AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Monday Briefing: Orlando Manhunt; Airport Shooter Latest; Severe Weather

Emergency and disaster management briefing for Monday, January 9, 2017:

    1. A manhunt is underway after a [link url=”http://www.cbsnews.com/news/orlando-police-officer-shot-near-walmart-no-arrests-yet/” title=”police officer was shot near an Orlando Walmart”], officials said Monday. Soon after the shooting, police released the name of the suspect as 41-year-old Markeith Loyd. According to reports, Loyd is a murder suspect in the death of his pregnant girlfriend, and when he was confronted by the female officer, [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/09/police-officer-shot-outside-orlando-walmart-suspect-on-run.html” title=”Loyd fired at least 12 shots and three of them hit the officer”]. The officer was rushed to hospital but [link url=”http://www.wbaltv.com/article/officer-shot-outside-orlando-walmart/8577464″ title=”reports later on Monday morning”] state that she died of her injuries. Loyd, who subsequently hijacked a car and sped away, is reported as being armed and dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances.

    1. On Friday, January 6, a gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/01/07/how-the-fort-lauderdale-shooting-suspect-was-able-to-get-a-gun-past-airport-security-legally/?utm_term=.5af29a1f570c” title=”killing five people and injuring six others”]. The gunman packed his unloaded firearm and ammunition in his checked baggage, and boarded a Delta flight in Anchorage, Alaska. The alleged gunman, Esteban Santiago, was an Iraq War veteran living in Alaska and the Justice Department indicated that he may face the death penalty after being charged with federal crimes.[relink url=”http://edmdigest.com/response/back-to-the-basics-initial-ic/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/dealing-with-citizen-reaction-to-emergencies/”]
    2. The alleged gunman in the Ft. Lauderdale airport shooting, Esteban Santiago, was [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/01/07/fort-lauderdale-airport-gunman-lost-his-mind-in-iraq-family-says/?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.f01a86b8c33c” title=”arrested twice in Alaska and was also assessed”] by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Anchorage two months prior to the shooting. The FBI conducted the assessment after Santiago arrived at their office with a newborn infant and a weapon, claiming the government was controlling his mind. Agents transported Santiago to a local mental-health facility, kept his weapon for a month while they conducted checks and database reviews, then closed the assessment and returned the weapon to Santiago.
    3. Areas of California are bracing for potential mudslides, avalanches, and floods following a [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/california-braces-for-flooding-avalanches-as-sierra-gets-slammed-with-rain-snow/2017/01/08/06fe9fae-d5c1-11e6-9a36-1d296534b31e_story.html?tid=pm_national_pop&utm_term=.3675f2e1c452″ title=”large storm that dumped torrential rain and heavy snowfall”] across the Sierra Nevada range on Sunday. The same area had received nearly seven feet of snow over the previous week, and forecaster’s are calling for additional snow and rain in the upcoming week, which according to the National Weather Service translates to the possibility of up to 20 feet of snow across some of the peaks. The weather phenomenon producing all this precipitation is known as the “Pineapple Express” – warm moisture that flows in a type of atmospheric river from the tropics.

  1. The Far North of Canada was shaken Sunday by a [link url=”http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/5.8-Magnitude-Earthquake-hits-Canadas-Far-North-20170109-0005.html” title=”5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck about 53 miles southeast of the Inuit hamlet of Resolute”], on Cornwallis Island. No injuries or major damages were reported. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was approximately 12 miles deep and struck around 5.47 p.m. local time. Resolute is home to 240 people.[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/scientists-keep-their-eyes-and-ears-on-the-ring-of-fire-earthquake-zone/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/new-fault-may-impact-earthquake-probabilities-in-southern-california/”]
  2. Fire crews are responding to an explosion at a chemical and plastic factory in Felda, Florida. The incident occurred at 7.12 a.m. Monday, and officials on the scene said that at least [link url=”http://www.nbc-2.com/story/34214580/at-least-1-injured-after-felda-explosion” title=”one person was transported to a local hospital”] in serious condition. Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency went to the scene, and officials state that there were no environmental impacts and that a HAZMAT crew had performed a cleanup.

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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