AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

Emergency and Disaster Management Week in Review, January 25, 2016

Emergency and Disaster Management Week in Review January 25, 2016: The East Coast digs out from a massive snowstorm, Zika virus is spreading in the United States, the Flint, MI water crisis continues, the Oregon standoff winds down, and Pacifica, CA is crumbling.

“Snowzilla” – The East Coast Blizzard

Recovery is underway after a massive blizzard — termed “Snowzilla” — swept over the East Coast over the past weekend, delivering single-day snowfall records on [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/01/23/blizzard-warning-updates-heavy-snow-and-wind-for-storms-closing-phase/” title=”average of 35 inches in Washington, DC“], and [link url=”http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/blizzard-2016-new-york-city-single-day-record-of-26-6-inches-of-snow-set-nws-says-1.11377452″ title=”26.6 in New York City“].  The historic blizzard resulted in state of emergency declarations in 10 states and Washington D.C. Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia all declared states of emergency.  [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/01/24/sunday-snow-over-but-flight-cancellations-not/79261182/” title=”More than 12,000 flights were cancelled“], and many cities were still digging out on Thursday, some with [link url=”http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2016/01/26/connecticut-to-lend-snow-removal/” title=”help from neighboring states“].

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/just-in-time-disaster-preparedness/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/the-snow-dough-declaration-dance/”]

List of Zika Cases Growing in the United States

New cases are being documented in the United States, [link url=”https://www.rt.com/usa/330228-zika-virus-arkansas-first/” title=”including one each in Arkansas and Virginia“].  The virus has also been found in Florida, California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, with [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/Health/pregnant-woman-nyc-31-infected-zika-virus-us/story?id=36595794″ title=”approximately 31 people infected, including three individuals who are pregnant“].  President Obama is [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35417979″ title=”urging researchers to accelerate their development of vaccines, tests, and treatments“] to combat the spreading virus, which may be [link url=”http://www.inquisitr.com/2746362/climate-change-may-spread-zika-virus-to-new-territory-is-an-outbreak-in-the-u-s-next/” title=”partially due to climate change and El Niño“].  Scientists note that [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/health/what-is-zika-virus.html?_r=0″ title=”the virus is especially dangerous for pregnant women“] since it may be linked to undeveloped brains in babies.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [link url=”http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/” title=”(CDC) urges travelers to check travel alerts“] before leaving the country, and [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/major-us-airlines-respond-zika-virus-wake-travel/story?id=36550322″ title=”airlines are offering waivers“] for cancellations or ticket changes.

[relink url=”http://edmdigest.com/adaptation/climate-change-in-metaphor/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/recent-weather-events-an-indication-of-climate-change/”]

Oregon Stand-Off Winds Down

The [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/28/464673761/fbi-is-negotiating-with-militants-still-inside-oregon-wildlife-refuge” title=”nearly month-long standoff in Oregon is winding down“], as only about four people remain at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge.  Earlier in the week, in a confrontation with FBI officials that resulted in a gunshot exchange, [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-oregon-militia-idUSKCN0V610F” title=”one member of the militia was killed“], and a total of eight others were arrested in various locations.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/an-unfolding-role-for-emergency-management/”]

As the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis Continues, The True Danger of Hidden Infrastructure is Exposed

The water contamination crisis in Flint, MI is exposing the plight of the city’s residents and also [link url=”http://www.wsj.com/articles/flint-water-crisis-shines-light-on-lead-pipes-crisscrossing-the-u-s-1453977180″ title=”exposing the true danger of aging infrastructure in cities across the U.S.“] Officials warn that, without properly monitored and maintained infrastructure, [link url=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lead-pipes-everywhere_us_56a8e916e4b0f71799288f54″ title=”lead could contaminate the drinking water in various locations“] across the nation. In fact, some are starting to question how many other cities have lead contamination issues like Flint right now.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/the-infrastructure-bill-is-due/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/integrity/”]

Pacifica, California is Falling Into the Ocean

Recent El Niño-fueled storms caused the [link url=”http://kron4.com/2016/01/22/el-nino-crumbling-cliff-threatens-pacifica-homes/” title=”erosion of about 20 feet of land over a period of about two weeks in Pacifica“], resulting in crumbling cliffs with residences literally on the edge — and some residents are not leaving.  Blaming El Niño storms, the [link url=”http://www.cityofpacifica.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=8272″ title=”Pacifica Director of Emergency Services, Lorie Tinfow has proclaimed a local emergency“] and is [link url=”http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county-times/ci_29440008/pacifica-officials-pledge-help-el-nino-battered-city” title=”seeking funds from FEMA and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services“] to help displaced residents.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/pacifica-california-the-mt-st-helens-effect/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/oh-and-by-the-way/”]

Kimberly Arsenault serves as an intern at the Cleveland/Bradley County Emergency Management Agency where she works on plan revisions and special projects. Previously, Kimberly spent 15 years in commercial and business aviation. Her positions included station manager at the former Midwest Express Airlines, as well as corporate flight attendant, inflight manager, and charter flight coordinator. Kimberly currently holds a master's degree in emergency and disaster management from American Public University.

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