Gulf system nears Texas landfall as watches loom; Grand Canyon flash flood kills one and cuts park water

The Gulf of America takes center stage as the National Hurricane Center gives a northern Gulf low a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression or storm before it reaches the Upper Texas or southwestern Louisiana coast tonight or Tuesday morning, with tropical storm watches possible later today. In the Southwest, Grand Canyon National Park is managing a fatality, 62 inner canyon evacuations, roughly 15 people unaccounted for, and a failed Transcanyon Waterline that triggers Stage 4 water restrictions at noon, while the Weather Prediction Center places a Moderate Risk of excessive rainfall over portions of Utah. The national wildfire system stays at Preparedness Level 5 with 98 uncontained large fires and 22,168 personnel committed, evacuations continue in Washington, Oregon, California and Montana, a heat belt stretching from Kansas to Mississippi pushes heat index values as high as 110, and Puerto Rico works through a grid load shedding event while St. Croix manages a compound water system failure. EM Morning Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news. Produced by Sitch Radio, an EOC Voices podcast.

Key Takeaways

Gulf landfall threat: A northern Gulf low carries a 70 percent formation chance and is expected to reach the Upper Texas or southwestern Louisiana coast tonight or Tuesday morning. Tropical storm watches or warnings could be required later today. No Texas or Louisiana state level preparedness action had been posted as of this morning.

Grand Canyon mass care and water emergency: One fatality confirmed, 62 evacuated from the inner canyon, roughly 15 people unaccounted for, the Colorado River closed to traffic, and Stage 4 water restrictions beginning at noon with the Transcanyon Waterline out of service.

Utah flash flood risk: A Moderate Risk of excessive rainfall covers portions of the state, with burn scars, slot canyons, Zion and Capitol Reef specifically named. A Red Cross shelter is open in Orangeville for Emery County residents displaced over the weekend.

Wildfire system at capacity: National Preparedness Level 5 holds with 98 uncontained large fires, 22,168 personnel, 15 complex incident management teams, and 8.2 million acres burned year to date, 163 percent of the ten year average.

Active fire evacuations: Little Giant and Sinlahekin in Washington, both above 160,000 acres with 56 combined structures lost; Three Queens with Kittitas County level 3 evacuations; McCully in Oregon at 2 percent containment; Timber Fire with Big Sur evacuation orders; Sand Creek in Montana.

Multi-day heat: Sixteen heat advisories run from Kansas and Iowa south through Mississippi and Louisiana with heat index values from 100 to 110. Several now extend through Friday evening, with limited overnight relief. Cooling centers are open across southern Illinois.

Public health: Kentucky reports 29 confirmed measles cases statewide with new Madison County exposure sites identified, all cases unvaccinated or of unknown status.

Recovery deadlines today: Wisconsin’s FEMA individual assistance and SBA application deadline for the April storms closes today. Indiana’s SNAP food replacement deadline is today, and the SBA declaration published in the Federal Register this morning sets an October 25 physical loan deadline.

Territories: Puerto Rico worked through a load shedding event that peaked above 180,000 customers and continues drought rationing. St. Croix has an islandwide low pressure warning plus a Frederiksted boil water advisory. The CNMI extended its state of significant emergency for 30 days.

Federal posture quiet: No active NTAS advisory, no CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities additions since August 27, no new CDC Health Alert Network notice, no new FEMA declaration, and no new State Department travel advisory level change in the window.

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Sources

Cedric: 00:00:00

EM Morning Brief is moving.

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be available exclusively through RSS.

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Follow it now in your

favorite podcast player.

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Good morning, I'm Cedric and

this is your EM Morning Brief

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for Monday, August 31, 2026.

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The Gulf of America is

the operational priority.

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The National Hurricane Center's 2:00 a.m.

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Eastern outlook puts a low pressure area

more than 100 miles south of the southern

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Louisiana coast, producing winds of 30

to 35 miles an hour, with a 70 percent

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chance of formation through 48 hours.

