By not retaining the lessons of the March 13, 1993, coastal flooding emergency, West Pasco residents and officials are having to scramble to get in compliance with Federal Emergency Management Agency flood rules and qualify for bigger flood insurance discounts. ...more

February 23, 2008

A missile launched from a Navy ship struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, the Pentagon said. ...more

February 21, 2008

In a perfect world, residents along Pasco County's vulnerable west coast would pack up their things and move inland. Their homes would be leveled, and the land would be turned into public parks. ...more

February 20, 2008

County officials are working to enforce federal flood regulations in an effort to keep property insurance rates down. ...more

February 18, 2008

SEBRING — It came in the mail last week, although it's dated Jan. 15, a collection notice from FEMA. "I have no idea why they sent this," said Gail Fotheringham, 57, a grandmother who lived in a FEMA mobile home for 18 months with her daughter and three grandchildren. "You have not paid the amount you owe the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Mobile Home Rental," said the letter, which seeks a balance due of $1,357.58. Mary Hudak, a spokeswoman in Atlanta, said FEMA, on an ongoing basis, is collecting money owed to the federal agency for a variety of reasons. After the hurricanes of 2004, which ravaged Central Florida, FEMA provided $1.184 billion in assistance to individuals and households in Florida, and hundreds of mobile homes to families in Highlands and Hardee counties. "If people needed money, FEMA advanced it to them," Hudak said. But they were expected to pay back the federal government. ...more

February 16, 2008

After downplaying the risks for months, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday it will rush to move Gulf Coast hurricane victims out of about 35,000 government-issued trailers because tests found dangerous levels of formaldehyde fumes. ...more

February 15, 2008

How many trailers are involved? The Federal Emergency Management Agency says 25,162 trailers are occupied in Louisiana, 10,362 in Mississippi. The trailers were made by several companies. Some were made specially for FEMA. ...more

February 15, 2008

The U.S. military is developing contingency plans to deal with the possibility that a large spy satellite expected to fall to Earth in late February or early March could hit North America. ...more

January 30, 2008

The Temple Terrace Fire Department will use a federal grant to purchase devices that are attached to a patient's finger to monitor carbon monoxide levels in the bloodstream. ...more

January 23, 2008

TEMPLE TERRACE - The Temple Terrace Fire Department will use a federal grant to purchase devices that are attached to a patient's finger to monitor carbon monoxide levels in the bloodstream. Temple Terrace's $32,360 Assistance to Firefighters Grant is one of the last to be allocated from a total of $490 million in 2007 Federal Emergency Management Agency grants, including $4.7 million to 39 fire departments in Florida, according to Fire Chief Keith Chapman. ...more

January 22, 2008