Colleen Hagerty
@colleenhagerty.com
Disaster-focused journalist.
Why yes I do have a newsletter: https://myworldsonfire.colleenhagerty.com/
Why yes I do have a newsletter: https://myworldsonfire.colleenhagerty.com/
Pinned
Colleen Hagerty
@colleenhagerty.com
· Nov 12
Colleen Hagerty
Colleen Hagerty is a multimedia journalist based in Southern California
www.colleenhagerty.com
Lots of new people on here, so a quick re-introduction!
I'm an independent journalist reporting on disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, & extreme heat. Much of my work focuses on long-term recovery issues & how policies impact people. More on all that here: www.colleenhagerty.com
I'm an independent journalist reporting on disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, & extreme heat. Much of my work focuses on long-term recovery issues & how policies impact people. More on all that here: www.colleenhagerty.com
"David Richardson on Monday resigned as acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to people familiar with the situation, ending a brief tenure leading an agency the administration had publicly expressed a desire to dismantle." wapo.st/4nYPtDa (gift link)
FEMA head resigns. Richardson had been hard to reach during Texas floods.
David Richardson resigned Monday after a brief tenure leading the Federal Emergency Management Agency
wapo.st
November 17, 2025 at 6:36 PM
"David Richardson on Monday resigned as acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to people familiar with the situation, ending a brief tenure leading an agency the administration had publicly expressed a desire to dismantle." wapo.st/4nYPtDa (gift link)
I'm rounding up coverage of federal shutdown impacts on disaster funding and services for an upcoming newsletter. If you've written any or noticed anything in your area, please send it my way!
November 5, 2025 at 10:24 PM
I'm rounding up coverage of federal shutdown impacts on disaster funding and services for an upcoming newsletter. If you've written any or noticed anything in your area, please send it my way!
Question for NOAA and other weather-world people: Does the shutdown mean there are no weekly NOAA radio alert tests?
November 5, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Question for NOAA and other weather-world people: Does the shutdown mean there are no weekly NOAA radio alert tests?
So many outlets write about young people; very few do the work to write for young people, and that was just one sliver of what made Teen Vogue special. Grateful to have worked with @allegrak.bsky.social on articles that spoke to the often overlooked impacts of disasters on students.
if you want to know what happened to Teen Vogue yesterday, my work wife @allegrak.bsky.social — who ran our politics section for 6 years until this past June — said it all in this.
can't even pull out a favorite part til I sign my separation letter lol, just read the whole thing.
can't even pull out a favorite part til I sign my separation letter lol, just read the whole thing.
What We Lost When Condé Nast Unceremoniously Shuttered Teen Vogue
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:54 PM
So many outlets write about young people; very few do the work to write for young people, and that was just one sliver of what made Teen Vogue special. Grateful to have worked with @allegrak.bsky.social on articles that spoke to the often overlooked impacts of disasters on students.
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
The news comes amid the Trump administration’s effort to dramatically slash federal spending – including by proposed cuts to key weather and climate programs within NOAA.
(From KHNS - Haines)
(From KHNS - Haines)
NOAA cancels funding for data collection crucial to tsunami warning systems
The Alaska Earthquake Center has long provided NOAA with seismic data for tsunami monitoring and warning purposes. That work will wind down in November, after the federal agency said it can no longer…
www.ktoo.org
November 3, 2025 at 9:45 PM
The news comes amid the Trump administration’s effort to dramatically slash federal spending – including by proposed cuts to key weather and climate programs within NOAA.
(From KHNS - Haines)
(From KHNS - Haines)
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
As part of @technologyreview.com's big new package on conspiracy theories, I went long on weather modification — what's possible, what's not, what's happening and where, and why people will probably always find ways to blame weather disasters on shady forces:
Why it’s so hard to bust the weather control conspiracy theory
From effective rain-enhancing technology to a long, secretive history of trying to weaponize storms, there’s fertile ground for misinformation.
www.technologyreview.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:02 PM
As part of @technologyreview.com's big new package on conspiracy theories, I went long on weather modification — what's possible, what's not, what's happening and where, and why people will probably always find ways to blame weather disasters on shady forces:
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, causing widespread flooding and destruction.
Scenes From the Caribbean as Hurricane Melissa Hits
The system made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon, causing widespread flooding and destruction.
nyti.ms
October 28, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, causing widespread flooding and destruction.
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
NOAA hurricane hunters flying aboard a P-3 Orion aircraft ("Kermit") are monitoring Hurricane Melissa as most aircraft steer clear. The storm poses a catastrophic threat to Jamaica and Haiti.
The crew are among the many federal workers working without pay during the US government shutdown.
The crew are among the many federal workers working without pay during the US government shutdown.
