Emergency and disaster management briefing for February 25, 2016: The battle between the FBI and tech giant Apple continues to heat up, more deadly tornadoes touch down in the South, and severe storms batter the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.

1. Public opinion is split in the ongoing [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/business/la-me-fbi-apple-legal-20160219-story.html” title=”battle of privacy vs. national security“] between Apple and the FBI. Which side the public supports in the debate [link url=”http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2016/02/apple-fbi-polls/470736/” title=”depends on which poll is being referenced.“] Bill Gates even [link url=”http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-02-23/gates-disputes-report-that-he-backs-fbi-in-apple-dispute” title=”disputed a report that he backs the FBI“], and made efforts to clarify his view.
2. In the midst of the debate, Apple is reportedly [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/technology/apple-is-said-to-be-working-on-an-iphone-even-it-cant-hack.html?_r=0″ title=”developing new, more advanced security measures“] that would make it even more difficult for authorities to break into locked iPhones. The iPhone at the center of the current legal clash is not the only cell phone currently in question, either, as the FBI has reportedly [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/24/467943526/apple-has-gotten-federal-orders-to-unlock-at-least-13-devices” title=”requested the unlocking of at least a dozen devices“] in recent months.
3. [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather-idUSKCN0VX1W3″ title=”Violent thunderstorms and tornadoes“] hit various regions in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic yesterday, [link url=”http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tornado-threat-twisters-louisiana-rv-park-damage-pensacola-florida-apartments/” title=”resulting in at least five deaths“]. Tornado activity impacted areas from North Carolina, to Virginia, to Maryland and Washington, D.C. The storms came just one day after [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/23/us/severe-weather-threat-for-southeast/” title=”more than two dozen tornadoes“] swept over the southern U.S.

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4. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe [link url=”http://www.nbcwashington.com/weather/stories/Severe-Storm-Damage-370017481.html” title=”declared a state of emergency“] in response to the tornadoes and severe storms that hit the state yesterday. Debris from storms made some roads impassable, and there were also multiple reports of flooding in the state. There were [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather-idUSKCN0VX1W3″ title=”at least four reported deaths“] due to the severe weather.
5. Powerful winter storms brought [link url=”http://www.cbsnews.com/news/winter-storm-brings-heavy-snow-strong-winds-through-midwest/” title=”heavy snow and strong winds“] across large parts of the Midwest yesterday. [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-looming-midwest-storm-disrupting-chicago-flights-37159147″ title=”More than 1,100 flights were canceled“] at Chicago airports alone. Dangerous travel conditions will likely continue into today as snow and strong winds are expected in the [link url=”https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-petros-great-lakes-midwest-feb2016″ title=”Midwest, Great Lakes and Appalachians.“]
6. The [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-idUSKCN0VX312″ title=”Zika virus outbreak will worsen“] before it gets better, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned yesterday. The WHO declared the outbreak an international health emergency at the beginning of the month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are currently [link url=”http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/active-countries.html” title=”more than 30 countries and territories with active Zika virus transmission“].

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7. While evidence is building of a connection between Zika and microcephaly, [link url=”http://in.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-microcephaly-insight-idINKCN0VX18X” title=”finding a definitive link has proved difficult.“] There are currently [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-idUSKCN0VX312″ title=”580 confirmed cases of microcephaly in Brazil“] and authorities are investigating another 4,100 suspected cases of microcephaly there. In Colombia, however, there are reportedly 37,000 cases of Zika (including 6,356 in pregnant women), but doctors have [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-idUSKCN0VX312″ title=”yet to link microcephaly to a single case of the virus.“]

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8. A pair of studies published this week found that [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/02/22/sea-level-rise-global-warming-climate-change/80767066/” title=”sea levels rose at an alarming rate“] in the past century, bringing out questions of [link url=”http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/what-do-rising-sea-levels-mean-for-future-generations-2/” title=”what these findings mean for future generations.“] Depending on human factors like carbon emissions, levels will reportedly rise an additional [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/02/22/sea-level-rise-global-warming-climate-change/80767066/” title=”one to four feet by 2100.“]

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9. New York state is reportedly sending out debt notices to [link url=”http://www.newsday.com/long-island/state-warns-sandy-victims-that-they-may-need-to-pay-back-59m-1.11489889″ title=”recapture $59 million in recovery funds“] from Hurricane Sandy victims. The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery believes that [link url=”http://www.newsday.com/long-island/state-warns-sandy-victims-that-they-may-need-to-pay-back-59m-1.11489889″ title=”some recipients received funds that they were ineligible for“] and some other recipients received duplicate payments. The amounts in question range from $4,500 to $180,000.
10. Separately from New York state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is also [link url=”http://www.newsday.com/long-island/state-warns-sandy-victims-that-they-may-need-to-pay-back-59m-1.11489889″ title=”looking to get reimbursed for some of the funds“] that it paid out to New York residents to aid recovery from Sandy. FEMA is reportedly seeking [link url=”http://www.newsday.com/long-island/state-warns-sandy-victims-that-they-may-need-to-pay-back-59m-1.11489889″ title=”recapture nearly $16 million“] of the more than $1.4 billion in aid it paid out to residents in New York and New Jersey in the aftermath of Sandy.