flood
HSC, equivalent exams begin
The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent exams have begun across the country except in Sylhet division this morning.
The exams in Sylhet division will start from July 9 as Ministry of Education deferred the board’s exams due to flood.
The examinees under the Sylhet Board will sit for Bangla-I, II and English-I and II papers as per new routine to be announced later, said Sylhet Education Board Chairman Rama Bijoy Sarkar.
A total of 14,50,790 students from nine general Education Boards, Madrasha Board and Technical Board are expected to sit for the exams from 9,463 educational institutions at 2,275 centres across the country, according to authorities.
HSC, equivalent exams begin Sunday; over 14 lakh candidates to appear
Among them, 11, 28,281 students are supposed to appear from nine general boards, 88,076 from madrasha board and 2, 34,433 from Technical Board respectively.
Some 281 students will appear for the examination from eight overseas centres.
Like the previous years, all coaching centres were asked to keep closed from June 29 till August 11.
Flood situation may remain unchanged in Sylhet, Sunamganj in 24 hrs: FFWC
The flood situation in some low-lying areas of Netrakona district and Sylhet, Sunamganj districts in the northeastern part of the country may remain unchanged in 24 hours commencing 9 am on Thursday (June 20, 2024).
The flood situation in Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts along the low-lying areas of Manu-Khwai river may improve, according to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).
Except Surma, major rivers in the North-eastern region of the country are in rising trendwhich may continue in the next 24 hours.
Flood leaves over 8 lakh people inundated in Sylhet
The Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers are in rising trend and may continuously rise for the next72 hours with a chance of reaching the Warning Level at some points.
Besides, the Padma river is in rising trend, which may continue in next 48 hours, it said.The water level of Dudhkumar, Teesta and Dharla rivers in the northern part of the country may rise and flashflood may hit some low-lying areas of Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur districts.
River Teesta may cross danger level at Dalia Point in next 24 hours for a short period of time.
According to the information from meteorological organizations, medium to heavy rainfall is expected over the northern and adjoining upstream region and heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over the north-eastern, northern and adjoining upstream parts of the country in 24 to 48 hours, it added.
Flood situation worsens in Sunamganj; several thousand marooned
All rivers in Moulvibazar flowing above danger level; 2 lakh people stranded
Six of the seven upazilas in Moulvibazar have been inundated due to the incessant rains and onrush of water from upstream, leaving nearly two lakh people stranded.
All the rivers in the district have been flowing above the danger level, flooding 432 villages of 37 unions of Moulvibazar Sadar, Rajnagar, Kulaura, Juri, Baralekha and Srimangal upazilas of the district.
Most of the rural roads in the flood-affected areas are submerged and many parts of regional roads also went under water.
Read more: HSC exams in Sylhet’s flood-hit areas to be held later: Education Minister
Houses and educational institutions are also flooded. Many were seen throwing sandbags on the embankment voluntarily to protect their homes.
Moulvibazar Water Development Board reported that the water of Manu river was 21 cm above the danger level in Chandnighat area of the city, Kushiara river was 18 cm above the danger level at Sherpur point, Dhalai river was 5 cm above the danger level and Juri river was 202 cm above the danger level.
Sylhet flood worsens: 7 lakh people stranded amid continuous rain
Continuous heavy rainfall over the past three days has worsened the flood situation in Sylhet for the second time in just 20 days. Nearly seven lakh people in the Sylhet metropolitan area and throughout the district are now stranded.
In the metropolitan area alone, 50,000 people across 21 wards have been affected by flooding, according to Sylhet district administration sources.
Sylhet experienced the first phase of flooding on May 27, affecting approximately seven lakh people across all upazilas. The water had not fully receded when heavy rainfall and hill torrents hit again on June 15, worsening the situation by Eid day (June 17).
Heavy rainfall on Eid-ul-Azha morning was briefly followed by a recession, but rain resumed from Tuesday dawn, causing significant overflows in all rivers and streams in Sylhet. On Eid day, water levels were above danger points at two river locations. By Tuesday morning, water levels at four rivers were above danger points at six locations.
