Next Thursday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will begin testing a system that allows President Trump to send messages to most U.S. cellphones. 

All the major wireless carriers and over 100 mobile providers are participating in the roll out, FEMA stated in a message posted on its website Thursday. 

"The EAS [Emergency Alert System] is a national public warning system that provides the President with the communications capability to address the nation during a national emergency," FEMA said.

The test message will have a header that reads "Presidential Alert," according to the agency.

The wireless emergency alerts (WEA) system was authorized by Congress in 2015 under a law that states the "system shall not be used to transmit a message that does not relate to a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster or threat to public safety."

Eversource announced it was sending crews from Connecticut to Massachusetts to provide assistance help in the wake of gas explosions that ignited fires in three towns Thursday, forcing several neighborhoods to evacuate. A teen died when the chimney from a house that exploded landed on his car.

Then, on Friday afternoon, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts and put Eversource in charge of the response.  

Eversource is sending gas crews and equipment to support the communities and Columbia Gas. The response team will include 133 people, two emergency communications trailers and a mobile command unit. 

Eversource said its systems are not connected to the Columbia Gas system and continue to operate safely. 

The company is urging natural gas customers to review and follow these safety tips: 

• Be aware that some natural gas heating systems may be impacted in the event of a power interruption. All customers should be prepared in case they lose their heating source 
• Keep natural gas meters, all gas appliances and outdoor vents clear to maintain safe operation and access
• Install carbon monoxide detectors and check the batteries routinely
• Do not use a gas stove as a heating source – only use approved heating sources
• If you smell a gas odor in any home or business, move to a safe location and call 911 immediately

Find more safety tips here.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's decision to plead guilty and cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller could be a game-changer for Mueller investigation and dramatically ratchets up the pressure on the president, NBC News reported.

Even vigorous Trump defender Alan Dershowitz acknowledged on MSNBC Friday that the Manafort plea was a "big win" for Mueller that potentially "opens up lots of doors that probably haven't been open before."

Legal experts say it could lead directly to Trump's deepest secrets.

Because Trump isn't known to use email, Mueller is unlikely to find Trump's name on a smoking-gun document as he investigates whether the campaign coordinated with Russians interfering in the 2016 election. But Manafort sat in on crucial meetings, like the infamous one with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower, and can testify about all of it.

If there was a conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, it's hard to imagine Manafort wouldn't know, analysts said.

Police are investigating an early morning burglary at a liquor store in West Hartford on Saturday morning.

Officers said someone threw a rock through the window of South Main Wine and Spirits around 4:30 a.m. and took an unknown amount of items. Police were doing inventory to try to determine exactly what was taken. The property was also damaged, but the extent of the damage is unclear.

Police said they're examining evidence to determine if one or more people were responsible. It is not known if there was surveillance in the area.

One person has died after a crash involving a state Department of Transportation truck in Westbrook on Saturday morning, according to a DOT spokesperson.

DOT officials said a tree crew was doing work between exits 64 and 65 in Westbrook when a vehicle entered the work zone and hit a bucket truck being used by a crew member around 7:30 a.m.

The driver of the vehicle that hit the DOT truck has died, a DOT spokesperson said. The identity of that person has not been released.

The southbound side of the highway between exits 64 and 65 is closed. Traffic is being diverted off of exit 65. Officials estimate the highway will remain closed for three hours or less.

According to officials, there was also a crew member stuck in the air in the bucket of the DOT truck that was hit. The crew member was rescued and was not injured.

Florence made landfall as a hurricane hundreds of miles away, but emergency operations personnel in Connecticut are still keeping an eye on the storm’s path.

Next week, the remnants could bring some flooding to communities along the shoreline.

Barbara Charette showed NBC Connecticut how high the water rose when Irene and Sandy hit the shoreline. Her Westbrook home of 22 years is across from the town beach.

“An extra high tide and a full moon it floods out,” Charette said, “it’s just such a low lying area”

The threat of flooding during major storms comes with the territory of living by Long Island Sound, Charette said.

“It does unfortunately,” she said. “I mean you can be inland and not worry about it, but there’s still hurricanes inland, they just don’t get the water like we do.”

Inside the Westbrook Emergency Operations Center, Director Don Izzo tracks the path of tropical storms forming in the Atlantic.

“Myself and many of my colleagues across Connecticut we’re still watching (Florence),” Izzo said. “We watched it when it first formed and we will continue to watch it because the remnants is always a concern for us.”

