(NEW YORK) — Some 75 million Americans in 33 states, from the Dakotas to Georgia to Maine, are under alert Saturday through Monday for a massive winter storm and chilling temperatures.
At least 11 winter weather alerts and advisories are in effect, including a wind chill advisory for much of the Northeast, where wind chills — what temperature it feels like — were as low as minus 40 degrees F early Saturday.
A winter storm watch also is in effect from Arkansas to Pennsylvania for a much-anticipated winter storm that’s already dumped more than a foot of snow across North Dakota and Iowa.
As the storm heads southeast toward the mid-Mississippi states Saturday into Sunday, and then toward the Northeast Sunday into Monday, more snow, ice and rain is expected.
Three to 6 inches of snow is possible in parts of the South, with Atlanta having the potential to see its first measurable snowfall in four years. Six to 18 inches of snow is possible in the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
The interior Northeast up through New England is expected to get hit with 6 to 18 inches of snow. Coastal areas of the Northeast, including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, could see up to 3 inches of snow, though that will likely get washed away as the snow changes to rain by early Monday.
Dangerous road conditions, as well as power outages, are expected throughout the holiday weekend. The Interstate 95 corridor will likely see a wintry mix of rain, snow and ice Sunday into Monday.
Four states — Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia — declared states of emergency Friday ahead of the storm, while West Virginia declared a statewide “state of preparedness.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents to gather essentials Saturday and stay off the roads Sunday and Monday as “significant impacts” are expected statewide.
“This storm’s a menace,” the governor said during a press briefing Saturday. “As much as a foot of snow’s expected to fall in the mountains and foothills. And in central North Carolina, freezing rain and sleet on top of some snow will fall. The eastern part of our state expects heavy rain and flash flooding, plus high winds and gust.”
In preparation, 10,000 workers from Duke Energy are being activated to help restore power. The state has also activated 200 National Guard members to assist with the transportation needs in western and central counties.
More than 1,200 state Department of Transportation employees and contractors have spread 2.5 million gallons of brine on roads since Thursday and prepared over 400 trucks ready to respond after the storm hits, North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette said.
Boyette warned of likely delays in response times due to the widespread impact of the storm across the state, as well as labor shortages due to COVID-19.
“Travel could be greatly impacted for several days after the storm,” he said, urging people to stay off the roads. “We will do everything we can to reopen roads as quickly as possible.”
In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp said agencies are preparing to mobilize and deploy resources as needed in the state, as well as to aid neighboring states if needed.
Atlanta also is preparing for snow, with Mayor Andre Dickens telling Ellen Lopez of “Good Morning America”: “We have 40 pieces of equipment that’s ready to go. We have 300 employees. Gallons and gallons of brine. So we’re trying to stay ahead of it.”
ABC News’ Hilda Estevez and Melissa Griffin contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The White House announced this week that Hamse Warfa will join the Biden administration, making him the first Somali American presidential appointee in U.S. history.
He is currently a deputy commissioner for workforce development in Minnesota but will come on at the end of January as a senior adviser to the State Department on civilian security, democracy and human rights. In that role, he will help develop strategies for protecting and promoting democracy at home and abroad.
“My acceptance of this role is in direct response to President Biden’s call to action to protect and promote democracy,” he told ABC News.
Warfa’s family fled Somalia after the country’s civil war started in 1991 and lived in various refugee camps across Kenya, he said. After arriving in the United States as a teenager in 1994 alongside his family, he received a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Diego State University and his master’s in organizational management and leadership from Springfield College in the same city. He moved to Minnesota in 2012 after he was recruited by the state’s largest philanthropic foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, he explained.
The 2016 election season inspired Warfa to become more active in civic engagement.
“The strong anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim policy and actions, motivated me to organize and get more involved at the state level,” Warfa said. “Some of the Minnesota gubernatorial candidates talked about shutting down the refugee program, and in some cases, created fear about refugees in Minnesota, especially about Minnesota’s Muslim, Somali community.”
