Emergency and disaster management briefing for May 20, 2019: Utility safety and regulatory failures likely led to the largest U.S. gas leak disaster at California’s Aliso Canyon in 2015; a massive undercover operation led 135 law enforcement agents to arrest 50 suspects in an alleged heroin ring; four Americans are dead following a small plane crash off the coast of Roatán, Honduras; state health officials in Massachusetts have confirmed Hepatitis A in a food service employee at a seafood restaurant in Rockport; Boeing states they have upgraded their software in simulators for the 737-MAX aircraft to improve force load training for pilots; the CDC confirms the salmonella outbreak is linked to backyard poultry flocks; an Oregon high school football coach tackled a student who allegedly threatened a classroom with a gun; and a high risk assessment by the NWS of potentially violent and severe weather outbreak on Monday prompted Oklahoma City area schools to be closed.
1) A recently released report states that utility safety failures and inadequate regulations likely led to the Aliso Canyon methane gas release and fire in 2015, which ultimately displaced 8,000 families affected by the disaster at the Porter Ranch facility. A report released by the California Public Utilities Commission found that the root cause was the failure of SoCalGas to conduct basic inspections at the Porter Ranch facility to ensure the safety of the wells and their casings, which were originally designed to hold oil, not gas, under high pressure. The report indicates that the disaster likely could have been avoided, had regulations been in place that would ensured the gas utility owner investigated previous well failures and adequately assessed the aging wells — some dating to the 1940s — for their disaster potential.
Southern California Gas Co. failed to investigate previous well failures at the Aliso Canyon storage field and didn’t adequately assess its aging wells for disaster potential. https://t.co/btNmioH4lm
— CalNews.com (@CalNewsEditor) May 19, 2019
2) A massive undercover operation in connection with a suspected heroin ring led to the seizure of thousands of bags of heroin, guns and the arrest of 50 people in Connecticut on Friday. The arrests were conducted by 135 officers, detectives, agents, and investigators across multiple agencies, including local and federal enforcement agencies. The undercover operation, “Operation Raw Deal,” began in September and was formed in response to the rising heroin overdoses and heroin-related deaths in the city.
Local, state and federal law enforcement conducted a massive heroin bust in Connecticut on Friday, resulting in 51 arrests and the seizure of guns, $15,000 in cash and thousands of bags of heroin packaged for sale. https://t.co/qw7bcufCgf
— WTKR News 3 (@WTKR3) May 19, 2019
3) A small plane crash off the coast of Honduras killed four Americans and one Canadian when the aircraft plummeted from the sky shortly after take-off. The aircraft, a Piper PA-32-260, known as a Cherokee 6, plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean after its takeoff from Roatán Island, a popular tourist destination located just off the coast of Honduras. The small aircraft was bound for Trujillo — a city about 49 miles away on the coastal mainland of Honduras — when it crashed, killing everyone on board.
JUST IN: The plane reportedly fell into the sea minutes after taking off from the Roatán Airport. Four Americans were killed in the crash. https://t.co/MHfrfg98SL
— KDKA (@KDKA) May 19, 2019
4) Health officials are warning patrons who dined at a Rockport, Massachusetts seafood restaurant of possible exposure to Hepatitis A. A case of Hepatitis A was confirmed in a food service employee who was working at Roy Moore’s Fish Shack between the dates of April 21 and May 12. State health officials are urging anyone who ate cold or uncooked food, or who does not remember what they ate during those dates at the restaurant, to contact their healthcare provider regarding their possible exposure to the disease.
Health officials warn customers of Rockport seafood restaurant about possible exposure to hepatitis A from a food service employee. Read more: https://t.co/Z5sGDVGq5b pic.twitter.com/z2yInliE3e
— Mass. Public Health (@MassDPH) May 17, 2019
5) Boeing continues to make changes to its software in the wake of two deadly 737-MAX airplane crashes just six months apart, both of which killed everyone on board. The latest update is to the simulator software used to train pilots for the specific aircraft. A Boeing spokesman stated that the software update to the simulator will improve the simulation of force loads on the manual trim wheel, which is used to control the airplane’s pitch attitude.
737 MAX: Boeing says simulator software corrected https://t.co/Jf5nDLel0m pic.twitter.com/E3EuAnuzUj
— P.M. NEWS (@pmnewsnigeria) May 18, 2019
6) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated on Thursday that a Salmonella outbreak has been linked to backyard flocks of poultry. The salmonella outbreak has infected 52 people across 21 states, including five individuals who were hospitalized. The majority of victims are children five years of age or younger — a total of 28 percent of those sickened. Health officials caution anyone who handles live poultry or touches anything in their environment to wash their hands thoroughly in order to avoid contracting salmonella.
52 people sick in 21 states from Salmonella outbreaks. Illnesses are linked to live chickens and ducks in backyard flocks. https://t.co/syVJh03Kq0 pic.twitter.com/YGXeE81vY9
— CDC (@CDCgov) May 19, 2019
7) A student was tackled by a football coach at an Oregon school on Friday after he reportedly appeared in a classroom doorway in a black trench coat, waving a gun, at the Parkrose High School in Portland. The students in the classroom were able to flee through a back door in the room when the alleged shooter threatened them, and the high school football coach was able to tackle the student before any shots were fired. Two students had reported concerning behavior of the alleged 18-year-old suspect, Angel Granados Dias, to staff members on Friday before the incident occurred. Security had allegedly attempted to locate the student, but he had already entered the school.
FOX 12 confirms Parkrose High School football coach and former Oregon Ducks football player Keanon Lowe tackled the suspect with a gun on campus today. https://t.co/mGJ6pGzfcA pic.twitter.com/wdHxK6NVrC
— Fox12Oregon (@fox12oregon) May 17, 2019
8) Schools across the Southern Plains were prompted to close after the National Weather Service (NWS) warned of a potentially violent day of weather on Friday that could produce life-threatening conditions, including a tornado outbreak and severe thunderstorms. The “high risk” assessment warning was issued for parts of Northwest Texas into western and central Oklahoma and the severe weather is expected to produce large hail (up to baseball size), damaging winds, and flash flooding, lasting into the overnight hours. The NWS noted that tornadoes could reach EF-4 or EF-5 strength and could be long-track, violent, and potentially deadly. That warning prompted schools throughout the Oklahoma City area to cancel all classes and school-related activities for the day.
Dawn breaks on the Southern Plains and GOES gives us a look at the wind shear part of the severe weather forecast. Low clouds streaming up from the SE are being overtaken by mid-to-high clouds coming from the SW. This turning of the winds helps storms that form start to rotate. pic.twitter.com/qW0NYbR7A0
— National Weather Service (@NWS) May 20, 2019