Colleen Hagerty
@colleenhagerty.com
2.5K followers 640 following 170 posts
Disaster-focused journalist. Why yes I do have a newsletter: https://myworldsonfire.colleenhagerty.com/
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Lots of new people on here, so a quick re-introduction!

I'm an independent journalist reporting on disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, & extreme heat. Much of my work focuses on long-term recovery issues & how policies impact people. More on all that here: www.colleenhagerty.com
Colleen Hagerty
Colleen Hagerty is a multimedia journalist based in Southern California
www.colleenhagerty.com
I'll personally be commemorating the day by revisiting these classic #ShakeOut PSA videos, which tell you watch to do if an earthquake occurs when you're sleeping, driving, at the beach, and a bunch of other situations: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZtD...
If You Have a Mobility Disability (Earthquake Safety Video Series)
YouTube video by Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills
www.youtube.com
Today is International #ShakeOut Day, the world's largest earthquake drill & a good time to learn (or practice) what steps to take in an earthquake & how to prep for these unpredictable hazards. I updated @nytwirecutter.bsky.social's guide with advice, tips, & tools: www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
The Top Tools for Earthquake Preparedness
A little advanced planning can keep you safe and offer comfort after an earthquake strikes.
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, the EPA canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from extreme flooding. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/c...
Before Alaska Flooding, E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
"Disasters in remote Alaska are not like disasters anywhere in the lower 48 states....While East Coast homeowners recovering from a nor’easter can run to Home Depot for supplies or drive to a hotel if their home floods, none of that exists in remote Native villages."
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
New: There was an "emergency" all-hands meeting inside part of NOAA today basically to tell people they have no idea what to expect re a potential shutdown. "Even less than usual," per one source. There is no guidance yet available and no info on what specifically the OMB memo means. So that's cool.
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Pilots reporting reduced visibility near Mount Saint Helens in Washington. Not because of an ongoing volcanic eruption, but because of gusty winds whipping up ash deposited from the 1980 eruption! USGS says this happens occasionally during gusty, snow-free conditions.

Credit: USGS Volcanoes
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
note how Trump explicitly links approving disaster aid for Wisconsin and South Dakota to the fact he won Wisconsin and South Dakota
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Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

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2m
I just informed Senator Ron Johnson that, based on his request, I am approving $29.8 Million Dollars for the wonderful State of Wisconsin to help them recover from the major storms and flooding they experienced in August. We had Huge Victories in Wisconsin in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and it is my Honor to deliver BIG for Wisconsinites!





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Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

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2m
I just got off the phone with our wonderful Republican Leader John Thune. I am approving over $500,000 for the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe in the Great State of South Dakota for the terrible Storms and Flooding they endured in June. I love the people of South Dakota, who voted for me in Historic Margins in 2016, 2020, and 2024. Together, we will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
I spent six months walking the Lower Ninth Ward, speaking w/ dozens of neighbors, + combing through 6,000 pages of FOIA docs. My latest reveals what recent documentaries left out. If Katrina’s legacy moved you, don’t miss what’s happening to the community now capitalbnews.org/katrina-anni...
How a $5 Billion Federal Project Could Sink the Lower Ninth Ward For Good
Decades after Betsy and Katrina, the community faces another threat — a canal proposal promising “progress” that could threaten its survival.
capitalbnews.org
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Disaster survivors are waiting longer for federal aid. A new Associated Press analysis found that it's taking more than a month, on average, for President Trump to approve major disaster declarations.

That's up from an average of less than 2 weeks during the 1990s and early 2000s.

buff.ly/4X0IhT6
Disaster Survivors Face Longer, Agonizing Waits for Federal Aid
A new Associated Press analysis found that it's taking more than a month, on average, for President Trump to approve major disaster declarations.
www.mississippifreepress.org
Question for people working in the world of disasters & extreme weather: What conferences do you try to attend each year? Why?
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
I wrote about how Hurricane Katrina helped spur pretty remarkable improvements in hurricane forecasts since 20 years ago and how current and planned budget cuts by the Trump administration to research could set us back.
Katrina Helped Revolutionize Hurricane Forecasting. Budget Cuts May Set Us Back
Hurricane forecasts have made huge leaps since Katrina hit 20 years ago, but that progress is threatened by Trump administration cuts to research
www.scientificamerican.com
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
"Two people fighting the Bear Gulch fire on the Olympic Peninsula were arrested by federal law enforcement Wednesday, in a confrontation described by firefighters and depicted in photos and video." www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire
Federal agents showed up northeast of Lake Cushman to check identification of crew members fighting Washington's largest active wildfire.
www.seattletimes.com
This meeting comes after multiple FEMA staffers issued a "Katrina Declaration" earlier this week warning of their agency's diminished capacity. Those who signed their names were then suspended: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/c...
FEMA Suspends Staff Who Signed a Letter Criticizing Trump
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
The U.S. Forest Service has spent decades blocking efforts to better protect its wildfire fighters, sending crews into smoke without masks or warnings about the health risks, a New York Times investigation found. nyti.ms/4mm9oMr
A headline reads: "Wildfire Firefighters, Unmasked In Toxic Smoke, Are Getting Sick and Dying" over a photo of firefighters walking in a line through thick orange skies. Photo by Loren Elliott for The New York Times
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
More than 400 people suspected to have died from extreme heat so far this summer in Phoenix, Arizona, and surrounding county

- Temperatures have at least 110F (43C) nearly every day in August

#climatecrisis
Story by @ninalakhani.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
More than 400 people suspected to have died from extreme heat in Arizona county
August is on track to be hottest on record, with temperatures hitting at least 110F (43C) nearly every day
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Energy Secretary Chris Wright says Trump admin is altering previous National Climate Assessments. These were produced by hundreds of climate scientists and mandated by Congress. (1/2)
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
🚨SCOOP:
A "select" number of FEMA probationary employees have been involuntarily reassigned to ICE, effective immediately, to "assist with hiring and vetting." If the employees don't report to ICE within seven days, they are threatened with termination.
prospect.org/labor/2025-0...
FEMA Employees Reassigned to ICE
Probationary employees who had been on paid leave were told to report to ICE within seven days or lose their jobs. It could signal problems with ICE recruitment.
prospect.org