AMU Emergency Management Original Public Safety

EDM Wednesday Briefing: Cleanup Begins in Alabama after Deadly Tornado

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Alabama tornado Arsenault

Emergency and disaster management briefing for January 27, 2021: Cleanup has begun after a deadly EF-3 tornado struck Alabama; officials observe increased tremor activity at the Etna volcano in Italy; an internet outage affected multiple platforms along the East Coast; officials in Santa Cruz expanded evacuation orders as the threat of debris flows increase; SoCal Edison has agreed to settle lawsuit claims for $2.2 billion; container ships pull anchor and flee to the safety of open seas as waves reach 17 feet high off California; more than 150,000 customers are without power across Northern California from area storms; and two people are dead after a six-hour S.W.A.T. standoff in Austin at a medical center.

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1. Severe weather Monday night produced a deadly tornado in Alabama that ripped through the community of Fultondale. The twister killed one person, injured at least 30 others, collapsed homes and buildings, and toppled trees and power lines. After examining damage across the area, the National Weather Service (NWS) rated the tornado an EF-3, with winds of up to 150 mph.

2. The Etna volcano in Italy remains highly active with increased tremor signals. The increased rate of tremors means that magma is flowing towards the summit at a faster rate. The complex stratovolcano is erupting from at least two of its summit craters through intense strombolian-style eruptions.

3. A severed fiber cable may be responsible for an internet outage on Tuesday that affected multiple platforms. Verizon noted that Gmail, Zoom, and ISPs such as Spectrum, AT&T, and Comcast had widespread outages along the East Coast. The outage also interrupted online learning for schools throughout the impacted region.

4. Officials in Santa Cruz expanded their evacuation order for residents on Tuesday as rain began to fall across the area. Concerns over debris flows that may be triggered by heavy rainfall in wildfire burn scar areas prompted the evacuation order. The evacuation order affected bout 5,000 residents in San Mateo and the Santa Cruz Mountains.

5. Southern California Edison (SoCal Edison) has agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle pending lawsuits from insurance claims from the Woolsey Fire. The company has admitted to no wrongdoing in its settlement agreement for the wildfire, although allegedly it is their equipment that sparked the blaze in 2018. The Woolsey Fire scorched 96,640 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, killed three people, and destroyed 1,600 homes and other structures.

6. High waves and very strong wind gusts caused container ships to pull up anchors and flee ports for the open seas off California. A total of 17 loaded container vessels anchored off the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports fled when waves hit a height of 17 feet and wind gusts topped 55 mph. The weather also added to the ports’ bottleneck delays, as it prevented many scheduled port movements for the day.

7. As storms inundate California, more than 150,000 customers are without power in the northern part of the state. Powerful winds and strong gusts have downed trees and power lines across Northern California and created increasingly dangerous conditions. A high wind warning remains in effect until 12:00 p.m. Wednesday for the valley and lower foothills around Sacramento.

8. A doctor being held hostage inside a medical center in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon led to a six-hour S.W.A.T. standoff. According to police, the hostage situation ended very early Wednesday morning, with two people being pronounced dead at the scene. It is unclear who the victims are; however, police are investigating the incident as a homicide.

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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