Emergency and disaster management briefing for May 15, 2020: Typhoon Vongfong slammed into the Philippines with winds equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane; a juvenile has been arrested for allegedly starting the Saddle Fire and three others in Utah; a Florida resident has been charged with starting a wildfire that damaged or destroyed 59 homes; two wildfires merged in South Florida, prompting evacuations and forcing the closure of I-75 in Collier County; FEMA has released course updates to two of its independent study courses; a strong 6.4 earthquake struck in a remote area of western Nevada early Friday morning; Invest 90L has an 80 percent chance of development into the first named tropical system of the 2020 hurricane season; and the bodies of the two Utah teens missing since May 6 have been found.
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1) Typhoon Vongfong rapidly intensified right before it slammed into the eastern Philippines on Thursday. The intensification occurred in less than 24 hours, with wind speeds topping 115 mph and gusts of 143 mph, making the storm equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane. The typhoon made evacuation efforts difficult across the nation, which has been hard-hit by the new coronavirus.
The first typhoon of the year in the Western Pacific was later than usual and quite potent. https://t.co/CfaGqbDkXf #Vongfong #Ambo pic.twitter.com/LZxUTlVARz
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) May 15, 2020
2) A wildfire that has so far scorched more than 635 acres in Utah was reportedly set by a juvenile. Dubbed the Saddle Fire, it is one of four fires allegedly started by the juvenile, and the fire was 70 percent contained as of Thursday. As of Friday morning, the wildfire was being managed by a Type 4 Incident Command and was burning to the north of Midway, in the Wasatch Mountain State Park.
Saddle Fire in Midway, Utah, burns more than 600 acres, person arrested for arson https://t.co/CH37gpw966
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) May 13, 2020
3) A resident of Santa Rosa Beach in Florida has been charged with starting a wildfire that damaged or destroyed 59 homes. The man had allegedly set up an illegal burn barrel behind his home and reportedly left the barrel unattended before the fire was completely out. Embers from the barrel ignited dry vegetation nearby. The wildfire swiftly raged out of control due to high winds, forcing evacuations and scorching 343 acres before it was contained.
Smith had been burning prohibited materials in a barrel behind his Santa Rosa Beach home on May 5 and didn’t fully extinguish the illegal fire before leaving it: https://t.co/3rzT4HBIv9
— NBC 6 South Florida (@nbc6) May 13, 2020
4) Two wildfires burning in Collier County in South Florida merged Thursday morning, prompting evacuations and forcing the closure of I-75. The fire created an 8,000 acre blaze that was only 10 percent contained as of Thursday afternoon. At least 13 homes were already destroyed by the blaze that shut down the first 20 miles of Alligator Alley, the portion of I-75 that crosses the state of Florida. Helicopters were being used to help contain the blaze.
A combination of an ongoing drought, low humidity and high winds have caused the fire to spread rapidly in Southwest Florida, threatening homes and closing down Alligator Alley.https://t.co/cuBWYeVyeb
— Josh Fiallo (@ByJoshFiallo) May 14, 2020
5) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released revisions for two independent courses. One of the courses, the National Response Framework (NRF), An Introduction (IS-800.d), has been revised to include October 2019 updates, including Community Lifelines. The course addresses those who deliver and apply response core capabilities, including first responders and emergency managers. The second course update incorporates the October 2017 updates to NIMS (National Incident Management System), Resource Management (IS-703.b) and applies to any agencies involved in coordination activities during a disaster.
RT usfire: RT FEMA_EMI: FEMA RELEASES:
IS-800.d National Response Framework, An Introduction
and
IS-703.b National Incident Management System Resource ManagementIf you would like to take the latest versions of these courses, please visit: … pic.twitter.com/BTQfMI58P3
— Rock Island Arsenal Fire & Emergency Services (@RIAFireDept) May 7, 2020
6) A strong earthquake struck in a remote area of western Nevada early Friday morning. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 6.5 magnitude quake struck at a very shallow depth of 1.7 miles and was centered about 35 miles west of Tonopah, Nevada. The quake was reportedly felt from Utah to California, although no injuries or damages have been reported.
The area around the Mw6.4 Nevada EQ will continue to experience more earthquakes than usual. Some may be larger, but many smaller. Follow our aftershock forecast (https://t.co/UBnFCW2IrU) and remember to always Drop, Cover, and Hold on if you feel shaking. #usgs #NVQuake. pic.twitter.com/tZdmnQBkZR
— USGS (@USGS) May 15, 2020
7) It is very likely that the low-pressure system moving slowly through the Straits of Florida will develop into the first named storm of the 2020 hurricane season. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Invest 90L has an 80 percent chance of development into a named storm this weekend as it moves out over the Atlantic Ocean. Until then, the system will bring rain to much of South Florida, including heavy rainfall in The Keys and in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Invest 90L Likely to Become Arthur Within the Next 24-36 Hours @spann #ALWX https://t.co/FwkXa3WSO0 pic.twitter.com/Vc7Ueh0t0X
— AlabamaWx Weather Blog (@alabamawxblog) May 15, 2020
8) The bodies of two Utah teens that have been missing since May 6 have been found. The teenage girls, Priscilla Bienkowski, 18, and Sophie Hernandez, 17, went tubing on Utah Lake, located south of Salt Lake City, but never returned to shore. Authorities believe they may have been caught in bad weather on the lake, which likely led to their deaths.
After nearly two weeks of searching, authorities have recovered the remains of two Utah County teens who went missing at Utah Lake. https://t.co/GNYRZ3gtvW
— KSL (@KSLcom) May 15, 2020
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