September 14, 2020 • No Comments • National News

ABC NewsBy MAX GOLEMBO and MELISSA GRIFFIN, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Sally has strengthened into a Category 2 storm and is expected to strike the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, as four other storms rock the Atlantic.

President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for both Alabama and Mississippi Monday evening.

Sally is the seventh hurricane to form this season and was moving west-northwest with wind gusts up to 100 mph as of Monday evening. A “life threatening” storm surge up to 11 feet and rain up to 24 inches is expected to hit the Gulf Coast over the next 24 to 36 hours, according to the forecast.

As of 5 pm ET, the hurricane was about 105 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Sally is one of five tropical storms that are simultaneously moving through the Atlantic Ocean, an event that has not taken place in almost 50 years. A tropical wave is over the Gulf of Mexico, while Hurricane Paulette and Tropical Storms Rene, Teddy and Vicky are out further in the Atlantic Ocean.

Sally is expected to continue to strengthen over the next 24 hours before it makes landfall Tuesday. The current forecast has the storm making landfall near or east of Biloxi, Mississippi, on Tuesday evening as a Category 2 hurricane with 110 mph winds.

Storm surge remains a big threat as Sally makes landfall. Because of its slow speed, more water could pile up in the bays and inlets along the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane warnings have been issued across eastern Louisiana, coastal Mississippi and Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. New Orleans, Biloxi, and Mobile are included in these warnings.

Flash flood watches extend as far north as Birmingham, Alabama, as Sally is expected to move slowly across the state through Wednesday with heavy rain.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has issued a state of emergency, saying, “bad weather is nothing to take lightly.”

Biloxi Mayor Andrew Gilich ordered all casinos to close and urged residents to prepare for the storm.

“Please take action. Secure your property. Know that low-lying areas will see flooding, and we may have an interruption in power as the winds pick up. This is not our first rodeo, but residents need to have a plan and follow that plan,” Gilich said in a statement.

Storm surge warnings are in effect for Port Fourchon, Louisiana, to the Florida panhandle, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and Lake Borgne, as well as Mobile Bay.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed the Texas A&M Task Force 1 to Louisiana at the request of FEMA in preparation for Sally.

Flooding from rainfall is another major threat with Sally because of its slow speed, and some areas could see 15 to 20 inches of rain in the next several days.

Elsewhere, Hurricane Paulette hit Bermuda and is moving away from the island, leaving behind strong winds and torrential rain.

The hurricane is expected to head east and not make further landfall.

Elsewhere in the tropics, there is a new tropical storm, Teddy, which is forecast to become a major hurricane by this weekend.

The storm is moving in the general direction of Bermuda, but it is too early to say if Bermuda will get hit again.

Additionally, Tropical Storm Vicky has formed in the eastern Atlantic, becoming the 20th named storm of the 2020 hurricane season. That storm is currently in open ocean and not threatening any major landmass.

Vicky is the earliest 20th named storm on record. The previous record for reaching 20 named storms in a hurricane season was in 2005, on Oct. 5.

ABC News’ Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 14, 2020 • No Comments • National News

P_Wei/iStockBy QUINN OWEN, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — The personal information of some 46,000 veterans was compromised in a breach that targeted private financial data as some health care payments were redirected to fraudulent accounts, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday.

Officials found payments that were intended for veteran treatment at multiple community health centers had been diverted. An online application from the VA’s Financial Services Center was accessed and modified “using social engineering techniques and exploiting authentication protocols” and has since been taken offline, according to a statement from the department.

The VA is in the process of notifying affected veterans, and next-of-kin of will be notified in cases where the person who had their information accessed is deceased. Social Security numbers for both living and deceased veterans may have been compromised, the department said.

“There is no action needed from Veterans if they did not receive an alert by mail, as their personal information was not involved in the incident,” the VA said in a statement.

The department is encouraging veterans who were notified of their involvement in the breach to contact the Financial Services Center.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 13, 2020 • No Comments • National News

David Ryder/Getty ImagesBY: JULIA JACOBO, ABC NEWS

(SAN FRANCISCO) — California fire officials are emphasizing the historic nature of the devastating wildfires currently raging through the state as the death toll and total number of scorched acreage continue to grow.

More than 3.3 million acres have been burned in the Golden State this year — more than 27 times more than in 2019, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Firefighters in the state have not seen anything like this season in more than a century, when the Great Fire of 1910 blazed through more than 3 million acres.

Currently, 29 major fires are burning in California. The August Complex Fire in Mendocino and Humboldt counties is now the largest in state history — currently at more than 877,000 acres and 28% containment — while three other fires this season rank in the top 10 all-time, according to the department.

More than 13 people are currently missing in Butte County, where the North Complex Fire has raged through more than 258,000 acres. It is currently at 26% containment.

Residents in the City of Arcadia were ordered to evacuate Sunday morning due to the Bobcat Fire, which has been causing poor air quality in Los Angeles for the past week. That fire has scorched through more than 31,000 acres and is 6% contained as it travels up the mountains.

Crews in California are currently exhausted, with some battling fires for nearly two months. Nearly 8 million gallons of water and 4.6 million gallons of retardant have been used so far.

Fire crews attempted to get the containment up over the weekend as temperatures cooled and humidity levels increased.

However, the season is far from over, as the Santa Ana wind season has yet to begin. Monday could bring elevated fire risk while a fire weather watch is in effect over the Northern Sierra, potentially impacting the North Complex with gusty winds. A red flag warning is also in effect this afternoon through this evening for much of Northeastern California due to gusty winds and low humidity, which could bring the return of critical fire next week.

The death toll on the West Coast also continues to climb. In the past week, 25 people in three states have died. Thirty-three people have died this year.

