(NEW YORK) — A federal judge last week ordered Ruby Montoya, a 32-year-old climate activist, to serve six years in prison for her role in damaging the Dakota Access Pipeline — a sentence that federal prosecutors said they hope will deter others who plan to engage in what they characterized as “domestic terrorism.”
Montoya, who pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiring to damage an energy facility, and 42-year-old activist Jessica Reznicek snuck through security fences, set fire to equipment and used chemicals to burn holes in the pipeline itself from 2016 to 2017, according to their plea agreements.
On Thursday, in addition to Montoya’s prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Ebinger ordered the pair to pay more than $3 million in restitution.
In 2021, after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to damage an energy facility, Reznicek was sentenced to eight years in prison. Notably, both women faced sentencing enhancements under a criminal statute designed to penalize acts of domestic terrorism.
“The sentence imposed today demonstrates that any crime of domestic terrorism will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted by the federal government,” U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal said Thursday in a statement responding to Montoya’s sentencing.
The terrorism enhancement traces back to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, after which Congress enacted tougher penalties to deter acts of “intimidation or coercion” aimed at the government or civilian population.
Terrorism sentences have since been applied almost exclusively to defendants with ties to overseas extremist groups like the Islamic State group or al-Qaida or to domestic extremists like Cesar Sayoc, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to mailing pipe bombs to members of Congress.
In the wake of Reznicek’s sentencing last year, critics argued that the law has been too broadly and inconsistently applied — especially to so-called “ecoterrorists” like Reznicek and Montoya.
“I believe 100% that this is an overreach of power,” said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “And it is absolutely imperative that we put guidelines in place.”
Last month, those concerns attracted renewed attention after a federal judge declined to apply it to one of the most high-profile defendants in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Guy Wesley Reffitt, a 49-year-old Texas militiaman who was convicted in March of obstruction and other crimes, brought a weapon to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and threatened to “physically attack, remove and replace” lawmakers, making him a “quintessential” case for the enhancement, prosecutors wrote in a July sentencing memorandum.
Even so, before handing down an 87-month prison sentence in August, U.S. Judge Dabney Friedrich declined prosecutors’ request to consider Reffitt’s offence as domestic terrorism. In rejecting the enhancement, Friedrich sided with Reffitt’s defense counsel, who accused prosecutors of utilizing the tool as retribution for Reffitt taking the case to trial rather than accepting a plea agreement.
Reznicek appealed her sentencing in the pipeline case, citing the district court’s application of the terrorism sentencing enhancement. In June, a circuit court upheld her prison term.
Attorneys for Montoya did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles Police Department released dramatic body-camera and surveillance footage over the weekend showing two officers responding to a domestic violence call this month and one of them fatally shooting a 19-year-old man who emerged from a home wielding what turned out to be an airsoft rifle, authorities said.
The incident occurred on Sept. 17 in the Vermont Vista neighborhood of southeast Los Angeles.
“We are still at the very early stages of this investigation, which can often take up to a year to complete,” Capt. Kelly Muniz, a spokesperson for the LAPD, said in a video statement that accompanied the footage of the shooting.
The suspected gunman was identified as Luis Herrera, who had earlier called 911 twice requesting police be sent to his house and complaining that his father was allegedly drunk and beating his mother, police said.
“I tried to get involved and now he is attacking me,” Herrera allegedly told the 911 dispatcher, according to a recording of the call also released by the LAPD.
Two officers arrived at the home at about 1:20 p.m., according to Muniz.
As one of the officers approached the front porch, Herrera allegedly emerged from the home wielding what appeared to be a black assault rifle, according to the body-camera video.
The officers immediately took cover at the side of the home, ordering the man to put down the weapon.
“However, he did not comply with officers commands and shouldered the rifle and pointed directly at the officers resulting in an officer-involved shooting,” Muniz said in a narration of the body-camera video.
Police immediately called for backup as family members came out of the house and the officers ordered them to get back inside, according to the video.
“That’s my son,” a woman is heard screaming on the video as the mortally wounded Herrera laid on the ground outside his home, still clutching the rifle in his hands.
At one point, Herrera’s father emerged from the home and told police the gun was an airsoft rifle that fires plastic projectiles, according to the video.
Following the shooting, the video showed police officers standing back from Herrera for several minutes, ordering him to let go of the gun as he appeared to continue moving, the video shows. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics eventually pronounced Herrera dead at the scene, authorities said.
