AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Thursday Briefing: California Gas Leak, Contaminated Water in Michigan, El Nino Storms

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Emergency and disaster management Thursday Briefing for January 7, 2016: California declares a state of emergency due to the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak, Michigan declares a state of emergency due to contaminated water in Flint, and wild El Nino storms strike the West Coast.

  1. California Governor Jerry Brown [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brown-declared-emergency-at-porter-ranch-amid-massive-gas-leak-20160106-story.html” title=”declared a state of emergency yesterday“] in Porter Ranch, CA due to a massive natural gas leak. The gas leak, which [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-los-angeles-gas-leak-idUSKBN0UK2HC20160107″ title=”began about two months ago“] in Aliso Canyon, has already resulted in the [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/us/california-governor-declares-emergency-over-los-angeles-gas-leak.html?_r=0″ title=”evacuation of more than 2,000 families“] and [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-1217-porter-ranch-schools-20151217-story.html” title=”multiple school closures“].
  2. Utility officials are now saying that it could [link url=”http://www.businessinsider.com/california-gas-leak-wreaking-havoc-on-environment-2016-1″ title=”take a couple more months“] to completely stop the leak. The issues exist far underground, with the damaged gas well [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-porter-ranch-delay-20160102-story.html” title=”extending down some 8,748 feet“], which is one of the reasons why [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-porter-ranch-delay-20160102-story.html” title=”the leak could take months to fix“].

    3. [relink url=”https://amuedge.com/the-dangers-of-hidden-infrastructure/”]

  3. Not only has the Porter Ranch gas leak had an impact on nearby residents, but some are calling it [link url=”http://www.businessinsider.com/california-gas-leak-wreaking-havoc-on-environment-2016-1″ title=”the worst environmental disaster since the BP oil spill“]. As of this week, the leak has sent [link url=”https://newrepublic.com/article/127057/devastating-impact-single-gas-well-leak” title=”more than 77,000 metric tons of methane gas into the atmosphere“] — approximately [link url=”http://patch.com/california/northridge/governor-declares-aliso-canyon-gas-leak-state-emergency” title=”100,000 pounds of methane are emitted every hour“]. Because methane is a fast-acting climate pollutant, there are concerns about both immediate and long-term [link url=”https://newrepublic.com/article/127057/devastating-impact-single-gas-well-leak” title=”environmental impacts of the leak“].
  4. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/01/06/michigan-governor-declares-state-of-emergency-over-lead-levels-in-water-in-flint-mich/” title=”declared a state of emergency in Flint“] because of ongoing problems with contaminated public water. High levels of lead are in the city’s drinking water, and U.S. Justice Department is working with the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the situation. Flint 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=” termed it a man-made disaster“], as 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“].
  5. [link url=”http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2016-01-06/drought-stricken-california-welcomes-el-ninos-storms” title=”Powerful El Nino storms“] hit California yesterday, prompting [link url=”http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Heavy-Rain-Storms-El-Nino-Jan6-San-Diego-364375341.html” title=”flash flood warnings“], [link url=”http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Heavy-Rain-Storms-El-Nino-Jan6-San-Diego-364375341.html” title=”tornado warnings“], and bringing possible winter weather complications like [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-latest-el-nino-storm-risks-20160106-story.html” title=”hail and heavy snowfall“]. The effects of El Nino on the region are many, with wide-ranging impacts being felt in everything from [link url=”http://www.eater.com/2016/1/6/10718654/el-nino-california-wine” title=”the wine industry“] to within [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-plan-for-la-county-homeless-el-nino-unconscionable-and-grossly-inadequate-20160106-story.html” title=”the local homeless population“]. More [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-weathers-el-nino-wild-weather-36137467″ title=”wild weather is expected“] today in the state.
  6. The effects of El Nino, however, are not isolated in California, as [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/not-just-california-el-ni-o-blamed-weather-woes-around-n491621″ title=”it is being blamed for weather woes across the globe“]. Not only is El Nino thought to be connected to recent U.S. weather events like the [link url=”https://amuedge.com/edm-evening-update-flooding-along-the-mississippi-damages-from-severe-storms-executive-action-for-gun-control/” title=”current Midwest floods“], but it is also being tied to weather events around the world — Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, and other regions.

  7. The U.S., Japan and South Korea have [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35249220″ title=”pledged a united response“] to North Korea’s claim that they successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. The United Nations’ Security Council held an emergency session yesterday and condemned the reported test. While North Korea claimed that the bomb test was a [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/a-snub-for-china-north-koreas-reported-nuclear-test-shows-beijings-waning-influence/2016/01/06/b0d309e9-a5a4-4cd4-b12a-ab352a53c0cc_story.html” title=”response to U.S. hostility“], experts are saying that the maneuver is likely more of a symptom of [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/a-snub-for-china-north-koreas-reported-nuclear-test-shows-beijings-waning-influence/2016/01/06/b0d309e9-a5a4-4cd4-b12a-ab352a53c0cc_story.html” title=”deteriorating relations with China“] than anything else.
  8. North Korea has a history of [link url=”http://www.wired.com/2016/01/science-can-tell-if-north-koreas-test-was-really-an-h-bomb/” title=”exaggerating its military claims to achieve its political ends“], and U.S. physicists and nuclear weapons experts have doubts that the reported [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-north-korea-bomb-20160106-story.html” title=”North Korea bomb was hydrogen-powered“]. A full investigation into the bomb test will involve sampling air for radioactive particles and analyzing seismic shock waves, and will take weeks to complete.

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