Waiting for Disaster Relief in Hurricanes’ Wake

Coming up on today’s show:

• A brutal hurricane season across the Gulf means that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is operating at max capacity, leaving many families waiting weeks for assessments and funds from the agency. In Orange County, Texas, about 100 miles east of Houston, the top elected official in the county, Judge Stephen Brint Carlton, called on FEMA to provide two disaster recovery centers in the wake of Harvey. He joins The Takeaway to discuss FEMA’s response, and how it has affected the recovery efforts in Orange County. And Seung Min Kim, a congressional reporter for Politico, has the latest on a bill for $36.5 billion in disaster relief, which the Senate is expected to vote on today.

• Texas has the third highest number of homeless students in the nation, and in Dallas, about 3,600 students are homeless, according to data from the Dallas Independent School District. To address their needs, the district has opened 20 drop-in centers in high schools. They provide breakfast and snacks, along with other essentials like socks and toothpaste. Bill Zeeble, a reporter with KERA News in Dallas, describes the initiative.

• Reports have been circulating that gay men in Chechnya are being detained and beaten by Chechen police. Last week, a young man named Maxim Lapunov told a group of human rights activists in Moscow that he was held against his will and brutally beaten for 12 days by Chechen authorities. And over the weekend, reports emerged that Russian pop singer Zelimkhan Bakayev, who has been missing since early August, may also be a victim of the anti-gay purge. Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, has been looking into reports of abuse and abduction.

• Game one of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros kicks off tonight in Los Angeles. The Houston Astros have never won a title, and the last time the Dodgers won was in 1988. Joe Sheehan ispublisher of The Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter, and has a preview of the series.

• Schools are a growing target for hackers. The Federal government has even issued a new warning about the threat, which appears to be on the rise. Doug Levin, president of EdTech strategies, a research and consulting company focused on education and technology, explains why hackers are zeroing in on schools and students.

• As part of a new series called “To Serve and Protect: Life Behind the Blue Line,” The Takeaway is asking police officers from across the country to share their experiences doing their jobs, given that policing has become highly politicized in recent years. We start with one of Dallas’ own, Senior Corporal Aaron Tobkin.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.