Tropical Storm Laura rapidly intensified to a major Cat. 3 hurricane over the last 24 hours. It is forecast to strengthen further to a Cat. 4 hurricane before making landfall overnight tonight along the Texas-Louisiana border. While the predicted landfall cone is not focused on a major city, the storm is massive, and impacts will be felt over 100 miles from the center of the storm, including in Houston and New Orleans.

More than 1,000,000 acres of land have been scorched by upwards of 500 simultaneous wildfires in northern California over the past weeks. Major wildfires sparked by lightning strikes spread rapidly due to hot, dry conditions across much of the region.

The Gulf Coast is facing an unprecedented threat in the coming days - back to back storms that could make landfall within 48 hours of each other. Tropical Storm Marco and Tropical Storm Laura will impact Louisiana and Texas, bringing heavy rains and storm surge to coastal areas. Global Guardian is standing by to support emergency response and support requirements, including power generators, personal protective equipment, and communications systems. To learn about our full capabilities, click here.

In the morning hours of 18 August, soldiers loyal to Colonel Assimi Goita, Colonel Diaw, Colonel Sadio Camara, General Cheick Fanta Mady Dembele, and Colonel Mama Sekou Lelenta took over a large military base on the outskirts of the capital Bamako before descending on the city. Coup leaders arrested President Keita, Prime Minister Boubou Cissé, and members of the Malian cabinet.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused preventative measures such as international flight and port closures to be put into place by local governments in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. Due to these restrictions in place, an American family with a positive COVID-19 traveler faced difficulties returning home. Facing multiple international border crossings in order to make their way home to the United States, there was not much optimism that they could get home any time soon.

The U.S. is recording 49,000 daily new cases on average over the last week, a 17 percent decrease from the average two weeks ago. The U.S. has now recorded over 5,400,000 confirmed cases and over 171,000 deaths.

On 04 August, approximately 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded at a warehouse in Beirut’s port, creating a massive blast that killed 172 people, injured thousands, and left entire neighborhoods of the city devastated. 

The U.S. is recording 53,700 daily new cases on average over the last week, an 18 percent decrease from the average two weeks ago. The U.S. has now recorded over 5,100,000 confirmed cases and nearly 165,000 deaths.

California, Florida, Arizona and South Carolina are seeing significant declines in daily average cases from two weeks prior, but daily deaths continue to rise.

The presumed cause of the massive explosion was approximately 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port since at least 2014 after being confiscated from a cargo ship. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical used in fertilizer and explosives. For context, the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995 contained just 2 tons of ammonium nitrate.