Disaster Reports/Emergency Situation Summaries
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Continuing Coverage: Series of EmergencyNet News "Real-Time" Reports
Concerning a 8.9 Magnitude Earthquake and Tsunamis that Devastated Asia
(Last
Updated 06 Jan 2005)
Dec 2004
The U.S. National Response
Plan is now available from DHS. The documents are as follows:
National Response Plan and Annexes
December 2004
(PDF, 114 pages, 2MB)
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRPbaseplan.pdf
National Response Plan
December 2004
Full Version (PDF, 426 pages, 4MB)
includes all annexes, "Emergency Support Function Annexes", "Support
Annexes", and "Incident Annexes."
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRP_FullText.pdf
12:00CDT/02:00 Tokyo time - 26/27 Sep 2003
Strong Quakes Injures Hundreds; Rescue Efforts Continue
Hokkaido Island, Japan: A series of earthquakes has struck N. Japan,
including the largest anywhere in the world this year, according to the
the U.S. Geological Survey. Yet, miraculously, no deaths were
immediately reported -- a fact that experts attributed to
'earthquake-proofed' Japanese buildings and the quake's location 26
miles below the ocean floor.
Hokkaido government official Hidenori Hoshino told the Associated Press
that 323 people were confirmed injured as of 17:00 Japan time, or about
12 hours after the quake. Japan's public TV broadcaster, NHK, put the
injury toll at 479. Several people are still missing and search and
rescue efforts continue at the time of this report.
"My first reaction was that the damage was much smaller than what
earthquakes of that magnitude are capable of doing," said Yasuhiro Umeda,
a seismologist at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto
University.
INSTANT UPDATE: 20:00CDT - 10:00 Tokyo time 25/26 Sep 2003
More than 160 People Hurt in Series of Quakes
Hokkaido Island, Japan: A series of powerful earthquakes shook the
northern Japanese island of Hokkaido early on Friday, injuring more than
160 people, causing widespread damage, blackouts, and prompting
officials to issue tidal wave alerts. Damage assessments continue and
the injury toll is likely to rise, rescue officials said. Many highways
are said to be buckled and have been closed to traffic. Kushiro aiport
has been shut down, the transport ministry said. The air control traffic
tower has been damaged, disabling traffic control at the tower. A train
derailed in one of the quakes, but thankfully only a small number of
injuries were reported. EmergencyNet News is monitoring events in Japan
and will bring you additional details as they are made available by
official sources...
06:30 Tokyo time - 16:30CDT - 25/26 Sep 2003
Major Quake Hits Northern Japan; 7.8 on Richter Scale
Hokkaido Island, Japan: A massive earthquake has hit northern Japan and
there are warnings of a major tidal wave yet to come...The quake,
measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, hit Hokkaido, the northern most
island of the Japanese chain. The quake's epicenter was reportedly
located off the coast of Hokkaido and struck at around 04:50 (local)
time. Such a quake is strong enough to cause major damage to homes,
businesses, transportation systems, and disrupt much of the area
infrastructure.
NHK (Japanese) television showed video of a fire and smoke billowing
near an Idemitsu oil storage facility in Tomakomai, southern Hokkaido.
There are currently limited reports of casualties, but damage and injury
assessments are still underway at the time of this report. Hokkaido is
lightly populated, but still is home to about 5 Million people.
Multiple Fatalities: Euro-Heatwave -- August, 2003 -
(France Heat Wave Death Toll at 15,000)
26 Aug 2003
NASA Releases Shuttle Crash Report
Columbia Accident Investigation Board Releases Final Report -- The Columbia Accident Investigation Board today presented its final report on the causes of the Feb. 1, 2003 Space Shuttle accident to the White House, Congress and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration...
The CAIB (Columbia Accident Investigation Board) Report -
Volume 1
August 2003
View / Download Report
(10MB -- .pdf format)
The Report is also available for
download by chapter.
The CAIB Report and other resources are available at the
NASA Web Site.
26 May 2003
Plane Crash In Turkey Kills Spanish Military Personnel
TURKEY: Media reports said 74 people, mostly Spanish peacekeeping forces serving in Afghanistan, were killed when a Ukrainian plane crashed early Monday while trying to refuel in northwest Turkey. The plane was flying from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Zaragoza, Spain, with a refueling stop in Trabzon. The Russian made YAK-42 hit a mountain slope near the town of Macka, 30 miles south of the Black Sea port of Trabzon.
Spain's Defense Ministry said there were 62 Spanish military personnel on the plane, 41 from the army and 21 from the air force. Turkish officials reported 12 crew members aboard. Military officials at the scene said there were no survivors.
The plane apparently went down on its third attempt to land in thick fog
at Trabzon airport. Officials said the pilot reported not being able to see
the runway in the first two attempts, and the plane disappeared from radar
screens at 04:45 hour local time. Turkish soldiers retrieved more than 25
charred bodies from the wreckage.
25 May 2003
Algeria Earthquake Death Toll Tops 2,000
ALGERIA: The death toll from a devastating earthquake in northern Algeria rose to more than 2,000 on Sunday. The 6.8-magnitude quake flattened villages east of Algiers on Wednesday. The Interior Ministry said at least 2,047 people were killed and 8,626 injured.
The death toll was expected to rise as bodies were pulled from the rubble and the Algerian civil protection unit said it could reach 3,000. Victims have become angry at the poor response of the government. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika tried to tour the quake-ravaged town of Boumerdes, but angry crowds harrassed him. Bouteflika cut his visit short. Police fought to hold back the crowd as he drove away, with many people throwing chunks of rubble and other objects at his car and some kicking the cars in his motorcade.
The threat of disease was rising, especially with temperatures rising to
almost 104 degrees Fahrenheit. People across the quake zone accused the
government of inadequately providing food, medicine and blankets. Critics
said government failure to rush "mechanical diggers" to affected areas
delayed rescues and contributed to the death toll...
Miami Cruise Ship Explosion Leaves At Least Two Dead
MIAMI, FL: Authorities said two crew members were killed and 17 others were injured after an explosion and fire in the engine room of a docked cruise ship. None of the ship's 3,400 passengers was injured. The injured crew members, including four people listed in critical condition, were taken to several area hospitals.
Norwegian Cruise Line's Norway had arrived at the Port of Miami at around
05:00EDT. The fire began about two hours later with an explosion, possibly
caused by a steam leak. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded quickly
and the fire was put out in less than an hour. Investigation of the cause of
the incident continues, but preliminary results suggest it was due to "an
accident."
INSTANT UPDATE - May 22, 2003 - 16:00CDT
More than 1,000 Dead, 7,000 Injured in Algeria Earthquake
ALGIERS, ALGERIA: According to FOXNews, rescuers and international aid workers streamed into Algeria Thursday in the wake of a massive earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people and injured nearly 7,000. Wednesday's temblor was the most devastating in two decades, toppling apartment buildings, crumbling walls and felling trees in the area east of Algiers, the nation's capital. It was measured at a magnitude of 6.7. Weeping survivors walked amid debris, and hospitals overflowed with the injured. In Algiers, Soldiers and civilians used their bare-hands to dig through the rubble of a partially collapsed building. Get the whole story from FOXNews, click here...
19:30CDT - 21 May 2003
Quake Kills More Than 200 in Algeria; More than 1,500 Injured
ALGIERS, ALGERIA (EmergencyNet News) -- According to both official and media sources, more than 200 people have been killed and at least 1,500 people hurt as an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale struck cities east of the capital.
Details of the quake:
* Regional Location: NORTHERN ALGERIA
* Magnitude: 6.7
* Greenwich Mean Date: 2003/05/21
* Greenwich Mean Time: 18:44:19
* Latitude: 36.89N
* Longitude: 3.78E
* Focal depth: 10.0km
Source: National Earthquake Information Center (USGS-NEIC)
Rescue efforts continue at the time of this report and an unknown
number of people reportedly remain trapped in the rubble of collapsed
buildings. EmergencyNet News will bring you official details as
circumstances warrant...
11 May 2003
Tornadoes Hit West-Central Illinois
PEKIN, ILLINOIS: Authorities said more than two dozen homes were
damaged after several tornadoes hit west-central Illinois on Saturday night.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency said the tornado was part of a
powerful system. Pekin received extensive damage. A number of injuries were
reported, most of them minor, and damage estimates had not yet been
determined.
