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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia is likely mapping underwater internet cables, a NATO official said.</li><li>It's also believed to be behind flight GPS interference.</li></ul>In June, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-russian-president-medvedev-became-key-warmonger-since-ukraine-invasion-2023-1">Dmitry Medvedev,</a> the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, issued a stark warning.The undersea cables that enable global communications had become a legitimate target for Russia, he said.Medvedev based his claim on the belief that the West had been involved in blowing up Nord Stream 2, a pipeline transferring gas from Russia to Germany."If we proceed from the proven complicity of Western countries in blowing up the Nord Streams, then we have no constraints - even moral - left to prevent us from destroying the ocean floor cable communications of our enemies," <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/moscow-may-sabotage-undersea-cables-part-its-war-ukraine-nato-2023-05-03/">Medvedev posted on Telegram.</a>(Recent reports, however, suggest<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-general-defied-zelenskyy-to-blow-up-nord-stream-attack-wsj-2024-8"> Ukraine was actually behind the attack</a>.)Medvedev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has a long history of making incendiary claims.According to analysts, however, this was not just another idle threat.<h2 id="73e4f038-abe7-4e97-b7c0-ff17a402e7e3">A serious warning</h2>The vast network of undersea fiber optic cables that transfer data between continents is indeed vulnerable to hostile powers, including Russia, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/safeguarding-subsea-cables-protecting-cyber-infrastructure-amid-great-power-competition">The Center for Strategic and International Studies warned in a report this month.</a>In May, NATO's intelligence chief <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.politico.eu/article/nato-warns-russia-could-target-undersea-pipelines-and-cables/">David Cattler warned </a>that Russia may be planning to target the cables in revenge for the West's support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.It's a scenario that has NATO's planners increasingly worried.If the cables are seriously damaged or disabled, swaths of the everyday internet services we take for granted and which our economies rely on, including calls, financial transactions, and streaming, would be wiped out.Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Sweden's minister for civil defense, said damage to a telecommunications cable running under the Baltic Sea in 2023 was the result of "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swedish-govt-says-estonia-has-linked-baltic-cable-pipeline-damages-2023-10-23/">external force or tampering</a>," though he did not provide details.And in June, NATO stepped up aircraft patrols off the coast of Ireland amid concerns about Russian submarine activity,<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/britain-france-and-norway-search-for-russian-sub-off-ireland-cwljngdsj"> reported The Sunday Times.</a><h2 id="d5e30731-592a-4c26-8a6c-753dc1f7b830">The threat to GPS</h2>Security analysts say that the internet is not the only network that Russia is probing for vulnerabilities.In recent months, Russia has been accused of interfering with GPS navigation systems, causing havoc on commercial airline routes. As a result, flights from Helsinki to Tartu, Estonia, ground to a halt for a month in April.Melanie Garson, an international security expert at University College London, said it was part of Russia's "gray zone" campaign against the West, which involves covert actions that fall below the threshold of open warfare."Russia has long been developing this capability and it is currently a cheap and effective way of malicious gray zone interference," said Garson."As we increase our reliance on connectivity and space data in everything from agriculture to food delivery disrupting national and economic security through interfering with subsea cables and GPS becomes increasingly effective."<div type="image" title="Fiber optic cables on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea." height="1500" width="1999" msid="112843592" hostid="261" sizebytes="128368"></div><h2 id="fe47ae34-df5d-4c60-b055-6c99268d4329">Russia puts the West 'on notice'</h2>For decades, the world has depended on data carried on cables running for thousands of miles underwater. In the early 20th century, the cables carried telegraph signals, and later, telephone calls.Robert Dover, a professor of international security at Hull University in the UK, said the cables have long been seen as potential military targets, and both the US and USSR surveilled them during the height of the Cold War.As the world has become more dependent on the internet, the cables have become increasingly vital. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/may/information-warfare-depths-analysis-global-undersea-cable-networks">The cables now span around 745,000 miles</a><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/may/information-warfare-depths-analysis-global-undersea-cable-networks"> </a>and are responsible for transmitting 95% of international data."The growth in electronic communications has made the undersea cables — vital for international communications, the internet, finance, and so on — a point of vulnerability for nations who use them extensively and for those who don't publicly have an obvious fall-back position," said Dover.Similarly, GPS signals are increasingly vital to the airline industry. They are used to safely guide planes to their destinations and land them.Planes do have backup navigation systems in the event that GPS fails, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ft.com/content/37776b16-0b92-4a23-9f90-199d45d955c3">but Baltic officials</a> are warning that disrupted GPS signals can still put planes in danger.During its war with Ukraine, Russia has enhanced its already sophisticated electronic warfare capability, enabling it to remotely scramble the GPS coordinates used to guide missiles and drones.Those capabilities are now impacting commercial aviation GPS in eastern and northern Europe. Some analysts believe that may be an accidental result, but others believe that Russia is sending a signal to the West."The targeting of civil aviation GPS is a means by which to undermine the surety of Western publics in aviation, in particular, and shows the reliance on satellite platforms for ordinary citizens to navigate around," said Dover."It also puts governments on notice about the political risks of mass transit accidents that have a plausibly deniable cause."<div type="image" title="A fence is seen along the border to the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad." height="683" width="1024" msid="112843591" hostid="261" sizebytes="44806"></div><h2 id="4abf10d6-7059-4e18-988a-11459fb7d001">A backup plan is urgently needed, says expert</h2><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/06/24/nato-undersea-cable-network-russia-infrastructure-defense/">According to Foreign Policy in June, </a>NATO has begun taking more action to safeguard undersea cables, setting up a system that would automatically warn of attempted interference.But Garson said it's not enough, and more government fallback plans are needed in case the systems fail entirely."Countries need to not only take measures to protect but also to make sure that the communications system is resilient, e.g., with robust alternatives," said Garson.She said satellites transmitting GPS data often lack safeguards against attempted interference, while the task of protecting undersea cables often falls on the private companies that own and maintain them."It's key to visualize these strategic futures and have a clear resilience plan that accounts for potential systemic risk and to keep countries operational if key comms infrastructure is compromised," said Garson.In its <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/safeguarding-subsea-cables-protecting-cyber-infrastructure-amid-great-power-competition">report this month</a>, the CSIS called for the US to increase international cooperation to coordinate a response to a potential attack on cables.It said that the current legal and international framework for undersea-cable sabotage was "complex and fragmented, with different <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-law-of-maritime-neutrality-and-submarine-cables/">international legal regimes</a> determining responsibility and punishment.""When cables are sabotaged in international waters, there is no regime to hold the perpetrator accountable," it said.

