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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and
Risk Management
Crisis and Emergency Management
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NOTICE: The ICDRM's monthly emergency managment forum, held at the GWU |
| February
2003
Volume 4 - Number 1 |
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Links:
Current events
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Lili Hits Cuba, Heads Toward U.S. Gulf Coast CORTES, Cuba (Reuters) - Hurricane Lili uprooted trees and destroyed homes in western Cuba with 100 mph winds on Tuesday before entering the Gulf of Mexico and heading on a path threatening the U.S. Gulf Coast. Hurricane Lili Drenches Cuba's Isle of Youth, Reuters News Summary: PINAR DEL RIO, Cuba (Reuters) - Hurricane Lili drenched Cuba's Isle of Youth early on Tuesday as it gained force on a path for the Gulf of Mexico. A day after pounding Jamaica, where flood waters and mudslides killed four people, the storm hit the grapefruit growing isle off Cuba's south coast packing 85 mph winds and heavy rains. Two Indian Navy Planes Collide in Mid-Air, 15 Dead, Reuters News Summary: NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two Indian naval reconnaissance planes taking part in a ceremonial flypast collided in mid-air on Tuesday over the western state of Goa, killing 15 people, officials said. Twelve of the dead were aboard the Russian-made Ilyushin 38s which carried six people each, Rajesh Singh, media adviser to Goa's chief minister told Reuters by telephone from Vasco City, 19 miles from the state capital Panjim. European Epidemic Kills 18,000 Seals -Scientists, Reuters News Summary: STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Reuters) - A seal epidemic which has killed at least 18,000 animals -- about half the seal population of north-western Europe, is over for now, Swedish scientists said Tuesday. The first victims of the phocine distemper virus (PDV), which weakens the seals' immune systems and causes pneumonia-like symptoms, U.S. Conducts Mock Foot-And-Mouth Outbreak WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a mock bioterrorist attack, a U.S. outbreak of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease spread from just a handful of states to more than 30 within two weeks, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Tuesday. · Wednesday, October 2, 2002 Hurricane Lili Heads for U.S. Gulf Coast, Reuters News Summary: HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) - Hurricane Lili gathered force over the Gulf of Mexico as it took aim at the United States after pummeling Cuba, forecasters said on Wednesday. Hurricane warnings have been issued along the U.S. Gulf Coast from east of High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Lili Roars Toward U.S. Gulf Coast HOUSTON (Reuters) - Powerful Hurricane Lili grew into a major storm on Wednesday and took aim at the U.S. Gulf Coast with 140 mph winds and the threat of massive flooding, prompting authorities to warn coastal residents of Louisiana and Texas ... U.S. Soldier Killed in Philippine Bomb Attack, Reuters News Summary: ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (Reuters) - A U.S. serviceman and a Filipino soldier were killed on Wednesday when a powerful home-made bomb believed planted by rebels exploded near a military camp in the southern Philippines, officials said. Another American soldier was among at least 22 people wounded by the blast, which occurred in mid-evening outside an open-air karaoke bar in Zamboanga city about two miles from the Philippine military's southern headquarters. At Least 31 Die in Collapse of Old Houses in Syria ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - At least 31 people were killed when at least a dozen old houses in Syria's second largest city of Aleppo collapsed on Wednesday, Syrian police officials said. They said 21 people were injured, Snowed under? By SUSAN KIM WASHINGTON, DC (October 2, 2002) — (DISASTER NEWS NETWORK) Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow -- but don't expect FEMA money to accumulate along with it. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is adding new qualifiers for snow emergency declarations that could make it harder for states to get money for snow removal. · Thursday, October 3, 2002 Weakened Hurricane Lili Lashes Louisiana Coast NEW IBERIA, La. (Reuters) - High winds and heavy rains lashed southern Louisiana on Thursday as a diminished but still dangerous Hurricane Lili moved in from the Gulf of Mexico. The storm's eye swept into the marshy Louisiana coast, …. Five Dead in Washington Suburb Shooting Spree ASPEN HILL, Md. (Reuters) - Five people were shot to death in public in a normally sedate Washington suburb, picked out at random over several hours and each killed with a single bullet, police said on Thursday. Two women and three men killed... New Blast in Southern Philippine City, No Injuries, Reuters News Summary: ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (Reuters) - A new explosion rocked a largely Christian city in the southern Philippines on Thursday as officials blamed Muslim extremists linked to al Qaeda for a blast the day before which killed a U.S. soldier and the suspected bomber. No one was injured in the latest explosion which occurred outside a Christian church on the outskirts of Zamboanga city. Small Asteroid Could Be Mistaken for Nuclear Bomb WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even small asteroids that never hit Earth could have deadly consequences, because they might be mistaken for nuclear blasts by nations that lack the equipment to tell the difference, scientists said on Thursday. · Friday, October 4, 2002 Police Hunt Shooter in Six Washington Area Deaths ROCKVILLE, Md. (Reuters) - Police fanned out across the Washington, D.C., area on Friday to try to track down a "skilled shooter" who killed six people with a high-powered rifle, as officials continued to probe a Virginia shooting for signs ... LA assesses damage MONTEGUT, La. (October 4, 2002) — DISASTER NEWS NETWORK Louisiana's collective sigh of relief over a weakened Lili isn't quite loud enough to hide the damage the storm still caused. An 8-foot wall of water surged into Pointe Aux Chenes, inundating many homes in that area. Levees failed in Montegut and Franklin, where floodwaters threatened hundreds of homes. The damage level from the winds between a category four hurricane and a category one storm is like night and day. Montegut officials estimated Friday that about 75 percent of the town sustained flood damage. Montegut, home to some 4,000 people, is about 40 miles southwest of New Orleans. How and Why the Internet Broke The Internet was very confused on Thursday. But cyberspace hasn't gone senile. Those massive e-mail delays, slow Internet connections and downed e-businesses were all caused by a software upgrade that went horribly wrong at WorldCom's UUNet ... · Saturday, October 5, 2002 Police Eye Virginia Shooting Link to Sniper Deaths WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Police sought to determine on Saturday whether a Virginia shooting was linked to a Washington-area crime spree as 150 local and federal investigators tracked down hundreds of leads in pursuit of the sniper who killed six ... U.S. Divided on Smallpox Policy By LAURA MECKLER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration plans to offer the smallpox vaccine to the general public, but officials weighing the risk of the vaccine against the risk of bioterrorism remain divided over ... · Sunday, October 6, 2002 Police Ask for Tips in Shootings ROCKVILLE, Md. (Reuters) - Baffled police on Sunday appealed to the public for help in catching a sniper who went on a Washington-area shooting spree last week, killing six people and rattling communities around the nation's capital. French Tanker Explodes Off Coast of Yemen By Mohammed Sudam SANAA, Yemen (Reuters) - An explosion set a French oil supertanker ablaze off the coast of Yemen Sunday, triggering conflicting explanations of an internal blast and a bomb attack from a small boat. Yemeni Transport and Marine Affairs Minister Saeed Yafai said one of the ship's tanks had exploded, igniting the fire. But an official source in Paris said France had strong indications that the blast was the result of an attack. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Francois Rivasseau said it was too early to say what had caused the explosion. Amid Death and Illness, Food Safety Efforts Struggle KANSAS CITY , Mo. (Reuters) - For Elsa Murano, a leader in the fight over U.S. food safety, the news has not been good lately. With at least 20 deaths and 120 illnesses in eight Northeastern U.S. states connected this week to food ... · Monday, October 7, 2002 Experts Say Yemen Tanker Probably Attacked LONDON (Reuters) - An explosion that ripped through the French-flagged tanker Limburg off Yemen is more consistent with an attack than an accident, its owners and security experts said Monday. The Yemeni government has denied the blast ... Boy Shot Outside Md. School BOWIE, Md. (Reuters) - Police investigated the shooting of a teen-ager at a suburban Washington school on Monday to see whether the critically injured boy was the latest victim of an elusive sniper accused of killing six people at random ... Two Shootings Probed in Sniper Case BOWIE, Md. (AP) _ A 13-year-old boy was shot and critically wounded as his aunt dropped him off at school Monday, bringing fresh terror to the Washington area where a sniper killed six people last week. Another shooting Monday in the District