Emergency and disaster management briefing for March 10, 2021: Hackers allegedly gained access to live security camera feeds after breaching Verkada’s data storage system; the NRC awards highest performance category to all but four nuclear plants in the United States; IMO lists possible scenarios going forward amid massive earthquake swarm on Reykjanes Peninsula; the NHSTA announces a recall of nearly 380,000 vehicles for fire risk; heavy rainfall prompted evacuations after dam overtops and streets flood on Maui; a wastewater sewage spill on Hawaii’s Big Island was blamed on heavy rainfall; residents in Missouri received a real tornado warning in error during a statewide tornado drill; and firefighters may face exposure to harmful chemicals from their protective garments, even when they are not wearing the gear.
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1. A group of hackers have allegedly hacked into the security and surveillance cameras of nearly 150,000 organizations. The hack was perpetrated against Verkada, Inc. in Silicon Valley, California, through security footage data they collected, where the hackers then gained access to live feeds. Included among the organizations allegedly hacked are hospitals, police departments, prisons, schools, and companies such as Tesla and Cloudflare.
Verkada Camera Hack Reveals Workings Of Tesla And Other Businesses
— CEO Today (@ceotodaymag) March 10, 2021
The security startup is probing an alleged hack of 150,000 live camera feeds across major US businesses, prisons, hospitals and schools.
Read more: https://t.co/eKtbtZAUzS
2. Inspections by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of the nation’s 94 nuclear plants found that all but four of the plants reached the highest performance category. The NRC also noted that each of the plants fully met all NRC safety and security performance objectives, which include reactor safety, barrier integrity, and coolant system safety. One plant received a degraded, although still acceptable safety performance level — the Grand Gulf reactor in Mississippi.
NRC's annual assessments of US nuclear plants
— enCore Energy Corp. (@enCoreEnergy_EU) March 8, 2021
have been issued and the news is impressive. In 2020, 90 US reactors were in the highest performance category, three were in the second performance category and one unit was in the third category. Another gold star for #uranium. $EU
3. Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula has experienced intense seismic activity for over a week, which may signal that the dormant Fagradalsfjall volcano is about to erupt. Experts suggest that should an eruption occur, it will be effusive rather than explosive, with little impact to inhabited areas of the peninsula. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) listed multiple scenarios going forward, including large magnitude earthquakes and/or an eruption. As a precaution, it has raised aviation warnings in the region.
Earthquake swarm in Iceland continues, now with over 20.000 earthquakes detected since the start, facing an even higher eruption risk in the next few days https://t.co/nlKEy7WOFa
— melatiputih (@melatipoetihh) March 8, 2021
4. The NHSTA announced a recall of nearly 380,000 vehicles manufactured by Kia, because the engines can catch fire. The recall includes the 2017-2021 Kia Sportage and Cadenza models and warns the vehicle should be parked outside away from buildings and vehicles until repairs are made. The recall occurred after an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found the vehicles have a Hydraulic Electrical Control Unit (HECU) that could short-circuit, causing a fire.
Kia recalls 380,000 U.S. vehicles for fire risks https://t.co/EM7rZq4b7i pic.twitter.com/8aPlts8moA
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 9, 2021
5. Evacuations were ordered on Maui, Hawaii, after heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding and floodwaters breached a dam. A half month’s worth of rain fell across the island on Monday near Haiku, prompting swift water rescues and evacuations. Officials noted that the Kaupakalua Dam crested and water was spilling over the top of the dam, but an inspection showed no current structural damage.
Hawaii’s governor declares an emergency after the state was battered by heavy rains; officials say severe flash flooding has destroyed homes, closed many public roads and led to evacuation orders for fear of fast-rising waters and landslides. https://t.co/WU0SVEKk12
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 10, 2021
6. Hawaii’s State Department of Health’s Clean Water Branch announced that the heavy rainfall the state experienced over the last two days also caused a sewage spill. The partially treated wastewater spill occurred on the Big Island, Hawaii, at the Papaikou Wastewater Treatment Plant, near Waipahi Point north of Hilo. A total of about 400,000 gallons flowed into the water, and the public was advised to avoid the waters until posted warning signs were removed.
JUST IN ? Hawaii dam breach prompts evacuation orders on Maui island – situation is risky. pic.twitter.com/XharG2xegv
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) March 9, 2021
7. Residents of Kansas and Missouri received a real tornado warning via a wireless alert message during a statewide drill conducted last Tuesday in Missouri. According to reports, a properly coded test tornado message was sent out, but it became misinterpreted along the chain before being disseminated to the public as an actual warning via the Wireless Emergency Alert system. An investigation is underway into the errant message that was ultimately sent by the National Weather Service (NWS).
this morning across Missouri & Kansas phones beeped and sirens wailed for a test tornado warning during the annual tornado drill. warning message was correctly coded by local NWS offices but software misconfigured so was treated as real #STLwx #MOwx #KSwx https://t.co/bjg3CRFPbX pic.twitter.com/bn0gahxzJt
— Scott (@Thiella) March 2, 2021
8. Firefighters may face exposure risk to harmful chemicals from their protective garments, even when they are not wearing the gear. A recent University of Notre Dame study noted that fluorine or polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances that are highly toxic and linked to multiple health problems — even at low doses — were found within fire stations. These substances are known as “forever chemicals” because they never break down, and firefighter protective garments (turnout gear) have a combined 32% fluorine contained in the shell and moisture barrier.
A new study heightens concerns about firefighters’ exposure to the fluorinated “forever chemicals” known as PFAS: Nearly 99 percent of the fluorine found in tests of dust from inside fire stations likely came from unknown PFAS chemicals. https://t.co/uKROOYV8kL
— Jim Ferraro (@JimFerraroLaw) February 18, 2021
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