Russia is signaling it could take out the West's internet and GPS. There's no good backup plan.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Norwegian fisherman caught a US submarine in his nets this week.</li><li>The USS Virginia's propellers got tangled in the nets, reports said, dragging them out to sea.</li></ul>A Norwegian fisherman made a surprising catch on Monday in the form of a US submarine.Harald Engen was delivering a catch of halibut to the village of Malangen, on Norway's west coast, when he got an unusual message, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nrk.no/tromsogfinnmark/harald-fra-sommaroya-fikk-atomubat-i-kveitegarnene-1.17123634">Norwegian broadcaster NRK News reported</a>.He was told that the propellers of a submarine had become tangled in his nets and had dragged them two nautical miles — about 2.3 miles — out to sea, NRK reported.The 377-foot, nuclear-powered USS Virginia had been on its way from the port of Tromsø, the outlet reported, adding that a Norwegian Coast Guard vessel escorting it had to help cut it loose from the nets."I know about other vessels that have sailed over fishing nets, but no one out here have ever heard about a submarine doing so," Engen said, per <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/security/norwegian-fishermen-snagged-us-nuclearpowered-submarine/420357">the Barents Observer</a>.He told the outlet that he wasn't angry, and that the coast guard had been in touch about possible replacements.Lt. Pierson Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US 6th Fleet, confirmed basic details of the incident to BI but declined to confirm the name of the vessel.Nobody was hurt in the incident, he said, adding: "The investigation into the cause of the incident is still ongoing."Speaking on the matter of compensation, Hawkins said: "In general, when the US is responsible for damage to civilian equipment, there is a claims process to reimburse the expense."Norway's Armed Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Hawkins didn't outline what the submarine was doing off the coast of Norway, beyond the fact that it was leaving Tromsø."The US is an Arctic nation and has enduring security interest in the region," he said, adding that the 6th Fleet appreciates Norway's support to US submarine deployments "to deter and defend the increasingly complex security environment of the High North."There have been multiple US naval deployments in the waters in recent months amid increased cooperation between Norway and the US.In June, the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Tennessee and the cruiser USS Normandy were deployed to the Norwegian Sea in response to Russian maneuvers, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2024/us-navy-strategic-deployment-in-norwegian-sea-counters-russian-military-maneuvers">defense news site Army Recognition reported</a>.More recently, in October, Norway's armed forces <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.forsvaret.no/en/news/articles/truman-nor-forces">announced</a> joint naval exercises running through to November with the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group.The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales was also set to join, the announcement said.Two guided-missile destroyers from the group, the USS Jason Dunham and USS Stout, were sent on "routine maritime operations" to international waters in the Barents Sea, US Naval Forces Europe and Africa <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.c6f.navy.mil/Press-Room/News/News-Display/Article/3943702/truman-strike-group-destroyers-conduct-barents-sea-operations/">announced.</a>The Barents Sea, which is bordered by northern Norway and Russia, is considered <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/hot-water-arctic-fisheries-proxy-geopolitical-tensions#:~:text=The%20Arctic%20today%20is%20playing,security%20relations%20in%20the%20Arctic.">a sensitive zone</a> for Russia.In September, US lawmakers expressed concerns about <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-submarines-17-billion-over-budget-in-crisis-lawmaker-2024-9">delays and soaring costs</a> in building new vessels, including Virginia-class submarines, particularly in light of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-senators-express-concern-over-low-attack-submarine-procurement-plan-2024-3">China's recent naval expansions</a>.The US Navy's Virginia-class submarine program is projected to run $17 billion over budget through 2030, Rep. Ken Calvert, chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee, said.

