Tropical Storm Bertha nears Louisiana landfall; wildfires hold at Preparedness Level 5 with 74 large fires; Northeast cleans up after flooding as extreme heat grips Texas

Tropical Storm Bertha closes in on a Wednesday night landfall in coastal Louisiana, with tropical storm warnings from the Florida Panhandle to the Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish line, 2 to 4 feet of surge possible near the mouth of the Mississippi River, and Louisiana’s State Emergency Operations Center on 24 hour operations. The nation holds at wildfire Preparedness Level 5 with 74 large fires, led by major evacuations in central Oregon and dozens of new lightning starts in northwest Montana. CISA adds four actively exploited vulnerabilities to its KEV catalog, the Northeast cleans up after tornado-watch storms that canceled more than 2,000 flights, extreme heat blankets Texas and Oklahoma, and the State Department issues a Worldwide Caution for U.S. travelers. EM Morning Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news. Produced by Sitch Radio, an EOC Voices podcast.Key Takeaways• Tropical Storm Bertha: Landfall expected Wednesday night in coastal Louisiana southeast of New Orleans; tropical storm warnings from the Florida Panhandle to Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish; 2 to 4 feet of surge possible; Louisiana SEOC on 24 hour operations.• Wildfire: Nation holds at Preparedness Level 5 with 74 large fires and nearly 19,400 personnel; evacuation orders in effect on central Oregon’s Coyote and Henry fires; lightning sparked dozens of new starts in northwest Montana.• Cyber: CISA added four vulnerabilities to the KEV catalog on July 21, including two WordPress Core flaws; prioritize patching.• Northeast severe weather: Tuesday’s storms put 29 million people under a tornado watch, flooded I-95 corridor roadways, and canceled more than 2,000 flights; cleanup and residual delays continue.• Extreme heat: Extreme Heat Warnings cover much of North and Central Texas with heat indices to 115; Oklahoma faces heat alerts most of the week.• Travel: State Department Worldwide Caution in effect for U.S. travelers citing Middle East tensions; overseas travelers should enroll in STEP.SponsorsThe NIMS Store - https://thenimsstore.com/Descript, Edit video by editing text - https://link.bcolburn.com/DB-DescriptESET, Cyber Security Progress. Protected. - https://refer.eset.com/hip7rSourcesTropical Storm Bertha• NHC Public Advisory 9: Tropical Storm Bertha watches, warnings, surge and rainfall forecast• AP via ABC News: Beaches closed and sandbags filled as Bertha approaches the Gulf Coast• NPR via WWNO: Bertha moves along the Gulf Coast, damage expected to be limitedWildfire• NIFC Incident Management Situation Report: National situation report for July 21, 2026• NIFC National Fire News: Daily national fire activity summary• Capital Press: Wildfire officials max out preparedness level as activity jumpsCISA• CISA Alert: CISA adds four Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to catalog, July 21, 2026USGS Volcanoes• USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory: Great Sitkin daily update, July 21, 2026• USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: Kilauea volcano updatesTravel advisories• U.S. Department of State: Worldwide Caution for U.S. travelers• UPI: State Department issues worldwide travel warning for AmericansFEMA• FEMA Press Releases: Disaster Recovery Center opening in Avoyelles Parish and other July 21 announcementsNortheast severe weather• ABC News: Over 2,000 flights canceled as severe storms hit NortheastHeat• NWS Fort Worth/Dallas: Extreme Heat Warning for North and Central Texas• Houston Public Media: Houston and Southeast Texas face dangerously high heat• KENS 5: Extreme heat to grip South Texas on Wednesday• KOKH Oklahoma City: Heat alerts expected most days this week in OklahomaArizona• NWS Tucson: Monsoon thunderstorms and flash flood risk in southeast ArizonaAlabama• Alabama Public Radio: Mobile and Eastern Shore brace for the effects of Tropical Storm BerthaFlorida• WCJB: Lawtey under boil water notice after chlorine system issueLouisiana• GOHSEP News: State Emergency Operations Center activity and Bertha preparedness• KATC: State Emergency Operations Center activated for Tropical Storm BerthaMontana• The Western News: Lightning strikes spur fire crews into action in northwest MontanaOregon• Central Oregon Fire Information: Coyote, Henry, Pilot, Connant and Crooked fires update, July 21, 2026• Central Oregon Fire Information: Brewer and Box Springs fires update, July 21, 2026