08 May 2003 - 20:30CDT
At Least 118 Hurt As Tornado Slams into Oklahoma City
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK: According to emergency service sources, at least 118 people have been injured as a tornado tore through sections of Oklahoma City this afternoon. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel said that at least twenty (20) of those hurt were in serious or critical condition. The tornado is said to have first touched at about 17:17 local time. Eyewitnesses said that the storm also shadowed Interstate 240 for a period of time during the evening rush hour, destroying buildings and and up-ending cars and tractor-trailer trucks. The city of Moore, OK was also apparently hard-hit by this storm.
Steve McManus, assistant fire chief in Midwest City, said that at least 100 homes were badly damaged or destroyed in Midwest and Oklahoma City. A number of businesses were also severely damaged. The tornado reportedly hit areas of Oklahoma City and some of its suburbs to the south and southwest. The storm shut down electricity for more than 37,000 customers in south Oklahoma City, Moore and Choctaw, according to Oklahoma Gas and Electric. Search and Rescue operations and damage assessments are still underway at the time of this report. EmergencyNet News will bring you additional official details if/when they become available...
WEATHER ADVISORY - 08 May 2003 - 09:00CDT
MID-WEST/SOUTH: Forecasters are warning that conditions are ripe for Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee to be hit by more severe weather on Thursday. Those states were heavily damaged earlier this week in one of the most intense outbreaks of tornadoes in 53 years of record-keeping. Officials have recorded 135 tornadoes for the week, since last Sunday. More than 40 people have been killed in the non-stop storms.
ERRI crisis analysts said that they are monitoring these newest storms
closely as the ground is already saturated in a number of areas and "flash
flooding" or a failure of flood control infrastructure may be expected to
occur. Emergency service agencies and responders are respectfully advised to
closely monitor
National Weather Service
and local media for further severe weather
reports.
24 Apr 2003
Toronto Mayor Upset With W.H.O.
TORONTO, CANADA: Toronto mayor Mel Lastman said he had "never
been so angry" as when he became aware that a health body advised against all
but essential travel to Toronto. Mayor Lastman is apparently upset at a
World Health Organization (WHO) declaration calling his city a
"no-go" zone as the result of several deaths that have been attributed to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). (See advisory
below - 23 Apr 2003: "WHO Warns On Travel To Beijing, Shanxi, And Toronto")
A W.H.O medical official today announced that a new case of SARS in
the Philippines was directly related to cases in Toronto.
Mayor Lastman insists the outbreak of the deadly virus is under control
in Toronto and that the medical evidence does not support the W.H.O. ban.
Reference:
http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/
15 Apr 2003
Boy Fatally Shot At New Orleans High School
NEW ORLEANS, LA: A 15-year-old boy was killed and three teenage girls were wounded when a gunman with an AK-47 rifle opened fire in a high school gym packed with 200 students on Monday. More than 30 bullets were fired in the attack. Four suspects were arrested in the area around John McDonogh High School. Police said the killing of the 15-year-old victim appears to be retaliation for a 7 April killing. Some students said the feud was gang-related. Arrested were two males, aged 17 and 18, and a 17-year- old female. They were all booked on first-degree murder charges.
The three wounded pupils were treated at the Medical Center of Louisiana.
One, a 15-year-old girl had surgery for more than one wound. Two other
girls, both 16, were hit in the legs or buttocks. None of the wounded is thought to have life-threatening injuries.
28 Mar 2003
U.S. Coast Guard Faces New Tasks; Needs More Resources
NEW YORK CITY: Terror attacks in the United States and war abroad is transforming the U.S. Coast Guard from an agency that once focused primarily on search and rescue to a force shielding Americans from would-be terrorists. New rapid-response teams now intercept suspicious ships by lowering guardsmen from hovering helicopters. Vessels protect 170 vulnerable sites, from landmarks like the Statue of Liberty to nuclear plants.
A national intelligence database now allows officers to identify suspect cargo far from shore. The 36,000 men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard -- up 2,000 after the 9/11 attacks -- are on their highest alert since World War II. Another 3,000 Guard reservists have been called to active duty.
A Coast Guard spokesman said: "Homeland security is our number one mission now. We have many more patrols on the water, more boarding of vessels, more security zones."
Many analysts say, however, that such steps are still insufficient. Steven Flynn, a former Coast Guard officer and senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations: "If we had to rate the state of our maritime security, on a scale of 1 to 10 - on September 11, we were a one and now we're getting close to a three."
On 1 March, the Coast Guard was transferred from the Department of Transportation to the new Department of Homeland Security. While Guard officials insist they have not abandoned other duties, their mission is far more focused now on protecting the nation's 361 commercial seaports and 120,000 miles of coastline and inland waters.
Despite a boost in the Guard's budget from $5.6 billion last year to the
current $6.2 billion level, some say the budget is still insufficient.
Nearly everyone says the task is daunting. For example, government officials
acknowledge that only about two percent of the more than seven million cargo
containers that come into U.S. ports are inspected by the Bureau of Customs
and Border Protection...
21 Mar 2003
Nine Injured In Apartment Blasts In Phoenix
PHOENIX, AZ: After two explosions and a fire brought down an eight-unit apartment building, nine people were injured and one was unaccounted for. Authorities had not determined the cause of the blasts, which occurred at 0100 MST Wednesday, but Assistant Fire Chief Bob Khan said the first explosion originated in the apartment of a 49-year- old man who was missing, but it was unclear if he was in the rubble. Officials were conducting a criminal investigation into the explosion.
A 35-year-old man was listed in critical condition early Thursday with trauma and burn injuries. A 36-year-old woman was in fair condition. Seven others were hospitalized with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening.
The explosions occurred five minutes apart and leveled the two-story
building, leaving only parts of three cinder block walls standing. The walls
blew out and the roof reportedly pancaked down. A Southwest Gas spokesman
said crews found no underground gas leaks.
06 Mar 2003
Plane Crash in Algeria, More Than 100 Feared Dead
ALGERIA:
At least 102 people were killed when an Air Algerie jet crashed shortly
after takeoff in southern Algeria on Thursday. One person survived. The
crash of the Boeing 737 occurred minutes after the plane left Tamanrasset
bound for the capital, Algiers. The cause of the crash is presently
unclear...
04 Mar 2003
Three Killed And Four Survive Massachusetts Plane Crash
MONTEREY, MA: Officials said late Monday that three members of a family were killed but four others survived a plane crash in western Massachusetts. The survivors were hoisted aboard New York State Police rescue helicopters and flown to the Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. Their conditions were not immediately known.
Police said ground units were also sent to the scene, but had difficulty getting there because of the rugged terrain. The plane, a Piper Cherokee Six, went down at about 1830 EST on Sunday after complaining of icing over southeastern New England on the flight from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Keene, New Hampshire. The wreckage was spotted from the air just after noon by a New York State Police helicopter.
A helicopter located the mostly intact fuselage in Beartown State Forest
in Monterey, in the southern Berkshire Mountains of the state of
Massachusetts. A man and woman and their five sons, aged 12 to 2, were
believed on board. The pilot reportedly radioed that he was revising his
flight plan to make an emergency landing due to icing conditions.
INSTANT UPDATE - 09:00CST - 22 Feb 2003
New York Oil Depot Blast Kills Two Employees
NEW YORK CITY/STATEN ISLAND: A barge offloading fuel at a Staten Island oil depot caught fire and exploded on Friday. Fire officials immediately called the explosion an industrial accident, pending further investigation of the blaze that killed two barge workers. An ExxonMobil employee, was hospitalized with second-degree burns and remains in serious condition.
The blaze erupted at 1010 EST at the Port Mobil refinery farm near the Outerbridge Crossing bridge to New Jersey, about 16 miles south- west of Manhattan. Barge workers were offloading four million gallons of gasoline when the blast occurred about halfway through the process. A ball of fire followed a thundering explosion that shook homes as far as two miles away...
10:10EST - 21 Feb 2003
Major Explosion and Fire At Staten Island Tank Farm/Dock
Staten Island, NY (EmergencyNet News) -- According to emergency service sources, a major explosion and fire has occurred at the edge of Port Mobile, near the Outerbridge Crossing on Staten Island. A large column of black smoke and flames is visible for miles. It would appear that pipelines and other parts of the tank farm may be involved in the fire. "We have a preliminary report that a tanker was transferring a product or was being fueled and somehow ignited," Fire Department Chief William Van Wart is quoted as saying. NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg said that two people are reported missing and an inquiry concerning their situation is underway. One injury was immediately reported and no cause for the explosion is presently known.
