AMU Emergency Management Original Public Safety

EDM Wednesday Briefing: Hawaii Declares Emergency Amid Flooding

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

  

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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