Image courtesy Natural Disasters by Nina Bort via SlideShare Thanksgiving week 2019 is a difficult time for many on both sides of the United States. Hurricanes this summer devastated lives and property in parts of the South and Eastern Seaboard. This fall Californians are dealing with deadly wildfires. Those of us who can help our less fortunate neighbors have many options, from the usual national charities that hit the ground in disaster areas to regionally specific nonprofits. The Internal Revenue Service is helping in its way, too. Hurricane Florence help in more of Virginia: This month, the IRS extended its... Read more →
Weather
Updated Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 Smoke from the Camp, Hill and Woolsey fires now burning in California as seen via NASA satellite images. Earthquakes have been displaced as the most feared nature disaster in California. Wildfires, which once again are ravaging the Golden State, now are the biggest perennial natural threat, as evidenced by the latest rash of devastating and deadly flame outbreaks. Firefighters are battling three wildfires across the state. The Camp Fire, named after Camp Creek Road, is now the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. As of Monday, Nov. 12, morning, the fire was responsible... Read more →
Texas, according to veteran Lone Star State meteorologists, is the land of perennial drought, broken by the occasional devastating flood. Such flooding occurred today, opening up the possibility that parts of the Texas Hill Country could be deemed major disaster areas. If that happens, affected property owners can claim their losses on their tax returns. Mansfield dam image Excessive rainfall has produced devastating flooding in Central Texas, forcing area officials to open floodgates at local dams. The amount of water flowing into area rivers and lakes is so heavy that even Mansfield Dam in Austin, the structure that holds back... Read more →
UPDATE, Oct. 15: Additional areas in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia now receive tax relief in connection with Hurricanes Florence and Michael. Details below. Monday, Oct. 15 is a big tax day for millions. The Internal Revenue Service says more than 14 million taxpayers requested added time to complete their 2017 tax returns. While not all of them put off that tax task until the very last minute, it's a safe bet that a lot did. If' you're among that group of uber-procrastinators, I wish you well in getting the job done by tomorrow. The tax and... Read more →
Port St. Joe on Florida's Panhandle was hard hit by Hurricane Michael. Residents of this small Gulf County, Florida, town now are eligible for special tax relief. (Photo courtesy Florida National Guard via Facebook) As expected, the Internal Revenue Service is giving Hurricane Michael victims extra time to take care of tax tasks that the deadly storm interrupted. The eligible taxpayers now have until Feb. 28, 2019, to file returns, pay taxes and perform certain other time-sensitive acts that had original or extended deadlines between Oct. 7 and the new filing due date next year. Extension deadline considerations: The IRS'... Read more →
Hurricane Michael is bearing down on the panhandle of Florida. It's expected to make landfall It made landfall this afternoon, possibly as category 4 strength (or stronger; wind instruments blew away before getting final readings), a speed at which it's been churning up the Gulf of Mexico for almost half a day. It's too late to evacuate, so I hope folks have found secure places to hunker down. And while I know no one is thinking about taxes when a hurricane is heading their way. The Internal Revenue Service was far from the hubby's and my minds back in 2004... Read more →
The Internal Revenue Service acted quickly in announcing tax relief for Hurricane Florence victims. As the flood waters continued to build, it expanded its relief beyond its initial disaster coverage area. Read on for more on IRS actions and how you can follow Uncle Sam's example and lend assistance to those dealing with the deadly storm. Deer brave a Hurricane Florence flooded road in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in search of higher, drier ground. (Screen shot of NBC News Twitter video) As expected, the Internal Revenue Service has announced that some folks in Hurricane Florence's path will received special consideration when... Read more →
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) view of Hurricane Lane near Hawaii via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click image to watch the radar loop. Hawaii, it's Big Island already soaked by Hurricane Lane's rains, is bracing for a very near miss from the biggest weather threat to the Aloha State in decades. The storm, which hit category 5 strength earlier this week before settling in at a still very dangerous category 4, could come close to the islands of Oahu, Molokai and Maui on today and Saturday. Even without making landfall, Lane's size and rainfall reach could,... Read more →
California wildfire smoke plumes as seen from space. (Photo courtesy NASA Earth Observatory) California wildfires that have claimed at least nine lives continue to rage. The Mendocino Complex fire has surpassed the 2017 Thomas fire to become California's largest fire on record. As of Aug. 7, the fire had charred 460 square miles, an area about the size of New York City. Meanwhile, the Carr fire near Redding torched more than 1,000 homes, making it the Golden State's sixth most destructive fire on record. Firefighters are doing their best to douse flames, but they're getting no help from Mother Nature.... Read more →
It's hot. Not just here in Texas, but across the United States. In fact, around the world. That means we all need to be careful. More careful than the hubby, who decided to mow our yard yesterday. And not during the relative cooler morning when temperatures were in the 80s, but in the afternoon when the thermometer nudged 100 and it felt even hotter. It wiped him out for the rest of the day and evening. I love my man, but I guess it's true that the heat does make us do dumb things. Deadly heat: Excessive heat also tends... Read more →
