Officials say all four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided and crashed during an air show at a military base in Idaho. Emergency crews responded after the EA18-G Growlers crashed at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho on Sunday. Officials say the four crew members are in stable condition and the remainder of the show was canceled. Nobody on the ground was hurt. Videos posted online by spectators show four parachutes opening in the sky as the aircraft plummet to the ground near the base about 50 miles south of Boise.
President Donald Trump has nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This marks a surprising comeback for Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, who was fired last year after defending FEMA’s existence. The nomination suggests a shift in the administration’s stance on FEMA, which has faced criticism from Trump. If confirmed, Hamilton would be the principal adviser to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. FEMA has been struggling with leadership changes and operational challenges. Hamilton will need to stabilize the agency and prepare for the upcoming disaster season.
One of the worst hailstorms to hit Missouri killed an emu at the Springfield zoo, injured drivers, knocked out power to thousands, and damaging hundreds of vehicles and even some aircraft. The largest of the softball-size hunks of ice that pelted the Springfield area on Tuesday measured 4.75 inches. Local emergency management officials said that's the largest hail to hit the city, although it falls short of a state record. Mark Burchfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield, said that distinction goes to the 6-inch hail recorded in 2004 near the town of Maryville.
Authorities say a chemical leak at a West Virginia plant has killed two people and sent 19 others to the hospital. A Kanawha County emergency management official says the leak occurred Wednesday at the Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute, a silver recovery business. The official, C.W. SIgman, said it happened as workers were preparing to shut down at least part of the facility. Sigman said a chemical gas reaction occurred involving nitric acid and another substance. He spoke at a press briefing, adding the chemical reaction was violent and instantaneous. Officials say seven ambulance workers who responded to the leak were among the injured.
One of the most comprehensive studies ever of flood risk has determined that more than 17 million people in eight cities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at the highest risk of being affected by flooding. Using machine learning, historic flood data and 16 factors representing hazards, exposure and vulnerability, the study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances has come up with what is likely the most comprehensive model of coastal cities’ risk of flood damage. Researchers are alarmed by the findings, including that more than 4 million people are at risk in New York City, alone, and that 99% of people and buildings in New Orleans are vulnerable.