Emergency and disaster management briefing for September 23, 2020: Houston suffered a wastewater spill of over 500,000 gallons caused by rainfall from Tropical Storm Beta; heavy rainfall is expected along the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys as remnants from TS Beta move to the northeast; officials say a lack of resources caused a weak initial attack of the Bobcat Fire near Los Angeles; a generic albuterol sulfate rescue inhaler has been recalled due to clogging; California’s wildfire season is in full swing, although major lightning complexes are at or near full containment; Walmart has issued a recall for chicken salad due to mislabeling/undeclared allergens; an air tanker pilot died after his plane crashed while fighting the Schill Fire in Idaho; and General Electric Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X platform wind turbines to provide power for the Dogger Bank project to be built off the Northeast Coast of the United Kingdom.
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1) Tropical Storm Beta dumped heavy rainfall across the Houston area, causing flash floods and flooding roadways, including highways and interstates. First responders have performed over a hundred high water rescues since Monday, and according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), floodwaters were expected to continue rising in some locations through Wednesday afternoon. The intense and sustained rainfall — more than 10 inches in some locations — also led to wastewater spills totaling more than 500,000 gallons from five locations in the Houston area.
More than 100,000 gallons of wastewater spilled in five locations throughout Houston Tuesday after Tropical Storm Beta produced a significant amount of rain. https://t.co/eLzPZLieuo
— KENS 5 (@KENS5) September 23, 2020
2) Remnants from Tropical Storm Beta are expected to move across the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys through Friday, dumping heavy rain in those regions. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast calls for anywhere from two to four inches of rain, with some locations receiving up to six inches of rainfall. There is an increased risk of flash flooding due to the heavy rainfall amounts, and locations recently impacted by Hurricane Laura remain at high risk for additional flooding.
Due to TS Beta, we are currently under a Flash Flood Watch until Thursday at 1pm. Portions of Rankin County are at an elevated risk of flash flooding through Thursday afternoon. And last, severe storms are possible Thursday afternoon with tornadoes possible. #RankinReady pic.twitter.com/Zpv8hYHrFX
— RANKIN EOC (@RANKINEOC) September 23, 2020
3) Burning close to Los Angeles, the Bobcat Fire grew quickly, reportedly due to a lack of firefighting resources at the fire’s start. The lack of initial resources, including water and retardant-dropping aircraft, occurred because crews and aircraft were already assigned to other, multiple large wildfires burning throughout the state. The fire is currently threatening at least 1,000 homes, and has ignited deep in old wood forests located in inaccessible areas. Evacuation orders remain in place, and evacuation warnings have been issued for several locations, including the City of Pasadena.
CA: #BobcatFire, one of largest in LA history, grows to over 112,000 acres. That’s 175 square miles. Weather gave firefighters a bit of help Tuesday, but gusty winds to return Saturday.
Evacuations, latest on Mt. Wilson battle from:
| NBC Los Angeles? https://t.co/qfx3lwR1dn— ?Darwin? (@jf_darwin) September 23, 2020
4) According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a voluntary recall has been issued for one brand of albuterol sulfate rescue inhalers due to clogging. The medication, an unexpired albuterol sulfate inhalation aerosol, was manufactured by Catalent Pharma Solutions for the Perrigo Pharmaceutical Company. Thousands of complaints have reportedly been received by Perrigo regarding clogging and/or failure of the inhaler to dispense enough, or any, medication.
Perrigo Albuterol asthma/COPD inhalers recalled- made by Catalent Pharma Solutions for Perrigo Pharmaceutical Company.
These inhalers may clog and not work in an emergency.
It is always wise to have a spare inhaler in case of malfunction. https://t.co/RBMYinpdq4 pic.twitter.com/kBi5jI21uR— Ann Lukens (@Ann_Lukens) September 22, 2020
5) California is still battling wildfires — 27 of which are major fires — with more than 18,700 firefighters assigned throughout the state. There have been nearly 8,000 wildfires during the 2020 season. Since August 15, fires have resulted in 26 deaths and the destruction of more than 6,500 structures. So far, wildfires have scorched 3.6 million acres. However, some of the largest fires — the lightning complexes — are nearly contained, and fire suppression repair work has now begun.
CAL FIRE’s map of structures damaged or destroyed on the North Complex of fires https://t.co/n6kOTRHDFb
— Wildfire Today ? (@wildfiretoday) September 20, 2020
6) Walmart has issued a recall for some of its chicken salad, due to potential mislabeling and undeclared allergens, including tree nuts. The item being recalled is Willow Tree Premium White Meat Chicken Salad Classic as it may actually contain Willow Tree White Meat Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad. The product was distributed by Walmart to stores in at least seven states, including Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont, but the product was also sold in grocery stores in those and other states.
Walmart Just Recalled This Popular Deli Item. Almost 7,000 pounds of chicken salad has been recalled because packages could be mislabeled and contain undeclared allergens. The recall affects nine states, including several Walmart locations in seven states. https://t.co/QkoxWSCaBO
— Unsafe Products (@UnsafeProduct) September 22, 2020
7) A single engine air tanker pilot died Tuesday while fighting the newly erupted Schill Fire, burning near Emmet, Idaho. The pilot, who initially survived the crash, was dropping retardant when the plane crashed and he was rushed to the hospital, where he passed away later Tuesday night. Due to a rapid and aggressive initial attack, the fire was quickly contained after only consuming about 25 acres.
A pilot died in a crash while fighting the Schill Fire in Idaho yesterday. https://t.co/V0jwChZafE
— KAPP-KVEW (@KAPPKVEW) September 23, 2020
8) General Electric (GE) will provide the world’s largest wind turbine for the world’s largest planned offshore wind farm, slated to be built off the northeast coast of the United Kingdom. The Dogger Bank wind farm will use GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X Platform to help produce 2.4 GW (gigawatts) of energy, with the first usable energy slated to be delivered in 2023 and the project’s completion by 2026. The initial two phases of the project will consist of 190 turbines supplied by GE, with each of the mega-turbines providing enough electricity with a single turn of the Haliade-X’s 220-meter rotor to power a typical home for over two days.
Today @beisgovuk and @RenewableUK have welcomed the news we're announcing a record-breaking turbine order with @GErenewables that will create further skilled jobs in the #NorthEast to help us construct and operate the world's biggest #offshorewind farm https://t.co/tCBw08JtPB pic.twitter.com/DsfZoqpsgq
— Dogger Bank Wind Farm (@DoggerBankWind) September 22, 2020