A Norwegian fisherman accidentally caught a US submarine in his nets

<ul class="summary-list"><li>David Valdez, 35, moved to Detroit from San Francisco in 2018.</li><li>Since then, he's bought a home and opened a coffee shop.</li></ul>Moving to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/detroit-downtown-urban-reinvention-doom-loop-historic-buildings-gm-2024-4">Detroit</a> helped David Valdez achieve his lifelong dream.Valdez, 35, moved from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bay-area-rent-too-expensive-bought-house-mountains-2024-9">San Francisco</a> in 2018, where he worked as a barista and bartender."Moving here has been really good to me," Valdez said. "I've been able to do things here that were just dreams or impossible if I stayed in the Bay."Valdez moved to Detroit for better job opportunities and to be with his partner, Juna Durrant, who is from Michigan. In San Francisco, Valdez said he worked two jobs and lived with roommates just to get by. However, in Detroit, he has been able to buy a home and open his own coffee shop. What's more, he and Durrant have a six-year-old son and are expecting another baby in November.Before the pandemic, many Americans like Valdez had been ditching <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-couple-left-nyc-bought-vermont-house-slow-life-2024-9">expensive coastal hubs</a> in favor of smaller cities that offer more affordable living costs. That trend ballooned when COVID-19 hit and is still seeing momentum: In 2022, 817,669 people left California, according to the most recently available Census data. In 2018, that number was 691,145.Additionally, 1,852 people moved into Detroit between July 2022 and July 2023, bringing the city's population to 633,218, according to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://detroitmi.gov/news/detroit-grows-population-first-time-decades">US Census Bureau</a>. That was the first year-over-year increase in the city's population since 1957.<h2 id="9c8001da-77e6-4cf7-bb91-07864809e8d8">Moving a dream to Detroit</h2>Valdez said he loved San Francisco but found it unsustainable to work long-term in the city's leisure and hospitality industry.He often worked around the clock to earn as much as possible."I was done with my barista job in the morning, I had a couple of hours to myself, and then I would go to my next job at a bar or a restaurant," Valdez said. "I couldn't do that for another five years."While working at a restaurant in San Francisco, Valdez met Durrant, who was a fellow employee. When Durrant moved to Michigan in 2017, Valdez frequently visited her."Every time I would go to Detroit, I just kind of fell more and more in love with it," Valdez said.Valdez had wanted to leave the Bay Area but originally dreamed of going to Mexico City, where he was born, to launch a business that exports Mexican coffee to the US.But after visiting Durrant and relocating to Detroit, he saw an opportunity to try his dream elsewhere.He said there was a noticeable lack of coffee shops, and he sensed that the community needed independent, specialty cafés that offered something different from Starbucks.At the time, Valdez worked at various cafés in Detroit, including Astro, a coffee shop in the historic Corktown neighborhood. Astro closed in 2021, and in 2023, the owners contacted Valdez about selling him the storefront so it didn't go to a big corporation or other development.In December, he opened Alba using Astro's storefront. The store makes specialty drinks, like a café de olla latte — a Mexican spiced coffee.Valdez booked $306,000 in net sales this year, according to documents reviewed by Business Insider.<h2 id="9f633d70-20ca-469c-ad15-82de47006b06">Finding affordability outside California</h2>Valdez said moving to Detroit has been an exceedingly positive experience."It's not that Detroit is supercheap or anything like that," Valdez said. "It's rather the other way around: San Francisco was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-expensive-is-san-francisco-mind-blowing-facts-2019-5">extremely expensive</a>."For example, the average home value in San Francisco is $1.2 million, compared to Detroit's $75,041, according to Zillow.In 2019, Valdez bought a home in Detroit and locked in a 4.7% mortgage. In 2021, he refinanced to a 2.5% mortgage.To be sure, some aspects of Detroit are lackluster, Valdez said. For example, he said the city is a food desert, meaning there are few grocery stores. Public transport is also lacking in Detroit, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.redfin.com/blog/is-detroit-mi-a-good-place-to-live/">RedFin</a>.<div type="image" title="Photo shows Alba coffee shop in Detroit" height="2448" width="3264" msid="113765430" hostid="261" sizebytes="572242"></div><h2 id="60b13802-d87a-46eb-80a9-c44920773c45">Local resources and connections can help scale your business</h2>Valdez said business ownership can be a path toward financial independence, but there are important steps to take to prepare for the opportunity."Be vocal and intentional about opening a store," he said. "Before I opened Alba, folks knew I wanted to open my own café. I don't have much capital but knew I could access social capital by building connections and relationships."Valdez also sought out local resources for small business owners. For example, he received a $50,000 business grant through ProsperUs, a Detroit-based organization that provides loans for small businesses in the city.He also applied for a small business loan from a neighborhood development fund in Corktown, which provided him with $80,000. Additionally, Valdez and Durrant invested $30,000 of their own money in Alba.While Valdez loves the Bay Area — he still has family there — he said he's been able to build a financial footing in Detroit that wouldn't have been possible in San Francisco."If I stayed in San Francisco, I wouldn't even begin to try to open a coffee shop," Valdez said.Are you a new small-business owner? This reporter wants to hear your story. Reach out at <a target="_blank" class="" href="mailto:jtowfighi@businessinsider.com">jtowfighi@businessinsider.com</a>

When a millennial moved to Detroit from SF, he bought a home and opened a coffee shop. He said that would have been impossible on the West Coast.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two cargo ships sailing near Yemen caught fire after being hit by projectiles. </li><li>The missiles are suspected to have been fired by Houthi rebels.</li></ul>Two cargo ships traveling off Yemen's southern port city of Aden caught fire after being hit by projectiles suspected to have been fired by Houthi rebels, UK maritime agencies reported.United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ukmto.org/indian-ocean/recent-incidents#">said</a> on Sundayit had been informed of an incident 80 nautical miles southeast of Aden.<a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.ukmto.org/about-ukmto#:~:text=United%20Kingdom%20Maritime%20Trade%20Operations,the%20wider%20international%20maritime%20trade.">UKMTO</a> is linked to the UK's Royal Navy. Suspicion for the attack fell on Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have not claimed responsibility for the latest attack but have been targeting shipping in the area for several months with missiles and drones.The British security firm Ambrey later said a cargo vessel from Antigua and Barbuda had been hit by a missile 83 nautical miles southeast of Aden. The ship caught fire but it was contained."The ship was heading southwest along the Gulf of Aden at a speed of 8.2 knots when a missile struck the forward station. A fire started but was neutralized," Ambrey said in an advisory note<a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/ambrey-says-cargo-ship-hit-by-missile-southeast-yemens-aden-2024-06-08/"> seen by Reuters.</a>"A second missile was sighted but did not hit the ship. Persons on board small boats in the vicinity opened fire on the ship during the incident," Ambrey said.No injuries were reported after the ship diverted and sped up.The UKMTO said they had received a second report about another incident 70 nautical miles southwest of Aden."The master reports that the vessel was hit by an unknown projectile on the aft section, which resulted in a fire. Damage control is underway," UKMTO said.No casualties were reported and the UKMTO said the vessel was "proceeding to its next port of call. Authorities continue to monitor the situation."<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemens-houthis-target-two-vessels-red-sea-2024-06-07/">Reuters reported</a> on Friday that the Houthi rebels had claimed responsibility for attacks on two merchant ships in the Red Sea with "a number of drones and ballistic and naval missiles," but there was no independent confirmation of the incidents.<div type="image" title="An aircraft takes off to join the U.S.-led coalition to conduct air strikes against military targets in Yemen, aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi militia that has been targeting international shipping in the Red Sea, from an undisclosed location, in this handout picture released on January 12, 2024. US Central Command via X/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT" height="2160" width="3840" msid="110839692" hostid="261" sizebytes="100168"></div><a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-carrier-strike-group-fighting-houthis-fired-hundreds-munitions-2024-5">Houthis have been targeting ships</a> in the Red Sea corridor and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones as part of a campaign that aims to put pressure on Israel and the West over the war in Gaza. Shipping vessels have been forced to take longer and more costly routes around the south of Africa.A US Navy carrier strike group and warships from European nations have defended the key shipping lanes.On Monday, the Houthi rebels said they had<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yemens-houthis-fire-palestine-missile-israel-like-irans-hypersonic-weapon-2024-6?mrfhud=true"> fired a new solid-fuel missile called the "Palestine"</a> at the southern Israeli city of Eilat on Monday.The rebels have also detained 11 Yemeni employees of UN agencies under uncertain circumstances, it was reported on Friday."We are very concerned about these developments, and we're actively seeking clarification from the Houthi de facto authorities regarding the circumstances of these detentions," UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to7gvIBoNGk">said</a> in New York.Of the 11, the UN said six had been working for the UN's human rights agency, and the rest all worked separately for its special envoy's office, its development arm, Unicef, the World Food Program, and Unesco.On Thursday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-06/us-seeks-to-up-pressure-on-houthis-in-threat-to-yemen-war-truce">Bloomberg</a> reported that the US was planned to further increase economic pressure on the Houthis by blocking their revenue sources. This includes preventing a $1.5 billion Saudi payment to cover salaries for government employees in militia-held territory.

