Natural disasters

As the program inches through the federal appropriation process, Texas lawmakers have allocated state funds and created a five-county district with taxing power.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green gave an update Friday on how the state and Maui are faring a month after fires decimated West Maui and razed the town of Lahaina.

While congressional leaders fight over what to include with the $12 billion slated for FEMA, others feel that the reliance on FEMA and the federal government for disaster relief may begin to change.

Sunday is the mid-point of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. AccuWeather expects at least one or two more tropical storms or hurricanes to hit hit the U.S.

While Idalia caused major damage to some municipalities, it had less of an impact than feared since it hit less densely populated areas than Hurricane Ian did last year.

Moody's credited generally sound fiscal practices, good governance and federal aid with the likelihood that Maui County and the state would retain their current credit ratings.

Andy DeVries of CreditSights is fairly optimistic about the eventual outcome for bondholders, though its tax-exempt paper has been trading at a discount.

The disaster in Hawaii highlights the increasing importance of Congress to act on the dwindling budget of FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund.

The investor-owned utility issues tax-exempt bonds through the Hawaii Department of Budget and Finance.

The coastal town of Lahaina is "gone," Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said during a press conference.