FEMA: Winter Storm News Clips

Northeast US Faces “Potentially Historic” Winter Storm

The top story covered by the three major TV networks last night was a winter storm that could dump record amounts of snow in some parts of America’s northeast region. All three networks led with the coverage, giving it seven minutes and 45 seconds of total air time. The reports, like ones run by numerous well-known print outlets, said New York City could get hit particularly hard.

The CBS Evening News (1/25, lead story, 1:50, Glor, 5.08M) broadcast, “The National Weather Service calls an approaching storm ‘crippling and potentially historic.’” The storm, expected to start this morning and last until Wednesday morning, could drop “up to 30 inches” of snow from New York to Boston.

In a follow-up report, the CBS Evening News (1/25, story 2, 2:00, Glor, 5.08M) showed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio saying, “We are facing, most likely, one of the largest snow storms in the history of this city.”

ABC World News (1/25, lead story, 2:45, Muir, 5.84M) showed de Blasio saying, “My message to all New Yorkers, is prepare for something worse than we have ever seen before.”

NBC Nightly News (1/25, lead story, 3:25, Holt, 7.86M), meanwhile, broadcast that de Blasio “warns it could be one of the biggest storms in the city’s history.” NBC Nightly News (1/25, story 2, 1:40, Holt, 7.86M) also aired a follow-up report noting that “over 300 flights” had already been canceled for the New York area.

The AP (1/26) reports that National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Hurley said, “This Nor’easter is going to produce a wide swath of snowfall.” The AP adds, “New York City, Boston and Connecticut should expect whopping snow totals of up to 2 feet, he said.”

USA Today (1/26, Bacon, 10.32M) reports, “Major airports expected to see disruptive snow totals include New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Newark Liberty, Philadelphia, Boston and most airports in New England.”

Other well-known news outlets covering this story include the New York Times (1/26, Moynihan, Subscription Publication, 9.97M), Bloomberg News (1/26, Bravo, 2.94M), and Reuters (1/26, Cohen).

FEMA Awards Hazard Mitigation Money To Three West Virginia-based Counties

The AP (1/26) reports FEMA has awarded hazard mitigation funding to Kanawha, Greenbrier and Tucker counties in West Virginia. Each county will use the money to buy generators, acquire property in South Charleston, and elevate some houses out of the floodplain.

The Charleston (WV) State Journal (1/24, 1K) reports that FEMA awarded $835,000 in hazard mitigation funding. West Virginia Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management Director Jimmy Gianato commented on the funding, stating, “The Hazard Mitigation Program Grants provide for valuable services and equipment that will protect the safety of citizens and their property.” The story run by the State Journal also appears on the WOWK-TV Charleston, WV (1/24, 9K) website.

City In North Dakota Allowed To Keep Flood Insurance Basement Exemption

The AP (1/26) reports Tim Mahoney, the acting mayor of North Dakota-based Fargo, says FEMA has renewed a National Flood Insurance Program exemption that allows homeowners to have basements in the city’s floodplain. Mahoney “says the renewal came after a ‘big fight’ between city officials and FEMA.”

According to the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead (ND) (1/24, Tran, 8K), Fargo had asked North Dakota’s congressional delegation to push for renewal of the exemption. The delegation did so, sending a letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate last month. The KFGO-AM Fargo, ND (1/23, Haney, 3K) website noted that Mahoney said the delegation was helpful in allowing Fargo to keep the exemption.