Sylhet mayor holds emergency meeting to address severe flooding
This morning, water was flowing above danger levels at six points of three rivers.
The Water Development Board in Sylhet reported that by 9 am today, the Surma River at Kanaighat point was 91 cm above danger levels. At another point in Sylhet, it was 31 cm above the danger level. The Kushiyara River was 46 cm above danger level at Amalshid, 92 cm above at Fenchuganj and 12 cm above at Sherpur point.
According to the district administration, 675,937 people in 13 upazilas, including Sylhet metropolitan area, have been stranded till midnight.
Of them, 50,000 people of 21 wards out of 42 in Sylhet metropolitan area are stranded.
A total of 627 shelter centres have been opened in the district. Of these, 80 are in the metropolitan areas. A total of 17,285 people have taken shelter in these centres. However, most people are not willing to leave their homes and go to shelters.
A total of 1,323 villages in 13 upazilas of the district have been inundated. The worst affected are: Gowainghat, Jaintapur, Golapganj, Companiganj, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Biswanath and Osmaninagar upazilas.
Sylhet grapples with fresh bout of flooding, dampening Eid celebrations across division
Low-lying areas of the city are particularly hard-hit, with Shahjalal suburb completely submerged and water reaching neck level in many homes. Other severely affected areas include Jatrapur, Mendibagh, Shibganj, Raingar, Sobhanighat, Kalighat, Kamalgarh, Machimpur, Taltala, Jamtola, Kajirbazar, Madina Market, Akhaliya, and Mezortil. Several important roads in the city are also flooded.
From 6 am Tuesday to 6 am Wednesday, the Sylhet Meteorological Office recorded 100 mm of rainfall and 55 mm from 6 am to 9 am today.
Moreover, the Met office forecasted continuous heavy rainfall for the next three days.
The district administration is actively working to rescue stranded individuals and has set up control rooms at the district collector's office and upazila executive offices to monitor the flood situation. Dedicated officers have been appointed in each upazila, and medical teams have been formed at union levels to provide health services to flood victims.
If the heavy rainfall persists, the flood situation in Sylhet is expected to deteriorate further.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Mohibbur Rahman, accompanied by the ministry’s officials, saw the flood-hit areas from a helicopter in the morning. He is scheduled to leave Sylhet for Dhaka by this afternoon.
Water levels of Surma, Kushiyara rivers in Sylhet again above danger level
HSC exams in Sylhet’s flood-hit areas to be held later: Education Minister
The HSC and its equivalent exams will be held later in Sylhet if the region sees severe flood, said Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel.
He said this at a press briefing after a meeting of the National Monitoring and Law and Order Committee formed to hold the upcoming HSC and equivalent examinations in a fair, copying-free environment at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
Replying to a question over the public exam, "We have already been informed about the weather forecast during the HSC examination, the water level of various rivers there is in rising trend. We have already completed preparations keeping in mind the movement of students.”
Read more: HSC exams to begin from June 30; Coaching centres to remain shut from June 29 to Aug 11
He said the areas where flooding is likely to spread the exams won’t be taken there initially. “We have proper preparation to take those tests later.”
“The convenience of the examinees is the most important to us. We do not want the examinees to suffer and their desired results be affected in any way,” he said.
This year, the HSC and its equivalent exams are scheduled to begin on June 30.
A total of 14,50,790 students from nine General Education Boards, Madrasha Board and Technical Board will sit for the exams from 9,463 educational institutions at 2,275 centres.
Read more: Flood situation in Sylhet shows mixed trends as Surma water recedes, Kushiyara rises
Fear of flood looms over Sirajganj as Jamuna keeps swelling
Low-lying areas of five upazilas in Sirajganj district have been inundated due to the heavy rainfall and onrush of water from the upstream — posing risk of flooding many areas.