While too early to tell for sure, Izzo said minor flooding from what’s left of Florence is a real possibility in neighborhoods by the beach next week.

“We’re looking for potential rains, which will be coupled with the high tides,” he said. “We’ll have to watch, we’ll have to watch the phases of the moon.”

During Irene and Sandy, Charette and her husband followed the evacuation orders.

“If it’s going to be that bad, we definitely would leave,” she said. “Your land is important, but your life is a lot more important, you can’t replace it.”

This month, the Town of Westbrook is raising awareness about disaster preparedness and advising families to put together emergency kits.

While next week’s potential flooding shouldn’t rise to the level of mandatory evacuations, the hurricane season is far from over.

Ned Lamont has his own way to try to put more money in Connecticut residents’ pockets.

He’s proposed reinstating a property tax credit to about 900,000 middle and low income families, which would net each taxpayer about $183 dollars annually on average.

The Democratic gubernatorial nominee said of his proposal during Wednesday’s debate with his Republican rival, Bob Stefanowski, "Those are the biggest taxes that people pay. I have a targeted property tax cut that will make it easier for seniors to stay in their home and easier for young people to move into the state so we can get jobs back."

Stefanowski’s plan to phase out Connecticut’s income tax is feasible only if he eliminates the same amount of spending or comes up with another source of revenue which would likely come in the form of a drastic tax increase.

Removing Connecticut’s income tax from consideration would instantly create a $9 billion hole in a $19 billion budget.

Lamont’s proposal is far more modest, but it comes with its own financial shortfalls.

Whomever wins the November 6 election is going to face an estimated shortfall of $5 billion when they enter office in January.

Both candidates have proposed both extreme and moderate revenue cuts, but the result of each is similar: they would make a difficult budget year even worse by having less revenue to cover operating expenses.

Lamont’s property tax credit would cost the state about $165 million in revenues, but estimates he could make up for that, and then some, with three measures: finding savings in the Department of Correction, doing a better job of collecting all tax revenue, and instituting sports betting with regulations that benefit Connecticut’s coffers.

His campaign estimates those savings and revenues could collect as much as $375 million, enough to fill the hole created by the property tax credit.

However, those are estimates, and the Department of Correction’s budget has either been cut or remained flat for each of the past few years as the number of inmates in the state’s prisons has decreased.

Saying the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services needs to do a better job of collecting taxes is also a noble and common-sense demand, but Lamont does not provide an idea to make that happen.

Finally, on sports betting, Republicans refused to negotiate and provide votes for Gov. Dannel Malloy over the summer to get the program moving as quickly as possible. Any plan would need to be approved by the General Assembly, and since Democratic leaders have already said they would need Republican votes to approve any sports wagering legislation, it may be premature to assume Republicans would be more eager to deal with Lamont than Malloy.

Simply put, this tax credit proposal perhaps comes as far more realistic than Stefanowski’s but comes with its own pitfalls.

Dozens of neon signs reminding drivers to yield to pedestrians were installed at Hartford crosswalks on Friday in an effort to improve safety in a city plagued by frequent pedestrian accidents.

The Center for Latino Progress funded the purchase of more than forty signs using part of a $170,000 grant won through the National Safety Council’s “Road to Zero” program, meant to help community organizations reduce roadway fatalities.

“Hartford has some of the highest accident rates and some of the least compliance with traffic laws,” said Gannon Long, who manages the initiative at the Hartford-based center.

She and her colleagues identified thirty locations for the signs using pedestrian and bicycle crash data compiled by the city’s Department of Public Works, she said.

Long believes the eye-catching yellow signs will be effective. “Drivers are more likely to take their foot off the gas. They automatically slow down at least a few miles an hour just by seeing something in the road,” she said.

During the evening rush hour on Friday, people walking in the city’s Parkville neighborhood said it can be hard to be sure when it’s safe to cross the street.

Gleyann Fontanez said she frequently observes drivers behaving badly throughout the city. Her clothing store, Latinas Fashion, is located across Park Street from the Parkville Community School.

Fontanez said she has seen drivers fail to slow down or stop during times the crossing guard is helping children to and from school.

“They run red lights. They speed a lot,” she said.

She was delighted to see one of the new signs installed in the crosswalk outside her store, and said she has already noticed some improvements. “I’ve been seeing the difference,” she said.

Infrastructure improvements are very costly, but Long said the signs cost around $300 each, making them a relatively cheap investment.