October 26, 2025 at 11:47 PM
NOAA hurricane hunters flying aboard a P-3 Orion aircraft ("Kermit") are monitoring Hurricane Melissa as most aircraft steer clear. The storm poses a catastrophic threat to Jamaica and Haiti.
The crew are among the many federal workers working without pay during the US government shutdown.
The crew are among the many federal workers working without pay during the US government shutdown.
Today is International #ShakeOut Day, the world's largest earthquake drill & a good time to learn (or practice) what steps to take in an earthquake & how to prep for these unpredictable hazards. I updated @nytwirecutter.bsky.social's guide with advice, tips, & tools: www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
The Top Tools for Earthquake Preparedness
A little advanced planning can keep you safe and offer comfort after an earthquake strikes.
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Today is International #ShakeOut Day, the world's largest earthquake drill & a good time to learn (or practice) what steps to take in an earthquake & how to prep for these unpredictable hazards. I updated @nytwirecutter.bsky.social's guide with advice, tips, & tools: www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, the EPA canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from extreme flooding. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/c...
Before Alaska Flooding, E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant
www.nytimes.com
October 14, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, the EPA canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from extreme flooding. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/c...
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
"Disasters in remote Alaska are not like disasters anywhere in the lower 48 states....While East Coast homeowners recovering from a nor’easter can run to Home Depot for supplies or drive to a hotel if their home floods, none of that exists in remote Native villages."
I’ve got a short piece up in The Conversation on the catastrophic flooding in Southwest Alaska from ex-typhoon Halong and the challenges of recovery work. #akwx #ExtremeWeather #Alaska #AlaskaSky
theconversation.com/typhoon-leav...
theconversation.com/typhoon-leav...
Typhoon leaves flooded Alaska villages facing a storm recovery far tougher than most Americans will ever experience
‘As the storm approached Alaska, everything went sideways,’ leaving people no time to evacuate and little time to prepare. An Alaska meteorologist explains what happened and the challenges ahead.
theconversation.com
October 14, 2025 at 8:09 PM
"Disasters in remote Alaska are not like disasters anywhere in the lower 48 states....While East Coast homeowners recovering from a nor’easter can run to Home Depot for supplies or drive to a hotel if their home floods, none of that exists in remote Native villages."
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
New: There was an "emergency" all-hands meeting inside part of NOAA today basically to tell people they have no idea what to expect re a potential shutdown. "Even less than usual," per one source. There is no guidance yet available and no info on what specifically the OMB memo means. So that's cool.
September 25, 2025 at 6:42 PM
New: There was an "emergency" all-hands meeting inside part of NOAA today basically to tell people they have no idea what to expect re a potential shutdown. "Even less than usual," per one source. There is no guidance yet available and no info on what specifically the OMB memo means. So that's cool.
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Pilots reporting reduced visibility near Mount Saint Helens in Washington. Not because of an ongoing volcanic eruption, but because of gusty winds whipping up ash deposited from the 1980 eruption! USGS says this happens occasionally during gusty, snow-free conditions.
Credit: USGS Volcanoes
Credit: USGS Volcanoes
September 16, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Pilots reporting reduced visibility near Mount Saint Helens in Washington. Not because of an ongoing volcanic eruption, but because of gusty winds whipping up ash deposited from the 1980 eruption! USGS says this happens occasionally during gusty, snow-free conditions.
Credit: USGS Volcanoes
Credit: USGS Volcanoes
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
note how Trump explicitly links approving disaster aid for Wisconsin and South Dakota to the fact he won Wisconsin and South Dakota
September 11, 2025 at 7:04 PM
note how Trump explicitly links approving disaster aid for Wisconsin and South Dakota to the fact he won Wisconsin and South Dakota
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
I spent six months walking the Lower Ninth Ward, speaking w/ dozens of neighbors, + combing through 6,000 pages of FOIA docs. My latest reveals what recent documentaries left out. If Katrina’s legacy moved you, don’t miss what’s happening to the community now capitalbnews.org/katrina-anni...
How a $5 Billion Federal Project Could Sink the Lower Ninth Ward For Good
Decades after Betsy and Katrina, the community faces another threat — a canal proposal promising “progress” that could threaten its survival.
capitalbnews.org
September 10, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I spent six months walking the Lower Ninth Ward, speaking w/ dozens of neighbors, + combing through 6,000 pages of FOIA docs. My latest reveals what recent documentaries left out. If Katrina’s legacy moved you, don’t miss what’s happening to the community now capitalbnews.org/katrina-anni...
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Disaster survivors are waiting longer for federal aid. A new Associated Press analysis found that it's taking more than a month, on average, for President Trump to approve major disaster declarations.