Ranjit Kumar Sarkar, sub-divisional engineer of Sirajganj Water Development Board, said the low-lying areas along the bank of the Jamuna River including Shahzadpur, Belkuchi, Kazipur, Chouhali and Sadar upazilas of the district have been flooded following the rise in river water.
The water level of Jamuna increased by 39 cm, though it was flowing below the danger level on Friday, but it may rise further in the next 4-5 days due to the incessant rainfall, he said.
Floodwaters kill 31 in India's Himalayan northeast after lake bursts through major dam
Erosion along the river banks area has taken a serious turn already, and if the situation continues, more areas will be flooded, he added.
Meanwhile, daily life of people in the district has been disrupted due to the torrential rainfall for the last couple of days.
Flash floods kill at least 14 in northeastern India and leave more than 100 missing
Day labourers are facing the worst, as they failed to secure work, while most locals avoided outdoor activities due to the rain.
According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC), as of Friday, the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and the Ganges-Padma rivers are in a rising trend, which may continue over the next 72 hours.
Study finds more people are moving into high flood zones, increasing risk of water disasters
Thousands are feared dead and thousands more are missing in flood-ravaged eastern Libya
Emergency workers uncovered more than 1,500 bodies in the wreckage of Libya's eastern city of Derna on Tuesday, and it was feared the toll could surpass 5,000 after floodwaters smashed through dams and washed away entire neighborhoods of the city.
The startling death and devastation wreaked by Mediterranean storm Daniel pointed to the storm's intensity, but also the vulnerability of a nation torn apart by chaos for more than a decade. The country is divided by rival governments, one in the east, the other in the west, and the result has been neglect of infrastructure in many areas.
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Outside help was only just starting to reach Derna on Tuesday, more than 36 hours after the disaster struck. The floods damaged or destroyed many access roads to the coastal city of some 89,000.
Footage showed dozens of bodies covered by blankets in the yard of one hospital. Another image showed a mass grave piled with bodies. More than 1,500 corpses were collected, and half of them had been buried as of Tuesday evening, the health minister for eastern Libya said.
At least one official put the death toll at more than 5,000. The state-run news agency quoted Mohammed Abu-Lamousha, a spokesman for the east Libya interior ministry, as saying that more than 5,300 people had died in Derna alone. Derna's ambulance authority said earlier Tuesday that 2,300 had died.
But the toll is likely to be higher, said Tamer Ramadan, Libya envoy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He told a U.N. briefing in Geneva via videoconference from Tunisia that at least 10,000 people were still missing. He said later Tuesday that more than 40,000 people have been displaced.
The situation in Libya is "as devastating as the situation in Morocco," Ramadan said, referring to the deadly earthquake that hit near the city of Marrakesh on Friday night.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres conveyed his solidarity with the Libyan people and said the United Nations "is working with local, national and international partners to get urgently needed humanitarian assistance to those in affected areas," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The destruction came to Derna and other parts of eastern Libya on Sunday night. As the storm pounded the coast, Derna residents said they heard loud explosions and realized that dams outside the city had collapsed. Flash floods were unleashed down Wadi Derna, a river running from the mountains through the city and into the sea.
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The wall of water "erased everything in its way," said one resident, Ahmed Abdalla.
Videos posted online by residents showed large swaths of mud and wreckage where the raging waters had swept away neighborhoods on both banks of the river. Multi-story apartment buildings that once were well back from the river had facades ripped away and concrete floors collapsed. Cars lifted by the flood were left dumped on top of each other.
Libya's National Meteorological Center said Tuesday it issued early warnings for Storm Daniel, an "extreme weather event," 72 hours before its occurrence, and notified all governmental authorities by e-mails and through media ... "urging them to take preventive measures." It said that Bayda recorded a record 414.1 millimeters (16.3 inches) of rain from Sunday to Monday.
On Tuesday, local emergency responders, including troops, government workers, volunteers and residents dug through rubble looking for the dead. They also used inflatable boats to retrieve bodies from the water.
Many bodies were believed trapped under rubble or had been washed out into the Mediterranean Sea, said eastern Libya's health minister, Othman Abduljaleel.
