Axios

Amazon announced Friday it will add more than 1,800 battery-powered Mercedes-Benz vans in Europe this year, continuing its push toward electrification of its delivery fleet.

The big picture: Amazon is shipping more of its own products, relying less on major carriers, and the Mercedes purchase makes it clear the giant online retailer favors vehicles that will help remove greenhouse gases from its delivery fleet.

A rare relief in the 2020 grind: The worst-case scenario hasn't yet come to pass with Hurricane Laura.

The state of play: The storm surge in Louisiana was 9 to 10 feet vs. the possibility of 20, and wind damage is easier to repair than massive flooding.

The era of tackling one crisis — or even two — at a time is over.

Why it matters: The new normal is a series of crises hitting simultaneously, and localities are bearing the brunt.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency in California Wednesday, as hundreds of fires raze over 1.4 million acres in a natural disaster that's seen over 100,000 people placed on evacuation orders.

The big picture: At least seven deaths have been reported and dozens of properties razed amid dismal air quality. The fires have brought another crisis to a state reporting the most coronavirus infections in the country.

Texas and Louisiana are in grave peril overnight from the landfall of Hurricane Laura, an "extremely dangerous" and strengthening Category 4 storm — which is expected to bring "catastrophic" winds, storm surges and flash flooding.

Details: Laura's eyewall — the most powerful part of a hurricane — was moving onshore over southwestern Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center said just after midnight ET.