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EDM Friday Briefing: Residents Return Home Nearly a Year After Mount Kilauea Eruptions Began

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Kilauea volcano Arsenault

Emergency and disaster management briefing for April 5, 2019: Three people are dead and two officers shot following a nearly day-long standoff in Henry County, Georgia; a preliminary crash report issued by Ethiopian Airlines reveals similarities to the Lion Air crash of a 737 MAX 8 jet; engineers find evidence the bridge collapse in Chattanooga occurred after it was struck by a vehicle; residents near Mount Kilauea return home to a new normal after a makeshift road is completed; South Korea has declared a national emergency as firefighters work to gain full control of a massive wildfire; police in North Dakota have arrested a man in connection with the quadruple homicides in Mandan; a small earthquake rattled buildings and residents of Yorba Linda, California early Wednesday morning; and a United Express flight diverted to Dallas after its cockpit screens went blank.

1) Two police officers have been shot and three people are dead after a stand-off in Henry County, Georgia that lasted nearly a day. The stand-off occurred when officers were called to the home for a teenager being held hostage and were fired upon by the suspect. When police finally entered the home nearly 20 hours later, they found three dead bodies, including the suspect — of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, a pregnant woman, and a 16-year-old teenager.

2) The preliminary report from the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 aircraft has been released, and reported similarities exist between the two recent crashes of the same type aircraft. The jet allegedly had faulty sensor readings regarding the angle of attack, the autopilot was disengaged, and the plane’s nose was pushed down automatically — similar findings from the Lion Air Crash last October. Pilots attempted to recover the plane to no avail, and an excessive airspeed warning (500 knots/575 mph) was heard moments before the plane crashed.

3) Engineers now believe they know what caused the southbound Interstate 75 overpass bridge to collapse onto Interstate 24 in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Tuesday. After a thorough inspection, TDOT officials believe the bridge was struck underneath by an oversized vehicle at some point, which sheared steel supports for the bridge and eventually caused it to collapse onto the I-24 on-ramp below. The collapse occurred at a key interchange that connects I-75 and I-24 — one of the most heavily trafficked interchanges in the nation. While both lanes of I-24 westbound have reopened, only one lane of I-75 southbound has reopened, although emergency repairs are currently underway.

4) Nearly a year later and after months of spectacular eruptions, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced on March 26 that Mount Kilauea has returned to ‘normal’ alert status. After a makeshift road was completed, residents were able to return home to still-cooling ridges of lava (up to 20 feet high) and cinder cones that are up to 50 feet, surrounding their homes and neighborhoods. Among Hawaiians, the area that is surrounded by the now-hardened lava is called a kipuka. The area remains inaccessible to anyone but residents, making it difficult for residents to clean up and rebuild.

5) A massive forest fire that ripped through the mountainous region of South Korea that hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics has largely been extinguished by firefighters. At least two deaths are being attributed to what government officials say is the largest forest fire the nation has ever experienced. Fierce winds rapidly spread the wildfire, which is believed to have been started by a spark from a transformer near the resort town of Goseong, destroying 135 homes, disrupting telecommunications, delaying train service, closing roads, and forcing at least 4,000 people to evacuate.

6) Authorities have arrested a man in connection with the quadruple homicide in North Dakota at a property management company in Mandan. Police arrested Chad Isaak, 44, during a traffic stop on Thursday, and evidence in the vehicle provided enough probable cause for authorities to make the arrest. Four people were found dead at the RJR Maintenance & Management Company on Monday. Police confirmed that the suspect lived in a mobile home park managed by RJR, but authorities are unsure if that was part of the motive for the killings.

7) A small earthquake rattled the city and residents of Yorba Linda, California on Wednesday, although no injuries or damages were reported. The 3.5 magnitude quake struck just five miles east of the city at about 5:00 a.m. local time, shaking houses and rousing people from their sleep. Although California is prone to frequent earthquakes, seismologists have noted that the state is currently experiencing an earthquake drought. The last major earthquake to impact the area was almost five years ago — the 6.0 magnitude Napa quake — that struck California’s wine country.

8) On Thursday evening, United Express Flight 4390, operating from Knoxville, Tennessee to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, diverted to Dallas where it landed safely following a loss of its navigation screens in the cockpit. According to reports, upon landing, pilots stated that if they had continued the flight, they would have been flying blind. A statement by ExpressJet, the operator of the United Express flight, noted that the flight diversion was due to a cockpit mechanical issue. Passengers deplaned normally and were being rerouted to their final destinations.

 

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EDM Wednesday Briefing: Officer Shot, School Bus Crash, Hurricane Otto, Wildfires

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Emergency and disaster management briefing for November 23, 2016: A police officer is shot in the head in Michigan; a deadly school bus crash in Chattanooga claims five lives; a refinery fire in Baton Rouge leaves four severely burned; students in Washington & Oregon sue for climate change; slow-moving Hurricane Otto is the seventh major storm of the season; Sabra recalls hummus for Listeria contamination concerns; and multiple wildfires still burn across the South.