Agencies

Disaster Recovery Center in Carroll County To Close Permanently; Help is Still Available

Published: 30 June 2025
Categories: FEMA News

RSS feed source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

FRANKFORT, Ky. –The Disaster Recovery Center in Carroll County is scheduled to close permanently June 28 at 7 p.m. Kentucky survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides can still apply for FEMA assistance. The Disaster Recovery Center in Carroll County is located at:  

Carrollton Utilities Operations, 900 Clay St., Carrollton, KY 41008  

Working hours for this center are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, June 28.

Disaster Recovery Centers are one-stop shops where you can get information and advice on available assistance from state, federal and community organizations. You can get help to apply for FEMA assistance, learn the status of your FEMA application, understand the letters you get from FEMA and get referrals to agencies that may offer other assistance. The U.S. Small Business Administration representatives and resources from the Commonwealth are also available at the Disaster Recovery Centers to assist you.

FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible. The deadline to apply is July 25.

Although the Carroll County DRC is closing, you can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance. No appointment is needed. To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema.gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362. 

You don’t have to

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Superconducting material stabilized at everyday pressure, another step toward real-world applications

Published: 25 June 2025
Categories: National Science Foundation

RSS feed source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

U.S. National Science Foundation-funded researchers have stabilized a composite material in a superconducting state at ambient or normal, everyday pressure. Their technique, called the “pressure-quench protocol,” offers a new approach for exploring and developing superconducting materials. Superconducting materials have the potential to enable highly efficient electronic devices and minimal energy loss in power grids.

Superconducting materials typically exhibit zero electrical resistance only at very low temperatures or very high pressures, depending on the material. Researchers at the University of Houston overcame these limitations by using their pressure-quench technique to stabilize a composite of bismuth, antimony and tellurium in a superconducting state under ambient pressure. This study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also included contributions from researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Illinois Chicago.

Credit: Liangzi Deng and Ching-Wu Chu

A multi-purpose measurement device used in the pressure-quenching experiments can reach a temperature of 1.2 degrees Kelvin (-457 degrees Fahrenheit).

The new protocol also opens up a new way to explore material phases that usually exist only under extreme pressure. “It should help our search for superconductors with higher transition temperatures,” says Paul Ching-Wu Chu, a study author and professor of physics at the University of Houston.

“The technique used in this study not only demonstrates potential

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Chemical process more efficiently converts carbon dioxide to methanol, a chemical used in manufacturing and a potential fuel

Published: 25 June 2025
Categories: National Science Foundation

RSS feed source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

A new chemical process funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation has produced methanol — a type of alcohol essential for manufacturing many common products and a potential fuel source — more efficiently than ever before. The method generates methanol from carbon dioxide nearly 66% more efficiently than the next best approach.

The process uses a dual combination of nickel- and cobalt-based compounds as a catalyst on nanotubes, where multiple chemical reactions and electricity convert carbon dioxide to methanol. More of the C02 is transformed into methanol and with comparatively less electricity consumption, making the overall process more efficient. The findings are published in Nature Nanotechnology by a team of scientists spanning Yale University, Oregon State University and The Ohio State University.

“Methanol is a flexible chemical feedstock that is used for hundreds of common products including plastics, chemicals and solvents,” says Alvin Chang, an OSU doctoral student and coauthor on the study. By improving methanol production, scientists could make it faster, cheaper and with less waste.

Methanol is being explored as a low-cost fuel for generating electricity, powering ships, supplementing gasoline for automobiles and more. In addition to using C02 from the atmosphere, the process could enable methanol production from plentiful agricultural and municipal waste.

Having steady access to such a versatile and renewable resource could transform many aspects of daily life, including the transportation

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