2 cargo ships caught fire after being hit by projectiles in suspected Houthi attacks off the coast of Yemen

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US has played a key role in countering China in the South China Sea.</li><li>But any intensified US efforts could trigger a confrontation, experts told BI.</li></ul>The US has played an active security role in the South China Sea in recent years, but with China increasingly confrontational in the region, things could come to a head.US ships and aircraft have repeatedly operated within the wide expanse claimed by China to assert international rights to navigation, carried out <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/US7thFleet/status/1834396679216181394">military</a> <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/indopacom/status/1836389721502568770?s=46&amp;t=o-gfid_uWzVLqbUuvoCCsg">exercises</a> <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/INDOPACOM/status/1834577777598894323">with</a> <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/INDOPACOM/status/1836163226528350500">regional</a> <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/INDOPACOM/status/1835438447907295450">allies</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/01/joint-statement-of-the-leaders-of-the-united-states-and-the-philippines/">reaffirmed</a> its <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches/Speech/Article/3836245/track-record-and-trajectory-us-philippine-defense-ties-since-2021-remarks-by-as/">commitments</a> to regional partners.It has also <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/INDOPACOM/status/1836525608056033674">helped</a> Southeast Asian countries to <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://x.com/TeamAFP/status/1828775660015522069">modernize</a> their militaries and <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://x.com/TeamAFP/status/1828653505885938023">deepen</a> <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/INDOPACOM/status/1836666038475489463">ties</a> with countries pursuing similar security goals.However, some Asia regional analysts warn that any further attempt to intensify US efforts in the contested waters could agitate regional partners, trigger China's ire, and backfire on the US and its partners."The last thing that any Southeast Asian country wants is for this to spill over into an active conflict," Bill Hayton, an associate fellow with Chatham House's Asia-Pacific program, told Business Insider.On the other hand, a US pullback would enable China to bully its smaller neighbors in ways that could also trigger a military clash.They "want a Goldilocks situation in the South China Sea — not too hot, not too cold," he added.<div type="image" title="A China Coast Guard ship (R) sailed past the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Cape Engaño (L) during a supply mission to Sabina Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea on August 26, 2024." height="2000" width="3000" msid="114167295" hostid="261" sizebytes="189602"></div><h2 id="9deb4483-b117-443f-9cc5-4db4f72459bc">Keeping a balance</h2>Southeast Asian leaders have tried to keep a balance between the US and China through ASEAN, a political and economic union of 10 countries with the stated <a target="_blank" href="https://asean.org/what-we-do#asean-aims">goal</a> of "promoting regional peace and stability."ASEAN held its annual summit in Laos this week, in part to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/asean-summit-laos-myanmar-south-china-sea-254fe0f7f8b484df5bdb05c0557fccd6">discuss</a> territorial tensions in the South China Sea. China has made expansive and legally dubious claims to nearly all of the sea, which is a major shipping route and boasts natural resources like fish and oil fields.Recent months have seen clashes between Chinese coast guard vessels and ones from the Philippines, including one <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/philippines-soldiers-bare-hands-fight-armed-china-coast-guard-swords-2024-6">encounter</a> where swords and knives were brandished and a Filipino soldier reportedly lost a thumb.Speaking at the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-the-asean-summit-with-the-united-states/">ASEAN summit</a>, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders that the US was concerned about China's "increasingly dangerous and unlawful" activities in the disputed waters."The United States will continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific," he added.The US is the only military with the size and sophistication to push back on China's forces, however, any US attempt to step up its role in the region could affect the delicate balance.Hunter Marston, a Ph.D. candidate in international relations at the Australian National University in the Coral Bell School of Asia-Pacific Affairs, said all 10 ASEAN countries have their own security interests and different views about the US' role in the region.While countries that keep close ties to the US, like Singapore, the Philippines, and to some extent Vietnam, would be "very" supportive of increased US security in the region, other countries that fear a larger US military presence in the South China Sea, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and perhaps Cambodia, would be "more vocally" opposed to it, he said.Another aspect is that China's wide claims don't directly affect Indonesia and Cambodia, meaning they have less to lose.<div type="image" title="An infographic of the disputed South China Sea on January 06, 2023." height="4138" width="5697" msid="114167294" hostid="261" sizebytes="390018"></div><h2 id="1c59d1ef-370d-4010-a9b6-a8ba1510690f">A bipartisan issue</h2>Ramping up the US security role in the South China Sea without upsetting the balance of power is "a challenge that dates back to at least the Bush administration," Marston said, referring to the administration of George W. Bush.Following 9/11, the Bush administration <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41311-023-00486-0#Fn5">stepped up</a> its security involvement in the region by strengthening the US military presence there and increasing diplomatic ties with key ASEAN nations.The Obama administration then pursued a policy of strategic "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/11/16/fact-sheet-advancing-rebalance-asia-and-pacific">rebalancing</a>," with the underlying <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/pafo.12115">goal</a> of preventing China from becoming the dominant power in the Asia-Pacific region.The Trump administration took a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.fpri.org/article/2020/08/from-pivot-to-defiance-american-policy-shift-in-the-south-china-sea/">harder line</a>, stepping up its freedom of navigation patrols, conducting naval exercises in the region, and at one point <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.csp.navy.mil/Media/News-Admin/Article/2186392/pacific-fleet-submarines-lethal-agile-underway/">deploying</a> all of its forward-deployed nuclear attack submarines into the Western Pacific.Marston said the Biden administration has adopted elements of Obama's policy and tried to ramp up diplomatic efforts and strengthen US alliances and security partnerships.Yet, China has remained undeterred in its efforts to dominate the contested islands, and has grown more aggressive in encounters with regional claimants, notably the Philippines."It's really plagued multiple administrations," Martson said.<h2 id="5c410507-89c1-4bdb-b90b-5027be104561">A polarized region</h2>Gregory B. Poling, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Southeast Asia Program and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, told BI that the South China Sea has served as a "wedge" within ASEAN because only four out of 10 countries have a direct stake in it."Frankly, a lot of them would rather the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia just give up their rights in order to make this issue go away so they can get back to trading and investing with China," he said.According to Chatham House's Hayton, increased US intervention could further split the alliance and also potentially drag the US into a conflict with China that jeopardizes Southeast Asian countries' economies.The US might be called in to help enforce <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/SSI-Media/Recent-Publications/Display/Article/3738629/war-with-china-a-view-from-early-2024/">freedom of navigation</a> or defend its partners in the event of a military confrontation between China and its neighbors.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-warships-could-protect-pacific-allys-ships-from-china-admiral-2024-8">Adm. Samuel Paparo</a>, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, hinted at this last August, saying the US could send ships to escort Philippine vessels in the South China Sea following clashes with China in recent months.Even without a boosted US presence, the US could be dragged into a regional confrontation via its partners.At a minimum, Hayton said a conflict would trigger disruptions to shipping, supply lines, and supply chains and hurt the region's economic growth, "even before we start to think about military actions."A conflict in the South China Sea — a critical trade route <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/rmt2016_en.pdf">estimated</a> to carry one-third of global shipping — could result in a 10-33% loss in GDP for Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia, according to a 2020 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28048/w28048.pdf">working paper</a> by the US National Bureau of Economic Research.<h2 id="aba6b3de-fedf-479e-9f6f-ff50a1a9a19a">Escalating tensions</h2>Tensions in the region have been escalating over the past few months, especially between China and the Philippines.A month after the armed encounter, China's largest coastguard vessel <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/beijings-monster-coastguard-ship-ramps-up-tensions-south-china-sea-2024-7">dropped anchor</a> in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, and in August, a Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://x.com/jaytaryela/status/1828077854539874574">said</a> China had deployed 40 vessels to block the delivery of supplies to its soldiers stationed in the contested Sabina Shoal.Earlier this week, the Philippines <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bfar.da.gov.ph/2024/10/09/da-bfar-statement-on-the-recent-ccg-water-cannon-incident-in-bajo-de-masinloc/">said</a> three Chinese Coast Guard vessels and a navy ship fired water cannons toward two civilian vessels while they were on a routine resupply mission in the West Philippine Sea.<div type="image" title="A Philippine coast guard vessel and a Chinese coast guard vessel during an incident in&#xa0;the South&#xa0;China&#xa0;Sea on August 19, 2024." height="1125" width="2000" msid="114167292" hostid="261" sizebytes="36066"></div>Poling described these as "the most violent months in the South China Sea since 1988," and added that the Philippines' "natural" response would be to seek help from its treaty ally, the US.Under a Mutual Defense <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20177/volume-177-I-2315-English.pdf">Treaty</a> signed in 1951, the US must come to the Philippines' aid in the event of an armed attack — something China has carefully avoided by conducting <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-taking-over-south-sea-us-not-stopping-experts-philippines-2024-9">gray-zone operations</a>.In an interview with CBS News <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/philippines-expects-us-to-intervene-if-china-takes-rusted-warship-2024-9">60 Minutes</a> last month, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro said that there were ongoing discussions about what scenarios would prompt the US to get involved.Meanwhile, according to Poling, China's official position is that everything the Philippines does is because the US made it do it."That's one of the things that makes this so hard to deescalate," he said.A war with China in the South China Sea is a prospect the US would likely want to avoid at all costs, given the ongoing conflicts raging in Ukraine and the Middle East."But there's no world in which the US can sit on the sidelines, watch China potentially kill Filipinos in Philippine waters, and do nothing," Poling added.