"We were stunned by the amount of destruction ... the tragedy is very significant, and beyond the capacity of Derna and the government," Abduljaleel told The Associated Press on the phone from Derna.
Red Crescent teams from other parts of Libya also arrived in Derna on Tuesday morning but extra excavators and other equipment had yet to get there.
Flooding often happens in Libya during rainy season, but rarely with this much destruction. A key question was how the rains were able to burst through two dams outside Derna – whether because of poor maintenance or sheer volume of rain.
Karsten Haustein, a climate scientist and meteorologist at Leipzig University, said in a statement that Daniel dumped 440 millimeters (15.7 inches) of rain on eastern Libya in a short time.
"The infrastructure could probably not cope, leading to the collapse of the dam," he said, adding that human-induced rises in water surface temperatures likely added to the storm's intensity.
Local authorities have neglected Derna for years. "Even the maintenance aspect was simply absent. Everything kept being delayed," said Jalel Harchaoui, an associate fellow specializing in Libya at the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.
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Factionalism also comes into play. Derna was for several years controlled by Islamic militant groups. Military commander Khalifa Hifter, the strongman of the east Libya government, captured the city in 2019 only after months of tough urban fighting.
The eastern government has been suspicious of the city ever since and has sought to sideline its residents from any decision-making, said Harchaoui. "This mistrust might prove calamitous during the upcoming post-disaster period," he said.
Hifter's eastern government based in the city of Benghazi is locked in a bitter rivalry with the western government in the capital of Tripoli. Each is backed by powerful militias and by foreign powers. Hifter is also backed by Egypt, Russia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, while the west Libya administration is backed by Turkey, Qatar and Italy.
Still, the initial reaction to the disaster brought some crossing of the divide.
The Tripoli-based government of western Libya sent a plane with 14 tons of medical supplies and health workers to Benghazi. It also said it had allocated the equivalent of $412 million for reconstruction in Derna and other eastern towns. Airplanes arrived Tuesday in Benghazi carrying humanitarian aid and rescue teams from Egypt, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Egypt's military chief of staff met with Hifter to coordinate aid. Germany, France and Italy said they also were sending rescue personnel and aid.
It was not clear how quickly the aid could be moved to Derna, 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of Benghazi, given conditions on the ground. Ahmed Amdourd, a Derna municipal official, called for a sea corridor to deliver aid and equipment.
President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday that the United States is sending emergency funds to relief organizations and coordinating with the Libyan authorities and the U.N. to provide additional support.
"Jill and I send our deepest condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones in the devastating floods in Libya," he said.
The storm hit other areas in eastern Libya, including the town of Bayda, where about 50 people were reported dead. The Medical Center of Bayda, the main hospital, was flooded and patients had to be evacuated, according to footage shared by the center on Facebook.
Other towns that suffered included Susa, Marj and Shahatt, according to the government. Hundreds of families were displaced and took shelter in schools and other government buildings in Benghazi and elsewhere in eastern Libya.
Northeast Libya is one of the country's most fertile and green regions. The Jabal al-Akhdar area — where Bayda, Marj and Shahatt are located — has one of the country's highest average annual rainfalls, according to the World Bank.
150 people of Kurigram’s Horijon Polli face waterlogging
Waterlogging has become a never-ending problem for the residents of Horijon Polli in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram district, thanks to the lack of adequate measures of the local administration.
Some 150 people of 30 families are going through untold suffering due to the waterlogging problem as the whole area has been submerged following the torrential rainfall and onrush of water from the upstream over the last week.
Read more: Dhaka city corporations grapple with persistent waterlogging problem on multiple fronts
During a recent visit to the Horijon Polli, at Sabujpara under Thanahat union, this correspondent found water all around and the residents of the area were seen fetching safe drinking water and food after wading through waist-deep water.
Moni Lal, a local, said the whole area gets inundated even after little rain and residents of the area have been living in such a situation for the past one week. If the water increases further then they have to move to a safer place.