The officer who fatally shot Herrera was identified as Luis Navarrete, who has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Once completed, the investigation is expected to be reviewed by Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore, the city’s Board of Police Commissioners and the Office of Inspector General to determine if Navarrete’s use of deadly force complied with the LAPD’s policies and procedures.
Muniz said investigators are collecting and analyzing additional evidence and added that an “understanding of the incident may change” depending on the review.
“We also do not draw any conclusions about whether the officers acted consistent with our policies and the law until all the facts are known and the investigation is complete,” Muniz said.
(ORLANDO, Fla.) — A student rower who was injured after an apparent lightning strike on a Florida lake last week has died, becoming the second fatality stemming from the weather-related incident.
“It is with broken hearts that we share the passing of a second rower involved in last Thursday’s weather-related tragedy,” North Orlando Rowing wrote on Facebook Saturday. “The NOR community is devastated and continues to focus on supporting our affected families and our entire NOR team during this difficult time. We continue to cooperate with local authorities and USRowing as they investigate the incident.”
The group said it wouldn’t provide further comment until the investigation is complete.
Members of the nonprofit rowing group were practicing at Lake Fairview in Orlando when the incident happened on Sept. 15, the Orlando Fire Department had told ABC News.
The next day, search teams from the Orlando Police Department, Orange County Fire and Rescue Department and Orlando’s dive team discovered the body of another student who had gone missing after the apparent lightning strike.
“Preliminary reports indicate lightning struck the area,” the fire department told ABC News in a statement earlier this month.
“We are incredibly saddened by this incident and appreciate the efforts of the multiple agencies who worked together over the past 24 hours to assist in the rescue,” the fire department said at the time.
Five people were on board a vessel at the time, all believed to be students from various Central Florida schools, Orlando’s fire department said.
Authorities and the United States Rowing Association are investigating the incident, according to North Orlando Rowing.
“We are beyond grateful for the outpouring of love and concern from around the world,” North Orlando Rowing said Saturday. “Please continue to hold our families in your prayers.”
ABC News’ Melissa Gaffney, Meredith Deliso and Gina Sunseri contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Every year on the third Sunday of September, hundreds of runners gather in an IKEA parking lot in Brooklyn, New York right at the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Park tunnel, ready to run 3.2 miles into Manhattan for the Tunnel to Towers 5K — commemorating 9/11.
The annual event honors fallen Brooklyn firefighter Stephen Siller who, while dressed in his full gear, ran through the Brooklyn Battery Park tunnel to Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2001.
Siller, with Brooklyn Squad 1, learned the north tower of the World Trade Center complex had been hit by a plane just after he finished his shift. He turned around, grabbed his gear and drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.
It was closed but Siller was determined, so he walked the rest of the way to the towers. He worked to save others in the aftermath of the attacks but died at the scene.
On Sunday, volunteer firefighter Erica Johnston was one of the runners in her own first-responder gear — pants, jackets, suspenders and helmet — in tribute to Siller and the other victims.
Johnston, from Long Island, ran the Tunnel to Towers 5K for the sixth year, she told ABC News. She said she felt the remnants of 9/11 as she finished the race.
“It’s just in the air,” Johnston said. “You are standing literally in the footprint of what happened that day and you’re looking out … It just takes your breath away.”
Johnston, who was in the sixth grade when the Twin Towers fell, said, “If you run this race and especially if you live in New York, you’re from New York or the surrounding area, you’ve been affected by 9/11 in whatever way that is. It’s just impossible not to feel that same sense of tremendous emotion.”
When asked why he runs in his gear, Maine firefighter Jon Lee pointed to Siller’s example: “He did it to save strangers’ lives. He did that for others. He did that for us. And the least I can do to honor him is to run the same route in the same gear.”
Westchester fireman Carlo Valente said, “It’s a small sacrifice that we can do, the closest thing we can get to physically — not mentally, not emotionally.”
Valente’s colleague Claude Sanz said he gives credit and honor to Siller, “who did this knowing that his friends and buddies were on the other side in hell.” The race, to him, was a no-brainer: “we just do it.”
Brooklyn Squad 1 lost 12 other firefighters that day, as well as Siller. They are honored with a statue outside of their former fire station.
The 5K supports the Tunnel to Towers foundation, founded after 9/11, which helps American first responders by providing mortgage-free homes to families with young children who have had relatives die in military service or as first responders.