Efforts by the US to counter China in the South China Sea could backfire

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hurricane Milton devastated parts of Florida, hitting the wedding industry hard during peak season.</li><li>Makeup artist Jennifer Gaffney relies on weddings for her income, but many have been canceled.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on an interview with Jennifer Gaffney, a Tampa-based makeup artist who lost thousands in income due to wedding cancellations caused by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-landfall-florida-housing-market-insurance-fema-2024-10">Hurricane Milton.</a> The following has been edited for length and clarity.I'm <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/beauty-trends-hair-and-makeup-artist-never-follows-stop-doing-2024-7">a makeup artist</a>, and my main source of income is doing bridal makeup along the Florida coastline.I usually make the bulk of my money <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/things-not-to-do-wedding-day-makeup-according-to-makeup-artist-2022">doing weddings</a> at this time of year, and these earnings usually carry me through the slow winter months until spring, when the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/turning-weddings-into-vacations-less-money-wasted">wedding season</a> starts to get busy again.This also makes it particularly stressful when we have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-got-married-after-canceling-3-times-in-3-years-2022-10">wedding cancellations</a> during this period— even more so when they're widespread and unexpected, like during <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-helene-economy-gdp-damage-cost-rebuilding-florida-climate-2024-10">hurricanes.</a><h2 id="bb130caa-9315-494f-b305-4bdde4123460">Cancellations have cost me thousands of dollars</h2>Just two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene skirted our coastline near Tampa, damaging about 60% of the wedding venues that I work with. That was the start of it.But as soon as I knew <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-homeowner-milton-tearing-through-neighborhood-cant-sleep-2024-10">Hurricane Milton</a> was coming and that it would have a direct impact near Tampa and on the west coast of Florida, I knew the situation was about to get even worse for my business.I've had five cancellations already this week, but I anticipate dozens more.Three of those cancellations were specifically related to wedding venue closures. Two were because people were evacuated and just weren't going to be around.As of this week, I think I've already lost just shy of $3,000 in cancellations. I expect to lose close to $10,000, but I'm not sure exactly how much just yet.I already know that the cancellations mean this wedding season's earnings won't tide me over until spring and I'm going to have to find some other means of income to supplement what I'm going to lose and what I have already lost.<div type="image" title="Weather during Hurricane Milton." height="683" width="1024" msid="114127332" hostid="261" sizebytes="18844"></div>I charge a typically nonrefundable security deposit of one-third of the total quoted fee. However, during acts of nature, I don't feel right keeping that money when someone has been affected just as I have, and I'm not providing that service.If somebody requests that deposit back, I give it to them. So far, one bride has requested her deposit back.<h2 id="18947f07-ce85-4851-a167-6b3a073d48a9">As a single mom, I'm really concerned</h2>I've been fortunate that my business has been successful up until now, and I've usually fared well.But <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mom-staying-at-universal-studios-hotel-ready-for-hurricane-milton-2024-10">Hurricane Milton</a> has changed things, and it's going to have a major impact on my business.It's not just the lost income from cancellations. In this industry, you have to stay active, especially on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hottest-tiktok-makeup-trend-right-now-moo-deng-blush-2024-9">social media</a>, by constantly posting about your work, creating content, and so on.When you're not working and essentially going silent for weeks on end, you're not staying fresh in people's minds; marketing is delayed.I won't fully see the effects of that for a few months, but I'm already worried about how this will affect my business and the ripple effects it will have on my life.<div type="image" title="Jennifer Gaffney does a model's makeup." height="720" width="960" msid="114127328" hostid="261" sizebytes="37002"></div>As a single mom, I'm really concerned. I have four children — three teenagers and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gentle-parenting-didnt-work-neurodivergent-child-2024-7">a six-year-old with autism.</a>This will impact their Christmas. This is usually when I earn the money for their Christmas gifts and the holiday festivities.I'm also just scared about not being able to put food on the dinner table over the coming months. It's very scary as a mom.I've had so many friends and family ask how we're doing, and when I tell them I'm worried for my business, they say, "Oh, why?"When I explain to them the impact that it will have on our lives, they're blown away.Nobody thinks about their local makeup artist during a time like this.

