DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for saving me! Amen.
D.C.: Democrat leadership is on the wrong side of this one. [4:53] – Since the National Guard went to D.C., 48 homeless encampments have also been removed and 465 criminals have been arrested for parole violation, assault with a deadly weapon, assault on federal law enforcement officer, stabbing, robbery, attempted murder, and murder. At least one of those arrested is a member of MS-13.
EVERYDAY HERO: [2:03] – Very proactive 6-year-old!
HEALTH: Recreational water users should assume that Naegleria fowleri is present in warm freshwater across the United States. While infection remains very rare, cases recently have occurred in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Minnesota, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Nebraska, Iowa, Maryland. I’m guessing the uptick is due to the extremely hot weather we’ve been having. More people swimming in warmer than usual water.
TAXES: A new economic analysis that estimates taxpayers will see an average $3,752 tax cut in 2026, due to provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
GRAMMY NOTES: Mama Buzz sent this to me. The ladies chit chat about being moms to adults who are dating for the first 9:45. The meaty stuff about “What if I don’t like my body?” begins there and it’s well worth your time.
DAILY PRAYER: Mary, Mother of Mercy, intercede for us, your children. Keep us under your protection, safe from all harm, healthy in mind, body, and spirit. Under your watchful care, may we avoid the pitfalls of prejudice, ingratitude, injustice, and violence. And may we be always worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
AI: When Mama Buzz first opened yesterday’s “Bits & Bytes” on her phone, the prayer showed up with a transparent background. She highlighted it, intending to make it visible so she could read it. Somehow, this triggered an AI to add what I’ve shown above. Wonderful thoughts, all of them, even if they did utterly miss the point I was trying to make by combining the prayer with that graphic. But I guess the Holy Spirit wanted us to see it, because when Mama reloaded, the prayer formatted correctly.
HANNITY: [4:35] – “No one is above the law!”
SOCIAL SECURITY: Our COLA for 2026 is projected to be +2.7 percent.
STILL WINNING: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on Aug. 13 that the Trump administration may cut billions of dollars in foreign aid funds that Congress previously approved. This victory allows Trump to continue to wind down USAID.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for the divine protection You provided the pilot and passengers of this plane who all escaped the crash without suffering serious harm. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
CENSUS: Our next census is coming up in 2030 and it’s time for the government to start designing it. Trump has ordered that the next one be highly accurate and not count illegals.
D.C.: CLICK https://x.com/theblaze/status/1954917082652348548 to hear Trump announce he has ordered National Guard troops to become force multipliers on the ground to assist the overwhelmed DC Police Force.
J6: On August 11, 2025, Nancy Pelosi tweeted, “Donald Trump delayed deploying the National Guard on January 6th when our Capitol was under violent attack and lives were at stake. Now, he’s activating the DC Guard to distract from his incompetent mishandling of tariffs, health care, education and immigration — just to name a few blunders.”
Stephen Sund, who was Chief of Capitol Police that fateful day, replied, “Ma’am, it is long past time to be honest with the American people. On January 3, I requested National Guard assistance, but your Sergeant at Arms denied it. Under federal law (2 U.S.C. §1970), I was prohibited from calling them in without specific approval. That same day, Carol Corbin at the Pentagon offered National Guard support, but I was forced to decline because I lacked the legal authority. On January 6, while the Capitol was under attack and despite my repeated calls, your Sergeant at Arms again denied my urgent requests for over 70 agonizing minutes, ‘running it up the chain’ for your approval. When I needed assistance, it was denied. Yet when it suited you, you ordered fencing topped with concertina wire and surrounded the Capitol with thousands of armed National Guard troops.”
MEDIA: When a reporter asked Trump if he would build a “big, beautiful briefing room,” Trump dismissed the idea, joking he had no interest in making life more comfortable for the media.
MILITARY: “We don’t fight because we hate what’s in front of us. We fight because we love what’s behind us.” [3:00] – The Defense Department says, “The media’s narrative that the female recruitment numbers have either fallen or stayed the same under Secretary Hegseth and President Trump is 100% Fake News.” Under Biden, the total number of female military recruits at this point in the fiscal year was 16,725. Under Trump, it’s 23,985.
SCHIFF: FBI Director Kash Patel has released bombshell documents to Congress showing that Shifty Schiff approved leaking classified information to smear then-President Donald Trump over the now-debunked Russiagate scandal. In addition, when concerned individuals told DOJ officials the evidence, they did nothing.
