EDM Monday Briefing: Earthquakes Hit Japan and Ecuador, U.S. Worries About Zika Outbreak

Emergency and disaster management briefing for April 18, 2016: Rescuers are still digging for survivors after an earthquake in Ecuador, Japan gets hit with its second earthquake in less than a week, and a top U.S. official expresses concern of a Zika outbreak in the U.S.

1. At least 272 are dead and at least 2,000 others were injured after an [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-quake-idUSKCN0XE009″ title=”earthquake struck Ecuador“] Saturday night. The epicenter of the magnitude-7.8 quake was the seaside town of Pedernales on the Pacific coast, about 100 miles northwest of the capital Quito. Rescuers are still digging through rubble for survivors after the country’s [link url=”http://time.com/4296954/ecuador-earthquake-pacific-coast/” title=”worst earthquake since 1979.“]
2. A [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36065334″ title=”magnitude-7.3 earthquake shook southern Japan“] on Saturday, just two days after the region was hit with a 6.4-magnitude quake. The earthquakes [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36065334″ title=”killed at least 41“], left more than 62,000 homes without electricity, and left at least 300,000 homes with no water. The U.S. is [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-forces-provide-aircraft-assist-japan-earthquake-search/story?id=38460296″ title=”assisting search and recovery efforts.“]
3. A top U.S. health said that a [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-usa-idUSKCN0XE0UV” title=”Zika outbreak in the U.S. is ‘likely’“] and that multiple outbreaks could happen in different locations. While there are [link url=”http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/united-states.html” title=”more than 350 confirmed Zika cases“] in the contiguous U.S., all are travel-related and there have yet to be any confirmed cases where someone was infected within U.S. borders. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-usa-idUSKCN0XE0UV” title=”said that is likely to change“] soon.

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4. SecurityScorecard, a security firm that specializes in global threat intelligence and risk awareness, recently analyzed cyber security risk among 18 major industries in the U.S. and discovered that [link url=”https://amuedge.com/report-government-organizations-rank-last-in-cyber-security/” title=”government organizations ranked dead last.“] The lowest performing government organizations reportedly had issues with three categories in particular: [link url=”https://amuedge.com/report-government-organizations-rank-last-in-cyber-security/” title=”malware infections, network security, and software patching cadence.“]

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5. Nearly 700 residents who live in and around Porter Ranch, CA filed claims against the state of California, [link url=”http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20160416/nearly-700-porter-ranch-area-residents-file-claims-against-state-demand-35-million-each” title=”demanding $3.5 million each.“] The residents are accusing the governor and several regulatory agencies of negligence and are [link url=”http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20160416/nearly-700-porter-ranch-area-residents-file-claims-against-state-demand-35-million-each” title=”suing for the pain and loss they suffered“] following a massive natural gas leak that occurred in the region in October 2015 that wasn’t plugged until February 2016.

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6. HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team), a Massachusetts non-profit organization has put together an online resource with detailed [link url=”http://www.heetma.org/squeaky-leak/natural-gas-leaks-maps/” title=”city maps of natural gas leaks“] in the state. Some state resident have become alarmed learning [link url=”http://wwlp.com/2016/04/11/northampton-has-nearly-a-hundred-natural-gas-leaks/” title=”of the many gas leaks in their cities.“] The HEET website also offers up [link url=”http://www.heetma.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/How-to-Reduce-Gas-Leaks-by-HEET.pdf” title=”an action manual“] with tips on how to reduce gas leaks.
7. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro officially [link url=”http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-14/maduro-orders-time-zone-change-to-battle-venezuela-power-crisis” title=”rolled back the time zone by 30 minutes“] in effort to save electricity across the country. A severe drought that the country is currently fighting through has sent the nation [link url=”https://amuedge.com/venezuela-a-case-study-in-the-effects-of-severe-drought/” title=”directly into an energy crisis.“] Venezuela relies heavily on hydropower to create electricity, and the current drought is lowering water levels and [link url=”https://amuedge.com/venezuela-a-case-study-in-the-effects-of-severe-drought/” title=”making electricity generation more difficult.“]

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8. A Russian fighter jet reportedly [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/International/russian-fighter-jet-buzzes-us-air-force-reconnaissance/story?id=38471003″ title=”buzzed a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane“] flying over the Baltic Sea, getting as close as 50 feet. The Pentagon called the incident [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/International/russian-fighter-jet-buzzes-us-air-force-reconnaissance/story?id=38471003″ title=”‘unsafe and unprofessional,’“] and Secretary of State John Kerry labeled Russia’s action as [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/14/europe/russia-defends-donald-cook-overflight/” title=”‘reckless and provocative.’“] The incident is reportedly the latest in a [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/17/russians-buzz-us-reconnaissance-plane-over-baltic-sea/83153980/” title=”string of dangerous encounters with Russian forces“] in the region in recent weeks.
9. The U.S. and India reached a preliminary agreement that will sync the two countries’ militaries and [link url=”http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-04-12/us-india-militaries-to-improve-disaster-coordination” title=”make it easier work together in disasters or other emergencies.“] Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the two countries have “agreed in principle” on the logistical agreement, and it [link url=”http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-04-12/us-india-militaries-to-improve-disaster-coordination” title=”could be finalized in weeks.“]
10. A study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed that there was a [link url=”https://amuedge.com/study-dolphin-deaths-likely-tied-to-oil-spill/” title=”high rate of perinatal dolphin deaths in the Gulf of Mexico“] from 2010 to 2013, an occurrence often caused by chronic illnesses in mothers. The cause of the chronic illnesses, according to the NOAA, is likely [link url=”https://amuedge.com/study-dolphin-deaths-likely-tied-to-oil-spill/” title=”exposure to oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill“] in 2010.