I'm a Florida-based bridal makeup artist. Hurricane Milton has battered the wedding industry and cost me thousands.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hurricane Milton barreled into Florida's west coast Wednesday.</li><li>The storm made landfall as a category 3 hurricane.</li></ul>Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday evening as a Category 3 storm.The monster hurricane slammed into the state's west coast, near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, unleashing heavy winds and a flurry of tornadoes and threatening to further devastate an area still recovering from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.Milton had <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-timeline-see-storm-evolution-from-space-satellite-imagery-2024-10">"explosively" intensified</a> over the Gulf of Mexico into a Category 5 storm earlier this week, according to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml#Milton">National Hurricane Center</a>, spinning up peak winds of up to 180 mph. When it made landfall, Milton still pummeled the Tampa Bay area and southwest Florida with high winds reaching up to 120 mph and blanketed the state in heavy rain.The storm could also trigger widespread flooding and surges as high as 15 feet along the Florida coastline, which the National Hurricane Center has warned could be "catastrophic."Across the state, Floridians were racing to comply with evacuation orders, obtain gas from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-gas-stations-out-of-fuel-before-hurricane-milton-landfall-2024-10">depleted petrol pumps</a>, and bracing for lost power. Even in counties along Florida's eastern Atlantic coast, which was further from the storm's central eye, a series of dangerous tornadoes decimated some homes and sent residents seeking shelter.Dante Sacks, a 25-year-old resident of Parkland, a city in Broward County where conditions had begun to deteriorate by Wednesday evening, said roughly half a dozen of his loved ones spent most of the day Tuesday evacuating cities in the storm zone such as St. Petersburg, Siesta Key, and Fort Myers. He told Business Insider his aunts and uncles made it to Miami ahead of the storm's arrival after a "horrendous" drive, but had had no idea what kind of damage it could do to their homes."At the end of the day, we're just praying that all of our family is fine, that they've all evacuated, that their own homes are safe," he said.They left most of their possessions behind, he added, save for their clothes and electronic devices.Sacks estimated the damage to their properties could collectively reach into the millions and said the family was hoping insurance would cover the inevitable losses. It's created "an insane amount of stress," he said.<h2 id="cb0f97cb-2f4b-47ee-8e7f-0e434ae0b22c">Mounting damage rattles homeowners</h2>The region had made a last-minute push to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-milton-tampa-florida-desantis-clean-disaster-dangerous-2024-10">clean up remnant debris</a> from Helene — including fallen trees, drywall, appliances, and broken furniture — to prevent them from being turned into projectiles by Milton's ferocious winds and dangerous storm surge.The back-to-back storms could deal a serious blow to Florida's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-category-four-storm-real-estate-market-insurance-damages-2024-10">volatile real estate market</a>.Some homeowners in the Sunshine State previously <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-real-estate-worth-it-home-prices-insurance-hurricane-helene-2024-10">told Business Insider</a> after Helene smashed through the state that they were reconsidering whether to stay in the state. Homeowners have been grappling with increasing chances of catastrophic weather and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/housing-market-florida-texas-outlook-supply-buying-a-condo-prices-2024-9">skyrocketing insurance costs</a>.That said, hurricanes haven't significantly impacted housing prices yet, and Florida — despite being the most at-risk state for hurricanes — remains a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-are-people-moving-florida-home-prices-cost-of-living-2023-12">popular moving destination</a>.<h2 id="0f3b2505-1b58-4598-ae5a-3bee893342ba">FEMA is ready, but says hurricane season isn't over</h2>The succession of storms had raised concerns about government relief funding, with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas saying last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not have enough funding to last through the hurricane season, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-congress-fema-funding-5be4f18e00ce2b509d6830410cf2c1cb">The Associated Press reported</a>, which ends on Nov. 30.Earlier this month, President Joe Biden <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/10/04/letter-to-congress-on-disaster-needs/">wrote a letter to Congress</a> — which is in recess until after the election — urging it to allocate more resources to both FEMA and the Small Business Administration's (SBA) disaster loan program.FEMA <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20241007/federal-assistance-hurricane-helene-exceeds-210-million-fema-prepares-dual">insisted Monday</a> it had the "capacity to manage multiple simultaneous disasters," including Helene and Milton.But The New York Times <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/07/climate/hurricane-milton-fema-staff-shortage.html">reported</a> Tuesday the agency is facing staff shortages. In a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://fema.zoomgov.com/rec/play/U5um32M5ojucIR7mO9uv53IEp-9BTuamCEE-I6I_QKDR5CUJBmLRYsZtaeUu9lHYmZxHLHVfNJmB-rep.XmsX2-023nmblQV6?canPlayFromShare=true&amp;from=share_recording_detail&amp;continueMode=true&amp;componentName=rec-play&amp;originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffema.zoomgov.com%2Frec%2Fshare%2FLGj6-7DBUvEJMKfTZEsndTW24Wxre0zMFGtGJRSO6ZEzL4IrxMoNKXgXdWXCKo6v._UKK1hS8A5sNxU9Q">press briefing</a> Wednesday, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said the agency had 1,000 personnel already on the ground in Florida and had sent an additional 1,200 for search and rescue efforts in response to Milton.The agency also launched its own <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.fema.gov/disaster/current/hurricane-helene/rumor-response">fact-checking page</a> to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-relief-disinformation-misinformation-north-carolina-democrats-republicans-2024-10">combat misinformation</a>. It dispelled rumors spread by former President Donald Trump, including false claims that relief funds were being diverted to migrants and that disaster survivors would only receive $750.Criswell <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFbKHdKqCVc">told CNN</a> Tuesday she was concerned the rhetoric could convince people not to register for assistance.As for FEMA funding, Criswell noted during the briefing that there is currently $11 billion in its Disaster Relief Fund and said she's evaluating whether it will be necessary to ask Congress for more."The funding is there to support Helene and Milton," Criswell said. "What I want to make sure I have available is enough funding to support another event, considering that we are still in hurricane season."

