AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Wednesday Briefing: A Shootout in South Carolina Leaves Suspect Dead, Vehicle Peppered with Bullet Holes

Emergency and disaster management briefing for February 27, 2019: An Amtrak train was stuck in rural Oregon for 36 hours due to heavy snow and blocked rail lines; mandatory evacuation orders were issued by emergency management officials in Sonoma County as flooding from the Russian River threatened multiple communities; a man is dead after shooting at police for more than 30 minutes in South Carolina; three people are dead after a Long Island commuter train collided with their vehicle; over 13,000 pounds of ready-to-eat ham products were recalled for possible foreign matter contamination; two people were arrested and deputies were injured at an airport in Florida over a luggage issue on a Delta flight; a British Airways flight aborted its landing and diverted to another airport in Spain after allegedly encountering high winds; and a nearby surveillance camera catches the explosion of a popular food cart in Eugene, Oregon.

  1. Heavy snow that downed trees and power lines, [link url=”https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/amtrak-train-with-nearly-200-passengers-finally-arrives-after-being-stranded-for-more-than-30-hours-in-oregon/70007547″ title=”trapped an Amtrak train in rural Oregon with 183 passengers onboard for 36 hours”] before tracks were cleared and the train was able to move. The train departed Seattle Sunday for Los Angeles, but impassable tracks near Oakridge, just about 45 miles south of Eugene, stopped the train. Blocked roadways and power outages in nearby towns due to the snow, fallen trees, and power lines, hampered rescue efforts, and [link url=”https://www.foxnews.com/travel/amtrak-train-moving-with-183-passengers-after-being-stranded-for-36-hours-in-oregon” title=”the decision was made to keep passengers on board the train since it had power, food, and water”].  
  2. Emergency management officials in Sonoma County, California ordered [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather/russian-river-flooding-in-northern-california-triggers-evacuations-idUSKCN1QG1EQ” title=”the mandatory evacuation of residents  in the area on Tuesday”], as a swollen Russian River threatened to flood. The mandatory evacuation orders encompassed 20 communities that stretched for miles along the river, and authorities noted that anyone who did not evacuate, was likely to get stranded. According to reports, [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather/russian-river-flooding-in-northern-california-triggers-evacuations-idUSKCN1QG1EQ” title=”the river overflowed its banks on Wednesday morning”], and officials expect the river to crest at 46 feet around 10:00 p.m. Wednesday evening.  
  3. A sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull a man over near Huger, South Carolina for speeding, when he jumped from his car and immediately began firing at the deputy, [link url=”https://www.kalb.com/content/news/South-Carolina-Man-killed-shot-at-police-for-more-than-30-minutes-506414671.html” title=”pinning him behind his SUV”]. More than a dozen bullet holes peppered the vehicle, and the man continued to actively shoot at him and other responding officers for more than 30 minutes. As a deputy attempted to arrest the man, [link url=”https://www.foxnews.com/us/sheriff-man-killed-shot-at-police-for-more-than-30-minutes” title=”he fired at the officer close range”], and missed him, but the suspect was killed when other officers fired back. 
  4. [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-train/long-island-train-strikes-truck-killing-three-authorities-idUSKCN1QG0BJ” title=”A Long Island commuter train collided with a vehicle”] as it was heading into New York City on Tuesday evening, killing everyone in the vehicle, and derailing the train. The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train carrying around 200 passengers, was bound for Penn Station in Manhattan when it hit a truck in Westbury, NY, at around 7:15 p.m. The truck, which was carrying three passengers–all of whom died–[link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-train/long-island-train-strikes-truck-killing-three-authorities-idUSKCN1QG0BJ” title=”was trying to beat the gate at the crossing”], and several passengers of the train were injured during the incident, which suspended and delayed train service in both directions.  
  5. A recall of approximately [link url=”https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-022-2019-release” title=”13,224 pounds of ready-to-eat deli ham products”] was issued on Tuesday due to possible contamination of the product with foreign matter. A Buffalo, New York based company, Sahlen Packing Company, Inc., issued the recall for its whole Black Forest Ham product, distributed to deli counters for slicing and sale by weight, under the label, Market 32 by Price Chopper, after a complaint from a consumer. The product was distributed to retail stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, and the company stated that the reason for the [link url=”https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-022-2019-release” title=”recall was that the product might contain foreign matter–specifically, plastic”].  
  6. Two people were arrested and [link url=”https://www.foxnews.com/us/fight-over-luggage-at-fort-lauderdale-airport-sees-2-arrested-2-deputies-hurt” title=”deputies were injured”] when a couple boarding a flight in Florida refused to check their luggage. The couple were boarding Delta Flight 891 at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, when an announcement was made that overhead bins were full and carryon bags would need to be checked. They refused to check their bags and became uncooperative, prompting Delta agents to call authorities, who reportedly asked them to leave, but they refused. As the Broward County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to place them under arrest, Ida Shafir, 67, and Nick Bogomolsky, 61, resisted arrest, and Shafir [link url=”https://www.foxnews.com/us/fight-over-luggage-at-fort-lauderdale-airport-sees-2-arrested-2-deputies-hurt” title=”allegedly bit the deputy, while Bogomolsky attempted to grab the deputy’s weapon”].  
  7. [link url=”https://www.foxnews.com/travel/british-airways-flight-wobbly-diversion-strong-winds” title=”A European flight diverted to Malaga, Spain”] after aborting a landing at its destination airport due to allegedly high winds. The aircraft, British Airways Flight 492, departed London’s Heathrow Airport on February 25, for Gibraltar Airport in Spain, when on approach, the aircraft allegedly encountered heavy winds that rocked the plane from side to side for some time, [link url=”https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/diverted-british-airways-flight-landing-high-winds” title=”prompting pilots to abort the landing and divert to an alternate airport”]. Video posted on social media showed the plane rolling from side to side as pilots attempted, then aborted the landing in Gibraltar.  
  8. https://twitter.com/FlightAlerts_/status/1100006490256097280

  9. A popular food cart exploded in Eugene, Oregon Sunday morning, damaging a nearby restaurant, although, thankfully, no one was injured. [link url=”https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/footage-captures-oregon-food-cart-exploding-likely-due-to-faulty-gas-line” title=”Neighboring Oakshire Brewing Public House had its taproom door blown off”], and the force of the blast also caused the spewing of beer from taps. The explosion of Buck Buck’s food cart, which specializes in fried chicken and other Southern specialties, [link url=”https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/footage-captures-oregon-food-cart-exploding-likely-due-to-faulty-gas-line” title=”was captured by a nearby surveillance camera”], which according to local firefighters, was likely to have occurred due to a faulty gas line.  

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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