TEXAS: State Dem legislators continue to refuse to come to work. Gov. Abbott says their behavior is absurd, since he is “authorized to call a special session every 30 days. It lasts 30 days. And as soon as this one is over, I’m gonna call another one, then another one, then another, then another one.”
VAXXX: Trump has ordered all federal agencies to eliminate any record of a federal employeeʼs COVID-19 vaccination status, prior noncompliance with vaccine mandates, or requests for exemptions from such mandates. In other news, a new poll shows a majority of Americans do not intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine this fall and that less than half trust the government to ensure vaccine safety.
YMCA: DEFINITELY CLICK https://x.com/VividProwess/status/1954694252308660255 to enjoy an Israeli dance couple dressed as Donald and Melania absolutely kill it with “YMCA.” It’s a fabulous routine that brought back sweet memories. That was the most popular song being played at the disco where Dearest and I had our first date. ❤
GRAMMY NOTES: Grok and I are taking a break. He/she/it just told me that AP, ABC News, and NPR are “reputable” news sources. ::smh::
The following was written by Senator Tom Cotton [R-Arkansas] and published the New York Post on August 7, 2025 (link below). I added the graphics.
It was on Aug. 8, 2022 that 30 FBI agents, armed and authorized to use deadly force, raided the home of then-former President Donald Trump — with the blessing of his successor, then-President Joe Biden.
The absurdly broad raid warrant covered “any government and/or Presidential Records” dated during the years of Trump’s presidency, and “containers/boxes . . . collectively stored” near classified documents.
According to the FBI raid affidavit, Trump possessed “Presidential records subject to record retention requirements” — an odd claim, given that presidents have an established right to designate records as “personal records.”
In fact, under the Presidential Records Act, only the president decides which records are presidential and which are personal. Odder still, one would expect a search warrant to be based on alleged violations of criminal law. But this one wasn’t, because the Presidential Records Act is a purely civil statute.
The FBI also claimed that Trump violated the Espionage Act because he refused to return classified documents after the National Archives demanded them. Yet the FBI had no evidence to support that Trump knew the boxes sent to his home contained classified information.
To get around this inconvenient fact, the Department of Justice tried to thread the needle by arguing Trump “caused” the boxes to be packed, attempting to make him appear just as guilty as if he knew their contents.
Attorney General Merrick Garland also ignored the only existing precedent, which involved President Ronald Reagan. After leaving office, Reagan kept classified material from his presidency in his home — and while the Justice Department was aware of this situation, it took no action. Since this precedent worked in Trump’s favor, the Biden DOJ conveniently ignored it.
Similarly, given the president’s unique position in our constitutional system, the Supreme Court has ruled that certain laws should not apply to a president unless that law explicitly specifies otherwise. The Espionage Act does not contain such language, but the DOJ ignored that inconvenient fact, too.
Ironically, while Biden’s administration was weaponizing criminal law against Trump, Biden himself was caught red-handed with more than 130 classified documents — that we know of — dating from his vice presidency and his tenure as a senator.
Biden kept these sensitive documents in his personal Washington, DC, office and all over his Wilmington, Del., home, some of them in file folders labeled with Biden’s own handwriting. No legal compulsion was sought in Biden’s case, even though Biden told his ghostwriter in 2017, “I just found all the classified stuff downstairs.” In other words, he confessed on tape.
Pundits defended the different handling of the two cases on the grounds that Biden cooperated with investigators, while Trump did not. But Biden “cooperated” with a rigged process, designed by his own administration. That process allowed Biden’s lawyers to sweep and search the crime scenes — after classified documents were discovered, and after a criminal case was opened — before any FBI searches took place. At one point, a Biden White House lawyer intervened in the chain of custody of a classified document, seizing it from the FBI because the then-president had not consented to the FBI’s possession.
This double standard is nothing short of breathtaking. Where Trump was charged for merely “causing” boxes to be packed, Biden was specifically not charged because he “did not move the files himself” and “depended on staffers.” With Trump, the Reagan precedent was ignored; with Biden, it was upheld due to “basic principles of notice and fairness.”
For Trump, the Supreme Court’s “express statement” doctrine, that certain laws should not apply to a president unless expressly stated, was ignored. For Biden, the DOJ applied this doctrine — historically extended to include vice presidents — and declined prosecution to avoid “significant separation of powers concerns.” Prosecutors charged Trump with 40 felonies — effectively life in prison. Prosecutors charged Biden with nothing.