Read more:Monsoon coming, no solution to Dhaka’s waterlogging in sight
Besides, they did not receive any assistance from the authorities though eight days have passed, claimed the local people.
Contacted, Rafiul Alam, Chilmari Upazila Nirbahi Officer, said a list is being prepared and the higher authorities concerned have been informed.
Read more: Waterlogging turns severe in Chattogram after heavy rains for 3rd consecutive day
Teesta riverbank erosion in Lalmonirhat: Fear of losing homes grips locals
Residents of areas along the Teesta river in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat district are living in fear of losing their homes and crops as erosion has taken a serious turn.
Several thousand families living on the riverbanks were facing waterlogging issues due to the torrential rainfall last week. Several hundred hectares of cropland were damaged during this period.
But when the floodwater started to recede, panic gripped them as erosion took a serious turn in seven to eight points along the left side of the river.
Over the past few days, 25-30 houses, croplands and several establishments were washed away due to the erosion, forcing many families to live under the open sky.
Rising river waters trigger flooding, erosion concerns in Kurigram
Many have shifted their valuables including furniture on the roadside and near the flood protection dam.
Meanwhile, residents of Gobordhan and Garibullatari villages under Mahishkhocha union of the upazila saw severe erosion at the dead night on Tuesday near the embankment. A number of establishments including a mosque have gone into the river.
The families of Rabiul, Bhuttu and Yeakub Ali are living under the open sky as their homesteads were washed away due to the erosion.
Locals said if the authorities do not take any steps immediately, the embankment would also go into the river.
Villagers spend sleepless nights as Madhumati river banks erosion intensifies in Faridpur
They also demanded constructing a permanent dam along the riverbank.
Sunil Kumar, executive engineer of Lalmonirhat Water Development Board, said erosion occurred in seven-eight points along the riverbanks while erosion at spur dam-2 took a serious turn.
They have informed the matter to the high official concerned, he said.
After visiting the affected areas, GR Sarwar, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Aditmari upazila, said a list of affected people is being prepared and assistance will be provided as per the list.
Teesta erosion worsens in Kurigram; 50 homes swept away
Hurricane Idalia hits Florida with 125 mph winds, flooding streets, snapping trees and cutting power
Hurricane Idalia tore into Florida at the speed of a fast-moving train Wednesday, splitting trees in half, ripping roofs off hotels and turning small cars into boats before sweeping into Georgia and South Carolina as a still-powerful storm that flooded roadways and sent residents running for higher ground.
"All hell broke loose," said Belond Thomas of Perry, a mill town located just inland from the Big Bend region where Idalia came ashore.
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Thomas fled with her family and some friends to a motel, thinking it would be safer than riding out the storm at home. But as Idalia's eye passed over about 8:30 a.m., a loud whistling noise pierced the air and the high winds ripped the building's roof off, sending debris down on her pregnant daughter, who was lying in bed. Fortunately, she was not injured.
"It was frightening," Thomas said. "Things were just going so fast. ... Everything was spinning."
After coming ashore, Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m. as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (205 kph). The system remained a hurricane as it crossed into Georgia with top winds of 90 mph (150 mph). It weakened to a tropical storm by late Wednesday afternoon, and its winds had dropped to 65 mph (100 kph) by Wednesday evening.
As the eye moved inland, high winds shredded signs, blew off roofs, sent sheet metal flying and snapped tall trees. One person was killed in Georgia. No hurricane-related deaths were officially confirmed in Florida, but the Florida Highway Patrol reported two people dying in separate weather-related crashes just hours before Idalia made landfall.
The storm was bringing strong winds to Savannah, Georgia, Wednesday evening as it made its way toward the Carolinas. It was forecast to pass over Charleston, South Carolina, early Thursday morning before turning east and heading out to the Atlantic Ocean.
Idalia spawned a tornado that briefly touched down in the Charleston suburb of Goose Creek, the National Weather Service said. The winds sent a car flying and flipped it over, according to authorities and eyewitness video. Two people received minor injuries.
