Latest / EM Morning Brief / Hurricane Lowell blacks out most of Kauai as offices and schools close statewide; NIFC holds the nation at Preparedness Level 4

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Hurricane Lowell blacks out most of Kauai as offices and schools close statewide; NIFC holds the nation at Preparedness Level 4 · EM Morning Brief

• 0:00
  Cedric: Good morning, I'm Cedric and this is your EM Morning Brief for Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
• 0:06
  Cedric: Hurricane Lowell is the national story this morning.
• 0:09
  Cedric: The Central Pacific Hurricane Center places the center about 110 miles northwest of Lihue as of 2 a.m.
• 0:15
  Cedric: Hawaii time, moving north at 18 miles an hour with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles an hour.
• 0:23
  Cedric: A Hurricane Warning remains in effect for Kauai County, including the islands of Kauai and Niihau, and a Tropical Storm Warning covers Oahu.
• 0:32
  Cedric: The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency reports very hazardous conditions across Kauai County and Oahu overnight, with damaging winds, heavy rain, flash flooding, landslides and extreme surf.
• 0:44
  Cedric: Kauai's electric cooperative reports the island is largely without power, and state and county offices, public schools and courts are closed today on both Kauai and Oahu.
• 0:54
  Cedric: The National Interagency Fire Center holds the country at National Preparedness Level 4, with 66 uncontained large fires and 15,855 personnel committed.
• 1:05
  Cedric: Four of those incidents carry active evacuations: Plaskett in California, McCully in Oregon, and Three Queens and Goat in Washington.
• 1:14
  Cedric: Year to date the nation stands at more than 8.3 million acres burned, roughly 156 percent of the ten year average.
• 1:22
  Cedric: The National Weather Service is carrying about 118 land based alerts nationwide this morning, including 15 Extreme Heat Warnings across Southern California, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas, 30 Heat Advisories, and Red Flag Warnings in central Wyoming.
• 1:39
  Cedric: The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory raised Kilauea to Watch and aviation color code Orange late Monday, citing precursory low level eruptive activity ahead of episode 55 of the ongoing Halemaumau eruption.
• 1:54
  Cedric: On the cyber and lifeline side, Springfield Public Schools in Massachusetts is closed today after a cyber incident interrupted district systems, and three Johns Hopkins hospitals in Maryland and the District of Columbia went to Code Black on Monday, closing
• 2:08
  Cedric: emergency departments to ambulance traffic during a network failure the health system says was not a cyberattack.
• 2:16
  Cedric: Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia is under Code Red this morning following a base water system failure.
• 2:23
  Cedric: There are no current National Terrorism Advisory System advisories, no new Known Exploited Vulnerabilities added since September 4, and no new federal disaster declarations in the last 24 hours.
• 2:36
  Cedric: Let's run through the states.
• 2:38
  Cedric: Hawaii: Hurricane Lowell passed just west of Niihau and Kauai overnight as a Category 2 storm and is now tracking north away from the islands.
• 2:47
  Cedric: Kauai Island Utility Cooperative reports 33,317 of its 36,333 customers without power in its early Tuesday update, roughly 92 percent of the island.
• 2:59
  Cedric: Five refuge areas are open on Kauai in partnership with the American Red Cross, and Oahu opened a refuge area at Nanakuli Elementary School Monday evening; no evacuation orders are in place on Oahu.
• 3:12
  Cedric: Lihue Airport closed Monday afternoon and Hawaii Department of Transportation cancelled all flights in and out for the rest of the day, while Honolulu and the other airports stayed open.
• 3:24
  Cedric: The commercial ports at Nawiliwili and Port Allen are shut under Port Condition Zulu.
• 3:29
  Cedric: Kauai County reports Kuhio Highway closed near the Hanalei Bridge for flooding, along with Maluhia Road and a stretch of Kaumualii Highway in Kekaha.
• 3:39
  Cedric: The county Department of Water has issued an islandwide conservation notice, warning that power loss to pumps and wells could force a full service outage.
• 3:48
  Cedric: Floodwaters cut road access in Wainiha on the North Shore.
• 3:52
  Cedric: On Oahu, high surf pushed water into ground floor units at a Makaha condominium complex, and Farrington Highway closed for more than five hours.
• 4:01
  Cedric: No injuries or fatalities have been officially reported.
• 4:04
  Cedric: All state and city offices, public schools, University of Hawaii campuses and Judiciary operations are closed today on Oahu and Kauai.
• 4:14
  Cedric: Washington: Kittitas County has Level 3 "Go Now," Level 2 and Level 1 evacuations in effect for the Three Queens, King and Goat fires east of Snoqualmie Pass, with 547 personnel assigned.
• 4:27
  Cedric: Three Queens is 9,444 acres at 12 percent containment, King is 3,146 acres and uncontained.
• 4:35
  Cedric: In Chelan County, Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations remain near Stehekin and Lucerne for the Little Giant and Sisi fires, and four Department of Natural Resources engines are now fully staffed in Stehekin for structure protection.
• 4:48
  Cedric: Little Giant stands at roughly 171,000 acres and 81 percent contained with 40 structures lost.