of Columbia also was being investigated. Tuesday, October 1, 2002 Lili Hits Cuba, Heads Toward U.S. Gulf Coast CORTES, Cuba (Reuters) - Hurricane Lili uprooted trees and destroyed homes in western Cuba with 100 mph winds on Tuesday before entering the Gulf of Mexico and heading on a path threatening the U.S. Gulf Coast. Hurricane Lili Drenches Cuba's Isle of Youth, Reuters News Summary: PINAR DEL RIO, Cuba (Reuters) - Hurricane Lili drenched Cuba's Isle of Youth early on Tuesday as it gained force on a path for the Gulf of Mexico. A day after pounding Jamaica, where flood waters and mudslides killed four people, the storm hit the grapefruit growing isle off Cuba's south coast packing 85 mph winds and heavy rains. Two Indian Navy Planes Collide in Mid-Air, 15 Dead, Reuters News Summary: NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two Indian naval reconnaissance planes taking part in a ceremonial flypast collided in mid-air on Tuesday over the western state of Goa, killing 15 people, officials said. Twelve of the dead were aboard the Russian-made Ilyushin 38s which carried six people each, Rajesh Singh, media adviser to Goa's chief minister told Reuters by telephone from Vasco City, 19 miles from the state capital Panjim. European Epidemic Kills 18,000 Seals -Scientists, Reuters News Summary: STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Reuters) - A seal epidemic which has killed at least 18,000 animals -- about half the seal population of north-western Europe, is over for now, Swedish scientists said Tuesday. The first victims of the phocine distemper virus (PDV), which weakens the seals' immune systems and causes pneumonia-like symptoms, U.S. Conducts Mock Foot-And-Mouth Outbreak WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a mock bioterrorist attack, a U.S. outbreak of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease spread from just a handful of states to more than 30 within two weeks, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Tuesday. · Wednesday, October 2, 2002 Hurricane Lili Heads for U.S. Gulf Coast, Reuters News Summary: HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) - Hurricane Lili gathered force over the Gulf of Mexico as it took aim at the United States after pummeling Cuba, forecasters said on Wednesday. Hurricane warnings have been issued along the U.S. Gulf Coast from east of High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Lili Roars Toward U.S. Gulf Coast HOUSTON (Reuters) - Powerful Hurricane Lili grew into a major storm on Wednesday and took aim at the U.S. Gulf Coast with 140 mph winds and the threat of massive flooding, prompting authorities to warn coastal residents of Louisiana and Texas ... U.S. Soldier Killed in Philippine Bomb Attack, Reuters News Summary: ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (Reuters) - A U.S. serviceman and a Filipino soldier were killed on Wednesday when a powerful home-made bomb believed planted by rebels exploded near a military camp in the southern Philippines, officials said. Another American soldier was among at least 22 people wounded by the blast, which occurred in mid-evening outside an open-air karaoke bar in Zamboanga city about two miles from the Philippine military's southern headquarters. At Least 31 Die in Collapse of Old Houses in Syria ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - At least 31 people were killed when at least a dozen old houses in Syria's second largest city of Aleppo collapsed on Wednesday, Syrian police officials said. They said 21 people were injured, Snowed under? By SUSAN KIM WASHINGTON, DC (October 2, 2002) — (DISASTER NEWS NETWORK) Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow -- but don't expect FEMA money to accumulate along with it. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is adding new qualifiers for snow emergency declarations that could make it harder for states to get money for snow removal. · Thursday, October 3, 2002 Weakened Hurricane Lili Lashes Louisiana Coast NEW IBERIA, La. (Reuters) - High winds and heavy rains lashed southern Louisiana on Thursday as a diminished but still dangerous Hurricane Lili moved in from the Gulf of Mexico. The storm's eye swept into the marshy Louisiana coast, …. Five Dead in Washington Suburb Shooting Spree ASPEN HILL, Md. (Reuters) - Five people were shot to death in public in a normally sedate Washington suburb, picked out at random over several hours and each killed with a single bullet, police said on Thursday. Two women and three men killed... New Blast in Southern Philippine City, No Injuries, Reuters News Summary: ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (Reuters) - A new explosion rocked a largely Christian city in the southern Philippines on Thursday as officials blamed Muslim extremists linked to al Qaeda