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As Natural Disasters Expand, a Disaster-Tracking App Is Booming
18 July 2026 at 10:01
Known for tracking California wildfires, Watch Duty is moving beyond that mission. Millions of people are turning to it for help.
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The Latest Texas Floods Tested Warning Systems. This Time, They Passed.
17 July 2026 at 21:08
A lack of sirens and flood forecasting systems made the state’s Hill Country vulnerable to deadly floods last summer. That has changed.
As Natural Disasters Expand, a Disaster-Tracking App Is Booming
18 July 2026 at 10:01
Known for tracking California wildfires, Watch Duty is moving beyond that mission. Millions of people are turning to it for help.
An emergency vehicle at the flooding Guadalupe River in Comfort, Texas, on Thursday.
© Joel Angel Juarez/Associated Press
The Latest Texas Floods Tested Warning Systems. This Time, They Passed.
17 July 2026 at 21:08
A lack of sirens and flood forecasting systems made the state’s Hill Country vulnerable to deadly floods last summer. That has changed.
Flood debris blocked a road in Kerrville, Texas, on Thursday.
© Brandon Bell/Getty Images
New Rules Require Election Changes for States to Get Terrorism Grants
8 July 2026 at 15:56
Federal officials said they would withhold some money unless states pursue paper ballot systems, verify citizenship and conduct costly audits.
Courts have already blocked similar efforts by the administration to withhold funding, saying the Constitution does not grant the executive branch power over elections.
© Emily Elconin for The New York Times
Gregg Phillips Leaving FEMA
26 June 2026 at 18:20
Gregg Phillips was in charge of the emergency response agency’s largest division and had come under scrutiny for a series of bizarre claims.
Gregg Phillips was appointed to lead FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, with 1,000 employees and a budget of nearly $300 million.
© Al Drago/Getty Images
Trump’s FEMA Nominee Calls Staff Cuts a ‘Challenge’ for Disaster Agency
17 June 2026 at 18:10
Cameron Hamilton, who briefly led the agency on an acting basis last year but was fired for contradicting the president, also said he would get money out to states faster.
Trump’s FEMA Nominee Calls Staff Cuts a ‘Challenge’ for Disaster Agency
17 June 2026 at 18:10
Cameron Hamilton, who briefly led the agency on an acting basis last year but was fired for contradicting the president, also said he would get money out to states faster.
Cameron Hamilton, President Trump’s FEMA nominee, testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday.
© Mariam Zuhaib/Associated Press
Tensions Are Rising Among States That Rely on the Colorado River
16 June 2026 at 13:34
A prolonged drought means the nation’s largest reservoirs are dwindling, and litigation over access to water could lie ahead.
Tensions Are Rising Among States That Rely on the Colorado River
16 June 2026 at 13:34
A prolonged drought means the nation’s largest reservoirs are dwindling, and litigation over access to water could lie ahead.
The Upper Colorado River on the Grand Canyon last month. About 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of cropland depend on the Colorado for drinking water and irrigation.
© Nina Riggio for The New York Times
Arizona, Nevada Agree to Trade for Desalinated Pacific Ocean Water
3 June 2026 at 23:52
A decade-old treatment plant in San Diego County, Calif., could leave more water in the Colorado River for states facing severe shortages.
From left, Dan Denham of the San Diego County Water Authority; Scott Cameron of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Tom Buschatzke of the Arizona Department of Water Resources; and Colby Pellegrino of the Southern Nevada Water Authority toasted the agreement at the Carlsbad Desalination Plant in California on Wednesday.
© Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times
Arizona, Nevada Agree to Trade for Desalinated Pacific Ocean Water
3 June 2026 at 23:52
A decade-old treatment plant in San Diego County, Calif., could leave more water in the Colorado River for states facing severe shortages.
