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EDM Monday Briefing: Winter Storm to Dump Heavy Snow on East Coast

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snow Arsenault

Emergency and disaster management briefing for December 14, 2020: Crock Pot issues a safety recall for its 6-Quart Multi-Cookers; Microsoft reveals threat activity over last week and encourages larger community to increase scrutiny of their networks; a man climbed onto the wing of an Alaskan Airlines plane as it was waiting to depart Las Vegas; strong Winter Storm Gail is set to dump heavy snow along the East Coast Wednesday through Thursday; an extendable pole saw/pruner is being voluntarily recalled for safety concerns by Fiskars Brands; an Aviation Colour Code Red has been issued after the eruption of Mount Etna; an oil tanker explosion has occurred off the coast of Saudi Arabia; and a nurse in Queens is the first person in the nation to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

1) A safety recall has been issued by Sunbeam Products for Crock Pot Multi-Cookers. The recall applies to its 6-Quart Express Crock Multi-Cooker because of lid that may detach suddenly if it is not fully locked when it pressurizes. There have been 119 reports of lids detaching, with a reported 99 injuries ranging from first to third degree burns from hot foods and liquids.

2) Based on recent and highly sophisticated nation-state cyberattacks, Microsoft is encouraging the broader, whole community to engage in a greater scrutiny of its networks. Microsoft discovered threat activity over the past week, including an intrusion through malicious code in the SolarWinds Orion product, for which they now have detection files. The company also highlights several techniques that are present with this actor — who currently appears to be targeting high-value government agencies and private sector cybersecurity firms — including gaining high-level account access, then adding in their own credentials.  

3) An Alaskan Airlines plane was preparing for departure at McCarren International Airport in Las Vegas, when pilots observed a man approaching the aircraft on the tarmac. The individual climbed up onto the wing and was observed walking and crawling along the wing and then taking off his shoes, in an incident that lasted about 45 minutes. When police approached him on the wing, he attempted to climb the winglet on the tip of the wing, when he slid off. He fell to the ground and was arrested by airport police.  

4) Winter Storm Gail, as it has been named by the Weather Channel, is set to impact the northeast with heavy snow Wednesday through Thursday. A low pressure system will develop off the East Coast, fueled by a supply of fresh, cold air from strong high pressure in eastern Canada that will likely move into the area on Wednesday. The major nor’easter will likely bring strong winds and drop heavy snow north and east of the I-95 corridor, which may also impact New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston.

5) An extendable pole saw and pruner tool is being recalled for its potential laceration hazard. Fiskars Brands, Inc., of Middleton, Wisconsin, has recalled nearly 550,000 of its pole saws because, according to the company,  the “telescoping poles of the pole saw/pruner can separate, causing the poles to come apart and fall down,  and the saw blade and pruner head to drop, posing a laceration hazard.” The company has voluntarily recalled 467,680 of the items, which were sold at home improvement and hardware stores nationwide.  

6) One of the world’s most active volcanoes, Mount Etna, located on the east coast of the Mediterranean Island of Sicily, Italy, began erupting Sunday evening. The eruption sent plumes of ash into the air, and created two separate lava flows, one to the southwest and one to the southeast. The volcano is still erupting which resulted in an Ash Advisory and elevated the Aviation Colour Code to Red for aircraft in the vicinity.  

7) An explosion on an oil tanker located off the coast of Saudi Arabia is believed to have been caused by an external source. There were a total of 22 sailors aboard the Singapore-flagged BW Rhine ship, all of whom escaped without injury when the incident occurred off the port city of Jiddah on Monday. According to reports, Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the blast, which is being blamed on the nation’s ongoing war with Yemen.

8) A nurse in the New York City borough of Queens was the first person in the nation to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in a non-trial application. The vaccine, produced by Pfizer, was administered to the critical care nurse who has cared for coronavirus patients since the outbreak began. Approval was granted last week by the Food and Drug Administration for the vaccine’s emergency administration.  

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