STAMFORD, CT (WFSB) – Americares is sending supplies down to tornado-ravaged Alabama.
The organization said it will deliver cleaning supplies, hygiene kits, bottled water and other items for the survivors of the tornadoes.
According to officials, 23 people were killed, including children, when an EF-4 tornado touched down in Lee County, AL on Sunday.
It was described as one of the worst tornado outbreaks in years.
“Our hearts go out to the families who lost homes and loved ones in this devastating storm,” said Brian Scheel, Americares director of emergency response.
“We are working closely with food banks serving as aid distribution centers in hard-hit communities and are prepared to provide additional supplies as needed.” Americares’ Emergency Response Team is coordinating with Feeding America to send relief supplies to the Food Bank of East Alabama in Auburn, AL and the Feeding the Valley Food Bank in Columbus, Ga.
The shipments include over 2,000 hygiene kits for survivors displaced by the disaster.
To make a donation to Americares, head here.

(CBM) – The shortage and contamination of water in California is hitting millions of people hard, particularly Blacks and Latinos.
More than 300 communities across the state and one out of every four schools in the Central Valley lack access to safe drinking water, according to the state Water Board.
Gavin Newsom is calling for a new water tax.
The “safe and affordable drinking water fund” Gov.
Newsom is proposing in his 2019-2020 state budget, is slated to assist low-income or disadvantaged communities.
William “Bill” Patterson, the Vice President of the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) Board of Directors, knows the water problem well.
Crowfoot said the water tax “breaks up into two parts,” one part agriculture and the other residential and business.
On the agriculture side, imposing a fee on fertilizers, dairy, and livestock would generate about $30 million each year.
“California is stepping up to ensure all residents have clean and safe water,’” Crowfoot said.
ACWA suggests that there are alternative ways of generating the $110 million needed for the fund.

An emergency repair to Fort Lauderdale’s water system prompted the city to issue a boil-water notice Sunday night.
The city is urging residents on the east side of Hendricks Isle, from number 28 to 535, to boil all water before ingesting it, using it for cooking, brushing teeth or washing dishes.
“A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient,” the city said in a notice.
“As an alternative, bottled water may be used.” Residents with questions should call 954-828-8000.
The city said the measure is precautionary and did not detail the reason for the repairs.
It is also unclear how long the boil-water requirement will last.
Officials will lift it when bacteria tests show the water is safe to drink, the city said.
Two maintenance projects prompted notices along coastal parts of the city last month and a notice will be in effect near Fort Lauderdale beach later this week.
Two water main breaks closed off city roads in December on the city’s west end and on the north side.

Canadians across the country have filed complaints about possibly contaminated bottled water.
Canadians all across the country have been complaining for years of store-bought bottled water that tastes like “old socks” and smells of “urine”.
Other organizations have been found guilty of ignoring water safety standards altogether.
An operator who worked at Shield Natural Spring Water, located in the Toronto area, failed their safety inspection entirely, according to a report published by CBC.
The facility reportedly lacked necessities such as a handwashing station and a bathroom.
A Brampton company also found itself under investigation after at least five formal complaints filed by consumers in Manitoba led Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) investigators to the facility.
The company was accused of selling bottles of water that tasted like "old socks".
"We concluded that the unusual odour was from additional moisture on the bottles from rinsing prior to being packaged into cases.… Incidents such as this one are isolated," company spokesperson Shannon Denny stated about the situation, according to CBC.
A water company In Prince Edward Island was discovered to have high levels of bacteria in its water back in 2015.
Bottled water has long been criticized for both health and environmental reasons, and if incidents like these can fly under the radar, it may be time to switch to a more environmentally-friendly alternative.

Video BAGLEY – Three weeks ago, a home owner in Bagley reached out to Local 5 On Your Side, concerned about the town’s water.
But over the weekend, Bagley sent out a water advisory for everyone in town because of elevated manganese levels.
So, we went to figure out exactly what was going on.
Reminders sit above and beside the sink in Pat Smith’s Bagley kitchen.
"I have no idea what it is."
"We would like to see them lower than they are right now."
"If my daughter hadn’t lived next door, I would have been stranded till I called someone," said Smith.
Sheets never uses the tap to drink anyway, so this advisory doesn’t worry her.
said Smith.
Right now, the Department of Public Health says the water concentrations would have to be far higher for there to be any genuine safety concerns.

