By ALEXA ST. JOHN and MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday terminated a $7 billion grant program that was intended to help pay for residential solar projects for more than 900,000 lower-income U.S. households.

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It’s the latest Trump administration move hindering the nation’s shift to cleaner energy.

The funding, part of Democratic President Joe Biden’s Solar for All program, was awarded to 60 recipients including states, tribes and regions for investments such as rooftop solar and community solar gardens.

Solar, a renewable energy, is widely regarded as a way to introduce cleaner power onto the electrical grid and lower energy bills for American consumers.

Hurricane reason runs through November. “Building financial resiliency is a crucial part in preparing for climate disasters,” said Theodora Makris at the Center for NYC Neighborhoods. That can include getting flood insurance and creating an emergency fund.

Storm damage in Woodside, Queens, following Hurricane Ida in September 2021. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Hurricane season, which kicked off on June 1 and lasts until the end of November, is in full swing in the Big Apple—and it’s a good time for New Yorkers to protect their assets.

“Building financial resiliency is a crucial part in preparing for climate disasters,” said Theodora Makris, senior program manager at the Center for NYC Neighborhoods (CNYCN). 

Makris explains that getting flood insurance, which you can read more about here, and creating an emergency fund ahead of the next big storm is the best way to protect your home from a severe weather event. And New Yorkers are no strangers to harsh storms. 

Two torrential downpours have already descended upon New York City this summer. Last week, a forecasted two inches of rain per hour hit New York, flooding the subways and stopping traffic. A similar storm a few weeks earlier garnered shocking videos of water gushing through transit station platforms, stranding commuters on their way home from work.

This isn’t the first time New York has grappled with severe weather events. Some neighborhoods are still undergoing resiliency work stemming from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, which struck 13 years ago this fall. 

And the memory of Hurricane Ida, which landed in New York in late August of 2021 and brought over seven inches of rain over a 24-hour period to some parts of the city, is l fresh on many New Yorkers’ minds. The storm left 13 people dead, 11 of whom drowned in basement apartments.  

Predictions for this year are also daunting.

The Atlantic basin will face an “above normal” hurricane season ahead according to a recent 2025 forecast report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA). 

The agency expects this year will bring a range of 13 to 19 total storms, with wind speeds of 39 miles per hour or higher. Of those, six to 10 are “forecast to become hurricanes” with wind speeds of 74 mph or higher,” the report notes. That includes three to five major Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher. 

Meanwhile, the federal government has been taking funds away from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to protect cities across the country from major storms. 

The agency just shut down its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which gave New York over $380 million for key infrastructure projects to safeguard neighborhoods from climate catastrophes.

President Donald Trump also said on Truth Social that FEMA “should be terminated” as the agency “has been slow and totally ineffective,” arguing that “individual states should handle storms etc as they come” without federal support.

With shaky support on the federal level and 1.3 million New Yorkers living in or next to  a floodplain, residents should have a plan in place ahead of time on how to protect themselves from future storms.

Here are some tips from the CNYCN and city agencies on what homeowners and renters can do to safeguard their homes from disaster: 

Get flood insurance. The federal government is the largest U.S. provider through the National Flood Insurance Program, since few private companies offer it. Homeowners and renters alike can click here to get a quote for your property and find the best insurance for you. And here is a brochure with more information for renters who want flood insurance. 

Tally up what you own. Create an up-to-date inventory of what is in your house and how much it costs. When disaster strikes, you can report the damage to the NYC Housing Recovery Portal, a resource run by the Mayor’s Office that helps New Yorkers access disaster recovery assistance to repair and rebuild their homes. 

Stay informed. Sign up for weather alerts at NotifyNYC to receive updates via text whenever there is a severe event or emergency.

Assess your flood risk.  If you are a low-and moderate income homeowner, use FloodHelpNY to find out (for free) how at risk you are of flooding.

Make flood-resistant upgrades. Raise mechanical equipment like HVAC systems and appliances from the floor so they don’t get ruined during a flood, and flood-seal entry points where water can seep in. Check out the state’s Resilient Retrofits  program, which provides low-interest loans and grants to help homeowners in flood-prone areas safeguard their homes.

Find federal assistance after a storm hits. Although FEMA funds are drying up, if there is a presidential disaster declaration after a catastrophic weather event, then you can look up if you qualify for federal assistance here.

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Mariana@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post It’s Hurricane Season in NY. These Tips Will Help You Protect Your Home appeared first on City Limits.

By MELANIE LIDMAN and WAFAA SHURAFA

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that to destroy Hamas Israel intends to take full control of the Gaza Strip and eventually transfer its administration to friendly Arab forces, as the Security Cabinet discussed a widening of its 22-month offensive.

Asked in an interview with Fox News if Israel would “take control of all of Gaza,” Netanyahu replied: “We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza.” The Security Cabinet would still need to approve such a decision.

’We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter,” Netanyahu said in the interview. “We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life.”

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

An Israeli official had earlier said the Security Cabinet would hold a lengthy debate and approve an expanded military plan to conquer all or parts of Gaza not yet under Israeli control. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal decision, said that whatever is approved would be implemented gradually to increase pressure on Hamas.

In Gaza, where Israel’s air and ground war has already killed tens of thousands of people, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and caused severe and widespread hunger, Palestinians braced for further misery.

“There is nothing left to occupy,” said Maysaa al-Heila, who is living in a displacement camp. “There is no Gaza left.”