The foundation builds homes for injured veterans and first responders while committing to end veteran homelessness and aiding victims of major U.S. disasters.
New York City firefighter Jon Stanton told ABC News that the fundraising race “means everything. It’s about service, especially for us being firemen. This event represents everybody that has passed away over the 21 years.”
The event also serves to remind new generations about 9/11 and the sacrifices that first responders and others made then — and continue to make now — to save lives
“So many people have forgotten what happened that day. It’s just a page in a history book that they just glance over. I don’t want to forget,” Valente said.
He runs in honor of a firefighter who belonged to his squad who died on 9/11.
“I never met him … But I know that feeling that it gets forgotten. And it’s not about us here now, but it’s about them, their memories, what they’ve gone through and what they meant to their families and friends,” Valente said.
As a young firefighter, Josh Coletta, from Ohio, said Sunday that he can feel the legacy of Sept. 11 in his own life.
“I wasn’t alive at the time of 9/11 and still it impacts us all in different ways,” he said.
Tunnel to Towers’ foundation was created by Siller’s older brother, Frank, in 2001. The first 5K was in 2002 and the race now happens annually on the last Sunday of September.
The group is supported by other races as well, like the Tower Climb, where participants climb up 104 flights of stairs in the Freedom Tower to the One World Observatory. Runners can also create teams for the New York City Marathon and Half Marathon to collect donations for the foundation.
The Tunnel to Towers foundation says it has raised more than $250 million to support veterans and first responders and provided more than 450 mortgage-free homes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, New York Congressman Lee Zeldin facilitated the foundation’s donation of 10,000 KN95 face masks to be distributed to Suffolk County frontline workers.
The foundation also donated 140,000 face shields to New York City hospitals.
Running in 60 pounds of firefighter gear is a physical challenge. But Johnston, one the runners on Sunday, said she was reminded of “the gravity of the original situation — where Steven Siller ran through the tunnel without even thinking about it in his gear with an air pack, all kinds of stuff, and he just did what needed to be done.”
As a volunteer first responder since 2013, as both an EMT and a firefighter, Johnston said she has an acute sense of community.
That connection is one of the pillars of being a firefighter, members of various departments across the country agreed.
The Tunnel to Towers race “is part of a community tradition,” Westchester firefighter Roberto Gordillo said Sunday.
“Our fire department had a lot of volunteers come and go, and it’s something to continue to keep the fire department engaged with the traditions of the community, with what 9/11 means to a lot of people,” he said.
Johnston’s fellow firefighters connect her to the past and the present, she said.
“Being in the department that I’m in, many of the guys a couple years older than me, they were there that day [in 2001] or they know somebody who lost somebody,” she added. “Especially for me, sharing their experiences of that day all this time later is just a way to remember and keep the memory alive.”
Johnston felt this same sense of community from the crowds.
“There’s a million American flags, there’s FDNY firefighters, there’s military personnel holding silk screens of the 343 firefighters and Port Authority police and NYPD officers who were killed in 9/11,” she said.
Service members, police officers and firemen hold images of the fallen first responders as runners exit the tunnel each year. The memorial banners stretch across the final mile of the race.
“It’s absolutely electric, all the encouragement and community, whether you’re in your gear or not,” Johnston said.
Sanz agreed: “To think of how this city came together to help each other … What is heart-wrenching is to see people from other parts of the country come here to mourn with us, just to remember.”
That resiliency matters, he said.
“9/11 brought us together like nothing I’ve ever seen. They broke us for a day,” he said. “That was it.”
(PHILADELPHIA) — Police released surveillance video on Friday in the shooting death of a Temple University graduate in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Police Department identified the victim as 23-year-old Everett Beauregard, who was killed on the 400 block of North 35th Street around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Capt. Jason Smith said during a press conference.
Smith said that Beauregard had left a party with friends in South Philadelphia and had taken public transportation to a train stop near his home when he ran into the suspect.
“Tragically, Mr. Beauregard’s life was cut short by this horrific act of violence and for no apparent reason whatsoever. This was not a robbery attempt as we initially believed,” Smith said.
Police found Beauregard on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his neck, authorities said. He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
During the press conference, police played surveillance footage recorded on the night of the shooting. The video shows the suspect walking down the 400 block of North 35th, passing Beauregard, turning around and shooting him as his back was turned.
