AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Tuesday Briefing: Zika virus, Another Cyber Attack in Ukraine, Dangerous Cold in the Midwest

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Emergency and disaster management Tuesday Briefing for January 19, 2016: The CDC issues a travel warning to pregnant women regarding the mosquito-borne Zika virus, Russian hackers are again suspected in a Ukraine cyber attack, and a bitter, dangerous chill slams down on much of the Midwest.

  1. An [link url=”http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-travel-warning-issued-for-pregnant-women-amid-zika-outbreak/” title=”outbreak of a mosquito-borne virus known as Zika virus“] prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a [link url=”http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-travel-warning-issued-for-pregnant-women-amid-zika-outbreak/” title=”travel warning to pregnant women“]. Zika virus is being [link url=”http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-baby-born-with-brain-damage-linked-to-zika-virus/” title=”linked to birth defects“], and the CDC is urging pregnant women to [link url=”http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/public-health-agency-of-canada-issues-travel-notice-for-zika-virus-1.2741785″ title=”postpone travel to the areas where virus transmission is ongoing“].
  2. The Zika virus travel warning [link url=”http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-says-pregnant-women-should-stay-clear-of-zika/” title=”includes no fewer than 14 countries and regions“]: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The CDC also [link url=”http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/index.html” title=”maintains a map of where Zika virus been found“] thus far.
  3. Ukraine is blaming Russian hackers for a suspected [link url=”http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/ukraine-blames-russian-hackers-for-airport-attack-1.2501363″ title=”cyber attack at its main international airport“] that ultimately led to a blackout. This comes just weeks after as many as 80,000 residents in western Ukraine lost power for six hours due to an [link url=”http://www.newsweek.com/russian-hackers-shut-ukraine-power-grid-415751″ title=”alleged cyber attack from the Russian hacking group Sandworm“] and its malicious software known as “BlackEnergy.” Cyber security experts are looking at recent events such as these as a possible [link url=”http://www.wtae.com/money/scary-questions-in-ukraine-energy-grid-hack/37494790″ title=”turning point for the use of computer hacking in warfare“].

    4. [relink url=”https://amuedge.com/a-look-at-cyber-security/”]

  4. Mayor Karen Weaver of Flint, MI [link url=”http://www.wsj.com/articles/michigan-mayor-calls-for-more-aid-1453161752″ title=”called for more aid“] yesterday, just a few days after President Barack Obama [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/16/463319454/obama-declares-state-of-emergency-over-flints-contaminated-water” title=”declared a state of emergency in Flint, MI“], clearing the way for federal funding to reach the city. Weaver said that the city [link url=”http://www.wsj.com/articles/michigan-mayor-calls-for-more-aid-1453161752″ title=”will need much more than $5 million“] in federal aid received to recover from lead contamination in its drinking water.

    5. [relink url=”https://amuedge.com/flint-michigan-update-read-between-the-lines-on-declaration/”]

  5. The federal emergency declaration in Flint opened the door to $5 million in federal aid, but Michigan Governor Rick Snyder [link url=”http://www.wsgw.com/common/more.php?m=15&r=1&item_id=42561″ title=”originally requested $96 million of federal funds“] to help pay for bottled water, water filters and replacing the city’s old pipes. Governor Snyder [link url=”http://www.wsgw.com/common/more.php?m=15&r=1&item_id=42561″ title=”plans to appeal this denial of a major disaster declaration“] that came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In the denial, FEMA noted that a disaster declaration can only be made for natural events like fire, flood or explosions — not [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/18/us/obama-flint-michigan-water-fema-emergency-disaster.html?_r=0″ title=”man-made disaster events“].

    6. [relink url=”http://edmdigest.com/response/guest-blog-flint-michigan-water-crisis-from-a-red-cross-volunteer-perspective/”]

  6. [link url=”http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/dangerous-arctic-cold-blasts-midwestern-eastern-us/54809956″ title=”Bitter cold and dangerous wind chills“] are gripping most of the Midwest early this week, as harsh arctic air is bringing the coldest temperatures of the year. Chicago is dealing with [link url=”http://wgntv.com/2016/01/18/dangerous-wind-chills-20-to-30-degrees-chicago-area-wide/” title=”wind chills as low as -30“], and parts of both [link url=”http://www.wisn.com/weather/weather-blog-wind-chill-advisory-bitter-cold-arrives/37471836″ title=”Wisconsin“] and [link url=”http://www.kcci.com/weather/wind-chill-advisories-warnings-cancellations-here/37483208″ title=”Iowa“] are under wind-chill advisories.

  7. The floodwaters from historic rains in Missouri have subsided, but the [link url=”http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/the-flood-is-gone-but-long-slog-to-recovery-just/article_a80118ad-9815-5ffa-95e2-7021743a1981.html” title=”long road to recovery just beginning“]. Along the Meramec River, flooding damaged nearly 1,300 dwellings, 270 of which will likely have to be demolished. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon recently [link url=”http://dailyjournalonline.com/news/local/nixon-requests-major-disaster-declaration-due-to-flooding/article_b57ff608-eb8b-5bce-9a72-e967c991a4cc.html” title=”requested that the federal government declare a major disaster“] for the state due to the flood damage.
  8. The city of Troy, NY [link url=”http://wnyt.com/article/stories/s4019941.shtml” title=”declared a state of emergency“] after a massive water main break put much of the town under water. City officials [link url=”http://wamc.org/post/troy-declares-state-emergency-after-neighborhood-flooded-water-main-break#stream/0″ title=”issued an official restriction asking residents to limit use of water“] to “essentials only” until further notice while officials work to fix the issue.
  9. Forget hackers, some experts say, and [link url=”http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/move-over-hackers-squirrels-power-grid-greatest-foe-180957834/” title=”worry more about squirrels instead“]. While potential cyber attacks taking down our power grid tend to dominate the headlines, [link url=”http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/move-over-hackers-squirrels-power-grid-greatest-foe-180957834/” title=”grid outages are much more frequently associated with squirrel activity“]. The scope of the problem, and the chaos it can cause, is visibly obvious on [link url=”http://cybersquirrel1.com/” title=”this map“], which is maintained by an East Coast resident.

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