Chicago mayor seeks help for immigrants bused from Texas
Chicago officials have asked the public for volunteers and donations to help immigrants being bused to the city from Texas amid the Republican-led stateโs political battle over the immigration policies of President Joe Bidenโs administration.
International aid reaches Tonga with clean water, supplies
Aid flights from Australia, Japan and New Zealand carrying food, water, medical supplies and telecommunications equipment landed in Tonga over the weekend, as the Pacific nation grapples with the aftermath of an underwater volcanic eruption and tsunami.
Mom, 11 children displaced after fire rips through northwest Harris County home
HOUSTON โ A mother and her 11 children are left without a home for the holidays after a massive fire devastated their house. Daniel Arizpe with the Cy-Fair Fire Department said the fire started in the garage and quickly spread into the attic. Catherine Modlies said sheโs thankful she and her children were awake when they smelled smoke. โInstead of them panicking, they went straight to action, yaโll,โ the mom of 11 said. Arizpe said Harris County Fire Marshal Office investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but is believed to have started in the garage.
Belgium fears ICU beds could reach capacity next month
FILE - In this Thursday, April 23, 2020 file photo, nurses cheer as a patient who had COVID-19 leaves the intensive care ward at the MontLegia CHC hospital in Liege, Belgium. Belgium's intensive care units will hit capacity by mid-November if new coronavirus cases continue to soar at the same pace, according to the country's health authorities. File)BRUSSELS โ Belgiumโs intensive care units will hit capacity by mid-November if new coronavirus cases continue to soar at the same pace, the countryโs health authorities warned Wednesday. The latest COVID-19 figures published Wednesday by the national institute of public health show that Belgium has seen 7,360 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours. Van Laethem said the country is currently the second-worst in Europe in terms of new coronavirus infections, behind the Czech Republic.
Katy neighborhood providing food, essential items to Hurricane Laura evacuees in Houston
KATY โ Hurricane Laura made landfall in southwest Louisiana nearly three weeks ago, and people there are still living in miserable conditions. On Thursday, Chick-fil-A provided dinner to evacuees staying at the Residence Inn Marriott Hotel in Katy. In the past three weeks, Austin has been paying about $100 dollars a night at the Residence Inn Marriott in Katy. The trio and countless other volunteers from one Katy neighborhood have delivered over a thousand meals in two weeks to about 300 evacuees. If you would like to know more about the Facebook Group in Katy helping evacuees, click here.
Hurricane Laura evacuee, single mother, searches in vain for open Red Cross shelter for 4 days, 1,000 miles
People in charge there told Roy Red Cross shelters would be open in Mesquite, Texas, near Dallas, 292 miles away, she said. Red Cross officials (on the phone) then directed Roy to travel 246 miles to a Red Cross shelter in Houston, Forge Families Community Center, Roy said, which she discovered when she arrived is not actually a Red Cross shelter. Red Cross responded to KPRC with a statement that did not explain the miscommunication problems. A representative for Texas Emergency Operations, which partners with Red Cross, said he also did not understand where communication broke down. Houston locations were used by Red Cross for Hurricane Laura Shelter until a day after the storm, when the Red Cross redirected evacuees away from Houston to Dallas, Austin and San Antonio (cities further inland), the state rep said.
โWe have no roomsโ: Hurricane evacuees trying to find long-term lodging after hotel issues
TOMBALL, Texas โ A Louisiana family that evacuated ahead of Hurricane Laura has spent the last few nights at a hotel in Tomball. The family of nearly two dozen, including kids, left their homes in the Lake Charles area right before Laura arrived. They initially paid for hotel rooms in Austin, Dailey said. But with costs adding up, she said the Red Cross told her to head to a Hyatt in Houston. Weโve been out of rooms,โ Dailey said.
10 firefighters treated for heat exhaustion during Wharton apartment fire
WHARTON โ A fire caused extensive damage to an apartment complex in Wharton. The fire broke out around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Briar Pointe Apartments in the 1700 block of Briar Lane. When firefighters arrived, flames and heavy smoke could be seen shooting from the roof of the two-story building. High heat and humidity made it difficult for crews to fire the flames. Ten firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion.