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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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Natural and Manmade Events & Disasters. (Jan 22 – Jan 24, 2003) By Ines de Pablo Wednesday 22 January 2003 Marine Helicopter Crash on Mexico Border: 4 Dead. ZAPATA, Texas (CNN) - Four people were killed when two U.S. Marine Helicopters crashed Wednesday night while assisting the Border Patrol in a night time aviation reconnaissance counterdrug operation along the Texas-Mexico border. The crash appeared to be a mid-air collision. The Marines and helicopters were part of Helicopter Marine Light Attack squadron 775, a Reserve unit based at Camp Pendleton, California. No names have yet been released. Both choppers carried a two-person crew, a pilot and a co-pilot. The accident is under investigation. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Southwest/01/23/marine.crash/index.html Explosion Near a West Virginia Mine Killed 3 and Injured 3 Workers. MARSHALL COUNTY, WV - The accident occurred in the Nauvoo Ridge area in Marshall County, Northern WV. The Six workers were digging a 24-foot-diameter airshaft above a coal seam when the explosion occurred. The mine was unaffected, and continues to operate. Federal and state officials are still investigating the cause of the blast, but a conclusion is not expected for several days. http://www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=1719 Bitter South Asian Weather Kills Dozens LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) – The death toll from South Asia's coldest winter in decades climbed to 1,500 overnight, with no respite from near-freezing temperatures forecast for the next few days in the worst-hit areas. The cold weather gripping northern India, Bangladesh and Nepal since Christmas killed 47 people in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, pushing the toll there above 750. In the impoverished eastern Indian state of Bihar, the toll rose to 125 after five more people died overnight. And in Bangladesh -- where more than 530 people have died -- newspaper reports said 12 more died overnight. Schools and community halls are being used to shelter the homeless. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/579930 Australia’s Wildfires CANBERRA, Australia – While the fire danger eased in Canberra, bushfires raged out of control some 170 miles northeast of Melbourne. The rural city of Wodonga, home to some 35,000 people, was directly in the path of the fire. The mountain villages of Bright, Porepunkah and Wandiligong were also under Threat. Four homes had been destroyed by Wednesday afternoon. This year’s natural disaster already consumed 451 homes. No additional reports of injuries. The conditions are expected to worsen over the weekend. http://www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=1715 Thursday 23 January, 2003 Protests BRAZIL - At least 30,000 anti-globalization activists gathered in the southeastern city of Porto Alegre at the start of the World Social Forum, an annual summit to decry global capitalism. Protesters are also denouncing a possible U.S.-led war in Iraq and U.S. efforts to create a Free Trade Area of the Americas. Demonstrations have been peaceful thus far. http://www.stratfor.com/corp/ More Protests ECUADOR - Police officers fired tear gas at more than 100 university students who protested a rise in gasoline prices in Quito, the capital. Three students were injured during the protests, which will reportedly continue on 24 January. http://www.stratfor.com/corp/ Explosion Kills 7 at Peru Weapons Depot. LIMA, Peru (CNN) - An explosion at the El Tablazo army base tore through an ammunition depot in northern Peru Thursday, killing seven soldiers and injuring 95 other people. Fifteen soldiers and 80 civilians who live around the base were injured. Most were treated for cuts and bruises. The army base is located outside the city of Tumbes, 16 miles from the border with Ecuador. So far, the blast appeared to have been accidental. The explosion was felt throughout the city, and a number of homes in the surrounding residential area were damaged by the shock wave. The fire was brought under control by 11:30 a.m., about an hour and a half after the blast, authorities said. http://cnn.worldnews.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&expire=-1&urlID=5191185&fb=Y&partnerID=2006 Winter Blast CHARLOTTE, NC (CNN) – North Carolina residents had to dig themselves out of up to 10 inches of snow. The weather conditions caused road, school, and government offices closings. Power outages were reported but authorities feared more power related problems as tree limbs were expected to fall/break. Among other concerns was the increasing risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and heating safety issues. A hard Freeze warning was issued at the Florida Panhandle, where temperatures were expected to fall into the teens or low 20s. The frigid temperatures could cause serious problems for citrus growers. Florida Governor Jeb Bush lifted trucking restrictions, giving growers to harvest as much of their crops as possible. Other Southern regions affected by the winter blast are Hilton Head (SC) and Augusta, and Atlanta (GA). http://cnn.weather.