“The offender was observed on video surveillance lingering around the area well before the incident at 11:21 p.m.,” Smith said.
Authorities described the suspect as wearing black pants, a black-hooded sweatshirt and a face mask.
“This wasn’t an argument between Mr. Beauregard and the offender. Not a word was spoken between the two prior to the offender turning and shooting Mr. Beauregard in his back,” the police captain said.
Beauregard worked for Wells Fargo and was going to get his master’s degree, according to police.
“Everett had just become Temple Made in June, which only further magnifies the tragic circumstances surrounding his death,” Temple University said in a statement on Twitter. “He had a very bright future ahead of him, and it is beyond disheartening knowing we will no longer be able to watch him soar alongside his fellow Owls. Our thoughts are with Everett’s family, friends and the entire Temple community during this tremendously difficult time.”
Police considered the suspect armed and dangerous and have urged anyone with information to contact them.
The Philadelphia police department is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect, authorities said.
Summer Pardi is opening up about how she told husband Jon Pardi she was pregnant.
Summer found out she was expecting their first child not long after they got a new boat. She used the new watercraft as a way to tell her husband the good news, taping a “baby on board” sign, along with the positive pregnancy test, to the back of the boat.
Summer told Jon that there was a “big scratch” on the back of the boat that he needed to check out, but when he went to inspect the damage, he instead found the surprise.
“Even with the baby on board sign AND pregnancy test he still didn’t get it.. he thought i was just making fun of him because the boat was his new baby,” Summer recalls of the special moment. “5 minutes later he was blasting ‘Baby Shark’ in the kitchen, already thriving hahah.”
Summer also shares a series of pregnancy selfies that show off her growing baby bump and a video dancing onstage with her husband, set to the tune of Ruelle’s “I Get to Love You.”
Jon and Summer are expecting the baby in early 2023.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland will host a special John Mellencamp Fan Day this Thursday, September 29, that will celebrate the opening of a permanent exhibit dubbed “Legends of Rock: John Mellencamp.”
Mellencamp, who was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2008, will be on hand on Thursday to give a special performance and take part in an interview that will air live on select satellite radio stations at 5 p.m. ET.
The heartland rocker also will reveal plans for a 2023 tour during the event.
Prime access to view the performance and Q&A is sold out, but visitors will be able to listen to the presentation at the Union Home Mortgage Plaza.
Fans who purchase general admission Rock Hall tickets for Thursday will be able to check out the exhibit and enjoy all other John Mellencamp Fan Day activities. Tickets are available at RockHall.com.
The “Legends of Rock: John Mellencamp” exhibit will feature such memorabilia as the suit the singer/songwriter wore in promo photos for his 2003 album, Trouble No More; the 1976 Fender Telecaster guitar he played onstage extensively starting in 1981; a guitar that David Bowie gifted him; and a new original oil painting.
As part of the Fan Day festivities, video clips from John’s Rock Hall will be screened in a theater in the Ahmet Ertegun Exhibition Hall; a career-spanning Mellencamp playlist will be played throughout the museum; the Rock Hall’s house band, The Mechanics, will help teach fans to sing and play Mellencamp songs in the Jam Room of the museum’s Garage area; and more.
Jennifer Hudson isn’t spilling the beans when it comes to whether or not she’s a contestant on The Masked Singer.
During Monday’s episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, Hudson chatted with Emmy award-winning actor Leslie Jordan, who appeared as a guest panelist on singing competition show, and when asked if she’s ever been on the show she remained coy.
“I heard that they think that I’m under the mask somewhere singing, but I’m not gonna tell you if its me or not,” the Grammy-award winner said.
“I’m not gonna tell it,” she continued. “I want y’all to watch the show…cause that’s the point of the show is to guess who’s singing.”
Last week on The Masked Singer a contestant dressed as a Harp belted out Pink’s “Perfect” in front of the judges. Some of the clues given to help the panel guess the celebrity included a call sheet listing Harp in a leading role, two bouquets of roses, a person wearing a witch’s hat and 3D glasses.
“This could be Jennifer Hudson,” panelist Ken Jeong posed during Wednesday’s episode. “She’s done everything. But the comedy clue to me — she was in my favorite movie of all time, Sex and the City.”
(NEW YORK) — The Arizona court ruling on Friday upholding the state’s 1901 law banning abortions is rattling voters and elected officials.
