AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Monday Briefing: California Resources Stretched Thin as Wildfires Rage On

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wildfires california helicopter Arsenault

Emergency and disaster management briefing for August 24, 2020: The NWS has downgraded Marco to a Tropical Storm and it is now forecast to skirt along the northern Gulf Coast; Air Quality Alerts have been issued for most of Colorado due to wildfire smoke; as TS Laura continues its trek to the west-northwest, Tropical Storm Warnings have now been issued for parts of the Florida Keys; the application period for FEMA’s BRIC program opens on September 30; Fairbault Foods, Inc., issues a recall for its Progresso Organic Chicken Noodle soup because it does not contain soup; firefighting resources and personnel are stretched thin in California after at least 26 lighting-ignited wildfires continue to burn across the state; a Red Flag Warning is in effect for the entire San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast in California due to potentially dangerous fire-weather conditions; and Prima Wawoma peaches have been recalled due to potential contamination by salmonella.

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1) Hurricane watches and warnings have been cancelled as Marco has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, and it is now expected to skirt very close to the Louisiana coast Monday afternoon, rather than moving onshore. The system is moving at about 10 mph to the northwest. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects TS Marco to turn to the west, while further weakening and becoming a tropical depression late Tuesday before dissipating on Wednesday. As TS Marco approaches the coast, tropical storm and storm surge warnings are in effect. The NHC is urging residents in the path of the storm to closely monitor local weather watches and warnings.

2) Four major wildfires continue to burn in Colorado, impacting air quality throughout much of the state. On Sunday, Air Quality Alerts were issued for all but five counties in the state, although the levels in Fort Collins were among the worst across the state. The Air Quality Index had already reached 190 (a high Unhealthy reading) at 11:00 on Sunday, getting very close to the very unhealthy air quality levels often seen in Beijing.

3) As Tropical Storm Laura continues its trek to the west-northwest, Tropical Storm Warnings have now been issued for parts of the Florida Keys from Craig Key to Key West. TS Laura is forecast to gradually strengthen and become a hurricane sometime Tuesday once it moves further out over the warm Gulf of Mexico waters. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is expected to begin issuing Hurricane Watches by Monday evening for portions of the U.S. Northwest Gulf Coast.

4) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has replaced the Pre-Disaster Mitigation program with the new Building Resilience Infrastructures and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The program priorities include public infrastructure projects, projects that mitigate risk to one or more lifelines, projects that incorporate nature-based solutions, and the adoption and enforcement of modern building codes. The application period for BRIC grants begins September 30, 2020, and ends on January 29, 2021. It  is open to all states, local communities, tribes and territories, but projects must meet eligibility requirements.

5) Approximately 15,134 pounds of Progresso Organic Chicken Noodle Soup is being recalled due to completely incorrect labeling. The soup is actually beef pasta, and the recall has been issued by Fairbault Foods, Inc., which produces the Progresso line. A full recall of the product, with a Best By date of May 26, 2020, was issued after consumers opened cans of the incorrectly labeled soup and found meatballs and pasta inside instead of soup.

6) According to a recent update posted by Wildfire Today, nearly 12,000 firefighters are being stretched thin to fight over 20 major wildfires and complexes of fires in California that have killed five people and injured 33 others. The publication noted that across the state, some shortages of fire apparatus, personnel, and aircraft are becoming apparent with about 96% of CalFire’s engines being committed across the state. The majority of the wildfires were ignited by a 72-hour stretch of lightning over a week ago. While firefighters were able to contain most of the wildfires, the rest of the fires have now consumed more than 771,000 acres and prompted the evacuation of 175,000 residents across the state.

7) A Red Flag Warning remains in effect for the entire San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast in California until Monday evening. The warning has been issued due to the inflow of elevated moisture and instability from former Hurricane Genevieve, which will bring dry lightning and gusty, erratic outflow winds over existing wildfires. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), these conditions can lead to potentially dangerous and unpredictable fire behavior over existing wildfires. The increasingly frequent lighting strikes have the potential to start new wildfires.

8) A federal investigation into the salmonella outbreak continues, broadening a peach recall. The Fresno-based fruit distributor of Prima Wawoma peaches has recalled bulk, loose, and bagged regular and organic peaches due to potential salmonella contamination. The peaches were distributed and sold between June 1 to August 19. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has listed the major grocery retailers where the peaches were sold, including Walmart, Target and Aldi’s.

 

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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