Emergency and disaster management briefing for August 1, 2016: Two people die in extensive flooding in Maryland, a shooting incident in Austin, TX leaves one dead and four more injured, the White House lays out large-scale cybersecurity policy, poor air quality contributes to millions of deaths, and wildfires cause destruction in the West.
- At least [link url=”http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/07/31/at-least-one-dead-after-flash-flooding-wreaks-havoc-in-md/#pt0-965201″ title=”two people died”] after [link url=”http://m.wbaltv.com/weather/several-inches-of-rain-cause-flooding-in-ellicott-city/40965238″ title=”extensive flooding”] occurred in Howard County, Maryland this week. Heavy rains hit the region Saturday night and the historic town of [link url=”http://theweek.com/speedreads/640176/ellicott-city-maryland-looks-like-movie-disaster-scene-after-severe-flash-flooding” title=”Ellicott City”] was hit particularly hard. The severe rain and resulting floods also damaged dozens of buildings and more than 170 cars.
- [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/07/31/austin-active-shooter/87882128/” title=”A manhunt was underway”] in Austin, TX yesterday after a shooting left one person dead and at least another four people injured. The incident — originally deemed [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/austin-shooting-multiple-victims-reported-downtown-texas-capital-n620436″ title=”an active shooter situation”] by Austin police — occurred early Sunday morning in downtown Austin. A second shooting occurred shortly after and nearby the first incident but police determined that [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/austin-shooting-multiple-victims-reported-downtown-texas-capital-n620436″ title=”they incidents were not connected”] and were instead “two unrelated incidents that occurred in close proximity.”
- President Barack Obama recently approved a new [link url=”https://amuedge.com/obama-administration-spells-out-cyber-security-policy/” title=”Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) on cybersecurity”] that lays out a framework for federal response to potential large-scale cyber attacks. The new PPD defines what it calls the five [link url=”https://amuedge.com/obama-administration-spells-out-cyber-security-policy/” title=”‘Incident Response Principles'”] to guide government response through various cyber-related incidents. One of the key components of the new directive is the [link url=”https://amuedge.com/a-new-color-coded-world-of-cyber-threats/” title=”color-coded alert system”] for identifying and labeling cyber threats.
- Poor air quality is the [link url=”https://amuedge.com/policy-implementation-key-to-improving-air-quality/” title=”fourth largest threat to human health”] and contributes to the premature deaths of approximately 3 million people per year. A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) found that, at current rates of emission, premature deaths are likely to rise from the current 3 million to 4.5 million per year by 2040 [link url=”https://amuedge.com/policy-implementation-key-to-improving-air-quality/” title=”unless action is taken”] to reduce harmful pollutants from being released into the air.
- California officials [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/western-wildfires/more-evacuation-warnings-issued-california-wildfire-expands-n620546″ title=”ordered more evacuation warnings”] as the Soberanes Fire in Monterey County expanded to more than 40,000 acres ([link url=”http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/07/31/soberanes-wildfire-big-sur-sunday/” title=”approximately the size of San Francisco”]) by Sunday. The fire, which began on July 22, has brought about one death and destroyed dozens of homes. The fire is still only about [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-soberanes-fire-grows-to-38000-acres-20160731-snap-story.html#pt0-583632″ title=”18 percent contained”], has destroyed more than 60 structures, and is [link url=”http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/07/31/soberanes-wildfire-big-sur-sunday/” title=”threatening thousands of homes.”]
- A [link url=”http://www.sltrib.com/news/4177442-155/wyomings-tokawana-wildfire-nears-utah-border” title=”wildfire near the Utah-Wyoming border”] grew to more than 1,250 acres this weekend and [link url=”https://www.ksl.com/?sid=40861566″ title=”burned at least eight homes.”] The Tokawana Fire near the Meeks Cabin Reservoir on the border of the two states was [link url=”http://www.sltrib.com/news/4177442-155/wyomings-tokawana-wildfire-nears-utah-border” title=”five percent contained entering Sunday.”] The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) agreed late last week to [link url=”https://www.ksl.com/?sid=40861566″ title=”step in to assist the fight,”] as the fire threatens to cause a major disaster.
- A [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-hot-air-balloon-crash-least-16-confirmed-dead-names-n620501″ title=”hot air balloon crash”] in Central Texas this weekend left 16 dead. The National Transportation Board said Sunday that the balloon [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-hot-air-balloon-crash-least-16-confirmed-dead-names-n620501″ title=”likely hit power lines”] before the fatal crash occurred. Investigators are still investigating three main elements involved in the accident to find answers: [link url=”http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-hot-air-balloon-crash-least-16-confirmed-dead-names-n620501″ title=”the human, the machine and the environment.”]
- Florida Governor Rick Scott announced that four Zika cases in the state likely originated [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/29/487909961/florida-governor-says-local-mosquitoes-have-transmitted-zika-virus” title=”as a result of a mosquito bite.”] Travel and sexual transmission were both ruled out in all four, and officials believe that one small area of about 1 square mile north of downtown Miami may be where [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/29/487909961/florida-governor-says-local-mosquitoes-have-transmitted-zika-virus” title=”active transmission is taking place.”] The state still has yet to find mosquitoes carrying the virus, but evidence is pointing in that direction.
- FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance for recent flooding in West Virginia now totals more than [link url=”https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2016/07/28/federal-assistance-hits-72-million-west-virginia-flood-survivors” title=”$72 million.”] Severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides occurred in the state from June 22-29. More than 8,000 households and businesses have [link url=”https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2016/07/28/federal-assistance-hits-72-million-west-virginia-flood-survivors” title=”applied to FEMA for disaster assistance”] in 12 different counties since the floods struck, and nearly $30 million of the more than $72 million in total assistance has gone toward [link url=”https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2016/07/28/federal-assistance-hits-72-million-west-virginia-flood-survivors” title=”housing assistance.”]
- Lawmakers in Mali [link url=”http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1431294/mali-extends-emergency-months” title=”extended the state of emergency”] across the nation for an additional eight months, until March 29, 2017. The extension is due to continued, [link url=”http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1431294/mali-extends-emergency-months” title=”deadly fighting in the country.”] The original emergency declaration occurred in in November, 2015 after an attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako killed at least 20 people.
Statement of @HoCoGovExec on devastation of Main Street, Ellicott City flooding https://t.co/sWrTipJLsp #HoCoMD pic.twitter.com/K2BFGBWTOv
— Howard County Gov't (@HoCoGov) July 31, 2016
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