Those now angrily denouncing Trump for enforcing US laws — laws he is duty-bound to enforce — fully supported forging the justice system into a guillotine to lop off Trump’s head. Because they don’t really care about law. And they don’t really care about justice. They only care about power. Regaining power — and retaining it.
DAILY PRAYER: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our deaths. Amen.
AI: Helpful advice for discerning what is real. [2:40] – I actually dismissed the bunnies as AI the first time I saw them, but only because we get to watch real bunnies in our back yard regularly. Only one and sometimes two come in the evening, before dark, to roll around in our sand pit and eat the clover etc. in our never-sprayed lawn. They tend to stay near the bushes and stop what they’re doing often to check their surroundings, because they’re prey. The idea that a whole herd of them would cavort, together, and after dark seemed absurd.
BOASBERG: [8:02] – The August 8, 2025 mandamus order issued against Judge James E. Boasberg by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated his criminal contempt proceedings against the Trump administration.
KAMALA: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7o8zH2yC_Wk to hear Teamsters’ boss, Sean O’Brien, tell Tucker Carlson how Kamala Harris treated union members. There is a longer clip embedded at the Daily Mail link below.
WAR ON DRUGS: [28:49] – Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid similar to morphine, but more powerful. It is a prescription drug but is also manufactured illegally and is sometimes mixed with other illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine, often without the user’s knowledge. The potency of fentanyl makes it very addictive and puts users at a high risk for overdose.
Illegally manufactured fentanyl has become more prevalent in the United States in recent years, leading to a huge increase in drug overdose deaths. Fentanyl overdoses are now the driving force behind the opioid epidemic, accounting for the majority of overdose deaths in the United States. In 2023, around 72,776 people in the United States died from a drug overdose that involved fentanyl.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Protect us from a false tolerance for heresy and remind us always to pray for the salvation of those who have been taught to believe in lies. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
GERRYMANDERING: [8:47] – May we enjoy a return to geographically logical districts.
LOL: [4:03] – Don’t watch this one if you’re at work. You will not be able to stop laughing. Even if the comments aren’t funny to you, their laughter is totally contagious!
MISSISSIPPI: A statewide operation in July has resulted in 72 arrests and the rescue of 29 human trafficking victims. The operation included 400 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
PHYSICS: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/za_HO2E3JEU to learn why smaller animals can jump as high as larger animals, even though they have roughly the same ratio of muscle mass to weight.
WASHINGTON: Two fundamentalist Muslim migrants from Iraq, neither of whom have bothered to learn English, have been found Not Guilty of attempted murder by a Thurston County jury.
Judge Christine Schaller did not allow the prosecution to enter into evidence that, before the attack, the defendants had threatened their teenaged daughter with honor killing if she refused to fly back to their home country and marry the older Muslim man they had selected for her. The judge said the backstory would be too prejudicial.
Well duh! Intent to kill is necessary for a murder verdict. Denying the jury the facts about the parents pre-stated intention to kill the girl made it impossible for the jury to convict on murder charges. The father was found guilty only of assault and unlawful imprisonment and will be serving a 12-month prison sentence.
The mother was found guilty only of violating two domestic violence protective orders that had been obtained, on the girl’s behalf, by the boyfriend and their high school. The mother has already served more time behind bars than her sentence called for, so she is out of jail, but must have no contact with her daughter.
I just saw a string of tweets complaining about the high cost to taxpayers for Trump to fly to Scotland to cut a ribbon on his new golf course there. Dan Bongino noted that the complainer failed to mention that Trump also signed a trade deal worth $1.2 Trillion, making the trip a hugely profitable investment for We the Taxpayers
They are saying it cost us $10 Million for his travel and security. Here’s the run down, according to Grok, for what is required for a presidential residence. Keep in mind that the White House, Camp David, and the POTUS’ personal homes are routinely outfitted for the duration of their terms in office. Most presidential families, including the Bidens, routinely vacationed at their own homes. Trump primarily vacations at Mar-a-Lago, where Melania lives when she is not needed for First Lady duties.
Grok provided the following run down of what has to be done whenever and wherever POTUS is residing.
Road closures, checkpoints, and restricted airspace. If the location is near water, there may be Coast Guard patrols offshore and Navy SEALs stationed nearby.
Windows are replaced with bulletproof and blast-resistant glass. Doors and walls may be reinforced with steel or concrete to withstand explosions.
Entry points are equipped with metal detectors, biometric scanners, keycard systems, PIN pads, and ID checks.
CCTV cameras, infrared sensors, and drones monitor the grounds.