Hartford sees a number of pedestrian-related crashes every year. Earlier this September, security cameras captured a brazen hit-and-run on Albany Avenue that killed 47-year old Chante Tucker.

Long said she initially hoped to install many more of the crosswalk signs in other areas of the city they identified as frequent crash zones. One of the issues standing in their way is that some of city’s neighborhoods, especially in Hartford’s North End, have few crosswalks.

Hartford Police have arrested a man who is accused of strangling and assaulting his ex-girlfriend on Friday.

Police were called to a domestic incident around 11:09 p.m.

According to police, the victim told officers that her ex-boyfriend, later identified as 32-year-old Juan Valle-Rivera, of Hartford, came to her house and forced his way inside. While inside, Valle-Rivera physically assaulted and strangled her, the victim said. The victim's injuries were considered non-life threatening, police said.

Before Valle-Rivera left, the victim said he broke several of her personal items.

Investigators developed information that later led to the apprehension of Valle-Rivera at his home.

Valle-Rivera is facing charges including home invasion, strangulation, criminal mischief, assault and disorderly conduct.

Emergency officials are responding to a report of a person who was bitten by a shark off a beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

Wellfleet police and fire confirmed that everyone is on scene at Newcomb Hollow Beach.

No further information was immediately available.

This is the second shark attack off Cape Cod this summer. Prior to that, it had been six years since someone had been bitten by a shark in Massachusetts.

William Lytton, a 61-year-old doctor from New York, was bitten by a shark while in eight to 10 feet of water off Long Nook Beach in Truro on Aug. 15. The type of shark that bit him has not been determined, but scientists said they believe it was a great white shark.

This summer has been an extremely busy one for sharks off Cape Cod.

Greg Skomal, a state marine biologist, said his team spotted nearly 150 great whites off Cape Cod in July, double the number of sightings they recorded in 2017.

Renowned chef Jose Andres has turned up in North Carolina to lead a hot food drive as the state deals with Tropical Storm Florence.

Andres was in Wilmington, a city on the coast near South Carolina, on Saturday, running a kitchen full of volunteers cooking food to be delivered to shelters and emergency workers in the flood-stricken region.

"I love these guys, they are really amazing heroes," Andres said in a video posted to Twitter as he toured the Wilmington kitchen where his organization, World Central Kitchen, had set up shop.

Florence has caused major power outages in the Carolinas, displaced tens of thousands and killed at least five people. While it's been downgraded to a tropical storm from a hurricane, its slow speed meant it was still set to continue dumping an overwhelming, dangerous amount of rain on the area.

Andres has become something of an expert in cooking during disasters. A Spaniard who rose to fame in Washington, D.C., he won the James Beard Award for the best chef in the U.S. in 2011, one year after he started World Central Kitchen in 2010 in the wake of an earthquake that heavily damaged Haiti.

The organization is perhaps best known for feeding people in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria crippled the island. World Central Kitchen says it made more than 3.6 million meals in 25 kitchens there since the disaster last September. That work, along with responses to Hurricane Harvey in Houston and the wildfires in California, was cited when the James Beard Foundation awarded Andres its humanitarian of the year award this year.

Andres is also known for criticizing President Donald Trump. He dropped out of a planned restaurant in the Trump International Hotel in D.C., citing Trump's comments "disparaging immigrants," which led to a two-year legal spat they eventually settled.

This week, Andres reacted to Trump's denial that about 3,000 people died from Maria by blaming Trump and the federal government's handling of the devastation.

"I was screaming for help, 'Please, let us help you federal government. We could feed the entire island,'" he said on MSNBC.

Andres said in another video posted to Twitter Saturday, this one filmed as he drove through the rain on a delivery run, that it appeared in North Carolina that FEMA had learned lessons from Maria — Andres saw power generators "all over the place."

For those who want to help those displaced by Florence, Andres suggested donating blood to the American Red Cross as well as donating money to his organization, even if it's just $1.

He also put out a call for more volunteers to come help at the kitchen on 127 S. College Road in Wilmington.

Two people from New York were killed following a small plane crash in Woburn, Massachusetts.

The plane crashed into the woods behind a house on Minchin Drive around 11 a.m. Saturday.

The victims were identified as Dr. Michael Graver, 65, and his wife, Jodi Cohen, 52, of Manhasset, New York, District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a 3 p.m. press conference. 

Dr. Graver was flying at the time of the crash and was a "very experienced" pilot according to his family, DA Ryan said.

