WORLD NEWS FLASH
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the South Carolina Army National Guard, cleared roads in North Augusta
UNITED STATES
A deadly and destructive tropical cyclone wreaked a nightmare on a large swath of the southeastern United States.
On Sept. 27, after crashing through areas south of the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Florida Peninsula at Category 3 power. As it traversed over land, it eventually lost strength, but not before leaving a tremendous amount of damage.
While the storm hit the Sunshine State, along with Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and as north as Kentucky, the worst hit area was the Appalachia region of Tennessee and western North Carolina. Towns such as Asheville and Chimney Rock were completely wiped out, with a portion of I-40 washed away by destructive flooding.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene across the Southeast,” said President Biden in a statement. “As the storm continues to track north, Vice President Harris and I remain focused on life-saving and life-sustaining response and recovery efforts.
“I am being regularly briefed by my team on the ongoing response efforts, and my Administration is in constant contact with state and local officials to ensure communities have the support and resources they need. At my direction, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is traveling throughout the Southeast to assess the damage alongside other state and local officials.
“The road to recovery will be long, but know that my Administration will be with you every step of the way. We’re not going to walk away. We’re not going to give up. As we turn toward recovery efforts, we will make certain that no resource is spared to ensure that families, businesses, schools, hospitals, and entire communities can quickly begin their road to rebuilding. Jill and I are praying for those who lost loved ones from Hurricane Helene, and for those whose homes, businesses, and communities were impacted by this terrible storm.”
“To every family that has been displaced here in Georgia, in North Carolina, and throughout the region, our hearts are with you in this hour of need. You are in our prayers today, and throughout all the long weeks that lay ahead. We love you – we are with you – and we will be back again and again…,” former President Trump posted on X (fka Twitter).
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 10-1-2024 at 12 p.m.
2024 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2024)
- Total Mass Shootings: 475
- Total Dead: 567
- Total Wounded: 1959
- Shootings Per Day: 1.73
- Days Reached in Year 2024 as of October 1: 275
MIDDLE EAST
ISRAEL STRIKES LEBANON
More than one million people across Lebanon have been uprooted by ongoing and deadly Israeli airstrikes across the country, including one reported Sept. 30 in a residential area of central Beirut, adding to fears of a full-scale invasion.
In a situation update, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 11 health workers had been killed and 10 injured between September 17 and 28. Some 37 health centers have been forced to close due to the fighting out of 317 in total, and three hospitals treating patients have been evacuated.
“Many healthcare workers have been displaced especially in the south, Bekaa and South Beirut,” WHO reported.
WHO is continued to support Lebanon’s public health emergency response with staffing, financial and technical support, helping coordinate referrals and boosting trauma surgery capacity.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres continues to be deeply concerned over the humanitarian repercussions of the continued bombing by Israel and rocket fire from Hezbollah, his Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
Briefing correspondents in New York, Mr. Dujarric reiterated the UN chief’s call for de-escalation, a ceasefire and “the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701.”
“The Secretary-General and his senior staff are in contact with our representatives on the ground, who continue to engage with all actors and all parties to appeal for diplomatic avenues to be given space.
The UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, which patrols the line of separation between southern Lebanon and northern Israel remains in place but the intensity of military action is preventing “Blue Helmets” from carrying out their tasks or moving around their area of responsibility, Mr. Dujarric continued.
A Flash Appeal has been launched to meet the growing needs of around one million people impacted by the growing crisis.
Meanwhile, some 100,000 of the displaced have reached neighboring Syria, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
“The outflow continues,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, in a tweet, accompanied by a picture of hundreds of people squeezed together at a Syrian-Lebanese border crossing.
Mr. Grandi noted that the agency’s teams were on hand at four crossing points inside Syria to support new arrivals.
These developments follow a dramatic escalation of hostilities between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, whose longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a strike on Sept. 27. On Sept. 30, Hamas announced that its leader in Lebanon, Fatah Sherif al-Amin, had been killed in an airstrike on a refugee camp for Palestinians, along with his family.
HAITI
MORE SUPPORT PLEDGED FOR COUNTRY
The UN Security Council on Sept. 30 re-authorized the deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti for 12 months.
The mission was authorized last October to assist Haiti’s beleaguered police force. Led by Kenya, it currently has around 410 police officers on the ground and is expected to grow to around 2,500. For now, the country remains mired in crisis.
The renewal comes as the mission tries to curb rampant gang violence, enable an environment conducive to aid delivery, and create conditions for free and fair elections.
In a unanimous vote on resolution 2751, the 15-member Council urged the MSS mission to speed up its deployment and called on all nations to provide additional voluntary contributions and support.
The resolution reaffirmed that the UN Secretary-General may offer logistical support to the mission when requested, subject to full financial reimbursement through available voluntary contributions and in full compliance with the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy.
Last week, Haiti’s transitional President Edgard Leblanc Fils addressed the UN General Assembly, warning that his country faces an “unprecedented security crisis.”
“Citizens are living in fear of even moving about freely or going to school, particularly around the capital Port-au-Prince,” he said at the General Assembly’s high-level debate, urging continued UN support.
The rampant violence has also driven humanitarian needs across Haiti, with more than half the population classified as facing “acute levels of hunger,” according to the latest IPC analysis, a global tracking of malnutrition and food insecurity.
Following the adoption, United States Ambassador and Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield emphasized the international community’s strong message of solidarity with the people of Haiti.
“The world is standing with you, and we are unwavering in our efforts to help restore security and stability and put the country on the path of peace and prosperity,” she emphasized.
She echoed President Leblanc’s call for ensuring long-term sustainability and encouraged the international community to build on the progress achieved by the mission so far.
“Let us work together to build on the progress of the Haiti MSS mission. Let us embrace a new approach that sustains it. Let us protect the fragile but inspiring opportunity to build a better future for the Haitian people,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said.
Antonio Rodrigue, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Haiti – which does not currently serve on the Council – welcomed the extension but stressed the need for it to become a full UN peacekeeping operation.
He said it had “demonstrated its effectiveness in certain critical areas, specifically through the restoration of security in areas previously controlled by armed gangs.” However, he cautioned that significant challenges remain.
Gang violence continues to tear at the social fabric, with rampant rights violations plunging thousands of families into distress, he said, adding that despite an arms embargo, gangs are still accessing weapons and ammunition.
The Haitian Ambassador underscored the need for increased financial support and reinforcements for the mission and reiterated that transforming it into a peacekeeping operation “appears not just to be necessary but also a matter of urgency.”
