AMU Emergency Management Original Public Safety

EDM Wednesday Briefing: Excessive Heat, Earthquakes and Flooding

By
flooding Amazon Arsenault

Emergency and disaster management briefing for June 2, 2021: Residents in Manaus are impacted by record-high rivers that caused widespread flooding; the FDA announces four separate mushroom recalls for potential listeria monocytogenes contamination; a swarm of earthquakes hit near Disneyland on Monday; the United States has seized two website domains used during the SolarWinds hack; excessive heat warnings are in place for much of the West through Thursday; PG&E suffers equipment failures that lead to power outages amid excessive heat warnings; global operations were disrupted at the world’s largest meat processing company after it suffered a cyberattack over the weekend; and emergency managers urge preparedness as the 2021 hurricane season officially began on June 1.

1. Streets and houses are flooded in Manaus, Brazil, after the Rio Negro overflowed its banks. Officials noted on Tuesday that the Rio Negro reached its highest level since record keeping began in 1902. It is not the only river to reach unprecedented heights; the nearby Amazon and Solimoes rivers are also at all-time highs, impacting nearly 500,000 people with floodwaters.

2. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued four separate recall announcements for mushrooms due to potential contamination by listeria monocytogenes. The recalls were issued for several brands of Enoki mushrooms, including all of Marquis Worldwide Specialty’s Inc., Concord Farms, Rainfield Marketing Group Inc., and California Terra Garden’s Seafood Mushrooms. The products were distributed nationwide, and consumers should return the product for a full refund.

3. A swarm of earthquakes struck near Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, on Memorial Day. The swarm consisted of 10 earthquakes, although the magnitude of the tremors was small. A total of 18 earthquakes struck the Greater Los Angeles area on Monday, including a 3.0 magnitude that hit just off the coast of Malibu and was felt by residents in Simi Valley, Glendale, and Long Beach.

4. The United States seized two malware distribution domains involved in the SolarWinds hack. The court-authorized seizure of the two command and control domains (C2) occurred on May 28 through the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Officials cautioned however, that backdoor access may have already occurred after the breach was discovered and prior to the seizure of the two domains.

5. Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories are in place for portions of California, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington State until Thursday evening. Temperatures are hovering in the high 90s to low 100s and have also prompted a Red Flag Warning in South Central Oregon due to high fire danger. Abundant lightning amid gusty thunderstorm winds is forecast for the area, which will likely result in new fires.

6. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) suffered several equipment failures across the Sacramento area on Monday and Tuesday. The various equipment failures led to power outages in El Dorado, Auburn, and San Francisco’s financial district, amid extreme temperatures that hovered in the high 90s to low 100s — with a record-breaking 109 degrees Fahrenheit in Redding, California on Monday. Repairs were mostly completed in all the affected areas by Tuesday evening around 11:45 p.m.

7. The world’s largest meat processing company was hit by a cyberattack over the past weekend, which disrupted operations globally. The Brazilian company, JBS SA, has meat processing plants around the globe, and it is unclear how many plants were impacted by the cyberattack. Worker unions confirmed that the attack halted or disrupted plant operations in Australia, Canada, and the United States.

8. The 2021 hurricane season officially began on Tuesday, June 1, and officials are urging residents to prepare in advance for potential storms. Residents should assess their risk to tropical weather and make preparations in accordance to their risk. Officials also recommend that residents should be sure to sign up for evacuation orders and other alerts with local officials and have a plan to reunite with family members should separation occur. Multiple websites, such as Ready.gov, along with local emergency management agencies, offer resources to help individuals and families prepare for tropical weather.

  

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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