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Waffle House restaurants don’t close unless absolutely necessary — so the shuttering of 18 Florida locations ahead of Hurricane Michael speaks volumes about the severity of the storm.“We have closed these restaurants yesterday so our employees can be safe as Hurricane Michael comes on shore,” Waffle House spokesperson Pat Warner confirmed to Fox News.“We have staged people and resources outside of the strike zone to come into the area after the storm passes. We will assess the damage and begin to reopen the restaurants as soon as it is safe to do so.”Warner told USA Today he expected more to...

Major Hurricane Michael is churning toward the northeastern Gulf of Mexico coast. Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Monday for 35 counties with mandatory coastal evacuations in the FL Panhandle. 1,250 National Guard troops are aiding the process and more than 4,000 more placed on standby. FEMA is already on the ground in Florida; other federal agencies are also preparing to assist people in the storm's path. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday declared a state of emergency for the entire state. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued a state of emergency for 92 counties ahead of Hurricane...

Florida Democrats are calling for state officials to extend the voter registration deadline as Hurricane Michael approaches. Florida Democratic Party Chairman Terrie Rizzo sent a formal letter to Gov. Rick Scott (R) and Secretary of State Ken Detzner on Monday requesting that they push back the deadline as Floridians prepare for the storm. Tuesday is the state's deadline for eligible individuals to vote ahead of November’s elections, but the impending hurricane will “adversely impact the ability of these eligible, but unregistered individuals who may have waited until the last day in order to register to vote,” Rizzo wrote. Scott has...

In the exact spot where Hurricane Katrina demolished the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center, a new $105 million jail now hovers 19 feet above the marsh, perched atop towering concrete pillars. Described by a state official as the “Taj Mahal” of Louisiana corrections, it has so much space that one of every 27 parish residents could bunk there. But on an average day in the first half of this year, more than 40 percent of its 872 beds went unoccupied, making it one of the emptiest jails in the state, records show. And because of its isolated, flood-prone location, the jail...

Last year 'Tropical Depression Harvey' rapidly intensified into a Category 1 Hurricane. Current forecasts have the Tropical System becoming a Hurricane and making landfall about 7 PM Wednesday, 10-Oct-2018. Landfall would be near Alligator Point - Baldwin Point State Park - St. Teresa - Port Leon. It is too early to forecast the exact landfall. However, it appears that Gainesville (U of Florida) and Tallahassee (Florida State) may be affected. These locations are inland. Current forecasts are for sustained winds in the neighborhood of 100 mph.

Tropical Storm Mitchell: The NHC has issued a Public Advisory Update indicating Tropical Storm Mitchell has formed about 90 miles South of Cozumel, Mexico. Current forecast predicts Mitchell will reach hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall in the Northern GOM. Landfall is estimated by 96 hours. Gulf of Mexico Satellite ChannelsPublic AdvisoriesNHC Discussions NHC Local Weather Statements/Radar Key West FLNHC Local Weather Statements/Radar New Orleans, LANHC Local Weather Statements/Radar Mobile AL/Pensacola FLNHC Local Weather Statements/Radar Panama City, FLNHC Local Weather Statements/Radar Tallahassee, FLNHC Local Weather Statements/Radar Tampa Bay, FL

National Hurricane Center is forecasting the possibility of a Hurricane in the NE Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday or Wednesday. It would be Hurricane Michael. Landfill is uncertain, but appears to be headed toward Florida Panhandle/Alabama Coasts.

North Carolina resident Tammie Hedges had the impertinence to rescue 27 cats and dogs during Hurricane Florence. Providing round-the-clock care in a makeshift shelter, she provided safety from the storm, food, and medication to those sick or in pain. Apparently Hedges, who runs a non-profit animal rescue organization that relies on foster homes, didn't realize that such a display of humanity and compassion in the midst of an emergency is not the kind of thing the state takes lightly. Common sense and kindness: out. Bureaucratic fools: in. After the worst of the storm passed, Hedges handed the animals over to...

WALLACE, N.C. (WNCN) - - It's no secret that Interstate 40 between Raleigh and Wilmington has been covered with floodwaters since Hurricane Florence hit. But, crews got a surprise Saturday when they went to areas where the waters had receded and found -- a highway covered in dead fish. The Penderlea Fire Department had to hose down a stretch of I-40 on Saturday because of what appeared to be hundreds of dead fish that were left behind by the flooding. "Well, we can add 'washing fish off of the interstate' to the long list of interesting things firefighters get to...