In 2019, the Minnesota governor’s office appointed Warfa as deputy commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, making him the highest-ranking Somali American official in the state’s executive branch, according to the department.
Warfa’s list of accomplishments also includes being the co-founder of BanQu, Inc., a blockchain service created to broaden economic opportunities for low-income people across the globe, as well as the recipient of a 2016 Bush Fellowship, which is granted to help develop leadership skills, and an Ashoka Fellowship for social entrepreneurs.
During his time in Minnesota government, he “successfully advocated for the largest job bill in state history, supplying workforce training to youth and adults,” according to his department.
He served as an economic adviser to the Biden campaign, helping develop the administration’s plans to reverse the Muslim ban and increase refugee admission numbers.
“When we talk about democracy, I want to make sure we talk about inclusive democracy,” he told ABC News. “I want to bring my both lived and professional experiences to help the administration expand access to those affected by government policies and actions.”
“I want to see America live through its ideals in building multiethnic and multiracial democracy that protects everyone,” he added. “I hope people see in my example — from the refugee camp to representing America — hope for democracy and value of everyone’s voice and vote.”
(WASHINGTON) — Advocates are taking action across the country as they hope to pressure members of Congress to pass voting rights legislation by Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
One of the actions being taken right now is a hunger strike by individuals in different parts of the U.S. as a form of protest to get the legislation passed.
Rev. Stephen A. Green, chair of Faith for Black Lives, organized a hunger strike that included him and 24 other faith leaders from across the country prompted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s “Dear collogues” letter released in early January.
“From Jan. 3, we noticed that there was a deadline or a date was identified for voting on or before Jan. 17,” said Green. “And so, we decided to engage in this hunger strike to continue to apply pressure on the Senate to get it done on or before Jan. 17.”
Green and the other faith leaders began their hunger strike on Jan. 6.
Un-PAC, a nonpartisan organization with a current mission is to get The Freedom to Vote Act passed, has restarted its hunger strike from last month and currently has members and allies protesting outside the U.S. Capitol.
“This is a last-minute push and a desperate plea because if this bill does not pass, by Martin Luther King Jr. Day or the end of January, it will be too late to implement many of the major facets of the bill [for the 2022 midterms],” said Callynn Johnson, a member of Un-PAC.
Last month, Un-PAC went on a hunger strike for just over two weeks outside the White House to push for voting rights legislation. The organization has more people joining them on their strike, including the faith leaders.
Another major event to support voting legislation will happen in Phoenix on Saturday, where there will be a voting rights mobilization.
“We will march over the 16th Street overpass here in Phoenix and march back to Eastlake Park,” said Dr. Jannah Scott, a liaison and member of the leadership council with the African American Christian Clergy Coalition of Arizona. “Then, at the park part, we will have a program of speakers, of music, of people just coming together and giving their exhortation about why this is so important and about calling in Congress and the president to do what they need to do at this critical time in our history.”
Eastlake Park has been a focal point for African American history. The park has traditionally been used for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration. The park has also held civil rights rallies, civil rights leaders’ visits and is the starting point of all civil rights marches to the state Capitol.
Over the past year, the Arizona state legislature has passed state laws restricting voting access.
Arizona is also the home of Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., one of two key Democrats needed to end the filibuster and create a pathway for voting legislation. However, on Thursday, Sinema made it clear during her speech on the Senate floor that she does not intend to do that.
“There’s no need for me to restate my long-standing support for the 60-vote threshold to pass legislation,” said Sinema. “There’s no need for me to restate its role protecting our country from wild reversals in federal policy is a view I’ve held during my years serving in both the U.S. House and the Senate and it is the view I continue to hold.”
All these events lead up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday when over a 100 national and grassroots organizations will gather in Washington, D.C., for a march that will start at Potomac Avenue and end at Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. A press conference will follow where Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King and other voting rights leaders and community organizers will speak on the urgency to pass voting legislation.