INSTANT UPDATE - 17:00 Seoul time - 18 Feb 2003
AT Least 100 Feared Dead in South Korea Subway Arson Attack
SOUTH KOREA: Officials said fire raced through two subway trains packed with people in South Korea on Tuesday after a man ignited a carton filled with flammable material. At least 100 people were feared dead. A suspect was arrested in Taegu, South Korea's third-largest city, but police still did not know what motivated the attack. Rescue workers had given up the search for survivors by the afternoon. It was unknown what substance the attacker used to start the blaze.
Thick black smoke continued to pour out of the subway hours after the fire broke out, hampering the rescue operation. According to witnesses, a man started the blaze by setting a milk container containing flammable liquid in a rail car on fire. A police spokesman said: "When the man tried to use a cigarette lighter to light the box, some passengers tried to stop him. Apparently a scuffle erupted and the box exploded into flames."
Police said they were treating the incident as arson and that a middle aged man had been arrested. As the fire spread through the six-car train, a second train reportedly halted in the station and also caught fire. Toxic fumes were said to be hampering attempts by emergency services to reach people still inside the subway station.
Although it is too early to draw any conclusions about whether or not the incident in Taegu was a "terrorist attack," ERRI Sr. Analyst Clark Staten said that the incident definitely demonstrates the potential vulnerability of confined spaces like subway systems that have not been adequately secured. "We do not know the identity, nationality, or motive of the perpetrator in South Korea...therefore it would be difficult to draw any conclusion about the cause of this tragedy," Staten said.
"But, that said, it does point out how easy it was for a single individual, with a commonly available flammable product, to undertake a asymmetrical, devastating, and mass casualty causing action in a subway," the veteran crisis and counter-terrorism analyst added. "We have been concerned about the problem concerning the vulnerability of subways for some time and hope that this incident serves as a major wake-up call for other mass transit systems," Staten concluded.
Original Report - 12:00Noon Seoul time - 18 Feb 2003
Underground Train Fire Kills Undetermined Number of People; 100 Injured
Taegu, S. Korea (EmergencyNet News) -- Preliminary reports are coming in about a suspected arson fire on a subway train in Taegu. According to reports from the scene, firefighters battled heavy smoke conditions as they fought to rescue trapped riders on the train. According to a so-far unconfirmed eyewitness report, an unidentified man threw some kind of "fire-bomb" onto the train.
Ambulance personnel said that there are believed to fatalities and
as many as one hundred injured, and that the death and injury toll may yet rise.
Earlier reports suggested ten people had died, but that has not been
confirmed by official sources. The
incident is believed to have begun at about 10:00 local time and is yet
unresolved at the time of this report. A major investigation into the cause of
the fire is expected, as fire personnel said it occurred under "questionable circumstances." EmergencyNet News is monitoring events in
Korea very closely due to heightened tensions with N. Korea and we will bring
you additional official details if/when they become available...
17 Feb 2003
Twenty One Killed In Chicago Nightclub Stampede
CHICAGO, IL: Authorities said a disturbance at a crowded South Side Chicago nightclub early Monday set off a mad scramble for the exits that left 21 people dead and more than 30 injured, some critically. There were over 1,500 people in the two-story Epitome Night Club at 2347 S. Michigan Avenue, when someone allegedly sprayed pepper spray or mace into the air some time after 02:15CST.
Fire Commander Will Knight said. "It appears a disturbance from within led to a mass chaos where people headed for the door. Most of the fatalities appear to have been crushed or had injuries due to suffocation." Knight said there 33 injured, 19 of them critically. Medical teams from local hospitals responded to the site, along with multiple ambulances and at least 30 paramedics (EMS Plan III). “There was a lot of massive panic and crushing injuries,” Chicago Deputy Fire Commissioner Larry Matkitis told the Chicago Tribune. “There were people piled up at the bottom of the staircase. It was a very chaotic scene.”
The dead are believed to have been trampled as people rushed for the exits. Officially unconfirmed reports suggest that some emergency exits may have been blocked or locked. It is unclear what sparked the panic on the upper floor of the club on a busy Sunday night. One report said a fight broke out and pepper spray was used by club security officers to break it up. People rushed down a staircase to try to get out. When some fell, the crowd reportedly piled on top of them.
An major investigation of the incident has ensued this morning and
citizens with eyewitness knowledge of the incident are asked to call CPD
Area 4 detectives at: 312-746-8252...
16/17 Feb 2003
Blizzard Slams East Coast
CENTRAL/EASTERN UNITED STATES: A massive winter storm buried some areas of the eastern United States with more than two feet of snow - causing at least a dozen deaths. The storm was part of a huge system that left its mark in a variety of ways: blizzard conditions in the Northeast; rain, mud- slides and floods in the South; heavy snowfall across the eastern United States. By early Monday, Silver Spring, Maryland, had 25 inches of snow and Berkley County in West Virginia had 27 inches.
At least a dozen deaths have been blamed on the weather since snow and
rain moved across the Plains on Friday. The storm moved east at a slow pace
over the next two days, taking aim at the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic
before heading into the Northeast. Forecasters predicted the storm would
leave 16 to 20 inches in Philadelphia. Eighteen to 22 inches was expected in
New York City, which readied 1,300 plows and 148,000 tons of salt.
Forecasters said the storm system would continue its northeasterly trek into
Vermont and New Hampshire late Monday as the snow finally tapers off...
Snowstorm Affects Much Of United States
DES MOINES, IOWA: Heavy snow fell from the Plains all the way to Maryland on Saturday. Slippery pavement and blowing snow made driving a struggle from eastern Nebraska through Ohio. The flying snow caused near whiteout conditions in parts of central/southern Illinois.
The heaviest snow by midday Saturday was in eastern Nebraska and Iowa, where Omaha and Des Moines had 11 to 14 inches. Strong wind piled the snow into drifts. Up to seven inches fell overnight in central Ohio, that region's largest snowfall so far this winter.
Snow is rapidly piling up in the Washington, DC/Virginia/Maryland area as
this report is written and some forecasters are predicting that the current
snowstorm may rank among the top five greatest snowfalls in the region.
Travel is not recommended there, unless it is essential.
Space Shuttle Columbia Down...
( 09:00CST - 04 Feb 2003)INSTANT 
08:30CST - 22 Jan 2003
At Least 23 Killed By Powerful Earthquake In Mexico
MEXICO: At least 23 people have reportedly been killed by a powerful earthquake that shook western and central Mexico, collapsing dozens of houses and leaving the worst-hit state shrouded in darkness with power outages. The death toll continued to rise on Wednesday as emergency crews surveyed the full extent of the damage hours after the ground had stopped shaking. A Red Cross volunteer in the western city of Colima near the epicenter, said: "There are many houses that have fallen down and many buildings destroyed."
Emergency workers struggled to treat at least 100 people who were injured in Colima, a city of some 125,000 people where walls and homes collapsed. In the center of the city, firefighters tackled a small blaze at a furniture shop apparently sparked by the earth- quake of at least 7.6 in magnitude. The Seismological Service at Mexico City's UNAM University said the quake struck at 2009 hours local time Tuesday, and measured 7.6. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.8...
20:30CST - 21 Jan 2003
Major Earthquake Reported Near Mexico City, Mexico
MEXICO CITY (EmergencyNet News) -- Preliminary and large unconfirmed reports are coming in to EmergencyNet News about a major earthquake in the vicinity of Colima, Mexico, on the Pacific coast. Exact coordinates of the quake were: 18.81N and 103.89W. Few details are currently available, though one initial report suggest that the shaker may have exceeded 7.3 on the Richter scale. A quake of such size in a large metropolitan area could cause extensive damage, injuries, or loss of life.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or
damage in the Mexico City area...though telephones and electricity are out in many areas,
making official reports difficult. No official reports have been received
from Colima as of the time of this report. EmergencyNet News is monitoring
events in Mexico closely and will bring you additional data about this
quake as official facts warrant...