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Forecasters expect a short lived

tropical depression or tropical storm

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to form before the system reaches the

Upper Texas or southwestern Louisiana

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coasts tonight or Tuesday morning,

and they state that tropical storm

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watches or warnings could be required

for portions of that area later today.

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An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance

aircraft is scheduled to

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investigate this morning.

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The Weather Prediction Center carries

a Marginal Risk of excessive rainfall

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along the upper Texas coast today and

a Slight Risk there and across far

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southwestern Louisiana on Tuesday.

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The Southwest is the

day's flash flood story.

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The Weather Prediction Center has a

Moderate Risk of excessive rainfall

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for portions of Utah, with a 20 to 30

percent chance of hourly rainfall above

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one inch and specific concern for dry

washes, slot canyons, and burn scars.

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That threat lands on ground already

hit: Grand Canyon National Park is in

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recovery from Saturday's flash flood

in Bright Angel Canyon, which killed

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one visitor, forced 62 evacuations

from the inner canyon, destroyed

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nearly all footbridges over Bright

Angel Creek, and knocked the park's

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Transcanyon Waterline out of service.

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Flood watches now cover most of northern,

central, and south central Arizona, and

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a flash flood warning was issued for

central Pima County early this morning.

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The wildfire system

remains at full stretch.

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The national situation report dated

Sunday morning holds the National

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Preparedness Level at 5, with 98

uncontained large fires, 22,168

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personnel committed, 15 complex incident

management teams assigned, and 8.2

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million acres burned year to date, which

is 163 percent of the ten year average.

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Heat is the other broad driver: 16 heat

advisories run from Kansas and Iowa

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south through Mississippi and Louisiana,

with heat index values from 100 to

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as high as 110, and several of those

advisories now extend through Friday

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evening rather than a single afternoon.

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On the federal side the picture is quiet.

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There is no active National Terrorism

Advisory System advisory, no new

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addition to the CISA Known Exploited

Vulnerabilities catalog since August

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27, no new CDC Health Alert Network

notice, and no new FEMA disaster

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declaration in the last 24 hours.

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Let’s run through the states.

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Arizona is running two problems at once.

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At Grand Canyon National Park, the

National Park Service reports 62 people

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evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the

lower North Kaibab Trail, with transport

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coordinated through the Arizona Department

of Public Safety and the American Red

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Cross assisting evacuees at the Maswik

Lodge cafeteria on the South Rim.

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Recovery operations were completed

Sunday evening for a 46 year old man

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near Crystal Rapids, and the Coconino

County Medical Examiner is on scene.

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The Park Service is asking the public

for help accounting for roughly 15

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people who may be unaccounted for.

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The Colorado River is closed to

river traffic because of metal

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structures and debris, and Phantom

Ranch, the entire North Kaibab Trail,

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and both Colorado River footbridges

are closed until further notice.

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With the Transcanyon Waterline down,

Stage 4 water restrictions on the

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South Rim begin at noon today, all park

concessions stop overnight accommodations,

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campground spigots go off, and wood

and charcoal fires are prohibited.

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The park stays open for day use

and the clinic remains open.

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Statewide, the Flagstaff flood watch warns

of raging currents in side canyons and

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slot canyons on already saturated soils.

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Texas is the landfall state.

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Beyond the National Hurricane Center

guidance, no state level preparedness

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action was posted in the last 24 hours:

the most recent Texas Division of

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Emergency Management release predates

the window and the state's active

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disaster declarations are unchanged.

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An ozone air quality alert runs

until 4:45 this afternoon for inland

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Brazoria, Galveston, and Harris

counties and Galveston Island.

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On the wildfire side, Texas requested

structural fire support through

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the Emergency Management Assistance

Compact for the Ross Fire in Palo

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Pinto and Jack counties, and 29

Tennessee firefighters deployed

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Sunday morning for roughly 14 days.

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Utah carries the strongest inland

flood signal in the country today.

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The Salt Lake City flood watch runs

through this evening and names the

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Widemouth 2, Cottonwood, Monroe

Canyon, and Forsyth burn scars

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along with Zion and Capitol Reef.

