In response to the recent tornadoes and floods, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering U.S. Department of Treasury disaster loans to small business owners affected by the natural disasters. Financial assistance is available to those who are located in an area President Obama has issued a natural disaster declaration.

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Memphis police officers were in full force as they knocked on the doors of about 1,000 homes today to instruct Tennessee residents to evacuate. The reason: the Mississippi River and its tributaries are expected to inundate area homes and businesses with near-record flooding. The predicted floods are likely to affect the states of Missouri, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, where White River-area residents also received evacuation orders.

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Tornadoes and storms continued to pummel the South over the weekend, wreaking havoc in 25 North Carolina counties. South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland also issued scattered tornado reports. The North Carolina twisters claimed the lives of 21 people and seriously injured 130 throughout the state, and President Obama has already pledged his support to Governor Beverly Perdue.

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Residents in an Ontario condominium recently had a tricky situation from which they needed to escape. The homes were not filled with smoke and flames. Instead, the floors in several units were covered with scalding, hot water. TheSpec.com reports that hot water flooded the sixth floor down to the second level of the parking garage.

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The traditional method to fight fires is with water, special foams, powders and other chemical substances. Harvard University’s Whitesides Research Group, however, have created a “wand” that harnesses the power of electric fields to control flames. This new technology could help reduce the environmental threats and water damage caused by traditional flame tamers.

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