Taxpayers from three hurricane-affected U.S. islands must file their 1040s — and possibly Form 8898 — by this Friday, June 29. If that's not possible, these affected U.S. residents still can file for an extension by tomorrow to get three and a half more months. The community of Miñi Miñi, Puerto Rico, was flooded after the Carraizo Dam released water to deal with the deluge from Hurricane Maria. The category 4 hurricane tore through the U.S. island territory on Sept. 20, 2017. (Photo by Yuisa Rios/FEMA) Sorry for the late alert U.S. taxpayers who are residents of the country's islands,... Read more →
It's June! That means summer is here, both temperature-wise (more like mid-summer here in Texas!) and officially later this month. The arrival of the Summer Solstice — it's June 21 this year — is just one of the many special days in this sixth month of the year. There's Father's Day, Flag Day, D-Day, Juneteenth and, of course, the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. Then we have (or had) Doughnut Day (that was last Friday, June 1), Chocolate Ice Cream Day, International Yoga Day and for pet lovers, separate cat (today, June 4, is Hug Your Cat Day) and... Read more →
The 2018 Atlantic basin tropical storm season, which began early with Alberto's late May arrival, is now officially here. Get ready for possible storms. And note that tax law changes mean you might not get any tax help with your recovery efforts this year. Remember this? A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite caught Hurricanes Katia and Irma and Tropical Storm Jose (left to right) lining up on Sept. 8, 2017. Mother Nature has her own calendar. She ignored today's official start of the 2018 Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico hurricane season by, in late May, creating Tropical Storm Alberto. That storm... Read more →
A tropical system off of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula is expected to move north over the Memorial Day weekend. (The Weather Channel screenshot) The 2018 tropical storm season has arrived a bit early. Officially, the Atlantic (and Gulf of Mexico) hurricane season doesn't start each year until June 1. But the weather gods operate on their own schedules, so we often get early forming storms. That's the current situation. A tropical system has developed off the eastern coast of Yucatan, Mexico, and is expected to move north, ruining the Memorial Day weekend for thousands of Gulf Coast residents and vacationers. Depending... Read more →
Winter will just not let go this year. The Northeast has been pummeled by three northeasters in 11 days. The consecutive blizzards make everything difficult, including doing taxes. That's why the Internal Revenue Service is giving businesses affected by the storms some extra time. Business returns are due Thursday, March 15. If, however, those filers cannot get their tax year 2017 taxes done by then, the IRS says they can request an automatic extension by filing Form 7004, on or before Tuesday, March 20. Form 7004, available on IRS.gov, provides a six-month extension to complete the Forms 1065 and 1065-B... Read more →
Here in Central Texas, many of us have been complaining (guilty!) about the dreary patch of weather that's settled over the area. Yes, we can be whiny, especially when you look at really severe conditions elsewhere in the United States. Some Alabamans also are thinking about weather this weekend, but in a forward looking way. The Yellowhammer State's severe weather preparedness sales tax holiday kicked off yesterday, Friday, Feb. 23, and runs through Sunday, Feb. 25. During this time, Alabama's 4 percent state sales tax is waived on eligible purchases. Many cities and counties also have chosen to participate in... Read more →
Aerial view on Oct. 9 of a damaged home in the mountainous area of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Maria, many homes, businesses, roads and bridges suffered major damages due to strong winds and heavy rain. (Photo by Andrea Booher, FEMA) To borrow from James Taylor's plaintive classic, the Internal Revenue Service has seen fire and rain and is making tax accommodations for Americans having to deal with those disastrous aftermaths. Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, pummeling the U.S. territory with category 5 force. Three weeks later, many of the island's 3.4 million residents are... Read more →
UPDATE, Sep. 19: Hurricane Maria is heading for Puerto Rico today as, says the island's governor, the "potentially most catastrophic hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in a century." UPDATE, Sept. 18: The National Hurricane Center has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the MidAtlantic and New England Coasts. Specifically, effects of Hurricane Jose are expected to be felt in Fenwick Island to Sandy Hook, Delaware Bay South, East Rockaway Inlet to Plymouth, Block Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Weather officials also warn that rip currents are a danger along the entire U.S. east coast. Meanwhile, Hurricane Maria is following Irma's... Read more →
UPDATE CUBED, Oct. 8, 2018: And so the 2018 tropical storm season continues. Michael has become a hurricane and, as of this morning, looks to be heading straight for the Florida Panhandle. UPDATE OF UPDATE, Sept. 10, 2018: Florence, as of Sept. 10, is projected to make landfall later this week, possibly as a category 4 hurricane. Helene and Isaac, which is the name given TD9 over the weekend, also have or will grow to hurricane strength and could essentially follow the same path. UPDATE, Sept. 7, 2018: The September 2018 hurricane season is starting to heat up. Three systems... Read more →
People are still being rescued in flooded Houston, so very few — even those who made it through Hurricane Harvey relatively unscathed — are thinking about taxes right now. But when they do begin to face rebuilding their post-storm lives, one of the things they'll have to deal with is taxes. A Texas National Guard soldier rescues a woman from her Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston neighborhood. (Photo by 1Lt. Zachary West, 100th MPAD, via Flickr Creative Commons) The Internal Revenue Service has some good news for folks in Houston and its flooded surroundings, as well as those in other areas... Read more →