WAYNE COUNTY, N.C. – A North Carolina woman was arrested after providing care for animals during Hurricane Florence without a permit, according to USA Today. Animal rescue volunteer Raina Nyliram said the drugs she administered were all over-the-counter medication. She said the animals needed to be cared for because the veterinarian’s office was closed.

GOLDSBORO, N.C. (WNCN) - A Wayne County woman could face charges after sheltering more than two dozen pets as Hurricane Florence impacted North Carolina. Tammie Hedges runs Crazy’s Claws n Paws, a non-profit group which helps low-income families with veterinary bills, pet supplies and other needs. She’s in the process of converting a warehouse space along Route 581 into a shelter. With the storm approaching last week, she offered it as an option for pets to stay. “The goal was to make sure they were not out there drowning,” Hedges said. “We had an elderly couple, they were evacuating that...

"And we stand with Puerto Rico, and we are helping them to rebuild stronger and better than ever before.” - President Donald J. Trump HISTORIC RECOVERY EFFORT: The Federal Government has helped lead a historic recovery effort in Puerto Rico in the year since Hurricane Maria hit. •FEMA has joined with Federal partners and the Government of Puerto Rico to undertake one of the largest post-disaster reconstruction efforts in United States history. •Never before has FEMA coordinated federal resources to rebuild an entire island of this size. •The Federal response to Hurricane Maria marked the largest and longest Federal response...

No one can accuse President Donald J. Trump of not looking on the bright side. On Wednesday, Trump toured the the North Carolina coast to see firsthand the destruction wreaked by Hurricane Florence, which the president called a "tough hurricane, one of the wettest we've ever seen from the standpoint of water." Trump was particularly struck by a storm-tossed yacht that smashed into a New Bern home and lodged against the house's deck. Trump looked at the yacht, asking, "Is this your boat?" The owner said no. Trump replied, "at least you got a nice boat out of the deal."...

Hurricane Sandy was the deadliest hurricane to hit the East Coast since the 70s. It had the most direct fatalities, with 49 drownings in homes and cars, and 20 deaths caused by falling trees out of the 72 direct deaths that occurred in the United States. When it comes to direct deaths, Hurricane Sandy was far deadlier than Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico. But Sandy took place under Obama and Maria under Trump. Just as with Hurricane Katrina, under Bush, the media was motivated to make the disaster appear much worse than it really was. And it did that...

We’re thrilled to report that the herds of wild horses that roam North Carolina’s Outer Banks have emerged from Hurricane Florence unscathed. Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Corolla Wild Horse Fund both confirmed on social media over the weekend that their equine populations are safe and sound following Hurricane Florence’s lashing last week. Corolla Wild Horse Fund herd manager Meg Puckett told The News & Observer that the wild herd found higher ground and grouped together against the wind and rain. People on the island also kept an eye on them.

Pollster Mallory Newall said on Monday that hurricanes are not likely to impact President Trump's approval rating, given how steady it has been recently. "What strikes me about President Trump's approval rating is that it has been remarkably steady for months, and even in the face of different newsworthy events, a hurricane or a tropical storm being one of them, he tends to hover around the low to mid-forty percent range," Newall, research director at Ipsos Public Affairs, told Hill.TV's Joe Concha on "What America's Thinking." "If you look at this trend over time, it's been remarkably steady for months,"...

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday expressed his sympathies to families who lost their loved ones during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong. “I share the grief of those who lost loved ones,” Duterte said in a situation briefing on the effects of "Ompong" in Tuguegarao City. “Those we call in the unforeseen events, in insurance, this is an act of God. I don’t know how it can be an act of God but that is the term used by the insurance,” he added. Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Francis Tolentino said at least 25 people died at the height of the...

Okay, the media and GWU Research says 3,000 people died in Puerto Rico as a result of the Trump administration 2017 hurricane response. Fine, where is the list? Has anyone seen a list of these 3,000 victims? Names, dates, locations, and cause of death?

Complete Headline: 'Cigarettes, beer and junk food ... the essentials': Thousands of Wilmington residents overcrowd supermarket open amid hurricane chaos and COPS have to help with crowd control As the Hurricane Florence clean-up efforts were under way residents turned out to hunt for snacks Cops were called and the lines were said to take up to four hours to get served Shoppers were looking for 'cigarettes, beer and junk food' Thousands remain without power across the state as the storm continues Stores elsewhere in the city are expected to be able to reopen Sunday The residents of Hurricane Florence-stricken Wilmington,...

North Carolina could find itself more vulnerable to damage from storms like Hurricane Florence due to a state law passed six years ago that banned using recent climate science to plan for the consequences of rising sea levels.