Hurricane Milton slams into Florida, the latest blow to homeowners already reeling from Helene's destruction

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tampa General Hospital is bracing itself for Hurricane Milton with an AquaFence flood barrier.</li><li>The flood wall is made to withstand a storm surge of up to 15 feet above sea level.</li></ul>As <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-timeline-see-storm-evolution-from-space-satellite-imagery-2024-10">Hurricane Milton approaches</a> Florida's central-west coast, Tampa General Hospital, located on a low-lying man-made island, is bracing for disaster, and is preparing to put its flood defenses to the test.The hospital, home to the region's only Level I trauma center, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.tgh.org/news/tgh-press-releases/2024/october/tampa-general-hospital-implements-comprehensive-mitigation-plan-prepare-hurricane-milton">said in a news release</a> that it has deployed a water-impermeable flood barrier, known as an AquaFence, which is made to withstand a storm surge up to 15 feet above sea level.Although the fence was successful in protecting the hospital from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-gas-stations-out-of-fuel-before-hurricane-milton-landfall-2024-10">Hurricane Helene</a> a couple of weeks ago, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-airports-close-evacuation-flights-american-airlines-florida-2024-10">Hurricane Milton</a> may prove more challenging.According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/090854.shtml">National Hurricane Center</a>, Milton could generate storm surges as high as 15 feet — the limit of what the AquaFence is designed to endure.A storm surge is a large rise in seawater levels caused by a storm.Situated on Davis Islands and built in the 1920s from mud dredged from the bottom of Tampa Bay, the hospital is already in a high-risk flood zone, according to Hillsborough County's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://hcfl.gov/residents/public-safety/flooding/find-my-flood-zone">Flood Zone Lookup tool.</a>The county's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://hillsborough.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=960017149a5c40d0a43860aad988d2ec">Hurricane Evacuation Assessment Tool (HEAT)</a> places the hospital in Zone A, indicating that it is in an area that is particularly vulnerable to a storm surge.In a press conference on Tuesday, Tampa's mayor, Jane Castor, urged people in zones A and B to move to higher ground."Say you're in a single-story home," Castor said. "Twelve feet is above that house. So, basically, that's the coffin you're in."Jennifer Crabtree, the hospital's chief of staff, told the Tampa Bay Times that the AquaFence is just the "first line of defense" that has been implemented.AquaFence's flood defenses cost between $300 and $1,000 a linear foot, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-08/tampa-turns-to-flood-proof-fences-as-hurricane-milton-nears">according to Bloomberg</a>, and are in use in over two dozen states, including in areas prone to river flooding.Crabtree also told the newspaper that no patients or hospital staff would be on the first floor of the hospital's main campus during the storm.Erinn Skiba, the hospital's assistant director of public safety, said in the news release that the hospital has a "proactive and comprehensive" plan to protect itself.This includes an on-site central energy plant located 33 feet above sea level, an on-site well, and 5,000 gallons of water being stored at the hospital."Our fence around the Davis Islands campus is up, supplies are stocked at all hospital locations, and the teams stand ready to provide care through <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-world-shut-down-hurricane-milton-florida-orlando-parks-2024-10">Hurricane Milton,</a>" Skiba said.A previous <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://tbrpc.org/phoenix/">disaster-planning project,</a> modeled after a fictional "Hurricane Phoenix" that was more devastating than Milton is expected to be, highlighted Tampa General Hospital's vulnerabilities.Under the simulation, the fictional hurricane could have rendered bridges inaccessible and caused a storm surge to reach the second floor of the hospital.Tampa General Hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.Florida is bracing itself for the arrival of Milton, while still not having fully recovered from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-couple-lost-home-livelihood-home-insurance-medical-bills-2024-10">Hurricane Helene</a>, which made landfall on September 26 and caused widespread damage in the state.As of Tuesday, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2024/10/09/hurricane-helene-insurance-claims.html">the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported</a> that the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation had received nearly $1.1 billion in estimated insurance losses.

Tampa Bay's main hospital is built on a low-lying island. Hurricane Milton could push its defenses to the limits.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hurricane Milton has intensified into a Category 5 storm, the highest classification.</li><li>It's set to make landfall on Wednesday in Florida, which is still reeling from Hurricane Helene.</li></ul>Floridians are staring down the barrel of another serious storm.Hurricane Milton intensified into a Category 5 storm — the most severe classification — in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday. That's less than two weeks after <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/before-after-satellite-photos-hurricane-helene-destruction-florida-2024-10">Hurricane Helene</a> tore through the state along the Gulf Coast on its way into Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The severe flooding in those states stretched funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — and another storm could put further strain on the federal disaster agency.Milton reached peak wind speeds of 160 mph on Monday, according to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/152801.shtml?key_messages#contents">National Hurricane Center</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml#Milton">,</a> and is expected to create "a life-threatening storm surge" along Florida's west coast near Tampa Bay.Heavy rainfall beginning on Monday could result in moderate to major river flooding risks, the National Hurricane Center said.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.flgov.com/2024/10/06/memorandum-executive-order-number-24-215-emergency-management-amending-executive-order-24-214-tropical-storm-milton/">state of emergency for 51 counties</a> on Sunday, and millions of Floridians could soon be under orders to evacuate.DeSantis also said Monday that debris from Helene must be cleared to avoid being kicked up again by Milton, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-milton-helene-florida-557c5c512135e0a8661b298e45e17c92">The Associated Press reported</a>.Helene caused over 220 deaths, and Moody's Analytics estimates its damage could total between <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/analysts-estimate-up-to-34-billion-damage-from-hurricane-helene-2024-10">$20 billion and $34 billion</a>.The timing is problematic for federal agencies. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters last week that FEMA did not have enough funds to make it through hurricane season, which runs through the end of November, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-congress-fema-funding-5be4f18e00ce2b509d6830410cf2c1cb">the AP reported</a>.President Joe Biden suggested last week Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill, though members are not expected to return to Washington until after the election. In a letter to congressional leaders on Friday, Biden said FEMA has the resources it needs for the "immediate emergency response phase" in the wake of Helene but that the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program was on the verge of running out of money.And that was before Milton intensified in the Gulf Coast and threatened to deal Florida another crushing blow.The succession of weather events has also underscored the rising cost of home insurance <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-home-insurance-prices-premium-effect-from-hurricanes-2024-9">in Florida</a>, the most at-risk state for hurricanes, with premiums skyrocketing.While Florida remains one of the most popular states to move to, Business Insider previously reported that the high cost of insurance — and homes — has caused some to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-real-estate-worth-it-home-prices-insurance-hurricane-helene-2024-10">reconsider their residency in the state</a>.

