EDM Tuesday Briefing: China Landslide Recovery, U.S. Power Grid Concerns, Investigation at Air France

Emergency and disaster management Tuesday Briefing for December 22, 2015: Rescuers are still searching for more than 80 people after the devastating landslide in southern China, a probe reveals that the U.S. power grid may be vulnerable in numerous ways, and Air France officials are still searching for answers after a bomb threat diverted a flight.

1. The massive landslide in southern China that left at least 91 people missing [link url=”http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-20/more-than-40-missing-after-landslide-in-shenzhen-xinhua-says” title=”may have started from a waste location“], and some are saying that [link url=”https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2015/12/21/overlooked-safety-risks-added-landslide-china-reports-say/SAZnmfyg4jyd070i6XUfKP/story.html” title=”overlooked safety risks“] may have contributed to the devastation. The landslide is the latest in a series of recent [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/world/asia/china-landslide-shenzhen.html” title=”man-made disasters“] in China that have coincided with the country’s rapid growth.
2. The landslide reportedly occurred after [link url=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shenzhen-landslide-photos-video_56781a5ce4b06fa6887ddd38″ title=”heavy rains destabilized a 330-foot-high mountain of soil and construction waste“] that had built up over two years. At least one body has been recovered from the rubble so far. Chinese police [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-landslide-idUSKBN0U30CS20151222″ title=” raided the offices of a company managing the dump site“], with authorities now questioning whether the firm was qualified to do the job.
3. It has been revealed that [link url=”http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/263898-report-iran-hacked-into-a-new-york-dam-in-2013″ title=”Iranian hackers infiltrated a small New York dam in 2013“], as new details emerged in this a previously undisclosed incident. A former official close to the investigation said that the hackers were able to [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/21/politics/iranian-hackers-new-york-dam/index.html” title=”access the dam and take control of the flood gates“], reigniting concerns that U.S. power grid and/or other critical infrastructure could be [link url=”http://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/21/us-power-grid-vulnerable-to-foreign-hackers.html” title=”vulnerable to foreign hackers“].
4. A recent Associated Press (AP) investigation concluded that the U.S. [link url=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-not-prepared-to-defend-power-grid-from-cyberattacks_56780a3ce4b0b958f657214f” title=”may not be prepared to defend the power grid from cyber attacks“] after revealing that sophisticated foreign hackers have gained limited remote access about a [link url=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-not-prepared-to-defend-power-grid-from-cyberattacks_56780a3ce4b0b958f657214f” title=”dozen times in the last decade“].
5. The past decade has also seen an increase in the number of weather-related power outages in the U.S., a fact that is raising concerns about how [link url=”http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Extreme-weather-poses-increasing-threat-to-US-6714539.php” title=”extreme weather is an increasing threat to the U.S. power grid“]. Hurricanes, droughts and other extreme weather-related situations all pose challenges and are a growing threat, the AP said.
6. Authorities are still searching for answers after an [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/world/africa/air-france-emergency-landing-kenya-device.html” title=”Air France flight was diverted due to a bomb threat“]. A passenger found a suspicious device in the aircraft’s lavatory and the plane made an emergency landing. That passenger [link url=”http://www.wsj.com/articles/one-passenger-detained-over-air-france-bomb-hoax-1450701134″ title=”was detained but then eventually released“] without being charged.

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7. [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/us/nashua-new-hampshire-school-district-threat.html” title=”Schools are scheduled to reopen“] today in Nashua, NH. Just a day earlier, a ‘detailed threat of violence’ [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-detailed-threat-violence-new-hampshire-schools-reopen-n484111″ title=”forced the closure of all public schools in the region“]. It remains unclear if the threat was a hoax, but New Hampshire Police [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/hampshire-police-investigate-threats-closed-schools-35887075″ title=”determined that the threats weren’t credible“] and that schools could reopen.
8. Concerns that terrorism was involved in the Las Vegas sidewalk driving incident that left [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/21/us/las-vegas-strip-pedestrians-hit/” title=”dozens of pedestrians injured“] were squashed after investigations revealed that the driver was reportedly [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/12/21/car-mows-down-pedestrians-on-las-vegas-strip-killing-1-and-injuring-dozens-more/” title=”stressed from living in car“] and possibly [link url=”http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2015/12/las_vegas_officials_cant_100_r.html” title=”under the influence of drugs“].