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As Natural Disasters Expand, a Disaster-Tracking App Is Booming

Known for tracking California wildfires, Watch Duty is moving beyond that mission. Millions of people are turning to it for help.

Β© Joel Angel Juarez/Associated Press

An emergency vehicle at the flooding Guadalupe River in Comfort, Texas, on Thursday.
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The Latest Texas Floods Tested Warning Systems. This Time, They Passed.

A lack of sirens and flood forecasting systems made the state’s Hill Country vulnerable to deadly floods last summer. That has changed.

Β© Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Flood debris blocked a road in Kerrville, Texas, on Thursday.
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New Rules Require Election Changes for States to Get Terrorism Grants

Federal officials said they would withhold some money unless states pursue paper ballot systems, verify citizenship and conduct costly audits.

Β© Emily Elconin for The New York Times

Courts have already blocked similar efforts by the administration to withhold funding, saying the Constitution does not grant the executive branch power over elections.
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Gregg Phillips Leaving FEMA

Gregg Phillips was in charge of the emergency response agency’s largest division and had come under scrutiny for a series of bizarre claims.

Β© Al Drago/Getty Images

Gregg Phillips was appointed to lead FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, with 1,000 employees and a budget of nearly $300 million.
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Trump’s FEMA Nominee Calls Staff Cuts a β€˜Challenge’ for Disaster Agency

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.

Β© Mariam Zuhaib/Associated Press

Cameron Hamilton, President Trump’s FEMA nominee, testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday.
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Tensions Are Rising Among States That Rely on the Colorado River

A prolonged drought means the nation’s largest reservoirs are dwindling, and litigation over access to water could lie ahead.

Β© Nina Riggio for The New York Times

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.
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Arizona, Nevada Agree to Trade for Desalinated Pacific Ocean Water

A decade-old treatment plant in San Diego County, Calif., could leave more water in the Colorado River for states facing severe shortages.

Β© Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times

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.
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