Emergency and disaster management briefing for March 7, 2016: World leaders plan an emergency summit to discuss the worsening refugee crisis in Greece, North Korea makes its second nuclear threat in a week, and a powerful storm heads toward the West Coast.

1. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned of an [link url=”https://amuedge.com/unhcr-immigrant-crisis-looming-for-greece/” title=”imminent humanitarian crisis in Greece,“] as the country struggles to cope with the influx of refugees in Athens transit centers that are already operating at full capacity. Many refugees are [link url=”https://amuedge.com/unhcr-immigrant-crisis-looming-for-greece/” title=”sleeping out in the open in unsanitary conditions,“] while basic supplies and shelter are in short supply and high demand.

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2. Governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas of Greece’s Central Macedonia region [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35734917″ title=”called for a state of emergency“] to help deal with the ongoing refugee crisis. Many of the migrants are entering Greece illegally from Turkey by sea, and upwards of [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35734917″ title=”125,000 migrants have arrived on Greek shores“] thus far in 2016. At least 25 are dead after a Turkish refugee boat en route to one of the Greek islands [link url=”http://mobile.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/03/06/world/europe/ap-eu-europe-migrants-the-latest.html” title=”sank off of Turkey’s Aegean coast yesterday.“]
3. The European Union is planning to hold [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35741494″ title=”an emergency summit“] today to discuss slowing down the large flow of migrants traveling to Europe. It is expected that EU and Turkish leaders will announce [link url=”http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0W8111″ title=”the closing of the Balkan route from Greece to Germany,“] and will also discuss ways to stop the smugglers who are putting migrants to sea.
4. North Korea sent warning of a [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/06/asia/north-korea-preemptive-nuclear-strike-threat/” title=”preemptive and offensive nuclear strike“] in response to collaborative U.S.-South Korean military exercises that are supposed to begin today. The country’s official KCNA news agency published the threat. This is the second time in less than a week that North Korea made threats of a nuclear strike, as leader Kim Jong Un [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-nuclear-kim-idUSKCN0W52PP” title=”ordered his country to be ready to use nuclear weapons at any time“] last week.
5. The [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-drills-us-south-korea-practice-striking-norths-nuclear-plants/2016/03/06/46e6019d-5f04-4277-9b41-e02fc1c2e801_story.html” title=”joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises“] set to begin today involve practicing precise strikes on North Korean nuclear facilities and attacks that directly target North Korean leadership. About [link url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-drills-us-south-korea-practice-striking-norths-nuclear-plants/2016/03/06/46e6019d-5f04-4277-9b41-e02fc1c2e801_story.html” title=”300,000 South Korean and 17,000 American forces“] plan to take part in the 11 days of training and drills.
6. A huge storm system is expected to hit the West Coast today, bringing [link url=”https://weather.com/forecast/regional/news/california-atmospheric-river-snow-heavy-rain-flooding-march” title=”heavy rain and feet of snow to higher mountain elevations.“] In California, [link url=”https://weather.com/forecast/regional/news/california-atmospheric-river-snow-heavy-rain-flooding-march” title=”strong winds, high surf and even coastal flooding“] are possible. Despite the potential for flooding, many in California are welcoming the storm after a recent dry stretch [link url=”https://amuedge.com/new-drought-fears-surface-in-california/” title=”prompted new drought fears.”]

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7. Washington state Governor Jay Inslee [link url=”http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/gov-inslee-declares-state-of-emergency-after-january-rains/” title=”declared a state of emergency“] due to heavy rainfall in late January. The declaration includes seven counties — Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, and Skagit — and will help the region recover from slope erosion and damaged roads caused by the storm.
8. A recently published study revealed that [link url=”https://amuedge.com/study-examines-the-staggering-cost-of-air-pollution/” title=”the costs of air pollution appear to be decreasing,“] but overall costs are still staggeringly high. Researchers analyzed the effects of air pollution caused by energy production from 2002 to 2011 and discovered a [link url=”https://amuedge.com/study-examines-the-staggering-cost-of-air-pollution/” title=”25 percent drop in that span,“] but, despite the drop, still strongly advocated for stricter policies to further reduce overall costs.

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9. President Barack Obama [link url=”http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-obama-snow-disaster-20160304-story.html” title=”signed a disaster declaration for January storms in Maryland,“] making federal funds available to aid ongoing recovery efforts from historic snow storms. Nearly three feet of snow fell in parts of Maryland during the storm, causing more than $34 million in damages overall.