Texas Hill Country flooding kills two with 230 rescues; Oregon lightning bust forces full-town evacuation at Preparedness Level 4; Code Purple smoke blankets the Northeast

EM Morning Brief · Jul 17, 2026 · 11m · transcript

Catastrophic flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country leaves two dead and drives more than 230 rescues as flood waves move down the Frio, Nueces, and Guadalupe rivers, with a boil water notice now covering dozens of Comal County area communities. The nation holds at Preparedness Level 4 with 49 uncontained large fires: a Central Oregon lightning bust forces the full evacuation of Antelope, FEMA approves a Fire Management Assistance Grant for the Lower Dry Creek Fire, and Colorado’s Aspen Acres Fire structure losses rise to 850. Canadian wildfire smoke pushes Pennsylvania to a statewide Code…