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Emergency and disaster management briefing for February 7, 2020: Three people were killed when a plane broke apart after landing in Turkey; nearly 40 airlines from various countries have suspended service to China amid the coronavirus outbreak; a high-speed train derailment in Italy killed two and highlights the nations failing infrastructure; the CDC suggests Americans are more at risk from the flu than the novel coronavirus; a crude oil train derailment in Saskatchewan prompts a nationwide speed limit for hazardous goods-carrying trains; a suspect has been arrested in conjunction with the shooting of two police officers in Maryland; workers trapped by a zinc mine in Sweden have been evacuated; and the PHMSA is now accepting applications for up to $12.5 million in grants for activities that help avert or respond to hazardous materials transportation incidents.

1) Three people were killed and nearly everyone on board was injured when a plane made a hard landing in Istanbul during bad weather and then broke apart. According to reports, [link url=”https://www.npr.org/2020/02/05/803115965/plane-breaks-apart-in-a-turkish-field-killing-1-and-injuring-nearly-160″ title=”the Boeing 737-800 made a hard landing at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Turkey during apparent bad weather”], skidded for about 160 feet, then appeared to drop off a cliff where it broke into three pieces. The airplane [link url=”https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/05/europe/turkey-plane-intl/index.html” title=”was operated by by low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines”] and carried 177 passengers and 6 crew members, of which 179 were injured and three people were killed when the incident occurred.

2) Nearly [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-airlines-factbox-idUSKBN20107I” title=”40 airlines from various countries around the world have suspended flights into China”] amid the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak. Mainland China reported another [link url=”https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/coronavirus-updates-latest-news-outbreak-global-response-n1131296″ title=”73 new deaths on February 6, causing the death toll to rise to 636, with more than 31,160 total cases in the nation”]. Taiwan has banned all international cruise ships from docking, while the number of cases of the 2019-nCoV on the cruise ship docked off Japan’s coast has jumped to 61.

3) [link url=”https://www.foxnews.com/world/italy-train-derails-deaths-injuries” title=”A high speed train derailment before dawn on Thursday in Italy”] killed two people and injured at least 31 others. The train was traveling at about 180 miles an hour when, when allegedly due to an improperly positioned railroad switch, the engine became detached and slammed into a railroad building and killed the train’s two drivers. Another car also derailed and flipped on its side, and [link url=”https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/world/europe/italy-train-crash.html” title=”the incident has again drawn attention to Italy’s crumbling infrastructure”].

4) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has suggested that although the world is focused on the novel coronavirus outbreak, [link url=”https://www.marketwatch.com/story/as-the-world-focuses-on-coronavirus-dont-forget-about-the-deadly-flu-2020-02-06″ title=”the flu is a far greater threat to Americans”]. The flu has affected nearly 19 million people so far, and the current flu-related death toll in the United States for the 2019-2020 year has reached an estimated 10,000 people. According to reports, [link url=”https://abcnews.go.com/Health/1300-people-died-flu-year/story?id=67754182″ title=”about 180,000 people have been hospitalized due to the flu, and the CDC estimates that 68 children have also died from the flu”].

5) Residents in Guernsey, Saskatchewan were evacuated early Thursday morning after a fiery crude oil train derailment. [link url=”https://globalnews.ca/news/6514826/train-derailment-saskatoon-saskatchewan-guernsey/” title=”The Canadian Pacific Railway train derailment and fire was the second one to occur in just two months in the area”]. The recent derailments have prompted Canada’s government to issue a [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-derailment/canada-to-impose-speed-limits-on-trains-carrying-dangerous-goods-after-crash-idUSKBN20028L” title=”temporary speed limit of 25 mph on trains carrying dangerous goods across the country, and 20 mph in urban areas, for the next 30 days”].

6) After a brief manhunt, [link url=”https://www.wbaltv.com/article/anne-arundel-county-police-officer-involved-shooting-pasadena-curtis-bay/30787765″ title=”an individual has been arrested in conjunction with the shooting of two Anne Arundel, Maryland police officers”] that occurred Wednesday evening. Two detectives were shot while they were investigating a shooting death at a house where they discovered the victim’s vehicle was missing. The vehicle was found being driven about 7 miles away, and during an attempted traffic stop, one detective was shot, while the other, who continued to pursue the suspect, [link url=”https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020/02/06/scott-ballard-ian-preece-anne-arundel-county-police-shot-latest/” title=”was later shot in an exchange of gunfire with the suspect, who fled”].

7) Workers trapped by a fire in a zinc mine in Sweden have now been evacuated. About [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sweden-fire/workers-evacuated-from-garpenberg-mine-in-sweden-after-fire-idUSKBN200208″ title=”80 workers were forced to seek shelter in an emergency room below ground when a piece of machinery caught fire at a mine located in Garpenberg”]. The mine’s owner, Boliden, stated that the fire was extinguished by its own personnel, the smoke was being ventilated, and medical evaluations were carried out on the workers that were evacuated.

8) [link url=”https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDHSFACIR/2020/02/06/file_attachments/1374962/The%20InfoGram%20-%20Febaruary%206,%202020.pdf” title=”Applications are now being accepted for up to $12.5 million in grants”] offered by the United States Department of Transportation’s (DOT) [link url=”https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/about-phmsa/working-phmsa/grants” title=”Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)”]. The grants are offered each year to state, tribal, non-profit, and community organizations for projects that help communities avert or respond to hazardous materials-related transportation incidents. The funds can be used for training, research, safety-awareness, or other activities focused on preventing or responding to incidents, and full eligibility and grant requirements can be found by searching PHMSA at [link url=”http://www.grants.gov” title=”Grants.gov”].