Even after discussions with President Joe Biden and other Democratic colleagues, Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., are still not agreeing to end the filibuster. Without their votes, there is seemingly no pathway for voting legislation to pass before or on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but that is not stopping protesters and voting rights advocates from taking action.
“We will escalate our mobilization if our demands are not met to have legislation passed by [Martin Luther King Jr. Day],” said Green.
“We will continue the calling for [voting rights],” said Scott. “We will not rest until this gets done.”
(WASHINGTON) — While the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case that could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, some states are enacting or discussing protections for reproductive rights.
This week, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill that codifies the right to an abortion, previously recognized by the state Supreme Court, into state law.
The so-called Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, which quickly passed through the state legislature after first introduced on Jan. 6, grew out of concern that the conservative-leaning high court could overturn or limit Roe in the coming months through its decision on a Mississippi case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, that asks the justices to directly reconsider the nearly 50-year precedent.
“The United States Supreme Court is preparing to take a wrecking ball to its own precedent, Roe v. Wade, and that would also demolish our case law-based foundation here in New Jersey. Neither I nor those with me today can let that happen,” Murphy said Thursday at a public bill signing. “Now, once I sign this bill, regardless of whether or not the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, New Jersey’s position in supporting the right to reproductive autonomy will remain clear and unchanged.”
The Democratic governor additionally signed a bill that requires insurers to cover 12 months of birth control prescriptions at one time.
Sarah Fajardo, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, called the two bills an “important step” for residents as the country is “experiencing a crisis related to reproductive rights access and equity.”
“These two bills not only declare the rights to abortion and reproductive autonomy in the Garden State, but expand much-needed access to contraception,” Fajardo said during Thursday’s bill signing.
Other states are also poised to address protecting abortion rights while the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to uphold the Mississippi abortion ban.
The Vermont House of Representatives heard testimony this week on Prop 5, an amendment that would enshrine “reproductive autonomy,” including abortion, in the state constitution. If ultimately passed by the state legislature, the proposal could go before voters in November.
In California, lawmakers are expected this year to consider a plan to make the state a “sanctuary” for anyone seeking abortion services should Roe be overturned. The California Future of Abortion Council, which Gov. Gavin Newsom convened in September, has recommended that the state help cover the cost of the procedure, as well as transportation, lodging, child care, food and lost wages, for those seeking an abortion there.
After hearing arguments last month over the Mississippi law, which would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared inclined to scale back abortion rights. A decision on the case is expected by the end of the court’s term in June.
Should the court overturn Roe, leaving the right to an abortion decided on a state-by-state basis, 26 states are “certain or likely” to ban abortion, according to a report published in October by the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights research organization.
Among those, 21 states already have so-called trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion if Roe were overturned. The other five states are likely to ban abortion should Roe be overturned, the Guttmacher report said.
Fifteen states and Washington, D.C., currently have laws that protect the right to abortion, according to the institute.
(WASHINGTON) — In an effort to cut emissions, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it’s changing the way some planes land at U.S. airports.
Currently, most planes that land at airports descend in a stair-step method, where aircraft repeatedly level off and power up the engines during the descent. Under the agency’s new 42 Optimized Profile Descents, or OPDs, planes will instead descend from cruising altitude to the runway in a smoother, continuous path with engines set at near idle.
“If you just think about what takes more energy, walking down the stairs or sliding down a slide, that’s basically what the plane is doing,” FAA spokesperson Matthew Lehner said in an interview with ABC News.
The move is part of the agency’s work to achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions aviation sector by 2050 — part of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan announced at the United Nations Climate Change Conference last November.
“There’s less fuel burn as you’re sliding down toward the approach to the airport,” Lehner said. “It also means with less fuel burning you get less emissions in the air.”
In 2013, researchers with the FAA and the Georgia Institute of Technology found OPDs cut about 41 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and 2 million gallons of jet fuel at Los Angeles International Airport in one year, which is equivalent to cutting 1,300 flights from Atlanta to Dallas, the FAA said.