Along South Carolina's coast, North Myrtle Beach, Garden City, and Edisto Island all reported ocean water flowing over sand dunes and spilling onto beachfront streets Wednesday evening. In Charleston, storm surge from Idalia topped the seawall that protects the downtown, sending ankle-deep ocean water into the streets and neighborhoods where horse-drawn carriages pass million-dollar homes and the famous open-air market.
Preliminary data showed the Wednesday evening high tide reached just over 9.2 feet (2.8 meters), more than 3 feet (0.9 meters) above normal and the fifth-highest reading in Charleston Harbor since records were first kept in 1899.
Florida had feared the worst while still recovering from last year's Hurricane Ian, which hit the heavily populated Fort Myers area, leaving 149 dead in the state. Unlike that storm, Idalia blew into a very lightly inhabited area known as Florida's "nature coast," one of the state's most rural regions that lies far from crowded metropolises or busy tourist areas and features millions of acres of undeveloped land.
That doesn't mean that it didn't do major damage. Rushing water covered streets near the coast, unmoored small boats and nearly a half-million customers in Florida and Georgia lost power. In Perry, the wind blew out store windows, tore siding off buildings and overturned a gas station canopy. Heavy rains partially flooded Interstate 275 in Tampa and wind toppled power lines onto the northbound side of Interstate 75 just south of Valdosta, Georgia.
Less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of where Idalia made landfall, businesses, boat docks and homes in Steinhatchee, Florida, were swallowed up by water surging in from Deadman's Bay. Police officers blocked traffic into the coastal community of more than 500 residents known for fishing and foresting industries.
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State officials, 5,500 National Guardsman and rescue crews were in search-and-recovery mode, inspecting bridges, clearing toppled trees and looking for anyone in distress.
Because of the remoteness of the Big Bend area, search teams may need more time to complete their work compared with past hurricanes in more urban areas, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management.
"You may have two houses on a 5-mile (8-kilometer) road so it's going to take some time," Guthries said.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia "an unprecedented event" since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend.
On the island of Cedar Key, downed trees and debris blocked roads, and propane tanks exploded.
RJ Wright stayed behind so he could check on elderly neighbors. He hunkered down with friends in a motel and when it was safe, walked outside into chest-high water. It could have been a lot worse for the island, which juts into the Gulf, since it didn't take a direct hit, he said.
"It got pretty gnarly for a while, but it was nothing compared to some of the other storms," Wright said.
In Tallahassee, the power went out well before the center of the storm arrived, but the city avoided a direct hit. A giant oak tree next to the governor's mansion split in half, covering the yard with debris.
In Valdosta, Georgia, Idalia's fierce winds uprooted trees and sent rain flying sideways. Jonathon Wick said he didn't take the approaching hurricane seriously until Wednesday morning, when he awoke to howling winds outside his home. After rescuing his young nephews from a trampoline in their back yard where the water rose to his knees, he brought them to his car and was climbing into the driver's seat when a tree toppled right in front of the vehicle.
"If that tree would have fell on the car, I would be dead," said Wick, who ended up getting rescued by another family member.
One man was killed in Valdosta when a tree fell on him as he was trying to clear another tree out of the road Wednesday, said Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk. Two others, including a sheriff's deputy, were injured when the tree fell, Paulk said.
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More than 30,000 utility workers in Florida were gathering to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane's wake. Airports in the region, including Tampa International Airport, planned to restart commercial operations either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday. By midday Wednesday, more than 900 flights had been canceled in Florida and Georgia, according to tracking service FlightAware.
At 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Tropical Storm Idalia was about 60 miles (95 kilometers) west of Charleston, South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving northeast at 21 mph (33 kph).
Officials in Bermuda warned that Idalia could hit the island early next week as a tropical storm. Bermuda on Wednesday was being lashed by the outer bands of Hurricane Franklin, a Category 2 storm that was on track to pass near the island in the north Atlantic Ocean.
President Joe Biden called the governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina on Wednesday and told them their states had his administration's full support, the White House said.