Emergency and disaster management briefing for February 23, 2016: Authorities in Kalamazoo, MI look for answers in the deadly shooting spree involving an Uber driver, Fiji starts the recovery process from the devastation of a devastating cyclone, and a group of scientists warns of drought spreading across the U.S.
- The suspect in the recent Kalamazoo, MI shootings, Jason Brian Dalton, [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/22/kalamazoo-shooting-rampage-suspect-set-to-appear-in-court-today/” title=”made ‘incriminating statements’ to authorities“] but has not confessed to the crimes. The series of shootings over a four-hour span left six people dead and two more wounded in the town of 75,000. Dalton [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/22/kalamazoo-shooting-rampage-suspect-set-to-appear-in-court-today/” title=”has been charged with six counts of murder“] and faces at least eight other charges. Police say that they still have not [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/bail-denied-michigan-uber-driver-jason-dalton-charged/story?id=37110909″ title=”discovered any motive“] for the crimes.
- Dalton reportedly worked an Uber driver during the shooting spree and may have been [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/21/six-killed-in-kalamazoo-shooting-spree-were-chosen-at-random-authorities-say/” title=”picking up passengers in between shootings“]. Uber said that [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/02/22/uber-saw-no-red-flags-kalamazoo-shooting/80771544/” title=”there were ‘no red flags’“] to suggest that the driver was dangerous, but many questions about the company’s screening processes are now resurfacing.
- Government officials in Fiji [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/world/asia/fiji-declares-a-state-of-natural-disaster-in-the-wake-of-a-fierce-cyclone.html” title=”declared a state of natural disaster“] after Cyclone Winston devastated the archipelago this weekend. The category 5 cyclone brought wind gusts up to 202 miles per hour and is thought to be [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/world/asia/fiji-declares-a-state-of-natural-disaster-in-the-wake-of-a-fierce-cyclone.html” title=”the strongest storm in the country’s history“]. In fact, Winston ranks among the [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/02/22/fiji-reeling-after-devastating-cyclone-winston-among-the-strongest-ever-to-strike-land/” title=”strongest-ever tropical cyclones to strike land“] anywhere in the world.
- [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/02/22/world/asia/ap-as-fiji-cyclone.html” title=”The death toll in Fiji climbed to 29“] due to the historic cyclone. Government spokesman Ewan Perrin said that [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/02/22/world/asia/ap-as-fiji-cyclone.html” title=”getting emergency supplies to remote communities“] hit hard by the storm is the government’s top priority. Fiji has more than 100 inhabited islands and has a total population of more than 900,000.
- A new study by scientists from 14 different research institutions warned that [link url=”http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/nsf-idt022216.php” title=”increasing drought threatens almost all U.S. forests“] in the coming years. The study provided a comprehensive overview of current and projected drought effects on forests nationwide. The research involved U.S. Forest Service members, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, and scientists and professors from various universities.
- According to the study, drought-induced wildfires are already occurring across the West, but in the near future [link url=”http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/nsf-idt022216.php” title=”droughts are likely to become more severe across the entire U.S.“] Changes in forests in all regions of the U.S. forests could happen quickly under drier conditions, the scientists noted, and the [link url=”http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/nsf-idt022216.php” title=”the climate may be changing faster than tree populations can respond“].
- Two studies published Monday took a close look at global sea levels and found that [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/02/22/sea-level-rise-global-warming-climate-change/80767066/” title=”levels rose faster in the past century than during the previous 27 centuries“]. The scientists discovered that, while sea levels stayed pretty even for nearly 3,000 years, [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/02/22/sea-level-rise-global-warming-climate-change/80767066/” title=”there was a significant increase from 1900 to 2000“] — especially for low-lying coastal areas. According to the study, seas rose about [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/02/22/seas-are-now-rising-faster-than-they-have-in-2800-years-scientists-say/” title=”14 centimeters (5.5 inches) from 1900 to 2000“], but that rate of increase would have been 3 to 7 centimeters [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/02/22/seas-are-now-rising-faster-than-they-have-in-2800-years-scientists-say/” title=”had humans not been warming the planet.“]
- [link url=”http://www.arkansasmatters.com/news/local-news/disaster-recovery-centers-open-in-6-ar-counties” title=”Disaster recovery centers opened in Arkansas“] to provide aid to residents affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred in the state between December 26, 2015 and January 22, 2016. The recovery centers are joint federal and state entities are opened in six Arkansas counties. FEMA, the SBA, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, and other agencies are all active at the centers to help both homeowners and business owners learn options and apply for aid.
- Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf [link url=”http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/gov-wolf-seeks-federal-disaster-declaration-for-january-snowstorm/article_9aec4786-d985-11e5-a702-4b9b4de66ff4.html” title=”officially asked for federal disaster aid“] to help the state recover from the massive snowstorm that swept over the Mid-Atlantic region in January. The state reportedly [link url=”http://abc27.com/2016/02/22/gov-wolf-requests-federal-aid-for-january-snowstorm/” title=”spent more than $55 million“] to respond to the historic storm. This request from Pennsylvania comes after [link url=”http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-storm-disaster-request-20160219-story.html” title=”Maryland“] requested federal disaster assistance for the same storm late last week.
- California lawmakers approved a bill yesterday that [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/lawmakers-moratorium-gas-operations-leak-37117853″ title=”extended a moratorium on operations at the natural gas storage facility“] in Porter Ranch, CA that leaked more than 90,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere. The bill would require Southern California Gas Company to test all wells at the facility before resuming operations. [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/lawmakers-moratorium-gas-operations-leak-37117853″ title=”More than 6,400 families were displaced“] as the leak dragged on for months. The [link url=”http://ktla.com/2016/02/18/socal-gas-porter-ranch-leaking-well-announcement/” title=”leak was reportedly sealed“] last week.
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