Emergency and disaster management briefing for July 24, 2020: A rapid response by firefighters in Pocatello prevents a wildfire from spreading to nearby homes and businesses; Tropical Storm Hanna has formed in the Gulf of Mexico; a crowd of people caught two boys that jumped out of a burning apartment in the south of France; Hurricane Douglas is a powerful Category 4 storm churning towards Hawaii in the Central Pacific Ocean; a swift-moving wildfire in southern Greece forced the evacuation of multiple villages; Tuesday’s 7.8 temblor that struck Alaska damaged the docks of a small fishing community, interrupting critical services; emergency management officials caution residents below the Catalina Mountains about possible debris flows from the Bighorn Fire; and a Type II IMT will now coordinate the response to all fires in the July Complex in Northern California.
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1) A fire that broke out on Thursday morning along Interstate 15 in Pocatello, Idaho, spread rapidly and quickly threatened nearby homes, businesses, and structures. The swift-moving blaze was only able to scorch six acres, thanks to a fierce and rapid response by local firefighters, which also prevented evacuations and the closure of I-15. Although fire officials believe the cause of the fire was accidental, the incident is under investigation.
Traffic alert! https://t.co/6qKpeQDogO
— Local News 8 (@localnews8) July 23, 2020
2) Tropical Storm Hanna formed off the Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday night. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has already issued Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches for parts of Texas, with flood advisories for coastal areas of Louisiana. The storm is expected to continue to strengthen, with a projected landfall in Texas sometime on Saturday.
IT'S OFFICIAL! Tropical Depression No. 8 has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Hanna. Start tracking its path here ➡️ https://t.co/SWPqzYV8nU pic.twitter.com/Bd0b2l9Cxe
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) July 24, 2020
3) A crowd of people that gathered outside an apartment building that was on fire in southeastern France was able to save the lives of two Grenoble children. The apartment caught fire and trapped the two boys — age three and 10 — inside. The oldest boy dangled his brother over the balcony, and both he and his older brother were caught by the crowd of people below. However, two men suffered broken arms in the incident.
Children jump from window to escape fire in Grenoble
Two men who caught the children suffered broken arms in the incident in south eastern Francehttps://t.co/AmM9GsqNQZ
— NOUVELLES DU MONDE (@newstypec) July 22, 2020
4) Hurricane Douglas is a powerful Category 4 storm churning in the Central Pacific Ocean and is located about 1,000 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii. Maximum sustained winds are at about 130 mph with higher gusts, and the storm is moving to the west-northwest at about 18 mph. Although the storm is forecast to begin weakening Friday, residents of the Hawaiian Islands should monitor the progress of the storm, as hurricane watches may be issued as early as Friday afternoon.
Hurricane #Douglas continues to rev up in the Eastern Pacific, now a Category 4 hurricane. It will weaken some before reaching Hawaii this weekend, but the question is how much. https://t.co/XqyZ7aOxIn pic.twitter.com/J8qtRQwSfG
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) July 24, 2020
5) A wildfire in Greece forced evacuations in the southern town of Corinth as firefighters raced to save homes. Three planes and six helicopters are assisting over 270 firefighters in their fight against a blaze that erupted Wednesday and forced at least seven villages to evacuate. At least 10 homes have been destroyed by the blaze, which broke out in the seaside town of Kechries and moved inland.
Wildfires once again wreaking havoc in central & southern Greece.
Pictured here is Galataki just outside of Corinth where 5 nearby villages have evacuated & over 250 firefighters have been deployed. #PrayForGreece pic.twitter.com/zhlb7D4ZZk
— Super Greek (@TheSuperGreek_) July 23, 2020
6) The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck near the Alaskan Peninsula late Tuesday night prompted a tsunami warning and caused damage to the small fishing community of Sand Point. The temblor caused significant damage to both city docks, forcing their closure, and damaged the road to the harbor. As part of the community’s critical infrastructure, the docks land the M/V Tustemena ferry and freight boats, which bring fresh food to island residents.
Earthquake damage closed both its city docks, which it uses to land the M/V Tustumena ferry and freight boats, and damaged the road to the harbor.https://t.co/TRxmqLTQkn
— Alaska Public Media News (@AKpublicnews) July 23, 2020
7) Recent rainfall in the Tucson area triggered a small debris flow in the Cañada de Oro Wash from the Catalina Mountains. According to emergency management officials, the burn scar from the recent Bighorn Fire consists of a charred, barren landscape that is unable to absorb water and poses a danger to area residents for future debris and mud flows, even during light rains. The Bighorn wildfire was ignited by lightning on June 5 and scorched nearly 120,000 acres before firefighters were able to recently contain the blaze.
NEW: dangerous flash flood / debris flow off the Bighorn Fire Burn scar outside of Tucson AZ, perfectly executed intercept by the veteran flash flood chaser David Rankin https://t.co/k5Eei7fUeh @RadarOmega_WX
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) July 24, 2020
8) Lightning storms — and the erratic conditions accompanying them — are igniting wildfires and causing them to spread rapidly in Northern California. Fire officials have discovered a total of 11 active fires in the Modoc National Forest as of Thursday, three of which have grown exponentially amid difficult access and challenging conditions. Due to the number of wildfires and the predicted continuing fire weather, the fires are being grouped together and have been named the July Complex. The grouping will allow management of the July Complex by a Type II Incident Management Team (IMT) in order to better coordinate resources and attack strategies.
July Complex 2020 (Wildfire) https://t.co/P6ACohJSeq
— The Disaster Center (@Disaster_Center) July 23, 2020