AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Friday Briefing: Wildfires, Toxic Wild Boars in Fukushima, Cheese Recall

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Emergency and disaster management briefing for March 10, 2017: Fire fighters say Collier County wildfire 50% contained, wild boars pose threat to residents returning to the town of Fukushima, two gunmen open fire at a cafe in Switzerland, Chicago gangs looting trains snag ultimate prize, investigators arrest suspected arsonist of Detroit, Michigan fire, former Chattanooga, Tennessee bus driver indicted on vehicular manslaughter charges, Arctic air set to blast the Midwest and Northeast over the weekend, rail service set to resume in Newburgh, New York after chemical-carrying freight train derailment, a plane carrying the University of Michigan men’s basketball team slides off the runway, and another cheese recall is issued due to suspected Listeria contamination.

  1. A part of I-75 known as Alligator Alley, which connects the two coasts of Florida between Naples and Ft. Lauderdale, [link url=”https://weather.com/news/news/naples-florida-wildfire-picayune-strand-state-forest” title=”has reopened after a large wildfire in Picayune Strand State Forest”] caused heavy smoke to cover the roadway. The Lee Williams Road fire as it has been named, has destroyed at least [link url=”http://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/local/2017/03/08/firefighters-continue-battle-brush-fire-eastern-collier-county/98897486/” title=”two homes in Collier County, and burned 7,500 acres as of Thursday afternoon”]. Officials report that the fire is now 50% contained and increasing humidity and light winds will help fire fighters as they work to contain the wildfire. [relink url=”https://amuedge.com/small-business-disaster-emergency/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/maryland-facility-firefighters/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/business-continuity-hazard/”]
  2. Troubles continue to emerge for the ravaged [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/03/09/toxic-wild-boars-reportedly-stalk-fukushima-residents.html” title=”Fukushima Prefecture in Japan”].  As Japan prepares to allow some people to return to their homes within the evacuation zone in Fukushima, yet another issue has officials and residents concerned. Highly radioactive wild boars have taken up residence in many homes, and have reportedly lost their fear of humans, sparking concerns among officials that the boars may attack returning residents. [link url=”https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/world/asia/radioactive-boars-in-fukushima-thwart-residents-plans-to-return-home.html” title=”Cesium-137 contamination in the boars is at safety levels 300 times higher than acceptable standards”], and the wild boar population has grown from 3,000 in 2014 to its current numbers of at least 13,000.

  3. [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/03/10/police-search-for-shooters-after-2-killed-in-swiss-cafe.html” title=”Swiss Police are searching for a two gunmen who opened fire on a cafe in Basel, Switzerland”] on Thursday at around 8:15 p.m. [link url=”http://www.euronews.com/2017/03/10/switzerland-two-people-killed-one-seriously-injured-in-a-shooting-at-a-cafe-in-basel-police” title=”Two people were killed and a third was critically injured”] when the two men entered Cafe 56 and opened fire. Police say the motive for the shooting is unknown, but do not believe it is tied to terrorism, although the cafe was specifically targeted.

  4. In Chicago’s south side, the city’s most dangerous area, [link url=”https://www.afro.com/gangs-reap-guns-trains-violent-chicago-neighborhoods/” title=”gangs are looting freight train cars loaded with brand new guns”]. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) reports that over 150 guns have been stolen from the trains since 2013. ATF says while that might not seem like very many guns, when 14 fatal shootings can be linked to a single gun, it becomes significant. Some local community leaders say the railroad, [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/09/chicagos-violent-gangs-looting-freight-cars-filled-with-guns.html” title=”Norfolk Southern is at least partially to blame”], noting that the company could increase security measures to prevent the thefts. [relink url=”https://amuedge.com/doj-investigation-chicago-police/” url2=”http://edmdigest.com/response/gun-violence-in-chicago-the-deeper-implications/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/guns-taking-a-moment-to-consider-a-different-view/”]
  5. A fire set by an arsonist in Detroit, Michigan on Wednesday [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/08/detroit-apartment-fire-5-dead-4-injured.html” title=”claimed the lives of five people and injured another four”] after high winds fanned the fire that rapidly spread through an apartment building. Winds reaching 60 mph made it difficult for fire fighters to extinguish the blaze in the brick, two-story building. After investigating the fire, a 55-year-old man living in the building, who reportedly had an argument with the landlord, [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/09/man-arrested-after-detroit-arson-fire-that-killed-5-cops-say.html” title=”has been arrested by authorities”]. 

