FEMA is Stretched to the Limits

Coming up on today’s show:

• Hurricane Irma is being called the most powerful storm to threaten the Atlantic in years. As it approached the U.S. Wednesday, parts of Florida began evacuating residents, and Puerto Rico and portions of the Caribbean faced winds of 185 miles per hour. Dánica Coto, a reporter and editor for the Associated Press based in San Juan, and Tim Padgett, Americas editor for Miami public radio station WLRN, bring us the latest. 

• Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and the Russian government, is teaming up with the IRS and the New York state attorney general.  Betsy Woodruff, political reporter for The Daily Beast, joins The Takeaway to analyze the significance of this development. 

• The U.S. Open tennis tournament is now down to its final four in Queens, New York, and this year on the women’s side, you’ll only find Americans among the contenders. It’s also the first time three African-American women will compete in the semi-finals. Lindsay Gibbs, sports reporter at Think Progress, explains. 

• A new report from HEROES, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those living with HIV in the rural south, found that HIV-related mortality rates in rural regions of Louisiana were 1.6 times higher than metropolitan regions of the state. Linda Meredith, the director of research and development at HEROES, says most risk factors are compounded in rural areas.

• In many states across the country, one can be charged with a felony for not disclosing their HIV status. However, recent studies show that, when individuals are properly treated, HIV transmissions from sexual encounters can range from zero to 1.56 percent. Catherine Hanssens, founder of the Center for HIV Law Policy, examines the criminalization of HIV in America. 

• With flood waters from Hurricane Harvey still lingering in parts of Texas and Louisiana, residents and officials in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are grappling with the onslaught of Hurricane Irma. All of this has left the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stretched to its limits. Elizabeth Zimmerman, former associate administrator for FEMA’s office of response and recovery, looks at the logistical and funding challenges facing the agency. 

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.