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Emery County has a Red Cross shelter

open at the Orangeville meetinghouse

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for residents displaced by weekend

flooding, and the sheriff's

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office is distributing sandbags.

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Sheriff Tyson Huntington said Monday's

storms have "the potential to be a

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once-in-a-lifetime event in magnitude."

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The Weather Service is surveying damage

from a possible tornado near Lynndyl

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in Millard County that knocked over 34

rail cars, and a mudslide has closed

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part of State Route 66 near East Canyon.

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California has two Los Padres National

Forest incidents driving operations.

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The Timber Fire near Big Sur is at 24,727

acres and 21 percent containment with

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2,192 personnel assigned, and portions

of Big Sur remain under evacuation

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orders, warnings, and shelter in

place orders, with one structure lost.

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The Plaskett Fire is at 15,478

acres with zero containment and

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communication infrastructure threatened.

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A red flag warning covers central

and eastern Siskiyou County and the

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Klamath Basin from noon to 8:00 tonight,

with gusts to 35 miles an hour and

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minimum humidity of 9 to 15 percent.

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Washington has three fires

with active evacuations.

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Little Giant, northwest of Leavenworth, is

at 163,089 acres and 49 percent contained,

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with 26 structures lost and 240 soldiers

from Joint Base Lewis McChord assigned.

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: 00:06:53

Sinlahekin, west of Tonasket, is

at 166,413 acres and 40 percent

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contained with 30 structures lost.

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: 00:07:01

Three Queens, east of Snoqualmie

Pass, is at 8,742 acres and 5 percent

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contained, with Kittitas County

running level 1, 2, and 3 evacuations.

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The Department of Ecology has an air

quality alert for Chelan, Douglas,

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and Okanogan counties, the same

counties under the two large fires.

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Oregon has the McCully Fire as its

priority incident: 9,934 acres, 2

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percent contained, 814 personnel,

with evacuations and road and trail

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closures in effect and residences and

communication infrastructure threatened.

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The Austin Fire southeast of

Estacada is at 10,708 acres with

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zero containment, 635 personnel, and

critical infrastructure threatened.

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The Department of Environmental

Quality has a smoke advisory for

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Crook, Jefferson, and Wasco counties.

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Louisiana sits on the eastern

edge of the Gulf system.

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The Weather Service expects the heaviest

rain to stay west, with roughly one to

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two inches along the Cameron coastline

and little to no storm surge flooding,

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though the track has shifted toward the

Sabine River late Tuesday into Wednesday.

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Heat indices reach 105 to 107 today.

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No state preparedness action was

posted in the window: the GOHSEP

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newsroom has nothing since August 20.

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Eastbound Interstate 10 in Acadia

Parish near Crowley was blocked Sunday

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afternoon by a tractor trailer fire.

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Indiana has a recovery deadline set today.

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The Small Business Administration

declaration tied to the August 25

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major disaster declaration published

in the Federal Register this morning:

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physical damage loan applications

are due October 25, economic injury

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applications are due May 25, 2027, and

21 primary counties are covered, with

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contiguous eligibility extending into

Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky.

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Lake County's rapid intake center operates

in Crown Point today from 8:30 to 4:30,

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: 00:09:02

then moves to Gary September 1 through 3.

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The SNAP food replacement

deadline is today.

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: 00:09:09

Kentucky has an active

measles investigation.

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The state health department identified

exposure sites in Madison County tied

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to an unvaccinated out of state traveler

who visited Richmond and Olive Hill

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in late August, naming a Richmond

retail store and an urgent care clinic.

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The department reports 29 confirmed

cases statewide, 20 of them

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under 18, all unvaccinated or

of unknown vaccination status.

137

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Western Kentucky is under a heat

advisory through Friday evening.

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We have more to cover this morning but

first, a quick word from our sponsors.

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Thanks for supporting our sponsors who

help make EM Morning Brief possible.

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Now, back to this morning’s updates.

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Colorado issues a water contact

advisory today at John Martin

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Reservoir State Park after roughly 4.25

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million gallons of untreated sewage

released from a Pueblo treatment

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plant into the Arkansas River.

