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Nor'easter causes coastal flooding and widespread power outages
Episode 266 • 28th September 2026 • EM Morning Brief • Brian Colburn
00:00:00 00:08:52

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I report that a long-duration nor'easter is producing coastal flooding, damaging winds, and widespread power outages from the Carolinas to New England. We confirm one fatality in Brooklyn from a fallen tree and multiple injuries elsewhere in New York. I note roughly 50,300 customers without power in New Jersey, 34,900 in New York, about 28,000 in Connecticut, and about 9,700 in Massachusetts. We also report Hurricane Nolo as a Category 4 storm southwest of Honolulu, creating life‑threatening surf and inundation risks to low-lying atolls. I emphasize that CISA has added actively exploited Citrix NetScaler vulnerabilities to the known exploited vulnerabilities catalog with an urgent remediation deadline, and we advise agencies and utilities to prioritize patching immediately. We further note state disaster declarations, evacuations, shelter openings, and ongoing wildfire and flood concerns across multiple states.

Key Takeaways

  • Nor'easter response, Carolinas to New England. Coastal Flood Advisories and a New Jersey Flood Warning remain active into this afternoon, with about 123,000 customers out across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Emergency declarations in both New York and New Jersey keep mutual aid, utility staging and debris resources available.
  • Hatteras Island access. N.C. 12 remains severed at Pea Island, so the only surface link to Hatteras Island is the 24 hour Stumpy Point to Rodanthe ferry, restricted to essential personnel, critical vendors and permanent residents. Logistics and medical transport planning should assume two hour crossings and long queues.
  • Hurricane Nolo. A category 4 storm southwest of Honolulu keeps a hurricane watch over Papahanaumokuakea, with atoll inundation expected and life-threatening surf on south-facing shores. Hawaii County shelters remain open and a statewide Wind Advisory is in effect.
  • CISA remediation deadline. Two exploited Citrix NetScaler vulnerabilities carry a September 30 federal remediation date. Any agency, utility or hospital using NetScaler as a remote access gateway should patch or isolate this week.
  • Wildfire posture. National preparedness level 2 with 16 uncontained large fires. The Second Street Fire near Benton City, Washington has destroyed seven structures and threatens energy infrastructure, and the Rafter 4B Fire near Eldorado, Texas is running with no containment.
  • Southwest flood threat. Tropical moisture over the Desert Southwest puts Flood Watches over Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and the panhandles, with burn scars and slot canyons the primary concern.
  • Water system disruption. The Eskridge, Kansas boil water advisory follows a control system failure and remains open until laboratory clearance, a reminder to check SCADA and pressure alarm coverage on small systems.

Sources

Nor'easter, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

North Carolina

Hurricane Nolo and Hawaii

Southwest and High Plains flooding

Wildfire

Cyber

Alaska

California

Kansas

Aviation

Transcripts

Cedric:

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

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for Monday, September 28, 2026.

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A long duration nor'easter continues

to drive coastal flooding, damaging

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wind and power outages from the

Carolinas to New England this morning.

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One person is dead in Brooklyn

after a tree fell in a New York City

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Housing Authority parking lot, and

four more people are injured by a

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separate falling tree in the borough.

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Utilities report roughly 50,300 customers

out in New Jersey, about 34,900 in

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New York, about 28,000 in Connecticut

and about 9,700 in Massachusetts.

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New York holds a state disaster

emergency across eight downstate

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counties and contiguous counties.

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New Jersey holds a state of

emergency across eight counties

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along the shore and Delaware Bay.

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Coastal Flood Advisories run into

this afternoon from Long Island and

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New York Harbor south to the New

Jersey shore and the Carolina coast,

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and a Flood Warning covers Monmouth

and Ocean counties in New Jersey.

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In the West, deep tropical moisture

and an upper level low over the Desert

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Southwest have Flood Watches posted

this morning for southwest Arizona,

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central and southern Utah, southeast

New Mexico, southern Colorado, southwest

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Kansas and the Texas and Oklahoma

panhandles, with rainfall rates above

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one inch per hour in the strongest cells.

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In the Pacific, Hurricane Nolo is a

category 4 storm with 155 mph sustained

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winds, centered about 400 miles southwest

of Honolulu and moving west-northwest.

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The Central Pacific Hurricane Center

holds a Hurricane Watch for the

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Papahanaumokuakea Marine National

Monument from Nihoa to French

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Frigate Shoals and says a Hurricane

Warning may be required there today.

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Large waves are expected to inundate

low-lying atolls beginning today, and

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swells are producing life-threatening

surf along south-facing shores

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of the main Hawaiian Islands.

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On the federal side, CISA added two

actively exploited Citrix NetScaler

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vulnerabilities to the Known Exploited

Vulnerabilities catalog Sunday

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afternoon and set a September 30

remediation deadline for federal

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civilian agencies, a three day window

well inside the usual three weeks.

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Agencies and utilities running

NetScaler gateways should treat

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patching as this week's priority.

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The national wildland fire

preparedness level stands at 2,

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with 16 uncontained large fires

and about 6,000 personnel assigned.

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Let's run through the states.

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Alaska.

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The Alaska Volcano Observatory holds

Great Sitkin at Watch and aviation color

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code orange, with slow eruption of lava

continuing inside the summit crater.