for a blast the day before which killed a U.S. soldier and the suspected bomber. No one was injured in the latest explosion which occurred outside a Christian church on the outskirts of Zamboanga city. Small Asteroid Could Be Mistaken for Nuclear Bomb WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even small asteroids that never hit Earth could have deadly consequences, because they might be mistaken for nuclear blasts by nations that lack the equipment to tell the difference, scientists said on Thursday. · Friday, October 4, 2002 Police Hunt Shooter in Six Washington Area Deaths ROCKVILLE, Md. (Reuters) - Police fanned out across the Washington, D.C., area on Friday to try to track down a "skilled shooter" who killed six people with a high-powered rifle, as officials continued to probe a Virginia shooting for signs ... LA assesses damage MONTEGUT, La. (October 4, 2002) — DISASTER NEWS NETWORK Louisiana's collective sigh of relief over a weakened Lili isn't quite loud enough to hide the damage the storm still caused. An 8-foot wall of water surged into Pointe Aux Chenes, inundating many homes in that area. Levees failed in Montegut and Franklin, where floodwaters threatened hundreds of homes. The damage level from the winds between a category four hurricane and a category one storm is like night and day. Montegut officials estimated Friday that about 75 percent of the town sustained flood damage. Montegut, home to some 4,000 people, is about 40 miles southwest of New Orleans. How and Why the Internet Broke The Internet was very confused on Thursday. But cyberspace hasn't gone senile. Those massive e-mail delays, slow Internet connections and downed e-businesses were all caused by a software upgrade that went horribly wrong at WorldCom's UUNet ... · Saturday, October 5, 2002 Police Eye Virginia Shooting Link to Sniper Deaths WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Police sought to determine on Saturday whether a Virginia shooting was linked to a Washington-area crime spree as 150 local and federal investigators tracked down hundreds of leads in pursuit of the sniper who killed six ... U.S. Divided on Smallpox Policy By LAURA MECKLER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration plans to offer the smallpox vaccine to the general public, but officials weighing the risk of the vaccine against the risk of bioterrorism remain divided over ... · Sunday, October 6, 2002 Police Ask for Tips in Shootings ROCKVILLE, Md. (Reuters) - Baffled police on Sunday appealed to the public for help in catching a sniper who went on a Washington-area shooting spree last week, killing six people and rattling communities around the nation's capital. French Tanker Explodes Off Coast of Yemen By Mohammed Sudam SANAA, Yemen (Reuters) - An explosion set a French oil supertanker ablaze off the coast of Yemen Sunday, triggering conflicting explanations of an internal blast and a bomb attack from a small boat. Yemeni Transport and Marine Affairs Minister Saeed Yafai said one of the ship's tanks had exploded, igniting the fire. But an official source in Paris said France had strong indications that the blast was the result of an attack. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Francois Rivasseau said it was too early to say what had caused the explosion. Amid Death and Illness, Food Safety Efforts Struggle KANSAS CITY , Mo. (Reuters) - For Elsa Murano, a leader in the fight over U.S. food safety, the news has not been good lately. With at least 20 deaths and 120 illnesses in eight Northeastern U.S. states connected this week to food ... · Monday, October 7, 2002 Experts Say Yemen Tanker Probably Attacked LONDON (Reuters) - An explosion that ripped through the French-flagged tanker Limburg off Yemen is more consistent with an attack than an accident, its owners and security experts said Monday. The Yemeni government has denied the blast ... Boy Shot Outside Md. School BOWIE, Md. (Reuters) - Police investigated the shooting of a teen-ager at a suburban Washington school on Monday to see whether the critically injured boy was the latest victim of an elusive sniper accused of killing six people at random ... Two Shootings Probed in Sniper Case BOWIE, Md. (AP) _ A 13-year-old boy was shot and critically wounded as his aunt dropped him off at school Monday, bringing fresh terror to the Washington area where a sniper killed six people last week. Another shooting Monday in the District of Columbia also was being investigated. Disaster Summary 15 – 21 October 15 October FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) - A dragnet covered suburban Washington on Tuesday as authorities searched for a cream-colored van spotted moments after a woman was killed in a mall parking lot by a single bullet to the head. The shooting led to fears that the sniper