• 4:55
  Cedric: Okanogan County has lifted Level 3 evacuations on the Sinlahekin Fire, now 59 percent contained at 166,116 acres, though lands and roads in the fire area remain closed.
• 5:09
  Cedric: Oregon: Baker and Grant counties reduced the evacuation footprint on the McCully Fire Monday afternoon, leaving Level 1 and Level 2 areas in Grant County and a combined Level 3 area spanning both counties.
• 5:23
  Cedric: Command of the roughly 980 person response transferred to a California incident management team Monday evening, and the Wallowa Whitman National Forest emergency closure remains.
• 5:34
  Cedric: Level 3 "Go Now" evacuations continue in Clackamas County for the Austin Fire, at 12,610 acres and 19 percent contained.
• 5:43
  Cedric: Hood River and Wasco counties still hold Level 1, 2 and 3 notices on the 93,990 acre Grasshopper Fire, now 91 percent contained.
• 5:53
  Cedric: Separately, Oregon Health Authority logged a system wide boil water advisory Monday afternoon for the Oceanside Water District at Cape Meares in Tillamook County following a two inch main break affecting about 170 people.
• 6:08
  Cedric: California: Evacuation Orders remain in effect for 15 zones across Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties on the Plaskett Fire, with warnings for 22 more.
• 6:19
  Cedric: CAL FIRE lists the fire at 29,862 acres and 47 percent contained, with Highway 1 closed from Kirk Creek Campground south to the county line and a shelter at Santa Rosa Catholic Church in Cambria.
• 6:32
  Cedric: The neighboring Timber Fire holds Evacuation Orders for 13 Monterey County zones and warnings for 26 more at 25,380 acres and 27 percent contained.
• 6:44
  Cedric: Extreme Heat Warnings cover the Inland Empire, Coachella Valley, Imperial County and the San Diego and Orange county valleys.
• 6:52
  Cedric: South Dakota: Lawrence County Emergency Management issued a wireless emergency alert Monday afternoon ordering evacuation of Lookout Mountain, Kerwin Road, Lookout Vista Road and surrounding areas near Spearfish after a fast moving fire grew to roughly 300 acres with no
• 7:07
  Cedric: containment reported.
• 7:09
  Cedric: Spearfish police report crews evacuating threatened homes, an access restriction southeast of the fire, and closure of the Spearfish Rec Center, and are asking the public to stop calling 911 for fire information because call volume is straining emergency communications.
• 7:26
  Cedric: On the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Needles Fire grew 2,018 acres in a day to 6,018 acres at 35 percent containment with wind driven runs.
• 7:37
  Cedric: Virginia: Marine Corps Base Quantico placed Main Side under Code Red this morning, closing all Main Side buildings including child development centers and schools, with only mission essential personnel reporting.
• 7:51
  Cedric: The action follows a base water system failure that left the Town of Quantico, which buys finished water from the base system, without running water from Monday evening with no restoration estimate.
• 8:02
  Cedric: West Side remains Code Green.
• 8:05
  Cedric: Massachusetts: Springfield Public Schools closed all schools and cancelled afterschool activities today after a cyber incident interrupted services necessary for school operations.
• 8:16
  Cedric: The superintendent directed staff and students with district laptops to stay off district networks until the scope is determined.
• 8:24
  Cedric: The central office remains open, though phone service may be affected.
• 8:29
  Cedric: We have more to cover this morning, but first, a quick word from our sponsors.
• 8:34
  Cedric: Thanks for supporting our sponsors who help make EM Morning Brief possible.
• 8:39
  Cedric: Now, back to this morning’s updates.
• 8:42
  Cedric: Maryland: Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center in Columbia and Suburban Hospital in Bethesda operated under state designated Code Black status Monday afternoon, effectively closing their emergency departments to EMS traffic, and both cleared the status by 5 p.m.
• 8:59
  Cedric: The health system attributes the event to a temporary technology network issue and says it was not a cyberattack.
• 9:06
  Cedric: Separately, Luminis Health continues working through a cyberattack disclosed September 4 that has knocked the phone system and patient portal offline at Anne Arundel Medical Center and Doctors Community Medical Center.
• 9:21
  Cedric: Alaska: The North Slope Borough is warning Kaktovik residents that the community water system is unsafe for drinking, food preparation or brushing teeth after testing detected ethylene glycol.
• 9:33
  Cedric: Boiling does not make it safe.
• 9:35
  Cedric: The water remains usable for bathing and washing.
• 9:39
  Cedric: The Borough is mobilizing emergency drinking water deliveries, and Arctic Slope Native Association medical staff arrived Sunday for health monitoring.
• 9:48
  Cedric: District of Columbia: Sibley Memorial Hospital was placed under Code Black Monday and, unlike the two Maryland hospitals, remained under the restricted status as of 5 p.m., with its emergency department effectively closed to EMS traffic.
• 10:03
  Cedric: Texas: The Ross Fire in Palo Pinto County holds at 90,400 acres and 44 percent contained with 157 structures lost and 472 personnel assigned.
• 10:15
  Cedric: Texas A&M Forest Service reports four additional active fires in Sutton and Schleicher counties and has state resources on standby for increased wind across the High Plains, Rolling Plains and Cross Timbers.