13:45CST/21:45 Ankara time - 08 Jan 2003
Another Plane Crash Being Reported, This Time in Turkey
Near Diyarbakir, Turkey (EmergencyNet News) -- Early and yet largely unconfirmed reports coming from Turkey say that a RJ-100 passenger aircraft has crashed as it attempted to land in Diyarbakir. Conflicting reports suggest that between 70-77 souls were on-board the stricken plane. Heavy fog was reported at the airfield, but that has not been determined as the cause of the crash. There are unconfirmed reports that there were at least some survivors at the incident site, though that has not been confirmed by Turkish aviation sources. Few official details have been released... EmergencyNet News is monitoring events in Turkey and will bring you additional details if/when they become available.
09:00CDT - 08 Jan 2003
21 Dead in Commuter Air Crash
CHARLOTTE: No survivors were reported after a commuter plane, Flt.
5481, carrying 21 people, crashed into a maintenance hangar as it was taking
off on Wednesday at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. The tragic
incident occurred on take-off, at about 08:53EST. Emergency
personnel on the scene said that the plane was totally destroyed on impact. The cause of the crash wasn't immediately clear, and the
incident remains under investigation. Air
Midwest reportedly owns the aircraft, which was operated by US Airways
Express. Weather conditions were cold and windy at the time of the crash.
11 Nov 2002
At Least
27 Killed By Tornadoes In Four StatesWARTBURG, TN: In keeping with weather warnings posted here last night, at least 27 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured by a series of tornadoes that barreled through the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. A wide band of storms stretched from Louisiana to Ohio, with Tennessee and Alabama the hardest hit. The death toll included 12 in Tennessee, ten in Alabama and five in Ohio, while 45 people were unaccounted for in the rural town of Mossy Grove. Disaster management experts said that the death toll may rise as search and rescue operations continue.
Seven people in the town of Wartburg, about 40 miles west of Knoxville, were killed when a tornado cut a swath five to six miles long just before 21:00EST Sunday. Emergency crews relied on ham radio operators for communication since phone lines were knocked out by the storm. Authorities feared the death toll would rise as daybreak revealed the extent of the devastation.
Carbon Hill, Alabama, sustained massive damage as a nighttime swarm of tornadoes and powerful thunderstorms hit the area and sent giant hardwood trees crashing down on small houses and mobile homes. The tornadoes flattened dozens of homes throughout the region and left tens of thousands without power. Winds hit an estimated 140 mph in Tennessee and the storms carried torrential rain and golf-ball-sized hail.
The National Weather Service said that unseasonably high temperatures on
Sunday in the 80's in some areas, followed by a cold front, made conditions
ripe for tornadoes, which they said are not unusual this time of year. The
injured included at least 55 people in Tennessee, 50 in Alabama and 21 in
Ohio. Several people died as they became trapped in cars and homes, while
others frantically tried to escape the storms.
INSTANT UPDATE - 09:00CST - 01 Nov 2002
Quake Kills 23 In Central Italy
ITALY: Firefighters said at least 23 people were killed, nearly all of them children at a school, when an earthquake jolted south-central Italy on Thursday, sending a nursery school roof crashing down on a class of preschoolers during a lunchtime Halloween party. Driven on by faint voices coming from the rubble, frantic rescuers worked through the night to save six children and a teacher who remained trapped after the 5.4 magnitude quake struck the Molise region, shaking the town of Campobasso and surrounding villages northeast of Naples.
Bodies continue to be recovered from the ruins of the school in San Giuliano di Puglia on Friday, nearly 24 hours after the earthquake which was the worst in Italy for five years. Voices which had been heard in the rubble at San Giuliano di Puglia have fallen silent and specialist equipment can no longer detect body heat. Among the dead was the daughter of the village mayor.
At least 34 people were rescued alive from the school, though some are in
hospitals with serious injuries. The school - the most badly damaged building
in the village - was constructed nearly 50 years ago and had a concrete
second floor added recently. Thursday's quake, which measured 5.4 on the
Richter scale, struck at 11:40 hours local time (10:40GMT).
23 Aug 2002
Resource Notification:
Emergency Responder Guidelines, Office for
Domestic Preparedness, Dept. of Justice, 1 Aug 2002 (List of emergency responder competencies -- requires Acrobat .pdf
reader/plug-in to review)
http://www.homelandsecurity.org/bulletin/
emergencyresponderguidelines.pdf
EmergencyNet Reference: Fujita Tornado Damage Scale
Tornadoes are rated from F0 to F5 on the Fujita scale, based on wind speed and damage. The scale was developed by Theodore Fujita of the University of Chicago.
F0: Light damage, winds under 73 mph. Some damage to chimneys, branches broken off trees, shallow-rooted trees pushed over, sign boards damaged.
F1: Moderate damage, winds 73-112 mph. Surfaces peeled off roofs, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, moving autos blown off road.
F2: Considerable damage, winds 113-157 mph. Roofs torn off frame houses, mobile homes demolished, boxcars overturned, large trees snapped or uprooted, light objects become missiles.
F3: Severe damage, winds 158-206 mph. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses, trains overturned, most trees in forest uprooted, heavy cars lifted off ground and thrown.
F4: Devastating damage, winds 207-260 mph. Well-constructed houses leveled, structures with weak foundations blown off some distance, cars thrown, large missiles generated.
F5: Incredible damage, winds 261-318. Strong frame houses lifted off
foundations and swept away, automobile-sized missiles fly through the air
more than 100 yards, trees debarked.
13:30CDT/14:30EDT - 29 July 2002
Amtrak Train Crash Being Reported; 90 People Hurt, 30 of Them Seriously
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD (EmergencyNet News) -- Early and largely unconfirmed reports are coming into EmergencyNet News about an Amtrak train derailment in/near Kensington, Maryland. The train was reportedly traveling between Chicago, IL and Washington, DC. According to witnesses, several train cars are overturned and there are believed to be numerous injuries. It is also being reported that several people may be trapped within the train cars. The incident was reported to authorities slightly before 14:00EDT.
Officials said that it was too early to even speculate as to the
cause of the derailment. A third alarm has been sounded and mutual
aid units have been requested to come to the scene. Rescue efforts
continue at the time of this report. EmergencyNet News will bring you
additional facts, if/when they become available...
28 July 2002
Trapped Miners Pulled From Shaft In Pennsylvania
SOMERSET, PA: Nine miners emerged in surprisingly good condition from the cramped, flooded shaft where they spent three days fighting for their lives. The rescue came after hours of determined drilling. The first miner was pulled out at about 01:00EDT to the wild applause of rescuers and dropped onto a stretcher. After that, miners were brought up in roughly 15-minute intervals. The last emerged at about 02:45 EDT.
All the men were taken to local hospitals, where they were to remain for 24 hours. Rescue workers, who had drilled for three days to get to the men, finally penetrated the chamber where the miners had been trapped in an air pocket at 22:20 EDT on Saturday (02:20 GMT Sunday). A telephone was dropped through a small air pipe to listen for sounds, then a rescue worker heard the voices of the men who told him all nine were safe and well.
One miner asked: "What took you guys so long?" The men became trapped on Wednesday after accidentally drilling through the wall of a nearby disused mine which collapsed, sending 50 million gallons of water into the shaft in which the men were digging for coal. Emergency teams dug two escape shafts down towards where the men were trapped.
They began digging a back-up shaft after a huge drill bit jammed in the
first shaft, but work on the second shaft was also beset by mechanical
problems. The drill bit was eventually dislodged, but it delayed the rescue
operation by several crucial hours. Emergency workers had also pumped
compressed air into the chamber in the hope of enabling any survivors to
breathe...
23 Apr 2002
INSTANT -
13:00CDT/11:00PDT - 23 Apr 2002
Two Dead, More than 250 Injured in Train Crash
According to the Associated Press and FoxNews channel, two people were killed and 265 were injured Tuesday morning when a commuter train filled with rush-hour passengers collided with a mile-long freight train about 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Investigation of the matter continues at this hour and a press conference concerning the incident is expected later today...
*****
11:00CDT/09:00PDT - 23 Apr 2002
Train Crash Reported South of Los Angeles; 100 Feared Injured
Near Placentia, CA (EmergencyNet News) -- Early and as yet preliminary reports are coming in that two trains have collided about 35 miles south of Los Angeles, California. Numerous Fire, Police and EMS units are either on the scene of the crash or responding to it at this time. A very limited analysis of the crash would seem to indicate that a freight train struck a Metro-link commuter train head-on. The exact cause of the crash or disposition of the wreckage was not immediately known. The incident happened at about 08:10PDT.