The FAA implemented OPDs at various airports across the country in 2021, including Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Miami International Airport and Florida’s Orlando International Airport. This year, it plans to implement the descents at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Missouri’s Kansas City International Airport and Omaha, Nebraska’s Eppley Airfield. It is also adding additional routes at Orlando International Airport.
In addition to cutting emissions, the agency said passengers might notice a smoother, quieter approach with the engine not revving throughout its descent. The continuous landing technique is also quieter for areas surrounding airports.
(NEW YORK) — The sneaky sting of inflation is catching many Americans by surprise as soaring prices erode their savings and prompt major sticker shock at the supermarket, gas pump and seemingly everywhere they look.
Rapidly rising prices have become a major new wellspring of anxiety for American families. Some 3 in 10 Americans said everyday bills (15%) or inflation specifically (14%) was the single biggest concern facing their family right now, according to a Monmouth University poll released last month. This is nearly double the 16% of Americans naming rising prices or household bills as their biggest concern last July, and more than triple the 8% who named household bills as their top concern in August 2020.
Government data indicates consumer prices last month jumped at their fastest pace since 1982 — the tail-end of an agonizing period in the U.S. economy when out-of-control inflation forced policymakers to orchestrate a steep correction that resulted in a recession and double-digit unemployment rates.
Many who remember this painful historical era are now retiring, and research reveals that peoples’ expectations about inflation are mostly shaped by their experience of it. This results in a “substantial disagreement between young and old individuals in periods of highly volatile inflation,” economists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago, wrote in a 2014 paper. It also suggests a majority of consumers are now unsure of how to navigate inflation or may be less aware of its broader dangers.
Here is how experts say inflation is eroding Americans’ cash and how they can brace themselves for what might come next as policymakers seek to anchor in the surging prices.
Savings dissolving as those with no cushion get crushed by so-called ‘cruelest tax’
Inflation, defined by the Federal Reserve as increases in the overall prices of goods and services over time, means that Americans are going to have to pay more money than they are used to for their essentials and other expenses.
While the ascending price tags can be a more obvious sting, rising inflation can also impact the value of savings accounts for those who have been able to practice financial prudence in building up a rainy day or retirement fund.
Many Americans were able to save over the course of the pandemic thanks to fiscal support and the fact that COVID-19 shuttered businesses and urged people to stay at home rather than spend on the services they used to go out for, according to Wells Fargo Senior Economist Sarah House.
“But that financial cushion is getting whittled away more quickly. Given these elevated rates of inflation, that savings isn’t stretching as far,” House told ABC News.
Chester Spatt, a professor of finance at Carnegie Melon University and former chief economist and director of the SEC’s Office of Economic Analysis, added that rising inflation suggests that Americans’ “spending power, potentially, is going to decrease quite substantially.”
If inflation is rising at a clip of 7%, and your savings account offers interest rates of some 0.5% (or even an enviable higher-yield 1% rate), then “that spending power might decline by about 6%,” Spatt told ABC News.
This means for those with $1,000 saved up, their financial buffer might actually be closer to $940 as inflation at its current pace eats into that money. For those with $10,000 saved up, they might expect to see about $600 seemingly evaporate from that nest egg — without even touching it.
For Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck, the impacts of inflation can be even more devastating. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned lawmakers on Tuesday that high inflation takes a toll “particularly for those less able to meet the higher costs of essentials,” such as food, housing and transportation.
“People sometimes talk about inflation being kind of ‘the cruelest tax’ that really hurts poor people disproportionately, and I can see that certainly to be the case,” Spatt told ABC News.
Ultimately, the historically high inflation we are seeing now is becoming impossible for consumers to ignore, House added.
“When you’re seeing roughly 2% price increases, it’s kind of running in the background, that 2% number is by design,” House said of the past. “But when we are seeing 5, 6, 7% inflation, it’s hard for consumers not to notice, and that begins to affect how they think about their decisions, including what they’re asking for in terms of wages out of a job.”