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&expire=-1&urlID=5189028&fb=Y&partnerID=2005 Blast In Venezuela CARACAS, Venezuela – A pipe bomb exploded in downtown Caracas on Thursday at approximately 1700 local time, killing 1 and wounding at least 14 as about 300,000 people were rallying to support President Chavez. The explosion occurred in front of the Banco Industrial de Venezuela located on Avenida México, near a large pro-government march that was underway on Avenida Bolívar. President Hugo Chávez spoke to thousands of supporters at the time of the explosion. Several anti-government demonstrations occurred in other areas of the country. The one victim that was killed was a homeless man rummaging in the trash where the bomb was hidden. The rally went on as planned. Since the strike began on December 2, 2002, oil production went down from 3.2 million barrels a day to 812,000 a day. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap01-24-084024.asp?reg=AMERICAS and http://www.stratfor.com/corp Mexican Earthquake COLIMA, Mexico – After a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Colima on Tuesday, killing 28 people, injuring 300 and leaving 10,000 homeless, residents ignored police blockades and filtered into what was left of city. A third of the city’s buildings were destroyed. Of the 28 deaths, 25 were in the state of Colima and the majority of those died in the state capital also called Colima. Rescue efforts were called off on Thursday as officials said that all bodies and survivors were pulled out of the rubble. The situation seemed safer on Thursday after at least 12 aftershocks ranging from 3.9 to 5.8 magnitude continued to rattle the region on Wednesday. President Vincente Fox promised that the government would help repair or rebuild all houses downed by the quake. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap01-23-081522.asp?reg=AMERICAS Fire at Chilean Beach Resort SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) – Starting as forest fires, flames spread to outlying residential neighbourhoods of Vina del Mar, a resort packed with tourists during the southern hemisphere summer. Fires caused extensive damage to homes in the adjacent port city of Valparaiso and other nearby towns. About 44 homes were destroyed and about 200 people were forced to flee the area. No deaths or injuries were reported. Authorities suspect arson and have held a young man for questioning. The Army and Navy have been called upon to reinforce firefighters who were unable to contain the flames fanned by winds of up to 80 km (60 miles) an hour. Most of the destroyed homes were in poor districts. The National Emergency Office (Onemi) seems to be in charge. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters01-24-100916.asp?reg=AMERICAS Hostages Crisis BOGOTA, Colombia – One American and 1 British journalist have been “retained” by the National Liberation Army (ELN) since Tuesday. Scott Dalton and Ruth Morris were seized on Tuesday at a roadblock in Arauca state. Their driver reported that they were led away from their taxi with hoods on their heads and told they were being taken for an encounter with a rebel commander. In an unrelated incident, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) reportedly released three U.S. reporters for the Discovery Channel whom they had kidnapped on the Panamanian side of the border with Colombia over the past weekend. The paramilitaries, who released the reporters in Unguía, located in Chocó province, stated that they were holding the victims to protect them from surrounding violence in the conflict-torn area. http://www.msnbc.com/news/863697.asp and http://www.stratfor.com/corp/ Friday 24 January, 2003 Terrorism Raid MADRID, Spain (CNN) – Sixteen suspected Islamic Terrorists were arrested on Friday for allegedly preparing attacks in Europe using explosives and chemical materials. Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said that the 16 suspects had links to terrorists recently arrested in France and Britain. The arrests began at 03h30 when police swooped down on 12 homes in Barcelona and nearby towns in northeastern Spain. Police found chemical material that included hydrocarbons and synthetic material, as well as electronic gear that could be used in attacks (remote controls). The material is being analyzed by authorities. It is believed that the 16 suspects operated in two groups, one based in Barcelona and the other one in the town of Banyoles in the Girona province. The operation resulted from cooperation between Spanish, British and French police. Since September 11, 2001, thirty five suspected Islamic terrorists have been arrested in Spain. http://cnn.worldnews.