Counter-sniper teams and anti-aircraft defenses (e.g., Stinger missile systems) are deployed.
Electronic countermeasures to block unauthorized communications or drone signals.
Safe Rooms: The White House has a secure bunker, the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC). Temporary residences may have designated safe rooms retrofitted with reinforced doors and emergency supplies.
Secret Service details operate 24/7, with agents stationed inside and outside the residence. The White House has a Secret Service command post, while vacation homes require advance teams to secure properties weeks in advance.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams from the military support the Secret Service, sweeping for bombs or hazardous materials.
Encrypted phone lines, video conferencing, and real-time data feeds for global monitoring; communications connections to the Pentagon, CIA, and other agencies via secure networks; secure routers and signal jammers to prevent hacking; backup systems for everything.
The “football” (the nuclear launch codes briefcase) must be nearby.
Secret Service, presidential staff, and press all have to be housed and equipped with space and equipment to do their jobs.
The Secret Service must work with local police, fire departments, and hospitals to establish emergency protocols for every trip away from the White House. In Hawaii, local police overtime cost $250,000 per trip, with ambulances on standby ($10,000).
Transportation to, from, and at the destination. These include not only Marine One and Air Force One, but also all ancillary transportation required to transport people and equipment. In particular, the reinforced vehicles used in presidential motorcades are transported on Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) aircraft, such as the Grumman C-2. Secret Service recently created a reinforced golf cart for Trump that has been dubbed Golf Force One. It too has to be transported.
The Obamas vacationed annually in Hawaii for Christmas, often staying 2–3 weeks in pricey rental properties. For summer vacations, the Obamas preferred Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where they again staying in rented homes. The estimated costs for each of these trips was about the same $10 Million the complainers are squawking about for Trump’s visit to Scotland.
For winter breaks, the Obamas liked Aspen, Colorado, costing an estimated at $500,000–$1 million per trip, including security. And a couple of times they went to Palm Springs, California (2013, 2014) for golf and relaxation. More million$.
In August 2009, the Obama family went hiking and rafting in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, and Grand Canyon, Arizona. They said it was to promote conservation. In July 2010, they went to Bar Harbor, Maine, where they hiked in Acadia National Park and enjoyed local lobster dinners. Maybe that was to promote tourism?
CATHOLIC: Although Batman’s religious affiliation is not defined, several Batman authors and stories have contained Catholic elements and his mother, Martha Wayne, is often portrayed as having been Catholic.
EPSTEIN: CLICK https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/1948391900601254321 [:38] to hear Scott Jennings respond to an idiotic question on CNN. “Why doesn’t he just own up to it?” Oh puh-leeze! How about Obama or Clinton or Bush or Fauci any of the other people who have lied to us “just own up to it”?!
LAPDOG MEDIA: On July 18, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard laid out evidence that, after Trump was elected in November of 2016, then-President Obama, along with the former directors of the CIA, FBI, and National Intelligence, fabricated the Russia! Russia! Russia! hoax to undermine the Trump presidency.
CLICK https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1948084343026725072 [:43] to hear CNN cut away from Gabbard’s remarks to scoff at her “attempt to back up the quite extreme allegation.” Best comment: “CNN is like Hitler screaming, ‘Shut it off!! Shut it off!!’ when being told about the failures of his eastern and western campaigns.”
ORGAN DONATION: HHS Secretary Kennedy has announced the results of a study that showed organs have been harvested from patients who showed signs of life. “The entire system must be fixed to ensure that every potential donor’s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.”
WILDLIFE: I saw this photo of a least weasel clinging to a European green woodpecker in flight on Facebook and had it verified by Grok. It was taken in 2015 by an amateur photographer in East London. Digital experts found no evidence of photo manipulation, while wildlife experts confirmed the plausibility of the event. It seems green woodpeckers forage on the ground, making them vulnerable to weasel attacks, while weasels are known to target prey larger than themselves. This woodpecker reportedly escaped after the photo was taken.
WOMEN’S SPORTS: The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced that they have an “obligation to comply” with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump to bar men from women’s sports.
CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZveyZoukVsk to see a tiny baby get a chiropractic adjustment. My #2 had a traumatic delivery. We thought she was fine, but when she got old enough to start having tummy time, I noticed she wouldn’t raise her head the way her older sister had. I took her to our chiropractor, who adjusted her neck, which had apparently gotten jammed during delivery. After that, she raised her head. I am so very grateful for the chiropractors who have helped keep me and my family healthier and more active than they could have been with just allopathic care.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for granting us the privilege of praying for those who persecute us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
COLBERT CANCELED: The same night Colbert announced the cancellation, his lead guest was Sen. Adam Schiff [D-CA]. Right after the show, Schiff tweeted, “Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled. If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.”