Asking for higher wages is generally a good thing, but during times of inflation, those who were working during the 1970s and ’80s know it can also be linked to further skyrocketing prices — and at the broader level, throw a wrench into efforts to rid inflation from the economy as a whole.
Policies to combat inflation have historically carried painful consequences
Inflation historically has been extremely difficult to eradicate, and past efforts to do so by the government and policymakers have sometimes been accompanied by painful consequences.
At the same time, the inflation we are seeing now is being fueled by vastly different circumstances than in the past, specifically supply-demand imbalances spurred by a global pandemic and the fiscal and monetary policies that buoyed the economy during the unprecedented health crisis.
As supply chains recover from pandemic shocks and reach of pandemic-era stimulus policies wanes, many remain hopeful that this will help ease inflationary pressures.
Economists also note that policymakers now have the lessons from the past to glean how best to respond to inflation.
During “The Great Inflation” period of the 1970s and early 1980s, the most-recent inflationary period that those on the cusp of retirement are warning their children about, inflation snowballed out of control as prices climbed and workers in turn asked for higher wages — creating the economic phenomenon now referred to as the “wage-price spiral.”
Wages are again increasing at headline-making rates, as major companies — especially in the service industry — report struggles to attract and retain staff.
“We are in a tight labor market,” House told ABC News, meaning workers are “able to flex some of that clout a little bit more, and extract some more wage increases” from their employers.
“We’re seeing this filter into inflation expectations to some extent; we’re also seeing it filter into wages, and so I think that’ll be key in the year ahead as to how much inflation comes down,” House said. “We are expecting it to recede, given the unwinding of some of these pandemic distortions — but I think now that we’re seeing more pressure coming from wages in the labor market, it’s going to be harder to cool off.”
As a result, House said she expects the Fed “to step in a little more aggressively” than they may have initially planned to help anchor inflation.
This will likely manifest in interest rate hikes, which the Fed has already signaled will likely occur three times in 2022, and a more rapid end to pandemic-era monetary policies that flushed financial markets with liquidity.
These actions can help cool off inflation and uncertainty, House said, because “it will send a signal to markets, to consumers, to businesses, that they are on top of that, that they are watching inflation numbers and they do not want to let this get out of hand, or at least further out of hand.”
“That signal will help anchor inflation expectation and that can have an influence on further price setting, whether that’s for goods, services or for labor,” she added.
Looking back at history, the Fed was seen as initially behind the curve and slow to raise interest rates in the ’70s to respond to inflation — before announcing a shockingly sudden federal funds rate increase of almost 20% in 1980. Those who held bonds directly or through retirement accounts subsequently suffered huge losses, and real interest rates also soared. The move ended up having ripple effects that devastated the overall economy, as well as the stock market.
“The difference here is that we do have some forces that I think will help bring down inflation on its own,” House said when comparing the present to late-’70s inflation, such as the waning pandemic-era fiscal support that boosted consumer demand and shifting patterns on how consumers are spending their money.
“It’s a fine line for monetary policy to walk, between not choking off a recovery or an expansion and also not letting it overheat to the point where you have further pain down the road,” she said.
There are also only so many tools at the Fed’s disposal, she noted, saying the Fed can’t manufacture semiconductor chips or do much to address the beleaguered global supply side of the equation.
In figuring out how to best anchor inflation without triggering an economic downturn, simply put, House said the Fed is “not in a very enviable position.”
So how can Americans protect their hard-earned cash?
At the individual level, meanwhile, Carnegie Melon’s Spatt warns there is very little consumers can do on their own to tackle inflation as a whole once it takes root in the economy.
“Individuals can, of course, try to make the best decisions that they can to watch out for themselves,” Spatt said. “To the extent that they see opportunities for higher wages, obviously, they should go for those. To the extent that they see prices that haven’t yet moved up, but they think are going to move up, they might want to lock in their purchases.”
To protect their savings, Americans “might want to consider, or might be more open to, buying bonds or buying equities,” Spatt added.
