AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Friday Briefing: Major Storms Prompt Mandatory Evacuation Orders in California and Along the Eastern Seaboard

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Emergency and disaster management briefing for March 2, 2018: Santa Barbara County issued a mandatory evacuation order ahead of heavy rainfall predictions, heavy snowfalls in the Sierra Nevada prompt blizzard warnings to the delight of many, the bodies of four people were found in a home in Massachusetts on Thursday, a major nor’easter is likely to bring coastal flooding amid high tides, heavy rain, and snowfall, the driver of a Tennessee school bus that crashed and killed 6 children has been found guilty, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico issues a travel alert following a ferry explosion, Papua New Guinea declares a state of emergency to help summon aid following a devastating 7.5 earthquake, and three men were arrested by British police in connection with an explosion in Leicester.

  1. Ahead of predicted heavy rainfalls, [link url=”https://sbc-gis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=0d9fc497afef4aec86ccb4d6a6068161″ title=”Santa Barbara County issued a mandatory evacuation order”] for residents of Montecito and other locations lying below burn scars from recent wildfires, including the [link url=”http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8060970-181/blizzard-avalanche-warnings-in-sierra” title=”Thomas, Sherpa, and Whittier fires”] on Thursday. The evacuation order affected as many as 30,000 residents, but officials are concerned about the strong possibility of flash flooding and debris flows and are seeking to protect residents. The storm was [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-winter-storms-california-20180302-story.html” title=”predicted to be the biggest of the season”] and drop heavy rains of up to one half inch per hour across the region, with up to 2 to 3 inches of rainfall predicted in the mountains and foothills above.  

  2. The strong storm moving into California was also predicted to [link url=”http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8060970-181/blizzard-avalanche-warnings-in-sierra?artslide=0″ title=”dump heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada”], with anywhere from 7 to 10 feet of snow likely throughout the mountains. The snowfall is crucial as snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is critically low after a dry winter that has pushed many locations in California back into drought conditions. The storm brought [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-winter-storms-california-20180302-story.html” title=”high winds and prompted blizzard warnings in the mountains”], and officials warned motorists to stay off the mountain roads which could quickly become treacherous and impassable.  

  3. [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/02/bodies-woman-three-children-discovered-inside-massachusetts-home-police.html” title=”Several bodies were found in a home in Worcester County, Massachusetts”] after authorities were called to the home for a wellness check on Thursday. The home in West Brookfield, a town 65 miles west of Boston, held the bodies of one woman and three children, ages 2, 5, and 7, in an upstairs bedroom. Police are investigating the deaths as being suspicious, and although they believe their is no reason for concern, [link url=”https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Police-Investigate-After-Bodies-Found-in-West-Brookfield-Massachusetts-475600243.html” title=”authorities will have personnel stationed at the elementary school”] where two of the children attended. 

  4. A major nor’easter is [link url=”https://www.cbsnews.com/news/noreaster-friday-boston/” title=”moving up the Eastern seaboard and into New England”], battering the region with heavy rain and snow, high winds with gusts up to 50 mph, and the strong probability of coastal flooding. The storm is set to hit during the highest tides of the month, and its exit from the region is being blocked by a large area of high pressure near Greenland. Emergency managers across the area are urging residents along coastal areas at risk of flooding to evacuate to higher ground as [link url=”http://www.wbur.org/news/2018/03/02/forecast-strong-noreaster-will-batter-southern-new-england-today” title=”major damage to structures is predicted to occur with this storm”]. 

  5. The driver of the school bus in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that crashed and killed elementary school children, [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/01/tennessee-school-bus-driver-convicted-in-crash-that-killed-6-kids.html” title=”was found guilty and convicted of six counts of criminally negligent homicide”] by a jury on Thursday. The driver, Johnthony Walker, was accused of driving a school bus at high speeds and talking on his cell phone when he lost control and crashed into a tree, [link url=”https://www.cbsnews.com/news/johnthony-walker-guilty-criminally-negligent-homicide-school-bus-crash-chattanooga-tennessee/” title=”killing six students and injuring more than 20 others”]. Walker was also charged with 11 counts of reckless aggravated assault, seven counts of assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and the use of a portable device by a school bus driver.  

  6. The [link url=”https://mx.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-mexico-city-mexico-march-1-2018/” title=”U.S. Embassy in Mexico has issued an alert for citizens traveling to Cozumel-Playa del Carmen”] after undetonated explosive devices were found on a ferry in Cozumel by Mexican law enforcement. The discovery came after an explosion on a ferry that was disembarking passengers after docking in Playa del Carmen on February 21, [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-blast/u-s-issues-alert-after-tourist-ferry-explosion-in-mexico-idUSKCN1GE0AC” title=”that injured 18 people, including United States citizens”]. Both United States and Mexican law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the incident, and officials urge anyone visiting the area to exercise extreme caution. 

    7. https://twitter.com/MexicoInstitute/status/969582167616606211

  7. Four days after a major 7.5 earthquake struck its nation, [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-papua-quake/png-declares-state-of-emergency-after-deadly-quake-strikes-rugged-highlands-idUSKCN1GD6LK” title=”Papua New Guinea has declared a state of emergency”] across its remote and rugged highlands. The declaration frees up government funding, but more aid is needed to assist residents most impacted by the quake. The quake killed at least 31 people, flattened provincial towns, and buried hamlets under landslides. The major tremor also [link url=”http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-02/png-declares-state-of-emergency-after-earthquake/9501496″ title=”damaged roadways and runways”], making it difficult to access locations that are most in need of assistance.  

  8. Three people have been arrested in connection with [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-police-leicester-arrests/british-police-arrest-three-in-fatal-leicester-blast-idUSKCN1GC2Y9″ title=”a deadly blast that occurred in Leicester, England on Sunday evening”]. British police arrested three men, all of whom are in their 30s, on suspicion of manslaughter, while stressing that the incident had no evidence of being related to terrorism. The blast, which ripped through a building, destroyed a convenience store and an apartment above, [link url=”https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/28/leicester-explosion-three-men-arrested-over-fatal-blast” title=”killed five people, and injured five others,”] one critically.

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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