EDM Wednesday Briefing: Twin Quakes in Two States, Japan Earthquake, Indianapolis Fires

Emergency and disaster management briefing for December 28, 2016

1. A series of [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-earthquakesa-earthquake-57-quake-strikes-near-hawthorne-nev-hgpm-story.html” title=”moderate earthquakes rocked the Nevada-California border”] early Wednesday morning, shaking residents in both states but producing no reports of damage or injury. The first quake, measuring a magnitude of 5.7, occurred at 12:22 a.m. PST near Hawthorne, Nev. It was followed by a second 5.7 earthquake and then more than 100 aftershocks. Strong shaking was reported to the USGS with [link url=”http://www.sfgate.com/earthquakes/article/Magnitude-5-7-earthquake-strikes-near-Hawthorne-10822076.php” title=”weaker tremors felt for hundreds of miles”], from San Francisco to Reno to Las Vegas, and well into California’s Central Valley.

https://twitter.com/reubencontreras/status/814044446186618880

2. A [link url=”http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-earthquake-today-latest-alerts-updates-news-tsunami-threat-magnitude-a7498746.html” title=”strong earthquake also struck Japan Wednesday”], according to the US Geological Survey. The quake had a magnitude between 5.9 and 6.2 and hit near Honshu, Japan’s most populated island. Cities including Tokyo felt the effects of the earthquake with building slightly shaking, according to the USGS. Officials in Japan stated that no tsunami warning was immediately issued. There were [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-quake-idUSKBN14H0Y7″ title=”no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the earthquake”], which occurred at around 09:38 p.m. (07:38 EST).
3. The Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) is asking residents to take immediate steps to prevent fires in local residences [link url=”http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/unprecedented-number-of-fires-in-december-according-to-indianapolis-fire-department” title=”after an ‘unprecedented’ number of fires in December”]. As of Wednesday, IFD responded to 57 fires, with only seven of them were in unoccupied homes. According to officials, 100 percent of these fires were preventable. Despite the high number of fires, only three firefighters were slightly injured in December while battling them. IFD’s Chief Ernest Malone says it’s important to remain cautious in order to keep families safe inside their homes and [link url=”http://wishtv.com/2016/12/28/ifd-hits-record-number-of-occupied-residence-fires-in-single-month/” title=”issued a statement with basic safekeeping tips to prevent fires”] – particularly the correct usage of space heaters and other means to temporarily warm up a cold room.

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4. The Chicago Police Department says that it will [link url=”http://wgntv.com/2016/12/28/body-cameras-for-all-chicago-police-officers-by-the-end-of-2017-a-year-ahead-of-schedule/” title=”speed up its new body camera program”] with plans to have every patrol officer in the city wearing a body camera by the end of 2017 – a full year earlier than what was originally planned. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and superintendent Eddie Johnson will make the announcement later Wednesday. The speed up of the program expanded after the release of a video showing the shooting death of Laquan McDonald. The CPD’s body camera experiment started in a testing mode in January of 2015. Since then, [link url=”http://abc7chicago.com/news/city-to-expedite-cpd-body-camera-program/1676083/” title=”officers recorded more than 300,000 segments of footage”].

Chicago Police Department Announces Expedited Expansion of Body Worn Cameras pic.twitter.com/Uzc4KGAJUG

— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) December 28, 2016

5. Reports on Wednesday stat that Russia’s Embassy in the Syrian capital [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/12/28/world/middleeast/ap-syria-the-latest.html?_r=0″ title=”has been hit by mortar fire”]. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that a mortar round landed on Embassy grounds but failed to detonate, and another also fell nearby. The ministry says bomb-disposal experts were called in to remove the device. Russian officials immediately pointed blame at “extremists” opposed to a peaceful settlement of Syria’s conflict.
6. Major flooding in the UK is predicted to occur every year but government lawmakers still have no long-term plan to deal with it, [link url=”https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/26/major-flooding-in-uk-now-likely-every-year-warns-lead-climate-adviser-storm-desmond” title=”according to the UK government’s leading adviser on the impacts of climate change”]. “Almost every year there has been some more or less major flooding event and that is a key message,” stated Lord Krebs. “We have to now get it embedded that this is something that will happen somewhere most years.” The winter of 2016 saw severe floods sweep Lancashire and Yorkshire, just weeks after Storm Desmond western UK counties in England, Scotland and Wales.

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7. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, [link url=”http://www.oc-breeze.com/2016/12/27/94476_2016-dangerous-year-law-enforcement-officers/” title=”the total number of deaths of law enforcement officers”] rose by 16 percent in 2016 over 2015, from 120 deaths to 139. Within that 2016 total, 64 were “firearms-related” — a rise of 68 percent over the previous year. The [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/27/more-than-60-law-enforcement-officers-fatally-shot-this-year-20-in-ambushes-report-finds.html” title=”worst single attack occurred in July”] when a military veteran killed five officers at a protest in Dallas — the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That July attack was followed soon after by the killing of three Baton Rouge police officers at the hands of a former Marine.