Uncertainty brought on by inflation has traditionally been bad news for the stock market, but at the same time stocks have also been a good source historically for investors looking to grow wealth over the longer term. While there is potential to guard against inflation with sound stock investments (and conversely to further deplete savings with investments that go down in value), going this route comes down to personal risk tolerance and financial goals.
Other savings vehicles that “may be a little bit better than bank accounts” in regards to inflation are inflation-protected government savings bonds, according to Spatt.
“At least in the near term, those [Series] I Bonds are offering extraordinary rates, about 7% because of the current levels of inflation,” he added.
These are capped at relatively modest levels, he noted, but said he still views them as a “terrific kind of low-risk type of inflation hedge of a different kind than investing in equity.”
Investors can also protect themselves from inflation by purchasing Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPS, which were not around during the ’70s and also have interest rates adjusted for inflation.
The Treasury has a useful breakdown for Americans comparing I Bonds and TIPS on its website.
As inflation tightens its grip on the economy and previous assurances from policymakers that it is “transitory” have gone out the window, Spatt said Americans should now recognize “prices are going to change over time, and they’re going to change adversely.”
People should keep this in mind when doing their shopping and financial planning, and then assess based on individual needs, options and goals how they can best adapt to this ever-evolving economic reality.
At the broader level, however, Scott warned inflation’s unwelcome return to the U.S. economy presents “a tremendous problem.”
“When you think about the policies that may be followed to stamp out the inflation, they may actually bring the economy into recession; that may be necessary like it was in the 1980s,” Spatt said. “It’s not easy to knock it out of the economy; this is one of the lessons of the 1980s.”
(EUGENE, Ore.) — Six people were transported to hospitals after a shooting at a concert hall in Eugene, Oregon, police said.
At 9:29 p.m. Friday, there were reports of multiple shots fired outside WOW Hall, where Lil Bean and Zay Bang were performing.
The Eugene Police Department and multiple law enforcement agencies responded, along with Eugene Springfield Fire.
Of the six victims that were shot, one is in critical condition, Eugene Police Department Chief Chris Skinner said during a press conference early Saturday.
Police don’t yet know if the shooting was random or targeted, but Skinner said it was “one of the highest profile shootings we’ve had in the city of Eugene.”
There are no reported fatalities at this time.
Police are looking for a single suspect, thought to be a male in a hoodie who was last seen running westbound away from the scene, Skinner said. The police chief added that he does not believe there is a broader safety risk to the community, but emphasized the suspect is still likely armed and dangerous.
“You may have heard that there was a shooting outside the WOW Hall tonight at the ‘Lil Bean + Zay Bang’* concert,” WOW Hall’s Board Chair Jaci Guerena and Interim Executive Director Deb Maher said in a statement on the venue’s website. “There is not much information currently available however we heard gunshots in the back parking lot. The motives are not yet known. We do know that some people were injured, but we do not know the extent of the injuries, and we do not want to speculate.”
All classes held at the WOW Hall are canceled until further notice, they said.
“We at the WOW Hall want to thank all first responders who came so quickly to ensure everyone’s safety and administer first aid. We believe all staff and volunteers are safe and accounted for. This is unprecedented at the WOW Hall. The police are investigating. If we receive additional information, we will try to make it available,” Guerena and Maher added.
The shooting is under active investigation.
Police are asking that anyone with information regarding the incident (case 22-00850) call 541-682-5111.
(NEW YORK) — The National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami advisory for the entire West Coast and Alaska in the wake of an undersea volcanic eruption near Tonga.
Nearly all coastal areas in California, Oregon, Washington, Southeast Alaska, South Alaska, the Alaskan Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands are under a tsunami advisory. British Columbia is also under advisory.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the southern Amami island and Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture and a tsunami advisory for all coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean. Tsunami waves as high as 1.2 meters were reported near those islands around 11:30 a.m. eastern time.
