Hurricane Lowell drives a Hurricane Warning for Kauai County as the Category 3 storm tracks toward the Hawaiian Islands, with refuge areas open, a county emergency proclamation signed, and rainfall totals near 14 inches in the forecast. In Florida, five people are dead and five injured after a cargo aircraft overran a runway at Miami International Airport, with the NTSB leading the investigation and delays continuing. Nationally, wildfire activity holds at Preparedness Level 4 with 75 uncontained large fires, evacuations continue on two Monterey County incidents, flash flooding hits western Minnesota, and Extreme Heat Warnings stretch from Arizona to Puerto Rico. 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

• Hurricane Lowell, Hawaii: A Hurricane Warning covers Kauai County and part of Papahanaumokuakea. Hurricane conditions begin this afternoon or evening, with 6 to 10 inches of additional rain on Kauai, storm surge of 1 to 3 feet, and tornado potential. Five refuge areas are open but are last-resort, unstocked facilities.
• Miami International Airport, Florida: Five dead and five injured in a Sunday cargo aircraft runway overrun. Two of four runways have reopened, the ground stop is lifted, and delays and cancellations continue. NTSB has the lead with a go-team on scene.
• National wildfire posture: Preparedness Level 4, 75 uncontained large fires, 3.8 million acres burning, 16,502 personnel committed. Year-to-date acreage is 158 percent of the ten-year average.
• Active evacuations: Monterey County, California (Plaskett and Timber fires, orders in 28 combined zones, Highway 1 hard closure); Baker County, Oregon (McCully Fire); Kittitas County, Washington (Three Queens and Goat fires, several zones downgraded).
• Lifeline disruptions: Fergus Falls, Minnesota asks residents to conserve water over wastewater plant inflow. Moberly, Missouri is under a 48-hour boil advisory. Michigan still has more than 125,000 customers without power. Asheboro, North Carolina expects extended outages for 1,500-plus residents.
• Heat: Extreme Heat Warnings in Arizona, California, Kansas, Missouri and Puerto Rico, with Heat Advisories across much of the South and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Cyber and homeland security: No active DHS NTAS bulletin. No new CISA KEV additions over the weekend. The September 4 Chromium V8 addition carries a September 18 federal remediation deadline, and the September 2 batch had a September 5 due date that has now lapsed.
• Public health: FDA recall of ready-to-eat deli salads and cream cheese distributed across New York City for possible Listeria contamination. No new CDC Health Alert Network advisory.
• Watch item: The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory forecasts a September 7 to 10 window for the start of Kilauea eruptive episode 55.

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Good morning, I'm Cedric and this is your EM Morning Brief

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for Monday, September 7, 2026.

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Hurricane Lowell is the day's

dominant life-safety event.

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The Central Pacific

Hurricane Center's 2 a.m.

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Hawaii time intermediate advisory places

Lowell about 415 miles southwest of

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Lihue with maximum sustained winds of

115 miles an hour, a Category 3, moving

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north-northeast at 10 miles an hour.

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A Hurricane Warning is in effect for

Kauai County, including the islands

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of Kauai and Niihau, and for the

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

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from Nihoa to French Frigate Shoals.

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Hurricane conditions are expected

in Kauai County beginning

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this afternoon or evening.

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Forecasters expect an additional 6 to

10 inches of rain on Kauai with maximum

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totals near 14 inches, storm surge of 1 to

3 feet above ground in Kauai County, and

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several tornadoes near Kauai and Niihau.

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Lowell is forecast to remain a

hurricane as it passes just west of

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the main Hawaiian Islands tonight.

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In Florida, five people are dead and

five injured after a Boeing 767 freighter

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arriving from San Juan overran a runway at

Miami International Airport around 2 p.m.

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Eastern Sunday.

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Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine

Cava announced the casualty figures

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Sunday evening, and Fire Rescue reports

about 200 personnel and more than 60

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units responded, with three patients

transported in critical condition.

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Officials have not said whether

those killed were aboard the

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aircraft or on the ground.

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The FAA's Command Center issued a ground

stop that was lifted after roughly three

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hours, and Miami-Dade Aviation Department

officials say two runways have reopened.

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Delays and cancellations

continue this morning.

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The National Transportation Safety Board

is leading the investigation with a

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go-team headed by Chair Jennifer Homendy.

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The national wildfire picture

holds at Preparedness Level 4.

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The National Interagency Fire Center's

Sunday situation report counts 75

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uncontained large fires and just over 3.8

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million acres burning, with

16,502 personnel committed.

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Year to date the country has recorded 8.3

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million acres, 158 percent

of the ten-year average.

