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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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Earthquake Taipei, Taiwan (AP) – A strong earthquake shook northern Taiwan Monday, delaying subway trains during morning rush hour in the capital of Taipei. The 6.8-magnitude quake's epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast, about 40 miles from the port city of Keelung, the Central Weather Bureau said. Keelung is about 12 miles north of Taipei. Home Explosion Bangor Township, Michigan (AP) – An explosion flattened a farmhouse Sunday and killed a family of five just a day after they moved in, police said. The bodies of three adults and two children, ages 1 and 4, were found in the wreckage, police said. The cause of the explosion, reported about 2:30 a.m., had not been determined, The explosion is believed to be accidental. Debris was scattered up to a quarter-mile away. Monday, September 16, 2002 Impact of Sunday’s Train Derailment Continue Knoxville, Tennessee (EmergencyNet News.com) – About 3,000 people remained out of their homes in eastern Tennessee on Monday after a freight train derailment that let loose waves of sulfuric acid gas. Railroad workers were trying to untangle the wreckage to reach the leaking tank car. The car was carrying liquid sulfuric acid, which was slowly leaking, turning into gas as it escaped. The affected area was about 20 miles southwest of Knoxville, where about two dozen cars of a Norfolk Southern Corp train derailed on Sunday. Flood in China Province Nanchang, China (Xinhua via COMTEX / Reiefweb.com) – The death toll from flooding and landslides caused by torrential storm Hagupit has risen to 25 in Suichuan County of Jiangxi Province, east China. Around 180,000 local people have been affected by the disaster, officials said Monday. A total of 159 villages were inundated, 110,000 hectares of farmland submerged, 400 water facilities destroyed, 3,800 houses and 180 bridges ruined. Local authorities have rushed to the area to organize rescue operations to minimize the damage. Bus Accident Catamarca, Argentina (AP.com) – A bus plunged into a gorge in western Argentina, killing 38 people and injuring 27 others, authorities said Monday. Police were investigating survivor accounts that the bus had lost its brakes shortly before barreling off the road and tumbling more than 300 feet. The accident took place in Catamarca province bordering the Andes Mountains in a remote area some 600 miles northwest of Buenos Aires. Van Caring Fire Crackers Explodes Tamil Nadu, India (BBC.com) – Police in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu say at least 18 people were killed and 50 others injured when gas cylinders and fire crackers being carried in a van exploded. The incident happened late on Monday near the town of Athur in the Salem district about 300 kilometres from the state capital Madras. The fire crackers appear to have been made of powerful explosives and were prepared for the Hindu festival of lights, Deepavali, next month. Police said people in nearby houses were injured in the blast. Blasts Kill 5 Paris Firefighters Paris, France (AP) – Five firefighters were killed by two explosions as they tried to extinguish a blaze in a residential building outside Paris, the biggest single loss in the Paris fire department's history. After evacuating residents, the firefighters used a ladder to reach the sixth floor of the building in Neuilly-sur-Seine, just north of Paris, when an explosion severely injured two of them, the Paris fire department said. Moments later, three other firefighters were badly injured in a second explosion as they rushed to rescue their stricken colleagues. All five were taken in critical condition to a nearby hospital, where they died of their injuries late Saturday. This was the department’s single biggest loss. Tuesday, September 17, 2002 Flooding Donalsonville, Georgia (Disaster News Network) — About 300 Decatur, Miller and Seminole county, Ga., families spent Sunday and Monday nights away from their homes because rain from Tropical Depression Hanna flooded southwest Georgia. Chemical Release Charlotte, North Carolina (EmergencyNet News.com) – About 1,000 area residents were evacuated because of a chemical spill at a warehouse on Tuesday night. The chemical, thiourea dioxide, leaked from about 20 drums inside a warehouse. It is an industrial chemical mixed for cleaning purposes, and can produce noxious fumes when mixed with water. It was the second time in less than a month that the same chemical has spilled at the storage facility. About a dozen firefighters and police officers were treated for chemical burns, respiratory irritation and other injuries. No residents were injured. School Bus Fire Bogota, Colombia (EmergencyNet News.com) – Fire officials reported that a school bus exploded in flames on Tuesday, killing six children and injuring six other children as well as the driver