That's up from an average of less than 2 weeks during the 1990s and early 2000s.
buff.ly/4X0IhT6
That's up from an average of less than 2 weeks during the 1990s and early 2000s.
buff.ly/4X0IhT6
Disaster Survivors Face Longer, Agonizing Waits for Federal Aid
A new Associated Press analysis found that it's taking more than a month, on average, for President Trump to approve major disaster declarations.
www.mississippifreepress.org
September 8, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Disaster survivors are waiting longer for federal aid. A new Associated Press analysis found that it's taking more than a month, on average, for President Trump to approve major disaster declarations.
That's up from an average of less than 2 weeks during the 1990s and early 2000s.
buff.ly/4X0IhT6
That's up from an average of less than 2 weeks during the 1990s and early 2000s.
buff.ly/4X0IhT6
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
"Half the population” of greater Los Angeles "now meet the government’s criteria for reasonable suspicion," in the wake of today's 6-3 SCOTUS ruling.
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Supreme Court upholds 'roving patrols' for immigration arrests in Los Angeles
The Supreme Court says immigration agents may stop and question people they suspect are here illegally based on little more than working at a car wash, speaking Spanish or having brown skin.
www.latimes.com
September 8, 2025 at 5:02 PM
"Half the population” of greater Los Angeles "now meet the government’s criteria for reasonable suspicion," in the wake of today's 6-3 SCOTUS ruling.
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Question for people working in the world of disasters & extreme weather: What conferences do you try to attend each year? Why?
September 8, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Question for people working in the world of disasters & extreme weather: What conferences do you try to attend each year? Why?
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
I wrote about how Hurricane Katrina helped spur pretty remarkable improvements in hurricane forecasts since 20 years ago and how current and planned budget cuts by the Trump administration to research could set us back.
Katrina Helped Revolutionize Hurricane Forecasting. Budget Cuts May Set Us Back
Hurricane forecasts have made huge leaps since Katrina hit 20 years ago, but that progress is threatened by Trump administration cuts to research
www.scientificamerican.com
August 29, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I wrote about how Hurricane Katrina helped spur pretty remarkable improvements in hurricane forecasts since 20 years ago and how current and planned budget cuts by the Trump administration to research could set us back.
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
For @nytimes.com Magazine, I visited the Palisades burn scar to write about fire and resilience www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/m...
In the Scars of L.A.’s Wildfires, Ecological Lessons Bloom
www.nytimes.com
August 26, 2025 at 4:54 PM
For @nytimes.com Magazine, I visited the Palisades burn scar to write about fire and resilience www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/m...
This is happening now:
The FEMA Review Council's third meeting will take place tomorrow at 11a ET & is available for the public to view at this link: www.dhs.gov/federal-emer...
Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council | Homeland Security
On January 24, 2025, the President established the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency through Executive Order 14180, Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
www.dhs.gov
August 28, 2025 at 3:08 PM
This is happening now:
"Two people fighting the Bear Gulch fire on the Olympic Peninsula were arrested by federal law enforcement Wednesday, in a confrontation described by firefighters and depicted in photos and video." www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire
Federal agents showed up northeast of Lake Cushman to check identification of crew members fighting Washington's largest active wildfire.
www.seattletimes.com
August 28, 2025 at 3:48 AM
"Two people fighting the Bear Gulch fire on the Olympic Peninsula were arrested by federal law enforcement Wednesday, in a confrontation described by firefighters and depicted in photos and video." www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
The FEMA Review Council's third meeting will take place tomorrow at 11a ET & is available for the public to view at this link: www.dhs.gov/federal-emer...
Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council | Homeland Security
On January 24, 2025, the President established the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency through Executive Order 14180, Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
www.dhs.gov
August 28, 2025 at 3:43 AM
The FEMA Review Council's third meeting will take place tomorrow at 11a ET & is available for the public to view at this link: www.dhs.gov/federal-emer...
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will no longer administer a grant program that has so far provided millions of dollars to local television and radio stations to upgrade the equipment they use to send out emergency alerts ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/08/21/r...
Grants to boost local emergency alert systems in question as public media agency closes • Ohio Capital Journal
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will no longer administer a grant program that has so far provided millions of dollars to local television and radio stations to upgrade the equipment they use…
ohiocapitaljournal.com
August 22, 2025 at 6:01 PM
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will no longer administer a grant program that has so far provided millions of dollars to local television and radio stations to upgrade the equipment they use to send out emergency alerts ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/08/21/r...
Reposted by Colleen Hagerty
Workers at FEMA worry that demanding disaster survivors access services using email could shut out people without internet connectivity from receiving government aid. www.wired.com/story/fema-n...
FEMA Now Requires Disaster Victims to Have an Email Address
Workers at FEMA worry that demanding disaster survivors access services using email could shut out people without internet connectivity from receiving government aid.
www.wired.com
August 20, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Workers at FEMA worry that demanding disaster survivors access services using email could shut out people without internet connectivity from receiving government aid. www.wired.com/story/fema-n...