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Heat is the other national thread:

Extreme Heat Warnings are up

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in Arizona, California, Kansas,

Missouri and Puerto Rico, with Heat

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Advisories across much of the South.

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On the federal side, DHS has no active

National Terrorism Advisory System

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bulletin, and CISA added no new exploited

vulnerabilities over the weekend.

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Its most recent addition, a Chromium

V8 flaw, carries a September 18

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federal remediation deadline.

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FDA published a recall Sunday of

ready-to-eat deli salads and cream

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cheese distributed across New York City

for possible Listeria contamination.

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Let's run through the states.

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Hawaii: Kauai County is

in full response posture.

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Mayor Derek Kawakami signed a

county emergency proclamation

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Sunday, layered on Governor Josh

Green's statewide proclamation.

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The county closed all parks

and campgrounds and opened

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five refuge areas at 5 p.m.

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Sunday in partnership with

the American Red Cross.

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Officials describe the refuge areas

as an option of last resort: they are

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not stocked with food, water, bedding

or medical staff, and residents are

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told to bring their own supplies.

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Pets are accepted with

food, water and crates.

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The Kauai Bus is off its regular

schedule today because buses are

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supporting shelter transportation.

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Wailua Golf Course and all state

parks and forest reserves are

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closed until further notice.

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Lihue Airport remains open and no road

closures were in place as of Sunday

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afternoon, though officials warn

Kuhio Highway near the Hanalei Bridge

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could close with little or no notice.

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A statewide Flood Watch runs through

Tuesday afternoon, with a High Surf

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Warning for south-facing shores.

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Separately, the Hawaiian Volcano

Observatory reports Kilauea's summit

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inflated rapidly over the past 24 hours

and forecasts a September 7 to 10 window

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for the start of eruptive episode 55.

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The volcano remains at Advisory.

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California: Two Monterey County

fires are driving evacuations.

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The Plaskett Fire on the south Big Sur

coast is 29,862 acres and 37 percent

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contained as of Sunday evening, with

evacuation orders in 15 zones and

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warnings in 19 more in Monterey County

plus three in San Luis Obispo County.

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Highway 1 is hard closed from Kirk Creek

Campground south to the county line.

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The Timber Fire is 25,357 acres and

27 percent contained, with orders

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in 13 zones and warnings in 26,

661 structures threatened and three

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firefighter injuries confirmed.

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A Southwest Complex incident management

team took command of Timber at 6 p.m.

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Sunday.

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A joint evacuation shelter for

both fires is open at Santa

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Rosa Catholic Church in Cambria.

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Extreme Heat Warnings also cover

Imperial County and the lower Colorado

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River valley into Friday evening.

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Florida: Miami International is operating

on reduced runway capacity this morning

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following Sunday's cargo aircraft overrun,

with delays and cancellations continuing.

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The disabled aircraft remains at the

northwest end of the airfield, and the

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NTSB chair is expected to brief today.

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Washington: Kittitas County has

reduced evacuation levels around

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the Three Queens and Goat fires.

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Three Queens is 9,444 acres and 11

percent contained east of Snoqualmie Pass.

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Goat is 809 acres and 3 percent contained

north of Ronald, with structure protection

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underway around the Big Boulder,

Paris and Salmon La Sac communities.

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Several zones dropped from Level

3 to Level 2 and from Level 2 to

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Level 1, and all other warnings

remain at their current levels.

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Statewide, the Sinlahekin Fire stands

at 166,116 acres and 59 percent

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containment with 30 structures lost.

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Washington has 13 large

fires, the most of any state.

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Oregon: The McCully Fire northwest

of Baker City is 13,565 acres and 25

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percent contained with 769 personnel

assigned, and evacuations, area

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and road closures remain in effect.

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Command transfers from Northwest

Team 3 to California Team 1.

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Elsewhere, the Hagen, Austin and

Paradise fires continue to threaten

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residences and critical infrastructure.

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A magnitude 5.3

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earthquake struck about 200 miles

off the Oregon coast Sunday evening.

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No tsunami message was issued and

no onshore impacts are reported.

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Minnesota: Fergus Falls and Otter

Tail County took a direct hit

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from flash flooding Sunday night.

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The Weather Service issued a

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Central on public reports of stalled

vehicles and flooded roads, with

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4 to 6 inches of rain fallen.

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The city has asked residents to conserve

water, calling it a critical situation

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because the wastewater plant is taking

excessive inflow that began around 5 p.m.

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The city says it is unclear when

normal water use can resume.