The law provides no exceptions for rape, incest or fetal abnormalities and makes performing abortions punishable by two to five years in prison.
ABC News’ Libby Cathey, who is covering the midterm elections in Arizona and one of the embeds featured on the Hulu show Power Trip, spoke with “Start Here” Monday about how this ruling, and the battle for abortion rights since the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, will affect the races.
START HERE: So, first of all, can you just explain this ruling to me because we saw some states change their laws right after Roe fell, but this seemed to catch a lot of people way off guard.
LIBBY CATHEY: Yes. So, just to backtrack, there’s this law on the books in Arizona dating back to 1864 that bans all abortions and dishes out two to five years of jail time for those who help with one, except to save a mother’s life. And it feels like this law was really forgotten about. It dates back to before Arizona was even a state, but when the Supreme Court overturned Roe with the Dobbs decision in June, the Republican attorney general here, Mark Brnovich, said he will enforce this law. He will prosecute doctors who try to help women get an abortion.
So Planned Parenthood sued him, saying this was unconstitutional, this violates privacy rights, and the court had put an injunction in place that providers had hoped would stay. That did not happen. So on Friday afternoon, a state judge in Arizona reinstated this territorial era, near-total ban on abortion. And the timing was big too, because on Saturday, a ban on abortions after 15 weeks was set to go into effect. That was passed earlier this year by the legislature, signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. And Ducey says this slightly less restrictive ban after 15 weeks is the law of the land.
START HERE:So it’s about to be less restrictive and all of a sudden it’s way, way, way more restrictive than anyone thought.
CATHEY:Right. So, and at the same time, the Republican attorney general, Mark Brnovich, is saying that this more restrictive law is the law of the land. So you can have two conflicting statements here. And this all just happened over the weekend, and I think there’s a lot of confusion about it.
START HERE:Yes. So as a result of this, what is the current rule in Arizona like? What can a pregnant woman do or not do? What can an abortion provider do or not do?
CATHEY:So the reality is abortion is illegal in the state of Arizona right now. If women want to get an abortion, they’ll need to go to California or go to another state to get one. And Planned Parenthood clinics are still open. They can help point women to other resources and provide contraception. But medical abortions, essentially, medication given to end a pregnancy before ten weeks, oftentimes before women even know they’re pregnant. All of those services have stopped.
I was at a press conference on Saturday where a doctor said all the chatter among her physicians, Facebook groups, [and] among doctors in Arizona is they feel their hands are tied. She used the words moral injury. And abortion rights supporters protesting outside the state capitol this weekend, they all say, point blank, women and girls will die because of this law. It will be like going back into a time when women resort to really desperate measures to end a pregnancy or women die themselves because of pregnancy complications, especially when doctors here can get two to five years of jail time for helping them.
START HERE:And just so I’m crystal clear, no exceptions at all?
CATHEY:There is no exception to rape or incest in either of those two abortion bans we just talked about. Both of them do have an exception to save the mother’s life. But again, because of that, the prosecution — and I think it scares a lot of people. So a lot of people will be having to go out the state or just not get an abortion at all. Democrats here say it’s one of the more restrictive laws in the country. And Arizona is a very red state, or it has been…but this has the potential to change a lot of things.
START HERE:And that’s what I’m wondering next, because I’m looking at Arizona’s House races right now where they have nine House seats. FiveThirtyEight’s forecast says at this moment, Republicans are expected to win five of those nine House seats like bare majority. Could something like this change the landscape of the midterms in a place like Arizona?
CATHEY:This has the potential to be a big game-changer. One Republican consultant told me that all the polling we’ve seen in Arizona that you’ve just mentioned here, it can be thrown out of the window. You have a Democratic candidate for attorney general here, Kris Mayes. She won’t prosecute any abortion ban violations. She thinks all these bans are unconstitutional. You have Democrat Katie Hobbs. She’s running for governor. She’s been trying to get abortion at the forefront of the race for governor against Kari Lake. Lake is proudly against abortion. And so this ruling may very well help them here in a few weeks when ballots go out. I mean, Republicans want to be talking about inflation and immigration and crime, but now they’re going to have to address this.
START HERE:Well, I don’t think I quite understood this until now, that, like, normally you’re voting because you think someone might affect abortion rights in your state. Say it really matters to you. Here you got the Democrats saying, “I will not enforce this law.” You got the Republicans saying, “I will enforce this law.” Hence, whoever votes for the attorney general or maybe the governor, you are deciding directly how abortion rights are about to be treated.