Political? Adam, baby, CBS’s decision was all about the money, honey. Here are the facts. CBS has to pay Trump $16 million for fraudulently trying (and failing) to make Kamala look like less of a doofus. CBS has been paying Colbert about $15 million per year, which he was worth as long as his left-wing political shtick was bringing in the viewers. But now Fox News is getting better ratings while paying Greg Gutfeld half as much for not only doing his right-wing comedy shtick on their late night show, but alsoproviding his political commentary on Fox at Five.
2025 second quarter viewer averages for late night comedy shows:
Fox News’ Gutfeld = 3.29 million (238,000 in 18-49)
CBS’ Late Night with Stephen Colbert = 2.42 million (220,000 in 18-49)
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! = 1.77 million (219,000 in 18-49)
NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon = 1.19 million(157,000 in 18-49)
ABC pays Jimmy Kimmel $15 million per year, while NBC pays Jimmy Fallon $16 million. I wonder how long before those two also get their pink slips …
EVERYDAY HEROES: On a Virgin Atlantic flight from New York to London, an 88-year-old retired nurse named Violet was quietly chatting with a young man named Jack at the boarding gate. She told him she had spent her life caring for others and had always dreamed of flying first class, just once.
Jack nodded, smiled, and said little. But before boarding, he quietly approached the crew and asked if he could trade his first-class seat for Violet’s economy seat. He wanted no credit or attention, so while Violet leaned back in a plush seat, sipping champagne at 35,000 feet, Jack sat in economy.
It wasn’t until the end of the flight that Violet learned what had happened. She was stunned. “I just want a picture,” she said, “so I can show my daughter I finally did it.”
FAFO: Leftists worried the massive settlement CBS paid Trump would have a chilling effect on journalism. Apparently, the Wall Street Journal didn’t get the memo.
RAAACISM: On Monday’s CNN NewsNight, Brad Polumbo said that calling Trump’s immigration agenda a “reign of terror” was “hyperbolic.” Ana Novarro basically told him to shut up. “It might be hyperbolic for you as a White man… It’s certainly not hyperbolic for me as a Latino.” Palumbo pointed out that for her “to dismiss my opinion for being a White man, is racist.”
VAX SCENE: Feel free to skip this. I only got through 5 minutes before I could no longer control my gag reflex. [10:49] – One of Stephen Colbert’s unfunny “comedy” attempts was a series of musical odes to the ‘rona jab. Yes, a series. I mean … what’s not funny about you “can, can, can” get your shot? /sarc But hey, you know what is funny? The fact that this mega-cringe compilation is posted at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s official YouTube channel. I mean, talk about self-owns.
CLICK https://x.com/w_terrence/status/1945298127939932569 to see VP Vance cast the tie breaking vote on H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025 (https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr4), which aims to rescind approximately $9 billion in unobligated funds from various federal programs. The House passed the House on June 12, 2025, with a vote of 235-174 (Roll Call #168), but since the Senate version is amended, it now must be passed again by the House before Trump can sign it into law.
If the Rescissions Act becomes law, it will (among many other things) defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. CPB provides 10% to 15% of the funds used to air PBS and NPR. The rest comes from donations, corporate sponsors, and other sources. Democrats opposed H.R. 4 (of course) saying the end of PBS and NPR would lead to (you’ll never guess!) people dying. CLICK https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1945493507885662590 [ :32] to hear Chuck Schumer call continued funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting “a matter of life and death.”
Since it wouldn’t occur to me to tune into either during a natural disaster, I asked Grok, “During a natural disaster, what is the best source for emergency information?” I got back the following, which besides never once mentioning PBS or NPR, was useful enough (and so long) that I decided to pass it on to all y’all as a separate post.
During a natural disaster, the best source for emergency information depends on the situation, location, and type of disaster, but official government channels are generally the most reliable and authoritative. Below is a prioritized list of sources, tailored to provide accurate, timely, and actionable information:
Local Government and Emergency Management Agencies:
Primary Source: Agencies like FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in the U.S., or state/local equivalents (e.g., Cal OES in California for wildfires, earthquakes, or floods), provide real-time updates, evacuation orders, shelter locations, and safety guidance.
