej.org/headlines/sea-devastation-samoans-flee-deadly-tsunami [10] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/australia-oceania [11] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125429147125151927.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories [12] https://www.sej.org/headlines/chem-safety-board-finds-sugar-company-ignored-dangers-before-blast [13] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [14] http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/09/24/general-specialized-consumer-services-us-refinery-blast_6927199.html [15] https://www.sej.org/headlines/georgia-sewage-plants-swamped-floods-dump-sewage [16] http://www.ajc.com/news/sewage-plants-swamped-in-144191.html [17] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/coal-ash-data-waiting-local-reporters [18] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/watchdog-tipsheet [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [23] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/sej-joins-amicus-brief-dangerously-expanded-foia-exemption [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [25] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northwest [26] https://www.sej.org/headlines/floodwaters-begin-to-recede-southeast [27] http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090923/ap_on_re_us/us_heavy_rain_southeast [28] https://www.sej.org/headlines/tva-pay-43-million-projects-spill-area [29] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/us/15ash.html [30] https://www.sej.org/headlines/report-dot-waives-rules-hazmat-shippers [31] http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/washington/6612203.html [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster?page=747 [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster?page=744 [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster?page=745 [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster?page=746 [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster?page=749 [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster?page=750 [38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster?page=751 [39] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster?page=752 [40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster?page=757