• 10:27
  Cedric: Flood Warnings remain up for Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson and Orange counties.
• 10:33
  Cedric: Oklahoma: A Wellston firefighter is in critical condition after a medical emergency on a Lincoln County grass fire that burned more than 240 acres near Tryon, damaged a home and two outbuildings and displaced one family.
• 10:48
  Cedric: The Highway Patrol closed State Highway 29 in both directions near Duncan Lake Road Monday afternoon for smoke and low visibility.
• 10:56
  Cedric: Colorado: Larimer County issued voluntary evacuations by NOCO Alert for residents along Lonestar Road and Stagecoach Trail as the Burnett Gulch Fire burned about 1.75 miles east of Pinewood Springs.
• 11:10
  Cedric: The fire is 2.8 acres and 20 percent contained.
• 11:14
  Cedric: In Colorado Springs, a shelter in place order issued Monday night near Creekside at Palmer Park Apartments was lifted early this morning.
• 11:22
  Cedric: Arkansas: Community Water System has a system wide conservation order in effect after a mechanical failure of high service pumping equipment, compounded by extreme heat and high demand.
• 11:34
  Cedric: Partial capacity was restored Sunday evening, and customers are told to limit use to essential domestic purposes, with full restoration possibly several days out.
• 11:45
  Cedric: Louisiana: Southern University cancelled Tuesday classes at its Baton Rouge campus and moved employees, the Law Center and the AgCenter remote while crews repair a campus transformer, relocating residents of four halls.
• 11:59
  Cedric: In Iberville Parish, a programming fault during a routine monthly siren test pushed all 300 stored notifications, including a false chemical evacuation order; the parish president confirms there is no active emergency.
• 12:13
  Cedric: South Carolina: Florence issued a boil water advisory for the Spaulding Heights neighborhood after a main break, and Belton issued a boil water advisory covering 11 streets after a main line break, with officials noting the system may have become
• 12:29
  Cedric: contaminated.
• 12:30
  Cedric: North Carolina: Asheboro opened damage reporting for residents and businesses under the state of emergency declared Sunday after weekend storms downed hundreds of trees and damaged more than 40 streets.
• 12:43
  Cedric: Winston Salem and Forsyth County Utilities is making emergency water main repairs in Rural Hall with possible service interruptions.
• 12:52
  Cedric: Indiana: Fire destroyed the under construction Stadium Flats apartment building in downtown South Bend overnight, forcing evacuation of the neighboring Diamond View Apartments with no injuries reported.
• 13:05
  Cedric: State grants and FEMA Individual Assistance remain open for 21 counties in the August disaster declaration, with the FEMA application deadline set for October 25.
• 13:16
  Cedric: Michigan: Some Oakland County residents remain without power days after severe storms that DTE says affected more than 450,000 customers.
• 13:25
  Cedric: The utility reports 99 percent restoration with out of state crews assisting.
• 13:31
  Cedric: Wisconsin: La Crosse Central High School is closed today after a third floor pipe burst damaged classrooms on three floors and the main office.
• 13:41
  Cedric: New York: Islip fire officials requested the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the town hazmat team after a shipyard building fire, citing possible fuel or chemical runoff into an adjacent canal.
• 13:55
  Cedric: Idaho: Level 3 "Go Now" evacuations remain across a large area of Owyhee County for the Flint Fire, with Silver City on Ready status.
• 14:03
  Cedric: The Big Grass Fire is roughly 578,637 acres and 94 percent contained, with a BLM area closure and a temporary flight restriction still in place.
• 14:14
  Cedric: Montana: Labor Day thunderstorms brought hail over two inches and gusts to 53 miles an hour to the Billings, Shepherd and Huntley areas, damaging outbuildings and producing street and basement flooding.
• 14:27
  Cedric: The Bitterroot National Forest issued a public safety notice on flooding and debris flows in recent burn scars.
• 14:35
  Cedric: New Mexico: Area, road and trail closures remain on the 15,483 acre Frijoles Fire near Cundiyo, now 77 percent contained with no evacuations in place.
• 14:46
  Cedric: The Whiskey Fire near Mountainair is 393 acres and 42 percent contained.
• 14:52
  Cedric: All other states have no significant updates in the last 24 hours.
• 14:57
  Cedric: Puerto Rico: The National Weather Service in San Juan has a Heat Advisory in effect from 10 a.m.
• 15:03
  Cedric: to 5 p.m.
• 15:04
  Cedric: Atlantic time today for Puerto Rico and the U.S.
• 15:07
  Cedric: Virgin Islands, with a tropical wave forecast to arrive Wednesday.
• 15:12
  Cedric: All other territories and the District of Columbia have no significant updates in the last 24 hours.
• 15:19
  Cedric: That wraps today's EM Morning Brief.
• 15:22
  Cedric: New episodes drop Monday through Friday in the 5:00 AM hour P.T., so the day starts with clarity instead of catch-up.
• 15:29
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• 15:35
  Cedric: EM Morning Brief is an EOC Voices Podcast.
• 15:38
  Cedric: Stay Safe.