The 2006 Columbia Aircraft LC41 departed from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York shortly around 9:33 a.m. and was scheduled to land at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass. just after 11 a.m., according to the Massachusetts Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Woburn police started receiving 911 calls regarding a plane crash around 11:03 a.m., according to DA Ryan.

No one on the ground sustained any injuries, and no homes in the area were damaged.

The single engine, 4-seat aircraft was co-owned by Dr. Graver and another man, who was not identified.

The plane will be removed from the area over the next 48 hours.

No foul play is suspected.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is open and ongoing. 

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police, Woburn Police and Fire Departments, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Aeronautics Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation are investigating this incident.

Katelyn French was at a loss when her nine months of planning to be married this weekend in North Carolina's mountains was washed away by Hurricane Florence.

But then family and friends in Florida's Panhandle stepped up to give her and her fiance, Matt Parsons, a dream wedding a little closer to home.

Her aunt, April Crosby, opened up her home on a lake in Chipley, Florida for the wedding.

French tells Panama City television station WMBB that her aunt told her not to worry since the wedding was going to be "fabulous."

Friends and family set up benches in front of the backyard lake, strung lights from trees and folded cloth napkins in preparation for Saturday's nuptials.

French says what seemed like a disaster ended up being a blessing.

And she is not alone. 

Texans Brendan McLean and Allison Miller were planning on exchanging vows Friday in Charleston, South Carolina. But with the "Southern Charm" city in the hurricane's path, Charleston was under a mandatory evacuation order. 

Miller and McLean were forced to give up their dream wedding on a plantation and scrambled to plan one closer to home in Plano. 

With the help of family, friends and even Mavericks owner Marc Cuban, who donated the catering, they were able to pull together a new wedding in just five days.

"We've been so overwhelmed by disappointment in the beginning, but then, the love and support of people, just sort of this outpouring from everywhere," McLean said.

A day after blowing ashore with 90 mph (145 kph) winds, a weakened Florence slowed to a crawl over the Carolinas, and the storm's relentless rains fueled fears of devastating inland flooding in the next few days.

More than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of rain had fallen in places, swelling rivers toward record levels, and forecasters say there could be an additional 1½ feet (45 centimeters) before Sunday is out.

Adriana Ruggiero and David Robinson decided earlier this year to wed in Wilmington, North Carolina, where her fiancé has familial roots. But the venue they chose to celebrate their wedding day is along the edge of the Cape Fear River, which is projected to overrun its banks and flood cities and towns.

While the couple say they don't have a backup plan to salvage their wedding if flooding prevents them from marrying in Wilmington, Ruggiero told NBC San Diego that for now they are focusing on praying for people impacted by Florence.

“The most important part that we have been praying for is that no one gets hurt,” Adriana said. “Of course we want to have our wedding, but we are also aware that there are other things around this situation that are even bigger than our wedding."

In honor of a young life taken too soon, Enfield High School students will release balloons on Sunday to remember 16-year-old Justin Brady, who was killed earlier this week.

Students will gather at noon to honor a young man described as a sweet kid, who had just started his junior year at Enfield High School. 

Enfield Police said Brady was stabbed to death in the overnight hours last Sunday, outside of a home on Hoover Lane. Investigators quickly identified the suspect and charged 18-year-old Shyheim "Trey" Adams with first degree manslaughter.

According to court papers, Adams attacked Brady with a knife outside of 15 Hoover Lane, where Brady had gone to fight Adams after the two exchanged messages on Snapchat. Neither lived at the address, but police said two knives were found in the home. One of the knives was used in the stabbing.

Adams is being held on a $750,000 bond and is expected in court again on September 24.

Organizers are asking people to bring their own balloons to the balloon release.

A man who was found unresponsive during a house fire in West Haven on Saturday afternoon has died.

West Haven Police and Fire Department responded to an active house fire at 96 Richards Street around 4:15 p.m.

When crews arrived, firefighters said they found and retrieved an unresponsive man from the house. The man was taken to an area hospital and was later pronounced dead, police said. Officials have not released any information about the man.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but investigators believe the fire originated from the basement area.

A portion of Richards Street was closed while the investigation was conducted, but it has since reopened.

A 19-year-old has died after a motorcycle crash in Torrington on Saturday.

Police responded to the area of Kennedy Drive and Alvord Park Road for a motorcycle crash around 11:45 a.m.

When they arrived, they found the motorcycle off the road and in a wooded area.

