AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Week in Review: May 16, 2016

Emergency and disaster management week in review for May 16, 2016

A weekly recap of handpicked emergency and disaster management news, along with analysis and interpretation from our team of experts.


Fort McMurray

The Alberta government [link url=”https://amuedge.com/alberta-government-releases-fort-mcmurray-wildfire-app/” title=”released an app“] that will give Fort McMurray residents a bird’s eye view of the burning region in the wake of a destructive wildfire that forced the evacuation of over 90,000 people. The wildfire damage surveillance app is an [link url=”https://amuedge.com/alberta-government-releases-fort-mcmurray-wildfire-app/” title=”online mapping application“] that provides a high-level satellite overview of the status of the city.  Monday was yet another challenging day for firefighters working to contain wildfires burning large portions of Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada. [link url=”http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/edmonton/growing-wildfire-forces-evacuation-of-fort-mcmurray-oilsands-camps-1.3585037″ title=”About 4,000 oil sands workers evacuated“] Monday as the region suffered from what officials called a “significant” increase in the wildfire’s growth.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/wildfires-how-to-prepare-and-protect-homes-and-families/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/things-that-we-will-lose-in-the-fire/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/u-s-fire-administration-releases-wildland-urban-interface-toolkit/”]

The Fort McMurray fire started May 1st and has already burned more than 930 square miles of land with portions still burning out of control.  According to a [link url=”http://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=41701E7ECBE35-AD48-5793-1642C499FF0DE4CF” title=”recent update on the fire by officials“], there are a total of 17 fires burning that cover more than 877,220 acres, with 1,754 firefighters, 208 helicopters, 29 air tankers, and 412 pieces of equipment currently battling the wildfire. Authorities note that fire conditions in the province are still considered extreme, with multiple mandatory evacuation orders still in place.  Entering Monday, [link url=”http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/05/alberta-fire-damage-app/482838/” title=”at least 94,000 people were displaced and 2,400 homes and businesses were destroyed“] by the massive wildfires that began earlier this month and have yet to be contained.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/ft-mcmurray-is-on-fire-and-it-matters-to-all-of-us/” url2=”http://edmdigest.com/response/fort-mcmurray-and-the-visual-learner/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/increased-wildfire-risk-expected-in-california-hawaii-as-summer-progresses/”]


Ecuador

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/05/18/67-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-ecuador/84529784/” title=”magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck Ecuador“] early Wednesday morning, sending [link url=”http://news.trust.org/item/20160518090542-8lr5a/” title=”residents back out into the streets“]. The epicenter was near Quito, close to the town of Mompiche. The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa indicated in an early tweet that there were no damages, then updated the information to note that some small damage had occurred. No tsunami warning was issued. This earthquake struck just one month after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake hit the nation in the same region — [link url=”https://amuedge.com/edm-monday-briefing-earthquakes-hit-japan-and-ecuador-u-s-worries-about-zika-outbreak/” title=”their worst since 1979“], killing more than 650 people, injuring more than 16,500, and causing widespread damage and destruction that is estimated at $2 billion.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/disaster-relief-for-ecuador-cash-donations-recommended/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/qa-the-big-one-a-pacific-northwest-megaquake/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/fema-to-stage-pacific-northwest-megaquake-in-june/”]


Sri Lanka

Three days of torrential rains that fell on the island nation of Sri Lanka [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36320724″ title=”triggered massive landslides“] late Tuesday that inundated the villages of Siripura, Pallebage, and Elagipitya, in the central Kegalle district. At [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/sri-lanka-flooding-death-toll-rises-23-rain-39186780″ title=”least 220 families are currently still unaccounted for according to the Red Cross“], and military officials stated that the army has rescued 156 people that were trapped, and has seven shelters that are housing over 1,550 people displaced by the landslides.  More than 300 officers were deployed for rescue operations following the mudslides. The death toll is rising, with over 55 dead and 130 unaccounted for, and some fear that with [link url=”http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/hopes-fading-sri-lanka-landslide-survivors-160519162210596.html” title=”mud levels up to 30 feet in some places“], no more survivors will be found.  [link url=”http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/sri-lanka-torrential-rains-many-families-feared-buried-by-mudslides/article8614753.ece” title=”Rescue attempts“] have been complicated by unstable ground, heavy fog, and electrical outages, but [link url=”http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/sri-lanka-landslide-hopes-fade-missing-death-toll-climbs-1561026″ title=”additional heavy rainfalls that continue in the area“] have further hampered efforts and increased the threat of more landslides . The torrential rains also caused [link url=”http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/sri-lanka-mudslides-bury-150-people-red-cross-160518073500537.html” title=”widespread flooding“] that forced nearly 350,000 people from their homes and resulted in 32 deaths according to official numbers.

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Mount St. Helens

Exactly 36 years ago, on May 18, 1980, [link url=”https://amuedge.com/looking-back-at-the-mount-st-helens-eruption-36-years-later/” title=”a magnitude-5.1 earthquake struck Washington State.“] The quake occurred just seconds before the explosion which began the eruption of Mount St. Helens volcano. The Mount St. Helens eruption resulted in [link url=”https://amuedge.com/looking-back-at-the-mount-st-helens-eruption-36-years-later/” title=”57 deaths, an estimated $1 billion damages,“] and obliterated 396 meters off the top of the peak. Before the eruption, Mount St. Helens stood at 9,677 feet; after the eruption, the peak measured 8,363 ft.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/mt-st-helens-rattling-the-cage-and-should-we-care/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/mount-st-helens-tremors-bring-renewed-focus-to-volcano-danger-in-pnw/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/just-in-time-disaster-preparedness/”]


Flint, MI

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced that the state of Michigan will [link url=”http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/michigan-will-pay-flints-water-bill-in-may” title=”pay Flint’s water bills in May“] in an effort to encourage the flushing of lead from old pipes. Flint began a flushing strategy on May 1 in which officials urged city residents to run cold water at the highest flow from both their bathtub and kitchen faucet, each for five minutes a day. The flushing exercise is expected to [link url=”http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/michigan-will-pay-flints-water-bill-in-may” title=”cost the state an estimated $1.7 million,“] depending on participation.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/integrity/” url2=”http://edmdigest.com/integrity/criminal-charges-against-public-safety-officials/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/reflections-on-world-water-day/”]

Kimberly Arsenault serves as an intern at the Cleveland/Bradley County Emergency Management Agency where she works on plan revisions and special projects. Previously, Kimberly spent 15 years in commercial and business aviation. Her positions included station manager at the former Midwest Express Airlines, as well as corporate flight attendant, inflight manager, and charter flight coordinator. Kimberly currently holds a master's degree in emergency and disaster management from American Public University.

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