On Saturday, Oregon state fire marshal Jim Walker was placed on administrative leave for unspecified reasons and then submitted his resignation. Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton appointed Mariana Ruiz-Temple as Walker’s replacement.

More than a million acres have burned in Oregon. On Sunday, the Riverside Fire burned more than 133,790 acres and was 0% contained and the Lionshead Fire had burned through more than 146,000 acres and was 5% contained.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 13, 2020 • No Comments • National News

ABC NewsBY: DANIEL MANZO, ABC NEWS

(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Sally is now predicted to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane late Monday.

The storm has reached winds of 60 mph and is about 135 miles West of St. Petersburg, Florida. The storm is moving west-northwest at 12 mph.

Sally is expected to strengthen today and Monday. Life-threatening storm surge, hurricane winds and torrential rain are expected along the Gulf coast beginning Monday

Heavy rain continues to fall on the eastern side of Sally, especially from the Florida Keys to Sarasota.

Key West, Florida, recorded nearly 4 inches of rain in just one hour overnight causing flash flooding there. Additionally, Key West, also observed 9.37 inches of rain yesterday.

Flood watches have been issued for a large part of the Southeast U.S.

Regardless of the wind speed of Sally, the primary and most major concern remains the water because Sally is expected to slow down dramatically as it approaches the coast line.

Sally’s outer bands should begin to reach the Gulf Coast tomorrow morning. As we move through time, it is evident that Sally does not make significant progress inland until Wednesday morning.

This likely allows for up to 48 hours of storm surge and rainfall which could be a very dangerous situation.

The rainfall forecast now calls for up to 20 inches along the Gulf Coast. As with all hurricanes, this rainfall will be realized east of the center and could cause major flash flooding.

The storm surge forecast is now up to 11 feet, again east of the center. Sally is expected to be a very slow moving storm, with the ability to bring very dangerous storm surge and flash flooding.

In a statement Sunday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said the state is “keeping a close eye” on the storm and that “it is likely that this storm system will be impacting Alabama’s Gulf Coast.”

A mandatory evacuation has been issued for Grand Isle, Louisiana, according to a press release from Grand Isle Mayor David Carmadelle’s office. The town of Grand Isle will open an evacuation center at the Raceland Recreation Center, located at 221 Recreation Drive, Raceland, Louisiana.

Sally is just one of seven tropical systems in the Atlantic basin.

Paulette became a hurricane overnight and is the sixth hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season and will arrive in Bermuda Sunday night and Early Monday. Hurricane Paulette has winds of 80 mph and remains a Category 1 hurricane. Paulette is heading northwest towards Bermuda. Hurricane conditions will arrive in Bermuda later Sunday night.

There are also two more tropical waves pushing off Africa as well as Tropical Depression 20.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 12, 2020 • No Comments • National News

ABC NewsBY: DANIEL MANZO, ABC NEWS

(NEW YORK) –Tropical Depression 19 officially strengthened into Tropical Storm Sally Saturday afternoon.

Sustained winds were at 40 mph, and it is moving west at 7 mph with the center about 35 miles south-southeast of Naples, Florida.

This sets a new record for the earliest 18th-named storm of the season in the Atlantic Basin. The previous record was Stan on Oct. 2, 2005.

Flood watches were issued for a large part of Florida Saturday morning. Tropical storm watches are in effect for parts of the Florida panhandle. Locally, heavy rain, which might fall in a quick time period, is expected to last through much of the weekend from Naples to Fort Myers to Tampa.

The current forecast track has the storm slowing down as it approaches the Gulf Coast beginning on Monday and lasting into the middle of the week.

The latest forecast now calls for this system to be a Category 1 hurricane by Monday evening and then impact parts of the northern Gulf Coast into Tuesday morning.

Hurricane watches, tropical storm watches, and/or storm surge watches could be issued for portions of the north-central Gulf Coast later Saturday.

As with all hurricanes and tropical systems, the worst impacts are always on the right side of the storm. There is a window of opportunity over the coming days for the storm to strengthen, and a strengthening storm as it approaches land can be a tough forecast to nail down.

Ultimately, though, the immediate concern is a slow-moving storm that could bring a serious rainfall threat to the Gulf Coast in the coming week. It is too early to determine the magnitude of this rainfall event, but there is increasing confidence that rainfall totals could be excessive.

More systems to watch

Elsewhere in the Atlantic basin, there are five additional systems worth watching.

One is a tropical wave drifting westward in the Gulf of Mexico. There is Tropical Storm Paulette, which will near Bermuda as Hurricane, possibly Category 2, by Monday. There is also Tropical Storm Rene, which will likely weaken to a tropical remnant low sometime this week.

There is a tropical wave pushing well west of Africa traveling across the Atlantic, which has a 90% chance of formation in the coming days. There is also one more tropical wave just pushing off Africa that has a 50% chance of formation the next several days.

At this point, the primary concern to the United States remains Tropical Depression 19.

Meanwhile, air quality is expected to remain unhealthy across the western U.S. through much of the weekend as numerous large wildfires continue to burn across the region.

Satellite imagery actually shows a unique situation where a strong storm over the Pacific Ocean is essentially pulling smoke from the fires westward and trapping hazardous air in the major population centers. NASA is reporting that the smoke has traveled nearly 1,300 miles across the western U.S. and eastern Pacific Ocean.

As that storm approaches, it will likely kick up some wind activity across parts of the west on Sunday and a red flag warning has been issued there. The good news is once that period of critical fire danger is over, wetter and cooler conditions next week should reduce the risk for fire spread and help clear out the dangerous air.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.