FEMA

U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) announced new legislation Friday that aims to address disaster responses nationwide.

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration in response to the recent wildfire crisis in California counties.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched "Project Roomkey," which aims to provide hotel and motel rooms as protection from COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, to the state's unhoused population, at a Friday press conference.

A proposed resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives could help alleviate homelessness by increasing resources available to state and local communities. House Resolution 5609, the Homelessness Emergency Declaration Act, was introduced by Rep. Josh Harder, D-Modesto.

While Hurricane Florence was not as destructive as originally anticipated, examining some of the more significant storms of the last two decades provides a clear picture of environmental racism as well as the drawbacks and pitfalls of disaster aid policy.

Now is a good time for us to pause and take stock of how prepared we are in the event that Berkeley falls victim to a natural disaster. Events such as wildfires, earthquakes and droughts can strike the West Coast, and it's critical that individuals know what to do in these emergency situations.

BART applied for the FEMA grant in June and competed with other transit systems nationwide. It was one of 19 different systems to receive grants, and BART received one of the most substantial grants, according to BART media relations manager James Allison.

Berkeley received a Hazard Mitigation Grant of $1.2 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to retrofit certain types of unstable buildings in order to reduce the risk of damage caused by earthquakes.

After a measure to continue funding for Oakland’s Wildfire Prevention Assessment District through a parcel tax failed in 2003, the city’s General Fund has assumed fiscal responsibility for fire preventative measures as the last of the district’s funds are depleted.