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Today’s top stories
Florida’s Gulf Coast residents are evacuating as the state prepares for Idalia. The storm grew to a Category 1 hurricane this morning and will intensify before landfall.
Members of the Tampa, Fla., Parks and Recreation Department help residents with sandbags on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. Residents along Florida’s gulf coast are making preparations for the effects of Tropical Storm Idalia.
Chris O’Meara/AP
- Though the storm is tracking north of Tampa, NPR’s Greg Allen says the city is still concerned about storm surge because the Tampa Bay area is low and prone to flooding. On Up First today, he reports President Biden and Gov. Ron DeSantis have spoken. The White House is approving the state’s request for a federal disaster declaration.
- Some gas stations in Florida have been asked to stop selling gas because of fuel contamination. Diesel was placed in regular gas tanks, which could cause cars and generators that use the gas to stop working.
The U.S. is seeing a summer wave of new COVID cases. I’m recovering after getting it for the first time last week Though most people aren’t getting severely sick, hospitalizations are up, and schools are encouraging students to wear masks again.
- NPR’s Maria Godoy spoke to a doctor who says most hospitalizations are among older people. She says the CDC is concerned about a new variant detected in the U.S. and a handful of other countries. The BA.2.86 variant is “quite different” from currently circulating strains. The question now is whether it will cause a…
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