Health officials' floodwater warning, YWCA seeks donations, Fauci contempt vote: Sunrise Brief

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Top stories: Health officials' floodwater warning, YWCA seeks donations, Fauci contempt vote

1. Norfolk health officials are warning of bacteria and chemicals in Tuesday’s floodwaters, with exposure remaining a risk without swallowing the water.

   Norfolk health officials warn of bacteria, chemicals in Tuesday's floodwater

   Marcie Snyder, an environmental health supervisor with the Norfolk Department of Public Health, said stormwater can pick up sewage, waste and other pollutants as it moves through neighborhoods and drainage systems. "After a heavy rain event, a lot of times we see a heavy build up of enterococcus bacteria. It's a bacteria found in fecal contaminates," Snyder said.

   The danger doesn't stop with bacteria. Floodwater can also carry chemicals from vehicles, homes and yards, creating hazards people may not realize they're walking through. "It can be contaminants from chemicals from automobiles… whatever type of paint thinners, things people have in their yards," Snyder said.

   Exposure can happen even without swallowing the water. Snyder said bacteria and contaminants can enter the body through something as small as a scrape or cut. Health officials further recommend those exposed to floodwater to watch for symptoms over the next few days, as bacterial and viral illnesses may not be symptomatic at first, and to seek medical care if you begin feeling sick.

2. The YWCA of South Hampton Roads is urgently asking for donations after one of its main sources of funding was put on hold by the federal government.

   YWCA of South Hampton Roads urgently seeks donations after federal funding put on hold

   Funding through the Family Violence Prevention Services Act is now on hold at the request of the federal government. The organization, which shelters women and children fleeing domestic violence across Hampton Roads, says it could last about three months without community support.

   The YWCA is urgently seeking cleaning, kitchen, laundry, and hygiene supplies. CEO of YWCA of South Hampton Roads Michelle Ellis Young said whatever the organization spends now, it will not recover when funding resumes. She said the shelter is currently out of several essential items. "We are depleted right now on laundry detergent, we are depleted on items for our kitchen," Ellis Young said. "Food supplies are fine because we get to partner with our partners at the food bank and other agencies."

   The shelter operates 22 rooms and houses about 59 individuals at any given time across the Hampton Roads region. Neither Ellis Young nor Williams-Rumbley knows when the federal funding will resume.

   Financial donations are also accepted. Supplies can be dropped off at 1003 Norfolk Square, Suite B in Norfolk. A full list of needed donations and more information can be found here.

3. A Senate subcommittee investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci has obtained a copy of his iPhone, a spokesperson for the panel’s chair, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, told CNN on Wednesday.

   The Department of Health and Human Services provided the phone to Johnson’s panel, the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, ahead of a planned vote on Thursday to hold the retired scientist in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify at a hearing last week.

   Johnson’s possession of a copy of the phone – which Fauci used during his time as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – could boost congressional Republicans’ efforts to probe and potentially attack Fauci and his actions during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Hopefully, this device will address many of the questions he refused to answer at last week’s hearing,” Johnson wrote on social media Wednesday night.

   Last week, Fauci invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination more than 100 times throughout the high-profile and often-contentious hearing that Republicans had hoped would open him up to claims of perjury – after a yearslong investigation aimed at validating Sen. Rand Paul’s and other Republicans’ belief that Fauci orchestrated a cover-up of the origins of the coronavirus.

This morning's weather: Several days feeling like the triple digits

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says hot & humid today with highs in the low 90s and an afternoon heat index near 100. We will see mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies with a “pop-up” shower or storm possible.

More of the same tomorrow with highs in the low 90s and a heat index to 100+. Expect a nice mix of sun and clouds with a slim chance for a shower/storm.

The hot and humid stretch continues through the weekend. Expect highs in the low to mid 90s with heat indices reaching 100 to 105. An isolated shower/storm is possible (20 to 30% chance).

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.

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