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State health officials say downstream

drinking water systems shut intakes

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in time and were not compromised.

147

: 00:10:12

Flash flood watches cover Lake and Chaffee

counties and western Colorado basins.

148

: 00:10:18

Hawaii continues Hurricane Lala recovery,

with reporting putting damage to

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Hawaii County water systems at about

13 million dollars in Kau and service

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losses tied directly to grid outages

and a shortage of emergency generators.

151

: 00:10:33

Idaho has the Crooked Fire northeast

of Idaho City at 8,433 acres and 12

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percent contained with structures

threatened, and a Great Basin complex

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incident management team mobilizing.

154

: 00:10:46

Illinois has cooling centers open

across several southern counties,

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and the Weather Service cancelled an

extreme heat watch in favor of a heat

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: 00:10:54

advisory running through Friday evening.

157

: 00:10:58

Montana has the Sand Creek Fire southeast

of Wisdom at 34,083 acres and 13 percent

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contained with evacuations and closures

in effect, while Granite County lifted the

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red evacuation warning on the Moose Fire

and downgraded it to a yellow advisory.

160

: 00:11:15

New Mexico has the Frijoles Fire on the

Santa Fe National Forest at 15,367 acres

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and 59 percent contained with residences

and communication infrastructure

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threatened, and the city of Aztec remains

under a Stage 3 water shortage emergency.

163

: 00:11:32

Oklahoma Forestry Services logged three

new large fires in the latest national

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situation report, including one near

Quinton where a structure was lost.

165

: 00:11:42

Tennessee reissued a Code Orange ozone

alert this morning for the Memphis metro

166

: 00:11:47

through 5:30 this evening, and Ripley

Power and Light is reporting roughly

167

: 00:11:51

3,100 customers out in Lauderdale County.

168

: 00:11:56

Wisconsin reaches its FEMA individual

assistance and SBA loan application

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: 00:12:01

deadline today for the April severe

storms and flooding, covering 19

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counties and the Oneida Nation.

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All other states have no significant

updates in the last 24 hours.

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Let’s run through the territories.

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Puerto Rico had a grid event

and continues drought rationing.

174

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Two Costa Sur generating units tripped

offline Sunday, forcing load shedding

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that peaked above 180,000 customers

before falling to just under 20,000 by

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late afternoon, concentrated in Arecibo,

Bayamón, Mayagüez, Caguas, and Carolina.

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Genera PR attributes the trip to

a failure in a LUMA switchyard.

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: 00:12:41

The remnants of Dolly are delivering

rain, but the Weather Service says two to

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four inches will not close basin deficits

of eight to ten inches, so rationing

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in place since August 7 continues and

the Drought Committee meets today.

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: 00:12:55

A rip current statement for

life threatening currents runs

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through 6:00 this evening.

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U.S.

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Virgin Islands has a

compound water failure on St.

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Croix.

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The Water and Power Authority suspended

production at the Richmond facility

187

: 00:13:10

after a wastewater incident near the

seawater intake and is warning customers

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islandwide to expect low to no pressure.

189

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The standpipe is closed, leaving haulers

without a source, and the government is

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evaluating water distribution points.

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A boil water advisory remains in

effect for Frederiksted after E.

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coli was detected in repeat

samples, and the Housing Authority

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has activated outreach teams for

seniors, families with infants,

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and medically vulnerable residents.

195

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Northern Mariana Islands Governor

patang signed Executive Order: 2026

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on Sunday extending the territory wide

state of significant emergency for 30

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days, tied to continuing power and water

restoration from Super Typhoons Sinlaku

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and Bavi, with Rota the hardest hit.

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All other territories and the District

of Columbia have no significant

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updates in the last 24 hours.

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That wraps today's EM Morning Brief.

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New episodes drop Monday through

Friday in the 5:00 AM hour P.T.,

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: 00:14:12

so the day starts with

clarity instead of catch-up.

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Subscribe on the Emergency Management

Network on Substack, or follow

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on your favorite podcast player.

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EM Morning Brief is an EOC Voices Podcast.

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