Preliminary triage estimates suggest that as many as one hundred
people may have been hurt in the crash, some seriously. Official casualty
figures are not available at the time of this report, as rescue efforts
continue. EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events
in California and will provide additional updates if/when more official
details become available...
26 Mar 2002
More Than 1,800 Believed Killed In Afghan Quake
"Pancake" Building Collapse in Village of Nahrin,
Afghanistan
AFGHANISTAN: A series of earthquakes struck Afghanistan's remote northern province of Baghlan on Monday. More than 1,500 people are feared dead and thousands are homeless. Casualty estimates vary widely and Afghan officials are citing figures of between 1,200 and 4,800. The defense ministry has already reported recovering 600 bodies from the devastated town of Nahrin and surrounding villages. According to preliminary reports, the total number of those killed by the quakes could go much higher than initial estimates.
Thousands of people have also been left homeless by the quakes, which began on Monday and were still producing aftershocks on Tuesday after- noon local time. A 5.0 magnitude quake was recorded several hours after the initial shaker. Afghanistan's interim government has appealed for immediate international assistance and its head, Hamid Karzai, cancelled a visit to Turkey scheduled for Wednesday. The quakes began in the Hindu Kush mountains on Monday at about 19:26 hours local time (14:56:37GMT), rocking the Nahrin and Burqa districts of Baghlan. ERRI analysts said that for an international rescue effort to be effective, that it must be begun at the earliest opportunity.
The initial quake measured about 6.1 on the Richter scale, and could be
felt as far away as Peshawar and Islamabad in Pakistan. Afghan officials
said at least 10,000 people were homeless and the town of Nahrin had been
completely destroyed along with at least five nearby and smaller villages. One
Afghan commander who flew over the area on Tuesday described the scenes of
devastation he witnessed: "From the helicopter, we didn't see any standing
homes in and around the villages around Nahrin."
21 Feb 2002
NYC Crisis HQ Moves To Brooklyn
NEW YORK CITY: New York City's emergency command center has moved from the West Side Manhattan pier it took over after last year's World Trade Center terrorist attacks to the Brooklyn waterfront. Frank McCarton, spokesman for the city's Office of Emergency Management, said: "This temporary facility will allow us to continue our mission of interagency coordination and emergency management."
The original command center, a $13 million state-of-the-art facility nicknamed "The Bunker," was on the 23rd floor of Bldg. #7, World Trade Center. Opened in February 1999, the bunker was designed to house 400 people for two weeks. It was serviced by three generators, its own water supply and air filters, and had two entrances -- a hatch on top and a 200-foot tunnel out one side. But the 47-story building, which also housed a massive diesel-fuel tank to supply backup power for the bunker, collapsed after burning out of control for hours on 9/11, and the first temporary command center was moved to Pier 92.
The new temporary command center is a 40,000-square-foot warehouse. Its
exact location was not released. The Office of Emergency Management is
hoping to find a permanent location in Brooklyn within nine to 18 months.
BOLIVIA: Officials said on Wednesday that at least 69 people were
killed and thousands were made homeless as freak floods hammered the capital
of La Paz, trapping people in cars and homes and transforming streets into
turbulent, muddy rivers. One hundred people, many poor Indian market vendors
who peddle goods on the steep streets around the capital of 1.1 million
people, were injured and thousands more were made homeless after floods hit
La Paz on Tuesday. The flooding was the worst that has hit the capital of
the landlocked South American nation since 1976. La Paz, one of the highest
cities in the world, is sandwiched between high Andean mountains. La Paz and
the area around it were declared "emergency zones."
28 Jan 2002
INSTANT -
19:00CST - 28 Jan 2002
Plane Believed Down in Andes Mountains; Location Unknown
Tulcan, Ecuador (EmergencyNet News) -- Although official reports are sketchy at best, the most recent reports from the Ecuador/Colombian border seem to indicate the TAME Flt. 120 is probably down somewhere in the Andes mountains, in Colombian territory, near Tulcan. Colombian air force and Civil Aviation Department aircraft focused search efforts around the Colombian volcano Cumbal, according to a spokesman for the civil aviation agency. A search for survivors, and/or location of the the wreckage has reportedly been called off until morning. EmergencyNet News will bring you more on this story in tomorrow's daily reports...
12:00CST - 28 Jan 2002
Plane Reported Missing in S. America
Quito, Ecuador (EmergencyNet News) -- EmergencyNet News is
monitoring a report from Ecuador that a domestic 727 has reportedly
disappeared from radar and is presumed missing at this hour. The plane,
TAME Flt. 120, was traveling from Quito to Tulcan, in Ecuador. The plane
has been missing since about 11:00 local time. The plane reportedly
carried 92 souls on-board. EmergencyNet News is monitoring this event and
will bring you additional details if/when they become available...
21:00CST - 05 Jan 2002
Small Planes Crash in Tampa, FL, Boulder, Colorado, Near Buena Park, California, and east of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Chicago, IL (EmergencyNet News) -- Preliminary reports have been received concerning the crashes of four small planes within the past 12 hours. The most spectacular in this weird series of events occurred when an unauthorized 15-year-old student pilot crashed a Cessna 172 into an office high-rise in Tampa, a little after 17:00EST. The youth reportedly smashed into 28th floor of the Bank of America building, according to the Tampa Police Department. The young pilot is believed to have died in the accident.
In Boulder, a small plane went down this afternoon, in the foothills outside of town. At least one person is believed to have died in that incident.
In Buena Park, CA, a small single-engine plane went down about a block west of Fullerton Municipal Airport, at about 13:00PST. All on-board are believed to have perished, according to responding emergency personnel. The exact number of victims was not immediately known.
In Puerto Rico, at least five people are believed to have died as a possible charter flight went down in a remote area about 20 miles from San Juan. Paramedic personnel have recovered five bodies at the accident scene, where they said the plane "broke up badly" on impact.
Few other details were available concerning the various crashes as investigators went to work to determine the cause of each incident.
Homeland Security director Tom Ridge was said to be in touch with
White House staff, and the president was briefed about the preliminary
details concerning the Tampa crash and other small plane crashes that
happened on Saturday. Ridge issued a statement to the Reuters news service
saying, "none of these incidents appear to be related and there's no
indication of terrorism."
24 Nov 2001
INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
24 Killed In Swiss Plane Crash
SWITZERLAND: Twenty-four people are feared dead in a Swiss plane crash. Nine of the 33 people aboard the Crossair plane from Berlin, which crashed late Saturday on approach to Zurich airport, are known to have survived. The confirmed death toll is 10, with 14 missing. The nationalities of the passengers were Swiss, German, Dutch, Austrian, Canadian and Israeli. Two of the survivors were in critical condition, three were stable and four in good condition.
The four-engine jet, operated by Crossair, was on an instrument landing approach when it crashed just minutes before reaching Zurich airport. Police at the snow-covered crash site near the town of Birchwil, just a few miles from the runway, had at first hoped more survivors might be found wandering in nearby woods, but a search after daybreak proved fruitless.
Rescuers said the nine survivors with varying degrees of burns had walked unaided from the plane to be taken to A hospital. Nearly 200 police and firefighters took part in the rescue operation and teams of emergency workers with searchlights and dogs had searched the woods in the early hours of Sunday. The plane's two black boxes were found just over an hour after the crash, which occurred in poor weather.
The 97-seat RJ-100 Avro Jumbolino, built by BAE Systems, formerly known
as British Aerospace, was carrying 28 passengers and five crew. Reports from
the crash site said the fuselage appeared largely intact, although the
cockpit and both wings had broken off. The plane interior seemed burned-out.
12:00CDT - 03 August 2001
"L" Train Rear-Ender Crash
Chicago, IL (EmergencyNet News) -- According to Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and emergency service sources, two packed commuter trains collided in a low-speed crash at about 09:00CDT today. Witnesses described the accident as "one train rear-ending the other." Both trains were on the same track and neither derailed. The incident occurred near the Chicago "Loop." The estimated speed of the collision was less than 10mph.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) sources told EmergencyNet News that
most of the injuries appeared to be minor, though a limited number of
victims may have experienced fractures, contusions, and other blunt
trauma. One Chicago Fire Dept. source said that more than 140 people had
been transported to the hospital, many complaining of "neck or back pain."