terrorizing the area had killed a ninth person. TURIN, Italy (AP) - A security guard in northwestern Italy shot and killed seven people Tuesday and then killed himself, police said. JERUSALEM (AP) - A bus was attacked near the northern Israeli town of Beit Shean on Tuesday and four people were wounded, police and rescue workers said. KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Six miners were missing after a gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in eastern Ukraine Tuesday morning, emergency officials said. 16 October KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Four small parcel bombs exploded within minutes of each other at police and government offices in the volatile port city of Karachi on Wednesday, injuring at least nine people, police said. A fifth bomb was sent to a police station but did not go off. TOKYO (AP) - A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 shook eastern Japan on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. SALEM, Montserrat (Reuters) - The peak of the volcano which dominates the Caribbean island of Montserrat is rising every day as burning rock and ash pile up, making an eruption almost inevitable, officials said. 17 October ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) - Muslim militants linked to al-Qaida may be responsible for bombings Thursday that killed seven people, wounded 152 and devastated two department stores in this Christian city, the military said. BUENOS AIRES (IFRC) - Western Paraguay devastated by drought As severe drought continues in western Paraguay, the Red Cross is helping to tackle an increase in malnutrition and infectious diseases. The two-year drought has affected the western Paraguayan departments of Alto Paraguay, Boquerón and Canindeyu. DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh is drawing up plans to deal with a big earthquake after a string of tremors in various parts of the country this year has rattled nerves and raised fears of a major disaster, officials said on Thursday 18 October JOHANNESBURG (Mail & Guardian) - The Zimbabwe government has banned Oxfam and Save the Children from distributing urgently needed food aid, United Nations officials confirmed this week. Government officials confirmed they will not allow those NGOs to distribute food aid for political reasons, because the government views them as loyal to the opposition party. 19 October TEHRAN, IRAN (Iranmania) - An earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.2 degree on the open-ended Richter scale, shook a town near capital Tehran early Saturday, IRNA reported. 20 October LUSAKA, Oct. 20 (Xinhuanet) - The World Food Program (WFP) on Sunday revealed preliminary findings from the latest emergency food needs assessment, which indicate that almost three million people in Zambia will suffer from food shortages before next year's anticipated harvest season. ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) _-A bomb on a parked bicycle exploded near a crowded Roman Catholic shrine Sunday in the southern Philippines, killing a soldier and injuring 18 people. It was the fifth bombing this month. BEIJING (AP) - More than 60 people were injured after a temporary stage collapsed at a concert by Hong Kong singer and actor Jacky Cheung in central China, officials said Sunday. The concert continued an hour later. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - An explosion ripped through a market near a military base west of Islamabad on Sunday, killing a girl and injuring 16 other people, officials said. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Returning refugees find home worse than being a refugee. It wasn't exactly what Abdul Fatah had in mind when he packed up his life as a refugee in Pakistan two months ago and came home on the heels of a mammoth influx of foreign aid meant to help resurrect this war-battered nation. The U.N. refugee agency says more than 1.75 million Afghans have returned from neighboring countries since March. But increasingly, a small number are going back the other way, or trying to, disillusioned with out-of-reach rents, a lack of jobs and a soaring cost of living. 21 October PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) - Three people were killed Sunday when their small plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Agua Dulce Airpark, authorities said. ROME (AP) - A boulder fell off a truck and smashed into a train packed with people in eastern Italy on Monday, killing the engineer and injuring a second train worker, railway officials said. Sources: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies http://www.ifrc.org/index.asp WTOP News http://www.ifrc.org/index.asp\ Alert Net, Reuter’s Foundation http://www.alertnet.org/ World Food Program Natural Disasters http://www.wfpnaturaldisasters.com/ |