AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Monday Briefing: Large Earthquake Strikes Osaka, Japan, Train Derailment Causes Evacuations in Indiana

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Start a Emergency & Disaster Management degree at American Military University.

By Kimberly Arsenault
Contributor, EDM Digest

Emergency and disaster management briefing for June 18, 2018: A strong earthquake struck Osaka, Japan Monday morning killing three and injuring more than 300; an all-night art event in New Jersey turned violent when a fight escalated and 22 people were wounded by gunfire; a train derailment and explosion in Indiana forces the evacuation of area residents and businesses; five illegal immigrants are dead following a high speed chase and rollover crash in Texas; a shooting in a Walmart parking lot in Washington leads to the death of an alleged carjacker; rains spawned by Hurricane Bud remnants helped firefighters contain wildfires in Colorado and Wyoming; a pattern of large earthquakes that cause steam and ash explosions are occurring every 24 hours at Kilauea; and a civilian drone temporarily halted aircraft firefighting efforts in a wildfire battle in Colorado.

  1. Osaka, Japan was struck by [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/06/18/japan-earthquake-kills-3-including-9-year-old-girl-scores-injured.html” title=”a 5.3 magnitude earthquake around 8:00 a.m. local time Monday morning”], which killed at least three people and injured more than 300 others. The quake collapsed buildings and roadways, knocked over walls, and [link url=”http://time.com/5314505/japan-osaka-earthquake/” title=”broke gas and water lines, cutting supplies to homeowners and businesses”]. The powerful earthquake closed more than 1,000 schools, grounded dozens of domestic flights, and halted subway and train services, including the bullet trains, [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/06/18/japan-earthquake-kills-3-including-9-year-old-girl-scores-injured.html” title=”until damage inspections are completed”].

  2. An all-night art event in New Jersey’s capital city turned violent early Sunday morning after [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/17/1-dead-several-injured-in-shooting-at-new-jersey-festival.html” title=”a fight erupted and two suspects opened fire”], wounding 22 people, four of them critically. Law enforcement officials noted that police engaged in gunfire with at least one of the two suspects, who was pronounced dead, and the other suspect is now in custody. Trenton and New Jersey State Police are being actively assisted in the investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and officials indicated [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/17/new-jersey-arts-festival-shooting-leaves-22-injured-1-suspect-dead-officials-say.html” title=”that several weapons were recovered at the scene”].

  3. Residents and businesses within a one-mile radius of a train derailment in southwest Indiana [link url=”https://www.cbsnews.com/news/princeton-indiana-train-derailment-several-cars-catch-fire-forcing-evacuation/?ftag=CNM-00-10aac3a” title=”were evacuated Sunday evening by first responders”]. The train that derailed along U.S 41 in Princeton was carrying railcars filled with propane, at least one of which [link url=”https://www.cbsnews.com/news/princeton-indiana-train-derailment-several-cars-catch-fire-forcing-evacuation/?ftag=CNM-00-10aac3a” title=”caught fire and exploded when the train derailed”], causing several other railcars to catch on fire. Rail operator, CSX, reported that the train had two locomotives, 9 empty railcars, and 89 loaded railcars and the cause of the derailment is currently under investigation.

  4. Five people are dead following [link url=”http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/06/17/crash-border-patrol-texas-fatal/” title=”a high speed chase by the U.S. Border Patrol”] of suspects who were allegedly smuggling illegal aliens. The chase, which occurred near the Texas-Mexico border, involved three SUVs that appeared to be traveling in tandem and whose drivers were suspected of smuggling illegal aliens. One of the SUVs–carrying a total of 14 people–crashed, ejecting at least four people from the vehicle, and a fifth person from the SUV later died at the hospital. According to law enforcement officials, [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/17/at-least-5-believed-dead-after-suv-carrying-illegal-immigrants-crashes-sheriff-says.html” title=”multiple arrests were made from all three vehicles”], including one passenger of the SUV that crashed.

  5. An armed suspect is dead after [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/18/carjacking-suspect-dead-outside-walmart-store-after-armed-citizens-take-action-police-say.html” title=”a carjacking spree and a shooting in a Walmart parking lot”] in Washington state that left two people injured, including one man who had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital with two gunshot wounds. The suspect also allegedly carjacked a 16-year-old’s vehicle, causing her unspecified injuries, then drove erratically into the Walmart parking lot [link url=”http://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article213362194.html” title=”where he attempted to carjack another vehicle when he was confronted by two armed citizens”], one of whom shot and killed the suspect.

  6. Remnants of Hurricane Bud from the Pacific Ocean [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/17/remnants-hurricane-help-crews-in-colorado-wyoming-fires.html” title=”spawned much needed rains that helped quench the forward movement of wildfires”] in Colorado and Wyoming over the weekend. Although the rainfall helped firefighters achieve higher containments, officials warn that the wildfires are still burning and hotspots could cause new eruptions [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/17/remnants-hurricane-help-crews-in-colorado-wyoming-fires.html” title=”amid drought-dry conditions that plague the area”]. Another concern that surfaced with the rainfall is the risk of flash-flooding that could cause debris-flows from burn scars created by recent wildfires.

  7. Reports indicate that [link url=”http://www.kitv.com/story/38109291/the-latest-kilauea-eruption-update” title=”large earthquakes-5.0 magnitude or above-and steam eruptions”] are occurring on a fairly consistent 24-hour pattern at Kilauea on Hawaii’s Big Island. The latest eruption occurred Sunday morning around 6:26 a.m., [link url=”http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38404624/53-magnitude-earthquake-rattles-kilauea-summit-but-no-tsunami-threat” title=”sending an ash plume into the air”] that may have affected visibility and air quality in the vicinity of Volcano and Kau. Experts noted that the cycle begins as increasing seismic activity is observed, followed by a large earthquake, then an explosion of steam–and often an ash plume–a pattern that has been [link url=”http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38404624/53-magnitude-earthquake-rattles-kilauea-summit-but-no-tsunami-threat” title=”repeating approximately every 24-hours over the past several days”].

    8. https://twitter.com/kaismagazine/status/1008518123803193344

  8. Firefighting efforts were hampered in Colorado when [link url=”https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/dont-fly-drones-into-disasters/562997/” title=”a civilian drone forced air tankers and helicopters onto the ground for an hour”] until the drone cleared the airspace and firefighting efforts could resume. Firefighting aircraft typically fly in smoky, windy, and turbulent conditions, and their safety depends on the pilots knowing exactly where other aircraft in the airspace are located. A drone places the lives of these pilots at risk, because if the drone collides with any of the firefighting aircraft, significant or catastrophic damage could occur. In 2016 alone, [link url=”https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/dont-fly-drones-into-disasters/562997/” title=”civilian drones caused the grounding of firefighting aircraft 13 times”], hampering efforts to help contain multiple wildfires.

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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