The cause of the accident wasn't immediately determined and an
investigation is underway...
RUSSIA
145 Killed In Siberian Plane Crash
All 145 souls aboard a Russian airliner were killed on Tuesday when the plane plunged into a wooded meadow in Siberia and burned after unsuccessful attempts to land in the city of Irkutsk. Aviation officials were examining the two black box flight recorders from the Tu-154 jet. A spokesman for the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said 143 bodies or fragments of bodies had been found.
Engine failure is believed to have caused the crash. Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu made the announcement shortly after search teams found one of the "black box" flight recorders of the airliner. He said all three of the aircraft's engines had failed.
The plane crashed during a flight on Tuesday evening from the Urals city of Yekaterinburg to Vladivostok in Russia's far east. No problems had been reported during take-off from Yekaterinburg. Several Chinese nationals were said to be among the passengers.
Flight 352 had been approaching the city of Irkutsk for a scheduled refueling stop. Russia's Civil Aviation Authority said it had made two abortive attempts to land and crashed on its third approach, dropping from the sky about 18 miles away from Irkutsk and bursting into flames. The plane disappeared from radar screens at about 21:10 hours Moscow time (17:10GMT), near the village of Burdakovka.
Russian news agencies quoted witnesses describing a large explosion and fire in a district where many locals have small country homes, not far from Lake Baikal. Russia has an elderly civil aviation fleet, mostly built in Soviet times. The Tu-154 is the workhorse of Russia's domestic airlines and is widely used. It is of a similar size to the Boeing 727.
*****
15:00CDT - 03 July 2001
Russian Airliner Reported Down; All On-Board Feared Dead
Moscow, Russia (EmergencyNet News) -- A Russian TU-154 is
believed crashed in the vicinity of Siberian city of Irkutsk, according to
press reports quoting the Russian Emergencies Ministry. The crash
reportedly happened at about 21:10 p.m. Moscow time. 133 passengers and 10
crew are feared dead after the plane crashed and burst into flames. The
cause of the crash is not currently known. The
plane belonged to the Vladivostokavia airline fleet. EmergencyNet News
continues to monitor details concerning the crash and will provide
additional updates as circumstances warrant...
16 June 2001
WISCONSIN:
Tornado Kills Three In Siren
Three people were killed and many homes and businesses were destroyed and damaged when a tornado swept through the northwestern Wisconsin community of Siren. At least eight people were seriously injured in the storm.
Siren, about 65 miles northeast of St Paul, Minnesota, has an emergency siren, but it was broken and many people may not have had much warning. It was estimated that at least 100 buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged. It was said that 15 Main Street businesses sustained serious damage and that only three or four survived the twister. The siren system was struck by lightning in late April or May, and it was scheduled to be fixed next week.
Officials reported a path of destruction a half-mile wide and 20 miles
long. The tornado struck the town at 2023 CDT. The National Weather Service
said a tornado touched down five miles west of Siren, and another one hit
north of Braham, Minnesota. The two tornadoes were from the same storm.
11 June 2001
MINNESOTA:
Seven Injured When Tornado Strikes Benson
Authorities said seven people were injured and homes and businesses were
damaged by a tornado on Monday. The twister that touched down during the
afternoon in Benson, a town about 120 miles west of Minneapolis, damaged
about a dozen businesses and 20 homes, some severely. Among the injured was
a 12-year-old boy who was listed in critical condition. The victims were
taking shelter in a ditch east of town when they were hit by flying debris.
Severe weather also struck other parts of the state. A woman was
hospitalized in Pillager, about 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis, during a
storm carrying winds up to 60 mph. At the request of local officials,
Governor Jesse Ventura ordered about 60 members of the Minnesota National
Guard to the central Minnesota towns of Litchfield and Grove City to help
clean up fallen trees.
INSTANT
11:00CDT - 26 May 2001
Jerusalem, Israel -- General Gaby Ophir, commander of Israel's emergency rescue services, has announced that the search through the rubble of the "Versailles Hall" in Jerusalem has ended, saying there is no longer anyone reported missing. "There is nobody else in the building," Ophir reportedly told the Agence France-Presse. It is now believed that a criminal negligence investigation will ensue...
*****
INSTANT
09:00CDT - 26 May 2001
24 Dead, More than 300 Injured; Search Goes On...
ISRAEL: Police have arrested at least eight people amid mounting suspicion that shoddy construction caused a banquet hall to collapse in the worst civilian accident in Israel's history. Rescue workers used their hands, cranes and heavy-powered shovels to comb through the debris at the Versailles banquet hall in Jerusalem, hoping to find survivors in the rubble. At least 24 people were killed in Thursday night's tragedy, and more than 300 were injured. It was not clear how many people were missing. Rescue efforts continue as rescuers search for victims that may be trapped in voids created by the falling floors.
*****
21:00CDT - 24 May 2001
At Least 250 People Transported From Collapsed Building
Jerusalem, Israel (EmergencyNet News) -- Rescue efforts continue at this hour after a building called the "Versailles Hall" collapsed. In the building at the time of the incident were at least 700 people who were attending a wedding. According to rescue officials, at least 20 people are confirmed dead and more than 250 people have been rescued and taken to area hospitals. Scores more remain trapped.
More than 100 ambulances have been dispatched to the scene of the incident and major disaster plans have been put in place at all of Jerusalem hospitals. Special rescue teams with search dogs have also been sent to the scene. Police and military sources are calling the incident a "structural failure" and say that they do not believe, at this time, that the incident was the result of a "terrorist act."
EmergencyNet
News continues to monitor events in Jerusalem and will provide additional
details as circumstances warrant...
Click here for a
background article on Building Collapse Rescue techniques by ERRI's Chief
Clark Staten.
Updated: May 18, 2001
Washington, May 18, 2001 -- The report of the National Energy Policy Development (NEPD) Group, headed by Vice President Cheney and released this month, recommends that President Bush direct FEMA to prepare for potential energy emergencies.
Specifically, the report suggests that FEMA work with state emergency managers to identify potential problems related to possible energy shortages and to address consequences of such shortages. FEMA should use its current Regional Incident Reporting System to identify any situations that might demand immediate attention, according to the report.
The report also recommends that FEMA should use the all-hazards structure of the Federal Response Plan to conduct Regional Interagency Steering Committees meetings with states affected by energy shortfalls. These regular meetings bring together the federal agencies and departments and the American Red Cross that implement the Federal Response Plan during federal emergencies and disasters. FEMA would either use a scheduled interagency meeting to address short-term energy issues or schedule a specific meeting to address the issues.
"FEMA stands ready to do its part to ensure the potential consequences of any energy shortfalls this summer or in the future can be addressed," said FEMA Director Joe M. Allbaugh. "While energy shortfalls seem a far cry from natural disasters, they fall under the all-hazards umbrella represented by the Federal Response Plan and need to be incorporated into a FEMA consequence-management strategy."
Allbaugh was one of 14 members of the NEPD Group, which was convened at the request of President Bush.
Source: FEMA -- http://www.fema.gov/nwz01/nwz01_42.htm
18
May 2001 - 09:30CDT --
ERRI COMMENTARY-OP/ED: Emerging
Infrastructure Failures and the "NIMBY" Syndrome
10 May 2001
GHANA:
At Least 130 People Killed In Soccer Incident
At least 130 people were reported killed at a soccer match in the Ghanian capital of Accra. Police over-reaction is being blamed for what is thought to be the worst tragedy in African sporting history. Witnesses blame police for triggering a fatal stampede by firing tear gas in an attempt to quell violence at the game between the country's two top clubs. The tragedy at the Accra Sports stadium was the fourth incident of its kind in Africa in less than a month.
The game had about five minutes left when fans of the losing team started ripping out chairs from one stand and throwing them onto the playing field. Police used tear gas in an effort to control the crowd, but this appears to have created panic and led to a stampede. The gates to the 40,000 capacity ground were reportedly locked shut.
Observers say that soccer stadiums in Africa are often old and poorly regulated. Alcohol is not banned, and police have little training in effective crowd control. Trouble had been anticipated ahead of the game, and authorities had taken extra security measures to prevent a disaster. This latest soccer tragedy follows three similar disasters in South Africa, DR Congo and the Ivory Coast, in the last month.
