EDM Wednesday Briefing: Severe Weather Impacts South, Tornadoes Cause Widespread Damage, Bill Gates Backs FBI

Emergency and disaster management briefing for February 24, 2016: Severe weather spawns multiple tornadoes, causing deaths and widespread damage in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida, hospitals in Texas may have a rapid Zika diagnosing test, the sea level rise worse than previously thought, and Bill Gates supports FBI in data quest.

1. A severe weather system turned [link url=”http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/02/at_least_7_tornadoes_hit_louis.html” title=”deadly late Tuesday“] when a series of at least seven tornadoes ripped through areas in Louisiana and Mississippi.  [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-louisiana-schools-prepare-severe-weather-37130198″ title=”Schools and government offices closed early“] in anticipation of the storm system that included [link url=”http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/02/severe_weather_updates_new_orl.html#incart_article_small” title=”high winds, heavy rains, severe thunderstorms, flooding, hail, and tornadoes“]. The storms and tornadoes [link url=”http://theadvocate.com/news/14969029-77/damage-map-details-see-where-tornadoes-thrashed-areas-around-baton-rouge” title=” downed power lines and trees,“] and the golf-ball-sized hail also caused damage to area homes. Energy Louisiana indicated that the storm [link url=”http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/02/severe_weather_updates_new_orl.html#incart_article_small” title=”knocked out power to thousands of customers“].
2. Convent, Louisiana was the site of a [link url=”http://www.fox8live.com/story/31296638/20-30-rvs-overturned-people-injured-in-convent” title=”devastating tornado that completely destroyed 160 mobile homes, killed two“], and left several others missing.  Officials are hopeful the missing will eventually be found at area hospitals or elsewhere.  Search [link url=”http://news.yahoo.com/tornadoes-injure-least-12-louisiana-damages-widespread-000911981.html?nhp=1″ title=”dogs combed the mangled debris for survivors“] who might be trapped in the rubble.
3. Another tornado touched down in the [link url=”http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20160224_Reuters_L2N1621Q5_UPDATE_5_Tornadoes_kill_3__injure_dozens_in_Louisiana__Mississippi.html” title=”Louisiana Parish of Assumption,“] where it toppled a water tower and destroyed at least 20 homes. Other tornadoes ripped through Livingston Parish and Prairieville, Louisiana where it [link url=”http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/02/tornado_rips_wall_off_golds_gy.html” title=”severely damaged a Gold’s Gym“]. A lightning strike also [link url=”http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/02/lightning_takes_out_nws_radar.html” title=”took out the radar system at the National Weather Service“] when it hit the building in Slidell, Louisiana, causing the facility to switch to its back up system.
4. As the system moved east, cities in the [link url=”http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/2016/02/23/nws-we-feel-there-tornadoes-around-area/80820334/” title=”Florida panhandle also experienced severe weather threats,“] including a tornado in Escambia County, near Pensacola, collapsing buildings and triggering gas leaks.  Flooding and debris blocked roadways have resulted in area road closures.
5. Two [link url=”http://news.yahoo.com/texas-hospitals-developed-rapid-test-zika-180642480–finance.html?nhp=1″ title=”hospitals in Texas believe they have developed a test that can diagnose the Zika virus“] in just a few hours.  The test was developed by the Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital in an effort to reduce the time needed to identify the virus, therefore speeding treatment.
6. Sea levels are [link url=”https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/science/2016/02/23/seas-are-now-rising-faster-than-they-have-years/j69UMo2NaDAxLYjUDE2MLN/story.html” title=”rising much faster than previously thought“], and it is likely contributed directly to the industrial age and current temperature increases.  This is [link url=”http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-seas-are-rising-way-faster-than-any-time-in-past-2800-years-2016-2″ title=”according to two reports published Monday in journals of the National Academy of Sciences“] that note the sea levels will increase by a foot a century at current emissions. That means by the year 2100, sea levels could increase anywhere from 11 to 22 inches if the Paris climate agreements are upheld.  If not, the reports suggests sea level increases of 22 to 52 inches.

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7.   As the fight between [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/san-bernardino-shooting/bill-gates-backs-fbi-over-apple-san-bernardino-iphone-battle-n524031″ title=”Apple and the FBI continues“] in efforts to unblock the San Bernardino shooter’s phone, [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/san-bernardino-shooting/bill-gates-backs-fbi-over-apple-san-bernardino-iphone-battle-n524031″ title=”Bill Gates has come forward in full support of the FBI.“]  His support is in opposition to other tech savvy company heads including Google, Twitter, and Facebook.  He claims that the request is valid since they are asking only for a specific device to be unlocked, but Apple disagrees noting that it would create software that [link url=”http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/23/apple-new-iphone-models-san-bernardino-shooter-all-writs-act-department-of-justice” title=”would put millions of user’s data at risk“].
8. According to a recent survey, half the nation supports the FBI in their quest, but a [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/02/23/the-real-reason-half-of-america-supports-the-fbi-over-apple/?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-technology%3Ahomepage%2Fcard” title=”recent show of support via social media might speak differently“], says one report.  The account notes that it is likely that majority of the people polled do not really understand the implications of creating such software, or the threat is poses, including vulnerabilities to hackers or spies from other nation’s.
9. Additionally, a [link url=”http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/apple_allwrits_list.pdf” title=”list of federally-filed cases“] has recently been opened that indicates numerous other iPhones that the U.S. Justice system is demanding data from – indicating that San Bernardino [link url=”http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/apple_allwrits_list.pdf” title=”is not a single request.“]