Officers said they found the motorcycle driver, a 19-year-old man, dead near the motorcycle. His identity has not been released.

An accident investigation team has taken over the investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective James Crean at (860) 489-2061.

A motorcyclist has died after a crash in Plainfield on Saturday night.

Police said first responders were called to a motorcycle versus car accident on Black Hill Road in Central Village around 8:21 p.m.

An initial investigation determined that 42-year-old Jason Miller, of Canterbury, was driving a motorcycle westbound on Black Hill Road when he crossed the center lane and went into the eastbound lane. He then hit a car traveling eastbound on Black Hill Road.

According to police, Miller was ejected from his motorcycle and was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel. The driver of the car was transported to the hospital to be treated for suspected minor injuries.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information should contact Plainfield Police at (860) 564-0804 or the anonymous tip line at (860) 564-7065.

Connecticut volunteers were on location in the Carolinas on Saturday afternoon, ready to help with disaster relief efforts following Hurricane Florence.

Laurie Robinson, Milford, is very familiar with the havoc wreaked by severe storms in Connecticut. She joined the Red Cross as a volunteer after receiving aid when her home was wrecked by Superstorm Sandy. She and several other Connecticut-based Red Cross volunteers drove Emergency Response Vehicles to North Carolina in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.

“I’m out here paying it forward,” she said in a phone call with NBC Connecticut from a Red Cross base in Greenville, NC. On Saturday afternoon, they were standing by, ready to deliver needed supplies to evacuees. Their trucks were loaded with food, water, comfort kits, and blankets, she said.

According to the Red Cross, more than 17,100 people were spread through more than 240 Red Cross shelters by midnight on Friday.

Stamford-based Americares also had crews on the ground delivering medical supplies. Kate Dischino, Vice President of Emergency Programs for Americares, said her crews were seeing demand for sanitary products.

“Our team has been delivering such basic hygiene products as toothpaste, soap and diapers to be able to give folks who are evacuated some comfort,” she said.

Both the Red Cross and Americares stressed that the best way for people to help with disaster relief is through financial donations.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection issued a warning last week reminding people to be wary of potential scams and to donate to trusted organizations.

The road to recovery after natural disasters is a long one. Robinson, who spent years living in a trailer following Superstorm Sandy, offered simple advice for Florence’s survivors.

“Be very patient, it’s a long process,” she said.

U.S. Postal Inspectors and Cromwell Police are searching for a suspect after a United States Postal Service employee was robbed at a post office earlier this month.

Police responded to the Cromwell Post Office on Main Street on Friday, September 7, around 6:15 p.m. after getting a report of an armed robbery.

According to officials, a U.S. Postal Service Highway Contract Route (HCR) driver was exiting the rear of the vehicle when a man brandished a firearm and demanded postal property. The suspect was described as a man with a light complexion, who was approximately 5'9" with a Spanish accent. The suspect was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black face mask that covered the lower portion of his face. Investigators believe the suspect had a vehicle parked on the north side of an adjacent business.

No injuries were reported.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at (877) 876-2455 or the Cromwell Police Department at (860) 635-2256. All information will be kept confidential.

It was an impressive sight in East Hartford on Sunday morning as a convoy of five-hundred trucks lined up at Rentschler Field for Make-A-Wish’s annual “Wishes on Wheels,” an event the organization plans and anticipates for months. In its 19th year, it has raised over $1 million for Make-A-Wish Connecticut.

”The whole convoy, it’s so moving to see them all out here with their families, interacting with our wish families and our staff and supporting our mission,” said Nicole Miles, the organization’s Community Relations Manager.

Twelve-year-old Nicky Eklund, a Make-A-Wish Kid, had a front seat view of the 500-strong convoy from a double-decker.

”It’s pretty amazing,” Eklund said. “I love it. Getting to be part of make-a-wish after the wish and helping give back.”

A few thousand people watched as the convoy hit the road, including several of Connecticut’s Wish Families.

”We actually have 40 Wish Families here today, some who have had their wish and some who haven’t had their wish yet, and it’s a way for them to come together and support the fundraising efforts of the wishes on wheels community,” said Miles.

The organization, which grants wishes for children battling critical illnesses, said the families look forward to “Wishes on Wheels. Many of the kids ride in the same trucks year after year, building lasting relationships with the drivers.

”It is bigger and better every year,” said Miles. “I think our team every year says I don’t think they could do any better and it’s bigger the next year.”