  6. In Chattanooga, Tenn., the former school bus driver of a crash on Nov. 21 that killed six students and injured several others, [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/09/tennessee-school-bus-driver-indicted-in-deaths-6-children.html” title=”has been indicted on six counts of vehicular manslaughter”], among other charges. Witnesses state that the driver, Johnthony Walker, [link url=”http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2017/mar/02/durham-attorneys-ask-extensicivil-cases-citin/415488/” title=”was speeding while traveling down a winding road”] and lost control of the bus, striking an elevated driveway and mailbox before slamming into a telephone pole and tree. [relink url=”http://edmdigest.com/response/can-we-actually-protect-our-first-responders/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/supporting-psychiatric-care-for-first-responders/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/improvised-nuclear-devices-guide/”]
  7. After balmy, higher than normal temperatures across much of the Midwest and into the Northeast, [link url=”https://weather.com/forecast/national/news/arctic-cold-northeast-midwest-warm-southwest-early-march” title=”a blast of Arctic air is set to dump rain and snow throughout the region”], as temperatures plummet, possibly by 40 degrees in some areas. Some locations in the tri-state area that includes [link url=”http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Snow-Forecast-Cold-New-York-New-Jersey-Connecticut-Winter-Storm-415771263.html” title=”New York could see up to six inches of snow”], while portions of the Midwest, and as far south as North Carolina and Tennessee, [link url=”https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/more-march-snow-midwest-northeast-south-forecast-2017″ title=”could see ice and up to three inches of snow”], with larger accumulations in higher elevations. [relink url=”https://amuedge.com/science-strives-to-make-climate-change-more-personal-economically-relevant-to-americans/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/climate-change-adaptation-and-infrastructure/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/yearly-deaths-likely-to-increase-due-to-climate-change/”]
  8. Rail operations are set to resume in Newburgh, New York following [link url=”http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2017/03/09/csx-trains-resume-derailment/98955086/” title=”a CSX train derailment that occurred on Tuesday afternoon”]. The mixed-freight carrying train was hauling sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide when the train collided with a rail maintenance vehicle on the tracks at the Hudson Valley crossing, [link url=”http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170308/more-than-4600-gallons-of-diesel-leaked-from-derailed-freight-train-in-newburgh” title=”causing 4,600 gallons of diesel fuel to leak out of ruptured locomotive tanks”]. Two train crew members suffered minor injuries along with two additional CSX employees working on an adjacent track. [relink url=”https://amuedge.com/things-that-go-boom-when-we-screw-up/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/trains-and-train-crossings-safety-first/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/training-to-pay-attention-to-detail/”]
  9. On Wednesday, [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2017/03/08/plane-carrying-university-michigan-mens-basketball-team-slides-off-runway.html” title=”high winds caused a charter plane carrying the University of Michigan men’s basketball team to abort its take off”] at the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan. [link url=”http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/240320586-story” title=”After strong braking, the MD83 aircraft, operated by Ameristar Charters, slid off the runway”] where it came to rest without further incident. The aircraft suffered extensive damage but all 109 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated safely and no injuries were reported.

  10. On Tuesday, [link url=”http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/Vulto-Creamery-Recalls-All-Soft-Wash-Rind-Raw-Milk-Cheeses-415731013.html” title=”the Vulto Creamery announced a recall of its soft wash-rind raw milk cheeses”] after concerns the cheese may be infected with the Listeriosis bacteria. Since September, six hospitalizations and two deaths are thought to be linked to the potentially infected cheese that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently investigating. The FDA, in conjunction with the CDC and other health officials noted that laboratory evidence of the Listeria monocytogenes has been found that [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/09/health/fda-listeria-vulto-cheese-recall/” title=”indicates the outbreak likely began in Walton, New York at the Vulto Creamery”].

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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