State of emergency

A suspected tornado struck Heber-Overgaard, Arizona, on Wednesday, injuring one person and damaging dozens of homes and buildings, according to the Navajo County sheriff. The county's Board of Supervisors declared a local state of emergency, and crews are now conducting damage assessments on homes, roads, and hazards.

That assessment is a precursor to a possible major disaster declaration, which could unlock federal aid. Gov. Katie Hobbs would first need to declare a state emergency and request federal assistance, which FEMA would review before recommending action to the President. Hobbs's office says it's too early to know if that step will be needed; state Rep. Walt Blackman has already urged her to act.

Florida's tax-supported debt fell from $17.5 billion in 2018 to $8.7 billion by 2026, even as the state's population grew more than 10 percent, according to a commentary contrasting the state's fiscal management with Washington's $40.3 trillion federal debt load. Officials credit early bond payoffs, with Gov. Ron DeSantis citing $1 billion to $2 billion in interest savings; a 2025 law now sets aside $250 million annually for early debt retirement. The state has also cut spending for four straight years, shed over 1,300 positions since 2019, fully funded its pension system since 2013, and maintains a rainy-day fund at its legal cap near $5 billion, earning AAA ratings from major credit agencies.

Watchdog group Truth in Accounting ranks Florida's per-taxpayer fiscal surplus far ahead of states like New Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois, which carry tens of thousands in unfunded liabilities per taxpayer. Florida's fiscal outlook still projects a deficit by 2029-30 amid rising health costs and an aging population, raising stakes for the state's Nov. 3 gubernatorial election and candidates' commitments to continued debt reduction and pension funding.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for 25 counties ahead of a strengthening storm system in the Gulf of Mexico. The order covers counties across the Panhandle and North Florida, including Baker, Columbia, Bay, Escambia, Leon, Santa Rosa and Walton, among others.

The National Hurricane Center expects the system, now a Category 3 hurricane, to make landfall along the central Gulf Coast as early as Friday night, with impacts extending well beyond the landfall point, including heavy rainfall, strong winds, coastal flooding and isolated tornadoes across North Florida. Some counties are not expected to be seriously impacted directly but are already contending with separate flooding from days of heavy rain, with three to six inches reported in Columbia County; additional rain could further saturate soils and raise flash flooding risk. The state has staged more than 1,000 generators, half a million gallons of gasoline, a million gallons of diesel and over a million bottles of water, mobilized 5,000 National Guard troops, and pre-positioned more than 16,000 linemen for power restoration. DeSantis urged residents to finalize plans and stock supplies for at least 72 hours.

New Mexico Acting Gov. Howie Morales declared a state of emergency on Sept. 30 as flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Polo damaged infrastructure, cut off transportation routes, and threatened homes across the state. Morales signed five executive orders, each releasing $750,000 in immediate assistance, putting up to $3.75 million toward response and recovery through the state's Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Funds can cover temporary lodging, shelter, healthcare, food, and transportation, and the National Guard may be deployed if local authorities need help.

Parts of the state are under evacuation orders. In Doña Ana County, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning after officials warned McLeod Dam was at risk of imminent failure, raising fears of life-threatening flooding downstream. The Hatch Valley Public School District closed schools due to impassable roads, and Ruidoso issued a voluntary evacuation notice over landslide risk. More rain is forecast.

New York City residents are reporting an unusual shortage of Diet Coke across grocery delivery services and retailers, with customers on Amazon Fresh, FreshDirect, Costco and Target describing empty shelves and unfulfilled online orders for weeks. Shoppers from the Upper East Side to Brooklyn, Harlem, Queens and Long Island have swapped stories online, with some only half-jokingly declaring a household "emergency" over the missing soda.

The cause remains unclear. Some Amazon Fresh customers suspect a business dispute, such as a contract or invoice issue with Coca-Cola, rather than an actual product shortage, and one commenter claiming to work at an Amazon Fresh warehouse said Pepsi products were still arriving while Coca-Cola's were not. Coca-Cola, Amazon and FreshDirect have not commented. The episode echoes a genuine Diet Coke shortage in India this year, where aluminum can supplies were disrupted by Strait of Hormuz shipping issues tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict, though no link to New York's situation has been confirmed. Diet Coke remains one of Coca-Cola's billion-dollar brands, with global volumes up this year.

Pressure is building in Michigan over calls to suspend the state's 52.4-cent gas tax as pump prices remain elevated, averaging $4.63 per gallon as of late September, above the national average. Republican gubernatorial candidate John James urged Democrats to declare a state of emergency and suspend the tax, while Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks said a holiday could be considered when the Senate reconvenes October 1. House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican, called the idea fiscally unserious but said he would put it to a vote and send it to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer if the Senate passes a bill.

Whitmer, who vetoed a similar suspension in 2022, has not stated a position. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson supports pausing the federal gas tax but opposes suspending the state tax, warning it would strain the budget. A three-month suspension could cost roughly $600 million in road funding, according to state fiscal analysts. Infrastructure groups oppose the move, citing long-term risks to road projects and funding mechanisms established last year.

A powerful early-season nor'easter battered the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coast over the weekend of Sept. 25-28, prompting states of emergency in New York (Long Island, New York City, Westchester County) and eight New Jersey counties under Govs. Kathy Hochul and Mikie Sherrill. The storm brought tropical-storm-force winds up to 70 mph, coastal flooding, and heavy rain from Massachusetts Bay to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, submerging major roadways on Long Island and in Queens under as much as two feet of water.

More than 130,000 utility customers lost power across the region. In Orange County, New York, utilities Orange and Rockland and Central Hudson mobilized crews to restore service, with Central Hudson citing Ulster County as hardest hit. By Sept. 28, most customers had power restored, though thousands remained without electricity. Rainfall varied widely, from just over an inch in Orange County to nearly 3.7 inches in Suffolk County, while the Neversink River saw a sharp rise in flow. Wind speeds and river levels were gradually returning to seasonal norms by Sunday.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill both declared states of emergency Friday ahead of a powerful nor'easter expected to bring coastal flooding, strong winds and possible power outages over the weekend. Hochul's declaration covers Nassau, Suffolk, New York City and Westchester, while Sherrill's applies to eight New Jersey counties including Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth and Ocean.

Officials in Manasquan, New Jersey, recommended voluntary evacuations for residents in low-lying areas, particularly elderly and special-needs individuals. Wind gusts topped 30 mph along the coast from New York to North Carolina, with Long Island seeing gusts up to 52 mph. The National Weather Service warned of moderate to locally major flooding, especially in New York City. Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to prepare as the storm's path shifted closer to the city, bringing heavier rain and stronger winds, and asked New Yorkers to check on their neighbors.