CATHEY: Exactly. And then that’s what Democrats and their supporters are at least saying. And that’s what they’re trying to drive home with voters. The Republicans say they’d enforce these bans. The Democrats say they wouldn’t. And to that, to that matter, to in the Senate race, you’ve got Blake Masters and Mark Kelly and you’ve got Democrats there saying that Blake Masters would support a total ban on abortion at a national level. So these are all issues that are being resurfaced because of this ruling. And while it’s not like Kansas, where there’s a literal initiative on the issue of abortion, Democrats and their supporters here say abortion is certainly on the ballot in Arizona.
(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Ian strengthened to a Category 3 storm on Tuesday as it made landfall in Cuba on its path to Florida.
The hurricane is forecast to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast or Panhandle by midday Thursday, though there is uncertainty about the hurricane’s track and intensity.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a “state of emergency” for the entire state, with storm conditions “projected to constitute a major disaster.”
The National Hurricane Center has advised residents of Cuba, the Florida Keys and the Florida Peninsula to have a hurricane plan in place and to closely follow forecast updates.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Sep 27, 5:00 AM EDT
Hurricane Ian makes landfall after strengthening to major storm
Hurricane Ian made landfall over western Cuba early on Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.
“Satellite and radar data indicate that the center of Ian has made landfall just southwest of the town of La Coloma in the Pinar Del Rio Province of Cuba at 4:30 a.m.,” the center said.
Ian’s winds at landfall were estimated at a maximum of 125 mph, making the storm a Category 3 hurricane.
Sep 26, 11:35 PM EDT
Ian strengthens as winds grow to 105 mph
Hurricane Ian continued to intensify Monday night, with maximum sustained winds now at 105 mph.
The hurricane is about 105 miles east-southeast of the western tip of Cuba, which is expected to see significant wind and storm surge impacts soon.
The storm is expected to become a major hurricane overnight or Tuesday morning.
Sep 26, 9:47 PM EDT
Tampa International Airport to close as Ian approaches
Tampa International Airport will stop all operations starting 5 p.m. Tuesday to secure its airfield and terminals ahead of Hurricane Ian’s expected landfall later this week.
Sep 26, 7:14 PM EDT
HHS secretary declares public health emergency for Florida
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency for the state of Florida.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra made the declaration Monday to address the possible health impacts for Florida residents once Hurricane Ian nears the state.
“We will do all we can to assist Florida officials with responding to the health impacts of Hurricane Ian,” Becerra said in a statement. “We are working closely with state, local, and tribal health authorities, as well as our federal partners, and stand ready to provide additional public health and medical support.”
HHS has pre-positioned two 15-person health and medical task force teams from its National Disaster Medical System, as well as a 13-person incident management team and two pharmacists to assist with the response in Florida.
“These teams are highly trained and ready to respond if, when, and where they may be needed following the storm,” HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Saturday. That declaration was approved by President Joe Biden on Sunday.
Sep 26, 6:59 PM EDT
Hurricane warning issued for Tampa Bay area
The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for the Tampa Bay area just after its 5 p.m. advisory for Hurricane Ian.
The hurricane, currently a Category 2, is forecast to strengthen before it slows down as it approaches land. It is then expected to hover off the coast of Tampa from Wednesday into Thursday before making landfall.
A hurricane watch has also been issued for Big Bend, Florida, near the panhandle, and tropical storm warnings are in effect for much of southwest Florida.
Tropical storm watches are in effect for Orlando toward the northeast portion of the state, from Fort Pierce to Jacksonville.
-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin
Sep 26, 6:21 PM EDT
Florida utility company to use remote grid technology to restore power during the storm
The emergency response from Florida Power & Light is “well underway” as Hurricane Ian approaches, the utility company announced Monday.
FP&L has mobilized 13,000 workers, as well as supplies, to ensure the response is conducted as safely and quickly as possible after the storm hits, according to a press release.
As the hurricane begins to bear down on the region, FP&L will use remote grid technology to restore power remotely during the storm, as long as it is safe to do so, the company said. After the storm passes and winds drop below 35 mph, FP&L will continue restoration and conduct damage assessments with field crews.
The utility company also urged customers to make preparations and take safety precautions.
