The first case of a strain of bird flu virus named A(H5N8), having infected people from birds, has been registered in Russia with it reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). Outbreaks of the H5N8 strain have been reported in Russia, Europe, China, the Middle East and North Africa in recent months but so far only in poultry. But now … Read More

The COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. topped 500,000 today, a staggering and growing number that all but matches the number of Americans killed in World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined. Despite the rollout of vaccines since mid-December, a closely watched model from the University of Washington projects more than 589,000 dead by June 1. The U.S. death toll … Read More

A “red alert” dire warning has been issued due to the statewide impact of the winter storm on agriculture and the food supply chain. The unprecedented storm that swept the southern U.S. states last week led to extreme cold and icy conditions that most southerners have never seen in their lifetime and that caused a loss of power and water … Read More

In Abilene, first responders found a 60-year-old man dead in his home. His wife, who was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, said they hadn’t had power for three days in the winter storm of extreme cold. Fire department members said that it felt as cold inside the home as outside. A San Antonio man left his house for … Read More

A massive fire broke out in a hotel in Killeen, Texas, after the building’s sprinkler systems failed to work due to frozen pipes. The Killeen Fire Department arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Killeen to find “fire coming from the roof above the fourth floor of the four-story hotel,” according to a statement from the fire department. “Firefighting … Read More

C-17 transport aircraft of the US military headed to Texas delivering water and other supplies to Galveston and Corpus Christi according to senior U.S. defense officials. The help comes at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency following a plea from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. There are currently no plans to use federal troops for ground-based support in Texas, … Read More

Texas hospitals, already contending with COVID-19 patients and vaccine distribution, were further impacted by this week’s winter storm wrecking havoc on the state’s power grid. As hospitals have been dealing with a loss in water pressure and heat. St. David’s South Austin Medical Center said that it had lost water pressure from the City of Austin. Since water feeds the facility’s boiler, … Read More

After the historic winter storm this week knocked out power and froze pipes all across Texas, millions of people are left scrambling for themselves to find safe drinking water. More than 1,100 public water supply systems reported weather-related disruptions in service impacting over 14.4 million people, about half of the state’s population. Many people still don’t have water or lack … Read More