EDM Thursday Briefing: Zika Outbreak Worsens, Winter Storm Kayla Hits Hard, Lawsuits Mount Against SoCalGas

Emergency and disaster management briefing for February 4, 2016: A sexually-transmitted case of Zika virus reported in Texas potentially complicates efforts to stop the outbreak, winter storms create dangerous conditions across much of the U.S., and multiple lawsuits are brought against SoCalGas in association with the ongoing natural gas leak crisis in Porter Ranch, CA.

1. The first known case of [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/03/health/zika-sex-transmission-texas.html” title=”sexually-transmitted Zika virus“] was reported yesterday in Texas. This brings a complicated twist to what is [link url=”https://amuedge.com/zika-the-new-aids/” title=”quickly becoming a global epidemic“], as Zika was previously thought to be [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/28/health/zika-virus-global-response/” title=”transmitted primarily by mosquitos“]. The virus is linked to [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/02/02/465278281/how-much-harm-can-the-zika-virus-really-do” title=”birth defects in babies and persistent neurological problems in adults“].

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2. Experts are urging both nations and individuals [link url=”https://amuedge.com/the-zika-virus-dont-underestimate-the-threat/” title=”to not underestimate the threat of Zika“] due to the way the virus is spreading and also the fact that there is currently [link url=”http://www.inquisitr.com/2755507/disease-experts-warn-zika-vaccine-may-be-years-away-as-researchers-work-on-detecting-the-virus/” title=”no known vaccine or cure“]. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/health-zika-who-idUSKCN0VA39E” title=”declared Zika virus an international public health emergency“] earlier this week.

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3. Winter Storm Kayla continued to hammer a large portion of the U.S. with [link url=”https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-kayla-impacts-0″ title=”dangerous winter weather“], dumping significant amounts of snow in many regions and causing at least [link url=”https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-kayla-impacts-0″ title=”one reported death“]. States affected by winter storms include Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.

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4. Travel across the U.S. was again directly impacted by the series of winter storms. More than [link url=”https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-kayla-impacts-0″ title=”200 miles of Interstate 80 were closed“] for parts of Tuesday and Wednesday, and [link url=”http://flightaware.com/live/cancelled” title=”flight delays and cancelations“] continued in Denver and other cities hit hard by this latest wave of winters storms.
5. While winter storms wreaked havoc in the Midwest and parts of the West, much of the South sat under tornado warnings and watches the past two days. There were [link url=”https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/severe-weather-south-impacts” title=”at least 12 reports of tornadoes“] across Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia throughout Tuesday and Wednesday. Despite significant damage in some regions, [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/02/03/tornadoes-severe-storms-south/79743394/” title=”there were no reported deaths“] due to the tornadoes.

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6. Los Angeles prosecutors [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-ag-sues-gas-company-uncontrolled-leak-36669911″ title=”filed criminal charges“] yesterday against Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) over the ongoing natural gas leak crisis in Porter Ranch, CA. The complaint charges the utility company with failing to report the release of a hazardous material and also with air contamination. In a separate lawsuit, the family of a Porter Ranch resident Zelda Rothman [link url=”http://laist.com/2016/02/03/socalgas_legal_troubles.php” title=”filed wrongful death charges“] against SoCalGas, alleging that the leak directly contributed to Rothman’s death on January 25.

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7. California Attorney General Kamala Harris also [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/02/us/california-attorney-general-porter-ranch-gas-leak-lawsuit/index.html” title=”announced a civil lawsuit against SoCalGas“] yesterday, alleging that the utility company “violated safety laws and failed to report” the gas leak. If convicted, SoCal Gas could potentially be fined for each day that it failed to notify state authorities about the leak — up to $25,000 per day. SoCalGas reportedly [link url=”http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Porter-Ranch-Gas-Leak-FAQ-365803171.html” title=”discovered the massive methane leak on October 23, 2015“].
8. The lawsuit from CA Attorney General Harris specifically alleges that the ongoing gas leak jeopardizes the state’s efforts to cut greenhouse gas emission, [link url=”http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/02/los-angeles-gas-leak-southern-california-gas-porter-ranch” title=”devastating California’s efforts to combat global warming“]. As of late January, environmental experts estimated that the leak already contributed the equivalent of 2.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-porter-ranch-greenhouse-20160124-story.html” title=”more greenhouse gas than 440,000 cars emit in a year“]. Methane is a fast-acting climate pollutant that is [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-porter-ranch-greenhouse-20160124-story.html” title=”many times more powerful than carbon dioxide“].
9. The Federal Bureau of Investigation [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-michigan-flint-fbi-idUSKCN0VB1DB” title=”joined the investigation of contaminated drinking water in Flint, MI“]. The FBI is exploring whether any federal laws were broken during the course of the crisis. A former federal prosecutor, though, said that [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-michigan-flint-fbi-idUSKCN0VB1DB” title=”the ability to seek criminal charges under U.S. environmental laws is limited“], as any potential case would have to center on a “knowingly false statement” or something similarly egregious.
10. The engineering professor who helped uncover the Flint water contamination [link url=”http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/02/03/flint-water-congressional-hearing/79728072/” title=”blamed the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials“], calling it a “cover up” and saying that a small group of officials “mislead” the public.

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