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Shishaldin stays at Advisory

and yellow for low-level unrest.

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California.

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The Weather Service posted Coastal

Flood Advisories, High Surf Advisories

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and Beach Hazards Statements overnight

for the Los Angeles, Ventura, Malibu,

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Catalina, Orange and San Diego county

coasts, and a Coastal Flood Advisory for

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the San Francisco Bay shoreline and the

Monterey Bay coast runs into Thursday.

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The Timber Fire in the Los Padres

National Forest southeast of Big

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Sur stands at 25,346 acres and 71

percent containment, with numerous

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structures still threatened and area,

road and trail closures in place.

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The Dome Fire a mile north of Wawona in

Yosemite National Park is 4,606 acres

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and 30 percent contained, with flanking

and uphill runs and closures in effect.

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Connecticut.

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About 28,000 utility customers are without

power this morning as the nor'easter

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pulls away from southern New England.

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Hawaii.

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Hawaii County keeps three shelters open,

at the Ocean View Community Center,

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the Naalehu Elementary School gym

and the Robert Herkes gym in Pahala.

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State emergency management reports

Nolo moving away from the islands with

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strong and gusty winds statewide, and

the Weather Service has a Wind Advisory

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for parts of Oahu, Maui and the Kohala

district plus a High Surf Advisory for

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east and south Kauai and windward Oahu.

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The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory holds

Kilauea at Watch and orange, with

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small overflows continuing from the

north vent and new overflows from the

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south vent, all confined to the summit.

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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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Kansas.

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The Kansas Department of Health

and Environment issued a boil water

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advisory Sunday evening for the Lake

Hill area of Eskridge in Wabaunsee

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County after a control system

equipment failure dropped pressure

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in part of the distribution system.

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It stays in effect until certified

laboratory testing clears the system.

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Massachusetts.

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The FAA is running a ground delay program

at Boston Logan this morning for runway

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construction, with average delays above

five hours and a maximum near eight hours.

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Logan also stays closed to unscheduled

transient aircraft without prior

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permission through Monday night.

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New Jersey.

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The state of emergency,

effective since 5 p.m.

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Friday, covers Atlantic, Burlington,

Cape May, Cumberland, Middlesex,

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Monmouth, Ocean and Salem counties.

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About 50,300 customers are without

power, the highest total of any state.

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A Flood Warning covers Monmouth and Ocean

counties through midmorning, and a Coastal

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Flood Advisory covers the Atlantic and

Cape May county coasts into the afternoon.

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Crews rescued a woman and her

dog from a vehicle in Sea Bright.

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New York.

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A 56-year-old New York City Housing

Authority employee died when a tree fell

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in a Brooklyn parking lot, and four people

were hurt by a separate falling tree.

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Executive Order 63 declares a

state disaster emergency for Bronx,

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Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens,

Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester

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counties and contiguous counties.

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About 34,900 customers remain without

power, and Montauk Point recorded

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an 81 mph gust during the storm.

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Coastal Flood Advisories cover

New York Harbor, the Long Island

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south shore, the Bronx and southern

Westchester into this afternoon.

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North Carolina.

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Dare County's state of emergency for

Hatteras Island stays in force with N.C.

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12 closed between the Marc Basnight

Bridge and Rodanthe, where ocean overwash

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undermined about 500 feet of pavement

near the Pea Island Visitor Center.

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The NCDOT Ferry Division

started three-boat, 24 hour

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emergency service between Stumpy

Point and Rodanthe at 11 a.m.

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Sunday, with a crossing

of roughly two hours.

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Rodanthe-bound access is limited to

essential personnel, critical business

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vendors and permanent island residents,

with law enforcement enforcing the

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restriction and non-resident visitors

and property owners turned back.

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NCDOT says ferry space is limited

and travelers should expect long

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lines and significant delays.

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N.C.

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12 reopened on the north end

of Ocracoke Island at 1:30 p.m.

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Sunday.

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Oklahoma.

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The Stone Bridge Fire five miles

northeast of Wilburton is 130 acres

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and 60 percent contained after

extreme behavior with short crown

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runs, spotting and uphill runs.

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One structure is lost and

residences are threatened.

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Texas.

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The Rafter 4B Fire eight miles

southeast of Eldorado is 1,250

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acres with no containment, showing

wind-driven runs and group torching.

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The Weather Service also has Air

Quality Alerts up through this evening

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for the Houston and Galveston area and

for the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.

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Washington.

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The Second Street Fire a mile southeast

of Benton City is 1,151 acres and

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60 percent contained after extreme

fire behavior with wind-driven runs.

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Seven structures are lost, and residences

and energy infrastructure are threatened.

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The Three Queens Fire east of Snoqualmie

Pass is 9,575 acres and 31 percent

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contained, with numerous residences

and critical infrastructure threatened,

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and the Sisi Fire northwest of

Stehekin is 4,305 acres and 15 percent

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contained with residences threatened.

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A Wind Advisory covers San Juan

County and the western Whatcom County

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lowlands into Tuesday afternoon.

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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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Follow on your favorite podcast player.

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EM Morning Brief is an EOC Voices Podcast.

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Stay Safe.

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