and an adult chaperone. The bus burst into flames near the school in northern Bogota. Officials did not immediately know the cause of the fire, though preliminary speculation suggests the fire may be the result of a mechanical failure. Wednesday, September 18, 2002 Train Derailment Waverly, Tennessee (CNN) – Officials evacuated at least 15 homes here Wednesday night after five train cars derailed, threatening to rupture another tanker car carrying a highly flammable substance, according to state officials and police in the western Tennessee town. Waverly was the site of one of the worst explosions from a haz-mat incident in 1978. Sixteen people in Waverly died in 1978 when three tank cars carrying liquefied petroleum gas were damaged in a train derailment and exploded. A major portion of downtown Waverly was destroyed in the 1978 blast . Wildfire Rocklin, California (AP.com) – A brush fire erupted Wednesday and quickly spread to about 500 acres east of Sacramento, burning three houses, officials said. Several residents left their homes, and one school was evacuated, according to the Rocklin Fire Department. The cause of the fire was being investigated. Construction Accident Rawalpindi Pakistan (BBC.com) – Explosion kills nine construction workers. Eyewitnesses say builders were working on a roof when a metal rod touched a high-tension power cable. This caused a powerful explosion, which killed nine of the workers instantly; three others are being treated in hospital. Thursday, September 19, 2002 Pipe Bombs Force Evacuations Cincinnati, Ohio (Firehouse.com) – Emergency crews were forced to evacuate as many as 25 homes in a Cincinnati suburb Thursday night. Police officers, the Cincinnati Bomb Squad, federal agents and firefighters found numerous pipe bombs in a home in Greenhills. Crews were called to the scene shortly before 10 p.m. Crews were looking for more explosives or any other evidence. Nine Families Left Homeless After Blaze Fall River, Mass. (Firehous.com) – Nine families were burned out of their apartments Thursday night in Fall River. A large home near the corner of Bedford and Orange streets was heavily damaged in the blaze. No one was hurt, but the families lost many of their belongings in the fire. Bridge Falls Argentina (AP) – A wooden footbridge collapsed into an icy, fast-moving river in sending at least eight Argentine students and their teacher tumbling to their deaths. Authorities said one person remained missing after the students, aged 12 and 13, crowded onto the fragile bridge to take a group picture during a field trip in the southern province of Chubut, 1,000 miles south of Buenos Aires. Friday, September 20, 2002 Hurricane Isidore Drenches Cuba – Forces Evacuations Pinar Del Rio, Cuba (AP) – Hurricane Isidore buffeted Cuba's small Isle of Youth with strong winds and drenching rains early Friday, then moved on to the western tip of the main island and the Gulf of Mexico. Cuba's government asked tens of thousands of people to move to safer areas, as Isidore strengthened into a category 2 storm early Friday with winds up to 105 mph. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. US Gulf Coast (AP.com) – Oil companies began evacuating their offshore rigs Friday and the Coast Guard advised boaters to keep an eye on the weather as Hurricane Isidore swirled into the Gulf of Mexico. Emergency officials from Florida to Louisiana also began preparing for a possible hit early next week, though the hurricane's precise path still wasn't clear. "Anything in the Gulf of Mexico is a potential target in the next six or seven days," said James Franklin at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Prison Riot, Fire Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Reuters) - Twenty-eight inmates were killed and as many as 100 were injured when a mutiny at a prison in the Dominican Republic Friday resulted in a huge fire. The riot at the prison in La Vega, about 70 miles north of the capital, Santo Domingo, erupted during the morning when guards began a routine cell search and inmates resisted, authorities said. Prisoners set fire to mattresses and other objects, starting the blaze, news reports said. Tornadoes Monroe City, Indiana (AP) – Severe Thunderstorms and tornadoes raked the Midwest on Friday, injuring people at an Ohio festival and damaging dozens of homes in Indiana. Lights set up for a harvest festival in Crestline, Ohio, toppled in the wind and fell on a crowd. Two people were in critical condition and eight others were sent to hospitals. Several transmission towers were destroyed, and about 80,000 electricity customers were without power. Ladysmith, Wisconsin (Disaster News Network) – Tornado ploughs a path through downtown Ladysmith. The tornado went about 16 blocks, about eight of those were businesses. About 60 homes were destroyed; the United Methodist Church has quite extensive damage. Suspicious Devices Force Evacuation Suspicious Devices Force Evacuation Barnesville, Georgia (AP.com) – Several blocks in were evacuated Friday as police and bomb units investigated several suspicious devices. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent said eight or nine canisters were found over a three- or four-block area. A bomb squad detonated four of the devices, but no live explosives were found. They were described as 4-by-9-inch canisters, with red and white wires and size-C batteries attached. Several hundred people were evacuated and 15 businesses closed down all day Friday. Saturday, September 21, 2002 Avalanche North Ossetia, Russia (EmergencyNet News.com) – Up to 100 people were feared dead on Saturday after an avalanche of ice, rocks, mud and debris in southern Russia. Up to 100 people were feared dead. Rescue workers are attempting to locate about 30 people who are missing. About ten houses were buried in the deluge of mud and snow, thought to have been triggered by a glacier, which hit the village of Karmadon in the republic of North Ossetia, about 935 miles southeast of Moscow. Two Russian soldiers are among the missing. Factory fire forces evacuations Leicester, UK (BBC.com) – Part of central Leicester was evacuated on Saturday as 70 firefighters tackled a fire in a dye works. Eyewitnesses reported exploding canisters being blasted into the air, and the smoke could be seen for miles. Streets were closed and nearby properties evacuated. Gas canisters exploded about the height of a chimney, a good 60 or 70 feet in the air. Significant Natural and Manmade Events (23-29 Sept 2002) Monday, 23 September 2002 ACCIDENT-AUTOMOBILE Fifteen killed in north India blast The authorities in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh say at least 15 people were killed in a blast in an overcrowded passenger van AVALANCHE 130 Missing After Russian Avalanche MOSCOW (AP) -- Sixteen bodies have been found in the wreckage wrought by an avalanche in southern Russia more than a week ago, and 132 people remain unaccounted for in the disaster, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Monday. The Sept. 20 avalanche, accompanied by rock and mudslides, was triggered by the fall of a huge chunk of glacier (estimated at three million tons) from a Caucasus Mountain peak in the Russian region of North Ossetia. The huge mass of ice, snow and rock tore through tourist camps and a zone where a 48-person crew, led by popular Russian actor-director Sergei Bodrov, Jr., was shooting a film. FLOOD More flooding deaths in Vietnam Officials in central Vietnam say about 50 people have been killed in flooding and landslides triggered by torrential rains over the past four days. More than 200 people have been killed in flooding throughout Vietnam since July. HURRICANE Isidore was downgraded to a tropical storm …after its maximum sustained winds dropped below 74 m.p.h. Storms typically weaken over land and strengthen over water, particularly warm water. The hurricane center said it was doubtful that Isidore would regain all the strength it had when, as a Category 3 hurricane packing winds up to 130 miles per hour, it struck Cuba late last week and then the Yucatán, killing at least two people and forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes. Nonetheless, Louisiana declares an emergency and oil companies evacuated hundreds of employees from off-shore drilling platforms. Tuesday, 24 September 2002 VIOLENCE 27 Killed in Hindu temple Massacre Two gunmen stormed the Swaminarayan Temple in Gandhinaga, the state capital of Gunjarat. Indian security forces stormed the temple and killed the two assailants bringing the death toll to 29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2279661.stm Wednesday, 25 September 2002 HURRICANE Isidor displaces 10,000 in Mexico More rain was headed for Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula Wednesday as disaster responders there assessed damages from Hurricane Isidore's weekend visit. VIOLENCE Arson attack on India bus Police in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh say that at least 13 people were killed and more than 20 injured when a passenger set fire to a bus in the district of Mehboobnagar, around 200 kilometres from Hydrabad. Officials say most people were asleep on the bus when one of the passengers threw kerosene or petrol onto the floor before setting it alight in the early hours of the morning. The arsonist was also killed. WILD FIRES California Air Quality Air-quality advisories remained in parts of southern California Wednesday as smoke and ash from a wildfire clouded the air. Thursday, 26 September 2002 ACCIDENT-TRAIN Pakistan express train derails At least 12 people have been killed and about 60 injured in a train derailment in western Pakistan, railway officials say. The disaster occurred on a bridge which collapsed near the town of Sibi, south-east of Quetta, early on Thursday morning. The 12-car express train had departed from Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad and was bound for Quetta. Source: BBC ENVIRONMENT Chemicals spark Arctic alert Chemicals used to make household products fire-resistant are being discovered in several Arctic species. The chemicals, brominated flame retardants, appear to be concentrated in the Norwegian Arctic. Concern about pollution of the Arctic by a range of chemicals, including PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and DDT, has been studied for approximately a decade but this contaminant is new. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/2281351.stm VIOLENCE Dozens Killed as Russian Forces Battle Chechen Fighters NY Times By STEVEN LEE MYERS Military and security forces clashed today with a large group of Chechen fighters in a southern Russian republic, Ingushetia, in the largest battle this year in Russia's war in the Caucasus (estimates range from 14-22 Russians). Friday, 27 September 2002 ACCIDENT - FERRY Hundreds lost as Senegal ferry sinks 1,034 passengers and crewmembers were on board a passenger ferry that capsized during a fierce storm off the coast of Gambia. Only 64 survivors are known to have survived. The ferry had a capacity of 550. Sources:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/2286969.stm "Death Toll Rises Sharply in Sinking of Senegal Ferry," NY Times, 30 Sept 2002 HURRICANE Storm Brings Gulf Coast Damage, No Disaster By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN / New York Times NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 26 — As the clouds began to swirl away and the rain began to slacken, many residents here peeked out their screen doors today to survey their post-Isidore world. It was bad — not horrible, but bad. Parts of Interstate 10 and several main streets were flooded, dozens of homes had two feet of nasty brown water in them, cars sat abandoned in mammoth puddles, and snapped off tree limbs dangled from power lines. Saturday, 28 September 2002 HURRICANE Tropical Storm Isidore moved North / Inland President Bush declared disaster areas in 15 parishes in Louisiana, where Gov. Mike Foster estimated at least $18 million in damage. More than 200,000 utility customers lost power in the storm, which moved ashore early Thursday along the Gulf Coast. Yesterday, the storm left nearly 10 inches of rain in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee but largely spared the flood-prone mountains in the region. Forecasters expected it to break up this weekend over the Northeast. (AP) Sunday, 29 September 2002 HURRICANE Isidore Strom Blows into Mississippi AP / Filed at 5:10 p.m. ET JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Tropical Storm Isidore appeared to be nothing more than a messy rainstorm when it swept into Biloxi -- certainly nothing like the hurricane it had been when it hit Mexico days earlier. Casinos on the Gulf beaches had been ordered closed, but evacuations were only recommended. When Col. Danny Pepper briefed about 20 National Guard troops around midnight Wednesday, it looked as though the briefing wasn't needed. VIOLENCE Brazil prison riot kills 10 NY Times / 30 Sept 02 The authorities in Brazil say a riot in overcrowded police cells on the outskirts of Sao Paulo has left 10 people dead. Sixty prisoners escaped during the violence at the Embu das Artes jail. There were 164 prisoners were being held in cells designed for 24 people. The police say two inmates were killed by other prisoners and eight others suffocated from the fumes of burning matteresses. The authorities say the riot ended when inmates surrendered. ********************************** Post Script: Burundi President Says Army Had Role in Killings BUJUMBURA (Reuters) - Burundi's President Pierre Buyoya said some members of the army were involved in the killing of an estimated 173 civilians during heavy fighting in the central part of the African country on September 9th. ********************************** Next week's US attraction (?)…. Hurricane Lili Belts Caymans, 4 Dead in Jamaica By REUTERS / 30 September 2002 Filed at 12:10 p.m. ET KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Lili grew to hurricane strength on Monday as it pounded the Cayman Islands and threatened Cuba after inundating Jamaica, where flood waters and mudslides killed four people. Lili's 75-mph sustained winds crossed the hurricane threshold as the persistent storm chugged along Cuba's south coast on a track expected to take it over the western tip of Cuba on Tuesday and then toward the U.S. Gulf coast, where forecasters said it could be by the week's end. In Jamaica, police said three people were killed in Trinity Ville, a town east of Kingston, including a woman and child swept away by flood waters as they tried to cross the main street. A taxi driver drowned when his car was stuck in a mudslide in St. Thomas. Heavy rain triggered flooding and mudslides in all 14 of the island's parishes. At least 700 people took refuge in shelters from their damaged homes, disaster officials said. |