“As this storm approaches Florida, we know our customers are counting on us and we are determined to meet this challenge,” said Eric Silagy, chairman and CEO of FP&L in a statement. “We are mobilizing and pre-positioning our restoration workforce, so these brave men and women can quickly start working as soon as it is safe to do so.”
-ABC News’ Matt Foster
Sep 26, 3:58 PM EDT
Florida State University cancels classes
Florida State University has canceled classes Tuesday through Friday as Hurricane Ian approaches.
“The cancellation of classes on Tuesday is to allow students to travel safely out of the area if they so choose,” the university said. “Students who choose to stay in Tallahassee will be advised via the FSU Alert system to follow a ‘shelter in place’ protocol during the storm.”
Sep 26, 3:38 PM EDT
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport to close
The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will close at 1 p.m. Tuesday due to the mandatory evacuation orders in Pinellas County. The airport will stay closed until the evacuation order is lifted.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for coastal parts of Hillsborough County, Florida. Over 300,000 people are expected to evacuate, officials announced Monday, with emergency shelters opening at 2 p.m. Monday.
Hillsborough County could face up to 15 feet of storm surge and 30 straight hours of tropical storm force winds, Florida Emergency Management Director Tim Dudley said.
County Administrator Bonnie Wise added, “We did not make this decision easily, but the storm poses a serious threat, and we must do everything we can protect our residents.”
Some residents of Sarasota County and Manatee County are also under mandatory evacuation orders.
-ABC News’ Alex Faul
Sep 26, 2:01 PM EDT
7,000 National Guardsmen deployed to help
Five-thousand members of the Florida National Guard have been activated to help during Hurricane Ian. Another 2,000 guardsmen from Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina are also coming to help, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
Nearly 300 ambulances and support vehicles are being deployed to areas bracing for Ian’s landfall, DeSantis said.
-ABC News’ Alex Faul
Sep 26, 12:43 PM EDT
Tampa may shut down airport
In Tampa, where residents are bracing for 10 feet of dangerous storm surge, the Tampa International Airport may shut down parts of its airfield and facilities over the next day or two, airport officials announced.
The airport is in an evacuation zone, but because it’s critical infrastructure, it’s “exempt from the storm evacuation order and will stay open until a closure is necessary,” airport officials said in a statement.
It’s been 101 years since Tampa last had a direct hit from a major hurricane.
Sep 26, 11:36 AM EDT
Sarasota, Tampa-area schools close
Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa will be closed Monday through Thursday due to the storm. Instead, some schools will operate as storm shelters, the district said.
In Sarasota County, schools will be closed on Tuesday.
Sep 26, 11:34 AM EDT
First mandatory evacuation orders issued
Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for coastal parts of Hillsborough County, Florida. Over 300,000 people are expected to evacuate, officials announced Monday, with emergency shelters opening at 2 p.m. Monday.
Hillsborough County could face up to 15 feet of storm surge and 30 straight hours of tropical storm force winds, Florida Emergency Management Director Tim Dudley said.
County Administrator Bonnie Wise added, “We did not make this decision easily, but the storm poses a serious threat, and we must do everything we can protect our residents.”
Sep 26, 10:43 AM EDT
NASA rolling Artemis rocket back off launch pad
NASA said it will roll the Artemis I rocket off the launch pad and back to the vehicle assembly building on Monday night due to the storm.
“Managers met Monday morning and made the decision based on the latest weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian, after additional data gathered overnight did not show improving expected conditions for the Kennedy Space Center area,” NASA said in a statement. “The decision allows time for employees to address the needs of their families and protect the integrated rocket and spacecraft system.”
Sep 26, 10:08 AM EDT
Floodwater safety tips to remember
As Ian approaches, here are a few commonsense strategies to help avoid unnecessary risk from floodwaters:
–Before flooding, look up your neighborhood’s flood zone and determine if your home or business is prone to flooding. Come up with an evacuation plan and make sure your car has a full tank of gas. Stock up on non-perishable foods.
–After flooding, ensure your drinking water is sanitized and wash your hands thoroughly after contact with floodwaters. Disinfect objects that have come into contact with floodwater before offering them to children or toddlers.
–Try to avoid exposure with floodwaters for long periods of time to prevent physical injury. Wear waterproof boots if you have them. Do not attempt to drive over flooded streets as it could damage the car and strand passengers.
Sep 26, 10:01 AM EDT
White House closely monitoring Ian
The White House is “closely monitoring” the hurricane, a White House official told ABC News.
