Flood

Flooding in southern Utah has disrupted Election Day logistics in San Juan County, with washed-out roads like the Comb Ridge bridge forcing election workers to detour through Arizona to reach Monument Valley and Navajo Mountain. The Utah Department of Transportation has made temporary repairs to some damaged roads, but access remains limited in parts of the county. The Lieutenant Governor issued an emergency declaration allowing electronic voting for residents affected by the flooding, and County Clerk Lyman Duncan said thousands were notified of the option, with his office assisting voters through the process. All five polling locations remained open with steady turnout, and affected voters had until 8 p.m. to return electronic ballots. Much of southern Utah remains under a flood warning as the San Juan River continues to rise.

Nearly two years after the Eaton and Palisades fires, many Los Angeles-area survivors are running out of savings and temporary housing aid, with FEMA rental assistance for renters having expired in October. The Trump administration omitted LA wildfire relief from its summer budget request, and California's request for $16 billion in long-term recovery funds remains unresolved. A nonprofit survey found over a quarter of survivors have exhausted displacement coverage, with mental health and financial strain topping their concerns.

Democratic lawmakers Judy Chu and Norma Torres say a Democratic takeover of the House (and possibly Senate) in November could unlock stalled federal disaster aid, as Republicans have been reluctant to push the issue absent White House backing. State and local officials say they are seeking other funding sources in the meantime.

Voters in the Mount Pleasant area will decide three South Carolina House races on Election Day, Nov. 3, pitting Republican incumbents against Democratic challengers. In District 80, Rep. Kathy Landing faces firefighter Benjamin Brown, with debate centered on the Highway 41 corridor and flood resilience. In District 110, Rep. Tom Hartnett, co-chair of the Charleston County Flood Task Force, faces marketing executive K.J. Atwood over affordability, traffic, and flooding. In District 112, Rep. Joe Bustos faces nurse and doula Jenna Arsenault, with issues including income taxes, septic systems, and healthcare access. All three districts cover parts of Mount Pleasant, Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palms, and James Island.

Florida and Alabama National Guard units mobilized in response to a hurricane that left roughly 800,000 residents without power and caused significant flooding across the Florida Panhandle and surrounding region. At the peak of operations, more than 5,000 Guard members were activated, with Florida moving thousands of Soldiers and Airmen within 36 hours of impact to support 16 affected counties.

Guard members completed over 100 rescue missions, including saving a family from a sinking truck near Tallahassee, while clearing about 4,000 miles of roadway and removing more than 12,500 cubic yards of debris. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters assisted with damage assessments and transport to isolated areas. Alabama activated roughly 500 Soldiers who staged in the state's southern region, though the state saw less severe weather than expected. Officials noted the Emergency Management Assistance Compact remains available for additional interstate support, while other military units, including the Air Force Reserve's 403rd Wing and the Army Corps of Engineers, assisted with reconnaissance and flood-risk monitoring.

A state audit released this week found 57 California dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition as of May, a number expected to rise as officials reevaluate aging infrastructure. Of these, 40 are rated high or extremely high hazard and cluster near densely populated areas including the Bay Area, San Diego, and Los Angeles. The auditor warned these dams could collectively endanger up to 1.5 million people and cause more than $265 billion in economic damage if they failed, with the risk heightened by an approaching El Niño winter expected to bring heavy rain.

The report criticized the California Department of Water Resources for never using enforcement powers granted in 2017, after the Oroville spillway failure, despite referring 44 dam owners for violations. Most dam owners lack funds for repairs, which the audit estimates could cost $28 billion statewide, far outpacing recent funding infusions. The auditor urged lawmakers to set repair deadlines and expand condemnation authority. The Department of Water Resources said it disagrees with some findings but is reviewing recommendations as it prepares for the wet season.