WV and National Disaster News - July 21, 2023

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WEST VIRGINIA

COVID
WV COVID Weekly Update for week of July 19, 2023 (WV DHHR) - there have been no deaths reported since last week's dashboard update, with a total of 8,163 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
 
Coal Spill

• Clean-up underway following Randolph County coal spill (Metro News)
• More than 4,000 tons of 'clean coal' spills into Buckhannon River, DEP says (WTAP)

Flood Recovery Kits

• No drop in the bucket: Scouts begin work producing flood recovery kits ​(The Heald Dispatch) 

• Going up: Floodwall exercise ensures gates work in event of emergency (The Herald Dispatch)

Medical Waste Treatment

• DEP holds first public meeting for Jackson County waste-to-energy facility seeking air quality permit (Metro News) 

• Boone County project underway considered promising development (WSAZ) 

• Scientist Discusses Drinking Water Contamination (WV Public Broadcasting) 

NATIONAL NEWS
 
Extreme HEAT

• Heat is the biggest weather-related killer, but US officials are rejecting requests to declare disaster (The Independent)
• Southwest Record Heat Wave To Expand To Midwest Next Week As Southeast Sees A Little Relief (The Weather Channel)

 
Flood Recovery

• Vermont Senators Sanders & Welch ask colleagues to support more federal disaster funding (VTDigger – Vermont) – article reports the climate crisis is stretching FEMA thin and the agency's disaster relief fund is set to run out of money in August.
• A guide to the FEMA aid process for flooded Vermont homes (Vermont Public Radio)

 
Severe Storms & Weather

• More drenching storms in store for Northeast, but some good news is in the forecast (AccuWeather)  
• Flash flooding threat renews for Northeast as front sweeps through areas soaked from earlier storms (FOX Weather)
• Flash flooding risks to spread to southern High Plains, Mid-South. and Northeast; Friday forecast (USA Today)
• Severe storms cause power outages, flooding; vacant building collapses (video) (Cleveland.com - Ohio)
• Severe storms: Cleanup continues after wind knocks down trees, damages buildings in Georgia (WAGA Fox News 5 – Atlanta, GA) 

Wildfire Smoke

• Pollution from Canada's wildfires was similar to breathing secondhand smoke indoors, study shows (Philadelphia Inquirer) 

• President Biden, Come to East Palestine and Bring FEMA With You | Opinion (Newsweek)
• Behind the scenes at DHS with Alejandro Mayorkas (Politico Podcast) - An interview with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas looks at how the agency was started, where it is headed, immigration and border issues, drug infiltration, TSA operations and cyber security. ​