10/2/22

By Aditi Jha

Hurricane Ian has terrorized Florida and at least 80 people have died as a result. Since the time it hit, over 1,100 people have been rescued. Over 800 were rescued from just Lee County. It cut power for hundreds of thousands in North and South Carolina and the President of the Florida Power and Light company says that it could take one week before power is restored. Some may not have power for weeks or months, even. 689 thousand still do not have power as of Sunday evening. River flooding will also continue for around a week. Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, destroying coastal homes and trapping residents. Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson said to CNN on Saturday that "I've been in this community since the mid-70s. I was on the police department for 25 years; worked a lot of storms. This is by far the worst one I've ever seen. As tough as this storm is, people are in good spirits and they're determined not to be defeated." Many people in Florida are without clean tap water, and there are over 100 boil-water advisories in the state. President Biden has signed a bill that provides 2.5 billion dollars to help communities wrecked by natural disasters, 1 billion dollars to fund a low-income home heating program, 12 billion dollars in aid for Ukraine, and 20 million dollars to fix the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that "This package comes as a pivotal moment, as Ukraine freedom fighters work to turn the tide, liberating key cities and repelling Russian forces." It's also a budget deal and maintains current levels of government spending, extending funding through December 16th. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday that "This is common sense, bipartisan legislation. I'm glad we came to a timely conclusion and didn't go right up to the brink and risk a shutdown. Millions and millions of people can breathe easy knowing that we have done this in a timely way and the money to continue the government will be there."

Young children can soon be eligible for a updated COVID booster shot. Pfizer-BioNTech said Monday that they submitted a request for emergency use authorization of their updated COVID-19 booster shot for children 5-11 years of age to the US Food and Drug Administration. On Friday, Moderna said it had also requested authorization from the FDA for its updated booster for teens 12-17 and children ages 6-11. These boosters protect from both COVID and the Omicron variant. Pfizer's updated booster is authorized for people 12 years and older. Moderna's is authorized for adults 18 and older. The company will be submitting an authorization application for an updated booster for children ages 6 months through 5 years later this year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 4.4 million people have gotten a dose of the updated boosters, not including Idaho or Texas. People who have recently had COVID are also advised to wait at least three months before getting the booster.

That's the news for today! Stay safe!