Emergency and disaster management Thursday Briefing for January 21, 2016: A huge and potentially devastating winter storm is moving in on the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic region, the Flint water crisis continues on, and scientists say that 2015 was, by far, the hottest year on record.

1. Winter storm watches have been issued for at least [link url=”http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-jonas-forecast-january-20″ title=”14 states in the Mid-Atlantic and along the East Coast“] as a dangerous combination of snow, ice and wind is expected to converge on Friday and last into the weekend. The nation’s capital is caught in the crosshairs and expected to get [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/20/weather/northeast-snowstorm-weather/” title=”historic weather“]. Blizzard watches have already been declared in [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/01/20/blizzard-watch-severe-snowstorm-likely-friday-through-sunday/” title=”Washington D.C.“] and [link url=”http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/weather/weather-blog/bal-wx-more-than-a-foot-of-snow-likely-from-weekend-storm-20160120-story.html” title=”Maryland“], and [link url=”http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/01/19/east_coast_blizzard_will_impact_washington_new_york_boston.html” title=”more are expected to follow“].
2. President Barack Obama [link url=”http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/flint-michigan-water-barack-obama-218031#ixzz3xq7y16my” title=”addressed the situation in Flint, MI“] yesterday and reiterated that Flint will continue to get federal support in its struggle to recover from a serious health crisis caused by lead-poisoned drinking water. On Tuesday, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder [link url=”http://www.cm-life.com/article/2016/01/snyder-i-let-families-of-flint-down-you-deserve-better” title=”apologized for the Flint crisis“] and announced the [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/michigan-gov-rick-snyder-release-email-tied-flint/story?id=36401891″ title=”release of hundreds of emails“] from 2014 and 2015 that are related to the situation.

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3. Governor Snyder [link url=”http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/snyder-appeals-obamas-denial-disaster-aid-flint-36405608″ title=”appealed the federal government’s denial of a federal disaster declaration“] to address the ongoing drinking water contamination crisis in Flint. The federal government did not agree to [link url=”https://amuedge.com/flint-michigan-update-read-between-the-lines-on-declaration/” title=”declare a major disaster“], but rather agreed to an [link url=”https://amuedge.com/flint-michigan-update-read-between-the-lines-on-declaration/” title=”emergency declaration“] with a narrower window for federal assistance.

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4. Weather experts are calling for East Coast residents to expect potentially [link url=”http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-jonas-forecast-january-20″ title=”life-threatening conditions“] along with the severe winter storms that are expected to begin Friday. Along with complications associated with heavy snowfall and ice buildup, the storms could also cause [link url=”http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-jonas-forecast-january-20″ title=”power outages and potentially serious coastal flooding“] along parts of the Atlantic coast. Officials say that [link url=”http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-snow-storm-dc-blizzard-snow-hits-dc-storm-team4-forecast-weather-365790431.html” title=”downed trees and power outages“] will be likely in some regions due to strong winds.

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5. Some regions are taking a proactive stance as the winter storm approaches and predictions of its severity intensify. In Georgia, Governor Nathan Deal [link url=”http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2016/jan/20/gov-deal-declares-state-emergency-ahead-winter-storm/345635/” title=”declared a state of emergency for 15 counties“] in north Georgia ahead of the upcoming winter storm.
6. Researchers in California are [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-almonds-flooding-20160120-story.html” title=”testing a possible drought solution“] that involves flooding an almond farm as a small-scale test. The hypothesis is that [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-almonds-flooding-20160120-story.html” title=”pouring excess water onto fields instead of trapping it in reservoirs“] will allow the rains to replenish groundwater lost in the state’s five-year drought.

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7. At least 21 are dead after [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/01/20/pakistan-university-attack/79046258/” title=”Taliban gunmen attacked a university in northwest Pakistan“] on Wednesday. The attack at Bacha Khan University came about 13 months after [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/taliban-storm-a-public-school-in-pakistan/2014/12/16/bcd6f928-84f8-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html” title=”Taliban insurgents killed about 150 teachers and students“] at a school in northwestern Pakistan, and [link url=”http://www.wral.com/pakistani-police-gunmen-storm-university-in-northwest/15252486/” title=”reintroduces questions“] about the ability of Pakistan security forces to protect educational institutions from extremists.
8. [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/travel/spread-of-zika-virus-prompts-travel-advisories.html” title=”Travel warnings remain in effect“] due to an outbreak of Zika virus. The warnings are mostly geared at pregnant women, as the virus has been linked to [link url=”http://www.9news.com/story/news/health/2016/01/20/zika-virus-facts/79080656/” title=” serious birth defects“]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [link url=”http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/index.html” title=”maintains a map“] of where Zika virus been found so far.

A 'Scorcher': 2015 Shatters Record As Warmest Year, NASA And NOAA Say https://t.co/f3o8zzczlC

— NPR (@NPR) January 20, 2016

9. It’s official: [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/01/20/its-official-2015-smashed-2014s-global-temperature-record-it-wasnt-even-close/” title=”2015 is the hottest year on record“] after shattering the previous “hottest ever” marks set just one year earlier. NASA and the NOAA reported that not only was 2015 the warmest year on record, [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/20/463709775/a-scorcher-2015-shatters-record-as-warmest-year-nasa-and-noaa-say” title=”but it was by the widest margin ever“].

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10. Oregon Governor Kate Brown called on federal authorities to [link url=”http://theweek.com/speedreads/600448/oregon-governor-calls-federal-authorities-end-refuge-occupation” title=”end the weeks-long refuge occupation“] at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, OR. Brown urged authorities to “move quickly to end the occupation and hold all of the wrongdoers accountable.” Some locals have also [link url=”http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/20/oregon-militia-leave-refuge-ammon-bundy” title=”demanded that the armed militiamen end their occupation“] in recent days.