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&expire=-1&urlID=5203527&fb=Y&partnerID=2006 Embassy Departure Kuwait: A U.S. Department of State official who asked not to be named, stated that on 25 January 2003, the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait may permit the voluntary departure of embassy staff from Kuwait, following the shooting this week of two U.S. citizens working for the Pentagon. If issued, the order would permit non-essential embassy staffers to leave the country, and would likely advise other U.S. citizens in Kuwait to also consider departing. Further details are not yet available. http://www.startfor.com/corp Middle East Conflict GAZA CITY (CNN) – Palestinians fired six rockets from Gaza. Four landed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, another landing at Erez, and the sixth landing in a village near Sderot. One rocket hit a house, but no injuries were reported. The attack followed a raid by Israeli Apache helicopter gunships, which fired six rockets at Palestinian workshops in southern Gaza early Friday. There were no reports of casualties. In a separate incident, Israeli troops killed two Palestinians after a group of four armed Palestinians confronted Israeli troops at Mount Ebal near Nablus. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/01/24/mideast.violence/index.html Plane Crash NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) – Kenya’s labour minister Ahmad Mohamed Kahalif and two pilots have been killed and three other ministers injured after their plane crashed shortly after take-off in Busia in western Kenya. The 24-seat Gulfstream aircraft was bound for the Lake Victoria port of Kisumu. Other government officials believed to be on the plane were the water resources minister, the minister of state, the information and tourism minister, and the assistant justice minister. No word on the cause of the incident. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/01/24/kenya.crash/index.html In-Flight Explosion BEIJING, China (Reuters) – Sichuan Airlines plane B3043 on a half-hour flight from the city of Chongqing to Chengdu in Sichuan province, landed safely on Friday after a hijacker detonated homemade explosives on board, injuring himself and another passenger. He was later subdued by an in-flight security guard. There where 10 other passengers and five crew members onboard the small airplane. The Civil Aviation of China sent two teams to Chengdu to investigate. No other details have been released. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters01-24-061230.asp?reg=PACRIM Rebel Fighting YANGON, Union of Myanmar (Reuters) - About 400 Myanmar soldiers overran two camps of the Karen National Union rebel group, which has been battling Yangon for more than half a century in pursuit of autonomy for the Karen people, in a dawn raid opposite the Thai town of Phop Phra, some 450 km (280 miles) northwest of Bangkok. Five KNU soldiers were killed while at least 10 soldiers were killed on the government side. The attack marks the start of the annual dry-season offensive by Yangon on ethnic minority rebels along the border with Thailand. Thai soldiers said some 700 Karen villagers sought refuge on the Thai side of the border during the fighting. They are living in make-shift camps and will be sent home as soon as the situation is judged safe. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters01-23-235833.asp?reg=PACRIM Deadly Cold PATNA, India (CNN) - The cold took another 23 people in Bangladesh, 12 in India and 9 in Nepal overnight. Most were elderly and children without enough warm clothing, blankets, shelter or heating. Governments have built night shelters for the homeless, but they cannot accommodate all those exposed to freezing conditions. India's eastern Bihar state declared "a national calamity" and began distributing 2 million blankets and wood worth 300 million rupees ($6.25 million) to hundreds of thousands of homeless people, said Navin Verma, the state relief and rehabilitation commissioner. Local newspapers have reported some 570 deaths and accused officials of underreporting. Some officials, on condition of anonymity, also have said the toll is much higher than the official figure. Thursday's low in Bihar was 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) at Gaya, 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of the state capital, Patna. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WEATHER/01/24/southasia.emergency.ap/index.html Other Ongoing World Events & Potential Upcoming Disasters El Salvador – Salvadorian Children are not only suffering from dengue, but there have been increasing reports of vomiting and diarrhoe at a rate of about 30 to 40 cases daily. Health authorities are carrying studies to confirm whether the Rotavirus is causing the sickness. World Vision International has placed about 400 health volunteers on alert. And in coordination with the Ministry of Health, World Vision’s medical team has trained promoters and volunteers to recognize the signs and symptoms of a person suffering from dehydration. The Rotavirus causes rapid dehydration, affects young children and can be deadly. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/579241 Floods In Mozambique Nine people have starved to death this week in Mozambique, where floods have driven thousands of people from their homes and hampered food relief efforts, a senior government official said on Thursday. These were the first confirmed hunger-related deaths in the southern African country, which was already facing food shortages when rains began drenching it a month ago. Relief teams flew to the remote northern province of Tete with food rations and medicines to prevent more deaths. About 40,000 people are threatened in the worst-affected areas near Magoe and Sumbu in Tete province, which borders Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia. Flooding in Mozambique and Malawi -- where an estimated 3.9 million people could starve -- has made the situation worse for aid agencies distributing food and for farmers trying to avoid another disastrous harvest. The food crisis was exacerbated by poor government policies in the region and political tensions in some countries, such as Zimbabwe and Malawi. Mozambique's national disaster management body, INGC, said on Wednesday floods which began a month ago with hurricane Delfina had now claimed 11 lives and displaced 140,000 people in central and northern parts of the country. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters01-23-071011.asp?reg=AFRICA Flu Outbreak In Congo A flu epidemic has killed more than 2,000 people in a far northern province of war-divided Congo, the country's health minister said Tuesday, warning the outbreak could claim many more victims among the country's malnourished population. At least 2,000 of the 100,000 infected residents of Congo's northern Equator province have died during the four-month epidemic. The epidemic has reached the capital, Kinshasa, as well, with about a half-million out of its estimated 6 million residents infected, Mamba said. No deaths have yet been reported in Kinshasa. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap01-21-132922.asp?reg=AFRICA And While EMSE 232 Was Taking Place… Tuesday 21 January, 2003 Pakistan Gas Supplies Disrupted After Rocket Attack ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd said the attack on Tuesday night left two pipelines ablaze and that the fires had still not been put out. No one was injured. The rocket hit one of the main pipelines bringing gas from the largest and oldest gas field in Sui, 700 km (435 miles) southwest of Islamabad, and the flames later spread to another pipeline a few metres (yards) away. Sui is a virtually unpopulated desert area about 700 km (435 miles) southwest of Islamabad. No one has claimed the responsibility for the attack. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters01-22-010303.asp?reg=ASIA Saturday, January 25, 2003 Two quakes rattle Kern County farming town A pair of mild earthquakes jolted this Kern County farming town on Saturday but no damage or injuries were reported. A magnitude-3.7 quake at 1:11 a.m. was followed five minutes later by a magnitude-4.2 temblor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Both were centered about 13 miles northeast of Arvin, a community of 14,000 people 79 miles north of Los Angeles, according to the USGS. The quakes appeared to be part of a swarm of dozens of small earthquakes in the area since Dec. 18, including two magnitude-3.4 quakes on Jan. 2. http://www.nbc4.tv/news/1935959/detail.html Plague of beetles increases wildfire danger A plague of beetles has killed 80 percent of pi–on pine trees in parts of Southwest Colorado, increasing the threat of wildfires this summer. ''It's a large-scale natural disaster,'' said Kent Grant, assistant district forester with the Colorado State Forest Service. ''I don't think anyone has seen this happen since the area was settled by people of European ancestry; there's nothing we can compare it to.'' The beetle epidemic is rooted in the drought. Drought-stressed trees can't defend themselves, and beetles flourish in a warm, dry climate. A secondary cause is thought to be a century of fire suppression the same policy blamed for the current severity of Western wildfires. Hundreds of thousands of trees over tens of thousands of acres are dead or dying in Southwest Colorado, northern New Mexico and northern Arizona. http://www.kobtv.com/archive/2003/january/27/beetles.htm South Asia cold spell deaths reach 1,833 An eastern Indian state declared a bitter monthlong cold spell a "national calamity" on Friday as the death toll from freezing temperatures in South Asia rose to more than 1,830, most in India. The cold killed 23 people in Bangladesh, 12 in India and nine in Nepal overnight. Officials and newspaper reports said 1,005 have died in India since the bitterly cold weather and icy Himalayan winds began in mid-December. India's eastern Bihar state declared "a national calamity" and began distributing 2 million blankets and wood worth $6.25 million to hundreds of thousands of homeless people, said Navin Verma, the state relief and rehabilitation commissioner http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=CDA6DCE6-3CDC-4A0E-8CC8-E10CEE7E8DD8 Thirty hurt in tube crash At least 30 people have been hurt in a tube crash. The train came off the tracks and hit a wall as it was coming into Chancery Lane tube station in London on Saturday afternoon. There were 800 adults and children on the train and many of them had to clamber out of the emergency doors onto the Central Line platform. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_2694000/2694951.stm Sunday, January 26, 2003 House explodes after plane hits; family escapes Sheryle Nappele-Olson was cooking dinner when she heard a piercing whir and a boom as a small airplane smashed into the back of her home. The single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk that hit her home Friday had collided with a twin-engine Piper Cheyenne during the afternoon rush hour. All five people on the two planes were killed, and seven people on the ground, including Nappele-Olson's family, were injured. None of the injuries was serious. The Cessna just missed a 12-story senior citizens' apartment building before it crashed into Nappele-Olson's home. http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-planes26.html Australian Brush Fires Char 10 Homes Australia's bush fire crisis escalated Sunday with flames destroying at least 10 homes, surrounding firefighters and forcing the evacuation of a well-known mountain village, authorities said. In Victoria state, the Country Fire Authority said four houses and sheds burned about 18 miles west of the town of Omeo, which was being showered with embers. "Almost all the fires in the southeast of the state have broken their containment lines or are in the process of doing so and are making quite troublesome runs," New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Phil Koperberg said. http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030126_317.html Oakland Super Bowl riot spawns fires, sends dozens to jail Rioters in Oakland torched cars, set a fast-food restaurant ablaze, smashed scores of windows and battled police after the Raiders were crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. Police say arrests approached a hundred last night during the melee as officers tried to control the mobs with tear gas and rubber bullets. Fire officials say three firefighters were hurt and some equipment was damaged as they battled the flames. http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5041138.htm Dozens killed in Cameroon crash More than 70 people are reported to have been killed and as many injured in a traffic accident in Cameroon. A coach travelling from Douala to the capital, Yaounde, on Sunday afternoon, collided head on with another coach after trying to overtake a lorry laden with timber, eyewitnesses said. The morgue at Edea hospital was overwhelmed by the number of casualties, who had to be laid down on the floor for lack of space. A total of 100 passengers were on board the two coaches - about 30 in one, 70 in the other. All the passengers on the smaller bus were killed in the accident. "There is no doubt in my mind that the accident was due to reckless driving," Transport Minister John Ndeh said when he visited the scene of the crash. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2697391.stm Monday, January 27, 2003 Mayor dies eyeing flood damage One person has died and about 1000 were evacuated as torrential rain caused flooding, landslides and widespread damage across southern Italy. Local mayor Donato Iezzi was killed by a high-speed train as he inspected damage caused by the heavy rains in the town of Torino di Sangro, officials said. Landslides have blocked many roads and railway links the three affected regions, Puglia, Abruzzo and Molise, leaving many towns and villages cut off. Molise was hit by the October 31 earthquake that killed 30 people in the village of San Giuliano di Puglia - including 27 children who died when their primary school collapsed. http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5895758%255E1702,00.html One dead in Turkish earthquake At least one person is feared dead after an earthquake with a magnitude 6.5 shook the remote and mountainous region of Tunceli in eastern Turkey. Aftershocks of 3.1 magnitude on the Richter scale were recorded in the surrounding area on Monday raising fears for the safety of residents in nearby villages. Rescue efforts were being hampered by rocks falling on roads. http://europe.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/01/27/turkey.earthquake/index.html Cyclones swirl through South Pacific A tropical cyclone lashed remote southern islands in the Solomons chain on Monday, damaging several homes, knocking down coconut and banana trees and pounding the South Pacific archipelago with high swells. As Cyclone Beni swirled menacingly near the two main coral atolls of Rennell and Bellona province, another tropical cyclone formed southeast of Fiji and was bearing down on the island kingdom of Tonga, weather forecasters said. Maeaniani said the disaster management committee remained in radio contact with islanders on Rennell and Bellona and had been told that several houses on the shores of a lake on Rennell had been damaged. There were no reports of casualties. http://asia.cnn.com/2003/WEATHER/01/27/pacific.cyclone.reut/index.html Tornado strikes Cyprus port A tornado has struck near the port area of Limassol in southern Cyprus, causing minor injuries, damaging buildings and cars and littering streets with trees and broken glass. Twenty-eight people were injured, most of them slightly, Cypriot police said. None of the injuries was life-threatening. The police press office said the tornado uprooted trees and severed power lines. About two hours later, a tornado also hit coastal area of Larnaca, near Kiti village, about 70km to the east, where police reported damage to homes and property. No injuries were reported there, according to police. http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,5900065%255E1702,00.html |