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Additional flash flood warnings

hit Faribault and Kittson counties.

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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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Michigan: Restoration continues

from last week's severe storms and

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tornado outbreak, which cut power

to more than 400,000 customers.

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As of Sunday midday a little more than

125,000 remain out, roughly 57,000 DTE

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Energy and 68,000 Consumers Energy.

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Both utilities have shifted from promising

full restoration Sunday to restoring most

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customers, and Consumers has mutual-aid

crews from Pennsylvania, Alabama

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and Kentucky working 16-hour shifts.

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North Carolina: The City of Asheboro

in Randolph County declared a state

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of emergency Sunday morning after

Saturday storms downed hundreds of

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trees across more than 40 streets.

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City officials say more than

1,500 residents could be without

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power for an extended period while

poles and lines are replaced.

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Separately, the Weather Service issued a

flash flood warning early this morning for

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south central McDowell and northwestern

Rutherford counties, with minor flooding

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reported in the Sugar Hill community

and 2 to 4 inches of rain already down.

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Georgia: Georgia Power restoration

continued Sunday after storms with 60

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mile an hour gusts and hail cut power

to more than 50,000 customers across

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Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.

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About 5,000 remained out Sunday morning.

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Separately, a large industrial fire

in South Fulton is still burning this

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morning, and officials have issued a

smoke advisory telling nearby residents

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to keep windows and doors closed.

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Idaho: Twelve large fires are

burning statewide, with the

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Crooked, Moose Mountain and Cascade

fires threatening structures.

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Montana: Eleven large fires are active,

and a Flood Watch covers northwest Montana

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through Tuesday midday, where the Weather

Prediction Center has the country's only

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Slight Risk of excessive rainfall today.

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South Dakota: The Needles Fire on

the Pine Ridge Agency grew roughly

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3,000 acres in 24 hours to about

4,000 acres at 30 percent containment

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with structures threatened, and Red

Flag Warnings cover several western

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counties through this evening.

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Texas: The Ross Fire has burned 90,400

acres with 157 structures lost and no

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evacuations in place, and river flood

warnings continue for Pine Island

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Bayou near Sour Lake and the Neches

River through Wednesday evening.

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Utah: The Broad Fire at the mouth of

Weber Canyon is about 134 acres and

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10 percent contained, with Interstate

84 restricted to one lane in each

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direction and no evacuations ordered.

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Iowa: Flash flood warnings ran into

this morning for parts of Plymouth

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and Woodbury counties with 3 to 4.5

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inches of rain down, under a

regional Flood Watch covering

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eleven northwest counties.

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Missouri: Moberly Public Utilities

declared an emergency water outage

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and a 48-hour boil advisory after a

main break on West Lee Street, and an

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Extreme Heat Warning covers the Kansas

City metro through Tuesday evening.

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South Carolina: Duke Energy worked

overnight on Upstate restoration

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with about 2,500 customers still out

in Cherokee and Greenville counties

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and restoration estimated at midday,

and six children were hospitalized

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after a lightning strike near a

Spartanburg County school field Sunday.

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Indiana: Recovery operations

for the August flood disaster

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pause for the holiday.

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Mobile registration resumes Tuesday in

Lake Station and one-stop shops reopen

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Wednesday in Portage and Cambridge City.

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SBA physical damage

applications close October 25.

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North Dakota: The Storm Prediction

Center has today's only Slight

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Risk of severe thunderstorms over

northwest into central North Dakota,

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with large hail the main threat.

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Nebraska: Northeast Nebraska

sits inside that same Slight Risk

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area, where a tornado is possible

along the South Dakota border.

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Wyoming: A Red Flag Warning covers

the Bighorn Basin through 7 p.m.

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today.

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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: An Extreme Heat Warning

covers coastal, lowland, valley and

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urban sections of the island from 10 a.m.

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to 5 p.m.

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Atlantic time today, with a Heat

Advisory for Culebra and Vieques.

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LUMA Energy is reporting no

special announcements and

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no island-wide outage event.

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U.S.

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Virgin Islands: A Heat

Advisory is in effect for St.

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Croix and for St.

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Thomas, St.

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John and adjacent islands from 10 a.m.

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to 5 p.m.

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today.

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Guam: No weather alerts

are active this morning.

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The Joint Typhoon Warning Center's

only active western Pacific system is

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Tropical Depression Krovanh, tracking

north-northeast toward Japan and

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posing no threat to the Marianas.

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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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so the day starts with

clarity instead of catch-up.

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Subscribe on your favorite podcast player.

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EM Morning Brief is an EOC Voices Podcast.

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Stay Safe.