EDM Thursday Briefing: LAX Drill, Texas, Zika Findings, Disaster Grant for Arkansas

Emergency and disaster management briefing for April 14, 2016: LAX holds a mock full-scale disaster, Texas deals with a HAZMAT situation at off-campus housing near the University of Texas, the CDC finds a casual relationship between Zika and birth defects, and Arkansas receives a disaster relief grant for ten counties.

1. Nearly 500 emergency response/first responder individuals [link url=”http://www.foxla.com/news/local-news/121822003-story” title=”participated in a mock aircraft accident disaster at Los Angeles International Airport“] (LAX) on Wednesday, April 13th. The mock full-scale disaster was set to [link url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3we-iJu1xQ” title=”simulate a real life incident“] and incorporated volunteers with make-up simulated injuries posing as victims. The FAA-mandated exercise must be held a minimum of once every three years and is [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-emergency-drills-20160413-story.html” title=”used to test the operational readiness“] of the emergency response and management system at LAX. Agencies participating included airport representatives, the city emergency management department, fire and police departments, the American Red Cross, Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board.

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2. Texas has implemented a new sales tax holiday to help residents prepare for any of the numerous natural hazards that affect the state. The [link url=”http://www.newschannel10.com/story/31719045/sales-tax-holiday-on-emergency-preparation-supplies” title=”Emergency Preparations Supplies tax holiday“] is meant to help residents of the state purchase emergency supplies to ensure family preparedness for extreme weather events. Passed by the Texas Legislature in 2015, the free sales tax includes items such as flashlights, batteries, first aid kits, radios, or other disaster supply kit materials and does not limit quantities on qualifying items. The free sales tax also includes more expensive items like emergency ladders or generators, but will not cover car batteries or general camping supplies. The tax free event begins April 23rd, but purchases must be completed before the end of April 25th.

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3. Ten counties in Arkansas are the recipients of a national emergency disaster relief grant from the United States Department of Labor (DOL). The [link url=”http://www.thv11.com/news/local/10-arkansas-counties-receive-millions-in-disaster-relief/131170662″ title=”$2,045,788 will fund more than 100 workers“] that are needed to help with cleanup efforts and debris removal from storms that occurred between December 26, 2015 and January 22, 2016. The disaster relief grant is a response to the federal disaster request made by the governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). The funds will be overseen by the Northwest and North Central Local Workforce Development Boards.

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4. At approximately 2:30 Wednesday afternoon, Austin, Texas firefighters responded to a cardiac arrest call at an off-campus apartment complex near the University of Texas.  Once on scene, authorities found a “Keep Out” sign outside the door, and a [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/14/us/suicide-by-chemicals-investigated-in-off-campus-housing-in-austin.html?_r=0″ title=”sign that indicated the presence of hydrogen sulfide“], a poisonous gas, on a closet door.  A man found inside the closet was later pronounced dead.  Authorities are investigating the death as a suicide.  Authorities evacuated the building until ventilation efforts cleared the hazardous poisonous gas.  Students were [link url=”http://www.kvue.com/news/local/1-dead-5-injured-in-west-campus-hazmat-situation/131239176″ title=”allowed to reenter the building“] around 7pm.
5. The New England Journal of Medicine published a CDC review online Wednesday indicating that a [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/04/13/474112727/cdc-confirms-zika-is-the-cause-of-severe-brain-defects-at-birth” title=”casual relationship has been found between the Zika virus and a severe form of microcephaly and intracranial calcifications“].  In order to study the virus and its potential link to this birth defect, researchers used the same methods that were used to determine the effects of rubella on pregnancy and in identifying fetal alcohol syndrome.  Health officials indicate that there are still many unanswered questions, many of which may take years to determine.  [relink url=”https://amuedge.com/zika-virus-what-we-know-right-now/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/who-mounting-evidence-of-zika-virus-microcephaly-connection/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/study-finds-links-between-zika-virus-and-birth-defects/”]
6. The Zika announcement came as a funding battle continues between the White House and Congress. The Obama administration [link url=”http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/04/zika-congress-white-house/477816/” title=”asked for $1.9 billion dollars in February“] to combat the disease, but the request stalled in Congress.  The administration has decided to [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/04/11/health-officials-sound-alarm-bell-over-zika-virus-spread.html” title=”shift unused funds of nearly $589 million from the fight against Ebola“] to combat the emerging Zika virus.
7. The [link url=”http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Red-Cross-to-honor-Milford-for-hurricane-recovery-7245632.php” title=”City of Milford is going to be honored by the American Red Cross“] on Friday April 29th, at the 17th Annual Connecticut Heroes Breakfast as the 2016 Community Resilience Hero. The award comes from the long-term recovery efforts by the community after Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene. Damages from the storm’s heavy wind and rain included downed power lines and trees that caused massive destruction across Long Island sounds’ communities.  The destruction forced the town’s residents to band together to ensure a strong recovery process and commit to being ready for future disasters.  [relink url=”http://edmdigest.com/adaptation/making-your-case-for-a-disaster-declaration-the-transition-to-recovery/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/the-wing-man-series-hazards-r-us-that-em-planning-champion-when-no-one-else-likes-planning/”]