Austin officials tell residents the water no longer needs to be boiled before drinking, but offers some tips on safety and keeps some restrictions on water use. Read more here.

The city of Austin, Texas, is under a citywide boil water notice and has directed residents to cut back on personal water use after muddy floodwater has overwhelmed the city's water treatment capacity.  Read more here. 

The city is providing regular updates on its website.

WQA offers Boil Water Notice information for consumers on its website as well. 

People in the Florida panhandle have a long road to recovery after Hurricane Michael, and although officials are trying to nudge them back to normalcy, some say it is too soon.

Read more.

If your company is working to help people affected by the hurricanes or flooding, please drop us a line at wqa@wqa.org.

We hope you'll consider joining us for our next WQA Essentials webinar, this one on the very timely issue of Emergency Preparedness. 

Register now to attend the webinar live or watch the recorded webinar later. Prices are $89 for many members and $139 for non-members. Core and Premium members receive the webinar at no charge as a membership benefit. You should have received an email with your membership code; if not, please call the membership department at 630-929-2542 for the code to use for your membership discount.
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, toured the hard-hit areas of Mexico Beach, Panama City, Blountstown, and Bristol on the Panhandle Sunday.

Rescue crews with search dogs continued to comb through the wreckage on Sunday, hoping to find survivors. Hundreds of people have been reported missing and at least 46 remained unaccounted for in hard-hit Mexico Beach, where the hurricane made landfall.

You can read more updates here.

The death toll from Hurricane Michael has jumped to at least 11, and FEMA Administrator Brock Long said he expects that number to continue to rise. As of Friday morning, more than 1.4 million utility customers from Florida to Virginia were without power.

"We're still in life-safety mode," Long told CBS News. "We're not even close to having discussions on rebuilding yet."
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Read more updates throughout the day here. 

LAKE CITY, Fla. — Hurricane Michael leaves behind a treacherous, dangerous landscape that will likely pose risks to human health for weeks to come, experts say. 

While the storm’s winds and rain have passed, flooding remains widespread across the Florida Panhandle, along with thousands of downed trees, severed power and gas lines, and road-blocking debris. And those are just the visible dangers: The water itself can carry bacteria and viruses that pose a major health hazard. 

Read more here.  Also, check out WQA flood resources.

(PHOTO CREDIT:  Gerald Herbert, Associated Press)

FROM CNN:  6 things to know about Hurricane Michael, the most powerful storm in the Panhandle's recorded history

Hurricane Michael is already a historic storm for its sheer power. But how powerful? Here are a few key stats to put this storm in perspective.

1. Michael is the strongest hurricane to strike the FL Panhandle on record.
2. Michael is the strongest storm to make landfall in the continental US since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
3. Michael’s pressure (919 millibars) was lower than Hurricane Andrew and the third lowest pressure ever measured in a hurricane making landfall in the US.
4. Tropical-storm-force wind speeds stretch for more than 320 miles.
5. More than 30 million people are under Hurricane or Tropical Storm Warnings or Watches.
6. Watches and Warnings for the storm extend to six states: MS, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC.

Read more updates here.

Hurricane Michael, a potentially catastrophic Category 4 storm, is nearing landfall along the Florida Panhandle with 145 mph winds.

A Category 4 or 5 storm has never hit the Panhandle in recorded history.
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday called Michael the worst storm in that coastal area in 100 years.

"This is a fast storm, but it is going to be like a buzz saw," warned ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee.

Read more here.​

Damage estimates from Hurricane Florence could hit $50 Billion, according to news reports, making it one of the top ten most costly hurricanes in the nation's history. 

A USA Today report puts the death toll at 43, and thousands of residents affected by the storm remain out of their homes under evacuation orders. Read more...

Meanwhile, drinking water concerns are still very real. This report says environmentalists and health officials are concerned about pink shaded ponds on hog farms that have overflowed into surrounding flood waters.

As always, WQA recommends residents affected by severe flooding have their water tested and use bottled water if necessary until water treatment options are available.

Check our our flood resources here. 

The Water Quality Association has a special page where members and the public can donate to the American Red Cross to aid victims of Hurricane Florence. Please take a moment to consider donating to Hurricane Relief. Thank you!