EDM Thursday Briefing: Mistrial in Freddie Gray Case, DHS Revises Terror Alert System, State of Emergency in CA & MI

Emergency and disaster management Thursday Briefing for December 17, 2015: The first trial in the Freddie Gray case ends in a mistrial, the Department of Homeland Security unveils a revised terror alert system, and a state of emergency is declared in both Michigan and California.

1. The first case in the Freddie Gray trials [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/16/us/baltimore-police-trial-freddie-gray/” title=”ended in a hung jury“] and has been [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/17/us/freddie-gray-baltimore-police-trial.html” title=”declared a mistrial“]. Community leaders in Baltimore — as well as Freddie Gray’s family — are [link url=”http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/12/16/community-leaders-repeat-call-for-peace-ahead-of-porter-trial-verdict/” title=”calling for peace“] and [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/protesters-gather-baltimore-freddie-gray-case-declared-mistrial/story?id=35806271″ title=”urging calm“] after the mistrial.
2. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dhs-secretary-jeh-johnson-unveils-revised-terror-alert/story?id=35790668″ title=”unveiled a revised terror alert system“] that includes a warnings for “self-radicalized actors” who could strike at “public events and places” without warning. The revised system [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/12/16/terror-warning-level-homeland-security-department-jeh-johnson/77385610/” title=”will be in effect for the next six months“], Johnson said.
3. Flint, Michigan Mayor Karen Weaver [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/16/459983352/michigan-mayor-declares-state-of-emergency-over-lead-levels” title=”declared a State Of Emergency“] yesterday over elevated lead levels in city water, and called it a “man-made disaster” that is happening after a switch to a new water source in 2014. Flint left the Detroit water system in the spring of 2014 and [link url=”http://www.cbsnews.com/news/flint-mayor-declares-state-of-emergency-over-contaminated-water/” title=”began taking water from the Flint River to save money“].
4. Los Angeles County officials [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/emergency-declaration-gas-leak-35804863″ title=”declared a state of emergency “] yesterday over a natural gas leak near Porter Ranch. Southern California Gas Co. has [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-porter-ranch-emergency-20151214-story.html” title=”relocated 1,675 residents“] and said that a “final solution to the problem is probably months away.”
5. New research shows that [link url=”http://www.livescience.com/53111-arctic-warming-fast-in-2015.html” title=”the Arctic is warming at an unprecedented rate“], with warming occurring in the Arctic twice as fast as anywhere else in the world. Warmer air and sea temperatures melt Arctic ice that contribute to a rise in sea level, which ultimately [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/12/15/this-is-what-happens-when-the-arctic-warms-twice-as-fast-as-the-rest-of-the-planet/” title=”presents a danger to U.S. cities on the East Coast“], scientists say.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/recent-weather-events-an-indication-of-climate-change/”]

6. Typhoon Melor [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/news/photo/typhoon-melor-makes-multiple-landfalls-philippines-n481091″ title=”made multiple landfalls in the Philippines“], [link url=”http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/typhoon-melor-nona-philippines-impacts” title=”killing at least six people“] and damaging at least 90,000 homes. The storm was [link url=”http://www.rappler.com/nation/special-coverage/weather-alert/116149-typhoon-nona-melor-dec16-5pm” title=”downgraded from a typhoon to a severe tropical storm“] on Wednesday.
7. Scientists now say that the earthquakes that hit Nepal in April and May of 2015 and resulted in more than 8,500 deaths [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35118306″ title=”could have brought much, much more devastation“]. Specifically, the earthquakes [link url=”http://www.nature.com/news/nepal-earthquake-caused-fewer-landslides-than-feared-1.19038″ title=”caused fewer landslides than feared“]. Scientists estimated that tens of thousands of landslides were likely triggered during the quakes, but a detailed investigation involving satellite images [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35118306″ title=”identified only 4,312 slides“].
8. [link url=”http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Man-With-Gun-Reported-On-Texas-Campus-362645091.html” title=”A suspect was detained“] at the University of Texas at Arlington after it was reported that a man was carrying a gun on the campus, but the [link url=”http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/12/16/report-of-man-with-gun-on-uta-campus-proved-false/” title=”report proved false“], as the suspected gunman was recording video for a project.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/school-airline-safety/”]

9. FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday that San Bernardino suspects Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-ln-fbi-san-bernardino-social-media-20151216-story.html” title=”did not publicly promote jihad on social media“], in a response to criticism that authorities could have discovered the suspects sooner. Comey emphasized the [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-ln-fbi-san-bernardino-social-media-20151216-story.html” title=”distinction between public postings and private messages“] on social media platforms.