A tsunami advisory means that a tsunami could produce strong currents or waves near the coastline. However, a tsunami advisory does not indicate a major tsunami event where water is actively entering coastal communities. In this circumstance, the tsunami is only dangerous to those in the water, or on the immediate beach — like swimmers and boaters.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Daniel Manzo contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story’s headline has been updated to report that a tsunami advisory, not a warning, was issued.
(ATLANTA) — Any mask is better than no mask. But loosely woven cloth masks provide the least amount of protection and Americans in some cases might want to opt for higher quality masks like KN95 and N95 respirators, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote Friday in updated online guidance.
“Wearing a highly protective mask or respirator may be most important for certain higher risk situations, or by some people at increased risk for severe disease,” the CDC stated.
The updated guidance comes after weeks of health experts urging Americans to upgrade their masks in the face of omicron, warning that cloth masks are not effective enough at stopping the highly transmissible variant from spreading.
But with much of the public reluctant to wear a mask at all, the CDC recommendation stops short of calling on Americans to choose one mask over the other, maintaining that any mask is better than no mask. The CDC also argues that higher quality masks can be less comfortable, and if a person takes it off, they are left with no protection.
“What I will say is the best mask that you can wear is the one that you will wear and the one you can keep on all day long that you can tolerate in public indoor settings and tolerate where you need to wear it,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, told reporters this week.
N95 and K95 masks can be costly and harder to find, even as the U.S. government has built up a stockpile of 737 million N95s to ensure first responders don’t fun out. President Joe Biden said this week he is developing a plan to make the higher quality masks more widely available.
“Next week we’ll announce how we’re making high-quality masks available to the American people for free,” Biden said.
In its earlier guidance, the CDC urged Americans not to purchase surgical N95 masks so as to save them for health care workers. However, it noted that “basic disposable” respirators can be an option so long as supplies are available.
While this latest guidance stops short of calling on people to wear a certain type of mask, it includes more information about why a person might opt for a nonsurgical N95 or a KN95. It also suggests wearing a disposable surgical mask with a cloth mask over it to improve the fit.
“Some masks and respirators offer higher levels of protection than others, and some may be harder to tolerate or wear consistently than others,” the CDC stated in the updated guidance. “It is most important to wear a well-fitted mask or respirator correctly that is comfortable for you and that provides good protection.”
(NEW YORK) — Southern states have declared states of emergency as snow targets the East Coast this weekend.
The storm first hits the Midwest Friday night into Saturday. Roads will be dangerous in southern Minnesota and Iowa, where up to 10 inches of snow and gusty winds could cause whiteout conditions. The Midwest could see 6 to 12 inches of snow in some areas.
Saturday night into Sunday, the snow turns to Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.
A wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain could make roads extremely dangerous.
Three to 6 inches of snow is possible in parts of the South, with 6 to 18 inches possible in the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. This storm has the potential to give Atlanta its first measurable snow in four years.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam have issued states of emergency as the storm approaches.
“This storm will bring significant impacts from snow, sleet and freezing rain in different parts of the state, with likely power outages and travel disruptions,” Cooper warned.
Northam said, “I urge Virginians to take this storm seriously and make preparations now.”
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has also declared a statewide “state of preparedness.”
The storm will reach the mid-Atlantic later in the day on Sunday and may bring snow and a wintry mix to Washington, D.C., by Sunday evening. The Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey coastline will see rain and possibly strong winds.
For Monday morning, forecast models are showing heavy snow for the interior Northeast and light snow followed by rain for the major cities along the coast, like Boston, New York City and Philadelphia. But it is possible the storm shifts east, dropping heavy snow on the Interstate 95 corridor.
One to 3 inches of snow is possible for D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston before it’s quickly washed away by Monday’s rain. Six to 18 inches of snow is forecast for the interior Northeast and New England.
For those in the Northeast, make sure to bundle up as you await the snow: temperatures in the Northeast are plunging to their lowest levels in three years this weekend.
Saturday morning the wind chill — what temperature it feels like — will be 2 degrees in New York, minus 12 in Boston and minus 28 in Burlington, Vermont.
ABC News’ Hilda Estevez contributed to this report.