24 Apr 2001
IOWA:
Town Threatened By Mississippi River
Residents in the town of Davenport, Iowa, are hoping sandbag levees will withstand near-record water levels from the Mississippi River. Flood workers braved strong winds and bone-chilling temperatures to prepare on Tuesday for the Mississippi River to crest in the southeast Iowa town. The punishing flood crest has been rolling down the river through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. It was expected to reach Davenport late Tuesday and peak between 22 and 22.5 feet.
Davenport is the largest urban area on the upper Mississippi without a permanent flood wall. Through Monday, 1,115 homes had been damaged by flooding. Three hundred people evacuated, most residents of Abel-Essman Island near Guttenberg, where rising water closed the island last week. Firefighters, National Guard members, and other volunteers continue to add sandbags to shore-up Davenport levees, that are keeping the river out.
In Pontoosuc, Illinois, where there is no levee, water has already surrounded some houses. A storm in northwestern Wisconsin created flooding conditions around Bayfield and Douglas counties on Monday and officials feared the storm could drive river levels up by 2 inches north of La Crosse, Wisconsin, later in the week.
21 Apr 2001
KANSAS:
Tornado Kills One In Hoisington
One person was killed, about 300 homes were damaged and the roof of a hospital was ripped off by a tornado that swept through the central Kansas town of Hoisington on Saturday night. At least 26 people were injured, three critically. The town of about 3,000 people was without power and most telephone service after the tornado hit at about 21:15CST. In Lincoln County, a tornado touched down between Lincoln and Beverly. Some structural damage was reported but no injuries.
Although television stations were warning of possible tornadoes and sheriff's deputies were watching for it, the town's sirens reportedly didn't sound until after the tornado hit. The tornado cut a swath of about three blocks wide through much of the town. Officials said it looked like 20 percent of the town suffered major damage.
The town grocery store, the Dairy Queen and several homes were damaged. The tornado ripped the roof off Clara Barton Hospital. Some patients were evacuated, but the hospital continued to operate despite suffering serious damage. Triage centers were set up at City Hall downtown and at a Catholic church.
Three of the injured were airlifted to Wesley Medical Central in Wichita, three were taken to a Larned hospital and the others were treated at Kansas Medical Center in Great Bend. Dozens of severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings were issued throughout northwest and north-central Kansas on Saturday.
12 Apr 2001
S. AFRICA
43 People Killed In Stampede At Soccer Match In Johannesburg
A stampede at a soccer match between two of South Africa's most popular teams left 43 people dead and more than 250 others injured on Wednesday night. In one of the country's worst sports tragedies, thousands of fans who couldn't fit into Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium last shoved and broke through the fence around the facility or climbed over gates.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has promised an urgent inquiry into the stampede -- the worst such incident in South Africa's sporting history. A capacity crowd of 60,000 was already inside the stadium when a further 30,000 fans were reportedly still trying to gain entry. A goal sparked a further surge which led to the accident. Large numbers of emergency personnel treated the dozens of injured people on the soccer field. The most seriously injured were airlifted to area hospitals by helicopter.
Experts said part of the investigation may focus on reports
that the stampede was triggered by untrained security outside the stadium
firing tear gas into the crowds. The crush reportedly started in the east wing
of the stadium as fans scrambled for seats and spilled over into box suites.
Witnesses said the tragedy occurred because there were simply too many people
in the stadium. International observers described scenes of "utter
chaos," and said the emergency services appeared poorly equipped to cope
with the situation. There were reports that emergency vehicles were hindered
by the traffic outside the stadium.
29 Mar 2001
COLORADO:
Private Jet Crashes Near Aspen
Eighteen people were killed after a plane crashed into a hillside near the ski resort of Aspen, Colorado. The privately chartered Gulfstream jet was en route to Aspen from Los Angeles International Airport, and went down northwest of the town's Sardy Field airport shortly after 1900 MST on Thursday. Wreckage was strewn over about 100 yards.
One witness said she had been driving on a nearby road. She
saw the plane in what appeared to be its final approach before it crashed.
Cause of the crash was not known. The National Weather Service reported light
snow and mist in the Aspen area at the time of the crash.
27 Mar 2001
INSTANT
09:00CST - 27 Mar 2001
BELGIUM:
Head-On Train Crash Leaves Eight Dead
At least eight people were killed and dozens more were injured in a train crash in Belgium. Two trains collided head-on about 15 miles east of Brussels in the village of Pecrot. Some news reports put the death toll as high as 12. Several hours after the crash, rescue workers were still trying to cut their way through the wreckage. The injured victims were taken to several local hospitals.
The accident happened at 0845 hours local time (0645 GMT). One train was carrying an estimated 80 passengers. The other was empty except for the engineer. At least one train engineer is reported to be among the dead. The four rail cars of the south-bound passenger train were crushed on impact as the empty train slammed into them, ending up on top of one passenger car.
A spokeswoman for the national SNCB-NMBS rail company said the engineer of the empty train was traveling towards the town of Leuven on the wrong track. She said that the engineer appeared to have ignored the signals,
At least eight of the injured passengers were seriously hurt. Rescue workers have brought in cranes to try to separate the mangled rail cars.
*****
02:45CST - 27 Mar 2001
Head-On Train Crash; At Least Six People Dead
Brussels, Belgium (EmergencyNet News) -Two trains have
reportedly met head-on near near the village of Pecrot, which is about 15
miles east of Brussels. According to preliminary reports, which are still
sketchy, at least six people have been killed and dozens are injured.
Numerous fire and EMS units are either on the scene or enroute there.
The incident happened at about 8:45 a.m. local time. All of the
circumstances surrounding why both trains were on the same track are
presently not clear. EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events in
Belgium and will provide additional details if/when they become
available...
26 Mar 2001
WEST INDIES:
20 Killed In Caribbean Air Crash
All 19 souls aboard a small aircraft and one person on the ground were killed when a plane crashed into a house on the island of St. Barthelemy in the West Indies. The Twin Otter plane, operated by Air Caraibes, crashed after taking off from the nearby island of Saint Martin, 15 miles away.
An airline spokeswoman said most of the 17 passengers were French tourists - there was also an American woman and two crew members on board. Witnesses said the aircraft exploded on impact. The plane's black box flight recorder has already been recovered. Airline officials said that landing at Saint Barthelemy - a French territory in the northeastern Caribbean - is notoriously difficult and requires special pilot training. The 600 yard airstrip lies between a beach and a steep hill, and is often swept by severe and unpredictable gusts of wind. An investigation into the crash is underway...
24 Mar 2001
JAPAN:
Earthquake Hits Western Japan
At least two people were killed and more than fifty others were injured when a strong earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck a wide area in western Japan. Hiroshima fire officials said a 75-year-old woman was crushed to death when her house collapsed. Police in the neighboring prefecture of Ehime said another woman was killed after being hit by roof tiles when she was fleeing her home.
According to the meteorological agency, the quake, which had its epicenter off the coast of Hiroshima, struck at 03:28 hours local time. But the agency said there was no danger of a tsunami, or tidal wave. Fire department officials said at least four houses had caught fire after the quake, and many people were trapped in elevators. More than 50 people have been reported injured, and one of them is believed to be in a critical condition. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged in the quake.
A police spokesman in Tottori prefecture said the quake
had been felt for about 20 seconds, but there were no reports of injuries
or damage to buildings. Saturday's earthquake comes a day after one
registering 5.8 on the Richter scale hit northern Japan. Japan is one of
the world's most earthquake-prone countries.
08:00CST - 18 Mar 2001
Amtrak Crash Claims One; 90 Injured
Des Moines, IA (EmergencyNet News) -- According to Amtrak officials, the California Zephyr on a Westbound trip from Chicago to Emeryville, CA, has crashed near the town of Corning, Iowa. The derailment happened in a remote area, surrounded by corn fields, about six miles from Corning. The incident happened at about 23:40CST last night, when nine train cars came off the track.
Local emergency authorities from Adams County, Iowa said that rescue efforts were hampered by the fact that the crash site was in an area that had few roads, only farm fields.
EMS personnel said that a total of ninety (90) people were transported to several area hospitals and that some were flown by helicopter to Des Moines IA and Omaha, NE. Others, who were essentially uninjured, were taken to a community center Nodaway Community Center in nearby Nodaway, Iowa.
No cause of the derailment was
immediately determined. Local Sheriff deputies, and National
Transportation and Safety Board investigators are said to
be either on-scene or enroute to carry out a further inquiry into the
cause and circumstances of the crash.