Updated, February 25, 2019 The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has released results of a 2018 state-wide sampling of public, school and tribal water supplies for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
Of 1,114 public water systems, 119 have been found to contain some level of PFAS.
The study cost $1.7 million.
According to the DEQ press release, only the city of Parchment and Robinson Elementary School near Grand Haven returned levels "exceeding the […] 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) individually or combined in drinking water."
In August of 2018, the city of Parchment was connected to Kalamazoo’s municipal water system.
This map shows locations where PFAS has been detected in public water supplies.
Full testing data, including for schools, daycares and Head Start programs, can be found on the state’s PFAS response website.
Original post, Oct. 4, 2018: This spring, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality set out to test 1,300 public water systems for PFAS.
Only twice has it tested over the action level of 70 parts per trillion — once at astronomical levels in the City of Parchment, where a State of Emergency was declared before water quality could be restored — and once at 72 parts per trillion in *one* of the City of Kalamazoo’s pumping stations (this was deemed to not be cause for concern, and also, this was total PFAS, whereas the action level only applies to PFOA and PFOS).
The state is projected to finish this testing in November, and Michigan Radio will update the map as test results continue to be released.

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ala. — Troubles aren’t over yet for people living in Cherokee County.
Water levels are falling, but the damage is already done.
A new concern is on drinking well water.
The Alabama Department of Public Health is asking people who live around Weiss Lake to keep their own safety in mind.
"They’re just urging residents in the flooded areas, especially persons living around the lake where there has been a lot of flash flooding to make sure and test your water wells before consuming the water," Joey Weaver, Public Information Officer for the Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency said.
The Cherokee County Health Department has kits to test well water.
"They’re asking that you just test your well water first before you consume it, give it to your pets, certainly, use it for cooking or anything like that," Weaver explained.
Until well water is tested, people should only drink bottled water or water that’s been boiled for one minute.
The Alabama Department of Health says people put themselves at risk for disease when eating or drinking anything contaminated by flood water.
Any open cuts or sores exposed to flood water should be cleaned well.

Under the ban, bottled water will no longer be sold in vending machines, food outlets or shops on campus, instead, students and staff were handed free reuseable water bottles.
He said there were already several drinking water stations on campus, with more to be installed in the future.
Morwell FedUni student and residential mentor Jacinta Morgan said most students were on the ball when it came to the issue of single use plastic.
"I’ve noticed in classes that almost everyone has a bottle and they reuse their bottles, and now every resident has a free bottle, I’ve seen them everywhere."
Student Senate Sustainability representative Francis Licciardi said it was exciting that the university was taking real action on sustainability.
"Having the water bottle refill stations on campus is a fantastic idea.
It makes it easier for students to do the right thing for the environment without causing any financial stress," he said.
Campus life director Colin Marshall said it was up to universities to practice what they preached around sustainability.
"On one hand we have researchers doing world leading environmental research but on the other, we’re selling plastic water bottles that pollute our waterways," Mr Marshall said.
"We have some of the best tap water in the world so there’s simply no need to buy bottled water and as a university, we need to be part of the war on waste and help change people’s behaviour."

The festival is making the change in a bid to reduce waste Glastonbury organisers have announced that single-use plastic bottles will not be available at the 2019 edition of the festival.
Read more: Glastonbury 2019: headliners rumours, bookies odds and everything we know so far No plastic bottles will be on sale at the Worthy Farm event, which takes place between June 26-30, while the vessels will also not be supplied in any of the festival’s backstage, production, catering, or dressing room areas.
While festival-goers won’t be stopped from bringing plastic bottles on site, they are being encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle with them, which can be refilled at the numerous water taps across the site.
Free drinking water will also be available from every bar.
For those wishing to purchase drinks, canned soft drinks and canned Life Water will be available to purchase in place of bottled beverages.
I really hope that everyone – from ticket-holder to headliner – will leave Worthy Farm this year knowing that even small, everyday changes can make a real difference.
It’s now or never.” Yesterday (February 26), it was reported that Glastonbury had been given permission to increase its capacity to 210,000 people as long as the extra attendees travel by public transport.
Meanwhile, Eavis previously gave updates on the festival site, saying the Arcadia team were working on a new area and new design, Bloc 9 would be expanding with a “mind-blowing” new installation, and a new area would be introduced to The Park.
The Cure and The Killers are currently the bookies’ favourites to fill the other two main headline slots.
Kylie Minogue and Janelle Monáe have also been confirmed to perform at the festival, while Lizzo recently told NME that she would be appearing too.

LAKE TOWNSHIP — The Stark County Metropolitan Water District is advising residents to boil water before using it due to the possibility of disease-causing organisms having entered the Lake Township water supply.
Officials say the illness-causing organisms may have been introduced to the water supply through a “low-pressure event.” The water boil advisory has been issued for residents from Brumbaugh to Pontius Street and east and west to Hoover Estates and Edison Street.
Residents should take note of the following: DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.
Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for at least one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water.
Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice.
Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly people may be at increased risk.
These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
The water district says it has no evidence that the water system has been contaminated, but “the possibility, however, does exist that the water system is contaminated and is issuing this advisory as a precaution.” The district says it is investigating the issue and taking steps to correct the problem.
Anyone who requires additional information may call the water district at 330-451-2320.