Hurricane Milton, now a Category 5 storm, threatens an already battered Florida

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance reached a deal.</li><li>Port employers and striking dockworkers reached a tentative agreement on wages, according to a joint statement.</li></ul>More than <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/longshoremen-strike-leaves-east-and-gulf-coast-ports-shuttered-2024-9">45,000 striking port workers</a> at docks from Maine to Texas have suspended their strike until January 15, 2025, and will return to work on Friday while contract negotiations continue, the union and organization that represents the ports said in a Thursday statement.The International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance released a joint statement saying the two sides reached a tentative agreement on wages and had "agreed to extend the Master Contract" until January 15 of next year. Both sides will return to the bargaining table to hash out "all other outstanding issues," the statement said.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/03/business/port-strike-union-deal?cid=ios_app">CNN</a> and the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/longshoremen-strike-ports-dockworkers-agreement-86fac07d1189e11ca4816b2cbf37affb#https://apnews.com/article/longshoremen-strike-ports-dockworkers-agreement-86fac07d1189e11ca4816b2cbf37affb">Associated Press</a> were first to report the strike's end.Port employers offered workers a 62% wage increase over the next six years, The Wall Street Journal <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.wsj.com/business/logistics/port-operators-to-offer-62-raises-to-end-dockworkers-strike-a6032db5?st=4rx4Fk">reported</a>, leading to the first movement in months.The new wage offer is up from 50% following pressure from the White House, The Journal reported. The 62% increase would up the hourly rate for port workers from $39 to $63 in the coming years, according to the outlet.The union had demanded a 77% increase for the six-year contract period, a figure that would still put them below many of their West Coast port worker counterparts, according to <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/east-coast-port-strike-what-to-know/">CBS News.</a>Members of the International Longshoremen's Association walked off the job on Tuesday after failing to come to an agreement with the management group that represents shipping lines and port authorities.The two sides agreed Thursday that workers will suspend their strike until January to allow time to work out the specifics of a new contract, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/port-strike-dockworkers-union-automation-job-replacement-concerns-2024-10">including automation</a>, according to reports. The contract that expired earlier this week will be extended in the meantime, CNN reported.The three-day strike shuttered ports across the East and Gulf Coast, disrupting the supply chain and impacting consumer <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/consumer-products-most-likely-to-be-impacted-by-port-strike-2024-9">items like fruits and car parts.</a>The brewing economic crisis had also threatened to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-donald-trump-crises-middle-east-strike-hurricane-election-2024-10?mrfhud=true">upend the US presidential election</a> less than five weeks before Election Day.

Dockworkers on the East and Gulf Coasts have agreed to suspend the strike after reaching a deal for better pay

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Geologists say the East Coast could be in for more earthquakes in the weeks ahead.</li><li>There's also a slim chance of aftershocks with a similar or larger magnitude, the USGS said.</li></ul>Aftershocks could hit the East Coast following <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/earthquake-rattles-new-york-city-new-jersey-2024-4">Friday's 4.8 magnitude earthquake,</a> and millions of people in the region should prepare in the unlikely event the earthquake is bigger next time, the US Geological Survey said."There is a likely chance that there will be more felt earthquakes in the two or three range, and then a small chance that there could be another earthquake of similar or larger magnitude," Paul Earle, a seismologist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center, told reporters on Friday."You just need to be prepared," Earle added.Already, a magnitude 4.0 aftershock hit just before 6 p.m. ET, USGS confirmed Friday. Don't stand inside a doorway when an earthquake hits. It turns out that's just a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-do-during-earthquake-stand-in-doorway-myth-2024-4">survival myth</a>.Instead, you should drop where you are, cover your head and neck, ideally crawl under a table, and hold on until the shaking stops.<div type="image" title="graphic showing DROP! COVER! HOLD ON! protocol for earthquakes with a human figure dropping, crawling under a table, and holding onto the table leg" height="160" width="481" msid="109074341" hostid="261"></div>Possible aftershocks could be damaging."As a reminder, damaging earthquakes can occur in the future," Jessica Jobe, a research geologist with the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, said on Friday. "And no one can predict the exact time or place of any earthquake, including the aftershocks."One of the most important things you can do to prepare, Earle said, is to create an emergency plan.He said to be sure to move objects on shelves or walls that can fall on you, especially while you're sleeping. And, he added, have a plan for contacting your relatives in case of an emergency.When making your emergency plan with members of your household, you should map out your evacuation route, coordinate who will retrieve emergency supplies and where they will be located, and devise a reconnection plan if you are separated, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/home/how-to-prepare-for-an-earthquake#make-an-earthquake-emergency-plan-and-make-sure-your-family-commits-it-to-memory-1">Business Insider previously reported</a>.Another great step to prepare for an earthquake — or any emergency — is to assemble a "bugout bag" that should include things like a first aid kit, an emergency radio, flashlights, medicine, and a gas and water shutoff tool.In the event of a major quake, you should also keep at least one gallon of water per person on hand in case you become trapped in your home and lose access to your home's water supply.Having a fire extinguisher in your home and enough non-perishable food to last a few days is also valuable for emergency situations.The 4.8 earthquake that hit Friday was centered in New Jersey, about 30 miles west of Newark, but its effects were felt as far away as Boston, Philadelphia, and Maine.The USGS said it's uncommon to have earthquakes in the region, but not unexpected.It was the third-biggest quake ever recorded in New Jersey and the largest in the state in nearly 250 years, according to a <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.nj.gov/njoem/mitigation/pdf/2019/mit2019_section5-5_Earthquake.pdf">2019 earthquake mitigation report.</a>As of Friday afternoon, authorities hadn't reported any injuries or major structural damage caused by the quake.

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