WILDFIRES - Australia Burning

"Australia’s catastrophic and relentless battle with bushfires" PBS NewsHour 1/8/2020

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SUMMARY:  The devastation from wildfires in Australia is on a scale that is difficult to comprehend.  More than 20 million acres have burned, destroying 2,000 homes and killing potentially hundreds of millions of animals, as well as 27 people.  Although the entire country has suffered from the fires, New South Wales is currently one of hardest-hit areas.  Kylie Morris of Independent Television News reports.

"How Australia is fighting fires while also mounting recovery effort" PBS NewsHour 1/8/2020

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SUMMARY:  As devastating bushfires continue to burn across Australia, how is the country’s government responding?  William Brangham speaks with David Littleproud, Australia’s minister for natural disaster and emergency management, about fighting fires while also embarking upon a recovery effort, whether the country has enough personnel and equipment and how it's preparing for hotter, longer fire seasons.

CALIFORNIA - Wildfire Fallout

"This wildfire season, aging power infrastructure may leave parts of California dark" PBS NewsHour 5/17/2019

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SUMMARY:  California wildfires have been brutal recently.  The worst in a century was last November’s Camp Fire, which killed 85 people and largely destroyed the town of Paradise.  State investigators have confirmed a Pacific Gas & Electric transmission line caused the blaze.  Amna Nawaz talks to The Wall Street Journal’s Russell Gold about how it started and whether PG&E has taken steps to prevent recurrence.

FLORIDA - Year After Hurricane Irma

"Why the Florida Keys still need support, a year and a half after Hurricane Irma" PBS NewsHour 4/11/2019

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SUMMARY:  In March, FEMA ended its temporary housing program for people affected by Hurricane Irma, which slammed the Florida Keys in September 2017.  But as rebuilding continues after one of the costliest storms in U.S. history, shelter for survivors and volunteers continues to be a major challenge in an area known for a critical shortage of affordable housing.  Special correspondent Alicia Menendez reports.

DEADLY TORNADOES - Eastern Alabama

"In eastern Alabama, communities reel from tornado’s ‘annihilation’" PBS NewsHour 3/5/2019

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SUMMARY:  Officials have released the names of 23 people confirmed dead from a tornado that hit Lee County, Alabama, on Sunday.  Rescue efforts are winding down, though many residents will face a long road to recovery after losing homes and livelihoods to the 170 mile-per-hour winds.  John Yang reports and Judy Woodruff talks to Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland of Smiths Station, one of the hardest hit areas.

CALIFORNIA - Wildfires' Aftermath

"Trauma, loss and logistics plague communities hit by wildfire" PBS NewsHour 11/27/2018

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SUMMARY:  California’s deadliest wildfire, the Camp Fire, is now fully contained, but its death toll has climbed to 88, and more than 200 people are still missing.  How are the people still searching for loved ones, and the thousands of residents displaced from their homes, coping in the disaster's aftermath?  Amna Nawaz talks to William Brangham, reporting from Gridley, California.

"After wildfire, Calif.  authorities struggle to find the missing and the dead" PBS NewsHour 11/29/2018

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SUMMARY:  It’s been three weeks since the devastating Camp Fire swept through California, leaving at least 88 people dead.  In its aftermath, forensic anthropologists comb through mountains of ash in search of human remains.  At the same time, law enforcement and other officials struggle to understand the whereabouts of the 190 people still missing.  William Brangham reports from Paradise.

PUERTO RICO - Maria Still Taking Toll

REMINDER:  Puerto Rico is an American Territory and Puerto Ricans are citizens of the United States.  The Puerto Rican flag is the equivalent of a state flag.

"Amid new hurricane season, Maria still taking a toll on Puerto Rico’s elderly" PBS NewsHour 7/11/2018

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SUMMARY:  As Puerto Rico enters another hurricane season, the island’s elderly residents find themselves especially vulnerable.  A recent study found some 4,600 Puerto Ricans perished in the months following Hurricane Maria--including many who died because of delayed medical care.  Special correspondent Sarah Varney reveals just how precarious daily life has become for the island's elderly.