President Joe Biden approved Florida’s emergency assistance request this weekend “as soon as he received it,” the official said.
“He also directed his team to surge Federal assistance to the region well before landfall,” the official said. “FEMA has already deployed staff there and pre-positioned food, water, and generators.”
Biden was scheduled to travel to Florida on Monday but that trip has been postponed due to the storm.
-ABC News’ Karen Travers
Sep 26, 8:23 AM EDT
Hurricane watch issued for Tampa, Fort Myers, Naples
Ian is expected to become major Category 3 hurricane Monday night with winds of 115 mph.
As Ian passes Cuba, it’s expected to rapidly intensify, becoming a Category 4 hurricane as it moves through the Gulf. Hurricane warnings are in effect for Cuba and the Cayman Islands.
Models are split when it comes to Ian’s landfall in Florida; impacts could be as far north as Panama City and as far south as Fort Myers.
Some models forecast landfall by Wednesday afternoon between Tampa and Fort Myers, while other models predict landfall at the end of the week near Panama City or Apalachicola.
Hurricane watches have been issued in Tampa, Fort Myers and Naples.
-ABC News’ Max Golembo
Sep 26, 5:20 AM EDT
Storm becomes Hurricane Ian
The National Hurricane Center declared Ian a hurricane on Monday, as the storm gained strength on its way toward Florida.
“A Hurricane Watch has been issued along the west coast of Florida from north of Englewood to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay,” the center said on Monday.
– ABC News’ Max Golembo
Sep 25, 10:19 PM EDT
NASA to reconvene on whether to take Artemis rocket off launchpad
NASA hasn’t decided whether to leave its Artemis I rocket on the launchpad as it monitors Tropical Storm Ian’s path toward Florida, the agency said Sunday.
The federal space agency’s mission managers will continue discussions on Monday about the next steps as its rocket was delayed again.
On Saturday, NASA scrapped its third planned launch attempt of Artemis I because of weather concerns. Artemis I was scheduled to launch on Sept. 27.
Engineers will decide if the rocket needs to roll back off the launch pad. If they do not roll it back, the next possible launch date is Sunday, Oct. 2.
Tropical Storm Ian is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane as it nears Florida.
NASA had to scrub the first launch attempt on Aug. 29 because of a faulty temperature sensor and the second attempt on Sept. 3 due to a liquid hydrogen leak.
If the Oct. 2 launch doesn’t happen, the rocket will be taken back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center until the team decides on the next date.
-ABC News’ Gina Sunseri, Mary Kekatos and Nadine El-Bawab
Sep 25, 10:27 PM EDT
Ian strengthens once again, forecast to become hurricane on Monday
Tropical Storm Ian has strengthened with maximum sustained winds at 60 mph and is expected to get stronger throughout the night as atmospheric conditions become more favorable for the storm.
Ian is forecast to become a hurricane on Monday, becoming even more intense likely into Tuesday.
Ian is moving to the northwest to the Northwest at 12 mph, with the center located 160 miles away from Grand Cayman.
Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are expected to experience heavy rain, a heavy surge and possible flash flooding over the next 24 hours.
-ABC News’ Dan Peck
Sep 25, 5:45 PM EDT
Ian weakens slightly but will regain strength overnight
Tropical Storm Ian has weakened slightly, but it is expected to not only strengthen but rapidly intensify overnight as it travels over warm waters in the Caribbean.
As of 5 p.m. ET, the storm system had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving west-northwest at 12 mph, with the center located about 220 miles away from Grand Cayman.
Dry air ahead of the storm has delayed the strengthening trend so far. But the rapid intensification is expected to occur Monday into Tuesday as the system continues across the northwestern Caribbean and closes in on western Cuba.
Over the next 24 hours, the outer bands will impact Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, bringing rounds of heavy rain, possible flash flooding and storm surge. Later Monday and into Monday night, Ian will be closing in on western Cuba and will likely bring significant wind and storm surge impacts to the region.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Grand Cayman and portions of western Cuba. A tropical storm watch has been issued for portions of western Cuba, as well as the lower Florida Keys, including Key West.
As of 5 p.m., the forecast track was nudged slightly eastward. Overall, the forecast guidance variability and uncertainty will remain high, and the track for where the storm will be from the middle to the end of the week will continue to shift over the next 24 to 48 hours.