INSTANT
09:00CST - 01 Mar 2001
ENGLAND:
Rail Investigators Search For Bodies
On a wreckage-strewn stretch of rural rail line, investigators searched for bodies and pieced together the events that brought two trains and a car together in a high-speed crash. At least 13 people were killed and more than 70 injured in yesterday's collision in northeast England. For reasons that have not yet been explained, a sport utility vehicle towing a car on a trailer went off a highway, down an embankment and onto a rail line.
*****
08:50GMT/03:50EST - 28 Feb 2001
Major Train Crash Reported in England; At Least Twelve Dead
London,
England (EmergencyNet News) -- Early and preliminary reports are coming
into EmergencyNet News about a train crash involving a truck, a freight
train and a passenger train. Several train cars are derailed and turned
over. As yet unconfirmed reports from the scene describe at least twelve
(12)
people dead and in excess of fifty (50) others injured. The incident
reportedly happened at about 06:20GMT near Selby, North Yorkshire.
Fire brigade and EMS personnel say that there appear to be a number of people trapped in the wreckage, and emergency managers say that they have implemented a "major incident (disaster) plan." Numerous ambulances have been dispatched to the scene. At least one rescue supervisor said that the death toll may rise as they gain access to badly damaged train cars.
The cause of the crash
has not been officially determined, but reports from the scene would
suggest that a vehicle had come off a roadway and onto the railroad
tracks. It was then struck by an oncoming train, which derailed. The wreckage
of the first train versus truck accident was then, in turn, struck by a another
train traveling in the opposite direction. The entire matter remains under
investigation and EmergencyNet News will bring you additional details as
circumstances dictate...
Series of EmergencyNet News "Real-Time" Reports Concerning A
Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake that Occurred at 10:54PST, Southwest of Seattle,
WA: 28 Feb 2001 (Updated as of 08:30:00CST/06:30PST, 01 Mar 2001)
08:00CST - 14 Feb 2001
At Least 170 Dead in El Salvador; Death Toll May Continue to Rise
San Salvador, El Salvador (EmergencyNet News) -- As rescue efforts continue, it would appear that at least 170 people have died, 1,500 injured, and any number of others may still be trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings in several villages in El Salvador. According to disaster workers, at least five villages have been almost totally destroyed with hundreds of homes collapsed in San Vicente. El Salvador, still reeling from another major quake last month, says it needs additional international relief if it is to cope with this latest disaster. EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events in El Salvador and will provide additional updates as the circumstances warrant...
*****
12:00CST - 13 Feb 2001
News Brief - From EmergencyNet News Mid-Day Summary
EL SALVADOR: An earthquake
rattled El Salvador this morning, adding to the death and damage caused by
a January quake that killed more than 800 people. One report said that at
least two people were killed, more than 200 houses collapsed and public
buildings were evacuated as a precaution throughout the nation of six
million people. Other reports said that 15 people had lost their lives.
Major highways were closed by landslides. Residents of the capital, San
Salvador, fled into the streets in panic as the earthquake hit. The U.S.
Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.1 -- well below
the 7.6 force of the 13 January quake, but still a powerful temblor.
Continuing EmergencyNet News Coverage of Massive 7.9 Earthquake That Has Killed at Least 20,000 People in India. Rescue Efforts (Latest Update: 08:00CST - 01 Feb 2001)
UNITED STATES:
INSTANT
30 Dec 2000 - 10:30CST
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS: Nearly a week after a Christmas ice storm devastated the southern Plains, tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas remain without power. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said on Friday: "We've never had a storm like this. We've never had a tornado that's done this kind of damage to infrastructure. I'm using words like apocalyptic and cataclysmic." About 135,000 homes and businesses in the state remained in the dark on Friday. Some communities have also been without water and sewer service for days...
29 Dec 2000
Winter Storms Blamed For At Least 41 Deaths; Forecasters Concerned About Storm Advancing on East Coast
As weather forecasters warily eye an advancing "N'easter" that may strike major cities in the Northeast this weekend, authorities blame at least 41 deaths on the bad weather that has gripped the South and Midwest: 22 in Texas, 11 in Oklahoma, four in New Mexico, two in Arkansas and one each in Missouri and Minnesota. A Greyhound bus rolled over on an icy stretch of Interstate 80 in Nebraska, injuring 33 people.
Hot Springs, Arkansas, was coated in ice, and the thermal pools that give the city its name had to be tapped for drinking water. In Texas, the National Guard used Humvees to reach at least 1,000 motorists stranded overnight on a highway, and some people found shelter at a county jail.
The icy weather reached across the southern Plains, knocking out power to about 550,000 homes and making travel virtually impossible in some areas. A second storm to the north sent snow falling at an inch per hour in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota on Thursday. Fargo, North Dakota, had received six inches by midmorning.
In Oklahoma, the dead included a 12-year-old boy whose makeshift sled barreled down a highway embankment and into the path of a tractor-trailer on Wednesday. Ground-zero for the nasty weather in the South was Hot Springs and other southwestern Arkansas cities, many of which lost their water treatment plants when the lights went out. Freezing rain fell again in part of southern Arkansas early Thursday.
On Interstate 20 in Texas, about 1,000 people were stuck for about 15 miles around Ranger Hill, a steep incline between Abilene and Fort Worth. State police provided food and gasoline to motorists to keep their engine and heaters running.
In Nebraska, a Greyhound bus carrying 39 people skidded out of control and rolled over on an icy stretch of Interstate 80 early Thursday, injuring 33 people including five who were admitted to hospitals.
ARKANSAS/TEXAS:
National Guardsmen battle Christmas-week Storm
By Master Sgt. Bob Haskell
"WASHINGTON (U.S. Army News Service, Dec. 28, 2000) -- Arkansas National Guard troops transported two kidney dialysis patients from their blacked-out homes to hospitals powered with auxiliary generators while helping residents cope with a deadly ice storm that has paralyzed the southern half of the country during Christmas week.
More than 450 members of the Army and Air National Guard had been called to state active duty in Arkansas, as of Dec. 27, to assist civilian authorities, according to a spokesman for the Arkansas National Guard.
Another 49 citizen-soldiers were on duty in Texas because of the storm, the Army National Guard's Readiness Center in Arlington, Va., reported.
"There is no termination date for this mission. As long as it's storming and blowing, we'll be out there helping," said Buddy Garrett, Arkansas's civilian state information officer.
The 444 Army National Guard soldiers and 14 Air Guard members were searching for stranded motorists along major highways to the east and west of centralized Little Rock in four-wheel-drive Humvees, and providing generators to essential public facilities, Garrett reported."
ERRI emergency service analysts said that several counties in Arkansas have suffered major infrastructure failures caused by the ice storms that have blanketed the area for the past several days. One estimate says that electricity may not be restored in some areas until 05 Jan 2001...
ALABAMA:
INSTANT
09:30CST - 17 Dec 2000
Tornadoes Kill At Least Ten People
A band of tornadoes swept through the state of Alabama on Saturday, including one that killed ten people in the city of Tuscaloosa. Twisters also struck three rural areas, tearing apart scores of homes in Geneva, at the southern edge of the state, and in rural Etowah and Limestone counties in the north. At least 20 people were injured in those tornadoes.
The worst devastation was in a large trailer park just
south of Tuscaloosa, where most of the victims were found. Mobile homes
were blown into mangled piles. As of Sunday morning, two people were still
reported missing. National Guard troops sealed off the park as rescue
teams searched the rubble for survivors. At least 54 people were injured
at the trailer park. The tornado hit at about 13:00CST on Saturday...
(Story continues in EmergencyNet News EMERGENCY
SERVICES REPORT, Sunday, December 17, 2000, Vol. 4, No. 353)
20:00CST - 16 Dec 2000
At Least Five Killed, Dozens Injured As Tornados Rake Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL (EmergencyNet News) -- According to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, at least five people have been killed and more than 35 hurt as a series of storms rumbled through Alabama earlier today. Dozens of homes were destroyed and tens of thousands of people are without power tonight as multiple tornado touchdowns tore up trees and downed electrical lines. Search and rescue operations continue tonight in several areas, as Alabama residents dig through the debris of what was once people's homes. Some officials say that they fear that the death toll may rise. Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman has reportedly activated the state emergency operations center to better coordinate emergency response to the storms.
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