Access: Check their websites (e.g., FEMA.gov, Ready.gov), official apps (FEMA App), or social media accounts (e.g., @FEMA or local emergency management on X). During disasters like hurricanes or wildfires, local agencies often post updates on X or websites with specific instructions.
Example for California: During wildfires, Cal OES or local county emergency services (e.g., Los Angeles County Fire Department) provide evacuation zones, road closures, and air quality alerts via websites, apps like PulsePoint, or X posts.
National Weather Service (NWS) and NOAA:
Best for Weather-Related Disasters: For hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or severe storms, the NWS (weather.gov) and NOAA provide accurate forecasts, warnings, and watches. They issue specific alerts like flash flood warnings or hurricane advisories.
Access: NWS websites, NOAA Weather Radio, or apps like Weather Underground or NOAA Weather Radar Live. NWS also posts urgent updates on X (e.g., @NWS or local NWS offices like @NWSLosAngeles).
Why Reliable: These agencies use real-time data from meteorologists and are less prone to misinformation than unofficial sources.
Local News Outlets (Radio, TV, Online):
Role: Local TV and radio stations (e.g., KNX 1070 in Los Angeles for wildfires) often relay official emergency alerts, road closures, and community-specific information. Many have apps or livestreams for real-time updates.
Caution: Verify they’re sourcing from official channels (e.g., NWS, FEMA, or local police/fire departments) to avoid sensationalized reports. Check their X accounts or websites for breaking news.
Emergency Alert Systems:
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs): These are automatic, location-based text messages sent to mobile devices during imminent threats (e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes, or AMBER Alerts). Managed by FEMA and the FCC, they require no sign-up.
Local Systems: In California, systems like AlertLA or Nixle provide text/email alerts from local authorities. Sign up in advance if possible.
Reverse 911: Some areas use automated calls to notify residents of evacuation orders or hazards.
Official Social Media (X, Twitter, etc.):
Use: Platforms like X can provide real-time updates from agencies like FEMA (@FEMA), NWS, or local fire/police departments. For example, during California wildfires, accounts like @CAL_FIRE or @LACoFDPIO post evacuation maps and shelter info.
Caution: Stick to verified accounts to avoid misinformation. Cross-check X posts against official websites or apps, as unverified users may spread rumors (e.g., false evacuation zones during 2025 Los Angeles wildfires).
Community Networks and Apps:
Apps: Tools like Nextdoor (for neighborhood updates), Red Cross Emergency App, or Citizen can provide hyper-local information, but they rely on user reports, so verify with official sources.
Community Radio: In remote areas, local radio stations may be the only source during power outages (e.g., battery-powered radios tuned to NOAA Weather Radio frequencies).
Considerations for Natural Disasters
Type of Disaster:
Wildfires (e.g., California’s 2025 Palisades Fire): Prioritize local fire departments (e.g., @LACoFDPIO) and air quality alerts (e.g., AQMD.gov).
Earthquakes: USGS (earthquake.usgs.gov) for magnitude and aftershock info, plus local emergency services for structural safety updates.
Hurricanes/Floods: NWS and FEMA for forecasts and evacuation routes.
Power/Internet Outages: If internet or cell service is down, NOAA Weather Radio or battery-powered AM/FM radios are critical. Pre-download apps or save offline maps (e.g., FEMA App’s offline features).
Location-Specific Needs: In California, check county-specific resources (e.g., San Diego’s SD Emergency App for wildfires/floods). For SB 549-related areas (e.g., Los Angeles wildfires), Cal OES and local RRAs may post recovery resources.
Tips for Staying Informed
Prepare in Advance: Bookmark official websites, download apps, and sign up for local alerts (e.g., AlertLA, Nixle) before a disaster.
Verify Information: Cross-check X posts or news with primary sources (e.g., FEMA, NWS) to avoid misinformation, which spreads quickly during crises (e.g., fake evacuation maps on X during 2025 wildfires).
Backup Power: Keep a charged power bank or battery-powered radio, as outages are common during disasters like hurricanes or wildfires.
Multiple Sources: Rely on a combination of official apps, radio, and social media for redundancy, as one channel may fail.
Why Official Sources Are Best
Accuracy: Government agencies like FEMA, NWS, or local fire/police departments have direct access to real-time data and are legally accountable for accuracy.
Timeliness: WEAs and official X accounts provide near-instant alerts for imminent threats.
Actionable Guidance: These sources offer clear instructions (e.g., evacuation routes, shelter locations) rather than just news.
polination.blog 