At least 42 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes and shootings across southern Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals.

A new escalation could deepen Israel’s isolation

Netanyahu has been meeting this week with advisers to discuss what his office said are ways to “further achieve Israel’s goals in Gaza” after the breakdown of ceasefire talks last month. The Security Cabinet meeting began Thursday evening, according to Israeli media, and was expected to stretch into the night.

Israel already controls about 75% of Gaza. Expanding military operations would further isolate Israel internationally, after several of its closest Western allies have called on it to end the war and facilitate more humanitarian aid. In Israel, families of the hostages have called for mass protests Thursday, fearing an escalation could doom their loved ones.

Hamas-led terrorists abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive.

Almost two dozen relatives of hostages set sail from southern Israel towards the maritime border with Gaza on Thursday, where they broadcast messages from loudspeakers.

Yehuda Cohen, the father of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier held in Gaza, said from the boat that Netanyahu is prolonging the war to satisfy extremists in his governing coalition. Netanyahu’s far-right allies want to escalate the war, relocate most of Gaza’s population to other countries and reestablish Jewish settlements that were dismantled in 2005.

“Netanyahu is working only for himself,” Cohen said, pleading with the international community to put pressure on the prime minister to stop the war and save his son.

Palestinians killed and wounded as they seek food

Israel’s military offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals who keep and share detailed records.

The United Nations and independent experts view the ministry’s figures as the most reliable estimate of casualties. Israel has disputed them without offering a toll of its own.

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Of the 42 people killed on Thursday, at least 13 were seeking aid in an Israeli military zone in southern Gaza where U.N. aid convoys are regularly overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds. Another two were killed on roads leading to nearby sites run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American contractor, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies.

GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites on Thursday. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The military zone, known as the Morag Corridor, is off limits to independent media.

Hundreds of people have been killed in recent weeks while heading to GHF sites and in chaotic scenes around U.N. convoys, most of which are overwhelmed by looters and crowds of hungry people. The U.N. human rights office, witnesses and health officials have offered similar accounts of the near-daily shootings by Israeli fire going back to May, when Israel lifted a complete 2 1/2 month blockade.

The military says it has only fired warning shots when crowds approach its forces. GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired into the air on some occasions to prevent deadly stampedes.

Israel and GHF face mounting criticism

Human Rights Watch called on governments worldwide to suspend arms transfers to Israel after deadly airstrikes on two Palestinian schools-turned-shelters last year.

The New York-based rights group said an investigation did not find any evidence of a military target at either school. At least 49 people were killed in the airstrikes that hit the Khadija girls’ school in Deir al-Balah on July 27, 2024, and the al-Zeitoun C school in Gaza City on Sept. 21, 2024.

Doctors Without Borders, a medical charity known by its French acronym MSF, published a blistering report denouncing the GHF distribution system. “This is not aid. It is orchestrated killing, ” it said.

MSF runs two health centers very close to GHF sites in southern Gaza and said it had treated 1,380 people injured near the sites between June 7 and July 20, including 28 people who were dead upon arrival. Of those, at least 147 had suffered gunshot wounds — including at least 41 children.

MSF said hundreds more suffered physical assault injuries from chaotic scrambles for food at the sites, including head injuries, suffocation, and multiple patients with severely aggravated eyes after being sprayed at close range with pepper spray.

It said its health centers were set up for primary care, not mass casualty events, and the cases it saw were only a fraction of the overall casualties connected to GHF sites. It said the more severely wounded are mostly taken directly to hospitals or a nearby Red Cross field hospital, which has independently reported receiving thousands of people wounded by gunshots as they sought aid.

“The level of mismanagement, chaos and violence at GHF distribution sites amounts to either reckless negligence or a deliberately designed death trap,” the report said.

GHF said the “accusations are both false and disgraceful” and accused MSF of “amplifying a disinformation campaign” orchestrated by Hamas.

The U.S. and Israel helped set up the GHF system as an alternative to the U.N.-run aid delivery system that has sustained Gaza for decades, accusing Hamas of siphoning off assistance. The U.N. denies any mass diversion by Hamas. It accuses GHF of forcing Palestinians to risk their lives to get food and say it advances Israel’s plans for further mass displacement.

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Josef Federman contributed from Jerusalem and Natalie Melzer contributed from Nahariya.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

THOMPSON, Pa. (AP) — Two Pennsylvania State Police troopers were shot Thursday morning, Gov. Josh Shapiro said at an event outside Philadelphia.

“About an hour ago in Susquehanna County, two state troopers were shot. Lori and I are praying for those troopers,” Shapiro said. “I want you to know I’ve communicated with Col. Paris. He is on the scene. It is an active situation and at the conclusion of this event I plan to head there myself.”

Christopher Paris heads the Pennsylvania State Police.

The shooting occurred in northeastern Pennsylvania.

A state police spokesperson, Trooper Logan T. Brouse, said the location was along Route 171 near the village of Thomson. That’s about 40 miles (63 kilometers) north of Scranton.

Sen. Dave McCormick said in a social media post that he was monitoring the developing situation. He also expressed empathy for the troopers who were shot.

“Dina and I are praying for our brave state troopers in Susquehanna County and monitoring the situation closely as more details emerge,” McCormick posted.

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan said on X that he was “relieved to hear the troopers involved in today’s incident in Thompson Township are expected to be in stable condition.”

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